It's Tuesday and we are in St. Lucia

Tuesday, September 23 - St. Lucia

Docking time: 7:15-4:45

Evening Attire: Pirate – Carioca’s (Pirate menu)
Evening Entertainment: Guardians of the Galaxy in 3-D
Drink of the day: Sunken Treasure

We were scheduled to meet with the Son of Man Sea tour at 8:15 am so H and I got up early and had the buffet and brought back plates for the kids and woke them up.  We disembarked around 8 am.  There wasn’t much around the port area except for the usual vendor people trying to sell you a tour.

A security personnel stopped us at the info desk because we were waiting there for our rep.  She didn’t know who Son of Man Sea Tours.  She asked some local tour operators about it.  They didn’t know either.  One big guy, named Mango, said he was calling the tour operator but I highly suspect he was lying.

He then got off the phone and said we were to go with him.  So we did.  He took us to another dock and we waited for about 15 minutes while he went to look for another couple.  He said that we were touring with him today.  Personally, I think he just saw us as an opportunity to get more business and jumped on it.  But it was the same tour we were doing anyway and we got to name our own price, lol.

Mango left us at the dock for a few minutes with some other random guys and boats who chatted pleasantly while we waited.  He returned empty handed and told us to get in his boat, so we did, still not sure what was happening, lol!

DD9 was a bit tired so she rested on the seats:

We boated over to one of the resorts and waited about 20 minutes and he told us the history of the island.  Eventually, we picked up 3 other couples and he took us on a 30 minute boat ride to Soufrieres.

As we approached this gorgeous harbor, he showed us the bat cave, where thousands of bats slept until night.

Mango then turned us over to a set of 3 taxi vans and a larger group of about 20 people went in 2 of the vans while our boat used the 3^rd van.  Mango said he would return for us when it was time to head back to the ship.  I was sorry to see him go, he was a very nice man, even though I didn’t know who had kidnapped us.  We were joined by another  young man who FINALLY had a name and it turns out, we had been kidnapped by Joy Cruises – a family run business.

For some reason, I felt more secure knowing the name of the company (I don’t know how that would help in a bad situation) and relaxed in the crappy old van for our tour.  We winded our way up and around St. Lucia and stopped at a pretty viewing area of the Pitons:

We then headed to our first stop: Sulpher Springs and the volcano.  There was definitely a rotton egg smell to the area.

The springs was also the location of the mud baths.  H and DD12 declined this part of the journey but DD9 made it part way and found the water to be too hot and left me alone with the strangers to smear mud on my body alone and sit in the water.

The mud was an interesting experience and I think it may have ruined my bathing suit so make sure you wear an old one.  By the time our group was done, it started to rain so we piled into the vans and went to the next stop.  I forgot my sunglasses at the baths but the older (young) guide brought them to me.

20 minutes later, we went to a waterfall.  It was ok, quite a hike to get there up and down steps so I would hesitate to do it if I was in poor health.  The waterfall fell into a concrete pool (seriously) and on the other side, another concrete pool was pumped with hot water for a hot tub experience.

We stayed there for a bit and then piled back in for lunch.  Again, I forgot my sunglasses at the waterfall and the same guide brought them back to me. . . 

They took us to the harbor and then we ALL crammed into a new boat (the boat that held the 20 other people).  This was very crowded, I felt there were too many people in the boat but it was only a 5 minute ride to a secluded beach area for lunch.

Joy cruises had set up the meal there and we had jerked chicken, fish, plantains, sweet potatoes, salads, mashed potatoes and a few other things.  Plus a coconut sweet candy.  It was very good.  I tried the native foods with interest.

H talked to the young guide and discovered his cousin, sister and uncle were among those who were guiding us.  It truly was a family business.

After our lunch, we crammed back into the boat and went to the beach between the Pitons.  This was absolute paradise.  There was a resort between the pitons that took up most of the beach area and we were not allowed to use the chairs there but we could swim and sit on the sand there.  I could have stayed here forever.

The left-hand side of the beach was the snorkeling trail and public beach access.  There were a few chairs there but not many.  We were handed snorkeling gear and waved away for about 1 hour.  The girls had a great time snorkeling.  DD9 got a life jacket to use.  The guides kept checking with our family, as we were the only ones with kids (the rest were couples from the resort and were young to older couples).

