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Post by JeriJet on Sept 26, 2013 16:19:44 GMT -5
I think you'll have a great cruise, Jan -- four good ports, beautiful weather, fun on board. Doubt very much if hubby gets bored! I have never been on a cruise like that -- was in the Bahamas once via air for six long Lancome sales meeting days -- work, work, work, and it rained most of the time! I've taken two river boat cruises in Europe (Danube, Rhine) and even smaller stuff here in the states.... Would really love to take the cruise that goes up the coast of Maine and to Nova Scotia, etc. I guess that would be my number-one pick.... so, I'd like to hear about your trip to that area some time
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Post by Jan on Sept 27, 2013 0:29:34 GMT -5
Roger, I saw that same photo somewhere and figured it was a photo shopped phony. NOT so, I see. I looked at your link and then Googled St. Maarten further. Wow, there are some unbelievable photos of planes landing LOW over their beach! Not for this ole' gal to photograph! We'll be taking a tour of the island there, so I will pay attention if I see a plane overhead. Thanks!
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Post by Jan on Sept 27, 2013 0:45:22 GMT -5
I think you'll have a great cruise, Jan -- four good ports, beautiful weather, fun on board. Doubt very much if hubby gets bored! I have never been on a cruise like that -- was in the Bahamas once via air for six long Lancome sales meeting days -- work, work, work, and it rained most of the time! I've taken two river boat cruises in Europe (Danube, Rhine) and even smaller stuff here in the states.... Would really love to take the cruise that goes up the coast of Maine and to Nova Scotia, etc. I guess that would be my number-one pick.... so, I'd like to hear about your trip to that area some time Thanks, Jeri Jet. Hubby prefers going on "theme" cruises with special events planned but I really think he'll be fine. He's still working at getting past "no Walton's" on board. For me, I can keep busy anywhere. I love the sound of your European cruises. I'll PM you with a little bit of info about our 5-day cruise to Canada when I have a little extra downtime.
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Post by Jan on Nov 1, 2013 22:11:30 GMT -5
As most of you all know by now, my husband and I cruised on what would have been the Walton's Appreciation Cruise from New York City to the Eastern Caribbean from October 18-28. We spent nine days on board the Norwegian Gem, a beautiful ship. We had a lovely stateroom with a balcony. We fully took advantage of sitting on it, enjoying the ocean and beautiful sunsets. Unfortunately, we had no way of meeting the few remaining Walton's fans on board. I would be wrong to admit we never thought about "what if" and how wonderful it would have been to have had the six Walton's cast members on board. To meet Michael Learned and Ronnie Claire Edwards for the first time would have been such an honor. But, it was not to be.
We sailed out of Manhattan Island and out into New York Harbor on a cold, blustery day. It was a moving sight as we sailed past Ground Zero in the waning light of that late October afternoon, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Verrazano–Narrows Bridge, and out into the open ocean. We spent the next three days at sea. We aren't gamblers or night clubbers, so it did get to be a little long at sea. We did enjoy a gathering of fellow Cruise Critic members at a Meet & Greet, a ship tour, various scheduled events during the day, and wonderful production shows each evening. We had some great dinner partners and met people from all over the world. Within two days, we were experiencing very warm and humid weather. Our third night at sea was a night filed with thunderstorms, which woke us up and sent the ship rocking and rolling. I was glad I got an ear patch from my doctor this time!
Finally, at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 22 we saw land and docked in San Juan, Puerto Rico. We disembarked the ship and took a great bus tour with a lively tour guide around the city of San Juan. We enjoyed watching a local islander shimmy up a coconut tree to knock them to the ground to sell them for a few dollars apiece. We spent the early evening in Old San Juan and by 8:00 p.m. the ship was leaving, on our way to St. Maarten.
We docked in St. Maarten at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 23 and took the afternoon "See and Sea Tour," sponsored by Norwegian Cruise Lines. We all went in comfort on an air-conditioned Greyhound Bus, touring both the Dutch and French sides of the island. We were allowed to shop for an hour and were also taken to a glass-bottom boat on the French side where we were able to view underground sea life in the ocean. Beautiful! By evening, we were leaving again, this time to St. Thomas.
When we awoke at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 24 we were already in St. Thomas. This is the most beautiful harbor I have ever seen. We took a four-hour tour with a local company in a covered, open-air bus. It was extremely hot and humid that day but fairly comfortable as long as we were moving. We were taken to the highest point in St. Thomas and it is one of the most beautiful sights I think I have ever seen, looking down below on the harbor and ocean. I put a photo on my Facebook page I took with my iPhone and it looks like a picture postcard....absolute beauty. This was my most favorite port of call by far. By 5:00 p.m., we were on the move again....on our way to Samana, Dominican Republic.
Due to shallow waters, we had to drop anchor out of the harbor and take "tender boats" into Samana on Friday, October 25. They were actually the ship's life boats. We had a life boat directly under our balcony, so it was neat to see how they are lowered into the water. We were on a tender boat by mid-morning, on our way into Samana. The captain warned us the Dominican Republic is very underdeveloped and to be aware of pushy street peddlers. We were immediately hit by locals trying to sell us anything and everything the minute we got off the dock, especially tours. For only $10.00 a piece, we took a tour around the island in a motorcycle driven cab-affair with another couple. This was our least favorite port and after an hour or less of touring this poor island, all four of us were ready to go back to the ship with no stops anywhere! By 4:00 p.m., our ship was headed out of port and back to New York.
Saturday, October 26, was a rough day at sea with rain, very high winds and waves, and the outside deck was closed due to the danger. We arrived back in New York early Monday morning, October 28. We sailed past the Statue of Liberty in the dark at 6:30 a.m. and it was a sight to see all lit up. We were disembarking at 10:30 a.m. and on our way to the airport for our flight back home to Des Moines, Iowa.
We enjoyed the cruise but did find that nine days was a little long for us. We loved cruising with Norwegian Cruise Lines, the staff and service were top notch, and the food was wonderful. All in all, it was a great vacation, visiting beautiful, tropical places we had never been before. But, it's good to be back home once again!
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Post by JeriJet on Nov 2, 2013 8:25:04 GMT -5
Thanks for the wonderful travelogue, Jan -- loved every word!
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Post by Jan on Nov 2, 2013 20:18:37 GMT -5
Thanks, Jeri!
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