Freedom Eastern Trip Report - 2/18/17 – Eight Days THIS Week w/ lots of photos!

[fletch1027]

Thank you for posting the Teen compass! We will be on Freedom next week with 2 teens - this is perfect!

 

No problem - glad I could help!

[fletch1027]

One good point about our cruise missing Labadee was we arrived in San Juan much earlier and had a full day there. Unfortunately, rain showers plagued the day. But it was still enjoyable walking the forts once again.

 

That's a good point. How much rain did it take to skip Labadee? I guess they figure if it will be raining all day, no one will want to get off ship to sit on the beach so may as well not stop?

[fletch1027]

Day 4 – Into the “jungle” (cont)

 

We creep around the fort towards the port area where the NCL Gem is already parked.

 

 

 

We then headed down to the Arcadia to gather for our shore excursion. We waited in there for 20-25 minutes then followed our guide and her giant lollypop sign off the ship and into the port area.

 

Heading to where the tour vehicles were parked, we passed under a cool crisscross of Freedom and Gem mooring ropes

 

 

 

 

Some views of Freedom side by side next to Gem. We are definitely the larger ship – however that will not be the case tomorrow… :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

to be continued…

 

[fletch1027]

Day 4 – Into the “jungle” (cont)

 

The tour that the five of us chose for Puerto Rico was through RCI, and called the “El Yunque Rainforest Drive”. We knew we wanted to see the rainforest, but not do a lot of strenuous hiking, so this seemed like a great compromise. We all prefer private tours, but we typically err on the side of caution and book something through RCI when it’s a new port. After the first time we are semi-experts (in our own minds at least) and feel like we can move about on our own without the “don’t get left behind guarantee”.

 

El Yunque has the status of being the only tropical rain forest in the United States National Forest System. I would also venture a guess and say that it is likely the farthest south. :-)

 

 

 

Also of note, this was only tour that I couldn't book until on the ship because it sold out online pre-cruise – I think around three weeks ahead of time. Never fear, however, from reading tips here on CC, I knew that there were slots held back for purchase on ship so that is why we headed straight for the excursion desk as soon as we boarded and it was all good!

 

Here is the GPS track between port and the rainforest. It was around a 30 minute drive to get there and around the same to get back.

 

 

 

The bus we traveled in was a smaller one that held around 25 people or so (think airport shuttle size), so it didn't feel like a huge group which is a good thing compared to other RCI-type tours. First stop in the rainforest was near the entrance at the visitor center. It is a neat open-air building (except for the gift shop) with great views of the surrounding areas. I can only imagine what the view is from the highest point in the park is!

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a map of the park trails. Some are easy and several are more expert level. Either way, I’m glad we're driving! :-)

 

 

 

Here’s something we recognized in Puerto Rico that we last saw on a tour in Jamaica – breadfruit. Shout out to Javia Shaw – best tour guide in Jamaica!! :-)

 

 

 

to be continued…

 

 

[Ocean Boy]

That's a good point. How much rain did it take to skip Labadee? I guess they figure if it will be raining all day, no one will want to get off ship to sit on the beach so may as well not stop?

It was the wind that caused the cancellation. The captain said he got reports from the land based crew that ocean spray was going over the top of the pier.

[Ocean Boy]

How long did the drive take to the rain forest? From your map it looks like a bit of a trek.

 

Whoops, I just saw the mileage and time when I rechecked your map.

[fletch1027]

It was the wind that caused the cancellation. The captain said he got reports from the land based crew that ocean spray was going over the top of the pier.

 

 

Wow, I would imagine that even if you had stopped in Labadee and it was even a light rain, not many people would get off the ship to go sit in the rain.

 

At least by skipping it completely, everyone that paid big $$$ for a cabana got a refund...

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[fletch1027]

What was the name of the GPS App that you used?

 

I too am interested in the GPS App....what App and I assume you were on Voom?

 

The GPS app I used (and there are several) is called RouteTracker, and can be found in the Apple App Store by searching for "Location Tracker Lite". Based on some previous thread comments, this app is not available on Android, but I'm sure there are many that are. Below is what it looks like on my iPhone installed.

 

 

To answer the Voom question, yes I was on Voom when doing anything tracking related on the ship. The tracker can be "running" when not connected to wifi - however when wifi is re-established, it appears to "connect the dots" with a straight line between the drop and the re-aquisition points. That will be evident in a later post when the tracker appears to cut through the middle of St. Kitts... :D

[fletch1027]

We were on this sailing. Had a fantastic time. I can see my husband in these pictures watching the belly floppers [emoji4]

 

That's hilarious! It happens every time I do a trip review - someone sees themselves or a family member in a photo. The CC community is really a small world! :D

[fletch1027]

enjoying! Thank you!

