A Fascination Graduation and a week in San Juan

[kathleen21]

Then it was up the Skyline Drive overlook. And our first interaction with the native fauna.

 

 

 

 

Then it was up to Mountain Top. We had about 20 minutes here to admire the view, shop at the expensive store, and buy a snack or a “world famous” banana daiquiri. We bought one $11 drink to try. Yuck. Not my thing. Glad that there was a kid (I mean young adult  ) around to take it.

 

 

 

We then headed to Coki beach. But that will have to wait until tomorrow. I'm [emoji42] tired, and I need to get some pictures off the underwater camera.

 

 

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[kathleen21]

Next on the agenda was Coki Beach. We had about 2.5 hours there, and it was wonderful. The water was blue and gorgeous and the snorkeling was fantastic.

 

 

We paid $20 for three lounge chairs and an umbrella, so my husband could relax and take pictures from under the shade and we had a place to put our stuff. We ended up staying in the water most of the time, coming ashore for a few bites of fried conch fritters and fries and cold, slushy drinks. One of those extra bags I had dragged with me had snorkeling gear, adult sized inflatable rings to float in and goggles. It was nice not to take the time, or pay the money, to rent those things at the beach.

 

 

They gave us dog biscuits to feed the fish, which was almost a scary experience. Kind of reminded me of Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’ the way the fish came swarming up to our hands. And if you held that biscuit up out of the water the birds would dive and try to get it too! It took us awhile to learn how to soften the biscuits in the water, offer small pieces, and hide it from the birds, but soon we had those fish eating from our hands.

 

 

 

All too soon it was time to pack up, settle the tab (I think it was about $75 for 2 plates of food and 8 drinks) and head back to the ship. This is where the day got a little out of control. We were supposed to be meeting at 3:30 to drive back, but someone was late, so it was more like 3:45. No problem, just a 15 minute drive. Except for the tons of traffic. We found out later that there was an oil tanker spill on the road near the port and the roads were closed. At the time we didn’t know this and were trying to relax as Brenda took us back up the mountain and down a different way, with the song “Don’t worry, be Happy” playing over the speakers. We arrived at a strip mall half a mile from the ship at 4:20. THAT was a run to the ship I won’t forget. Our youngest daughter ran ahead with plans for distracting security until we all got there. There were 100 people in line, and a couple of Carnival excursions still stuck in traffic. The ship ended up leaving about an hour late. In retrospect, I think it was actually due to Brenda and Franko’s knowledge of the island that we did get through the gates at exactly our 4:30 boarding time. Whew!

 

We hadn’t eaten much, and were still in our beach clothes, so we all went to our rooms with the plan to meet for dinner at 6pm. Thanks to CC we knew to avoid the buffet lines and order room service for a pre dinner snack. They have a vegetable plate, salads and sandwiches that work very well to fill that void. Plus we had that wine we had carried on board to open and enjoy while we were getting ready.

 

We ate our room service snack and got ready for dinner. Poured a glass of wine in our room and headed to our first night in the Imagination Dining Room for My Time Dining. Tonights wait staff was extra wonderful, and we asked for him each night afterwards. Which sometimes worked out. Have to say though, that the staff was always polite and took very good care of us. The food was so good too. We were hungry! After dinner we explored the ship some more, enjoying quiet areas and watching the waves. The kids went to the first comedy show at 9:30 pm and had a good time. I met them at 11pm for the second comedians show. It was fine. A little predictable with jokes about the small rooms and bathroom humor. But it was fun to hang out with the kids, and since the next day was a sea day we figured we could sleep in.

 

 

 

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[seaoats228]

Hi Kathleen21, your review is great my sister and I decided we will go to Lindquist Beach which has bathrooms and showers but no vendors. We are going to bring lunch and water with us and take a taxi to the beach will asked the driver to come back and pick us up in a few hours. I had read about this beach from another review on here it is beautiful and not crowded with tourists like the other beaches like Megans Bay, etc...

