CRUISE PART III

DAY FIVE: St. Thomas, USVI

Welcome to St. Thomas! This was the morning that really made us sure that spending a few extra dollars for a balcony room was worth it. St. Thomas harbor is stunning! The island itself is gorgeous as well. On the itinerary for today was a catamaran ride to Buck Island and then snorkel at Shipwreck Cove. The skies were a bit overcast again so we were worried our outing would be cancelled or rained out, but we were able to set sail on time. We sailed for about 45 minutes and then got geared up for the snorkel portion. The kids had never really been in the ocean before (except to play in the waves in San Diego), let alone snorkeled in 25-50 ft. depths, so Jeff and I were crossing our fingers that they would at least try it. Kaylee was nervous and nearly stayed behind, but she took some deep breaths and got in! It was fantastic! We saw colorful fish, a sea turtle, urchins, and coral. And, of course, we saw the shipwreck! The whole experience was everything we'd hoped and more. After an hour or so in the water it was time to get back on the catamaran for some island music, snacks, and the trip back to St. Thomas.

After grabbing some lunch, we decided to shop in the "duty free" shops. It was tempting to buy a bunch of jewelry and great prices until I remembered that I need more jewelery like I need a hole in my head. So, I got some Lladro instead, heehee. Kaylee bought a rasta hat, Jeff got some postcards, and Brit got a couple of souvenirs. It was a nice ending to a great day. After re-boarding the ship, we enjoyed another yummy dinner in the dining room and turned in early. Look who was waiting for us...

DAY SIX: San Juan, Puerto Rico

This was the only day we were not too sure about. We booked ahead all our excursions through the cruise line for all the other ports of call, except this one. We just couldn't find anything offered that would work for us. At the last minute, Jeff was searching the internet and came across a website for a tour of all the old Forts of San Juan by sea. We thought, hey, we could give it a try... we've got nothing else planned! We thought it could be really cool, or it could really suck. Turns out it was really cool!!! We took a short cab ride to the dock and met our guide. We then were assigned Sea Dos and were soon on our way. We rode through the bay and got to see the Forts by sea, play around and even had dolphins swim along with us! Can you believe it? I didn't see them, but both Jeff and Bryon had them swimming alongside their Sea Dos! Soon I realized we were heading out of the bay into the open water. The further we got, the bigger the swells, the more I was freaking out! I started to hyperventilate because I was so scared. After a few minutes of going slow and slowing the whole group down, I realized that our machines were going to keep us afloat, so I calmed down and had fun. We played in the waves for a while and then it was time to head back. What an amazing adventure!!!

After such a thrilling morning, we couldn't bring ourselves to just get back on the ship yet, so we asked our cab driver to take us to a beach. We trusted he would pick a good one for us. He dropped us at a public beach where we were able to enjoy the beautiful water, the sunny skies, and the colorful local atmosphere. I'm pretty sure we were the only tourists at this beach. Kaylee and Ryleigh made a new friend, Aviana. She never stopped talking, and they never understood a word of her Spanish. She was so cute though!

Back on board we got ready for dinner. The show this night was a hypnotist, always a crowd pleaser.