Day 8 – At Sea

It finally came; our last day of the cruise and this one is at sea – a great way to end the cruise.

Ed went up to the deck at 8:00am to get deck chairs for the day and Barb followed after a bit.  We stayed in the sun until 12:30pm when we went to the Aqua Spa to eat.  We ate with Jeff, Vera, Tim and Barb.

Then it was time for us to clean up and go to the blackjack tournament.  Ed qualified third; however, did not win.  The person who won started out with a blackjack on a bid bet and no one could catch him.

Then we brought a snack back to our cabin and packed everything.  After that we took our usual nap.

After napping, we went up to see what the buffet dining rooms was serving for dinner and walked around and watched people for a while before heading to dinner.

For dinner, we invited Steph and Rob from Canada and Tim and Barb from Virginia to join us as we had all been playing blackjack together and had cruised together before.  It was fun just laughing together during dinner.

Then it was to the casino for our last session where we played for a long time, but both of us lost but thanks to going back to our old style of running after a good streak, we came out ahead on this cruise.

This cruise was probably better than we expected as we have been to all ports several times except the stop at Haiti, which we knew was Haiti because that is what the souvenirs said. 

Barb’s cold never got any worse and other than one coughing spell, she was just fine except for her back.  Ed’s knee, particularly the cyst, is still causing problems, but hopefully it will be fixed soon. 

All-in-all, we had a great time and it was because of the time we were able to spend with old friends.

The new tradition is going to be: "Had enough winter March cruise"

See everyone in our family at home.

 

 



Going out in the afternoon

Out for the evening

Our friends

An afternoon snack


 

Day 7 – Labadee, Haiti

Labadee, Haiti is Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines private “paradise” filled with beautiful beaches, easy walking trails and all kinds of water sports plus food.

The only ships that are allowed to dock at Labadee are ships from Royal Caribbean Lines and we were the only ship docked on this peninsula today.

When we first went out on our patio to watch the ship dock at 10:00am, we thought that it was almost too hot to go to the beach – it was really, really hot – but we went and it was wonderful.

There are 4 or 5 different beaches and we took a water taxi to the one that was the most sheltered from the sea and it was beautiful.  Very hot 88 degrees and the water was also very warm.

Before the crowds came, we walked through a whole bunch of craft and souvenir vendors.  They were very aggressive, but we just ignored them and of course we bought a magnet and Christmas ornament, as is our custom

They have complementary beach chairs so we had two brought to the edge of the water and relaxed soaking up the sun.

Then we took a couple of water loungers and floated in the water for about an hour

That was enough sun or the day so it was time to eat lunch.

As this is just like being on the ship, the lunch was included in the cruise.  They had a very elaborate cookout with hamburgers, hotdogs, ribs, chicken and all of the side dishes that anyone would want.

Then we took the shuttle back to the main part of the complex, shopped a little more and walked back to the ship.

After showering, we took a nap and then ate some snacks while relaxing on our patio.

Tonight was the second formal night so after getting ready we went out and people watched until it was time to go to work in the casino.

 

Ed was way down but then switched tables and won back and finished the first session only a little down.

Dinner time was excellent and then it was on to the casino.

Barb lost and Ed hit for a really big run and so we left the casino a winner for the day!

Tomorrow is our last day on the cruise and it is a sea day so there will be plenty of time for relaxation and sun.

Night

Welcome to Labadee, Haiti



Ready to go to the beach

One of the beaches

 

 



Vendors waiting for Barb

 



Ready for our second formal night

Day 6 - Falmouth, Jamacia

What a wonderful day it was when we woke up.  The temp was in the mid 80’s and not a cloud in the sky.

As we have been to this harbor three times in the last four years, we have seen most of what is in the area.  The port was originally the first major port in Jamaica; however, it had fallen into disrepair until Royal Caribbean Cruise Line decided to make it a stop for their ship.  They an entire new port was built with all of the typical tourist shops. 

We boarded a bus that was going to Montego Bay and had the driver drop us off at Rose Hall, one of only 17 Great Halls (mansions) on the island out of 700 that were here in the 1800’s.

Originally, the owner of this plantation home owned 6,000 acres of land and was a very cruel slave owner.  The plantations “claim to fame” is that one of the owners killed 3 of her husbands until she herself was killed.  She is supposed to be still there haunting the house!!  We didn’t see her.

