OUR CRUISE VACATION 2007 -THE TRIP CONTINUES! Page 2

Thursday 3/30/07 Our day at the beach!

We decided that, since the surf on our beach was too rough for the kids to be in, we’d go to a another beach that was more "sunbather and swimmer friendly". The desk clerk gave us instructions how to find a nice public beach in Isla Verde. She said that we should save cab fare by taking the city bus…it costs $.75 cents and "you’d better have the exact change because they won’t accept anything else." Although San Juan's currency is the American dollar, we had to find a bank to get change for the bus. We didn't have to go too far...it was right on the bus line!


San Juan has very narrow streets in this area, and cars park just about any direction they want to. It wasn’t uncommon to see two cars parked front to front on the “wrong” side of the street.

San Juan drivers zig and zag through the streets like crazy and we were happy to leave the driving to the San Juan bus company. But, we had a driver who drove like a potential Indianapolis 500 candidate! It was unbelievable; he started like a rabbit, sped through the traffic, and slammed on his brakes when he came to bus stops. Considering that this was a BIG bus, that was no small feat.

Once when we turned a sharp corner, Jenny was positive that we ran over a bicyclist who had been riding alongside of the bus….but, since we didn’t see a body in the street behind us, we figured he knew how to ride in this crazy traffic. Another car cut in front of the bus while we were making a left turn…..the bus driver barely slowed down. There wasn’t ONE car in San Juan that didn’t have at least one good-sized dent in the fender. Seems if you don’t hit someone, someone will probably hit you.

Isle Verda was a nice place but not a tropical paradise beach either. It was surrounded by tall apartment buildings and the usual assortment of Marriott, Holiday Inns and Sheridan Hotels. The surf was milder here but still pretty rough. Austin and Jean were tossed head over heels by a big one that they weren’t prepared for….we didn’t realize how strong those waves were. Another good one caught Ken and knocked his sunglasses off, probably the first of many sunglasses that would be lost this trip.

The day was cloudy and according to the San Juan natives, much cooler than normal. It rained a little but with no thunder or wind, the sky just opened up and the rain poured out. We had some sprinkles of rain at Isle Verda, which was only a 15-20 minute bus ride from Wind Chimes Inn. When we arrived back after the day at the beach, we learned that they had a really hard downpour. Water was everywhere and dripping off the trees and bushes. But, our rooms were nice and dry.

Jenny has an eagle eye for TACO BELLs and managed to find one near the beach. Our 2nd meal in San Juan….again nothing brave about our eating habits. We had a little problem at this point.....the TACO BELL staff couldn’t speak English, and we couldn’t speak Spanish. But, it's their country so we did the best we could.

I ordered a chicken sandwich by pointing at the photo on the wall which was labeled #2….well, I got my order alright…2 chicken sandwiches!

Rather than try to explain that I only wanted 1 sandwich which happened to be a #2 on the menu, I kept it. Its a good thing Jenny was hungry because she ate her taco and one of my extra chicken sandwiches. She's a growing girl!

We also did some souvenir shopping in a small drugstore/souvenir/miscellaneous store. Austin bought a boogie board figuring that he would be able to use it somewhere during the trip. We stocked up on snacks, sodas and candy to get us through the day and early evening.

We caught the bus back to the Inn…again an adventure in bus riding. But we arrived safely. And, it was time for supper! After being at the beach most of the day, we were hungry! The desk clerk at the hotel suggested a nice Puerto Rican restaurant, but when she started talking about beans and rice and some foods that we had never heard of, we chickened out. John and Austin were willing to go to the Puerto Rican restaurant but was outvoted by the rest of us…..Ken is iffy about eating strange foods, Lisa and I were concerned that we’d come down with “Montezuma’s Revenge” and Jennie’s feeling again was “If I can’t pronounce it, I don’t eat it!”

We decided to explore San Juan in the hopes of finding a restaurant that everyone could agree on. A few blocks down the street was an Old Chicago restaurant …. do it yourself pizzas for the kids, good ole American Style pizza for John and Lisa, fish for Ken and chili for Jean.

Friday 3/30/07 The Hunt for a beautiful beach and a visit to the Rain Forest

John and Ken left the Inn at 8:00 am to pick up a mini-van for the day. John couldn’t find a tour or anyone to take us on a tour for less than $90 apiece (WOW!) so decided that since he has had lots of driving experience in different cities, he would be the designated driver. No problem with that….he was willing and worked cheap!

Wednesday and Thursday had been cloudy, but today was sunny and hot. Yesterday we all got a little bit tanned, but today will definitely be a sunburn day.

John rented a new mini-van and we drove to the El Yunque National Forest, formerly known as The Caribbean National Rain Forest. El Yunque is less than an hour's drive from San Juan and John did an excellent job of avoiding collisions with various people who obviously didn’t know how to drive. Once we were out of the city (?) and onto the highway, we just rolled along.

Then, up in the middle of the highway, we saw a big tent with 20 or 30 Puerto Rican policemen and women lining the highway…standing there with their guns and night sticks ready.....great. At first we thought it was an accident, but it couldn’t be an accident since they probably wouldn’t have erected a big tent over the wreck.

Then we realized that it was some type of protest .......on one side of the highway were a group of people waving flags and on the other..... the police who were lined up on the other side glaring at them. I had visions of “Americans go Home” and being hit with tomatos or something, but got we through it without a scratch.

