***GET IT WHILE IT'S HOT!!! A "Springbreakers" Review of the Destiny***

[cdamion]

Everybody start chanting: "more... more... more..."

[CollegeCruizer11]

We set an alarm to wake up at 8 to be ready for Jamaica. We were supposed to be in port from 9-5, but we were docked when I woke up around 7 something. Once again, my throat felt terrible, even worse than the day before. I also had a pretty bad headache. I knew that once June woke up and took a good look at me he would know that something was really wrong and he wouldn't want to get off the ship. I have a really bad habit of saying that I'm ok, when I'm really not and I never stay still long enough to get better on my own. So I decided to sneak up to the lido deck and grab some hot tea to sooth my throat. It was pretty apparent that I was getting sick.

 

Back in the room I drank my tea, and laid down for another twenty minutes or so and felt almost normal again. Then June and I headed up to the Lido for breakfast. We discovered the omelette guy (at the end of the buffet line by the pool) and were thrilled. The only thing is that there are no plates down there and you are supposed to hand him one to put your omelette on. No plates, trays, or silverware. Honestly, there isn't even a place for it. Clearly the omelette line is separate because they have it roped off and running in the opposite direction of the regular line. So we stood and watched and saw that everyone who just wanted the omelette would squeeze thru the buffet line to grab a plate and utensils and then go stand in line for their omelette. So that's what we did, EVERY DAY! Most people were polite and just handed us plates or easily let us thru. It kinda seemed like a running joke that there were no plates for the omelets. No one ever got annoyed or angry about many people cutting in like the people in line at the pizzeria, but I still don't get why they didn't have plates behind the counter like they do when that area is the grille.

 

Anywho, we both got ham, cheese, green peppers and onions, grabbed juice, ate, and took some pictures of the island from the ship. The deck was so packed that we had to eat inside, and were lucky to be walking past a table right when it was being cleaned.

 

Hello Jamaica!!

 

 

 

This ship followed us around. It was also in Grand Cayman the next day and most of the people were European. There ship started all the way in San Francisco and was making its way around... everywhere it seemed. After we finished eating it was about 15 minutes after 9, so we headed back to the room to grab our bags and spending money. We ended up taking our swimsuits, a towel I brought from home, and my water bottle that was filled with apple juice. I'm not sure if we were technically allowed to take the juice off the ship, but my throat was hurting, and it was hot, and I wasn't going to pay 10 bucks every time I wanted water while at port. So in the bag it went.

 

I had been to Jamaica once before (Montego Bay) so I had to give June the "don't stop walking and say no thanks" drill. Unfortunately my mother had my on a wild goose chase for some souvenir she had bought (and later had broke) from our previous trip to Jamaica. So now I was going to have to break my own shopping rules. Grrrr.... I packed about 60 bucks, in small bills, inside an envelope, inside a ziplock, inside my bag. LOL. I didn't have any pockets, and didn't want it to get wet at the beach. I also didn't want to give it to June in case something happened and his money "disappeared" we would still be ok. Not that I was that worried, I just didn't want all my eggs in the same basket.

 

At about 9:30 we headed down the stairs to deck zero. It was very easy to get off the ship, there wasn't even a line. We stopped for the photo on the way off the ship, and for once DIDN'T BUY IT! Believe me, June wanted to, but when I told him he was going to run out of money for funship specials, he changed his mind. We walked the five minute walk up to the welcome visitors area, and got these pictures.

 

 

 

And then I heard, "Hey mon... come over here for a picture." Oh gosh, I thought, here we go. Then June, the guy who used to HATE pictures said "Cmon babe, let do it." Of course the Jamaican man heard him, and now we were stuck. Well, I'm actually happy we took the picture! I had no idea the ship would be in the background! They printed it off in about a minute, and charged us five bucks for it. Better than 12 bucks on the ship, and that one didnt even have the ship in the back.

 

Here it is, not bad for five bucks!

