Norwegian Spirit Review - 12/18/11 - 12/25/11

[cruisinmeme]

You have menu for day 3.... Any other menu's available? We quill be on spirit next week and trying to figure what night doesn't appeal to us, so we can eat at specialty

[margaretevanescence]

Woke up at 6am and ate a small breakfast! I was so excited for today because today was the day to visit the orphanage!

 

Freestyle Daily for the day

 

A few weeks ago Chris told me on cruise critic that he was going to visit the orphanage and I thought that was a great idea to do on a vacation. He was doing a private tour to take him and his wife to a local grocery store and buy tons of groceries for the children at the orphanage. Sadly, because of personal reasons they were unable to go on the cruise but I decided to continue their plan and go to the orphanage. I made plans with another cruise critic member and his family to go instead.

 

Thank you Chris for that idea and I am so happy I went. Hopefully sometime soon you will be able to make the trip to visit the beautiful children of Roatan.

 

Around 8ish in the morning me and my aunt met up with Gibby and his family and did the Victor Bodden tour. In case you are unfamiliar with them they do private tours on the island. They send you wherever you want to go and give you interesting facts about the island. This is great because you get to know your tour guide at a more personal level.

 

Our tour guide was very sweet and the driver was excellent.

 

I think her name was Lione. She was very informative and said many interesting facts about the island.

 

We went to the local grocery store near the port and did grocery shopping. I had brought a list of items for the children to make it easier to go shopping.

 

Gibby and I also brought items from home, I brought some toothbrushes and he brought some soccer balls and footballs.

 

At the grocery store Lione was wonderful. She walked around with me to help me get the good deals and convert the money into American dollars. I actually have a copy of the receipt. Notice the difference in prices! I am soooo happy this what NOT in American dollars!

 

 

We left the grocery store and headed out to the orphanage. The children were lovely. We immediately saw the children as the van pulled up. They were playing outside. Most of the children were boys. I think there were 23 children, 21 boys and 2 girls.

 

 

The children helped us take groceries into the building. They were so helpful and sweet. One of the people in our group asked if they were up for adoption and Lione said they were but it sometimes takes a long time to get paperwork finalized.

 

As soon as Gibby pulled out the soccer balls and footballs from his bag the children went crazy. They were swarming him, begging for him to hand over a ball. They immediately started playing. Gibby's nephews played with the children immediately as if they were already friends. It is funny how quickly children get along.

 

They told us what it was like living there, like the problems the children had face daily. They said that teachers get paid so low there that a lot of times they do not even show up for work. Children have protested just for someone to teach them. They said teachers are suppose to make $600 a month but they usually end up making $250 per month.

 

Substitute teachers don't exist there and so when a teacher doesn't show up for work children just sit in the classrooms all day alone until school is over.

 

They also said the mainland of Honduras is very dangerous, but the island is fairly safe because of the churches and a person would have to take a ferry to get to the island.

 

Also, a lot of the schools are run by churches. We also, met another couple there that visits there every month. They were from Texas. They told us that they are working a lot in the area to try to help the people and the children. The woman mentioned to me about doing missionary teaching after I told her I am going to school to be a middle school math and social studies teacher. I wanted to say yes so bad, maybe one day I will.

 

I will post a video which will include us going grocery shopping, the orphanage, the tour guide, the restaurant (you will never guess what I ate), and the monkey tour (wait til I tell you about that tour, it was amazing)!

[margaretevanescence]

You have menu for day 3.... Any other menu's available? We quill be on spirit next week and trying to figure what night doesn't appeal to us, so we can eat at specialty

 

No, I am sorry but I do not have another menu. They were pretty much the same every day. Every time I ate at Windows I had Penne Alfredo pasta which was wonderful. But then again that is what I usually eat when I go out, lol.

 

There is a menu posted outside of each restaurant so you can walk by to see what you like.

[jdvmd]

Woke up at 6am and ate a small breakfast! I was so excited for today because today was the day to visit the orphanage!