Later we found out that the highway had recently been completed and this was the ceremony to name or take credit for it. The protestors were there because their Puerto Rican political party, which had been voted out of office, had originally drawn up the highway plans and began work on it. Then an election was held, and another party was voted in. They did a little work on the highway and then it was their turn to be voted out. Finally the newest party completed the highway and they were claiming all the glory of the finished highway. The protestors were from party #1 and party #2 who wanted recognization for beginning the whole thing in the first place. Sounds logical to me. We were out of there before we found out who won....the 1st, 2nd or 3rd party...and who the highway was named for.

Several miles on, we were slowed by a group of horsemen following a white hearse. The horses were beautiful Paso Fino horses....the Paso Fino horse reflects its Spanish heritage through its proud carriage, grace and elegance. It has a lively but controlled spirit, natural gait and presence and responsive attitude and when we saw them, we knew right away what breed they were. (we're from Nebraska, we KNOW good horseflesh!) I’ll have to tell Jim Yeck about them, he owns a gorgeous white Paso Fino mare.

We were told that one of the San Juan Paso Fino horse club members had died and these riders were his honor guard. Paso Fino horses were originally bred in Puerto Rico and the people are very proud of them.

(to be continued)

OUR CRUISE VACATION 2007 -THE TRIP CONTINUES! Page 3

THE EL JUNQUE RAIN FOREST

The El Junque Rain Forest was about an hour or so out of the city and the road to it wasn’t very well marked. We took a couple of wrong turns before finding the way to the forest. No one was particularly concerned about getting lost except Lisa, who thought John should have been watching the road signs. (wives have a bad habit of blaming the husbands for getting lost)

However, we were not exactly lost, just off the beaten path and ended up in a little village, which turned out to be in the direction we had to go anyway. Personally, I think Puerto Rico could do a better job of marking their highways and roads, especially if they expect tourists to find anything. Luckily, we were in between rainstorms. They told us that it really pours and thanks to the narrow roads, etc. can be really dangerous. Obviously they don’t call it a “Rain Forest” for nothing.

After looking around the Welcome Station, and finding nice, clean restrooms, we drove to the top of the mountain to visit La Mina Falls. We wanted to see the falls, and also wade in the pool at the base of the waterfall. After parking the van, we, and several hundred other tourists, made the 30-minute walk down to the falls. The path was narrow and had steps made of concrete and stone. Down we went, one step at a time. These were not little dainty steps, they were made by men FOR men....big steps! I'm getting way too old for this kind of sight-seeing!




It took us 30 to 40 minutes to climb down to the falls…the pool was not very big and there were probably 50 others who were there. On the way down, Jennie had slipped off the path and turned her ankle on one of the rocks. We were worried that she might have sprained it but after soaking it in the cool water of the pool, it was still a little grouchy but not badly hurt. Austin and Jen had a great time in the pool, but the rest of us just watched.

On the way down we had seen little gazebos along side of the path and thought that it was very nice of the park rangers to provide a place for people to rest on the way up and down the path. Later we learned that they were shelters in case it started to rain...as they say "when it rains it pours" and water rushing down those steep paths would have swept you right along with it. When we left the parking area and headed for the path to the falls, we were told to remember the way we went down so that we would be sure to take the same path back up.

There were some paths branching off from the main one, so it was good it was brought to our attention. I imagine they all eventually lead back up to the top of the mountain, but somewhere in the jungle may be a little band of tourists who took the wrong path....and are will wandering around.

Going back up the path did not seem as bad as going down. Going down gave you the feeling that if you stumbled, you’d roll clear down to the bottom of the trail. Going up was just a matter of climbing and climbing and climbing. Remember those BIG steps! We (the adults) are expecting to have stiff and sore leg muscles tomorrow. Of course, Jenny and Austin just hopped up with no trouble.

We got back into the van and started down the road towards civilization. On the way down, we stopped at the Yokahu Tower, a 69 ft observation tower. The tower was made of stone, and the stairs wound around the inside. From the top we had a wide view of the north side of Puerto Rico from coast to peaks. We thought it was built to watch for pirates, but it was too far inland…later we were told that it was a weather observation tower but there were no instruments up there, so it must have been a visual observation tower.

Our next stop was to be the beach at Luquillo, but couldn’t find it. John was given instructions to “the prettiest beach in San Juan” but after an hour of driving through low rent and very poor districts, we gave up. Everyone was getting anxious about the area we were in. The only nice beaches were those affiliated with hotels, and were fenced in.

That evening we had dinner at a Chinese fast food restaurant…at least John, Ken and I did. Lisa and the kids opted for Subways.....the place was right next-door. The Chinese manager gave us the "evil eye" when they walked in with Subways but since the three of us had ordered food, and all of us ordered drinks, he didn’t say anything.

Our orders turned out to be biggest plates of Chinese food I’ve ever seen…Ken and I would have been stuffed with food had we ordered one dinner and shared it. But, we had our two-legged garbage disposal with us! Austin made a good dent in all of our dinners….a little rice here, some chicken there, a couple of hunks of broccoli….but, even he couldn’t eat it all!

When we got back to Wind Chimes, we began to pack our luggage and check our room to be sure we didn’t leave anything behind. Later on we played UNO for a few hours on the back deck of the Inn. It was a really neat place and close to food and the Tiki Bar. We played and relaxed, and then it started to rain....really rain. There was no thunder or lightening just buckets and buckets of rain. Gradually the deck started to take on water from the awnings and Lisa said, “My feet are getting wet!”

