h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Picture five women with lots of luggage...

Okay, so I woke up when the alarm went off at 4:00am, which was good, cause I didn't actually get to sleep until 1:00am! My sister picked me up at 5:00am and we picked the others up on the way to the airport. Plane left at 7:00am for Orlando, Florida. From there we caught the tram to the luggage building (yes, in Orlando they have a building just for luggage retrieval!) And then on to catch our plane to San Juan, Puerto Rico. We boarded the Sea Princess in San Juan. The duty free shop there at the port told us we could buy bottles of liquor and take them on the ship. Boy were we gullible. We purchased several bottles of flavored rums, some Baileys and headed up the ramp to the ship, where the liquer was promptly confiscated and we were told we could get it back at the end of the cruise . We had two rooms, both the size of shoeboxes. Three women in one room, and two in the other. But heck, we were only in our rooms to sleep, so it didn't really matter. Until you tried to get three bodies in the bathroom at the same time, curling hair, putting on makeup, brushing teeth, etc.

The ship was gorgeous, and the crew was very friendly and exceptionally helpful. The food was very good, and the shops were cool. We saw musicals on board, played bingo (cash prizes), gambled at the onboard casino, went to art shows on board, visited the spa, and met lots of other passengers and crew from all around the world.

First stop was Barbados, where 30 of us rode in jeeps to another dock and boarded a catamaran. A half hour sail on the catamaran and we were snorkelling with sea turtles! They were so awesome! The crew of the catamaran served us lunch, mixed drinks and they even sang! The catamaran then sailed to a lovely secluded beach were we swam and tanned, and just soaked up the island scenery. The next two days we stopped at Tortolla and St. Lucias. We went on a hike in the forest, crossed streams, saw boa's, climbed rocks and arrived at a lovely waterfall. Then we visited a banana plantation, and saw an active volcano (really it was just a large smokey sulfur pit - but they're proud of it, so I'll go along with them ) Lots of careening around hairpin turns in jeeps and vans trying to get back to the ship on time (I have twice as many grey hairs now as I did before the cruise!) And of course we shopped, drank, swam, drank, tanned, drank and then we drank some more . Then over the next three days we went to St. Maarten, St. Thomas and St. John islands and did our power shopping! These islands are absolutley gorgeous! We snorkelled along a coral reef, and I saw schools of blue fish, red fish, aqua fish with silver stripes, yellow fish, and brain, fan, and other types of coral. The sand was white, the sky and ocean were both such glorius shades of blue I didn't even think were possible! The temperature was 80-85 degrees everyday. Then it was back to San Juan where we spent the day looking around old San Juan and had lunch at the San Juan Hard Rock Cafe. (yes - predictable I know, but we are Americans after all!)

So there you have it! Oh yeah, and I got seasick and had to wear the motion-sickness patch the whole trip, which made my feet and ankles swell . And I had motion sickness for two weeks after I got off of the ship - but that's another story...

...I've been scuba diving all over the Islands!!
Tortolla is where I plan to retire...they sever magic mushrooms at the bars...
...I rode a sea turtle...much to it's dismay...was attacted by eight frienzied s...
......but in alllll the weeks I sail a three mast clipper & dived, etc.
I only had two offers of marriage...
...I jusssss love th Tropics!

yes, the islands were just beautiful! I forgot how salty salt water actually is! I'd love to go back, but I don't think I'll do the cruise bit again. I'd rather just fly down, rent a place and snorkle and explore the islands for a couple of weeks...

I'm still wondering how the bartenders
sever those magic mushrooms, and why they
do it.

My one attempt at snorkeling (in Maui)
ended in disaster because of exceptionally
high waves.

*Waves at Paul - hoping that she did it low enough so as not to cause a disaster*

Good un Lady-M...

Geez Paul H. Guess the answer to your questions are because the can and because they'er great!

I've been looking up places to stay on Tortola the past two weeks...'bout blew my hair back when I read your post!
...as per the 'salt'...I was once above where a shelf in the Ocean dropped...*whispers...*big waves! Than after going out beyond, it was as if I were in alka-seltezer! I couldn't drown there if'd I'd have been trying!!
Ooooooo.....if you like to snorkel.....you'd LOVE to scuba!!
I can't count the 'near death' experiences I had.
I was dubbed: The Crazy Yankee.

Well, I won't tell George Steinbrenner
if you won't.

I never tell anything! sess