We had an awesome time! I highly recommend a caribbean vacation in December. Leave your kids with great friends and they'll have fun too. (Thanks Mandy & Edward & Becky!) It's worth missing the "Black Friday" sales to get up early to go to the airport. Getting a friend to drive you to the airport makes life a lot easier. (Thanks Mark!)
San Juan is a really neat place! I'm very glad we got to spend some extra time there before & after the cruise. El Younque Rainforest is beautiful. We discovered that when walking up the mountain its better to take the trail rather than the service drive. The trail looks longer but its much easier and much more scenic.
We really enjoyed visiting the historic sites in Old San Juan after the cruise.
Ox Head Point in Dorado, PR has some amazing waves crashing into the rocks.
In Dorado, if you meet Pee Wee in the grocery store & he invites you to his restaurant go- it was good food. Be sure to take the correct gate opener to the townhouse because that barbed wire is dangerous!
St. Thomas is touristy- but fun. We did the tourist thing of stopping at the jewlery stores for the free bracelets. Here are some tips for the rest of St. Thomas:
Save money by hiring the same taxi driver for the whole day and tip him with a turkey sandwich. Pick a taxi driver with a taxi that looks save and reliable- breaking down a mile from the ship can cause stress. Coki Beach is a great place to snorkle and play in the water- just avoid the questionable smoke near the locals.
Every night the food is good but formal nights are even better. You can order as many appetizers, entrees & desserts as you want- you already paid for them!
Celebrating birthdays, anniversaries & graduations on board the ship is a little silly. Getting Free cake is kind of redundant. But it's worth celebrating events just to hear the waiters sing.
Champagne Reef in Dominica is ranked #5 in the world for snorkling. The island is volcanic so bubbles arise from the bottom of the ocean making it look like swimming through champange bubbles. The reef had lots of amazing things to see- a coral snake, squid, octopus, lots of fish. Kelli did not see them due to an encounter with fire coral .
Grenada is a great place to get cheap spices. But it is the only island that didn't feel very safe. The locals were fairly agressive in soliciting and begging. We even saw a local brawl.
We saw dolphins from our balcony in Bonaire. Bonaire is flatter than the other islands, and is famous for flamingos & donkeys. (Go figure!) There was good snorkling at Donkey Beach. Sorobon Beach is great for swimming. It has a 3/4 mile sand bar to play on and at the end of the sand bar is a reef- its a long walk/swim out to it. Once you get to the reef- watch out for the "GreenPeace Police" they will chastise you for destroying the envirnoment by being there. If you aren't careful you could end up as "fish food." (No kidding that is what he said!) Next to Sorobon Beach is a nudist colony. The nudist colony shouldn't be allowed to rent kayaks. (But they do!). At Sorobon Beach the guys tried to learn to windsurf on their own.
There are lots of funny/silly things to do on a cruise. We tried to line dance and ended up on the ship's dvd (only $29.99 at the end of the cruise). Mark & Andy also ended up in comdey routines. Mark was volunteered and Andy was picked because the comedian liked Denise. (Word to the wise don't sit in the front row of the theatre unless you enjoy wearing a wig and swinging balls on a string.)
Several of us also test out the decorative saddle in front of the steakhouse.
Snorkling is rumored to be good in Aruba, but not this time. Paul rented a boat and several went to see a shipwreck and a lighthouse instead of snorkling.
Aruba is beautiful, but lots of the things they sell in the open markets are made in china. We did buy the boys flutes and maracas- yes we are a little bit crazy.
We have a lot more funny stories but some we can't share because "what happens on the ship stays on the ship." Next time you should come with us!
5 comments:
Looks like you had a great time on your cruise! I can't wait to go on one again! They are so fun!
great pics, looks like a great time and such different experiences at each place
awesome picts! I just can't fathom shorts & swimming & sunshine at the moment! Wonderful!
Wow! Your blog was so fun to read...I almost felt like I was there (but then I looked outside and down at my freezng cold bare feet and reality set in). You did a great job capturing the experiences of your trip. Great photos! Oh, it looked like so much fun. I think Darcy and I will have to "make it happen" next time there is a group trip planned.
What a great account of your cruise! I love the pictures and the descriptions of each place. Sign me up. And D in a tux? Smokin' hot. :0)
Post a Comment