Freedom of the Seas - Part II

Grand Cayman is a wonderful place, and I wouldn't mind retiring there. The water is probably my favourite -- the colour is beautiful, and it's always warm and lovely. And they have lots of lizards. I am very fond of lizards.

Grand Cayman Water

Say Hello to My Little Friend

Our excursion for Grand Cayman was the Deluxe excursion to Stingray City. I think it was worth it. Instead of a crowded bus, we were on a charming old-fashioned trolley. We got to see a lovely bit of the island before we arrived at the marina. The catamaran was nice, and had a cash bar, so we could relax with a libation while our captain expertly piloted us to the sandbar. Once there, the stingrays were plentiful. The crew gathered some for us, so that we could feed and hold them. The stingrays don't seem to mind this and keep coming back. Presumably for the free squid. I am not quite sure if this is a good thing from an environmental standpoint, but I think the educational opportunities are worthwhile, and at least it's an open area where the animals come of their own accord, and no one is cutting off their stings.

On the Trolley

Stingray City

Sunset at Sea

Our last port of call was Cozumel. I am always a little leery of Cozumel, having had some negative experiences there, but the last several visits have been blissfully uneventful. This trip, we chose the Twister to Isla Pasion. The Twister is a speed boat that does high speed doughnuts, so it's kind of a fun ride on the way to and from our beautiful all inclusive beach.

Twister

Hermit Crab

Lovely Beach

Lollygagging at Isla Pasion

All inclusive is a slight misnomer, however, since the delicious buffet, and every single bar all have tip boxes prominently displayed. The beach is beautiful however, and I never find that the sand here gets hot enough to burn your feet. The water is nicely warm, especially in summer, and there are a bunch of floating toys and other water equipment to keep you entertained for hours.

It was almost a private beach at this point

In honour of it being Mexico, we made an appointment at the new upcharge restaurant Sabor. They start by making guacamole at your table - your choice of mild or spicy. And then they continue to try to kill you with food. We ended up taking half our desserts back to the room, but were still pretty much in a food coma for the rest of the night. One of the highlights was the Aztec Martini, which is a delicious, fairly spicy, chocolate martini.

Making Guac Tableside

Aztec Martini

The following day was a day at sea. It was the standard final sea day, except for the assembly(?) after main dining (sort of, we had to request they rush us through service so we could get there). The reason we rushed to the theatre was because they were going to introduce the firefighting team that had so handily put out the fire and saved our lives and vacation. Many heartfelt applause and standing ovations went their way. It was a high note to end the cruise on.

Heroes - The Freedom of the Seas Firefighting Team

Obligatory Stateroom Shot

Freedom of the Seas 2015 - Part I

In July, a friend and I did the Western Caribbean itinerary of Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas. Since I have posted the Freedom before, this will mostly cover the shore excursions.

Labadee from the Pier

The first stop was Labadee on Tuesday. This was a really nice day. We went to Columbus Cove which  I have never been to before. It turns out, I have been doing Labadee wrong. This is, in my humble opinion, the nicest Labadee beach I have seen, and the water is lovely.

Columbus Cove

We had a very pleasant morning, and enjoyed a few drinks at the convenient bar, before getting the tram back to the boat.

Lavender Vodka Tonic (well, Soda)

We chose this night to go to Chop's Grill. I am very fond of this upcharge restaurant. On each ship, I find the service here to be excellent and the food delicious. I am especially fond of the Caesar salad with caviar, and the staggeringly delicious red velvet cake.

Pirate Night at the Casino

 I don't gamble, but I did like the fact that the casino had a pirate themed night.

I don't have any pictures of the next part because I had left my camera in the cabin, and had just taken my friend to the helipad to watch our arrival in Jamaica. It was then that we heard the Bravo code announcement, and discovered that the ship was on fire. We were preparing to go back to the cabin to get everything we might need when the assembly alarm sounded, putting paid to that notion.

It was a long muster, and for those unlucky enough to have outside muster stations it was especially uncomfortable standing in the Jamaican heat, but it was reassuring that the Captain had the ship pull up to the pier so we would not have to evacuate onto life boats should it come to that.

