March 22, Coming Home!

Last day.

We woke up and were already docked back in San Juan. We packed up our stuff, headed off the ship, and found the others who were still around. Although I would have loved to explore San Juan some more, we headed to the airport with Lindsay and Bret so we could get rid of our luggage.

Although I absolutely loved the vacation and had an incredible time, I'm looking forward to being on land for a while. Me thinks that I'm more of a destination person, where you are one place and truly become familiar with your surroundings. Cruises offer you a taste but not the full flavor. Regardless, it was a relaxing experience... we were completely spoiled rotten, and we saw the marriage of two people we love who were born to be with one another. That is something that I, for one, will always savor the taste of. Bon appetit.

March 21, at Sea

We woke up pretty early on Friday morning and went and had breakfast on the deck of the ship. We were talking about how it was likely going to be a long day. Ironically, this day flew by.

After breakfast, we explored the ship some more, and we ran into Heidi and Jeffrey flipping through pictures from the wedding.
We all sat and enjoyed images of the ceremony for a while. When the show was over, Ben, me, Lindsay and Bret headed to the Aquaspa Whirlpool. In contrast to the normal swimming pool, the Aquaspa Whirlpool is a heated pool of chlorine and seawater. On the longer sides of the pool, there are these metal bars that resemble a picnic bench in the way they are structured. You roll your body over these bars and lay yourself out while the bubbles envelop you. On the narrower ends of the pool are a number of faucets in which water streams out with just enough pressure to create a fabulous neck and back massage. We hung out in the spa, then getting some lunch before Ben was going to participate in a poker tournament. He was ready.

He was psyched.

He was the first one out.

Poor Ben. In fairness to him, he was taken out by a four of a kind... a rare hand as it is, especially when you have 11 people playing. Ben typically does okay so it was a bit of a blow to the ego!

We stayed in the casino for a few hours chatting with anyone who would listen, and Ben did a little bit more gambling. No comment on the success factor, or lack thereof. Bret, on the other hand, put $100.00 in the slot machine that Ben kept flirting with and came back with $500.00!

Not bitter. At all. Actually, he deserved it more than anyone since he was sick the entire cruise and was miserable for a good portion of it.

So the last thing that I wanted to do was get a treatment in the spa. I'd read about this amazing "detox" treatment - pulling the toxins out of your body --- and I figured that I'd go for it since it's not something you can find just anywhere.

So I go to my appointment and Frances, my spa person, puts this serum on my arms and my stomach, then explains step by step what's going on. She then creates these mud/clay packs that she covers my arms and my stomach with... then we have the metal plates that are put in the mud. Hmmm... Then we have the controller, in which good ol' Frances starts to amp up the ELECTRICAL CURRENT. Basically, every few seconds, electric pulses would stimulate the nerves in my muscles, causing them to contract. I'm in essence paying to be tazed. All was well and good until I managed to move my arm, resulting in the plate moving and stimulating the nerve more. Out of nowhere, my arm goes FLYING up in the air, and then back down. Again... BZZZZT... arm flies up in the air and shakes a bit, then goes back down. This results in me getting a complete and total case of the giggles because it was such a relex rather than my having any control at all. In addition to the arm flying, my fist is clenching up and I can't control throwing my towel across me. At one point Frances sat down and held the other side of the towel so that I don't throw it across the room. Thirty minutes later and many arms flying, it was over and I was "detoxed".

I came out and ran into Lindsay, who had just gotten a NORMAL massage, and Heidi, who was on her way to get one. The bride was a bit giggly so I definitely felt sorry for the masseuse. I headed upstairs to take a shower and got ready for our final dinner!

Since it was the final night, everyone made sure that they showed up for dinner, no one did their own thing. We played musical chairs and ate with different people, which made it all the more enjoyable. After dinner there was a cruise Talent Show and Emily (girlfriend of Hayden, brother of groom) was participating. Miss Emily is a contortionist (really!) and so we went to cheer her on. We all arrived at the club for the Talent Show, watched Emily contort, and then the show was over! Only three acts!

