Island Hopping in the Eastern Caribbean: An Emerald Princess 5/2/10 Review (w/photos)

[CruiseCheers]

I sooooooooo want that choc chip cookie and ice cream right now :mad:.

 

Are you all going to be twice the size by the last day's pics? :D

 

Shhh....we decided we would say it was just an illusion from the wide angle lens.;)

 

Seriously one of us won't be, Holly was blessed with her father's metabolism. I on the other hand, always reserve those one piece MIRACLE suits for the final days of the cruise! We always have one standard rule on a cruise...No Elevators. We were only in the elevator one time, that was at when we left with our luggage.

Holly and I loved the International Cafe...we are true dough girls.

[CruiseCheers]

Hollybelle,

 

Met your parents in Hot tub the late afternoon of St Thomas day if I remember correctly. Had a nice conversation with them, but could tell they were enjoying the cruise. We had a great time, snorkeling was fantastic, esp in St Thomas.

 

Hobbster, it was a pleasure meeting you and your wife. If you say it was on the St. Thomas day, I am quite sure that your memory of that afternoon is better that mine. I do remember your great advice on the rental car and the Kmart stop to restock the beverage supply. I also recall you planning to snorkle in Grand Turk, how did that go?

[7x5090g]

WELCOME to Hollys review.

Wow, 35 cruises and this looks like your first post on Cruise Critic.

You may already know but there is a roll call for your July cruise http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1164481 .

So Corky, just wondering how long you plan to keep that countdown clocking going ...lol

[JWJs]

Thanks so much for the great review and pics of your Emerald cruse.:) Love the Emerald. Your pictures are wonderful! Glad someone already asked about your camera. I'm a Nikon user but have sure thought about getting a Canon.

[Hollybelle]

Hey, were we on the same ship (albeit different sailings??). Your dinner dessert photos look soooo much tastier than what we experienced!!! That chocolate chip thing...it looks like raw cookie dough, which would be a big hit with my kids!! How did it taste?? Also, we never saw creme brulee on the menu at dinner and I noticed it on your previous night's dinner! Maybe Princess changed their dessert menus from our sailing. I will have to look at Andy's menus to see!

 

You must have had a real theater crowd on your sailing. Both you and Andy mentioned the crowded theater. Or maybe DH and I went to a show no one wanted to see, because 30 minutes before showtime on the one and only show we saw, there were a total of 4 people in the theater and two of them were us!

 

I agree with you about the piano bar. The piano was kind of stuck back out of the way. We enjoyed the one set we attended, but never went back, so that says something, because the piano bar is usually one of our favorite places on a ship!!

 

Glad we can spread the word about the pub lunch, along with Andy! I am a complete anglophile, so hope Princess keeps this up for a long time!

 

Loving the review. Can't wait for the ports!!

 

Hmmmm... I'm not sure about the possible dessert switch up. Maybe they switch around the nights and you happened to miss these on the nights you were in one of the specialty restaurants? I still think the desserts in the MDR on Carnival are better, but these were pretty good. Brett had the cookie with ice cream and really liked it. I recall him saying it was really rich though and I don't think he was able to finish it.

 

That's funny about the theater. It wasn't the biggest deal to us, but I bet some folks were upset by it. As for the Piano Bar, the guy was pretty good but there was never a crowd (I don't know about after midnight)... and a Piano Bar is only as good as the sing along!

 

I wonder how many people miss the pub lunch because they don't fully read the patter. I know that would have been me, without your review.

 

I have eons...LOL. I wrote a review of the Saratoga Springs resort for a trip advisor website and took about 1000 pictures there. So, I am very interested in your take and pics! I'll check it out, thanks!

 

In that case... start at the beginning (the pictures definitely improve after the first few reports). :eek:

 

What a great review Holly! Thanks for sharing.. What are you using for a camera?

 

I have a Canon Rebel Xsi; it's an entry-level DSLR. And I absolutely love it. I've also sunk quite a bit of money into gear for it. ;)

[Hollybelle]

Holly,

 

There is an outdoor track, but it is very small. The track is above the Skywalkers lounge near the miniature golf.

 

Yeah... we checked that out at one point, but in my opinion, it's a joke. I'd be afraid of some serious ITB knee problems due to the fact that you're almost constantly turning. That would wreck my inside knee.

