Feeling the Breeze again - a review

[summercruisin']

First we drove through the town area near the port, while our driver gave us some information about the island and the buildings we were seeing. The driver was very informative!

 

 

 

 

 

[summercruisin']

We got to see some historical buildings, some schools, and how some people in town live.

 

 

We pulled over to the side of the road to see baby birds nesting while their parents were out getting food...

 

 

As we drove out into the countryside, we passed the med school, and I encouraged DD to remember this location one day! :p

 

 

On St. Kitts there are several small village communities separated by short spreads of countryside. Our guide said each community seems to have its own sort of "personality."

 

[summercruisin']

It was about this time that our guide told us that there are more monkeys on the island than there are people. This led to DS (who was just starting to calm down a little and enjoy the drive, thanks to the driver's safe and cautious driving!), and after the comment about the monkeys, he began to tell me about some information he had learned about monkeys, having done a little research on them after a trip to Disney, including something he read about some species of monkeys feeling threatened if humans smile at them....so DS warned me to never smile at a monkey just in case. Yeah...this is going to come up again later! :rolleyes:

 

We passed one currently dried up stream coming off the bloody river (and heard the story...so sad!).

 

 

and drove along the ocean....beautiful!

 

 

Next we headed toward the rainforest and to our first stop, at Romney Manor.

 

[summercruisin']

So, we are driving in the rainforest and enjoying the pretty views

 

 

and we are getting higher and higher on a hill, seeing pretty views....

 

 

and then it started going terribly wrong again, as the bus we were in began to stall on the hill. It cut off and rolled backwards slightly, and DS began to panic. Then it got going again and cut off AGAIN. It was a good thing DS was sitting on the inside of the bus, because I believed him when he threatened to jump out and walk up the hill. We got going again and found ourselves at the top of the hill at the manor, just in time for a much needed break.

 

 

We walked along a path beside a small cottage and found this beautiful GIANT 400 year old tree. DH and I were impressed. DS was not. DD is almost always in her own happy world. :)

 

 

We were given about 30 minutes to explore the grounds on our own.

[summercruisin']

We found a lovely old bell tower.

 

 

 

and some very large elephant ears plants!

 

 

We were under a lovely canopy of old trees bedecked with moss,

 

 

and then we saw this...

 

 

and I smiled delighted by catching such a cute furry friend frolicking in the trees above us. Big mistake. BIG. mistake. No, I did not get attacked by the monkey. In fact, he didn't appear to pay me a bit of mind. But, my smile instantly alarmed DS and made him hiss at me, "stop smiling" between his tightly pursed lips while backing away slowly. Well, this only served to make me laugh a little more (having somehow forgotten the stern warning I had received only some hour or so before). DS was not amused or very tolerant at my "laughing at him," so back to the bus we went, although he also did not want to get back in the vehicle for the drive down the hill. We talked him into it, assuring him that all was well and yet having no idea what was still to come...

 

(by the way, I swear I don't generally make light of DS's anxieties, but sometimes I have to find the tiny bit of amusement in it so as not to take it, or myself for that matter, too seriously and get wrapped up in it. It really makes me sad that he lives in a world that feels like a constant threat to him, and I truly hope and pray that our experiences will one day help him become more comfortable in his own skin. He's come INCREDIBLY far over the past few years, and I'm so proud of him! :))

[CincyVal]

I am so enjoying your review! I literally just LOL'ed sitting here at work reading this last entry! Isn't it always the case when you feel you probably should NOT laugh that you just can't help yourself? :D

 

We are sailing the Breeze in January with our two youngest kids, ages 13 and 10. Love hearing how your kids enjoyed the adventures and hoping ours do the same. It is their first cruise and I want them to love it as much as DH and I do!

 

Can't wait to read more....thanks for doing such a great job on it :)

[wrcjr98]

Oh Wow - I love your review - and I share your love of Matt Mitcham! Hurry up...I gotta hear the rest of the monkey story - I just hope your tour guy didn't stop on the side of the road to see the monkey in the diaper that we passed on our tour in St. Kitts! Thank you for taking the time to write your review!!

