Middle Aged Drama Queen's Eastern Carib Review: Fun on the FREEDOM!!!

[TravelBel]

Following along! We're set to sail in February on the Freedom with my parents... but I am getting concerned about the size of the ship, the mass amounts of people on the pool decks, and the annoying TV screen.... YIKES! I hope this isn't a mistake! The kids like the idea of the Dreamworks stuff, but I'm scared it's going to be a circus!

[KansCocoa]

Sheri,

When will you be at Disney. We live in Florida and will be at Epcot on Monday, Nov. 12th for the wine and cheese festival.

 

Barbara

 

I'll be there from Nov 11 - Nov 15th! We should meet and have a drink! (I'm staying at the Beach Club - right by Epcot!)

[graphicguy]

Sherri....after reading and looking at your Italy Cruise, and now this one, I hereby proclaim you the best cruise reviewer/poster in all of Cruise Critic-dom!

 

Seriously....your pics, your humorous view of the cruise, and your comments are absolutely wonderful!:D

[KansCocoa]

Following along! We're set to sail in February on the Freedom with my parents... but I am getting concerned about the size of the ship, the mass amounts of people on the pool decks, and the annoying TV screen.... YIKES! I hope this isn't a mistake! The kids like the idea of the Dreamworks stuff, but I'm scared it's going to be a circus!

 

No - DON'T BE CONCERNED!

 

Seriously. Let me ease your fears...

 

1. First, the ship is large, yes. But - as I said, it became very easy to find our way after the first day. It seemed large on the first day, but by the end of the week, it was NOTHING.

 

2. The pool decks can be crowded, yes, but that is true on any ship. If you get out there early enough, you can find a chair by the actual pool. If you don't have to be right by the pool, you can easily find chairs up on the other decks or around the decks...

 

3. The TV screen - I just found the monkey movie annoying! :D When it showed music videos, it was enjoyable! And if it IS annoying - there are plenty of seats elsewhere that don't look at the screen.

 

And remember - I said that I didn't notice the children onboard...so it wasn't a circus feeling at all. You're going to have an AWESOME time, trust me!

[KansCocoa]

Sherri....after reading and looking at your Italy Cruise, and now this one, I hereby proclaim you the best cruise reviewer/poster in all of Cruise Critic-dom!

 

Seriously....your pics, your humorous view of the cruise, and your comments are absolutely wonderful!:D

 

Aw, thank you, Mom. ;)

 

Hee, hee - kidding. But seriously - thank you!

[KansCocoa]

Agreed. Poor public relations for the cruise line.

 

Sherri, another wonderful read. At first I thought this was so much tamer than the Med review. No run ins with "Paul McCartney", no almost landing in an Italian jail, etc., etc. BUT, when I read about your drink mishap I KNEW there's more to come.:p

 

Had anyone recognized you on the Freedom, as being THAT Sherri from CC?;)

 

Carry on!

 

I wore a disguise.

 

No - actually, I wasn't 'famous' yet...my Serenade review hadn't quite taken off like it did later...so I was incognito!

[KansCocoa]

 

If you're following along, we left our Mother & Daughter cozy in their beds, reading their Kindles, and minding their ship manners by NOT opening their drapes and interfering with the 2nd Engineer on the Bridge. Life was good. So, we are now up to Day #3…Tuesday, July 17th…a Sea Day.

 

Yay! Our first "official" sea day...although we had an "unofficial" sea day yesterday, due to the CocoCay cancellation.

 

 

Mickey and I head up to the gym at 7:00 am for the (free!) Vitality Stretch class…today, it’s being led by Vanya, the other personal trainer, and there are about 10 of us in class. It appears that some passengers are realizing they need to get some Good Intentions if they don't want to walk off this ship fifty pounds heavier. I DO have to say that the (free!) Vitality Stretch class is a REALLY good low-impact class that leaves you feeling really good. We've always loved this class that RCI offers.

