Time Flys and so are we

Royal Caribbean - San Juan, Puerto Rico

     Time to pack the bags and fly/sail into the sunset.  Tomorrow we join 150 new friends travelling to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a new journey for us, so to speak.  Though we have cruised many times, we have never cruised on Royal Caribbean.  Sunday we board the Serenade of the Seas for an adventure to the southern Caribbean, visiting 2 ports we have not been to before, St. Kitts and Curacao.  We have never been in a Jr. Suite.  We also have never flown on Jet Blue, which will be the carrier taking us to San Juan, so we will have lots to report on when we get back.

     It is amazing to me that I have left some out in this blog for almost a month and a half.  Life has a way of distracting us or making us think that other things are more important..Family...Church...Family.  You know?  Little things  (hmmmph)  I have, though, found a way to reinforce a strong belief of mine in the last 6 weeks; Travelling as a family is one way to insure the kids always remember the fun you had as a family, in spite of the spats in the kitchen.  So we are in the planning stages to take the family on a week getaway to San Diego, have fun at the beach, snorkel, and visit the sites we have not been to since our second child was only 6 months old (That's more than 20 years).  If you were to go (or have gone recently) to San Diego, what were your favorite memories?  What do you wish you had seen or done but missed out?

     Now, back to the cruise.  We set sail in the sunset Sunday evening at 8:30.  Monday morning we find ourselves in St. Thomas.  Last time we were here, we snorkeled at Coki Beach and explored Coral World.  This time, I want to explore and photo shoot Charlotte Amalie and take the tram to the top of the mountain overlooking the bay.  I am going to takes lots and lots of pictures.  Hope the computer can handle it.

     Tuesday, St. Kitts.  Here we have talked about taking a tour of an old fort and the city with some of our new friends.  But on this island, if you have the time and physical stamina, climbing the volcano through the rain forest is popular.  Of course, in every location, there are beaches.

     Thursday is Aruba, which will be our 3rd time here.  The snorkeling and scuba diving in the formerly known "ABC Islands" is amazing.  Clear and incredibly blue waters, reefs, drop offs, sunken ships.  Makes you quiver with excitement.  Dry desert climate with cacti like you find in Phoenix.

     Last stop is Curacao.  The former dutch colony, now independent, is alive with colors and the only place in the world with a pontoon bridge that swings open to let ships like ours pass by.  Here again, we plan to explore Willemstad, though I would not mind hitting one the the awesome beaches.  Here, it is all about the water, what ever you like to do.

     When you want to get away from everything, join us on a cruise some time.  We would love to share this amazing experience with you.

Desert and Beach - Aruba

We Are Here For You

XM Challenge - St. Thomas, USVI

     A Southern Caribbean cruise itinerary is an excellent way to see parts of the Caribbean that are not visited as frequently as Eastern and Western.  But one common port of call for both Eastern and Western is St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.  An unincorporated territory of the United States, the capital and main port is Charlotte Amalie, which is a little more than 50 miles from the port of San Juan, Puerto Rico.


     Known for the excellent duty free shopping here, you can find all you want if you are a shop-a-holic.  What I really like about St. Thomas, though, is the beauty of this little island.  The last time we were here was November 2009.  We chose to visit Coki Beach on the north side of the island, and also its neighboring attraction, Coral World.  We easily caught a taxi van at the port, which took the 8 of us up and over the mountain to our destination.  Along the way, we were impressed with the navigation skills of our driver on these narrow winding roads, that seem to go straight up to the sky.

     Coral world is a fun little "Sea World" attraction, with sting rays, large aquariums, even an under the bay viewing location for you to see what is not "caged."  What is most sought after though, is an opportunity to swim with sea turtles.  For those who who wish to experience the unique attraction, you will find yourself in the pool, touching and being very close to these beautiful creatures.  Barbi and I have always been bird people, so we really liked going into a large aviary that houses many beautiful and colorful lorikeets.  Here, you can feed these highly intelligent and playful birds.

     For me, the highlight of this excursion was snorkeling at Coki Beach.  My son and his friend and I actually snorkeled all the way back to the Coral World underwater observation building and back again.  Diving down 10 feet or so to look at all kinds of anemones, star fish, and just watching the fish was exilerating.

     Driving back to Charlotte Amalie, we stopped for a photo shoot overlooking the port and the city.  What an awesome sight.  Once back in the city center, we did a little shopping before heading back to the ship.  For a first visit, I felt like we got a good initial glimps into the culture of St. Thomas.  The people are friendly and inviting.  The island clean and beautiful.  I can't wait to get back there on May 16, aboard the beautiful Royal Caribbean, Serenade of the Seas.

We Are Here For You.