Top Rated St. Thomas Beaches

St. Thomas is a popular vacation destination. Tourists come from all around the world just to vacation in St. Thomas.  One of the many reasons why tourists choose to vacation in St. Thomas is because of the remarkable beaches.  If you are scheduling a vacation to St. Thomas, you may be wondering which beaches you should visit.
 
When scheduling a beach visit in St. Thomas, it is important to take a number of factors into consideration. One of those factors may be where you are staying.  If you staying at a St. Thomas resort, you may have direct access to the beach.  Despite that direct access, you may still want to visit other beaches in the area.  Below is an overview of a few of the most popular St. Thomas beaches.

Coki Point is a popular, yet small beach in St. Thomas.  Coki Point is ideal for a relaxing trip to the beach.  The small beach size and calm waters make Coki Point one of the most popular beach destinations in St. Thomas.  It is an ideal vacation destination for families.  In addition to the beach, there is a nearby marine park.
 
If you are interested in visiting Coki Point, you have a number of fun activities that you can participate in.  In addition to swimming, sunbathing, and playing games on the beach, you may enjoy boating, jet skiing, snorkeling, and scuba diving. On site beach rentals make it possible for your do just about anything at Coki Point.

Magens Bay is classified as the best beach in all of St. Thomas.  You can easily tell that Magens Bay is a popular tourist attraction. Unlike most beaches in St. Thomas, you will be required to pay a small entry fee. Despite that entry fee, many individuals and families enjoy spending the day Magens Bay.
 
If you are interested in enjoying a day at Magens Bay, there are a number of beach side activities that you can participate in. Traditional beach activities include swimming, sunbathing, and playing popular beach games along the shore.  Beach activities with a touch of adventure include, but are not limited to, sailing, snorkeling, and kayaking.
 
Lindquist Beach is another popular beach in St. Thomas. Lindquist Beach is still considered a well-kept secret.  Lindquist Beach is currently an undeveloped area.  This means entertainment, food and drinks, and water rentals are not available.

Despite the fact that Lindquist beach is undeveloped, you can still participate in a number of beach side activities.  These activities include playing beach side sports, swimming, and sunbathing. When swimming in Lindquist Beach it is important to use caution.  Unlike many other popular beaches in St. Thomas, Lindquist Beach is not equipped with lifeguards.

Secret Harbor is another popular beach located in St. Thomas. This beach offers vendors that typically sell food and drinks.  The Secret Harbor is most known for being one of the best beaches to relax at in the area.  You will find hammocks and multiple beach chairs scattered along the coastline.

If you are interested in visiting Secret Harbor, you will find an unlimited number of things to do.  Secret Harbor is an ideal place to go diving.  On site dive rental shops make it possible for you participate in this exciting underwater adventure.  In addition to diving, you can enjoy sunbathing, swimming, popular beach games, or you can just sit by the shoreline and watch the world go by. 

The above mentioned beaches are just a few of the many that you will find in St. Thomas.  If one thing is for sure, there is not a shortage of beaches on the island. All of the beaches mentioned above are not considered resort beaches.  While visiting various St. Thomas beaches, you may find that many beaches are in front of a resort.  Despite being directly in front of private resorts, you should still be able to visit the beaches.

To make the most out of beaching in St. Thomas, you are encouraged to examine what each beach has to offer. By considering the location of beaches and the on site activities that are available, you can easily find the perfect beach or beaches to spend the day.

Staying Safe aboard a Cruise Ship

Every summer, millions of individuals take a cruise.  The majority of those individuals have a memorable experience.  Over the past few years, there have been reports of missing persons and cruise ship crime.  While it may seem like the cruise ship industry has a problem, the reality is that they do not. Cruise ship accidents are few and far between.

Despite the fact that you are safe aboard a cruise ship, you should still take precautions to protect yourself, your family, and your belongings.  There are a number of steps that you can take.  Most of these precautions are simple and can be done with little or no effort.  Despite being simple, these precautions could keep you more safe and your finances in check when you are on a cruise.

Many individuals believe that cruise ship safety should begin once they board the ship; however, it should begin well in advance.  When traveling on a cruise ship, it is likely that you will visit foreign countries.  In the event of a mistake or disaster, you are encouraged to have all of your important documents on hand. These documents should include your passport and driver’s license.  Before boarding your cruise ship, you are encouraged to make copies of all of these documents.  In addition to the originals, you should carry a copy with you and leave the other at home.