 

 

Afterwards, a quick jog to the Windjammer for juice (Okay. Wait. Who am I kidding??!! The gym is at the FRONT of the ship…the Jammer is at the BACK of the ship…and there is a LOT of real estate in between…it was not a “quick” jog, by any stretch of the imagination), and I was ready to take on the day. When I giggle upon seeing the Jammer Greeter's silly wig for the day, I feel a little twinge of pain. Huh. My abdominal muscles are a little sore from yesterday's (free!) Fab Abs class...and giggling seems to aggravate this. Oh, well. I'm sure it will go away - so I carry on. Little did I know.

 

 

Both Mickey and I had appointments at the Spa at 8:00 am…she was getting a Teen Acne Facial, while I was getting a pedicure. I had the most interesting talk with my pedicurist, who told me all the ins and outs of working onboard a cruise ship. For the spa ladies, their first contract is 9 months long, and they do not get to choose what ship they’re on. They work six days a week, fourteen hours a day (from 8:00 am - 10:00 pm). They love being in a port on their day off, as that gets them the opportunity to eat at a restaurant, which is a break from regular old "ship food." They’ll often get a haircut while in port (as they don’t “work” on each other). I found it fascinating to hear her side of things, and it gave me a new appreciation for how hard some of the crew work. (Yes. I used the word "some" on purpose...as I'll find out later the work schedules of another group of the crew, and it is far different than a 14-hour day...that story to come later.)

 

 

My pedi finished at 9:15, and I went back to the cabin to let my piggies dry….as I had an important class at 10:00 am. Yes. I had Day #1 of Boot Camp. (And wasn’t THAT brilliant? Scheduling a pedicure right before strapping on tennis shoes for a brutal work-out? Sometimes, I amaze myself with my lack of planning.)

 

 

So…Boot Camp. I used to do Tae Kwan Do up until about two years ago, so I figure I’m in pretty reasonable shape. How hard can this be? There will be four sessions total, and today is Session #1.

 

 

I head to the gym at 10:00, to be met by Jayla and two other victims – I mean, participants….Before class, I ask one of them if he’s ever done Boot Camp before. “Oh yeah,” he says…”I’ve done this back home.”

 

Uh oh. I’ve NEVER done Boot Camp before. Ever.

 

I ask the other participant, who’s about 30-years old, if she’s done it…and she says, “No…” and I breathe a sigh of relief…but she continues, “But I DO work with a personal trainer three times a week.”

 

Oh, snap. I’m going to die.

 

 

And I did. Boot Camp begins…and for those of you who are Boot Camp Virgins, it consists of 4-5 exercises that you do in short cycles…such as lunges, squats, mountain-climbers (I hate these), push-ups, or sit-ups, with about a 20-second break in-between each rotation. We’d finish a set; Jayla would say, “Twenty second break! Get a drink!” and I’d be stumbling and staggering just to get up off the floor, when it would be time to start the rotation all over again.

 

 

HOLY DRILL SARGEANT, BATMAN! If I started to slack off a bit, Jayla would be in my ear, screaming, “Bend those knees, Sherri!” Oh, every so often (but not very often), I’d hear, “Good form, Sherri!” – but that was a rare occurrence. And when she'd yell in my face, by golly, I'd bend those knees - even though my knees were SCREAMING for mercy at the pain. Oh, the pain. I've watched Bob Harper take contestants through the wringer on NBC's "The Biggest Loser" - and Bob's got NOTHING on Jayla.

 

 

Thirty minutes of extreme torture, with me huffing, puffing, panting, sweating, cursing, and hurting…and at the end of it, I pretty much staggered back to the cabin…with one thought only: “I PAID for this??!! And I have three more classes to go??!! I’m going to die. Really. I’m going to die and leave Mickey an orphan on the ship.” (Okay - that was more than one thought - but you get the gist.)

 

 

There was only one thing that could ease my pain at this point…and that was a CocoLoco, which could be found at the pool. So, that's where I stagger. The lower deck is pretty packed at this point, so I painfully make my way up to the upper deck…. The good news: there are tons of deck chairs to be found up here. The bad news: there’s a sustained 25-35 mph wind whipping everything and everyone. I fought the wind for about 20 minutes...but my towel kept blowing off, my hair was whipping into my face, and when my flip-flops about flew overboard - that was IT. NO MORE! I crawled back downstairs (OMG, my body HURTS!) and hung out at the little table & chairs in front of the bar. Not only was the wind non-existent here, but my BFF, CocoLoco, had a nice little perch and was in no danger of being spilled by yours truly.

