Dallas, TX and Home

We awoke in Texas for the first time in our lives. Sorry folks... it was nothing special compared to the views of the last 18 days!

View from our hotel in Dallas.

We grabbed some coffee from the Starbucks downstairs as we got ready to head back to the airport. We decided to go early in an effort to get our Vancouver - Victoria boarding passes in advance as you have to physically see an AC agent here.

On the bus back to the "D" gates Kelly commented that its been 24 hours since our last search for our bags:-) We have not seen them since checking in San Juan but expect them in Victoria...  At least that is what we were told. Fingers  crossed.

At the airport in Dallas we took the sky link train from the D gates over to the E gates and the Air Canada counter. Sadly no one was there so back we went to the D gates for some breakfast. "Look an Irish Pub! Perfect! " ......Kelly reminded me that it was 9:30 a.m. :-(. I quickly converted to ship time but that was only 11:30... darn ...Ok it's a bit early so we just had breakfast.

Loaded up the plane and we were on our way just a few minutes late. Arrived in Vancouver with plenty of time to clear customs and head to my home turf, the commuter gates for our trip to Victoria.... well that was the plan. As our bags were in the system somewhere we had to have some paperwork filled out before we could leave the baggage area without our bags. This took about 20 minutes and sadly, caused us to miss our 2 o'clock flight to Victoria Arghhh Ok no big deal until we found out that the next two flights were already full ;-(

We went for a bite and a cool down beverage and then went down to the gate just in case.... low and behold we got the last two seats on the 3 o'clock flight. The familiar sight of the gulf islands was our welcome back to the place we live and enjoy life & family, although a bit cool and drizzly right now.

Once on the ground we headed to customs to get our bags.... not there.... off to Horizon... not there either... finally off to Jazz and they tracked the bags to Seattle! Whew! They will be sent up tonight and delivered to the house. I don't have to lift Kelly's bag!!

Grabbed the Mazda 3 and drove home. In the door at 4:30 only 16 hours late.  I am positive the Brits beat us home to England! As Kelly said on the first day of the blog "it's a wrap" on our 2013 Cruise. Wow!

We met so many great folks both on and off the ship and have many memories to share with friends & family back home. 

The Cruise Critic gang made us feel right at ease from the first Sky Bar social until the last one. It was certainly a benefit to  have these "friends" along for the cruise(s) and to just bump  into them from time to time. Our Dinner table crew made the trip even more enjoyable as we relived the days events every night for each other.  We just hit it off....  or it could have just been the Jim Bean? :-)  I believe we still need to finish that golf game one day! I was in the lead before the "course official" removed us... Just sayin :-)

I will be posting links to the other pictures we took as well as links to other cruisers pictures. I believe Dan said he had taken over 5000! 

South Africa is next on our travel list in August. Till next time, safe travels everyone!

Epilogue: Our bags were delivered directly to the house at 9 p.m. and all of Kelly's shopping is safe and sound! :-) I can now rest easy.... until the next trip!

Day 15 - Hurry Up and Wait, Texas style!

Up at 7:00 as we prepare for the trip home.  Kelly showered as I checked the flights and sent Kris our son, a happy birthday greeting on Facebook. Wow 27! Seems like yesterday I was holding him up for the first time.

We headed up to the windjammer and ran into our "dinner team" having breakfast. We joined them and had a good laugh about, of all things, cast iron frying pans. Seems everyone has issues with these and Andrew and Dawne were not alone. I am not going to get into the details but the care & maintenance of these was fully discussed;-) You had to be there.

We said our goodbye's and headed back to the room for final packing.  The proverbial square peg in a round hole was successfully accomplished and we headed to our meeting place for disembarkation.  At 9:40 we walked off the ship for the last time this year.

Once inside the cavernous terminal building I started looking for our bags with the #23 on them. These  bags would be conveniently grouped with all the other bags tagged and sitting under the huge #23 sign. Seemed pretty straight forward and I quickly found Kelly's bag.  Unfortunately mine was nowhere to be found. I eventually checked the lost bag section and still no bag. Kelly traded places with me and away she went on a "mission". No bag so we got the cruise line folks looking as well... No bag. Arghh  As Kelly had packed all her shopping in my bag she doubled her efforts and finally found it over in section 33. It had fallen over under the imbalance of its load... Yes the Extenders were bursting! Anyway we were happy to see it! (Kelly here, I'm just glad I'm a geo-cacher as my geo-senses were in full gear! I get an FTF for this one!)

Once outside we grabbed a cab with some folks from New Jersey. Nice folks but I'll just say the cab ride was a bit long :-)

At the airport at 10:45 in plenty of time for our 12:30 departure. The AA agent was very nice and we were given some nice roomy emergency exit seats.  Through security we decided to hit Margaritaville and have a final drink before our departure.  After a little nosh we headed to the gate to see that the flight was delayed 30 minutes. No big deal as we went searching for internet access. While checking mail, FB etc. saw the UK contingent and had a brief chat on the flights. We said our second goodbyes and headed for our gate. Low and behold our flight was now delayed until 4pm local ... arghh. Oh well at least the flight issues happened going home rather than coming to the cruise. We stood in line and eventually had our flights re-booked as we could not make our final flight from Seattle to Victoria.  We had great service from the AA agent as she gave us several alternatives. We finally settled on a layover in Dallas and then continue on to Vancouver and Victoria the next morning. This gave us a decent break in Dallas and still got us home by 2:30 Monday afternoon. Works for us :-)

We boarded the plane and then sat for almost an hour as the ramp guys got dragged off to the Chicago flight that had to return to the gate. Seen this a few times in my real job:-)

Our scheduled  12:30 departure finally got airborne at 6:00 local and we were on our way to our mini vacation in Dallas, Texas. Yee Haw!  Arrived at 9pm local and after getting our hotel voucher,  we headed to the Marriott North. Checked in and I am now blogging from the bar :-) (Kelly here. I'm into the Margarita's....again!)