Yep, water was accumulating on the floor....time to head for home. We all got soaked running through the rain to get to our rooms...it wasn’t far, but we couldn’t avoid the raindrops. (we sang the B. J. Thomas song "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" as we zigged and zagged across the courtyard.)

Tomorrow we board the Golden Princess.

(to be continued)

OUR CRUISE VACATION 2007 - BOARDING THE GOLDEN PRINCESS Page 4

Saturday, April 1, 2007

We had to vacate our room at the Wind Chimes Inn by 11 am so we packed everything and took the bags in the lobby of the Inn. We wanted one last look at the beach and to take some photos. So we played beachcomber for a little while and said goodbye to several of the people who were sunbathing.

At 12:00 we called a taxi to take us to Pier #4 where the Golden Princess was waiting. The taxi ride was the usual hair-raising ride through the small, crowded streets, weaving back and forth as we swerved around the cars, taxis and trucks.

Since we were platinum Princess members, we all were allowed to go to the “fast lane” of the checking in process. However, it didn’t do any good in the check-in line to the ship. It was long and slow. Since we were early, Ken wandered around the ship taking photos before the majority of the cruisers arrived….it is 3 football fields long, and there was a lot to see.

Everyone was pleased with their rooms and felt that they were bigger than those on the Royal Caribbean ships.

The first thing Lisa did was to take photos of their room while it was in “perfect” condition. Both of the rooms had nice balconies. We spent most of the afternoon exploring the ship, finding the food courts, bathrooms and common areas. The Golden Princess is a very pretty ship, but I felt the Royal Caribbean ships had more spectular dining areas and lobby.

At 4:30 we went to the Wheelhouse Bar where we met many of the people John had corresponded with on the Meet and Mingle site. It was nice to meet them and know that every once in a while we’d see someone we knew…..there were about 18 of us.

If you plan to take a cruise go to your cruise line website and look for the Cruise Critic or a forum. Type in the name of your ship and sailing date. Leave a message "Hi, we'll be sailing on this ship....I'm _____, who are you and where do you come from?"

After that, we went to the dining room and had our first meal aboard the Golden Princess. When people say that the food is great, the waiters are friendly and you don't have to clean the dishes, they are RIGHT!!! Most of the staff on all of the cruise ships are from 3rd world countries...India, Philipines, Yugoslovia, etc. and speak fairly good English. They are very attentive and do their best to make your dining experience the best in the world.

Back in the stateroom, Jenny fell asleep after a couple of minutes. I think Austin was nodding off too. Austin had a top bunk bed and thought it was really cool. Jen had a fold out bed and she was happy with it too.

John, Lisa, Ken and I stayed up until 11:15 to attend the Bon Voyage party. This ship’s main pool is completely enclosed with a glass roof. It opens like the roofs do at some football stadiums….if the weather is bad, the roof is closed, when it’s good, it’s open. Ken thinks the ship probably goes to Alaska sometime during the year….so, if it’s cold in Alaska, its nice and cozy inside.

It has been raining pretty steadily and the water is rough…not enough to make a person seasick, but almost. (It didn’t bother Lisa, so if the ship had been rockin’ and rollin’ she would have been the first one to notice it)

The Bon Voyage party was great....more food, a live band and ships' crew dancing around with their trays of drinks. After a while, the whole ship was rockin' and rollin' to the calipso beat.

If you've never been on a cruise vacation, there are many things you can expect....every morning under your door or in your mail box you will find a list and times of activities for that day. They are fun things that will introduce you to some of the other cruisers...."Name that Tune", "The NewlyWed (and not so newly wed) Game" (be prepared to answer the question "where was the oddest place you made Woopie?" -- you'll be surprised how many fellow passengers will remind you of your answer!), basketball throw, (won a neat visor doing that one), or how to salsa dance, fold napkins, plus shoot pool, climb a rock wall, play miniature golf, the ever popular gaming tables and BINGO!

At 6:00 am the exercise room opens and classes begin. Not for you??? Ok, the breakfast buffet is open and you have a multitude of choices from hot or cold cereal to omelets, scrambled, fried, or hard cooked eggs, a variety of meats, fruits, breads, juices, yogurt, coffee, tea....just about anything you would want. Eat it in the buffet room or go outside and sit on deck....salt sea air gives you a great appetite.

But, if a buffet isn't your choice...the dining rooms are open for breakfast and you can order off the menu....be brave, order something you've never had. If you don't care for it, the waiter will remove it and you can order something else. One morning I ordered an "English breakfast"...it was a real mistake. It started with lamb kidneys and went downhill from there.

(to be continued)

OUR CRUISE VACATION 2007 St Thomas and St. Kitts Page 5

Sunday, April 2, 2007 We docked at the St. Thomas pier at 7:30 am. It’s a beautiful serene bay and the water was a beautiful sea green. The bay is full of sailboats … obviously we’re the first cruise ship in port. The island itself is hilly and has many homes dotting the hills. It is green, but doesn’t look very tropical, at least from the ship. I had expected palm trees, vines, and rain forest trees.

We are going snorkeling at Turtle Cove at 12:30…guaranteed to give us all our first sunburns of the trip. We’re prepared though…lots of sun block.

We boarded the Dancing Dolphin and sailed to Turtle Bay. John, Jenny and Austin were looking forward to snorkeling…..Ken, Lisa and I weren’t as enthusiastic.