 

 

At 2:15 that afternoon, I had a Body Fat Analysis test at the gym. This was included in the cost of the Boot Camp classes, and I walked in, pretty confident, that I would NAIL this and that Jayla would be SO IMPRESSED with how good of shape I’m in for a 50-year old...since she wasn't so impressed by my Boot Camp performance. That was the plan. The reality of it went somewhat differently. She first says I have to lose six pounds – and then tells me I am in the unhealthy range, for my age, for body fat. Wait. What??!! Seriously??!! Snap – NOT what someone wants to hear while on a cruise ship…with a buffet…and (free!) cookies…and delicious CocoLocos...and three desserts every night. I pretty much stagger back to my cabin…with one thought only: “I PAID for this??!!”

 

 

Laying on my bed in a state of depression (and pain), it occurs to me that I’ve missed lunch. Where should someone go who’s just received the news that they need to lose six pounds – and their body fat composition is unhealthy? Why…Johnny Rockets, of course. I grab Mickey and off we go – and we walk right in with no wait. So, there's a tip: GO LATER IN THE AFTERNOON AND YOU'LL AVOID THE LUNCH RUSH.

 

 

This made me giggle...which hurt. Ow.

 

 

The french fries and onion rings are delicious...as are the shakes.

 

 

 

I didn't read the menu correctly, and ended up with a DOUBLE cheeseburger... most of which was wasted, as I was enjoying the onion rings and shake too much...and, well...thinking of those six pounds I had to lose. I had to assure our waiter that the food was good; I was just full. At one point, the song "Stayin' Alive" by the BeeGees began playing really loud, and before I knew it, I was up dancing with the waiters. My body was screaming, "NOOOOO! THE PAIN!!!!" but my brain was like, "OMG - it's the BeeGees! I MUST DANCE!!!" I can do a MEAN John Travolta impression from "Saturday Night Fever", and I was NAILING it. (In my opinion, anyway...others may beg to differ.) Mickey was watching, shaking her head with embarrassment. This proved to be a big mistake, because she was immediately grabbed by a waiter and pulled in to join our dance line. And she DID it! She danced!!!

 

 

Oh, happy day! I WISH I'd had the camera in hand for this, because this was one of those moments I've mentioned before...where you just want to stop the clock and let the moment last FOREVER. My (almost) 13-year old daughter was dancing...in public....Life just doesn't get much better!

 

The song ended much too soon, and the moment was over. Sigh. It will have to live on our memories...

 

 

Upon leaving JR's, we headed back to the FlowRider, where it was quite the busy place:

 

I'm already in pain, but watching some of the wipeouts on here...ow. It made me hurt even worse.

 

 

Soon, though, it was time to head to our Cupcake Decorating Class. Again. JUST the place you want to go after you've been told to lose six pounds and lose the body fat...but cupcakes will help ease the sting of that bad news....right? But first...I have to go visit Guest Relations...for we've discovered a slight problem.

 

[celle]

Oops, sorry for the confusion on my post. Where I've seen them block sidewalks is at WDW. Although from the picture that Sherri posted, it looks like they were doing this on the ship, too.

 

And why they're allowed to do this - at either WDW or on a ship - is beyond me! If anything, I would think it would be a safety hazard.

 

We had a large group of Spanish passengers (500+) on our Vision of the Seas cruise to Norway last year. The Spanish teenagers would congregate on the stairs every evening.

 

No way was I going to be intimidated into not using the stairs, so I asked someone the Spanish for "Excuse me" and "Thank you". The next night, I just walked up to the teenagers, firmly said "Excuse me" and walked up the stairs. They moved aside for me without any problem, and I thanked them, with a big smile.

 

By the third night of doing this, the group made way for me before I had to speak. I don't think they intended to be a nuisance - to me, it seemed to be just thoughtlessness.

[KansCocoa]

I don't think they intended to be a nuisance - to me, it seemed to be just thoughtlessness.