 

Thanks! Glad to have you along for the ride!

[SherriZ366]

The GPS app I used (and there are several) is called RouteTracker, and can be found in the Apple App Store by searching for "Location Tracker Lite". Based on some previous thread comments, this app is not available on Android, but I'm sure there are many that are. Below is what it looks like on my iPhone installed.

 

 

To answer the Voom question, yes I was on Voom when doing anything tracking related on the ship. The tracker can be "running" when not connected to wifi - however when wifi is re-established, it appears to "connect the dots" with a straight line between the drop and the re-aquisition points. That will be evident in a later post when the tracker appears to cut through the middle of St. Kitts... :D

Thanks -- I have an IPhone and will download it.

 

Love the tracker cutting through an island.

[SherriZ366]

Downloaded RouteTracker successfully. It will be fun to use it with MarineTraffic app that shows other ships in the area.

[E23NK1]

Thanks for the GPS App info...I am unfortunately Android...I see a lot of GPS apps but have to find one that will track at sea.

[Sp1402]

Will be on Freedom in a few short weeks & love your review so far!!!

[MrFunInTheSun]

Nice report and pictures.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[fletch1027]

Day 4 – Into the “jungle” (cont)

 

Some more photos from the visitor center overlook with a view towards the ocean. These photos may look repetitive at first glance but they are different angles I promise! :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After leaving the visitor center, out towards the parking lot, there was a trail head for a pretty short (1/2 mile) walking trail loop. The tour guide budgeted 30-35 minutes for the stop here at the center, so we had time to do the trail.

 

 

 

Here’s a shot of the sun poking through clouds as we were heading towards the path. The day overall was mostly sunny with a little overcast. Looking back, it seems like I have taken a lot of photos of the sky. Hopefully it doesn’t seem too weird… :-)

 

 

 

to be continued…

 

 

[fletch1027]

Day 4 – Into the “jungle” (cont)

 

So, we headed down the trail. Since it was a loop, and the trail started with a downslope, I knew we would be punished with a slight climb at the end of it. Off we go, past the trail guard:

 

 

 

I thought this was a beautiful flower, and I should have made a note of its name then because I sure can’t remember what it is now…

 

 

 

Came upon several trees with this type of exposed root system. This is typical of a rainforest environment because the soil is pretty poor and most nutrients are at or near ground level, so the trees adapt to this by having the roots where the food is – at least that is what a Google search "unearthed" (no pun intended – or maybe it was). :-)

 

OK, botany lesson over… for now…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s another tree with buttress roots. I took a photo of it because it looks like an alien foot

 

 

 

I thought this photo of what looks like a giant pothos vine looked cool as well. Everything in the rainforest reaches out to try and make as large a target as possible for the little sunlight that makes it through the canopy. I should stop talking before anyone comes to the false assumption that I know what I’m talking about. I have an indoor IT job! :-)

 

 

 

to be continued…

 

 

[fletch1027]

Thanks -- I have an IPhone and will download it.

 

Love the tracker cutting through an island.

 

Yeah that's a funny quirk that it does to fill in the gaps of missing information. :)

 

Downloaded RouteTracker successfully. It will be fun to use it with MarineTraffic app that shows other ships in the area.

 

Have fun!

[Megan_Strick]

Day “0”– Hit the road Jack!

 

As most everyone here on CC is prone to do, we spend exponentially more time prepping for a cruise than the cruise actually lasts! That being said, I planned ahead and brought with me some different things than I had in the past. Below is an overview of what produced the photos that you will see:

 

 

iphone – Since I used my iphone to take the photo, this one in the pic is my wife’s as a stand in

 

Sony A7 – This is an awesome digital camera! Way out of my price range, but I was able to borrow it for 2 weeks from my work. Ferris Bueller said it best: "It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

 

Zoom lens – This is a 55-210mm zoom lens for the Sony A7

 

GoPro Hero – I borrowed this as well from a friend and I used it while zip lining and snorkeling.

 

Olympus TG-4 – I actually own this camera and I use it for underwater photography

 

Along those same lines with overly planning, I’m in the CruiseCritic chapter of OCD Anonymous, with the main difference being that when we post our planning spreadsheets, we are no longer anonymous :-)

 

Here’s mine, and I typically start by greying in the times we are in port, which helps me plan when to schedule things like our MTD meals.Then, if we do excursions, I go in and add the approximate excursion time so it’s easy to estimate things like extra time to shop, time to prep for dinner after getting back on the ship, etc. Non-Oasis ships are a little easier to plan for because there aren’t as many on-ship activities that are able to be booked before the cruise.