 

My wife and I will be sailing on the Emerald Princess July 25th,2010 for 7 days.We're getting all excited again! We love Princess. We love cruising this will be our 35th time!! Hoping to meet new friends!! Marlene & Jim.:p:cool:

 

35th cruise?!! :eek: Wow. Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

Hollybelle,

 

Met your parents in Hot tub the late afternoon of St Thomas day if I remember correctly. Had a nice conversation with them, but could tell they were enjoying the cruise. We had a great time, snorkeling was fantastic, esp in St Thomas.

 

Hi, Hobbster. I do recall my parents saying they'd met up with you, and I'm sorry I wasn't there as well. I believe I was sleeping off the famous St. Thomas bushwackers at that time.

 

We too enjoyed our snorkeling excursion in St. Thomas. I'm ready to go back!!

[Hollybelle]

This is such a wonderful review -- I'm just loving your writing style and the photos are amazing. I know how much time and effort this takes; thank you so, so much! Can't wait for the rest!

 

Well, thank you rdsqrl! It does take a while but I really do enjoy it.

 

Do you know if they give prizes for the trivia contests they have during the cruise and what are they? Also has anyone seen the"If I were not upon the sea"? I have not seen it in years and wondered if they do a good job with it.

Marsha:)

 

Oh no, I'm afraid I'm of no help here, Marsha. We didn't participate in any ship activities. And I don't even know what the "If I were not upon the sea" is. :rolleyes: I hope someone else can hop in and help you out with this one.

 

Yes, this is Hollybelle's very proud mom. I do love photography, but my Sony point and shoot just isn't keeping up. I now have the feeeeever. I am thinking that I need to catch up with Holly's equipment. She assures me that she will be my very own talking manual if I will purchase a Cannon.

I have enjoyed reading all of your comments on Holly's review. I am thinking that we need to redo this vacation so that all of us can really meet.

 

Redo this vacation?! I'm ready for another one!!

I can just see the DSLR in your pretty little hands now. :D You know you're going to have one before your next cruise, right?!

[Hollybelle]

Thanks so much for the great review and pics of your Emerald cruse.:) Love the Emerald. Your pictures are wonderful! Glad someone already asked about your camera. I'm a Nikon user but have sure thought about getting a Canon.

 

Thanks for the kind words, JWJs. While I liked the look/feel of the entry level Canon's better, in my opinion, Nikon and Canon are on par with each other when it comes to their DSLRs, especially the entry level ones. And it seems that these two brands offer a wider selection of lens options than others. Another reason I narrowed it down to these two before purchasing.

[#33s Mom]

Thanks for such a great review! We are sailing on the Emerald in September. Your pics are awesome! My husband is wondering what kind of camera you have. Thanks for sharing!

[Hollybelle]

I was away from my computer ALL day yesterday. :eek: Withdrawal. So I apologize for the delay in updates. It may take a little while, but I should have the first part of St. Martin up by the end of the day.

[Hollybelle]

[quote name='#33s Mom']Thanks for such a great review! We are sailing on the Emerald in September. Your pics are awesome! My husband is wondering what kind of camera you have. Thanks for sharing![/quote]

Thanks, #33s Mom. You're going to have so much fun on the Emerald. September will be here before you know it.
I have a Canon Rebel XSi... which is an entry-level DSLR. LOVE IT!

[BoPippy]

Loved the entire trip writeup with photos.I do pretty much the same except i add a 2-3 hour video also.My dw has had it with me doing this.She hates having her picture taken and i love putting her in and or anyone.I think memories r better that way and to actually see someone in the picture is a great memory.I look at old videos of cruises back to 1990 every month or two.I showed her this on u guys and she was not interested!Duh!As far as pit.of ship,she said i will see it when i get there...bigger surprise!I love planning and research.She asked if i would leave video and camera home next year!A DUMB Question...[B]NO[/B]
I have family over to watch video and photos after cruise and they all think it is like watching a professional video and she cringes!To find ways of putting her in my video,i go to a spot far away and zoom in and she does not know i am putting her in most of the time.Now she has agreed i can bring camera and video,but not include her in it!That is the fun of it to me!:eek::eek::eek:I will work on her and eventuall she will come around?
Anyway,i will read and look yours over again tonight,really enjoyed,but love video even more!:D

[kittikats sister]

[quote name='Hollybelle']I was away from my computer ALL day yesterday. :eek: Withdrawal. So I apologize for the delay in updates. It may take a little while, but I should have the first part of St. Martin up by the end of the day.[/quote]

All of us had were hollyless yesterday ! I thought my computer was broke !!! I hope your job (or whatever it was) doesn't interfere anymore.