 

I think you're exactly right...I think they just want to stand around and socialize, but they pick strange places to do it. Our group spoke Portuguese, though, so my Spanish wouldn't have worked. :(

[smedley_odwin]

I'll be there from Nov 11 - Nov 15th! We should meet and have a drink! (I'm staying at the Beach Club - right by Epcot!)

 

 

We're going to be in WDW those dates too, I will be looking out for the awesome trip report writer :)

 

 

Boot Camp sounds painful, I work out with a P/T and I'm not sure I would be wanting to pay for that kind of pain on holiday :D

[KansCocoa]

As Mickey and I make our way down to the Cupcake Cupboard on Deck 5, I have to make a brief stop at Guest Services. If you remember, we had purchased a reservation for the All-Access Tour (at $150 pp)…at the time of our purchase, the lady at GR had handed me an envelope and said to bring the waiver with me when we showed up for the tour (which was scheduled for our last sea day). Well…upon reading the additional information included with the waiver, it mentioned that guests had to have long pants, as well as closed-toe shoes, to participate.

 

Uh oh. This was a problem. Neither Mickey nor I had brought long pants, although we could use our gym shoes for our closed-toe shoes. We had plenty of shorts…and plenty of dresses…but long pants? It’s July. In the Caribbean. I don’t think I’ve even SEEN my long pants in a few months. So…I have to go check on this. Here was my conversation at Guest Relations:

 

Guest Relations Guy: “May I help you?”

 

Me: “Yes, My daughter and I are signed up for the All-Access Tour, but it says you have to have long pants. We don’t have long pants – are they really necessary?”

 

GR Guy, in a horrified voice: “You DON’T have LONG PANTS????!!!!”

 

Me: “Well, uh, no. I mean, it’s July. It’s the Caribbean. Who has long pants?”

 

GR Guy, sniffing: “Well, you MUST have long pants.”

 

Me: “Well, uh, I DON’T have long pants. So…I guess I have to cancel.”

 

GR Guy, in a shocked voice: “You’re CANCELLING??!!!”

 

Me: “Well, uh, yes. I guess I am. If I have to have long pants, and I don’t have long pants, I guess I have to cancel.”

 

This was going a bit longer than I had anticipated, because I really wasn’t expecting the total shock and disbelief on behalf of Guest Relations that I did not pack long pants for a Caribbean cruise in July. By the time we had ran through the Seapass cards for our credit, I was a taaaaaaaad bit late to Cupboard Cupcake class.

 

Yes. I walked in late to class. Mickey had already saved me a stool, but I could tell the Cupcake Lady wasn’t happy with me being a tad bit late. I apologized, and mumbled something about “long pants” – but clearly the Cupcake Lady wasn’t interested in my drama.

 

So. Cupcake Class…this was TOO MUCH FUN! We began by going around the room and introducing ourselves, as well as telling the group just how much experience we’ve had with decorating cupcakes. For the most part, 99% of us were only experienced in EATING cupcakes…there was only one “ringer” in class, so I felt reasonably confident that I could handle this. And Cupcake Class doesn’t make your knees and hamstrings scream for mercy, either, so it’s really enjoyable.

 

We began with two vanilla cupcakes, a chocolate cupcake, some icing, and some fondant:

 

 

 

With a few slices, squeezes and sneaky licks of the fingers, we had created a fantastic Cheeseburger in Paradise:

 

Hey - we created our own Johnny Rockets!!!!

 

 

The class only took about 30 minutes, but it was a lot of fun. It takes place right in the shop along the Royal Promenade, so by the end of class, we had attracted an audience who were watching our every move to see our beautiful creations. Of course, they were all jealous now and wanted to sign up for their OWN Cupcake Class, but that’s when the Cupcake Lady informed them that the classes had been sold out as of Sunday night. She’d thawed enough with me that she was willing to take our photo:

 

 

Here's the sad thing...we never ate our creations. I couldn't - due to the gluten issue...and Mickey...wouldn't. I'm not sure if she was showing support for me, but needless to say, our beautiful creations ended up in the trash after a few days after they had petrified. They WERE pretty, though.

 

 

At 5:00 pm, I made my way to the Schooner Bar, to try my hand again at trivia. Today’s category was the 80’s, which is right up my alley…but our team came in 2nd place. Drat. Some of those trivia questions are downright HARD!

