Hopping on a really big boat – final chapter

This is the final post covering our southern caribbean cruise.

Our last port of call was Bridgetown, Barbados. Barbados is home to many beautiful beaches, the nicest ones we saw on this cruise. A double-rainbow near the island on our arrival portended a day of fun ahead. For this final stop we chose an excursion which included snorkeling, a beach break and an inland tour. It was described as a “shipwreck snorkel experience from a boat, a beach swim and an exploration of the island’s beauty in a specially rigged 4×4 vehicle – combined into one amazing tour.” We couldn’t wait to get underway that morning as the sun peeked out, the clouds parted and a beautiful sunny day began!

There were eleven folks total on this excursion, and when it was time to begin snorkeling I waited until everyone else had left the boat as I felt a bit anxious. Steve went ahead, thinking I’d be fine since we had snorkeled before. Besides, I’m an island girl who’s not afraid of the water, right? Well, I started to hyperventilate and was really breathing hard while swimming toward the group. The captain noticed me struggling and signaled his assistant to watch me. It felt like an eternity as I tried to catch up with the group. I was so thankful that our guide calmed me down and asked me to hang on to a buoy as I tried to relax.

Hubby getting ready to meet fish

Smiling, before panicking

I began getting my confidence back as the fear subsided. I think I had a bit of claustrophobia after not wearing a mask for a long time, and I discovered that getting into the water off a boat is different than just walking into the ocean from shore. Anyway, the water was warm, clear and refreshing. The colors and varieties of fish that swam around us were just breathtaking. We snorkeled over two shallow shipwrecks, where those tropical fish were so tame that they swam right up to us and ate out of our hands!

As soon as I began having the time of my life we were called back to the boat. It was entirely too short, but I really had a fantastic visit with all of those fish. However, we now had to prepare for our next activity just a few yards away – a beach break with unlimited rum punch – Woohoo! My goodness, it was only 9:30 in the morning!

The happy beach babe, after snorkeling and a couple of rum punches

The “complimentary” rum punch started flowing as we headed to shore. The captain told us not to leave the boat with less than a full glass, although I don’t know why since his helper offered plenty of refills. They seemed to realize that getting everyone drunk was a sure way to get good tips. We absolutely loved this beach – just look at the crystal clear azure water!

After less than an hour on the beach, we were next herded to the specially-rigged 4×4 to explore the Barbados countryside. This driver was more sane than the one we had in Dominica. He was proud of his island and gave a continuous commentary on the history, culture, and folklore of Barbados. The 4×4 allowed him to take us into some less accessible areas of the island’s interior, where we drove through the underbrush and a sugar cane field. Unfortunately, they are unable to efficiently produce sugar here any longer and have lost that industry. As we crossed a bridge, the guide described how it had been built by adding egg whites to white lime and sand to create a very strong cement. Who knew?

Sugar Cane Plantation, St Joseph Barbados

Trekking through a former sugar cane plantation

We spent a few minutes gawking at this rock art, which was created by local schoolchildren:

After a beautiful drive over the mountain, we arrived at Bathsheba on the rugged eastern shore of the island. We were told that Barbados is the easternmost of the caribbean islands, and is technically in the Atlantic ocean. And there is nothing but vast ocean for nearly 3,000 miles to the coast of Cape Verde, Africa. We were warned not to swim even where the surf looked calm, as the undertow is vicious and has killed several very good swimmers.

Something on the beach caught our eye as we were walking, and it was tiny but very beautiful. Then we noticed many of them had washed up onto the shore. We were cautioned by some people not to touch them, as they can deliver a painful sting.

Man o’ War Jelly Fish

It was a fun half-day trip, and we had a wonderful time. For me, this was my favorite stop – the snorkeling experience was really awesome and we agreed that we’ll definitely return to Barbados for a longer stay.

Goodbye beautiful Barbados!

We had only one day left on the cruise, a full day at sea as we steamed all the way back to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The cruise folks scheduled all kinds of activities every hour on the hour, and we had plenty of time to complete that always unpleasant part of a great trip – packing for the journey home!

Basking in the sun

Towel art demonstration

Steve and I each finished two books on this trip, proving that we are not really the party-animal types anymore 😦

This ship’s library near our stateroom

At our last dinner, the waiters – who had provided excellent service during the entire trip – sang for us in the dining room. They know how to get good tips, too!

One other thing the cruise line does a great job of is handling luggage. As I mentioned previously, this is our sixth cruise with various cruise lines, and all of them have their act together when embarking and disembarking large numbers of people with a lot of luggage. They do it fast, efficiently and orderly. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Customs and Immigration people. The line of passengers waiting to leave the San Juan port was huge, since only two officers were on hand to check over 2000 passengers through. What’s up with that?

