Day 9 – Excursion/Flight Sunday March 23rd
Still some mix ups with ticketing our bags and where we need to be for the disembarking from the ship. 9:15ish we finally got to go to the baggage and then through customs. We boarded our excursion bus for the Everglades. The airboat was fun and we did get to see a couple of what Bruce says, were trained alligators...HUMMMN! Got to see Chris of the Alligator Boys. After the Everglade excursion it was back to the bus and then to the airport....we got to see the Motts and the Espositos in the Southwest Concourse. It will be about a 4 hour wait for our flight, then 5:20 in the air, then 90 miles to Payson. It will be great to be home, but we had such a great time......
Day 8 – Cruising Saturday March 22st
Started the day with Stretch and Ab Class.....last one before we are off the ship. Last time at the pool with Shan and Steve before we all went to Johnny Rockets again....this time for milkshakes. They are so good. Yucky time.......We had to start packing. I took a break and went to my last Pilates class...She did a bit more Pilates than the previous girl. A nice workout none-the-less. Off to dinner at the MacBeth Dining hall. I had escargot, scallops and steak for my proteins. Bruce had one of his favorites, salmon. Caught a snag in our Valet luggage deal, so we have to take the luggage onto our excursion bus then to the airport. We will see how that all works out. Bags are out in the hall and it is time to get some shut eye for a very long Sunday!
Still some mix ups with ticketing our bags and where we need to be for the disembarking from the ship. 9:15ish we finally got to go to the baggage and then through customs. We boarded our excursion bus for the Everglades. The airboat was fun and we did get to see a couple of what Bruce says, were trained alligators...HUMMMN! Got to see Chris of the Alligator Boys. After the Everglade excursion it was back to the bus and then to the airport....we got to see the Motts and the Espositos in the Southwest Concourse. It will be about a 4 hour wait for our flight, then 5:20 in the air, then 90 miles to Payson. It will be great to be home, but we had such a great time......
Day 8 – Cruising Saturday March 22st
Started the day with Stretch and Ab Class.....last one before we are off the ship. Last time at the pool with Shan and Steve before we all went to Johnny Rockets again....this time for milkshakes. They are so good. Yucky time.......We had to start packing. I took a break and went to my last Pilates class...She did a bit more Pilates than the previous girl. A nice workout none-the-less. Off to dinner at the MacBeth Dining hall. I had escargot, scallops and steak for my proteins. Bruce had one of his favorites, salmon. Caught a snag in our Valet luggage deal, so we have to take the luggage onto our excursion bus then to the airport. We will see how that all works out. Bags are out in the hall and it is time to get some shut eye for a very long Sunday!
Day 7 – Landed in Labadee, Haiti Friday March 21st
Bruce went down and got us coffee to start our morning. After breakfast we got ready for our Zipline excursion on the "Dragon's Breath Flightline", a 1/2 mile run over the ocean. Hope my first big "Go Pro" experience worked.....
Time to go back to the ship for some pool time and listen to "Hot Spice" again. Tonight we went to the Chops restaurant on the ship.....OH MY! An awesome meal from beginning to end.....as you can
see!
Day 6 – Landed in San Juan Puerto Rico Thursday March 20th
When we returned to the ship Bruce took a dip in the cantilevered whirlpool. Everyone wanted to get a glimpse of our departure out of port for the many views of the forts and the entire city scape. The crew was still working on the small hole in the ship, so we left to sail a bit late again.
Formal dinner night came with a lobster feast.....I think Chris had 7....WOW! After Dinner we went to the show, Headliner Showtime featuring the acappella group, Blue Jupiter. They were sensational!
Now back, again to the Bolero. Everyone was pretty beat, so off to our cabins to get ready tfo Labadee, Haiti, Royal Caribbean's own private island.
Day 5 – Landed in St. Kitts Wednesday March
19th
After Breakfast we got ready for our Catamaran/Snorkeling trip. The catamaran had a crew of 5 fun and helpful guys. On our way, I got to dance with Sterling at the front of the boat. I should have asked for their playlist of music, loved it! Only after the snorkel were passengers served with alcoholic beverages. Back in the aft area we had a great time dancing on a very rough surface. Our feet got truly exfoliated.
After leaving the Catamaran, our crew had some disagreement with each other, not sure, but it was most like that someone over stepped their bounds in the pecking order. HUMMMMN? We shopped a little bit then left for the ship. It was very windy so we did a search for a cozy spot to get some relaxation and sun. We found it on the uppermost deck.
The crew of the ship found a 5 centimeter hole somewhere in the fuel area, so we were late leaving port by about 2 hours.
Steve relinquished his ice show to me so Shan and I went together. The show was really great. They were trowing triples and even a quad in a very small space to get up enough speed. LOVED IT! Of course, back to the Bolero.
Day 4 – Landed in St. Maarten Tuesday March
18th After leaving the Catamaran, our crew had some disagreement with each other, not sure, but it was most like that someone over stepped their bounds in the pecking order. HUMMMMN? We shopped a little bit then left for the ship. It was very windy so we did a search for a cozy spot to get some relaxation and sun. We found it on the uppermost deck.
The crew of the ship found a 5 centimeter hole somewhere in the fuel area, so we were late leaving port by about 2 hours.
Steve relinquished his ice show to me so Shan and I went together. The show was really great. They were trowing triples and even a quad in a very small space to get up enough speed. LOVED IT! Of course, back to the Bolero.
