Honeymoon Bliss

We're officially back home - and back to what others call "normal" - and our emotions are between two. (1) We're upset our honeymoon is over, because we had an UNBELIEVABLE time...and (2) We're happy to be home - something about coming home after being away feels so good.

We flew out of Indianapolis, headed towards San Juan, on Saturday, the 12th. Of course, I waited until Friday night - as in after 9pm - to pack our suitcases. However, even after cleaning up our apartment!, we were in bed shortly after 11pm. We each had one suitcase to ourselves, then a carry-on. By the end of our trip, we had one suitcase full of dirty clothes - the second full of "stuff" we didn't realize we brought!

With a pit stop in Atlanta, we were in San Juan shortly after lunchtime. The difference in the weather is, pretty much, unexplainable! Immediately walking off the airplane, you felt the heat - but, it was the only heat worth waiting for. We took a taxi from the airport to the Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino - where we stayed for the night. Once arriving at the hotel, we dropped our bags and headed for "lunch". I put the word in quotes, only because - by this time - it was 2pm and you can consider it whatever part of the meal-cycle you wish! We walked, a whooping 10 feet across the street to a nice seafood grill and bar, and shared a plate of assorted seafood.

Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel room and switched into our swimsuits and headed for the beach. The water was the perfect temperature! We walked up and down the beach, stopping at several points to really "take in" the fact we were on our honeymoon. We walked down towards other hotels, until we decided it was time to head back and order dinner. Of course, in classic room-service style, there's nothing better than two $66 hamburgers, fries and dessert! (Thanks, Dad!) :)

We woke up Sunday morning, beyond excited about meeting our newest additional - our SHIP. (Yes, we cruised along on a ship - not a boat. You can put a boat on a ship, you can't put a ship on a boat. Get it right.) We weren't allowed to board until 2pm, so we kindly asked Marriott to hold our bags while we walked around San Juan. Of course, now that we know - we should have ventured on over to the ship first thing...we had a few drinks at the hotel bar before deciding to grab a taxi. Immediately when we hopped out of the taxi - we noticed the worst line in the WORLD. We took our bags and started standing...and standing...and standing...and standing. OK, I get it - you're probably telling yourself, "Gee, it must be rough - standing outside awaiting the arrival of an amazing Caribbean cruise." - But, the first line wasn't what made the few hours irritating - it was the second. The first line we stood in was essentially the "drop your bags and stand" line. The second line was twice as long - which, of course, was the line to actually get ON the ship.

After verifying our passports and receiving our handy, ever-important SeaPass-es, we were ready to roam the ship. We headed straight for our stateroom to drop our carry-ons and venture around. Not much was open that afternoon, but there was enough "ooo-ing" and "awh-ing" that it felt like we had something meaningful to do. We went straight to the Sports Bar on the ship to enjoy a drink and caught the end of the Colts game (which was a win, only another great part of the week!). That night we opted for the Windjammer Cafe, versus the formal dining hall - just to "get a feel". Come to find out, the same food items were served! We weren't originally planning to watch the Welcome Parade, but by chance, found ourselves standing in the middle of it.

The first full day in our new home, we were at sea. The ship has a million things to do - outside of sitting back and relaxing. We decided to head to the top and sat in the sun, by the pool, and enjoyed the afternoon. Of course, Eric got burned - as did I, but no one really noticed until the day after...but either way - the weather was beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky! That night was our first "formal" dining dinner, out of two. We dressed up - and enjoyed the most amazing food possible - well, at this point, the best we had eaten in a long time! That night we watched the ship leave San Juan, which was really neat to see. We sailed off for the islands!

Day Three we arrived in Bridgetown, Barbados. Really - this wasn't our favorite island. I should start this by saying - I'm completely aware it's kind of hard to dock a ship alongside the glamorous beach...but pulling up into a shipping warehouse wasn't really what we were expecting. After walking off the ship, and through the designed "mall" - we were bombarded by taxi drivers. We took a van into "the city", where we were approached once again. We decided not to take a tour of the island and opted to walk around ourselves. There was very little to see, and more to smell. We were extremely disappointed with "the city" - but realized afterwards, it WAS their city - where the residents carry on their day-to-day lives. Eric did find a steal-of-a-deal on a soccer jersey - which made the day complete. We headed back to the ship to rest, wash up and head to the "Invitation to Dance" production show. Being a former member of show choir - this was kind of my thing. I enjoyed it - Eric, he sat there and smiled. We headed to dinner afterwards, and walked around the ship before heading to bed.

Wednesday, we arrived in Castries, St. Luica - which, with as little words as possible, was one of the best islands of the pack. This time, after be persuaded several times, we decided to take a car-tour of the entire island. Vincent (our tour driver) explained so many interesting facts about the island as we were driving from spot to spot. He explained their means of living, their family culture, education, food - but most importantly the "understanding" of what it means to honk your car horn. Eric and I noticed almost immediately, he was honking at the car in front of him, as well as passing cars. We asked Vincent what he was trying to say by honking - and, unlike when I honk my car horn! - it's a code for other drivers. When one driver honks at another - it simply means "Hi! I know you!" - not "Hey! Get out of my way! Move! Geez!" :) After the tour, we headed back to the ship, to rest (as you can see, this became a theme of our afternoons!) and prepared for dinner and the Love & Marriage Game Show. No, we didn't participate - in fact, we didn't really "qualify" for the participation rules. By this time, we had been married for more than one week - but not close to the middle of the pack, or nowhere near the longest-wed couple. It received mixed reviews - it was funny to watch, but some of the things the contestants said and did, were just a little "not our style". Definitely, NOT a game for children. We'll keep it at that.

