Caribbean Day 8 (St. Maarten)

Day 8 - St. Maarten

Today is the last port of the cruise.  We are going to the Dutch side of the island St. Maarten - an island with a borderless Dutch and French side.  We were hoping to visit Maho Beach where the aircraft come in right over the beach and take off right next to it, but we didn't have time to drive from the port there and back. Also, unfortunately, a lady died there the same week when she was blown headfirst into a concrete wall by the jet engine.  

So, we spent the day relaxing and snorkeling at the "Tiki Hut".  Only a few minute boat ride from the ship, the Tiki Hut was built on a series of floating barges in a peaceful bay.  Next to the barges were areas to snorkel. 




 They had submerged an airplane, submarine, helicopter, and other structures.

Submerged helicopter

Submerged plane

Pelican about 5 feet away

There was also a bay where dozens of pelicans were roosting and you could swim pretty close (although the floor was all spiny anemones which will really sting if you touch them).  We spent about four hours at the Tiki hut - had some good burgers and some cold beverages and then we went back to the port.  



Bix and I hung out at a bar and I taught the girl there about Oranjeboom which is my favorite Dutch beer.  She (and an old guy from the ship crew) said they never heard of it, even though they had both lived in The Netherlands - I only lived there for a summer (but I probably drank more beer than they did).




We had our last dinner aboard with Fredy (sic) and his staff - they were the best waitstaff.  The next day we were back in Puerto Rico and flew home - we all had a great trip!

Caribbean Day 7 (St. Kitts)

Day 7 (St. Kitts)

Today we are going to spend the morning deep sea fishing.  Dave hired a boat by “Speedy” and we met him at the docks right near the ship.  I thought it was going to be a pretty big ship, like one you walk around the deck to get to the other side, but it was actually only room for the eight of us, plus Speedy.



Speedy did everything for us - got the poles and lines baited - and then we drove around - never more than a few miles from shore and we waited and waited.  After a couple of hours and some lost bait, we finally had "fish on!"  Bix was the first to fish and reeled in a 2-3 foot long barracuda.   We were excited to finally get a fish, but that was (almost) the last one of the day.  Speedy stayed out an extra hour and still Whitney was the only other person to catch fish.

I got seasick and they dropped me off at the beach - I swam ashore from the boat while they fished.  The black sand beach was uninhabited and relaxing and my stomach settled over the hour.  They picked me up and we drove around for a while, including in a medium sized rainstorm, but no more fish.

We stopped in town and were besieged by local guys with monkeys.  They'll throw the monkey on someone's head and then say you owe them $10.  AVOID this.  The monkeys are cute, but unless you purposely want to spend $10, then don't let the kids or anyone near those guys - it's a racket.

We shopped for a little bit and then went back to the boat.

Bix and his barracuda

Caribbean Day 6 (St. Lucia)

Day 6 (St. Lucia)

Working our way up the chain of islands, out next stop was the mountainous St. Lucia.  Shellie and I went here for our honeymoon, to what is now known as Sugar Beach, nestled between the iconic Piton mountains.  

Driving in St.Lucia is no joke

For our excursion, the eight of us went on the “Top 10” – a day long trip all over the island to see the major sights.  We loaded up with a group of about 30 in an air-conditioned van and headed into the hills.  The guide joked that “if you can drive in St.Lucia, then you can drive anywhere in the world” and I’ve always thought that – the narrow, winding, hilly roads are no joke.


We stopped at the Inniskilling monument at Fort Charlotte – a monument to the French and British soldiers who battled for the island over time.  The grave of Nobel Laureate William Arthur Lewis is here, which is also the site of the local community college named after Lewis.  The views are very nice from up here also (recurring theme).  St. Lucia actually has two Nobel Prizewinners – Derek Walcott won for literature in 1992 and Lewis for economics in 1979.

Eudovic Art Studio

Next we went to the Eudovic art studio, where local artisans create fantastic wood carvings by hand - http://eudovicart.com/.  We watched Vincent Eudovic working with sharp chisels (looked dangerous).  The galleries and shops onsite have many unique pieces and is worth a visit.

Marigot Bay

The next stop was at a hillside area overlooking beautiful Marigot Bay, one of the most idyllic bays you will find anywhere.  Surrounded by hills on three sides, the square-ish bay is home to some of the finest accommodations on the island and it’s no wonder celebrities stay here.

View of the Pitons from just above Soufriere

Making our way south, we wound down to the town of Soufriere, a fishing port with colorful buildings, and surrounded by mountains, including the Petit Piton, the smaller of the two Piton mountains.  On the way we stopped at a rum shack where we sampled various local rums.

Phill with Soufriere school kids in 2000

In Soufriere, we stopped at some shopping stalls near the beach and picked up some souvenirs and a couple Piton beers.  Bix and Brooke bought some carved Calabash shells which we signed by the artists.  We had to hurry to hop back on the bus.   I have a picture with some school kids from the town from the last time I was in St. Lucia.  I’m going to post it here.






After stopping by a botanical garden, we made our way to the Soufriere volcano – an active volcano on the island that you can drive through.  The sulfur stench is overpowering.  Shellie and I visited here the first time we were in St. Lucia and it was just how I remembered it. 






For our last stop, we went to a small restaurant on a hill above Soufriere with great views of the Pitons and the town.  We had some chicken and fish and then headed back to the boat.  (We did stop at a rum shack along the way and had more rum – yum J).