 

 

We kept walking, trying to find a cab to Dunns River Falls. I decided that we would just go hang out there for the day since I couldnt find anything else for us to do. Neither of us wanted to climb the falls, just take pictures and hang out on the beach. We made it to a parking lot and then just stood looking clueless and a couple minutes later were added onto a van with people on a tour. The tour was a DRF and shopping tour and was mostly people from another ship. June and I paid 10 dollars each (roundtrip) and both got to sit in the front with the driver, Leroy. Cool! Along the way Leroy told us all about Ocho Rios, and many of its attractions. There were also two women on the van who were the other groups tour guides. We stopped at a little shack by the road for everyone who was climbing to purchase or rent some water shoes for 7 dollars.

 

 

Once we reached the Falls the two tour guides took everyone's money (15pp) to go and buy our tickets to get in the park. Many people in the group were uncomfortable with handing over their money and waiting on the bus for them to return. The guides explained that the lines were very long and that they had a special line for tour guides to purchase tickets. Sounded good to me (you know how i hate those lines) So June gave her thirty bucks for the both of us, as did most of the other's. One couple wanted to pay by credit card, so they had to go wait in line themselves, and another refused to hand over their cash, so they had to wait in line as well. After waiting on the cool air conditioned bus for about 10 minutes, the guides were back with our wristbands. The only instructions we were given was to be back in the parking lot at 1, so Leroy could pick us up, and off we went.

[CollegeCruizer11]

That is so awesome. My congrats to you!

 

Am loving your review - Thank you for taking the time to share it with us.

 

Thank you both :D

 

Will you tell us what your first choice law school is? I'd like to imagine you in the correct law library.

 

Im going to Wayne State University in downtown Detroit. It's perfect because it is a good law school, I can afford it, I'll be close to June, and I can get into some urban planning down the line. :)

 

Congrats on another acceptance letter!

 

Thanks!

 

GREAT REVIEW from another young cruiser! congrats on law school! I took the eastern route on the Destiny in nov. & she still looks good as ever, now I have to try the western(you guys made it sound really fun)

 

She did look good for the most part! There was an issue at the end of the Jamaica day! Stay tuned.

 

I am loving this review.......you are goind a fantastic job. Congrats on your acceptance letters. I just found this review and have sat here and read the whole thing, after finally running the kids out and turning the TV down...lol

You and your sweetie make a cute couple....

I can't wait to read more........

 

LOVE this review!!

And congrats on the acceptance letter girlie!!!

 

Thank you! I'm glad you are both enjoying it!

 

Everybody start chanting: "more... more... more..."

 

more....more...more is coming! Jamaica day will be done before I go to bed. :o

[ATL2LAS]

That is a great pic of you and June. Congrats on the first of many acceptance letters. Can't wait for the next installment:D

[MistyRo76]

Great Review! I am thouroughly enjoying it. And congrats on your acceptance to law school. Can't wait to read the rest. My BF and I are taking our first cruise together. But it'll be my 13th, so I am definitely used to be the planner. He's got the easy job....he just has to show up! :) But I love the planning stage (and it does get easier and less nerve wracking), so I don't mind it one bit.

 

I love LMT and also used it to book the Intercontinental. I've stayed there once before and it definitely has spoiled me!

 

Eagerly awaiting the rest of your review!

 

Misty

[smeck]

Pre- Cruise: Florida

We landed at FLL at exactly 4:05. On the way to baggage claim I called SAS, the company we arranged to transport us to Miami. A guy named Steve answered and I explained about our flight delays. He said that he already knew about the delays and not to worry, they would be there for us. He then told me to call him after we collected our bags. After watching the baggage carousal go ‘round an ‘round, June eventually picked his boring black suitcase from the sea of boring black suitcases, and I called Steve again. He instructed us to go outside and wait under the Delta sign.

 

And wait we did. Wait… and wait… and WAIT! Do I sound impatient?? But seriously, I began to think we were in the wrong place. After waiting around the airport, we were just ready to get our vacation started. Since I love palm trees, I used this time to take pics of some.

 

 

Almost 40 minutes later, our van pulled up and we were headed to Miami. Here it is, thru the window.

 

 

 

**More about SAS for those of you who don’t know**

They take you from FLL to any hotel in downtown Miami, or the Port of Miami, for 15pp (or 13pp if you are a group of 4). They will also pick you up from the POM and take you back to FLL. I guess I have mixed feelings about SAS. The good parts are that booking online was easy, they monitor flights for delays, and are cheap. The bad parts are we had a long wait on the way to Miami, and on the way back. Would I use them again? Yes! Am I satisfied for the service I received for 30 bucks round-trip? Yup!

