I was thrilled to leave on my birthday. Serenity felt bad, but I thought "What better birthday gift could I receive than to be heading off on a Caribbean cruise with my sweet hubby and some good friends?" We left behind snow and rain, which was great. Somehow when you leave drearyness behind you, it seems even more like a true vacation!
We had decided to take red-eye flights to give us a full day in Ft. Lauderdale just in case we had flight problems. I have flown a lot, but never done a red-eye before. I gotta say...not a big fan! Neither Kevin nor I slept during the two flights. Okay, maybe I got in 20 minutes, but that sure didn't feel like much! Our little buddy sitting next to us in the seat by the window didn't help. He was a sweet kid, but he had the runniest nose and it seems his dear mother had never taught him to use a Kleenex. We heard "Sniff, sniff, sniff...sniff, sniff" constantly all the way from Detroit to Florida! Poor Kevin was just done by the time we got to the hotel, and he completely crashed on the bed as soon as we got back from eating. Despite all of the lost hours of sleep, that evening we were able to get out and enjoy some of the Ft. Lauderdale night life. They had a fun main street with lots of shops and some great restaurants. The best part was the $.50 trolley that picked us up and dropped us off along various points! We had originally thought of taking a taxi but the trolley was much cheaper and also kind of fun! We made sure to enjoy the sand, even though it was pretty dark!
We had decided to take red-eye flights to give us a full day in Ft. Lauderdale just in case we had flight problems. I have flown a lot, but never done a red-eye before. I gotta say...not a big fan! Neither Kevin nor I slept during the two flights. Okay, maybe I got in 20 minutes, but that sure didn't feel like much! Our little buddy sitting next to us in the seat by the window didn't help. He was a sweet kid, but he had the runniest nose and it seems his dear mother had never taught him to use a Kleenex. We heard "Sniff, sniff, sniff...sniff, sniff" constantly all the way from Detroit to Florida! Poor Kevin was just done by the time we got to the hotel, and he completely crashed on the bed as soon as we got back from eating. Despite all of the lost hours of sleep, that evening we were able to get out and enjoy some of the Ft. Lauderdale night life. They had a fun main street with lots of shops and some great restaurants. The best part was the $.50 trolley that picked us up and dropped us off along various points! We had originally thought of taking a taxi but the trolley was much cheaper and also kind of fun! We made sure to enjoy the sand, even though it was pretty dark!The next day we made our way down to the cruise docks. So exciting! Our trip was officially beginning! From here on out, rather than recounting every, single day, I'll just highlight some key, exciting points.
The Ship
Our ship was excellent! First of all, it was massive! Including our room! We found out last minute that we had been upgraded, and also put in a handicap room that they did not need. This meant that our room was huge! We had so much space we couldn't believe it. It was fantastic, as there was definitely room for everything! (Don't worry, the beds got put together that first day! )
Our ship was excellent! First of all, it was massive! Including our room! We found out last minute that we had been upgraded, and also put in a handicap room that they did not need. This meant that our room was huge! We had so much space we couldn't believe it. It was fantastic, as there was definitely room for everything! (Don't worry, the beds got put together that first day! )
Our favorite place on board was the middle pool on the top deck. I think there were five pools on board in all, but this pool was the best, because it had a HUGE movie screen...like being at a movie theater! It had great sound and they played movies all day long. I loved lounging by the pool watching newer and older movies...my favorite was probably watching Grease! It was fun to see everyone lounging in the chairs, singing along with the songs we all know and love. In the evenings, they would play very current movies and pop popcorn and put out little cushy chair covers and blankets. It was fantastic! 
One night we enjoyed snuggling up under the blankets eating popcorn and ice cream while watching "Transformers." Another night we enjoyed cheering on some of the college football teams during the bowl games.
One night we enjoyed snuggling up under the blankets eating popcorn and ice cream while watching "Transformers." Another night we enjoyed cheering on some of the college football teams during the bowl games.Another favorite place on board was, of course, the dining room! Food on cruises, if you have never been, is unbelievable! It was so much fun to choose from the incredible menu each night. Some of the dishes we tried were lobster, prime rib, steak, shrimp cocktail, and so many others! The desserts were divine! By the end of the week I was so full of good food that I literally could not put in another bite! I felt full up to my eyeballs!
