WHAT I said!!! you've never been on a cruise??
Well, we'll have to fix that!! Poor Joel, he had no idea when he met me, that I was the cruise queen! I'm sure he didn't have any idea what he was going to be dragged into, but being the good natured soul he is, he agreed to a 5 day trial cruise on the independence of the seas!
I'm sure he had NO idea how large this ship is!
15 decks
4370 passengers
1360 crew
1112 feet long
Holy Cow!!
After boarding, our first stop was at Sorrento's Pizza, for some
Coffee and pastries...
( It was to late for him to back out now!)
We had a promenade cabin with views of the Grand Promenade..sorta like having an outside cabin, but with inside views! Here you can see our room on the 6th deck....
Great for people watching!
Cabin was a nice size, and we loved the Bay window....so comfy to sit a watch all the activities on the Promenade!
Joel's new best friend!
Which one is Joel! Hehe
The dining room was pretty awesome, We ate like kings, but soon decided that we would have to slow down, if we didn't want to be rolled off the ship at the end of the cruise....(rollin, rollin, rollin...!)
Jamaica Mon..... Hot as hades..... so in our infinite wisdom, decided to walk into town..
So colorful....So hot...
This church was built in the 1700"s...
Still HOT!
none the less...did not escape the hoards of souvenir hawkers...I wonder who he was guarding???
The inside was well kept, and we just sat quietly enjoying the cool air...( I prayed for a cold front to come thru!)
By the time we left the church, we were HOT, hungry, and dying of thirst!
It was a VERY long walk back to the ship...
But we enjoyed the colors,
Historic old walls,
and neighborhoods of this Jamaican town....
Thank goodness our next stop was Labadee, Haiti, where we could spend the afternoon just playing around in the cool water
Or drifting off while enjoying the Caribbean breeze!
Seems like we were not the only ones!
The outdoor bar-b-que was within eyesight, and of course, we never had to even leave our chairs for a drink!
Yours truly, just basking in the sun....( there's a drink somewhere!)
And Joel...well, Joel doing what Joel does best.....
The view from our lounge chairs...We kept a sharp eye out for the cocoanuts!
That night, we ate, drank and made merry....as all cruisers should!
Enjoyed a show....
and watched the ice skaters twirl around the rink! How do they do that when the ship is moving thru the seas....Most of us can barely walk straight!
I was tempted to push him in....but he would have only taken me with him!
Days at sea are so relaxing...eating, sleeping, and dozing off...what could be better than that!
We loved the aft view....as we were steaming back to Ft. Lauderdale!
Here we are at the very front of the ship! We wanted to play titanic, but balancing on that rail looked pretty tough! ( we're chickens!)
Promenade café was our favorite place, and well...for Joel....who had trouble sleeping, it was a welcome spot for a cup of coffee and cookies,
at 2AM!
The best part about watching the surfers, was seeing the bathing suits fall off...OMG, we laughed ourselves sick!
Alas, it was soon time to come home....
and spend time in our own spot of the Caribbean...
Joel is no longer a cruise virgin!
He knows his way around a ship, and is ready for our next great adventure!
2 weeks on the Brilliance of the seas....God love him!
