Disney Cruising without Kids - Date Night Every Night Part II

From my Disney Southern Caribbean Cruise - 
4 Oct through 11 Oct 2014 

While cruising the beautiful Southern Caribbean aboard the magical Disney Magic with my husband, Mike, I was pleasantly surprised by the fabulous dates we had each night of our cruise. Part II of Date Night Every Night is our last 3 date nights on our Disney Cruise sans kids. You can read about our first 4 dates in Date Night Every Night Part I.

The majestic Disney Magic

Our 5th date started out with a bang.  As we were leaving my favorite island, Grenada, we watched the ship sail away while lounging in comfortable chairs in the adults-only area.  After a very active day in Grenada, hiking and swimming, the lounging in the sun was so relaxing, I soon dozed off.  When I opened my eyes, I was delighted to see that the sun was about to set right in front of us. We celebrated with the drink of the day, Spooky Juice, and watched the sun retire for the evening. 

Gorgeous sunset leaving Grenada

After our pre-dinner sunset entertainment, we showered and got ready for dinner.  We had become big fans of Cabana's because we could show up any time instead of waiting until our assigned dining time of 8:30 pm. We found that Cabana's served many of the same dinners as the main dining rooms so there really wasn't a down side.  We enjoyed a nice dinner with just the two of us and decided to have an after dinner drink at one of the adult only nightclubs.

O'Gills Irish Pub

We chose to re-live our favorite part of our Ireland vacation and headed to O'Gills Irish Pub, located in the After Hours section of the ship. Kids are not allowed in the adult nightclubs after 9 pm but unfortunately we were trying to enjoy our drinks around 8:30 pm. Surprisingly there were quite a few loud kids in the pub at that time. Couldn't their parents have dropped them off at the kids club before coming in for a drink? Although our drink was delicious, the ambiance was not what we were hoping for so we ended our night early.  I wasn't too upset, however, as I was eager to wake up early the following day to see Barbados for the first time!

Lots of Halloween activities were available for the kiddos

Date night number 6 was packed full of fun, food and entertainment. We were going with the "cruise ship traditional" dinner and show, starting with the main show followed by our scheduled dinner at 8:30 pm in my favorite restaurant, Animator's Palate.  The nightly show in the Walt Disney Theater was "Walt Disney, The Dream Goes On" and I knew I didn't want to miss this tribute to one of my heroes, Walt Disney. The show did not disappoint and walked the audience through the major milestones of Walt's career.  There were some very talented actors, some of who could really belt out a tune.  Adding to the scenes of Walt's career were a few classic Disney song and dance numbers, including "Got no Strings" from Pinocchio and "I Wanna Be Like You" from the Jungle Book.  My only complaint was that the show wasn't long enough!

Our Cruise postcard singed by the Captain

After the show and feeling inspired to change the world, we went to meet the Captain and had him sign a postcard from the cruise.  I complimented him on the impressive parking job he had made in Barbados and he thanked me.

We had some time to kill before dinner so we walked around the ship and stumbled across a comedy show, Heath Hank with The Heath Show, in the nightclub, Phantoms.  He proved quickly to be quite hilarious, not only with his kid friendly jokes but with his rubbery facial expressions. I was almost in tears a couple of times from laughing so hard and it felt great!

The hallway leading up to Animator's Palate

We showed up to dinner in a great mood and told our table mates how funny Heath Hank was.  We had already had a fun night but it was just beginning.  Not only is Animator's Palate a restaurant like no other, but it was lobster night!  On 7 day cruises, one has the occasion to eat at Animator's Palate twice and each time you are treated to a different show.  The 2nd show is the one I enjoy the most because you get to draw your own cartoon character and later watch it animated on screens throughout the restaurant.  We quickly drew our characters to turn into our server and ordered our lobster and lava cake.  My lobster was over cooked so they brought me another lobster.  It was better but still not as succulent as Mike's lobster. The waiter insisted on bringing me out a 3rd lobster despite my protests.  I was impressed at their desire to please.  We then enjoyed the chocolate lava cake and watched the show begin. Everybody in the restaurant cheered as they saw their drawings turn into animation.  My silly looking character danced with Donald Duck just as my first drawing had on the Disney Fantasy almost 2 years ago.  

After a delicious and fun dinner, we went to see Heath Hank again because he was having an adults show too.  I found that I enjoyed the show for the kids more but wasn't surprised since I am basically a big kid.  I mean after all I'm cruising Disney with no kids!  We called it a night after having a great day and an eventful night.

We had a pre-date night swim on our last night

Our last night on the ship was our most relaxing, mostly because I was exhausted after a week of non-stop fun.  We had planned to have dinner at Cabana's again but found out that it is closed on the last night of the cruise.  I didn't want to wait until 8:30 to eat so we grabbed a burger and fries on the pool deck.  We ate under the stars and watched the "Princess and The Frog" on the large outdoor screen called Funnel Vision. It was a beautiful night and I was glad to have dinner outside to enjoy it.  After dinner, we went back to our room to start packing, which is when signs of the real world start creeping in.  I don't know if it was the prospect of facing the real world again or if it was all of the excitement of the past week hitting me at once, but suddenly I was utterly and completely exhausted. We finished packing and watched Ghostbusters on the TV in our room.  Neither of us could keep our eyes open to finish the movie and thus ended our last night of the cruise quite uneventfully.

My husband, Mike, and I thoroughly enjoying our Disney Cruise without kids

This concludes my writings about our Disney Southern Caribbean cruise. We started out in beautiful Puerto Rico and had 5 amazing ports of call, including Antigua, St Lucia, Grenada, Barbados and St Kitts. After each port we had a beautiful cruise ship waiting expectantly for us to return and showing us a fabulous date night every night with delicious food, entertaining shows, sunsets and even fireworks. This was one of the best weeks of my life, if not THE best week of my life, and you can't put a price on that!

Next week read about my California adventure with my 10 year old son. It was the least I could do after cruising Disney without him!

Click here for more pictures of the Disney Magic.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my entry from this Traveling Travel Agent's travels.  I am a travel agent because I love to travel and I love helping other people travel! Through strategic partnerships, I offer my clients preferred rates, complimentary upgrades and extra amenities like wine or shipboard credit. If you would like to receive weekly travel offers from my agency, Purple Palm Vacations, please sign up for our Exclusive Travel Specials.

Happy Travels!

Disney Cruising without Kids - Date Night Every Night Part I

From my Disney Southern Caribbean Cruise - 
4 Oct through 11 Oct 2014

I am a huge fan of cruising on Disney Cruise Line and I had cruised Disney twice before with kids but this was my first time kid free, cruising with only my husband, Mike.  I knew Disney had a lot of adult only spaces and adult only activities so I was confident our cruise would be enjoyable and not overrun with kiddos everywhere. Early on during our magical 7 night Southern Caribbean cruise, I commented how great it was that it was date night every night when cruising without kids. And it was! And we had some of the best dates of our decade together!

The magical Disney Magic

Our first date onboard the magical Disney Magic was a Broadway caliber show followed by a luxurious four course dinner and ending with a gorgeous San Juan sail away. The show took place in the beautiful Walt Disney Theater and was called "All Aboard: Let the Magic Begin!"  The singing and dancing Disney characters, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald, were boarding the Disney Magic for their vacation when they met a young man who dreamed of being the ship's captain. Mickey Mouse inspired the boy, as only Disney can, to follow his dream and believe. The show ended with a full live rendition of "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast. We left the theater excited for our vacation to unfold and went to dinner at our assigned restaurant, Carioca's.

The romance and beauty of night time at sea

After the traditional "dinner and show" part of the evening, the real romance began for there is nothing more romantic than night time on the tranquil and captivating Caribbean sea.  We walked leisurely along the promenade deck which is on deck 4 and wraps around the entire ship.  The moon was bright and the air was warm, a perfect combination that we enjoyed almost all to ourselves while others were distracted with the ships inside activities.  

We ended our date with another show as we watched our ship depart from San Juan from the balcony of our stateroom. The lights of San Juan looked beautiful at night and we saw the light of the lighthouse at Fort Morro, which we had visited earlier in the day.  It was an awesome end to a perfect day.

The beautiful and delicious Palo

Date night number two boasted the best dinner of the cruise at the specialty, adults-only, Italian restaurant called Palo.  Palo is themed after Venice and means Pole in Italian.  It is a classy and elegant restaurant with authentic Italian food and an amazing wait staff. Mike and I thoroughly enjoyed our indulgent dinner sandwiched between the best aged parmesan cheese I've ever had and the first chocolate souffle of my life. Palo not only lived up to my expectations, but flew past them with a wonderful combination of romantic ambiance, tantalizing delicacies and accommodating waiters.

