JD's 2nd Caribbean cruise pics

[Ponder]

Very Good Pictures JD.

Went to Jamaica in January. Went snorkeling and saw a stingray bury itself in the sand just below me. It was hard to get a sense of the size and space, but the thing looked to be about 15 feet long from nose to tail. Too cool, but thgouhts of Steve Irwin did passs through my head a couple times.

 

[Grogan neck rll]

Nicely done JD.

 

[mikiemo83]

Great photo's JD, must have been a great time except for the Hell part

 

[JD10367]

Very Good Pictures JD.

Went to Jamaica in January. Went snorkeling and saw a stingray bury itself in the sand just below me. It was hard to get a sense of the size and space, but the thing looked to be about 15 feet long from nose to tail. Too cool, but thgouhts of Steve Irwin did passs through my head a couple times.

They tell you to shuffle your feet along the bottom to make sure you're not stepping on one. But there were so few people on the sandbar we all pretty much walked around. A lot of stingrays backed into me and poked me with the very tip of the tail, which burned a bit, but the stinger IIRC is closer to the body.

 

[JD10367]

Great photo's JD, must have been a great time except for the Hell part

I didn't even go into the gift shop. The place was literally three dumpy small buildings, and that rock formation out back. Had to get a shot under that post office sign though.

Really should have said, "Welcome to Hell", and then had a pic of Manning and the Giants celebrating the SB win.

 

[mikiemo83]

I haveto ask

was the ride in your AV a bit uncomfortable

 

[3 Point Stan]

Is that the Enchantment of the Seas?

 

[JD10367]

I haveto ask

was the ride in your AV a bit uncomfortable

AV? If you're referring to my avatar, i.e. the harness set-up for ziplining, I'd have to say, "Yes" (or, in a high-pitched voice, "Yes!"). One of the traverses was straight down, and basically the guy on the top platform held your weight and then dropped you and halfway down the guy on the ground took up the weight, and the result was that you plummetted about 10 feet and then got yanked to a stop. Let's just say, I cried out sharply, and it wasn't from fear. eeek nutpunch In my review on Cruise Critic I said, "Men: bring a cup."

 

[JD10367]

Is that the Enchantment of the Seas?

Ayup.

 

[bideau]

Is that the Enchantment of the Seas?

The wife and I were on the big one, Freedom on the Seas. Below is us in Cancun. The size of the ship is difficult to describe.

 

[3 Point Stan]

The wife and I were on the big one, Freedom on the Seas. Below is us in Cancun. The size of the ship is difficult to describe.

I've been on that ship too. Unbelievable.

You guys have great taste in cruise lines. Royal Caribbean is the balls.

 

[bideau]

I've been on that ship too. Unbelievable.

You guys have great taste in cruise lines. Royal Caribbean is the balls.

I've only been once. My wife has been twice. A couple of years ago, her mother took her on a cruise to the Panama Canal on "Brilliance of the Seas". I'd love to take cruises on a regular interval, but I'm still paying off six years of college tuition for my kids

 

[3 Point Stan]

I've only been once. My wife has been twice. A couple of years ago, her mother took her on a cruise to the Panama Canal on "Brilliance of the Seas". I'd love to take cruises on a regular interval, but I'm still paying off six years of college tuition for my kids

Anyone in the Boston/New England area? The Brilliance is a real nice ship. Her sister ship, the Jewel of the Seas, is doing a Boston to Bermuda sailing from Boston on Oct 23rd.

(Yes, cruising is my bidness)

 

[JD10367]

Bid: cruises aren't that pricey, especially if you do Carib sailings. Carnival's cheap, as are some RCCL cruises, and flying to Fort Liquordale is usually not too expensive.

Stan: I haven't done Bermuda yet, although I'm considering it. But it's a bit repetitive (a couple of sea days, two days in Bermuda, a couple of sea days) and I hear that crossing the Atlantic from New England to Bermuda is definitely :Eason: city. However, I always hear good things about Bermuda so I'm going to have to put it on my To Do list. I also want to do the Panama Canal, some of the "Saints" (St. Thomas, St. Croix, etc.,.), and more in Europe, as well as a Canadian foliage cruise.

Next up for us, though, is Hawaii in September (NCL, around the islands out of Honolulu) and then the Disney Cruise Line in Dec. of '09. April of '09 we're going on land back to Lost Wages to celebrate our 5th anniversary (assuming she hasn't killed me by then).

 

[TBrownslady]

JD these pics are absolutely amazing! I am very jealous I wanna go on a cruise! Thank you so much for sharing!!

 

[3 Point Stan]

Stan: I haven't done Bermuda yet, although I'm considering it. But it's a bit repetitive (a couple of sea days, two days in Bermuda, a couple of sea days) and I hear that crossing the Atlantic from New England to Bermuda is definitely :Eason: city. However, I always hear good things about Bermuda so I'm going to have to put it on my To Do list. I also want to do the Panama Canal, some of the "Saints" (St. Thomas, St. Croix, etc.,.), and more in Europe, as well as a Canadian foliage cruise.

