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Jason taking photos of us in the boat. The view from above! Everyone climbed back on and we started back to Castries. As we are getting back, the skies look horrible. It didn't get any better. The rain was pouring down as we ran back to the ship. Susan asked the security guards as we entered the ship if they wanted a hug. They were in their whites and she was soaked. The politely declined! I used the hair dryer in the room for the first time. So I could dry my shoes enough to go to dinner.

We enjoyed conversing with Jason, Becky, Gary, and Emily. We got to know each other better. Those clouds don't look happy. So we arrived at the swimming spot for those who wanted to go into the water, and it started pouring. Jason took on of the GoPro's and jumped in! He took several photos trying to figure the camera out! Emily getting ready to jump! Gary getting ready to jump! He made it!

We started toward our excursion Time for our pirate adventure! That blue tarp is definitely authentic! We sat up top to enjoy the breeze as we sailed! Off we go! Our boat was bigger than most in the harbor and felt so small compared to the ship. They passed around bananas Remember how I mentioned the airport was literally at the waters edge, well here comes a plane now! It wasn't bad as we set out Sandals Resort on the cliff

We headed up to the room to grab our stuff. We were looking at the weather and decided to only bring our cell phones in the waterproof lanyards and the GoPro's. We were planning on going and taking a picture by the sign... We met on the dock next to the ship and found out Jason, Becky, Gary, and Emily were on the same excursion as us.

We hung out until lunch, and went to lunch a little earlier than we wanted to due to the time of the excursion meet up. Yippee! My favorite lunch menu! We can see land! Bay Scallop Gratin with extra bread! If you don't request extra, they only give you like 3 or 4. Chicken Flautas Another look at them The airport is right next to the water. Spaghetti Carbonara Queso Frito Tortilla Bowl with a chicken breast from the Chicken Milanese Milk Chocolate Cheesecake Warm Chocolate Lava Cake

Yogurt Parfait Half Grapefruit & Orange Segments with Cottage Cheese Loaded Hashbrown Potatoes Eggs to order with assorted sides and bagels (making my own breakfast sandwich) After breakfast, we made our way to Q to play bamboozled. We played on the Breakaway and did horribly. Well we were by ourselves and were really tired. We were excited to try again! Let's do this! I will not give anything away, but I encourage you to participate if on a ship that offers it! We did not win.

Day 7 - Port #4 December 29th, 2022 Location: Castries, St. Lucia Daily Good Morning from the Caribbean Sea! Coffee and Pastries! Relaxing on the Waterfront!

We had a great view of the kitchen. Lobster Bisque Black Tiger Shrimp Trio Wedge with my normal modifications! 20 oz Porterhouse 5 oz Petite Filet Mignon All the sides! Pretty plate! I spy a Tomahawk! Someone was not amused... My naked "OMG" Cheesecake! Seven Layer Chocolate Cake We called it a night. Tomorrow is St. Lucia and an afternoon arrival, so we have time to relax! --

We headed back to the room and relaxed for a bit. Cargo ship in the distance. Arranging the dirty clothes! Another ship! Soon it was time to get ready for pictures! Cagney's was on the docket for tonight!

We headed down to Taste for lunch! Chicken Noodle Soup Wedge Salad with Cheddar and Ranch instead of Blue Cheese. Chicken Quesadilla Tuna Melt Classic Cheeseburger add bacon Cobb Salad After lunch, we went to the Under $500 Art Auction We had a good time. I think my mouth fell open several times over prices. It was a fun experience.

Into "Downtown" So about this time, it started to get really warm. We decided to head back to the ship. Selfie Time! Caterpillars and butterflies Time to get back in the AC! We were both thirsty and Susan was a little hungry. Up to the buffet we went. Afterwards, I wanted a Mojito. Unfortunately, Sugarcane wasn't open yet. Susan decided to get one of the sail and sustain drinks from the waterfront bar. I watched the boats till Sugarcane opened I got my Mojito, and headed back out to the waterfront. pano!

