Recently, my husband and I celebrated our twentieth wedding anniversary by going on a cruise in the Caribbean. While neither cruising nor traveling in the Caribbean were previously on my “bucket” list, we did have a fabulous time. The thought of experiencing motion sickness on a boat was why I was not enamored with the idea of a cruise, and seeing advertisements with what I thought were heavily-filtered pictures of turquoise-blue water contributed to my lack of interest in the Caribbean. What a blessing to experience a calm sea the entire seven days! We didn’t even need the Bonine that we took along. And what a lovely surprise to see that the Caribbean waters are truly that beautiful turquoise color!
Our boat sailed out of Miami on Sunday evening. The cruise ship had a capacity for about six thousand people; over a thousand was the crew members. A city at sea! The painting on the boat is by Peter Max. Later, I attended a program about his art work which has been popular for decades.
Monday and most of Tuesday, we were at sea. Neither of us had ever been that far out on the ocean. The vastness of the ocean is impressive with no land in site and only occasionally another ship in the distance.
Exploring the eighteen floors of the ship was fun. Alcoholic beverages, gambling, and loud music do not interest us; so we were glad to find some quiet decks, walk the promenade, and enjoy our balcony room.
Tuesday evening, we landed in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
After departing the boat, we walked into town and noticed the vibrant colors of the buildings which reminded us of our time in Guatemala earlier this year.
While we were in San Juan, we explored two forts, Castillo San Cristobal and Castillo San Felipe del Morro. Both were built during the 16th century for Spanish control of the island and used through the Cold War.
After a brisk twenty-minute walk, we arrived at Castillo San Felipe del Morro. By then, evening was creeping up on us; and we only had about twenty minutes to explore this fort.
On our way back to the ship, we walked along the water and enjoyed a lovely sunset.
Wednesday, we sailed on to St. Thomas, a U.S. Virgin Island.
There we visited the beach at Magen’s Bay Park and saw our first turquoise-blue water and white sand. The water was warm and the salt content so high that floating and swimming was easy. We rented snorkeling gear; and after a bit of practice, we paddled around gazing at coral reefs and fish. Several times, I swam with a school of about twenty fish that were approximately a foot long each.
Thursday we stopped in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.
After boarding a pickup truck renovated with a roof and seats to hold sixteen passengers, our driver Bob took us on a tour of the island telling us some history and showing us points of interest.
Imagine the view from these homes!
Probably something like this!
Such a beautiful island!
Friday was another day at sea. One of my favorite parts of being on the ship was the dining experience. It takes a lot to impress me with restaurant food, but it was fabulous! Several of the restaurants that we had access to were formally presented with multiple wait staff who seated you, placed the cloth napkin in your lap, took your order, and brought several courses of food. The entrees were presented in lovely and creative ways. Every day, I enjoyed ordering fish of some variety including, salmon, tilapia, cod, or calamari. The desserts were truly delectable. Some that I tried included tiramisu, espresso chocolate cake, creme brulee, and mint chocolate mousse. I was glad we did a lot of walking so we could work off some of those calories!
For breakfast we usually ordered an omelette; but one day, I splurged and ordered chocolate pancakes with caramel syrup. Delicious!
Saturday we sailed into Nassau, Bahamas, with more aqua water and white sand beaches.
That day we walked for three hours, stopping for WiFi, a beach, souvenir shopping, and finally made it to an historical site called the Queen’s Staircase. Sixty-six steps were carved out of the limestone hill by slaves. Today gardens and waterfall form a lovely, cool oasis in a hot and humid climate.
That evening, back on the boat, we witnessed another beautiful sunset.
While on the ship, the service provided by the staff was exemplary. Our housekeeper shared with us that he works every day for nine months cleaning rooms and changing linens. We also met the acupuncture doctor from China who was working for seven months straight. This was his fifth cruise ship venture. He misses his fiance, but he can make four times the amount of money he makes in China plus he gets room and board on the ship. At the staff parade, it was interesting to hear where all in the world they were from. Most were from Indonesia, Philippines, India, and United States; but there were others from many other countries.
Early Sunday morning, we returned to Miami, another lovely harbor.
Seeing the islands and enjoying the food and service was wonderful; but the best part was spending time together, and realizing after twenty years, we still enjoy each others company. The Lord has blessed us greatly through the years, and we are thankful.
Taste and See That the Lord is Good 