 

Freestyle Daily for the day

 

A few weeks ago Chris told me on cruise critic that he was going to visit the orphanage and I thought that was a great idea to do on a vacation. He was doing a private tour to take him and his wife to a local grocery store and buy tons of groceries for the children at the orphanage. Sadly, because of personal reasons they were unable to go on the cruise but I decided to continue their plan and go to the orphanage. I made plans with another cruise critic member and his family to go instead.

 

Thank you Chris for that idea and I am so happy I went. Hopefully sometime soon you will be able to make the trip to visit the beautiful children of Roatan.

 

Around 8ish in the morning me and my aunt met up with Gibby and his family and did the Victor Bodden tour. In case you are unfamiliar with them they do private tours on the island. They send you wherever you want to go and give you interesting facts about the island. This is great because you get to know your tour guide at a more personal level.

 

Our tour guide was very sweet and the driver was excellent.

 

I think her name was Lione. She was very informative and said many interesting facts about the island.

 

We went to the local grocery store near the port and did grocery shopping. I had brought a list of items for the children to make it easier to go shopping.

 

Gibby and I also brought items from home, I brought some toothbrushes and he brought some soccer balls and footballs.

 

At the grocery store Lione was wonderful. She walked around with me to help me get the good deals and convert the money into American dollars. I actually have a copy of the receipt. Notice the difference in prices! I am soooo happy this what NOT in American dollars!

 

 

We left the grocery store and headed out to the orphanage. The children were lovely. We immediately saw the children as the van pulled up. They were playing outside. Most of the children were boys. I think there were 23 children, 21 boys and 2 girls.

 

 

The children helped us take groceries into the building. They were so helpful and sweet. One of the people in our group asked if they were up for adoption and Lione said they were but it sometimes takes a long time to get paperwork finalized.

 

As soon as Gibby pulled out the soccer balls and footballs from his bag the children went crazy. They were swarming him, begging for him to hand over a ball. They immediately started playing. Gibby's nephews played with the children immediately as if they were already friends. It is funny how quickly children get along.

 

They told us what it was like living there, like the problems the children had face daily. They said that teachers get paid so low there that a lot of times they do not even show up for work. Children have protested just for someone to teach them. They said teachers are suppose to make $600 a month but they usually end up making $250 per month.

 

Substitute teachers don't exist there and so when a teacher doesn't show up for work children just sit in the classrooms all day alone until school is over.

 

They also said the mainland of Honduras is very dangerous, but the island is fairly safe because of the churches and a person would have to take a ferry to get to the island.

 

Also, a lot of the schools are run by churches. We also, met another couple there that visits there every month. They were from Texas. They told us that they are working a lot in the area to try to help the people and the children. The woman mentioned to me about doing missionary teaching after I told her I am going to school to be a middle school math and social studies teacher. I wanted to say yes so bad, maybe one day I will.

 

I will post a video which will include us going grocery shopping, the orphanage, the tour guide, the restaurant (you will never guess what I ate), and the monkey tour (wait til I tell you about that tour, it was amazing)!

 

What a wonderful thing you did. I have brought school supplies before to orphanages but think the grocery idea would serve a much greater need. Keep the wonderful review coming.

[probuilder2007]

First of all thanks for the great review, the pics, the daily's, the great writing, all excellent and I do appreciate it all.

 

I will be on the Spirit for the Jan 8 sailing and can't wait.

 

I see you are from Niceville, I'm sure the town only welcomes your like and type people! I am here in Pensacola, but our beaches are also nice!

Born in Fort walton Beach though so am familiar with your beautiful area.

 

Thanks again for the wonderful review.:)

[margaretevanescence]

First of all thanks for the great review, the pics, the daily's, the great writing, all excellent and I do appreciate it all.

 

I will be on the Spirit for the Jan 8 sailing and can't wait.

 

I see you are from Niceville, I'm sure the town only welcomes your like and type people! I am here in Pensacola, but our beaches are also nice!

Born in Fort walton Beach though so am familiar with your beautiful area.

 

Thanks again for the wonderful review.:)

 

You are so sweet. Thank you so much for reading.

 

This is a small world. I go to school in Pensacola, University of West Florida, and I know your area very well and have been to your beaches a few times.