When you finally board your cruise ship, there are a number of steps that you should take to ensure your safety.  These steps include familiarizing yourself with the cruise ship.  Today’s most popular cruise ships are large in size.  It may take some time to examine the ship, but you are still encouraged to do so.  In addition to physically seeing the ship, it is advised that you request a map.  This map should be carried with you at all times; it may come in handy if you lose your way.

Familiarizing yourself with your cruise ship is important, but so is familiarizing yourself with other passengers.  You do not have to be outgoing or social to accomplish this. Simply keeping an eye out for individuals that appear to be shady or mysterious is a great way to protect yourself.  If you were on land, it is likely that you would avoid individuals that make you feel uncomfortable.  The same should apply aboard a cruise ship.
 
When walking around a cruise ship, you are advised not to travel alone.  As with land, traveling with others is likely to reduce or eliminate your chances of becoming a crime victim.  If you must move around the ship alone, you need to inform a number of individuals where you will be headed and when you expect to return.  In the event that something does happen, a relative or friend should know exactly where to find you.

When on a cruise ship, your personal safety should be your first concern.  In addition to personal safety, the safety of your belongings should also be important.  If you are traveling with expensive luggage or large sums of money, you may want to take extra precautions.  Before you leave home, you way want to consider leaving your expensive belongings behind.  Most cruise ships will not reimburse their passengers for lost money or belongings; therefore, if you can’t afford to replace it, you might not want to bring it.

When it comes to theft, cash and credit cards are often the most sought after items. Instead of carrying a purse or a wallet, you are encouraged to carry a money pouch.  To offer the utmost protection, you may want to obtain a money pouch that can be worn around your neck and tucked into your shirt.  These pouches often make it impossible for thieves to strike.

In the event that you are unable to use a money pouch or you left yours at home, you are urged to divide up your money.  Keeping your money in multiple locations may provide you with financial protection if a theft does occur.  If you must use a purse, you are encouraged to keep it with you at all times.  Women and men, with wallets, are urged to keep their wallets in their front pockets.
 
Cruise ships are exciting and, for the most part, very safe. With a few simple precautions, you can safely enjoy your vacation aboard a cruise ship without fretting over the safety of yourself and your belongings.

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June 23 Valor Review Part Five, Entertainment

Entertainment:
Full Review
In general the stage shows are OK for a small stage production in my opinion of a quality that would rank somewhere etween a local Community College and a local big city theater production. The Welcome Aboard show the first night was pretty good. The singers were rarely offkey of pitchy and the ship dancers were actually quite good. The dance thing is what my 9yo daughter really enjoys as an aspiring dancer. Through the cruise she took every oportunity to speak with a dancer about how she liked their routines. Each dancer my daughter got to speak with was very welcoming and personable, very nice group.

Night two was a show called Nightclub Express, night three was the Liar's Club and the Marriage games. The other passengers selected to play along were very good, funny. Night four, St Thomas night, the Valor brought onboard an entertainer who performed Live Motown. He was very good and his name was Marcus Anthony. Night five, Antigua was a show "More Than Magic" with Rand Woodburry. This show was quite good but what made it very good was the guests who participated. If I were texting it would be LMAO funny. Night six, Tortola, was the Gravity Defying Comedy of Dana Tison. This was just OK. Night seven was the stage show Far from Over. It was decent Valor band and dancer production, better the the Dane Tison show. Finally on night 8, Nassau, was the Carnival Legends show. Except for Goose and some of his cruise staff cross-dressing parts of the show, the guest participation segments were actually very good. We surelay had some guests that could belt out songs. Over all, considering the small stage production, the entertainment I would give a B- rating to.

Punchliners: Over this 8 night cruise we were entertained by four comedians in the Eagles Nest lounge. The first half of the cruise the comedians were Al Romero and Seth Buckwold. Each did a family friendly show and later in the evening did and adults only show. Al Romero had just an OK family show but his Adult show was much better, his material was more fitting with crude humor and language. Seth Buckwald was better in the family version than the adult only version. The one iritating thing about Seth was that each set he started with the exact first couple jokes. At mid cruise two new comedians were brough on board,Jorge Solano and Jerry Goodspeed. JOrge was traditional stand up and very funny in his routine about marriage and relationships but Jerry kind of stole the show compared to the other three comedians. Jerry is a ventiloquist and honestly I was not too keen on seeing the show having been to Jeff Dunham and Terry Fator shows but in all honesty Jerry was so much more funny. It wasn't the material, but what made is set so much more funny was the guest participation and a minor prop failure which had everyone rolling with laughter. The Punchliners I would give B rating.

