A GREAT Noordam cruise 11/7-17, a letter to home

[seafun]

Observations on my latest "inspection tour of the Caribbean"…November 4 to November 17th, 2008… (in the form of "a letter home," to friends and family, mostly non-cruisers (the poor things..)

Dear friends,

 

With great pleasure, I can report that my latest vacation and cruise adventure found the seven islands I visited in the sunny Southern Caribbean to be full of good times, warm waters and beautiful weather.

My two weeks flew by, the ten day cruise on Holland America Line’s “Noordam” nicely sandwiched between three days in the Fort Lauderdale area before the cruise, and then a much appreciated two days at home after the cruise to unpack, do laundry and rest a bit, before going back to work.

The flights to and from Fort Lauderdale on Continental, with a transfer in Houston, were efficient, uneventful and not especially pleasant – like much air travel these days – full flights, packed in like little sardines and a minimum of the pleasantries we used to associate with flying the friendly skies. Still, anytime you and the luggage show up at the other end reasonably on time, and for a reasonable price, we consider it a success.

I had booked a deal on Expedia for three night’s hotel in Deerfield Beach, just north of Fort Lauderdale and a rental car for a very reasonable $217.00. I was pleased with both the hotel room, and the car, but especially the price, lol – especially when many cruisers I spoke to had spent $250.00 or more for one night’s hotel alone! My Comfort Suites room might not have been quite as grand as their room, but it was big, clean and quiet, with a nice big television, and gave me a wonderful base to hole up in and watch the election results roll in on November 4th. Some nice take-out Chinese food accompanied me as I watched the election play out, with the pronouncement of Barack Obama as the President-elect coming at about 11:00 pm Eastern time. It was a good way to start a vacation…

I had entertained thoughts of driving up to Orlando to a theme park or two, or down to Key West, but decided there was enough to do around Fort Lauderdale, so I stayed in that area, exploring various beaches (beautiful, but only a warm up to the spectacular beaches about to come), shopping malls and flea markets. I found a great baseball-style hat with SPF factor 50 imbedded in the fabric, an extra long bill for the sun, and a cord with an alligator clamp on the end of it which allowed me to clip it to clothing in case in blew off – which turned out to be a very wise purchase.

After a relaxing three days of exploring and beaches and lying by the pool, I returned the rental car and headed to Port Everglades for my cruise.

This was my fourth cruise, and second with Holland America, chosen for its “older and more refined” demographic – as in “very few misbehaved children and drunken spring breakers cavorting through the ship”. The clientele is older and generally well heeled, well educated and well travelled. The ship, the Noordam, is less than three years old and is a real beauty. Beautiful public rooms, spacious cabins, lots of art work and fresh flowers throughout the vessel. There’s even a self-guided IPod art tour you can check out from the ship’s library – very civilized… (Photos of the Noordam at http://www.cruiseweb.com/HAL-NOORDAM-PHOTO-GALLERY.HTM

Embarkation was slowed due to “a glitch” in half the computers used checking people in, so it took almost an hour in various lines before actually walking onto the ship with room key in hand. Nothing that a nice buffet lunch with numerous tasty choices to make, and a cool beverage or two or three, and a lounge chair by the pool in the sun couldn’t fix.

My cabin was ready for me right after lunch, very clean and tidy and welcoming, with tasteful appointments, nice artwork on the walls, a big comfy bed with beautiful linens and four big pillows in varying firmnesses, and beautiful sunshine pouring in through the window. Various amenities – a bouquet of tropical flowers, an hors d’oeuvres tray, an ice bucket with a chilled bottle of bubbly, invitations to special dinners and a past guest luncheon all awaited my arrival in the cabin. My home for the next 10 days looked very nice to me.

Our ports of call were what made me choose this cruise. The list included St. Maarten, St. Lucia, Martinique, Barbados, Tortola and Virgin Gorda, and finally the company’s private island Half Moon Cay, a beautiful island with sparkling blue water and beautiful sandy beaches, that actually belongs to the Bahamas. Their location in the Southern Caribbean produces temperatures generally in the mid-80’s with water temperature about the same – like a big blue bath surrounded by smooth, soft sand. I’m a sucker for that weather and the vegetation, palms and exotic flowers.

St. Martin/St. Maarten is half Dutch, half French and has both great shopping on the Dutch side as well as beautiful beaches and French food on the French side. My excursion included an air-conditioned bus ride around the island with a stop in the foodie town of Grand Case on the French side to board a semi-submersible boat that took us gliding along the reefs, admiring the views above the water, then going “downstairs” and watching the fish and sea turtles and coral formations from the underwater viewing windows of the boat. One of the crew dove overboard with fish food and soon we were surrounded by rainbows of fish all competing for his attention. He lured them close to the boats windows for lots of great photo opportunities without even getting wet. http://www.airsxm.eu/page.php?page=42

And then we had shopping at both the local craft market in Marigot on the French side as well as the many duty-free offerings in Phillipsburg on the Dutch side – a great first day of adventures, then back to our floating hotel.

The next day’s stop in beautiful St. Lucia was the main reason I booked this cruise. It’s a spectacular island, relatively undiscovered, with gorgeous green-covered mountains, friendly people and stunning beaches. But I had come for the ride up into the rain forest via the soon-to-be-famous aerial tram ride through the jungle canopy of plants and animals, and the prospect of zip-lining from tree to tree amidst the jungle, with its flowers, birds and butterflies. And it truly lived up to my expectations.

The tram ride is an open air gondola ride – rather like a ski lift ride – from a platform halfway up the mountain, all the way to the top, with stunning views of the forest floor, the plants, flowers, palms, trees and vines that climb up to and through the jungle canopy. Dense thickets of splendid vegetation merge with cascades of flowers; twisting woody vines surrounding old growth oceanic rainforest trees.

The tram holds eight people and a guide who explains the sights as you silently glide along for a 60 minute gondola flight, very slowly rising up the mountain side, through and into the beautiful rain forest, hearing only the sounds of the birds, tree frogs and animals around you. And thankfully, miraculously, it did not rain even one drop the morning we were there – blue skies and gorgeous warm weather views all around us. http://www.rainforestrams.com/stluciaintro.html

And then the fun begins! After getting fitted with harnesses and helmets, you hike about ten minutes through the rain forest to the start of the zip line course. You climb up a few steps to a platform surrounding a tree, clip on to the metal cable stretching off into the rainforest canopy, and away you go, hooting and hollering like jungle monkeys! There are ten lines of varying lengths and heights, with a person stationed at each platform to assist you as you glide into their tree top oasis. It was extreeeeeemely fun and beautiful!

After we finished the course came the not-quite-so-fun part – the 20 minute hike back up to the top, to catch the gondola ride back down the mountain. I can assure you that walking uphill, in the heat and humidity, even in those beautiful surroundings, was strenuous. I was huffing and puffing – as was everyone else – but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!

A couple of ice cold bottles of water at the top, after taking off the zip line harness and helmet, and I was ready to do it all over again. I came to my senses and wisely chose to get back on the gondola for the long relaxing ride back down, allowing my perspiration to evaporate along with the memories of how tough the hike back up the hill had actually been.

Parts of the return trip we were up over the tops of the trees in the canopy, sometimes 100 feet over it, producing truly spectacular views of the trees below us as well as views of the valleys far in the distance. Many oohs and ahhs merged with the sounds of the jungle as we slowly glided back to reality.

At the bottom there was a restaurant, and a gift shop, as well as beautiful gardens, teeming with a rainbow of flowers, to hike in. I took lots of photos and bought myself a tee shirt to remember it all by – a truly remarkable journey, and one of my very favorite shore excursions ever!

Okay, enough for now. More adventures to follow as time allows me to write them down.

[seafun]

Caribbean observations… Part 2

Let’s see, where were we… Oh yeah, the middle of the Caribbean, on a beautiful ship, sailing from island to island through insanely blue waters, eating myself silly (totally replacing most of the 13 pounds I’d lost in the weeks prior to the cruise.)

Shall we speak about the food for a while? That old stereotype about cruises having you walk on as passengers and then they roll you off as baggage still holds pretty true. There’s food available all the time – everything from a little snack to a five course meal. And on top of that, Holland America lets you order room service (for free) 24 hours a day, in case you don’t feel like facing the other passengers while you eat, and there’s quite a bit to choose from.

There’s a complete breakfast menu to order from that gets delivered to your bed every night at turn down time (when they leave the chocolates on the pillow with the towel animals…) You fill that out with your selections and what time you would like it delivered, and then just hang it outside your cabin before 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning. You will be awakened at the time of your choice with your first meal of the day, delivered right to you!

The “regular” room service menu has quite a few choices – as in, if the dining room were closed for the whole cruise, you could still eat fairly well, just from the room service menu! I might as well describe it for you – perhaps a vicarious literary buffet will get those mouths a watering – from starters like the smoked salmon and cream cheese with pickled red onions and capers, all the way to rich chocolate cake with raspberry sauce, and even a friendly plate of fresh baked cookies with a glass of milk! And lots of choices in between! There are several salads, both big and small, a triple-decker club sandwich, hamburgers, an omelet or two, a cheese plate with fruit and crackers, fruit salad, more desserts, etc. etc.

Now mind you – those are all available 24 hours a day – but if you’re ordering any time during “the day”, say from 6:00 am to midnight, you can order just about anything in the ship’s kitchen! I tried very hard to limit myself to order only breakfast from room service, and took most of my meals in the dining room or the extensive buffet area up on the Lido Deck. I actually ate somewhat lightly for lunch most days – and six of the ten days I was off on a shore excursion at lunch time any way – otherwise the poundage would have no doubt been heavier!

The Lido buffet has many options, divided into various stations – sort of like Disneyland rides… There’s the build-me-a-custom-sandwich area, the sushi area (always fun to watch to see if anyone digs into the bowl of wasabi, thinking it is guacamole…), appetizers-from-around-the-world land, several soup choices, the salad bar area, bakery world – with every tasty thing the bakers could think up, the entrée area, the choose-a-pasta and sauce area, Edam-Gouda-Brie and other tasty cheeses land, the many, many choices in dessert land, ice creams and all the toppings land – well, you get the idea. Oh, and if you needed an extra hand to carry it all, there was always a helpful attendant to carry your tray for you, or bring the food to you smiling from ear to ear! “You are very welcome, Mr. Tom.”

The salad bar was open almost all hours with lots of healthy choices, and then there were the many, many “less healthy” options as well (he said, wistfully, remembering all the lovely and tasty choices he made that led to the added poundage upon disembarkation…)

Over the duration of the cruise, between the dining room and buffet, I enjoyed quite a variety of foods from around the world – many different appetizer selections, beautifully presented and almost all of them extremely tasty; escargot, shrimp and crab cocktails (numerous times), baked brie, smoked salmon, carpaccio of beef as well as seared tuna, homemade pates and terrines… well, the list was unending.

There were fifteen or twenty different soups, usually two or three or per meal, from classic French onion drowning in melted Gruyere, to traditional ham-laden Dutch pea soup, an excellent clam chowder, spicy Caribbean fish soups, a decadent cream and cognac-laced lobster bisque – even some excellent chilled fruit soups and various gazpachos.

My entrée choices at dinner were embarrassingly decadent: scampi in butter and garlic, duck a l’orange, racks of lamb, so much beef – sirloins topped with crab, asparagus and Bearnaise, tenderloin in puff pastry, filet mignons, a T-Bone, great prime rib, surf and turf in varying combinations, chicken in several delicious forms and sauces, a nice curry, several kinds of fish, including seared Ahi tuna and some beautiful scallops in beurre blanc sauce, and lobster, a couple of times– gosh I can’t even remember them all!

And I’m not even going to start on all the side dishes, salads and decadent desserts (although the flaming combo of Baked Alaska with Cherries Jubilee was pretty spectacular!)

There are late night buffets with various international themes, as well as a sumptuous all dessert buffet, with enough chocolate to make Godiva and Hershey swoon! Oh, and throw in some big flower arrangements, intricately cut fruit, vegetable and melon displays, and ice carvings to make it look pretty…

I had “as you wish” dining, rather than an assigned dining time and table, and it worked out pretty well for me. I was a bit apprehensive of it, because on my last HAL cruise I had “fixed” dining, with the same group of 8 people, eating at the same time every night, and they were all wonderful dining companions. We had lots in common, had great conversations, formed great friendships, did things together around the ship, and most of us still correspond.

To my surprise, the open dining worked out just fine, and I was able to meet lots more people, hear more interesting stories, and was able to adjust what time I wanted to eat. I told them the first day that I preferred sitting at larger tables, and I never had to wait for a table when I got to the dining room. Occasionally I was the first one at a table, but usually I joined several other folks and we would introduce ourselves as we waited briefly until the table was full – which gave me a few minutes to ponder the many delicious choices each evening. The maître’d always seemed to match me up with interesting people, with only one exception, one night, with a rather dull, conservative group that was lamenting McCain’s loss of the Presidency, so I just kept quiet and ate more than usual. (Hee hee, not talking much allowed me to sneak in a couple of “bonus” courses of food as I recall.)

