The itinerary was terrific and our reason for sailing aboard the Galaxy for a
second Christmas in a row. 3 of the 4 kids had been to some of the islands
already. Those were the islands we chose to spend the day at the beach. Grenada
and St. Lucia were the 2 islands that 7 of the 10 of us had never visited so
those were both places to tour and explore rather than lounge.
Tortola --
My husband and brother took the four kids via ferry over to the Baths for a few
hours. This was the second time for my brother and his family and they loved it
just as much as the first time. The rest of the family played "make believe it
is a day at sea" and lazily stayed aboard the ship to enjoy our first day of vacation.
Photos
St. Martin --
My husband and I decided to relax poolside. Nice and quiet and no trouble
finding a lounge chair as there were on most other days. My parents celebrated
their 46th wedding anniversary this year and my Mom had lost a stone in her
wedding ring. What better way to spend Christmas Eve than for my parents, along
with my grandmother and their 3 grandchildren in tow, to head off to their
favorite jeweler, Ballerina, for a replacement stone as well as a gemstone ring
for each of the girls. My grandmother would never leave without a little trinket
for herself, so just for the "heck of it" purchased for herself a diamond circle
pendant. The store invited them to stay for lunch but they opted to venture back
to the ship and spend the rest of the day at pool. Photos
St. Lucia --
I had never been to St. Lucia and was not sure what to expect. Everyone
beforehand kept "warning" me that the people here were very very poor.
Well, aren't just about all the Caribbean islands like that? So I went with an
open mind, it could not be poorer than the Dominican Republic and as a matter of
fact, I thought it was better.
For this day, for our family of 10, we had booked a private tour with Cosol
Tours. Excellent value for the money and a tour delivering everything which was
promised. Cosol is young and lively and showed us all the highlights: a drive
through the capital Castries, a view of the Governor's House and stop for
pictures of the harbor, a Banana Plantation, Marigot Bay, and the fishing
villages of Anse La Raye and Canaries. We also drove through the rain forest and
on to Soufrière and a view of the Pitons, as well as a stop at Toraille Water
Fall and Botanical Garden.
Cosol stopped for sample of local island favorites: fish cakes, Johnny cakes,
bananas direct from the tree in front of you, and cassava bread. He was also
generous in stopping for photo opportunities and they are many. The island was
not entirely great mountain peaks as I had pictured in my mind. Spots such as
the Pitons and Anse La Raye are some of the most picturesque I have seen in the
entire Caribbean.
None of us "kids" have ever been to Hawaii nor seen an active volcano before so
taking a tour of the "drive in" Volcano, Soufrière, was quite impressive for us
novices. There are hot springs, fumaroles and mud pots. The only thing missing
is lava and pyroclastic flows. This was fine by me. The kids of course whined
about the ever present smell of sulphur. Gee, guess that is why this area is
also considered a "sulphur spring".
Oh and did I mention that Cosol also keeps a cooler in the back of the
bus/mini-van filled with refreshments?
Grenada --
The kids I think were a little grouchy to start out on this tour. Yes, a day at
the beach might have been nicer. This was just the same old being driven around
in a mini-bus with someone talking at you. Wow though, Sunsation Tours
definitely delivered what they promised on their website, "we choose driver /
guides who are communicative". You could not help BUT be interested. This was
one of the most thorough tours I have ever taken.
Our driver gave us a running commentary on the economy, geography, history,
flora and fauna, politics. From politics to cricket: you name it we most likely talked about it.
St. Lucia was nice and picturesque, but Grenada somehow had more allure for me.
First off you can not but sympathize with these people who survive mainly on
agriculture and tourism. Both came to a screeching halt when Hurricane Ivan
struck in September 2004 as a category four hurricane with sustained winds of
130 miles per hour. The island suffered destruction of 90 percent of her
agricultural crops as well as the same percentage of loss of roofs to
structures. Considering the tiny island nation of Grenada, pre-hurricane Ivan,
produced 20% of the world's supply of nutmeg and it will take the new nutmeg
trees 7 - 12 years to begin reproducing, things on the island are very tough for
her people. BUT the attitudes of everyone is unbelievable. The Grenadians were
proud, upbeat, friendly, enthusiastic and gracious.
