Jump to content

Mitsugirlys graduation getaway cruise


mitsugirly
 Share

Recommended Posts

I live in NE Ohio and I couldn't agree with you more. I joke that my only goal is to get the h#ll out of this state. Hate it!!

And that is why the joke HERE in SC is that everyone is from OHIO, lol!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My SmugMug wouldn't let me download the fireworks video. I tried several times yesterday and it would time out. So I ended up downloading it on youtube. Enjoy.

 

 

It wouldn't open. :(

What would I search for directly on you tube?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Day 5, St Thomas.

 

P5210002-L.jpg

 

 

I had set my alarm for 6:45am and immediately opened the curtains to go out on the balcony. There were absolutely no waves and the ocean was as calm as ever.

 

P1010163-L.jpg

 

 

 

P5210005-L.jpg

 

 

We were pulling up. Beautiful St Thomas, oh how I've missed you. We were to arrive in St Thomas at 8am. We arrived at 7am and were cleared to go ashore by 7:30am.

 

We headed to the breakfast buffet. Of course I knew that Flamingo grill was not open. After trying to get a fast breakfast there yesterday, I had checked the dailies to see the hours of operation and found that they don't open until 8am (of course after docking and going ashore). So, this wouldn't work.

 

Since yesterdays fiasco of not being able to find the family and not having a "meeting" place. The night before we made plans of where to meet. Kendra, naturally running late, met us there and we didn't get off the ship until 8:30am. Of course I scolded her while telling her that we could have actually been off the ship 1 hour ago and we were wasting time in one of the most beautiful ports with awesome snorkeling.

 

 

P5210029-L.jpg

 

 

P5210031-L.jpg

 

The day I had been waiting for now for about 3 1/2 years. The last time we were here we went to Sapphire Beach and it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. We had the best day there. The scenery was so beautiful and the snorkeling was excellent. We couldn't have ask for a better place to go. However, over the years, things at Sapphire has changed (with closing the snorkel shack & food and pretty much the condo association wanting to stop tourist traffic to the area IMO). So we decided even though you can still go to Sapphire, it wasn't worth the hassle. It was time to try somewhere else.

 

Coki beach comes highly recommended for an excellent place to snorkel and a pretty nice beach. It has had it's bad publicity over the years with drugs, shootings, and just a shady place to go. After the shooting in 2010 of a cruiser (by accident due to a gang related activity going on during a funeral), the efforts of St Thomas to clean the place up, make it more presentable and tourist friendly seems to have worked.

 

So we headed off the ship and toward the gates to catch a cab to Coki.

 

We were immediately put into a VERY nice van (again, another with huge rims....I'm seeing a pattern here lol). We had 3 others going to Coki and a couple that was going to the Marina. We dropped the couple off first and then on to Coki we went. Our driver was seriously driving like a mad man. There are some pretty scary turns on the roads and some very close calls. At one point there was a huge industrial truck working on the side of the road, which forced our side of the road to go around it onto the opposite side of the road. Our driver went ahead and crossed over WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC and the car coming our way hit the side of the van. It wasn't a bad hit, but you felt it and you knew someone lost a mirror with that as well. Neither of them stopped, but I can guarantee our driver was furious (by the look on his face) because he seriously had a nice van. However, IMO it was his fault. Just a thought...maybe slow down a little and give right away???

 

We were passing the cemetery and I immediately knew that we must be close to Coki. We pulled up at 9am and got out to discuss with the driver what time he would be back to pick us up for the return drive back to the port.

 

P5210032-L.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kim.....I dunno....I'm in Cincinnati. You have to admit, you'd benhard pressed to beat the way the last few weeks turned out.

 

BTW....my son works for Ohio State.:)

 

 

So true, but you just never know. It could snow tomorrow. :p

 

I had my OB clinicals at OSU and loved it. I would love working there (although it's more of a drive for me and more traffic, but the tuition reimbursement is amazing. Well, I don't know if it's considered reimbursement or they just simply pay for it. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking directly across the street from Coki, this is what you see:

 

P5210033-L.jpg

 

 

We were introduced to a lady who gave the impression that she ran things (we found out later she was just one of the runners that got you food and drinks), but she quickly claimed our group. She started telling us about Coki and umbrellas/chairs and where things were. At this point, I completely zoned out because I was not interested in a slow walking tour and listening to what things were...I just wanted to head down to the beach and get in the beautiful water and sand. I like to explore on my own.