There is also a “premium” restaurant, ($20.00 extra charge) The Pinnacle Grill, where I ate two nights that has even more upscale choices, splendid service and atmosphere. They feature special cuts of beef (most big enough to feed a small Egyptian village) as well as other delicious choices. There are more courses, a few unannounced amuse-bouches (surprises according to the chef’s whim) in between your chosen courses, a more leisurely approach, fancy desserts and then handmade truffles and coffee -- usually a two hour or more fine dining experience that leaves you swearing you’ll never eat again. (well, until room service shows up with that tasty breakfast tray in the morning anyway…)

The formal dining and the luxurious food choices on HAL are some of my favorite parts of cruising. I (obviously) enjoy the good food, and interesting company and dinner conversations recalling fascinating travel stories and anecdotes, as well as the perceived throwback to a more genteel time. It is very easy to imagine oneself on a luxury liner hobnobbing with the rich and famous as one dined one’s way across the seas – oh wait, I was!

Whew! I have to take a breather for a minute after all that talk of food… I think there are some leftovers out in the fridge. More in a few minutes…

Okay, back to the travelogue part… We left off after the spectacular zip lining through the jungle tops in St. Lucia. I was totally satisfied after my trip through that beautiful ecosystem of palms and parrots and butterflies and blossoms of every color, but that was only halfway through day five, out of ten days!

The “hike back up the mountain” had temporarily drained my energy reserve, and there was only an hour or so before sail away, so I never made it into the town of Castries, probably a ten minute walk away. There were a few shops around the cruise dock area, allowing me to browse a bit and buy myself the obligatory island refrigerator magnet. (I have a collection of hand painted ceramic magnets from almost all the ports of call I have visited. Small, cheap, they pack well and bring back wonderful memories.)

We sailed from Castries at 3:00 pm, and sailed down the beautiful coast of St. Lucia for several hours with the afternoon sun lighting up the coast, the beaches, and the lush green mountains behind them, and finally approached the famous “Pitons.” Two large cone-shaped, obviously-volcanic mountains (think of Madonna’s cone bra from many years ago) that are famous sentinels above the beautiful bay that is home to Soufriere, our second scenic stop on St. Lucia.

We didn’t tie up, but rather anchored in the middle of the bay and sent a couple tenders (small transport boats) in to shore to pick up people who had been on other shore excursions. It was a beautiful bay, with the village in front of us, the sun getting ready for a gorgeous sunset behind us, and a quick localized rainstorm over one of the Pitons that produced beautiful glimpses of rainbows painting the sky. It was very pretty, and a lovely photo opportunity that I took full advantage of with my handy “camera on a stick.”

In addition to regular dinner that night, there was a ”Caribbean Deck Party” with a tropical barbecue of freshly grilled morsels of this and that (I know, I know – as if we needed more food…). It was a Caribbean-themed celebration by the aft pool, with the band playing festive steel drum music, warm comfortable weather, and the cruise director enticing people to take part in games and line dancing (“everybody Conga!”). The bartenders were doing their best, plying people with exotic tropical libations, featuring the very-tempting-looking Fresh Pina Coladas, in hollowed out pineapples (“only $9.95! and the refills a very much reasonable $2.95” they assured me in their cute accents…) I passed on those, but enjoyed watching my fellow cruisers dancing and cavorting about the deck. (I smiled to myself as I thought “Spring Break for the senior and nearly-senior set…”) The night was still young and there were lots of option for entertainment -- shows, movies, the casino, lectures and more – lots of choices.

I went and watched one of the many shows the resident singers and dancers put on during the course of the cruise. For the most part the cast were pretty good singers and dancers; the shows were all enjoyable to watch, with great costumes, multi-level staging that raised and lowered “just like a real theater,” big money production values and professional lighting, and even pyrotechnics and lasers. They were very reminiscent of Las Vegas shows, albeit on a slightly smaller scale, and again, all for free.