On our way back to Orlando, Florida, we witnessed the changing colors of the sky as the sun dipped slowly below the horizon. All photographs below were taken by the lucky guy who always takes the window seat, my honeybunch. Very cool!

And that wraps up our 7-day southern caribbean cruise. Whew!

Next up: Fulltimers meet snowbirds

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Jan 11

Hopping on a really big boat, part 2

Comments 18

I’m definitely a bit late in posting my cruise stories, but I suppose there’s really no need to hurry up and tell them.

Continuing on our southern caribbean cruise experience, our next port of call was St. Kitts. As with our first three island stops, high clouds and rain were mostly in the forecast. But the temperatures were oh-so-nice as much of the rest of the nation was freezing. As we approached, clouds were gathering around the top of the highest mountain on the island, Mt, Liamuiga which stands at 3,792 ft.

Some serious clouds gathering on our approach to St. Kitts

Since many caribbean islands are cruise destinations, it’s not unusual to see several monster ships docked at any given port. St. Kitts was no different, and it was cool to see, up close, two huge RCL ships docked side by side – with the newer Explorer of the Seas obviously much larger than our “little boat”, the Jewel of the Seas.

At St. Kitts we chose an excursion that was something a bit different. Instead of going to the beach, we headed up into the mountains to participate in a “Cooking Caribbean” class. It was held at the Fairview Great House and Botanical Gardens, some 20 minutes from the harbor. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery on our way to this 300-year-old estate property, which has undergone a restoration to its grand great house, courtyard and surrounding tropical botanical gardens and outer buildings.

Fairview Great House

Built as a plantation great house in the late 1600s, Fairview is now a historical landmark available to tourists, foodies and history buffs. Before the cooking demonstration began we were given a tour of the house, where we learned about previous owners of the property, life on the island in colonial times and the process undertaken to fully restore this historic gem.

Later, during a break in the cooking, we were led to the botanical gardens where these blooming flowers caught my eye:

Fairview Great House and Botanical Garden

We had thought we would actually be cooking our food, but it turned out to be just a demonstration. The cook was english-born Janice Ryan, who has been living (and cooking) in the caribbean for decades. We were given the menu and recipes that she would be preparing, and she talked about the various island ingredients she would be using as she prepared our lunch.

Chef Janice

For those of you who may not know, Steve loves to cook and experiment (on me) – so he was excited to learn some caribbean cooking techniques on this trip.

A smiling student

Our menu for the day consisted of jerk pork loin, creole fish in a tomato broth, island rice and peas and green banana escovitch.

Several mirrors on the ceiling allowed everyone a birds-eye view of the action from anywhere in the room

We watched and listened as she cooked and talked effortlessly while answering our questions. Then once it was plated we savored every morsel of the dishes she prepared. They were all very yummy, especially the creole fish in the spice-laden tomato broth. The perfectly cooked and crusted pork loin with a mild jerk seasoning was tender and oh-so-good. These were simple dishes, straightforward and very tasty! The dessert, coconut bread pudding with rum and brown sugar glaze, was divine. We are hoping to try some of these at home, if we’re able to gather all of the ingredients.

Cooking Caribbean at Fairview Great House and Botanical Garden

The final delicious meal – yum!

Back at the ship, we had plenty of time before dinner to look for our pictures that the cruise photographers had taken. You see, they ask all passengers to pose at every port and several times on the ship, hoping to sell the photos for around $20.00 a pop. We never buy them, but it’s fun to just check them out.

Hard to believe that in a couple of hours these two behemoths will be gone and only an empty dock will remain

Picture gallery – it takes a while to find your photos among all the others

At our next port of call, Roseau, Dominica, we chose the River Tubing and Rainforest Drive excursion. I picked this one, since I had not yet experienced floating down a river on a tube. I thought whirling and spinning down some of Dominica’s rivers would be a great place to give it a try. And it was! Driving to the river, we learned from our tour guide that Dominica was the backdrop for two sequels of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies – where my favorite man Johnny Depp was the bomb. We enjoyed the island’s beauty as our crazy driver raced down the coastline on roads hacked out of the mountainside.

The city of Roseau as seen from the ship

Exotic scenery awaited us at the river, and we were ready for some adventure. Our tubing guides were there to help us avoid hitting rocks and to keep us moving smoothly down the river. It was a mostly peaceful ride, interspersed with some mini-rapids and antics from the tubing guides to make it more exciting. We had a great time but didn’t get any pictures, as we got soaked and didn’t want to risk destroying our camera.