 

Questions for you guys?

Have you used a shuttle service, or rented a car, from FLL to Miami? What service did you use? How was your experience?

 

Our Hotel:

 

 

Find out more about this awesome 4.5 star hotel, and how I booked it for half the regular price.... tomorrow. sleep is needed now.

I generally look for hotels that have cruise packages that provide transportation from airport-hotel-pier-airport. their are many packages that provide said transportation.

[smc0320]

LOVED your review so far...we'll be on her in less than 6 months....just need to add one thing.....GO BUCKS!!!!!!! O-H-

[hayesktrm]

Can't wait to hear more. If I can't go on a cruise this year, it's sure fun to hear about other people's.

 

Congrats on law school!

[luv cruising 007]

OOOHHHH I will stay tuned then! great review extension lol! jamaica sounds fun havent done jamaica yet! In 7 cruises dunno how i avoided jamaica!

[CollegeCruizer11]

As promised, here is the rest of Jamaica before I go to bed. NO I STILL HAVEN'T BEEN TO BED! Gotta love staying up all night. Sorry in advance if there are any typos, im operating on no sleep. I will respond to all your posts after I take a nap!

 

Dunns:

 

After the tour guides returned with our wrist bands we were free to go. Since June and I weren't climbing the falls we walked into the park and towards the steps. Those who were using a guide formed a line at the top of the steps to be taken to the base of the falls. It was a pretty long walk down the stairs, with lots of places to stop and take pictures. Here are several that we took.

 

Towards the top

 

Chain-o-Climbers

 

Getting Steeper

 

Towards the Middle

 

At the bottom:

 

It took about 15-20 minutes to get from the top to the bottom, with the picture stops. It was pretty steep downhill and I wasn't looking forward to climbing back up. But I was thrilled when I saw the beach. I thought it was great! It was my first time on a real beach, if you dont count Lake Michigan. On all my other cruises we did island excursions. In hindsight (after visiting 7 mile beach) this beach wasn't the greatest. The sand was a little rocky and the water was dirty at the base of the falls. But the further away from the falls you went the better the beach got. After some searching we found the changing rooms to put on our swimsuits. They were DISGUSTING!!! I have never been in such a gross place in my life! They were dirty, dark (no light except the sun coming through the stall) and smelly. They were also a little isolated from everything else. I made June stand outside the stall door while I tried to change with out touching the floor. I gave up after I got my bikini bottoms on and didn't bother staying to put on my top. It smelled very strongly of urine! I didnt want to touch anything or sit my stuff down. June decided not to put on his swimming trunks after assessing the state of the changing rooms and decided to be my picture taker while I played in the sand. :)

 

June's pics coming up next.

[sunset785]

I am absolutely loving your review! We were on the Destiny in July on the Western Carribean route. We LOVED it and had a blast. We've also been to Jamaica for land vacations two times, but have yet to make it Ocho Rios for Dunn's River. Now, because of your review, I need to convince DH to make it to Jamaica again :-)

[CollegeCruizer11]

Here are some pictures June took.

 

My sand writing

 

The beach:

You can tell how uncrowded it was with everyone climbing the falls

 

See how clear the water is here:

 

...compared to here:

 

BIG DIFFERENCE! We stayed on the beach for about an hour, I endured the changing room again, and then we made the steep climb up the stairs. While walking up the stairs June's shoe came untied, so he moved to the edge of the stairs to tie it. I walked less than two feet away to get some last photos of the falls and a group of Jamaican guys made some comments about me and how I should stay in Jamaica which made June pretty upset. So the rest of the day I couldnt move an inch without June closely behind, which was fine by me.

 

Once at the top we had to conquer the dreaded craft area. The only reason I went thru the craft area was to find that "thing" for my mom. Next time I will just walk back thru the entrance. I did see workers directing people thru the craft area, but I will never go through that again. So I would probably just play stupid tourist and keep walking next time.