Well, that seems like another good place to stop. Next up is Martinique, a French-speaking island smack dab in the middle of paradise…

[seafun]

Caribbean Observations… 3rd (and final) Part

Christmas and extra holiday-related work responsibilities have snuck up on me – delaying this final wrap up of my cruise much longer than I had planned. So now I sit here, a full month after being on the cruise, in snowy Seattle – yes, snowy Seattle, watching the flakes falling out the window as we begin a week of projected below-freezing temperatures. It was 22 degrees tonight at work, which makes me miss the warm Caribbean weather even more…

So a few final observations and notes and we’ll send this off.

As I’ve said before, the beautiful weather and the blues and greens of the Caribbean – the colors of the sea and sky, set against those powdery-soft, sun-kissed white beaches, as well as the greens of the palms and lush vegetation – to say nothing of the rain forests and their riot of colorful flowers -- those delectable soul-warming colors are a couple of the things that draw me back to those azure waters.

I also love the pseudo-Disney aspect of each gorgeous island being a little like a different “ride” – varying cultures, languages and experiences; so different, yet so close to one another. Oh, and then close to 1,000 people who work on the ship pampering you and looking after every need, fattening you up like the proverbial witch in Hansel and Gretel. (“Hold out your finger little boy… No, not fat enough – You’ll have to cruise and eat for another week! Off to another island you go!”) After all, gluttonous eating is one of my final unconquered vices…

As I said before, my experience in St. Lucia, zip lining through the jungle canopy, was truly spectacular, but it was followed by many other memorable adventures as well.

The next island was Martinique, a volcanic island that is a real part of France, the country – as in everyone speaking French, everyone using the Euro as currency, and boulangeries on the corners with their devilishly-delicious breads and pastries. I had intended to take a land and sea tour, but it had been cancelled due to a recent hurricane’s damage to the boat they used (or at least that was the explanation we were given).

So once the boat docked I set out on my own to explore downtown Fort-de-France – a funny mix of French and tropical – Euros and palm trees. Highlights of the day included taking photos of the French fort looming above the city, watching an exercise by a couple hundred gendarmes (police) in uniforms and official vehicles, and then the simple joy of strolling through the bustling streets.

I was able to help a (non-French speaking) fellow passenger find the “supermarche” ten or twelve fascinating blocks into the city from the cruise ship dock, and help him select, and pay for, some French wines. (…very simple if you speak French…) It was remarkable to me that even with the transportation costs from “the Continent,” we were able to find a dry rose and a white from the Loire that cost 2.97 and 3.97 Euros – for which the lovely shopkeeper, charmed by my rusty attempts at pleasantries in French only charged $6.00 U.S! (So a very favorable Euro exchange!)

After that I discovered a large covered market area with lots of interesting stalls run by locals, selling everything from exotic tropical flowers to handmade clothing, local crafts and wood carvings, fragrant piles of spices and home-bottled liquors and oils. It was great fun to browse through and I got some great photos and a giant dose of “local color.” That area really felt like a true picture of Martinique – and I was glad to have found it. Many tourists who don’t speak French have spoken poorly of Martinique, but I found it colorful and charming.

The island of Barbados I’d heard about before – mainly due to the rums from there that we carried at the liquor store I worked at a few years back. It was another gorgeous island ringed by beautiful beaches, as most of the islands are. We were only going to be there until 3:00 pm, and I needed a low-key day, so I chose (foolishly) to do a walk to the Mount Gay Rum factory (“a short walk from the cruise ship Dock,” the literature had said…). Well, 35 long minutes later I was hot, humid and tired when I got there. I took a quick look at the facilities, didn’t see any souvenirs that grabbed me, so I belatedly came to my senses and this time called a cab to take me to the next stop, “just a little farther up the beach,” they said….

The Malibu Rum factory – which is the factory and a beach resort, with its own beautiful white sand beach and lounge chairs , a restaurant and bar of course, as well as a fairly informative (probably because it was mostly air-conditioned) tour of the facilities. Malibu is the most famous of the coconut flavored rums, if that rings a bell or a taste bud… Interesting fact of the day – the rum is distilled there on Barbados, but the coconut flavoring is made in and exported from….. Canada! Live and learn…

The beach was beautiful and I spent several hours there on a lounge chair on the beach getting darker and darker, and then caught a cab/van back to the boat with some folks who had enjoyed WAY too much of the coconut libations in Malibu-Land, but they were funny and having a great time.