We left the area and went to listen to Heidi's dad, Juan, playing the piano and singing the songs he wrote for Chauntelle's wedding and Heidi's wedding. he has a sweet voice and the lyrics were extremely heartfelt. After Juan was done, Ben made me play, followed by him playing some tunes as well. Our own mini talent show! We left there to go to the dance club, where Salsa Night was in full effect. After a bit of Salsa Dancing, the troops started to drop off, one by one. We said our goodnights and goodbyes and headed to bed.

March 20, Aruba

The next morning we arrived in Aruba.

I've always heard about Aruba and now I understand why people praise these beaches. We arrived and headed down to the beach as soon as we got on land. We had about twelve hours to kill in Aruba and had nothing planned. We learned that March is a windy month in Aruba, resulting in turbulent waters. Right off the beach that we were at, the waves were 3 - 4 feet, with an occasional wave that would knock people off their feet. We rented some beach umbrellas and camped out, but first we got some lunch. We sat at the very corner of a pier in which a restaurant/bar was set up. We ate and as we finished, we headed back to the sand. I picked my camera up off of the table and started walking. Next thing I know, a HUGE wave hits the pier and goes OVER the table we were sitting at. (Thank God I'd remembered my camera!) We were fortunate to escape the wave; however, this poor baby was asleep in his strolelr and the water just poured over his little head. I can't recall if there were tears but his dad sure did push him out of there quickly!

Once we returned to the beach, Ben immediately got in and started body surfing.


Three hours later he got out. Can we say waterlogged? He would have stayed in longer but I pulled him out to tell him that we were going to go on an ATV Tour. We'd initially tried to secure this excursion but it sold out. Luckily, our friends were all the participants and they realized that if they just doubled up rather than riding on their own ATV, then we could join. So we headed out to "Rancho Notorious" where the ATVs were waiting for us. The tour was incredible! It enabled us to see other parts of the island that we otherwise wouldn't have had the opportunity to experience.

Our first stop was a lighthouse called the California Lighthouse. Evidently the lighthouse was named after a ship called the Californian, which received distress signals from the Titanic as it was going into the deep waters. The radio operator was asleep during this time. Sadly, the Californian went down off the Aruba coast a few years later. I have since also learned that this is the infamous lighthouse where Natalie Holloway was taken just before her disappearance.
We then headed out and drove on the coast for miles. the waves in this area were incredible. 8 - 10' waves were crashing upon the rocks. On the shore were rocks that were piled up everywhere you looked. Evidently this is a phenomenon that has been instigated by tourists to the island, for good luck. Ben created his own tower of rocks. Ben has now made his mark on Aruba!

Next stop... church.

Next stop... church. The chapel was built in 1952 on the site of the original Catholic church that was built in Aruba back in 1750 or so. It sits on a hill with an ocean view and looks as if it's a model. Completely surreal. We stopped and went inside to the tiny place of worship - there were prayer candles lit on each side of the building, so apparently it's still an active part of the community. The church was so peaceful and the setting so beautiful. Unfortunately time was slipping away and we still had some things to see.

Next stop, Natural Bridge. The erosion from the water has created a bridge like piece of nature. Eventually, over time, the "bridge" will collapse, as others have in the area. However, for now, it's just a majestic landmark. We climbed up on top of the "bridge" and looked out as the waves continued to pound the shoreline.
Unfortunately, we had to continue on our journey and then headed to an old abandoned Gold Mine that now sits in Ruins. Supposedly this place ran for 90 years and produced 3 million pounds of gold. The windows peer out to the ocean and deep blue sea was in plain view. Awesome sight.
Lastly, we were taken to a small little place to grab a drink and rest. We were so dirty it was unbelievable! I literally had reverse raccoon eyes and I had to get the layer of dust off my sunglasses, they were so filthy. Sadly this was our last stop and we had to head back to the Ranch since we had a boat to catch. We navigated through the streets of Aruba - some areas paved, some not. On one corner would be a gorgeous home - the next a tiny shack with chickens running around. We all agreed that this was the best excursion. Just a good time and a chance to see things that we would not have seen otherwise.


Back on the ship we went, cleaning up and getting ready for dinner shortly after arrival. It was a pretty low key night. Ben was feeling a little ill this night, so he went up to the room and went to sleep. I stayed out and had a martini with Lindsay, Heidi, Lawson, Chauntelle, Greg and Stacy. I went to bed shortly thereafter so that I would be 100% to survive a full day at sea!

The boat left Aruba around 7:30pm and we sailed for just shy of 36 hours!

March 19th, Bonaire

We sailed throughout the morning so Ben & I took advantage of this time to explore the ship. We ate a late breakfast then checked things out.

We headed to the casino, where we immediately lost $20.00 in the Wheel of Fortune Slot Machine. We didn't stay long, needless to say. We then found the Internet Cafe, where we checked email and logged on to hiphounds.com to see the pups play. Sebastian and Delilah appeared to be having a fine time so no worries there! We discovered an art gallery, where they had a small selection of original Dalis, Picassos, and Rembrants to name a few. We then found the shops and mosied around until the started shutting things down due to the pending docking of the ship.

We went to our room and went to the balcony to watch the Island come into our line of sight.
Bonaire's shoreline is colorful and appears to be more economically sound than some of the other locations that we've been to. The buildings are quite picturesque, and the water is so clear that when docked you can see the bottom of the ocean. We de-boarded and were excited to see incredible colors displayed in the marine life, just off the boat. Evidently Bonaire doesn't have the best beaches, but it's known for the snorkeling... so when in Rome...

A number of us headed down to Bongo Beach, where we were able to rent snorkling gear. Immediately we saw a large number of people in the water snorkeling and I figured that there was no way we'd see many fish with all those people out there. How wrong I was! Blue fish, yellow fish, orange fish... big, small, long, short, puffers... crabs... all were hanging out with the swimmers. It was as if looking at an artist's pallet with all the colors. And then... I learned about FIRE CORAL.
This is something that if you touch it, a pain hits you out of the clear blue. You don't even realize that you've irritated it... I thought that maybe I cut myself on it... but nope, miss accident prone of the cruise had royally pissed off this fire coral, so I had a pretty red welt on my leg. Once I did this I officially became known as the accident prone person for the duration of the trip. Nice! Since the Bonaire beaches were pretty crowded and Bret (Lindsay's boyfriend) wasn't feeling well, we headed back into town to grab a bit to eat. Only one issue... we could not find ANY restaurants that were open to serve food!!! I think Bonaire has an unofficial required siesta or something. I mean, Seriously. Finally one restaurant owner was kind enough to recommend that we went to Papagallo's... they would be open. YAY!!! We wandered around Bonaire and after searching for around 15 minutes or so we spotted it... finding this restaurant brought a feeling to the surface akin to crossing a finish line... or reaching the top of that blasted net in Dominica! We sat, laughed, we're happy and laughing and excited for food... and then the waitress comes to the table.
"I'm so sorry, we have to close the restaurant. They've shut off our water!" AHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I was NOT a happy camper at this point. I wanted food. We finally gave in and just returned to the ship. Bret returned to his room and Lindsay, Ben and I hit one of the ship's restaurants. We hung out until more people headed back in at which time we joined them at the back of the ship. We were all just telling stories and relaxing when all of a sudden Ben says, "Hey! Look at the dolphin!" We focused in on the water and sure enough there was not just one dolphin, but an enter school (is that the right term) of them... there were at least 2 or 3 dozen dolphins that were jumping up out our the water. It was something that I've never seen and it just blew me away. (if you look closely you can kind of see the dolphin in this picture)

After the dolphin show we headed to dinner... it was relaxing and it took a long time so most everyone went to bed right afterwards, including us. I was asleep immediately. Then, in the middle of my dream, about 1:30am... I was woken up by a fast knocking on the door... knockknockknockknockknockknockknock BEN! knockknockknockknockknockknockknock BEN! knockknockknockknockknockknockknockknock BEN! Over and over and OVER. Ben was in sweet slumber so I gladly woke him up... he stumbled to the door and there are Jeff, Jen and Ashley. "Ben!" Jeff says, "I lost my key to my room!" Ben, who is anything but nice when you wake him up prematurely empathetically (HA) says, "Well, what do you want ME to do about it??" Next thing I know, Jeff, Jenn and Ashley rush at Ben and dogpiled him and me on the bed, laughing hysterically. Upon dogpile conclusion and giving me a near heart attack, they went on their merry way. (Let's just say Jen was in a wee bit pf pain the next morning...)

March 18th, Grenada

The boat docked at 7am in Grenada and we were departing at 9 for the wedding destination.

We got in buses and arrived in a Caribbean PARADISE. The service would be right off the water, so all you could see and feel was crystal blue water mixed with the tranquility of the event. Jeff looked handsome in a beige suit and white shirt and was an amazing host. All the women were given a flower to put in our hair, and all guests were given a necklace that was made of spices... I kept putting mine up to my nose because the cloves smelled divine... An hour later our bride arrived. Everyone got their drinks and sat down, anxiously awaiting the nuptials of those who we traveled so far for. Suddenly the steelpan band started playing Here Comes the Bride. Chauntelle, sister of the bride, gracefully walked towards the Priestess - and then all were graced with the beautiful bride, Heidi. In a simple cream dress, she was absolutely radiant. Jeffrey saw her and started to bawl like a small child, which SUCCESSFULLY brought down the entire house. Not one dry eye to be seen. The ceremony was quick yet beautiful. They shared a sand ceremony which I've never seen. There are two colors of sand, each of which signifies something different. One is happiness, one is love. After the Best Man and the Matron of Honor pour some sand together, the Bride and Groom do the same. The visual aspect of the experience was incredible, what with the flowers, the sand, the couple, the water... just gorgeous.

The group moved in and pictures were taken while appetizers were served. We finally headed in and as we waited for the food, toasts were made. Now, I hope that you who read this have had the experience of knowing couples who are honestly meant to be, and I don't say this lightly. It's a momentous experience to be in the presence of two people who love anything, everything, and each other completely. I've had a few of those weddings that I've attended, and this would absolutely be one of them. My friend, Jeff, the best man, gave a sweet toast that spoke volumes about the couple. Chauntelle, the sister, gave a heartfelt speech that brought tears to many... I think she spoke to many little sisters in her speech! A few more toasts, and then... the groom... he toasted. Suddenly, in the middle of this toast, this large huggable man is a puddle AGAIN, speaking of his new wife and the goodness she embodies. He started to choke up - and I'm not taking a little, I'm talking a lot... and his emotions just pelted everyone in the crowd, men and women alike. NO ONE had dry eyes at this point. As it was, it was a very intimate gathering of people... to see this raw emotion, it was absolute joy and I was so honored to be a part of it.

Lunch was fabulous on the island, followed by some dancing and then a too quick departure back to the ship. The buses brought us all back to reality and so we all put on our suits and went out poolside... I quietly recapped the day in my notebook and watched my oh so entertaining friends for a while.

After dinner, a handful of us decided to check out the nightclub on board. After sending the inebriated bride to bed, we headed out to people watch and do some dancing. We made it a relatively early night, leaving about 1am and headed back to our rooms.

March 17th, Dominica

7am the next morning we hit our next destination, Dominica.
Dominica boasts hills and tropical foliage, but I was surprised to see how poverty stricken so much of the island appeared to be in contrast to other things that we had seen. We had an excursion scheduled at 11:45am so we left the ship at 10 and explored a bit of the town. After handing out a bit in the town, we discovered a little dive called Ruin Rock Cafe. It literally looks like a Ruin, in which this great bar sits in the middle. We sat down and grabbed a beer... Kabuli is the national beer of choice in Dominica. Tasty, too! Initially we thought it could be fun to try their rum punch but after checking out the surroundings we felt safer with the beer. As we waited for the beer we noticed the varieties of rums that they made, sitting and marinating on the counter. On the far right, after looking and then doing a double take, we realized that there was a SNAKE. Yes, a SNAKE.
Marinating in the rum. We now know what snake rum is... and we didn't DARE drink it! Our new friend, Albert, (Albert, mon), chatted with us for a while, telling us about places to go and things to do. We left after dodging Albert trying to convince Ben to take a shot of some "aphrodisiac" rum... we left shortly afterwards. We headed down the road, dodging numerous Dominican women who were bidding to braid my hair. We fought our way through the crowd and found an adorable restaurant. Our server, Cathy - otherwise known by her customers as Pumpkin - hooked us up with some Rum Punch for me and a Kabuli for Ben. That rum punch was STRONG. I didn't dare drink more than a few sips! Topped off with nutmeg, we told us that the punch is a 1-2-3 down drink. One you are okay, two you're tipsy and three you're DOWN. Scary!

