Another pleasure of travel that we discovered was cruising. Our first cruise in 1993 was an Amateur Radio theme cruise on Dolphin Cruise Lines (Miami). They were recently bought by Premier Cruise Lines. The food was wonderful, and service is top notch (more than I ever expected). They are smaller ships with
a lack of elevators, but if you can do the stairs, it is excellent exercise, and helps to work off the calories from the food. Nothing is very far away (unless you are handicapped or elderly or extremely out-of-shape). The pool is very small, and sometimes not accessible except by stairs. The rooms are sometimes very small compared to newer ships, but we didn't mind.
Bring a sweater as the AC can be very cold. Or, as happened recently on two different cruise lines, the AC can stop working.
Pick a spot on the deck as quickly as you can. The cabin can get hot and stuffy very quickly.
We have been to these ports of call:
Panama Canal: a great experience that takes all day to go into Lake Gatun, and come back out after dark. Loved it!
San Blas Islands: spanish Indian settlement off the coast of Panama. It was a really interesting and Matriarchal society!
Cartegena, Colombia, SA: The emerald capital and very poor people. They have lots of street vendors who love to "haggle" if you like that kind of thing. We are "rich" Americans to them. They do have drug-sniffing dogs so that no drugs are brought back to the ship.
Cozumel and Playa Del Carmen, Mexico: Known for the Mayan ruins, we will have to go back to see them as we spent the day snorkeling!
Grand Cayman Islands: We swam with the Sting Rays (they are very tame, and do not sting). It was a very unique experience and we took a disposible underwater camera for some great pictures.
Jamaica, mon! A nice place to visit. Something for everyone. We did the "Party Boat" and learned the "Macarena" and drank rum punch (well, I like the fruit punch better). They have a wonderful grapefruit soda called "Ting" that we first had in Saba, a few years before! It is refreshing, and we brought some home for the boys.
Nassau, Bahamas: Great conch fritters and chowder, and cole slaw! Public buses are cheaper than taxis, but no AC. We had a nice tour for $1.00 each...
St Thomas, Virgin Islands: Beautiful! Busy downtown (and shops at the docks). U.S. territory, but they still drive on the left, like the British Islands. It is the setting for "Weekend at Bernie's 2", a video that is "f-u-n-n-y!".
Barbados: A British Island and very friendly. Nice beaches, and snorkeling, and other water sports. They have a cave that you can take a ride through. The car we were in got stuck, and we had to walk out. No problem! Except, I was using crutches. They were very apologetic. We have been here twice, and the people are so nice we would go back, and stay longer the next time.
Granada: "The Spice Island" The smell of spices is in the air everywhere, and they are fresh and cheap. Beautiful harbor.
Dominica: A tropical rain forest is a major attraction. Lots of handmade crafts by the dock. Coconut soap is nice!
Curacao: Beautiful entrance through the Pontoon Bridge that moves out of the way to let the ships enter into the harbor. Lots to do. Snorkeling is fun. Lots of shops downtown across the bridge.
Aruba: We flew to Aruba from Miami for two of our cruises, and had an extra day's stay the first time. The hotels and beaches are wonderful. Nice honeymoon destination.
Bonaire: Lovely pink sand beaches made of coral. A hot,
and humid scuba diver's paradise. Papiamentu is spoken here, as well as on Aruba and Curacao.
© 1998-2001 JKH