[kathleen21]

Thanks, SEAOATS228, it is fun reliving the trip.

I just looked up Lindquist beach and it looks beautiful too. (I'm not sure why my pictures came out greenish - cheap underwater camera!) but the water at Coki was very blue! I remember a little market around the corner from the port shops that might be a good place for you to pick up lunch food. There were a lot of food places at the port too.

[seaoats228]

I read a review saying that the Gourmet Gallery Food Emporium has good deli sandwiches.

 

 

 

 

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[seaoats228]

Anyone, I have a question we have an excursion we booked privately on St. Lucia they are to pick us up at 8:30 am at the cruise port. What time should we get ready to line up to get off the ship?

 

 

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[kathleen21]

I looked at my notes and we were easily off the ship at 8:15 for a 8:30 am tour meeting.

[kathleen21]

Tuesday-

 

After a great nights sleep, I woke up at 7:30 ready to move around! The beds, comforter and pillows were so comfortable that we slept good every night. Probably the only complaint we had about our room would be that Hubby thought the room was too warm. I didn’t. But since we couldn’t change the temperature that was an argument avoided J If you remember I was originally concerned that the room would be noisy because the galley was above us, but this didn’t turn out to be the case. We were in E143 and the only noise we heard was what sounded like a metal patio chair being moved outside our window. That happened only a couple of times while we were getting ready for dinner, so it wasn’t a big deal. The kids had no complaints, and we all really loved having the ocean view, so I believe the upgrade (for $35 pp) was totally worth it. Also, the window sill was wide enough to sit on, so that was fun.

 

 

Anyway, I dressed in workout clothes and left Hubby sleeping to head up for a cup of coffee. I took a look at the Hub app and saw a yoga class was about to start so I headed to the gym. Or thought I did. I found myself on the exact opposite side of the ship. I know people say this ship is small, but its plenty big enough to get lost in! At least for me. By the time I got to the yoga class it was almost 10 min into the 45 minute class, so I decided not to spend the $12 and fooled around with the weights and machines for a bit. But I really hate working out inside, so I gave it up pretty quickly and went upstairs and outside to the track. Running around the track 11 times was 1 mile. I made it through 3 miles. I thought it would be more boring, but because we were cruising along pretty fast there was an uphill into the wind side, and a downhill breeze at your back side. Besides BF came up to drink his coffee and walked a few laps with me so that broke it up. He was on his way to the Ships Tour. A 3 hour, $55 adventure that he was really looking forward to. Look what I saw on my adventure!

 

 

When I got back to the room Hubby was ready to get up and go for the Sea Day Brunch. We texted the kids where we going (no answer) and headed to the Dining Room. It was fun just being the two of us, so we joined 2 other couples at a large table and made some friends. Before we got our food though D#3 texted and wanted to join us. We moved over and she was allowed in. I haven’t mentioned yet how strict they were at the Dining Room reception desk. If your whole party wasn’t there they wouldn’t let you in. It makes sense I guess, so the tables aren’t held for long periods of time. Also, the servers really want to give everyone food at the same time. I was really glad D#3 sat down and ordered quickly so we didn’t mess up the pattern!

We were almost done eating when daughters #1 and 2 woke up and wanted to join us. So we went back to the reception desk, met them, and were seated (again!) at a table by the window. By the time brunch was over it was after 11 and I had drunk a solid pot of coffee.

 

 

 

BF really enjoyed the ship tour and was full of trivia for the rest of the trip. It was very interesting to hear about the behind the scenes working of the cruise. D#3 needed internet for some school contact, and Hubby really wanted to watch the finale of Super girl, so we got the internet package for a day. We all used it at times, only one person at a time though, to check email and send a few messages to family back at home. It was really slow when it came to watching the movie, but it gave him something to do that was not in the sun. He isn’t the pool kind of guy really. And with perseverance he made it to the end.

