We truly love Royal Caribbean, so don’t take this the wrong way, but one of their shortcomings is that they provide so little information about the ports they visit. Their focus is entirely on selling their excursions and encouraging customers to shop at their associated stores. So caveat emptor. It is up to us to find the activities and places on each island we would like to visit.
That is how Joy and I ended up sitting in Jakobs’ taxi waiting till he was satisfied that he had sufficient passengers and ultimately wound our way to the far side of the mountain and a small Read more…
After breakfast on the hotel rooftop, we headed to Paseo de la Princessa. The walk was beautiful. The harbor was on one side and the walls of Fort El Morro were on the other. We loved the sentry boxes posted at strategic places around the wall.
I think the point in our preparations I have enjoyed the most is picking out what to take with us. Once the selections have been narrowed down a strategy must be developed for actually packing them. That is where the bundle wrapping method I read about at onebag.com has really come in handy.
Joy usually handles the logistics of fitting into as few monstrous containers as possible all the crap I want to take. But this time Read more…
In the spirit of the picture of the two schoolgirls, I am looking forward to going to Barbados with my best friend (who also happens to be my wife). Tomorrow, we’ll be flying down to Puerto Rico. The excitement is a delicious ache.
Barbados. Longboard surfing at Freights, Surfers Pont, and the Soup Bowl. How bad can an island made of coral be? I’d like to ride one of their “ZR’s” Read more…
Joy and I had some discussion about the pronunciation of Lucia. Click here to hear how Webster’s says it should sound. How could both Joy and Websters be wrong?
I don’t know whether we’ll have a chance to see the Read more…
‘Antiqua and Barbuda’ means ‘Ancient and Bearded’ in Spanish, but I have no idea as to the thinking behind this two island nation’s appellation. Galley Bay is close to St. John’s (where our ship will dock) and supposed to offer surfing. Dickenson Bay and Runaway Bay are also close to St. Johns. Runaway Beach is reportedly a $10 cab ride from the cruise terminal. There is horseback riding and snorkeling at this beach as well. Read more…
Someone else took this picture of Charlotte Amelie, St. Thomas. This will be one of our ports of call. That may even be our ship in the foreground. Although it is the capital of the US Virgin Islands, its population is only about 19,000 – not very many people to divvy up the money spent by about 2 million tourists per year.
Although I’ve heard that the shopping is good here, I really haven’t seen anything online to confirm that. Frankly, I’m not much of a shopper. The exception to that is that Joy and I really love having art from our travels around our house. So, if you can recommend a Read more…
[singlepic id=41 w=120 h=240 float=left]9 Days to Embarkation
We’ll be leaving out of Puerto Rico. The night before embarking we will be at the Hotel Milano in Old San Juan. Hopefully, we can find an outdoor cafe to enjoy a drink and relax before the day of our cruise. Frommer’s recommends La Bombonera. I checked it out their reviews on Yelp! and I’m already salivating just thinking about it.
Saturday, we would like to see Fort San Felipe del Morro, an historic fort that looks like it is an easy walk from the hotel. Pictures show it as being stone Read more…
Part of the fun of a trip is to learn what we can about each port and then prioritize the activities in which we wish to engage. It used to be that one spent hours pouring over guide books and maps.
My parents and my aunt and uncle enjoy that process as much (okay, maybe only Read more…
I have a list fetish. I make lists and tables with regard to almost every aspect of life. But a list for outfitting a trip is certainly one of the most enjoyable to develop. I looked here and I looked there for inspiration. Indeed there were so many places that offered packing lists from retailers like REI to adventure outfitters like Mahina Travel to travel blogs like onebag. They were all read with the keenest of interest.
"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in." ~Rachel Carlson
