8-Day Christmas Cruise on Adventure of the Seas, Southern Caribbean (lots of pics!)

[LittleMissMagic]

 

 

 

 

 

[LittleMissMagic]

 

 

 

 

 

Good-bye, trash!

[LittleMissMagic]

We got off the ship, found a taxi driver, and he pointed us towards three beaches. He was suggesting that we might want one beach since we're ladies and probably want showers, but we said that didn't matter - we just needed beach chairs. So, he took us to Valley Church Beach.

 

 

 

 

The water was very unique... a pretty light blue, but rather opaque.

 

 

 

[LittleMissMagic]

Once again, there were random showers. It made sunbathing rather unpleasant. I spent perhaps an hour curled up underneath my towel.

 

 

 

 

[bmwoods72]

Excellent review!

 

We just returned from a Christmas cruise on Serenade of the Seas. We also stopped in Antigua and went to Valley Church Beach also. Too bad you visited on a cloudy day. The water is sooo blue and clear on a nice day. It was one of our favourite days.

Can't wait to read about the rest of the cruise.

[magenta321]

Thanks for the review. Loving what you've posted so far. We are doing this cruise next December and are looking forward to it!

[LittleMissMagic]

The waves were big and the current was intense - probably because of the sporatic storms.

 

There was also a big drop-off that you couldn't see because of the silt water.

 

Mom was up to her knees, just feeling the water, and the current pulled her in!!!

 

 

 

The waverunner guy kept coming back to my dad with prices for Rachel and I to rent. Finally, after his fourth trip, we agreed.

 

 

 

We started put-putting out and realized it only went 12 mph. No way were we riding that for an hour! We turned right around, and the guys were confused. "Go out! Your time isn't up! You just left!" "No - it doesn't go fast. We don't want to ride this." So, he put us on the other waverunner that had just been returned. Luckily, it went fast! So we were off!!!

 

[LittleMissMagic]

They told us to come in to switch drivers, but when we started coming in, they started waving us back out, telling us we had to keep the waverunner. I think that they were nervous we'd demand our money back. So we just went really far out and switched out there like they had originally told us not to. It didn't last very long though because my legs aren't as long as Rachel's, so I was sliding around, depending on her for stability (before I had been stabilizing myself with the steering wheel, and Rachel had been balancing us with her legs).

 

The waves were really big, so we got a lot of air! :)

 

 

 

 

Our cab driver didn't want us to pay when he dropped us off - he wanted to take us back to the ship so we could pay him then. On the ride over, he was very friendly. However, on the ride back, he was rather grumpy. He told Rachel and me if we were wet, we needed to sit on towels (we were wrapped in towels), and that we needed to dust our feet off (after we were already in the van). It was a long, awkward ride back.

[LittleMissMagic]

Now, the days are starting to run together! :D

 

We didn't take any pictures tonight because we looked at the pictures we had taken the two previous nights and were disgusted.

 

I described our terrible formal photos, but we also took pictures in our formal Clemson colors on the white background. I really wanted to take a picture of these pictures, they were so awful - they were comical!

 

In two photos the lady included the white background... as well as a good two inches on each side of what was outside of the background. Still, she managed to cut off the top of my father's head. In the two photos that she didn't include what was outside of the white background, she completely cut off my father's head! If this is ever happening to you... TURN THE CAMERA AND TAKE A VERTICAL PICTURE!!!!!!! You would think a "professional" photographer would understand that.

 

It was Lilly Pulitzer night, though.

 

Rachel and I were in these dresses. Mom was in a pink dress, and Dad wore a white polo with khaki pants.

[bmlovell]

My dtr and I are enjoying your review she likes the fashion show and wants some of your dresses but she's only 11 LOL maybe in a few years . Hope you have more:)

[LittleMissMagic]

The next day, we woke up to the rain. We took our time getting off the ship because of the terrible weather.

 

Now, the entire time, my family had been making fun of me for bringing a rain jacket... that rain jacket was about to come in handy!!!

 

 

 

 

[reallyitsmema]

Nice pictures, too bad the whole family couldn't make it for the holidays.

[GaryNFla]

Thanks for sharing.. wonderful review, awesome pictures and great family!

68 days till we board!!

[LBumb]

great job

great looking family

[binjune]

Great review! Really enjoying it!

[gelo7]

Very nice review.

[Sharon Sails]

Thanks for all the pics! Lots of fun to see your cruise.