 

Ice carving-

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kathleen21]

The rest of the day was spent in our bathing suits. We hung out at the Serenity area for a time. Went down the waterslide. Watched the ice sculpture carving, hairy chest contest and drink creation contest on the main pool deck. Tried some delicious cocktails. "Kiss on the lips" is delicious! Ate snacks from the buffet. We had no problem finding lounge chairs and didn’t see many saved seats. All in all, it was a lovely relaxing day that calms me even now when I think about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[kathleen21]

Our standard My Time dining was turning out to be "meet at 6:45 for 7pm dinner." We left the fun at the pool about 5:30 to get fancied up for our first Formal Night. there were already people in the halls and posing for pictures in long gowns and tuxedos. It was quite the glamorous atmosphere. when we were all ready we went to the dining room, and were surprised to find a line that went half way around the atrium! Turns out the line was for pagers, then we had a 15-20 minute after that. TIP* the whole party doesn't have to be present to get the pager, so you could send up that speedy dresser to get that as the rest of the group finishes primping. We told ourselves that we have waited in longer lines for breakfast at a coffee shop so we didn't get annoyed. We spent the time taking more pictures of our fancy selves and looking through the pictures in the Photo gallery. It wasn't a bad wait, and soon enough we were led to a nice round table for six.

 

Dinner was excellent. I had 2 lobsters and shared a steak with D#3. She would turn out to be a great food partner as the week went on. We both like to try new and different foods so we started ordering at least 2 appetizers and even an extra entre each, then tried some of all of it. D#1, with her gluten free choices, realized that she also liked more choices and made sure to pre-order 2 appetizers and 2 desserts too. The flourless chocolate cake that she ordered every night was absolutely delicious. That seemed to be something special that they do for the gluen free people, since I remember seeing it on the menu only once. I don't really love sweets, ( my favorite dessert was the cheese tray), but a few bites of that deep, dark, delicious cake was just perfect with a cup of hot coffee.

 

We were done with dinner about 9:15pm. The kids went to see the 9:30 comedy show while Hubby and I wandered outside and enjoyed the night air. We tried to go to the stage show at 10:30, but we just couldn't get into it. The music wasn't our style, and the dancing was just meh. To us anyway. A lot of people around us seemed to be having a great time though.

Plus, remember that Internet package we bought for the day? He wanted to watch the season finale of his show more. I went to meet the kids for the 11pm comedy show. They had seen this performer before and really liked her. they were right. Her show was so interesting and funny in that way where you recognize yourself and family in the ridulous real life tales she told. Monique Marvez. I went online and downloaded some podcasts she has done. Funny!

 

After that it was time for bed. Barbados was on the schedule for the next day, and we had a fun day at the beach planned.

 

 

 

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[kathleen21]

Wednesday- Barbados was one of the islands I was most looking forward to. I read "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" in elementary school, and the description of the colorful waters around the island has stayed in my mind ever since. We met D#1 and BF for breakfast in the dining room. I very much enjoyed my eggs benedict, salmon plate and cut up fruit in the morning. What a life. The younger girls decided to sleep in and get room service. (They were hungry in 2 hours. Room service breakfast was "continental" - pastries, coffee, milk, fruit and yogurt. Not much protein available. But whatever. They loved the whole room service idea so much.) We were off the ship a 10am. No lines at that time. One way this island felt different from St Thomas was in how agressive the taxi drivers were. They would follow us for blocks. We just wanted to walk! It was a mile walk along a nice sidewalk with the ocean on the right. It felt like it took about 1/4 mile to get away from those drivers. It wasnt too hot yet and there was a nice breeze, so the walk was pleasant.

