Caribbean Cruise

We made our way from Miami to Fort Lauderdale in “the beast” on Saturday 14th November with a great deal of excitement as none of us had been on a cruise before. All drinks on the cruise are free except alcohol so in true traveller style we stopped off at a liquor store and purchased 2 large bottles of vodka to sneak onboard. As all bags are checked before boarding we purchased multiple mini toiletry bottles which we duly filled and labelled (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion.....just to put anyone off the scent if they got suspicious). From there we dropped off the hire car and then made our way to our ship, ‘Enchantment of the Seas’. On our way there we passed the brand new cruise ship ‘Oasis of the Seas’ which is the largest in the world with 16 decks. Our ship was massive too with 10 decks.

With passport checks out of the way we all made our way to our cabins, which were so much larger and more comfortable than we expected so a pleasant start. As we settled into our cabins, Victor our stateroom (cabin) attendant introduced himself. What a lovely guy! Then it was time to explore as we made our way through most of the decks and amenities including shops, art galleries, lots of different bars, restaurants, clubs, casino, massive pool deck and 2 pools, Jacuzzi’s, theatre, gym, spa, library etc. There was plenty to keep us busy so there was no doubt it was going to be a great trip! With an hour before departure we hit the buffet lunch on the 9th deck and tucked into a great menu with such a variety of dishes we had no idea where to start! Any notions of healthy eating were looking bleak as the desert selection alone was huge! Then it was a quick safety drill before we made our way to the top deck as we left Fort Lauderdale with the sun setting over the city, a stunning backdrop. There was a quick Craps lesson for anyone interested so Leise and I made our way to the casino to learn how to play (we would be testing our skills later) while the girls hit the gym.

After unpacking we all met before dinner for a short introduction to the cruise entertainers and a quick stand-up comedy show featuring a Saturday Night Live comedian in the main emporium, a massive theatre venue for live entertainment. The comedy was great and with the promise of an adult version later that week we were sure to return. The live song and dance show was nothing short of pure cheese and we vowed not to be adding that to the itinerary for the next few nights. Then we hit My Fair Lady, our designated restaurant for dinner. This was a sit down dinner with a menu of several different choices for starters, main and desert. The food was excellent, and we indulged in some wine with dinner – don’t worry we didn’t smuggle the wine onto the ship! From there the boys hit the casino to try out their newly learned Craps skills (which were clearly minimal) while the girls hit the bingo where they were swiftly relieved of their $22 entry bet! They then made their way to the club on the 10th deck where they managed to meet a couple of guys from Michigan who were on a work function and had special passes for free alcohol, so by the time Leise and I made it to the club the girls were well on their way. We were introduced and invited to enjoy free drinks with them which we quickly accepted. A great first night soon came to a very late end as we stumbled back to our cabins for bed.

The first full day of the cruise was spent at sea as we made our way to Grand Cayman. After gym for the girls and a quick buffet breakfast which was excellent yet again, it was time for the pool. We spent the whole day in the pool and lying in the sun on the packed pool deck. A couple of quick dips in the Jacuzzi thrown in and it was a perfect afternoon of relaxation. We were also treated to frozen yoghurt ice creams which were free on the pool deck and extremely addictive! After showering up we met in Georgies cabin for pre dinner drinks involving our smuggled vodka. Then it was off to our restaurant for dinner before the boys yet again hit the casino. The girls were a little shattered from the night before so had an early night, while Leise and I gambled unsuccessfully on the Craps table until midnight before finding our Michigan friends for drinks and a party in the club. This lasted until 4am before we staggered back to our staterooms (cabins) to bed.

GRAND CAYMAN
On Monday morning we arrived in Georgetown, Grand Cayman and after a quick breakfast made our way down to the 1st deck to board the transport boats to shore. On leaving the ship we were advised to set our watches back 1 hour in line with an apparent time change. The weather was perfect, sunny and hot and the water in Grand Cayman is as blue and as clear as anywhere. We immediately found an Internet cafe, or so we thought. It was actually a shop which had wireless Internet at the back. After milking their free Internet service for over an hour, and attracting a few other tourists, we were soon chased out and so from there caught a taxi to the beach. The beach was stunning, soft white sand and crystal clear water which was warm yet still refreshing.

After a couple of hours lapping up the sunshine and enjoying the water we headed back towards one of the restaurants on the beach for some lunch. Unfortunately, we hadn’t realised that the time on the island was 1 hour ahead of what we had been advised and the kitchen was closed as it was 3pm. We were supposed to be back to board our ship at 3.30pm!! So there was another time induced panic and we rushed to find a taxi and get back in time. Luckily we made it, but we noticed that they were still bringing people on board an hour later so not sure what time we should have been working with .......! Now with a bit of time to kill we had an afternoon nap back in our cabins. We then met for our traditional pre-dinner drinks in our cabin before making our way to My Fair Lady for dinner. After yet another hearty meal it was time for a quick session in the casino before we had a relatively early night. Clearly the all nighter the evening before had taken it’s toll.

