“Ho hummmm… I am so bored being home. I wish I had somewhere exotic to go. Somewhere that I can have some adventure, some spontaneity and most of all some turquoise water.”
Travel Boy stood up and walked over to his map on the wall. He began to look at it scratching his head, occasionally nodding his head yes or no as he considered places. His eyes finally settled and a large smile broke out across his face.
“That’s it, I will head to the Caribbean. Perhaps a cruise, I sure do love cruises.”
Excitedly Travel Boy ran to his laptop and booted it up. He was already anticipating all of the shows he would see, all of the great food he would eat and all the activities he would do. The more excited he got the slower it seemed his computer loaded. Finally he was there, on the page where he knew he could get the best cruise deals.
He scanned up the down the page finally identifying the cruise he wanted. He booked it and his flight and then ran to his room to pack his bags. (See Travel Boy TIP 1 ) He was leaving in the morning on the boat Carnival Victory
.
Travel Boy rose at 3:30am, quickly readied himself and grabbed his suitcase. He was out the door by 4:00am and at the airport by 4:30am, giving his the perfect amount of time to check his bags, get through security and watch at the airport window as his plane pulled up the the terminal. By 6:45 am he was in the air and on his way to Miami, Florida.
With all of his planes on time and smooth travels Travel Boy made it to Miami 10 minutes early. There has never been a trip go so smoothly he thought as he de-boarded the plane and went to the baggage claim to get his suitcase. (See Travel Boy TIP 2) He was so excited he ran from the baggage claim to his hotel transport. He jumped aboard, grabbed a window seat and enjoyed the scenry as he drove from the airport to his hotel.
Travel Boy checked into his hotel and then took a walk around the grounds before dinner. Travel Boy was able to swim, sit in a hot tub, walk along the river and see a great golf course across the way. During his walk Travel Boy was intrigued by a sign he saw. It said “Watch for Alligators”. A little nervous he asked a waiter at the outdoor restaurant how common alligators were.
“Oh very common… but you don’t need to worry today because I see Turkey Ducks. If there are no Turkey Ducks around watch your step and don’t jump into the pool without looking first because occasionally there are aligators in the pool.”
Travel Boy promised to watch himself and began to be interested in the Turkey Ducks. Walking along the outside of the restaurant he began to look in the trees and bushes and was amazed to see 8 to 10 little Turkey Duck eggs in a nest.
Travel Boy was so excited he had to tell someone. He stood up and began to look around just then he saw his buddy “Hey, LordHox, LadyH come here and see this. There are Turkey Duck eggs here.”
LordHox and LadyH joined him for a few minutes chatting and laughing until they headed for dinner with every promise to see Travel Boy on the boat.
The next morning Travel Boy slept in and then headed to a late breakfast. After breakfast he readied his things and went for another walk around the hotel. As he completed his round and headed to the shuttle to the port he again ran into LordHox and LadyH.
“Are you heading to the boat Travel Boy?”
“Yeah, right now, but what about you LordHox, I do not see your things. You are not going to have enough time to get checked in if you do not go also. Do you want to share my shuttle?”
“You go on ahead Travel Boy, we are already checked onto the boat.”
Travel Boy looked a little confused at LordHox but figured he knew what he was about and boarded his shuttle for the port.
An hour later as LordHox walked past Travel Boy still standing in the boat check-in line Travel Boy began to understand. (See Travel Boy TIP 3).
Well I finally made it onto the boat and devoured the welcome aboard brochure learning all about how best to experience the thrill of the 9-story atrium, the glass elevators and the sky dome made of glass. I learned that there would be meals fit for a king with every imaginable option possible from the formal dining rooms to the pizzerias and Mediterranean Restaurant and everything in between. I learned that there were casinos, a library, an art studio, a dance club, and spectacular shows in the theater. That was not even close to everything, there was so much more, like the 4 pools, 7 whirlpools, a 214 foot spiral water slide, basketball, golf, spas, gyms, and oh my so much more.