Tomorrow we leave at 10:30 a.m. and should be home by 3 p.m.... subject to any further delays of course. 

Day 14 Cruisin back to San Juan

A great sleep in today! We had planned to meet our dinner gang for an 8 a.m. breakfast but that didn’t happen...... they will understand:-)

We did some planning for our departure the next morning in San Juan. We packed up 90% of our stuff, duly noting the various items that were never worn! We kept our travel & dinner clothes handy for the day and then headed to lunch with the continuos cruiser folks. It was in the dining room and we sat with a couple from Kelowna, BC and another from Cornwall, England. A very nice lunch indeed.

We were off to see the Blackjack Final in the Casino. We only watched but it was fun to see the action unfold. The 3 p.m. show was next on our lists and it was an entertaining rock and roll history lesson by the Royal Caribbean Dancers & Singers.

Our few remaining Cruise Critic folks met at the Sky Bar to hoist a couple of drinks in honor of our two weeks together. The British Invasion forces of Julie, Martin, Dan and Vicki joined Kelly and I to talk about our experiences and look forward to our next cruises.

Last critics standing :-)

 Dinner was again delicious and we enjoyed the great company. We could not have asked for better dinner partners and we all exchanged e-mails in hopes of cruising again someday. Andrew and Dawne have already booked a Panama Canal trip next in March of 2014! Not bad for a semi-retired guy:-) Someone in seat planning should get a Wow mention.

After dinner we headed to the Guest Services Center to make some arrangements for the morning and discuss some account issues. They took care of our internet refund (as  it’s free now), printed our statements for both weeks.. wahoo under budget!!! (It’s a miracle!) and arranged for an earlier departure time. They quickly did all that was asked of them and we left very happy with the service.

We met Dawne and Andrew in the Schooner Bar for 80’s Trivia Night. We did pretty good but missed a few... can’t be doing that with this sharp crowd... hey the eighty’s wasn’t that long ago for these folks!

A quick stop at the Casino and I had a great 15 minute streak with Lauren & Kris’s Birthday numbers coming up. Started with $40 and left with $360.  Kelly was happy for me... and so was I. Finally!!

Back in the room to finish packing as our bags get taken away at 11 p.m.

Off to bed as we have a sad day tomorrow....our cruise ends and we put a cork into a great 18 day trip. We celebrate Kris’s 27th birthday tomorrow as well. 

Day 13 Curacao

Out of the rack at 7 a.m. today as we have an 8:15 excursion aboard a tour bus. As we have never been to Curacao before we decided to go with a tour group in the morning and then do our own thing in the afternoon. This would give us a taste of the Island & it’s history and give us time to geocache and see the downtown core with it’s interesting waterway and public markets. First thing I noticed coming into port this morning... I have never seen so many oil tankers in my life!

View from our ship!

Our tour group met on the pier and we were quickly loaded on a small bus and on our way. Our guide pointed out the various buildings of significant interest as we travelled through the Otrobanda side (west) of Willemstad and then wound our way up to the Queen Juliana Bridge. This spans the St.Annabaai waterway that provides access to the deep sea port. We had great views of the downtown core as well as the huge refinery and port on the inland side. Once over the bridge we descended down into the Punda side (East) of Willemstad. Google it and you’ll understand:-)

Great architecture and colors!

 We then headed further east to views of the second port that ships use. They have a huge industrial operation here with a deep sea drilling platform in for service. You could also see the mining operation on the hill in behind.

We wound around various parts of the Island and then returned to the ship. Very educational for us. We grabbed some lunch and had a short rest before heading back into town. We explored various shops and managed to grab a couple caches along the way. Our most exciting moment came when we started to cross the Queen Emma pontoon bridge. There are three ways to cross over to Punda from the Otrobanda side, the foot bridge, small ferries and the large bridge. It is all run very efficiently and when the swing pontoon bridge is opened for marine traffic, the ferries kick in to provide easy crossing.

We just stepped on the bridge when the bell rang signaling that it is about to open! We noticed the locals running so away we went. We just made it and had a good laugh. We wandered the streets and checked out the floating market with it’s various fruits and vegetables from Venezuala. We then settled on a canal side restaurant to watch the ships come & go. It was amazing as huge container ships passed right by our table.

Ship action in Curacao.

Back aboard ship we prepped for dinner and joined our new found friends in the Strauss dining room. We arranged to meet and go to the main show together. The show featured a group of 4 singers called the “The Unexpected Boys” that sort of emulated “The Jersey Boys” with songs of that era. It was excellent.

We took in the 50‘s & 60‘s show but for some reason we decided to try some mini golf :-) This did not work out as we were shut down by the staff due to the smoke blowing in the area. It was very windy and probably not the best idea in the first place. We did have some great laughs though.

We got notice of a huge storm effecting flights on the east coast so the cruise line is opening up free telephone and internet for guests to check flights etc... ours look ok though... not sure if that’s good or bad ;-)  Off to bed as we have a cruise day tomorrow and a noon lunch with the Continuous Cruiser group.

Day 12 Aruba

Another leisurely sleep in today as we are in port for 14 hours! Plenty of time to do a lot of things! Quick breakfast as per normal... now my normal breakfast has been very health... just ask Kelly. I have bran flakes with fresh banana or mellon, 1 % milk and a glass of fresh orange juice. My biggest downfall is the 6 or 7 lbs of smoked salmon (loks) that they have at the buffet. It is incredible and for me it’s the best add on for my plate and I look forward to it every morning:-) Absolutely delicious!

I sent a birthday greeting e-mail to my Dad as he turns 77 today! Happy Birthday old man... Without question the best dad anyone could ask for!

We headed down to our excursion today as we will see the island of Aruba from the comfort of our Kukoo Kunuku Tour bus. Our driver "Smooth" had us rocking to numerous songs as we toured the city. Everyone had maracas shaking to the beat.

Our Ride!

He took us up to the water tank (aka one of the high points) for a panoramic view of the island and it’s various hotels, airport etc.  Next stop was the local Catholic Chapel that the locals all traveled to on Good Friday. It was very nice.

