summercruisin'

All too soon (read: before I could get sunburned!), it was time to go back to the ship. Our guide met us right on time in the spot he showed us, and we piled back into the bus for the ride back. This time when the guide cranked up the music, I was able to sit back and enjoy it (even dance along a little).

ah....there's that resort I may go to one day....

When we got back to the parking lot right by the ship, I reminded my guide that I had not paid for our tour yet, and he smiled and said my husband had told him I had all the money (which was true! I had forgotten to send any back with him). I gotta give it to the guide, he was not pushy at all and didn't act like he was worried we were trying to cheat him in any way (which we would never do). So, we paid him and headed to the Breeze.

When we got back onboard, DH and I decided to go back out to the shops really quickly to pick up a few souvenirs for my niece and nephew and a few t-shirts for me, since we had never been to St. Kitts before. So, I changed clothes really quickly, convinced DS to watch DD, gave him directions in case something went terribly wrong (knowing it was unlikely, as there are shops just past the gate right there at the port), and we headed out. There is a Cariloha right there (oh, those bamboo clothes!), so we went there to buy DH a shirt (we already have the sheets!). We then went to a few shops and picked up a few things. I found that the prices for the same things varied wildly from shop to shop, so if you go looking for typical tourist souvenirs in St. Kitts, be willing to shop around a little. We were back onboard in under an hour (and about 20 minutes before the time we were supposed to be back onboard).

I was not happy to leave St. Kitts :(

but DS was

not too far out, we saw this other volcanic island nearby,

and DS used the ships' coordinates to research it and find out about it. We think we were looking at Saba, which is about 5 square miles and has beautiful diving opportunities, but is apparently very difficult to access and is known for its tiny airport runway. Anyway, feeling a little more "in control," DS was feeling happier :) and we were on our way to San Juan!

We drove back down the mountain with everybody hanging on (and I literally put my feet out like we were riding a coaster....didn't help DS's nerves)

with pretty views....

When the guide dropped off the four of us who wanted to go to the beach, he walked with us into an open air building that had a bar and a nice seating area to show us where to meet him in an hour and a half. I asked him if they were going to have to go back up AND back down the steep hill that we come over, hoping I would be able to tell him to please go back and assure my nervous child that all was well because they were going a different way than that which we came, but, alas, he said "yes." So, I did what every good and loving mom does and told him not to say a word about it then. :o

They were off, and we headed to a warm and sunny sandy spot

DD was excited there was a pier to jump off of (I tell people I have an Eeyore and a Tigger....I swear, they are so different! Really, they both have anxiety, but they approach it and manage it completely differently). After I watched several other people, including kids, safely throw themselves off the pier, I let her go at it as well.

Then we walked over to this other little pool where some people were swimming and climbing all over the rocks.

I did not let DD go swimming in there, despite her begging. I was just too nervous to let her in there alone, especially since the water seemed to be pretty powerful spilling over the rocks and then being sucked back out into the ocean, and I did not feel like climbing over slimy rocks to get in with her. It was pretty though.

Aaannnnndddd, he was right. We soon got to a very steep road, and even the driver made a comment about hoping we could get to the top (really, dude???). And then he cranks up the music (which I love, DS - not so much) and floors it. So, I'm trying to distract DS with pointing out the pretty views

(sorry it's blurry....I had a lot going on!)

and the dark red sand on this beach and the hotel we would maybe stay if they update their airport and the cool volcanic looking rocks on the side of the road and the promise of the "best view ever"...anything to keep him from completely freaking out. And by the grace of God (or whatever you believe in that may have helped me out!), we made it to the top. And the view was beautiful! Caribbean on one side; Atlantic on the other.

We pulled into a tiny parking lot with a few tables where people were selling local stuff, a small truck for selling drinks and snacks, and a lot of people crammed in close to the edge of the mountaintop for the view. Oh, and a man with a monkey and another man leading a miserable looking donkey with a kid on its back right through the crowd without concern that there were an awful lot of toes in flip flops very close to the pitiful donkey's hooves. DS took one look at it all and went right back to the bus (bless.) with DH right behind him to try to alleviate some stress. DD got very excited at the prospects of holding a monkey (no) and riding the donkey (ok, fine, I'll let you hold the monkey knowing it's going to cost me, but there's no way I'm rewarding those causing obvious suffering to the donkey).