June 23 Valor to Eastern Caribbean Part Four

Camp Carnival
Full Review

Camp Carnival:My son is 11 years old and my daughter is 9 and both had good times with the youth program staff. Each made friends quickly and they would decide which activities they would participate the evening before. The times that did not appeal to my son he would hang with some of his pals at the sports deck and play some hoops then get ice cream, then do a Camp Carnival scavenger hunt and get ice cream, then do some video games and get ice cream. The camp had two special nights for this age group for a fee. One night was a Mardi Gras night which went from 10:00 pm to midnight and the other is a late night party which goes from 10:00pm until 3:00am. Both kids had good times with the youth program. I would say my son attended about 50% of their activities and my daughter about 75%. Each was authorized to sign themselves in and out of the program.

I would give the Camp Carnival a b+ for my 9 year old daughter and a B- for my 11 year old son. Check out the Camp Carnival Activity schedule for 9-11 year olds Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

June 23 Valor to Eastern Caribbean Part Three

The Food
Full Review

Lincoln Dining Room:I cannot say enough good things about the food we sere served in the Lincoln Dining room. The Exec Chef realy has his 'A' game going on. Now I am no foodee and make no claims to be but I enjoy meals that are well prepared and flavored. While nothing arrived to the table pipinig hot, all meals were fine for me. We vacationed in Maine last summer and no disrepect to the Mainers but the Maine lobster that I had on the first elegant night was by far the best lobster that I have had hands down. My wife had the prime rib which was also near perfect. Each dinner was very good.

We book with the Your Time Dining (YTD) and earlier I had mentioned the first night service was rather slow, mostly due to a new wait team not yet in sync with each other. The next night we asked for another section and were seated in Calixto's area. Calixto and his team of Jose and Tsolt (pronounce jolt) were simply excellent. They were all on the same page and the progression of the meal was well orchestrated. We asked for Calixto each night from that point forward and with the exception of two night where his section was booked, we never experienced a wait of moe than 10 minutes. The two nights that we just missed getting into his section we were lucky to be seated in Cornelia's section. She and her team are also very good.

Over all I would give the Lincoln Dining room food an A and the service an A+.

Lido Buffet:With four exceptions, the Lido buffet was just OK. Not bad but not memorable either. The exceptions to that are the Made to order Omellete station, the Burrito Bar, the Mongolian Wok and the Fish and Chips (deck 10 aft behind the Lido buffet). My favorite was the Mongolain Wok, your choice of fresh veggies, meat and sauce that is stir fried right in front of you. Hot, fresh and very flavorful. Number two on my favorite list is the burrito bar where you pick the ingredients and the chef makes your burrito for you served with fresh tortilla chips and choices of salsa. My son hit this station up so frequently that the chef would just ask him how many and set my son up with his fav. The fish and Chips area is a little hidden and you can miss it if you don't know about it. The seared tuna on a slice of watermelon is awesome and their fish and chips are very good, not greasy as in some stateside fast food chains.

I do have one big pet peeve with the Lido buffet though. They have signs at the entrances stating that to enter one should have on dry clothes and not be barefoot. I wish Carnival would enforce this. Each day there were shirless men in just their swin trunks barefoot in the buffet lines and women in only thier bikinis also serving themselves food. Cover up for goodness sake. No one wants to be in the buffet line behind someone still dripping from the pool, bare foot and with no shirt on.

I would grade the Lido buffet as a C becasue it was just ok but the four exceptions all earned an A.

Pool Side Grill and Pizza:The poolside grill was also pretty good and constantly had fresh french fries, hamburgers and hotdogs available and all the accompanyments such as sauteed mushrooms, chili, nacho cheese and sauerkraut. The pizza station had some decent calzones. The pizza was just ok.

June 23 Valor to Eastern Caribbean Part Two

The Ports
Full Review

ST THOMAS, Wednesday June 26:We were scheduled for our first port of call from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. It was a beautiful sunshine filled day with an occasional lone cloud blowing by with temperatures to be in the mid 80's. No worries. There are quite a few shops around the cruise pier and the always popular Senor Frogs at the end of the pier. The Carnival Liberty would join us an hour later and Carnival had the only two ships in harbor this day.

I had booked a shopping, sightseeing amd beach excursion with Sunny Liston Tours for approximately $20 less per person than was offered through the excursion desk and we had more time for the excursion. You must be warned about Sunny Liston Tours. If you are somewhat introverted and do not like to sing along and have fun then this is not the tour for you. All the other tours knew when our group was coming down the road. There were plenty of sing alongs with popular party songs lead by Sunny with lots of hooting and cheering which caused many of the stoic participants in other tours to look at the loud, fun group approaching.

We were picked up promptly at 9:00 am as scheduled by Sunny himself, a popular gentleman who seemed to know most everyone around the pier. We were taken the couple miles into downtown and shown the pickup location for the tour continuation at noon time. There were plenty of shops to browse and they all appeared to have special 'deals' for the Carnival passengers. There are quite a few small alleys the run between the two main streets and there are some hidden shops and bars along the way. The time for shopping was just enough and right on time we found Sunny waiting for our group at the designated spot.

We left the downtown area and began the tour of the island with stops at a lookout point above the harbor, Drakes seat and Montain Top all which provided beatiful views of the sea and neighboring islands. Sunny also provided brief histories at each stop about the islands and the pirates back in the day. From the Mountain Top location we had a great view of Megan's Bay. Beautiful.

Next we were on to Coki Beach for two hours. As expected with two large ships in harbor the beach was pretty crowded and you could see many Carnival towels spread around. My son and I brought his snorkel and mask and my googles and we spent most of the two hours off the beach admiring scores of brilliant color fish. There wasn't any coral to be seen but then we were only about 20 feet deep. Toward the left as you look out toward the water is where we found all the fish. There was too much swim activity around mid beach. The water was swimming pool clear and warm. Great day at the beach, thank you Sunny Liston.

The liberty sailed just a couple minutes before we did and it was a very pretty sail away with a light breeze. Once out of the breakwater the Liberty turned northwest while we headed south.

Check out the St Thomas day Fun Times Cover page, Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

ANTIGUA, Wednesday June 27:The Valor was the only ship in port on this hot and muggy day(mid 80's with 80% humidity). The plan for Antigua was to walk the town shopping. There is an area immeidately outside the gates of the cruise pier that is well maintained, clean and populated by varous jewelry, souvenir and cigar shops as well as an open air bar/snack bar.

After you leave this two block area and enter the public streets thigs change a bit. Off to the right is a swap meet like covered area where many local vendors are crammed together. There were plenty of souvenirs such as t-shirts, womens beach wraps, sea shells, magnets etc. They were not very receptive to price negotiations for their objects except for a small handful. The vendors were quite aggressive trying to gain the attention of their visitors, so much so that two women got into a heated argument about who's customers we were. I thought they were close to striking each other before others separated them.

Exiting the swap meet area we enter the heart of the city where we criss crossed a couple blocks each direction. The infratructure of the city is not in the best of shape and you need to really watch your step to avoid broken curb or drainage grates or missing slats of wood over the sewer run offs. It is a reasonably compact area an easy to navigate from that standpoint but we really found nothing that got our interest along our shopping trek so we found a shop with some shaded seats that sold beers 2 for $5 so we sat for a while to cool off and to watch the locals for a while. I tried a local Anriguan lager which tasted very similar to a Heineken but without the slight skunky after taste. Not too bad and it was ice cold. The second round er tried Carib lager which was similar to Corona.

After cooling off we started to head back to the cruise pier politely passing a few panhandlers (just like back in a US city) and dodging the swap meet vendors. Other than the aggressive vendors in the swap meet area, we found the locals to be very friendly and we felt safe walking around the town but it was our least favorite of the ports I guess mostly because it felt dirty in many ways with the broken sidewalks, open drains etc. If we were to visit again I would look into an excursion which would pick us up at the cruise pier and take us by boat to a beach or snorkel activity.

Check out the Antigua day Fun Times Cover page, Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Tortola, Thursday June 28:This was my favorite of the four ports that we visited and we were again the only ship in port, another mid 80 degree day. The city is clean and the locals very friendly. We had been to Tortola before so this time we were just going to do the city for shopping and some bar hopping. Interesting though something I found out about the level with which the Carnival Corp controls some of these places. The line offers a Dolphin swim adventure through the excursion desk for $170 per person. The same tour can be had directly from the vendor for $95 per adult and $85 per child under 10 UNLESS YOU ARE A CRUISE PASSENGER with Carnival, Princess and HAL etc. When the website asked which ship you were arriving on I clicked the button and got the message than they were unable to take the reservation for me, that I had to book through the cruise line. I called and spoke to Manuel for the Dolphin adventure vendor ahd he confirmed that they have a contract with Carnvial AND that the cruise line has a representative who come to the site to book any cruise line passengers who walk up. Can you say GREED, COLLUSION. I can't entirely blame Carnival because the dolphin adventure vendor is the only one providing that tour so they did not have to enter into an agreement with Carnival but chose to do so for their benefit. I guess Micky has to gouge extra money wherever he can to pay for the salaries of the players for his Miami Heat. Sure I could have claimed to be a guest at a local hotel and arrive by taxi, leaving anything Carnival (beach towels) behind but the fact the tour vendor plays along with Carnival to that extent turned me off. I am now more determined to never book an excursion through the cruise line.

Before I digressed we were going for a shopping trek in Tortola. It is maybe a mile walk (max) to get from the pier to the edge of town and along the way they do set up a vendor area along the way just outside the secured pieer area. These vendors were very laid back and gladly answered any questions but did not solicit or pitch their ware in any way. It was an easy walk around town, the motorist were all friendly and yielded to the pedestrians at crossings and those on foot mostly said hello. We must have visited every jewelry store and T-shirt store in town and found some good deals but were hot and thirsty so we found a bar just outside the secured cruise pier area that also had beer at 2 for $5. I was disappointed that they did not have a beer that I had not tried before so I settled for a couple Coronas. Once cooled down adequately we made our way back to the ship.

Check out the Tortola day Fun Times Cover page, Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Nassau, Saturday June 30:The Valor arrived in Nassau slightly before noon and the Fascination and the Imagination were already in port. The Monarch of the Seas joined us about 30 minutes later. With four ships in port we had long ago decided to avoid the excursion scene and were content with window shopping along the town streets and checking out the Straw Market. The streets were clean, the locals very friendly and the vendors in the Straw Market were not aggressive in the least. It was a very nice day for a stroll and we got lucky that there was a brief shower that cooled things off for a while and it did nto get too humid after the clouds cleared again.

After four hours of shopping we headed back to the ship for some lemonade and a calzone. The Fascination was scheduled to sail at 6:00pm and the Valor at 7:00pm. It was interesting watching the pier runners for the Fascination, most appeared to be coming from Senor Frogs based on their balloon animal hats and their staggered walk. The captain held the ship for 15 minutes to get the last three women back on board, balloon hats and all. The Valor sailed right on time with no evidence of pier runners. Most likely one of the differences between a three day party cruise and an 8-day family cruise.

Check out the Nassau day Fun Times Cover page, Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

June 23 Valor to Eastern Caribbean Part One

Valor Eastern Caribbean from Miami June 23 through July1 2012, Ports of call: St. Thomas, Antigua, Tortolla and Nassau.

Full Review

PRECRUISE:
Although the cruise departed on June 23 we arrived in Florida a week early to enjoy some down time in the Orlando area. We are not big Disney fans and have done the theme park extravaganza before but instead enjoyed a lot of time around the resort pool and lazy river. Seaworld had a two for one offer that gave two day admissions for one day price AND with my Southwest Airline Rapid Reward card received another 20% off the price. If you are a roller coaster fan, they have one called the Manta which is the best that I have experienced. You are basically suspended face down on the ride and are whisked through corkscrews and loops for a couple minutes. A good case of jelly legs once you put your feet back onto the ground.

After the fun week in Orlando we drove down to Miami on Friday afternoon and stayed at the Doubletree Biscayne Bay. We were given a beautiful mini-suite with a balcony which overlooked the bay and had a good view of the cruise terminal. The Doubletree occupies a few floots of an older, residential highrise. It is clean and comfortable and I found the hotel staff to be very friendly. The only downside to the Doubletree is that the walls are thin and light sleepers could be frustrated by the noise. Also, bayside rooms are above a bar which plays music well into the early morning. Still a good night sleep.

SAIL AWAY DAY, Sunday June 23:
I woke early and watched the Valor Come into the cruise terminal under a threatening sky and nearly an hour later the Liberty also came into port; a double feature. The forecast was for a 60% chance of rain and about ninety minutes after the Valor tied up, the sky opened up with a downpour which lasted at least 30 minutes. Who cares, right? After all a rainy day on a cruise is better than a beautiful day at work.

The rain had stopped and we grabbed a cab from the hotel about 10:20 and were at the cruise pier in 10 minutes for an $11 fare. We left the bags with the porter and went to check in. There were no lines and we walked right up to the counter, got our sign & sail cards and were directed up to the waiting area. The room slowly began to fill but at 11:00 they boarded a couple wedding parties and then at 11:15 the staff began boarding guests in the waiting area. We boarded on deck three into the American Lobby. Beautifully decorated earth tones with rustic red white and blue tiles clustered flag-like in the flooring, an inviting lobby bar and comfortable cushioned chairs. Great first impression.

By 11:40 we were checking out the lunch offerings of the Lido buffet. We settled for the Burrito Bar, a location my son would visit every day of the cruise for a couple beef burritos. Pretty good burritos, made to order that went very well with an ice cold beer. After lunch is when I like to find a good perch and watch the parade of arrivals on the pier. There now is a constant flow of traffic dropping off passengers below and the checkin line snakes out to the street briefly at times. I don't know how but I missed the cabin ready announcement but still went to the cabin shortly after 2:00 and everything was ready.

The muster drill was completed more quickly than I remember my other recent cruises which was a good thing. It gets rather hot and stuffy with five or six rows of people stacked together on a muggy day. Released from the drill off we go to the Panorama deck to get a good rail side location for sail away. It isn't long before the horn blows and the long shoremen begin releasing the lines and the sun begins to peek through the clouds once in a while. As we slowly begin to cruise past the Liberty the bridge crews blow the horns to each other. First the Valor and then the Liberty would answer for a couple rounds. Cool start as it was clear to see that both ship's decks were full of fun people ready to get away. The Liberty followed us out the channel about five minutes behind us. There was no calypso music but there was plenty of reggae music played as we sailed out to sea. It was a very nice sail away and finally, after months of anticipation, the cruise vacation had begun

After freshening up at the cabin, a mid-category aft balcony on deck 7, Empress deck, we went to dinner at the Your Time Dining on deck 3 of the Lincoln Dining Room. There was already a line to check in but we were still seated in less than 10 minutes. The Lincoln decor has a lot of pink tones to it but with very warm inviting feel to it and the chairs were very comfortable. Maybe it was the first night or that the wait team trio were just getting to know each other but dinner this night took a bit longer than it should. The team was very nice but their timing between courses and each other was off leading to a rather slow pace of the meal. My son had been asking me to try Salmon for dinner so my order tonight was the Atlantic Salmon off the every night menu so we would not be wasteful if my son did not like the dish. The Salmon was a hit so we shared his steak and my salmon. I must say that the salmon was cooked perfectly and the portion was just right as it left a little room for desert.

When we finished our 2 1/2 hour long dinner, we took another walk around the ship to get more familiar with it. We ended up at the mid ship pool/seaside theater on the Lido deck and settled for a while aas the kids got a second desert, the soft-serve ice cream. We sailed I think a day before tropical storm Debby blew through Florida and the winds at sea this night were very strong. An interesting event occurred that I never heard what had happened, maybe the strong cross winds or maybe a brief glitch in the stabilizers? For a couple minutes the ship listed a couple degrees toward port, so much of a list that the water from the pool began to run out of the pool across the deck. It was interesting to watch guests scatter as I just lifted my feet. It was an interesting thing to observe but I did not ever find out what caused the list. Either way, it was only a couple minutes and nothing close to that happened again.

Check out the Sail Away Fun Times Cover page, Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

SEA DAYS, Sunday June 24, Monday June 25 and Friday June 29:The sea days were perfect opportunities to sleep late (for me, 7:00 AM) and lazily stroll up to Lido for breakfast. I never go farther than the made to order omelette station at the grill poolside. At the omelette station is also a variety of breakfast items such as a potato dish, oatmeal and grits, either hot cakes or waffles or french toast, bacon and sausage as well as an assortment of danishes. Plenty to fill the tanks for the day.

The cruise staff put on a number of trivia contests, an extra bingo session and activities around the pool for those who wished to participate. The band played over the mid ship pool in the noon to 3:00 pm timeframe and the pool area was very busy. I did not observe any issues with chogs (chair hogs) and had no problem finding a table and chair somewhere around the pool. The waterslide was open until 6:00 pm and the kids, and a number of grown ups, all seemed to enjoy it with no too large of a line. The two bars in this pool area were pumping out the drinks. I was going to try and count for a few minutes how many drinks were sent out from the bar nearest me but quickly lost count with all the distracting activities on deck. I love people watching and get easily distracted by the humanity show.

Check out the Sea Day 1 Fun Times Cover page, Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Check out the Sea Day 2 Fun Times Cover page, Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Check out the Sea Day 2 Fun Times Cover page, Page 1, Page 2, Page 3