The Atlantic can be quite rough. I find that May is the worst and then it gets better but of course, exceptions occur. Bermuda's only a 2-hour flight from Boston and there are plenty of great non-stop options. But it is EXPENSIVE. There are no all-inclusives and even the optional meal plans cost a bundle. That's why cruising there is decent because your hotel and meals are all included. The draw-back as you said is the time at sea to get there.

Next up for us, though, is Hawaii in September (NCL, around the islands out of Honolulu) and then the Disney Cruise Line in Dec. of '09. April of '09 we're going on land back to Lost Wages to celebrate our 5th anniversary (assuming she hasn't killed me by then).

I assume you're on the Pride of America. Fairly new ship. Let me know your feedback as I have no been on her.

As far as a Disney Cruise let me tell you something - I am NOT a fan of Disney in general. But a Disney Cruise? There is no better product at sea than Disney Cruise Line. They are pricey but you get what you pay for and it feels like you get every dime back in your onboard experience. The cabins are huge - a basic stateroom feels like a suite compared to Royal. Their private island, Castaway Cay is unbelievable. You won't be sorry. Even the embarkation experience is a joy compared to the other cruise lines.

 

[bideau]

The Atlantic can be quite rough. I find that May is the worst and then it gets better but of course, exceptions occur. Bermuda's only a 2-hour flight from Boston and there are plenty of great non-stop options. But it is EXPENSIVE. There are no all-inclusives and even the optional meal plans cost a bundle. That's why cruising there is decent because your hotel and meals are all included. The draw-back as you said is the time at sea to get there.

I enjoy the time at sea. RCCL has trips to Bermuda leaving from NJ and Baltimore (at least the last time I checked). Cheap to get to those ports. Haven't been to Bermuda since our honeymoon nearly 26 years ago.

I know that cruises can be had cheap, relatively speaking. But uch of our vacation budget is spent visiting our son in NYC, the mother-in-law in Palm Beach and traveling to Chicago to move the daughter in and then back out (this coming summer).

Someday, when I'm too old to enjoy it, we'll have the extra disposable income to travel. But the leftover debt from the college tuitions is taking up a big part of the budget right now.

Our neighbors took a RCCL cruise around Hawaii. They started in Honolulu, spent one week cruising around the islands, stopping at each one. Then the ship spent four days at sea while heading to San Diego. They loved it.

 

[JD10367]

I assume you're on the Pride of America. Fairly new ship. Let me know your feedback as I have no been on her.

Well, we're going in with low expectations thanks to the bad reviews of NCL in general and their Hawaiian fleet in particular, the problem there being that they were three American-flagged vessels (America, Hawaii, Aloha) and American workers are surly and nasty, LOL. However, since NCL moved the Hawaii and Aloha out, we're hoping that the America has improved her service. We've never been to Hawaii, so we need to start the research; I know we want to do Pearl Harbor and Diamond Head on land (and my whacky wife wants to dive in a shark cage in the ocean), and we want to do Volcanoes National Park when the ship stops there.

As far as a Disney Cruise let me tell you something - I am NOT a fan of Disney in general. But a Disney Cruise? There is no better product at sea than Disney Cruise Line. They are pricey but you get what you pay for and it feels like you get every dime back in your onboard experience. The cabins are huge - a basic stateroom feels like a suite compared to Royal. Their private island, Castaway Cay is unbelievable. You won't be sorry. Even the embarkation experience is a joy compared to the other cruise lines.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to it because I hear nothing but good things. And I'm a HUGE Disney fan, so the only way I could get my wife to go back to the theme parks was to wrap it in a cruise, LOL.

 

[JD10367]

I know that cruises can be had cheap, relatively speaking. But uch of our vacation budget is spent visiting our son in NYC, the mother-in-law in Palm Beach and traveling to Chicago to move the daughter in and then back out (this coming summer).

NYC and FL both have cruises leaving their ports. Do what we did, LOL; we said to my parents, "Hi, we're coming down for a cruise, would you like to join us?" That way it was both a family visit AND a cruise vacation.

Someday, when I'm too old to enjoy it, we'll have the extra disposable income to travel.

Which is exactly the reason the wife and I are doing it all now. I don't want to be hobbling around Alaska, the Med, or Hawaii with a cane and a hip replacement, LOL. No house, no kids... might as well do it now while I'm still young enough to do stupid things like ziplining.

 

[bideau]

NYC and FL both have cruises leaving their ports. Do what we did, LOL; we said to my parents, "Hi, we're coming down for a cruise, would you like to join us?" That way it was both a family visit AND a cruise vacation.

The mother-in-law does not cruise anymore (she's 83). She did for a while and my wife went with her to Panama (Her mother paid. We couldn't afford for me to go along).

Which is exactly the reason the wife and I are doing it all now. I don't want to be hobbling around Alaska, the Med, or Hawaii with a cane and a hip replacement, LOL. No house, no kids... might as well do it now while I'm still young enough to do stupid things like ziplining.

It'll improve. The great thing for us is that we've completed our parental obligations and I'm still only 47. It just takes a little bit of time to pay the debts off. But even if we can't travel extensively, we're still very much enjoying the empty nest at a relatively young age :heart: