We put the DYS in Functional, Completing our ABC’s, Jan Southern Carib on the Wonder

[jenseib]

We paid our entrance fee, which also would include El Morro if we wanted to go there, but as much as I would have liked to, I think it would have been too much for the day to do both for us.

 

They do have restrooms here and they were pretty decent.

 

We headed off to explore.

 

This picture doesn’t show it…but another steep uphill climb.

 

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Great views up here.

 

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El Morro in the distance.

 

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A peek at the cruise port.

 

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We did go in and out of little rooms to see. Most were empty or set up with cannons or other things.

 

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Can you imagine sleeping on beds like that?  I have issues with many different mattresses…I can’t imagine sleeping on a board.

 

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Up we go again!

 

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But look at the view!

 

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Some video I took while we were there.

 

 

 

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Looking out over the ocean was just amazing and beautiful!

 

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Even going down was tricky and steep!

 

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[jenseib]

Continuing our tour around the Fort.

 

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Every time we thought we had been through most of the fort, we would see other areas.

 

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Another steep area.  I can’t imagine pushing a cannon up that!

 

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It was neat down this hallway with only a light here and there and mostly dark. 

 

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The dungeon does not look too fancy.

 

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It’s really a big place!

 

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Hello my Pretty!

 

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We walked quite a ways out!

 

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We made our way back and made our way to the exit.  We were getting tired and decided it was time to head back to the hotel.  We stopped in the gift shop and got some drinks, used the restroom and headed out near the taxi stand, which is by the San Crytobal plaza.  We then walked across the street and got an Uber to take us back.  He came soon and off we went.

He was playing AC/DC on his radio and I mentioned I liked his music.  We got to talking and he was a super nice guy.

 

The ride was really cheap too. Something like $3-4 plus tip.

[jenseib]

We checked back in at the hotel to get our bags and room key and headed off to our room.

 

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The view out the window.

 

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I set to the task of repacking our suitcases so the weight was distributed better and pulled out what we would need for tomorrow.

 

After that, we took showers and then headed out to find some food.  There wasn’t a lot of options nearby but I went with Subway and Claire got a pizza from Papa Johns, which seemed to take forever!  We walked back to our room and ate our meals and watched TV.

 

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I went to bed then, but I think Claire stayed up for a while.  I kept telling her she better get some sleep as we had to be up really early to head home!

 

 

[jenseib]

Feb. 4, 2019, Monday, Heading home

 

The alarm went off way too early, but we got up and ready. Claire was a little slow, but finally got moving. 

We took our bags down and I looked for an Uber on my phone. I knew it might not work since it was basically the middle of the night and sure enough, it told me none were available in my area at that time.  So we got a taxi, which was actually sitting right there waiting.

 

Off to the airport we went!

 

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We walked in and weren’t sure where to go. I noticed people putting their bags through a scanner. I wasn’t sure if everyone was supposed to do that or just those going to another country.  I found a help desk to ask where to find the gates and she pointed me the right way and told me to be sure my bags were scanned. Ok, we walked back and did that.

It’s right at the entrance, and I believe it is for USDA, to be sure no food or plants, etc are being brought back to the US. EVERY bag goes through, even a backpack or purse.  It’s funny as I never knew about this and had friends and family travel to Puerto Rico many times. No one mentioned it to me.  And there weren’t any signs or anyone directing everyone to do this.  Now I know!

 

We headed off to our gate and settled in and found some food and then waited for our flight.  We got through fast, so we did have a little wait.

 

We then boarded the plane and set my bag between us.  I knew the plane wasn’t full and we were hoping for that extra empty seat….and it worked!

 

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We were so sad to be heading back to freezing Ohio.

 

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Good Bye San Juan!

 

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Claire’s plan was to watch Mama Mia 2 while flying back.  Then they announced the wifi and movies were not working, so no luck there. UGH!  She was not happy!  Nor was I as I had planned to pay for internet myself and go online to catch up on emails.

 

Luckily we both were able to doze off a bit and did some games on our devices to pass the 4 hours.

 

We landed in BWI and made our way off.

 

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We had a little time before our next flight so we got some lunch.

 

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We called Skip to let him know we were one flight away (plus a drive) and we were tired, but good.

 

On to the plane we went and again, we had the seat between us open!

 

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The flight was fast and soon we were back in Ohio with the cruddy weather!