I couldn’t believe it on board less than an hour and I was already sooooooooo excited. 4:00 pm arrived and it was time for the boat drill (Travel Boy TIP 4). I was excited to hear the alarms and rush on deck with my life jacket and to see the lifeboat that would be mine in an event of emergency.
After the boat drill I was free to play. Dinner arrived at 6:15 and I headed down to the dining room very casually. Luggage was still being delivered to everyone so there was no dress code. I was excited to be sitting at a table with some great people. We all introduced ourselves and talked over a great dinner. The food was so spectacular. I have never before eaten food that was so PRETTY… yep, that’s right, the food was pretty (Travel Boy TIP 5). I even caught a glimpse of LordHox and LadyH up on the balcony. I wonder if that was another perk? (Travel Boy TIP 6)
After dinner I headed to the underwater slide show presentation, visited the coral Sea Cafe for a Milk Shake and then went to the most fantastic welcome aboard show. This show was amazing and even though it was close to midnight and my little body was very tired I headed to one last event, the Midnight Fare. After eating tons and meeting some new friends I headed back to my cabin and collapsed on the bed for a solid sleep.
Woah, what a first day.
I work up the next morning ready for a fun day at sea. After breakfast and a nice walk around deck, breathing in the glorious salty sea air I headed to the Adventure Talk. The cruise director told us about all of the incredible sightseeing opportunities and tours that you could go on. They sounded like so much fun but I did not want to spend my extra money this trip, therefore before I left I made sure to look up some of the tips on ProMapTraveler’s webiste (Travel Boy TIP 7) about getting the locals to get you to the best places for less cost than the boat tours. The talk was great though because it gave me an idea of what to ask the locals about once I made it to shore.
This fun filled day at sea I ran into LordHox and LadyH at the Indian Library opening, the Art Auction Premier and the “Men’s Hairy Chest Competition”… No comment there. I also saw LadyH head into the Spa looking tense and coming out very relaxed. I hope she enjoyed herself.
Dinner was formal this night. I put on my best suit and headed to the dining room where we were entertained by a fabulous Italian Vocal show along with some dancing and some plate throwing. As LordHox was leaving the dining room he saw me and came over. He invited me to go to the “Captains Party” (Travel Boy Tip 8 ) with him. Oh I am so excited.
The captains part was a blast, I am so glad I was invited. I retired late after seeing another show and slept soundly yet again.
The next day was again a fun filled boat day… until we reached San Juan, Puerto Rico. During the day I of course ate tons of great food, went to a country dance class, a shopping talk, played bingo, went swimming, attended the art auction, and upon LadyH’s special recommendation got a massage at the spa.
Finally we arrived at San Juan, Puerto Rico at about 6:00 p.m. I opted not to attend dinner and instead grabbed food on my way off the boat at one of the convenience food bistros and went sightseeing with my camera. I saw the colored fountains at the American Embassy, some musicians outside the San Juan Palace and even hiked to Fort San Crisobal, El Morro and the San Juan Cemetery. I then walked back down through the city center and saw the statute of Christopher Columbus and shopped at a few of the stores.
After a night of traversing San Juan Puerto Rico I boarded the boat and we headed back to sea. As I was boarding the boat I ran into my buddy again. Boy am I glad I took some of his advice on ProMapTraveler.com and even referred him back to his own site because as it seems he and his group almost ran into tourist troubles, the very things he cautions people to avoid. (Travel Boy TIP 9) LordHox, LadyH and another couple that they met were shopping and wandering the streets sight seeing. It appears as if LadyH and her friend were walking ahead just talking and chit chatting as women do, not watching their surroundings and almost walked themselves into some locals fighting… This was not just any fight though, people were being beat up with baseball bats. Luckily LordHox and his friend were able to steer the ladies to safety without them even breaking their conversation or knowing what was going on.