 

 

 

I also had a section below each day that seems to have been cropped out of the screenshot where I tracked how much cash I would need in each port for things like cabs, excursions, tips, etc.

 

So, we got all packed up and ready to leave. Our dogs Sadie(basset) and Shadow (golden) have the look like, “are you guys going on vacation and leaving us… again…??”

 

 

 

The answer to that is we love them but yes!! :-)

 

One new thing I have this time that I played with a lot this trip and will be showing up often in the posts is screen shots of this GPS tracker app I installed on my phone. I thought it would be cool to show on a map view the route we are traveling.

 

It’s Friday morning and we are headed out. Leg #1 is from our house to Valdosta, GA. It’s roughly the halfway point, and where we typically stop to grab lunch and full up the gas tank at the local Sam’s Club.

 

 

 

 

Then it’s the rest of the way down to Disney World!

 

 

 

 

Ohhh Valdosta. I'm in Brunswick!

[fletch1027]

Thanks for the GPS App info...I am unfortunately Android...I see a lot of GPS apps but have to find one that will track at sea.

 

Not necessarily tracking at sea, but being able to track while only connected to wifi (no cellular data) - assuming you want to avoid international cell data charges...

[fletch1027]

Day 4 – Into the “jungle” (cont)

 

One of the few “clearings” that we came across on the whole tour. Kind of wild to see that there is vegetation covering 100% of it and it’s hard to tell by the photo, but the vegetation in there looked to be over a foot deep. My first freaky thought was, “I wonder how many 100’s of snakes and other assorted creepy things live in there??!!”

 

 

 

These next three photos are of some very tall old trees with way cool looking Tarzan-like vines hanging from them. I used up all of my technical terminology in my last post…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

… and on the flip side, here is a skinny odd looking tree as a compliment to the ones above

 

 

 

So we reached the end of the trail, and tried to let the security guard know we were back safely. However, he had somewhere else to be and was in a bit of a hurry. Maybe that’s not true, but I’ll use it as an excuse for the slight blur of the photo. :-)

 

 

 

to be continued…

 

 

[fletch1027]

Day 4 – Into the “jungle” (cont)

 

Here’s a plaque / marker showing that the area is officially a very cool and important place! That must be true because the government said so – right?

 

 

 

 

We then loaded back on the bus for the steep drive up to our next stop – Yokahu Tower. This is an awesome looking tower that was built over 50 years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I read online that from the top on a clear day you can see St. Thomas (30 miles away) and sometimes St. Croix (60 miles). However, there is always a catch. Here’s the catch for this one. Apparently (at least in the winter months), the tower is closed by the time we get to it, so our views were all from the base of the tower – which were still very impressive! Also, no I do not believe Rapunzel lives up there...

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hate being in photos usually, but here is an OK one of Jen and I with a view looking out from the base of the tower

 

 

 

to be continued…

 

[Ocean Boy]

I love climbing towers, lighthouses, bell towers, domes, etc. Heck, I used to even look forward to climbing Nassau's water tower back when it was open. I would have been disappointed to find this tower closed and not be able to climb.

[fletch1027]

Will be on Freedom in a few short weeks & love your review so far!!!

 

Thanks for following along! I'm sure you will have a great time!

[fletch1027]

Day 4 – Into the “jungle” (cont)

 

Here we have another view from base of the tower. While this view was great, I would have loved to have seen the view from up top!!

 

 

 

Looking out over the land below and out to the sea, I noticed the clouds casting cool shadows over everything...

 

 

 

Here’s a great photo of our friends Monte & Sue by the tower. I added this one to show off how great “portrait” style photos this Sony camera takes!

 

 

 

These next photos are of the rainforest canopy looking higher up from where we are currently – yes - still by the tower. :-) Where we are currently is as high in elevation as the tour went. So, back to my botany lessons! What you see in the photos are Yagrumo trees. The underside of their leaves are a white / silver color. Locals say that when you can see their underside it looks like veins running through the rainforest canopy and is a predictor of coming rain. That’s a neat superstition, but I think that in a rainforest, even a local weather person can predict rain and be right most of the time! Yes, it does rain often in a RAINforest! Also, wind usually comes with rain and I think the wind picking up will blow the leaves and expose the white. I know, I’m a party pooper! :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

to be continued…