Cruise 2011 - Day 9 Cruising

We got up and headed for coffee and our morning internet fix. I uploaded the last days blog for Barbados and Kelly checked out her Facebook page. She received a bunch of birthday wishes from her Facebook friends and enjoyed reading them all.

Next stop was the Galley Tour and lunch at Chops Grill. This is an add on to our trip and for $30 we received a 45 minute tour of the various areas that customers are not permitted. In fact I saw a sign that said any employee bringing guests in would be subject to termination by the Master! (We had permission of course)

Ice sculpture that greeted us at our brunch. The tour took us up and down several levels and we saw the desert prep areas, bakery, appetizers prep and main cooking areas. We even watched as someone’s special order was prepared. It was very interesting to see it all and it was spotless. Stainless steel everywhere and it sparkled. After the tour we were treated to a small personnel buffet in Chops Grille. This was not your ordinary buffet as it featured tenderloin steak, lamb chops, pork chops, steaks & eggs, proscuitto wrapped asparagus, seafood kabobs, baked salmon, cheese plates, cold meats… it was fantastic. Of course they included as much Mimosa drinks that you wanted. Definitely worth every penny!

Here is a picture of Kelly's plate.

After the galley tour & brunch we headed upstairs to the Vortex Night Club facility as they held a special meeting for us “Continuous Cruisers”. We felt special LOL. They provided information on how we go on and off the ship in Puerto Rico as well as ideas for excursions on the next week’s cruise.

It was then off to the pool area where the belly flop contest was held. The 400 lb American easily one with huge pool emptying flops… it was hilarious!

We found some chairs at the front of the ship and enjoyed some music that a group had brought along. The day slowly past by and we relaxed with numerous specialty drinks in order to maintain proper fluid levels in the warm sunshine.

We also found access to the front of the ship where Kelly did Lauren's pose.

Dinner was once again fantastic as both Kelly and I had the Lamb Shank. I believe it’s possible that I will commit lambicide on this trip LOL

We shopped a bit after dinner and then after a walk about retired for the evening after a stop at the main bar to enjoy some music and dancing.

Cruise 2011 Day 8 - Barbados

We awoke to celebrate Kelly’s birthday today! We arrived in Bridgetown, Barbados this morning and met up the Mark & Robyn at the Latte-tudes coffee bar. Armed with our laptops we updated our respective Facebook pages and our blog. I hope to upload picture eventually but the slow speed and cost makes this nearly impossible.


We headed out for our rental pickup and after a short walk arrived at the agencies office right near the cruise ship terminal. Unfortunately they had Robyn’s reservation on a different day (their mistake as Robyn was armed with all her e-mail correspondence) so this created a bit of a delay as they scrambled to get us a vehicle. After a short wait we jumped in a near new Suzuki Jimmy and headed out to start our day. It was a nice vehicle and suited or purpose very well.


We decided to head north towards a Earth cache that both Robyn and Mark had done the last time they were on the island. It is located at the north tip at the Animal Flower Caves. Our drive took us on highway H1B which was pretty much just like all the other roads we have been on but a bit busier traffic wise with lots of beach type resorts along the coast. After a relatively short time and a bit of a reroute we arrived at the caves. Above them the viewpoint offered a spectacular view on the North Point where huge waves crashed against the rocks and exploded skyward.



We then had a guided tour of the caves down below. We descended down a steep flight of stairs and into the rear of the cave. The cave itself has been hollowed out by the waves over the many centuries. It was where a well know music video by Billy Ocean was made called the Caribbean Queen. Google it up for some inside video!


Both Robyn and Mark had been here before but they said the water was much higher and they could not get inside as far. This trip was a whole new experience for them with the highlight of being able to swim in a beautiful pool.





It was a fantastic experience but did give me a few minutes of tension as a wave breached the entrance and hit us I stood near the opening. Before I knew it my glasses were gone and I was basically blinded. Both Kelly and Mark had swum away but I was right near a rock so dove behind it just as the wave hit. I went to grab them but I was too slow…old age I guess. LOL After the waters cleared Kelly spotted them on the bottom of the pool and Mark dove in with his snorkeling mask. A couple seconds later I had my glasses back on and relief for me set in. We had a good laugh now and swam out to get back top side for a cold beer!


It was a great experience and one that we will never forget. We did the caching requirements and then headed towards the south end (via Highway H2A) to Pebbles Beach for some snorkeling. Mark did a great job driving on the left again and deftly handled the roundabouts.


We found some parking and hit the warm clear waters. We spotted lots of neat fish and also a turtle swimming along. Kelly finally figured out the mask snorkel thing and was enjoying her first real snorkeling adventure here. We returned to the ship and after our usual sail away drinks on deck we headed to dinner.