By mid morning the following day we were being welcomed to the Island of St. Croix U.S.V.I. I was very excited to get to St. Croix to try out another tip that I had learned about asking the Local’s (Travel Boy TIP 7). Right when we stepped off the boat there they were, tons of locals ready to answer my questions and give me a ride anywhere. I went up to a driver and asked him where the best place to go snorkeling was, he told me Cane’s Bay and that for $7 USD per person round trip he would take me there giving me a talk of all the sites on the way there. What a deal!
Lord Hox and LadyH ended up in my same combie and the three of us went to Cane’s Bay for some snorkeling. If we stuck together we could watch each others back and avoid being robbed.
The van driver gave us a great tour of the Island on the way across, including the local Napa Auto Parts Store and the Oil Refinery. Once we made it to Cane’s Bay I took all of my things and Lord and LadyH’s out to the small island using the ferry and the two of them snorkeled there. Then while on the island they let me use their snorkel gear so I did not have to rent it.
We ended up back on the boat many hours later sun burnt and happy after snorkeling, visiting a little garden park with streams, birds, and other animals, finding conch shells and even seeing eels and a barracuda. Boy I have never seen LadyH swim so fast in my life as I saw her get out of the water after seeing the barracuda.
Oh I slept well this night, other than my sunburn that I got to visit the on board doctor for. They were so nice!
The next morning we arrived at St Thomas, U.S.V.I., Ahhhhh the place for Diamonds and Tanzanite. I got off the boat and went along the coastline not very far before I found toursit shops galore. I had fun just browsing the day away. For being a cruise guest there were a lot of different deals going on including getting a $5 USD Tanzanite Pendant for my mom and $5 USD Tanzanite Earings for my sister. Wow what a deal and they were so pretty. I also visited a shop called “Touched By The Sun” where I ran into Lord Hox and LadyH. She was of course buying another bag… oh my that lady loves bags. This one was neat because it was color changing when it got into the sun. I found some color changing hair clips for my sister too.
Finally all tuckered out from shopping… a boy can only handle so much… I took a gondola ride to the top of Paradise Point where I saw a bird show and could see almost the entire Island. Oh what a view it was. It really took my breath away.
With evening coming on and the boat about to depart I returned. Tonight is one of the formal dinners and I am breaking out my tuxedo to show all the girls what I am made of. I got my picture taken in front of two different backdrops because I could not decide which I liked better and boy did I look good if I do say so myself.
The following two days were spent at sea as we returned to Miami. I was lucky enough to see flying fish off the port side and went to the Midnight Gala and saw food and ice sculptures.
What a fantastic time this cruise was. As I was leaving I learned how much is normal to tip on a cruise and definitely what clothing to and not to bring, what to expect and lastly what I should know. (Travel Boy Tip 10, 11, 12 and 13)
~Travel Boy TIP 1: Cruises are unique vacations. I can book a cruise months and months in advance and tailor it to my every whim and desire or I can wait until the last minute and see what is left and try to get a steal of a deal. Being the impulsive traveler and penny pincher that I feel like today I am going for whatever is left. Wow only $89 for the cruise and $306 round trip airfare. For less than $400 I am getting a 7 day Eastern Caribbean all inclusive cruise. I get room 2202 that sounds fabulous, especially since I hear that my buddy LordHox from ProMaptTraveler is going to be on the same cruise and poor guy paid way more for he and his wife to end up in room 1024. My room is a larger number it must be way better…
~Travel Boy TIP 2: Your Luggage situation on a cruise is different than a regular vacation because you do not have to cart it around like you normally do, therefore feel free to pack a little more then you usually would. The way luggage works on a cruise is one of two ways. If you are like Travel Boy and did not prearrange your arrival (as LordHox and LadyH did) then when you check onto the boat your luggage is accepted by the cruise staff. They label your bag with the floor and room number and whala a few hours later your luggage is delivered to your room and waiting for you after you have toured the boat. If you were like LordHox and LadyH then you check into the boat at the hotel and from there your luggage is delivered to the boat for you and the same thing happens. Then all that remains is for you to unpack it in your cabin.