After the one our tour, the driver picked us up and took us back to the ship. 

We bought some Kahula and went into some of the shops.  Barb was lucky enough to find a scarf!!

Then we went back to the ship and ate lunch and changed into swimming suits to lie out on the deck.  The sun was so hot with virtually no breeze that we only stayed out an hour and then came in, cleaned up and took a nap.

After the nap, we snacked and went to the 7:00pm show before going to the casino.

After 6 winning sessions, Ed had a losing session; however, we are still up for the trip with probably 4 casino sessions left – everybody – wish us luck!!!

Tomorrow is Labadee, Haiti which is Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines private island so it will be a very relaxing day,

The Port

 

 

Rum Samples



Happy - of course!!

Going into Rose Hall with our guide

The port from our balcony

 

Day 5 - George Town, Grand Cayman

We awoke at 9:00am to find us already anchored at George Town, Grand Cayman.

The problem with going to this island is that we have been here several times before, including the 2012 Christmas trip with the kids so there was nothing really for us to do on the island – which is why we slept in

One of the partners at the law firm that Jeff is at has had a condo on the island since the 70’s so Jeff contacted him.  While the condo was rented, he did arrange for us to use their private beach and have beach chairs and towels for us. 

So all three couples left the ship via a tender at 11:00am and took a cab to the condo where we met the manager who showed us around and led us to the beach.  An attendant brought us towels and we were all set for the rest of the day.

At 3:00pm we took a cab back to the port and boarded the tender to the ship.

After eating some snacks as we did not have lunch on the island, we took a nap – remember, naps are good!!

At 6:00pm we were up and changed for the evening.

We walked around for a bit and sat and people watched until Jeff, Vera and David came down to the casino.

Our pre-dinner session at the casino was one of those amazing sessions where Ed won 9 straight hands, lost 2 and go up with a great win.

Then it was of course time for dinner followed by the casino again where again Ed won.  Barb played slots and didn’t win tonight but tomorrow is another day.

Tomorrow we arrive in Falmouth, Jamaica – night for tonight.

 

Ready for the beach 

Three our ships in the harbor

Our ship

At the condo

The beach at the condo

 

Day 4 - Cozumel, Mexico

We woke up just as the ship was arriving in Cozumel, Mexico.  As we had been here a couple of times before, we have seen all of the main tourist stops.  This time, we had found a small family- owned and run chocolate factory on the out-skirts of town called KaoKao Chocolate.  

We had to set our clock one hour back last night so it was great to get another hour of sleep after being in the casino late.  We had a 9:00am tour at the factory, so we woke up at 7:00am, just as the ship docked.  We were allowed to leave the ship at 8:00am.  The only problem was that the town was another hour back in time, so it was really only 7:00am we found out.

The tourists’ shops were open so we walked around for a bit and then found a cab to take us to KaoKao Chocolate.  We knew we were going to be early but we thought there might be places around the factory.  The cab driver got lost as she had never heard of this place, but we had been warned to take a map with the address on it and we finally made it. 

They were just opening up when we got there and they let us come in and started us on our tour early.  We were the only ones on the tour so it was just fantastic.   We first met the wife who with her husband owns the factory.  As we were watching a video about the history of chocolate, he came in to start the actual tour. 

We then went into another room with another couple and he proceeded to show us how chocolate is actually made.  We each got to make a small amount of pure chocolate to take back home.

Next we tasted about 12 different kinds of chocolate, which was fun.

Then or course, their small gift shop was open and we bought some chocolate for us and our table-mates at dinner who had asked us to bring some back for them.

The owner called us a cab and we went back to the port and shopped for a while and of course found some Kahula and also some Pepsi to bring back to the ship.

After shopping, we went back to the ship at around noon, ate on the ship and then changed into swimming suits to go out on the deck.

Obviously, it was not as busy as a sea day, so it was very relaxing for a couple of hours and our tans are getting darker.

We then took our nap early and woke up in time to watch the ship leave the port.

Next we walked around the ship, picked up our formal pictures from last night and then sat for a while people watching until we joined our friends at the casino for a short ½ hour session where Ed was up and Barb didn’t play.

After the casino, we went to dinner and of course we had fun and enjoyed dinner.  Then it was on to the casino where Barb broke even, which is great for the slots and Ed did really well.

