Trip Report: 12-night Holiday Cruise in the Caribbean on the SILHOUETTE (2018)

[SleepingUgly]

15 hours ago, DENIE said:

Linda - you bet, happy to provide that, and to help our friend Jorge (we chat with him on Facebook fairly often).  That is his photo on the Puerto Limon website.

 

We loved MSC, though Americans were the minority - which we did not mind.  Met so many folks from Germany, Italy, England, France.  The food was a tad more "European" in preparation and tastes, but that was no concern for us.  The staff was awesome, and the MSC Divina was incredibly gorgeous and new at that time.  This was her first year or so, as MSC was test marketing the US, and now they have two more ships based in Miami.

 

Our port stops were Falmouth, Jamaica (not our favorite, but "ok"), then on to Cartagena, Colon (Panama), Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; and Cozumel, MX.  Cartagena was amazing (but you will see poverty).  The old walled city was gorgeous, and had a couple cathedrals from the 1400's that show the European influence.  There is also a large fort that you can tour (we did not have a chance.  La Popa Monastary on top of the hill offers the best view of the city! 

 

Colon was significant only in that it is the eastern (actually "northern") entrance to the Panama Canal.  Colon itself is a slum, but we found a tour that took us from the ship to Gatun Lake to board a small ferry, then went through the 2 Pacific Locks, into the Pacific Ocean, then took a bus from Panama City back to Colon (I would look for a tour like this!).  Then in Costa Rica, we had the fabulous tour from our friend Jorge.  We saw MANY sloths up close, howler monkeys, birds, etc.  Finally Cozumel (don't think your cruise stops there, but it was fun - Mayan ruins.  This cruise is NOT a "beach day" kind of cruise, but you are right....LOTS of history!  We would do in a heartbeat again.  Perhaps we will convince SIL to do this one....

 

Don't hesitate to ask further questions....sorry to get "off topic" from your wonderful review and post!  🙂

 

Dale

 

 

 

Thank you so much, Dale!  I took some notes of the information you provided and will be sure to reference them as I start to plan for that cruise (late this year).  We do enjoy visiting historical sites.  Well, at least, I do and I just drag my kids along, haha.  We have toured Europe extensively and love visiting the old castles, forts, churches, towers, etc. that may not be the most beautiful of places in pictures, but when you consider its history and how long it may have been around and what was going on in the world during the time it was built and who have been there before you and how many people have stood where you are standing - then it becomes the most fascinating place ever!  I'm actually most looking forward to Cartagena because of the history.  And I don't mind seeing poverty in my travels.  How else to open our eyes to how others live in the world and get to know the people better and realize what their lives are like and, at times, really appreciate what we have ourselves.  If I wanted to only visit places that make me feel comfortable, then I'd stay at home in bed all day! 

 

Thanks again for the great info!

 

Linda

  

[FRMPEI]

8 minutes ago, SleepingUgly said:

Day 6 – Dominica (cont.)

  

 

 

 

Great picture of you and your three sisters. 

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[DamWamWeRCruising]

2 hours ago, FRMPEI said:

 

Great picture of you and your three sisters. 

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

I agree 100%...who is the MOM??  Beautiful review, thank you for taking the time to do this.  I am enjoying every minute.

[SleepingUgly]

2 hours ago, FRMPEI said:

 

Great picture of you and your three sisters. 

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

 

Thanks, Kevin!  I'll be sure to let the girls know they very closely resemble an old biddy about to turn 50 in a few years. They will be thrilled! 🙂

 

Linda

 

[SleepingUgly]

6 minutes ago, DamWamWeRCruising said:

I agree 100%...who is the MOM??  Beautiful review, thank you for taking the time to do this.  I am enjoying every minute.

 

Ah, thanks so much for your comments.  Believe me - if you hear the yelling and nagging and questioning whether or not I passed on any intelligence DNA to them - you will know who the mother is! 🙂

 

Thanks for following along!  I'll try to post a lot more this weekend.  Three-day weekend!