 Off we went with the music blasting and down to the California Lighthouse which was named after the ship “California” that sank just off the coast years ago. Kelly managed to get a fresh coconut smoothie that was to die for. I did mange a taste after much begging:-) Would have been better with rum though!

We loaded up the bus, cranked the tunes and rocked our way to Palm Beach were we had chairs set up on the beach for our use. Grabbed a couple rum punches and enjoyed the afternoon. Had a bite of lunch and then headed back to the ship.

We quickly cleaned up and returned to the shopping district and the local front street area. Lots going on with the Holland America’s Zuiderdam also in town. We managed to grab a cache that ironically was placed to attract overnighting airline crews. How convenient! If you a cacher it’s GC3YYJB and it was a quick easy find for us.

We stopped for a refreshments (code for Rum Punch and Beer) and then made our way back to the ship. Enjoyed a nice glass of wine on our balcony before going to dinner. It was Rack Of Lamb night and the waiter brought me a special plate with a double order!!  She gets my vote for employee of the month!

We did a little gambling in the casino and made back a little from the cruise line :-) then took in the Love and Marriage Game Show. It was very similar to last weeks show but still hilarious comedy. 

Off to bed as we prep for our next stop Willemstad, Curacao on Friday.

Day 11 - Cruising

Another leisurely sleep in today as we plan our shipboard activities.  Coffee & croissants from Room Service was ordered and delivered to the door! Nice start I say!

Kelly was off to the shopping show at the Lyric Theater. This is were the ladies plot out their purchasing plans in Aruba.... the men? Well they all meet at the Sky Bar and discuss credit card limits:-)

We have another meet & greet today with our second week Cruise Critic folks. Andrew and Dawne, our dinner partners this week, were there so we sat with them for the meeting then stayed after and talking about their work and kids. Next on our agenda was the belly flop contest... we grabbed the perfect vantage point and enjoyed the hilarity of it all... there are some big people on this ship!

A quick bite to eat and we were off to Studio B for the Ice Show. We got there a bit late and all the best seats were taken of course. Low and behold Dan found us and said that he has saved two seats at the front for us! Martin, July, Vicki and Dan and us all front row center! As Dan would say “Brilliant”! I have got to admit it was amazing to be in this environment and see ice dancers! The show was well done and judging by the crowd response, a big hit. Most all the male dancers were from Canada :-) Probably former hockey players.

We went through the Casino and watched the Black Jack and Poker tournaments that are daily events leading up to the grande finale on Saturday. It was a lot of fun but I am out of my league here :-)

Kelly went off to her massage and I went back to the room to prep for dinner... the day is flying by! Off to the dinning room for another great dinner. We can’t say enough of the quality of the food and service on board. Next we headed to the Casino to watch our dinner friends Michael and Katherine do their slot pull... they lost just like us :-)

We cruised through the Casino and then the Promenade and finally got to see the Quest show. Perfectly normal adults turned into crazy people. It was a study in humanity :-)

No pictures today as we didn’t take any interesting ones...well one of me at the pub with a Guinness but there are hundreds of those floating around the internet already.

Tomorrow is Aruba! It is also the longest day... from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. in port!  We are planning a island tour in the a.m. and swimming at a beach for the rest of the day. It is also my dad’s birthday!

Day 10 St. Kitts

A leisurely sleep in today as we are doing our own thing. After breakfast we loaded the beach bag up and headed ashore to get our car rental. $50 for the car and $25 for the drivers license:-( ...plus the usual tack on fees.. facilities charge, usage fee, liability insurance etc.

We found our Thrifty’s rental desk inside a local store and after calling and waiting a quick 10 minutes (screaming internet so we got our mail and updated FB) we were scooped up and transported to the rental office. Our representative Keith took good care of us and even upgraded the vehicle because the one we had reserved was... well he didn’t know were it was as the guy did not return it. He said that happens from time to time. Hey we win so it didn’t matter to us! We were given a Suzuki Grand Vitara SUV and after getting the paper work done and the car videoed by my I-Phone, we were on our way. St Kitts is not a big island and we soon found ourselves heading towards the north west end. Kelly wanted to stop at Romney Manor and Caribelle Batik again and we soon found ourselves in the parking lot of this beautiful establishment. Gorgeous grounds and the batik making made it a must stop on the island tours. We picked out some pieces and after some photos we headed to our next stop up the road.

Batik

 The Brimstone Hill Fortress is one spot we missed the last time here so it was a must see this time around. The views were spectacular and the history of the fort and it’s armament well documented. We had access to the various powder rooms and the living quarters. The design is interesting in that if an enemy did get over the wall he was a sitting duck as the next level was flat for 20-30 feet and offered no protection whatsoever. In fact the next fortification allowed for a clear shot at anyone that managed to get that far.

 We continued our journey around the northern end of St. Kitts and around the back side until we found Ottley’s Plantation Inn. This was the most gorgeous piece of property we had seen in our Caribbean travels.  Beautiful grounds with a restaurant overlooking the Atlantic ocean. The views from our table were incredible. We had a great lunch and although it was a bit expensive it was well worth it and we would recommend it as a must do on this island.

Ottley's Plantation view! Some D.A. parked a rental in the middle :-)

After our lunch we headed back towards town. We passed the airport and topped up our rental with gas. A quick painless drop off and we were driven back to the shops in front of the pier. Guinness time I decreed and I sat at the center bar as Kelly checked out the many shops. I told here to take her time as I had some Eastern Caribbean money to get rid of :-)
Back onboard the ship we went up to the bow and enjoyed our sail away out of Basseterre.

Next up was dinner in the Strauss Dinning Room. This is the middle deck and one lower than our last weeks dinning location. We are at table with two other very nice couples and we had a great dinner with them this evening. We all conversed about our activities of the day.