COZUMEL – MEXICO
On Tuesday we woke up nice and early as we arrived in Cozumel Mexico, and after the girls went to gym AGAIN, hit the breakfast buffet which was excellent as usual. As well as the usual fruits, cereals, yoghurts, bacon, eggs, sausages etc etc we also tucked into waffles, pancakes, ice cream and syrup which were amazing! From there we left the ship and strolled into the harbour. It was another scorcher, and the water was that typical Caribbean blue. We decided on a snorkelling trip and after a tough negotiation settled on a 3 snorkel trip. We were driven to a separate harbour and boarded a glass bottomed boat and taken to our first dive. The water was absolutely crystal clear and the visibility incredible. Our Mexican dive leader was a lovely guy and treated us to some fish feeding as we swam along. The fish were beautiful but you had to be alert for small jelly fish swimming around and Leise, V and I all managed to get stung during the 3 dives.

After a great intro we moved onto the 2nd and 3rd dives which were deeper and great fun. The fish were plentiful and of all shapes and sizes and very friendly. On our way back we came across Barracuda fish feeding on thousands of other small fish cruising along, While some of the others on the boat dived in to enjoy the sights, we stayed on board with our dive master to enjoy a Mexican specialty D’Aristi. This was a strong but sweet tasting liqueur which was perfect after a tough afternoon swimming, and we got to consume it out of an old Mayan cup which added to the authenticity. After this we decided to head back onto the ship for our free lunch, which was another massive buffet offering. After another feast we made our way back onto land. Georgie decided to go for a shop so headed into the small town, while the rest of us headed for the beach.

After negotiating with the taxi driver over a fee and what was the best beach he took us to Mr Sancho’s. We were grateful for the taxi driver’s choice as this was a magnificent spot, soft sand stretched for miles and the water was clear and beautiful. There was a wedding taking place at a venue on the beach just next to us, so we were treated to a DJ playing music for us while we splashed around in the water and took a little nap. This beach is definitely in the top 3 of our trip! By 5pm it was time to head back to the harbour and our taxi driver had agreed to meet us to take us back (he refused to take any money when he first dropped us off – very trusting). We needed some cash so decided to get off a few blocks early, stupidly we completely forgot that we were in Mexico so Leise drew Mexican peso’s instead of the required US dollars by mistake. Fortunately it wasn’t too much so we spent it all in the shop on cold drinks and chocolates. As we came out the shop we were suddenly attacked by swarms of mosquitoes (will we ever be bite free?). As soon as the sun sets in this part of the world the mosquitoes come out to play, and they were out in force swarming all over us and having a field day. Walking back to the ship involved much jumping, dancing around and slapping mosquitoes as we were hit with bite after bite – it was horrible!

Back on board we showered up and met for pre dinner vodkas. Then it was dinner before we headed to the main Emporium for a couple of shows. The first was the “Love and Marriage” quiz show which involved 3 husband and wife teams. In the first round the wives were taken into a sound proof room while the men were asked questions about them and their relationships. This was hilarious as the questions were pretty harsh!!! The wives then returned and were asked to guess their husbands responses. This was repeated for the husbands and after a lot of cringing from the couples and laughter by the crowd a young couple from Colorado won the prize! There may be some divorces for the other 2 couples though.... After this it was our new favourite comedian on stage who gave an adult stand-up show which was brilliant. Very rude but the crowd loved it! From there it was casino time for a nightcap before hitting the sack.

And so we woke up on Wednesday for our final full day on the ship, which was spent entirely at sea as we made our way back to Fort Lauderdale. After a busy couple of days on shore it was nice to just hit the pool for the entire day and relax. Leise and I engaged in a table tennis battle which ended up 1 game all. Then it was back to the horizontal position as we all soaked up the last of the sun, read books, and listened to Ipods – a perfect final day on the ship. We met for our final pre dinner drinks and then our final meal and farewell to our waiter, Warren, who as per all the staff on the ship, was really great. Then it was a bit of bar hopping as we hit Shooters bar for an 80’s disco followed by the worst Karaoke night ever witnessed. We never realised there were so many tone deaf people in the world! Then it was time to hit the club to meet up with our American friends and enjoy the last of our free rounds. This was a great finish to the trip and we partied away until after 3am, not such a great idea when we had to be up at 6am in the morning!

We woke up after less than 3 hours sleep and the team was a little grumpy. After disembarking the ship and a quick check at passport control we were back on dry land. We had heard of sea legs before but never thought it would be that bad.... for days later we felt the sensation of being on the ship despite being on very still land..... almost like you are drunk. Great fun even though we kept bumping into things. We then said our goodbyes to Lara and Leise who were off to Key West while Georgie, V and I headed to Fort Lauderdale.

The cruise was a first for everyone and a fantastic experience which was beyond all our expectations. Here are the highlights and lowlights of our Caribbean Cruise:
- The cruise ship Enchantment of the Sea – so much to do and no time to be bored
- The food. Despite providing for thousands of passengers the food was top class!
- Grand Cayman – stunning island with beautiful beaches and beautiful water
- Cozumel – same as the above
- The calmness of the black open sea at night
- No lowlights, if you have the opportunity to take a cruise do it!