Our Vacation

Wayne and I had a wonderful time on our vacation. We went on a Royal Caribbean Eastern Caribbean cruise. It was from Sunday to Sunday. We flew to Orlando and took a bus to Port Canaveral, where we boarded the Mariner of the Seas cruise ship with about 3,700 other guests. It was a crazy day. We were told that there was a tropical storm and we wouldn't be able to go to the port in the Bahamas, but instead we could go to Peurto Rico. That night however, a woman who was celebrating her 65th wedding anniversary fell down some stairs and we returned to Port Canaveral so she could get help. She broke several bones, but was going to be okay. We were not able to go to Peurto Rico.
Days at Sea
We had a total of 4 days at sea, more than we wanted, but the cruise ship was very fancy and nice.
There was of course lots of food. We went with Wayne's Mom and Dad and their friends Keith and Linda Neilsen. Keith and Linda had been on a cruise before, but it was the first time for Wayne and Steve and Connie. One night Keith ordered escargot (snails), No one else was brave enough! But we had delicious fish, and other meats and fancy appetizers and desserts: creme dulcie, baked Alaska, mousse, baked puddings, shrimp, lobster, lamb, I loved the chilled soups: strawberry, pear, peach, apple. We definitely gained weight!
The ship had a miniature golf course, but it was kind of hard to play with all the rocking and wind. We also enjoyed ice skating, sun bathing, swimming, exploring, watching flying fish, playing cards, climbing the rock wall, going to a couple of shows and resting and relaxing. I loved the Ice Show, a kind of Ice Capade figure skating, they were amazing! We also enjoyed the Love and Marriage game show.
The weather was humid and warm. The ocean was a little rough. About 9-12 ft. swells at the worst. We watched the whole front of the boat rise up and down several feet. The water in the swimming pools looked like a wave pool, and on the last day they closed the pools because it was too dangerous.
At Port
On Wednesday we stopped at St. Thomas, a US Virgin Island. Wayne and I rode on a tram to the top of the mountain with a lookout view of the island, that was pretty. We did a little tourist shopping and riding in one of the hundreds of cabs. Our favorite part of the whole trip was the snorkeling excursion. We went on a catamaran out to a little island Trunk Bay. The catamaran rose up and down much like a roller coaster on the rough water, and drenched us all. By the time we got to the island Wayne and I were rubbing salt off our faces. But it was sunny and exciting! The tour guides showed us all how to use the snorkel gear, and warned us about some of the dangers: sea urchins, and stepping on any part of the federally protected island. Many sea turtles live there, and they said if we were calm and did a sort of dead mans float, that the turtles might surface right close to us. One did right next to Wayne. I dove down to the bottom and got within about 3 feet of one, it just stared at me and sat there. We also saw sting rays, and tropical fish in the coral reefs. We wished we could have snorkeled longer than 1 hour, but the catamaran and crew were waiting to slowly take us back to the ship so all could enjoy the free rum punch, a highlight for everyone but us it seemed. Wednesday was also Halloween and a lot of people on the ship dressed up, it was fun.
On Thursday we stopped at St. Martin. This island is half Dutch and half French. Wayne and I walked around for some shopping. They have some big resort/hotels and casinos. And sandy beaches. We went on an excursion called Treetop Adventure. We rode on a tour bus up into the mountains (hills). They have a zipline/rope course. We were in harnesses with some safety ropes/clips and a little pulley with a snap. We climbed to the top of a tree (about 35 feet). Stood on a platform and snapped ourselves to the cables then went flying! We would stop ourselves by grabbing the cable with our gloved hand. There were many bridges, cables and obstacles and several ziplines. It took about 1 hour to do the whole course. It was fun, hot and humid. Steve and Connie and Keith and Linda went on a jeep tour of the island. They stopped at Orient Beach on the french side. It was a nude beach, and some people were. Listening to them, I'm glad I didn't have to see that! But they had a fun adventure. Especially trying to drive with all the islanders. It seems they don't have many rules or laws about driving.
The worst part of the trip was the flights, we had about 7 hours at the Orlando Airport. It took about 15 hours coming (red eye flight, once was enough to learn they are not for us!) and about 19 hours returning home! Not so fun. Next time we will book travel on our own. We also missed our girls, and were very glad to see them again.
Well this kind of turned out to be long, hope it was interesting to you. We had a great time, and look forward to vacationing again someday hopefully with our family and friends, so start planning and saving!
Love you all, Wayne and Stacy