Wednesday, 2/19/20 – Ocho Rios, Jamaica
The port area was very busy when we left for our excursion, But eventually it all got sorted out and we set out for Dunn’s River Falls. This river flows down a hillside to the ocean, and our objective was to start down on the beach and make it all the way to the top, about 600 feet, against the flow of the cold river. It was a challenging climb, but we did it! After our climb, we went to the Taj Mahal Plaza for shopping, where Cheryl found a couple of lovely scarves, and I grabbed a magnet and a patch. Then it was back to the ship, dinner, and a repeat of Peter Punk. These shows are so good that seeing them a second time is just great!
Thursday, 2/20/20 – At Sea
We needed a full day at sea to get around Cuba and back to The Bahamas for our second stop at Ocean Cay. We reserved our seats for the marvelous Michael Jackson tribute, and then spent the day by the pool. There are definitely more people on board, and many of them are children. I was torn between sympathy for parents taking their family on a vacation, and annoyance at screaming kids. Cheryl and I agreed that we are ready to go home now.
Friday, 2/21/20 – Ocean Cay, The Bahamas
We did everything we wanted to do at Ocean Cay last week, so we just took this as another day off and relaxed by the pool. Because the families almost all went ashore, it was very peaceful up to lunch time. There was a storm approaching, though, so the All Aboard was set for 2:30 pm. And apparently the word got out about the shows, because there were no seats available when I tried to reserve a couple (at 6:30 am no less!). But we had packing to do anyway, so after dinner we grabbed beverages (coffee for Cheryl, tea for me), then went back to our cabin. By the time we finished packing and put the bags outside the door, I was ready for bed. We had a rough night, with the ship rolling from side to side, but we knew we would be on our way home shortly.
Saturday, 2/22/20 – Miami
Our bags had already been picked up, so all we had to do was dress and go to breakfast. Then it was waiting and going through lines. Customs barely glanced at our passports, so on to the street, and we grabbed a cab to go to the Hampton Inn Airport West. If we had stayed here when we arrived in Miami two weeks ago it would have gone much better. Plenty of restaurants in easy walking distance, plus a grocery store where Cheryl stocked up on fruits and vegetables. Then we walked to a Mediterranean Restaurant in the Doral Plaza, just a couple of blocks away. The lunch was fabulous, and we learned there would be a Mardi Gras street party there this evening, so we went back there for dinner and the party, which was not particularly engrossing. Then back to bed for an early trip to the airport.
Sunday, 2/23/20 – Miami
We were up at 4 to catch the 5am shuttle to the airport, only the shuttle was broken. So the hotel paid for a cab to take us and one other patron to the airport. Jo picked us up at the airport, and by mid-day we were home again. It was kind of a relief by this point. Generally if we are traveling we get tired of it by the two week mark. But we picked up some pointers for future trips. We have several potential cruises we are looking at: Alaska, Mediterranean, and Baltic, to name a few. But I don’t think we’ll hit the Caribbean again. It was worth doing once, but that is enough. This trip was a result of a promise I made to Cheryl some years ago, that when I retired I would get her away from the cold winter. Our long range plan is to get an RV and become snowbirds, but we aren’t quite ready for that, and a promise is a promise, so I took her to the heat of the Caribbean this time.
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