From sickness to salvation... my SPLENDOR repo review

[seannyice81]

PART 2 - SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

 

Sorry for the lack of photos this day. It was really a day for me to get settled in. I GUARANTEE that It'll be made-up for. Trust me.

 

Did I mention I was refreshed to feel the warm tropical air of Puerto Rico? I loved being back.

 

Once I retrieved my suitcase, off I went to the taxi stand. I was met by a gentleman asking how many in my party and how many bags. "One and one!" He handed me a sheet with the pre-calculated cab fees and I hopped, by myself, into a van that could have easily handled 10 people. The driver was a quiet guy and remained so after asking me "where to?" His driving was quite the opposite though as once we left the airport, we were speeding along the highways and cutting through traffic on our way to Old San Juan. I wasn't much phased by it though as I was busy getting cash ready to pay for the ride and tip, when I wasn't just sitting there stewing in my satisfaction of being there.

 

I had once again chosen the Sheraton in Old San Juan for its awesome location. The specific reason so that I could be one of the first on the ship, which I'll get more into later. On the way to the hotel we turned out onto the main strip that bordered the bay and port. Looming before me was the cruise terminal and dwarfing it, was Carnival Conquest. The ship was there while on it's 7-day Eastern Caribbean itinerary out of Miami. As we drove by, we had to slow down for it's passengers crossing the street. Shortly after, we arrived at the hotel. I paid and tipped the driver, grabbed my luggage, and made my way inside to check in. For some reason there were a lot of people checking out. Thankfully the line for check in was short. I had been worried about my booking as I had made it through a discount site and at some point had accidentally deleted the email. My concern was relieved though as the booking was kept and I was given the keys to room #735. This was an interior room with a window overlooking a courtyard and into your neighbor's rooms. It was a nice king-size bed and had a massive bathroom. After turning the AC up from the chilly 65 degrees it was set at, I unpacked a tiny bit and took a shower. Good God, maybe it was just me or the shower was awesome. The pattern and pressure were perfect. The best I've had of any hotel I've seen. The temperature, not so much, but it was not cold and mostly hot so I was fine with that. After that relaxing shower, I took a short nap. My friend, Janet would be arriving soon and I wanted to get a little more rest before having lunch with her and walking around.

 

About an hour later, Janet texted me she had arrived and was getting ready. A little tired from a red-eye and then connecting flights in Atlanta, she was also hungry. Last year I decided I wanted to try Fattie's after reading some glowing reviews of the food and service on several sites. After patiently waiting for Janet to get ready, we met, hugged, and then stepped back out into the tropical sunshine. Fatties was a few blocks away uphill. Both of us being tired, we took our time getting there. Finally walking in the door just before 2. Now, I'm sure you're expecting me to have a glowing review of Fattie's too, but well, It just wasn't that good for us. Let me explain.

 

Fattie's is up at the top of a hill on a street name I forget on the corner of another street I forget. I knew it was small but was still a little surprised. Seating was borderline awkward as the tables were almost on top of the benches that sat tall behind them. The plastic chairs were easier to sit in. There was no air conditioning, which was only uncomfortable at first, before we got used to it. I already knew what this place was about though and was fine with the lack of traditional dining/cafe experience. Unfortunately, I was really disappointed though when Fattie herself, told us there was no jerk chicken. She had pointed to the sign near the door with specials and from there, both of us decided on the fried chicken instead. Once served, the fried chicken itself wasn't too bad, but wasn't really great either. The rice, beans, salad, and plantain however, were disappointing. I finished my plate, but Janet didn't finish hers. I didn't ask why, but the look on her face and way she ate give me the thought that she didn't care that much for it either. While sitting there some locals came in and were a little loud. Not usually an issue, but in a place that small, it was a little hard for us to hold a conversation without raising our voices as well. Both of us were still tired and I didn't feel like competing for volume.

 

There was a moment though were we did hear the Carnival Conquest sounding it's horns for guests that were late. Wrapping up our late lunch, we paid the bill and headed back down to the waterfront to watch Conquest sail away. Along the way, we passed some stores that displayed touristy stuff, "local" art, and wood carvings. One store had this massive wooden spider for sale in the window. I still have no idea why anyone would desire one in their home, but thought briefly about buying it as a joke to play on somebody else. We continued down to the waterfront. We noticed another ship had joined Conquest, the Norwegian Gem.

 

 

We caught Conquest, as it was backing out. I had not seen this particular ship before and took a few photos with my phone as the DSLR was still packed.

 

 

After watching the ship leave, we walked to the forts and took some photos. After the forts, we made our way along the streets looking for a t-shirt she wanted that would match her friend's. I wound up buying a tacky button-up that had sunglasses on it.

 

After a long day of walking around, we wound up going back to Chicago Burger Company at the Sheraton. There we bumped into Angela and Lester who headed-up a social media group for the cruise we were on. We sat there for a few minutes and then had some dinner after they departed. Janet ordered a burger and I ordered a chicken sandwich. Mine was pretty good and Janet seemed to enjoy her burger. With the heavy food in our guts, we made our way to our rooms and I passed-out for the night.

[Doug910]

...Great writing style. Looking forward to more of this review!

[MamaTene]

You are SUCH a great writer! Cant wait for the latest installment!

[seannyice81]

PART 2 - SAN JUAN, Continued.

 

I have always been a fan of Old San Juan’s beauty.

 

 

I woke up feeling pretty good despite still being on medications and with a little bit of something going on in the nasals. Room service would be coming soon, as I had set the request out the night before (this trip had a lot of room service breakfasts). About roughly a half hour later, it arrived. Because I couldn’t really do dairy with the Cipro and I wasn’t supposed to have fruit juice with the Allegra, the only things I could eat off the menu were the oatmeal, toast, and tea. Not appetizing you say? Well, it was the opposite. The oatmeal was awesome! probably the best I’ve ever had! It was topped with a little bit of cinnamon and already sweetened a little. The toast and tea cancelled it out though, as the tea was especially nasty. I could never finish a cup of it. I may as well have been drinking toilet water.

