Introduction

This is a blog of the Jazzbeaux Exotic Southern Caribbean cruise from March 1 to 15, 2015. We drove to Miami and stayed at the Hampton Inn Miami-Coconut Grove/Coral Gables, which offered a park and sail package that includes 7 nights parking and a reasonable option to extend the parking @ $5 a day, and had dinner with our Miami friends [Las Cinco Chicas del Camino] from the previous summer trip walking the Camino de Santiago. We then sailed to Aruba, Curacao, Grenada, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Kitts, and St. Maarten before returning to Miami.

During the trip, Jazzbelle kept detailed notes and I [Jazzbeau] took lots of pictures. After returning home, I revised the notes to remove names [to protect the guilty, as they say…] and put it in my voice to avoid confusion. Jazzbelle became ‘DW’ in internet parlance [‘Dear Wife’].

Sunday March 1 – Boarding Celebrity Eclipse

After 10:30 am Mass at St. Hugh’s in Coconut Grove, we took our hotel’s 12:30 shuttle to the ship terminal. Check-in was easy and we headed for lunch at Bistro on 5 [I had the Mediterranean crepe, DW had Cajun chicken crepe plus Caesar salad; we ordered the ‘trifle’ for dessert, but it turned out to be Jello/fruit and Cool Whip – ugh!]

On to our cabin [7286] but our Guest cards weren’t working, so we went to Guest Relations to get new ones – and found out there was a Priest onboard so there would be daily Mass at 5:00 PM – great!

At 3:45 we went to the Muster Drill in the Moonlight Sonata Restaurant; long delay so we texted, checked email, and called our DD for her birthday.

Went to the Sailaway party with the Roll Call group – the dress code was ‘wear Mardi Gras beads’ so we were well prepared!

Then we poked around exploring ship, listened to the Blue Velvet Band jazz quartet for a while, and went back to the cabin to unpack – we managed, but drawer space is limited.

We took advantage of the first-night special to have Dinner in Murano [$90 for two of us incl. dinner, corkage and tip for Roxana]. I had the goat cheese soufflé, rack of lamb, and Grand Marnier soufflé; DW had lobster bisque, diver scallop Wellington (shared with me), venison, Valrhona cocoa cake/white coffee ice cream, and chamomile tea. The Venison and GM soufflé were fantastic!

We walked around a while exploring shops, then DW changed and walked for ~35 minutes.

 

Monday March 2 – Sea Day

We slept in [some more than others J] DW walked up from deck 7 to 14 to the Oceanview Café [not smart, as she admitted] only to find that the only bran cereal was Raisin Bran. Back to cabin to get the Bran Buds she had packed, and to help me find my eyeglasses [no, they were not on my head – unfamiliar surroundings had led to a forgotten ‘safe place’ to store them] Back to OC for breakfast. Why don’t they have trays?

DW did a hand wash of some clothes and found that they dried well on the balcony.

I went without breakfast and had Danish and coffee at the CC Connections party. My Mardi Gras gift was won by ‘BAMA girl’ who loved it. We won some Tennessee BBQ sauce and Moonshine hot sauce [also good gifts for us]

Thirty-five of us went to the Roll Call Slot Pull at the casino. After a lot of laughs, we each won $2.55 [keeping up our small-stakes winning streak]

That afternoon I went to the Old World Wine Tour in Tuscan Grille.

DW had lunch in OC and found that it is less crowded after 2:00, then she did zumba for 10-15 minutes, then onto Hot Glass Show, and finally took a nap.

We both attended the 5:00 Mass and met Father Wally K from Kingston, MA.

Cruising by Cuba seemed to take most of the afternoon.

Formal night: we dined in Moonlight Sonata next to a Scottish couple. I had spinach salad, duck, and crème brûlée; DW had Caesar salad, shrimp with steamed veg, and apple crumble with vanilla ice cream.

Eclipse Theater for 10:45 show: Edge—very good except for the tap dancing and too many strobe lights.

DW walked for 35 minutes.

Time to set our clocks ahead as we sail into Atlantic Time Zone.

Tuesday March 3 – Sea Day

DW ate breakfast in OC. I got there for coffee and bread pudding with custard. So good!

DW went to the lecture by Melinda Bates: “Backstage with White House Families”

We both went to the Captain’s Club reception for past cruisers.

DW took a salsa lesson, then had lunch in OC and walked starboard side of deck 5 [with the lifeboats – what would be a Promenade deck on a classically designed ship] for half hour.

I went to the New World Wine Tour.

We both took a short nap.

Then the plumber came to see why we couldn’t get hot water – it seems we have to turn faucet handle the ‘wrong’ way. Lesson learned, no more hot water problems!

We again went to Mass at 5:00 – this was an unexpected treat that added a lot to our cruise. Not only the opportunity to worship at Mass every day, but to gradually get to know the community that formed through our shared faith.

We bought a package deal for 3 special restaurants.

We went to Qsine for dinner with a large Roll Call group. It was a good time [3 hours] with lots of good food, conversation with new friends, and great service from our waiter Attila. Among our favorite dishes: lava crab, shrimp, meatballs, filet mignon. Misses: M’s favorites, lobster escargot, spring rolls (greasy). Things we would like to try on a future visit: Taj Mahal, Persian Kebob, Chinese entrée.

Most of us headed up to the Sky Lounge for an Abba sing-along and dancing.

Then D walked 4 1/2 laps on stateroom decks 7 & 8 [35 minutes]

Wednesday March 4 – Aruba

Aruba is a desert island; Seattle is a rainforest, but I’ve never had any rain while visiting Seattle and Aruba got its annual quota that morning.

We tried to head out just after noon, but it was torrential. We waited near gangway as medics took a male passenger (alert) off on a stretcher.

Finally the rain stopped and we walked around 10 minutes when it started again. Dried off near Starbucks. Same scenario several more times, but we did get to window shop and read historic info. near Fort Zoutman (small) and see the Renaissance Marketplace.

We checked out the bus schedules and headed back to Eclipse for lunch. Rain again.

Changed tops, ate and caught 3:27 bus 10A and stayed on round trip to Arashi Beach to see and photograph the Californian Lighthouse. Beautiful bougainvillea. Water is gorgeous aquamarine color. Little shade to be had on the beaches.

Back in time for Mass at 5:00.

DW walked deck 5 starboard and used a resistance band, while I showered.

Off to 7:00 show A Hard Day’s Night—Tribute to Beatles. Fantastic!!!

Port Talk about Curacao at 8:00.

Dinner in Moonlight Sonata. Quintus from India not a polished waiter yet. I had: seafood crepe (no!), pork schnitzel (yes!), beggar’s purse (yes!); DW had shrimp cocktail (ok), Waldorf salad (good but dressing? where?), Chicken Kiev (nice but little butter), and turnover (yuk).

It rained on Caribbean Night so D walked 4 circuits of deck 7.

Thursday March 5 – Curacao

Rain and a rainbow started the day early in Curacao, but we were unaware. We might have slept even longer, but it seems we had lost our Do Not Disturb sign.

We each had breakfast in OC, separately.

We went ashore around 11:30 and walked around Willemstad. Hot and humid! We could not live in the tropics.

We got a full show when they had to open the floating bridge all the way to let a large freighter exit.

Willemstad is very cute but the most interesting feature was the free Wi-Fi.

Back onboard for lunch in OC.

DW went to see the movie: No God, No Master

We both went to 5:00 Mass.

We met our next door neighbor, a man from Nashville who was part of the Harley group on board.

I showered while DW walked 5 “laps” on starboard 5 plus did pole exercises.

The 7:00 show Justino and Daniela was pretty good even though we’re not big on magic acts.

Dinner in Moonlight Sonata with waiter Ivan (who lived in Monticello). We both had: poached pear/Gorgonzola en croute, mesclun salad, and sea bass, Then I had Bananas Foster and DW had pear crumble. [DW wasn’t thrilled with the fish]

Back to our cabin. DW walked 4 rounds on deck 7 in a half hour.

Friday March 6 – Sea Day

I woke up on my own at 9 (!) and had breakfast in Moonlight Sonata. Nothing came hot! DW had her usual breakfast in OC.

I went to the Hot Glass Show.

DW went to hear Melinda Bates re Entertaining in the White House, then stayed in the Eclipse Theatre for Destination Highlights, and checked out the $10 Madness specials in the shops.

We both listened to Galapagos presentation, since we’re booked for May.

We went to OC for lunch—payback for having a Priest to say daily Mass is that this is Lent, so it was a meatless Friday.

We used our $10 freebie coupons for slot machines, and DW won $33.25.

I went to the presentation on How Our Ships Move.

DW headed outside to get some sun and walk on starboard 5.

I went for another Hot Glass Show.

We attended daily Mass at 5:00.

Early dinner at 6:45 with new friends Judy and Jim in Moonlight Sonata. I had lobster bisque, Ahi tuna, and pineapple upside down cake with rum raisin ice cream. DW had Caesar salad, then salmon [she was not favorably impressed by the fish onboard, but I enjoyed Ahi tuna]

The 8:30 show by Eclipse was similar to Cirque de Soleil–some of acrobatics were impressive, but not so much those in the background.

DW walked 5 laps on deck 7 for 35 minutes.

Saturday March 7 – Grenada

Grenada is a very poor island and when a hurricane destroys something, they just leave it [e.g. the Anglican Cathedral and the House of Parliament—these are iconic buildings that have just been left as ruins] while all the other islands have repaired and rebuilt. This was our least favorite island and if we were to repeat this cruise I would select an itinerary that substitutes Bonaire for Grenada.

We were up early at 6:30 for a Celebrity excursion beginning at 8:15. Even though this was a ship tour, there were only 14 of us in a small bus with Christopher. Could he drive!!! It took an hour to reach Douglaston Estate to hear a talk on different spices [not very interesting]. We bought small bag of whole cloves for $2. [They only had a privy—no thanks]

It had rained heavily on the ride to DE and it started up again as we were leaving, but then it cleared for the rest of the tour.

Christopher stopped often to point out the different trees/flowering shrubs: cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, mahogany, bread fruit, bread nut, banana, coffee, Bird of Paradise, loufa.

On to Grand Etang for 15 minutes. They call it a glacier lake but it’s nothing like the one in Oregon; this is just a mountain tarn and is silting up like they all do —I guess it has been famous for a long time, but it’s no longer worth the stop. Here we got a complimentary drink [I: beer and DW: purified water which she gave to the driver Chris]

Next stop was Annandale Falls, where we were accosted by jumpers and a strumming singer for $. Christopher was right when he said it wasn’t Niagara!—it’s not on the top-10 list of world waterfalls and doesn’t even match Ocho Rios’ Dunn’s River Falls or Ivie Blue Hole.

The last stop was Fort Frederick, which is a great place to take photos of the harbor, and the multicolor roofs. This island has had devastation due to several hurricanes, leaving buildings roofless or in shambles—and little has been done to restore them.

DW had lunch in the OC and I had ice cream.

Then we headed into St. George’s on our own. There is no real town. A lot of spice stands. We walked uphill to see the churches. First the shell of the Parish Church of St. George (Anglican) and onto the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Catholic) which was locked up although supposed to be open. It was very hot so we returned to the ship for naps.

We went to 5:00 Mass—pretty packed [the attendance grew each day, probably because word spread slowly about the availability of Mass]

I showered while DW did 6 laps on starboard 5. Another passenger did lots more, but DW does it only for bone strength not competitive exercise.

We went to dinner early at 7:30 in Moonlight Sonata and ended up near a table with 4 kids of my new wine tasting buddies [hadn’t realized that by dining late we were missing the families onboard]. I had chicken liver rillettes and Boston lettuce salad to start, while DW was having crab cake and pear/apple/chicory salad. For the main course we shared short ribs and chicken rollatini. Then for dessert I had cherries jubilee and DW had apple tart tatin (her best dessert!). D liked the whole meal, but I thought meat was a little dry. Our wait staff was Roldan, Mario and Alina—all great!

DW saw Melinda Bates and told her that she had enjoyed her presentations, then we went to Hot Glass Show for their creation of the breast cancer auction piece. Wow!

DW walked 4 times around deck 7 in 30 minutes.

Sunday March 8 – Barbados

Barbados is a much more prosperous island than Grenada, but a very poor Celebrity excursion let us down.

We took it easy in the morning.

DW grabbed a half sandwich at OC before our afternoon tour, then texted with DD.

