We; mom, dad, Jordan, and me; packed up on Saturday morning and drove to Galveston. It was about a 6 hour drive (dad was going slow to save gas, but I thought we were gonna get shot driving through Houston at 65). We did stop for a bite to eat on the way down there so we didn't completely starve. We pulled onto the island and you could see Ike damage everywhere.
There were lots of boats in the street still. (Sorry, I don't know how to get rid of the underline and it's bugging me.)We stayed at the Holiday Inn on the beach, connected to the San Luis resort. You can stay there for one night and leave your car for as long as 14, so it was a good deal. We wandered along the beach (it was cold and windy, so no wading) and down to the end of one of the jetties. It was neat, but like I said, really cold. We met up with some people from the internet at a place down the street called Fish Tales. The food was excellent and the service wasn't bad. They also have a walk-up ice cream window during the summer. After dinner we headed back for an early night.
Embark day!! The big day had finally arrived! We got to the terminal about 9:30, but they didn't let us in until about 10:30, we had prepared for the crappy weather, but the girl in front of us had on a little polka dot shirt, flip flop heels, and white capris and complained the whole time about how cold she was. Jordan asked if he should lend her one of his spare jackets (he had brought 2), but I said it was her own fault for not being prepared. Once we got inside, it only took us about 5 minutes to go through the line and get checked in, then we went to the VIP lounge with mom and dad to be one of the first on the ship and into the Cezanne Restaurant for lunch. We had also picked up another couple in line with us, so we snuck them into VIP and on with us. (It's good to make friends, they ended up winning the Bingo twice later in the week.) So it was not even noon, and we were on, eating, and watching the dolphins play in the bay.
The rooms were ready at 1:30, so we went and put our carry-ons down (the checked luggage arrives throughout the afternoon and evening) and then went up to mom and dad's balcony. We were waiting on sail-away which is usally right after the Coast Guard Muster Drill (lifeboat), but it was delayed for about an hour. We saw an ambulance with lights and sirens stop at the terminal so we don't know if that had anything to do with it or not.
Dinner the first night, and every night, was fabulous. They had wonderful steak and prime rib, lobster, duck, everything, it was awesome. We usually ate breakfast in the dinning room, as well. I've never had eggs benedict before, but I am now a fan! They also had strawberry waffles, so I was in heaven! Lunch was usually up in the buffet, also very good. I had a lot of fried oysters, and they have french fries that are just like McDonald's!
Before we got into any port, we had two days at sea. We wandered the ship and Jordan took a golf lesson. It poured during his first one, so he had to reschedule. It was very cold those first two days, a cold front was following us and the wind was unreal. I never got near the swimming pools, in fact, I never wore my bathing suit unless it was a port day. They aren't that big, and there were to many kids in them.
The ports were beautiful. Our first stop was Montego Bay, Jamaica. I could never step foot on Jamaican soil again and be fine, however, I did enjoy myself. We went to an old sugar plantation that has been turned into a golf course and tourist stop. The Great House at Rose Hall has been renovated and is beautiful. It's an ongoing project, though. There is still work to be done. We had some swimming time at a gorgeous beach, then went to a local favorite called the Pork Pit for some authentic jerk. It was awesome, my pork fell apart like brisket. Jordan had chicken and loved it. The food was great, the exchange rate, you have to keep an eye on, though. They will try to screw you on the exchange. We had a tour of the area, the big houses, the markets (hate the markets!) and then back on ship to head to the next port, George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.
I want to move to Grand Cayman, not kidding. I'm trying to convince Jordan he needs to get a job with one of the banks so we can move down there. The water is crystal clear, the people are amazing, it was gorgeous. We got to go swimming with the stingrays and I kissed one, got to hold several, took lots of pictures. It was the highlight of the trip for us. We also played with turtles at a turtle farm, kissed one of those, too. We got to see some Kemp's Ridleys turtles, which are the most endangered sea turtles in the world. We also took a stop by Hell. Hell is an ancient coral formation that looks very forbidding.
That night was the second formal night, so we went to The Pointe, a steak house that requires a little extra charge. It was well worth it, the food was fabulous. I had a prime rib chop, Jordan had a 24oz Porterhouse, mom had two giant lobster tails, and dad had surf and turf. The steaks were outstanding and the lobster was good, too. We were there for three hours and had a wonderful time. Our waiter in the dining room had a good night, too, because our whole table of 10 was in The Pointe that night, but we were at two different tables that time. We really did have a good time that night, especially making fun of the CD that had too many songs from the Titanic soundtrack.
Our last port was Cozumel on Friday. The weather the previous two days had been perfect, but in Coz, the wind came up again. We did a little bit of shopping in the port area, but spent most of the day at an all-inclusive beach club outside of town. I tried to go snorkling, but the waves kept coming in my snorkel and I thought I was gonna drown, so that didn't last long. However, the drinks were good and plentiful and the guac was the best I've ever had, so it was still a good, relaxing day.
Our last day was another day at sea, mostly spent packing and wandering the ship. That night at dinner we had some fun, we ordered whatever we wanted, then passed it to the person across from us. Mainly it was to get one of the guys who only ever ordered steak and vanilla ice cream to eat something else, he ate salmon that night, and he enjoyed it!
Sunday we pulled into port about 6am, started debark around 8. Mom and dad's zone was called around 9:30, but ours wasn't called untill 10:30, so by the time we were off and through customs, they had gotten the car from the hotel and were waiting for us across the street. The drive home was peaceful, iPods and rest. Overall we had a wonderful time, and we're very greatful for my parents buying this trip for us.
All pics can be seen at picasaweb.google.com/JordanandKristieRivera
Ah, finally the ability to comment...
ReplyDeleteWe HAVE to find the recipe for Nachi's gauc. And we're glad y'all enjoyed the trip. We did, too.