 

 

We had used the Internet package the day before to look up island maps and take screen shots, and we used those to plan our route. Hubby and D#2 had an 11:30 tour of the Agapey Chocolate Factory ($20 each - and it was really at 1100. Whoops. My bad. They were late.) D#1, BF and D#3 had a 2:30 Mt Gay rum factory tour ($15 each) scheduled. I was planning on bouncing from group to group and getting the most time in the ocean. We stopped at a drug store in the town to get cold drinks and snacks for the beach.

 

 

 

We left them at the Chocolate Factory then headed on to the beach. (Maybe stopping for a cold rum drink on the way.)

 

Chocolate factory pictures-

 

 

 

 

 

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[kathleen21]

All day happy hour and shopping at this fun restaurant on our path.

 

 

 

When we got to the beach I had ever intention of paying for chairs and umbrellas, but we found a nice spot under a pier to put our towels for free. By then it was almost noon, and we all just wanted to spend out time in the water. Plus, I was feeling kind of ornery after all the sales pitches we had received and now I was determined to not be bullied into spending money. (I'm explaining how I felt then. Actually, I would come to feel differently as the week progessed. But that is the story of another day.) We did take turns sitting on the towel with our stuff, but that was relaxing and not a burden. Hubby and D#2 found us and joined in the water fun.

 

 

 

 

We had planned on swimming out to the turtles but it seemed to far after all. We talked about taking the boat ride out there, but no one wanted to spend the time or energy. We were just having too much fun floating around. D#1 and BF rented a jet ski for $40 for a wild half hour and really enjoyed that. Soon enough it was almost 2pm and the three of them needed to clean up and catch a taxi to the rum factory. We hung around the beach for another hour then started walking back, stopping for food and drinks along the way.

 

 

 

 

Thats Barbados dollars. About 2 to $1 if I remember right.

 

 

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[kathleen21]

A few more beach pics-

 

 

 

 

We wanted to get back to the little mall of shops at the port to buy some souvenir local vanilla and cooking spices. We ended up meeting up with everyone and having fun doing some last minute shopping before the 4:30 on board time.

 

 

 

 

Since we were all still in our bathing suits we dropped our bags off at our rooms and headed up to waterworks to go on the slides. After playing at waterworks for a bit we went down to get ready for dinner. We hadn’t really eaten much for lunch so most of us ordered a salad or veggie plate from room service for a appetizer while we were getting ready. We met around 7 for dinner, which was delicious. By this time we had the routine down of opening a bottle of wine in the cabin to share and carry our glasses to dinner, ordering multiple appetizers and main courses to share, and enjoying decaf coffee and a couple of desserts. It was fun to hear about the different factory tours that were taken today. Hubby wasn’t that impressed with the chocolate tour, but D#2 really enjoyed it and was able to explain the difference in ingredients and the cooking process. Can you tell she’s a bit of a foodie. Or at least the Food Network is one of her favorite channels. The others enjoyed their rum tour, explaining how rum is made and the different types they were able to taste as samples there. I had looked ahead on the Hub app and noted that there weren’t any comedy shows today or Thursday. Our plan was to have a game night. But by the time dinner was over (9ish) we were too tired to focus. We seemed to always spend two hours at dinner, but it was because we were talking and relaxing, not because the service was too slow. We felt that the service was well timed and very friendly. This was the first night we were there at the right time to see the dancing that the servers did. That was just a hoot! After dinner D#2 and 3 and I went up and played a round of mini golf then called it a night. We had to be up early for our most anticipated tour in the morning.

 

 

 

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[sierramyst44]

Really enjoying your review look forward to the next update!

[jimbri]

Wonderful review and photos!

[kathleen21]

Wonderful review and photos!