The boat sailed away, and after another sail away party with the steel drum music blazing, and another fabulous dinner, and another great show, it was time for another great night’s sleep in those comfy beds. And before I knew it, we woke up at another beautiful island…

Powdery white-sand beaches, lush green mountains in the distance, and a sheltered yacht-filled harbor characterized the island of Tortola. The storied past of the West Indies (“arrrgh, matey”) meets the present day as one of the British Virgin Islands. It was a lovely island, but I had chosen to forego my time on Tortola, by jumping on a ferry to the neighboring island of Virgin Gorda, home of the famous Baths, another of the sights that had convinced me to choose this itinerary.

According to legend, Christopher Columbus in one of his voyages saw the island of Virgin Gorda, noted that it looked like a “fat virgin” reclining and the name somehow stuck. (Perhaps he had been cooped up on that tiny ship sailing the ocean for just a little too long?) I remembering looking as our motor launch neared the island, and I certainly couldn’t see the resemblance – but then I’m not sure that I would necessarily spot a fat virgin if I saw one. Obviously, I hadn’t been on a boat as long as Columbus…

At any rate, millions of years ago, some sort of geologic forces caused gigantic boulders to be tossed together on the shore on Virgin Gorda. (*Note to self: look into finding a well-paid scholarship to live there on the beach and study what those geologic forces were…) The unknown geologic forces (anyone care to donate to my scholarship fund?) created an area on the shore of shallow pools, or The Baths as they are called, that run along the beautiful beach with the boulders creating sheltered pools and fascinating walkways over, under, around and through the huge rocks.

It’s a virtual playground, linked together with a rough path, ropes and stairs to help you get around and through the maze. Sunlight pours through from above creating sunlit pools and cathedral-like rooms formed from giant smooth boulders, beautifully eroded over the centuries. The water is warm, the sky is blue, and the sand is white, warm and soft to the touch. A very magical place…

I made it almost all the way through before managing to drop my camera into an inch or so of water for a split second – long enough to make it stop working. (Fortunately no damage to the memory card and after drying out for two days, the camera came back to life!)

I temporarily stopped and mourned my cameras supposed passing, then pressed on – climbing a few more rocks to get to the beautiful Devil’s Bay Beach at the far end of the labyrinth. It was truly beautiful, and now indelibly recorded in my brain, and added to the “Completed” column on my Global To-Do List. Oh, and the memory is marked as well on my left knee, from where I slipped on a 30 foot tall boulder and scraped off a layer or two of skin as I skidded down to a stop. Battle scars, Matey --- “aarghh!”

The walk back up the hill in the heat (remember the zip line??) wasn’t as delightful as the trip down, but it wove through acres of flowering cacti and shrubbery that were alive with thousands of butterflies. And there were ice cold beverages as well as souvenirs to shop for back up at the top! I now have several embroidered “The Baths at Virgin Gorda” tee shirts added to my collection. I was very glad that I had done the trip on my own, and took my time, rather than do a ship-sponsored trip with only an hour at that beautiful place.

Speedy’s Ferry and Taxi service operates from Road Town, Tortola, near the cruise ship dock, and for $38.00 gave me a round trip air-conditioned ferry ride to Virgin Gorda as well as open air taxi transportation to and from the Baths – much cheaper and more satisfying than the $100.00 the ship charged for a quick visit. And the wait for the ferry trip back gave me time to beach comb along a deserted stretch of beach, finding some very beautiful shells that found their way into my backpack, and now have places of honor in my living room.

It was fascinating to see that many interesting shells on a beach, and I had to control my urge to take several of the large (football sized) pink-lined conch shells home (the ones they blow through). There must have been fifty of them on the little stretch of beach I was on, as well as tens of thousands of smaller shells to tempt me. I only took two small shells and left the rest for the next time…

The last stop on the cruise was at Holland America’s private island, Half Moon Cay, a tiny and incredibly beautiful island in the Bahamas. Its claim to fame – for me anyway – are the powder-soft white beaches and the amazing blue that they impart to the sea water. The ship drops anchor off shore and you are tendered in small boats that hold a hundred people or so. In addition to a perfect beach to enjoy, and a lavish barbecue lunch prepared by the staff, there are a variety of other activities from sedate to adventurous.

Last trip there two years ago I took a “nature hike” just so I could get one of the first tenders off the ship, but they also offer everything from bicycle rentals, sailboats, paddleboats, parasailing, scuba and snorkeling; well the list goes on and on. This time I chose the Jet Ski! I can’t believe that I had waited this long in life to try one out on my own.