 

I have to admit, the "vision" I had in my head of what the entrance of Coki and Coral world was like with the steps walking down to Coki beach was completely different than what it was. But I was not disappointed.

 

P5210034-L.jpg

 

We made it down the steps and to the beach. We were trying, once again, to figure out how many chairs and umbrellas we needed this time. There was plenty of room on the beach and we decided to just take the prime location at the front of the beach and close to the entrance and we ended up with 6 chairs and 2 umbrellas. The guys setting up the umbrellas were totally different than the servers and you paid them separate. There are not chairs and umbrellas lined up and down the beach to pick from. They set everything up as you rent them. The chairs were $5 each and the umbrellas were $10 each.

 

As they were getting things sat up (and our server was yelling at the umbrella guy "no, you take that crap back and get good stuff") I was standing at the beach taking it all in and taking pictures of this beautiful paradise.

 

P5210036-L.jpg

 

 

 

Brayden was checking out the water too.

 

 

P5210035-L.jpg

 

 

 

We quickly unpacked and headed for the crystal blue water. The hubby enjoying himself.

 

IMG_0001-L.jpg

 

 

I ordered a soda ($2.00 each) and just needed something to quinch my thrist before getting started. Then we were off to play (notice I'm the smart one with a tee shirt on. I wasn't about to get burned anymore today)

 

 

IMG_0004-M.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What the heck? Where you seriously making funny faces while I was trying to get a picture? REDO!!

 

IMG_0002-M.jpg

 

 

 

So time to put the snorkeling mask and snorkel on and see what all is under us. You could tell there were some friendly fish, but I had no idea just how many until I ducked my head underwater.

 

P5210047-L.jpg

 

 

 

P5210053-L.jpg

 

 

 

P5210049-L.jpg

 

 

 

There were thousands of these little fishes everywhere you went. It was funny to see them all grouped together and there was like this invisible line that magically told them "stop here".

 

 

 

P5210040-L.jpg

 

 

 

P5210050-L.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, just got through reading and caught up with you. Whew! Quite some experiences there!

 

So glad I will be sailing with you on your do-over cruise!

 

I'm excited about getting back on the Sun, and am sure you will like it, too. It is the first ship I sailed, and I've been wanting to get back on it. Someday hope to sail in one of those amazing aft penthouse suites.

 

Sure do hope they don't take away the Observation Lounge, as I loved it. It doesn't have the equivalent of the Star Bar, so that's where we often went for drinks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kendra posing

 

 

P5210056-L.jpg

 

 

 

Kolin swimming with the fish.

 

P5210054-L.jpg

 

 

 

There were a lot of Ballyhoo fish here. They must just like St Thomas because the only other place that I recall ever seeing them is also in St Thomas at Sapphire Beach. They are silver and really long. They have a very long sword fish like nose.

 

I REALLY struggle with taking pictures straight forward in the water. I'm not sure if there's a certain technique to it or not, but if there is, I haven't found it yet. These Ballyhoo fish like to swim at the top of the water and they are quick. They usually won't let you get anywhere close to them. So, it makes it really hard to capture a picture of them.

 

P5210041-L.jpg

 

 

Now that I'm home and going over my pictures, I know the Ballyhoo is the top fish, but there's another fish under it (which I didn't see when I took the picture). It might be a barracuda, but I'm not sure since I was so far away and couldn't tell in person.

 

 

By now, it's starting to get a little more action on the beach and more people are arriving.

 

IMG_0003-L.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I drank the rest of my soda and geared completely up for snorkeling...fins, mask, snorkle, snorkeling socks, and snorkel vest. Away I went.

 

Since we were situated as soon as you enter the beach, I figured I would head to the right side first since it was the closest.

