Eastern Caribbean Cruise

03/01/08 - 03/08/08

Just Cruises - Celebrity Solstice

Clay & Pat Stahl

Puerto Rico

Sint Maarten

Saint-Martin

British V. I.

Haiti

Following is a summary of our 7-day cruise of the Eastern Caribbean with 181 photos. Day-by-day links are shown on the right, they are all on this page, so you can also just scroll your browser to view them all. The page is best viewed with Internet Explorer 7 at 1024 x 768 x 32 bit color in full screen mode, over a broadband connection!

03/01 Boarding at Port Everglades. 03/02 Caribbean Sea. 03/03 San Juan, Puerto Rico. 03/04 Philipsburg, Sint Maarten. 03/05 Road Town, Tortola, (BVI). 03/06 Labadee, Haiti. 03/07 Caribbean Sea. 03/08 Disembarkation.

Sunday 03/01 Ship Boarding at Port Everglades & Caribbean Sea

We left our Ft. Lauderdale hotel about 10:00am, topped off our gas tank on the way to the ship arriving about 12:00am (for a 2:00 boarding and 4:30 sailing time), and proceeded through the usual security, check-in, and photo stations. Celebrity allows a bottle of wine per person for consumption in your stateroom, (and anyplace else you can get away with!) and we took advantage of that with a few bottles.

On boarding, we accepted the usual complementary glass of "Champagne", and headed up to the buffet restaurant. The Solstice is a relatively large and new ship with only about 15 previous cruises. The very nice buffet restaurant reflected that. We sat with a party of 13 French Canadians having a family reunion on their first cruise.

This is a new ship and has an innovative Enomatic Wine Machine! Available are glasses of wine from a cruvinet in any of three quantities with the cost reflecting the quality and quantity of the wine. It is available in 1oz, 2½oz and 5oz. with only a slight discount for the larger pours. They ranged from $2 per ounce for the ordinary to $26 per ounce for a 2001 Lafite-Rothschild! Being a machine, it is available 24/7! There are 8 whites and 8 reds to choose from and they changed only when emptied. The prices per ounce were steep, but we couldn't resist this new gadget! We bought a $100 card and had no trouble using it during the trip for a range of their offerings, but not the Lafite! We soon learned that a 1oz pour is not enough and went with the 2½ from then on. When the card is inserted, a display shows how much credit is left! One of our initial samplings was a Pomerol that was nearly empty so we got less than the ounce, but the charge reflected the reduced quantity. The sommelier was nearby and he removed the bottle and poured what little remained into our glass (big whoops!) We took the three small pours and caught the last number from the Inspiration Strings Quartet.

Home of the Enomatic Wine Machine & Other Tastings	There Were 8 Whites and 8 Reds	Our Card With the $100 Mag Chip

We Had Some Pretty Decent Wines, Including a Couple of Pomerols and a Barolo.   However the Lafite-Rothschild Was There the Entire Cruise!

We attended the mandatory lifeboat drill in the dining room, but the audio-video presentation was inoperative! We could hear the one across the dining room, and were told that if we have any questions, ask one of the staff. We did get credit for time served and were dismissed.

The 4:30 departure was on time and we watched from our balcony as we turned around and headed out to sea. We were in a different berth from the other times we cruised from here, so it was interesting.

We're Ready to Go, But This Container Ship Has the Harbor For a Few Minutes Until It Is Very Out of the Way

18th Street Bridge We Drove Over This Morning.   Finally, Harbor Exit is Clear.   Fort Lauderdale Beach -- Previous Night Was North of Here

We got a drink at the Pool Bar and attended a little of the It's a Beautiful Day Sail Away party, strolled among the lawns and was the only audience for Peter James on the Piano.

A Half Acre of Real Grass With a Full Time Groundskeeper:   "Putting" Green on the Left, Bocce on the Center.   What About Golf Shoes?   Tweet!

We requested the late seating with others for dinner, but ended up at a table for two, next to an English couple at their table for two. We had a good visit, but both changed arrangements for the remainder of the cruise, with us getting the early seating. We didn't go to the show because opening night is usually not so hot, and we were tired. The reason we changed the dining time is because most of the shows for the late seating were after dinner, and that was just too late for us.

A Real Tree Above the Foyer, Grass Above!	Pat Had an Appletini at the Martini Bar	Crush -- Vodka & Caviar

Monday 03/02 Caribbean Sea

It was Breakfast for Clay in the Buffet with Pat passing and attending Mass. We both watched the Hot Glass Show, the first glass blowing studio at sea. Operated by the Corning Museum of Glass, the show offers several demonstrations throughout the day in which glass-blowers work in front of a live audience. The pieces they make aren't sold, it's only entertainment and education, although some are given away during the late-night edition of the show. We never made the night show, but that was probably spectacular.

The Glass Melting Oven Operates at 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit and Must be Kept Running Continuously as the Lining Would Crack.

We used our Cellar Masters card and took glasses of wine to listen to a pre-lunch set of the Inspiration Strings, one of our favorite musical groups. There are 4 young ladies, first and second violin, a viola, and a cello. They played a mix of mostly classical with some sophisticated popular music.

The Inspiration Strings Were Great	Pieces Misplaced?   Don't Forget the Kings & Queens	How's This For a Bar Stool?

This is a day at sea, so we had a leisurely lunch in the main dining room. On the way in, we asked a Maitre d' to get our dinner seating changed. He said we had to see the Head Maitre d', but we persisted, and after a little grumbling, he said he would take care of it. We found a note at our stateroom later that he did!

The Weather Made This Easy	The Lawns are Well Used, Here Bocce,...	... and Here You Really Have to Whack It!

We snuck in to the back of a Motown Name that Tune contest, and were shut out from guessing the half-dozen or so songs that we heard. Pat made her first foray into the Casino, trying to prove her theory that the unregulated cruise ship's casinos give better odds at the start of a trip to suck you in. Her experience didn't reinforce that theory at all!

There were about 150 people at the Walk Around the World Wine Tasting. It overflowed the Cellar Masters with 6 white and 6 red wines. The pours averaged about an ounce and a half and there were cheeses, bread, and breadsticks. It was very crowded and great, but as we were finishing the 10th of the 12, we noticed that the serving tables were broken down. Panic! There was no time limit given for the tasting, but it had to be an hour (which was close, but even that had not quite elapsed!) We were able to prevail on two sommeliers, and received each of the last two.

Pat had her appletini, while Clay hit the Enomatic Wine Machine. We were changed to first dinner seating, a nearby table, so we had the same waiters. Again, it was a table for two, but again also, there were adjacent tables for two. However, the next two tables (for 2) were empty this night.

The Cellar Masters, Some Nice Tastings	Now Exactly Where Are We?	Dan Hodge, Pianist & Entertainer

We listened to Dan Hodge, Pianist & entertainer, before the show and sat with a man and his GE Employee daughter. This was a formal night with the Captain's Welcome and show in the theater, but when we arrived, it was SRO, so we grabbed our free "Champagne", and made it another early night.

Tuesday 03/03 San Juan, Puerto Rico

The scheduled arrival time was a late 2:00 pm, and we went to a cooking demonstration. It was so-so with us getting a seat on the side near the casino noise. The chef prepared a caesar salad and an antipasto plate with samples as usual for the attendees.

Cooking Demo, Caesar Salad & Antipasto	A Big Pool With 4 Hot Tubs, Not For Us!	Mostly Calm Seas, Only 1 Day a Little Rough

Before lunch, we attended the Fantinel Wine Tasting, with Italian Flavio Andreatte. There were five wines from their estate in Fruili-Venezia Guilia, a Prosecco, two whites and two merlots. It was very good as he kept the discussions short and to the point.

We went to the dining room for lunch, expecting the usual menu served lunch, but it was a buffet! We were surprised, as that was the only time we've ever seen a buffet in the dining room on any cruise. It was probably a little better that the regular buffet upstairs, but we were still disappointed. There were three young staff members at our table and Pat found out that they take care of the kids on the cruise. We said that we saw them running around asking questions. They said that they had sent them out on a treasure hunt, but they came back!

We pulled into the harbor under cloudy skies, an improvement from the hard rain that we encountered on our last time here, but rain was predicted and did come later in the day after our tour.

San Juan on a Cloudy Day.   We'll Take it After Landing Here in a Hard Rain Two Years Ago		Fort San Cristobel -- We Will Tour It Later

Our Old & New San Juan tour met in the theater, and after a brief wait, we were herded down to the pier, where we boarded a regulation sized bus. Because of the time and traffic, our driver chose to do the New first, and it was along the Atlantic Ocean by nice houses with a stop amid all the designer stores.

Flag At the End of the Pier	You Don't See Something Like This Very Often	We Stopped In Front Of This Renassiance Hotel

We only had 20 minutes and walked to the beach in back of the swanky La Concha Rennasiance Hotel and had a drink at the patio bar.

There Was Only a Minute to Snap These Photos Across The Street From the Hotel.   There are Probably Many More Nice Shops Nearby!

Now we are off to the Old, primarily Castillo San Cristobal and a self-guided tour. The fort was built by the Spanish to protect San Juan from attackers, mostly the English. It was finished in 1783 and covered 27 acres. About 1/3 of the fort was demolished in 1898 to allow the city to expand.

Most of the Old City Part of the Tour Was Spent Here.     See the Guard Manning a Gun Port?     It's a Spanish Military Flag!

Castillo San Felipe del Morro Nearby	One of the Many Guerites (Sentry Boxes)	Eight Rooms Housed 212 Soldiers

We were the only ones that stayed in town, the rest went directly back to the ship. We had a drink and looked at a couple of vendor stands, before returning to the ship in a light rain.

A Typically Dual-Flagged Building		Mediterranean Restaurant For an Al Fresco Drink	We Were Only a Few Blocks From the Ship

Tonight, the two tables (for two!) next to us were occupied, but now the far table was empty! So at least we had someone to talk to, two men from Texas that hate the Cowboys, mostly the owner, and a couple from Louisiana!

We finally attended the show featuring David Meyer, who plays a "Xylosynth", a Xylophone-Synthesizer. The instrument was weird, but he was very animated playing it, and most of the people who saw the show loved it, although it tended to be a little long.

Leaving San Juan Promptly At 8:00 PM.

Wednesday 03/04 Philipsburg, Sint Maarten

Sint Maarten -- Not as Mountainous As Some Other Caribbean Islands, but Nice.   It is Home to 120 Nationalities!

We were scheduled for an 8am arrival, but are about an hour early, as we were at all but one of the other stops. Our Shop, Sightsee Marigot & Beach Getaway didn't leave until 11am in town, so we took (as you are expected to) a water taxi into town. The island is Saint Martin divided into two countries, the Dutch Sint Maarten, and the French Saint-Martin. It is the smallest inhabited sea island divided between two nations.

You Don't Have To Take This, You Can Walk (Long), or Take a Regular Taxi, But This Was More Fun

We are early anyway, and because we are now in the Atlantic time zone, the ship's time is an hour later, but the island time wasn't for some reason! So we even have an extra hour to sightsee and/or shop. We walked around quite a bit but many of the shops weren't open yet, so we had an extra hour to kill before our tour, not that it was a problem.

Nice Beach, But Almost Deserted This Early	Antillean?   You Can Buy a Card!	How Many 1¢ Machines Do They Have?

Pat wanted to E-mail and most of the bars advertized free internet (you just have to buy a drink, no problem!) The first bar had two machines, one was broken and two ladies just beat us to the other. At the next, Clay got a Red Stripe and Pat got access to a laptop. It was something less than high speed, and after composing a message with a lengthy hand keyed distribution list, it crashed!

You See These More And More	Free "High Speed" Internet	An Unsatisfing Experience

The time was not lost as by now, most of the shops had opened, and Pat bought snack servers at a tablecloth/jewelry shop. After some more window shopping, we headed back to a bar across the way from our tour pickup point. Or so we thought, because when it came time for the tour, we had to make a couple of inquiries, but finally located the tour guide nearby.

It is a Shopper's Paradise	Netherlands & Belgium!   Need a Manneken Pis?	Captain Hodge Wharf is Our Assembly Point!

We boarded a big bus and rode through Philipsburg with the bus driver/tour guide driver pointing out places of interest. We headed up hills to the French side. The Dutch Sint Maarten is only about 1/3 of the French Saint-Martin, and one story is that when they decided to fix the border, two men walked in opposite directions around the periphery of the island and when they met, that was other side of the border. The French walker drank wine, and the Dutch walker drank beer, a testimony to the health effects of wine! However, the boundary is not a straight line. The Dutch side has the greater population, more tourists, hotels, casinos, and the Airport, while the French side has more gourmet restaurants and beaches.

Net. Antilles, Netherlands, Sint Maarten	Traffic Circle Sculpture	Fort Amsterdam, First Dutch Military Caribbean Outpost

We were cruising along enjoying the scenery, and although there are some nice views, there aren't the spectacular overlooks found on some of the other Caribbean islands. However, we soon found ourselves in a traffic tie-up, and it was stop and go for about 45 minutes. Finally, the traffic broke up into 2 lanes with most of it going left toward the beaches and we made a right toward the city of Marigot and were back in business.

45 Minute Jam, Don't Know Why	Mixing Politics & Religion	Flags L to R: Netherlands, Sint Maarten, Saint-Martin, France

We soon arrived in Marigot on Marigot Bay a natural harbor on the Caribbean (west) side , and after stopping, the driver needed to know if we preferred to take the time lost in the traffic tie-up from shopping in town, or the beach break to follow. We voted for the shopping (mostly lunch for us), but it had to be unanimous. Hah, with 40 people, no chance! We ended up splitting the time lost, although we thought there was a bias toward the beach!

Our main objective is to have a nice French lunch, and we should still have time for that. We noticed La Vie en Rose on the way in, and it looked very promising, but it was not open for lunch, so we chose l'Oizeau Rare just across the street. Oizeau means bird, and we think the Rare makes it an exotic or tropical bird, not the way a dish is prepared! We wanted a table looking out on the street, but the only one available was set for three and we couldn't have it. No big deal, we chose a table for two out of the way in the back and it was fine. There was a sign board menu with specials and we both couldn't resist the kangaroo, with a bottle of Santenay! They claimed that it is a popular dish there, but certainly the first time we've seen it anywhere. We both ordered it rare(!) and they were wonderful.

Second Choice, Couldn't Have Been Better	Back Among Foliage. Very French, Very Nice	Kangaroo, Frites, and 3 Vegies

We still had a few minutes left, looked around, and perused the market stalls before getting on the bus.

Closed for Lunch, Heard Later It Is $$$$ (or €€€€)	We Are on the French Side	Le West Indies Shopping Mall!

A Big Harbor	Two More Little Islands Within Easy Reach	French, But Also Typically Caribbean

You Would Expect a Renault For This Delivery	Cars Travel Freely Between, Sint Maarten, Saint-Martin (EU)	Nice Hotel Right on the Water

It was a short ride to the Beach Getaway at Orient Bay across the island to the Atlantic side, but a ride of less than 10 miles on very winding roads. Neither one of us likes the beach that much, but this tour looked like the best one for seeing both the Dutch and French sides. It was nice and relaxing, with us spending most of the time in beach chairs, but we did go in the water. With the amount of non-golfing sun that we've seen, we kept it brief. Even with the reduction in time because of the traffic jam, it was still plenty for us. After a drink at the bar and a quick look at the vendor kiosks, we were back on the bus for the ride back on the other main road connecting the two countries.