After a fairly brief stop at the viewpoint, our guide told us that the next stop was the beach, where we could either choose to stay for a while and have him come back to pick us up, or we could go ahead back to the ship. The one thing that I insist on doing at every stop, if at all possible, is spending some time on a beach. Especially if we are visiting a new island, so OF COURSE I want to go to the beach, but DS says he is sooooo done and refuses to go to the beach. He says he is most worried about going back down the hill and just wants to get back on the ship where he feels safe. I tried to reassure him, and even acted like I know something (:rolleyes: "to be sure they are going to just loop on around a different way instead of going back the way we came, right?? I mean, it's a tour!"). I apparently was not very convincing.

Anyway, I have learned from past experience that it is no fun for any of us if I force him to go to the beach, so DH and I talked it over, and he agreed to escort DS back to the boat (glad I didn't have to rock paper scissors over it!)while DD and I went to the beach for an hour and a half (YAY!!). I was a little nervous, but another couple from our ship were also planning to go to the beach for a while, and the guide said some people on the first bus that came through stayed at the beach, so I felt a little better with my new "friends" :D

So, we went on our way again, with DS securely trapped on the inside seat of the bus (so he would be less likely to jump out! :eek:). Heading out of the rainforest...

He survived the drive back down the hill when I made jokes that it was like a roller coaster, but slower. Then we drove back out into the countryside on our way to "the best view point on the island."

We got a pretty good view of the mountain on Nevis, the sister island

We passed the airport, and DS announced we would not be flying into St. Kitts anytime soon, thanks to the fairly short runway with the mountain nearby.

It was about this time that DS realized that going to the "best viewpoint on the island" may involve going up another steep hill...

Thanks so much for the great review! We will be cruising the Breeze September 11 2016. Definitely going to be doing the internet thing you wrote about to keep in touch on the boat! We did Disney a few years back and they have phones in every room for use to keep in touch on the boat so I was worried about not having that on this trip!

Thank you! I will be telling a little more about some great stuff on the ship :D. The hub worked out really nicely. I was worried (because I don't trust myself to work technology correctly), but it was perfect. We had to put our phones on airplane mode but connect through Carnival to use the hub, and I just knew when I got home there would be astronomical numbers on my phone bill somehow, but there were no surprises! :D Enjoy the Breeze!

Hi. I board the Breeze end of January and LOVE reading your review!

Thank you! Can't wait to read more!

Hi! Thank you so much! I'm about to get back to it :). Hope you have a great time on your cruise!!

Oh Wow - I love your review - and I share your love of Matt Mitcham! Hurry up...I gotta hear the rest of the monkey story - I just hope your tour guy didn't stop on the side of the road to see the monkey in the diaper that we passed on our tour in St. Kitts! Thank you for taking the time to write your review!!

Ha!! It's like you were there with us! :p It's a cute monkey in the diaper, at least. The donkey alongside was adorable (but pitiful) too. I'm about to get back to the story :D

Thank you for the compliments! And, you'll see more of Matt soon......:p

I am so enjoying your review! I literally just LOL'ed sitting here at work reading this last entry! Isn't it always the case when you feel you probably should NOT laugh that you just can't help yourself? :D

 

We are sailing the Breeze in January with our two youngest kids, ages 13 and 10. Love hearing how your kids enjoyed the adventures and hoping ours do the same. It is their first cruise and I want them to love it as much as DH and I do!

 

Can't wait to read more....thanks for doing such a great job on it :)

Thank you!! I am excited for you getting to take the kids on the Breeze soon! Hopefully, they will have a great time. Mine both have been on several cruises and really do enjoy them (as long as I plan carefully for DS :D). Really, I attribute part of his coming so far to our cruises....they usually bring out the best in him and help him have the nerve to try new things, as long as he has some ideas what to expect and is given some input on planning. He didn't take me laughing at him in front of the monkey so well :p

Thanks again!

We found a lovely old bell tower.

and some very large elephant ears plants!

