[Previous entry: "New hat for vacation"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Learning New Stuff"]

05/04/2004 Entry: "After the cruise"

Ok, here's the cruise sum-up.

1. If you snorkel in Jamaica for two hours at high noon, put sunscreen on your back. You will have a wonderful time, but you will get a sunburn. My back is at the itchy stage today, but my brother-in-law had to go to the ER, and he's out of work all week. Ouch!

2. Miami Airport has nothing at the American Airlines/Delta terminal. Honestly, there was one woman selling baked potatoes from a cart. No newsstand. No coffee shop or restaurant. No lounge, no shops. Nothing!

3. In contrast, the airport in Pittsburgh has everything! It truly is a mall inside of an airport. One woman we met who was from Pittsburgh said that before 9/11, people used to go to the airport to shop! It was that good. I mean, they had a Victoria's Secret and a Godiva right in the airport!

4. Food on a cruise ship is plentiful, and pretty good. I did notice that it isn't to the same quality as a local restaurant, but they are making meals for 3,000 people, after all. Certainly it's the best institutional food I've ever had. Suppers included: Steak with three peppercorn sauce; Dover sole in some kind of butter and citrus sauce; roasted pepper encrusted duck breast; fettucine with chicken medallions an mushroom cream sauce; and stuffed quail. I also had escargots for the first time--yummy! Also, my first taste of caviar. Not so yummy. Other cuisine included conch fritters (pretty good) and chilled strawberry soup (to die for!). I also had chilled mango and lychee nut soups. Neither of these would win any awards. Scrambled eggs were good (except the first morning--they were powdered!), and the corned beef hash weas very good.

5. Everyone will tell you you can climb Dunns River Falls in 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. Apparently, time moves much slower in Jamaica. 45 minutes in, we were only 1/2 way up. We had to drop out early so we could be on-time for the snorkel/sun burn.

6. After 5 days at sea, it takes a day or two to get your land legs back. Until then, your balance on land is a little shaky. Strange.

Pictures will follow soon.