My First Cruise

Our first stop was Key West, my hometown. I looked forward to seeing it again as I had not been there in about six years. I was hoping to show my fella some of the things and places from my Key West childhood, but we ended up not having that opportunity.

Our parasailing adventure was planned for the early morning. I wanted to get it over with! As mentioned earlier, I don't like heights or flying and don't swim well. Whoopee! Let's go up high in the sky attached to a kite. Well, ok, a parachute. Not much difference if you ask me. We decided to take the parasailing excursion while in Key West as they had advertised that you would leave the boat and return to the boat without being dunked in the ocean.

We headed out into the ocean in a motorboat with the driver and his assistant and five other couples. Everyone would go up, 2 at a time, for about ten minutes. As we awaited our turn, the assistant helped us get into the harness which went around our thighs and waist, and helped us get on the life jackets. When it was our turn, we climbed up on the bow and were hooked onto the parachute. Before we knew it we were airborne. To my amazement, I wasn't the least bit anxious. It was a glorious experience. Words just don't describe how beautiful and serene it was floating in the air so high up the boat looked like a tiny toy. I actually hated for it to end.

One foot out of my box...

(That's us under the smiley face parachute, a photo I commissioned and purchased from the boat crew.)

Two days later we landed in the Grand Caymans. My out of the box adventure number two would take place there. We signed up for a submarine tour of the reefs and ocean floor. The boat took 40 of us out to meet the submarine named Atlantis. We were the first to get on so we ended up right next to the captain which was pretty cool since we could see out his huge window as well as our portholes. The Atlantis was a small sub that held two rows of 20 people plus the captain and tour guide. We all sat back to back and each had a porthole to observe the ocean. Inside the sub, there was a depth meter that showed how far down we were. At the deepest point we were down about 150 feet.

I actually felt quite safe. The tour guide explained that the humming sound we heard was a good thing as it was the sound of the engine propellers forcing us under water. If the sound/propellers stopped, the sub would automatically float to the surface where a safety boat that followed the sub would meet us.

We roamed the reefs, and even sat down on the ocean floor, for about an hour. The tour guide explained that we were not seeing any large fish since they generally hunted at night, but we saw some beautiful coral reefs, a small octopus, many small fish, and crabs, as well as statuary and other sunken objects.

Now both feet were firmly out of my box...

(Photo is one I took from behind the captain looking out his huge window.)

The next day, we arrived in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I opted out of the 600 foot trek up the Dunn's River waterfall, as I take blood thinners and was afraid if I slipped and cut myself I would be in a mess. Like I said, I tend to play things safe. So my fella went to the falls and to swim with dolphins, while I decided on a day of sightseeing and shopping instead.

I really wanted to see the Wassi Art Pottery Works advertised as part of the tour, since I love pottery and my daughter makes pottery. I was a bit disappointed once we arrived. There was no pottery tour to speak of, just a gift shop and one lone potter sitting in a corner making mugs. The pottery for sale was beautiful though, so I ended up up buying 3 small vases for me and my daughters.

The trip to the original governor's plantation was interesting, although stifling hot. We toured some outside exhibits that showed how the original natives, the Taino Society, lived, and toured the plantation house which had historical exhibits set up in each room.

Another stop was at Harmony Hall which turned out to be an arts and craft gallery. Just another tourist trap trying to sell you something.

The Ruins on the tour turned out to be a restaurant where again we were pushed to buy various items. I never had a clear idea of what the ruins actually were, but the place was beautiful with a small waterfall and lush vegetation and ponds.

Our last stop was at a shopping plaza. By this time I was tired, and especially tired of seeing the same shops I had already seen in Key West and Grand Caymans, so I didn't look around much. Neither did most of my tour bus mates.

Although the island was beautiful, it was the least favorite of our stops. There was so much poverty and aggressive panhandling, that it was difficult to enjoy being on the island. Maybe it was just because it was the last stop on the cruise and we had already seen everything before, but I felt a bit ripped off.

My fella's excursion wasn't terribly satisfying either. It was the most expensive excursion we purchased. His excursion billed as lasting 6 hours lasted less than four. He enjoyed the falls and the dolphins but was disappointed they did not allow anyone to take photos.

We were glad to get back to the ship.

(I snapped this photo of Ocho Rios from our ship balcony as we docked.)

Every day we were presented with a FunTimes pamphlet which described all the activities available on the ship. There was an incredible amount of things to do. No one could possibly be bored on a cruise ship. Tuesday and Friday of our 6 day trip were spent entirely at sea with no land in sight.

One of my favorite activities was attending the two art auctions that were held. Being a "junk" lady, I love auctions. It was fun to look at all the different art available, plus you got all the free champagne you wanted. Even though I wasn't the highest bidder and didn't win any of the numerous drawings they held througout the auction, I did walk away (as did everyone in attendance) with a beautiful seriolithograph signed print at the end of each auction. Pretty neat!

Of course, we spent time in the casino (losing money!), as well shopping at the ship's duty free shops which were only open when at sea in the evenings. We also attended several shows in the Victoriana Theater. "The Ticket to Ride" show, a Beatles tribute, was very entertaining.

Dinners in the evenings were really nice. Diners were expected to dress in nice attire - no shorts or jeans. Two of the evenings required more formal attire. We met up with our reunion friends to have dinner together in the Chic restaurant. The ship assigned you to one of two restaurants, the Chic or the Posh. The meals were great. Everything was delicious, and you could order as much as you wanted. During the dinner hour, the waiters would stop waiting tables, throw on some costumes and jump up on small platforms around the restaurant to dance for us. On alternating nights, they sang. It was all great fun.

We enjoyed our cruise so much that before it even ended we were discussing when we would go again. Our next cruise, already booked for next year, will be farther west: 7 days to Cozumel (Mexico), Mahogany Bay on Isla Roatan, Belize, and Costa Maya (Mexico). Can't wait! Think I might try zip-lining next!