Some Martin Moments: Caribbean Vacation

New Orleans

Allen and I were able to enjoy a wonderful vacation with Stacy and Dell. It is the first time in forever that we have left the kids for this long. The morning we flew out, we had a terrible snow and wind storm. We left from the Provo airport and flew to Denver, and then on to New Orleans. When we left home at 5:30 a.m. it was about 27 degrees. The roads were horrible and when we arrived at the airport they spent a great deal of time de-icing our plane. When we landed in New Orleans, it was very humid, overcast, and about 79 degrees, what a difference. We went directly to our hotel and then to find food. Our hotel was only a few blocks from Bourbon Street, so we walked down there. New Orleans is very interesting, and that's the nicest way I can put it. It was dirty and crowded, as I had expected. There are some very lovely buildings though. We ate at an outdoor cafe right on Bourbon Street. I had a catfish po' boy, Allen and Dell had a fried fisherman's platter- fried catfish, shrimp, okra, and fries. Stacy ordered Jambalaya and did not like it at all. The Harris' bought beignets for all of us for dessert and they were really good.

Saturday morning we wandered around for a bit and bought some souveniers, then we grabbed our bags and took a taxi to the port. It was only a few miles, but too far to walk with our large luggage. Check in was a breeze and we were on the ship in no time. It was fun to wander around when the ship was virtually empty. We had outside cabins this time and it was wonderful having the large window.

Voyager of the Seas

Our dining table

Spa and Fitness Center

The view from our room

The ship left the port around 5:30, and we traveled down the Mississippi River. It was midnight or later before we were in the Gulf.

Sunday we spent the day onboard enjoying the sun, the food, and the entertainment.

Elvis impersonator- fun show.

late night treats at Cafe Promenade

Cozumel Mexico

Monday we docked in Cozumel Mexico. It was warm, but windy and overcast. We took all of our stuff so that we could snorkel if the weather cleared up. We rented a car in the port and drove around the entire island in about an hour. We stopped at a beach, but the wind and waves were so hard that we didn't stay long. It was a pretty area and we were disappointed that we couldn't snorkel. (Stacy wasn't too disappointed.)

Our awesome rental car.

After our tour of the island, we shopped in town for a bit before returning our car and getting back on the ship. It was warm but the wind never stopped that day.

George Town, Grand Cayman

On Tuesday, just like every other morning, we started out with a great breakfast. It was a beautiful, sunny day. With our beach gear in tow, we took a tender to shore and headed for Seven Mile Beach. We started out walking, thinking it wouldn't be too far. In the end, we hailed a taxi to take us the rest of the way. The beach was beautiful and we were finally able to go snorkeling. It was so fun and very different from the other places we have snorkeled. It was a great day even considering the injuries we sustained from the reef. The weather and the water was great. The color of the water is amazing.

After the beach, we took a taxi the few miles back to town. We stopped in a few shops, things were more expensive here than in Mexico, which we expected. My sweet husband bought a beautiful sapphire ring for me. They had amazing jewelry stores. Oh, the diamonds we saw! Grand Cayman was beautiful and I hope to go back someday.

Jamaica

When we woke up Wednesday morning, it was raining. We had planned to do a river rafting excursion in Jamaica and hoped that it would clear up. We arrived at the brand new port in Falmouth and left the ship, even though it was still raining. The new port was beautiful, nice new buildings and beautiful landscaping. We walked through some of the shops while waiting for the rain to stop. When it did stop raining, we walked outside the port and tried to find a taxi to take us to the river. I have to admit, I was a little afraid in this area.

Arriving at the river, we were assigned to our 'river captain' and boarded our raft for the 1 1/2 hour trip down the Marth Brae River. This was a very slow moving, clean river. The river captains make there living taking tourists down this river. The rafts are made of bamboo and they last about 6 months. Our captain has been doing this for 42 years! The area was so lush and green and our captain pointed out different things as we floated down the river.

Leroy Brown, our taxi driver and Dell

Getting the rafts ready for the day.

The Raft Captains

Ashley- our raft captain

Akee fruit tree

Sugar cane and banana trees

Vendor along the river.

About halfway through our trip down the river, it started to rain. And not just a little sprinkle. It poured. We must have been a sight. I pulled the umbrella from the backpack and we tried to huddle under it, all while trying to keep the backpack and camera dry.

It only rained for a few minutes but we were still pretty wet.

At this point, they take the rafts out of the river and
haul them back to the top.

We took a taxi back to town and our driver just dropped us off in the middle of a very crowded road. As we turned away from the taxi, we noticed a large crowd of people. We had heard that morning on the ship that Prince Harry would be visiting Jamaica, and wondered if that was what the crowd was waiting for. Indeed it was. We waited only a few minutes and soon Prince Harry arrived. He stepped off a small trolley and into the street. The street was very narrow and I was surprised at the lack of security. No ropes keeping the crowd back and only a few local police officers. Not at all what it would have been like here. It was fun to catch a glimpse of the Prince.

We then walked through the streets, shopping a little on the way back to the ship.

The other Royal Caribbean ship in dock.

Overlooking the port from the top deck.

Looking out from the other side of the ship.

Thursday and Friday were sea days. We had beautiful weather. We spent much of both days on the 12th deck in the lounge chairs. (With a topless, sunbathing woman from Europe and her Speedo clad husband.) It was heaven- the sun, the sound of the ocean, live music from the pool, and the smell of the wonderful pool deck barbeque.

Thursday night at dinner, we celebrated Stacy and Dell's anniversary. Our dining room staff brought them dessert and sang "Happy Anniversary". It was an interesting rendition with a Chinese accent, Indian accent, and European accent.