After arriving downriver in one piece, we watched a cultural presentation by the Carib natives that was in progress. Then off we went again with our maniac driver to the lovely Hibiscus Falls, which was hidden in the lush rainforest greenery.

Traditional dance performed by a Carib native cultural group

One of the many falls here – Hibiscus Falls – not exactly Niagara but very beautiful

What?

More unusual and beautiful flowers:

Before heading back to the ship, we stopped once again at a local stand to beat the heat by enjoying a rum punch featuring the island’s unique rum.

Heading back to the big boat after another tough day

At this port, the ship was positioned at just the right spot for a beautiful caribbean sunset. Oh yeah!

As usual at dinner time, we devoured our delicious three-course meal. Except for the comedy shows, we usually hit the sack fairly early so we could rise in time to witness the approach to our next port.

Table for two in the gorgeous dining room

Next up: The final Installment of our southern caribbean cruise.

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Jan 08

Hopping on a really big boat, part 1

Comments 16

Cruising isn’t for everyone, but we like being able to unpack just once when we get on a ship and then check out several locations in a short amount of time. We take cruises to find places we’d like to return to for a longer stay, and it’s nice to not worry about cooking, doing dishes or making our bed for a few days!

Between the two of us, Steve is definitely the cruise lover (although I don’t mind tagging along!). This was our sixth cruise since 2000, and our second since we’ve been full-timing on the road. Some things we’ve learned that might help if you’re booking your first cruise with Royal Caribbean:

If possible, be sure to get a balcony room. Inside rooms, and even outside rooms with windows can be claustrophobic, and there’s nothing like being able to sit out on your balcony to read or enjoy your favorite beverage at the end of the day.

Consider the “early seating” for dinner, to maximize the entertainment options available on the ship in the evening. You’ll also have more time to digest all of that amazing food before going to bed.

Shore excursions taken during the stops can get expensive. You may find that catching a taxi to see an area is more affordable than what the cruise line offers. Be careful to get a reputable ride, though; talk to the cruise travel person on the ship to learn how to avoid getting ripped off. They are usually very helpful in this regard. But if there’s an excursion that looks fun, take it! Although they can sometimes be a bit rushed, they usually do a good job and the cruise line sanctions them.

Steve is partial to the beautiful islands of the caribbean, so this time he booked a 7-day southern caribbean cruise on board Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas. Our ports of call were Tortola, British Virgin Islands; Basseterre, St Kitts; Philipsburg, St Maarten; Roseau, Dominica and Bridgetown, Barbados. Following our three days of fun in San Juan, we boarded our ship and were off.

Before the ship departs, a mandatory emergency drill takes place. Every passenger must report to their muster area to learn the procedures. It’s easy and fast, then the partying begins!

Muster area where the huge lifeboats hang, ready to go

It takes a day or two just to learn where everything is on these massive ships – this one had 12 decks total. Although there are many elevators, we always take the stairs so we can burn some of the calories gained when we eat the wonderful meals. During this cruise, Steve put on 7 pounds, and I hate to admit I put on 4. Oh my goodness, we have some serious exercising to do!

If you get lost, just refer to this map on each deck

The fabulous atrium on Jewel of the Seas

Atrium of our ship looking down

A quick pose before dinner

The daily paper with news and activities

One of the long halls to our stateroom

I won a drawing at the spa and got some goodies!

Departing San Juan, Puerto Rico

Our first port of call was Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Since we didn’t see any shore excursions that appealed to us, we went to Cane Garden Bay Beach to hang out and swim in the beautiful clear warm water. Since it was on the far side of the island we got to ride over the mountain on the twisty road, driving on the left side of the road. It was a bit hairy, but we had some great views of nearby islands.

A rainbow greeted us as we arrived at Tortola – good times ahead!

And what has this contestant won, Vanna?

Our funky ride to the gorgeous beach

The beach was loaded with bars and restaurants – love it!

Not something you see on the beach every day

Yours truly with St. Thomas in the distance

Our next stop was at St. Maarten, which Steve had been looking forward to for years. Why? Well, he had seen the Youtube videos of airliners coming in right over the beach to land at the airport there and he had dreamed of experiencing it firsthand. So, we caught a taxi just off the ship and went straight there.

Someone is happy to arrive at St. Maarten!

We were fortunate to arrive at Maho Bay Beach early, because it turns out this is a very popular attraction. We found ourselves a good table at the Sunset Restaurant and began partying at 9:30am as we waited for the first airliner to arrive.