We were given our snorkel equipment and basic instructions on how to put on the face mask and use the snorkel. The water was colder than I had expected. Ken and I snorkeled for a while, but found it to be very tiring, so didn’t stay out long.

We saw lots of turtles feeding on the grass on the ocean bottom. One of the crewmembers pointed out a huge turtle and said that it probably weighed 300 lbs….it certainly looked like it. John, Jenny and Austin snorkeled for a long time but Ken, Lisa and I were not that comfortable snorkeling….I tired out very quickly and began to have leg cramps so made my way back to the Dancing Dolphin. Ken didn’t do well at all and was only in the water for a little while.

After snorkeling for about an hour, the Dancing Dolphin headed back to the cruise ship…. it was a beautiful day, and there was a good breeze, so the captain turned off the engine, raised the sails and we FLEW over the waves.


I didn’t realize how fast a boat would travel using just the sails. It was cool! On the way back we were served orange juice and Bacardi Rum drinks, about half Bacardi and half orange juice.

John scarffed it down but Ken, Lisa and I had a few sips and decided it was yucky and not for us. Jen and Austin had soft drinks…they wouldn’t have like the rum and OJ drink…actually, I think they had a sip and made that decision themselves.

The captain of the Dancing Dolphin was a very nice man and he asked Austin if he'd like to be the boat captain for a while..he said he was tired would would like to take a break. Of course!!!! wish he would have asked me!!!

Austin really had control of the wheel and stood there watching for icebergs like the captain of the Titanic.

John, Jenny and Austin decided that this vacation wouldn’t be complete without a TATTOO! Jenny’s was a heart, John had a barbed wire around his bicep and Austin had a sea creature. The tattoos were not real…they were put on by an “airbrushed tattoo artist”, were FDA approved, and best of all, they are temporary!




Monday – April 3, 2007 -- St. Kitts

Ken and I stayed on the ship since we were not interested in shopping in St. Kitts. Our morning paper gives tips on what to look for each island....where the best buys are. But, if you aren't going ashore, there are still lots of things to do on the ship.....and its nice to have the pools and deck chairs to yourself. The ship does not close down when it is docked.....food, fun and parties still go on.

John, Lisa, Jenny and Austin walked into the town via the LONG dock. One of the natives came up to them with a baby monkey (wearing a diaper) and the kids had their photos taken with it. It was on their heads, climbing up their arms, and both of them just loved it.

Its a good thing they enjoyed it because the owner then asked $10.00 for taking photos, etc. Gotta watch those tricky natives. I guess John could have refused to play him but what the heck, they were on vacation.

When they got back to the ship, one of the other passengers was horrified that they would even touch a wild monkey…”it probably had fleas and lice”…”what if it had bitten one of the kids?”

Well, it didn’t .

This was the first formal night on the cruise. We were dressed in our best, tux for Ken, long dresses for Jennifer and me, suits for John and Austin and a cocktail dress for Lisa.
The photographers are situated in several areas of the ship, I think there were about 6 different ones, and each had a different backdrop....a beach scene, the grand stairway of the Titanic (spooky thought), an old time western theme...had to dress in costumes which are provided...and we had our photos taken. Lots of photos taken. You can walk from one photographer to another and they smile and snap your photo....that evening they will be displayed, along with a thousand or more others, in the photo gallery. If you like the photo...buy it. If not, put it in the "discard" box....there's no pressure from anyone.

I hope they turn out well…we all had been in the sun all day and have nice cherry red complexions. Oh well, if we don’t like these, there will be another formal day this week.


(to be continued)

OUR CRUISE VACATION 2007 Grenada Page 6

Tuesday April 4, 2007 – Grenada

We docked at the Grenada terminal and did the "tourist thing".....wandered around looking the the booths full of colorful clothing and native wares. They were probably all made in Japan since they were identical to the ones at the last port....except they said Grenada instead of St. Kitts or St. Thomas.

Grenada is a very pretty place…green and lush just like a tropical isle should be. We didn’t have a tour booked so decided to see about arranging one from a tour company in the terminal. The natives are constantly grabbing at you wanting you to go with them on tours, sell you something or in general find a way to get you buy something.

It’s hard to keep saying “no thank you” every few minutes, but I’m sure they are used to being rejected. But, sometimes they get too pushy and you have to be somewhat rude and ignore them.

John, (our wheeler-dealer) was approached by a tour company employee who wanted $20.00 per person to take us on a tour of the area….but John bargained him down to $80.00 for the 6 of us. Joseph, our guide, had an 8 passenger vehicle so two other folks joined us. They were from St. Lucia, an island not too far from Grenada, and were both schoolteachers.

Joseph spoke English pretty well, and gave us some interesting facts about his country. He wore a big stripped knit hat and reminded me of Bob Marley, the reggae singer.
As we passed different trees, he told us what they were, cocoa, coffee, banana, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc. and then stopped at a roadside "spice" stand - had a great demonstration of the spices and how they are prepared and showed us how coffee, nutmeg and other spices looked in their raw state.

He grated a cocoa bean and a nutmeg nut and gave us a chance to taste it. The cocoa was bitter, like dry Hershey cocoa, and the nutmeg tasted like…nutmeg. He tore some bark off a tree branch and gave that to us….it was cinnamon. Now I know where cinnamon sticks come from, they are pieces of bark that rolls up when cut off a branch from the cinnamon tree. We shopped in the little hut and bought spices and other items to take home. Every place we stopped, there were people selling spice-related things.