 

Anyway I gave June the best description of the "thing" that I could and told him not to stop walking unless he saw it. So off we went. Everything was fine for the first five minutes or so. We walked fast and avoided contact. I learned this strategy while trying to walk across campus without having 100 flyers shoved in my hands. Each day a ton of student representatives stand in the center of campus with arms full of flyers ready to thrust them upon the nearest unsuspecting freshman. On we went with no issue down the hill until I saw a bracelet my niece would like. So we stopped at the tent and I was told it was five dollars. He was happy when I gave him three and off we went again.

 

It was at that point that I realized I had made a BIG mistake! Once they see you buy something, they pressure you even more. Just walking past wasn't enough anymore. You had to be really firm. Another five minutes had past and June was annoyed and I ws thinking "How the heck do we get outta here?" Then June thought he spotted the "thing" my mom wanted so we stopped again. Turned out it wasnt it so we were all set to keep walking when we were stopped by the man running that tent. Now im all for being friendly, but when it comes to Jamaica I don't volunteer any information. They will use it against you to trap you and sell you stuff. Sure enough this guy asked where we are from and I say NOTHING. June looks at me and I shake my head in a "dont do it" type of way, but he doesn't listen and tells the man we are from Michigan.

 

Great. Now we were trapped. The man goes on to say that he has been to Michigan before, YEA SURE HE HAS, and that he has a cousin that likes in GRAND ARBOR! Where??? Anyway so now June is talking to this guy about the make believe town of Grand Arbor and I'm ready to go. I'm annoyed because I know this guy is going to sell us something, and I'm starting to feel sick again. After a couple of minutes June catches on that this guy is just making conversation to sell stuff and tells him that he didn't have what we are looking for and we would be on our way.

 

Mr. Grand Arbor isnt having that so he asks more questions. He asked if we enjoyed the falls, the beach, the island, the weather, the taxi ride to the falls, about the ship, EVERYTHING! June kept giving answers, so I sat on a tree stump and decided to let the situation play out to teach June a lesson. He doesn't want to listen to me? Fine. Finally the man asks if we have been to Jamaica before and June says no. So he pulls out two of hose infamous wood carvings and says they are a gift for us since it was our first time in Jamaica. I decide to throw him for a loop and tell him that I have indeed been to Jamaica before, so I have no need for the little wood guy. This stumps him for a second and he then says that June still gets one, but it won't be complete without the other. They are a pair you see, just like June and I, he says. So he hands one to June, which he gladly accepts despite my warning, and holds one out to me. I just stood there and looked at him and asked how much he intended on charging for the "gift." Mr. Grand Arbor knew that I was onto him so he only talked to June after that. Fine by me, June will have to learn the hard way!

 

June says "cmon babe they're free." To which I reply "uh huh" and go back to sitting on my stump. He asks for our names and carves them into the stupid wood things and halfway thru the second says, "yea mon... these wood carving go for 50 dollars each downtown, but since I like you, you can give me 30 dollars for the set." SMH. June gives me that "you were right" look and then I had to step again. There was no way I was letting June spend 30 bucks that I could use in the casino later. So I told the guy we would give him ten bucks. He looked angry but I wasn't going to back down. Finally he said he would take 15. Whatever. I told June he could throw away he hard earned money on the free gifts he just had to have. That morning I told June to take a small amount of cash to shore, and small bills only. Of course, he didnt listen AGAIN and took all his cash. The 20's were on the outside, and Mr. Grand Arbor said he would take the 20 and give us some free necklaces. Gosh June. But its his money so whatever.

 

Once we finally reached the parking lot June jokingly and if I wanted a free necklace. I was about ready to punch him but when I turned around he had like 12 necklaces in his hand. He said while the Grand Arbor guy was busy pocketing his 20 he had dropped a bunch of necklaces. So you just picked them up, I asked??? "Well yea... they were "free" right" he said. Yeah...ok.

 

By this time it was 12:45 and we were supposed to meet our driver at 1. So we wandered the packed parking lot looking for our bus. He saw us first, honked the horn, and onboard we went. We sat and sat and sat until one and no one else showed up. Hmmm.... surely we couldnt be the only ones with enough common sense to look where all the buses were for our bus. Leroy, the driver, got out and sure enough most of the group was standing a ways down the sidewalk. Once they loaded up it was clear we were missing two people. Leroy looked for them, some of the other group members looked for them, and they were no where to be found. At 1:30 some of the group started to gang up on Leroy and try and convince him to leave the couple, which he didnt want to do. He said he was going to have one more look around and if he didnt see them then we would leave. Around 1:40 the couple was seen wandering the lot, and we signaled for them to come on the bus. But now Leroy was lost looking for them, so another group member went to find Leroy. Finally at about 1:50 we were headed back to the ship.