Eventually Mango returned and said he would bring us back to the ship.  About 20 minutes before we left, this huge ferry-type boat docked and disengorged all the Disney Excursion guests.  It must have held over 100 people.  The little public area got crowded after that so we were happy to leave.

Mango took us and the other 3 couples on his boat again.  He offered us beer (Piton, ick) and soda and water.  We enjoyed watching the coastline as we boated back to the harbor for about 30-45 minutes.  We also stopped to check out some celebrity houses like Oprah, Mick Jagger, etc. . .  We took a quick peek at the harbor where Dr. Doolittle was filmed (the older version).  I think we also passed the beach in which the Bachelor was filmed when Don Pablo walked down the beach but I really don't care about that. . .  We made it back to the port at around 2:30-3:00 pm.

The kids ordered mickey bars from room service and we just hung around the room until it was time to dress for dinner.  We did not dress in pirate gear but many people did and they all looked great.  The menu was Pirate in Carioca’s.  The wait staff did a limbo line for the mini-show in the dining room.

After our dinner, DD9, H and I went to Guardians of the Galaxy in 3-D as our main show.  DD12 went back to the room.  I fell asleep during the show, sad to say.

H wanted to go to the pirate show, buffet and fireworks but once we got back to our stateroom, we all crashed hard.  We had to be up early the next day anyway.

*** St. Lucia was our favorite port out of all 5 of them.  We will definitely stay here for an extended stay sometime in the future.

Antigua - part 2

After we returned to the ship, we ordered some room service.  Kids had a few mickey bars to tide them over until supper.

H and I got ready for dinner.  I booked Palos for the evening at 6 pm, the adults only restaurant on board.  It was raining a bit in the afternoon, right after we finished at Coconut beach club so we were glad we timed it so well.  The last few sprinkles fell right before we went to our dinner.

We had asked Esther and Fabio if it was ok for the girls to go to dinner without us and they said of course.  So we got the kids settled in Animators Palate (Pacific Rim Cuisine tonight) and let the servers know the girls wanted to go to the Magic Dave’s Magic Workshop at 7:30 pm.  The girls said there was a show that was ok in the dining room tonight but it wasn’t the drawing show, that is for next time.

H and I got to Palo’s on time and were served by Susana.  We started with an Antipasto tray.  I chose the Lobster Ravioli for a starter and Calamari as an addition.  H just went right for the Beef Tenderloin, which I also had.  We also ordered the Souffle.

H had mixed feelings about the experience.  It is fine dining and the taste was exotic.  I don’t mind trying new things but I think H is more comfortable with the familiar Steak and Potatoes.   We both agreed the Souffle was fantastic.  Our dinner went quickly and we were out by 7:30 so I went down and saw the magic workshop with the girls.

Our show tonight was Walt Disney: The Dream goes on.  It was a tribute to Walt.  DD12 and I went, DD9 stayed in the stateroom with H because she was tired.  It was a good tribute to the man who started it all.

We all turned in shortly after but not before I discovered my iPhone was missing and tore the place apart looking for it.  I even went to guest services and filed a claim thinking I dropped it on the dock.

It's Monday and we are in Antigua - part 1

Monday, September 22^nd – Antigua
Docking Time: 7:00-4:45 pm
Evening Attire: Cruise Casual (Animator's Palate - Pacific Rim - but we went to Palo's)
Drink of the Day: Key Lime Margarita
Evening Entertainment: Walt Disney - The Dream goes on

Woke up this morning to blue skies and being docked at our first port.  We hadn’t decided on booking anything so I knew it would be a late morning if we ended up crashing Coconut Beach resort.  They didn’t allow day guests to arrive until 10 am.

We had a leisurely morning at Cabanas buffet.  The ship was fairly quiet except for the buffet breakfast, still pretty busy.  Had some time to kill so we strolled around deck 10 and checked out the town from above.  The port area had a lot of garbage around and dilapidated houses.

We then disembarked around 9:45 am, still unsure but we thought we would risk showing up at the resort unannounced.  Walking out of the gate was pretty low-key.  The taxi people then pounced on us as soon as we set foot off the deck.  I asked the price of going to Coconut Beach Club in Yepton Estate and the driver said $16, which is what it should be.

So we agreed to go there and the driver walked us to his van.  We drove through town and the streets were so crowded and small.  Everyone drives however they want and people walk all over the streets.  They drive on the left-hand side of the road.