Many of the ship's activities take place in the atrium

After dinner, we made an appearance at the Captain's Reception  in the grand atrium before heading to our chosen evening entertainment, the movie "Saving Mr. Banks." Although we did not get to see the Captain, we did score a free Bahama Mama at the reception. The awesome "Saving Mr. Banks" was showing in the smaller of the two theaters, the Buena Vista Theater and was even better this second time seeing it, since I was watching it on a lavish cruise ship and drinking a yummy Bahama Mama.  The seas were so calm, I didn't feel a single movement during the entire movie. We capped off the night by going up to deck 9 to enjoy another beautiful night on the Caribbean. There was a warm wind, a bright moon, and lovely light clouds glowing in the moonlight. It was a perfect ending to a magical date at sea.

The AquaDunk

Day number three of our cruise was an exciting day spent ashore in Antigua. That evening we decided to forgo the show and dinner for some pool deck fun and relaxing room service.  We enjoyed a gorgeous sunset at sea as we sailed away from that day's beautiful Caribbean island.  

Although I was afraid to try the Disney Magic's signature waterslide, the AquaDunk, the rum punch I'd had in Antigua gave me liquid courage and I worked up the nerve to do it. Boy was I glad I did! The AquaDunk, a 3 story drop that hurls you over the side of the ship, was over in a flash yet it was long enough to get my adrenaline pumping and put a huge smile on my face. It was what I like to call good old fashion FUN! After our fill of fun up on the pool deck, we retired to our stateroom and took advantage of room service for a relaxing dinner in our pjs.

    

The Pitons of St Lucia in the background

Cruising and romance go hand in hand for there is beauty in love and beauty in being at sea.  Our fourth date night showcased this perfectly as we had our most beautiful sail away of the trip while leaving St Lucia.  Under an almost full moon, we saw the sun set among colors of orange and yellow on the starboard side and lovely views of St Lucia's famous Pitons on the port side. To me, this was better than any show on board.  And that was only the beginning of another fun-filled evening.

Night time on the ship is a magical time

Instead of eating in our assigned dining room for the second seating (which wasn't until 8:30 pm), we ate earlier at Cabana's.  This was nice because we got a table to ourselves and we were still served a delicious four course dinner by an attentive wait staff. I believe that the flexible Cabana's option is a hidden gem not many people are aware of, for it was not very crowded and as a bonus to us, there very few kiddos.  

After dinner, we went to the evening show, The Atlantic City Boys, a tribute band to Frankie Valli. They were talented and funny and we enjoyed a fun show with lots of laughs and great music.  We capped off a great night by watching fabulous fireworks from the Pirates in the Caribbean show from the privacy of our balcony.  We found that much more relaxing than being up on deck with the masses.

It's date night every night on a Disney Cruise!

The first four nights of our cruise were special date nights filled with variety, luxury and fun that would be hard to replicate on land. Best of all, we didn't carry a wallet or purse or worry about how we were going to pay for such decadence because it was all included! (With the exception of Palo which was an extra $25 per person.) Stay tuned next week for part II and find out if our next three dates were as magical as our first four!

Click here for more pictures of the Disney Magic.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my entry from this Traveling Travel Agent's travels.  I am a travel agent because I love to travel and I love helping other people travel! Through strategic partnerships, I offer my clients preferred rates, complimentary upgrades and extra amenities like wine or shipboard credit. If you would like to receive weekly travel offers from my agency, Purple Palm Vacations, please sign up for our Exclusive Travel Specials.

Happy Travels!

Disney Cruising without Kids - A Perfect Day at Sea

From my Disney Southern Caribbean Cruise - 5 Oct 2014

Once in awhile, there is a day that stands out among all the others. A day so magical, you wish it didn't have to end.  This day was our day at sea, the first full day on our Disney Southern Caribbean cruise this past October.  You know that it is going to be a great day when it starts out with room service delivered to your luxurious stateroom and that is how this perfect day at sea started for my husband, Mike and I.

Our luxurious Verandah Stateroom

After a simple breakfast of cold cereal, I took my coffee out to the verandah and wrote in my journal for a bit. Sitting out on your own private balcony is one of the greatest joys at sea.  There is something so peaceful watching the cruise ship glide through the water while the world goes by in all of it's sunny Caribbean glory. Not only is it motivational but it feeds the soul with the beauty we all seek.   