 

The group was going shopping, but June and I had enough of that so we were dropped off at the port area. We went thru customs, back to the ship, and straight to deck 9 for a burger. I was feeling really sick by this time, but food made it a little better. Then I realized I forgot to buy postcards so we had to go back off the ship. I just walked straight until I saw a souvenir like store, bought the postcards, turned around and went straight back on the ship. All in a matter of 15 minutes. Then we decided to hang out in the jacuzzi since they were empty for a couple hours. The hot water helped my body aches, and then we grabbed a scoop of icecream and found some deck chairs to wait for sail away. Well next thing I knew, Jamaica was off in the distance, because we had both dozed off on deck! We went back to the room to change for dinner around 6:30, and June could tell I was really sick.

 

He was all prepared to make me stay in bed and go get us food from the buffet but I wasnt having it. I guess I had a head cold because I was feeling congested and coughing and stuff. But off to dinner we went. Before we left, we decided to hide Elijah the elephant in a cupboard so that he wouldn't be murdered like Sammy the seal. That night was the first night I asked for no bread to be brought to the table and the wait staff seemed baffled by this. We ended up with bread anyway! I ordered a caesar salad,a flat iron steak, and the tiramisu. The salad was nothing special, but the tiramisu was amazing!!! I also ordered a cappuccino for my throat that I enjoyed. My steak, which I ordered medium well was waaaaaaaaaaaay to red for my taste but I didnt bother sending it back because I wasn't that hungry anyway. Can't remember what June ate that night.

 

After dinner we went straight to bed, June's orders. Elijah Elephant was still safe in the cabinet, and he had a new friend, sparky.

 

[LDR]

Loving your review! I was on Destiny in 2004 and 2009. She was parked in front of the Imagination last week when we boarded for our spring break cruise:)

 

We also flew into FLL and used SAS. They called me just as I was dialing their number and they were there in 10 minutes, same thing after the cruise. I loved them! We also stayed at the Intercontinental-there was a four door Porsche sedan outside then that was spectacular!

 

Can't wait to read more....

[Turtle31]

Great update !! When we go on our cruise this October we have decided NOT to get off the ship in Jamacia. My DH would not have the patience for any of that shop stuff, and I really have no interest in going to the falls with my kids. I think this will be a good day to go to the spa or use the water slides. I have to say it was great that June got a couple extra free necklaces ;).

 

And thanks for the tip about the disappearing animals -- We will have to remember to hide ours so they can stay the week with us.

[CollegeCruizer11]

Great update !! When we go on our cruise this October we have decided NOT to get off the ship in Jamacia. My DH would not have the patience for any of that shop stuff, and I really have no interest in going to the falls with my kids. I think this will be a good day to go to the spa or use the water slides. I have to say it was great that June got a couple extra free necklaces ;).

 

And thanks for the tip about the disappearing animals -- We will have to remember to hide ours so they can stay the week with us.

 

I think I would recommend getting off the ship, depending on the age of your children. I was a little frightened when we went when I was 12. However, I learned many valuable lessons on that trip. After we were back on the ship my mom explained that there are different cultures, who live in very different ways than American's. No one's way is right or wrong, just different. I don't think that message would've sunk in if I hadn't witnessed it in Jamaica. And coming from a pretty well off family, Jamaica was the first time I had actually seem poverty. After that trip my family and I got more involved with helping the poor in our community.

 

All that being said, you are certainly entitled to your own opinion. I think after going to Jamaica twice, I am done, but I would've really regretted not going once. If you happen to reconsider, just find a fun excursion and employ my tactic (keep moving, dont make eye contact, say no thanks firmly) and your family will be fine.

 

About the towel animals, you could also talk to your room steward about leaving them. Our room steward was just a strange guy. I wonder what he thought when the animals kept disappearing?

 

Loving your review! I was on Destiny in 2004 and 2009. She was parked in front of the Imagination last week when we boarded for our spring break cruise:)

 

We also flew into FLL and used SAS. They called me just as I was dialing their number and they were there in 10 minutes, same thing after the cruise. I loved them! We also stayed at the Intercontinental-there was a four door Porsche sedan outside then that was spectacular!