 

***DISCLAIMER*** I try my best to take multiple pictures over and over of things. No matter what, I always end up with different pictures with different outcomes in the quality and color. Sometimes I'm lucky and get excellent pictures and clarity. Other times not so much. It's really hard to focus on something when you are underwater...after all, this is a point and shoot camera with just a viewfinder. You have to hope that what your camera is focusing on is the same thing you are trying to capture. A lot of things depend on the shots you get as well. If the sun is out or there's a cloud going by. How deep the water is. If you are pointing head on to the subject versus straight down. Even the movement of the water and those around you stirring things up with have an effect on your picture. I took hundreds and hundreds of pictures. I tried to narrow it down to just the ones I thought worth sharing. Some are excellent. Some are not but I still wanted to share. Hopefully you enjoy them. I really think I need more vacations so that I can "practice" my underwater photography skills. hehe I'm sure I would get the hang of what settings to have on if I practiced enough.*****

 

 

Just a warning...you are about to see TONS OF PICTURES!!! This should give you an idea of how great the snorkeling was there.

 

 

P5210059-L.jpg

 

 

Young parrot fish

 

P5210060-L.jpg

 

 

 

A Juvenile Beaugregory

 

 

P5210062-L.jpg

 

 

 

Parrot fish with some Sergeant Majors

 

 

P5210063-L.jpg

 

 

Sea worms, better known as "feather dusters". You will find that I take a lot of pictures of the sea worms. I absolutely love them. The reason why is I use to have a huge 150 gallon salt water tank. The story goes...my mom use to live in Myrtle Beach on the ocean. One summer we went down and was collecting rocks along the sand and we brought them back home with us to use to give my tank some scenery. Well several months later there were tons of "feather dusters" all over the place. They were beautiful and really added to the aquarium. I had no idea this would happen. Needless to say that when I sold my tank years later, the "live rock" was worth hundreds and hundreds since the aquarium stores sell them by the pound.

 

 

P5210061-L.jpg

 

 

More parrot fish and Sergeant Majors.

 

P5210068-L.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Parrot fish, Sergeant Majors, Blue tang and Surgeon Fish.

 

P5210064-L.jpg

 

 

I have honestly not seen so many black long spined sea urchins snorkeling before as I did this entire cruise. They were just everywhere here and St Maarten.

 

 

P5210071-L.jpg

 

A huge boulder brain coral with some pretty orange Christmas tree worms on them. This place had more Christmas tree worms than I have ever experienced before. They came in a lot of colors and I was just amazed by them. I have only previously spotted a few of them on my Western Caribbean cruises and there were by mistake and I found them after I got home and was looking at my pictures once.

 

 

 

P5210074-L.jpg

 

 

A beautiful yellow tail damselfish was below the coral wondering why I wasn't taking his picture....so I did.

 

 

P5210073-L.jpg

 

Purple sea fan with blobs of some type of spongy sea coral (I have yet to find out the names of these yellow blobs).

 

P5210069-L.jpg

 

 

More black and red spiny sea urchins.

 

 

P5210072-L.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I'm still in this area, and I'm still checking out the cute little sea worms and all of a sudden I see this huge mouth come out at me!! I kinda jumped back (the best you can jump back in water) and it was a spotted moray Eel. Eeeeekkkk. IT'S MY FIRST EEL!!! OMG! I'm so excited. I was so excited that I completely forgot that I had a camera in my hand. I was pretty close to the Christmas tree worm (trying to get a close up of it) when this eel came out and totally caught me off guard.

 

 

P5210077-L.jpg

 

 

 

 

I guess I was getting a little too close for him and he swam up the rocks. By that time, I realized I was not catching this on camera. I'm also tugging at Kendra and talking in my snorkel (which I admit, it's sometimes hard to understand when you do that), but I'm frantically waving my hands at her and pointing. (She has seen an eel before last May when they stayed back at Mahogany Bay in Roatan and we went to Little French Key). But this was my first time. Eeekkkk.....I'm so ecstatic.

 

P5210078-L.jpg

 

 

P5210081-L.jpg

 

 

 

P5210080-L.jpg

 

 

Oh my gosh. Can you imagine had I been prepared and caught him coming out from under the rock the first time with his mouth open? That would have been an awesome shot. Darnit. Still kicking myself for freezing up with the camera.

