As some of you may or may not know, Lee and I recently celebrated our ten year Anniversary by taking a trip. Our first trip together, EVER, without children. We cruised from New York Harbor to the Caribbean...it was wonderful! I kept a short journal each day (mostly) of our trip.
Sunday, May 4th, 9:20am
We started off Saturday morning a bit nervous (well I was nervous, Lee was anxious!). We had breakfast with the kids and my in-laws, finished packing, packed up the car, and prepared to go. After one little meltdown in the bathroom, I was fine. We arrived at my in-laws house in New Jersey (where we were getting picked up). In my nervous state, I counted all the bottles of laundry detergent in their garage (75). Lee's friend Mike picked us up, dropped us off, and we were officially ON VACATION!!!
We arrived safe and sound at the dock, flew through customs and all that safety stuff, and received the keys to what would be our room for the next 8 days. It was bigger than I thought it would be, and we didn't have to share it with any kids! It was all ours!
After a brief safety drill where we learned what would be our lifeboat should the boat sink (Boat 23)..we went on the upper deck for a Bon Voyage BBQ. It was cold in New York! We stayed to watch the Statue of Liberty pass by (with "Proud to be an American" playing on the ships loudspeakers) then we went inside to thaw. We had our coffee as we passed under a bridge, and we were at sea.
Last night I was a bit shaky and fell on several passengers and employees, but after some Duty Free drugs, we came back to the room and slept soundly until 9am.
Now, as I write, I am listening to the surf pounding against the ship while Lee is in the shower. Surprisingly, while I do wish the kids could see this, I am not worried about them at all. I am going to shower, get dressed, and go to breakfast. AAAHHH, to have a day off!
Monday, May 5th, 9:05am
We are sitting at breakfast now next to a huge window watching the flying fish. I always thought flying fish were a myth, or a joke. I never really knew they were something that actually existed. How cool...
Yesterday, our first full day at sea, we explored our ship. I guess i should say we are on the Norwegian Spirit. After breakfast, we went for a walk, then a nap! All that napping required some relaxing in one of the hot tubs. It was freezing getting in, but wonderful being in! We tried to read on the sundeck but it was just too windy. We moved to a deck lounge, were i read and Lee slept. A wonderful dinner was served at Windows, the ships main restaurant (Beef Wellington with Creme Brulee for dessert..), accompanied by romantic piano music.
Dinner left us with just enough time to hit our first show "On Broadway" which featured hits from various Broadway show, such as "Wicked", "Hair Spray", and "MammaMia". The entertainment moved to another lounge, where we danced to "A Tribute to Glen Miller". After another stroll on the Promenade, we fell asleep with our balcony door open, listening to the sounds of the ocean.
Tomorrow we hit our first port, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Wednesday, May 7th, 8:00 am
Well, yesterday was so busy there was no time to write! we arrived in PR yesterday morning. First thing we did was call home. The kids are alive (and so are my in-laws). Sounds like all is calm...hmm.
We woke up in the morning to watch a storm front develop right before us. It was amazing. Fortunately, it didn't last, and we pulled into port to gorgeous weather. We immediately met our tour on the dock. We were very excited to get our first look at an actual rain forest. We got to quickly get a glimpse of Old San Juan, then were ushered off by the most crazy tour guide I have ever met, Olga. Not only could she not drive, she couldn't stop talking either. It was an experience! The rain forest was beautiful, not as colorful as I had imagined, but beautiful. We hiked to a waterfall where Lee swam (rocks hurt when you fall on them!) and I video taped.
After hiking back and making the hairy drive back to port, we changed and went to tour Old San Juan. We had a wonderful dinner at a Puerto Rican restaurant (fried cheese, beans & rice, and fried chicken) had a few drinks, and walked through the town. Since we were touring at night, we didn't get to see as much of the city as we would of liked, but it was a unique experience. Fort St Christopher, Christopher Columbus statue, and the HUGE cockroaches were entertaining.
This morning we pulled into Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Wow. Just, wow. The most stunning, breathtaking islands I have ever seen. Rolling green hills with houses dotting the landscape. Amazing. We are off now for our next first, SNORKELING!!
Thursday, May 8th, 9:05am
We are now sitting in our lovely cabin, waiting for a "tender" (a small boat) to take us to the Dominican Republic.
Tortola was amazing. I do think it is my new favorite place. The place I will always dream about coming back to.
We took a little charter boat to a small beach at Virgin Gorda. The trip over allowed us to really see some gorgeous scenery and huge beautiful houses tucked into the sides of the hills. We docked a ways away from the shore, and put on our snorkeling gear. Lee jumped right in, I was a bit more nervous. Go figure. The water was crystal clear. Apparently, breathing, swimming, and wearing that gear was too much for me. I more sputtered than snorkeled, but Lee was a natural. I learned to swim a ways, stop, look in the water. There were some brilliantly colored fish...and a barracuda. Thankfully, I didn't see it and Lee was wise enough to not say anything. The rock crevices looked like they went on forever.
When we all made it to shore, we took a tour of natural rock caves. We did get a souvenir picture here, I hope it comes out OK. We hung out on the beach, swam a little, Lee snorkeled some more, then we went back to the charter boat and several of the BRAVER people jumped off the top. Obviously, not me.
Once we arrived aback at the ship, we changed and went walking through Tortola. What a cute little town. We had lunch at place called "Pussers" (jerk chicken pineapple quesidilla.YUMM). We wandered around the touristy area, took some back roads through a residential area, and saw lots of roosters, dogs, and lizards.
Back to the ship, showered , and saw a comedy show. So far, this is the best day of the cruise. I am so enjoying this vacation.
Thursday, May 22, 8:32 pm
That was the last entry I made. I think we just got too lazy! The Dominican Republic was a terrible place, and we don't want to visit there again. Our "Honeymoon" was the best thing we have done for ourselves in a long time. It connected us and gave us some great memories that we can carry with us for a while, or at least until the next vacation!! We met some really nice people and saw things we haven't had the opportunity to see. We also brought home some lovely souvenirs, one especially that always remind us of our "Ten Year Anniversary/Honeymoon".
