Golden 5/9 - 5/16

Hi All,

Just returned from the Golden Princess Southern Caribbean cruise. The itineary of this cruise was to St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Grenada, Isle of Margarita, and Aruba. This was our first Princess cruise. We have sailed with Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and Disney.

We went down a day early and stayed at the Caribe Hilton. It was booked through Priceline at $75. The hotel has a nice pool and beach area. The room had a balcony but did smelled of cigarette even though we were on a non-smoking floor. We ate at Morton's Steakhouse which was on premise and was a bit pricey but was worth it. During the morning, the hotel provided fish food (bread) which you can use to feed the fish by the ocean. It was a great sight as you saw hundreds of fish of different colors swarming. There is also a garden area on-site which was inhabited by ducks, peacocks, and swans. (Be careful, the white swans tried to attack my wife.) :-)

The next day we left the hotel at about noon. It was a 5 minute cab ride to the pier. The check-in time took about 40 minutes. We were able to drop off our carry-on bags to our rooms.

Ship - Beautiful and not showing her age. The pool area were all nicely done. I liked that Princess attempted to make certain sections of the ship and venues non-smoking. We had a Caribe deck balcony which I think is the best option as the balcony size were larger even though some portion of it can be viewed from above.

Food - Pizza is great. Burgers & hot dogs are average. The buffets have a wide selection of food and think it was open 24 hours. I was disappointed there was no Midnight Buffet as I usually go to check out the work done by the staff. My opinion is Celebrity Cruise provides better overall food quality.

Entertainment - Another area of personal opinion. I was generally disappointed with the entertainment. I hope all cruise lines would take steps to better distinguish their entertainment rather than stick with the usual broadway revue shows, juggler, magician, and comedians onboard. Graham Seymour was the cruise director. He was funnier than the comedian. This was his last week on the ship as he is transferring over to the Caribbean Princess.

Here is a quick rundown of the islands visited.

St. Thomas - Still great place for beaches, sightseeing, and shopping.

St. Kitts - Decided to stay on the ship.

Grenada - We did a taxi tour for 2+ hours which took us for a drive around the town, a waterfall, and rainforest (which was just one big lake). If you want any spices, this is the place to buy them.

Isle of Margarita - The pier is very much isolated. They did have vendors selling trinkets and souvenier items. Also, there was a beach nearby where you can rent wave runners.

Aruba - We ended up just sightseeing around the town.

Overall we had a great time as the people were great and the weather was just as good. I think most of the cruise lines are more alike than different. Would I do Princess again? Of course, as I would like to do Celebrity again, Royal Caribbean again, etc.... ;-)

John.

Johnnj22@hotmail.com

Did you book your Grenada taxi tour independently? Do you remember how much it was?

John255:

Thanks for the review!

Sounds like you had a good time. Do you remember which nights were the formal nights? Did you eat in either Sabitini's or Desert Rose? Did you feel that you had enough time in each port?

Westfield Friends - July 4th Golden Princess

Good Review John! I was on the same cruise and will post my thoughts soon.

If there is no objection, I would like to use the same thread.

Here are some quick thoughts:

Ports are realy good. We enjoyed the snorkeling on St Johns and St Kitts (Champagne Cat & Nevis Sailaway respectively).

Grenada was very good too. Did the Grenada Explorer (bus is hot though, don't get back row). Waterfall is nothing real special, the spice factory is.

Isla Margarita: we just hit the straw market at the boat (this stop was actually one of our favorites: lots of inexpensive yet good souvenir trinkets made by the locals)... Also 12 oz cans of Stoli for $2.00. People that went on excursions there did not report anything that made me wish I had done something more.

Aruba - Outstanding! Did the 4WD safari - loved it. Take your camera!

The general consensus I hear was that we could have skipped Isla Margarita and had more time in Aruba. I thought we had enough time in the ports, but could have always used a bit more... we did not get to see much of St Kitts after our long excursion to Nevis, but I heard we did not miss much. I think our Long day on the Nevis Sailaway was a good choice.

Shopping very good in Aruba. Recommend PearlGems for Tahitian Pearls, and Gemani for Tanzanite.

When you go through customs on return and they ask you where you bought your jewelry, the "right" answer is St Thomas. They want to know you spent the money at the less developed islands rather than Aruba.

