DAY ONE: Embarking the ship in Ft. Lauderdale
Just arrived on the boat - had lunch and got our first dessert of the cruise - a trend at every meal!
While we waited for our room to get ready, we explored the ship and a bit of sun that peaked through the clouds in Ft. Lauderdale.
Finally reached our room - we upgraded to a Veranda Stateroom and it was worth it - check out the little patio where I sat most days and read. If you ever take a cruise - pay the extra money for the deck!
Finally on our way!!DAY TWO: At Sea
We actually didn't take many photos on day two since we just hung around the boat - we got a bit of sun and then watched the Super Bowl with 1000 people in the main stage auditorium where they normally have performances in the evening. It was actually pretty fun especially since there were fans from both sides in the room. I will say it was LAME to watch the Super Bowl on ESPN versus the big network because there weren't any cool commercials - just ESPN ads!! But, what can you do from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean - I'm not thinking there are many choices out there! ;-)
Every evening after dinner we returned to a towel creature on our bed - this is the frog/snake/reptile thing from day two. We took photos of all the animals so I'll share them throughout just for fun!DAY 3: Grand Turk, Turk & Caicos
We ordered room service and sat on our patio drinking coffee as we arrived to our first port of call - Grand Turk. The ship docked at 7:30 am and we were ready to go!
Gerald and I planned to spend the day on the beach, but when we arrived at 7:30 am it was pretty overcast and windy so we just walked around the little area of shops first. There was a Margarittaville that made for several fun photos, a Ron Jon Surf Shop where Gerald got a t-shirt, and... that was pretty much it! So ... we ended up at the beach relaxing and taking in the sun. It took a while by by 11:00 am the sun was out.
By noon we were ready to head back to the ship, so we had lunch on the boat and cleaned up. By the time the ship was ready to leave port at 3:00 PM, the sun was really warm and the water was a beautiful blue color - we knew we had arrived in the Caribbean! It was a short day off of the boat, but the next day we would be in Puerto Rico, which we really were looking forward to, so it was OK. One cool thing to note about Grand Turk is that Gerald saw a sea turtle in the water near the dock as our ship pulled away. He said it surfaced and waved it's flipper at us. He ran in to get a camera, but the turtle was gone before he got a photo. Izzy talks about this constantly because we brought her a turtle home from the trip and explained the story. Her version is "Izzy turtle, Daddy boat.?!"
The towel butterfly waited for us after dinner...
We ordered room service and sat on our patio drinking coffee as we arrived to our first port of call - Grand Turk. The ship docked at 7:30 am and we were ready to go!
Gerald and I planned to spend the day on the beach, but when we arrived at 7:30 am it was pretty overcast and windy so we just walked around the little area of shops first. There was a Margarittaville that made for several fun photos, a Ron Jon Surf Shop where Gerald got a t-shirt, and... that was pretty much it! So ... we ended up at the beach relaxing and taking in the sun. It took a while by by 11:00 am the sun was out.
By noon we were ready to head back to the ship, so we had lunch on the boat and cleaned up. By the time the ship was ready to leave port at 3:00 PM, the sun was really warm and the water was a beautiful blue color - we knew we had arrived in the Caribbean! It was a short day off of the boat, but the next day we would be in Puerto Rico, which we really were looking forward to, so it was OK. One cool thing to note about Grand Turk is that Gerald saw a sea turtle in the water near the dock as our ship pulled away. He said it surfaced and waved it's flipper at us. He ran in to get a camera, but the turtle was gone before he got a photo. Izzy talks about this constantly because we brought her a turtle home from the trip and explained the story. Her version is "Izzy turtle, Daddy boat.?!"
The towel butterfly waited for us after dinner...
DAY 4: San Juan, Puerto Rico
In all fairness, I should start my comments about Puerto Rico with an admission that Gerald and I have very different versions of this port of call. Puerto Rico was my favorite stop - the history, beautifully colored and adorned buildings, and fantastic shoreline made it something to want to return to and explore more. Gerald found it hot and smelly and dirty. I don't disagree, but I could see the roses past the thorns...
Our first stop was Starbucks for a cool drink. It was 90+ degrees in San Juan by the time we arrived at 1:00 PM. And, since we were in a U.S. Territory my cell phone cost the same as being in Seattle, so we took a few minutes to call home and see how everyone was doing. It was nice to get an update on Izzy - despite the fact that we learned she had a cold. At least we knew she was in good hands with her Auntie & Grandma and Grandpa. Thanks Kristi & Mom and Dad!
Next we wandered around Old San Juan to do a little shopping and exploring. Many of the cobblestone streets are still made from blue paving stones that were used originally as ballast by ships crossing the ocean from Spain.
Some of the city's charm were the shopping districts nestled in the midst of historic forts, churches, etc. And the streets were lined with 16th & 17th century Spanish colonial buildings. I could have taken photos all day!
To be continued...