Once we got off the excursion we headed into town. Pano! They had a street market going on in town, so we checked it out. We were on the hunt for something for the travel wall!

So in Bonaire, the building code allows for no building to be built over 4 stories tall. Encore was doing lifeboat drills We covered the glass and headed into the port area. We then got dropped off right by the ship! Here is the video from this excursion!

There was a bit of a chop on the water, but this guy was out fishing in his small boat! Palm trees are not native to Bonaire. Tourists want to see palm trees in the Caribbean, so this resort brought in Palm Trees. So these are the only Palm trees in Bonaire! small boat marina Iguana sunning on the rocks This one is hiding in the shade

We saw a lionfish. Our Captain said that Lionfish are an invasive species here in Bonaire. They have no natural predators. Divers can get permits to capture or kill them. They were either released from captivity or currents brought them into the area. My money is on illegal dumping from a private fish tank.

It was nice to see the underwater view without having to get wet!

We started to see the bottom! The views were incredible! A cloud blocked the sun

Fruit Salad The grapefruits on this cruise were so small and not juicy. I started going with the fruit salad instead. Eggs Benedict with Sausage, bacon, and hashbrowns. Omelet and hashbrowns After breakfast, it was time to meet on the dock for our shore excursion. We were doing the glass bottom boat. Our meeting point was just off the ship. Here comes the excursion boat! The cover was on to keep the glass clean while in the port area. It can get dirty and dusty, so this keeps the glass clean. Here we go! We were heading across to the island across the water from town. The Island is uninhabited and part of the National Park. The water drops off quickly from the shore near the main island of Bonaire. There is more reef over by the island, so we headed across the water. As we were heading over, the Carnival Spirit was arriving into Bonaire. This ship left Miami on the same day as us, but I was getting Deja vu from last July, where the Carnival Spirit followed the Norwegian Spirit all over Alaska. Its stalking us! It was a beautiful day! The temperature was perfect.

Day 6 - Port #3 December 28th, 2022 Location: Kralendijk, Bonaire Daily Good Morning Bonaire!

Thank you! We were really excited to go to the ABC's

thanks! I brought like 5-6 train magazines on this cruise and would read them out on deck in the morning waiting for Susan to join the land of the living. My dad does N Scale model railroading. I don’t have the space nor the funds to do model railroading. I prefer to film trains, so you will see lots of train videos mixed in with the cruise videos on my YouTube channel. I would love to have a garden railroad but somebody I know says no.

You are most welcome! Shore Excursions - for this one, we booked NCL excursions since it was booked later than I normally book cruises. Plus the excursions in the Caribbean are cheaper. Curaçao was NCL’s Taste of Curaçao excursion. When we go to Alaska in a few months it will be a mix of private and NCL excursions. I price compare and it will also depend on where we are at and what we have done in the past and what we want to do this time. Each cruise is different, so the approach will vary. The Spirit cruise last July, had 3 NCL excursions and 2 private excursions. Icy strait point had all 3 NCL excursions, Juneau and Ketchikan were both private. Victoria would have been NCL if the port wasn’t cancelled on us. we do what fits our budget the best!

Menu We ordered the Fudge and Cheesecake Milkshake Abstract picture We ended up in the observation lounge for a night cap It was nice and quiet up here. We headed back to the room and called it a night. Tomorrow is Bonaire and an early arrival. --

Once we finished at the pool, we headed back to the room to get ready for pictures and dinner. Time for dinner in the MDR Shanghai Pork Potstickers Cheddar, Roasted Corn, and Crab Chowder Roma Tomato Salad Pasta E Fagioli Bruschetta Asian Noodle Salad Lemon-Pepper Shrimp New York Steak Dessert menu Nothing jumped out at us, so we decided to head to Coco's to get our milkshake and recreate a previous picture!

We decided to hit the pool since we were warm after walking into town and back. Susan bellying up to the bar for poolside drinks! Susan getting ready to go down the slide!