 

Linda

 

[SleepingUgly]

Day 6 – Dominica (cont.)

 

Once back in the cabins, we changed out of our damp swimsuits, and went straight to the buffet to grab something to eat as we were all starving.  Only the pasta and pizza stations were open at that time, along with ice cream and cookies, but those will do just fine, thank you very much.  I don’t think my entire family has not met a carb we didn’t fall madly and deeply in love with, so the more pasta, the better.

 

We checked out what the show would be that night.  It was a performer singing rock and country music.  No offense to country music fans, but y’all listen to some awful stuff!  We are not fans at all so we decided to skip the show that night, much to the little one’s chagrin.  But, we are a democratic family (when the decision works in my favor) so majority rules.

 

As the evening wore on, our oldest started getting the headache of all headaches, so she decided to stay in the room for dinner that night.  We ordered room service for her – chicken noodle soup, salmon, a fruit plate and some hot tea.  The food arrived while we were all still in the room so dh helped her set everything up.  She actually ate pretty well and finished up all the soup and most of her salmon and also had a bit of the fruit.  She then climbed immediately back into bed.  By the time we left for dinner around 8.25 pm, she was also in La-La Land, snoring away.

 

Service that night in the MDR was nice and quick.  Joseph and Dexter looked genuinely horrified that only one out of three daughters showed up; I wish they wouldn't take it so personally.  I felt so bad for them I almost ordered three meals for myself, just because I know how much they miss running around with extra plates in their hands.  The dining room was actually quite empty, which probably helped speed up the overall service.  We were seated around 8.30 pm, ordered around 8.35 pm, got our starters around 9 pm, got our entrees around 9.20 pm and were out of there before 10 pm, and that included getting dessert and coffee as well.  And getting coffee (espresso) for us takes longer because dh likes to have it AFTER he’s eaten, not with his dessert, so we have to wait for him to finish his dessert before he will have his espresso.  I guess it’s the European way of doing things, with the least amount of efficiency as possible.  Such is why their economies all suck.

 

My dinner ... I had the French onion soup to start (always delicious), the seared strip steak (not that good), and the crepes for dessert (just OK). 

 

Dh's dinner ... He had the cod croquettes to start, the lamb shank as the entree, and some sort of chocolate tort / cake for dessert. He thought the cod would be like his beloved Portuguese bacalhau, but alas - to his dismay, they were nothing like that.  He said the lamb was quite good, though.  He always tried to get the lamb on the ship whenever it was offered because we never eat it at home.  I hate lamb.  I think it is too gamey and it stinks up my house, so my husband has had to give it up if he wanted to stay married to me.  Ah, true love.

 

While our oldest was snoozing away back the room, our middle child also decided to ditch us and went to have dinner with her friends in the buffet that night.  So we had just the little one to keep us company that evening.  Now, you too can experience what it was like to dine with her. #whyidrink

 

After dinner, we did our usual thing of going to check out our photos and walking around the shops a bit.  We then dropped the little one back in the room, where her big sister was drooling in her sleep, and put her to bed; she was pretty exhausted as well.  Dh and I went to the casino and stayed there for maybe one hour – I lost about $100 in under an hour and dh played three-card poker and was up / down.  We left the casino around 11.30 pm, went back to the room and watched some TV to catch up on the news for the day, and fell asleep shortly after that.  Tomorrow – Grenada – and putting my I-must-have-everything-planned approach to the test!

 

[SleepingUgly]

I found this picture in one of my Faceboo albums of my two oldest girls in Dominica, from when we visited all the way back in March 2007 via the Celebrity Galaxy.  Good Lord ...

[Blockschip]

5 hours ago, SleepingUgly said:

Day 6 – Dominica (cont.)

 

OK, let’s finish up with this excursion, shall we?  I complained that the river tubing went so slowly and now this trip report has slowed to the speed of molasses in winter.  For those of you still with me and awake, I thank you.