Once again, it was CROWDED. Get there early if you want a seat.

 

 

Tonight’s dinner was Smart Casual, and the theme was “Anchored in Excellence.” Which tells us nothing about what the menu may consist of. I don’t remember what I had for my entrée, but I did manage to snap a photo of my dessert:

 

Orange...something. Can't remember.

 

 

Speaking of desserts...this was the most difficult to wade through, being gluten-free. I would usually have several appetizers and entrees that I could choose from, but the desserts....well. They were predominantly "cake" items, and cake is taboo...so, I would be left with the jiggly desserts. Like the one above. The desserts that jiggle and wiggle when you poke them with a fork. Jiggly desserts are...okay...but certainly not my ideal. This was probably a GOOD thing, since I had those six pounds to shed.

 

 

Sunil, once again, had me laughing – with his unique giggle – and by now, my abdomen just flat out HURTS. Every time I’d get to laughing, I’d wince, grab my stomach, and plead, “Oh, that hurts. DON’T make me laugh.” Which would just make everyone around me laugh some more, which led to me laughing more. A vicious circle, trust me.

 

 

The “Freedom-Ice.Com” Ice Spectacular was at 3:30 and 5:30, but we had made online reservations for later in the week. The headliner entertainment was Kenny James, “13-time Star Search Winner & Grand Champion Male Vocal.” His shows were at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm in the Arcadia Theater. We didn’t do that, either. I think we were both pretty tired, and once again, made friends with our Kindles and snoozed.

 

 

[BettyPC]

So funny! I told my husband that he HAD to read your review of the MED & see the pictures. I have started reading this review to him - - as he looks at me when I start laughing at my computer!

 

Thanks again for doing all of this! We are enjoying it alot.

[sapphireblue]

Thirty minutes of extreme torture, with me huffing, puffing, panting, sweating, cursing, and hurting…and at the end of it, I pretty much staggered back to the cabin…with one thought only: “I PAID for this??!! And I have three more classes to go??!! I’m going to die. Really.

 

Ok... I am wiping tears! This is SO TRUE! I feel your pain because I did the same thing last year on the Liberty. I, however, had been taking Bootcamp classes for over a year and thought this would be easy. I believe the classes then were 45 minutes and I remember thinking 'kind of wimpy...45 minutes only.... I do 60 minutes at home". Fifteen minutes into it I was in agony. The Bootcamp classes onboard are insane. I also remember staggering back to the cabin after the first class.... it was more about the legs were in the momentum of moving (in pain of course) and I'd best not stop the motion. I felt that class for days. I did go back for class 2 and 3. I skipped the 4th one because I was having some dizzy spells the day before and (happily, without any guilt whatsoever) cancelled myself out of the 4th. Relief! BTW... class 2 and 3 were equally hard. Maybe harder because I KNEW what I was in for.

[elizabethbp]

As I recall on the Oasis I prebooked the tour with the concierge before the cruise as I was in a suite and cold do it by email. When I checked in with him on the ship, I was handed the waiver and the list of conditions which also included if I recall no open toed shoes or sandals. I was lucky that I had brought a pair of flats with me, but the conditions were included with the waiver.

[KansCocoa]

Boot Camp sounds painful, I work out with a P/T and I'm not sure I would be wanting to pay for that kind of pain on holiday :D

 

OMG, Boot Camp kicked my A$$. Seriously...wait until I get through the next class...NEVER again!!! :D

 

 

So funny! I told my husband that he HAD to read your review of the MED & see the pictures. I have started reading this review to him - - as he looks at me when I start laughing at my computer!

 

Thanks again for doing all of this! We are enjoying it alot.