 

 

After breakfast, I decided to spend my morning walking along the Paseo de la Princesa for some nice photos. I had always wanted to see what It was like walking outside the fort area. I made my way out of the hotel around what I think was 8 and noticed a few things immediately. First off, Norwegian Gem was still in port. Secondly, Seven Seas Mariner was in port as well.

 

 

Walking along the waterfront, I noticed that many of the vendors hadn’t set up their shops yet. I was also pleased as the sun was mostly covered and I could walk around a little more, without the worry of how badly Cipro was going to make me burn if I was in it for too long. I still put on sunscreen, deet bug spray, and used my cap anyways.

 

 

 

If you have never been along this path, you’re missing out because it is beautiful. I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t ventured there the previous times (granted, my last visit, it rained the whole time). There were the feral cats, the beautiful trees, calm water, and picturesque structures. And then, there was the sun. It had started to come out. As concerned as I was about sunburn, I was pleased to see it. Walking further, Paseo de la Princesa turned into the Paseo Del Morro, which worked around the old fort.

 

 

 

 

 

With all the clouds disappearing, I needed to get out of the sunlight for a little while before lunch. I headed back to the Sheraton and instead of staying inside for a bit, headed up to the rooftop pool terrace which was empty. I had not been up here the previous visit or the previous day and actually enjoyed it there more than I thought I would. While not large by any means, it was comfortable. Especially in the shaded are where I had found a seat with a nice view.

 

 

 

 

I spend some time up there catching up on Facebook and emails. Janet found me up there a short while later. We sat there and chilled. More people from the Facebook group were there and recognized me by my sunglasses. We had some conversation for a while and just enjoyed hanging out there. It was peaceful.

 

 

As the morning starting rolling into the afternoon, I made it back inside for a brief nap before deciding to wander around again. I had no idea what to do for lunch when the time came because I really had no trust in any of the establishments there. Aside from Barrachina the previous trip and Chicago Burger Company the night before, I hadn’t had good experiences with outside the hotel. Bearing that in mind, I decided to scope out a tapas cafe located inside a museum. While in route, Janet sent me a text telling me her and her friend (that had just arrived) would be going to have lunch at Barrachina. Quickly scoping out the tapas cafe (which was empty), I turned around and made my way back to Fortaleza St.

 

 

Barrachina was just as good as I remembered. When I walked in, I immediately recognized Jose, who had been our waiter last year. I walked around a little, looking for Janet and Sherry. In the courtyard inside the restaurant, I looked up and noticed it had started to cloud up again. I then looked over to the side where I saw Janet and Sherry waving at me from a table inside. I walked over and took a seat while they were enjoying their first cocktails. Janet had a pina colada which the place was known for and Sherry was having a frozen mojito. My arm was then twisted into having my first drink of the trip, a pina colada. It was delicious as to be expected. We then placed orders for our food and all of us chose one form or another of mofongo. Mine was chicken and it was also awesome. As we sat and enjoyed our time there, the skies opened up and it poured down rain into the courtyard/outside bar area. We chucked a little bit at those still sitting out there but dreaded what it would do when we decided to leave. Fortunately it didn’t last too long.

 

 

After enjoying a ridiculously good lunch, it was time to walk around a little more. For a short while, we walked around Old San Juan. I started to feel sleepy again, so I made my way back to the hotel. It was brief though as I had been notified that those who were in the social media group were now at Barrachina and wanted me to return. Taking the opportunity to make new friends, I made my back onto Fortaleza st and back into the restaurant. The folks called to me from the bar. I walked over, joined them, and decided “hell, why not another pina colada.” I met Suzette, Carol, Keith, and Bob. All were great people and easy to talk to. We enjoyed each other’s company and time rolled by. After a while we left Barrachina and walked down towards the Sheraton. They continued on once near the plaza and I peeled off to catch up on some more sleep. It was Halloween, and I was thinking of heading out later in the evening if I felt up to it.

 

 

Early evening, I woke up and decided to go to the fort one last time. I made my way over and relaxed for a while. Afterwards I headed to another tapas cafe and bar to see if others were there. They were not. I decided to text Janet to see if they wouldn’t mind another odd wheel. Fortunately, they had room and we all met at the bar on the top of Hotel Milano. Feeling a little funny, I stuck to water and kept low-key. We asked for a table for 5 and were seated in a decent amount of time on the outside deck. There were others out there from the social media group who had already been there for a little while and we were seated nearby.

 

 

Ordering food was a task. The night was dark and the tables were very poorly lit with battery-powered “candles” that only put out enough light to illuminate the edges of the menu. We had to use our camera phone lights to read them. We all placed our orders and I wanted a chicken platter. Everyone but me, started receiving their orders a short while later. Mine was late arriving almost 10 minutes after. Once food was in front of me, I still could barely see it with the poor lighting. I shrugged and bit into my chicken and immediately had to start pulling bones from my mouth. The platter wasn’t boneless. This would not have been a big deal if I was able to see what I was eating. Making the best of it, I ate the remaining chicken and sides slowly and only what felt soft with my utensils. One of us was using the phone to light up their food while eating, but I wasn’t feeling that inspired as I was still feeling a little “off.”

 

 

After dinner I made my way over to the other tables, meeting those I hadn’t yet, and then downstairs where I met Rhonda, Gerri, and their gang. Afterwards I stepped out and though I wasn’t feeling terrific decided to walk the Paseo de la Princesa one more time at night. It was beautiful.

 

 

 

After a fairly brief walk along the path, I turned back into the hotel. I had a busy day tomorrow and needed some good sleep. I wanted to wake up to take photos of the ship coming into port. I was also looking forward to Kim being in town. I feel asleep pretty quick that night after a nice shower.

Edited November 14, 2014 by seannyice81

[PathfinderEss]

Really enjoying your wonderful review and great photo's.