 

If you have any questions about the Spirit before you sail let me know I will be happy to help.

[margaretevanescence]

Here is the first video of Day 5. This video includes meeting our tour guides, taking a tour of the country, grocery store shopping, and the children's home. To view just click on the picture below and the video will open up in a different window.

 

[SpoonerCruizer]

:DI have enjoyed reading your review and the videos that have been posted. They are getting my wife and I ready for our cruise on the Spirit on Mar 11th. Keep it going.

[margaretevanescence]

After we left the orphanage we headed out to get something to eat. Gibby requested we go to a restaurant that wasn't common for the tourist, in other words a popular joint that locals usually just dine at.

 

It was a cozy restaurant and you won't believe what I ate! Iguana! Yuppers, I sure did and you know what it was wonderful. I think it was better than chicken! It tasted a little like chicken and turkey and something else. Can't really describe it but trust me you would want some! Funny thing, I was craving for some iguana yesterday but I don't think I can get any here in Niceville.

 

Don't worry I have pictures! First two pictures shows the restaurant. The third is the wonderful iguana dish. A sample plate only cost $3! Oh and a bottle of water....only $1!

 

 

The fun didn't stop there, oh no, we did the monkey tour. The place was owned by Victor Bodden. He has a huge lot with zip-lining and a mini zoo! Monkey tour cost only $5. We walked around and saw different species of monkeys. We also saw some birds, deer, and other animals in a totally different category. Can't remember the name, anyways it was a blast.

 

After we walked around some cages our tour guide opened the door to one of the monkey cages and told us to step inside. That is when we saw the cutest, most precious, little poopies I ever did see. Baby capuchin monkeys! I of course took pictures! I also have them on video which I will post ASAP!

 

We also went inside the cage of adult capuchin monkeys. They didn't mind jumping on us at all! They were a little heavier and a little more bolder. If they see something they wanted they would take it!

 

The animals were pretty safe as long as you listen to the guide very carefully. None of us had gotten bitten because we were obedient. If you try to take something away from the monkeys they will bite so we had to let them take it. I decided to take off my earrings and I held on to my purse for dear life. But still one of them managed to open my purse up and take out one of my earrings I placed in there earlier. Smart little things. Luckily they didn't want them and threw it on the ground.

 

The funniest thing was a monkey took a woman's hat, can't remember her name, and decided to put it on his head. It was hilarious! He just carried it around with him! Finally they were able to get her hat back.

 

Okay okay here are the pictures I know you wanna see the cute little pumpkins. I wanted to take one home so bad. And you know what they were not stinky, they smelt good, like shampoo. They were well taken care of.

 

[margaretevanescence]

Here is the video of Victor Bodden's Monkey Tour! Click on the picture below and the video will open in a different window.

 

[crew mom]

Who is your son and what does he do? I will make a special point of looking for him. Mandy

He's the Production Manager on the Spirit. He's usually in the Stardust. He's the tall American guy. Just tell him that you're on Cruise Critic.

[crew mom]

Woke up at 6am and ate a small breakfast! I was so excited for today because today was the day to visit the orphanage!

DS was supposed to go to one of the orphanages on Thurs also. The crew had Christmas gifts for the kids.

[christiecruise]

Woke up at 6am and ate a small breakfast! I was so excited for today because today was the day to visit the orphanage!

 

Freestyle Daily for the day

 

A few weeks ago Chris told me on cruise critic that he was going to visit the orphanage and I thought that was a great idea to do on a vacation. He was doing a private tour to take him and his wife to a local grocery store and buy tons of groceries for the children at the orphanage. Sadly, because of personal reasons they were unable to go on the cruise but I decided to continue their plan and go to the orphanage. I made plans with another cruise critic member and his family to go instead.

 

Thank you Chris for that idea and I am so happy I went. Hopefully sometime soon you will be able to make the trip to visit the beautiful children of Roatan.

 

Around 8ish in the morning me and my aunt met up with Gibby and his family and did the Victor Bodden tour. In case you are unfamiliar with them they do private tours on the island. They send you wherever you want to go and give you interesting facts about the island. This is great because you get to know your tour guide at a more personal level.

 

Our tour guide was very sweet and the driver was excellent.

 

I think her name was Lione. She was very informative and said many interesting facts about the island.

 

We went to the local grocery store near the port and did grocery shopping. I had brought a list of items for the children to make it easier to go shopping.

 

Gibby and I also brought items from home, I brought some toothbrushes and he brought some soccer balls and footballs.

 

At the grocery store Lione was wonderful. She walked around with me to help me get the good deals and convert the money into American dollars. I actually have a copy of the receipt. Notice the difference in prices! I am soooo happy this what NOT in American dollars!

 

 

We left the grocery store and headed out to the orphanage. The children were lovely. We immediately saw the children as the van pulled up. They were playing outside. Most of the children were boys. I think there were 23 children, 21 boys and 2 girls.

 

 

The children helped us take groceries into the building. They were so helpful and sweet. One of the people in our group asked if they were up for adoption and Lione said they were but it sometimes takes a long time to get paperwork finalized.

 

As soon as Gibby pulled out the soccer balls and footballs from his bag the children went crazy. They were swarming him, begging for him to hand over a ball. They immediately started playing. Gibby's nephews played with the children immediately as if they were already friends. It is funny how quickly children get along.

 

They told us what it was like living there, like the problems the children had face daily. They said that teachers get paid so low there that a lot of times they do not even show up for work. Children have protested just for someone to teach them. They said teachers are suppose to make $600 a month but they usually end up making $250 per month.

 

Substitute teachers don't exist there and so when a teacher doesn't show up for work children just sit in the classrooms all day alone until school is over.

 

They also said the mainland of Honduras is very dangerous, but the island is fairly safe because of the churches and a person would have to take a ferry to get to the island.

 

Also, a lot of the schools are run by churches. We also, met another couple there that visits there every month. They were from Texas. They told us that they are working a lot in the area to try to help the people and the children. The woman mentioned to me about doing missionary teaching after I told her I am going to school to be a middle school math and social studies teacher. I wanted to say yes so bad, maybe one day I will.

 

I will post a video which will include us going grocery shopping, the orphanage, the tour guide, the restaurant (you will never guess what I ate), and the monkey tour (wait til I tell you about that tour, it was amazing)!

 

Fantastic post Valerie. You really did a wonderful thing while on the island - we met Gibby too - kudos to both of you for your generosity!

[margaretevanescence]

It was time to go back to the port. Today was one of the best days ever, not only was it fun but it was rewarding. Knowing that we helped somebody else, knowing that we thought of others even on a vacation. I would highly recommend you all do the same on your next trip.

 

Lione was a wonderful tour guide and you could tell that she was a very kindhearted woman. I really did miss her. I didn't want to leave Honduras, but hopefully one day soon I can come back and stay longer.

 

I remembered seeing a sign just outside the port that offered phone calls to the US for $3 for 2 minutes. So as soon as they dropped me off I walked across the street and called home. I was able to talk for 4 minutes for $6. A lot cheaper than using the ships phone or even my cell phone.

 

It is a mini flee market so there were a lot of little stores within the building. It was dark and muggy inside. I was kinda nervous going in by myself but it was okay. It was safe, just kinda creepy looking. It was all the way in the back of the flee market. Below are pictures of the place if you wanna know where it looks like and where it is located. Oh and remember to have exact change!

 

 

After that I went back on the cruise ship. As we left the port I took pictures of the sunset. It was one of the most beautiful sites I have ever seen. The sun was going down over the mountains. Very beautiful. This was when I got a little teary eyed. I was standing on deck 13 in awe, mesmerized by the beauty, and reflecting on what happened that day.

 

 

After the Kodak moment I went to the blue lagoon again to have an appetizer and had dinner at the buffet.

 

After that my aunt and I went to the galaxy for intro to a short film Destino - Salvador Dali and Walt Disney. Here is the link:

 

After watching the film they explained what the images meant and had the paintings of the images seen in the film on display. It cost insane amount of money! But of course it was drawn by Dali and Disney!

 

We then went to the comedy show, he was pretty funny. I was able to get front row seating, I mean the very first row of seats. I just had to be in line 45 minutes before show started. The first row of seats are not reserved anyone can sit there! I didn't know because they looked different than the other seats and they had little tables. They looked like they were for the VIP's. I found out it wasn't and made sure to get those seats for every show! If you want front row stand in line 45 minutes early and you should get them!

 

After the comedy show we went to the white hot party! The party I was waiting for! It was fun! I brought a lot of glow sticks, necklaces, and bracelets from home. Only cost a dollar at dollar tree. They had some on the cruise ship but only handed one out to each person who was dancing.

 

After the party I went to the after party, my aunt went back to the room. It was fun there too but people didn't show up there til after 12:30am. I got back to my room at 1:30am and passed out on the bed! I was up for almost 20 hours! That's crazy now that I think about it! No wonder I still feel tired...lol!

 

I will make the video of the white hot party later!

[pliskin]

Hey Val! Great review and it was so wonderful to visit the orphange with you and share part of our Christmas with the kids! I love you book your kids made. Not to mention the Iguana dish and the monkeys! Sadly, my digital camera was too slow and I missed the shot of the monkey putting on the hat. That woman was my sister-in-law Patty. Anyhow, had such a wonderful time and great meeting you! Looking forward to going back to Roatan. In hindsite, I should have let you go first with your book before breaking out the soccer balls. Sorry about that. Great times though. Tell your lovely Aunt I said hello.

 

~Gibby aka Pliskin

[margaretevanescence]

Hey Val! Great review and it was so wonderful to visit the orphange with you and share part of our Christmas with the kids! I love you book your kids made. Not to mention the Iguana dish and the monkeys! Sadly, my digital camera was too slow and I missed the shot of the monkey putting on the hat. That woman was my sister-in-law Patty. Anyhow, had such a wonderful time and great meeting you! Looking forward to going back to Roatan. In hindsite, I should have let you go first with your book before breaking out the soccer balls. Sorry about that. Great times though. Tell your lovely Aunt I said hello.

 

~Gibby aka Pliskin

 

That's okay about the soccer balls they loved them that's all that matters.

 

I am sorry I couldn't remember her name I should have written it down somewhere.

 

I will make sure to tell my aunt.

 

Bummer about not being able to take the picture of the monkey with the hat, oh well it is in our memories.

[jcbarne1]

great review. how far is the free beach in costa maya? we'll have our 23 mo old and I'll be 26 weeks preggers when we go in march.

[margaretevanescence]

great review. how far is the free beach in costa maya? we'll have our 23 mo old and I'll be 26 weeks preggers when we go in march.

 

Not far at all. I think it was only a 3 to 4 minute bus ride to the beach. You could also rent golf carts and drive to the beach. They cost a lot more though. Traveling by bus should be fine for you being pregnant and your 23 month old.

[psbtrvlr]

great review. how far is the free beach in costa maya? we'll have our 23 mo old and I'll be 26 weeks preggers when we go in march.

 

You may want to talk to your travel agent. Here's the rule from NCL:

Pregnancy

 

NCL cannot accept guests who will have entered their 24th week of pregnancy by the beginning of, or at any time during the cruise including any and all land arrangements made through NCL. An expectant mother's application for passage must be accompanied by a medical certificate establishing her due date and fitness to travel.

[margaretevanescence]

Here is the last video of Day 5. This video includes the white hot party! Just click on the picture below and the video will open up in a different window. I hope you enjoy!

 

[margaretevanescence]

I got up early as usual to get ready for a fun filled day. I had a delicious omelet at the buffet for breakfast.

 

 

After that I got off the ship and met up with the Secret River Tour group. It was kinda weird because I was the only one. They gave me what felt like a five second description of what I had to do and then escorted me to the ferry. I had to take a 45 minute ferry off the island to the mainland of Mexico, called Playa del Carmen.

 

The trip wasn't that bad. I heard that the ferry was very rocky but it wasn't that bad to me. Some people may get seasick because they aren't used to it.