The captivating, never-ending sea

Next we went to get some exercise and even my workout was magical on this perfect sea day.  In the Fitness Area on Deck 9 Forward, I hopped on an elliptical machine and was pleased to have a view straight out over the bow of the ship.  Not only did this workout come with a view, but it came with a show. There were a handful of birds flying with the ship and at times I could watch them dive down to fish.  It was fun to watch and a great reminder that not even a workout is mundane when one is at sea.

The workout room faces forward for great sea views

After working out, we rewarded ourselves with a swim in the adults only pool in the Quiet Cove adults area. The adults area was serene and relaxing.  We hung out in the pool for awhile and I marveled at the perfect weather, in the low 80's with only a couple of small clouds to give contrast to the big blue sky.  I looked up and felt the gentle movement of the ship while I watched the clouds go by.  At the risk of over using the word, it was magical.  After swimming, we went up one deck to sunbathe.  It was so soothing to lay in the warm sun with the gentle breeze and watch us move through that lovely Caribbean sea. These were the smoothest seas I had ever seen and traveling at a leisurely 9 knots made for a peaceful pace and a peaceful state of mind.

Adults Only pool in Quiet Cove

It was a wonderful morning of working out followed by glorious relaxation at sea and next it was time to fill our hungry tummies. We decided to forego the craziness of the buffet and opted for the sit down option at Lumiere's.  It was a good choice because instead of fighting the crowds, we sat at a civilized table all to ourselves and marveled at how few kids were in the restaurant.  I enjoyed a decadent and decidedly delicious four course meal which consisted of a Cheese Quesadilla, Walnut Apple Salad, Pasta Alfredo and Key Lime Pie.  I found Lumiere's, named after the candlestick in Beauty and the Beast, to be a beautiful, classy restaurant with very accommodating servers.

Lumiere's is named after the candlestick in Beauty and the Beast

We needed to walk off some of that yummy yet calorie laden lunch so we opted to join the Art of the Theme Show Tour.  With a title like that, I didn't know what to expect but I at least knew there would be walking.  It turned out to be a ship tour for adults and was filled with fun facts about the Disney Magic and Disney Cruise Line.  I thought the most interesting of the Disney Magic facts is that the ship is almost as long as the Eiffel Tower is tall.  One thing that we learned, which really impressed me, is that Disney leaves no detail left unnoticed.  One example of this is that the deck with the kids clubs on it has a shorter ceiling than other decks to make the kids feel bigger. Another example is that the carpet is different on every deck to match the theme of the deck.  We also learned a lot about the history of cruising and how Disney cruise ships today pay homage to the golden era of cruising. It was a very enjoyable tour for a ship geek like myself!

The carpet in front of the Walt Disney Theater

Earlier in the day I had what can only be described as a Disney Magical Moment at Sea.  I was walking back to our stateroom to meet back up with my husband when I heard piano music from the atrium start to play "When You Wish Upon a Star."  I looked over the nearby railing down into the atrium and saw that 3 Disney Princesses had come out to greet the excited kids.  I thought to myself how surreal this scene was compared to everyday life.  And therein lies the magic, this total escape from everyday life where Princesses are real, live music is heard on a daily basis and a floating resort takes us to a new exotic destination every day.  I stood there in front of the pumpkin window and stared out at sea taking in the beautiful piano music and I just stayed there and enjoyed this unexpected moment.

Site of the Disney Magical Moment at Sea

By the time our Art of the Theme Show tour was over, it was time to get ready for our dinner at Palo. I'll save the details on that dinner for my next post where I talk about date night every night when cruising Disney without kids. Let's just say that Palo didn't disappoint us and it was the perfect end to a perfect day. From the relaxing morning and luxurious meals, to the magic moments and soul enriching beauty of the sea, this day at sea on the Magic was indeed magical. Not only was it my best day at sea, it's very possible it was the best day of my life!

Me at sea, where I am the happiest!

Click here for more pictures of the Disney Magic.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my entry from this Traveling Travel Agent's travels.  I am a travel agent because I love to travel and I love helping other people travel! Through strategic partnerships, I offer my clients preferred rates, complimentary upgrades and extra amenities like wine or shipboard credit. If you would like to receive weekly travel offers from my agency, Purple Palm Vacations, please sign up for our Exclusive Travel Specials.