[gapearl]

Cool pictures! I felt so bad you were sick in San Juan again. :(

[falkcor]

PART 2 - SAN JUAN, Continued.

 

I have always been a fan of Old San Juan’s beauty.

 

Cool pictures! I felt so bad you were sick in San Juan again. :(

 

i love that you guys are doing reviews in tandem. and i'd like to think if we were on the same cruises (ever) we'd all be fast friends. rock on :)

[seannyice81]

Cool pictures! I felt so bad you were sick in San Juan again. :(

 

Thanks!

 

I didn't have the BEST time in San Juan, but I can say that I did at least have a GOOD time. :cool:

 

i love that you guys are doing reviews in tandem. and i'd like to think if we were on the same cruises (ever) we'd all be fast friends. rock on :)

 

It's pretty cool, right?

 

She's pulling ahead of me right now, but I plan on catching up later tonight, lol.

 

Embarkation tonight and maybe St. Croix as well. Followed by a big chunk this weekend.

Edited November 14, 2014 by seannyice81

[seannyice81]

PART 3, EMBARKATION

 

Here come the photos (in these posts)

 

Saturday morning was came early. The night before, Carnival Splendor departed St. Maarten earlier than I had thought it would. I kept track of it on occasion and assumed it would have a 5am arrival the next morning. I set my alarm for 4:30am so I could catch the ship as it sailed into the bay. I then fell asleep, confident in the ETA I had given it.

 

I should have set my alarm much earlier.

 

I woke up at 4:30am, immediately grabbed my phone, and opened the ship tracker app. To my surprise, Splendor was not only in the bay already, but was almost done pulling along-side the terminal. CRAP. So much for that. Before falling back asleep in my disappointment, I posted a message to the social media group who planned to have mimosas as the ship sailed in. Yea, they mis-calculated it's arrival too, haha. I feel back asleep for a couple hours.

 

7am rolled around and I woke up again. I grabbed my camera and set out to get some photos of the ship. I exited the hotel and made my way up the street, excited to see the ship for the first time. I could see the bow and bridge of Splendor as I made my way near it. Celebrity Infinity was pulling into port that moment and blocked some of the view. I paused there as the ship maneuvered slowly right in front of me. It's bow right in front of and almost over me. It was eerie the way it slowly crept closer to me, but cool at the same time. Before the bow seemed right over me, it stopped moving and the mooring lines were tossed to the shore-men, then secured one by one.

 

Moving on, Carnival Splendor was right there next to the Infinity and the cruise terminal. There was the ship I had waited eleven months for and had seen numerous times on the port webcams. It didn't look much different from the Conquest Class type ships I had been on before aside from a few differences. Looking to the other side of the bay, I could see Celebrity Summit and Royal Caribbean, Jewel of the Seas. The sun was coming up and some more people were starting to arrive to look at the ships. Janet had come from the Sheraton to take some photos as well. We talked shortly and then I headed back inside. I went back to my room, ordered some more of the really good oatmeal, then packed all my stuff together. I had some time until check out and my desired time to be at port (10), So I watched TV for a while.

 

 

10am didn't take too long to come around. I ran around the hotel room several times making sure I had everything because I ALWAYS seem to forget something. Fortunately, I was good, so I check-out of the hotel. Along the way, I ran into Pam and Kevin and we wandered towards the cruise terminal with our luggage in tow. It wasn't too crowded yet. Many were there with their luggage as the porters were still taking off that of those on the previous cruise. We stood out there for a little while and eventually they started corralling everyone behind some barriers. A short while later, the opened the gates and we all started our way into the terminal.

 

Along the way there was a brief pause as we filled out an Ebola questionnaire. As good a public relations thing as it was, it was also silly and pointless. People who look forward to cruise vacations (particularly those with a rare itinerary) probably will lie, and say they're healthy to get on the ship. Ebola, cold, flu, etc... Once on board, they'd probably deal with it (and hopefully wash their hands). I was only a little different as I had been getting over a sinus infection and although I was still on my medication, I felt great. No issues for me. Full steam ahead!

 

I had purchased Faster to the Fun (FTTF) so I could cut the lines be among the first on the ship. This came in really handy once in the terminal. I was the first to be checked-in via FTTF so it went off without a hitch. Two minutes later, the computers went down for a while. Thank god I got there when I did, otherwise they'd be doing my check-in with paperwork, like others were reporting. After standing for a while. They made the boarding announcement at 11:30. Last time I had FTTF out of San Juan, they let me on with the Platinum and Diamond customers. This time I was stopped. No big deal really, they paid for it over the course of all the cruises they had. Not even 30 seconds later though, I was waved to go ahead by another one of the staff managing the line. Sweet! Gear in tow, I made my way onto the ship with a few others from the social media group!

 

I set foot on the ship and immediately was overcome by the "pink zebra donut" livery inside. A ship that entered service in 2008 had the most 80's styling I had ever seen. It didn't matter too much to me though as I was on the boat! Fresh in the relief that I was on the ship, I stopped by the Shore Excursions desk to inquire about reserving a specific cabana in Grand Turk. The man working there told me it was "first come, first serve" basis. No biggie, I would just have to be one of the first people there when we made port.

 

As I had FTTF, I made my way into the closed hallways that were only open to those who had purchased it or were Platinum/Diamond status. Many of the stewards were still cleaning the cabins, but mine was ready. I opened it, dropped my stuff and went right to the balcony. I walked out and got the view I had been hoping for. I chose cabin 8216 for a couple reasons. One, because I like port side and port side has usually been the side with the best views. I also booked it forward because I like looking into the bridge-wing when the ship is active. I can see the officers maneuvering the ship and the controls lit up at night. I was not disappointed with this one.

 

 

After becoming familiar with my cabin, I immediately grabbed my camera and walked around the ship, taking photos. I also took some of the Celebrity Infinity docked next to us.

