San Juan-t to Get On the Ship! And Big A$$ Fans -
Well, we made it to the port just fine after leaving the Embassy Suites. A portage bagger took our bags to check them in, we waltzed up to the terminal after dad inquired where our luggage went 3 or 4 times, and were told that instead of allowing us to board at noon, we would be boarding at 330pm! Ugh, another delay. San Juan's cruise ship terminal is very small by modern cruise port standards - so small that when you put 2500 passengers waiting into this room of maybe 300 chairs, things start to get a bit crowded and anxious. Lucky for us, we were there early enough to snag seats, however they were directly under these giagantic ceiling fans. The fans were called "Big Ass Fans" - no kidding, I even snapped a photo of them.
Because of our early arrival, we were assigned boarding group 10, whatever that meant. Port authorities were encouraging us to walk to old San Juan while we waited - but without a stroller for Maria we were a bit hesitant to walk into the unknown. So we waited and waited. Luckily for me and Jule, Bacardi, Cruzin Rum, Baileys, and a few other liquor makers were ready to make us happy by offering samples of their mouth watering products. Mmmmm.
Well, eventually at 3pm they started boarding passengers - VIP priorities first, the boarding group 1.... 2.......3.....4-6, 7-9...10-13 (holy cow they are moving fast!).....14-16... whoa, we are going too fast. Essentially, the person calling out the boarding groups stopped because she ran out of numbers. At this point, the terminal was a mad house of people all in different board groups pushing and tugging their way from 5 lanes of peole down to 1 lane, back to two, back to one... and so on until a good 45 minutes later, we were finally on board, starved, tired, and ready to set sail.
The rest of the day went well. Alyssa, Maria and Jule attended the orientation for Camp Carnival while I rested. Then Jule bumped off both kids to nap while she scooted around the ship. At 930pm the dreaded muster drill happend - which meant squeezing in to uncomfortable life vest for a very long explanation of what will become of your dying carcass while you drift at seas after the ship goes under. I dont like muster drills. Especially with kids.
Anyway, it was another day, but we instantly relaxed while on ship, enjoyed some food and music and all were happy to nod off to a nice sleep, swaying back and forth in the seas.
We have a very nice balcony room on the top most deck with rooms - just about 100' from the nearest pool, one stair case below the kids pool, and two floors down from the water slide and 2 floors above the cafe. Its a nice location on the ship, just 2 minutes from the kids room and 3 from the gym (yet to use, but for good reason).
Not much to write about the first day on the ship. There are a lot of pushy Puerto Ricans on board - which is getting anoying fast, but man these people know how to party and know how to dance. The pool deck quickly became a salsa dance last night - fun to watch.
Today we are in St. Thomas, USVI. This place is gorgeous and the weather is ideal.
I will write more now - I have found a great internet cafe here in St Thomas 2 blocks from the ship and directly across a tiny street from Butterfly world, where the kids and Jule are enjoying themselves.
Is it winter? Couldnt tell from here except for the occassional xmas decor.
ya mon
Well, we made it to the port just fine after leaving the Embassy Suites. A portage bagger took our bags to check them in, we waltzed up to the terminal after dad inquired where our luggage went 3 or 4 times, and were told that instead of allowing us to board at noon, we would be boarding at 330pm! Ugh, another delay. San Juan's cruise ship terminal is very small by modern cruise port standards - so small that when you put 2500 passengers waiting into this room of maybe 300 chairs, things start to get a bit crowded and anxious. Lucky for us, we were there early enough to snag seats, however they were directly under these giagantic ceiling fans. The fans were called "Big Ass Fans" - no kidding, I even snapped a photo of them.
Because of our early arrival, we were assigned boarding group 10, whatever that meant. Port authorities were encouraging us to walk to old San Juan while we waited - but without a stroller for Maria we were a bit hesitant to walk into the unknown. So we waited and waited. Luckily for me and Jule, Bacardi, Cruzin Rum, Baileys, and a few other liquor makers were ready to make us happy by offering samples of their mouth watering products. Mmmmm.
Well, eventually at 3pm they started boarding passengers - VIP priorities first, the boarding group 1.... 2.......3.....4-6, 7-9...10-13 (holy cow they are moving fast!).....14-16... whoa, we are going too fast. Essentially, the person calling out the boarding groups stopped because she ran out of numbers. At this point, the terminal was a mad house of people all in different board groups pushing and tugging their way from 5 lanes of peole down to 1 lane, back to two, back to one... and so on until a good 45 minutes later, we were finally on board, starved, tired, and ready to set sail.
The rest of the day went well. Alyssa, Maria and Jule attended the orientation for Camp Carnival while I rested. Then Jule bumped off both kids to nap while she scooted around the ship. At 930pm the dreaded muster drill happend - which meant squeezing in to uncomfortable life vest for a very long explanation of what will become of your dying carcass while you drift at seas after the ship goes under. I dont like muster drills. Especially with kids.
Anyway, it was another day, but we instantly relaxed while on ship, enjoyed some food and music and all were happy to nod off to a nice sleep, swaying back and forth in the seas.
We have a very nice balcony room on the top most deck with rooms - just about 100' from the nearest pool, one stair case below the kids pool, and two floors down from the water slide and 2 floors above the cafe. Its a nice location on the ship, just 2 minutes from the kids room and 3 from the gym (yet to use, but for good reason).
Not much to write about the first day on the ship. There are a lot of pushy Puerto Ricans on board - which is getting anoying fast, but man these people know how to party and know how to dance. The pool deck quickly became a salsa dance last night - fun to watch.
Today we are in St. Thomas, USVI. This place is gorgeous and the weather is ideal.
I will write more now - I have found a great internet cafe here in St Thomas 2 blocks from the ship and directly across a tiny street from Butterfly world, where the kids and Jule are enjoying themselves.
Is it winter? Couldnt tell from here except for the occassional xmas decor.
ya mon
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