Day One – Mad Dash to Buffalo and San Juan

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Camera:

Canon EOS M5



Lenses:

EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM

EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM

EF-M 55-200mm f/4.5-6.3 IS STM



Accessories:

Speedlite 90EX





We got up at 4:00 am and got ready for the journey!!! It took us longer to finish packing and prep the house. The cats must have known something was up. They would not stay in the garage. Finally, Kim bribed them with some kitty treats and we got them to stay in as we closed the garage door!!! We hope they are still alive when we get back!!!!



We could not tell if the roads were icy, so we took it easy and didn’t speed. We left the house a half hour late and the slow speed got us to the airport about an hour later that I would have liked, but we were still OK!!



We had a layover in Boston, followed by a long flight to San Juan!! I had my noise-cancelling earbuds and slept through most of the flights. I got to take a few pictures from the airplane with my iPhone!!



Upon arrival in San Juan, we were picked up by a big bus. There were only five of us in this big empty bus when we first got on. At the next stop, about twenty people came in. We waited a long time for them to get loaded!! When we were dropped off, we quickly got our bags and got to the counter before the rest of the bus!! We must have been one of the last groups to be picked up. There were hardly any people waiting. In the past, we would have waited over a half hour to reach the counters!!!



Activity: Royal Caribbean – Jewel of the Seas

Website: https://www.royalcaribbean.com

Islands Visited: St Thomas, St Maarten, Martinique, Barbados, and Grenada

Cost: $ 1082.64 per person w/discounts

Required Time: 7 nights/8 days

Recommendation: Highly Recommend





We walked around the ship and found the dining room. Our meals were great!! I got the prime rib!!! Mmmmmm, prime rib!!!! It was finished off with a crème brûlée!!!



On Carnival, we would have had to have a mandatory muster before the ship departed. Apparently Royal Caribbean had two of them. The first was at 3:30 pm and the second was at 8:00. It wasn’t until we were eating that I remembered the second muster, so we are going to miss the last muster. I assume we will get some kind of warning about missing it!!!



After dinner, it was time for the ship to depart. We got some good views of Old San Juan as we sailed out of the harbor. There was a Christmas Festival going on at the waterfront. I wish we could have arrived a day earlier to explore the area and visit the festival!!!



So, I packed a few tools along to work on my regulator. That was not a good idea!! They were flagged as a restricted item!!!! They flagged my bag, but never searched for them. It took a while for my bag to be brought to the room. Our room steward asked me about them and was happy with my answer. As I was putting my bag under the bed, I found a $25 casino chip. Kim is looking forward to losing it in the casino!!!!



I know it is too early to compare Royal Caribbean to Carnival, but I have to admit that Carnival has a few more plusses. Hmmmm, will that stay the same way to the end of the trip!!



As we looked off of our deck, we could see another Royal Caribbean ship almost besides us.

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