It Is a Very Nice Beach, We Guess.   It's Not That Hot, But We Still Made Our Dips Brief.   In Fact, Pat Didn't Even Get Her Bathing Suit Wet!

No Traffic Problems On Our Ride Back (a Different Road), Again Sailing Through the Border With Only Markers To Indicate a Change In Countries

Thursday 03/05 Road Town, Tortola, (BVI)

Another Early Arrival.   We Were Here Three Years Ago But Immediately Boarded a Ferry For a Day On Virgin Gorda, Another BVI Island

We are taking a North Shore & Pusser's Landing tour and were to meet at the end of the pier. We waited in the ship's stairwell for about a half hour altogether with an announcement that "They are making it difficult for us(!?)" When we finally got the OK, we found our tour guide and promptly boarded an open sided vehicle seating about 20, heading off through the city streets and climbing the hills just outside of town.

The View of Adjacent Islands Was Obscured, So the Guide Showed Us On a Map		Two Ships.   We are the Near One With the Giant X

On Curvy Fahie Hill Road, there was a stop to view the approximately twenty 10' high murals on a retaining wall depicting cultural scenes of Tortola. Painted by local artist Ruben Vanterpool and others he directed, the murals show scenes of landscapes, people, and such activities as working, farming, gathering fruit, fishing, dancing, etc.

Here Are a Few of the 20 Retaining Wall Murals Depicting Life On the Island Long Ago

We continued up to Skyworld, the highest point on the island. There is an observation platform with a 360° view, a restaurant, bar, and gift shop. There wasn't much of a view of the surrounding islands with the overcast day, so this stop was a little disappointing. Clay bought a beer and while standing in the restroom line heard the owner (I guess) reminding people in the line that it cost a dollar! That's tacky, the tour company should have taken care of it. I guess he got a few to pony up, but Clay's beer purchase more than covered his visit!

Skyworld -- At the Highest Point On the Island	It Was Too Overcast to See Any Other Islands, Here is Some Foliage and Our Safari Vehicle

We headed down through many hairpin turns, passing through Cane Garden Bay. The tour description said that we were supposed to stop there, but maybe the delay getting off the ship precluded it.

Cane Garden Bay, We Were Supposed to Stop	Bananas In the Front Yard!	Dumpy Looking, But It Is Supposed To Be a Real Wild Place!

The last part of the tour was a half hour or so at Pusser's Landing, a marina with a bar, store, and gift shops. There are quite a few Pusser's in the Caribbean, and there are also others -- in Florida, even Germany. The restaurant takes its name from Pusser's Rum, first served on board British Royal Navy Ships in 1650. For more than 300 years, sailors of Great Britain's Royal Navy were issued a daily ration of rum by the ship's Purser (corrupted by the sailors to Pusser's). The practice was stopped in 1970, but in 1979, Charles Tobias formed Pusser's Ltd. and began marketing the rum.

The sailors received a half pint of the straight rum twice daily! In 1740, the ration was mixed with water making Grog. The name Grog came from the affectionately nicknamed Admiral Vernon, i.e. Old Grog, and that from his grogram (course mixed fabric) cloak. The men began contemptuously referring to the watered rum as Grog. Pusser's Grog is Pusser's Rum and water with lime juice and sugar!

Pusser Is a Corruption of the Word Purser, the Person In Charge of a Ship's Stock in the Royal Navy.

We wanted a place for a light lunch, and we found a Pusser's right at the bus drop off point in Road Town. This location is an English style pub with a specialty of drinks using Pusser's Rum, also known as Nelson's Blood. No, we didn't have any Rum or Grog, we just had a beer and wine with our conch chowder!