 

Some more pictures of our river tubing expedition that day …

 

Once we got to the end, we all had to grab onto a rope that was tied across the river and use that to steer us towards shore, where the young men were waiting to grab our tubes for us and to help us onshore.  You have to climb out of your tube and wade in the water a bit – don’t worry, it’s super shallow; in fact, I think the entire way, the river was no more than a couple of feet deep – and then climb up a small hill to get back to civilization.

 

Once onshore, there was a food truck-sort of thing, where a couple of ladies were making fresh, hot chicken sandwiches and selling them for $5 each.  We bought two to share as the kids were starving but we should have bought more.  They were super delicious!  Sodas and beer were being sold at $3 each, and the young men set up a stand to sell rum punch for $5 per cup. 

 

We stood around, eating and drinking, for around 15 minutes or so, and then got back in the van for the long ride back to the port.  We took off around 4 pm and got back to the pier a little after 5 pm.  I think we all pretty much fell asleep in the van.

 

At the pier, there were a bunch of stands and kiosks set up by local women, selling knick knacks and souvenirs.  We walked around and bought a few things, and then headed back onto the ship.  Thank goodness it is a very short pier here so the walk back was not bad at all.  It was around 5.30 pm by now, and a beautiful rainbow appeared to bid us farewell from Dominica.

 

 

Wow! Do the rainbows just follow you guys around. Seems like every island you have a rainbow 🙂

[DENIE]

7 hours ago, SleepingUgly said:

 

Thank you so much, Dale!  I took some notes of the information you provided and will be sure to reference them as I start to plan for that cruise (late this year).  We do enjoy visiting historical sites.  Well, at least, I do and I just drag my kids along, haha.  We have toured Europe extensively and love visiting the old castles, forts, churches, towers, etc. that may not be the most beautiful of places in pictures, but when you consider its history and how long it may have been around and what was going on in the world during the time it was built and who have been there before you and how many people have stood where you are standing - then it becomes the most fascinating place ever!  I'm actually most looking forward to Cartagena because of the history.  And I don't mind seeing poverty in my travels.  How else to open our eyes to how others live in the world and get to know the people better and realize what their lives are like and, at times, really appreciate what we have ourselves.  If I wanted to only visit places that make me feel comfortable, then I'd stay at home in bed all day! 

 

Thanks again for the great info!

 

Linda

  

Yes!  We love history, and some of these places were off the charts.  The walled city in Cartagena dates back to the days that Christopher Columbus sailed in the area.  We love history too.  I'm about to catch up again on your fabulous review.

 

[SleepingUgly]

On 1/14/2019 at 8:33 PM, rosewood jo said:

I read as best I could what you had on line ALONG what I found on Internet.     

Were these ur shows?

  

COSMOPOLITAN

UPTOWN

STORY OF MY LIFE

PEARL

 

DID THEY HAVE SILENT DISCO AND ABBA MANIA? 

 

This helps soooo much.  You are awesome! 

 

Hi - I finally got a hold of the Celebrity Todays and took pictures of the entertainment / activities schedule for each day ... with the exception of our last day, January 1 (Day 12).  Sorry, for some reason, I could not find the Celebrity Today for that day but I will continue to look for it.  In the meantime, here are the other days that you have not seen yet.  HTH!

 

Linda

 

Day 8

 

Day 9

 

Day 10

 

Day 11

 

[SleepingUgly]

Day 8 – Grenada

 

Let's start with a housekeeping note - so I am embarrassed to say that I messed up on my day counts.  I noted that both St. Thomas and St. Croix were "Day 4" by accident.  Super embarrassed about this, especially since I was a freakin' math major; yes, I do know how to count, honest!  So, the correct day count should have been:

 

Day 4 - St. Thomas

Day 5 - St. Croix

Day 6 - St. Maarten

Day 7 - Dominica

 

Now that everything has been set right again - onward and upward ... onto Grenada (Day 8)!