The Nutmeg Processing Stations are cooperatives and the majority are still
closed. We took a guided tour of the Gouyave Nutmeg Processing Station. The
guide has worked there since 1965, he is one of only 6 employees still working
at the station. Pre-hurricane Ivan there were 150 employees working here. While
we were at the station an older woman came in with her nutmeg to sell to the
cooperative. She offered a plastic shopping bag such as the ones we acquire at
the grocery stores here in the states. The growers were selling their nutmeg
(these are actually the seed off the trees) to the cooperative at about $4 for
the best quality grade. At that rate she is going to need a lot more nutmeg to
make a living.
The tour showed the processing steps of sorting by grade/quality, cleaning and
aging. After aging, 3 months I believe, the seeds are then packed whole into 50
pound sacks and sold to companies (some in the US) who take the whole product
and break it down for the mace, oil, etc. and spice itself.
We stopped on the roadside on many occasions, if only for our driver to call out
to someone walking by to pick something off a nearby tree so 9 people did not
have to go tumbling out of the van to view it. His requests were always
fulfilled with a smile. We saw besides bananas, plantain, cocoa, citrus, fruits
of all varieties, avocados, root crops, sugarcane, corn, flowers and more
flowers and of course nutmeg trees.
Our driver stopped at a small roadside store where we were given a demonstration
on nutmeg and all of its parts and end products and then we were free to make
purchases of our spices. Very very low key and no pressure to buy whatsoever.
Other highlights of the day included: Annandale Waterfall and Garden, the view
of Carib's Leap, Grand Etang National Park & Crater Lake, plantations, a few
fishing villages, the coastline, the rainforest and a short stop at the beach.
There were some Grenadians at most of our stops along the way selling whatever
they could offer up. Two women outside the Annandale Waterfall offered to pose
for a photo with their mighty baskets of fruit perched a top their heads. Once
we reached the waterfall there were two men who said that in order to "make a
living", for a small donation of an amount of your choosing, they would climb up
and jump from the top of the waterfall. For a couple of bucks the guy was
probably going to be able to eat that night, the kids got a kick out of seeing
it and it was a good photo opportunity for yours truly. Were we suckers? Maybe,
but the way I look at it, putting myself in their shoes and with such limited
opportunities you gotta do what you gotta do to support yourself and your
family. It beats picking my pockets or slashing my bag to get to my wallet, any day.
In the course of our day, there was a man who allowed you to pose with his
monkey, there was more than one musician...you get the picture. Our driver had
advised us of all of this beforehand and we were under no obligation at all.
One of our last stops was a short guided tour of Fort Frederick given by a young
fellow who gave a very detailed history of the US invasion of the island in 1983
and made us all very aware of the fact that, though not all Grenadians
necessarily felt that way, he for one was extremely happy with the outcome. You
even have a perfect view of the prison below where those who incited the coup
and survived the invasion are now being held in prison for life.
The tour started at 8:30 a.m. and was about 5 hours. Afterwards there was still
time in the afternoon to take a taxi from the pier to Grand Anse Beach for some
swimming before the ship departed.
Curacao --
With 7 out of the 10 of us having previously been to Curacao and spending the
day touring, it was easy to decide that this day would be spent at the beach. We
really wanted to try one of the fabulous looking beaches which were furthest
from the cruise terminal and thus "less touristy".
Furthest north on the west side of the island are beaches Grote and Kleine Knip
and Playa Kalki. It would be very expensive to get there via taxi so we
attempted to rent a vehicle for the day. A 10 passenger van would have been
perfect. Well, turns out that because it was Christmas week, there were no
agencies on the island who would rent a vehicle for less than 3 nights (more
were 7 nights). So we had to come up with "plan b".
We spent the day at Playa Porto Mari. Walked off the ship to the waiting taxis
found two drivers who were willing to split us between the two of them and drive
us to Porto Mari. They said it would be a 45 minute ride, but it ended up being
only about a half hour tops. Not a cheap ride at about $30 each way, but without
a car, we had no choice.
The money was well spent. It was nearly perfect. Our entire family can highly
recommend it. The only thing it is lacking is clean soft white sand. The sand
contains coral fragments, some of which are large chunks, and walking can be
painful. Once you reached the water, the sandy bottom here was much much better.