Even though this was a Celebrity excursion the A/C on the bus was broken and the rear suspension sounded like it wasn’t going to last the day. It was mortifying to see the Royal Caribbean passengers getting on shiny new buses while we had the “Modern Luxury” of a rattletrap van!

The tour took us to: Gun Hill Lookout, St. John’s Parish Church, and Flower World. We saw a coral stone lion, a real Mona monkey, black belly sheep (tail down), cotton, heliconia (Bird of Paradise), porcupine tree, ginger lily.

But we didn’t get to see Orchid World, which was the highlight that most attracted us. It seems that the itinerary was changed after we had booked, but Celebrity did not let us know. They had warned us that about the A/C but offered no discount for that. When I complained about the itinerary changes and rear suspension issues they grudgingly gave me a 15% refund—I should have pointed out that 18% is the new 15%

It was a good thing we hadn’t decided to explore Bridgetown instead, because most things are closed on Sundays.

Back to Eclipse in time for Mass at 5:00. Big group.

Made a reservation for Murano on Tuesday.

Then we watched The Grand Budapest Hotel. Nutsy!

DW showered.

Dinner in Moonlight Sonata with Roldan, Mario and Alina. She gave me a free Malbec when she heard about the mixed up tour. I had spinach turnover, gumbo, veal Cordon Bleu, and Grand Marnier soufflé. DW had prosciutto, chop salad, veal CB, and sacher torte. It was a very good meal!

As we left, Roldan made us reservations at Tuscan Grille for Wednesday.

Then we hung out on deck 4 overlooking the Grand Foyer, listening and dancing to a 15-minute show of 70s music and dance.

DW walked 4 1/3 laps on deck 7.

Monday March 9 – St. Lucia

St. Lucia: I arranged a Roll Call group with James Tours featuring a tour of Castries, visits to Morne Fortune and the Roseau Banana Plantation; a photo op above Soufrière; a lengthy visit to Diamond Falls Botanical Garden & Waterfall; an excellent lunch at La Haut restaurant; then return to the ship via boat—I would recommend James Tours to anyone wanting an excursion on St. Lucia.

Today was our DD’s 31st birthday!

We had a 9:00 meeting at the terminal with James Tours and 6 Roll Call companions [Monique & Daniela, Lynn & Jon, JoAnn and Bill]. Tamara was a beautiful guide-in-training.

We started with a tour of Castries including a visit to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, which has simple stained glass windows but murals everywhere. We also saw a park dedicated to St. Lucia’s two Nobel Prize Laureates.

There was a photo stop and tour at Morne Fortune, and the Roseau Banana Plantation [where we each got a banana to eat—but nothing exotic: these were the Cavendish export bananas that we get at home], and another photo op before Soufriere [with local vendors: D bought $5 coconut wood necklace]

The big stop was at Diamond Falls Botanical Garden & waterfall with tour guide Alexander [who put a quarter in his nickel slot?]

The tour stopped for a yummy lunch at La Haut—chicken curry and a freshwater white fish of St. Lucia; banana splits.

We had to hurry to the pier, where it began to pour as we boarded covered catamaran for the two hour ride back to the cruise ship dock. They stopped for 45 minutes for a swim break [that only for 4 people took advantage of]. There was constant loud music [this was a multi-group boat ride, and definitely not aspiring to Modern Luxury!] D danced for awhile and then sat for the rough return. We were happy to see the Eclipse at 4:00.

We got a special treat watching the Harleys being loaded back on the ship. The Harley group didn’t impact our cruise in any way (except this positive one) – their meetings were in Quasar during the day [when it would otherwise be empty] and when we saw them on board they were just having a good time along with everyone else.

Mass at 5:00.

DW went to the 6:00 movie Labor Day with Kate Winslet & Josh Brolin.

I showered and went to 7:00 show with Hannah Starosta, violinist, and then to the talk on Antigua.

DW took quick shower and met me at Moonlight Sonata for our usual Roldan table. I had cream of squash soup, a small order of spaghetti carbonara, prime rib, and sticky toffee. DW had seafood salad (lots of mussels), arugula salad, prime rib, and chocolate ganache biscuit with caramel.

I went to see what Perry Grant is all about [very different!]

DW walked 4 laps on deck 7 and crashed!