Our next stop was St. Johns, Antigua - where, instead of a tour, we opted to take a taxi to the beach. Before heading to the beach, we walked around the island - where Eric found a pair of sunglasses (which was the item he was hoping to find while we were on the islands). Once at the beach, the water was (I know I'm saying this word far too many times!) amazing! It wasn't too cold, wasn't too hot. The sand was soft enough to sit and lay on, but strong enough for us to take a nice walk around. I was surprised to find it wasn't that crowded...that was until I realized they had over 100 named beaches! After the beach, we headed back to the city, where we were asked again by (what seemed like) millions of drivers if we wanted to go someplace else. One guy asked us if we wanted to "go to the beach" - after we said we just got back, he looked at Eric's sandy feet for verification...strange, really. We headed back to ship in time for the ice show before dinner. The ice show was definitely more entertaining to the BOTH of us, than the dance show. It was amazing, watching what they were doing - in such a small section - not to mention, in the middle of the Caribbean waters on the third deck of a giant ship! This night was also our second and final formal night at dinner. We definitely impressed the crowd - of just the two of us at our table! :)

Day Six from beginning to end was extremely fun - but hot. At 8am, it was 89 degrees - because in St. Maarten I was able to receive a cell phone signal (not to mention UK was playing Louisville, and missing it on TV was hard enough...) - I looked at my phone, and it was a cool, 63 degrees back home. St. Maarten was definitely the most commercialized island - and one of the prettiest. The beaches were white, the water was TEAL - the skies were the pretty blue from the Crayola box...but the stores were entertaining. We walked into the most jewelry stores to last us a lifetime - walking out with nothing, mind you. I was close to purchasing a right-hand ring, even got as far as the salesman (Vicky) deciding he would size it for me, allow me to wear it all over the island and come back to him before we left to pay for it - he was sure I wouldn't find anything like it. I decided I liked it, but didn't love it - and opted not to take him up on his deal. We did swing into Majesty Jewelers to pick up a Parazul bag for Mom. She had emailed the store, asking if they had a specific design in stock. The owner took it upon himself, to not only take it off the shelf and hold it for us, but to have it wrapped up, attached was her email - waiting for us to arrive. By this time, Eric had his fair share of highlights - the $1.25 Heineken beer - not to mention the local beer given to him by Vicky for waiting patiently. We decided to eat lunch at a restaurant on the beach instead of going back to the ship. It felt great to sit down and eat something - but the walk back to the ship in the blazing heat got to us. We both immediately walked into our stateroom with huge headaches.

By Day Seven we were pretty sure St. Maarten was going to be our favorite island - that was until we stepped out onto St. Croix. We listened to the shopping-pro lady and took the 25 minute van ride into Christianstead. Apparently this great strip of shopping was to surround us immediately...not so much. There were plenty of shops (which I did find a perfect pair of Coach sunglasses, for a great price!) - but it still felt empty. Each store we walked into, we were asked two questions: a) Are you from the "boat"? b) Are you on your honeymoon?. I didn't realize we could be read that easily! We hung around Christianstead for a little bit, deciding to head back to Frederiksted Pier (where the ship docked). There was an immediate difference in the atmosphere - music was playing, people were walking, a marketplace set up for all sorts of souvenirs (which I successfully bargained for a stuffed animal for Hobbes!). Not to mention the Navy Pier display setup along the beach, the rocks you could walk down on into the ocean. On top of the beautiful scenic views and people - there was Fort Frederik which - for the day - was transformed into a local art show. We walked in, not really knowing what to expect, when we were greeted by a local volunteer explaining we could roam around and enjoy. It was neat, seeing what was left and in it's condition over the years. The art show section was strange - but interesting to see what the artists used and their finished work.

The staff on the ship were the most friendliest people we have ever met. Thomas - our stateroom attendant - was extremely helpful and had a great smile. No matter what time of day you bumped into him, he'd always throw you his signature smile and yell, "Helloooo THERE!" We'd see him taking care of other rooms, say hi and he'd wave. We gave him a good laugh the night we locked ourselves out of room - but I'm sure that's not the first time (nor will it be the last!) he's been asked for help. In the dining room, we were lucky to have Diana and Dione as our waiter and assistant waiter. Diana was from Romania, while Dione is from the Philippines. Both were so friendly, and had great personalities. We taught Diana how to say the phrase "Holy Cow!" - which was fantastic! She would sit and talk to us about her life, her marriage (which, her husband of three years also worked on the ship!) and life in Romania. This was going to be the last "contract" she and her husband worked with Royal Caribbean. Trying to understand Dione's broken English was a trick amongst itself - but he brought plenty of fun to our table. He, too, always had a smile on his face! Eric and I walked away saying, we had the BEST staff on the ship!

Of course, the last night Eric and I decided to hang out at the Sports Bar to watch the Texas football game - but I wanted to say good-bye to Diana one last time. I walked into the room and she came right up to me. She had this concerned look on her face when she saw Eric wasn't with me. I told her that we were extremely sorry, but we wouldn't be joining her for dinner that night - and that instead we'd be downstairs enjoying some football. Her direct quote was, "Oh, I know how that is. I have a husband of my own!" I loved it. She gave me a huge hug and wished us the best in the future. The last night we were in the dining hall - she came up to us and told us we felt like friends - that makes us feel extremely happy!

We had an amazing trip - one where we feel we needed seven more days to do everything else we didn't do. It was crazy the amount of things to do on the ship - the pools, the bars, the casino, the shows, the FOOD, the hidden ice cream stand (which Eric found and demanded we stopped by!), the ping-pong tables, putt-putt course...not to mention the ship shops and entertainment itself.

It was everything and more - the perfect start to our life as a married couple! :)

P.S. I promise to share pictures - but right now, it's extremely late and, really, this post is long enough! I'll update pictures soon - let's just say, you'll be jealous. Extremely jealous.