We were under a lovely canopy of old trees bedecked with moss,

and then we saw this...

and I smiled delighted by catching such a cute furry friend frolicking in the trees above us. Big mistake. BIG. mistake. No, I did not get attacked by the monkey. In fact, he didn't appear to pay me a bit of mind. But, my smile instantly alarmed DS and made him hiss at me, "stop smiling" between his tightly pursed lips while backing away slowly. Well, this only served to make me laugh a little more (having somehow forgotten the stern warning I had received only some hour or so before). DS was not amused or very tolerant at my "laughing at him," so back to the bus we went, although he also did not want to get back in the vehicle for the drive down the hill. We talked him into it, assuring him that all was well and yet having no idea what was still to come...

(by the way, I swear I don't generally make light of DS's anxieties, but sometimes I have to find the tiny bit of amusement in it so as not to take it, or myself for that matter, too seriously and get wrapped up in it. It really makes me sad that he lives in a world that feels like a constant threat to him, and I truly hope and pray that our experiences will one day help him become more comfortable in his own skin. He's come INCREDIBLY far over the past few years, and I'm so proud of him! :))

So, we are driving in the rainforest and enjoying the pretty views

and we are getting higher and higher on a hill, seeing pretty views....

and then it started going terribly wrong again, as the bus we were in began to stall on the hill. It cut off and rolled backwards slightly, and DS began to panic. Then it got going again and cut off AGAIN. It was a good thing DS was sitting on the inside of the bus, because I believed him when he threatened to jump out and walk up the hill. We got going again and found ourselves at the top of the hill at the manor, just in time for a much needed break.

We walked along a path beside a small cottage and found this beautiful GIANT 400 year old tree. DH and I were impressed. DS was not. DD is almost always in her own happy world. :)

We were given about 30 minutes to explore the grounds on our own.

It was about this time that our guide told us that there are more monkeys on the island than there are people. This led to DS (who was just starting to calm down a little and enjoy the drive, thanks to the driver's safe and cautious driving!), and after the comment about the monkeys, he began to tell me about some information he had learned about monkeys, having done a little research on them after a trip to Disney, including something he read about some species of monkeys feeling threatened if humans smile at them....so DS warned me to never smile at a monkey just in case. Yeah...this is going to come up again later! :rolleyes:

We passed one currently dried up stream coming off the bloody river (and heard the story...so sad!).

and drove along the ocean....beautiful!

Next we headed toward the rainforest and to our first stop, at Romney Manor.

We got to see some historical buildings, some schools, and how some people in town live.

We pulled over to the side of the road to see baby birds nesting while their parents were out getting food...

As we drove out into the countryside, we passed the med school, and I encouraged DD to remember this location one day! :p

On St. Kitts there are several small village communities separated by short spreads of countryside. Our guide said each community seems to have its own sort of "personality."

First we drove through the town area near the port, while our driver gave us some information about the island and the buildings we were seeing. The driver was very informative!

We decided to wait the 10 minutes the guy promised us it would take for the next van to come along (um....more like 25), and during that time, I was bitten by some sort of ant (I'm allergic to all bug bites), so that really threw DS into quite the tailspin. Meanwhile, he is near tears trying to convince me to take him back to the ship and also telling me how crazy I am to go to some volcanic island and agree to ride in some random bus thing that I know nothing about with no allergy meds, no phone service, and no plan. I have to admit, he even had me second guessing my parenting skills!

Finally, the other van came and we got onboard...

DS was not feeling any better....but we said "goodbye" to the Breeze and headed out for a tour of the island!

To his credit, despite is incredible discomfort with the whole situation, DS didn't balk too terribly when I told him to trust me (as I wing it) and get off the ship. There was a time in the not-so-distant past that he would have completely refused and done whatever it took to get out of going, but this time he went along and just voiced his concerns. Over and over.

We got off the ship and walked to the gate, dodging photographers (with my multiple apologies for his seemingly rude "no!" to their not-so-gentle attempts to get us to stop at the no fewer than 5 photo setups....whew!)