We met up with our friends, Rusty and Jen, and Ben told them about the snake rum. Of course, Rusty wanted to try it... the four of us headed back to the Ruin Rock Cafe and Albert greeted us at the door. Ben told him we were there for snake rum... after hearing the the group at the counter speaking in a whole other language, we decided to change direction and try the aphrodisiac rum... quite tasty, but no effects akin to the description! We headed out to meet our tour navigator and then we were headed out to zip line across the Dominican jungle!

Let me just say that as I journaled this experience, I was a battered and bruised woman. Normally Ben is the less graceful of the two of us... this time, not so much. In Costa Rica, Ben and I did the zip lines... very fun, very painless... In Dominica, not the same!

We started out climbing a very high ladder and maneuvering across a variety of ropes courses.

We zipped, we zagged, we struggled to maintain balance. On one line we had to go step by step across a section of huge logs... but we were stepping across the diameter, not the length. VERY SCARY. We continued on along a variety of ropes courses and zip lines. Finally, we arrived at... THE TARZAN JUMP.

Out of a group of 10, I think that 6 or 7 opted to do the Tarzan rather than the safer, easier route. As soon as the gentleman assisting us asked if we had upper body strength I should have known. TURN AROUND. But no! I am invincible! Although it looks intimidating you have no idea what is in store for you. Picture this...you walk across a tight rope wire with only a long rope to hold on to at your side, sliding along with you so not providing very ample support... you get across the role, then you come to a platform... you are strapped onto a ROPE. You then step OFF the platform and swing through the air like a bird in flight (without the grace) and you HOPE that you can grab the net across the way and climb up to the top.

So I'm on the rope course heading towards Tarzan and I see a young woman flying through the air... then getting her FOOT stuck in the net and hanging upside down until finding a way to pull herself up. (tremble). Then our group started going. Rusty, Jen P, no issues... Dan slices his finger in the rope so he slows down the line. Not only is this uncomfortable for him, it creates a wait and we have to see for a longer period of time exactly HOW FAR DOWN the ground is from the platform we stood on in the tree. Jen H is in front of me and I hear the panic in her voice. She hesitates, then finally steps off the edge, shrieking along the way. She swings, the net comes, she misses. Swings again, this time she grabs on and manages to climb up.

Now it's my turn.

I get clipped in and get into position, staring down at the ground ... what seemed to be billions of feet below. I started to step, then panicked and stepped back. Then I held my breath and WHOOP! OFF the platform. I swing and I SCREAM like a squealing pig.

And I miss the net.

So I swing again... at this point, I'm cracking up at the fact that I'm swinging back and forth like a pendulum. I head towards the net... I grab on... and don't hold on so BACK into a swing I go. At this point I'm saying bad words and giggling non-stop. The net comes back at me one more time and I hear everyone scream, HOLD ON!!! I held on. It's really deceiving fow much strength you really need to not only hold on to but to then move up the net. I can honestly say that climbing that net was one of the hardest things physically that I have ever done! Now, had I have been smart and grabbed the net the first time I would have grabbed the net up high and had a short climb. However, I had grabbed the net down low due to the swings getting shorter each time... so I had to climb from near the bottom to the very top and over the net. (To gauge the strength, they use a similar net in American Gladiators in the final challenge!) OH MY GOSH it hurt. I had to find strength in me that I didn't know existed. I made it to the top and they pulled me to the side to put OINTMENT on the MASSIVE ROPE BURN on my arm. It's pretty. It's my war wound and I'm proud. After this my knees were knocking and my arms were shaking for a good hour later. But man, was it COOL!