Formal Nights were Tuesday (after St. Kitts) and Friday (after Aruba).

We ate in the Steakhouse (Still called the Desert Rose - it has not changed names yet), but not in the Italian. Steaks were good - I would recommend the Prime Rib. I had the NY Strip and although very good, I would try something else next time. Everyone who I talked to who went to Sabatinis loved it (be prepared to stuff yourself.)

Thoroughly enjoyed our first cruise! More later!

Bill

<FONT SIZE="5"><FONT COLOR="#000000">Bill & Mary</FONT></FONT>

<FONT SIZE="3"><FONT COLOR="#FF0000">Golden Princess: May 9, 2004</FONT></FONT>

(A 25th Anniversary First Cruise.... Everyone has to start Somewhere!)

Leaving ON:

<FONT SIZE="4"><span style="border:blue double 5px;"><span style="background-color:#000066;"><tt><FONT COLOR="#33CCFF">~ 5/9/04 at 11:00p.m. {No Countdown Clock: You Figure It Out} ~</span></span></FONT></FONT></tt></p>

Bill:

Thanks for the excellent review. from what I'm hearing about Isla Margarita, I am in agreement with you they should have scheduled Curacao or more time in Aruba as alternatives. I guess the good thing is that you can treat it as a sea day. As the others get off of the ship there is more room for those who stay on board to use the pool and other facilities.

By all means post your more comprehensive review on this thread once you have completed it. Thanks again, I'm looking forward to hearing more!

Westfield Friends - July 4th Golden Princess

We did the Grenada tour through a taxi once we came off the ship. We had 6 people and paid $10 each. It seemed a lot of people went this route as we saw plent of taxis on each stop. The driver did mention a new dock is being constructed and should be ready by end of the year as right now you still need to tender into the island. Once you come off the ship, a local boat tender is available for $2 pp to bring you to a beach.

I agree that the port time could have been longer, especially in Aruba. We was going to a beach but ran out of time with all the jewelry shopping that was done. :-(

The Carnival Destiny which also was at Aruba on Friday left at 11pm that night and we left at 5pm. The Destiny ended back in San Juan prior to us on Sunday morning.

Hello group! I just returned as well from the Golden,( Hi Bill/Mary) our 26th cruise, 8th with the Golden. I have noticed some changes since Carnival took over, which I'll go into later.

Remember, these are my opinions only and from this particular cruise.

We had D719, mini-suite Dolphin deck. There is no overhang over this group of balcony. If you're sun-bunnies and enjoy the heat, you'll love it. Since we live in Ft.Lauderdale, we're not into sun, but used it early mornings and evenings.

Will agree with John, this time the food was above average, but not great! We were on Celebrity in November, their food was excellent compared to this cruise. We chose anytime dining and never had a problem with being seated, no wait was longer than 5 minutes and we went to dinner at 7:30. One night we went to the steakhouse that has not yet been re-named. Filet mignon was good, but I've had as good in the dining room. The pasta dishes and the lobster were first rate; the buffets offered a nice selection; hubby said pizza rocks! He picked up a piece everytime he passed by.

Ports: Again, these are my opinions. We loved St. Kitts, took the scenic narrow guage railroad. We saw a LOT of the country that can't be seen by car or bus. The mountains were beautiful and the coastal area incredible. Our tour guide was wonderful; mango daiquiries, rum drinks free, even a 3 piece choir that came aboard and sang some contemporary music, Michael rowed the boat ashore, a bit of light gospel and some pop, they were excellent. You can sit upstairs on the railway car, fresh air, or downstairs with table and chairs and a/c.

St. Thomas, we've been there SO many times, I went "bling-bling" shopping and did a number on my AE card.