DS was walking ahead of us far enough to make me worry he would take off running, if it weren't for my knowing how anxious he was feeling. I thought it prudent to hear out the first tour salesperson we came to, who happened to be standing right before that gateway (the guy in an orange vest). It happened, though, that in the stress of leaving the cabin, I forgot to pack any cash at all. So, back to the ship I went. Did you know that if you get right back on the ship pretty much as everyone is getting off, Carnival employees get a little confused and aren't really prepared for your return? :p

After some quick explaining, a sprint up 2 flights of stairs to the room, apologies to the room steward for busting up his cleaning attempts, frantic digging through the room safe to grab a handful of cash, dashing back down 2 flights of stairs, apologizing AGAIN to the photographers for once again refusing to pose.....the first tour guy was busy. But that turned out okay, because in that time, I had this feeling I could get a better deal if I went a little further down the street.

We walked through the gate and about a half a block past it where we found a guy trying to get passengers for his yellow banana tour. He offered a much better deal for basically the same trip (about half as much for the three "adults" and the littlest went for free, plus free sodas and water). He promised the truck would be ready to go in about 20 minutes and that we could meet him at the stop at that time (this was important, because I knew waiting around at the stop would increase DS's anxiety). He told us we could pay later, gave us bracelets, and told us where to meet him in 20 minutes.

We walked around some of the shops in that little bit of time and then headed to the stop after about 15 minutes to find that the open-air van was already filled. :mad: Ugh.

So, I've never been to St. Kitts before, but I was looking forward to it. But, then I got in this funk, mostly because my brother passed away unexpectedly 2 months before our trip (prime planning time). I've already lost both parents, and so it was really difficult losing him. And in my funk, I got irritated that the mom of the family (that's me!) always has to do all the planning for trips. :cool: So....I got the not-so-brilliant idea to just....not.

Well, it was all good and fine until we got on the ship, and that's when it hit me that we were going to a new island without a plan. Oops. :o

When we were arriving, we had a great view of this beautiful island....

with that very tall hill still in the fog and clouds....

and DS took a closer look. Wait....is that a volcano???

and off he goes to research it really quickly, because that's what he does. He found out it is indeed a volcano. So, I'm busy trying to put on an optimistic smile and convince him that the possibility of seeing black sand is just soooo cool, no matter that I have no idea how we are going to get to the black sand....it's all good, right? :o Um. No.

Coming up soon......our day in St. Kitts (also known as the day I behaved like I've never lived with, much less traveled with, an individual with autism and anxiety before!)...

YES!!! I just knew somebody would recognize the Pirate on the t-shirt (representing across the Caribbean!!) :D. Aaaarrrrgghhhhh!! And how lucky are you with a house on Bogue Sound! Not too many places as beautiful as that area. Since I teach' date=' I spend most of my summers in Florida, and I STILL come back every year for 4th of July at Emerald Isle....family tradition! We do indeed share the same passions! Something about Pirates and our ships :D

 

Wouldn't a B's be amazing?? Lawd! People would be mad when they sell out and pack up by 11:18 or some crazy time! :p

 

I am so jealous you will be very close to my happy spot in just a few short months! Hope you have a great time!

 

#noquarter[/quote']

 

Forgot to mention....one of the reasons (beyond the obvious) that I wear an ECU shirt at some point on almost every cruise is because it never fails.....I always find at least one (usually more) other fan of the purple and gold! Makes my heart happy :p

Enjoying your review! We have lots in common.....Such as Purple- Gold! First Down Pirates! Getting Rowdy in Dowdy,lol! Both my wife and I are ECU grads as well as our daughter. We were there a tad before y'all (me 75-79; DW 78-82). We're dealing with the rain as well.....We have a house on Bogue Sound, Atlantic Beach. We are booked on the Breeze for Jan. 16, 2016 in a cove (2264) which is also under the excursion desk area.

Glad to hear it is quiet!!! Our passion is Pirates and Cruising, AARRGGGHHH! Think we could get a B's Barbecue on the Lido deck?