We got to the ship and went to our room to clean up a bit, then joined some folks poolside for a pina colada, sunshine and good company. (And yes, Janet and BA, I was slathered in sunscreen). We finished up at the pool and went inside for sushi. Not bad, but not really all that good. However the sunset was worthy of a million moments to gaze at.


We went down later for dinner and the sea was ROUGH. I had had an appetizer, my soup and my salad, but by then the rocking of the boat really affected me. Between the rocking of the boat and the smell of the risotto in front of me, I had to leave the dining room. :( I felt so bad leaving the festivities but I really didn't want to hurl in public. So I went to my room. Took some Dramamine and all was well. BA, I don't know if you'd be able to handle a cruise if it affected me so much! There was one night we had ten people at the dinner table and 5 left due to the boat moving so much!

I slept the remainder of the night, which was nice because I was well rested for the wedding the next day.

March 16th, St. Maarten

7 am I woke up and opened the deck doors (in total Sarah fashion), then crawled back into bed, enjoying the sound of the water as the ship sliced through it. The water is so amazing down there! I got up and took a shower, then went outside and watched St. Maarten grow closer. We ordered room service and ate out on the balcony. We finished up and it was time to get off the ship and explore St. Maarten.
There are 40 people in our group on this cruise, and 32 people all pitched in and reserved a catamaran for the day.
We sailed off the Coast and ate cheese, fruit, breads, and sipped on Cold Rum punch. St. Maarten is incredible. I don't know that I've ever seen clearer water. Almost glass like. After an hour or two, the catamaran pulled into a cove and they pulled out snorkel gear. Ben, being part fish, jumped in immediately and started exploring the Caribbean waters.

I unfortunately saw a barracuda in the water and panicked a bit but I eventually got in. Again, the water was incredibly clear and you could see down to the bottom with no effort. At one point we swam into a school of fish with what must have been thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of fish spiraling in a tornadic fashion, changing directions and moving as one at all times. I was fascinated by the shear beauty of it... then a pellican came and ate one of the fish. Oops! It was still pretty before the violence, at least. We found a few more schools of fish, a crab, and I think I found Dorie from Finding Nemo at one point. We snorkeled for a long while, then headed back to the boat. The crew took us to a BBQ place right off the shore. They brought us ribs and chicken, both of which were just falling off the bone. After eating, we all went into a comatose state and just relaxed until we finally hit land again.


We went back to our room on the ship and laid down for a while, then got ready for dinner. This night was one of two formal nights, which is fun because all the boys get dressed up. Ben wore a nice suit and I wore what I like to think is a very cute dress. :) After dinner we made our way to the Rendevous Bar for Karaoke Night... not being one to pass up on Karaoke, I gave a little Bangles action for all to enjoy. We had people singing songs from Grease, Barry White, and even a bit of Alanna Miles. Seeing that our group was about 15% of the crowd, we frequently had some one to cheer on, which made it fun. We became known as "The Karaoke People" for the rest of the cruise. We went to bed about 1am, exhausted, but having a great time!

Puerto Rico, March 14 & 15

We arrived in San Juan at 6:15pm and went to our hotel, Da House. Cute hotel, located in old San Juan. The entrance is in an alley and you have to buzz in to enter. No elevator, so Ben had the privilege of carrying our heavy luggage up to the fourth floor. Yay Ben!

The group convened at 8:30pm to head to the Biobay. The Biopay is where we would Kayak and see the bioluminescent organisms - plankton. No one knew what to expect and so we headed out, ready to see the glow! Waiting for us were kayaks... each one held two people. So of course, Ben and I were in the Kayak together. We started paddling out and it was eerie to be in a situation where you are sitting in open water with only a life jacket, a kayak, a paddle, and only minimal moonlight. It was pitch black in some places and all you could see was the glow ring that was placed on kayak in front of you. We finally figured out a system that worked - Ben steered, I yelled directions. We eventually made it through the, dark and narrow water way to the main part of the bay. We had two things against us, though... 1.) the month of March is not optimal viewing of plankton, and 2.) the moon was just bright enough that it was hard to see what was there. It's similar to viewing the stars in a city full of lights versus a rural area with the nearest street lamp a mile away. Same concept. We paddled out to the bay and the tour guide brought out a tarp. He took out the tarp and put it over the group. All of a sudden it was an amazing sight... I'd put my hand in the water and if pixie dust exists, I think I've now had it in my hands. Lights went dancing down my wrist and down my arm. Ben splashed me and it was as if a universe was displayed on my back, if only for a moment. The tour guide talked with us and kicked his feet around in the water... the lights danced around his feet. Truly magical! We finally headed back to shore and once again navigated through the darkness. There were a few instances in which fish dashed through the water and as they swam the phosphorescence echoed their movement.

