A Very Merry Christmas

Remember that snow we mentioned in the last post? Well, it continued into the night. Before we went to bed on Saturday, we learned that our Sunday morning flight to San Juan had been delayed, from 7:50 am to 10:30 am to 12:00 pm. We were happy to be able to sleep in (because let's face it, we were up late packing anyway), but we did not want our flight to be delayed any later.



We got up early on Sunday, and shoveled ourselves out of the driveway again. We left for the airport early since we knew the roads would be awful. They had closed Dulles on Saturday, but it was due to open Sunday morning at 6 am.


I wish I had taken a picture of the parking lot at Dulles. It was ridiculous- cars were totally buried. I have no idea what those poor people did when they got back home. I know I don't travel with a shovel. But we eventually found a parking place. Well, we mostly made our own parking place where a plow had been, but it worked.


We were in the airport by 9, so we were feeling good. The line to drop baggage at the airline counter was huge, but we had time, so no big deal. We made friends with the couple in line behind us who were also headed to our cruise.


While we waited in line (for close to an hour), we got a text that our flight was delayed again, to 12:45. It had not been snowing all morning, so we weren't sure what the delay was about. But it was still going to get us there in plenty of time, so we tried to relax.


Once we were able to drop our bags and go through security, we got a bite to eat and went to our gate. Boarding was supposed to start at 12:15. But 12:15 came and went, as did 12:45. The flight time was not updated, and there was no one at the counter to inform us as to what was happening. Our plane was there, so we knew that wasn't the issue. Then the fire alarms starting going off. I'm not sure what that was about, but they eventually stopped.


Our flight time on the board was updated once or twice, but it would list a departure time of 1:30 at 1:40. Hmmm. Still no sign of an American representative. Pete finally decided to walk down to another gate to see if he could get some answers. It turns out that we only had three of the four flight attendants needed for the flight. Really!? Ugh. So we had to wait on a fourth crew person to arrive from another flight.


We met another family while we were waiting who was also headed to our cruise. At least there was some safety in numbers.

We finally departed around 3:00 pm, about 7 hours after we were originally scheduled to leave. That means we would arrive at 8:00 pm in San Juan. And embarkation was scheduled until 9:00 pm. Get luggage, taxi to cruise pier... you do the math. I was a basket case. I met another two people on the plane for our cruise (that's 10 of us now), so surely they would hold the ship, right?


It all turned out ok, of course. We called Princess as soon as we landed, and they said they were going to stay in port until about midnight to wait for late arriving passengers. Whew. We grabbed a taxi with the original couple we met in line at the airport, and off we went!


Unfortunately because we were so late, we did not have time to see any of San Juan. We had planned on touring the old city and maybe visiting the fort. Another time.


The upside to arriving at the very last minute is that there are no lines! We quickly checked-in, dropped our bags in our room, changed into shorts (yay!), and hit the buffet for a quick dinner. We stayed awake to watch as we sailed out of port, but that was all the excitement we could handle for one day.


Day 2- St. Thomas


Today we decided to split up for a while. Pete wanted to try scuba diving, and I would rather spend the day at the airport again than try to breathe underwater and see scary sea-creatures. OK, maybe that's an exaggeration, but I decided to lay around the pool and hit the gym instead.




Pete went to a dive shop on Coki Beach where he got a 30-minute lesson on diving. He then suited up and practiced some of his new skills in shallow water. After that, they swam out to deeper water. Pete enjoyed 'swimming with the fishes' and seeing a coral reef up close. He had an exciting time and is thinking about getting certified in the future. Of course I will happily support any hobby that requires us to go to the beach more often!

That night was our first formal night and the captain's champagne waterfall. We even got to see it snow in the atrium!



Day 3- Dominica



We took a tour called "Dominica's Favorites" while at this port. It turned out to be one of our favorite days. We got on a small bus and headed out on possibly the scariest ride of my life. The roads are awful, and we were traveling on a particularly windy and steep route to see some waterfalls.


Once we got there in one piece, it was worth the ride. We had a 10 minute walk to Trafalgar Falls. There are two falls, known as Mother and Father. Here we are with the Mother.


Check out these huge poinsettias. They grow like trees in Dominica. Gorgeous!