 

Aw, thank you! :)

 

Ok... I am wiping tears! This is SO TRUE! I feel your pain because I did the same thing last year on the Liberty. I, however, had been taking Bootcamp classes for over a year and thought this would be easy. I believe the classes then were 45 minutes and I remember thinking 'kind of wimpy...45 minutes only.... I do 60 minutes at home". Fifteen minutes into it I was in agony. The Bootcamp classes onboard are insane. I also remember staggering back to the cabin after the first class.... it was more about the legs were in the momentum of moving (in pain of course) and I'd best not stop the motion. I felt that class for days. I did go back for class 2 and 3. I skipped the 4th one because I was having some dizzy spells the day before and (happily, without any guilt whatsoever) cancelled myself out of the 4th. Relief! BTW... class 2 and 3 were equally hard. Maybe harder because I KNEW what I was in for.

 

Hee hee...I'm glad someone else can relate....I just wished I known this before I paid to be tortured!!!

[marci22]

We took a galley tour on Allure that also required long pants. I think she said it was for protection from hot spattering oil :eek: but when I said I didn't have any she said 'ok, just make sure everyone wears longish shorts, to the knee'. So we all did, and none of us got injured. Anyway, the only food prep I saw was them making mousse dessert stuff.

[TravelBel]

No - DON'T BE CONCERNED!

 

Seriously. Let me ease your fears...

 

1. First, the ship is large, yes. But - as I said, it became very easy to find our way after the first day. It seemed large on the first day, but by the end of the week, it was NOTHING.

 

2. The pool decks can be crowded, yes, but that is true on any ship. If you get out there early enough, you can find a chair by the actual pool. If you don't have to be right by the pool, you can easily find chairs up on the other decks or around the decks...

 

3. The TV screen - I just found the monkey movie annoying! :D When it showed music videos, it was enjoyable! And if it IS annoying - there are plenty of seats elsewhere that don't look at the screen.

 

And remember - I said that I didn't notice the children onboard...so it wasn't a circus feeling at all. You're going to have an AWESOME time, trust me!

 

 

Thank you! I hate planning vacations for anyone! With my parents coming (and a dad who is Grumpy), I worry, worry, worry!

[E&B]

Loving your review! We'll be on the Freedom in just 3 days. Just went to try to look up info on the Teen Acne Facial, but all pre-bookings are already closed for our sailing. Can you tell me how much it cost? Thinking this might be a good idea for my DD.

[KansCocoa]

We took a galley tour on Allure that also required long pants. I think she said it was for protection from hot spattering oil :eek: but when I said I didn't have any she said 'ok, just make sure everyone wears longish shorts, to the knee'. So we all did, and none of us got injured. Anyway, the only food prep I saw was them making mousse dessert stuff.

 

Drat...I wish I'd known this. I DID have capri pants...I actually looked in the shops onboard for long pants, but the PRICES on some of the jeans there were more than the tour! I'm putting "All-Acess Tour" on my list of things to do when I go again...hint, hint, Hubby Mike, if you're reading this. :rolleyes:

 

 

Loving your review! We'll be on the Freedom in just 3 days. Just went to try to look up info on the Teen Acne Facial, but all pre-bookings are already closed for our sailing. Can you tell me how much it cost? Thinking this might be a good idea for my DD.

 

I wish I could remember what it cost...but I don't. I should have saved my Seapass account, but it got tossed when I packed to come home from Florida. It wasn't outrageously expensive, and my daughter loved it...plus, they gave her advice on how to handle her acne. My tip would be to go to the spa on Embarkation Day - ask how much it is is (it was on their printed menu in the spa) and see if you can make a rezzie right then and there.

[KansCocoa]

Today is now Wednesday, July 18th – and we are arriving in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Yay - we FINALLY have a port...a chance to walk on LAND!

 

 

Originally, we weren’t scheduled to arrive in STVI until 11:00 am, but because of our aborted CocoCay stop, we actually arrive three hours earlier than scheduled. This won’t help me, as I have scheduled a private tour which begins at the original arrival time, 11:00 am. Anyway. I’m moving ahead in my story. Let me back up.

 

 

So…I wake up at 4:00 am, because I’m literally getting thrown out of my bed. The rocking and rolling and bouncing – probably worse since I’m at the very front of the ship – is tremendous, and this pretty much seals the deal that I will NEVER choose this location again on a ship. Bleh. Back to the Hump for future cruises! I also become very aware that I am sore...my legs hurt a bit, and my stomach feels like it went 12 rounds with Rocky Balboa and it was the punching bag. Just TOUCHING my tummy hurts. Ow. This can't be good. After assessing all of my aches and pains, I somehow roll over and manage to go back to sleep for a little bit longer.