 

[seannyice81]

MORE IMAGES

 

[seannyice81]

Kim texted me shortly after to tell me she was getting on the ship and hadn't eaten yet. So with a belly full of Indian food, I told her I would meet her in the lido buffet. She had been in a 5k that morning and was later boarding and hungry as a result. Even though was full, I grabbed a ham and cheese sandwich from the Deli so it wouldn't seem like I was just there watching her eat. We invited a couple of friends, Amberly, Stacy, and Steve to join us and we all enjoyed each others company. After eating, I headed to get a drink, Kim went to organize her stuff, and the others did as well. I rejoined Kim a short while later and we made our way off the ship to grab some stuff from the CVS. Before doing so, there were some photos taken with the ship, a brief stop at an ATM, and a restaurant to look for a friend of hers (wasn't there). After that it was on to CVS. I needed some stuff I don't remember now, and she wanted to grab some wine since one of the bottles she tried to bring on earlier broke. She purchased 2 bottles of wine and a bottle of rum and we stuck it in my backpack. The wine we knew we could carry onto the ship without issue, but the rum we didn't know if they would catch. On the way back to the ship, We bumped into Jenna and her family/friends. They were going to see the forts before getting back on the ship. After meeting everyone, we made our way into the terminal and I was a little nervous as we entered security to get back on the ship. Well, it was no issue though as my backpack literally went right through the machine and security. No "wait, sir" no "I need to check this", nothing. Surprised, I walked back onto the ship with her slightly less surprised than me. "I can't believe I just went through like that!" I told her. Apparently, it happens quite a bit at that port. I wanted to bring some more on, but didn't feel like pressing my luck. After all, I had $80 in bar credit anyways. After our walk around San Juan, I wanted to nap. I took advantage of my love for Carnival's great bed linens and passed out for a while.

 

 

After sleeping a bit, I went and wandered the ship for a while until dinner. It was open seating that night and we grabbed a table with a few others. We all had pretty good conversation while waiting for our food. There were two from New York City, two from Aruba, and two from what I think was the mid-west. We enjoyed each others company until desert, when I enjoyed the warm chocolate melting cake more, although it seemed a little more "melted" this night than usual. While rapping-up dinner, there was a group of people trying to make a last dash for dinner before muster drill, but they were a little too late.

 

 

Muster drill was mostly normal. I never like to be among the first ones there so arrival was a few minutes after the call. This paid off as the door was nearby, yet I was against the wall in one of the more narrow passages on deck 4. Once muster was begun, it took a little longer than normal because of issues with some guests. Who and what, I have no idea. A short while later, our deck was the first released. My first thought was deck 9, over the bridge wing to see the mooring lines released and watch as the ship slipped away from the pier. Roughly 10 minutes later, we were off. though without the usual sounding of the horn that I look forward to. I called my mom to tell her the ship was moving as I usually do. She was remembering the last time I did that same departure with her and I did kind-of wish she was there.

 

 

After the ship initially backed-out, I headed to the aft pool where many of the social media group was meeting. A member dressed like a pirate and fitted a troublerific banner to the side of one of the aft hot tubs. I bought Randy a drink because he bought me a beer earlier. I drank some more with a few of the others. Kim was there being asked about her previous trips. It was awesome to meet all these great people and I really enjoyed it so much, that by the time I noticed, San Juan was just a blur in the distance. It after 11, so that meant the shops were open. I briefly jetted down to the shop to grab my souvenir ship magnet and postcard to send to a friend's young daughter who had recently had her birthday. To my dismay, they were out of the style of magnet I always bought. They had some others that I settled for. Afterwards, I rejoined the others briefly before some of us decided to go to the comedy club.

 

 

Donnell Grey was the performer that night, and while funny, he was a little on the weak side as he went right for the easy jokes and didn't work the audience too much. Sitting right out in front I never really got called out, but a couple of others did.

 

 

After the comedy was a short visit to the nightclub which wasn't really too busy. Some of the people from Facebook were there and we all danced together for a short while before heading off to bed for the night. St. Croix was 8am the next morning and I wanted to be up to take photos of the arrival.

[cruisexlife]

Thanks for the review so far. Wonderful pics by the way! :D

[yamsi12]

Looking forward to your review. My wife and I sailed on the Splendor in 2012 when she was sailing out of Long Beach. I proposed to her on the ship and it holds a special place in our hearts. We watched as she left Long Beach for the last time on her way to NYC shortly before our wedding. We will sail on her in April 2015 for our 2 year anniversary. We are staying in the same ocean suite where I popped the question to her, cant wait to go back.....its our ship.

Edited November 15, 2014 by yamsi12

[timmy1958]

Awesome review! Keep it coming!

[seannyice81]

St. Croix coming in a little while!

 

Also, those who might be interested. I have pretty much the same review, plus more photos and information on my blog. http://www.seanstravelblog.com .

 

More coming soon!

Edited November 15, 2014 by seannyice81

[seannyice81]

PART 4 - ST. CROIX

 

The complexity of complexion.

 

 

Morning was earlier than I had desired. There was a muffled and then gradually louder knock on the door as room service was trying to bring the breakfast I had requested and then forgot about. My breakfast was pretty dang simple because of all the things I wasn't supposed to eat while on the medication. No dairy, no coffee, no fruit juice, and no yogurt. Boooooo. Today, like most mornings, my breakfast consisted of toast, a banana, and some tea with honey. Not great, but better than starting off the day with nothing. Looking at the balcony, we were approaching St. Croix and I wanted to get some photos before our actual arrival. I finished my breakfast fairly quickly then grabbed my cameras for some photos.

 

 

 

After taking some photos, It was time to get around. Kim had planned an excursion for about 20 people to take a catamaran to Buck Island, not too far off the coast. In photos, it looked in credible. After a nice shower, I made sure you apply a lot of sunscreen and deet bug spray. I knew that while on Cipro, I should not be in direct sunlight for long periods of time. Having not had too much issue in Puerto Rico, I decided to continue with the plans I made way before being prescribed the nasty medicine, and just make sure to be liberal with the sunscreen.

 

 

Carnival Splendor docked in Fredriksted, St. Croix at roughly 8am that morning. Since we didn't need to meet the driver until after 9, I took my time getting off the boat, making sure I had everything, including medicine. I also brought my green Knockaround Everglades sunglasses.

 

 

 

Stepping off the ship was pretty easy, many people didn't seem to be in a big hurry and I wound up off earlier than expected. This gave me a little bit of time to check the local shops for magnets and t-shirts before setting off on the excursion. Seeing as how it was Sunday, not a lot of places were open (yet) and my choices were mostly dive shops and tents set up along the waterfront. I stepped into one of the dive shops and picked up a magnet. They had a t-shirt I liked but it was either way too big or small. Dang it... Afterwards, I ran into Sheila and Randy. They were part of not only the social media group, but also the group going on the excursion. We hung out for a while waiting for others and bumped into Stacy, Amberly, Autumn, and some others going on another excursion. Kim made it out after that and we found our driver. There were still some people who hadn't made it out quite yet and a couple were a little confused about exactly where to meet. Most eventually did make it and one seemed to be taking a little longer. Thankfully, because of social media, the last person knew to look for a guy wearing sunglasses (me) and it worked. She ran over just in time to join us. We all piled in 2 vans and headed for Christensted where the catamaran was docked.

 

 

The trip to Christensted was about 25 minutes. And for me, it was almost too long. You see, I'm a Virginia State Inspector and do safety inspections for motor vehicles. Imagine my discomfort hearing and feeling all the noises, pops, and bangs as our van made it's way to our destination. I had to keep telling myself that I was in vacation mode and to just ignore it. A was feeling a little bit of bubble-guts and felt a little storm brewing in my abdomen. I took some medicine for that and fortunately after a little while, the ill feeling passed. I could then watch as we passed a Captain Morgan Rum distillery and one of the very few Home Depots in the Caribbean.

 

 

Christensted was pretty dead when we arrived. There were several boats docked in the harbor and one was our catamaran, the Jolly Roger. Our captain, Mike (Captain Mike he prefers), was out buying some breakfast and was walking back to the boat as we approached it. A pretty decent size, open catamaran, we had a good amount of room to pick where we could sit and enjoy the views as we crossed the channel to Buck Island. Captain Mike introduced us to his team, and made some announcements regarding safety and what to expect on our trip. After a few minutes we were off.

 

 

After a short while we arrived at Buck Island National Park. Along the way Captain Mike had pointed our a few things and points of interest. Approaching Buck Island, the water was the most beautiful combination of blue-ish green. As it was a national park, there was no pier for the boat, so they had to set anchor in the very shallow area, just off shore. This made getting my camera and gear off the boat risky, but in the end not a very big deal. This just meant I had to go down the stairs then be handed my gear. Some of the others who didn't go the sissy-route jumped off the catamaran into the gorgeous water. Once on the island I lathered on more sunscreen and set about taking pictures, then enjoying the awesome water.

 

 

 

After a little over half an hour we had to get back on the catamaran to set off for the snorkeling part of our excursion. Once again, I awkwardly boarded the boat being careful with my gear. I made sure I was last so nobody would rush me or would I get in the way. It was about a ten minute trip to another side of the island where there was a massive reef. We were given another set of instructions before getting in the water. We were also given inflatable vests, goggles, flippers, and a snorkel. I honestly did need the vest as I the sinus infection that I had, had taken a lot out of my ability and I wasn't feeling quite as strong as I usually did. Once in the water though, it became a serious issue.

 

 

Those inflatable vests always seem to leak one way or another. The one I was given was no different. As soon as I got in the water, I knew it was going to be an issue. Rather than hold others up by going back, I decided to see if I could just go. This was a mistake. I can normally swim without issue, but because of the health problems I had, keeping up was difficult, especially while trying to avoid the federally protected coral, watching out for others, and stopping every 30 seconds to re-inflate my vest. I couldn't do it and had to signal the guide to come and get me. He had with him a safety ring that he tied around his wrist. I put one arm around the ring and stuck behind him. I could now enjoy the rest of the snorkeling, though embarrassed that it had come to me limping along like that. It paid off though because the reef was amazing. There were so many fish, and so many coral. It was also a maze and if I had tried to continue on without the ring, I would have been in danger. We spent about thirty minutes out there and afterwards were given the option to go back to the boat or continue to a more active part of the reef that meant more swimming. I decided to tuck my tail between my legs and head back to the boat. I didn't want to slow others down.

 

 

I got back on the catamaran and told Captain Mike my vest was trash. I apologized for not mentioning it earlier, but he apologized for even having it, before he threw it out. I then made my way over to the front of the boat where I just relaxed and took it easy. It was wonderful to feel the movement of the boat and hear the water lapping up against the sides and little else. One of the others was still on the boat and not feeling well from partying a little too much the night before. Some of the others nicely tended to her for a while before the others started making their way back on.

 

 

 

 

Once everybody was back on, we began our way back to Christensted with the use of the sail and no engines. It was so peaceful as the catamaran glided silently through the water. An osprey flew overhead a few times. We all reflected on how beautiful it was, the sea life, and then started asking about the rum punch. It wasn't long before Captain Mike brought out the big Gatorade container in which he started making the punch. He used a lot of each ingredient and did not go skimpy with the rum at all. Between slightly less than 2o of us (and less with those who didn't drink) some of us enjoyed a good amount of the stuff, myself included. I took cup after cup of rum punch with Kim, Shelia, and Randy. Kim discovered her camera had stopped working properly and I tried to see if I could fix it, but being buzzed on rum punch and missing my electronics tool set, I couldn't do anything. Fortunately her memory card was unharmed as it worked in another persons camera. The crew of the Jolly Roger, then started offering stuff for purchase. Seeing as how I didn't have a t-shirt for St. Croix yet, I bought one in a heartbeat! It was a cool retro-looking graphic of the boat.