 

We got up today around 7 am, as the ship was starting to slow down as it neared the port in Grenada. Do you consider that to be early or late?  For me, if I wake up on my own and not to an alarm, and the sun is already up, that is “sleeping in” for me.  Especially if I don’t have to immediately jump out of bed to get ready for work or to go work out or to drive a certain Miss Eight-Year-Old to school or any of her many activities.  In fact, that morning, dh and I stayed in bed and watched the waves and the wake from our bed, while we dozed on and off.  Really, life does not get any better than this!

 

The ship docked around 8 am – right on schedule – and we got up to get ready for the day.  During that time, we saw another ship approach the port – Mein Scheiff 5.  It docked on the other side of the pier from us. 

 

The plan that day was to head to Grand Anse beach for the morning, return to the ship for lunch around 1 pm, and then walk around St. George’s in the afternoon.  I had wanted to visit Grande Anse beach the last time we were in Grenada (in 2007) but didn’t get a chance to do so; thus, I was determined we would be able visit this time.  The girls all knew about this already, thanks to that handy-dandy, colorful calendar I had made for their room (and hung on their wall via a handy-dandy magnet).  Thus, they dutifully put on their swimsuits and got dressed, and were soon ready to go grab some breakfast before we headed out to the beach.

 

BUT … (and this is a big but ... and no jokes about my large behind either, please, gentle readers) ... after the girls got dressed and they came into our room and plopped themselves down on the sofa and our bed, I took a good, long look at them.  And noted that one could use a haircut, another forgot to brush her teeth and the third looked like she took a licking and couldn't go on ticking.  To put it bluntly, they looked like crap.  The oldest didn’t have a headache anymore, but she looked like something the dog threw up … after eating what she first threw up.  The second one just looked angry and bored, so your usual teenage demeanor; nothing unusual there.  The little one, however – who is always ready to do anything – surprisingly looked rather listless, as if (gasp!) she wasn’t in the mood to go to the beach.

 

So I asked them if they even felt like going to the beach that day, or were they simply not in a beach frame of mind.  There was a pregnant pause.  Now, I don’t ever want to associate the word “pregnant” with either of my teenage daughters, and this type of pause was no exception.  Something was up.  They obviously were not in the mood to go beaching.  So I told them that – hey! – I can be flexible.  We don’t have to go to the beach today if they needed a break from the water.  We could instead just check out St. George’s that morning and then take it easy and hang out on the ship that afternoon.

 

They all stared at each other in disbelief.  Did I really just say that?  Did I really just - gasp and gasp and gasp again - say that we can ... change our plans?!?!  After they slapped each other silly to make sure no one was dreaming and that they were indeed all awake – and dh gave me breathalyzer and blood tests to make sure I wasn’t drunk and/or high – they realized that I was serious – we can actually change our plans and the earth’s rotation would not be reversed and they would not spontaneously combust!  Their mother / wife can actually do non-planny things!  After the cheering and hallelujahs had died down, the girls rushed to change out of their swimsuits as dh sat down and cried tears of joy.  It was a Festivus miracle!

[SleepingUgly]

Day 8 – Grenada (cont.)

 

We went up to – where else? – the Oceanview Café for breakfast.  I started once again with my bowl of oatmeal, and then moved onto eggs, bacon and corned beef hash.  I have to say, the corned beef was pretty good in the buffet.  Not all fancified, but not all I’ve-been-sitting-in-this-iHop-kitchen-for-the-past-10-hours bad either.

 

We left the ship around 9.30 am.  The pier was busy, and a steel-drum band was playing music by the entrance to the terminal to welcome guests from both cruise ships.

