Conquest November 20 Sailing...Day Four

[texas greeneyes]

Day four arrived, and we were all excited to be visiting Jamaica for the first time. We enjoyed the sunrise from our balcony, then dressed and headed up to the buffet for breakfast, lugging all our Ziplocs full of donations with us so that we could leave the ship immediately after eating. We sure turned a few heads as we passed through! Seven women and one teenaged boy, hauling brightly colored Teddy bears, baby clothes, medicines, coloring books and crayons, and diapering toiletries through the breakfast buffet of a cruise ship are bound to attract a little attention, I suppose!

 

We made it off the ship and headed to the customs lines, where our bags of donations and the "documentation" I had prepared were closely scrutinized by Jamaican customs agents before allowing us entry. Then, following CC advice, we got ourselves a JUTA cab with red plates and asked to be taken to the Blossom Gardens Children’s home. We told our driver that we wanted to donate the goods we had brought for the children, then head off to Sunset Beach.

 

The driver advised that if we went to the orphanage we would have very little time at Sunset Beach; apparently it was further than I had been told. Some of us were quite disappointed to learn this; visiting with the children was a highlight of the cruise we had been anticipating greatly. :( I knew from my research that the nearby Sandals Resort was a patron of the orphanage, so I asked that we be taken there, where I knew that they could accept the goods for Blossom Gardens. The Sandals public relations manager made quite a fuss over us, taking our pictures with all the bags of items in the foreground and thanking us profusely on behalf of the children.

 

We loaded back into our JUTA van and headed off to Sunset Beach, which is an all inclusive resort close to the pier that charges $40 per day for all you can eat and drink, including alcohol. Also included is a waterpark, swimming pools, hot tubs, a nude beach, and more. We all thought it was a great deal, and only wished we had more time there.

 

It was at Sunset Beach that I treated myself to my very first massage. :p Right out on the beach, sister five and I had side by side massages that were to die for! When I got up from the massage table I actually felt intoxicated for a few minutes, though I had not yet had one drop of alcohol that day. (This is where I learned that the "tattoos" you can get on the ship are no match for the oils they massage into your body. :cool:)

 

The food was good and the drinks were great, but what I loved most about Sunset Beach was the warmth and friendliness of the people. Those that have heard bad things about Jamaica and avoid leaving the ship really are missing out!

 

Our driver was there at the entrance to Sunset Beach at 2:00 as requested, and he took us on a brief tour of the countryside, then into town for a quick shopping trip. Then it was back to the pier and another line to get through customs. We were back on the ship about half an hour or so before the deadline, so we made a beeline up to our room, and stood out on the balcony to people-watch as fellow passengers walked, stumbled, staggered, and for the last couple of minutes, ran back to the ship. Quite entertaining! There was also a band of Jamaican school children serenading us from down below; we could see many passengers throwing emptied water bottles containing tips to the children, who gratefully scurried about collecting the bottles. Soon enough, the ship began to move and we were waving goodbye to lovely Jamaica and its wonderful people.

 

We chilled in the room for a while, then went up on deck to listen to a live band that was playing. While we were there, we met a great couple who was friendly and easy-going. While chatting with them the woman mentioned that she works as a dental hygienist. At that, the sisters and I knowingly exchanged "that look", and we all slipped our Billy-Bob teeth in simultaneously, then flashed a big smile. :D They just cracked up, and we all had a good laugh!

 

Pretty soon the husband excused himself and left his wife visiting with our sister group. He came back about ten minutes later, apologizing that his wife had left a necessary item in their room and had sent him to retrieve it. With that, he passed her something we could not see. She lowered her head, then raised it to flash a Billy-Bob smile of her own! :eek: Purely by coincidence, we found who was probably the only other person on the whole Conquest that had those awful looking teeth like we had. She was immediately declared an honorary sister for this very toothy reason, and we enjoyed visiting with the two of them off and on again for the rest of the cruise. Whould’da thought?!

 

We enjoyed dinner in the dining room, then we hit the lounges again to drink, dance, and sing the night away. We were booked on a private excursion the next morning and needed to be there by 8 AM, so we made our way back to our rooms sometime around 1:00. Snacking on room service sandwiches, we discussed how much we were all looking forward to doing the stingray and snorkel excursion the next morning. Then it was time to hook up the bungee and crawl into bed.

 

Next…day five in the Caymans…

[TexasFyre]

Have I missed day 5??? :eek: :(

[rwilli01]

Texas Greeneyes, In the room there is a fridge. Is there a little freezer in it? Also is there a DVD player or VCR in the room. We leave one week from today so wanting to know if we should take some movies. Thank you in advance

[texas greeneyes]

Texas Greeneyes, In the room there is a fridge. Is there a little freezer in it? Also is there a DVD player or VCR in the room. We leave one week from today so wanting to know if we should take some movies. Thank you in advance

 

Sorry, no freezer in the fridge. Our room had a VCR, though we never used it. We were in a Cat 11 suite; I don't know if regular cabins offer a VCR. Have a great time on your cruise!

[texas greeneyes]

Have I missed day 5??? :eek: :(

 

No, not at all. Just about to post it!