Andy, I just can't give up my reverse countdown clock yet.

[BballinQT24]

Thanks for taking the time to post the great review and all the pictures! I am loving it so far!

[Hollybelle]

[quote name='BoPippy']Loved the entire trip writeup with photos.I do pretty much the same except i add a 2-3 hour video also.My dw has had it with me doing this.She hates having her picture taken and i love putting her in and or anyone.I think memories r better that way and to actually see someone in the picture is a great memory.I look at old videos of cruises back to 1990 every month or two.I showed her this on u guys and she was not interested!Duh!As far as pit.of ship,she said i will see it when i get there...bigger surprise!I love planning and research.She asked if i would leave video and camera home next year!A DUMB Question...[B]NO[/B]
I have family over to watch video and photos after cruise and they all think it is like watching a professional video and she cringes!To find ways of putting her in my video,i go to a spot far away and zoom in and she does not know i am putting her in most of the time.Now she has agreed i can bring camera and video,but not include her in it!That is the fun of it to me!:eek::eek::eek:I will work on her and eventuall she will come around?
Anyway,i will read and look yours over again tonight,really enjoyed,but love video even more!:D[/quote]

Thanks, BoPippy. Good luck getting the wife to come around on those videos! :D

[quote name='kittikats sister']All of us had were hollyless yesterday ! I thought my computer was broke !!! I hope your job (or whatever it was) doesn't interfere anymore.

Andy, I just can't give up my reverse countdown clock yet.[/quote]

Hah!! Update is just around the corner! And because I made you wait so long, it'll be a monster update!

[quote name='BballinQT24']Thanks for taking the time to post the great review and all the pictures! I am loving it so far![/quote]

You're welcome, BballingQT. Thanks for the compliment! More to come.

[Hollybelle]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Alright... my crazy self ended up with approximately 18 posts for the first half of St. Martin. [FONT=Wingdings][/FONT] So please bear with me...[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2][B]Day 4 – Wednesday, March 5: St. Martin/St. Maarten[/B][/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Days 4, 5, and 6 were all ports I was extremely excited about. So this is where things really started picking up speed for us. We were up fairly early and having breakfast by 7:45 am. We had some time on our hands before we could debark so we went back to the Outrigger bar area to check out the gorgeous weather and enjoy the morning calm before the craziness that would begin once in port. Of course, we wouldn’t be us if we didn’t take pictures! Mom is almost as bad as I am. I vividly recall the camera always being out during my childhood!! I get it honest (like so many other things).[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]I’m a sucker for those cheesy “looking out to sea” photos. [FONT=Wingdings]:rolleyes:[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Looky, looky... there’s an island up ahead. Wooohoo:[/SIZE][/FONT]
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[Hollybelle]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]We quickly got ready and made the decision to go find the line to get off the ship instead of heading outside to watch the Emerald securely dock. Good choice for us... we walked down to Deck 5 where a petite crew member was standing and we asked where the line was to debark; she told us we were it! She had us stand at the top of the stairs leading down to Deck 4 and then she funneled everyone coming down the stairs and off the elevators to the back of the line which apparently began stretching through the art gallery, back into the atrium, and even into the Michaelangelo dining room. I was impressed; she was quite the little task master, not letting anyone jump the line (and believe me some folks foolishly tried). We’d been standing there about ten minutes when I remember overhearing one such conversation she had with a couple stepping off the elevator: [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Crew member: “This is the front of the line, the back is in the atrium,” as she pointed how to go around.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Guy: “Oh, well if this is the front then perfect,” as he started to stand right next to us.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Crew Member: “I’m sorry, sir, maybe I didn’t make myself clear... the back of the line is through this hallway.”[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Guy: “Really, you’re going to make us walk all the way to the back.”[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Crew Member: “Yes sir, this is a line... and that is where you get in the line.”[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Guy: mumbles and shuffles through the hallway to the back of the line.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]She was extremely efficient and polite and wasn’t letting anyone pull anything over on her! If I’d have thought to get her name I would have totally filled out a comment card praising her skills![/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Woohoooo... first off the ship (that’ll never happen again):[/SIZE][/FONT]

