Live reports from the Sun - 3/18/06 Eastern Caribbean

[bucketsofbeer]

Jen,

Thanks for all the updates on the cruise. We will be going on the cave and rainforest tour in DR so was happy to see some more information on that. If there are any other tips about this tour that would be great. 2 weeks 4 days and we will be on board, I haven't got the hours down yet :)

Thanks, Rich

[reporterjen]

* Day 8 - Saturday, March 25 - Disembarkation *

 

In a bid to prolong the cruise -- for at least a little longer -- Christopher and I headed to Seven Seas for one last formal breakfast. The menu was limited (sadly, eggs benedict was not available), but the meal was a great way to begin the last day of our vacation.

 

We also had a delightful conversation with a couple seated right next to us, who, having lived in Fort Lauderdale for years, were pros at cruising (and the Sun).

 

Because we were using NCL's shuttle to Ft. Lauderdale airport, we did not qualify for express disembarkation. But that was fine with us; it gave us time for that last breakfast, after all. We had packed our big suitcases the night before and left them outside our door around midnight. In the morning, all we had to do was leave with our liquor (purchased at St. Thomas and delivered to the stateroom the night before disembarkation) and our carry-ons.

 

We had been given white luggage tags and were coded "white" for the disembarkation. At 9:20 a.m., our color was called and we headed down to the atrium to leave the ship and be scanned one last time. Our exit off the ship and down the gangway went fine. Upon entering the main terminal, we were pointed to the left, where all of the luggage for the white group had been set up. I had worried that we'd have to weed through tons of bags and suitcases to find ours, but the group was small enough that this wasn't a problem.

 

The biggest headache was lugging all of our luggage (how did it expand so much in just seven days, anyway?) through the terminal, while holding our passport and customs declaration form at the ready for government officials.

 

Going through customs was a breeze. We weren't asked any questions about our purchases and our bags were not inspected.

 

Outside the terminal, it was chaotic. We were pointed toward a bus that would cart us all to Ft. Lauderdale airport, but the line was too long for the first bus, which pulled away without us. Eventually, we were in line for a bus -- and it looked like we'd make it on board -- but the driver was struggling to cram everyone's bags in the storage area underneath and the NCL official checking us on to the bus didn't want us to get on board until all of our luggage had made it too.

 

Despite the chaos, the process went fairly quickly, and we pulled away at about 10:10. The entire process, from start to finish, had taken less than an hour.

 

At the airport, we were dropped off a couple of blocks away from the entrance to the Southwest ticket counter and check-in area. We were barred from checking in until four hours before our flight (at 3:25 p.m.), so we camped out in the main area for a while. Fortunately, my mother had checked us in online the day before, so we were in Southwest's A category -- the first to board.

 

Another blessing: Ft. Lauderdale has free wireless access in all of its terminals. This was delightful, particularly given the long wait before our flight. The airport doesn't have much by way of amenities, but the free wireless, combined with sit-down service at a restaurant offering Cheeburger, Cheeburger and Pizzeria Uno's, was a nice way to kill time.

 

Tips:

- On board, your "Sun card" is your all-access pass. It's your charge card for purchases on the ship, as well as the key for your stateroom. It also serves as documentation for your entry and exit from the Sun. Clearly, it's something you don't want to lose. To keep track of ours, we had the receptionists at the front desk punch holes in our cards, and we used lanyards to hold on to them. If you don't bring a lanyard with you, the casino has some available for free on that first day, so people can keep track of their casino play cards.

 

Positives:

- Disembarkation generally went smoothly. There were small hiccups and minor chaos (things can always be organized better, after all), but generally, it went well. It took just an hour for us to step off the ship and pull away from the port in an NCL-contracted bus.

 

Negatives:

- Leaving the cruise. I want to go back!

[reporterjen]

I think specialty restaurants also were half price on the first night of the cruise.

 

Nicky, did you ever find anything about a murder mystery dinner? I never saw info posted anywhere...

 

Jen.

[reporterjen]

Nita, I second Nicky's comments about shopping in Samana. Where she took an excursion that took her off the main drag, Christopher and I were confined to what was on the main road in front of the port after our cave/mangrove excursion.

 

And, sadly, there wasn't much. The small market had some of the same types of jewelry I'd seen in St. Thomas, but for higher starting prices. There were lots of cigars -- mainly Cohibas -- in the offing. And there were a few random trinkets, but again, prices did not seem great. I haggled for a bit over a couple of bowls, but the price was never right.

[reporterjen]

Unyieldingtyrant:

 

I actually didn't talk to anyone who went to Cayo Levantado. I also didn't talk to anyone who did the horseback trip down to el Limon (which was something Christopher and I were eyeing).

 

Pictures I've seen of Cayo Levantado (aka Bacardi Island) make it look absolutely gorgeous. The cruise ships apparently often rent out the beach there.

 

Incidentally, Pepper's live reports from the Dawn, also on this board, talk about her experience with the horse excursion. She had an interesting time. If you haven't checked it out, her posts are worth a look.

 

Jen.

[reporterjen]

* Day 9 - Sunday, March 26 - Back to Reality *

 

I woke up Sunday morning bleary-eyed and wondering where my breakfast in bed was, why I didn't have any fresh towels and why my luggage was strewn across the floor. No one was bringing me cappuccinos or offering me eggs benedict. Instead of room stewards coming by to see what we needed, I had two cats plopping themselves on my body and purring (loudly). I didn't have a warm pool to hop in (even stepping outside would require a jacket).

 

Whoever said "It's good to be back" must not have been returning from a week away on a Caribbean cruise.

 

Reality is rough.

[jaylb31]

I was surprised to find on our return home that you had been writing the whole time, very cool job on the daily reports. I felt like I was back on the ship reading yours, too, plus I had no idea there was so much on GSC. I agree, another cruise needs to be booked soon!

[jen&samcantwait]

Jen,

 

Your reports were great, we've been reading them in envy, Saturday can't get here fast enough!

 

How was the hairdryer in your room? Trying to decide if I should bring mine. Thanks.

 

Jen

[Nickymjw1]

Unless you only have 4 strands of hair on your head, bring your own!:D

 

It is weak, and is only a hose, no attachements that allows you to point a certain way.

[Nickymjw1]

Hey Jen, what is that picture site again that you use?

 

Thanks,

Nicky

[jen&samcantwait]

Thanks Nicky

[reporterjen]

Nicky is right on. I thought the flow on the hair dryer was equivalent to most normal hotel hair dryers. I have thick, medium-length hair, and it meant drying took about twice as long as normal. (Of course, I found that a quick trip up to deck 11 or 12 while we were moving would speed the process along!)

 

If you can deal with the air flow/speed, there's still the issue of navigability. The hose function is very limiting. Plus, unlike a normal hair dryer, it's hard to adjust the direction of the air flow to style hair.

 

In short, if you have thinner hair or are not doing a lot of styling, it can work fine. Otherwise, there are sacrifices.

[reporterjen]

Great timing, Nicky, since I'm about to publicize the photos I've put online.

 

I use Flickr.com for photo posting. There's a free option, which allows some limited sharing of photos (you can't share original, full-size versions this way, and there's a lower monthly transfer limit). I pay 20-30 bucks annually for the "pro" version, which acts as a backup for photos, since you can upload and store online your full-size versions.