[summercruisin']

I am so enjoying your review! I literally just LOL'ed sitting here at work reading this last entry! Isn't it always the case when you feel you probably should NOT laugh that you just can't help yourself? :D

 

We are sailing the Breeze in January with our two youngest kids, ages 13 and 10. Love hearing how your kids enjoyed the adventures and hoping ours do the same. It is their first cruise and I want them to love it as much as DH and I do!

 

Can't wait to read more....thanks for doing such a great job on it :)

 

Thank you!! I am excited for you getting to take the kids on the Breeze soon! Hopefully, they will have a great time. Mine both have been on several cruises and really do enjoy them (as long as I plan carefully for DS :D). Really, I attribute part of his coming so far to our cruises....they usually bring out the best in him and help him have the nerve to try new things, as long as he has some ideas what to expect and is given some input on planning. He didn't take me laughing at him in front of the monkey so well :p

 

Thanks again!

[summercruisin']

Oh Wow - I love your review - and I share your love of Matt Mitcham! Hurry up...I gotta hear the rest of the monkey story - I just hope your tour guy didn't stop on the side of the road to see the monkey in the diaper that we passed on our tour in St. Kitts! Thank you for taking the time to write your review!!

 

Ha!! It's like you were there with us! :p It's a cute monkey in the diaper, at least. The donkey alongside was adorable (but pitiful) too. I'm about to get back to the story :D

 

Thank you for the compliments! And, you'll see more of Matt soon......:p

[js]

Hi. I board the Breeze end of January and LOVE reading your review!

Thank you! Can't wait to read more!

[dani85bri06]

Thanks so much for the great review! We will be cruising the Breeze September 11 2016. Definitely going to be doing the internet thing you wrote about to keep in touch on the boat! We did Disney a few years back and they have phones in every room for use to keep in touch on the boat so I was worried about not having that on this trip!

[summercruisin']

Hi. I board the Breeze end of January and LOVE reading your review!

Thank you! Can't wait to read more!

 

Hi! Thank you so much! I'm about to get back to it :). Hope you have a great time on your cruise!!

[summercruisin']

Thanks so much for the great review! We will be cruising the Breeze September 11 2016. Definitely going to be doing the internet thing you wrote about to keep in touch on the boat! We did Disney a few years back and they have phones in every room for use to keep in touch on the boat so I was worried about not having that on this trip!

 

Thank you! I will be telling a little more about some great stuff on the ship :D. The hub worked out really nicely. I was worried (because I don't trust myself to work technology correctly), but it was perfect. We had to put our phones on airplane mode but connect through Carnival to use the hub, and I just knew when I got home there would be astronomical numbers on my phone bill somehow, but there were no surprises! :D Enjoy the Breeze!

[summercruisin']

So, we went on our way again, with DS securely trapped on the inside seat of the bus (so he would be less likely to jump out! :eek:). Heading out of the rainforest...

 

He survived the drive back down the hill when I made jokes that it was like a roller coaster, but slower. Then we drove back out into the countryside on our way to "the best view point on the island."

 

We got a pretty good view of the mountain on Nevis, the sister island

 

 

We passed the airport, and DS announced we would not be flying into St. Kitts anytime soon, thanks to the fairly short runway with the mountain nearby.

 

 

It was about this time that DS realized that going to the "best viewpoint on the island" may involve going up another steep hill...

[summercruisin']

Aaannnnndddd, he was right. We soon got to a very steep road, and even the driver made a comment about hoping we could get to the top (really, dude???). And then he cranks up the music (which I love, DS - not so much) and floors it. So, I'm trying to distract DS with pointing out the pretty views

 

(sorry it's blurry....I had a lot going on!)

 

and the dark red sand on this beach and the hotel we would maybe stay if they update their airport and the cool volcanic looking rocks on the side of the road and the promise of the "best view ever"...anything to keep him from completely freaking out. And by the grace of God (or whatever you believe in that may have helped me out!), we made it to the top. And the view was beautiful! Caribbean on one side; Atlantic on the other.

 

 

We pulled into a tiny parking lot with a few tables where people were selling local stuff, a small truck for selling drinks and snacks, and a lot of people crammed in close to the edge of the mountaintop for the view. Oh, and a man with a monkey and another man leading a miserable looking donkey with a kid on its back right through the crowd without concern that there were an awful lot of toes in flip flops very close to the pitiful donkey's hooves. DS took one look at it all and went right back to the bus (bless.) with DH right behind him to try to alleviate some stress. DD got very excited at the prospects of holding a monkey (no) and riding the donkey (ok, fine, I'll let you hold the monkey knowing it's going to cost me, but there's no way I'm rewarding those causing obvious suffering to the donkey).

 

 

 

After a fairly brief stop at the viewpoint, our guide told us that the next stop was the beach, where we could either choose to stay for a while and have him come back to pick us up, or we could go ahead back to the ship. The one thing that I insist on doing at every stop, if at all possible, is spending some time on a beach. Especially if we are visiting a new island, so OF COURSE I want to go to the beach, but DS says he is sooooo done and refuses to go to the beach. He says he is most worried about going back down the hill and just wants to get back on the ship where he feels safe. I tried to reassure him, and even acted like I know something (:rolleyes: "to be sure they are going to just loop on around a different way instead of going back the way we came, right?? I mean, it's a tour!"). I apparently was not very convincing.

 

Anyway, I have learned from past experience that it is no fun for any of us if I force him to go to the beach, so DH and I talked it over, and he agreed to escort DS back to the boat (glad I didn't have to rock paper scissors over it!)while DD and I went to the beach for an hour and a half (YAY!!). I was a little nervous, but another couple from our ship were also planning to go to the beach for a while, and the guide said some people on the first bus that came through stayed at the beach, so I felt a little better with my new "friends" :D

[summercruisin']

We drove back down the mountain with everybody hanging on (and I literally put my feet out like we were riding a coaster....didn't help DS's nerves)

 

 

with pretty views....

 

 

When the guide dropped off the four of us who wanted to go to the beach, he walked with us into an open air building that had a bar and a nice seating area to show us where to meet him in an hour and a half. I asked him if they were going to have to go back up AND back down the steep hill that we come over, hoping I would be able to tell him to please go back and assure my nervous child that all was well because they were going a different way than that which we came, but, alas, he said "yes." So, I did what every good and loving mom does and told him not to say a word about it then. :o

 

They were off, and we headed to a warm and sunny sandy spot

 

 

DD was excited there was a pier to jump off of (I tell people I have an Eeyore and a Tigger....I swear, they are so different! Really, they both have anxiety, but they approach it and manage it completely differently). After I watched several other people, including kids, safely throw themselves off the pier, I let her go at it as well.

 

Then we walked over to this other little pool where some people were swimming and climbing all over the rocks.

 

 

I did not let DD go swimming in there, despite her begging. I was just too nervous to let her in there alone, especially since the water seemed to be pretty powerful spilling over the rocks and then being sucked back out into the ocean, and I did not feel like climbing over slimy rocks to get in with her. It was pretty though.

 

[familyfuncruise]

Enjoying your review. Thanks for sharing.

[summercruisin']

All too soon (read: before I could get sunburned!), it was time to go back to the ship. Our guide met us right on time in the spot he showed us, and we piled back into the bus for the ride back. This time when the guide cranked up the music, I was able to sit back and enjoy it (even dance along a little).

 

ah....there's that resort I may go to one day....

 

 

When we got back to the parking lot right by the ship, I reminded my guide that I had not paid for our tour yet, and he smiled and said my husband had told him I had all the money (which was true! I had forgotten to send any back with him). I gotta give it to the guide, he was not pushy at all and didn't act like he was worried we were trying to cheat him in any way (which we would never do). So, we paid him and headed to the Breeze.

 

When we got back onboard, DH and I decided to go back out to the shops really quickly to pick up a few souvenirs for my niece and nephew and a few t-shirts for me, since we had never been to St. Kitts before. So, I changed clothes really quickly, convinced DS to watch DD, gave him directions in case something went terribly wrong (knowing it was unlikely, as there are shops just past the gate right there at the port), and we headed out. There is a Cariloha right there (oh, those bamboo clothes!), so we went there to buy DH a shirt (we already have the sheets!). We then went to a few shops and picked up a few things. I found that the prices for the same things varied wildly from shop to shop, so if you go looking for typical tourist souvenirs in St. Kitts, be willing to shop around a little. We were back onboard in under an hour (and about 20 minutes before the time we were supposed to be back onboard).