 

We stopped to get a map at the tourist information desk inside the terminal.  While dh and I checked out the map, the little one decided to have an early-morning meltdown.  So I told her to go sit somewhere and calm down.  This is what it’s like to be in the naughty corner in the tropics …

 

We finally figured out approximately where we wanted to go and started to head out of the terminal.  That place was kind of a maze and, with our vacation brains, we could not find our way out of there.  It was filled with little stores and shops, which we would return to later in the day, but at the moment, we just wanted to find our way out.  We finally asked a gentleman how to get downtown, and he pointed us in the right direction through a side parking lot.  We thanked him and were on our way.

 

In order to get to the heart of St. George’s, we had to access Sendall Tunnel, which was built in 1894.  It was very easy to reach from the cruise pier.  The Sendall is an extremely narrow, 340-foot tunnel that was originally built for horse carriages, but today, both cars and pedestrians use it … and share the roadway.  The walk through it wasn’t exactly amazing, but it was still an interesting experience to have walked through a 100-plus-year-old tunnel, with cars right next to us.  It's little, unique quirks like these that we experience that are my favorite parts of our vacations.

 

[SleepingUgly]

23 hours ago, Blockschip said:

Wow! Do the rainbows just follow you guys around. Seems like every island you have a rainbow 🙂

 

Haha, it sure seems like it but I think it was more the RAIN following us, rather than the rainbow.  There would be very short rain showers pretty much every day - literally would not last more than 4-5 minutes, if that long - and then the sun would be out again, and of course the rainbow as well.  Always a beautiful sight - I never get tired of seeing them.

 

Linda

 

[SleepingUgly]

Day 8 – Grenada (cont.)

 

It took us maybe only a couple of minutes to walk through the tunnel.  Amazingly enough, the drivers and pedestrians were all incredibly polite to and respectful of each other.  No one yelled at anyone else, no middle fingers were waved about, no one honked their horns to get ahead of others.  Dorothy … I don’t think we’re in the DC area anymore.

 

On the other side of the tunnel was the heart of St. George’s.  We walked around a bit, trying to find our way to Fort George.  Instead, we saw a sign for the National Museum of Grenada and decided to go check it out first.  Now, before you museum snobs get all excited and think this is like MoMA or the Louvre or even one of the Smithsonian museums … think again.  This museum was housed in a tiny, historical stone building located smack dab in the middle of the city.  The entrance fee was $2.50 per adult and $1.50 per child.  As a Christmas gift to us, the man at the entrance didn’t charge for our youngest, so we paid $10 for all of us and went inside.

 

 

This museum, albeit small, definitely had a lot of interestingly things to check out.  It had small exhibits about the indigenous people who first inhabited the island, and a much larger exhibit about the slave trade and the slaves who lived on the island.  Upstairs, there was an exhibit about the revolution that occurred in March 1979.  The revolution lasted for about four years or so, culminating in the assassination of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop in October 1983 and, finally, the US-led invasion about one week after that

 

We left the museum around 10.20 am and headed towards Fort George again.  We ended taking the scenic route as we climbed narrow streets and stairs to get to the back of the fort.  Along the way, however, we stopped to enjoy the view of the Inner Harbor area, as well as St. George’s.

 

[mchell810]

1 hour ago, SleepingUgly said:

It was a Festivus miracle!

 

I've been enjoying your thread all along -- with many laughs, but this literally had me laughing out loud!  I just love it! 🤣

[SleepingUgly]

Day 8 – Grenada (cont.)

 

A few more photos of the awesome views we enjoyed during our walk.  Hard to believe, but I actually enjoy these impromptu activities as we have no schedule to follow, and we are all relaxed and the kids can wander around and enjoy as much of their surroundings as they want.  Of course, they love these unplanned activities as I am not busily consulting the Clipboard of Doom to make sure we are on schedule for whatever we need to be on schedule for.  With nothing planned, the only thing on the schedule is FUN.  And drinks.  There's always room for drinks.  