Happy Travels!

St Kitts - Unspoiled and authentic

From my Disney Southern Caribbean Cruise - 10 Oct 2014

St Kitts was island number 5, out of 5 islands visited in 5 days on the magical Southern Caribbean Disney Cruise I took with my husband, Mike, last month. To me, this was the most exotic of the Caribbean islands on our itinerary and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I did know that it would be our only port day not spent on or near the water.  For a water-lovin' lady living in land-locked Colorado, I should have known this was not a good way to end a great cruise. But alas, I opted for a rainforest hike far from the sea and our up-until-then charmed cruise hit some speed bumps.  Was it a bad omen?  Or were we just due?  

After waking up between 5:30 and 6:00 am for the last 4 days, I was relieved that we didn't pull into port until 11:00 am, allowing us to sleep in until a leisurely 7:30 am.  After morning room service, we went up on deck for beautiful views of St Kitts as we pulled up to the island. Because it was a later arrival, the Disney characters were up on deck mingling with the guests.  We saw Mickey and Stitch.  I was delighted at the surprise Mickey sighting because I had been unsuccessful at getting a good picture of him up until that point.  This time I got the "money shot" of him decked out in his Caribbean attire up on deck with St Kitts in the background.

The Mickey "money shot" with St Kitts in the background

After a much needed slow paced morning, we went to meet up with our tour group in the D Lounge.  We left right on time with a group of 38 people.  We were taken to a colorful, open air bus for our drive up to the trailhead. It was a very nice drive with excellent views of the town of Basseterre and it's colorful, pretty buildings.  As we drove further up the mountain, we could see lovely views of the sea and countryside.  St Kitts was much smaller than the other Caribbean islands we had visited, both in land size and population. Our driver pointed out various points of interest along the way, among them a local brewery and low income housing that was set on the side of a mountain with most incredible views of the sea.  I was thinking I should move here!

Our ride to our rainforest hike

After a fairly short drive, we arrived at 17th-century Romney Manor, an old sugar plantation rich in history and once owned by Sam Jefferson, great, great, great grandfather of our 3rd president, Thomas Jefferson. To get to the grounds, we drove through beautiful rainforest on a fear-for-your-life, steep and narrow road.

The 400 year old Saman tree

Our driver gave us 25 minutes to explore the scenic estate and beautiful gardens. The grounds were nothing short of spectacular with so many different tropical plants including a huge bougainvilla tree, survivor's palm, lipstick palm, and a huge 400 year old Saman tree. Unfortunately, the grounds were very crowded since there was a Carnival ship in port that day as well.  On an island with a population of 35,000, 2 cruise ships carrying around 3,000 people each made a difference! For me, the crowds made it hard to enjoy the beauty. Luckily, we found a tour group selling beer out of the back of their bus, and bought 3 bottles of the local Carib beer for $5. That took the edge off but not for long as it turned out.

Romney Manor

After our 25 minutes were up, we met up with our group and proceeded to what would become the most miserable hike of my life.  We had 2 guides so our group of 38 was split into a group of 18 and a group of 20.  We were in the group of 20 and took up the rear of the line walking towards the rainforest.  I saw that there was a zipline right above us as we walked. It was fun to watch pairs of people come zipping and screaming down the line until I realized that half of our hike would take place underneath all of this commotion. I think of a forest as a place of beauty and peace and while I was getting plenty of beauty, it was hard to appreciate with no peace. 

Vines hanging in the rainforest

While the zipline became annoying, what really made the hike unbearable for me was that it was no hike at all, but rather a stand-around.  The best thing I can compare it to is waiting 2 hours in a long line at Disneyland, only this time there was no fun ride at the end.  This excruciating pace might not have been so bad if I could hear our guide, who seemed very knowledgeable, and if I wasn't so darn hot and sweaty.  I needed movement in order to create a breeze, if nothing else! I tried hard to enjoy the beautiful rainforest, which is actually expanding in St Kitts, despite my discomfort but I finally gave in and just wanted the darn "hike" to be over already.  I decided right then and there that while I was in the hot and humid Caribbean, I would stick to water activities! 

