25 Feb 2018 Cape Liberty Cruise Port Terminal

Well…we are off to the Caribbean for a 12 day cruise with friends from our community here in Bridle Path. About 30 plus folks will be joining us on the Anthem of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean ship. We’ll be visiting Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, and St. Kitts. It should be a lot of fun…and I hope you don’t read about us! (Oh…who am I kidding! I hope you DO read about us. It will mean we’re having a wonderful time on the high seas!

The Anthem of the Seas is a beautiful ship… Very tastefully appointed with fabulous works of art on every floor. The embarkation went very smoothly and before we know it we were sitting down for lunch.

The ship sailed at three and It was pretty amazing leaving port and seeing the Statue of Liberty in all her glory and the NYC skyline. We sailed under the Verazzano bridge… With the ship’s stacks a mere five feet from the bottom of the bridge. A thrill to see.

We had dinner and then went to see the show…a comedienne who was pretty funny. And then it was off to bed to get a good night’s sleep before our first full day at sea tomorrow.

By the way… The drink package is great. I had a few wines, a gourmet decaf coffee, and a Drambuie.

26 Feb 2018 Day at sea

This morning we had breakfast in the dining room and then we wandered around the ship to see where everything was. The ship is huge and many places to check out. There are some very cozy little niches where one can just sit and read or have a quiet drink.

A few of the cruisers we were with had, before we left, arranged for us all to buy shirts that we would wear to honor Frank, the guy who arranged for all of us to get together on this cruise. Our shirts in the front had a cruise ship with 2018 on it and the words “Frank’s Cruise”. In the back it said…”I’m not Frank”. Of course, Frank’s shirt said “I’m Frank”! We all sang for he’s a jolly good fellow when Frank walked in and we have him his shirt. We all turned around so he could read the backs of our shirts. It was a lot of fun and we know Frank was touched by it all.

Afterwards, My friend Diane and I decided to do some power walking on the top deck and off we went. We started out… It was a little windy but we kept going. By the time we were ready to round the bend of the track… The wind was so powerful we literally couldn’t take another step. We kept getting pushed back. We turned around and the wind the other way wasn’t much better. My friends said..let’s go in and have a glass of wine instead.

Now Allan thought we were out walking, but another friend saw us and told him we were actually drinking. He and a few other friends snuck up on us in the bar and caught us red handed with wine glasses in our hands. The jig was up. We almost got away with it. Lol!

Tonight was formal night and we had a great dinner and afterwards went and did some dancing… Then off for a snack and then to bed… Drambuie in hand.

Tomorrow is another sea day.

27 Feb 2018 Day at sea

Caribbean Cruise

This morning we had breakfast in the dining room and then we wandered around the ship to see where everything was. The ship is huge and many places to check out. There are some very cozy little niches where one can just sit and read or have a quiet drink.

A few of the cruisers we were with had, before we left, arranged for us all to buy shirts that we would wear to honor Frank, the guy who arranged for all of us to get together on this cruise. Our shirts in the front had a cruise ship with 2018 on it and the words “Frank’s Cruise”. In the back it said…”I’m not Frank”. Of course, Frank’s shirt said “I’m

Frank”! We all sang for he’s a jolly good fellow when Frank walked in and we have him his shirt. We all turned around so he could read the backs of our shirts. It was a lot of fun and we know Frank was touched by it all.

Afterwards, My friend Diane and I decided to do some power walking on the top deck and off we went. We started out… It was a little windy but we kept going. By the time we were ready to round the bend of the track… The wind was so powerful we literally couldn’t take another step. We kept getting pushed back. We turned around and the wind the other way wasn’t much better. My friends said..let’s go in and have a glass of wine instead.

Now Allan thought we were out walking, but another friend saw us and told him we were actually drinking. He and a few other friends snuck up on us in the bar and caught us red handed with wine glasses in our hands. The jig was up. We almost got away with it. Lol!

Tonight was formal night and we had a great dinner and afterwards went and did some dancing… Then off for a snack and then to bed… Drambuie in hand.

Tomorrow is another sea day.

27 Feb 2018 Another beautiful sea day

Had a great breakfast and spent the day lounging around the ship doing a little of everything. We met friends for lunch and then did some reading and again… Lots of walking. Checked out bumper cars which we might sign up for tomorrow.

We were invited to the captain’s welcome since we’ve taken celebrity cruises and this Royal Caribbean one. There was some entertainment and then the captain spoke. He was very personable and at one point his phone rang and he said… Oh…I have to take this. And then he said… “Hi. Mom. Yes…I ate breakfast. Yes… I’m wearing pajamas to bed… Mom… I’m kind of busy right now…”. It was pretty funny.