 

Thank you both! I came up with a system of madly typing away an email to myself on my lunch break at work, then relaxing on the couch at night with my IPAD to edit and add photos. It took awhile to figure out the most productive way with the technology I have!:')

[kathleen21]

Thursday - St Lucia

 

This was the tour we had booked first and were looking forward to the most. I looked at several options and decided on Joy’s Tours because of the great reviews and the fact that there was more time spent on a boat and less on a bus. We had to meet the guide at 8:30 am, which if you have read this far you will know is very early for this group. We made it though, 8:29! Even had time to put sunscreen on while the waited for the rest of tour participants. There were about 12 of us. This turned out to be an incredible day and one of the highlights of this trip. It was also our biggest tour expense at $100 each. We were walked through all the taxi drivers at the port entrance (a noticeable difference from Barbados - nothing like having a local guide to lead the way) and went to a dock where were met by our guide and driver. The jet boat ride to Marigot Bay was fun and informative, they took us to the bat caves and different towns and explained the history of the island. We took SO many pictures this day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bat cave- you could hear them and smell them, but they were hard to capture in photos.

 

 

 

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[kathleen21]

Then it was time to load up in a van and drive the winding roads to the volcano and mud baths. Whew! That was hot mud! Our skin was so silky smooth afterwards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then it was off to the Toraille waterfall. Standing under that waterfall, with the jungle around you, was like being in a fantasy. The water was so cool and refreshing!

 

 

 

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[kathleen21]

 

Our “Authentic St. Lucian Creole Lunch” was next. This took place at Joy’s very large house, in an outdoor patio. There must have been 50 people there, with Joy’s family cooking and serving us all. We left our wet towels to dry on the stone wall and enjoyed the feast. One of the women was so kind, taking D#1 around the whole buffet table and pointing out all the food she could eat, and the few things she couldn’t. the food was filling an d good, with a good variety of the (somewhat) familiar and the unusual.

 

 

As we were enjoying our meal it started to pour rain! for 5 minutes there was such a downpour. So much for our towels drying on the wall. But this is the Caribbean and 10 minutes later the sun was out. Our towels ended up as damp as we left them.

 

The next part of the tour was a bus ride back to the boat and a short boat trip to our snorkeling site between the Piton mountains.

 

 

When we first got there we were disappointed with how many people were already in the water, but by the time we got our stuff together and got off the boat they had all left. Joy’s tours prides themselves on giving you an uncrowded an personal adventure and they were very successful in that. The snorkeling was fun and different because the water was deep. there was a lot of swimming involved, which was fun for 4 of us anyway. The other two relaxed on chairs on the beach for the hour.

 

 

All too soon it was time to board the boat and head back to the Fascination. This is Happy Hour part of the trip, where they broke out Piton beer and very delicious rum punch. Or soda or water. They were generous with the drinks, but it was a little tough to drink the punch since the boat was going so fast! It was an exciting and bouncy ride back. We did slow down for a guy selling stone turtles out of his canoe though. Very industrious, right? We had to buy some. We were back at the cruise terminal with an hour to spare for shopping. After that close call on St Thomas we didn’t really mind being a little early to get back.

 

 

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[kathleen21]

 

 

Dinner that night was the second formal night, but it was definitely less formal than the first one. People looked nice, but there were fewer gowns and tuxes. We were smarter this time and got our pager before we spent time taking pictures. No lobster tonight, but plenty of food and drink to keep us all very satisfied.

 

 

After dinner we changed into comfy clothes and met in the buffet dining area to play Cards Against Humanity. It was nice to spend some down time together and make our own entertainment for a change. Of course, after a couple of hours someone had to try the Pizza… Then it was off to bed and a bit of a sleep in.

 

 

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[ClassyGame]

Great review so far! I'm looking forward to the rest of it! We're doing this same cruise in September :)

[kathleen21]

Great review so far! I'm looking forward to the rest of it! We're doing this same cruise in September :)

 

September?! That's next month! Lucky you:D

[tjsmama]

Tuesday-

 

After a great nights sleep, I woke up at 7:30 ready to move around! The beds, comforter and pillows were so comfortable that we slept good every night. Probably the only complaint we had about our room would be that Hubby thought the room was too warm. I didn’t. But since we couldn’t change the temperature that was an argument avoided J If you remember I was originally concerned that the room would be noisy because the galley was above us, but this didn’t turn out to be the case. We were in E143 and the only noise we heard was what sounded like a metal patio chair being moved outside our window. That happened only a couple of times while we were getting ready for dinner, so it wasn’t a big deal. The kids had no complaints, and we all really loved having the ocean view, so I believe the upgrade (for $35 pp) was totally worth it. Also, the window sill was wide enough to sit on, so that was fun.