YES!!! I just knew somebody would recognize the Pirate on the t-shirt (representing across the Caribbean!!) :D. Aaaarrrrgghhhhh!! And how lucky are you with a house on Bogue Sound! Not too many places as beautiful as that area. Since I teach, I spend most of my summers in Florida, and I STILL come back every year for 4th of July at Emerald Isle....family tradition! We do indeed share the same passions! Something about Pirates and our ships :D

Wouldn't a B's be amazing?? Lawd! People would be mad when they sell out and pack up by 11:18 or some crazy time! :p

I am so jealous you will be very close to my happy spot in just a few short months! Hope you have a great time!

#noquarter

Your review is so entertaining! Breeze is one I am looking at for 2016

Thank you! You will love the Breeze in '16. I'd go again, even without Matt :D

Thanks for haring, we leave on the Breeze in 21 days.

Thank you! I am some kind of envious of you right now!

Thank You for your review so far! I am trying to decide between the Breeze and the Magic, for August 2016, and right now leaning toward the Breeze!

She looks like a Beautiful ship!

You give a fun review!

 

--Lori

Thank you, Lori! I am sure you will love either one (but the Breeze is better! :D)

I forgot to mention a pretty important detail earlier in my review! DS and I had both downloaded the new Carnival Hub app that is available on the Breeze. For $5 each, we were able to keep in touch wherever we were on the ship through texts. So, he was able to text me a few times during Chef's Table to let me know he and his sister were safe. That was a relief! In the past, we have always used lots of coordinating schedules, leaving notes, and using phones all over the ship to call our cabin and check in. It was really nice to have the ability to text him at any time (and vice versa), not only to reassure this worrying mom, but also to tell each other things that were going on that the other may be interested in. It also made it easier to find each other in large public places (such as when he went to the theatre one night and I was a few minutes behind him). The Hub app also gives you a map of the ship, a listing of the day's events, and other good information. DH, who always insists on putting his phone in the safe and NOT. TOUCHING. IT. even considered getting the Hub. He changed his mind though....maybe next time! :D

Another new and improved thing, IMHO, on the Breeze (and maybe fleetwide?) is that I could get unlimited Internet on one device for $60 for the entire cruise. I can remember the not-too-distant past where we had to pay something like $4 just to log in and then a ridiculous by-the-minute plan or a slightly less ridiculous by chunks of minutes plan BUT the service was so slow, I ended up often feeling cheated of a good number of my package minutes. This new plan was a much better alternative!

The last savory dish was Wagyu beef short ribs with bone marrow soufflé (again....kinda gross name) and some sort of tasty square thingy (that is NOT the official name :D) with scallions in it.

By this time I was certain I was getting too full, and it was difficult to enjoy the course, much less be open minded to trying bone marrow soufflé. But I did. Don't want to insult the chef!

Next up was a dessert, but I was so full, I couldn't even enjoy taking a picture of it, apparently :p. It had a collection of mini desserts, everything from cake to chocolate to gel and lots more!

After all that, we practically crawled back to our rooms like overstuffed slugs, found the kids tucked in watching a movie alongside a cool bunny....

The next course was a tomato bisque soup. It started with this cheese log and then the servers poured two types of tomato soup over it and it melted in.

I do not really love tomato soup, but this was good. DH does like tomato soup in general, and he liked this as well.

After the soup course, our table was visited by the ship magician. Since DH and I were at the end of the table, we were chosen for some of the card illusions. The magician did a couple of tricks, and he was a lot of fun! He had a great sense of humor and was good at fooling the eyes!

The magician went to the other end of the table and did more tricks with other "volunteers," including a trick using one wedding ring of a newly-married same-sex couple of frequent cruisers, which was lots of fun. After he was all done, we were served the next course....

this one was sea bass with pumpkin (if I remember correctly) cubes, one topped with a piece of popcorn, the other topped with a merengue cookie. It was a tasty dish. However, it was topped with "lobster foam" and just the name of that is not appealing. I don't know if I was getting ridiculously full or if there was something about that name....

After the duck, we took a break and toured the galley more. The chef showed us the different prep areas and gave general information about food orders, food prep, and so on. We saw the line where our wait staff go to collect our orders.

ovens

the line

We went to the pastry area to see how the warm chocolate melting cakes are made. One of the guests in our party got to "help"

Then it was back to the table to continue our meal. At some point, our assistant waitress found us to tell us that our kids had arrived in the dining room and seemed happy :). That was sweet of her.