It was 70’s night and the band was rocking the place at the Centrum. We enjoyed the show that the ship’s dancers put on and then headed to bed. Although tomorrow is our cruise day home we have lots of activities planned. A kitchen tour and a special meeting of consecutive cruisers… like us!

Cruise 2011 Day 7 – Dominica

We awoke tied up to the dock in the town of Roseau on the Island of Dominica. A very lush tropical island with mountainous terrain in the volcanic vein that we have come to know in this area. Black beaches and a huge shopping area were just outside the ships berth. After breakfast we met up and headed out. After getting the Toyota Rav 4 loaded we decided to take it easy this day. We found an Earth cache in route to the town of Portsmouth and stopped in Mero Bay for an interesting cache. It was at a small hotel that was hidden from the main road. The Tamarind Hotel featured beautiful, lush and clean grounds with a gorgeous view of the beach area.

Next stop was a cache in the town of Picard and it was located in a restaurant & bar high atop a ridge in the town. It is Wednesday and the bar was closed but we met a nice fellow named Scott who was the manager. Scott it turns out is from the Vancouver area and was down supporting his fiancé’s education at the local medical school to become a doctor. He was very helpful and brought us up to date on the latest Canuck action. He also gave us some directions to a great snorkel area at Toucari Bay. We took some pictures from this great vantage point and said how nice it was to meet a fellow Canadian down here.

Off to the beach and after a few tense minutes navigating some winding one lane roads we arrived safe and sound. There was no one there and we soon had our snorkel gear on and in we went. Lots of fish and sea creatures were easily viewed although the water was a bit murky.

We headed back and stopped for some local food just near the medical school. It was good food and Kelly also had a chance to drink from a coconut. Very nice flavor… even better with rum I think!

We dropped off the rental and we where driven back to the ship… alas more shops and souvenir hunting! The ship was very close and after exhausting our feet we headed back for the sail away and dinner. Tonight we are in the Portofino Restaurant for a specialty dinning experience Italian style. Dinner was once again fantastic. We planned some things for tomorrow’s agenda with Kelly’s birthday bash the main focus. Off for a walk to settle dinner and then it was into the rack.

We will continue to update when time and connectivity permits and we will upload all the photos as soon as possible.

Also check out the links to Robyn’s Facebook page. Search RVtraveller.

Cruise 2011 Day 6 – St. Kitts

Another great day as we arrived in Basseterre. We met for our now usual breakfast and planned our day with some caching and beach activities.

Our car was reserved at Avis and we made the short walk over to their facilities. Not sure what was going on with that business but you sensed a certain air of discontent within the office. No smiles just take your car and go… very uncharacteristic of the other islands and businesses we dealt with. Anyway after having the car examined we headed off on our days adventure. Right hand drive car with left hand flow a’la the British. As the island is fairly small we decided to circumnavigate the whole thing by car and stop as we felt like it. There are only a few geocaches on the island so we decided to head North West towards the closest cache at a Veterinary Training Center. The cache is actually in the guard house so we got to meet the security people. They were very friendly and helpful in our quest.

Next stop was at the Romney Manor. A beautiful piece of land and gardens nestled in the forest. Small monkeys greeted us and we had a look around the batik shop. We headed towards Sandy Point Town and around the north tip. Lots of sugar cane fields and their former processing plants were plainly visible. We were going to stop at a plantation for lunch but decided to press on as it was still early. We came back around the island and headed south past the great salt pond to Cockleshell Bay. We parked the car in a secluded spot and headed to the beach for some snorkeling, food and a cold beer.

The beach was nice and the food very good again. We have had great success with the various restaurants that we find! After lunch Kelly signed a huge Canucks flag hung from a wall. A nice touch!

The water was pretty clear and we all had a great swim before relaxing on some lounge chairs with some beers. Eventually it was time to head back to the ship and do some shopping at the stores and kiosks along the waterfront. We dropped off the rental car and after some issues with “scratches”, (The car had lots let me tell you) we once again left a very strange environment at Avis and headed back towards the ship.

Some shopping and a cold drink and we returned to the ship with a few small items. Sail away drinks on the deck and then it was off to dinner and an early turn in.

Cruise 2011 Day 5 – St Maarten

Up at 0630 for a shower and buff and it was back to the morning buffet. We watched the ship slip gently into the dock at Phillipsburg, St. Maarten as I started the birthday celebrations! Another day, another birthday party on the boat and on shore. We met up with the Byrne’s and I received a nice card from them with a lotto ticket inside. Sadly we did not win but the thought was very nice!