On Board Days
We had four on board days. The first two were our first three days on board. The first day was divine, and we spent most of it lounging by the pool soaking up sun. I did get a bit of a sunburn, but it turned into a tan, which is always nice! Our second day on board was New Year's Eve, which I'll get into later! The days on board were pretty nice, as it was a chance to sleep in, explore the ship, lounge by the pool and really just relax! The ship had a lot to offer, from a games room, to a track, to a full gym and spa. The boys enjoyed the gym, Serenity and I made a trip to the spa on New Year's Day for pedicures after our long night the night before!
We had four on board days. The first two were our first three days on board. The first day was divine, and we spent most of it lounging by the pool soaking up sun. I did get a bit of a sunburn, but it turned into a tan, which is always nice! Our second day on board was New Year's Eve, which I'll get into later! The days on board were pretty nice, as it was a chance to sleep in, explore the ship, lounge by the pool and really just relax! The ship had a lot to offer, from a games room, to a track, to a full gym and spa. The boys enjoyed the gym, Serenity and I made a trip to the spa on New Year's Day for pedicures after our long night the night before!
My favorite on-board day, of course, was New Year's Eve! I have never had a FUN, crazy, party New Year's Eve. We got it on the Caribbean Princess! We relaxed all day until it was time to get ready for dinner that evening. We thought we were going to have to wait for quite awhile when we went for dinner, becuase of course everyone wanted to go at the same time, but somehow my sweetie worked his magic and got us in after just 15 minutes! I don't know what he said, but got that maitre de to get us in when there was a lineup of people waiting around us.
We dined until about 10:45, and finally starting making our way around the ship. There were parties going on everywhere! There was a balloon drop set for midnight in the atrium, with the orchestra playing. There was a party at the top deck pool, with the Jamaican style band playing, and there was another party happening up in the Skywalker's Night Club with a DJ keeping the beat going. We decided to go for the balloon drop, and soon found ourselves crammed into a tiny, circular space with hundreds of other people! It was crazy! We got there at about 11:45, so we only had to wait about 15 minutes. The excitement in the air grew the closer we got to midnight.
Finally, it was time! The countdown started and we got ready! 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Happy New Year!!!! We kissed, balloons dropped, bubbles started flowing...it was crazyness! We heard the noisemakers going off and everyone was shouting and kissing. Soon we were all popping balloons and then making our way out of the atrium. 
We decided to head to the nightclub after the countdown for some dancing! The DJ had some great beats going and we all enjoyed taking our turn on the dance floor.
Finally, around 2 a.m. we made our way to the buffet for a "midnight snack." 
Chocolate covered bananas, breaded shrimp, chips and salsa, and plates of other delicious food filled our already full tummies before we headed off to bed for the night.
The next day we were pretty tired! We slept in late, ordered the lovely, free, breakfast in our room, and just relaxed. I made my way up to the spa a bit later for a much needed Post New Year's Eve Pedicure! My feet felt great and looked beach ready just in time for our first port of call.
St. Maarten...or is it St. Martin
St. Maarten...or is it St. Martin
Our first port of call was the lovely, truly Caribbean island of St. Maarten. It is a tiny little island, I think 35 kilometers square. It is half-French, half-Dutch, kind of an interesting mix! Originally we had planned to rent scooters and scoot around the island. Kevin had done a lot of research before we left on the various spots we would be stopping and had found an idyllic little beach that we wanted to head toward-or so the book said. The more we chatted, however, the more we realized that maybe a scooter wasn't really the way to go. We got off the ship and headed right, to the car rental dealers. Kev and Chris "worked their magic" and got us a Jeep for the day. It was quite the Jeep! We're pretty sure that it was a Jeep that was left out in the rain for quite awhile. Serenity's seat belt had no clasp to hook into and mine, once hooked, wouldn't come undone! Every time I had to get out of the Jeep I would have to pull the selt belt out and kind of slither out of it, crawling up onto the seat and then onto the back of the Jeep and down. Even I admit, it was pretty funny!
St. Maarten was great! We finally found our little beach after a drive all the way across the island. Once we found parking-just along the side of the road-we made our way down to the water and met, Mr. Rasta Man! This adorable, little old man met us in the roadway. He looked at us and said "You follow me...I'm the KING here, the KING!" His gray, curly hair seemed snow white against his dark skin, and his faded red swim trunks led the way down to the beach. He rented us some beach chairs for $10 for the day, and we made ourselves comfortable in paradise. The beach truly was a gem of a find, as there were only about 10 people on the entire stretch of sand! 