We continued through the island's beautiful rainforest to Morne Trois Piton National Park, where we hiked about 20 minutes to the Emerald Pool. I've heard from at least two different people that this is something not to be missed. Unfortunately everyone else must have also gotten that message because it was super-crowded.





Back on board now, here is a view of Roseau, the capital and largest city of Dominica.



Day 4- Grenada


Here's a view of our ship, the Caribbean Princess from the pier. She holds 3100 passengers, in case you are wondering. We were supposed to have a full sailing, but I heard that a few hundred passengers did not make it because of the snow storms. We were actually on this same ship in 2006 when we went on our first cruise together. They have added a few things since, and it's still in great shape.





Here is a view of Grenada from the ship. Grenada is also a beautiful island, and tourism is it's main economic force.





We chose to do another hike while in Grenada. This one was to a place called Seven Sisters Waterfalls. This hike was much more difficult than the previous day's hikes; it was about 45 minutes down a steep, muddy, slippery trail. Luckily our group was small, so we were able to move relatively quickly and get there before anyone else.


Pete went swimming, but found the water to be a bit chilly! I enjoyed the views from a nice, dry rock.



There were some beautiful flowers and views along our hike. Here is one of my favorites shots.


After we dragged ourselves back up the hill and into the van, we went to Grand Etang Lake, which lies at the bottom of an extinct volcano.



Day 5- Bonaire


Here is a view of the port from our ship. It was a bright, cheerful island that is known for world-class scuba diving and snorkeling.


We took a water taxi to Klein Bonaire, a small, uninhabited island off the coast of Bonaire. There is a coral reef off the coast of the island that is great for snorkeling.



Pete snorkeled for about an hour there. He thought it was amazing- the water was warm and very clear. You could see to a depth of about 80 feet! He swam with schools of fish, saw lots of coral, and even a sting ray.


Here is some of the dead coral that has washed up onto the shore.


There were a bunch of sand crabs on the beach. They moved really quickly, but I was able to catch this one before he went back into the sand.



When we got back to the pier, we walked around the downtown area and window-shopped. There were some bands playing out in the plaza, so we stopped to enjoy the sounds.

That night we had a visit from Santa- we're so happy that he was able to find us out at sea! It was our second formal night and we enjoyed a nice dinner in the dining room.

Day 6- Aruba

We were in Aruba on Christmas Day. Everything was closed for the holiday, so we decided to make it a beach day.

We took a cab to Eagle Beach. The area is famous for its wide beaches and low-rise resorts. The sand was the softest I have ever felt, and the water was beautiful.



We rented some chairs and a palapa and settled in for a few hours. My skin doesn't stand a chance in this Caribbean sun! Here's our Christmas tree :)




Aren't the colors gorgeous? The sky, the water, the sand... so nice.



We took the bus back to downtown Oranjestad to explore a little, but there was nothing open but the casino and a few craft booths.

Once we were back on board, we ate a late lunch and watched Julie & Julia on Movies Under the Stars. It's really cool- they have a giant screen on deck and they cover the lounge chairs with red velvet seat covers. They pass out blankets and popcorn and it's a unique way to see a movie. Julie & Julia was good, by they way. You should rent it if you haven't seen it. Since we were watching the movie, we decided to skip the dining room dinner and hit the buffet later. What a great decision- they had everything imaginable for a Christmas dinner! Delicious turkey, shrimp, steak, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green beans, fish, etc, etc, etc. I realize this is only perpetuating cruising stereotypes, but we totally ate like pigs. Here's my plate- don't judge!

Day 7-at sea

This was our last day of the vacation, and it was spent at sea. That was probably a good thing, because we needed the relaxation after visiting all those ports. We did not do much- just hung out by the pool and read.

That evening we decided to order the Ultimate Balcony Dinner. Room service comes to your cabin and sets up dinner on the balcony. It was so good, and again, so much food! Appetizers, crab cakes, salad, surf and turf, and two different deserts. It was a lot of fun!

It was a wonderful vacation, and especially nice to escape to someplace sunny and warm during the cold winter. We are hoping to cruise with family and friends next time, so when you are ready to go, just let us know!