A Typical English Pub, But With a Store in the Back. It was Horribly Crowded, But We Were Able to Find a Niche, and Get Served!

It was an easy walk back to the ship with plenty of temporary shopping stalls in the way. We had dinner with the two adjacent tables occupied. After dinner, we brought a couple of glasses of our wine to listen to Dan Hodge before going into the theater. Pulse was a show with dancing, singing, and audience participation with a good deal of percussion on metal cans of all sorts. The best part was a mime that got the three sections of the theater to clap hands to different beats, and then pointed to each section to clap in time when the music of the Blue Danube started.

Friday 03/06 Labadee, Haiti

We were about an hour late due to the only rough seas that we encountered on the entire cruise. They are building a pier but it doesn't look like it will be ready for a while. We are moored, not anchored, and still have to be tendered in, and everyone has to have a ticket to be tendered! As we were late arriving and the tours that we have taken on previous private island stops were assembled after we went ashore on our own, we didn't give a thought about the scheduled time for our tour.

We noticed about 9:45 that the 11:00 tour was to meet at the ship's Celebrity Central at 9:30. Panic!! Clay showed the tour ticket with the meeting time at the main desk, and they said "get up there!" Pat messed up the safe combination and had to wait for the Supervisor -- timing is everything! Clay went up to what he thought was the meeting place, but nobody was there! He asked at the main theater and was told that somebody will be there. Clay waited some more and didn't see either Pat or a ship representative for quite a while. Pat arrived at to Celebrity Central, and didn't see Clay! Clay thought Celebrity Central was the foyer outside the theater, not the theater itself! Dumb! The bottom line is that the tour was assembling in the theater all this time and we left with the proper group as everything is behind schedule. We actually may have saved some waiting time by being late!

Northwest Haiti, a Peninsula Very Close to Haiti's Second Largest Town of Cap Haitian

Labadie, Haiti is a small fishing village and many people who live nearby now work for the cruise line. It has no road access or electricity from other main cities and requires all supplies be brought in by boat.

Labadee the cruise destination was created from former farmland in 1986, with 300 Haitian employees. Often the cruise lines do not discuss that Labadee is located on the coast of Haiti. This due to concerns of violence, poverty, and other issues that Haitians face. There are another 200 Haitian merchants running market stalls, and the cruise line pays the Haitian government 10 dollars per tourist. It is much like the other cruise line private "Islands", with beaches, watersports, and a Zip Line. There are two markets, an Artisan market, and the Authentic Haitian Flea Market, with the later having typical poor-country selling pressure and bargaining.

Labadee the Cruise Ship Destination, Isolated From the Rest of Haiti by the Terrain and an Unseen Large Patrolled Barbed Wire Fence

We are led down and get on the 1st Tender and Lamy, our guide for the Labadee Historic Walking Tour is waiting on shore with a sign. A member of the tour fell down (he was OK) and we lost a little time, and as it was supposed to be an hour tour, lasted a little longer. There wasn't much to show us, and most of the talk was about Haiti, with the guide painting a much brighter picture of life in Haiti than is generally thought.

We are Tendered in and Greeted by our Haitian Tour Guide.   The Cruise Lines Generally Mention Haiti Sparingly

Unemployment in Haiti is 70%, and the guide was very appreciative of the cruise ships as they have provided a better life for him and other Haitians in the surrounding area. Haiti was the first independent nation in the Caribbean, the first independent black-led nation in the world, and the only one whose independence was gained with a slave rebellion. Haiti is the only predominantly French-speaking independent nation in the Caribbean, and one of only two in North America (along with Canada) with French as an official language.

Seems That It Will Be a Little Too Modern	Nellie's "Historic" Trading Post	To Announce Visiting Ships.   Original Bell is Gone!