We spent the day reading, swimming, and eating! Our little Rasta Man and his adorable wife made us a delicious lunch of spare ribs, chicken, tasty rice and beans, salad, and shredded carrots. He served us at his picturesque wooden picnic tables under the huge umbrella.
It was the best day we had the entire trip! Around 3:30 we packed up our stuff and hopped back in the Jeep to make our way around the island back to the cruise docks. 
We spent the day reading, swimming, and eating! Our little Rasta Man and his adorable wife made us a delicious lunch of spare ribs, chicken, tasty rice and beans, salad, and shredded carrots. He served us at his picturesque wooden picnic tables under the huge umbrella. It was the best day we had the entire trip! Around 3:30 we packed up our stuff and hopped back in the Jeep to make our way around the island back to the cruise docks. We decided to take the road less traveled...and found it to be MUCH less traveled! It was hardly a road at all, but a dirt track with a series of potholes.
Although at one point I was sure I might lose my delicious lunch, the views we saw along the way made it completely worthwhile, and when we returned to port we all declared the day an absolute success.
In fact, by the end of the trip it turned out to be our favorite day of all, and the first highlight we talked about to anyone that asked.
Although at one point I was sure I might lose my delicious lunch, the views we saw along the way made it completely worthwhile, and when we returned to port we all declared the day an absolute success. In fact, by the end of the trip it turned out to be our favorite day of all, and the first highlight we talked about to anyone that asked.St. Thomas-U.S. Virgin Islands
Our second stop off was the island of St. Thomas. We immediately saw that it was much more commercialized than St. Maarten's had been. Our research told us that there was a lovely little island full of great bays in which to go snorkeling. We hopped a local ferry for a mere $5 and were on our way! Once we arrived at St. John, we hopped on one of the many "safari busses"-more like a fancy livestock cart-and were taken to our destination of Cinnamon Bay. We had heard all about Trunk Bay originally, but were told that the locals preferred Cinnamon Bay. It was supposed to be just as scenic as Trunk Bay, with less people and it was free! When we were dropped off, we had to agree! It was stunning! We plopped down on the beach to enjoy another day in the sun.
The snorkeling in Cinnamon Bay was wonderful! I could have spent hours out there, unfortunately my snorkel mask wasn't fitting me quite right. It kept leaking, and fogging up. Kevin told me to push it on as hard as I could, so I did! The next morning I was regretting it, as I had a swollen, bruised face that needed a cold compress! Despite the difficulties, I did get in some great snorkeling with my hubby and I'll never forget the gorgeous colors of those fish or the creative patterns on their backs. The boys enjoyed some football on the beach, as well as relaxing on the sand. Once again, the day ended much too quickly, and before we knew it we were dashing to catch the ferry back to St. Thomas. We made it just in time, finding ourselves sitting on the floor due to the lack of space in the seats. We were soon waving goodbye to another beautiful island.
Princess Cays
Our final port day was on Princess Cruise Line's private beach, Princess Cays. They have it set up pretty well, chairs everywhere, waiters constantly wanting to bring drinks, a big beach bbq, it's everything you could want! They had great little areas for snorkeling, and it was the perfect, relaxing end ot the trip. We rode the tenders in, enjoying seeing our huge ship anchored just a bit away from shore. Although we didn't really do anything exciting this day, it wasa fun to just relax and talk and soak up some last minute sun.
We finished the day with one last shot at Bingo and a yummy dinner that night. Then it was time to pack up and get ready to head for home.
The trip was fantastic! We made so many memories. Every time someone asks Kevin how it was, he says "It was SO much fun! It was amazing!" There aren't really words to explain how great it was. The best part? Spending so much time with my hubby and getting closer to our friends, Chris and Serenity. It is amazing how much closer we are after that trip...they have become dear friends.
Would I go again? You bet! We're already planning our next vacation!!
I absolutely love the picture of Kevin on the beach in his snorkeling gear. I laughed my head off. The shots of you guys on new years were great too. Looks like such a fun time!!
ReplyDeleteI was one of those people waiting for this post! Thanks for posting all the pics...looks like a dream...glad you had so much fun!
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