We grabbed a rental car and headed for our first cache above the cruise ship terminal. Well our trip ended at the Prison! No not in it! But sadly the road came to an end at the local prison and we didn’t really want to hike up past it another 400m to find the cache. Yes we are lazy when it comes to hiking this trip…. Maybe it’s all the food or drinks?? Maybe we are excited about seeing the island on a limited time frame and don’t want to waste time hiking? LOL We headed past the main part of Phillipsburg with its interesting shops and went north towards the French side. We wanted to plan our trip so we arrived at the Sunset Bar for lunch and the arrival of the big planes. More on that later.


We followed the road towards Orient Beach where there was a cache. It took us past a great little souvenir shop with great prices on items. We bought a few things and got directions to the beach area where the cache was. The beach was gorgeous and Mark was quick to grab the cache. Our first in several days! We took the time to explain what we were doing as several local girls started asking the usual questions. We explained how Geocaching worked and they were surprised when Mark said we came all the way from Canada to get this! Well not really it just happened to be there.


Off we went and grabbed another cache at Grand Case and searched out or planned snorkeling spot at Friars Beach. There was a cache there as well but we couldn’t find it. A couple arrived and started getting the lawn chairs out obviously preparing for a day at the beach. Kelly saw that they were wondering what we were doing and again explained the idea of Geocaching and how it took you to some great places like this one.

They said that the beach was great but they were taking a short 10 minute walk to Happy Beach. A quiet secluded beach that had palm trees and a gorgeous beach with small crowds and I thought sounds good to me! Off we went and it was truly a great spot. As we walked with them we learned they were from Toronto and wintered down here. We also learned that the beach was a well known nude beach! Well so what… the water was great and we had a great time and yes there were both clad and unclad people there. It was no big deal and Mark commented that he never saw Bo Derek running down the beach! Damn!

Next we headed off to the town of Marigot and drove along the north shore through Baie Rouge (Red Bay), around Simpson Bay Lagoon and re-entered the Dutch side of the island.


Our main destination came into view and we all enjoyed the beach music and arrivals at the button of RWY15 at Princess Juliana International Airport. This is the well known video spot of all the low flying aircraft. It was one of my bucket list places I wanted to see… so being as it was my birthday my timing was excellent.

I had excellent information on this place from fellow pilot Jack Cassidy who flew Twin Otters out of this airport for, I believe, Winair. We saw Jack’s old pink residence off on the hill and I am sure he will remember the views when he sees the pictures I took.


We had a great lunch and enjoyed the aircraft arrivals and departures. I have seen thousand of close up views but never from a barstool with this kind of weather! We swam in the warm waters and had numerous cold beverages. Everything was going great when Mark decided he would try a “St Maarten Sandblaster”.. Well that’s what I call them now! I looked down the beach and Mark was standing in the blast path of a soon to depart 737. He was looking at me giving me the thumbs up and I was looking back at him shaking my head “NO”! I don’t remember the thrust of those CFM engines but when the power came up the sand, gravel and whatever other debris was hurtled over the beach and hit poor ol(yeah he’s 50 now!) Mark with a vengeance. At first Mark looked ok and winced as the sand started tearing the skin away from his body. He fell to his knees then went “belly to beach” as the thrust pushed him towards the water. He ended up in the surf and slowly recovered once he figured out which way was up. The crowd roared their approval and Mark slowly came over with pockets full of sand. We were laughing so hard and after He said “I am ok!” we laughed some more.

The gals laugh after Mark's adventures! It's now on youtube now as well!

I will say Mark is a pretty sharp guy most all the time… except for this time. We have actual video of this “amazing brain fade” and I hope to link it eventually. (Internet is 55 cents a minute on board!)


It will never be forgotten by us and we were thankful he was not hurt! Back to the ship after a quick stop at the shops in Philipsburg and I bought myself a new watch as a birthday present after scoring a sweet deal.


Beverages followed as we went on deck for the sail away out of St. Maarten. As repeat cruisers on RCI we were also invited to a special meet & great with the captain and crew. Free drinks and appies were served for everyone as they promoted their family of ships and the great upcoming cruises available to us this year. Dinner was at Chops Grill, one of two specialty restaurants on board. The food was simply fabulous and the service equally impressive. After dinner and a stop at the casino we all headed for the rack. Another great but exhausting day for us.

Cruise 2011 Day 4 - Tortola B.V.I.

Kelly was up early… way to early and started preparing for the day. I tried to sleep in but the lights came on a six am for some reason and I just knew my sleep in was officially over! We headed up to the Windjammer Cafe for breakfast. It is a huge buffet with nautical themes through out. A very nice place to eat in a relaxed atmosphere.