Dinner was very good tonight and then we all went to see the show The Gift. Music and dancing were great but the show itself was a little odd and most of us didn’t get it… But it was enjoyable.Afterwards we met up with friends and had a drink and then Allan and I went off to bed. Tomorrow is Puerto Rico.

Caribbean Cruise

28 Feb 2018 Puerto Rico

Today is my sweethearts 70th birthday! I arranged to have our cabin decorated and all of our friends wished him a happy birthday!

We had breakfast and then it was off to the bumper cars which was a lot of fun. Then we went to the robotic bar and Allan had the robot make a scotch on the rocks for him and I had a Kahlua. It was fun watching the robot do his thing… And the drinks were very good. You program in how much ice you want and how much liquor. It allows you to add the liquor up to a point… And it was still a generous pour.

Our ship docked in San Juan and we walked over to the fort. We definitely got our 10,000 steps in today. The day was beautiful and we sat for awhile at the sea and enjoyed the view.

We had dinner in the specialty restaurant of Jamie Oliver’s… But first we stopped at the schooner for drinks. I was looking forward to a nice filthy martini… But it was very disappointing. Allan’s martini was very good he said and since he’s the BIRTHDAY BOY I was glad he had a good drink. The dinner at Jamie Oliver’s was stellar! Allan had Bolognese and I had lamb chops. We also had the homemade pasta and the meat plank and the salad and the prosciutto with melon. For dessert we had a chocolate brownie that was the best I’ve ever had. Served with caramel popcorn ball and ice cream. OMG! So decadent! Everything delicious!

Tonight we will see a show starring Mark Preston and then go off to dance the night away with probably a Drambuie to cap off the night.

Caribbean Cruise

01 Mar 2018 Port Of St. Maarten

We are apparently too relaxed. We were eating our breakfast, and remembering the great dinner we had last night and the amazing performance at the theatre by Mark Preston who was once with the Lettermen. He still has a beautiful voice and the show was wonderful.

I suddenly get a text from our friends…”are you on your way”? I texted back.”We’re enjoying breakfast in the windjammer”… To which my friend texted back…”what about the North Star?”. Yikes!!! Allan and I totally forgot we had signed up to take the big North Star ball up the thirty stories over the ocean! We hurried up to the top deck and we were able to join the rest of our friends for the experience.

I was definitely out of my comfort zone… But I really enjoyed it once the ball started rising the 300 feet and then swung over the ocean. The view was amazing and I’m really glad I did it.

Since we’ve been to St Maarten before we just walked around a little and got back on the ship for lunch and some sun time by the pool. On port days… You have the ship almost to yourself since everyone goes off for excursions. It was a delightful afternoon.

Since we enjoyed Jamie Oliver’s last night, eight of our friends wanted to try it as well… So Allan and I made reservations for March 6. When Allan and I went last night we received a twenty percent discount apparently because it was a port day. The reservation we want is on a sea day and I asked if we could get the 20% discount again for everyone. The waiter said no discount on sea days. But then I mentioned that my husband and I enjoyed the meal so much last night…To which he said… “You have already been here??? Twenty percent discount then for everyone when you come back with your friends” . Hurray!!!!

Tonight is dinner in the main dining room and then we will see a show afterwards. Tomorrow we will be in Antigua.

02 Mar 2018 Antigua

Last night we saw a good show…a comedian who was also a juggler and did tricks with a unicycle. He was pretty amazing balancing on both the unicycle and a ladder. Pretty scary watching him… But he had a great joking commentary going on throughout the act and we really enjoyed it. Afterwards we all met up for a drink and sat talking about what we all had done during the day. We all pulled up chairs into the area where during the day, the agents reserve cruises and supposedly give the best deals. The cruise agents of course had packed up by the time we got there, so I decided to stop people as they walked by saying…”Reserve your next cruise? Over 30% discount if you pay cash. Tonight only”! No one took me up on it. LOL!!

This morning we were up bright and early to go horseback riding. It was a great opportunity to see the island. There were 18 people on the

Some of the horses were more excitable than others. Allan’s horse had a mind of its own… And at one point, butted my horse in the head and had a little nip. Yikes! His horse wanted to be leader of the pack and kept trying to get ahead. My horse was pretty well behaved…I only had to pull his head up a few times since he thought it was great to eat the foliage on the way. He also wanted to nuzzle his nose in the sand… Which I was not about to let him do since someone told me that after they do that.. They want to ROLL in the sand. We all kept to the trail and it was lovely just meandering along seeing the sights.