Tomorrows stop is Grand Cayman Island were right now we have no plans except getting off the ship and waling around.

Night from the sea – on the way to Grand Cayman.

 

Docking next to the Celebrity Constellation

Leaving the ship

Meeting the owner

Washing up with chocolate soap

Making chocolate with the owner

Shall I buy another plate so many to choose from - so little room!!

 

Day 3 - At Sea

I made a mistake last night when I was typing out the blog, it was after 2am when we finally went to bed – 2:35am to be precise.  My laptop had not reset to the local time!!

Anyway, I got up at 8 to get a good spot for deck chairs and Barb slept in until 10:30am.

It was amazing how many chairs were taken at 8 and by the middle of the morning, it was full.

Our friends, Jeff and Vera usually sit by the pool but couldn’t find a space so they managed to find extra chairs and sat by us and we spend most of the day in the sun and talking and talking. 

This was probably the best sea day that we have ever had.  The sun was out strong, the temperature was 83 degrees and the sea was very, very calm.  A wonderful day to sit out, relax and work on our tans.

We ate healthy again in the Aqua Spa but of course we also snacked before eating dinner – isn’t life good!

We came in at three to clean up and then walk around the ship doing some things like booking our New Year’s cruise that we are all going on.  We also found our pictures – got to have cruise pictures!

Then it was a typical evening – time for a nap, walk around seeing people, playing a little short session in the casino and then eating, followed by the casino.

It is our first formal night and Barb looked smashing!!

We did not go to the entertainment but went right from dinner to the casino.

We were very surprised to see the amount of cash back from our last cruise that the casino gave us.  A nice way to start the gambling in the evening.

Barb hit for some nice money on the slots and I was ahead so it was a good evening in the casino.

Tonight we set the clock back so we gain an hour of sleep.

Night for tonight and tomorrow we are in Cozumel, Mexico.

A snack on the deck at 5:00pm

Our first formal night

WOW! What a date!!

 

Day 1 - Spring 2014 – Celebrity Silhouette, Day 2 - Sailing Day

Day 1 was an uneventful day getting to Ft. Lauderdale.  Barb was all packed before Saturday and Ed finished packing Saturday morning and we boarded the plane from Bloomington for a 2:30pm flight to Ft. Lauderdale.

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale at 9:15pm and took the shuttle directly to the hotel.  They upgraded us to a king suite which was nice, but we were going to be there less that 12 hours.

Sleep came quickly and we awoke to a beautiful day in Florida.

Day 2

We took a shuttle bus to the airport and checked in quickly and were in our cabin by 11:00am.  We met David and Barb from New York at the hotel as we were getting on the shuttle.  Once we got to the check-in line, we met Jeff and Vera, also from New York and all boarded the ship together.  We left everything in our rooms and went right to the Aqua Spa to eat.

The last time we were all together was in Europe in October 2013, so it was fun catching up on families and talking about old times.

After lunch, we headed for the deck and laid out for a couple of hours – it was so nice to be in 80 degree weather after the terrible weather we have had in Illinois.

We also met friends from Virginia, Tim and Barb who are both retired Air Force.  We had met them on our November 2013 cruise.

After that our luggage was at our room, so we unpacked, showered and went to the 5:00pm cocktail party that the casino was giving for about 50 casino guest.  We met the casino staff and both the Manager and the Casino Host are new to us.  We found friends from Canada, Steph and her husband Rob who had decided to join this cruise when I told them about it a couple of months ago.

This is going to give us a great table to play blackjack as all of us play basically at the same level – what fun – and hopefully a successful cruise!!!

 Back to cabin we went for a nap for about an hour, got cleaned up and right to dinner where it was time to meet Jeff & Vera and David and Barb for dinner at 8:30pm.  Dinner was wonderful as always.

 After dinner, we went to the show and the entertainer was very good.  He had recently won the Entertainer of the Year award and a million dollar contract with the Hilton in Las Vegas.

Then it was time to go to work in the casino where after two hours we had just lost a very little and built up some time, so it was time to go to bed.

It is now 1:00 am and time to go to bed – night from our first day at sea. 

Tomorrow is a relaxing day at sea – wonderful.

 

Going to get some sun

Police patrol

Leaving Ft. Lauderdale



View from our deck at 6:00pm

Going out for our first evening