We then drove to Annadale Falls and walked another 5,000 steps down to the base of the falls to a nice little pool..
Several young men, probably employees of the park, would climb to the top of the waterfall, and do a “cannon-ball” down into the pool. They couldn’t dive because the pool was too shallow. We watched them for a while and then climbed back to the top. On the way, there were folks selling items….more spice necklaces, various hot sauces, handmade things, etc.

John decided to buy a CD of steel drum music, which was very nice. However, Lisa said that it needed a jungle setting with birds chirping and running water to make it sound really great. Soooo John is probably going to turn their family room into a tropical paradise.

The rain forest in Grenada is located at the top of a mountain, reached by a narrow, two lane winding road. It was a wild drive on the mountainous roads on the "wrong side" and we were glad to have a local driver - lots of shouting and horn blowing when someone blocked the road! If you are from the USA, my advice is to find a local driver.

The drivers in Grenada must be related to the San Juan drivers because they drive the same way, fast and furious. And since Grenada was once a British colony, they drive on the left side of the road, just opposite of what is done in the United States. Its really scary since you tend to forget that, and get the wits scared out of you when you meet a truck or car coming at you in “your lane.

On to Fort Frederick, the remains of an old fort where you could see two bodies of water from the top. It was interesting and you wonder who got the job of moving those huge blocks of stone up the hill and putting them in place. Fort Frederick was accidentally bombed by the United States …..they were supposed to bomb another fort a short distance away, but goofed.

Our last stop was a beach and recreation area with a good view of……our ship! We didn’t know about the beach but obviously many of our fellow passengers did because there were lots of blue striped towels on chairs and chaise lounges. There were some little open-air shops, which were selling the usual tee shirts, dresses and other souvenirs.

About this time, Jenny REALLY had to go to the restroom and we were told the "facilities" were next to the various seller's area. What the “information booth” lady didn’t say was that they wanted $1.00 to use the restroom. Poor Jen didn't have a dollar so had to find us and hope that we were carrying cash.

First time we’ve ever run into that situation….but I guess they have to buy toilet paper and paper towels so feel that getting money from the tourists was logical.....they have a captive audience...nowhere else to go!

Speaking of restrooms, be prepared for the toilets aboard ship. They are flush toilets, but flush like no toilet you've ever had at home. When finished using it, you put the lid down and pull the little knob on top and Swooooosh, it sounds like a big vaccum cleaner just exploded in the room with you. They have a standing (ha) joke about not sitting the john when it is flushed......you can plan on hearing those jokes from at least one of the comedians at the dinner show.

Every evening there is a dinner show...sometimes its a musical number, singers and dancers, other times it could be a comedian, a magic show, singer or any number of theatrical people. Some are very good, others are just so-so. Since there are many preteen kids on cruises, the jokes are generally not naughty or blue....there are two evening shows, and the one that starts at 10:00 may be a little more risque.

Most ships have special areas just for teens..no adults allowed...disco dances, scavenger hunts and fun get-togethers. Plus take a bunch of coins, they have game rooms that are full of arcade games.

(to be continued)

OUR CRUISE VACATION 2007 Isla Margarita Page 7

Wednesday, April 5, 2007

Isla Margarita is called the “Island of Pearls” because of the large oyster beds in the area. It is REALLY flat ...it looks like a good-sized wave could wipe the island perfectly clean.

There wasn't a lot to do on the isle, so we decided to make it a "beach day" and also visited the little group of booths lined up on the "higher" ground. The booths all had pearl necklaces, earrings and anything you could think of made of pearls plus the usual assortment of tee shirts. I needed a pearl necklace and found a nice set for $15.00….after wading through all the other sales people who "has the best deal, lady".

Jenny bought an ankle bracelet and Austin found a really nice miniature domino set with pearl inlays. Both were pleased with their purchases, mainly because both Jenny and Austin were able to haggle with the shop keeper and get the price down to about half of what she was asking.

Jenny and John were really in their element….bargaining!! They would haggle with the store owners and end up paying a lot less than the asking price….which I’m sure was set high enough to make a profit either way. I think the salespeople enjoyed the experience....Jenny and Austin are really nice kids and were very polite in dealing with them. I, on the other hand, have never learned the art of bargaining or haggling. I just hand them the money and take my purchase. Yep, I'm the gullible tourist that they love to see coming.

We didn’t have a tour booked in Isla Margarita, so stayed on the beach, a short walk from where the ship was docked. Actually, it was one of the nicest days we spent on the cruise….there was ample shopping, food and drink, lounge chairs with palm shade and nice gentle waves.

We walked along the shoreline picking up shells and coral. Austin found a big blue crab in the water while he was swimming and he and I “herded” it back to land where he could pick it up to show to Ken and the other people on the beach. It was not happy about being picked up and grabbed Austin’s snorkel mask with its big claw…that made it easier for him to carry it to the beach and show off his prize. He then took it back to the water and released it.

John also found a sea creature to chase ….a manta or sting ray, we aren’t sure exactly what it was. It was about 18” across the top with a long tail. It swam next to the bottom in the shallow water and John and a couple of other guys were determined to catch it…no luck.

First it went one way, then the other, scooting out of reach….John did grab the tail but it slithered out of his grasp and got away.

We all got nice and tan at Isla Margarita and left quite a bit of money in the little booths. When the cruise ship left the dock, the trades people stood on the dock holding flags and waving good-bye. Not many cruise ships visit this particular port, and we probably increased their monthly income by a bunch!