Off to the Crown & Anchor Society meet and greet with the captain. Hey free drinks make it well worth the short walk from dinner :-) They are building two new ships that will be ready in 2014 and 2015. The Quantum Of The Seas and the Anthem Of The Seas will be taking bookings soon... not sure of the itineraries yet. Kelly says she would be willing to try either one as she is not “fussy” :-) After the update we quickly moved to the front of the ship to the Lyric Theater for tonights main show. Great music and entertainment from a fellow named Tony Tillman. We had front row seats and really liked the energy this guy put out.

Off to the promenade for the 70’s show and it was a huge hit with everyone. The place was packed and everyone boogied the night away. Another great day for us.

As the accountant in our family I have invented a simple way to keep track of expenditures on the ship. One thing we all hate is that big bill at the end of the voyage so you need a system that helps avoid this. Below is my system.

1) Place receipt in keepsake drinking glass  2) Forgetaboutit

Seems to be working so far! Tomorrow is a sea day as we make our way to Aruba!

Day 9 St. Thomas

Up early as Kelly is getting the ship’s shopping guru to drop one of her rings off downtown. She had to meet him to arrange some minor work to be done on her ring she got last time we were in St. Thomas.... yes it can get expensive here!

We had an 8:15 excursion planned to St John and Trunk Bay but on our arrival on the dock we were advised that the time was incorrect.. we leave at 11:15. Ok well this changed things a bit so we went back onboard, dropping off our gear and headed to the shops by the ship terminal. Kelly had seen a shop two years ago that had a particular style of bracelet that she wanted the last time... low and behold she found it! I was shocked... well not really:-)

She got her birthday present and away we went back to the ship to prepare for the snorkel trip... did I mention St. Thomas was expensive? :-)  (Kelly here, he didn’t mention that I actually came in under budget... for once!)    Editors note: Kelly & Budget in the same sentence? Don't believe it! :-)

We met our group at 11:15 and headed off on our day’s adventure. We walked a short distance to our water transportation to St John. The thirty minute trip was highlighted by spectacular coastal views and various luxury homes along the shoreline. Michael Jordan, Madonna etc.

On arrival in St John we transferred to an open air vehicle for the 10 minute drive to Trunk Bay. Couple stops along the way for photos and then we hit the beach. We were given a thorough but short briefing and then geared up and went snorkeling. It was a spectacular beach! Good snorkeling in clear waters although not as much aquatic life as Buck Island. Still lots to see though.

Trunk Bay

Local Trunk Bay resident.

Once we got back to shore I sent Kelly for some “debriefing” liquids (Rum Punch) and we headed back to the transportation. Back at the ship we had a light snack and then prepped for our meeting with the Crown & Anchor folks to set up our next cruise.

Ok well that was way too easy :-) We are going in 2014 and Kelly was just as excited as she was for the last three cruising trips we have been on!

Dinner was at Portofino for Kelly’s Birthday. A day late but the schedule didn’t work out.. she didn’t mind. Both the food and service were excellent and we both needed a walk to settle our “overcapacity” stomach situation. A walk through the Promenade deck and we found ourselves at the “Invitation to Dance” show in the Lyric Theater. It was high quality and featured non stop dancing and a live band in the pit. Once again very good entertainment.

We had great designs on staying up and watching the comedian Joey Vega but our eyelids developed serious droop so we called it a night. 

Tomorrow we go to St Kitts to drive the island.. again. Not really sure what will happen :-)

Day 8 - Old San Juan

Kelly turns 40 something today!!!

It’s a sad day for most all passengers as they head off the ship and go back to reality. About 40 of us get to wait another week before our turn as we start week #2 of our adventure.

It’s Kelly’s birthday so we are off to Old San Juan to walk, sight see, shop and have lunch while the ship is replenished with supplies and a new batch of passengers are processed and loaded. We met up with Dan & Vicky and Martin & Julie and jumped in a cab to Old San Juan after quickly bypassing the huge line, as in-transit passengers we get a few perks going on and off the ship.

Once is Old San Juan we went our separate ways and walked the narrow cobblestone streets. We spotted many familiar sights along the way and we had numerous memories from our last trip here.

Lunch was set at 1 o'clock  at Barrachina and on our arrival we were informed that the first round of drinks was on Dan & Vicky! They had stopped in for a Pena Colada and left us a birthday surprise! Very Nice.

 We walked around a bit more before returning to the ship. Entry was effortless and we were soon at the Sky Bar for a social. It’s becoming a habit:-) On arrival at the cabin Kelly received some gorgeous flowers from Lauren & Kyle, it was a lovely surprise. Thank you!

Muster again at six then we had our evening dinner. We are at a table for eight and we met two very nice couples that joined the cruise. After dinner it was the Super Bowl party in Studio B as we watched the football fans onboard go crazy! We pulled for San Fran as they are the west coast team.

Off to the rack at midnight. Tomorrow we go to Trunk Bay to snorkel and then do the shops.

Day 7 Cruising Day

We had a nice relaxing day on board the ship as we head back to San Juan and the end of week # 1. After a nice custom made omelet at the Windjammer Buffet we headed out to check on our next cruise. We get an $200 onboard credit just to sign up so our Mediterranean cruise is that much closer to a reality in 2014!

We met up with our Cruise Critic gang down in the Casino for our group Slot Pull. Everyone chips in $15 and they loaded a couple machines with the cash. Mary #1 was the organizer and she had everyone take their turn in hopes of a big payday. After all was said and done we made back $12 so a bunch of us threw $10 each back in and we went at it again.  No big winner but it was the most entertaining $15 I have ever spent in a casino :-)


The “Street Fair” was on... code for sidewalk sales from all the “vendors”. We looked at some rare yellow emeralds but decide to wait for the next shade to come out. Next up was the Continuous Cruiser meeting where they brief all the cruisers that are staying aboard for the next week. We got the low down on ship and shore procedures and enjoyed several glasses of champagne.  We also arranged to meet fellow cruise critic cruisers, Dan & Vicki and Jules & Martin the next morning to share a cab to the old town.