[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u339/holly1422/Cruise%203%20May%202010/IMG_3615.jpg?t=1274461717[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u339/holly1422/Cruise%203%20May%202010/IMG_3618.jpg?t=1274461735[/IMG]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Panchito was ready to stretch his wings in St. Maarten:[/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE=2][FONT=Verdana][IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u339/holly1422/Cruise%203%20May%202010/IMG_3619.jpg?t=1274461758[/IMG][/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]And we bugged some passersby to take our picture:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[Hollybelle]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]We were scheduled to meet at the “yellow information building” at 10:30 am for Bernard’s Tour. If anyone is wondering, it is very easy to find. It’s actually the building directly behind the “Welcome to St. Maarten” sign pictured above. Unfortunately I didn’t have the presence of mind to take a shot of the whole port area to put it in perspective. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]There is a nice large map of St. Martin behind the outdoor/covered information desk:[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2][IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u339/holly1422/Cruise%203%20May%202010/IMG_3622.jpg?t=1274462076[/IMG]
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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]And the pillars even have signs with Bernard’s name on them so you know you’re in the right place:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Being first off the ship, we ended up standing around for awhile waiting for everyone to show up. We were on the lookout for Corky (kittikats sister) and Judy (kittikat) and we knew Andy (7x5090g) would be on this excursion as well, but we hadn’t met him yet (well, my parents had met him briefly up on deck one day). Everyone arrived and we went through some brief introductions before heading out to the bus. Turns out Bernard had enough Princess folks to warrant two busses and Judy and Corky were split from us and put on a different bus. None of us were too happy about that. We tried to plead with the driver, but he said there were no other parties of two to pull instead. But at least we were able to meet up with one another at the stops along the way, so it wasn’t a total loss.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]The bus had four or five rows with two seats on each side and a bench seat across the back. The four of us squeezed back there along with Andy and we were off.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Meet JR, our driver and tour guide (he was GREAT):[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]When he told us his main goal was for us to have fun and empty his coolers before we got back to the ship, cheers erupted... mostly from us alkies in the back! [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2] JR provided us with some running commentary about the island as we made our way around it. As we headed up the hill on the other side of Great Bay, Mom tried her best to get a shot through the window of our moving van of the Emerald alongside the RCI ship in port. I figured we’d be able to get some good ones from one of the lookout points we were being taken to. Turns out, there was only one scenic overlook stop on the tour and it, unfortunately, didn’t happen to overlook Great Bay. So I’m glad we at least have this one:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[Hollybelle]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Our stop overlooking Simpson Bay was approximately 5-10 minutes or so. Here are some shots of the Bay:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]At first I thought there were specks of dirt on my lens around the catamaran in this next shot. Then it hit me... it’s a bunch of little snorkeler heads. Duh!:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]I can just imagine that the conversation taking place before I shot this next photo went a little something like this: [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Dad: “Kim and Holly could stand up here forever taking pictures.”[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Brett: “Don’t I know it.”[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Dad: “Look at ‘em, they’re even taking pictures of an industrial plant.”[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Brett: “Like true tourists.”[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Dad: “I think they’re passing free beer out in the van.”[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Brett: “Let’s go get in the van.”[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Me, as I turn around and point the camera at them: “SMILE!”[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Look at those faces... can’t you just tell they’re humoring me and my camera because they love me. [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]A look down the hill which eventually takes us to Maho Beach:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[Hollybelle]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Meanwhile, back at the van JR really was handing out free rum punch and Carib beer! And of course we collected our share of both. A word about the rum punch... I was under the impression we’d receive rum punch, you know, a tasty tropical drink with some rum and ice cubes. Ohhhhh nooooo, these were [SIZE=2]"RUM[/SIZE] [SIZE=1]punch[/SIZE] SHOOTERS." Seriously, I don’t know where they got the “punch” part from. These babies were POTENT![/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Cheers:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Dad declared he could hardly taste the alcohol… to which I insisted he must be a real bada$$![/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Not something to be sipped on, I kicked back that shooter like I was reliving my drunken college days! And then I of course had to chase it with the Carib beer that was in my other hand. [FONT=Wingdings];)[/FONT] My former 21 year old self would have been so proud! [/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Don’t mind the blurriness of this next photo... pretend you were along for the ride and just tipped back your own rum punch shooter. I promise you it’s more authentic this way. It’s like you’re viewing it from my very own eyes:[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2][IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u339/holly1422/Cruise%203%20May%202010/IMG_3647.jpg?t=1274462854[/IMG]
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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]And there’s Andy (7x5090g), making his official cameo appearance. Everybody wave hello to Andy:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Not one to be left out of the party, Panchito Beakman had himself a beer, too:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]We enjoyed our complimentary Carib beers as we headed down the island to our next stop: Maho Beach![/SIZE][/FONT]