 

 

Yea, yea, yea, ok, back to worms I guess.

 

 

P5210076-L.jpg

 

 

Some feather duster worms and some yellow and brown christmas tree worms.

 

 

P5210088-L.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

More coral

 

 

P5210084-L.jpg

 

 

 

 

P5210089-L.jpg

 

 

Sea fan and black and red sea urchins

 

P5210085-L.jpg

 

 

A really nice huge coral.

 

 

P5210090-L.jpg

 

 

I absolutely love these types of coral...the ones with the holes in the middle. You don't see them offen.

 

I'm not sure the name of it. I'm really not good with coral names and have not taken the time to research them in the past. It's a soft coral.

 

 

P5210093-L.jpg

 

 

 

More brain coral and sergeant majors

 

P5210092-L.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Soft coral

 

 

P5210091-L.jpg

 

 

Hundreds of little fishy fish.

 

P5210098-L.jpg

 

 

Blue Tang Surgeonfish

 

P5210095-L.jpg

 

 

 

Yep, you guessed it, sea worms.

 

 

P5210094-L.jpg

 

 

This was some very beautiful green coral. I really wish I knew the names of coral. They are so beautiful. I had never seen one like this before.

 

 

P5210100-L.jpg

 

 

 

Popped my head up for a minute to see where I was in relationship to the beach and area.

 

P5210101-L.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They were enjoying their day on the rocks in the sun.

 

 

P5210102-L.jpg

 

 

 

 

P5210108-L.jpg

 

 

 

 

I'm honestly not sure what these fish are. At first, I thought they were just the now sergeant majors that you see everywhere. However, they did have a different shape to them and they were really huge compared to normal sergeant majors. So I'm not sure. If anyone knows, please let me know.

 

 

P5210103-L.jpg

 

 

Elkhorn coral...the only other type of coral (other than brain coral) that is an obvious one.

 

 

P5210106-L.jpg

 

 

Some pretty neat coral was growing on top of this coral. It was a beautiful bright orange color.

 

 

P5210105-L.jpg

 

 

 

 

P5210109-L.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Parrot fish I believe. Although I have never seen one that just had the yellow on only the top of them.

 

 

P5210110-L.jpg

 

 

 

 

Check out this little guy that appeared. He was shy. Trumpet fish

 

 

P5210115-L.jpg

 

 

 

 

P5210114-L.jpg

 

 

 

Parrot fish, sea urchins and sergeant majors with coral.

 

P5210112-L.jpg

 

 

I always try to punish myself by tryin to accomplish one of these above water and below water pictures. LOL I think they are awesome...WHEN they turn out. They are very hard to do, especially considering the small lens on a point and shoot camera doesn't give you much of an area to shoot above AND below the water. None the less, I always give it a try. This was the best one I could get. It really takes some very calm water to do this in. Otherwise you are just putting the camera down at the edge of the water while the waves are going back and forth and pulling the trigger over and over hoping for the best. LOL

 

 

P5210123-L.jpg

 

 

If it wasn't for that huge sun glare on the water, this one would have turned out at least a little better than normal.

 

 

Another trumpet fish and sergeant major.

 

 

P5210113-L.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Beautiful bright orange coral.

 

 

 

P5210117-L.jpg

 

 

Eeeeekkkk. More christmas tree worms....and different colors.

 

P5210130-L.jpg

 

Trying to get a close up of more of the beautiful christmas tree worms and the awesome coral they were on. Orange, yellow and pink for the win! They remind me of the cleaning brushes you get for the tips of baby bottles. LOL

 

 

 

P5210132-L.jpg

 

 

 

The valley of doom....black spiny sea urchins.

 

 

P5210127-L.jpg

 

 

Brain coral, sponge coral and a school of fish.

 

P5210138-L.jpg

 

 

 

So many places to go in and out to explore there.

 

 

P5210135-L.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

More of that really neat coral with the holes in it.

 

 

P5210161-L.jpg

 

 

Do you really think this skinny coral is going to hide you?

 

 

Oh wait, what's that I see in the corner????