Mark and Robyn joined us and we celebrated Mark’s 50th birthday. He will not be allowed to buy any drinks today. Robyn had already arranged for a rental car so we disembarked and ran the gauntlet of tour operators and kiosks that lined the route from the ship. It’s an interesting experience walking through but easy if you already had a plan like us. At 9 am sharp the Hertz gal arrived and sent us on our way in a GeoTracker. We headed off in a south westerly direction with some geocaching in mind. The island roads along the shore are pretty easy to navigate although they drive on the left side of the road on this island. Robyn safely guided us to our turnoff to the first cache which was at the top of the hill looking down over the harbor and cruise ships. This is when things got interesting. The roads are very steep here and the little geotracker was dropped into low gear and struggled hard as we would our way up the hill/mountain/goat trail… don’t laugh we saw goats!!


Try as we might, the route proofed elusive and we decided to pass on this cache and head around the island to do some beach activities i.e. snorkel/drink etc. We headed down the hill on the other side into Sea Cows Bay, through Pockwood Pond and across the west end to Apple Bay and the famous Bomba Shack Party area… one sign said $40 bucks for all you can drink! We only stopped for pictures this time.


We continued on past Carrot Bay and on into Cane Garden Bay. This has a very nice beach area and is also home to the Callwood Rum Distillery. We set up on the beach with loungers and the bucket of beer on ice and enjoyed the day. Although the sun was eventually replaced by some warm rain, we had a nice time and Mark and I did some snorkeling. Lots of small fish with numerous sea birds (pelicans etc.) diving from the skies to grab them. We saw several bigger fish cruise by as well. I thought I saw a slow moving Manatee floating by but it turned out to be Mark. LOL

A shot of the manatee... days since birth.

After lunch we headed back to Road Town and checked out some kiosks and the Little Switzerland store. Back on the ship we found some deck chairs and relaxed until a large rain shower drove us for cover in the solarium.


We meet the Byrne’s at the Champagne bar for a pre dinner drink. As this was the first of two formal nights, everyone looked very nice in their outfits & finery. Dinner was once again great and we then hit the gambling tables for a little roulette action. I spent 25 bucks but Kelly was hitting her numbers regularly and pocketed some chips. Her luck as been very good on this cruise. We watched as one fellow won $3750 on a slot machine! Lots of excitement going on tonight!


We will get connected sometime tomorrow and upload all the photos we have taken….. Sorry it’s not being updated as quick as one would like but hey we are on vacation LOL.

Cruise 2011 Day 3 (part 2)– On to the ship.

We got up and started our day with our usual trip over to the local Starbucks. It’s funny how you just settle into a routine. With everything so close by we were glad we booked this hotel in the area that we did. It was safe, great foods of different varieties and a nice easy walk. Lots of bars as well :-)

Mark & Robyn check out the waters near our hotel.

We came up with a plan to then check out of our rooms, grab a few caches and then head over to the Mall of the Americas. Our bags were stored at the hotel as we ventured off. After hitting a few caches we grabbed a cab (Ford F350 Vans) and headed to the mall. Kelly was in her glory as we split up and shopped. Lunch at “Margaritas” and then some bargain shopping for some cruising shirts and other items. I scored a great deal on some shirts… 80% off! Now I know why Kelly always seems so happy with bargains! LOL


We headed back to the hotel to collect our bags and then it was off to the ship terminal. We arrived early at 16:00 and quickly went through security, check in and processing. Armed with our “Set Sail” pass (a ship credit/identification card) we boarded in less than 15 minutes from the time we joined the line! Turns out we could have boarded the ship much earlier than we were told.

We checked out our cabins and then went about exploring the ship. It is very nice and the drinks just seemed to go down so easy now! Our bags arrived and we unpacked before our Muster for the emergency practice session. They showed us how to don our floatation device after the Captain did his welcome aboard speech. After that it was time for the sail away party as the Serenade of the Seas eased out of its birth and slowly rounded the rocky shores of the harbor entrance. We had a great view, although dark, of the old part of the city and the harbor. Lots of flash bulbs along the shore guided us out.


Dinner in the Reflections dinning lounge was of the usual high standard and we got to meet our main dinner waiter Edwin and his assistant Richard. They will take care of us during our main dinning experiences on board. We do have a couple specialty restaurants book during the cruise as well… more on that later.


We finished dinner and went for a walkabout to work off the added poundage. As dinner was late for us we were pretty beat so we called it a day. Tomorrow is Road Town on the British Virgin Island of Tortola.