After an hour or so we were moved into the theatre, which was as cold as the deck was hot. But, they began serving food and water. Occasionally, there would be updated from the cabin as to the situation. We would have been released a lot earlier, apparently, but some passengers had gone missing, and they couldn't dismiss us until everyone was accounted for.

After that, some excursions were cancelled, and some were rescheduled. We were fortunate that ours was rescheduled, and we got to enjoy a somewhat delayed day in beautiful Jamaica.

Waiting for our Catamaran 

Our excursion was a snorkelling excursion in the national park in Montego Bay. I can't begin to say what a great trip this is. First off, the service was excellent and the crew were very laid back. The soundtrack was terrific, and they didn't make me wear swim fins to go snorkelling (I swim much better without them).

Catamaran

There were lots of fish in the water, and my friend even saw a shark (probably a nurse shark). The snorkelling experience was great and I was rather sad when we had to get back on the boat.

Fish

Lots of Fish

But we weren't done yet, and the catamaran sailed us to a protected area, so we could see an amazing variety of birds and...

Jellyfish (look carefully)

Sanctuary

Jellyfish

hold a jellyfish in our hands. I doubt this is cruel, since I don't think jellyfish have feelings (although, part of me hopes they do, after all the times the little buggers have stung me).

Once we returned to the ship, we discovered that Royal Caribbean had gifted each cabin with an on board credit as compensation for the day's inconvenience. They had also deemed that the ship was sea-worthy and our cruise would not be cut short. Bonus and extra bonus!

How to Walt Disney World - Part II

So, you know when you are going and where you are staying. You will probably want theme park tickets, since few people go to Disney World strictly for the resorts and Downtown Disney.

Here is how it works: You can buy individual admissions at the gate each day for each park you want to visit. This will set you back an insane amount, because Disney tickets are discounted in multiples. For example, a 5 day ticket is only $10US more than a 4 day ticket, but a 1 day ticket for the Magic Kingdom costs $105US at the time of this entry. So, it is best to figure out how many days you will be going to the parks. I would recommend 2 days each for Epcot and the Magic Kingdom, and 1 day each for Animal Kingdom and Disney's Hollywood Studios (or whatever they are calling it this week).

Base tickets like this are only good for 1 park per day, (and you can't use 2 separate admissions on the same ticket for different parks in the same day) but you can purchase the Park Hopper option on your ticket. This allows you to do multiple parks any day you are using an admission. You can also choose to add water parks to your admission (Disney World has 2 very elaborate ones).

You can buy tickets through Disney's own website (on their own, or as part of a room/ticket/whatever package), or through a reseller like CAA, or Undercover Tourist. Beware! There are also scam organizations that will sell you "used tickets" which "still have days on them". Reselling tickets is illegal, and iffy at best.

How to Walt Disney World - Part I

Walt Disney World is a very expensive place to vacation, but it is worth a trip if you have children or if you are your child(ren). ;) But, a certain amount of preparation is helpful if you want to get the most bang for your buck. After you have decided to go, it's a good idea to start looking into where you are going to stay.

There are off-site resorts which I understand are quite nice and affordable, but I am not going to deal with them. The perks of staying onsite are well worth any extra expense to me. Also, some savings can be had by staying there: you don't need to rent a car, and Disney will take you to and from the airport for free. You also don't need to worry about enjoying a few beverages and having to drive back to your hotel. (Florida and I have a deal: I don't drive on vacation, and they don't arrest me).

If you are staying onsite, you have a number of options for type of accommodation:

• Camping $
• Value Resort $$
• Moderate Resort $$$
• Deluxe Resort $$$$-$$$$$
• Villas (Studios and Suites) $$$$

Camping at Disney is done at Fort Wilderness. They have camp sites, both for tents and campers, and cabins, which are pricier, but sleep many. I don't recommend tent camping because rain can fill the campsite. That said, Fort Wilderness has a boat to the Magic Kingdom, and a variety of outdoorsy recreation choices, including swimming pools and horseback riding.



If you're not the hardy outdoors type, and on a budget, you can stay at a value resort. These are motel-like in structure, but have wonderful theming. They all have swimming pools and food courts. And beds.





For a little more luxury, you can choose a moderate resort. They have better theming in their pools, and hot tubs. They also have nice rooms, although they are still motel style.






