I recently stayed on the Northern Cross for 5 days with my mother and 13 year old daughter. It was her dream to stay aboard a boat and we are so happy we chased that dream of hers! It was an adventure of the sweetest kind. From the moment we arrived we felt welcomed and at home! The marina is tucked away in a quiet and yet convenient location where the people are kind, the water is inviting and the boat is accommodating. We swam off the back of the boat in the marina our first day, within the first five minutes to be perfectly honest, and every morning after. The marina is about 25 feet deep and the water clear so we were able to snorkel a bit, too. You should know that while my daughter was living her dream in the boat, I lived mine in the water because as luck would have it a manatee swam right past the back of the boat while I was floating by the ladder! I found out later that he shows up to swim the marina every so often and we were so honored to have shared the water with him that day! At night we enjoyed games at the dining table and in the AM breakfast from a local spot, Koko’s, on the deck. (You can easily prepare meals in the galley of the boat but we never did.) Oh! And the nights... sleeping with the windows open, the waves lapping at the boat and a salt water breeze to lull us to sleep was magical. We awoke rested each morning. Apparently we had a bit of a “bad weather week” while we were there- it was around 80 and sunny every day but it was a bit too windy to go out much with Paul. Paul is the neighbor, manager, local guy who is happy to help you with anything you may need. If you get a chance to go out with him for an excursion, please do, and consider yourself lucky. What a luxury to have access to a true sailor for excursions! He loves the water, the Keys and he knows his stuff. We went out with him for a sunset tour of the area and for a quick trip to a local favorite, Lorelei. It’s a must if you are in the Keys. We went back for dinner and another sunset later in the week. Lorelei sits right on the water, no shoes required, and as a side note they have the best key lime pie. My daughter made it her mission to try key lime pie from Key West to Key Largo in attempt to find the best one and settled on Lorelei hands down. We visited beaches, state parks, many various stores, shops, museums and so on and while that was great, we were very grateful to have the Northern Cross to come back to each night. Loved our trip!