 

P5210164-L.jpg

 

 

Well hello there little guy. Nice of you to show. Smooth trunkfish.

 

 

P5210165-L.jpg

 

 

School of fish and a trumpet fish. I don't think I have ever seen this many trumpet fish on any one snorkeling adventure either.

 

 

P5210171-L.jpg

 

 

 

I thought the pastel pink either soft coral or sea fans of some sort were so beautiful.

 

 

 

P5210177-L.jpg

 

 

 

Um yikes...barracuda

 

 

P5210184-L.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

P5210179-L.jpg

 

 

 

 

Now I don't know what this is. Is it coral? A growth? Or rock? I'm not sure. It was almost shaped like one of those hard shelled crabs you see at the zoo. But it didn't move, so I have no clue.

 

 

P5210178-L.jpg

 

 

 

This dark red coral was absolutely stunning to look at. Too bad it didn't have a lot of family members in this area. A bunch of them would have been nice to photograph.

 

 

P5210181-L.jpg

 

 

 

More tangs and parrot fish. Do you notice the huge black marking on this tang surgeon fish? I wonder if it's his birthmark? I have never seen anything like this before on one of them.

 

 

P5210189-L.jpg

 

 

 

 

Now I want you to take a look at this. Do you see anything with the most beautiful color ever? (It's Sakari's favorite color)

 

 

P5210194-L.jpg

 

 

Are you ready to find out what it is up close and personal??? Are you ready for this? It's stunning!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The absolute most beautiful purple color I have ever seen. Eeeekkkkk! Would you look at that? I have never seen such a beautiful colored coral and never purple!!! I was so excited. They were everywhere along the left side of the beach by the wall.

 

 

P5210188-L.jpg

 

 

 

 

P5210187-L.jpg

 

 

More of those prickly urchins you stayed away from.

 

 

 

P5210197-L.jpg

 

 

Some parrot fish and more dark red coral.

 

 

P5210208-L.jpg

 

 

 

I think someone got sick and had an accident on this coral. ??

 

 

P5210196-L.jpg

 

More pink spongy things and I got this parrot fish to smile for the camera.

 

P5210202-L.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

P5210209-L.jpg

 

 

 

 

More brain coral and christmas tree worms. I think one of them looks like they went SPLAT! Or he was just stretching at the time I snapped this picture.

 

P5210210-L.jpg

 

 

I am attempting to take a picture of yet another trumpet fish. I'm UNDER water obviously, so that means I'm not getting a water spot on the lens from swimming and then bringing the camera up outside of the water.

 

WHAT THE HECK IS THAT SPOT ON THE RIGHT?

 

 

 

P5210213-L.jpg

 

 

Aooming in for a closer look at the trumpet fish. I can still see the corners of the "blob". Anyone???

 

 

P5210214-L.jpg

 

 

 

P5210211-L.jpg

 

 

 

Coming up for air to see where I'm at.

 

P5210215-L.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

More purple coral as I'm coming back in toward the shore.

 

 

P5210216-L.jpg

 

 

It's christmas in May around here.

 

 

P5210220-L.jpg

 

 

 

 

P5210219-L.jpg

 

 

Ooooo, green coral and white christmas trees. I guess I can't escape the snow this christmas either. The trees are covered on the coral.

 

 

P5210221-L.jpg

 

 

P5210223-L.jpg

 

 

 

P5210222-L.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

P5210224-L.jpg

 

 

 

The wall here at the left side of Coki "kinda" reminds me of West Bay in Roatan. They call it the iguana wall. This was something like it (only on a smaller magnitude scale of course), but it had iguanas crawling all over it. The kids were going crazy (not mine, they were back at the camp)

 

 

P5210234-L.jpg

 

 

 

P5210237-L.jpg

 

 

 

P5210239-L.jpg

 

 

 

P5210227-L.jpg

 

 

As I was coming back and and getting ready to head back to camp, the kids came along to snorkel. Yea guys, perfect timing...not. They wanted me to go back out, but I was beat. I had been out there for a long time and wanted to get back to order something to eat and I needed a drink. I handed off my snorkeling equipment to Courtney and away they went.

 

P5210241-L.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...