Grenada- Hired a taxi for 3 hours 4 of us $100 and we went everywhere the tours went except we stayed as long as we wanted, did some of it backward to miss the crowds. Our guide knew his island and was proud of it. After the tour we went spice shopping (suitcase sure smells nice) Isla Margarita. We had heard so many pros and cons about this island, we weren't sure WHAT to do, we opted for the explorer tour and were impressed with the island once you left the pier area. That area, I agree with Bill, great stuff, inexpensive, not pushy sales people. Isle Margarita will be another Cancun, it has the Mexican influence in the buildings, downtown looks like Mexico city. We saw a lot of the island and it was MUCH better than I expected. A short stop to look at pearls (not us, we headed for the margarita bar..$3.50 and they put out a bottle of rum if you want to add more...ah a really good mango rita ! Stopped by the fishing pier and watched just how hard it really is to throw out, fix nets and catch fish. I really wished we had more time their.

Aruba, we had been their before as well, so hired a cab and re-toured the islands to see the changes. WOW, it it becoming more crowded than St. Thomas! Ate a great lunch at Iguana Joe's, inexpensive. DO NOT BOTHER WITH CARLOS AND CHARLIE'S. A couple heard us say that's where we were going and stopped us and told us they couldn't even eat most of their lunch it was that bad. Back on the ship, heard the same thing about the food. Drinks there were no complaints heard. If you want to shop, stay OFF the main street, just wander back in 2 blocks and the shops are great and much less crowded. We went to a King Kong grocery store to pick up cashews a sailing mate wanted, some caribean crackers for another and a bottle of wine. Prices were fair. In San Juan we had a 6 PM flight YUCK, so took the El Yunque rain forest tour. Had done it before, but found it interesting again. Home and tucked in bed by 1 AM, but getting up at 4:30 was the pits! I lived in coffee today.

We normally leave from Ft.Laud or Miami and now that we had to fly for this cruise, I can emphathize with those who must fly in. With Sunday cruises, you should tke the following day off, I'm still being a zombie. I do prefer the Sat cruises. I also don't like sitting around all day Sat waiting for Sunday to arrive

I would have liked more time in Aruba and in Isle Margarita.

2 couples missed the ship in Aruba, we no sonner left the dock then the ship stopped and the Captain told us if we wanted to see them, head to the Starboard side of the ship. Boy was our boat listing to one side. Heard "scuttlebutt" that it cost them $2 grand to get the pilot boat to come back in pick them up, take them back out to the ship. I thought it interesting that part of the group was judgemental and really was giving them the raspberries and booing them and the rest of the group was cheering!

I won't talk about entertainment as that's just so personal. We had chatted with a group we met at the Meet and Mingle and met twice the first day which is great. Just seeing someone and saying "Hi" is nice and being there if a first-timer has a question.

Embarkation went quickly, ONCE we saw the Platinum, express check in, we were on the ship in 15 min.

Had a great time, just sharing a few thoughts.

Linda and Lou

Linda and Lou

Fun in the sun!

Lsauls,

Thanks for the info on the St Kitts train. We have pre-arranged for that tour and it sounds like fun.

Good information given. Many thanks!

Judy

Cruisin in July on the Golden Princess

I just got off the Golden also (wave to Linda & Lou, Bill & Mary).

I found the entertainment actually better than my last two cruises on the Grand. I hated the magician Gaetano, but he is not normally there and was headed back to Vegas after the first night. I really enjoyed the latin singer, Peter Fernandez. Also liked Uber Rossi and the comedian/magician...darn, I can't remember his name. I stayed away from the production shows I had seen before on previous cruises.

Pea

5/9 Golden Princess  

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by John255:

Ship - Beautiful and not showing her age.

John.

Johnnj22@hotmail.com<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I would hope not she is only 3 years old.

Scott

Hello,

We just got back as well.

The ship was nice. The ports were good. Food was good.

I was very disappointed with the entertainment and the cruise ship staff. Most were un-freindly. This is not that the ship was bad just not out cup of afternoon tea. Maybe thats the Princess way. We are in our early 30's and found the crowd on the ship mixed of all ages. We met some very nice people from Cruise Critic onboard and had a good time.

We have been on 4 RCCL ships and we will be going back to them next cruise.

Golden Princess Here we come.

Golden Princess 2004

Adventure Of The Seas 2003

Voyager Of The Seas 2002

Garndeur Of The Seas 2000

Monarch 199x

Rob-Jen,

It's funny what a wide variety of views one will read here about things like the "friendliness level" of the ship's staff. We were on the Golden last month and had the consistent impression of the cruise staff just about falling over each other to be attentive and accommodating. Just my 2c worth.

