My Eastern Caribbean Cruise Journal, Pt.4

Our stop in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands was my very favorite as we decided to take a tour of Blackbeard's Castle and the "Williamsburg of the Caribbean" which included the Amber Museum, The Villa Notman House, The Haagensen House and the Hotel 1829 a.k.a The Lavalette House.

I took a picture of this old door of the hotel while I was waiting for my husband to purchase our tickets for this tour. The tickets were only 12.00 which gave us at least 2 solid hours of entertainment while you would pay 44.00 if you booked this through NCL. Their tour was longer and did include a few "photo opportunity" sites.

Our first stop was the Amber Museum located in the 1829 Hotel which was originally owned by a French sea captain and in 1900 was turned into a hotel.

Although considered a gem, amber is a wholly-organic material derived from the resin (not sap) of extinct species of trees. Sometimes the dripping resin trapped insects, bark, leaves and other things which are called "inclusions".
One way to tell if the amber you own is authentic is to put it in your refrigerator for several hours. If it is still warm, then it is genuine.



This is a William Comfort Tiffany stained glass window called "In Search of the Promised Land" located just inside the Hotel 1829.

This entire waterfall is solid amber and worth over 2 million dollars.

A dinasaur footprint dated back 90 million years

This is an unusual green resin that has taken it's color from coming into contact with plant life. It is a rare find and only recently discovered in the islands.

A few unlucky insects were captured in these nuggets

This carved clock shows many of the colors of Amber. It was just gorgeous.

This is a music box made of solid Amber mostly in the butterscotch color.

The next few pictures will include the interiors of the homes we visited.

This photo was taken from the veranda of the Villa Notman House overlooking St. Thomas.

This photo was taken at the top of the "lookout tower" built by Blackbeard.

Blackbeard himself. The tower behind was constructed as a "lookout". We went up the very narrow spiral staircase to get to the top and it had some fabulous views.

Part of an old rum factory inside the Hotel 1829.

The back of Blackbeards Castle.

Interior shots of some of the homes. Almost all the wood used in these homes was mahogany.

A kitchen.

This is called the "99 Steps" that lead from on home to another. The homes were built relatively close together but the lush landscape gave a sense of privacy.

On our way back to the ship we took a shot of our cabin located "aft" (or back) of the ship. I circled our balcony. We always shoot for the very back because we like the rumble of the waves put out by the propellers while we are moving and the view is fabulous, especially while leaving a port.

My last post of my vacation will have the photos of the private island known as "Stirrup Cay" owned by NCL and some more photos of the ship.

My Eastern Caribbean Cruise Journal

I just got back from my cruise vacation to the Eastern Caribbean and had the best time!

Ralph and I have cruised quite a bit over our 21 years together and we have found some really good deals along the way that I would like to pass on to you. I also want to share some of our highlights and pictures because some of you have told me you like to see them.


As a bit of a recap, our first day out of town was spent in Miami at the La Quinta Inn off La Jeune Rd. It is the best deal in town for cruisers because it offers reasonable rates that includes breakfast in the morning. They also allow you to park your car in their lot for free for the week and provide a complimentary shuttle ride to the port. If you were to pay for each of those separately it can cost upwards of 20.00/day just to park.


We had planned to stay in that evening rather than go out and find a restaurant so we picked up some of our favorite Gyros from a great little family run cafe in town and put them in the ice chest then transferred them to the fridge in the room. We microwaved them later and it worked our perfectly.

The following morning we had planned to eat and be ready for the 12pm shuttle but around 10:30 my husband started searching for the cruise documents in our luggage and discovered he left those behind ( gotta tell you, getting older is kinda scary) so he had to quickly contact NCL to ask what we should do in this situation. I was sure we were going to be heading back home as the security on these ships is getting stiffer and without proper documentation I just didn't know what might happen. Fortunately they said to just show up at the port with our passports and I.D and we would be fine.

