Not much to be said for the post refit shambles that was to be seen in port both to begin and end our vacation. Some things are out of control and I would best describe them as too many people on such a small road leading to a port that cannot cope with the volume and the security and logistical issues that come about when 5000 people come together in an unfinished embarkation area. I believe this problem is rampant throughout the islands of the caribbean. Incomplete and constantly upgrading ports to accommodate volumes that are beyond the scope of the small towns and cities that are trying to benefit from the influx of vacationing crowds. The major complaint seems to be that no information was provided at any time during the process, nor were the people provided with adequate rest areas or refreshments for such a long delay.

Well!! Enough about the small annoyances, because that's how we treated them, most people we talked to had it worse than we did, but most that we spoke to didn't let it spoil their overall impression of the time we spent on our home away from home for the Southern journey. Thank goodness for a crew and entertainment, they wiped nearly all memory of sunday from our minds almost immediately. The wonderful food and great shows were much appreciated even though we must admit to overindulging in both. But that is what cruising is all about. Kudos to the wait and housekeeping staff for their wonderful attention and sunny dispositions even though I'm sure they saw a lot of sour faces the first day or two after finally leaving San Juan.

Never having dreamed of being so far from home as to see the mainland of South America, I can safely say that I was amazed at the variety of islands that we were to see on a 7 day cruise. Read more