We were supposed to ride the horses along the sand and into the water but the waves were pretty high and it was also high tide so we could only ride for a little bit along the sand. We were supposed to get some beach time in as well, but instead, we continued riding for about two hours. We passed a fort and a well preserved surrounding wall that was built in the 1700’s and passed by some hotels that were right on the beach.

We came back and dismounted and the minute I got off my horse, he sprinted away. I’m so glad I was off of him before he decided to go rogue!!! They corralled him… All he wanted to do was eat more foliage across the street. Allan said my horse was just like Ferdinand the bull!!! I’m just happy no one was wearing red!!

Came back and took a dip in the pool and then it was off for lunch.

Tonight after dinner we had the birthday cake I ordered for Allan’s birthday. I ordered three… Twenty five dollars each… So all of our friends could have some. They came with a huge chocolate cake with cherries… That was delicious. We all sang Happy birthday… Waiters included. Then the head waiter told me that the cake was on the house… No charge. I thought that was so nice of them to do that. There was a lot of cake left over and I told the wait staff to enjoy it. It was a nice celebration for my honey.

We all went to one of the bars afterwards for some drinks and to listen to music and then we went to bed. Busy day tomorrow.

Caribbean Cruise

03 Mar 2018 St. Lucia

This morning we were up bright and early and went on the Soufriere by Spanish galleon excursion to see, among other things, The Pitons. According to Wikipedia, “the Pitons are two mountainous volcanic plugs, volcanic spires, located in Saint Lucia. The Gros Piton is 2,530 ft high, and the Petit Piton is 2,438 ft high; they are linked by the Piton Mitan ridge. The Pitons are a World Heritage Site 2,909 located near the town of Soufrière. The volcanic complex includes a geothermal field with sulphurous fumaroles and hot springs”. We were off to experience the hot springs and mud baths which were heated by the lava that came from the volcano years ago.

We boarded an old Spanish sailing vessel and took off around the beautiful island of St. Lucia seeing the gorgeous shoreline with its quaint and colorful houses tucked into the mountains as we made our way to the mudbaths in Soufriere. We saw yachts and sailboats along the way making the voyage absolutely wonderful. We were able to see the Pitons up close as we sailed by.

When we arrived we boarded a van that took us to the mudbaths. First we had to go into the hot springs and get completely wet. The water was very hot but once you were in it was very soothing. We smeared ourselves with the light and black mud and let it dry and then I went back into the hot springs to rinse off and Allan opted for the cool fresh shower to get the mud off. It was a lot of fun… But a little more crowded in the hot springs than we would have liked.

We boarded the van again and we were whisked off for lunch to enjoy a delicious Creole meal. It was very good with homemade coleslaw, BBQ chicken, fish, Creole rice, lentils, and Creole bread. The ride to lunch was a tad hair raising as they drive on the opposite side of the road and drive through the narrow streets very fast. We almost collided with another car coming in the opposite direction. That gets your adrenalin going!

After lunch we boarded the sailing vessel and once again enjoyed the sights as we cruised to a special secluded spot to swim. The water was forty feet deep and crystal clear and the crew threw a ladder overboard and those who wanted to, went down into the warm sea. Allan opted out but I enjoyed swimming for quite some time. You could see practically to the bottom of the sea and some of the people had snorkeling equipment with them and said the fish were beautiful.

We went to the theatre when we came back to the Anthem and heard a violinist who was very good… But he also added embellishments to classical music which I am not a fan of; I much rather hear the music the way it was originally written.

We ate dinner afterwards and then went to one of the bars for a quick drink and then off to bed. We were both really tired from the day’s excursion… But it was a fabulous experience!

04 Mar 2018 Barbados

We’ve been to Barbados before and since we were docked only for nine hours… We did some shopping and then stayed on the ship. We just got word that we won’t be going to St. Kitts tomorrow because of bad weather… So it will be four sea days till we return to Bayonne.

We had dinner tonight at the specialty restaurant Chops Grille and enjoyed some nice steak. Our friends Larry and Diane arranged to have another cake to celebrate Allan’s birthday so we enjoyed that as well.

Went to the show tonight tonight… The guy was an impersonator and sang songs made famous by many artists …But he wasn’t that great. Met up with friends in one of the bars afterwards and sat and talked for awhile and Allan and another couple chatted till 12:30 am. I had already gone to bed… But I was glad Allan had a drink and just enjoyed.