Critic's Corner

More Critics at the Sky Bar

We had a final meet & goodbye with our Cruise Critic folks at the Sky Bar at 3pm and enjoyed the music, sun and camaraderie. Numerous rum drinks later (Kelly missed her Bingo game.. oh darn:-) and we finally broke up the party to get ready for dinner. We missed out on seeing numerous friends as some did not attend (Lisa, Arlene, Paula & Mike ....)  We heard that Bob (JustTrippin) was under the weather from too much... er... sun. Ya that’s it :-) Hope he had a great time and it was good to meet both him and his wife Sue.  In a final salute we decided to meet at the Sky Bar on sail away for week #2.... and it’s ground hog day all over again!

Dinner tonight was casual as most all formal wear was packed into suitcases.. not ours though! Then it was off to the Farewell Showtime presentation. Incredible gymnastics, comedy and music! Our whirl wind tour continued as we then took in the 80’s Music Trivia in the Schooner lounge. picked out some photos, blogged and now we are signing off after another great day.

Tomorrow we celebrate Kelly’s 40something birthday with a trip to Old San Juan and a lunch date at the place that invented the Pina Coloda... Barrachina.

Day 6 Barbados

A slower start to the day as we have nothing planned other than to find a beach close by. All the beaches here have this incredible sand that Kelly loves... and so do a bunch of others! We had our coffee and I sorted out some internet issues that caused the high speed departure of our “minutes” arghhh. We had excellent help from the staff and a large credit was applied to help smooth out the problem. We are all sorted now.

Kelly relaxing on the balcony.

Off to the main ship terminal were we jumped in to a van for the short ride over to The Boat Yard. The beach is just this side of were we had spent time snorkeling two years ago. They had it down... Van ride 5 bucks, 12 bucks for a chair , umbrellas and rum punch and a free ride back to the ship.

The Boat Yard

 Several of the Cruise Critic gang were there and we had a great visit and conversation with them.  There was wireless as well so we got caught up on the world again. We spent the day sunning, swimming and relaxing and also grabbed a quick bite. Even had some free shots at the bar!

Back on board we had our second Formal night and enjoyed a nice lobster dinner in the dinning room. Next it was off to the Schooner Bar for Trivia 50’s & 60’s night. I lost. We then took in the Battle of the Sexes and watched the men lose :-) Browsed the photo shop and hit the rack.

It’s a cruise day tomorrow so we are taking it easy... some sun, some food and some drinks I suspect. The general trend ;-)

Day 5 St Lucia

Dave turns 55 today! Hope there is a discount for us Senior Citizens!

Up at 7 am for our breakfast run to the Windjammer buffet. We saw some of our Cruise Critic  friends today and got the scoop on some serious partying taking place with one of the ladies .. turns out the excursion driver had to carry her back to the van after a couple or three too many! Ah vacation.. Where memories are made and lost:-)

The ship had arrived on time so we headed out early to check out the shops. My birthday present to myself is the GoPro Hero 4... It's not out yet but it's on my list:-)

We met up with our fellow zip liners at the dock and then proceeded to our bus for the 30 minute ride to the Rain Forest Adventure Park in the jungle hills of St Lucia.

We quickly got set up with top of the line Petzel rigging gear and helmets by our two guides Gimmy and Annavorn. They took us up to the practice line and after a short explanation of how it all works, away we went on a short run. It was a blast and soon we worked our way under the jungle canopy to our official starting point. Off we went! Best excursion $ we have ever spent!  We worked our way through 9 different zip lines that included a swing line (like Tarzan) from one platform to another and a 60' drop line from one of the treetop platforms.  Kelly screamed like the Geico piggy Maxwell... numerous times in fact:-)

                         Kelly completes another zip line run! Annavorn does not like pictures.

Following some pictures it was back to the zip line headquarters for a “debrief” (BTW this is code for Rum Punch!)

Our bus driver gave us a little tour on the way pointing out numerous plants and their medicinal qualities.. Like hang over remedies and male virility enhancements... Who needs those! Hell I am only 55!

Back at the dock we enjoyed some local food (Roti) and the local beer called Piton. Hey 2 for 3 bucks is a #1 reason to like this great local beer! I found some free wifi and got mail and updated FB with a picture of Kelly getting ready to zip line.

Now on board the Adventure we arrived at the cabin to find a bottle of wine, wine glasses and chocolate covered strawberries as a present to Kelly and I from Lauren & Kyle. Very nice surprise! Thanks!

Cracked the bottle and after topping up the glasses, we went pool side for some serious R&R with the wine. It was very relaxing as we enjoyed some nice Caribbean  music and watched sail away. A DH8-300 took of from the local airport right by the ship..  Looked great as it banked away from the runway... For a second Kelly thought that if I worked down here she could just relax everyday.... Ya right :-)  A Server walked by and just said "alcohol "! .. We both laughed as  "Drinks" is just too vague I guess:-)

Sail away out of Castries harbor.

Dinner is at Portofino tonight and anyone that knows me has my dinner choice figured out:-) It was good.  We took in the theater production in the Lyric Theater and then headed to the Quest competition but I was baked. Kelly slept through most of the show but we decide to go to next weeks Quest show. Back to the cabin as we were both done for the night. What a birthday!Tomorrow we are in Barbados and will hang at the Boat Yard beach for the day with the Cruise Critic gang.

Day 4 Antigua

Kelly was up and gone again by 06:40 to Cafe Promenade for her morning coffee and Facebook fix. Our 250 minutes of pre-paid internet is pretty much down to the last hour. It’s 40 cents a minute and... well put your clock on next you checking in with friends... and see how quickly time vanishes:-)

We arrived at the pier a bit late today due to numerous ships docking in port. Adventure of the Seas, Celebrity Summit, Grand Princess and Carnival Freedom all took the four parking spots in St Johns.  We loaded up the gear (code for “filled beach bag with crap”) and lathered on the sunscreen as the docking process finished.

