Key West is always kind of crazy and it is a lot of fun just seeing the sights, hitting a few bars and restaurants, and browsing the shops.  That is pretty much what we did in Key West.

Key West

When we reached Ocho Rios, we headed for the beach.  It's a little different than past years: more private, less hassle.  It's fenced off and you pay a couple of dollars to use the public beach.  While there we were approached by a vendor who offered to take us snorkeling for a really low price.  Four of us took him up on it and we were taken to the reef just a few hundred yards off shore.  It was a remarkable snorkel!  Visibility was good, the reef was alive, there were many fish, and we had a great time.  The water varied in depth from 5 to 8 feet which was just perfect. We were even able to feed the fish from our hands.  All in all we had a surprisingly good time.  

Back on the beach, one of the beach attendants named Kevin took good care of us providing beach chairs and drinks for a small key.  We all had a great time-more than we ever anticipated.

Ocho Rios

A quick bus ride got my grandaughter to the dolphine swim site which she thouroughly enjoyed.  Her mom and dad were able to watch her and take pictures from the stands.  Her brother even got a chance to interact with one of the dolphins as a bonus.

Our son-in law and two of his friends did a shore dive over to the grotto just a few hundred yards from shore, near where the ships anchor.  It was a very good dive with good visibility.  While he dove, my daughter and I snorkeled and saw numerous fish among the coral.  Later they met the other family members and snorkeled at Cemetery Beach using equipment rented from the scuba shop. It was an enjoyable, but to short, day.

However, the internet cafe had no one on staff after 10:00pm on the last night of the cruise when several people were unsuccessfully attempting to print airline boarding tickets.It seems like much of the staff, not just the dining staff, "goes through the motion" of giving good customer service.

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