Day Four - Antiqua

We docked in Antiqua promptly at 8:00 am.

Today was my "giddy with excitement" day. Why you may ask? I was going zip lining! This has been on my bucket list for awhile.

After a lot of research, I decided on the Antiqua Rainforest Zip Line Tour. This is an excursion that is offered through the ship, but I booked it privately. It was cheaper to do it this way even factoring in the taxi fare.

We headed off the ship to find a taxi. It was very easy to do. There was one point person for the taxis who then directed you to your own driver. The drive to the rainforest was about 30 minutes. The fare was $8 per person each way. We arranged a return time with him to take us back to port when we were done.

We were booked for the 11:15 am tour. We checked in, paid and signed the waivers. Only four out of the five of us were participating. They had a beautiful observation deck where one could watch the activities going on in the rainforest.

The staff was extremely friendly and nice. Safety was their number one priority. They took a lot of time and care to ensure that everyone was harnessed in properly. We were given a brief lesson on what to do and we were off. We headed to the first of the 12 zip lines we would be doing. There were about 25 people in our group. Our group of four was at the beginning. Somehow I ended up being first in line. First! I got cabled on to the line, took a deep breath, and took the plunge. It. was. so. much. fun! I had no fear gliding along that line.

They have the system down to keep the group moving with no backlog. We did 12 lines, the longest one was the 325 ft. "Screamer". We also did a "vertical ascent" line. Hmm, I was clipped onto a rope and was told to jump. Well I don't jump. I will glide down a line no problem, but jumping off of something was not on my agenda.

So they pushed me off.

And I landed at the bottom of the tree in a heap, laughing so hard I was crying.

It took a little less than 2 hours to do the tour. At the end they have a nice shop with t-shirts and a snack area. You can also buy a DVD with 25 photos and a video of your zip line adventure. It was $20. Of course I bought it.

Our taxi driver was waiting for us at the appointed time to take us back to the ship. After scoping out the shopping area and purchasing a few souvenirs, I boarded the ship. I spent some time in the solarium, then headed up to my stateroom. This afternoon was our "Meet and Mingle" event.

I belong to an online cruise forum called Cruise Critic. Their message boards are a wealth of information when planning a cruise. They also have "roll calls" where you can chat with people who are going on your particular cruise. If enough people sign up, the cruise line will host a special event for the group called a "Meet and Mingle".  Ours was at 5:00 pm today in the Vortex lounge. It was hosted by Elvis, the activities manager. There were refreshments and prize giveaways. It was well-attended and a nice way to put a face to the name of the people you are chatting with online.

Dining, at its best, was at Chops tonight. This was an even a better experience than Portofino's. I had an incredible steak that melted in my mouth. They were serving "foot-long" baked potatoes (not kidding!) The sides were served family style so everyone could sample.

This was made even better when they added a cabernet sauce

Foot-long baked potato

Sides are served family style

Another walk around the deck was in order after we once again stuffed our faces. Tonight's entertainment was the Love and Marriage Game. The concept of this is simple. Three couples, newlyweds, a couple married about 10 years and the longest married couple sit on the stage and answer questions about each other. The entertainment factor really depends on the enthusiasm of the couples and their answers. The questions are the same from sailing to sailing. This group was just ok. I wasn't laughing hysterically as I have in the past.

We then went up to the pool deck where the White Hot Party was in full swing. Dancing and more food was available.

Our adventures in Antiqua were exhausting. I couldn't wait to get to sleep. Up next, our day in St. Lucia.

Day One – Embarkation

We hit the breakfast buffet first thing in the morning. As I said, it was not shabby. Fresh omelets and waffles were available, as well as, french toast, fruit, muffins, doughnuts, you get the picture.

We had some time to kill before heading to the port. The ship wasn't leaving until 8:30 pm and boarding wasn't until 1:00 pm so we made a little trip to Walgreens to pick up a few sundry items. It was a short 10 minute walk from the hotel. Among the things we purchased was a little vino for the trip. Royal allows you to bring two bottles of wine on board.

We checked out of the hotel at noon and got a taxi to the port. The port was only about 20 minutes away. Very easy to get to. Here she is, The Jewel of the Seas! I am going to mention now that I was previously on this ship in January 2012 so I may make some comparisons between the 2 cruises.