We quickly found our excursion and in no time we were loaded on a bus and on our way.  A gorgeous facility greeted us and we loaded onto separate 24 foot boats for a 5 minute cruise up the lagoon to our paddle area. The kayaks were tandem sit on top type units and they worked well for our paddle around the lagoon in amongst the mangroves. Our guide did some stops and explained the local vegetation and then showed us star fish and sea cucumbers. As we have seen these before we stayed back and let the others get close.

After the paddle we reloaded the boats and it was a 10 minute rip out to our snorkeling site.The small island the locals call Gilligan’s Island was our launch spot and we took a little land tour of the blow holes and views.

View from Gilligan’s Island.

As there are snakes in the area Kelly decided to hold the beach down. I was back in 10 minutes after taking some pictures and did not see any slithering creatures during the walk:-) Back at the boats we moved over to the snorkel site and in we went. Saw numerous small fish etc and the local pelican nesting area. Back at the main launch site we had some obligatory rum punch and then drove back to the ship.

As much as the water was very clear and deep blue, the kayak site was a bit boring for us after seeing gorgeous rock formations etc with Mark & Robyn at Duke point in Nanaimo. Fun but different.

Back at the ship for lunch and then Kelly went on a little sightseeing adventure to the shops by the ship. Our Cruise Critic friends Dan & Vicki got engaged today at Shirley Heights so we bought them a round of drinks to celebrate! Congratulations!

Another great dinner this evening followed by the Love & Marriage show. Absolutely hilarious... just glad we weren't picked out of the audience!

Tomorrow id St Lucia and our Zip Line adventure... hang on!

Day 3 St. Maarten

A nice healthy breakfast this morning and we were off on the days   adventure.  Couple things have come up that have changed our plans. Turns out that there are five ships in today!  With this many people in town we felt that Moho Beach, where the Sunset Beach Bar is located, is going to be a zoo. So we headed off towards the French side of the island to the Orient Beach area. A quick side trip to Oyster Pond to see the sites (code for not taking the right turn off) and then off through Quartier N-Orleans to some shops at Summit Ridge. We stopped here last cruise and Kelly picked up some items. Very reasonable pricing... So I was happy:-)

Kelly haggling...:-)

Next area was the Villiage De Grand Case and then we decided to do some geocaching. Last time we went to Happy Beach and there was a cache we could not find.  So not to be foiled this time we easily found the gravel road that took us to the cache area and Friar's Beach.

After a QEF which means "quick easy  find" in geo speak, we settled on the beach in nice comfortable lounge chairs. Hey only 3 bucks each for the day!  There were only a handful of people here now but we expected more as the morning went on. Sure enough the beach quickly started to fill.... Still lots of room for everyone.

Some snorkeling with the GoPro and then it was time for lunch at the local bar/restaurant. I was driving so no alcohol for me.

A nice lunch followed by more tan time then it was back towards the shops & ships. With traffic the way it was we avoided the bridges so once through Marigot, we stayed left and went through Bellevue and Cole Bay.

On up the hill we tried to find Fort William but missed the turn and ended up in the shopping district. "That's a shame." Kelly said:-)

Tried to buy gas for the rental but they only took cash on this island.  So after some schmoozing with the Hertz rental guy he tacked on 10 bucks to our bill and says " have a great vacation!" 

Onboard for cocktails and a walkabout before prepping for dinner. Tonight is our mystery theater dinner in the Portofino specialty restaurant.  We met on the 14th floor Blue Moon Lounge and the show began as the characters were introduced and they started playing various roles until... Yep you guessed it, someone died! We went down to the restaurant and the show continued as we enjoyed a delicious meal.  We met some nice fellow cruisers and had a great time.

Off to the 70's show on the Grand Promenade  with John Travolta and friends.  We topped off the night with a comedy show in the Lyric Theater.

Off to bed with Antigua on the radar. Kayaking and snorkeling is on the agenda.

Day 2 St. Croix

I awoke to Kelly’s alarm clock at 06:30... that in itself is just wrong while on holidays! Anyway we wanted an early start as or excursion to Buck Island was set to depart at 08:30. This provided lots of time to get our coffee, check emails and then head up to the Windjammer Buffet for breakfast.  It featured a huge assortment of items that catered to everyones needs.

We headed down and hopped on our excursion bus with little difficulty. Unfortunately 3 people had no-showed and, as we were the last bus, delayed us until finally leaving them behind... see this in our aviation business from time to time.

Off we went and our driver Reese gave us the oral highlights as we past important land marks along the way... like the huge Captain Morgan Rum distillery!  (Why did we not know this on our last trip when we had a car?) Oh well! The trip wound it’s way across St Croix via HWY 70 and into Christiansted.

They quickly loaded our boat and away we went. We exited Christiansted Harbor around Protestant Island and got a great view of Fort Christiansvaem.

The trip took about 30 minutes and as we cruised the crew had us all outfitted with snorkel gear & fins. On arrival at Buck Island they gave us a brief safety run down on where to and where not to go, stay in pairs etc. all common sense stuff.   The water was a fabulous turquoise!  Albeit very choppy.

I stayed with Kelly (as she is not a confident swimmer ) even though the safety vest was securely attached to her... or maybe she had a death grip on it... not sure which actually :-)  She did great and we explored the reef down below together. Great views of numerous fish with brilliant colors and I even spotted a small shark at one point. I had my son’s GoPro camera with me and I took lots of shots.

We returned to the boat and after taking off the gear, enjoyed a great rum punch on the trip back to Christiansted. This brought back both old and new memories:-) One of the folks on the boat yelled..”Look there’s a turtle!” and Moose our deck hand replied “That’s a buoy sir”...”Oh!”

Back to the ship and we took a stroll around the shops and kiosks near the dock. Standard stuff when traveling with Kelly but I am used to it. Once on board we headed to the official Cruise Critic “Meet & Greet” up in the Blue Moon Lounge. Everyone had a good visit although we had already met most folks the day before. Appetizers and prizes were given away and we then watched the ship depart Frederikstad.
Off to dinner next and once again we were not disappointed. Tonight was “Formal Night” and most everyone was dressed very nicely.There was the odd outfit that made us ponder a bit:-)

We have decided to give up gambling and spend the money on ourselves as losing does not seem optional. No luck this trip.

