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Aruba - Romy40's Rating: 5.0
We did a ship excursion - Mi Dushi sailing and snorkel. This 1926 sailing vessel was grand. Not many on this excursion, so we could really relax. You take a small water taxi out to the ship. You need to be able to climb moving ladders. We found the waters a little too rough for snorkeling, but then we aren't exactly pros and we are not in shape. You climb down a ladder into the water, then jump off the last few feet. Equipment was good and everyone got a new mouthpiece. They fed us a huge lunch of stroganoff and rice, 2 pieces of chicken, corn-on-the-cob, and fruits. Alcoholic, coke drinks, and water were included. Staff were very helpful, and the husband got to man the wheel for awhile. Sit in the back if you want any shade or get sea sick easily. This tour took up most of our time in this port. It was quite warm and muggy, but soooo beautiful. We bought the famous aloe vera products.
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Curacao - Romy40's Rating: 5.0
We didn't plan on anything here; just shopped and wandered around the quaint buildings. It was VERY hot and humid. We bought the famous blue liqueur. American dollars accepted everywhere. Not crowded. Easy walking to all the shopping.
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St. Thomas - Romy40's Rating: 5+
We did another ship's excursion: St. John snorkel and Trunk Bay.
Wow! We walked off the ship and right onto a ferry (Island Girl). It
was air conditioned with very comfortable seats and snacks and water
for sale at a decent price ($1 for water). I think the ferry was an
hour long; not sure as we were enjoying ourselves. We arrived at St.
John and boarded an open air taxi for the drive to Trunk Bay. This is
a national park. The drive was fairly short with stops along the way
for pictures. We arrived at Trunk Bay quite early and found it
deserted. Our taxi driver said it was nothing for this beach to have
5000 people on it when 3 or more ships were in port. Darn. We were
very lucky. So, all 30 of us had the entire beach to ourselves. The
water was clear and very calm. Snorkeling was easy and lots to see. 2
life guards floated on surf boards with us. It was an amazing day.
Again, we lost track of time, but I think we had 3 hours here. They
gave us a 20 minute warning hoot on a bull horn, and we walked over to
the showers to clean up. There were lots of showers, lockers, and
snack bars. Soon we were on our taxi, then the ferry. We returned in
time to do some souvenir shopping in Havensight; spices and a t-shirt.
It was very hot, and the Captain warned everyone to wear sunscreen, a
hat, and drink lots of water. Another beautiful island. What a great
day.
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Dominica - Romy40's Rating: 5+
We did a ship's excursion called River Tubing and Jaco Falls. It
was great! We walked off the ship and right onto an air conditioned
bus (larger than a minivan but smaller than a Greyhound). Our guide,
Octavo, was fabulous. It was a 1 1/2 hour drive into the mountains and
he gave us a wonderful narrative about the history of the island, the
different plants and animals, the people, the educational system, the
government, and so on. He did this on the return drive too. The
mountains were much cooler and we could open the bus windows and enjoy
the jungle. Wow. We reached our launch point and donned helmets and
life vests. I thought the helmets were a bit over the top, but after
getting butted by another tuber's head, and my husband then kicking me
in the head, I was darn glad to have it on. The river was calm; 3
small rapids. It was pure heaven to float along. Our 4 guides for the
tubing kept us moving and got us unstuck when we would drift into an
eddy. We had a stop where we could get out of the tubes and swim. I
lost track of time, but think we tubed about 2 hours. We climbed out
and boarded the bus to Jaco Falls. We only had 15 minutes there; not
long enough to hike down to the bottom. We were running an hour late.
We arrived back at the ship to find the top rails lined with our fellow
passengers cheering us on as we ran to board. Good thing it was a
ship's excursion and they waited for us. As soon as we boarded, they
pulled up the gangplank and we sailed off. This island is amazing!
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