 

 

Boot Camp #2 is scheduled for 9:00 am this morning…and when I arrive, I find that it’s now down to just two victims. The guy – who had been the only one of us to previously participate in Boot Camp – has dropped out. It’s now very evident that Boot Camp is like the ship’s version of Agatha Christie's “Ten Little Indians” – where, one by one, we are each "killed off".... Who will be next, I wonder??!! The 30-year old, who works out with a personal trainer three times a week? Or the 50-year old, who's six pounds overweight and has too much body fat??!!

 

 

Today’s session is, once again, BRUTAL. Somehow, I always seem to be on the floor when Jayla yells, “Twenty second break! Get a drink!” – and by the time I slowly roll over, push myself up, and attempt to stagger over to my water bottle – I’m too late. Time to start the sets over again. Rats. When class finishes up at 9:30, my legs are literally shaking so bad that I am unable to walk down the two flights of stairs to my cabin. Seriously. I CAN’T WALK!!! This is so weird...death by Boot Camp.

 

 

I somehow make it back to the cabin, (I think I crawled???!!), where I collapse on the bed for awhile and attempt to recover from my near-death experience. It's hard to believe I'm only half-way done with Boot Camp. This is killing me.

 

 

Around 10:00 am, I summon enough "umph" to get up and head off the ship with Mickey, onto St. Thomas.

 

 

Let me intercede here…my maternal grandparents used to live in St. Thomas…They had a house right across from the port in Charlotte Amalia. My grandmother passed away in 1979, and so for many years, my grandfather, Opa, lived there by himself. When I was 17 years old, I spent the summer with Opa, and I got to know the island of St. Thomas very well. Opa was retired, but he liked to paint houses in his spare time…so he gave me the keys to his spare car, and I took advantage of the freedom he gave me. What 17-year old wouldn't?! Every beach – every shop – every restaurant – I explored; I knew that island very well. I would wake up every morning and look out my window to see how many cruise ships were in port; if it was a busy day, I’d avoid Main Street like the plague. I'd head to a quiet, remote beach somewhere. However, if the port was quiet, that would be the day to go shopping. Woot! I didn't have any money - but hey. It was fun to still look. Opa passed away in 1995…but the memories came rushing back the minute I stepped off the ship.

 

 

St. Thomas was the entire reason I had picked this particular itinerary. I wanted to show Mickey the home of her great-grandparents, so she’d have a sense of our family history…but this was going to be difficult, as I immediately burst into tears, just STANDING at Havensight Mall…missing Opa. If any of you passed by the woman blubbering at the Mall - that was me. And this was why. Well. Once we got that initial emotion out of the way, it was time to move on.

 

 

I had booked a private tour with Sunny Liston Tours, and we were to meet our driver at 11:00 am. Promptly at 11:00 am, up walks Elvis, a St. Thomas native, with a HUGE personality and a huge smile.

 

 

 

 

 

Mickey and I are initially the only two people in his giant open-air taxi, but this will change as the day goes on. Elvis will eventually fill up our taxi with others, but for awhile, it was rather weird to be in a huge taxi with just…us.

 

 

We can SPRAWL....!!!

 

We booked the "Shopping, Beach and Island" tour...I wanted Mickey to get a taste of it all...everything I had done and seen when I was 17. This tour seemed to be a good fit, and it was.

 

 

Elvis initially takes us to Main Street, where he drops us off for an hour to go shopping…having shopped on Main Street numerous times, I really only had one destination in mind…Royal Jewellers…where I wanted to show Mickey the wondrous alexandrite. Mother Nature’s mood ring, as I call it…it was fun to see Mickey’s face as the jeweler demonstrated the color changes of the alexandrite. St. Thomas is indeed a great place to buy jewelry, whether you’re in the market for tanzanite, diamonds, sapphires – or even the rare alexandrite.

 

 

Lots of little alleys along Main Street to be explored....