After breakfast we hired a taxi
that would fit 14 of us plus the driver. We all actually fit into the driver's van and took off for Maho Beach. 2 more folks thought they could fit in the 15 passenger van....didn't happen. WOW what a place! the whole idea was to watch the planes land and take off. We were literally right below each plane, while on the beach. Two highlights: First, watching a take off that literally pushed people and all of their stuff into the water from the jet blast from the 727. Second, we got great pics of the KLM airlines' 747 that landed just above our heads. AWESOME SIGHT!
When we got back from the beach, we shopped a little in the St. Maarten pier. Then went to the Windjammer for lunch.
A great rock and roll band "Rock the Boat" was playing. We listened and caught some sun.
After our tropical dinner night we went to our favorite lounge "Bolero" and listened to "Hot Spice".
When we got back to our room, Udi made us a monkey out of towels, so CUTE!!! We seem to always end up at the Bolero Bar with "Caetano" as our server.
After our tropical dinner night we went to our favorite lounge "Bolero" and listened to "Hot Spice".
When we got back to our room, Udi made us a monkey out of towels, so CUTE!!! We seem to always end up at the Bolero Bar with "Caetano" as our server.
Today was Berta’s
Birthday
Day 3 Second full sail day Monday March 17th St Patty’s Day
Lots of “GREEN”
on the ship.
Started with
Stretching and abs workout…..7AM
Of course, another great breakfast buffet.
We wanted to try Johnny Rockets, so we waited for them to open for lunch.....YUMMMN!
We got to the 8th deck to sign up for the internet.
Took a Hip Hop Class – it was tons of fun, but the instructor was very short and being in the back….it was very hard to catch all the great MOVES. LOL!
Found the Rock and Roll band in the Pyramid Lounge......they were really good!
By invitation, all Gold members and above attended the "Loyalty Party" held in the Alhambra Theatre….all was free, everything plus great entertainment.
We got to the 8th deck to sign up for the internet.
Took a Hip Hop Class – it was tons of fun, but the instructor was very short and being in the back….it was very hard to catch all the great MOVES. LOL!
Found the Rock and Roll band in the Pyramid Lounge......they were really good!
By invitation, all Gold members and above attended the "Loyalty Party" held in the Alhambra Theatre….all was free, everything plus great entertainment.
Went to our
dinner table dressed in smart casual attire. We are in the middle dining room, "Macbeth".
After dinner, we went to see the Ventriloquist. He was truly amazing. We laughed so hard our ABS were getting a great workout. Udi our cabin mate mad us towels shaped like a puppy.
After dinner, we went to see the Ventriloquist. He was truly amazing. We laughed so hard our ABS were getting a great workout. Udi our cabin mate mad us towels shaped like a puppy.
Day 2- First full sail day Sunday March
16th
Starting my
days with both Stretching and Ab workouts…..7AM. It feels much like home LOL!
Spent most
of the day discovering the ship/floating city. WOW what a masterpiece!
Bruce and I
had breakfast with “the Motts.” At
about 10AM all of us went to the “Meet and Mingle” which then took us to a slot
pull. We each entered with 15 dollars and left with 7 dollars in return, not a
great win, but we did get some other prizes for our effort. At 4 PM I took a
pilates class meet a couple of new friends, since there were only 3 of us
together…..It was a good workout, but I was waiting to do some Pilates
exercises…..HUMMMMN! It didn’t happen. I’m signed up again on our last day for
a Pilates class….we will see!
Attended the first formal night
dinner.
We topped off the first day by dancing in
the Olive or Twist Bar with the Caribbean Sounds and Flavours with Hot Spices…..we had a blast.
Had a great
breakfast with the gang to ready ourselves for our embarking onto the
Independence of the Seas. We got to go into the Gold line to check in. The whole process
seemed very efficient for getting all 3600 passengers onto the ship. Our bags
were delivered pretty fast to our stateroom, but Dan’s didn’t arrive to his
room until after 9PM. (Of course that was a bit worrisome) We ate at the Windjammer for lunch and
the dining room for a casual dinner.
Our waiter and bus helper are very nice, but it is hard to understand
their English……All 16 of us are eating together each evening. Met some great
new people……
At 4:30 everything shut down for our Assembly Drill. All passengers must report to their proper stations. In case of an emergency, we need to know how to evacuate the ship.
First big Parade on the Promenade went right along with having pizza as we watched.
First big Parade on the Promenade went right along with having pizza as we watched.
Steve’s
Birthday Party with cake and more fun!
Day 0 – Flight to Fort Lauderdale Friday March 14th
Well to get
this all started, we left Payson at 6AM for our 10:25 Flight. We got to the
airport at about 7:30, got to ride on the new train setup to terminal 4. OOOOPS ! I needed to go back to
the car because I left our laptop in the back seat. Got a great hike back to
the car and another ride on the train. Left the gate to the end of the runway……pilot, then the pulled over and
said, “well we have been put into the penalty box.” Hummmmn? As it turned out, we would not have been able to
land in Fort Lauderdale because of a shortage of available runways….Crazy, so
we taxied back to the gate to refuel in the event that we may have to keep
circling over the Fort Lauderdale air port. Eventually we were given the green light after about an hour
delay. The flight was fine, we met
another Phoenix area educator/coach and had a great visit. Free drinks were given
to all in exchange for our delay in the flight. We also, had a great flight attendant, she made it fun for
all of us.Shan, Steve, Helen, Dan, Brian and Berta we all there waiting for us at
the Sheridan. Had a great evening with them all.