Caribbean Day 5 (Barbados)

Day 5 (Barbados)

After a day at sea, we were excited to see Barbados.  None of us had been before, so it was going to be new for everyone.

We had planned to walk to the nearby Brandons or Brighton beach, but the local taxis drivers which congregate around the cruise exit talked the group into a different nearby beach which had a restaurant, water sports, and umbrellas/chairs – similar to Playa Mia in Cozumel.

After piling an uncomfortably large number of people into our mini-van (we thought it was full with our 8, but then they added three more couples!), we drove through Bridgetown and headed to Harbour Lights at Carlisle Bay.  It turned out to be a great option – we got a lounger for our beach bags, put on sunscreen, and headed out to the water.

We found a Starfish!

The water was amazingly clear.  I’ve been to many Caribbean beaches, and this water was by far the clearest I’ve seen – think pool water – you could see the bottom 20 feet away from where you were standing in waist deep water.  We found a large starfish and there were a lot of small fish swimming around the swimming area.  We had a parents vs. kids relay race (parents won) and then Dave and I split a bucket of Banks beers (small 8oz Caribbean beers).

After spending a few hours at the beach we had some delicious pina coladas and some conch fritters.  Then we headed back to the boat.

Caribbean Day 3-4 (St.Thomas, USVI)

Day 3-4 (St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands and Sea Day)

OUCH - Cable rips my shoulder

The first stop on the cruise was to St. Thomas.  We went to the zipline Tree Limin’ http://www.ziplinestthomas.com/ at the top of a mountain that overlooked the bay.  The drive itself to the top of the mountain was an adventure in a bus and safari vehicle/hummer that needed power to get up the 45 degree hills.  After we suited up, we went with two guides through six ziplines.  This was the safest zipline setup I had seen with three safety carabiners per person.  One time I lept off the platform and burned my shoulder on the cable – like a rope burn, but it went through my shirt and now I have a scar.  The last line was a 6 story drop.  The views from the platforms were amazing and I would recommend this excursion.

View of the bay from the Tree Limin' Zipline in St. Thomas USVI

Brrr - Magic Ice ice bar in St.Thomas

 After ziplining, we went into town ($4 per person cab) and visited Magic Ice http://www.magicice.vi/ – an Ice Bar – where everything inside is made of ice – it was about 8000 square feet and about twice the size of the ice bar in Vegas.  We hung out for a little while, got lots of pictures and then headed back to the ship.

On the ship we saw two different comedians and had a great dinner.

Stupid shirts wives made us wear

Day 4 was at sea – we played mini-golf, went to the shows and casino, and I headed to bed early because I ate too much.  When I got to the bed, I got a text from Shellie that I had missed the casino drawing for $450 and my name had been drawn, but I had to be present to win.  I was just there!  I didn’t miss another drawing, but never did win after that.

Playing cards on the boat

Dinner photo

Caribbean Day 1 (Puerto Rico)

Day 1-2 (San Juan, Puerto Rico)

Mofongo @ Raices

Dinner @ Raices, Old San Juan

We flew JetBlue into Puerto Rico and were met at the airport by our shuttle service.  He took us to Old San Juan where we were staying at the Sheraton.  I asked him where a good place was for local cuisine and he recommended Raices which is “Roots” in the local language – referring to the heritage of the island. We had to wait outside in the heat and humidity (even at 8pm) and it took us about an hour to get a table.  In the meantime Dave talked to two ladies which were also going on the cruise and one was from our neighborhood in Texas – crazy.  The food was very good and everyone enjoyed it – I had Mofongo – a local dish made with mashed plantains which were basically like mashed potatoes in flavor (not like bananas, which I hate).  We went home and rested for the next day.

Outside Raices in Old San Juan

Old San Juan, early morning

Raices Fountain

In the morning we got an early start and found a local diner, Café Manolin http://cafemanolinoldsanjuan.com/.  Cheap good eats to get us started.  Then we headed out to the end of the peninsula to the fort El Morro (Castillo San Felipe del Morro).  On the way we saw a ton of free roaming cats throughout the neighborhoods.  The walk around the harbor on the south side of the island was a good way to approach the fort.  From the cruise ship it’s about a 30 minute walk, mostly uphill, but not excessively taxing.

Leading up to the fort is a massive field of grass which would make any attackers vulnerable to the fort’s artillery.  We made it, though.  El Morro was fun to explore – lots of different levels and great views of the bay and surrounding areas.  

After about an hour we headed back to town to check out of the hotel.  We stopped at a recommended coffee shop, Don Ruiz http://www.donruizstore.com/ , which was only a block from the fort.  The coffee was really good and we bought a bag to bring home.  The walk back, down Calle del Christo was lined with shops and churches and galleries – worth a peek on the way back to the hotel.

Fort steps to ground level

El Morro

Once we found our hotel, we checked out and walked the half block to the ship across the street – easy.  We were able to get on the ship by 1pm and since it didn’t pull out until 10pm, we had all day to enjoy ourselves aboard.  This time we were sailing on the Carnival Fascination, an older ship in the fleet, but completely remodeled in 2015.  

Carnival Fascination lobby

We loved the layout of the ship with the casino and bars all on the same deck.  Our room was super small with the adult bed under the bunks which folded down over our heads and feet.  The bathroom was a little bigger than some ships, though, so that was good.  I think we saw a couple shows, did the mandatory Muster station drill, and then we were off to St. Thomas.

Carnival Fascination @ night