I'm enjoying the free wifi in the Ft. Lauderdale Airport as I wait for my 4:45PM flight to Chicago and then finally back to St. Louis!!!
I had an absolute blast cruising with Erika's family for the past week.
On Saturday we left Ft. Myers around 8AM and drove through the Everglades to Miami. We reached the cruise port around 11:30 and then did our best to hide from Justin and Becky, lest we spoil the big surprise just before the trip. We found Erika's brother Adam and his girlfriend Lisa and then met some more of Justin's friends: Matt, Kendall, Ryan and Amanda.
We finally got on the Carnival Liberty just before 1:00 in the afternoon, got a quick lunch, and then joined everyone in hiding while Justin and Becky boarded and then Justin went on his scavenger hunt, ultimately leading him up to all of us on the top deck of the ship. Becky pulled off a remarkable surprise, more than a year in the making!!! That night we enjoyed a phenomenal dinner in the Diamond's Steakhouse on board.
Our first stop was on Sunday in Half Moon Cay, Carnival's private Caribbean island. The beach was the best that I've ever been to and the views were everything that you wanted from an island in paradise. We hung out in the crystal clear water until the mid afternoon and then took the tender back to the ship just before we were to set out for our deep Caribbean journey.
Monday was a sea day so we lounged around the ship, found some great reading spots, and enjoyed the many, many pools (and the waterslide) onboard. That night, Erika and I found the Alchemy Bar and the best bartender we've ever met - Dario. The Alchemy Bar is strictly a martini bar but instead of a typical drink order, picking something here was more like a consultation. Dario would take our likes and dislikes, think a little, and then use fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs to put together the perfect drink. We liked it so much that we came back every night the rest of our trip. The last five nights, indeed, we brought Erika's entire family and our whole traveling party!
Tuesday we visited St. Thomas, though the port area was almost exclusively a large shopping mall. Instead of taking a taxi or a bus deeper into the island, we decided to stick around on the not-so-crowded ship and enjoy the pools and decks.
On Wednesday we had a long tour of San Juan. We first rode into the El Yunque Rainforest, the only rainforest within the US Forestry System. There, we climbed up a large tower for some great views of the island, and also climbed up a small waterfall. Afterwards we bussed back in to Old San Juan and saw the San Cristobal Fort that the Spanish built to protect Puerto Rico, the crown jewel of their Caribbean conquests.
Thursday we stopped early at the island of Grand Turk and enjoyed the beach and also Margaritaville. We got some great sun and surf and then went back to the ship as it departed at 3:00PM.
Finally, Friday was another sea day filled with exercise, pools, sleeping, and entertainment... and then packing.
I've had a fantastic and very lucky summer - traveling with the VGs, with Erika through Europe, and now with her family in the Caribbean. Thanks for following our journeys and have a great rest of the summer. I'm off to St. Louis, for a while, to catch up with my family.
All the best!
-Simon
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