What a blast I had! There were five of us in the group and a local guide/leader. The machines are so easy to use, he didn’t spend more than one minute explaining their operation, and then we were off, first exploring the beautiful lagoon, and then as a special treat, the open, warm, beautiful, warm, insanely blue, warm sea and the fascinating coastline.

At one point I got my ski up to 50 mph and that was plenty fast for me. By putting my camera in a zip-lock bag I was able to take it with me and take lots of fun photos as I zipped along the coast – a modern day would-be pirate in a tropical heaven. It was one of the most fun hours I have spent, and fortunately lots of the pictures turned out to preserve that ridiculous grin spread across my face the whole time! It was a perfect final stop on my whirlwind trip across the Caribbean.

Then it was time to pack the bags and get ready to fly back across the country to reality. But not before a visit to a “Gator Farm” outside of Fort Lauderdale and an airboat ride through the Everglades. So I now have pictures of me holding an alligator in my bare hands (uh, about two feet long, with electrical tape around his jaws so he couldn’t bite, he said sheepishly.) It was a nice ride through the Everglades on one of the airboats, powered by giant fans, and we saw lots of wildlife as well as “gators in the wild,” but they are one of the loudest things I have ever ridden, even with earplugs in.

But it was a nice way to finish up the trip, and sure beat spending several additional hours at the airport waiting for my flight home to Seattle. The flights home left on time, and once again the Travel Goddess smiled upon me, and my luggage found its way to the carrousel at Sea-Tac airport.

It was another incredible journey, with many memorable moments and exciting highlights. And the adventures always remind me to be especially grateful for the many wonderful people, places and things in my life. And another reason to somewhat-begrudgingly go back to work, so I can earn more vacation time, so I can keep going on these wonderful voyages of discovery…

Happy travels!

[seafun]

Hi folks,

I'm so sorry for the miniscule font for my "letter home," but once again, the computer has foiled my best efforts to post the review in a readable size... (sigh). :o

Maybe if I stayed home and brushed up on my computer skills, instead of wasting my time on cruises,(he said, lying through his teeth...) LOL... :D

Anyway, if you can read it, I hope you enjoy it. :) Not nearly as detailed as my Egypt trip earlier this year, but it has a few interesting moments...

Happy travels!

[COLLEYBERRY]

Wonderful review as usual:) Sounds like you had lots of excitment .Lovely memories to help ease the wait until the next cruise. Computers don't like me either:D

Thanks for taking us with you once again:)

[seafun]

I've enjoyed your literary contributions on these threads very much (as many have...) and appreciate your kind words. :)

 

I decided to try and upload my photos from the trip, in case anyone wants to put more pictures with my words, lol. (Some day when I grow up (tongue in cheek...), I'd love to have the knowledge and patience to do a review with the perfect, full size photos every few paragraphs. I'm not there yet...)

 

So in the meantime, I'll keep trying to get them uploaded to Shutterfly and will post the link in a day or so, once I get it all done.

 

I wrapped the vast majority of my family's Christmas presents tonight (after working all day AND driving home in the killer Seattle snow storm) so I'm about to go to bed rather proud of myself. And that's a pretty good feeling this time of year. :) Sweet dreams everyone...of azure waters and warm beaches....

[GmaPajama]

Wonderful, and thorough, review. I enjoyed every word - thanks for putting it all together. Don't forget that Shutterfly link now that you've got us anxiously waiting. :)

[Capital Cruiser]

Thanks for your review. We'll be on the Noordam in March, doing the same itinerary, except for some reason they have changed Tortola to St Thomas. I'm looking forward to seeing your photos. Now you have inspired me to go back to wrapping Christmas presents too :).

[seafun]

Let's see if this works... :o So far I've got about 350 pictures uploaded -- the pre-cruise in Fort Lauderdale, shots onboard, St. Maarten, and the zip lining in St. Lucia.

Some of the photos seem to be slightly out of order, and there's no captions yet. But I'll keep working it -- there will be more photos in the next few days. So here's the rough draft version for those of you who are chomping at the bit for the photos. :D

http://noordamcruise110708.shutterfly.com/

Let me know if it doesn't work. While you're enjoying the photos, I'll be struggling through the Seattle snow (aargh!) and see if I can get to work.

