Cruisin'

Over six and a half years ago Cheryl and I began to plan a southern cruise.  We had made a deposit and then plans changed.  Ron joined the RCMP and was in depot when we were suppose to be cruising.  So finally it was happening.  As we boarded the plane there were a few different types of emotions flying around.  For some of us, excitement and anticipation and for others, fear and trepidation.  The flight was smooth going though and we landed in San Juan, Puerto Rico in the evening and it was warm!  We checked into the Embassy Suites and went for a walk around new San Juan.

It rained a little bit as we walked but we had arrived!  In the morning we spent some time at the beach and Ron and I did quite a bit of walking.

After a lot of walking along the sand and warm waves I noticed that my right foot was hurting but I remember this happening other years.  Either the sand walking or sandal walking had caused a little aggravation.  Other years it would only last a day and then everything was fine.  It wasn't going to slow this girl down.   We boarded the ship around 1:00 p.m. and it was fun watching everything through the eyes of new cruisers.  Our cabins were right next to each other and we only had to look around the partition to see them on their balcony.

Cheryl and Dave became very familiar with the ship right away and our dinners together were very enjoyable and always fattening.  We were treated to amazing food and always way too much of it.

Day 2 - St. Thomas - We took a taxi with Jerry on our own for a little tour and made our way to Coki Beach. 

 

It was Dave and Cheryl's first time snorkelling and only my second.  The water was wonderfully warm and clear.  They sold dog biscuits on the beach and Dave bought a few.  The fish would nibble from them right out of your hand.  It seemed a little too close for my comfort but it was nice seeing them.  There was a disturbance that caught our attention at the middle of the beach and we learned later that a man from another cruise ship had a heart attack and passed away.  What a sad ending to some people's trip. 

Day 3 - Antigua - Another beautiful day greeted us and Mary, a wonderful taxi driver rescued us from the hungry tour guides.  She took us on a great tour of the island.  At one spot we watched a local woman cut up a pineapple with very little waste.  Cheryl and Dave bought the cut up pieces which we enjoyed later on the beach and it was delicious.

The view of the beach:

We really enjoyed our day at Darkwood Beach.  There were very few people there and the water was warm and wavy.  It rained on and off but it didn't matter.  The waves made it a challenge to get in and out of the water and you had to time it just right.  Cheryl and I learned that the hard way.  One of the waves crashed on us and knocked us both down.  When the second wave came it washed over me.  I didn't know whether to laugh or cry...Cheryl just laughed.  Ron had to choose who to save.  Cheryl is younger and in better shape so he made the right choice and hauled me onto shore.  I now know how a beached whale feels.  I probably carried about 5 pounds of sand back to the ship with me in my bathing suit.

Dave, always the entrepreneur decided to discuss a business proposition.  Since the dog treats worked so well in the last beach, why not here?  He discussed it with one of the guys working there and they made a deal that if it works he will get his share.  Dave was making friends all over the Caribbean.

Day 4 - Martinique -

Our plan was to rent a car and tour the island but all the rentals were booked.  We decided to take the water taxi over to a beach.  We didn't realize until after we got there that every place takes Euros which we had none.  This, of course, only causes a problem when you want to go by bus, buy food or even go to the bathroom.  We had to borrow money for the bathroom.  We felt like beach bums.
 

There weren't a lot of fish to see while snorkeling but we did see some Starfish and Ron dove down to pick one up.  He made sure to return it to the same spot.  After the beach we found a nice quiet park close to the ship where we spent some time and then Ron and I went for a little walk.





Not sure if Dave is trying to photo bomb the shot or pole dance???

Day 5 - St. Lucia - This was one of the most interesting days.  We decided we wanted to go to a certain beach and so we were joined with four others from our cruise ship to do a little tour before arriving at Anse Chastenet.  We walked through the streets with our taxi driver, Rico to get into the 15 passenger van.  We were thankful that we had a mechanic with us on this trip.  The van was in pretty rough condition and the roads were worse.
There was no air conditioingn in the van and we soon found out that there were no shocks either.  Ron and I sat at the back.  With the heat of the day my foot was the worse it had been.

We saw the sights of St. Lucia.  The Pitons, an active volcano and the Lady's Shoe but what about the beach? 

 

Finally Rico turned down or should I say up the road to the beach.  The road was narrow, windy and extremely steep.  We prayed that we would survive.  Thirty minutes later we let out our breath as we arrived.

The beach was located at a resort that towered above us.  It costs about $1,000 a night to stay there.  We went out to snorkel and it was absolutely amazing.  The coral and varieties of fish were breathtaking.  It was just like you watch on a national geographic show.  I couldn't believe it.  It was a scary drive but it was well worth it.

Day 6 - Grenada - Ron decided that we should go on one excursion sponsored by the ship and so he booked us on a whale and dolphin tour. 
It was a hot day and my foot was pretty sore but I found a nice spot on the boat, put my foot up and enjoyed the breeze.  The others climbed to the front to keep their eyes open for any sea life.

We were almost out of luck when some dolphins started playing around the boat.  It was nice to see so many but by this time the sun had gotten to me and I was feeling a little exhausted.  Once we got back to shore I decided my action plan for the afternoon was no action at all.  I went back to the ship and crawled into bed while Ron, Dave and Cheryl headed for another beach.

Day 7 - A Day at Sea - which means rest. 

Why do I love cruising?  Every morning I would wake up to room service delivering our tea/coffee/orange juice to our room.  We would sit out on the balcony watching the sun come up.

Through the day you can visit different islands or relax on days at sea.  Ron spent some time in the gym.  Cheryl and I walked around the track on the top deck.  Dave and Cheryl used the hot tub in the morning while I used it a couple of times at night...once with Cheryl and once with Ron.  We watched movies in the theater and one of the shows.  We shopped in the stores and had lots of tea breaks in different spots in the ship.  In the evening we enjoyed delicious dinners and would watch the sunset and every night we would come back to the room to a new little towel creature.

 

Disembarkation...time to say goodbye to the Jewel of the Seas.  We took a tour of Old and New San Juan.

Cheryl and I had to buy the t-shirts.  They read:  The tans will fade...but the memories will last forever.

It was a wonderful cruise but I can't finish this without sharing a few of the funnier moments.

• Of course Cheryl and my wave wipe out was pretty good but there was another big splash later that day where Ron and I could only see Dave's legs sticking out of the water as a wave rolled him into shore
• Cheryl decided to take pictures all around the ship on our final day.  One of interest to her was in the elevator where each day they change a panel on the floor to let you know what day it is.  As we were walking around and she was snapping pictures we decided it was tea time.  She pressed the elevator button.  The door opened and she leaned in to take a picture of the elevator floor.  As she backed out she was ready to go on her way.  She didn't see what I saw.  The people staring at her and the floor like a crazy had just popped into their world.  Oh well, she got the picture and we had the laugh.
• As we left Grenada we stood on the balcony.  We had spent four hours in the hot sun and a few hundred dollars to go whale and dolphin watching.  Right along the side of the ship we saw numerous dolphins giving us a free show.
• And finally, our last evening.  Ron put on his sandals to go for dinner and they broke.  He wore them anyway but we decided that we would not pack them.  I thought the garbage was the right place for them but instead he walked through the atrium and walked right out of them and kept going.  As Cheryl and I stood on the floor above we laughed as we watched the confusion of the people looking at the shoes and looking around to see where this guy went.  One cruiser stated, "that guy must have been pretty drunk to walk out of his shoes and not notice."  It made for another one of those memories for us to share.

Now we just have to plan the next holiday but hopefully it won't be another six years before we can go.