Tomorrow is St. Maarten and the famous Sunset Beach where we plan to watch silly people get exfoliated :-)

Sail Away #1

Another lazy morning as our excitement starts to grow.  Weather is cloudy with some breaks to the blue but to be honest we don't really care:-) Kelly is bouncing off the ceiling and she hasn't even had her coffee yet! Conveniently Starbucks is right across the street from the resort so that is our first stop.We tried for breakfast but decided to wait until on the ship to eat... as we were going early:-)

We drove out of Condado and went past the super yacht Serene which belongs to Greg Norman... incredible is all I can say.   Arrived at the ship at 11:30 a.m. and we quickly joined the short line to drop off baggage and then a quick security check. Once cleared we were ushered to the counter and our sailpass cards were generated. We will use these to buy anything on the ship. We waited about 15 minutes before they started letting on the passengers.

We met up with Jim  & Peter of AA fame... no not Alcoholics Anonymous but American Airlines whom they both work for. We joined them for lunch, had a good chat about cruising as they are on #36 or so,  and then headed our separate ways to check out the ship.

We toured around and eventually ended up at the Sky Bar for our impromptu meet & greet with the Cruise Critic gang that Kelly has been chatting with on the forums. We met a whole bunch of great folks and enjoyed putting faces to names.  Folks from as far away as England trekked here just to meet us :-) We have an official Meet & Greet on Monday afternoon but hey we all wanted to get the party started.

Our bags arrived and we headed back to put things away before the Muster Drill at 6 pm. Dinner followed and I have to say it was the best prime rib I have ever had... amazing. Great service!
Next stop was the upper deck as we watched the sail away out of San Juan. This is a shot of the full moon above the ship.

We got our internet organized and walked the huge Royal Promenade with it’s many shops and bars. Several of which we will partake at a later date :-)
 

A bit of no luck casino action was next (see a trend here?) and after watching our funds pour into the RCL coffers we headed back to our cabin. Tomorrow it’s St Croix and our Buck Island snorkel adventure.

Adios Rincon, Hola San Juan

Today we got up at 8 a.m.... sadly the rooster next door got up at 4 a.m! Hey we are out in the country here.. it's a rustic setting and that, I told Kelly, was what makes this such a special place. Besides I chided, "When was the last time we were woken by a rooster?" In a very flat tone and a blank stare  she replied... "Yesterday morning."

We packed up our bags and I hauled the load down the stairs, up the next stairs, and finally down the last stairs to the car. It was not a big deal... in fact a good workout:-) We turned in our key and said "adios" to the friendly people at the Lazy Parrot

We departed at 10:20 and drove through Rincon, out the 115, to the #2 main highway. Kelly wanted to go this way so we could see the southern parts of the Island. We were through Mayaguez in what felt like record time and on our way south east towards Ponce.  A quick gas stop at Hormigueros to top up the tank and we were off to San Juan. The highway started to smooth out and we went through Ponce and by a huge wind farm at Santa Isabel.

Once past Salinas, Kelly was looking hard for a possible bathroom stop. "There!" she pointed at a small town on the left of the highway telling me, heck... demanding me to "take the next exit!".  As all dutiful husbands would do at this "critical juncture" I took the next exit... which just happened to be the exit to Guayma... mmm  this took us to the right, away from the town Kelly had spotted. Now a toll booth came into view.. darn this pit stop was going to cost us :-)  After the toll booth we turned around and found our way back to the #52 and, yep you guest it, another toll booth! Arghhh Oh well it was only $1.75 and the fee was automatically added to your rental bill. Very convenient! Luckily they had a rest stop there and "everything" return to normal.  See I could have just said we had a nice drive to San Juan... what fun would that be?

Funny thing though.. Hwy 52 takes you right past the Plaza Las Americas, mmmm... I looked at Kelly and she just smiled. "I just need one item", she claimed. I laughed and we quickly found a parking spot. She bolted while I programed the GPS for our final stop today at the Marriot Resort & Stellaris Casino .

I double checked the map and was all set when something happened that, well never happens! Kelly was back with her item in less that 8 minutes! I was dumbfounded & speechless.

Off we went and after taking our planned route, drove right up the entrance at the Resort. Dropped the bags and then returned the rental to Enterprise. The rental girl said I had put too much gas in and gave me a $15 credit.. I was dumbfounded & speechless, again!

Our room wasn't ready so we walked down to the area we had visited on our trip in 2011. Had a great lunch of shrimp tacos at Tijuana's Bar. It looks right across the street at UmmO Argentinean Grill where we reserved dinner for this evening. We had great memories of this place with our friend's Mark and Robyn so it was a "must" for this trip.

We checked into our room and enjoyed the afternoon with drinks and a nice relaxing view from our balcony. We even watch a wedding take place from our vantage point. Very nice!

Off to dinner as it was just a short walk from the resort down Ashford Avenue to UmmO. It was everything we expected! Great atmosphere and food. Loved it. The Volcano cake desert erupted and Kelly was swept away in the molten chocolate flow. She was done :-)

Back to the resort for some gaming action as we played some roulette and bet our favorite numbers. We quickly added our cash to the Puerto Rican economy and we then called it a night.

Tomorrow we head to the ship and meet up with the Cruise Critic gang that have become part of Kelly's life since September. Looking forward to meeting my new "relatives" :-)

Surf's up!

With Kelly suffering apparent insomnia (maybe cruise excitement!.. I don't know) at five a.m. we watched the mens semi-final at the Aussie Open before falling back to sleep. Low and behold it was still on when we "officially" woke up a couple hours later!

We had a huge game changer today as we went next door the Banana Dang coffee shop for our a.m. coffee. We decided that we will stay close to the Rincon area today as we want to return and get some pool time downstairs...it looks so inviting.

