 |
| Caribbean Islands |
December 24th Departure Day
My boyfriend and I scrambled around to do last minute packing. It was my first cruise so I was a lot bit flustered. I was so enthralled with trying not to forget anything that I ended up forgetting cash! It wasn't an issue because our awesome next neighbor, who volunteered to drive us to the dock, stopped for me to withdraw money. We went through customs, ate lunch, and proceeded to indulge on fruity cocktails :) We explored the ship a bit and periodically, checked our state room for our luggage. I have read some horror stories about people loosing their luggage and so, my anxiety was approximately medium-high.
Luckily, we received a note from our state room attendant regarding our luggage and we were able to retrieve our stuff and unpack before happy hour at the Schooner bar.
During happy hour, my boyfriend's brother-in-law won $1k at the casino. I was jealous and wanted to win something too. I get so competitive over the weirdest things.
My first of the day: Being on a cruise ship.
December 25th Merry Christmas!
We celebrated Christmas at sea. My boyfriend and I got up early to work out in a crowded gym. I had also found my cruise eye candy getting his sweat on! Yes, I have a boyfriend and no, he doesn't care that I am boy crazy. We had breakfast and then gathered in my boyfriend's parents' stateroom for some gift exchanging.
I am not sure what we did for the rest of the day - a direct result from drinking and cruising. I think we had napped at some point.
Before dinner, we met up at the Schooner bar for pre-dinner drinks and Yankee swap with the rest of the cruise party.
December 26th
At sea. still. While getting breakfast, I was starting to get sea sick. The water was rough. I didn't want to gorge myself because my boyfriend's godmother's wedding was that afternoon. I don't know about you, but I especially hate puking when I am sober. Anyways, the wedding was at two and by three, I was regretting that I didn't have lunch prior to the ceremony because I drank a lot of champagne. A lot. I don't think I can drink anymore bubbly for a long time. By a long time, I meant five days. After the ceremony and before dinner, my boyfriend and I decided to go directly to the casino. Yes, we were still in our wedding attire. I told you we drank a lot of champagne. My bf won some money and I lost. I should just quit right there and then.
My first of the day: gambling ever. I shouldn't have even started.
December 27th
First Port of Call: Labadee, Haiti
No, it is not as scary as one would think. Labadee is a Royal Caribbean owned location in Haiti. I was freaked out at first when I heard that the first stop was in Haiti. We booked a kayaking excursion with my boyfriend's family. My boyfriend and I drank a lot of Labadoozie. Um, yum! It was the drink of the day so we got to keep our cups as souvenirs. I am actually using my cup as I am typing this.
The only thing I regret not doing at this port is the zipline excursion. Later on, I found out that the zipline in Labadee is the longest zipline over water in the world. Oh well, there is always next time.
In the evening, before dinner, my boyfriend and I played a nice and not so friendly game of shuffle board.
My first for the day: being out of the states, kayaking, and playing shuffle board.
December 28th
Second Port of Call: San Juan, Puerto Rico
We arrived at this port in the afternoon, about 2 pm-ish. Our cruise party took a taxi to the Castillo San Felipe del Morro.
We parted ways with everyone because we wanted to do touring on our own. My boyfriend received a cigar in his stocking so we smoked it on the lawn of the fort. It was perfect. It was about time for my afternoon pick-me-up and I needed to tinkle really badly. What?! We had a round of rum punch before docking. Luckily, we stumbled upon a museum that served Don Ruiz's coffee and a ladies room. It was the most delicious coffee that we have ever tasted. After our iced coffees, we explored the city in between each store I forced boyfriend into. The most memorable shop was The Butterfly People. It is an art gallery with pieces made from real butterflies. If I had the disposable income, I would of purchased a piece. After exploring and shopping in Old San Juan, we met up with the rest of the group at Senor Frog's. I was enjoying my gigantic pina colada until I was picked to be a contestant of a scavenger hunt. I was eliminated the first round.
My first the day: smoking a cigar.
December 29th
Third Port of Call: Charlotte Amelie, St. Thomas
My anticipation of a wonderful day of shopping was met with great disappointment. This port is only good for jewelry and loose diamonds. I am not a fan of either so I had wished that we booked a beach excursion, took a taxi to Magen's Bay, or even took a ferry to St. John's. We arrived to this island on a Sunday so all of the stores had closed early. I believe the shops had closed around 1 pm-ish and the bars closed 3pm-ish. By the time, we got done shopping, eating lunch, and tasting the local refreshment it was too late to do anything else. It is unfortunate that we didn't get to experience Magen's Bay because it is one of the top ten beautiful beaches in the world.
This day was a special day to me. It was the first time in December that I felt genuinely happy. The month of December is never a good month for me. Granted, I was disappointed that my plans did not go as expected but it made me realize that I want to go back and explore the island. My moment of happiness occurred while I was sitting in Big Kahuna Rum Shack drinking a root beer. I was looking out into the harbor and realized that I belong in the Caribbean.
My first of the day: St. John's Root Beer.
December 30th
Fourth (last) Port of Call: Phillipsburg, Sint Maarten/Saint Martin
This is my favorite port hands down. We booked a beach excursion to Orient Bay Beach which is on the French side of the island. I didn't go into the actual nude beach/Club Orient but I did witness a lot of naked (and old) bodies. The person facilitating the tour was absolutely wonderful. I can not remember her name because she kept referring to herself as "mama."
After the beach, I did some damage on my credit card. I not only dragged my boyfriend up and down Front street but I made him go into the alley stores too. We bought so many dee-serts, rum, and Cubano cigars. It was so much fun. The best part? Water taxis and walking beers! I want to move there so badly.
The only downside of this trip beside hurting my credit card is the natural salt on the island. The combination of salty air and drinking made me overheat which led to a nose bleed. I guess that is the price I had to pay for having fun.
My first for the day: nude beach (kind of) and smoking a cuban!
December 31st New Year's Eve!
We met up with my boyfriend's parents at the Schooner bar for drinks and then attended a Beatles cover band show with them. It was a good show. The band covered almost all of my favorites. Later that evening, my bf and I met the Captain's nephew. My bf's sister refers to him as my bf junior or the one that is going to replace my bf spot because my bf's mom was infatuated by him. As it turns out, the guy is smart and well spoken. He is a maritime electrical engineer. He and my boyfriend became friends and they drank all night. Which was nice because I like sleeping.
January 1st National Hang Over Day
The only thing I can remember about this day was that my boyfriend pulled a neck muscle at the gym and his brother-in-law and nephew climbed the rock climbing wall on the back of the ship. Our cruise party with the exception of two, had dinner at Giovanni's.
January 2nd
We celebrated my bf's nephew's 14th birthday.
January 3rd Arrival
This was the worst day ever. Just kidding, sort of. There was snow. So much snow. The worst part? My boyfriend and I didn't bring a jacket!