If you want to splurge, there are plenty of deluxe resorts to choose from. Deluxe resorts have rooms with balconies, and interior corridors. They have bars and table service restaurants. They tend to be located nearer the parks, and have very nicely themed pools. Many of them have fitness facilities. My personal favourite, the Animal Kingdom Lodge, has savannahs full of African animals which can be seen from most of the rooms.





The Yacht Club is also nice, and has the bonus of being walking distance from Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios.





Once you have chosen, you can book online at http://waltdisneyworld.com, or by phone at 1-407-WDISNEY. If you're in Ontario, you can book with me and I will help you with all your questions. https://mysunrisetravel.com/JudyH/

Dream Destination #1 - Bora Bora

The idea of going to the South Pacific has always been extremely attractive to me. Bora Bora seems to be an especially magical place (sorry, Coulson, Tahiti takes second place in my island dreams).



There are many cruises that will take you around the islands, but the thought of spending time in one of those huts over the lagoon, where you just snorkel right off your room in the morning, seems to me to be the height of decadence.

St Augustine

These are just some pictures from St. Augustine. It boasts of being the oldest European city, and the most haunted. The photos were taken in 2007.

Ghost tours here are plentiful, and there is a section in town preserved from times gone by. It includes recreations of several businesses, including a tavern.

There are many historic sites, including the old Spanish Hospital, the old jail, an old Spanish Fort and Ponce De Leon's Fountain of Youth.

It also has it's share of fun tourist attractions, including a Ripley's, and a Pirate museum.

Cruising for Beginners

A little change of pace here. This is just a briefing document I made up for some friends who are new to cruising and I thought I would share it.

What’s Included

• All Meals in main dining room, buffet and quick service stands
• Snacks
• Room Service (customary to tip a few $$) Note: some cruise lines have implemented an after hours service charge.
• Coffee, tea, iced tea, (juice in the morning) (Some lines also include soda)
• Entertainment
• Use of exercise facilities, pools, hot tubs

What’s Extra

• Alcohol (gratuity automatically added to bill) (optional)(Some lines have all you can drink packages -- see entry on beverage packages)
• Gratuities for stewards and wait staff ($X /person/night) varies by Cruiseline. Usually added to your account or prepaid. We are usually moved to tip extra, the service is good.
• Some specialty restaurants (optional)
• Port of call excursions (optional)
• Beverage packages of varying types (optional)
• Mini-bar items (overpriced)(optional) depending upon line
• Spa services (optional)
• Tips for porters (yeah, they’re unionized, and you’re not supposed to tip them, but I like my bags on the ship and not in the water) (“optional”)

What You Need

• Passport
• Credit Card (on board, cash is only used for tips: your room key card, which is linked to your credit card, is used to charge for everything)
• Singles (to tip room service and salt the bartenders)
• SunBlock (for warm weather cruises)
• Bathing suits (for warm weather cruises)
• Non-shorts to wear in dining room
• Formal dress if your line does formal nights
• “Half the clothes, and twice the cash”

What to Expect

• A room (maybe with a window or balcony depending upon what you select, a queen bed and other possible bunks/fold out sofas depending upon how many are travelling in your room), a bathroom and a closet
• Assigned seating at dinner, possibly with strangers - if your cruise line offers traditional dining, and you choose it. Restaurant-style dining is becoming more common on cruise ships.
• Attentive wait staff who will try to get you to eat more
• A steward who makes up the room twice a day -- includes turn down service
• Beach towels (not to keep, but to use on the cruise)
• As much or as little as you want to do

ToDo

• Finalize date
• Book cruise (deposit due)
• Make final payment
• Do online check-in
• Select excursions
• Book flights  -- I recommend flying in the day before so there is no chance of missing the ship due to flight delays.
• Book hotel (1 night)
• Fly to Port 
• Spend the night
• Go to the port ($$)
• Give porters the bags ($$)
• Go through security
• Go through port check-in process
• Lunch buffet *Check your ship, there might be better options
• Relax, explore the ship, swim.
• Muster drill (mandatory)
• Dinner, etc.
• Enjoy cruise
• Disembark - perhaps with excursion
• Go to airport ($$)
• Fly home