The guide mentioned diaspora as a plus, specifically Haitains leaving the island because of poverty and sending money back. He also mentioned that he was lucky, being educated in the city, while he has four uncles who do not know how to read or write. We arrived at a pavilion and sat down to hear the remainder of his talk. One of the other tourists asked what effect the former ruling Duvalier family has on Haitian life(!), and the guide tersely explained that they ruled as a long past dictatorship, while now they are a democratic republic, but with 30 political parties! We were supposed to be taken to Dragon's Breath point, but because it was windy and the walkway was slippery, he ended the tour there, and we made our way to the point individually.

It is a Precarious Walk to the Dragon's Mouth With No Walkways.   But There is an Audible Woosh;
It Being a Windy Day, There Were Waves of Sea Water Completely Covering the Walkway.   You Had to Pick Your Return Time Carefully!

The Beach Seems Very Nice, But It Was Too Windy For Us (and Many Others) To Go In.   Many Water Activities and the Zip Line Were Closed

We walked back for lunch, and there was a long line. It was the usual cruise line private island picnic fare. Clay orders 3 beers to have with lunch, gets talked into a bucket, i.e., 5 for the price of 4 -- sure why not? After lunch we got a couple of beach chairs and relaxed for a while.

There Was an Unusually Long Line For Lunch	Haitian Musicians Playing During Lunch	A Beach Chair in the Shade

The Markets are Quite Extensive, All Run By the Haitains.   The Traditional Artisans, and the Bargaining Haitian, Both Indoors and Outdoors

We reboarded the tender, and after a little wait to fill it up were off back to the ship.

Kid's Splash Bash.   Buckets Fill & Dump!	The Solstice, Waiting	No Anchor, But a Firm Permanent Mooring

On the tender to and from the island, we could see construction on a pier that will eliminate the tendering. It will cost $27 million, be 800 feet long, and will accommodate any Royal Caribbean or Celebrity ship sailing now or on the drawing board. Some think that a pier will detract from the isolated setting aesthetically. Of course it probably will, but avoiding tendering is a big plus and should make Labadee a more attractive port for Caribbean itineraries. Along with this, there will be many more improvements to the peninsula's facilities, which were underutilized today, but we were the only ship there.

New Pier Construction Well Under Way	The Three Aptly Named (Columbus Discovered Haiti) Tenders With Ours in the Center

The Celebrity Today daily paper listed a California Dreams Wine Tasting with canapes in the Cellar Masters, but when we got there, we were told that a 2oz country wine flight of two whites and two reds is available and has been available every evening from 5pm to 9pm. The available wines were very good and the price was right, so we chose France and California. It was listed in the paper but we missed it. Too bad we didn't realize it was available each evening as we may have tried some other of the six or seven countries.

The French Wines Left, California Right	Floor Art, Ants!	Kelly Broadway (Almost) Quartet	The Hugh Solstice Theater

This was the second of the two formal nights, and they served baked alaska, but thankfully, there wasn't a big deal over it.

Someone Doesn't Want to Dress For Dinner!	Two Story Dining Room Wine Tower!   Probably Why the Wine Service Has Been So Prompt

The show was the aptly named Solstice, and was in the Cirque du Soleil style with exotically clad performers and acrobats suspended high above the stage and cables carrying them around the audience. All the shows were a cut above our past experiences with only the same ship's company singers and dancers at each performance.

Saturday 03/07 Caribbean Sea

We still went to the buffet for breakfast even though we have a day at sea. The buffet is very good and we've been disappointed with dining room breakfasts on other cruises. There was a Riedel Wine Glass Workshop, demonstrating the profound effect glasses have on the enjoyment and perception of wine. It cost $87, plus gratuity we're sure, and you receive a set of Riedel crystal valued at "up to" $125! There was no mention of the wine to be used, but even if decent, we don't have any room for wine glasses even if we could get them home safely, so we bypassed this wine event. We did peek in at the venue and saw that it was decently attended.

