Willwork4cruises

Our first port was St Thomas. We grabbed an expensive cab to Sapphire at $10 per person. We snorkeled and swam then grabbed a cab back. There were several cabs waiting outside Sapphire so no issues there. Another $50 and we were back at the shops next to the ship. We ate dinner then went to karaoke where Ayrin and Amber butchered a song (except on the chorus where they knew the lyrics really good). Then Ayrin showed everybody that she does have talent when she sang “when I was your man”.

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We checked into the Hampton Inn in Isla Verde. I already knew I had two somewhat picky eaters so I checked Google maps beforehand to find fast food places. Ayrin (SD) wanted a fried empanada from a beach vendor like we had two years ago. We walked the beach and found some empanadas. They were delicious but I couldn’t talk the two picky eaters into it. They ate at Burger King. This would improve throughout the week. Both girls tried different foods. Although they usually didn’t like them, they at least gave it a chance. The hotel was in a decent location and the staff were nice. Our beds were not comfortable, in our opinions.

The next morning we caught a cab to Barrachinas to store our luggage. The man handling the luggage said there was no charge but a tip up to $5 per bag is appreciated. We paid our tips then walked to El Morro. It was HOT. After El Morro, we wanted to catch the free trolley to take a tour. We stopped off to apply more sunscreen and my foot started stinging. I looked down and my foot is covered in ants and they are biting. Luckily I had water in my hand and quickly washed them away. My foot stung for another 15 minutes and swelled but eventually it went away. The lesson is to watch out for those ant hills. We boarded the trolley but it was stuffy and hot with only one window open. I tried to open mine but noticed there was a screw holding it down. We got off the trolley at the next stop. It was just too stuffy. We retrieved our luggage and grabbed a cab to the ship. It was 11AM. Boarding hadn’t started yet so we dropped our luggage with the porter then shopped for souvenirs, tried gelato, and my husband bought six types of coconut candy. He didn’t like any of them. Around noon, we walked back to the ship. We had faster to the fun so encountered no lines. There were no issues with checking in. We were not asked for the permission to travel letters. We dropped our carry-ons then went to lunch. Later we went to the water park and pool, dinner, and welcome aboard show. Circle C allowed Maddie (12 yr at end of June) to join the other two in Circle C. The girls had some freedom after the welcome aboard show so they attended the Circle C party. Then went to sail away.

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Amber is wearing glasses, Maddie has on a hat, and Ayrin is in the middle.

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This cruise includes me, my husband David, my stepdaughter Ayrin (13), her cousin Maddie (11-almost 12), and Ayrin’s friend Amber (14). I have 10 previous Carnival cruises and one Royal Caribbean. David has 7 Carnival, Ayrin has 5 Carnival, and Maddie has 2 Carnival. Amber has never cruised before. Amber and Maddie have never flown.

We were originally scheduled to leave on the Glory out of Miami, not including Maddie. We were already planning for her to travel with us next year and I asked that she get a passport for that cruise. A few weeks later, I received a smiling photo of Maddie holding her new passport. Just for fun I decided to price out the cost of adding her to the girls’ cabin. The price was too much. Eventually I checked other cruises and found a good price on this cruise from Puerto Rico and I was much more excited about the ports. I could add Maddie and save $600 from the cost of just 4 people on the Glory. Of course that $600 was eaten up in airfare for Maddie and increases in our airfares. But who cares, we are going a cruise with a different port every single day. Everybody had passports and we had permission to travel letters for each child.

We flew from Raleigh to San Juan arriving around 4pm on Saturday. The girls did fine on their first flights.

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