We liked this “arrival board” for airliners

Most of the beach goers were here just to watch the planes coming in right over their heads. This spot has become so popular that the restaurant aptly named their pizzas after airlines, and the entrepreneurs charged $20 for a beach chair!

Pizzas were listed by “airline”, and very yummy

This is so cool, you have to be here to experience it!

It’s not just the landings that people come to see, the takeoffs are pretty interesting too. A large jet engine at full power can flip a car over, and we were amazed to see people blown across the beach as an airliner powered up for takeoff. Fortunately, Steve had no desire to stand behind that one!

Planes taking off can actually blow people off the beach and into the water

Click on the video below that I took of an airliner coming in right over Steve on the beach. Believe me when I tell you he was in heaven! This takes one off his bucket list.

The island has a simple way of directing traffic.

Here’s how they state the obvious…

OK, this must be the exit…

Why not stop for one of the island’s famous GuavaBerry drinks on the way back to the ship?

Back on the ship, we ogled our neighbors from France on the cruise ship Riviera next door.

Checking out the neighbors

Cruise ship commute hour

Cruise sunsets – you only get one at each stop!

On several nights, our room steward put a smile on our faces by creating “towel animals” for us.

Next up: The other islands we loved in the caribbean sun!

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Jan 04

Taking in the sights of San Juan, Puerto Rico

Comments 24

This is one of my delayed posts describing our southern caribbean journey, and it is quite long – so pour yourself the beverage of your choice and enjoy! I must also thank my hubby for his hours of tedious editing of this post – thank you honeybunch! 🙂

When Steve booked our southern caribbean cruise, he was happy to find one that began and ended in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It’s a place he had heard good things about for many years, and the cruise gave us an excuse to take the short flight there while in Florida. We spent three days exploring Old San Juan before hopping on the cruise ship — yes, a quick visit — but we managed to take in many of the sights and sounds of El Viejo San Juan!

Old San Juan is within the historic colonial section, and it’s the oldest settlement within Puerto Rico. We stopped at many of the city’s historic landmarks, including the two forts — El Morro and Fort San Cristobal — to marvel at their distinct character. We also walked the cobbled streets of the city, and on another day we took a tour of the tropical El Yunque Rainforest.

Aerial view of the walled city of Old San Juan (toward the left near the end of the island)

First, a quick history of San Juan. Before the United States took over in the late 19th century, San Juan was an important Spanish gateway to the caribbean islands. Puerto Rico – meaning “Rich Port” – was fortified by Spain because it was the first major island with fresh water, shelter and supplies that could be used by sailing ships on their way to the Americas.

Castillo San Cristobal (the large stone structure in the background)

Behind the mighty stone wall, the old city of San Juan grew and developed. The city wall is marked by the dark line in the image below, and it took us the better part of a day to follow and explore it along with the two forts.

The forts are designated as San Juan National Historic Sites and administered by the U.S. National Park Service. To begin our walk, we had a taxi drop us at the southern end of Old Town where we first explored Castillo de San Cristobal with its sprawling outer defenses. The largest fort built in the caribbean by the Spaniards, it protected El Morro and the city from land attack and took 150 years to complete. There are many other details, but I’ll just say it is architecturally beautiful and the coastal view from it is fantastic.

Castillo San Cristobal

Sentry boxes (or garitas), a cultural symbol of Puerto Rico, are located all around the outer walls of the fort.

Sentry boxes are Puerto Rican icons

This fort is 150 feet tall, and a great example of the strategic skills used to create land and sea defenses. It is actually many different units connected by tunnels, each unit being self-sufficient in case others are invaded.

Taking a break and trying to find our way around this huge fort

Castillo San Cristobal, San Juan Puerto Rico

The San Juan coast and skyline viewed from an observation area at Castillo San Cristobal

While there, we noticed these green creatures busy feeding themselves or posing for pictures as they basked in the sun:

Iguana

Lizard

Monk Parakeets

It was a half hour walk to the next fortification, Castillo San Felipe del Morro, and we were wilting under the blazing sun — whew, it was hot and humid that day! We passed by the picturesque Cementario Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis (established in 1863), which sits just outside the fort walls. This white cemetery was gorgeous, surrounded by the city wall on one side and the blue Atlantic ocean on the other. The only problem is you have to die to get a view like this!

Cementario Santa Maria Magdalena de Pazzis, looking south

Looking at the cemetery from one of the 6 ft. embrasures in the wall. Castillo San Felipe del Morro can be seen at top of the hill.

Located at the end of the island to protect San Juan Bay’s deep harbor from sea attack, Castillo San Felipe del Morro (El Morro) consists of six massive staggered levels rising 145 feet above sea level. We wandered around dungeons, barracks, passageways, and storerooms to learn about this amazing fort that took Spain over 200 years to build. It is now Puerto Rico’s most picturesque military structure and was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983.

