1/5/2017

Grand Turk

Woke up this morning to clear skies, the ocean was as smooth as glass. I'm still recovering from the dreaded flu (get your shots) and have a constant headache all night long. I'm a headache person, but everybody in my group are having them including Kenny who never ever gets them. I keep Excedrin migraine in my bed stand and this gets rid of them quickly.

We are slated to arrive by 1pm, and will stay until 6. I am well versed in the chaos of mid day arrivals and know to wait a half hour after they open the doors and let the bodies push their way out! This strategy works well.

The approach to Grand Turk is a trip; we are practically on the shore and I can't believe the ship can get so close. I can see the eyes of the massive amounts of people already on the beach! The water looks beautiful, and very crowded. The beach right off the ship pier is packed wall to wall with lounges of all types and they are free for the taking. If you are aiming to grab one, get your towels and possessions on one as quick as possible because you are In the land of the chair hogs! If you really want to spend a day at the beach, grab a cab to the other side of the island where I assume it's much less crowded.

We are docked next to a Carnival ship which is blasting loud music, also of note here is the beautiful ship which is tendering close to us. I can't remember the current name but it is the original Royal Princess and very good looking. If anybody knows the name, please let me know.

This port was built by the Carnival Corp to house it's mega ships, including the Regal, and dredged to allow these mega ships to gain close access to the stores and beaches. It's just a short walk to shopping galore, and the very popular Margaritaville (however it's spelled) which sports a large pool teaming with tan bodies layered upon each other in what is described as quite a spectacle. We pass on visiting this place, having gotten our fill of it in Key West.

By the time we get to the beach, there is not a free lounge in site and while all of them are "taken", there is nobody on any of them. I get the impression that most people head directly for the lounges and grab them, there are no rules here and even if there were, nobody is here to enforce them! If you are visiting this place and happen to get here early in the morning, I bet you would have no trouble getting a lounge chair, but beware of mid-day arrivals. There are a lot of toys available to rent here, including a hilarious couch like tow called "big Bertha" in which a small group of people are towed in circles and very close to the ship.

There is a real town here which is a $5 pp taxi ride away, and there you will find more stores and a museum. We pass on that, linger a bit on a few shaded benches we find among the shops, and do some people watching. Also of note is a delicious and expensive smoothie place called Froots. For just under $10 we get a large smoothie to share. Aside from the standard Stores that are at every port, and even on the ship, there is only one unique and lovely shop which sells sweet feminine lacy beach cover ups which are beautiful and very pricy. There is also a crafts market where they sell stuff that is probably made in China with the tags taken off--I know this because I saw the same stuff at the duty free store where they keep the made in China tags on!

After a few hours we are ready to get back on the ship. It is not very crowded and we enjoy having it mostly to ourselves. FYI throughout this cruise one of the most interesting things I hear are parents talking about taking their kids on excursions where the booze flows freely, and watching their 16 -20 year olds getting hammered! I have no idea if these are ship tours or private tours, and frankly I think it's a parents prerogative to decide what is OK and what is not. For me it's always best to be armed with knowledge and know what you are exposing your kids to.

12/24/2016

Dominica

We had a fun day yesterday on our own on the lovely island of Dominica, which was the first Caribbean Island to become a "green" island. There is a vibration here that is lovely and much different from the other islands we have visited on this s trip, and I really like it here.

We took our time getting off the ship, first playing trivia and then disembarking to find a big covered market right across from the ship. Prices were a bit inflated here, as I later discovered, so be mindful of this when you get here.

We took a $2 ship shuttle to downtown Roseau, it took about 10 minutes to get there. The weather was hot with some dark clouds on the horizon. The shuttle is a great way to get around and all the drivers around down town honored the $2 price so we were free to walk as we wanted and wonder the colorful streets, filled with ruins and lovely colored homes and buildings, and a vast array of beautiful flower filled balconies and landscaping. The shuttle drop off/pick up was conveniently located at the beginning of an open market where the prices were better and the vendors were very open to bargaining!

The open market was filled with gorgeous hand woven baskets, trivets, and more hand made items. Of course the regular magnets and shot glasses, and typical island clothing were also available at very reasonable prices. I loved the fact that everybody called me "mama" which charmed me so, and melted my heart which made it more difficult to bargain! LOL this was going to be the most difficult problem I encountered as I travel these islands, they are filled with poverty which is heartbreaking and I feel crappy even trying to make deals.

As we worked our way through the open market, wending our way through the streets, I found some awesome small covered baskets which I bought in quantity for gifting the folks on the ship who work so hard to make my vacation wonderful. We also found nice hand made magnets, flashlights, and even beautiful hand carved wood art. We enjoyed this market, and headed for the farmers market when it started to rain. At that point, I wished I had bought some rain ponchos-- don't forget to bring these items whenever you come to these islands as it always rains a little on and off, and when it rains it really pours! Of course I cannot find these anywhere and plan to buy some on the ship at the next opportunity.

We spy a supermarket (loosely defined) and go inside to buy some essentials like candy and ginger snaps.

12/26/16

Aruba

Good morning, yesterday we visited Aruba and the weather was perfect, not too hot with a gentle breeze. This was my 5th visit to Aruba and having seen the island many times, we decided to walk around and shop! It was time, I had been restraining myself from the jewelry shop on board and needed some retail therapy.