After a while they fired up the engines and we pulled back into Christensted. We all got off the boat and took a group photo. Then we all boarded our taxis for the ride back to Fredriksted and the port. We were slightly behind, but had a still had a fair amount of time before needing to be back on the ship. We reflected on the way back and everyone thanked Kim for putting the whole thing together.

 

 

Once back on the ship, everyone was tired and we all pretty much headed back on-board. I took a shower before watching as the lines were released and we sailed away from St. Croix. As we pulled away, I took some photos and had conversation with Linda and her husband in the neighboring balcony cabin for a while. I grabbed some food, then took a much-needed nap afterwards. It lasted a couple of hours.

 

 

That night was important for two things. First off it was elegant (formal) night. Secondly, a group of us had planned on doing an 80's party that night in the nightclub. I had my gear for both. After waking up I felt a little sore and noticed I had gotten a lot of sun. Crap. I lathered myself up with aloe in hopes it would do me some good and then started getting dressed for dinner. Afterwards everyone was walking around in their outfits and everyone seemed to enjoy looking at one another. I wore black slacks, a black vest, white shirt, and my disco-ball tie. Everyone loved the tie and some took photos with me. When dinner came around, I found that I had been placed at a table away from everyone else which wasn't good and then became a little awkward. It was a very large table and nobody showed up for the longest time. Eventually two other guys came and sat down. We had good conversation, but I was a little disappointed there weren't more people (or anybody else I knew for that matter). Dining service took forever that night and it seemed we had a different waiter every time one came by. I drank a lot of water and could feel a sore throat coming-on. After the main courses, I didn't even feel good enough to enjoy another round of warm chocolate melting cake. I headed off and looked for those who were going to the 80's party. Eventually I bumped into a couple and told them I may not make it because I was then feeling pretty awful. I was hoping they would reschedule it and told them to call the cabin if they wanted.

 

 

After that, I headed to my cabin, disrobed and passed out for what wound up being the night. So much for 80's night. I was supposed to dress up like Sonny Crockett from Miami Vice. I had the 80's wig and all. Alas, it was not meant to be. That was Day 2.

 

 

The next day I would realize just how much Cipro does have an effect on me. Sun poisoning.

Edited November 15, 2014 by seannyice81

[KPfromCT]

While I am LOVING your review, it is just AWFUL that you are still not 100% on the ship.:(

Hoping you start to feel better on this cruise!:D

Keep it comin'

Patiently waiting........:rolleyes:

[seannyice81]

While I am LOVING your review, it is just AWFUL that you are still not 100% on the ship.:(

Hoping you start to feel better on this cruise!:D

Keep it comin'

Patiently waiting........:rolleyes:

 

Thank you!

 

Unfortunately, it got worse. Working on Martinique right now. Coming soon!

[seannyice81]

PART 5 - MARTINIQUE

 

That gut feeling.

 

 

Instead of waking up, feeling like a million bucks, I woke up feeling like I owed it. What did I do to deserve this? My head was bumping, my guts were bubbling, and nausea was ever-present. On top of that my shoulders and arms were very sore and throbbing as well. Good grief, what a day to feel like this. Martinique was one of the islands I wanted to see the most. I also put the most money into this port for an excursion. I forced myself out of bed and out onto the balcony. There was a knock on the door from room service who were bringing my banana toast and tea. I let them in and then went back to my post on the balcony. I made a few apologies that morning about not being out past 10. It turned out they went ahead with the 80s party as planned and it bummed me.

 

 

Sitting on the balcony it was mostly cloudy and Martinique didn’t look as impressive as a result. All ports, especially islands need to be sunlit in the mornings. As we drew closer to the port city of Fort-de-France, I heard and then saw a helicopter. It made several low passes around the ship, some lower than others. It was neat to see and it seemed pretty obvious that Carnival Splendor’s arrival was a fairly big deal.

 

 

As we neared port, I had a decision to make. Go forward with the all-day catamaran tour as planned or bail and take it easy. I must have gone back and forth ten times and decided to try to suck it up for the catamaran. So many cool people were going and if they jumped off a cliff, I would have as well. I got myself together the best I could, filled my guts with medicine and proceeded to meet with the rest in the theater where they would get pre-clearance to leave in a large group. After collecting my ticket, I sat down with some others and had conversation for a while before we were called. I still felt like crap and was uneasy with the idea of being on the catamaran. Not only for the way I felt, but fear of being in the sun too long again, for a second day in a row. A few months prior, I had miscalculated the order of the ports, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have gone on a catamaran two days in a row in the first place. Getting back to being in the theater, it wasn’t too long before we were called to leave the ship and head to our chartered boats. I walked with much trepidation down the freshly painted, really cool, psychedelic-looking pier and onto shore. There were a few TV crews and people taking photos of the ship and people wandering the pier. I made my way past the welcome sign, a vendor tent and then met with my group next to the catamaran I was to board. When the time came to step on the boat though, I just didn’t have it in me (or maybe it was what was in me). I just couldn’t do it. Being far from the sanctity of the ship was just not something I wanted, on top of being out in the sun for another long period of time. I apologized and a few others gave me hugs before I turned around and made my way back up the dock. It sucked to bail, but in the end, it was the smart thing to do. The money I put into it, was not worth the risk.

 

After a bathroom break, I decided to try to walk around Fort-de-France for a little while. It was at least doing something and I could take some cool photos of the place. I could get my t-shirt, magnet, and I asked some of the friends I made to get a Biere Lorraine bottle cap for me since I would probably not be drinking. Stopping inside a local shop for the tee and magnet I felt nauseous again. After the lady in front of me took the longest amount of time possible to buy a fragrance, I paid for my stuff, almost forgetting my credit card as I tried to leave. In the courtyard outside, I took my second Zofran of the day with some water. It helped me for a good while and I was able to walk around a little longer, taking photos of the very, very, colorful city and it’s many Citroens, Peugeots, and Renaults. French cars are always interesting.