~Travel Boy TIP 3: Cruises offer (VIP) guests boat check-in from their hotel which allows them to skip the check-in process and head straight to the security line. It cuts off about 2 hours of standing in line. To become a VIP guest talk to a great travel agent. They will know how to get all the little perks for you. Sometimes the perks are worth paying a little bit for. Especially since LordHox and LadyH had the boat almost to themselves for two hours. They were able to explore and get ice-cream before I even stepped one foot on the boat and they left the hotel at least an hour after me. I think even I would have been willing to pay for that little advantage.
~Travel Boy TIP 4: Each and every boat with all of the crew and passengers that embarks on a sea voyage is required by the US Coast Guard and the Convention of Safety of Life at Sea to perform a Life Boat Drill.
~Travel Boy TIP 5: The food served in the formal dining rooms on the cruises are prepared by gourmet chefs. It is beautifully arranged, with your sauce poured over perfectly, garnishments on the side and a swirl of something pretty all around just to dress it up. Be sure to experience it often!
~Travel Boy TIP 6: If you request it in advance you can get a private table in the dining room. Even if you do not request it in advance try to see if any are left once you are on board. If there are then you may be able to upgrade. possibly even for free.
~Travel Boy TIP 7: Ask the Local’s – Cruise Tip.
~Travel Boy TIP 8: If you are a repeat cruiser many cruise lines offer you an invitation to the “Captains Party” where you get to meet the captain and his crew along with drinks, dancing and socializing. If you are not a repeat cruiser but are invited by one you can attend also. It’s all who you know and I am lucky to know ProMapTraveler.
~Travel Boy TIP 9: Avoid Being The Victim Of A Pickpocket – and other safety tips. ProMapTraveler’s saftey tips are especially important when you are in a port at night as we were when we were in Puerto Rico. Double your watchfulness and sightsee in groups.
~Travel Boy TIP 10: How Much Should I Tip:
How much you tip is a pure personal matter, however there are some general guidelines if you have no clue. FYI – Gratuities are customarily given the last evening of the cruise.
Room Steward: $3.50 per person per day.
Dining Room Team Service: $5.50 per person per day.
Alternative Dining Service: $0.75 per person per day.
Maitre d’: At your discretion and based on the service you received.
Other personnel such as the Bar or Room Service staff may be tipped as the service is rendered.
~Travel Boy TIP 11: What clothing should I bring on a cruise:
Resort wear, shorts, slacks, sundresses, blouses. Sandals or sneakers. Consider a sweater or light jacket. Don’f forget your formal wear for the formal events on board.
~Travel Boy TIP 12: What to Expect:
Fabulous destinations, welcome aboard party, fine dining including late night buffets, casual dining and 24 hour pizza, Nautica Spa, cocktail party’s, gala dinners, complimentary 24 hour stateroom service, supervised year-round camp carnival program for young cruisers, entertainment including Vegas type shows, casinos, bands, orchestras, pools, hot tubs, duty-free shopping, briefings on each port of call, midnight buffets and dozens more activities.
What is not included in my cruise fare:
~Travel Boy TIP 13 : Things to Know:
Anyone under 21 must be accompanied by another guest who is over 25. No child under 4 months of age is permitted on board.
All towels are provided for on board and off. But remember if you lose one on shore you will get billed for it.
There is a doctor on board if you get sick or need medical attention however if you need hospitalization you will be removed to a hospital on shore. The Dr. is not free, he charges normal Dr. rates, though you can get some motion sickness tablets if you need them free of charge.
There are babysitters on board for those hours between 10pm and 3am. All you have to do is drop off your kids in the children’s playroom. It is offered in the form of a pajama party and all the blankets, cribs, etc are provided. It is generally about $6 per hour for the first kid and $4 per hour for each sibling depending on the cruise line of course.
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