B.

"These moments we’re left with - may you always remember

These moments are shared, by few

And those harbor lights, lord they’re coming into view

We’ll bid our farewells much too soon

So drink it up, this one’s for you -

Honey, it’s been a lovely cruise."

-- James W. Buffett

Carnival Triumph, April '02

Carnival Sensation, January '04

Golden Princess, April '04

Carnival Sensation, Golden Princess / Caribbean Princess pix at: Cool Cruisin' Pix

e-mail: bobandkarenny@yahoo.com

Geejay: You asked about tours in Grenada. We were there last month and used Port Promotions. They have a website, so do a search. The driver met us at the dock and gave us a thorough 4 hour tour. As a result, we would like to go back to spend a week there. The island has a wonderful aroma I won't forget! Enjoy.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by bob&karen:

Rob-Jen,

It's funny what a wide variety of views one will read here about things like the "friendliness level" of the ship's staff. We were on the Golden last month and had the consistent impression of the cruise staff just about falling over each other to be attentive and accommodating. Just my 2c worth.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I agree. I believe we were on the same cruise (4/10-4/17? Correct me if I am wrong.) and I thought the cruise staff was incredibly friendly. My family was lucky to have 3 incredible waiters in the dining room and as I was one of the few 20-25 year olds on the ship, I found the staff of about my same age (Stephen, Brian, Ceri and Wenty) to be some of the nicest, most customer oriented individuals on the ship. Graham Seymour also took the time to speak one on one with me when I ran into him on deck, as did Uber Rossi. Our room steward went out of his way to make sure we were accommodated and knew our names right off the bat. Also, Just my two cents.

*Alicia*

Golden Princess 4/10/04

*best vacation ever!*

Here is a reprint of my thoughts on the Nevis Sailaway Excursion, which I had posted over on the "Golden 5/23/04 Roll Call" thread.

Man, I really wish I was still in the Carribean!

quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by John & Janet:

AcworthBill: WOuld love to hear more about the Nevis Sailaway. We are booked on that tour & it sounds great. How was the snorkeling? How was the beach at Nevis? Is there any snorkeling possibilities at the beach or just swimming? ANy info would be appreciated. Thanks.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This was probably our favorite excursion, in spite of the fact that we had a couple of quick showers during the sail. The Cat is a short walk from the Ship; and you are on board and heading out of the harbor in minutes. This is a good opportuinity to get a photo of the ship.

The ride to the snorkeling area takes about 30 minutes I guess. Not too rough when we did it, the Cat is a very stable boat (it is considerably larger than the Cat we had for the Champagne Cat on St. Thomas.)

Snorkeling was outstanding. Saw Sea Turtle, Barracuda, Parrotfish, and tons of all those little ones that are every color and pattern imaginable. Also Sea Urchins and various Coral.

Had plenty of time to snorkel, then they blew the conch shell horn and it was time for a 40 minute ride to Nevis. Plenty of beer, rum etc. was available after snorkeling. We arrived at Nevis and they had little hut where you could get the beverage of your choice (all beverages are included in price )

They served a very good and plentiful lunch of grilled Chicken Quarter, Hot dog, and a couple of types of Island salads that were real tasty.

After eating you had about an hour to walk, or swim or lay out. There was no snorkeling opportunity at Nevis (no structure for fish of coral).

The ride back to the ship was fun, everyone was real relaxed. Lively Music being played and the younger folks enjoyed dancing and continued beverages.

If you wanted it to be a "lively" rum excursion, you certainly could, but that was probably less than 1/3 of the crowd. The rest just had 0-4 or so drinks over the course of 3 hours and took it easy, laying out in the sun on the bow of the Cat.

Hope this gives you a flavor of the excursion. I would highly recommend this one.

PS: the crew was very safety conscious, yet fun.