 

 

Edited November 16, 2014 by seannyice81

[seannyice81]

After walking around a good bit of time (longer than I had anticipated). I decided to walk back to the ship and get some lunch. The upset stomach couldn’t keep me away from the Tandoor buffet, but this was mostly because it had rice as one of the main dishes. I mixed in a little bit of chicken so it wouldn’t be so bland and ate lunch slowly before returning to my cabin. Dizziness was becoming a little bit of an issue and all I wanted to do was sleep. Then again, I didn’t necessarily feel like sleeping either. I laid down for a while and tried. Every time I closed my eyes, 5 minutes later, I’d be wide awake again. I kept on top of my medicine, and took my temperature constantly, which had risen over 99 at one point, but thankfully remained mostly normal. So since I couldn’t sleep and was there by myself I did the natural thing and bought a block of wi-fi time from Carnival so I could kill time on the internet. I paid something I can’t remember for 240 minutes of wi-fi and perched myself on the balcony so I could at least enjoy the sights and sounds. Thank goodness for the balcony. For a good while, I looked on all the social media outlets and sent some messages back and forth on Facebook with those back home, specifically my mom. I regretted telling her how I felt because by nature she’s my mom and will worry, but it was good to reason with her about how I felt and what I should do. Mother knows best. I concluded I had sun poisoning and just tried to take it easy. I had been already running low on Zofran when I took some earlier that day. I wondered if I should visit the ship’s doctor but feared the consequences like whether or not they would lock me in the cabin (not likely). Kim had told me that visits could be expensive and I’d have to pay for the medicines and fees. I looked over my trip insurance contract for illness coverage, but it was a sea of gray considering I was on medication when I boarded. In the end I decided to ride it out and see how I felt in the morning.

 

The afternoon on my balcony rolled by and sail-away was approaching. About an hour before sailing a band started playing. They started marching from the vender tents down the water’s edge and then turned around. They then marched all the way down the pier and stopped next to the ship where they played for a long time while guests continued to board. The music was fantastic and it kept going and going. I forced myself from the confines of the cabin and rushed to the outside promenade on deck 3 where I could see and hear them better. I remained there, focusing more on the entertainment than the way I felt. After a while I still felt like crap, so I headed back to the cabin for sail away. The band was still playing for a short while after I returned but once the time rolled around, they too departed. We shortly after departed Martinique, bound for Grenada. This was the first time I heard the ship’s horn.

 

 

A while later, I wandered up to the lido cafeteria to have a light dinner. I didn’t feel like joining anyone that night in the dining room and just wanted to take it easy. Truth be told, dinner in the cafe was almost preferable considering the slow service in the dining room, but paled in the social aspect. While trying to enjoy the dinner, I noticed an occasional crew/staff member trying to rush through theirs and I felt bad, knowing how hard some of these people work.

 

 

I retired back to the cabin for the night. Carnival offers free movies and some on-demand ($). Lets Be Cops was listed and I immediately purchased it for a nice night of just hanging out in the cabin, trying to recuperate. I took a shower and then turned on the movie but was instantly disappointed. All sound, no picture. I tried to load the movie a few times and it just didn’t take. I called guest services to see if somebody could do something about it and they said somebody would check on it shortly. About twenty minutes later, a technician showed up to have a look. “They say your TV is not working?” he asked. “Uh, it works, but the movie only has sound, no picture” I replied. He took a couple of minutes to look into it. Step 1, per usual was to unplug the TV then plug it back in and try again. Of course this didn’t fix it. He told me that he’d need to check the movie cache and that he’d call me with an update in a little while. Bummed, I laid down and watched some cheesy TV shows instead. About another twenty minutes passed and the tech called. “Sorry, but when the movie was loaded, it was done so in the wrong format.” “Ah, so that explains it.” He had contacted guest services already and they refunded the charge for the movie I couldn’t watch.

 

 

I gave up on TV and didn’t want to burn anymore internet time so bedtime came early. Hopefully I would wake up feeling much better for Grenada.

Edited November 16, 2014 by seannyice81

[yamsi12]

what type of camera are you using?

 

Love the review BTW....

[babsee101]

I feel absolutely terrible that you had to go though all this during your long awaited cruise.:( Hoping you were back to normal for Grenada!

[seannyice81]

what type of camera are you using?

 

Love the review BTW....

 

Thank you!

 

Nikon D90

 

I feel absolutely terrible that you had to go though all this during your long awaited cruise.:( Hoping you were back to normal for Grenada!

 

It was pretty rough on some occasions. I'm processing Grenada right now. Stay tuned!

[seannyice81]

PART 6 - GRENADA

 

The turn-around at the Isle of Spice.

 

Waking up was not too difficult. I had fallen asleep pretty early the night before and after a certain amount of sleep, my body is almost always compelled to stir. Or perhaps it was my back aching because I slept on it all crooked. Stepping out on the balcony for a quick glance, I could see us approaching Grenada. The ship was already creeping along. Room service knocked and I was delivered the pretty-much daily banana, tea, and toast. I felt a little better this morning though my guts were still a little upset and I felt slightly woozy. The biggest difference was my lack of nausea. This meant that I would likely not need to visit a doctor. Excellent. The question then was what to do with my day.

 

 

Grenada was a port where I was once again, on my own. This morning I was okay with it because I wanted to get off the ship and check some stuff out. I also wanted to pace myself. At 8am the Shore Excursions desk would open so I decided to head down and see what I could find as far as a shorter and easy-going island tour. Once I approached the lobby on deck 3, I bumped into Suzette and Keith who were on the catamaran that I was supposed to be on in Martinique along with Janet who was as well. We had a little conversation about how I was feeling. After a short while, they went to meet for their excursions and I got in line to book one. When the desk opened and after my turn came, I chose to do a fort and beach tour that took roughly 3.5 hours. It was the Ft George, Ft Frederick, Grand Anse, and Scenic Ride tour. It started in roughly an hour which gave me a little bit of time to get my crap together. I went back to the cabin and grabbed all my gear.