One of the favorite things that we liked to do in the evening was to visit the piano bars.....great pianists and fun people. Liquor and soft drinks are not included in the "all inclusive" cruise .... for drinks, you use your identification card (which you are issued when you board....you charge everything and pay the bill at the end of the cruise) and can buy a soft drink card for the kids. Or not.

There are lots of shops aboard ship and if you wait until the last day or so of the cruise, you can get some real deals.....they have only a limited amount of space and are happy to sell the tee-shirts, jewelry, watches, hats, etc. at a reduced price knowing that they will receive a whole batch of new stuff once they get back to home port. Some of the ships may not be going to the same places they went on this one, and who would want to buy a Grenada tee shirt if the ship was going to Alaska!

(to be continued

OUR CRUISE VACATION 2007 Aruba Page 8

Thursday, April 6, 2007

In our estimation, Aruba is a desert island, not as green as expected. And, lots of cactus! When you see a cactus FENCE and what looks like a Nebraska prairie, you begin to rethink "tropical paradise.

People we’ve talked to said it was the most beautiful island on the cruise….obviously we were not on the right side of the island. Either that or the cruise ship docked at the wrong one!

We were booked on the Aruba Jeep Tour .. guaranteed to shake up your insides. We were shown to an 8-passenger jeep and climbed in. One of the staff came over and asked which one of us was planning to drive!!!

Whoa, this is not what we signed up for. After being in the land of left side of the road drivers, we wanted no part of that idea. John firmly explained that we were assured that we’d have a “professional driver” and by gosh, that’s what we were determined to have.

The other jeeps were driven by cruise passengers which would have scared me to death once we saw the paths that we were going to be driving on.

Our driver, Wendell, said he had 17 years experience working for the tour company …so we had fun laughing as we bounced and jostled along.. At first we were on city streets and some country roads…..for this we paid good money!!!

Then, we went “off road”….right up a rut-filled, boulder strewn nothing of a road. We were jostled around and tossed back and forth on the seats….which, thank heaven, were thickly padded.

Wendell, our driver, did a great job in managing to hit every boulder, rock, hole and rut that he could….and lead the other 7 jeeps right to them.

About half way through the tour, Wendell stopped at a little museum that had a restroom….a one person, coed restroom where the shower was the biggest thing in the room.

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Evidentially they had some sort of a touchy septic system because the sign on the wall said, “please do not put paper into the toilet” ….well, that’s special! They had a garbage can next to the toilet and that’s where the toilet paper was supposed to go. I don’t even WANT to think about what happens if somebody needed to really GO….and needed to wipe. There were no windows in the restroom.
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There were several other tours using the same facility, and the restroom line was LONG. (I think a few of the men used the emergency facility…....a handy tree)

We finally made it to the top of the mountain and had a beautiful view of the ocean about a half block down the cliff. Wendell said that the beautiful natural pool was ….down there.

Again, we had to climb down a hand hewn path to the ocean….sooo where’s this pool? We had short walk along the beach and then had to climb and crawl over some really big boulders to the “natural pool”. It was a pool that was separated from the ocean by more big rocks…the surf would crash against the rocks, providing fresh seawater to the fish living in the pool.

Lisa was the only one who didn’t go into the pool….she was the photographer. I’m surprised that someone didn’t get hurt climbing over the rocks to the pool or climbing into the pool itself. The rocks were slippery and had algae on them. Once we got into the pool we could see tropical fish swimming around our feet…Angel fish, clown fish and whatever kind of fish “Nemo” was. We had a great time!

We stayed there for about a half hour and back up the hill we went….another sore muscle day tomorrow. Wendell had nice cold sodas waiting for us….since we hadn’t had any food since breakfast, we would have loved to have a sandwich.

The next stop was a “natural bridge” and a chance to buy a hotdog or sandwich….The natural bridge was interesting but not enough to keep our interest very long.

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Oh yes, John ended up paying $.25 to use the restroom in the restaurant.....ha, he thought it was really funny when Jenny had to pay $1.00 the other day…..well, guess he got a bargain after all.

(to be continued)

OUR CRUISE VACATION 2007 The Ostrich Farm Page 9

Our last stop was an ostrich farm….At this site they raise ostriches for the benefit of tourists but their main farm raises them for food. The meat is red like meat from cattle, not white like that of a chicken. We didn’t eat any, so can’t say for sure.

Austin and Jennie had a chance to feed the ostriches….Austin was not sure if he liked them or not and was scared he’d get pecked. I don’t blame him, they were about 6 feet tall and had big hard beaks and big eyes that stared at you. The feed was a small type of pellet and the trainer poured some into their cupped hands. The birds would reach over the fence and peck the food from your hands.

I didn't feed the birds.....they have very big, hard beaks and I had no desire to be pecked. And I never did like ostriches.

The trainer made a huge ostrich squat down and the children in the group were allowed to sit on it’s back so the parents could take photographs. One of the few places that didn't charge for photographs and the parents were clicking like crazy.

When it was Jenny's turn the trainer poked the ostrich to get it to get up and walk around the enclosure….well it was supposed to walk but it was more of a trot with the trainer hanging onto it’s neck.

Jenny didn’t know that it was planning to get up and go, and suddenly found herself 5 feet in the air on the back of an ostrich who was squawking and flapping it’s wings.....doing it’s best to get away from the trainer. Jen had a look of pure terror on her face!