We arrived at the port and got in line to get our "cruise card", which is a plastic card they give you that has your photo embedded in it as well as your credit card information. It is the most important item you carry the entire week of your cruise as it is used to get on and off the ship at each port as well as to pay for any extras on the ship.

Anyway, the gal took our information and went off to retrieve our new cards. When she came back she asked us to please follow her. I was thinking there must be some sort of problems as this had never happened before. We were escorted to the VIP lounge and asked to wait for one of the crew to escort us to our rooms. And then I knew. Ralph had upgraded our balcony room to something larger as a surprise for me. He had booked one of the Penthouse Suites and I was so thrilled!!

I went a little nuts and took a bunch of pictures of this fabulous room.



This is an overall view of the seating area and bed in the room. I spent all my time in the chair with the ottoman. The gold drapes on either side of the bed are on a track and will close off the bed to the rest of the room. It works great for us as I get up real early and read and have my coffee and that way I don't wake up Ralph.



We had a 32" flat screen TV that is on the wall facing the bed. We brought a few movies with us, including the Titanic (I know, maybe not the best choice).

This is the table and chairs adjacent to the bed. We had champagne and bottled water chilling on ice and waiting for us from the NCL concierge.

Here is the king size bed and me in the mirror taking a picture of it. It was a Euro-pillow style with memory foam and heavenly to sleep with the rocking and rolling of the ship.

The bathroom was fabulous. If you have ever been in a regular-sized bathroom on a cruise you will appreciate the sheer size of this one. Here is the sink area that was completely separate from the toilet and next to the tub/shower. We had decorative jars filled with soaps, cotton balls and q-tips. Loved it!

This is where the mirrored closet is (on the left) and the vanity area for putting on your makeup. They had a large magnified mirror and hairdryer available. The closet rods were lit up and you could get to your clothes from this side or from the opposite side which is on the way to the door of your cabin.

The tub was regular size and the shower head was removable. Most rooms don't have tubs, just tiny little showers you can barely turn around in so this was pure luxury for the week.

This bouquet of flowers was sent from the concierge as another welcome gift.

As well as this lovely bowl of fruit.

I will continue with my journey of our 7 day cruise on my next post. I hope you will come along. There will be lots more pictures of the ship as well as the ports.

Cruising to the Eastern Caribbean

My husband and I are going on a cruise for 7 days in the Eastern Caribbean (map shown) so I will not be posting for a few days unless I can find somewhere to hook up my laptop. It would be great if I could blog with pictures each day, so I will see what it takes to do that.

We love cruising and it's the easiest kind of vacation when you live in Florida because you don't have to even see an airport! The drive to Miami isn't too bad and we plan to stay over so that we will have a fresh start in the morning.

Last time we were there we went over to the shops and ate at "Bubba Shrimp Company", but I think we'll just get some dinner and take it to the room and watch one of the movies we pack.

I will be posting pictures when I get back of any tours we may take or just some of the local stuff. We will be visiting Tortola/British Virgin Islands, St. Thomas/US Virgin Islands, Samana/Dominican Republic, and NCL's (Norweigan Cruise Line) private island in Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. We have been on 3 cruises now that were to stop at their island and each time the weather didn't permit so we ended up somewhere else for the day. If we make it this time we plan to walk all around the island then stop for the BBQ they set up. We aren't sun bunnies so we either find a tree to lounge under or head back to the ship.

We went on a cruise last year and bought the "Couples" spa package for the use of their steam rooms. The limit was 10 people total for the ship so we were lucky. They have 3 seperate little rooms off of one big room and each one is a little different. One has a heavy and very hot steam coming in and you sit on long wooden benches. they have hoses and sinks you can rinse off as you go; then they have one (my favorite) that only holds 4 people at a time but has this lovely eucalyptus steam they pipe in that is heavenly. The third room is larger and has warmed curving tiled benches that you can lounge on while getting steam.