IF you are prepared beforehand, you will have a pair of water shoes with you.
There are facilities: umbrellas, chaise lounges, restrooms, open air restaurant
and even a dive shop. Beware that prices at the restaurant and bar are posted in
guilders (also called, as in Aruba, the florin), abbreviated NAFl. or ANG. It is
pegged to the US dollar at a stable rate of US$ 1 = NAFl. 1.77. So as you can
see, the prices when converted to US dollars are going to be much less. At the
bar, when in the ABC islands, I always highly recommend an Amstel Bright!
We were a little confused when we arrived because their website states they
charge Naf. 3.50 p.p. (Naf. 4.00 on Sundays/Public Holidays). When we arrived I
guess we kind of expected someone at the entrance collecting the fee. A man
appeared at least an hour after we had arrived and just walked from chaise to
chaise down the beach collecting the money. We arrived at the beach just about a
short while after they opened and were glad we got there when we did. If you
require shade I would imagine ESPECIALLY on a weekend since there were many
locals there, arrive when they open. According to their website they open at
9:30 am.
Three of us had two chaise lounges and an umbrella for the bargain price of $8
USD. My brother rented snorkel gear for himself and his son and paid about $6 or
$8 each. Once they had their masks and snorkel they were off exploring. They
finally came out of the water raving on and on about how fabulous the reef was,
they had never seen so many "cool fish"...My husband and I are both divers, and
though we knew there was great snorkeling AND a dive shop on the premises, had
never even considered diving. It did seem thought that no matter where you
looked there were people walking around with tanks on their backs.
Hmm...were we missing something here? We decided to take a little stroll down to
the dive shop. I figured if the price was right, I could at least convince my
husband into taking a dive. He had his wallet with his certification card on
him, I did not. It was uselessly sitting in my wallet, in the mini-safe on the
ship. Gee, maybe a lesson to be learned here?
We asked the nice man behind the counter how much to rent gear for a shore dive
and it was ONLY $23 for all equipment including weights and the tank. Now THAT
was a bargain. I don't know if my husband's eyes lit up, but mine surely did. My
husband then explained to the gentleman that I did not have my C-card, by any
chance would he be able to look up my certification on the computer? "Surely" he
replied. Wow how cool was that?
Oh no, I suddenly remembered I did not have my prescription dive mask with me!
Again, another item left back on the ship, this one inside the luggage
underneath our bed. I am blind without my glasses so there was no considering
diving for me, no way would I be able to see anything- zero, zilch, nada. In
saying this out loud, the gentleman asked if I knew what my prescription was. I
did not, but my husband did. Well the chances are probably one in a million, but
he had a mask with my prescription in it! Wow, I would never have dreamed of
being that lucky in my life.
In talking some more we found out that in a couple of hours they were offering a
guided dive of the reef. Instead of going off on our own in a relatively safe
place, but one we were unfamiliar with nonetheless, why not spend the extra
money for a guide. So for $36 per person 2 hours later we had one of the best
and longest dives in my life. My husband has over 100+ dives (I have a little
over half that) and admittedly, was not quite as impressed as I was, but I was
in heaven. I will always remember not only the abundance of fish, but the
gorgeous Stove-Pipe Sponges. We have dove Aruba many many times, but Curacao
really put it to shame in everyway. For our next dive vacation I would not
hesitate to consider Curacao, but thinking about that makes me REALLY curious
about the diving in Bonaire...
Barbados --
I said it the last time and I will say it again, "WOW, what a way to spend the
day"! This was the second time our family has sailed aboard the Silver Moon II
and believe me when I say that life does not get much better than this.
Our family made up 10, out of a total of 18 people aboard. There was plenty of
space for everyone to spread out. Never did we feel crowded. There was shade,
and cover from the passing shower, for my Grandmother and anyone else who wanted
it and plenty of spots for sunning and relaxing. Captain and crew treated us
terrific and spoiled us from the first moment we stepped on board.
Our excursion had a bit of a late start due to waiting for folks who simply
never showed up. Our five hour excursion remained the full five hours though,
there was no skimping on the time we were allotted. Our group was transported
via mini-bus the 2 minute ride to the marina. The boat is kept clean as a
whistle, so prepare to remove and leave your shoes at the dock before you step
aboard. We were a little concerned about my grandmother being able to get on
board, but the crew very very carefully and skillfully cajoled and assisted her.