Arriving about 12:30 pm, we were able to get right on the ship. This was one of the easiest embarkations I have ever experienced. Luggage dropped off, passports checked, go through security, register and get set sail pass. We were on the ship by 12:45 pm. There were no lines at all at that time. A little later, that was another story.

We made a trip up to the Windjammer for the obligatory "first meal of the week in which we would stuff our faces." Again, another first, no crowds. No scrambling for a seat, no lines, plenty of food.

My roomie and I were in balcony room 8618. We headed down shortly after 1:00 pm and much to our surprise, our luggage arrived a few minutes later. Another first! We unpacked and then headed out to explore the ship.
 

I was the tour guide since I had previously been on the ship. We stopped in Chops and Portofino where we made reservations for each of the restaurants. There was a special price for booking both venues that day, $40 total.We got back off the ship to go to the duty-free ship in the terminal to purchase more wine. There were no issues carrying it onboard. At this point the lines for check-in were pretty long. It paid to get to the port early.

6:15 pm arrived and it was time for dinner. We had the My Time dining and were able to have the same table and waitstaff the entire week. Waiter Rayfton and Assistant Waiter Kimber provided us with excellent service, food and stories during the week.

The muster drill was held promptly at 8:00 pm. It still amazes me that people just wander in at their leisure. 

Sail away was at 8:30 pm. From our balcony we watched the lights fade in the distance. The ship was very uncrowded this first night. I wasn't sure if people were just tired and in their rooms or still at dinner. This was evidenced further when we went to Karaoke in the Safari Lounge. There were 15 people in attendance. Fifteen! I felt bad for Daniel from Spain who was leading it. He was practically begging people to participate. He had very few takers.

It was late, we were tired. Tomorrow we arrive in St. Croix!

Day Three - St. Maarten

Today we docked in St. Maarten. I enjoyed breakfast on the balcony this morning complements of room service.

Our impromptu beach day was fun yesterday, but if given the choice, I like to have some sort of plan in place. After doing a lot of research on Cruise Critic I booked a tour for our group with Noel Tours. We were fortunate enough to have Mr. Noel himself as our guide for the next five hours. We met him at the black statue at the end of the pier. Very easy to find. Two gentleman from our ship were also in our group, and the seven of us fit comfortably in the air conditioned van.

Me and Mr. Noel

Our first stop was by the sea. Really. Mr. Noel (we never did find out his first name) pulls the van into this bumpy parking lot like area and there is this guy, in waders, in the sea, poking around. We get out and wander down. There is a little table set up with all sorts of sea creatures on display. The guy starts pulling things out of the water for us to see. A starfish, a sand dollar, a sea urchin, all very much alive and kicking. We got a hands-on lesson on sea life, which was very interesting. But we had to move on to the next stop.

Which was Orient Beach. It was breathtaking! Turquoise water, white sand and no rocks in the water to deal with. Amenities included use of beach chairs and umbrellas, rum punch, changing area and bathrooms. We had about an hour and fifteen minutes here. I really could have stayed all day.

Orient Beach

The capital of Marigot was the next stop. It was on the French side of the island. There was a market area setup where vendors were selling t-shirts, scarves and other assorted wares. There were also shops along the street and a fantastic patisserie where I indulged in a few macarons.

Maho Beach was next on the agenda. This is a beach that is about 100 yards from an international Airport. All day long planes take off and land right above the beach. It is very cool to watch, but dangerous at the same time. We spent time in the restaurant adjacent to the beach watching the planes.

Maho Beach

And that ended our tour. I would highly recommend this tour. Mr. Noel was very personable as well as knowledgeable. After a bit of shopping at the port, I headed back to the ship to spend some time in the solarium.

Dinner tonight was at Portofino's, one of the two venues that have a surcharge.  If you are looking for a fine dining experience, I would recommend you try this out. The food and service were excellent and we weren't rushed at all. I had the parpardelle pasta in a mascarpone cream sauce. It was so good!

The rest of the night? We took a walk to work off some of the dinner we just had. We went to the 50-60s Dance Party in the Safari Lounge. Then some of us went to bed (are you seeing a pattern here?). The rest of us went to the 11:15 pm comedy show which was very funny.