We made a visit to the Enomatic Wine Machine for pre-lunch glasses. We did the dining room lunches when we had time, and today we were seated across the table from a man with a Rays tee shirt. An inquiry from Clay as to whether that was a baseball team brought an affirmative reply, and we had an interesting discussion. We told him to be patient with Pat Burrell, and if we meet again in the World Series, we wouldn't mind too much if the Rays win! Not!!

We went to the dining room for a Wine Appreciation, but it was not to be! There was only one other person there and only two more showed up, and since they needed a minimum of 8, it was canceled. Why? They could use the left over wine for something. It was a day at sea and there was good attendance at previous wine events, including the Riedel Workshop earlier in the day, so we were surprised. Overall however, this cruise had far more wine events than we have ever seen, so maybe everyone else is wined out!

We used the remaining credit in our Enomatic Wine Machine card, and found out that you must have sufficient value to get any of the wine. The sommelier that sold us the card said that it would give you what was left and deplete the card completely. We got stuck for 64¢, and we consider ourselves lucky, it could have been $1.99!

The other 4 people in the tables for two next to ours were there at dinner tonight. Later, we listened to a set by the Kelley Quartet without Kelly. She is resting up for a long set later in the evening on the last night.

The show consisted of short stints by the previous show's performers, some of which we didn't see: The A Capella Group, although there was orchestra accompaniment here. The Cirque du Soleil style performers and acrobats, the Music Director playing 2 horns at once, zylosynth player David Meyer, and a (thankfully) short goodby from the Cruise Director.

Sunday 03/08 Disembarkation

We Arrived an Hour Early.   Costa and Carnival Were Here When We Left and Here They Are Again!

We woke up Early (at 5:45!) and we are already in port. Our luggage tags are #30, and yes, they are called in numerical order. It seemed that it was an awfully high number, but a few were called at a time, and there were tags with higher numbers. We were scheduled to be called at 9:45, but probably beat that by about 15 minutes, and were on the road by 10am. Passengers are allowed to leave at 7:30 with no luggage service, but you have to be travelling very light to do that.

We made it to Kingsland, GA, same as last year, but bunked at a Jamesons this time. It was a very nice hotel and our first priority was the loads of E-mail that accumulate in a week. St. Johns Seafood was a letdown from all that cruise ship service, but we both had Red Drum, a local fish, although it was a little dry. A stop in Central North Carolina the next day and we were home safe and sound late afternoon the next. It was another great cruise!

The terms West Indies, Caribbean, Greater and Lesser Antilles, Leeward and Windward Islands are frequently used to refer to the many lands in the Caribbean Sea. We wondered about this and the meaning of the word "Antilles." The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands, though part of the West Indies, are generally not included among the Caribbean islands. There are some differing opinions of what islands to consider, and what island is in what group, but here is an arrangement of countries that agree with most listings:

West Indies

	Bahamas
	Turks and Caicos Islands (UK)
	Caribbean

	Greater Antilles
		Cuba Cayman Islands Jamaica Puerto Rico (U.S. Commonwealth) Dominican Republic Haiti

Lesser Antilles

Leeward Islands U.S. Virgin Islands British Virgin Islands (UK) Anguilla (UK) Saint Barthélemy (France) Saint-Martin (France) Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles) Saba (Netherlands Antilles) Sint Eustatius (Netherlands Antilles) Saint Kitts and Nevis Antigua and Barbuda Montserrat (UK) Guadeloupe (French Antilles) Windward Islands Dominica Martinique (French Antilles) Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Grenada   Barbados Trinidad and Tobago   Leeward Antilles Aruba (Netherlands) Curaçao (Netherlands Antilles) Bonaire (Netherlands Antilles)

The Greater Antilles are made up of continental rock, the Lesser Antilles mostly young volcanic rock or coral. Searching for the meaning of the word Antilles, most references give the above usages, but here is one etymology (word origin): Antilia is composed of two Portuguese words: "anti" and "ilha" i.e. "island". It is therefore meant to designate an island lying before a continent.

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ClaytStahl @aol.com

Created: 03/16/09 Changed: 11/21/09

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