 

 

I took some Imodium shortly before stepping off Splendor. I also brought my sunscreen and wore a baseball cap. There was no way I was going to allow myself to get burnt today. Stepping onto the pier, it was absolutely beautiful outside. Tropical but not over-bearing. I made my way to the gates where excursion staff were waiting with signs for the tours. I met up with my group and we made our way to the taxis. We had 2-3 vans for our tour and some couples were upset because they all wanted to travel together. They made a big deal about it, but ultimately caved when nobody outside their group felt like shuffling van-to-van. Honestly, they'd have enough time together anyways. I was last to be put in a van as I was solo. I was assigned to Leroy (aka "One Time") and got to sit shotgun in his van, which was excellent. He is a character. One of a handful of locals born in Grenada who was Caucasian. His origin was British, but his accent and demeanor was definitely that of an islander. He was welcoming and very happy to talk about Grenada, but not the most patient individual, which came up later. We set off, creeping through the maze of streets that cut through St. Georges. All the roads were very old and laid-out in a way that made little sense, yet we progressed. Driving past several old buildings and stopping briefly for an occasional photo we eventually made our way to the first actual stop, Fort George.

 

We pulled up to Fort George and stopped in a driveway in front. Leroy told everyone to meet back there in twenty minutes so we would continue to our next stop. I didn't hear him say it, but others did. Now, Fort George is an oddity in historic landmarks in that while much of it is in ruin, some stiff houses staff. Walking around we saw both and took in the excellent views from the top of the hill in which it was situated. There were a good amount of people from other groups there and I noticed I was probably the youngest. This became particularly apparent when others needed to ascend/descend the many stairs of the fort. As such the case, I took a little more time at certain parts taking photos while waiting for the stairways to clear.

 

 

When I felt that I had better get out of the sun, I descended through the backside of the fort and found Leroy parked among other taxis at the bottom of a hill. At first he was cool with just me meeting him there. I told him because of my medicine I couldn't be out too long in the sun and he understood. When others started to meet him there, he got a little upset. "I told dem to meet me out in front!, Don't dey listen?" He drove the van to the front of the fort where a couple of others were waiting. They hopped on, but we were still missing two. We waited for a bit and then Leroy opted to drive around back again to check back there. Nobody was there. We drove to the front again and once again nobody. Leroy called his boss who instructed him to make a couple more circles and then proceed. We did eventually move on when there was still no sign of the others. They had left their belongings on the van and we all hoped they had just taken another bus.

Edited November 16, 2014 by seannyice81

[seannyice81]

 

We went on another drive for our next stop which was the even older Fort Frederick. This fort was even older and perched even higher than Fort George. From it, you could see a good bit of Grenada, including Grand Anse Beach. This stop, we were given roughly thirty minutes to enjoy the scenery and a small bar right outside the property. There was a steel drum trio playing and a man selling souvenir spices (as Grenada is the “isle of spice”). Not feeling up to it yet, I went to explore the mostly sun-covered fort.

 

 

After our time was up we made our way to the van for the trip to Grand Anse Beach. It was a short while away and along the route, Leroy pointed out several things of interest. Cashew trees, sweet sop, bread fruit, citrus, and gave us some history. Apparently they had a lot of snakes on the island and had to bring in some mongoose to help rid them. Well, the mongoose thrived to the point where there was an over-abundance of them and they were sought after now. We also learned that many houses had their own water reservoirs as the ancient plumbing in Grenada was very prone to breaking. This made me feel a tad better about the infrastructure issues here in the US.

 

 

Approaching Grand Anse Beach, we were told that our access to it was through one of the oldest and most prominent resorts on the site, the Radisson (it had changed through various brands/owners over time). Leroy pulled the van up to the drop off area. With one look down the hallway, the property was absolutely stunning. We were given tickets for drinks and told to come back in a little over an hour. At this point I was starting to feel better and ventured over to the pool-side bar for the free drink. Many opted for the cliché rum punch, but I asked about the popular local beers. They had Carib Lager which I had before and Stag, which I had not. I obviously chose Stag. It was pretty smooth but a little short on flavor. Not disappointed though, I finished it and made my way over to claim a spot on the beach under a tree. There was already a very nice Canadian couple who had taken a few loungers under one tree. I took one as well and set it under the same tree. I applied another liberal amount of sunscreen and set off for near-bath temperature water. I swam for a short period of time, pretty much just hovering in the same spot. The water was so nice, I didn’t want to get out. I began cursing myself for not doing a longer tour. Obviously I was playing it safe, but I felt I was playing it too safe. A few times I would get in and out of the water to take some photos. Eventually though the inevitable happened and our time was up. It was time to get back in the van and head back to port. Que sad-face. On the way out, I took a brochure for the resort and promised myself to return in time.

 

 

 

Getting back to port was just as scenic as leaving. This time we stuck to the shore this time and drove through the old port of St Georges (not the cruise port area). It was rather cool. At this point, I kind of regret not taking more photos of it, but like I said, I will be back to revisit Grenada.

 

 

Back in the cruise port section of town, we were dropped off and I tipped Leroy. I then set off inside the mall-of-sorts that makes up the duty-free shops. I needed to try to find my magnet and t-shirt for Grenada. I found that many of the shops were similar in nature and ownership. Most of them had owners and staff from India. While all the tees seemed the exact same, one shop in particular stood out in its selection of magnets. I purchased a nice magnet for my tool box and then gave in and got a touristy t-shirt at another. There was one Carib Lager T-shirt I almost bought, but for some reason, even though it was a medium, it was so long it may as well have been a Snuggie. After buying my stuff, I bumping into Jenna, Phil, and their crew who had been doing the 80s party the night before. I apologized for not making it, but they were cool with it and we would hang again more over the course of the trip. After running into them, I got my passport stamped and made my way back to the ship after briefly watching (and enjoying) a steel drum band.