 

 

 

Because there was only one other cruise ship in town today, Main Street was relatively quiet…not too many pedestrians, and not too many cars. Much quieter than I remember from my time with Opa. While strolling, we came across the St. Thomas Virgin Islands post office…and this brought back a wave of memories.

 

 

 

During the summer of 1979, I had left behind a boyfriend back in the states…and our only means of communication were letters. As I told Mickey, there was no internet…and long-distance phone calls were outrageously expensive. I spent many summer mornings here at the Post Office, skipping in and hoping and praying that there’d be a letter waiting for me from my beloved boyfriend. I can't tell you how many hours were spent at this Post Office. It was my home-away-from home. By Mickey’s reaction, you’d have thought I was carving pictures in a cave – or chiseling out hieroglyphics – to communicate with my family back home...I think it's hard for our kids to understand just what life was like before social media took over.

 

 

At 12:15 pm, we met back up with Elvis…and it was on to Megan’s Bay to drop some passengers off that Elvis had managed to pick up. Megan’s Bay is one of the most popular beach destinations on St. Thomas…it is definitely beautiful, and it is definitely very calm…with almost a mile of sand to sink your toes in. But - it’s also definitely crowded. We had our choice of beaches, and Megan’s Bay was not my choice…however, it would be nice to see it again, for memory’s sake, and to show it to Mickey. After we'd drop those passengers off, we'd continue along on our tour and eventually make our way to the beach I had chosen. Along the way, Elvis drove RIGHT BY Opa’s house…which was emotional…but very awesome, to point it out to Mickey. When we arrive at Megan’s Bay, Elvis gives us a few minutes to run down to the beach for some photo ops:

 

 

 

This was the beach where the BTG’s (Brazilian Tour Groups) had landed…including some BTG’s from the Disney cruise ship…so Mickey and I were happy to know this was NOT the beach where we’d spend some time. When we got back to Elvis’s van, there was an argument ensuing between Elvis and a passenger. I guess the passenger was upset because he had asked Elvis, “How much does it cost to GO to Megan’s Bay?” Elvis apparently misheard him and thought he’d asked, “How much does it cost to GET into Megan’s Bay?” It cost $4 USD to get into Megan’s Bay (it’s not a free beach), and it cost $8 USD to GO to Megan’s Bay in a taxi. The guy was getting really angry, and Elvis showed him the posted taxi rates in his cab. People – please do your homework. Know the taxi rates. In this case, the government determines those rates; it is $8 USD to go to Megan’s Bay from Main Street, no matter WHAT taxi you jump into. Elvis was not ripping the guy off – the rates were right there.

 

Soon...it was time to leave...and head to our next stop....

 

[barbienj]

Again, loving this review....

[Steppy08]

Alexandrite is my dream gioielli! Even Steve admitted it was a cool stone when I forced him into one of the jewelry stores. Maybe some day...

[llkingsz]

I am in the same cabin as you just a deck above. I know I was taking a chance with a cabin all the way in the front but after reading how bad it was with you I think I am screwed. I do get sea sick easily, any remedies you think shall help other than cancelling after my final payment?

[swwake]

Awww - we had Elvis from Sunny Liston Tours on our June 2010 Oasis cruise! Memories!

 

Hey Sherri - did you see my question earlier about when you said "they no longer allow tricks by passengers or staff on the Flowrider" (paraphrased)? I was wondering what this meant. The Flowrider is one of our top cruising priorities and we're looking forward to it on Allure in a few weeks.

 

While I'm writing, also wanted to let you know - since you're on the fence about ever taking an Oasis class cruise. After the spa, you can walk right out of the spa and into the Vitality Cafe and get your juice! I am not sure if it's free though. But you could also just ride the elevators that are right there up to the Solarium cafe and get juice. Lots of options without having to run all the way back to the Windjammer.

[hisfirstm8]

Sheri,

My email is (fishingfrye@comcast.net) Send me an email and I will give you my cell number. We are arriving at Old Key West at Disney on Sunday evening and will be in Epcot for the wine festival on Monday, leaving late that afternoon to go back to Jacksonville. I would love to find a time to meet up and talk. We are also taking an Eastern Med cruise next May (on the Navigator) but are traveling to Rome, Florence and Venice before our cruise.

 

Barbara