The trainer kept telling her to hold onto the wings, but she was afraid she’d hurt it so floundered from side to side for three gallops around the pen before finally sliding off it’s tail. I don’t remember if she was laughing or screaming, but she was making a loud noise of some kind.

The trainer didn’t have a rope or leash on the bird, and I was worried that the ostrich would get away and go racing around the enclosure with Jenny holding on for dear life. I’m sure she’ll fondly remember her first (and probably last) ostrich ride.

After the ostrich farm, we were on our way back to the ship. Aruba has many casinos, boutiques and upscale bars – also the usual group of open-air shops. Ken and I went back to the ship, but Lisa and family decided to get in the last bit of shopping that they could. The kids had a few more souvenirs to buy for their friends.

This was our last formal meal…and it was lobster….great if you like lobster. Ken doesn’t so he had some type of fish. The lobster was good – and, since they were rock lobsters and only about 6” long, we were served two of them. Boy, talk about rich-- dip those things in melted butter and my gall bladder will be dancing on the ceiling tonight. And, as always, if you wanted another lobster, the waiter was happy to oblige.

Speaking of the waiters, your waiters tips and tips to the rest of the crew are usually added to your cruise card......if you are not concerned about costs, thats OK. However, the added gratuity can come as a shock when you are paying your final bill. It isn't mentioned unless you read the cruise book usually on a desk in your room. I don't remember exactly what ours would have amounted to.....$10.00 per day per person to the room steward (per child also), an amount to the head waiter, wine steward and several others. Just call the front desk and ask that they remove the charge. We prefer to leave money on the bed for the room steward and to shake hands and hand an envelope to the waiter and other crew members who have served us.

We also had our photos taken again…hope these come out better than the first batch. We’d go from site to site hoping that at least one of the photos would turn out to be BEAUTIFUL!!!! (and not show the pounds that we've packed on thanks to the ever present FOOD!)

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The kids are about two steps from being professional models.








(to be continued)

OUR CRUISE VACATION 2007 A Sea Day Page 10

Our last day on the ship….we wandered around exploring one more time…finding places that we didn’t see when we first boarded her. We also went to the photo gallery and found our newest selection of photos. These were better and between us we bought $250.00 worth.

We had to have our luggage outside of our cabins by 7:00 so started packing. Hmmmm seems we have more luggage than we brought….guess those tee shirts and miscellaneous souvenirs take up more space than we expected.

The “March of the Baked Alaska’s” was held this evening. The waiters march around the dining room with huge volcano-shaped baked Alaska’s held over their heads. Something in the base of the Alaska’s was smoking and they looked like little volcanoes. The lights were dimmed. Then we all opened up our napkins and spun them over our heads.

It was Lisa and John’s anniversary, and the waiters brought them a little anniversary cake, and 5 of them sang “Happy Anniversary” to them. Lisa had no idea that John had put them up to it.

We told our two waiters how much we enjoyed their service, gave them an envelope with their “tip” and went to the “farewell dance party”. The kids enjoyed dancing and watching the various activities going on … we threw streamers at the dancers and then wandered off to see what else was going on throughout the ship.


I haven't mentioned the fairly recent movies, bingo, (won $200.00) and many, many places on the ship where you could quietly read, play chess or checkers with a new friend, learn to mix drinks, or spend your vacation simply sitting on a deck chair, something cool to drink, and a deck steward at your beck and call.
On some ships you can renew your marriage vows, get a temporary tattoo, go to church services and at the Captains's party, shake hands with the ship's captain and have your photo taken with him. The captains, depending on the cruise line, generally speak English or at least are bi-lingual. The crew and stewards are generally from 3rd world countries and one can usually understand them. On our 1st Princess cruise, most of them were from the Phillipines, on Carnival, they were mostly from the Slovic countries and our Carnival's waiters were from Slovica. All were helpful and did their best to please.

(to be continued)

OUR CRUISE VACATION 2007 BACK TO SAN JUAN Page 11

SATURDAY, April 8, 2007 Back to San Juan AND home


We were out of our rooms by 9:30 so that they could be cleaned for the next cruisers. Hated to say “goodbye” but had no choice.

We spent our waiting time in the Wheelhouse Lounge since we were “special”….we were Platinum cruisers! Whoopeeeeee! Breakfast rolls, coffee and juice were waiting for us. The plain ole generic card passengers had to find themselves seats in various sections of the ship. But could go to the breakfast buffet which was open.

When our “color” was called, we filed down to the gangplank, showed our boarding cards again and then disembarked the ship. Our luggage had already been unloaded and we had to find it amongst all the rest. Since they were put in color-coded areas, it wasn’t hard. (hint: look for the most outrageous colored luggage you can buy! Makes it so much easier to find among the thousands of blue/black or brown suitcases)

Then we boarded a bus for the trip to the airport. We found the United Airlines ticket counter, got our luggage checked in and then had a couple of hours to wait for the plane. So, we ate….this time at another famous Puerto Rican restaurant…..Taco Belle!

Lisa, John and Ken had some sort of taco sandwiches but Jean opted for a Nathan’s New York hotdog, which was delicious! Again we brought outside food into a fast food place….my NY hotdog and the kids had Subways! But, we all bought Taco Belle Pepsi’s.

Finally boarded our plane for Chicago….we were not all sitting in the same area of the plane, which was really strange…since we’ve had these tickets for nearly a year. Ken, Lisa, Jenny and Jean were in the very, very tail of the plane, the last seats in the row. Well, they were close to the restrooms and we were the first to get drinks and peanuts. Guess that was good.