 

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Actually, it had gotten a little better than what it had been so the roads weren’t too bad.

 

We took the shuttle to our car and loaded up and called Skip once again and then made off for home!

 

As sad as we were that this vacation was over, it was good to be home!

 

Claire had school the next day and was happy that she was actually ahead in work for the most part.

 

We then started working on what our “make-up” vacation with Skip would be.

 

In true form, he was now reluctant. He first tried to say he never really meant it…it was just something he said to make us feel better.  I didn’t allow that.  He had promised over and over and I told him he can try and break it to Claire and see how that goes.

I really wanted to cruise and we looked at Disney options and the prices were just way too high, even with a placeholder discount.

The week we wanted to go was over Claire’s spring break in March and of course many ships were already sold out or close to it.  We looked at several lines and Skip just couldn’t/wouldn’t commit.

 

Then he put a budget in place…a VERY unrealistic budget.  And he said he would not be gone for 7 days.  It was really crazy working with him on this.  He has unrealistic expectations and wants.

Disney World was out because he refused to wait in line.  He wasn’t happy with the cruise options that were left and then decided he wanted Universal and a short cruise.  Disney preferably, but he still didn’t like the pricing.

It was starting to really take a toll on me as he would say yes…let’s do this…and the next day change his mind.  Oh…and remember he has anxiety really badly, which is only getting worse, so once he would say yes to something his anxiety would soar!

 

Finally in late Feb. he mentioned maybe doing Disneyland. I jumped at it, priced it out and made him commit. I even talked him into an extra day right before I booked and he agreed (but then forgot he agreed later….of course).  I talked with my friend Cass and asked her some suggestions and I booked that baby before he could change his mind…which he later did…but too late now!

And that was the next Adventure for our family!

[jenseib]

Thoughts about our cruise

 

We had a wonderful time!  It ended up not going as planned, but in the end, we were happy to have M join us and she was probably the most perfect replacement in Claire’s eyes. They get along so well and M is such a nice person to Claire, who is much younger than her really.  Luckily, Claire is pretty mature for her age in many respects.

 

Many people ask me what my favorite ship is now that I have been on all 4.  Honestly, whatever ship I am on at the time is my favorite. I like them all. Each has its own charm and there are some things I like on one ship better than another, but I just can’t pick a favorite.

 

I am so happy I can travel with Claire and she gets to see all these new places and learn new things.  At school, her homeroom/Social Studies teacher told me that they were talking about passports in Social Studies one day and wondered if any of the kids had one (She has a VERY small class) and then she asked Claire…assuming she had one and yep! She’s the only one that does.

Another time the teacher asked for US areas that are not a state….Claire knew!  Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands, both of which she has visited!

Claire just told me the other day they were reading about Bonaire and the one girl was pronouncing it wrong. The teacher had her say the correct pronunciation and tell a little bit about her visit. Claire is shy but these kind of things she will usually be happy to talk about.

 

Her teacher loves to follow us on facebook when we travel too.  She is a nun and she actually loves to travel too.  She is always asking where our next adventure will be and I reply…whatever has a good discount!  Hahaha.

 

I loved our visits to the new ports this trip and I would do this cruise again in a heartbeat!  I was unsure at first about going out of Puerto Rico, but we ended up loving it.  I would just like to find a cheaper hotel.  That is my only real complaint.  Most are very pricey. I did get a decent price for the post cruise stay, but the pre-stay had very little options for me to choose from and they were all so high in price.

 

Antigua was my favorite port this time around.  It was the beauty that got me.  I would love to visit there again.

 

I am now at 9 cruises with DCL and after my next one I will be platinum.  Claire is pushing for me to get another cruise planned as she wants me to be platinum sooner than later.  She really liked the early boarding perk with platinum that we got with M with us.  And of course, she wants that cruise to be with J and family again….and hopefully we can make that work. Our last 3 cruises have been with J and it will be weird not to be with her again.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

[ravensbad]

On 6/9/2019 at 11:34 AM, jenseib said:

I thought our excursion on a whole was good. We had a great team guiding us.  I just expected better snorkeling with more colors.  We saw a lot of colorful fish, but the coral was kind of plain.  Bonaire is known for great diving, so I expected the snorkeling to be some of the best ever, but it wasn’t.   I did have a good time and glad we did it though.