They also have 6 loungers seperate from the steam rooms that are heated, tiled and curved to fit your body shape. You can just lie there and close your eyes and relax. It's wonderful because it's very quiet and you can hear the trickle of the water fall.

This is a new thing for us and we loved it. I wasn't sure my husband was going to really want to go much, as the package allowed you to go anytime the spa was open for the entire week, but he really enjoyed it and we went at least once a day. Our skin never looked better.LOL

My "Titanic" Collection

I am a huge fan of the "Titanic" (the real deal, not the movie) and have been collecting memorabilia for about 20 years. I decided to dedicate my guest room as the area to house most of my collection. The "Titanic", as most people know, was a luxury liner that sank on April 14, 1912 just 3 days after it's official launch from Southampton, England.



This is one of the last photos taken of the "Titanic".

This is my guest room where I showcase most of my collection. I even bought a brass porthole mirror to fit into the theme. Most of my pieces have been purchased through private sellers or were given to me as gifts.

The above is a document sent to Father Brown from the White Star Line asking him to please refrain from talking about the tragedy during his lectures. Father Brown was a survivor of this dreadful journey and the White Star Lines was doing everything they could to hush all negative talk about the way things were handled.

This was another document sent to Father Brown welcoming him as a passenger on White Star Line's newest ship, the Titanic. They had enclosed his passes.

When my husband and I took a New England Cruise one of the ports we stopped in was Halifax, Nova Scotia, the final resting place for many of the passengers who drowned. There were several unmarked graves as many of the passengers had not been identified.

On that same tour we stopped at the "Titanic Maritime Museum" and took this photo of me lounging in a reproduction of the chairs used on the ship.

There were several patterns of china used on board but none were as distinguished as this cobalt blue with gold trim pattern. Apparently only 190 were ordered for the ship so it is assumed these may have been used in the 2 largest staterooms or possibly for VIP dinners.

This is the menu of the dinner served on what was to be the last night on the ship. You can see the date of April 14th at the top.

Ralph and I took a tour of the Titanic Museum in Orlando and snapped this picture of a reproduction of the now famous stairway. The gown in the back gives you some idea as to how large it is. It was designed with great attention to detail.

Here we are standing in front of the staircase. The photos are a little hazy as they are currently in a picture frame.

The Titanic has always fascinated me not only because of the tragedy but because it was the beginning of the breakdown of the classes.

Prior to April 14, 1912 there was a distinction among the classes and none more obvious than on the Titanic. The first class passengers had larger rooms and were constantly served by the staff. They also had first priority when it came to loading the lifeboats.

The third class passengers were crowded into rooms with other families and were never allowed above their deck. Some say that the hallways were barred during the sinking preventing them from getting to the deck where the lifeboats awaited.

Because of this terrible tragedy people were beginning to realize that one life was not worth more than another and many were appalled at the treatment of the lower class citizens during a time when all should have been seeking a common goal; to be rescued.

Bahamas Cruise for $20.00, Part II

In my last post we were just leaving Miami on our cruise to the Bahamas.
This is a photo of the sunset that evening. I wish it were better as it was a spectacular sunset.



Our travel agent ordered some chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of merlot to be sent to our room. What a nice way to begin a vacation.

The following morning at 8am we arrive in Freeport. The sun is shining and it looks like it will be a great day.

There are 700 islands in the Bahamas but only 38 are inhabited. Freeport is a very casual quiet little island that supports itself with various goods such as rum and conch (pronounced konk).

This is a view of our ship on the pier in Freeport. We were able to pull up close and walk off the pier.

This is a longshot of the pier from the ship.

We decided to take a tour (on our own) and paid $25.00 each to be taken around the island. This included a stop at the shops, a rum tour and a wonderful commentary of the lifestyle of the islanders by our driver (pictured left taking her fee from the other couple in our tour).