<FONT SIZE="4"><FONT COLOR="#000000">Bill & Mary</FONT></FONT>

<FONT SIZE="3"><FONT COLOR="#FF0000">Golden Princess: May 9, 2004</FONT></FONT>

Leaving ON:

<FONT SIZE="3"><span style="border:blue double 5px;"><span style="background-color:#000066;"><tt><FONT COLOR="#33CCFF">~~~ Bummed Out!!! It's Over ~~~</span></span></FONT></FONT></tt></p>

I was on the Golden for this week as well (wave to the 5/9 crowd). I hope to post a full-fledged review this weekend but, for now, here are a few impressions:

Entertainment: Also skipped the production shows as we'd seen them before. Enjoyed comedian/magician Lorenzo Clarke (he's cheesy, yes, but funny) and Uber Rossi, the comedian/acrobat.

Excursions:

We did Best of St. Thomas, which is an open-air jitney ride up into the mountains for some spectactular views and photo ops.

On St. Kitts, we did the Exploration of the S.E. Peninsula by 4X4, which turned out to be an Army transport truck. There are some great views and you get to spend some time at a beach but, frankly, I would not want to go to that beach again (for various reasons).

In Grenada, we did Grendada's Highlights, an air-conditioned van tour of the island, which was really interesting because they not only took you to tourist attractions, but they stopped along the road and showed you cocoa plants, cinnamon trees, nutmeg trees, etc., and actually showed you what these things looked like in their natural state.

On Isla Margarita, we did Day at the Dunes. What I saw of Margarita on the 40-minute bus ride from pier to the Dunes was trash-lined roads. The Dunes (a resort) was not impressive at all for a resort and the vendors harassed us so badly and so incessantly that we left the beach before our behinds had ever touched the chaise lounges (you will not, however, be harassed at the pool, which is where we spent the rest of the time there).

In Aruba, we did the catamaran snorkelling expedition. You are taken to two snorkelling sites--one a reef and one a shipwreck which is amazingly close to the surface of the water. It is a STUNNING snorkel site and Aruba is a stunningly beautiful island--both are highly recommended.

Golden Princess 5/2004 (Southern)

Golden Princess 3/2003(Eastern)

Grand Princess 5/2002 (Western)

Grand Princess 5/1999 (Eastern)

If you are interested, there is a simultaneous thread about this same subject at:

R U just back from the Golden - Southern Caribbean Explorer?

If your stay up with both these threads, you should get a real comprehensive overview of this itinerary.

You will enjoy it, I believe.

Bill

<FONT SIZE="4"><FONT COLOR="#000000">Bill & Mary</FONT></FONT>

<FONT SIZE="3"><FONT COLOR="#FF0000">Golden Princess: May 9, 2004</FONT></FONT>

<FONT SIZE="3"><span style="border:blue double 5px;"><span style="background-color:#000066;"><FONT COLOR="#33CCFF">~~~ Bummed Out!!! It's Over ~~~</span></span></FONT></FONT></p>

Bumping this up, hoping for more feedback on what people thought.

Bill

<FONT SIZE="4"><FONT COLOR="#000000">Bill & Mary</FONT></FONT>

<FONT SIZE="3"><FONT COLOR="#FF0000">Golden Princess: May 9, 2004</FONT></FONT>

<FONT SIZE="3"><span style="border:blue double 5px;"><span style="background-color:#000066;"><FONT COLOR="#33CCFF">~~~ Bummed Out!!! It's Over ~~~</span></span></FONT></FONT></p>

I thought that Bill guy in Princess Idol was robbed!!!

Hopefully, this weekend, I will get around to writing my review.

Pea

5/9 Golden Princess  

Like a few others, I am really surprised about the less than stellar reviews of the cruise staff and entertainment staff.

The cruise staff was great when I was on the Golden on the 4/10 cruise, and I am so surprised that it would have changed so quickly! Everyone was interested in what they could do for you, and was so adamant when it came to making sure everyone had anything they wanted...it's such a shame that some people didn't have the great experience we did!

As for performers, on our cruise, Brian Cross was a star in the shows, and he was incredible...his voice was beautiful (especially when he sang 'Do You Hear the People Sing?' from Les Miserables) and he had an incredible personality (right Alicia?)

Sorry that you all didn't have the same experience!

-Meagan

Personally, I had no problem with the staff whatsoever. From my room steward to the entertainment staff, I thought they were great. I really liked our dining room crew. Very freindly and professional without getting too "personal" as did our staff last year.

