We arrived back in F-ville last night around 10:30 PM. Pretty good time considering we left Bayonne, NJ at 11:30 AM. No stop at IKEA (sigh).
The end of the cruise was fun. We walked around most of Old San Juan and saw a lot of St. Christobel and El Morro fortresses. These are both US Parks Dept. sites, so very informative and well preserved. Tiernen didn’t care for San Juan beyond the fortresses, but I liked it even though we were hot and tired. Labadee, Haiti was an interesting experience. It’s a private resort beach owned by the cruise line, so the food is free and the amenities are provided by the cruise company. However, the local people work there and are authorized to sell local handcrafts at the “Haitian Flea Market” (should be “fleece-market”, I’ve never been so thoroughly hard-sold in my life). If you have no sales resistance (like me) don’t go there with more than $20 in your pocket (in small bills). We had fun swimming in the ocean despite the “waves, rip currents, sharks, barracudas, sea urchins, fire coral, jellyfish and sea lice” that they warn you about. We saw cuttlefish and sea anenomes as well as the fish and coral we have been getting familiar with throughout the Caribbean.
The food on the trip was definitely a highlight. The passengers were from all over the world, so there were a variety of Asian and European offerings in the buffets and meals. I had a lot of fun trying new things and Tiernen got to eat steak (or some beef based dish) every night at dinner. Our server never forgot the ketchup or his “Tom salad” of iceberg lettuce, tomato and cucumber with ranch dressing. We had some delicious soups, especially cold fruit soups, that I’m going to have to find recipes for to make at home.
I’d definitely cruise again. Although I’d like to wait a few years before we go again. Next time, I’d like to try Alaska or maybe the Panama canal. I want to go to Jamacia, but I don’t think Tiernen would care for it.
All in all, i’m happy to be home and I’m just waiting for the land to stop moving up and down so I can walk straight again.
Sparkly Things 