You, know... work... that four letter word that allows us to cruise! :rolleyes:

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for taking the time to write your wonderful review. I had read your first couple of posts and had wondered what happened.

We have been to Martinque several times and always docked where we were able to walk right into town. But one time we weren't docked handy to town. We will be there again this February. Where did the Noordam dock?

Thank you.

[seafun]

We docked "downtown," only a couple blocks walk from downtown shopping. We were the only ship in port that day.

The Martinique pictures will give you a slightly better idea -- they're about #330-#350 on my Shutterfly site.

[seafun]

Here's the shot that came to mind, when I said we docked "Downtown"...

[hammybee]

I really, really like your picture of the spiral glass staircase, looking down into the dining room. It captures the elegance of the enviornment, well.

 

It sounds like a marvelous cruise. That you can eat and eat and eat, meet so many different and wonderful people and tuck your tooties into the warm sand, while gazing out at endless blue - well is there a better way to spend ten days in December?

 

Have yourself a Merry one and btw, you clean up well. :)

[xznwfd]

What a wonderful review! I loved your Egypt review as well, so was excited to see your posts today. Looks like I'll have to try zip lining after all - you made it sound so fun.

 

Thanks for sharing your cruise - I enjoyed every word!:D

 

Cathy

[Krazy Kruizers]

We docked "downtown," only a couple blocks walk from downtown shopping. We were the only ship in port that day.

 

The Martinique pictures will give you a slightly better idea -- they're about #330-#350 on my Shutterfly site.

 

Thanks

Unfortunately -- like one other time -- we are there with 2 other ships -- so it doesn't seem like we will be lucky and dock right in down town -- we will most likely be at the new cruise terminal.

[cruiseapril]

Enjoyed your detailed reviews of your port visits. Good to read positive comments about Martinique. This itinerary is very appealing.

[jerseyridgearts]

thanks so much for your lovely review...will be sailing a similar itinerary in February.

[Hugahav]

Thank you so much for this thorough and very entertaining review! We'll be on the Noordam in February (our first HAL voyage) and are really looking forward to it. Your wonderful review (and gorgeous photos!) are only serving to whet our appetite and raise our excitement level even higher. Thank you for taking the time to do this! Merry Christmas to you and yours!

[seafun]

I got the rest of the cruise photos uploaded. :) They are a rough draft, with no captions yet, but if you're hungry for cruise photos, here they are... :D

http://noordamcruise110708.shutterfly.com/

 

I put a few more instructions and comments on the page that opens up for you at Shutterfly. Enjoy!

[COLLEYBERRY]

:)Thank you Seafun for all your effort ,great photos. Have a wonderful Christmas ,wishing you much health and happiness for 2009.

Colleen

[seafun]

I'm glad you enjoy my "literary" offerings (using the term loosely, lol).

Merry Christmas everyone -- eat something that reminds you of cruising!!! :D

[Ontario Cruiser]

Hi Seafun(Tom)

What a wonderful review of our fabulous trip. We will do the southern caribbean again next November but I am waiting for some deals. Looking at the Westerdam (14days).

We also have been blasted by mother nature. Tomorrow (Xmas Eve) we have to find a window to drive to Toronto in between snow, freezing rain, rain and again freezing rain. The twins were born on the 16th (Adelaide and Makenna) but as they were quite small they are still in hospital but in great health.

I really enjoyed all the correspondence with you on rollcall as well as meeting you.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and of course Happy Cruising

Ontario Cruiser (Sherrill):)

[seafun]

Yes, I have one of those horrible holiday drives ahead of me today as well -- 100 miles through the up to 20 inches of snow.

Well, I'd better get ready, get the car packed with presents, figure out something to wear for Christmas and get going.

Wishing all of you safe journeys for the holidays and good times with your loved ones. Tom

[norcal2]

With pictures and words you managed to capture why St. Lucia is my favorite Island. It has the most beautiful rain forest I have ever seen and though I viewed it on the backroad going over the mountain it was an experience. Thank you for an important review for those going to the same places or just looking for exceptional places to visit.

[c-cruise]

Thanks for the great review and for sharing your pictures. We are doing a very similar itinerary on the Noordam in February and had been looking for just this soft of review. Had to laugh when I read about your obligatory refrigerator magnet purchase, we buy them at each stop as well and for the same reasons. We are sharing your misery with these wonderful Seattle winter driving conditions.