Remains from the Sugar Plantation and Aquaduck

The walk finally ended and we were rewarded with delicious snacks including passionfruit juice, banana bread, plantain chips, local fresh bananas and fresh coconut.  The guides kept bringing out one food item after the next and then they outdid themselves with local rum mixed with passionfruit juice.  It was really tasty and refreshing after the hot and disappointing hike.  I think that with a group of 10 people or less, it could have been a great hike.  Once we finally got past the zipline, the forest really was spectacular.  Had we been in a smaller group, we could have heard the guide and moved at a better pace.

Low income housing with views of sister island, Nevis

This was the first time having an experience like this during a port of call and I realized that picking the right tour can really make or break a destination.  I had such a wonderful time in Barbados and Grenada, that I couldn't wait to return.  I had little desire to return to St Kitts until I realized that there is still so much to like about St Kitts if I don't let that horrible hike grow bigger than what it really was.  I do want to go back to St Kitts and check out the beaches, and visit neighboring island, Nevis.  It really is a wonderful, authentic Caribbean island that deserves a second chance!

The pretty town of Basseterre

Click here for more pictures from my adventure in St Kitts!

I hope you have enjoyed reading my entry from this Traveling Travel Agent's travels.  I am a travel agent because I love to travel and I love helping other people travel! Through strategic partnerships, I offer my clients preferred rates, complimentary upgrades and extra amenities like wine or shipboard credit. If you would like to receive weekly travel offers from my agency, Purple Palm Vacations, please sign up for our Exclusive Travel Specials.

Happy Travels!

  

Beautiful Barbados - Sea Turtles, Sailing and Rum Punch

From my Disney Southern Caribbean Cruise - 09 Oct 2014

My husband, Mike, and I took a magical Southern Caribbean Cruise on the Disney Magic in October of this year.  The fourth port of call on our cruise was beautiful Bridgetown, Barbados.  After St Lucia, this was probably my next highly anticipated stop. Not only is my good friend Kathy from Barbados, but some of the most stunning beach pictures I have ever seen were taken there, so I knew it would be beautiful.  It wasn't until weeks after I discovered the beauty of Barbados that I realized Barbados is technically not even in the Caribbean Sea. It is in the Atlantic Ocean but because of it's proximity to the Caribbean, it is considered a Caribbean island. So instead of getting hung up on technicalities, I'll continue with my experience in Barbados which ended up being my best day of the cruise!

The sunrise over Barbados

We woke up at 5:30 am, even earlier than on previous days, to make sure not to miss docking in Bridgetown and were rewarded with our first sunrise at sea. There is pure magic in standing on the top deck of a magnificent cruise ship feeling the warm Caribbean breeze and watching a new day dawn over an exciting new destination. As we approached the island, I could see it was much flatter and less rugged than our first three island stops (Antigua, St Lucia, and Grenada). Barbados is made from limestone and is not volcanic like the others. Our ship maneuvered gracefully into a tight spot between the dock and a cargo ship.  I was thinking that there was no way that the mighty vessel could pull off such a daunting parallel park job, but she did! It was by far our most impressive docking and nothing short of amazing that such a big ship can be so agile.

The Disney Magic pulling into port

We disembarked and were greeted in Barbados by my favorite Caribbean sound, the steel drums.  This was our 6th day in the Caribbean and only the 1st time hearing this Caribbean staple.  I was glad that Barbados didn't disappoint and thus Barbados was off to a good start.  Our plan for Barbados was to get off one boat to get on another boat.  We were scheduled for a Cool Runnings Catamaran cruise with two snorkel stops and an open bar which sounded like a winning combination to me!  We easily found Gate 1 outside the big, open, cruise port shopping mall and met our tour guide. We were driven about a mile to the tour office where those who did not pre-book, as we had, waited in line to pay. We, on the other hand, were directed outside to the boardwalk and instructed to pass the pirate ship and hop aboard the Catamaran.  I am easily amused and got a chuckle that the attendant directing us got to say "Just past the pirate ship," in his everyday vernacular. One of the reasons that I love to travel so much is the removal from the ordinary.  I don't know about you but pirate ships are not part of my everyday life!