 

Hey Jen, first let me say that I really appreciate your reviews. I've never been to Disney or on DCL but one day I'm going to bite the bullet and just pay the money because it looks like a lot of fun (they're so expensive though...ugh!). I haven't finished reading this one yet but going through the Bonaire section and wanted to comment. I was really surprised when I saw where they took you to snorkel... There is much better snorkeling over by that island you were talking about where they quarantined people, Klein Bonaire. I've gone snorkeling with Woodwind twice in Bonaire and it has been phenomenal both times. Definitely suggest checking them out if you plan to go back. They do tend to book up far in advance because they're so good but there are several companies that can take you out to Klein Bonaire. Also, it's drift snorkeling, so you don't even have to do a ton of swimming you just float and let the current move you. I've read that you can also take a ferry over to the island and then do your own drift snorkeling from one part of the beach to another and then walk back but Woodwind is awesome so I've never seriously considered doing that.

[jenseib]

On 9/1/2019 at 12:46 AM, ravensbad said:

 

Hey Jen, first let me say that I really appreciate your reviews. I've never been to Disney or on DCL but one day I'm going to bite the bullet and just pay the money because it looks like a lot of fun (they're so expensive though...ugh!). I haven't finished reading this one yet but going through the Bonaire section and wanted to comment. I was really surprised when I saw where they took you to snorkel... There is much better snorkeling over by that island you were talking about where they quarantined people, Klein Bonaire. I've gone snorkeling with Woodwind twice in Bonaire and it has been phenomenal both times. Definitely suggest checking them out if you plan to go back. They do tend to book up far in advance because they're so good but there are several companies that can take you out to Klein Bonaire. Also, it's drift snorkeling, so you don't even have to do a ton of swimming you just float and let the current move you. I've read that you can also take a ferry over to the island and then do your own drift snorkeling from one part of the beach to another and then walk back but Woodwind is awesome so I've never seriously considered doing that.

 

That's good to know. I didn't have a lot of options when I booked through DCL and really didn't have a lot of time to research but if we go back I will keep this in mind and look for better options.

 

Thanks!

[Snooptoo]

Thank you very much for your review! I am lucky enough to be going on the Wonder for the second time in three weeks. We just found out we were going two weeks ago. I was interested in the changes as the last time was in 2011. This time it is just the Hubby and I. The kids are seniors at university and high school and are upset that they could not get away when their Dad "scored a deal."  I am excited to try Tiana's as the last time it was Parrot Cay, my least favorite restaurant. Congratulations on your Grand Slam!

[Bet_The_Field]

Thanks for the review.  It was a great read.

[jenseib]

19 hours ago, Snooptoo said:

Thank you very much for your review! I am lucky enough to be going on the Wonder for the second time in three weeks. We just found out we were going two weeks ago. I was interested in the changes as the last time was in 2011. This time it is just the Hubby and I. The kids are seniors at university and high school and are upset that they could not get away when their Dad "scored a deal."  I am excited to try Tiana's as the last time it was Parrot Cay, my least favorite restaurant. Congratulations on your Grand Slam!

 

You are going to have so much fun. I was really close to going on the Magic for the Oct 12 sailing to Bermuda, but I held off. My friend J is on it but then my daughter had homecoming on the 12th and I decided we should stay home for her first homecoming.  She only has 4 years of highschool and I don't want to miss anything.

It ended up being a good thing as I am now going on the inaugural christening cruise of the NCL Encore Nov. 21. I actually won that cruise with air included, so it's a great deal. hahahaha.

I really liked Tiana's a lot.

 

5 minutes ago, Bet_The_Field said:

Thanks for the review.  It was a great read.

 

Thanks for reading! It was such a fun cruise.  I can't wait for my next Disney one, but I have 2 NCL cruises scheduled (one in Nov and one in June) so it might be longer than I like before I get on one of their ships again.

 

 

[Bet_The_Field]

32 minutes ago, jenseib said:

 

 

 

Thanks for reading! It was such a fun cruise.  I can't wait for my next Disney one, but I have 2 NCL cruises scheduled (one in Nov and one in June) so it might be longer than I like before I get on one of their ships again.

 

 

Me too.  26 days and counting and we will be on the Magic for the first time.  Your review definitely helped pass the time.  

[jenseib]

On 10/15/2019 at 5:34 PM, Bet_The_Field said:

Me too.  26 days and counting and we will be on the Magic for the first time.  Your review definitely helped pass the time.  

 

 

 

Thanks!  Have fun!