 

 

We walked up a hilly, narrow road near the back section of the fort.  It is amazing just how friendly the people are on this island. As cars passed - and we clung onto the railing on the side of the road so they have enough room to pass, without running over our toes (we kind of need them) - drivers called out to us, wishing us Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  Pedestrians who we passed on the way did the same.  Back home, we had become so accustomed to averting eye contact with strangers and minding our own business.  It was refreshing and a real pleasure to be treated as a friend by strangers, young and old, man or woman, all locals when it was obvious we were tourists.  It would be lovely if we could all do the same here at home as well.

 

 

We reached the fort a little before 11 am, after a leisurely walkabout.  Entrance fee is $2 per person, and right by the little entrance booth, there is a gazebo that overlooks the harbor and the cruise pier.  We were lucky to have been blessed with another day of great weather, but it was starting to get quite hot as the morning went on.

[SleepingUgly]

9 minutes ago, mchell810 said:

 

I've been enjoying your thread all along -- with many laughs, but this literally had me laughing out loud!  I just love it! 🤣

 

Thank you so much!  We are big Seinfeld fans.  BIG.  Much bigger than that salad that Elaine likes. 🙂

 

Linda

 

[lara68]

I know it's off topic, but do you happen to know who the captain's club hostess is?

Thanks!

[ipeeinthepool]

We will be in Grenada in a few weeks and are still trying to figure out what to do.  I've never seen anything like that tunnel.  Did you happen to notice if there was a group of taxis somewhere around the port entrance that were booking impromptu trips?  Any idea of the type of trips or prices?

 

Thanks

[Shellifino]

I've been rationing your posts hoping that I don't get to the end before you do. Sigh. Now I must wait. SIGH.

 

Seriously, than you so much for your trip report. I am sailing on the Silhouette with nearly the same itinerary on Feb 10. I'm also a planner and reader so this is helping me get through the anticipation. Since I must wait now, I guess I'll go make another packing list and start deciding on which shoes to take. 

 

One question, if you don't mind... did you use the internet while on board? How not-fast was it? I have unlimited internet as part of my trip package, so it's already accounted for. My traveling companion has to do some work during the voyage, and neither of us have ever used the internet on a ship before. 

 

Thanks again!

 

Edited January 20, 2019 by Shellifino
I fly out of ATL on the 9th, but the cruise departs on the 10th

[lovestx]

On 1/13/2019 at 4:22 PM, SleepingUgly said:

  I know a lot of people don't care for this island but we had a really great time.  Rhythms at Rainbow Beach had a nice, relaxing vibe about it, and everyone who worked there was super nice and friendly.  The whole island just had a nice, laid-back feel to it, and not a lot of commercialism, which I really appreciated.  Maybe it was also because it was Christmas Day, but I don't think St. Croix is known for its shopping, which is a nice change of pace from the usual cruise ports.  I look forward to returning someday when it's not Christmas or a holiday so perhaps I can venture into Christiansted and check out some of the more historical sites, or head to Point Udall, the easternmost point of the US.  I like cool sites like that with an interesting claim to fame, so hopefully, we will return soon.

I haven't read your entire report yet but have loved the parts I've read!  Great sense of humor and great sense of family!!

 

And had to call out this section regarding St. Croix...

We have visited STX for 23 years and, for the past five years, have spent the winter on her.  Needless to say we love her.  And we are glad you enjoyed your port stop.  Rhythms and Rainbow Beach are at the top of our list for great times at the beach.  Of course, we avoid going on cruise ship days when it is less crowded.  And the island is much more low-key than many with less shopping, etc.  And Frederiksted is the smaller of the two towns and was hit hard by Hurrricane Maria.

 

Definitely com back for a longer vacation.  And, if you do, take a look at staying at the Buccaneer.  It would be a perfect spot for your family.

[SleepingUgly]

On 1/19/2019 at 6:18 PM, lara68 said:

I know it's off topic, but do you happen to know who the captain's club hostess is?

Thanks!

 

I am sorry but I do not.  We never had the need to utilize her so I never sought her out.  Sorry about that!