 

When we arrived it only took like 35 minutes to get to the mainland that's when I found out there were three others going to Rio Secreto. So there were only four total in the group.

 

We were introduced to our guide and she had us sign a wavier before we went inside the bus. The area was very beautiful. It reminded me a lot of Florida.

 

 

The ride to the park was maybe about 20 minutes. The area we were in was a large city. I saw a lot of stores I recognized like, Office Depot and Sams. That was kinda weird. For a second I thought I somehow came back to Florida until I started to see signs in Spanish.

 

After we arrived at the park we took a bathroom break and waited for another driver to drive us further into the park. We saw another group get briefed before they had to go into the caves. You heard me right, the caves. The secret river tour is a river that flows underground through a cave! When I overheard the lady talk about how big it was and safety that is when I realized I was getting myself into something crazy! But of course I was very very excited.

 

 

Finally the car arrived and we got in. It was a very small car but I guess they didn't need a bus for a small group. They told us the ride was about 15 minutes.

 

The road was horrible. It was the craziest road I have ever seen. Of course it was a dirt road but with holes and an insane amount of hills. It was perfect for 4 wheeling but not a car. I was worried we were going to get stuck....well...we sure did.

 

The car started bucking and then slowly came to a stop. So we were in the middle of nowhere with a driver that barely spoke English inside a tiny car. Apparently our adventure was going to start ahead of schedule. So he finally got it started again and then it stopped again and then it started again...and so on and so on.

 

After that craziness we came upon a very steep hill. We had to go up it with a car that liked to stop and buck and stop at will. No this car wasn't a bull. So he drove up the hill and you guessed it, it couldn't make it and slowly went backwards. He tried again, failed! He called for someone to get us finally! We sat for awhile but our driver was determined. He drove the car backwards and gunned it. FAILED! The guy sitting in the front said why don't we get out, it will be less weight. Nope! Not gonna happen, the driver said, "No, I gonna try." By this time we were getting a little annoyed but not too much because we knew we were going to see wonders that not too many people can say they have seen or did.

 

He backed the car even further and gunned it and and and we made it! We were so relieved we cheered. There was a van that finally showed up but we never got into it. The van just followed us til we got there.

 

We were so happy to get out of the car! When we got out we were greeted with our cave tour guide and guide in training. We put on wet-suits, headgear, life vests, and water shoes.

 

I was so excited and couldn't wait for the big adventure. They told us the Mayans years ago went through the cave system with no equipment. Oh he also gave us walking sticks.

 

He said since our group is small we were going to stay in the caves longer. We were supposed to be in there for an hour and a half but we were in there for almost two hours! AWESOME!

[margaretevanescence]

Now the bad news is we weren't allowed to take cameras into the caves. The cave is pitch black and only a really good camera can take pictures in there. The good news another guide followed us in the cave taking pictures and we were able to purchase the pictures afterwards. They were expensive and I am so happy I paid for them, well worth the price!

 

They had to keep the caves clean so we weren't allowed to bring extra stuff in with us to dirty it up. I accidentally kept my watch on but they said it was okay. We also had to take a shower to rinse off extra oils and lotions we had on our bodies.

 

They said the caves were very important to the jungles, the animals, and even the local people. They must be kept clean, so they only open 10% of the cave to the public. There were three routes. Two routes takes an hour and half to go through and the other route takes 5 hours. One day I hope to come back to do that tour!

 

Sometimes when it is a rainy season you can scuba dive through the cave! They said that it is the most dangerous kind of scuba diving.

 

On our tour we were going to have to swim a lot of the ways and there were several sections you could not touch the ground. So if you can't swim or claustrophobic, this trip was not for you. And trust me there were areas that were very small and I had to squat to get through.

 

We were lucky there were four of us and three tour guides! Almost a tour guide per person! Couldn't have been more perfect. Of course you won't see the third tour guide in the pictures because he is always behind the lens.

 

Don't worry I have pictures!

 

 

We had a five minute hike through the woods. Wasn't as nearly as bad as the hike in Belize.

 

 

We had a Mayan bless our journey before we headed inside the caves.