Our driver was friendly and told us a bit about St. John’s and how it is the only city on the island.  The rest is rural houses.  It took about 10 minutes to get to the resort, just around the bay and we paid him and he promised to come back at 2:30 pm.

The resort check in desk said we could stay for the day and it was $50 per person.  They provided us with towels, since we forgot to take some when leaving the ship.  This day pass allowed use of the resort amenities and all the drinks you can handle plus their buffet lunch at 12:30 pm

We headed over to the bar and pool and beach area.  The resort is located on a private stretch of beach, there are no vendors except for a massage lady who didn’t bother us.  It was nice to be on such a quiet beach.  There were plenty of lounge chairs up at the bar/pool area and also on the beach.  The girls first played in the beach and water.  I have to warn you that there is a 2 foot drop off just in the water.  It didn’t bother us but one older lady fell over trying to get back out of the water.

The clientele was mostly older couples with a few younger ones.  Kids under 12 are not allowed at this resort but they allowed (I checked beforehand) my 9 year old.  They said they probably would deny toddlers and babies though.

H and I had a Piton beer on tap to start.  The bar gives you plastic cups if you go to the pool or beach, otherwise it is glass.  I don’t think I like Piton beer.

I then tried a rum punch and I don’t believe there was ANYTHING that wasn’t alcohol in it.  I felt a buzz coming on and could barely finish it.

But I had to be a good soldier and ordered a Pina Colada next.

And then the bartender made a Starburst (her own creation) and that was it for me.  The rest of my drinks were Starbursts, they were so good!  Some sort of frozen strawberry drink.  If you go there, ask the bartender if she makes them, I loved it!

By the time lunch came around, I was pretty hammered but I did sober up by using the infinity pool (gorgeous by the way!).  The girls loved it too.

On the way to the restrooms, I noticed a lounge area with a TV and a bunch of BOOKS!  I had to stop and look at them and maybe I took one.  They were swap books, but I didn’t have any to swap but I still found one I just had to read.

Lunch was a buffet style with rice, salad, beans, some sort of jerked beef, fish, fried tomatoes and a few weird desserts.  And more starburst drinks.

H did meet a lovely couple from Kent, England and he spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with them.  I think the man said he worked for Arm & Hammer but my memory is hazy of much of the afternoon.

We walked the ¼ mile along the beach to the rocky outcroppings where we couldn’t go any further and found hermit crabs and interesting shells.

Then it was time to go.  Our cab driver was waiting for us and I found it hard to let go of my last Starburst. . .  We paid another $16 to get back to the ship.  And drove through the market, which was sort of dirty.

If you are looking for a quiet day, away from crowds and vendors, I would highly recommend this place.  My kids are fairly quiet also so they don’t need jet skis and kayaks and loud music and lots of crowds.  They enjoyed the grounds and playing with the coconuts and rocks/shells.

To be continued in another post.

Sea Day - AKA "Relaxing"

Sunday, September 21^st – Sea Day
Evening Attire: Formal (Lumiere's)
Drink of the Day: Yellow Bird
Evening Entertainment: Twice Charmed

This morning, I had to wake up early because I booked a Swedish Massage and could only get 8 a.m.  I was pleased to note that I have not even felt the ship moving.  No patch needed yet!  Anyway, my massage was pleasant.  The lady decided on a hot stone massage.  If you’ve never had one, it’s good to experience it once.  The stones were placed on my back for much of the massage and she used hot stones to massage my legs, feet, arms and hands also.  I’m glad she didn’t use a pointed rock, they were quite smooth.  She recommended another massage, as my back was tight, she said and her elbows couldn’t even break the stress lumps free.

After I said no thank you to the extra expensive products, I had to run back to the stateroom to get Hubby for the next item on the agenda:  An Exotic Rasual.

Unfortunately, I forgot to sneak my camera in so you will be disappointed to know there are no pictures of this event.  A brief overview would be to tell you that you and your partner are led to a chamber room that has mud, body scrub, body wash, masks and other beauty products.  There is also a shower, a tiled bench and a steam room with 3 seats.  So you can have a threesome if you want to share this experience with another special someone!  The time is 50 minutes, plenty of time to ‘relax’.  I enjoyed it, I can’t speak for hubby and it was something new and exciting to try.