 

[SleepingUgly]

On 1/20/2019 at 6:12 AM, ipeeinthepool said:

We will be in Grenada in a few weeks and are still trying to figure out what to do.  I've never seen anything like that tunnel.  Did you happen to notice if there was a group of taxis somewhere around the port entrance that were booking impromptu trips?  Any idea of the type of trips or prices?

 

Thanks

 

Yes, there were many taxi drivers in the terminal and outside, offering tours to visitors.  There were also some around Fort George, not close to the pier at all.  I'm not sure what tours are given, but they all had large maps of the island that showed what may be of interest.  I think most tours would go to a nutmeg plantation (I do remember doing that on our island tour when we visited in 2007), and there may be a large lake you can drive by for nice views, and perhaps a stop at Grand Anse beach?  I do not know what prices would be like; sorry about that! 

 

FWIW, our tour in 2007 was with Mandoo (http://www.grenadatours.com/).  His website may give you some ideas on what types of tours may be offered by taxi drivers and what costs may be?  He was a very good driver and tour guide; we had a great visit with him.

 

Linda

 

[SleepingUgly]

On 1/20/2019 at 12:52 PM, Shellifino said:

I've been rationing your posts hoping that I don't get to the end before you do. Sigh. Now I must wait. SIGH.

 

Seriously, than you so much for your trip report. I am sailing on the Silhouette with nearly the same itinerary on Feb 10. I'm also a planner and reader so this is helping me get through the anticipation. Since I must wait now, I guess I'll go make another packing list and start deciding on which shoes to take. 

 

One question, if you don't mind... did you use the internet while on board? How not-fast was it? I have unlimited internet as part of my trip package, so it's already accounted for. My traveling companion has to do some work during the voyage, and neither of us have ever used the internet on a ship before. 

 

Thanks again!

 

 

Hi, thanks for reading!  Sorry for not having posted for a couple of days, but the NFL playoffs last night just took up too much of our time, haha.  Also, the CC site has been funky and sometimes doesn't load right for me.  Not sure if that's only me?

 

Anyway, we did use the Wifi onboard.  I had purchased the three devices package during a sale about three weeks before our departure.  When it was working, it was OK; that would mostly be early mornings or late at nights.  I wouldn't say it's dial-up, but it's not Fios either, which is what we may be more used to these days.  There were times when it would be extremely, painfully slow, mostly late afternoon / early evening when everyone is awake and onboard.  For instance, I would try to upload a photo onto Facebook and it would take 10 minutes, when it usually takes three seconds.  My daughter tried posting a video to Instagram and it didn't work for at least four days for her.  So we weren't using the WiFi for anything important, obviously, but it was frustrating, sometimes so much that the kids would just give up on it altogether.  And you know what it would take for a teenager to toss away her phone, so that may give you an idea of how bad the speed can get at times!  In fact, now that I think about it, I think the second-to-last sea day, we didn't have Wifi for most of the day on all our phones and tablets and laptops, which was really frustrating.  Not sure if others that day experienced the same.

 

 

Linda

 

 

[SleepingUgly]

On 1/20/2019 at 3:28 PM, lovestx said:

I haven't read your entire report yet but have loved the parts I've read!  Great sense of humor and great sense of family!!

 

And had to call out this section regarding St. Croix...

We have visited STX for 23 years and, for the past five years, have spent the winter on her.  Needless to say we love her.  And we are glad you enjoyed your port stop.  Rhythms and Rainbow Beach are at the top of our list for great times at the beach.  Of course, we avoid going on cruise ship days when it is less crowded.  And the island is much more low-key than many with less shopping, etc.  And Frederiksted is the smaller of the two towns and was hit hard by Hurrricane Maria.

 

Definitely com back for a longer vacation.  And, if you do, take a look at staying at the Buccaneer.  It would be a perfect spot for your family.

 

Thank you!  We all loved St. Croix and definitely want to visit again.  The lack of commercialism and big resorts / hotels, as well as the laid-back and friendly attitude of everyone we met, was all very attractive to us!

 

Linda