 

Can't wait to read more....

 

I agree with the hotel! LOVED IT. I think I will give SAS another try, after all our flight was 3 hours late, and we got where we needed to go.

 

I am absolutely loving your review! We were on the Destiny in July on the Western Carribean route. We LOVED it and had a blast. We've also been to Jamaica for land vacations two times, but have yet to make it Ocho Rios for Dunn's River. Now, because of your review, I need to convince DH to make it to Jamaica again :-)

 

I'm sure you will enjoy it! If you do a land based trip, try to go when there are no ships in port. I'm certain it will be much more peaceful.

 

OOOHHHH I will stay tuned then! great review extension lol! jamaica sounds fun havent done jamaica yet! In 7 cruises dunno how i avoided jamaica!

 

HAHA. How in the world have you managed not to go to Jamaica! You will get very polarized views on it. I'm somewhere in the middle. I dont hate it and I dont love it.

 

Can't wait to hear more. If I can't go on a cruise this year, it's sure fun to hear about other people's.

 

Congrats on law school!

 

Thank you. This site has me determined to cruise at least once a year. Not sure if I will make it on a law student's budget but im trying. I'm thinking of asking my family for a cruise for Christmas next year...

 

LOVED your review so far...we'll be on her in less than 6 months....just need to add one thing.....GO BUCKS!!!!!!! O-H-

 

Thanks... and umm.... sure if you say so. NOT!

 

Great Review! I am thouroughly enjoying it. And congrats on your acceptance to law school. Can't wait to read the rest. My BF and I are taking our first cruise together. But it'll be my 13th, so I am definitely used to be the planner. He's got the easy job....he just has to show up! :) But I love the planning stage (and it does get easier and less nerve wracking), so I don't mind it one bit.

 

I love LMT and also used it to book the Intercontinental. I've stayed there once before and it definitely has spoiled me!

 

Eagerly awaiting the rest of your review!

 

Misty

 

YES! I am worried that I will have to stay at IC every time I go to Miami now!

 

That is a great pic of you and June. Congrats on the first of many acceptance letters. Can't wait for the next installment:D

 

Thank you!

 

I generally look for hotels that have cruise packages that provide transportation from airport-hotel-pier-airport. their are many packages that provide said transportation.

 

I tried, but couldn't find any that would do that from FLL to the POM.

[CollegeCruizer11]

So after we introduced Sparky to Elijah we decided they would be a great place to keep our sunglasses.

 

 

There was a show playing on the TV about how to play casino games that June and I decided to watch. I had been to the casino tons of times, but never actually played any games. The show talked about craps, blackjack, poker, and roulette. Roulette seemed the most simple, so I decided I would have to try my luck at that later in the week. June already knew how to play craps, but still learned something new and agreed that we would make it to the casino once I felt better.

 

My throat was really hurting so June went up to the lido to get my some tea. He forgot the sugar, and even though I told him it was ok, he wanted to get it for me. So back up he went. While he was gone I kept hearing a strange noise. It went "drip... drip...drip." Hmmm... well I didn't feel like getting up, so I decided to have June check it out when he came back. He was taking alot longer this time and i kept hearing the noise. drip. drip. drip. Grrrrr... So I got up and went into the bathroom. Checked the shower, nope it was off completely. Checked the sink, no dripping there either. Was there a crack in my tea cup? Nope. And then it stopped. So I got back in bed and June came back with my tea. I drank it while we re-watched the welcome aboard show and then I heard it again. drip. drip. drip. drip. "June, do you hear that???" Of course he didn't hear it and thought I was crazy! Then it got louder! DRIP! DRIP! DRIP! That time he heard it. So he got up and checked all the things in the bathroom, as I had done and couldn't find where it was coming from. Then it went from drips to a steady stream. DRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP DRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP DRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP! So we turned on the lights and followed the sound to the door, looked up, and our ceiling was leaking! WTH? We watched it for a second trying to decide if we should call someone about it before deciding that it wasn't that serious and going to bed. That was mildly entertaining, and in the morning the puddle on the floor was dried up and there was no more dripping!