[Hollybelle]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Our thirst quenched, we hopped out of the van at Maho Beach to see a jet immediately fly overhead. Totally wasn’t ready for that. Very cool! I was surprised I got the camera up to my eye quickly enough to catch this shot:[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2][IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u339/holly1422/Cruise%203%20May%202010/IMG_3650.jpg?t=1274463094[/IMG]
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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Welcome to Maho Beach!![/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]The Sunset Bar and Grill had a chalkboard up with all the commercial arrivals listed:[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2][IMG]http://i517.photobucket.com/albums/u339/holly1422/Cruise%203%20May%202010/IMG_3652.jpg?t=1274463108[/IMG]
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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Planes were coming in one right after the other. Here are some sequential shots I have of one of the other bigger planes we got to see:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]And my parents... with the crowd (and Andy's family) behind them on the beach:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[Hollybelle]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]I just love the DANGER sign:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Panchito Beakman wasn’t feeling the Maho Beach stop… he was fearful that he’d somehow get sucked up into one of the propellers and turned into nothing but colorful feathers:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]To be honest, I’m still incredibly shocked that this area of the beach isn’t restricted. Seriously, some of those planes are low. Also, I didn’t see any kind of runway lights leading the planes in… do they only fly in during daylight hours? I can’t imagine them trying to come in at night.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]After watching quite a few of the smallish planes come in to land, we asked Andy if he’d take a quick picture of the four of us with my camera. He was kind enough to wait until a plane flew into the background. I cropped out some of the people so we had a perfect shot of just the four of us (and a PLANE)… I absolutely LOVE it. Thanks again, Andy.[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]We couldn’t see the plane in the background but all of a sudden we heard it. Here’s a short three second video Andy’s wife caught (and many of you have probably already seen): [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL7lkel_G6M"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL7lkel_G6M [/URL]
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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]We overheard someone on the beach saying that the pilots drop low like that on purpose, but that just seems really dangerous to me. Looking back at the picture it was quite low even that far back. Especially when you compare it to some of the other small planes coming in. [/SIZE][/FONT]

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[Hollybelle]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]There was a bit of a break in the planes’ arrivals so I zoomed the lens in on a sailboat. Does anyone know what the mountainous island behind it is?[/SIZE][/FONT] It's to the left of the boat and kind of hard to make out in this shot:

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Rarely do you see pictures of the Sunset Bar and Grill. I could spend quite a bit of time sitting out on that covered deck watching and shooting the planes as they come in. Does anyone know if the loungers are for rent from the bar? Just curious. [/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]We noticed this on the backside of the sign announcing planes and their ETAs:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Clearly the rum punch had gotten to our heads because Mom and I thought it’d be funny to do a “fake flash” near the sign. Yes, I know, this would have probably been a good signal to stop drinking [FONT=Wingdings]:cool:[/FONT]:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Check out the creepy dude with the telephoto lens in the background…oh no wait, never mind, that’s my man! Brett has a knack for purposely creeping into the background of shots anytime he gets the chance. And what’s funny is we tend not to notice him until looking at the pictures much later. This one was just hilarious to us. Here’s what he was shooting (looks a little more realistic than the one from the front):[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]All too soon we had to leave the Sunset Bar and Grill and Maho Beach behind. I’m no plane buff, but I did thoroughly enjoy this experience. I’d say we were at Maho for about 30-45 minutes, but I really do wish this part of the excursion had been longer; I would have had no problem making myself very comfortable at the bar.[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[Hollybelle]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]We treated ourselves to more Carib beers when we got back on the bus. And this time mom sat up front to get some pictures and make a little more room for those of us still in the back. She got some shots that put things in perspective. Not everyone on this beautiful island has the luxury of yachts and large houses on the mountainside:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Eventually we found ourselves on the French side of the island in Marigot. The harbor was beautiful:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[Hollybelle]

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]We wandered around the very colorful French market, not looking to buy anything, just enjoying the stroll:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]We ended up at Sarafina’s, the patisserie:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]Mom and Dad got in line and eventually came out with a couple croissants for the four of us. I’m thinking, “really, just a croissant?” But my oh my was that croissant heavenly and just perfect. We even fought over one of them:[/SIZE][/FONT]

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