The city walls of San Juan with Castillo San Felipe del Morro on top of the hill, as viewed from San Juan Bay

Cannon Water Battery, Castillo San Felipe

Cannon battery overlooking the beautiful ocean inlet to San Juan

Main plaza

Leaving Castillo San Felipe del Morro, we walked the Paseo del Morro trail which follows a three mile long wall protecting the western side of the city. The wall stands 40 ft. tall with 20 ft. thick masonry, and was completed in 1782. It includes gun ports from which to fire cannon and sentry boxes perched at strategic viewing locations.

Note how thick the walls are.

We encountered a lot of cats along this stretch, and I saw this one resting on a tree. I couldn’t resist snapping a shot.

After hours of exploring the two forts and strolling along the high walls, we walked through the streets of the old city looking for some good Puerto Rican food. Strolling along narrow blue cobblestone streets, we observed boldly colored houses and shops watched over by grill-work balconies. The city is characterized by flat-roofed brick and stone buildings dating back to the 16th and 17th century and reflecting Spanish architecture.

Hey, anybody home?

For some reason, Steve wanted to stop here for a drink

This city is on a hill, so we walked uphill and downhill throughout our trek. We really worked up a sweat in the heat and humidity!

Mofongo is a staple dish of Puerto Rico. Our friend Brenda of Island Girl, a Puerto Rican lady herself, advised this was the local dish we should sample. It is essentially a mashed mound of plantains into which a combination of seafood, meat, or vegetables is added. I liked it so much that I had it in twice during our stay!

Mofongo as a side dish

Mofongo topped with shrimp

We continued exploring after that delicious meal, moving toward the waterfront of San Juan Bay. Called Bahia Urbana, this is a new area of walkways and parks along the south side of Old San Juan. We were refreshed by the cool breeze coming off the the bay, as we walked and then sat down to enjoy the harbor view.

Seahorse sculpture

Waterfront walkway

On another day, we took a taxi, then a ferry ride, then another taxi to visit the largest premium rum distillery in the world – the BACARDÍ Rum Distillery. More than 85% of all BACARDÍ rum is distilled in this facility. After our free tour and a glitzy, informative, entertaining commercial for Bacardi, we enjoyed our 2 free drinks (Cuba Libre and Mojito). We were a bit disappointed in the tour, since it resembled a Disney-like attraction in a separate area and did not include the working part of the distillery. And even though the tour was free, the trip there and back to our hotel was far from it. At least we were able to enjoy the ferry ride across the bay on a very nice day.

Enjoying our free drink

Pick a bottle, any bottle

The Bacardi Bat logo

Some other sights in San Juan:

In addition to the Capitol building, there were a number of memorial plazas and sculptures in the Capital District of Old San Juan. We also viewed the Walkway of the Presidents, a Holocaust Memorial, a Fallen Soldier Memorial, a monument to police killed in the line of duty and quite a few others. We thought it was very well done.

Walkway of the Presidents, San Juan, PR

One of the beaches along the high-end district of Condado

At the end of Paseo de la Princesa is a Bronze sculpture called “Raices“, symbolizing the island’s cultural roots

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Finally, we took a trip to the rain forest, El Yunque Rain Forest that is. It’s the only tropical rain forest in the U.S. National Parks system. Ample rainfall (over 200 inches a year in some areas) creates a jungle-like setting – with lush foliage, waterfalls and a river. We didn’t take an umbrella and were surprised to get rained on while we were there – duh!

View from inside the Yokahu Observation Tower at El Yunque

While chilling out by the pool at the end of a long day, we heard what sounded like a singing bird but we couldn’t locate it. The sound was so close and loud that we started searching for it. Finally, a waiter informed us that it was actually a tiny frog native in Puerto Rico and called a Coqui. It is abundant here and has become the country’s symbol. Although the waiter said it is rare to see them, this guy surprised us by jumping right onto our table. How cool is that!

Common Coqui

We thoroughly enjoyed our short visit to San Juan, and it’s a place we would definitely go again. The history, architecture, friendly people and the many photo opportunities make it an inviting destination. We obviously only scratched the surface, and there are many things left to see – a great reason to go back some day!

I know that was a little too long, but I hope you enjoyed a taste of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Next up: Hopping on a really big boat!

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Lowes Travels

Category Archives: The Southern Caribbean

Hopping on a really big boat – final chapter

Hopping on a really big boat, part 2

Hopping on a really big boat, part 1

Taking in the sights of San Juan, Puerto Rico

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