 

Grand Cayman tomorrow.

[Lovharvey]

Great update !! When we go on our cruise this October we have decided NOT to get off the ship in Jamacia. My DH would not have the patience for any of that shop stuff, and I really have no interest in going to the falls with my kids. I think this will be a good day to go to the spa or use the water slides. I have to say it was great that June got a couple extra free necklaces ;).

 

And thanks for the tip about the disappearing animals -- We will have to remember to hide ours so they can stay the week with us.

 

 

Just ask your room steward to leave them and they will. My last couple of cuises, I have asked them to leave them so I could get a group picture at the end of the cruise. You'll need to be sure to ask when you get to your room after boarding.

[gradmabee]

Your review has been so enjoyable. We are on this same cruise April 9 and wondering what was the weather like? Wasn't sure what the temps would be there. Thanks so much in advance.:)

[luv cruising 007]

good to hear the leak stopped! maybe Sparky or Elijah fixed it in the middle of the night :)

[DRZ]

Very good review so far! I also enjoy your writing style, and find it refreshing/interesting to finally read a review from a younger cruiser. Keep it up!!!

[TheGrandparents]

Excellent!

 

You should make a video review and put it on Youtube.

[missmay80]

This review is making me so excited about our upcoming cruise from Miami to the Western Caribbean. Keep it coming!

[hayesktrm]

Come back and give us more!

[CollegeCruizer11]

We woke up SUPER early on Grand Cayman day (around 5:30) and watched as we approached the island. When we stopped moving June said, "hey, why are we stopping in the middle of the water?" I explained to him that we had to tender to the island, which he wasn't too thrilled about. I was pretty nervous to because he gets motion sickness pretty easily. I was actually amazed he hadn't gotten sea sick at all! Then we watched a little tv, dozed off a couple times, and went up for breakfast around 7:30. I was feeling much better, thanks to June making me rest, and only had a slight cough. Once again, we cut thru the buffet line to get plates, and then waited in the omelette line. June had his regular orange juice, but I decided to try the guava, papaya, tropical juice drink. I didn't care for it at all. It was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to sweet. So I went back to apple juice. We never found a table, since it was so packed on the lido, and ended up eating at the bar.

 

Around 8, the time they were letting people off, we headed back to our room to pack the backpack. In one bag went money, my water bottle full of apple juice, and swimsuits, and in the other bag we took towels. I packed the towel I brought from home to throw in the sand and one carnival one for June and I to dry off with. And then we headed down the steps to deck zero. We didnt get very far, because the line to get off the ship went all the way from deck 0, and up the steps, and down the hall of deck 1. We decided to wait it out and it surprisingly moved very fast. Within five or six minutes we were headed down the steps to the tender. It was SUPER windy, and therefore SUPER wavy that day, so getting on the tender took a while because it wouldn't stay still. So after about 15 minutes, we were full and headed off to the island. Here are some pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

Also in port that day was the Valor, it think.

 

 

And.... ????

 

[CollegeCruizer11]

Your review has been so enjoyable. We are on this same cruise April 9 and wondering what was the weather like? Wasn't sure what the temps would be there. Thanks so much in advance.:)

 

In Miami it was around 75 in the evening, and pretty breezy. Embarkation day, it was very humid and 83 degrees. I remember the exact number because I kept rubbing it in to everyone stuck in Michigan. Jamaica was high 80's and Grand Cayman was low to mid 80's. THE WATER WAS FREEZING! But we still spent an entire day swimming around.

 

good to hear the leak stopped! maybe Sparky or Elijah fixed it in the middle of the night :)

 

Those towel animals are sneaky!!

 

Very good review so far! I also enjoy your writing style, and find it refreshing/interesting to finally read a review from a younger cruiser. Keep it up!!!

 

Thank you!!

 

Excellent!

 

You should make a video review and put it on Youtube.

 

Thanks but im not nearly as fun on camera! LOL

 

This review is making me so excited about our upcoming cruise from Miami to the Western Caribbean. Keep it coming!

 

Thank you! I hope you enjoy your trip!

 

Come back and give us more!

 

I'm back! Life got crazy! Between finishing up at UofM, getting ready for law school, trying to find an apartment, and furniture, I didn't have time to check in with you guys, :(