In Chicago, we again had to hunt for American Airlines …”somebody” in our group was sure he knew where it was.….but he was looking at the United Airline departures and not American Airlines…..so headed us in the wrong direction.

Luckily, we had lots of time to spend in Chicago, so it really didn’t matter. We found the American Airlines pre-flight area and settled down to wait for 2 hours. Then, wham, here comes a group of 8th graders from Elkhorn, NE. Noisy and energetic. They had spent a week in Washington, DC on a spring break trip and were on their way home. They plopped down and were sitting and lying all over the floor, behaving like typical 8th graders.

When we boarded the plane, most of the kids were in the back, but some were intermixed with other passengers. And other passengers were in the back with them….too bad the chaperones weren’t! The kids weren’t rowdy, just really, really noisy.

The flight attendants went to the adults who were seated in the back of the plane and brought them to the front seats…and allowed the kids to go to the rear with the rest of their group....let the kids enjoy the last of their spring break as a big, noisy, funlovin' unit!


Epilogue… We have many wonderful memories of this trip.

Just a Reminder

Those informative little boxes on the right side of this blog are inviting you to "come and shop"....click on them and you'll be taken to that particular item.   They are up-to-date and keep up with what's new in books, clothing, jewelry and miscellaneous items you may be interested in.

A Thanksgiving M-e-s-s

This seems to happen a lot during the holidays.  Several years ago, I discovered that my kitchen drain instead of draining away, was backing up into the bathtub in our main bathroom.  This happened on Thanksgiving morning......the culprit being the drain pipe where the kitchen drain and bathtub drain "meet" (think of a "Y") on their way to the city sewer in the street.  The garbage disposal couldn't handle all the potato peelings, lettuce and celery leaves, small pieces of stalk and other salad residue that I had been shoveling in it and they caused a mega plug resulting in water, ground up garbage backing up and floating in the bathtub.

 Clogs in the kitchen sink are usually the result of excessive amounts of food being flushed down the drain. Before trying to get a plumber on a holiday morning, try dislodging the plug using a sink plunger, which is smaller and shaped differently than a toilet plunger. (in a pinch, use any plunger available.)  Place the plunger over the drain hole, ensuring there's enough water at the bottom to form a seal. Pump the plunger up and down - while keeping a good seal - to help dislodge a clog.

 If that doesn't work, try pouring hot or near-boiling water down the drain. The water's heat may break up the combination of organic products and soap scum within the clog. A mixture of vinegar, baking soda and hot water can add more clog-busting power to your drain-clearing efforts.

 Although it may be tempting to pour in over-the-counter drain-clearing products such as Drano, many plumbers advise against it. Not only are the chemicals toxic if exposed to human skin, they can also damage drain pipes if overused.  And, my plumber said that for their own safety, many plumbers hesitate to work on a drain that has been doused with drain cleaners or other concoctions. 

 A word to the wise,  to avoid a clogged drain, buy a little sink drainer that fits over the garbage disposal drain in your sink.  If you have a two unit kitchen sink, use a drainer in both. 

Life Insurance

As a senior citizen I am well aware of the need to have a good term life insurance policy which will cover any expenses when I pass on.  I don’t want to leave my family without any help in paying for funeral expenses….and, believe me, funerals are expensive.  Unless you have a tremendous amount of savings and a paid-off home your loved ones will be responsible for them.  I want to leave money to my children and grandchildren and without insurance, my savings will be eaten up with funeral costs.  To me, this would not be acceptable.

But, term life or any kind of insurance isn’t only for the old…things happen.  Young people with growing families can be killed in vehicle accidents, have serious illnesses or lose their lives in unexpected ways.  Buying coverage while you are still young and healthy, seeking out renewable policies, and avoiding unhealthy practices like smoking and over-eating are wise choices when it comes to lowering your insurance premiums.

There is no such thing as a cheap insurance policy but there are companies that offer policies at a cheaper price than others..a company that will offer cheap life insurance quotes, family coverage, whole term life and life insurance plans. It doesn’t cost anything to get a quote.  Take a few minutes to see what is offered.

A DUMB thing to do

Wow...I woke up with a really stiff neck on Saturday morning....I didn't do anything to cause it on Friday, so attributed it to sleeping with my head off/on the pillow, having no pillow or I just plain "slept wrong"....whatever....happens sometime.

By Monday it was really bothering me, aspirin and Ibuprofen wasn't helping...so decided to put heat on it (yeh, wrong, should have iced it) Anyway, I rolled up a hand towel and popped it into the microwave for a minute to warm up.

It did a nice job of warming and it felt great on my stiff neck.

Ken was reading the morning paper, looked up and said "are you cooking something?" By then, I could smell something.....actually it smelled pretty good. Then I saw a wisp of smoke float past my nose.

I took the towel off my neck and noticed that I had burned a spot on it. When I unrolled the towel, there was a smoldering fire in the middle...it was round, about the size of a dime and looked like a cigarette burn....the edges were red and smoking. When the towel was unrolled, it exposed the smoldering area to air, and wham, bang, I had a little fire in my towel.

I had absolutely no idea that the microwave would cause the center of the towel to catch on fire. I suppose that's how food cooks, from the inside out.

A little longer and it could have burst into flame, caught my hair on fire, and do some serious damage. At it was, I smelled like a bonfire ....

7 Wonders of the World