We drove off in search of some local beaches as this was supposed to be a great surfing day according to the bongo playing surfer dude we met on the first evening.  As I mentioned previously, every road down leads to the beach so off we went. We quickly found the 413 which parallels the beach down below the resort. We stopped and looked through some shops then parked at Casa Islena Inn and claimed a small stretch of Sandy beach.... and that is the name :-)  We were able to use some chairs from the Lazy Parrot and enjoyed the big rollers crashing in. Numerous surfers of all levels showed their stuff.... for a second I thought I should try it.... then I woke up:-)

Sandy Beach looking West

Hunger pangs started to creep in so we walked back and took a look at the menu at Casa Islena Inn...  the pound of peeled shrimp was all that Kelly needed to see! Lunch was great!

Sandy Beach

We headed over to both Dome and Maria's Beach and watched a huge crowd of surfers doing their thing. What a difference a day makes as these places were deserted the day before. Now they were jammed full and the folks were enjoying the surfing conditions which to my untrained eye, looked perfect.

We headed back to the Lazy Parrot and some pool time... with a cool drink I might add. We are now stretched out in those loungers you see in the top picture!

Dinner was in the upstairs restaurant at the Parrot and was very good. We then wandered down to the Rum Shack in a fitting tribute to the end of our stay in Rincon. We will head back to San Juan in the morning via the southern route through Ponce. We want to see as much of the island as possible and we are told this is a very good road and a bit quicker... not that we are in a rush.

Rum Punch.... ouch!

My eyes slowly opened this morning and I was in my bed…… this was a good sign :-)

We had some coffee and a light breakfast before loading up the car and heading out to explore. As all roads down lead to the beach we headed off to see the famous Rincon Lighthouse.  Grabbed a geocache on the way and enjoyed the great views.  Just down the road is a huge blue dome... that is home to a Nuclear Plant! Well a retired one actually..

Rincon Lighthouse

We then headed south along the coast and drove through numerous beach towns.  We  travelled through Mayaguez, Cabo Rojo and down through the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge to our destination Cabo Rojo Los Morrillos Lighthouse on the south west corner of the island.

A few stops along the way for caches and some viewpoints with pictures of the local wildlife.

A long lunch stop at Bahia Salinas Resort and then we headed back toward home. It was a nice relaxing day of exploring. We have decided to not explore the rum punch tonight though :-)

Off to Rincon

Up at 8 am local and over to Starbucks for the obligatory morning java.  Picked up the rental car and headed back to the hotel to grab our bags.

We loaded up our Hyundai Tuscon and carefully studied the map to plan our route out of the city... yep missed our first turn :-) but after topping up with gas we quickly jumped on #2 highway and then the #22 which takes you most of the way to Rincon before magically changing back into #2.

Arrived at exit 55 and the mega outlet mall that Kelly has been dreaming about since she booked the cruise!  Very relaxed outdoor mall with the usual high end stores. Kelly was in her glory. Grabbed a bite to eat and then continued our journey towards the Lazy Parrot.

Following the directions of our hosts and the GPS we easily found our way to the resort. Other than the stairs (no elevator here) and the fact that Kelly's bag weighs 44 pounds, we settled in and decided it was time to visit the Rum Shack. This little bar was down by the pool and we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon and evening from our perch there.  We met lots of friendly people and enjoyed the atmosphere and the fabulous sunset

We got the scoop on the local beaches and surfing areas from this very nice "surfer dude"... ya that pretty much describes this wavy blond haired fellow. He even played bongos in the band! He advised that there would be no surfing Thursday.  Why I asked? Well it turns out that calm seas combined with no major weather systems approaching makes for poor waves. Poor waves makes for a surfer's day off but he pointed out that Friday was going to be great! So we plan to explore the surfing beach on Friday.

The place started to fill up and the live band played a variety of tunes. Sadly the rum punch caused the death of numerous cells in the "memory" area of my brain :-) and that's about all I can remember before hitting the rack.

Travel Day

Our DH8-400 loads up in the clag.

We had a 45 minute delay due fog in Victoria but eventually made it to Seattle with 90 minutes to spare for our next flight to Dallas, TX.  Lineups at customs and security ate up another hour and they had just started boarding our AA 737 flight when we arrived at the gate. Just time for a bathroom break!

Departure time came and went as we waited to spray and push back.. Just when I thought it  was safe Kelly found this in the seat pocket!

Finally airborne at 0922  we quickly flew out of the low cloud and into the sunshine.  Great views of Mt Rainier, Adams,  St Helens and Hood in the distance. The iPad (s) came out and we entertained ourselves with movies etc.  I watched "The Way" about an unintended journey along the  El Camino De Santiago.  Very interesting soul search.

Arrival in Dallas was uneventful and we managed to find our gate and a Margarita Bar.. mmm how convenient:-) Let the holidays begin I say.

Our trip to San Juan was straight forward and after collecting the heavy and light bags:-), we caught a van to our hotel  in Condado. A quick walk about to relieve the hunger pangs and have a cold beer.  Ah the memories! Quick stop at Walgreens and it was rack time.

It begins....

That whirling dervish of a wife of mine is finally done! Says "it's a wrap" as she plods up to bed worn out from shear excitement. Her bag is packed and weighs in at 44 lbs and she's not happy! Says that's only 6 pounds of shopping she can bring back... poor dear she is just beside herself.

My bag on the other hand was only 36 lbs because I vowed not to bring so much stuff on this trip.... so you all know what that means.... yep she now has 20 pounds available! Now she can sleep.

We are battling the fog out on the west coast as both Victoria, Seattle and Vancouver have low visibilty for aircraft operations. Lots of flights cancelled today but tomorrow is looking more promising as our plane is already here in Victoria... lower takeoff limits etc. should equal a departure... but hey what do I know ;-)

I managed to get my IMAC and GPS to actually communicate and have install various maps, geocaches & waypoints on to the trusty E-Trex Vista C. Of course I had to set our first waypoint which is the Lazy Parrot.

Hopefully the next update should come from Seattle as we work our way across North America to San Juan, Puerto Rico. I am off to bed myself as the alarm clock (Kelly's) goes off very early.