Steel Drums at the Cruise Port

On board the Catamaran, we stowed our snorkel gear and then got down to business.  It was time to test the open bar and try the local beer, Banks, despite the fact that it was only 9 am.  Like I said earlier, far from the ordinary.  The beer was delicious, light and sweet and we were told it was the limestone water that made it so tasty.  What happened next is one of those travel moments that was elevated from the rest, some would call a WOW moment.  Orlando, one of the crew, came over to welcome us and offered to take our picture and then got in one for a selfie. He told us we could go to the back of the Catamaran and dangle our feet in the glorious sapphire blue water while we sailed. We jumped on the opportunity and sat on the back of the boat with our feet in the water.  As if that wasn't fun enough (because it was!), Orlando then surprised us with another Banks beer. I was officially in heaven sailing under the blue Caribbean skies with the soft water keeping me cool in the hot sun. 

My husband, myself, and Orlando on the Catamaran

We arrived at our first snorkel stop where the sea turtles liked to swim. People started to jump off of the Catamaran which was only about 3-4 feet off the water but I was nervous about the jump never-the-less.  I saw a girl, about 10 years old, who was also afraid to jump so I offered to jump with her on 3.  It worked and we both jumped in successfully. It was fun jumping off of the boat into the water and made me feel like a kid again. The snorkeling was too crowded for my taste with arms and legs flailing everywhere.  I decided that my best bet was to stay still and that strategy worked as a magnificent sea turtle swam only inches away from my mask.  To say he was beautiful would be a vast understatement.  His markings were remarkable that close up with lovely stripes in different shades of green.  I saw a couple of other sea turtles but none quite as close as the first one.  I was mesmerized as I watched one of these ancient creatures gracefully paddle away.

View of a beach from our 1st snorkel stop

Back on the boat, dark clouds were forming, but thankfully our next snorkel stop was in the opposite direction. It was time to move on from the beer and try the rum punch made with the local rum, Mount Gay. Every rum punch I have tasted from every other Caribbean island tasted basically the same.  This one was different, however, as it was not as sweet and had a good dose of nutmeg in it. It was different but good. We chose to sit up front on the netting over the water this time around. It was fun to see the beautiful blue water rushing underneath us as we sailed. And for the second time in one day, I was in heaven, sailing on the sea while sipping a rum punch.  Life is good on vacation!

Our Catamaran Mount Gay Rum Sail

We arrived at our second snorkel stop which consisted of two ship wrecks that were moved to this spot for reef growth and tourism.  I normally prefer natural attractions versus manufactured ones and this snorkel stop was no exception. Several other boats were dropping off snorkelers to view the same ship wrecks so I spent more time avoiding collisions with other snorkelers than I did looking for fish.  The 2nd ship wreck we saw had some great potential for fascination but it was just too crowded.  I decided that for ship wreck viewing, diving is the way to go as I saw a diver meandering on his own among the wreckage down below.

The pirate ship out on the water

I didn't let the disappointing snorkel experience put a damper on what was already an amazing day. Instead we got back on our boat, sailed away, and enjoyed a delicious lunch of potato salad and rice and beans plus, of course, another drink from the open bar. During lunch the rain storm caught up with us so we waited it out and then hopped back in the water for snorkeling on our own while most of the other passengers stayed on board to take advantage of the open bar. There was not much in the way of sea life under water at this stop but once in a while a sea turtle would wander by. It was nice to watch him swim without all of the people scrambling to see him. We ended up seeing four sea turtles and I was really glad we chose another round of snorkeling over another round of rum punch.

Our wonderful ride for the day

It was time for the last chapter of our awesome Catamaran trip and we started to sail back to port. Mike and I sat in the back of the boat again with our feet in the water and I rejoiced at such an awesome day on and in the water. It was a bit ironic that the best day at port was in Barbados and yet I had seen the least amount of this country. Because I was out on the water the majority of the time, I didn't feel like I had gotten to know the soul of Barbados like I did with the other islands we had visited.  All that means to me is that like Grenada, Barbados is a place I must return! I did get to know the Barbadians, from our boat crew and my friend from Barbados, and they are friendly, giving and welcoming, and like other Caribbean island people, have great pride in their island nation. As well they should!

Views of Bridgetown from the water

Click here for more pictures from my adventure in Barbados!

I hope you have enjoyed reading my entry from this Traveling Travel Agent's travels.  I am a travel agent because I love to travel and I love helping other people travel! Through strategic partnerships, I offer my clients preferred rates, complimentary upgrades and extra amenities like wine or shipboard credit. If you would like to receive weekly travel offers from my agency, Purple Palm Vacations, please sign up for our Exclusive Travel Specials.

Happy Travels!