The shopping in Freeport is great. There are lots of people from the island that sell their wares. Many fine sculptures of wood can be found here for a very reasonable price. We bought Justin (our son) a mini motorcycle that was quite detailed for $16. The original price was $20, but Ralph haggled it down. I am not good at that but it is part of their selling just like in Mexico. Once you enter their "area" they will hound you to buy, but there are some great deals.

Another view of the shops.

During our tour our driver took us up close to the mansion occupied by the owner of all the KFC's and Domino's Pizza franchises on the island. They are a couple in their 70's now. The only time anyone else is invited to their home is an annual party they hold for the underprivileged kids from the area.

This is Butler & Sands, the shop where you can go in and taste the various rums they make on the island. We bought a bottle of the Mango Rum. Yummm!

We got back to the ship around 1:00 and went to the main dining room for lunch. Here is a menu to give you an idea of what was available. You will have to click on it so it will enlarge to read it. They have 6 appetizers, 6 entrees and 4 desserts to choose from. If you are like Ralph, you can order 2 of each or more.

Here is Ralph checking out the menu for lunch, but I took this picture for the mural painted on the wall in the back of the main dining room.

This is a longshot of the well-known "Atlantis Resort" in Nassau. We did not go there this time around as we saw it on a tour when it first opened.

After a long day we went to one of the specialty restaurants called "Cagney's Steak House" for dinner. Here is Ralph showing how huge the shrimp were in our appetizer.

It is now Wednesday morning and we arrive in Nassau. This is a view of the indoor shopping just off the pier. Behind this building is a main street with one shop after another. Mostly jewelry.

There was a bit of a walk from the time you got off the ship all the way around the pier to the shops so we stopped and took this picture of me with our ship in the background.

Our room is the 4th one from the right on the 2nd row of balconied rooms just above the NCL logo.

A closer photo of the Festival Place where you can shop indoors.

This is the Govenor's Mansion in the heart of the main street in Nassau. There were about 50 protesters on the opposite side of the street. Not sure what it was about but it had the police keeping an eye out for any problems.

Here is a traffic cop along the busy street of the shops.

This little guy was our greeter when we first entered the Festival Place shops.

A band welcoming the tourists.

I got a shot of Ralph in this getup. He is the 2nd head from the top. lol

This is a view from our dining table in the main seating room. The chandelier was beautiful and the large table below it is the Captain's Table.
There are windows all around the front edges of this room for some great views while eating.

This is the "Stardust Lounge" where all the large production shows are held. We had one night of Broadway shows and one night of a very funny comedian in addition to some variety acts. This is a first-come first-served basis so one night we did get stuck up in the very corner of the balcony.

This little guy is just one of the many animals the room steward makes up each night during the "turn down" service. Ralph put the chocolates on for the eyes. This is made from 2 towels. Too cute.

My last hurrah is in the casino. We were unable to go to the private island owned by the NCL as the weather was poor so we walked around the ship and ended up in the casino. We put one dollar's worth of quarters in the slots and won 5.00. Here I am holding the check.

The slots on the ships don't pay out much so I don't waist my time on them, but we just had to play once.





Ok, it is now time to tell you how we did this lovely cruise for only $20.00.

First of all we have a credit card that is through NCL(Norwegian Cruise Lines) so that all we spend racks up points towards our next cruise and we had enough for 500.00 off.

Second, we booked this cruise during our last cruise and got an additional 100.00 off for pre-booking. You have 2 years from the time you book to actually take a cruise and get the credit.

Third, we were given$80.00 in shipboard credit as a pre-book discount for choosing a balconied room, which we used for our additional fees for the specialty restaurants and a few purchases we made, so that is the same as cash.

We also received a $50.00 shipboard credit from our travel agent because she booked us as one of a group.

The total of credits comes to $730.00 and the cruise cost for two was $750.00, therefore, we paid $20.00 out of pocket. If you include the strawberries and merlot package that cost $30.00 we actually made $10.00 on this trip.