 

 

I have a weird look cuz I was anxious and excited, I didn't know what to expect!

 

 

Safety is very important, we were getting briefed again.

 

 

I really have no words to describe what this experience was like. I will let the pictures explain it to you all. Remember the cave is pitch black.

 

[margaretevanescence]

Even more awesome pictures!

 

 

It was so hard to walk through the caves. It wasn't level at all. It was hard to see where the rocks and steps were. He told us there were shrimps and catfish in the water and bats above us also.

 

[margaretevanescence]

This was one of the areas that was kinda low and I think I couldn't feel the bottom either. Kinda tricky to swim with a life vest, notice what is going on around you, and pose for a picture. Maybe I should apply for America's Next Top Model...LOL...Just kiddin'!

 

 

Since we had extra time this was one of the areas we were allowed to chill in. We just swam around for awhile....really fun! But this was about the time when we were so far into the cave I had no idea where we were. They had safety lines but honestly if something bad were to happen and I was left alone I don't think I would pay much attention.

 

 

This area was also a low area. This area was really cool because it sounded like the caves were making music. The way the water flowed through the caves somehow made pretty music. It was so beautiful. We also went in one area and they had us turn off all the lights. We saw NOTHING. We did five minutes of moment of silence. It was wonderful and peaceful. We just listened to the sounds of the caves.

 

 

If you are the adventurous type...take the tour! Take it, take it, take it! Trust me you won't regret one moment. If you wanna know how much the pictures cost me, $69. I didn't just get these pictures I also got generic pictures of the caves and wildlife that is native to the area. They said the money goes towards keeping the caves clean.

 

It was time to get out of the caves and I was kinda bummed. I enjoyed every second and can't wait to return again one day. He told us before we got out that everything would feel, smell, and look different.

 

We were underground in a cave for two hours you don't realize how much your body changes to adjust to its surroundings. The caves were humid but refreshing and so was the water. It was nice and cool. When we stepped out and finally saw daylight the air felt different, the colors brighter, and the air smelt different as well.

 

We took off our equipment and got some food. It was okay but I was so happy to have something to eat. We burned a lot of calories and I was getting a little lunchie.

 

We had rice and something else, don't ask me, because I don't know. LOL.

 

 

After that we had to take a bus ride back to the front of the park. Good news didn't break down. After that we took another bus to the port. Bad news it broke down. We were like really! Come one! Oh well someone will get us. After that wonderful adventure we just came from it was hard to get upset. We only waited for a few minutes and another van came to get us. Good news that van did not break down and we made it safely to the port.

 

I took some pictures and video before the ferry got back. I have video of the car ride and of the port so check back later for that.

 

I went to dinner at the buffet and then went to the show Elements. I stood in line for an hour to get front row seats. I was able to sit in the very front!

 

After that went to the late night adult comedian show. It was okay not that great.

 

Went to the burlesque show...it was horrible. Don't go! It was two guys singing, and the NCL dancers but not really burlesque and a host with a dirty mouth. LOL. Talking dirty doesn't really make it burlesque.

 

I later went to the ship n' males show! Much better! There were five dancers they were actually crew member but very good. The last two were the best. Got the digits of one of the two best dancers! LOL! He is actually the musician of the band that plays by the pool everyday, the lead singer. Ummmm I wonder if it will work....a guy who is a ship n male dancer AND lead singer of a band that plays for 2,000 different people per week! LOL!

 

Oh after the ship n males performance me and a couple of friends stayed and danced with them awhile in the club. It was crazy fun!

 

And yes I did all of this in one day! I think I was up for 21 hours! Just thinking about what I did on this day makes me feel tired. But hey at least I have a lot of stuff to write for a review

 

I got back into my room around 2 AM! I WAS SO TIRED!

 

More pictures and videos to come!

[www3traveler]

Did you say that you took a video of the Staff leading Christmas carols? I would really like to see that. I am glad you had a wonderful time on the Spirit. One week from right now, I will be in the air heading for New Orleans and The Spirit. I have loved your review and your pictures both still and video. Thank you for all of it. Mandy