Next up, Antiqua and my long-awaited ziplining adventure. 


 

Day Two - St. Croix

I was up early to see the ship dock in St. Croix. It was 8:00 am and I headed up to the Windjammer for the first of many fresh-made omelets and incredible hash brown potatoes. After breakfast, a few laps around the jogging path were in order.

My friends and I were meeting at 10:00 am to head to the beach. Which beach? It was unclear at that point. I had done some research, but was open to whatever the day brought. It turned out that my friends got off the ship early and scoped out the area. We ended up going to a beach right near the port. I am not even sure it had a name, but it was very convenient and within walking distance. Two chairs and an umbrella were $19. Be warned, the chairs and umbrella were in less than stellar condition. They served the purpose though. Plus, I was swimming in the Caribbean Sea. Despite the fact that it was pretty rocky, the water was incredible (especially compared to the Jersey Shore!). If there are any sea glass collectors out there, it was pretty easy to find here. A few hours on the beach and we were fried.

We had a view of our ship from the beach

We headed back to explore Frederiksted, but it was Sunday. Nothing was open in the immediate area. There were a few vendors selling their goods but the port area was pretty desolate. I will point out now that we were the only ship at each port on this cruise except in St. Maarten where we were docked with the Explorer of the Seas.

Once back on the ship, I spent the rest of the afternoon in the solarium in the pool and hot tub. 

Tonight was the first of two formal nights. Cheesecake was on the menu tonight, a personal favorite! Rayfton and Kimber again provided us with excellent service.

After dinner we headed to the Safari Lounge to attend the Captain's Reception. This was an opportunity to have a photo take with the Captain and meet the rest of the crew.  

Captain Gustavo Feduzi - He has been captain of this ship since November 2013
Staff Captain Kate McHue - Second in Command (she was only 36 years old!)
Chief Engineer Nikola Petrovic - He is married to Kate McHue
Hotel Director Anthony Curtis - Yes, Tony Curtis was our Hotel Director!
Cruise Director Carly Boileau - Carly B.! She was the CD on my previous cruise on the Jewel and is a bundle of energy

Champagne was served and there were many other introductions made. The officers and staff were very approachable all week. I was very impressed with them.

On to the next activity, the first of 2 productions show with the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers. They sang and danced well but their choice of music was just meh. Some of the music was familiar but a lot of it I didn't recognize it. I was expecting a little more.

And our last activity for the night? Well some of us went to bed. But some of us headed back to the Safari Lounge for the Battle of the Sexes Game Show. A lot of fun and very entertaining. 

Tomorrow we dock in St. Maarten.

Vacation, all I ever wanted...

Vacation, had to get away...

Little did I know when this trip was planned last November just how much I would need to get away.  After this winter of zero degree temperatures and shoveling snow everyday, it was time for a little vacation.

Destination: the Southern Carribean
Mode of Transportation: Cruise ship
Cast of Characters: Me and 4 of my BFFs

Let the review begin!

Our cruise was the April 26, 2014 sailing of Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas out of Puerto Rico. We flew down on Friday the 25^th. It is always advisable to fly down the day before a cruise. There are too many things that can go wrong the day of the cruise. Thunderstorms, high winds, mechanical malfunctions…we were not going to miss the ship.

Our car service came at 8:00 am and we were at the airport by 9:00 am. After a nice breakfast at the airport, we boarded our 11:35 am flight and were in Puerto Rico by 4:00 pm. It was sunny and 90 degrees when we arrived! Much better than the cloudy, 60 degree weather we left behind.

We were staying at the Embassy Suites San Juan. It was literally 7 minutes from the airport, very convenient. 

I would highly recommend this hotel. It was clean and the service was great. Amenities included Happy Hour from 5:30 pm until 7:30 pm. and breakfast the next morning. These features weren’t shabby. Happy Hour included alcoholic drinks (they were giving each person two of what they asked for), chips, salsa and popcorn. Breakfast included a fresh-made omelet station. It also had a beautiful pool, hot tub and casino.

After a short walk to the beach, we indulged in the Happy Hour as an appetizer before dinner. We had dinner at The Outback, which was one of the restaurant venues in the hotel. Delish!

Exhausted, we headed up to our rooms to get some sleep. But who could sleep? We were going on a cruise tomorrow!