Blogs from US Virgin Islands, Central America Caribbean - page 5

I can't believe it's our last day in the Virgin Islands. Our trip has passed so quickly! To think, we'll be navigating through the ice and snow before the end of the day. Andy, Erin and Julie are already at the airport (it was a little challenging for them to get there, as a private plane crashed into the fence by our hotel as it was taxing around the airport); they're flying to Puerto Rico and then Chicago for their layovers. Andrew and I decided to enjoy a kayak trip out in the bay together before taking off for the airport. As soon as Oliver went down for his nap, we left him with Grandma Judy & Grandpa Larry and headed out for our last day in the sun. Kayaking was relaxing and fun. I did ... read more

We spent a lazy morning playing in the sand at the beach. When Oliver napped, Andrew swam and I read. We followed up our lazy morning with a busy afternoon downtown. Cabs (again, vans) stay parked in the hotel parking lot. They easily hold our group, so we made the short (5-10 minute) ride to Blackbeard's Castle with ease. I'd read online that the castle is frequently closed; it's really only open when cruise ships are docked. We were lucky today, though, because they were open when we arrived, and we started out the only visitors (more came later). Blackbeard (Edward Teach) was a pirate made legendary by his crazy antics. Apparently, he was a large man (6'3", 230 pounds), especially for his time (early 18th century), and he had a full, black beard that he ... read more

My parents, Andrew, Oliver and I woke at 3am MST in Denver to start our journey for Saint Thomas. The first leg of our trip took us to Chicago, where we met with my brother and sister, Andy and Julie, and my sister-in-law, Erin. The eight of us flew to Miami and then down south for another couple hours to Saint Thomas. After fourteen hours of travel with a fourteen month old, I landed feeling more stressed than anything else (not that Oliver did poorly; in fact, he was incredible. It was exhausting, though). Still, it was difficult not to feel the relaxing nature of vacation when we disembarked the plane (outside) and stepped into 73 degree, humid air. We strolled over to baggage claim where a man was handing out shots of pinapple rum. Andrew ... read more

This week is American Thanksgiving which means schools are out, families are on vacation, the ship is packed and we are busy in the teen club! I am so happy to have a co-director for the busy holiday cruises, especially on this ship because it is so huge. Kristina and I work really well together. Thankfully, considering how many teens we have onboard, so far things have been going really well and the group is fun and friendly. Today we were in St. Thomas which is the day we offer a teen excursion. Not surprisingly with the number of teens onboard, we had a half dozen sign up to go out on the tour with us. Kristina, myself and half a dozen teens met with the rest of the tour group outside on the pier and ... read more

It was the last day of our cruise, and by far the most beautiful! St Thomas is a beautiful area. Part of the U.S. Virgin Islands, I believe it was the most wealthy of our stops. The views are awesome as hills rise from the water. I'd hoped to walk through downtown Charlotte Amalie, but it was a little further than desired to walk in the heat, so we walked around the tourist shopping area and grabbed a drink at an open air bar as we waited for time to arrive for our St Johns snorkeling excursion to begin. St Johns is another island just east of St Thomas. We arrived via the Bimini Breeze powercat, and what a fun crew! They were all 20something Americans and full of energy. The 2 guys and the girl ... read more