 

I was not happy to leave St. Kitts :(

 

 

but DS was

 

 

not too far out, we saw this other volcanic island nearby,

 

and DS used the ships' coordinates to research it and find out about it. We think we were looking at Saba, which is about 5 square miles and has beautiful diving opportunities, but is apparently very difficult to access and is known for its tiny airport runway. Anyway, feeling a little more "in control," DS was feeling happier :) and we were on our way to San Juan!

Edited October 6, 2015 by summercruisin'

[summercruisin']

Enjoying your review. Thanks for sharing.

 

thank you! :)

[kelkel2]

Oh I am oh so loving your review!!! Thanks for putting the hard work into it and helping me pass the time until our Breeze cruise in January!

[tlw440]

Aaannnnndddd' date=' he was right. We soon got to a very steep road, and even the driver made a comment about hoping we could get to the top (really, dude???). And then he cranks up the music (which I love, DS - not so much) and floors it. So, I'm trying to distract DS with pointing out the pretty views

 

(sorry it's blurry....I had a lot going on!)

 

and the dark red sand on this beach and the hotel we would maybe stay if they update their airport and the cool volcanic looking rocks on the side of the road and the promise of the "best view ever"...anything to keep him from completely freaking out. And by the grace of God (or whatever you believe in that may have helped me out!), we made it to the top. And the view was beautiful! Caribbean on one side; Atlantic on the other.

 

 

We pulled into a tiny parking lot with a few tables where people were selling local stuff, a small truck for selling drinks and snacks, and a lot of people crammed in close to the edge of the mountaintop for the view. Oh, and a man with a monkey and another man leading a miserable looking donkey with a kid on its back right through the crowd without concern that there were an awful lot of toes in flip flops very close to the pitiful donkey's hooves. DS took one look at it all and went right back to the bus (bless.) with DH right behind him to try to alleviate some stress. DD got very excited at the prospects of holding a monkey (no) and riding the donkey (ok, fine, I'll let you hold the monkey knowing it's going to cost me, but there's no way I'm rewarding those causing obvious suffering to the donkey).

 

 

 

After a fairly brief stop at the viewpoint, our guide told us that the next stop was the beach, where we could either choose to stay for a while and have him come back to pick us up, or we could go ahead back to the ship. The one thing that I insist on doing at every stop, if at all possible, is spending some time on a beach. Especially if we are visiting a new island, so OF COURSE I want to go to the beach, but DS says he is sooooo done and refuses to go to the beach. He says he is most worried about going back down the hill and just wants to get back on the ship where he feels safe. I tried to reassure him, and even acted like I know something (:rolleyes: "to be sure they are going to just loop on around a different way instead of going back the way we came, right?? I mean, it's a tour!"). I apparently was not very convincing.

 

Anyway, I have learned from past experience that it is no fun for any of us if I force him to go to the beach, so DH and I talked it over, and he agreed to escort DS back to the boat (glad I didn't have to rock paper scissors over it!)while DD and I went to the beach for an hour and a half (YAY!!). I was a little nervous, but another couple from our ship were also planning to go to the beach for a while, and the guide said some people on the first bus that came through stayed at the beach, so I felt a little better with my new "friends" :D

Great review. I don't believe the sand is dark red I think what you were seeing is seaweed. We love St. Kitts.

[summercruisin']

Great review. I don't believe the sand is dark red I think what you were seeing is seaweed. We love St. Kitts.

 

You know....that makes a LOT more sense! :p. Spoiler alert - I really loved St. Kitts too! I would really enjoy going there for a longer stay, I think! It was so beautiful.

[summercruisin']

Oh I am oh so loving your review!!! Thanks for putting the hard work into it and helping me pass the time until our Breeze cruise in January!

 

Thank you so much! Can I go with you? :p

[riclop]

Thanks for your review.

[Jenny in TX]

Enjoying your review! Thanks for sharing.