| Family Travels Cruise December 2005 11 night Exotic Southern Caribbean |
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Eleven Night Exotic Southern Caribbean Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas San Juan, Puerto Rico St. Maarten St. Kitts Antigua St. Lucia Barbados Day at Sea - Christmas Day Margarita Island, Venezuela Curacoa Aruba Day at Sea San Juan, Puerto Rico |
| We decided to try a cruise over the Christmas holidays....and the decision was not without reservations. I, as mom, take Christmas very seriously, I have never been away from my home on Christmas in 45 years. So I decided that if we were going to go, we would not scrimp on any holiday traditions. So see my notes below on how to get Santa on a cruise. Overall, I think this was one of our favorite cruises....mostly, because of the exciting destinations |
| Antigua It was our second trip to Antigua....a shore excursion offered by Shoretrips. A catamaran sail/snorkel tour with |
| St. Lucia This unbelievably scenic island, famous for it Grand Pitons is Paradise. Our first trip there was an excursion through the ship...a catamaran trip out to the Pitons, and bus tour to the Volcano and then to the Spice Plantations |
| Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas The Ship was beautifully decorated with hundred of poinsettias, and gingerbread displays and Christmas Trees The Crew led hundreds of passengers with Christmas Caroling on Christmas Eve. Christmas was filled with Egg Nog, presents and even Santa arriving in a festive parade Christmas was formal night...so we got dressed up for a evening of dancing and entertainment. |
| St. Maarten We were delighted to learn that St. Maarten is half Dutch and half French...with an international border. We loved Marigot. We ate crepes, quiche and had alot of fun shopping and exploring the town |
| St. Kitts We hired a private driver through Shoretrips and visited the Batik factory. Cloth is waxed and dipped in dye in layers to create beautiful patterns. We also toured the entire island and spent a few hours at the beach. The girls enjoyed the sand and surf...The boys enjoyed the jet skis. |
| Barbados Our second trip to Barbados. It was Erica's 17th Birthday and we let her choose the excursion. She chose a Catamaran Sail/Snorkel with the Sea Turtles. |
| Margarita Island, Venezuela We awoke to a rainy day....canceled our excursion to an all inclusive resort and went back to bed. We awoke around noon and did some shopping at the port. Pearls are an incredible deal here. The Oysters in the mangroves are said to the very loud at night. $15 for a choker strand of 15mm fresh water pearls. |
| Curacao Very pretty port. We did an all-inclusive resort for the day. Brent and Erica rode jet skis Amanda got to do a Discover Scuba |
| Aruba We took a very private shore excursion booked through Shoretrips. Mom and the three kids....with Monique, the instructor....for a ride along the beach to a snorkel stop |
| Mom buys and brings a boxed tree...checking it through as luggage. I buy all disposable Christmas ornaments, garland, lights etc...from the dollar store. At the end of the cruise...we left the tree behind. We also decorated our doors...so Santa knew where to stop. |
| Christmas Eve We went Christmas Caroling in the Atrium...The Crew were in choir robes...leading hundred of people singing. Then we "hung our stockings on the bathroom door handle with care in hope that St. Nicholas would soon be there" |
Santa Find Us! |
Santa Find Us! |
Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas |
| Erica's 17th Birthday Mom's best friend, Abby, our travel agent....has Erica's room decorated for her Birthday. |
Sometimes, the best thing about cruising is meeting new people. Our tablemates were from Washington State...and their older kids were about Erica's age. We even did a shore excursion with them |
| Helpful Hints. Don't wrap anything until you get there...Airport Security may unwrap it. Bring tape, paper, tissue and boxes...to make flat presents look bigger. Bring lightweight, flat presents (DVDs, CDs and gift cards) or things that can be used on the cruise (t-shirts, tank tops, jewelry) Leave bulky items at home Santa did not deliver EVERYTHING to the ship...some was waiting at home. |
Christmas Day Santa arrives and leads a Parade of elfs and musicians. In the main Theater...all kids receive a present from Santa...we sip egg nog as Christmas music fills the air |
| The girls go to Napkin Folding Class |
| Hula Hoops Rock Climbing Tanning by the Pool Napkins Folding Class Poolside Dancing Under the Stars Dancing with Dad Making New Friends |
| We love the crystal clear waters of Barbados |