Once we were all aboard drink orders were taken: soda, beer, water, rum punch
and we began our 5 hours of bliss...and the glasses were always replenished!
Our only disappointment the last time we had sailed the Silver Moon II, and
certainly no fault of theirs, we were unable to swim with the turtles because
there were some large swells in the area that the turtles are know to frequent.
Well, this year, it was all go!
First stop though was a shallow snorkel just off shore. The crew passed out high
quality and well kept, snorkel gear. At each stop one of the crew members
snorkeled with the group and acted as guide. Everyone in the water was required
to wear a snorkel vest.
Following this snorkel, everyone re-boarded, rinsed off with the fresh water
hose and off we went to our next stop to swim with the turtles! When we arrived
the simple instructions were no swim fins, and only "pet" or rub our hand across
the turtle's shell- no grabbing, no riding, and no nonsense. Easy enough, so we
all got into the water and it seemed that like magic, the turtles just appeared.
The crew member who was in the water with us was floating bait about in the
water. My husband and I have dove with dolphins and felt that experience would
be hard to beat, but these turtles were no less stunning in their grace.
When the turtles finally took their leave, it was time for lunch! There was a
bountiful spread of chicken, fried flying fish, 2 kinds of salad and garlic
bread. While the crew cleaned up we were free to swim or relax. Once they
completed their housekeeping chores it was time to serve some banana bread and a
choice of pina colada or strawberry daiquiri.
Seeing some of the other passing catamaran excursions packed to the gills, we
knew no matter how much others had paid for their excursions, we had the best
value for our money and it was the absolute best decision to go with Silver
Moon. I would not hesitate to recommend this day to anyone. Photos
Aruba --
We spent the day on Palm Beach New Year's Eve day. My husband, daughter and I
took a taxi from the cruise terminal and had the rest our family meet us at the
beach at their leisure. We knew we were going to Palm Beach and aimed for the
area of De Palm Pier specifically. We asked the taxi driver to take us to De
Palm Pier and he said, "okay De Palm Island" (totally opposite direction from
where we were headed), so once we had him headed towards the direction of Palm
Beach everything was fine.
Taxi fare from Oranjestad to the Radisson/De Palm Pier will run you $10 each
way. ($13 on Sundays and holidays). That is per taxi not per person. Taxis will
take up to 5 persons. Taxis will require you to have dry swim suits on your
return to the ship. I made sure that I specifically told all my families members
to have the taxi driver agree on a price before they got into the taxi. One
driver actually wanted to charge my Mom $15 instead of the $13 (we were there on
a Sunday). She and my Dad just moved along to the next driver in line. Fares are
set by destination/route by the government- period- non-negotiable- period. You
can also take the bus from the bus station a short walk across from the cruise
terminal. The bus is much less expensive than a taxi. The fare I think is $2. So
bus cheaper, taxi is quicker!
We had the taxi drop us off at the entrance to De Palm Pier. You actually walk
from the street side down an alley which runs between the Radisson and Riu
Resort. There are two vendors who rent chaise lounges, floats, umbrellas and
such at the south end of the beach at the Radisson. They also offer banana boat,
parasail, tube rides, waterskiing etc.
If you choose an umbrella on the Radisson side you should be able to receive
food and beverage service right at your chaise lounge. The day that we were
there the resort was packed to the limit so instead chose a shade palapa on the
other side of the pier in front of the Riu Resort. The resort is closed for
renovations and it being a Sunday, the worksite was quiet, so I am not sure how
that would affect a visit on any other ordinary day.
My brother and his kids walked out on to the pier for lunch at Bugaloe Bar and
Grill. Lunch for 4 kids and 2 beers was about $40. Considerably better bargain
than the $12 I paid for my takeout Caesar Salad at the Radisson. They just
renovated their beachfront restaurant so raised the menu prices to pay for it?
But then again, I was able to eat my salad on the beach lounging on my chaise
gazing at the ocean. For affordable soft drinks and water there is also a Dunkin
Donuts on the pier.
At the end of the afternoon we walked up through the Radisson property and out
through the end of the lobby. There are always taxis waiting here. Again, make
sure your swim suits are dry. Photos