Plus, y'all are so cute :)

Glad you had such a good time.

 

:D

[LittleMissMagic]

Thanks, guys! :)

 

 

We had been to Dominica before and went river tubing with Wacky Rollers - a great tour! I forgot to mention earlier that my Dad went to the excursion desk that morning to try and book an excursion, but all of the river tubing tours and many of the other excursions were cancelled because the river was flooded with all of the rain. Our tablemates had booked the river tubing tour, but weren't able to go since it was cancelled. I don't think it would have been very pleasant in the rain, anyway.

 

Soooo... we got off the ship in the pouring rain and walked in the first bar we found in search of the local brew - Kabuli! :D

 

*Please note, the legal drinking age in Dominica is 18.

 

 

 

[LittleMissMagic]

 

 

While we were sitting in the bar (we spent a long time there), a young couple sitting at the table next to us started talking. They were from Texas and had been married 2.5 years - because of our obnoxious Clemson door, they knew that we were staying in their honeymoon suite! :D

 

Had to try the rum punch -

 

 

 

Pssst... Derrick and Jennifer (Texas couple) may have lent us a few to complete the pyramid...

[LittleMissMagic]

Somehow Johnny Rockets came up, and Derrick and Jennifer insisted that we join them. So after boarding the ship, we all squished in a booth and enjoyed hotdogs and hamburgers while cashing in on our 2 for 1 milkshakes.

 

And did a little dancing...

 

 

 

Then we spotted a rainbow as the ship left Dominica - now the rain goes away!

 

 

 

 

[LittleMissMagic]

[LittleMissMagic]

Then we went to see the ice show, again. (I forgot to mention that we saw this the night before.) This time, I took pictures.

 

 

 

This girl was insane with hula hoops!

 

The show had really good ice skating. However, I found myself naturally critiquing the theme, "Cool Art, Hot Ice." It just didn't make sense. I understood that it was abstract - that was obvious in the name. However, there wasn't really a formula to it. One scene was very abstract with instruments, then midgets, then next we have go-go girls and the Beatles - all over the place! For the go-go scene, they showed video of ice skating - that wasn't the current ice skaters or even the correct setting, just the same routine. Then it ended with this odd dedication to fashion that involved dragging manicans around on the ice. This was also the only scene with any form of narration. The transitions between pieces were very choppy and broken.

 

I thought the narration was nice and that they could have incorporated it throughout the show so that people could follow along (however, the problem with narration is that it limits understanding for International audiences that do not speak English). I also felt like it might have been better if they defined their forms of art. My peers in architecture school made an analytical video of the city of Philadelphia called "Art is," which described art using adjectives, action words, ending with "Art is... architecture." A similar concept could easily be applied to this show to unify the different aspects of art covered under the theme "Art is... on ice" or something of that nature.

 

Okay, enough analyzation of the ice show. :D It was entertaining.

[haywardwis]

The pictures are not showing up for me...I guess other people are seeing them.....

[magsbags]

You guys are just... the cutest!! :-) Love the LP dresses to death. Your dad makes me chuckle. :) Lovely family. Great review so far!

 

I can't WAIT to go... 32 more days for me. :D

 

Can't wait to read more!

[Sharon Sails]

I'm not really a foodie, nor do I remember what I ate for dinner each night, so I apologize for my lack of food reports. I will try to get better at that in the future! :)

 

After dinner, Rachel and I went back to the stateroom to find this little guy...

 

 

We had agreed to meet the people we met last night at Jester's again, but we wanted to see the comedy show. So we went there and asked them if they wanted to see it, too. Then we left and went to the late night comedian.

 

He wasn't very funny. And I think he seriously offended some Puerto Ricans. I mean, everyone expects to get picked on for their stereotype.... but this guy was starting to be a little cruel. He was asking people their jobs. "Any doctors?" Someone said they were a dentist. "Any doctors?" haha... hadn't heard that before. Someone else raised their hand as being a doctor, a surgeon. "Where do you work?" Puerto Rico. "Any doctors?" Dude... PR is US territory and completely credible. No one is laughing.

 

So he was looking for teachers. A lady was a teacher in Puerto Rico. "No, I mean real teachers." What the heck????? That's just being a jerk! The lady seemed mad.

 

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That seems like REALLY poor entertainment planning by RCI! I'm assuming that, as the cruise left from San Juan, most of the cruisers aboard were Puerto Ricans! What a gaffe! Sorry to hear this!