That being said, I do find that from cruise to cruise, the quality of the entertainment varied. On this cruise, there were some very good entertainers and some very mediocre entertainers. Gaetano, the magician just creeped me out and I was glad he was only there the first night. Other than that, I enjoyed the entertainment on this cruise more than I did on others. I especially liked that Latin singer, Peter Hernandez and Lorenzo Clarke, comedian/magician. I stayed away from the production shows, cuz it's been there, done that.

Pea

5/9 Golden Princess  

John,

Welcome back! Glad you had a good time. Did you happen to save the patters and/or menus? I would love to add them to my site!

JON

MAKE SURE YOU GO TO MY NEW PATTERS AND MENUS SITE:

www.geocities.com/pattersandmenus

Golden Princess 7/11/04

Big Red Boat-1993 (Amy)

Celebrity Zenith-1993 (Jon)

Hi all!

I'm also just back from the 5/9 sailing of the Golden Princess(waving to all our meet and mingle friends!)

Regarding food/dining - food was OK; ate at Desert Rose/steakhouse one night - atmosphere was good but we didn't feel the food was worth the additional $15/person charge; DH impressed with variety at the buffet(only went there a few times during breakfast and lunch);we chose Anytime dining and only had to wait for a table once(15 mins.) We ate around 8:00 the last night and felt that the waitstaff was more harried than when we ate on other nights earlier in the evening. We bought a bottle of wine at the Desert Rose and had it recorked for later in the week, however our wait staff could never find it again.

Ports of call -

St. Thomas - we went to Coral World and Coki Beach on our own(took a cab); Coral World(aquarium) is a good place to take the kids. Only did a little shopping just off the ship(DH refused to go downtown

St. Kitts - we did the 4x4 exploration too. Thought the views were spectacular, but agree with mauiLuvr about the beach they took us to - wish they had chosen a different one with less wildlife and their refuse

Grenada - went on the Sail & Beach party on the "High Time" catamaran. Professional crew, clean boat. Sailed to a secluded beach where we got to swim and sun for about an hour and a half. Free drinks during the whole trip, also served native fruits. The captain gave us an narrative along the way pointing out interesting spots. The covered section of the cat was quite big so there was plenty of room for people who didn't want to sun themselves on the front part. The crew was very nice and helpful - one of them carried my 5 yr. old DD back on the cat from the beach since it was difficult for her to get to the ladder in between the surf. The trip was about 3 hours - highly recommended!

Isla Margarita - we didn't get off - we used it as an At Sea Day.

Aruba - DH and I did the Bike Exploration excursion. It was an excellent way to see the Northern part of the island- our guide was very attentive. Beware that it is mostly unpaved and for the most part sandy. Mostly flat but there are a few hills. We biked about 12 miles. I did hear some people complain that it was more challenging than what they were lead to believe.

Children's program/fun zone - DD gave it a thumbs up! She liked it so much that she chose to stay there rather than come with us to Palm Beach in the afternoon on Aruba! I must admit I thought the Pelican Theater set up on the Grand Princess was nicer for the kids' movies rather than just a giant TV on the Golden. Also, on the Grand(last year) she received a Teddy Bear from the program which she didn't get one this year.

I wish that the second formal night was scheduled for the day we were in Isla margarita since we had to be back on the ship by 1:00PM(rather than Aruba day - back on ship by 4:30) and that would have given people more time to take advantage of salon services to get ready!

That's it for now!

Laura

Festivale 1989

Majesty of the Seas 1997

Paradise 1999

Imagination 2000

Ocean Princess 2000

Grand Princess 2003

Golden Princess 2004

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Laura61:

St. Kitts - we did the 4x4 exploration too. Thought the views were spectacular, but agree with mauiLuvr about the beach they took us to - wish they had chosen a different one with less wildlife and their refuse<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Why Laura, you didn't like the scent of "eau du bovine"? Haha. It was rather interesting that the cows and goats were right there. I hope that baby goat finally found it's mommy.

Pea

5/9 Golden Princess  

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by PeabodyNVL:

Why Laura, you didn't like the scent of "eau du bovine"? Haha. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

hehe...eau de bovine...I like that! Err...rather, I didn't like SMELLING it (who wants to smell cow and goat poo while sunning and swimming on a Caribbean island?) but I like the name!

Maaaaaaa!