 

 

Anyway, I dressed in workout clothes and left Hubby sleeping to head up for a cup of coffee. I took a look at the Hub app and saw a yoga class was about to start so I headed to the gym. Or thought I did. I found myself on the exact opposite side of the ship. I know people say this ship is small, but its plenty big enough to get lost in! At least for me. By the time I got to the yoga class it was almost 10 min into the 45 minute class, so I decided not to spend the $12 and fooled around with the weights and machines for a bit. But I really hate working out inside, so I gave it up pretty quickly and went upstairs and outside to the track. Running around the track 11 times was 1 mile. I made it through 3 miles. I thought it would be more boring, but because we were cruising along pretty fast there was an uphill into the wind side, and a downhill breeze at your back side. Besides BF came up to drink his coffee and walked a few laps with me so that broke it up. He was on his way to the Ships Tour. A 3 hour, $55 adventure that he was really looking forward to. Look what I saw on my adventure!

 

 

When I got back to the room Hubby was ready to get up and go for the Sea Day Brunch. We texted the kids where we going (no answer) and headed to the Dining Room. It was fun just being the two of us, so we joined 2 other couples at a large table and made some friends. Before we got our food though D#3 texted and wanted to join us. We moved over and she was allowed in. I haven’t mentioned yet how strict they were at the Dining Room reception desk. If your whole party wasn’t there they wouldn’t let you in. It makes sense I guess, so the tables aren’t held for long periods of time. Also, the servers really want to give everyone food at the same time. I was really glad D#3 sat down and ordered quickly so we didn’t mess up the pattern!

We were almost done eating when daughters #1 and 2 woke up and wanted to join us. So we went back to the reception desk, met them, and were seated (again!) at a table by the window. By the time brunch was over it was after 11 and I had drunk a solid pot of coffee.

 

 

 

BF really enjoyed the ship tour and was full of trivia for the rest of the trip. It was very interesting to hear about the behind the scenes working of the cruise. D#3 needed internet for some school contact, and Hubby really wanted to watch the finale of Super girl, so we got the internet package for a day. We all used it at times, only one person at a time though, to check email and send a few messages to family back at home. It was really slow when it came to watching the movie, but it gave him something to do that was not in the sun. He isn’t the pool kind of guy really. And with perseverance he made it to the end.

 

Ice carving-

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I noticed that the cost you listed for your BF's Behind the Scenes tour was 55.00. My son (14) are really wanting to do this when we sail on the Fascination in October and I had read the price was 75.00...is it lower on the Fascination or are there 2 different tours..one being 55.00 and one being 75.00. I would love know.

[kathleen21]

I noticed that the cost you listed for your BF's Behind the Scenes tour was 55.00. My son (14) are really wanting to do this when we sail on the Fascination in October and I had read the price was 75.00...is it lower on the Fascination or are there 2 different tours..one being 55.00 and one being 75.00. I would love know.

 

I just double checked with him. He says it was $60, went from about 9-noon, and he highly recommends it! He signed up onboard the day before. I don't know if it is something you can book ahead of time.

[tjsmama]

I just double checked with him. He says it was $60, went from about 9-noon, and he highly recommends it! He signed up onboard the day before. I don't know if it is something you can book ahead of time.

Thank you. I knew that I would have to go to guest services as soon as I got on the ship to try and get a spot b/c space is limited...told my hubs that is the first thing I am doing when we board. I am glad to hear that it is less than I thought...about 30.00 less for the 2 of us.