We got to land and luckily we had a local with us. He led the group to an amazing taco stand on the side of the road. NOT a place that you would stop if you weren't familiar with the territory. Now, I like to consider myself a taco connoisseur. This taco was one of the BEST things I've ever had! Ben had a mammoth burrito and chicken on a stick. (On my gosh, how GOOD that was!) Needlesst o say, there were some stray dogs who were hanging out and definitely were not hurting for food.
We got back in the van and headed to town to return to the hotel.

Evidently the groom, Jeffrey, knows how to pick the hot spots because he managed to find as a hotel across the alley from a happening salsa bar! Soaking wet and exhausted from our day of traveling, we decided to head to bed. Thank God for Lindsay, one of the girls on the trip, she had ear plugs to spare. We got a good night's sleep thanks to her! But we did learn that the government shuts off their water at a certain time so by the time we got back to our room the best we could do was bathe by washcloth and water drips. The next morning I tried to take a shower - the water I was able to draw was SCALDING and for Ben it was ice cold. Nice! So again, bathe by washcloth. By this time all we wanted to do was get on the cruise and take a REAL shower!

We checked out of the hotel and headed to Old San Juan to check out some shops and explore some of old San Juan. Bought a few things, had some breakfast, then headed back to the hotel.

All guests in our party had stored their bags in the same room and the idea was to be at the hotel by 2pm to get our luggage. Unfortunately, we were the first people there (me, Ben, Lindsay and Bret, her boyfriend) - and we were told that all luggage had to be out immediately. So we, along with Heidi's (the bride's) dad, took down all the luggage. We decided we all deserved a refreshing beverage, so after a mojito and finding the rest of our troops we headed to the cruise.

We arrived at the cruise ship at about 3:30pm. The first thing you wonder as as you see the ship is, "How the HECK does this thing float???" But you suck down the anxiety, whip out your passport and you are on the water.

About six of us stuck together after boarding, and we discovered that as you board you get a free glass of champagne or a mimosa. So we each grabbed two and sat in a lounge to talk while we waited for others to join. Of course we were thirsty while we waited... so we would take turns going out and getting more. (For those of you who have been on a cruise, you'll recognize the ingenuity here... alcohol (OR COKES FOR THAT MATTER) or neither FREE nor CHEAP on a cruise!) This plan was going swimmingly well until we sent Ben out to grab some drinks...


Have you ever stood dominoes up in a pattern and pushed one down so you can watch the rest fall? Picture that... but with a full tray of FULL champagne glasses. One by one, down they went. Next time Ben went out he was recognized and we got no more champagne!!!

We headed up to our room. We had a room on the top floor of sleeping rooms and it has a balcony. The room's not too bad, in fact it's big enough that we even have a couch! To me the balcony is something that if I cruise again I will not do without. Although I've never cruised before, the views and the sea breeze are breathtaking enough that I officially refuse to do without!

We cleaned up and went to dinner. For the first night it's casual and open seating, so pretty relaxed. Our waiter, Ben, was uber accommodating and we were fortunate enough to have his service for the duration of the trip. If you can't decide between more than one item on the menu, he'll bring you every option you are debating on. Our table affectionally referred to the extra food that we'd all have as being the mystery guest portion.

After dinner we headed out to the pool area and did some mingling, closing down multiple areas of the ship at around 1am... (outdoor bar, casino - all were closing up shop!) We hiked around the boat for a bit and then Ben and I split off from the gang, hitting the bed and letting the exhaustion carry us into a peaceful slumber!