While this was going on, DD12 and 9 went to the Elsa and Anna Meet and Greet  at 10:15.  We had to get tickets at guest Services the night before for this event.  They were happy to do this and I was so proud that they actually went by themselves but I guess the pull to meet the stars was greater than the fear of doing something by themselves!

By the time we all got done, we went up to the pool for a bit longer.  Kids had a great time.  We then decided to head to Lumieres for the lunch, instead of another chaotic lunch buffet.

The afternoon was spent going to Magic Dave’s show, which was a highlight.  Don’t miss his show if you have the opportunity to attend.  We also stepped at the shops and guest services to make sure I had my onboard credit (I did!).

Then, our day was spent and it was time to get ready for formal night.  We all dressed up but not in formal wear.  

Our formal night dinner was in Lumieres, which was the perfect restaurant for formal night.  The menu was french and DD9 decided to have steak on the adult menu.  She also ordered ‘nothing’ for dessert and that’s what she got.

DD9 felt a bit sick, so we left our meal and headed back to the room.  H took DD12 to the show “Twiced Charmed” and they both said it was great.  I had seen it years ago so I thought I would let them see it this time since I had to babysit the sick kid.

DDs turned in eary after a tough day of relaxing.  H and I went to the Magic Dave 'adult' show, which was hilarious!  I think I had a margarita or 3 or 4 also.  That pretty much put me in a coma as soon as we got back to the room.

Next up: Antigua and getting wasted on the first drink. . .

Embarkation Day

Embarkation day – September 20^{th
Evening Attire: Cruise Casual (Carioca's) - South American Cuisine
Drink of the Day: Bahama Mama
Evening Entertainment: All Aboard! Let the Magic Begin!}

Since the morning rain had cancelled our plans for the fort, we decided to hang around the hotel.  I kept in close contact with our facebook cruise group on the internet and discovered there were hiccups at the port and they were not opening it up until later.  I requested a late checkout with the Sheraton and the girls and I went up on the roof-top pool and discovered we could see the ship!  So close, yet so far away.

Once we got the news that check-in had opened and people were moving in, we took a cab over to the Pan Am Pier.  The cab ride was $20, which I am sure was a rip-off but we didn’t check the fee before we got in.  In no time at all, we arrived at the pier.

The line looked like it was speeding through.  We dropped our bags (the only painless part) and were the next people to have our IDs checked – when they halted the line and said security was cutting us off.

So we waited.  And waited. And waited some more.  It probably was 45 minutes to an hour we stood there.  Disappointing, because we didn’t want to arrive until we knew we’d get through but what can you do?  Later on, our server told us the staff waited to disembark for hours, due to previous passengers being slow to get off and custom delays.  Most of them ended up not being able to leave the ship, as they were not cleared until it was too late.

After they started us up again, we got through the metal detectors and checked right in, since we were at the front of the line.  We got boarding number 16.

After another 45 minutes or so, we finally got our number called and walked through the terminal and boarded the ship on deck 4.

Our Captain is Captain John.  Cruise Director is Natalie  All announcements were also translated in Spanish and some of the movies shown this week will either have spanish subtitles or be in Spanish.

It was probably 1:45 by now, so we dropped our bags off and went to eat at Cabanas.  Poor choise, as it was a madhouse but Carioca’s was supposedly closing at 2.  My 2 DDs accidentally got up from the table while Hubby and I were off getting things and someone pounced on our spot so we were left tableless.  We ended up taking plates back to the room.

Our safety drill was at 4, with another repeated for late arrivals later that night.
The girls wanted to go to the pool so we headed up there for a bit.  DD9 got to go on the twisty slide over and over again with no wait.

Then it was time to get ready for dinner.  Our rotation was CLACLACLAC,w hich put us at Carioca’s the first night.  Our wait staff was Fabio from Italy as Assistant and Esther from Trinidad as Server.  The cuisine was South American tonight and my garlic steak was pretty good.  Right before we went to dinner, Captain John came over the PA and apologized for the crappy embarkation and offered everyone a free drink at dinner.  I chose the Bahama Mama – the drink of the day.

Following dinner, our show was All Aboard! Let the Magic Begin!  It featured the comedy and magic of David Williamson, who is performing all week and was very interesting at the show.

We called it an early night since our travels have been exhausting the past few days.  I believe the ship left sometime after 10:30 pm that night.

Up next: Sea Day