Tomorrow… The first of four sea days until we arrive back in Bayonne.

05 Mar 2018 Sea day

Since we weren’t able to visit St. Kitts, we had a nice sea day… Got some sun… And then we all met for dinner in the main restaurant.

In our Bridle Path community, the first Monday of the month is scotch sippers club… So since a few of the members are on this cruise.. Allan met them for a scotch in one of the bars. I joined them as well and enjoyed a Drambuie.

Afterwards we went to see the magic show performed by someone named JZ. He was very good… Always amazes me how they do those slight of hand tricks.

We went back to the bar… Sat and talked for awhile and then it was back to the cabin. The sea is quite rough and we were rocking and rolling all day. There were barf bags placed strategically all over the ship for those with weak stomachs. We fared okay… But I did take a Dramamine just in case. At night in bed… We were actually rolling from side to side. It was soothing and we did fall asleep eventually.

06 Mar 2018 Sea day

We passed the island of Hispaniola today. The sea is calmer today and our entire group met for breakfast in the main dining room… Wearing our cruise shirts. Afterwards we all stood on the staircase for a photo op!

We lounged for most of the day… I Helped a friend with knitting and had a light lunch and then saw the show We Will Rock You which was amazing! Fabulous singers and of course… The music by Queen! It was awesome.

We all ate in Jamie Oliver’s restaurant and Allan and I enjoyed it but some of the group were disappointed in their pasta dishes. We had to ask for more sauce to be brought out. The lamb chops were excellent though as was the truffle pasta. And the brownie dessert… Yum!

Went for a quick drink afterwards and then to bed.

07 Mar 2018 Sea day

Today we went on a galley tour with brunch afterwards. Unfortunately we couldn’t understand the man who gave the tour… So we really didn’t learn anything about how they manage to feed all of the crew and guests on this enormous ship. (One thing I did hear at one point were the words “fish” and”contamination”. Guess I won’t be sampling the fish for dinner tonight! LOL!

The brunch was very good… Shrimp (I think that’s considered SHELLfish… So I took a chance) and filet mignon.

We spent the day walking around the ship and just enjoying. Got some knitting done and some reading. We got dressed for formal night and enjoyed a drink before hand with friends. The dinner was lobster tail and another selection was prime rib. Usually t the last cruise formal night is surf and turf… So I ordered the beef and asked for the lobster on the side which the waiter did… But seemed surprised. Allan did the same thing and then most at the table asked for the combo as well. It was the first time on cruise that they both were not offered on the same plate for formal evening. Oh well… Enjoyed it anyway.

We went to see the show Spectra which was wonderful but had to be stopped as the seas were rough and the dancers could have been in danger of falling. The half hour we saw was a lot of fun and a great performance by the singers and dancers. The star of the show came up to me and blew me a kiss… Which I returned. Sitting on the end of the aisle has its benefits.

We went back to our cabin and started packing a little as tomorrow is our last sea day and we leave for Bethlehem on Friday.

08 Mar 2018 Sea Day

Today we listened to the captain and crew speak about the specs on the ship… Number of crew that take care of the guests on the ship, number of passengers, what happens to the leftover food, how much fuel is used, etc. It was interesting to find out or that there is an incinerator on the ship that burns waste and all gray water from sinks and showers is treated and then released into the sea. Royal Caribbean is ecologically responsible and it was good to hear.

We listened to a performance by Ross Hunter, a singer and he was very good and I think he will one day be back on Broadway. He has already performed in Rent and Book of Mormon.

We had our final dinner together and our waiter performed some Bollywood dance moves for our entertainment. Then went to see the last show… The magician performlng again. We went to bed early to get a good night’s sleep before our trip back home on the bus tomorrow.

09 Mar 2018 Back home again

We were up bright and early… Just in time to see the Verrazano bridge lit up in the early morning. We started our vacation sailing under it and taking pictures and we sailed into Bayonne on our way home and were able to capture it’s beauty in the dawn.

We had a quick breakfast and then made our way to where our luggage was stored. We couldn’t find my suitcase as the tag that was to designate where it would be came off, but finally I spotted it in the “lost luggage” area looking quite forlorn. We retrieved it, sailed thru customs and found our bus for the ride back to Bethlehem.

It was a wonderful trip with good friends and we certainly had a great time. AND… We managed to avoid two snow storms while cruising the Caribbean!

See you on our next journey!