Caribbean Cruise

March 21-28 2009

For my Christmas present, my family took me along aboard the NCL Norwegian Dawn for a 7-day cruise in the Caribbean. We ended up having the rooms for me, my dad and stepmom, stepsister, stepgrandmother, and my grandparents. My grandma was the odd one out as it was the generations of Smith men and same with the rest of the girls. The weather was poor leaving port so we explored the 13 floors trying to learn the layout. Soon we were headed to dinner in the incredibly fancy Venetian restaurant. Afterward was a variety show of all the entertainment giving short previews of what was to be had for the rest of the week. The next day was a day at sea so we headed to the top deck for some sunbathing. It was a bit too windy, but we made do. I averaged about 5 meals a day, so that occupied much of my time. Several dinners included ordering double entrees and always double deserts. The show that night was a sing/dance with music from the 70s. The next day we arrived at Samana, Dominican Republic. It was raining so we went shopping. The merchandise was almost all handmade unlike most of the made in China souvenirs you see. Once the rain stopped we got a creeper-van taxi to take us around the island. We hiked through the mud to see a nice waterfall getting to experience the local flora along the way. The next day we arrived in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. We started with some shopping looking at all the expensive jewelry. Then my dad and I went scuba diving. The first dive was to a WWII ship and a reef. The neatest part was when the divemaster plucked up a sea urchin and handed it to me. It was spikey on one side and suctioned to my hand on the other. I could turn my hand upside down and feel the suction cups get tighter as it stayed on. For our surface interval we snorkled at Turtle cove. I got to swim with at least 6 medium sized seaturtles and 2 rays. One of the turtles below me looked up as to say hello then started swiming up literally inches in front of me. The second dive was to two WWII barges used for target practice after the war. These we much more lively then the first dive with every inch covered with vibrantly colorful coral. We saw more turtles, rays, and a barracuda with teeth way larger than I want on a fish I'm swimming with. Next time I dive, I know I'm renting an underwater camera. Next morning we were at Tortula, British Virgin Islands. All but the grandparents took snorkling excursion to the baths. This was a very popular place for the hundreds of sailboats that were out that day. We snorkeled to an island then walked through a boulder field that created caves with sandy bottoms and the ocean crashing through the gaps with the sun shining down in rays. I spent the rest of the time skindiving and collecting shells from the deeper reefs. The next day was another day at sea so we sat out in the sun all day enjoying burgers and beer. Beer singular because they were 5.50 a piece. The last day we stopped at a private island in the Bahamas. It was the perfect setup with a long beach with about 1000 beach chairs, hammocks, swimming and snorkeling, and hiking. After getting back on the boat I learned about the alcohol pickup, so I went to the shop and bought a bottle of run. I made myself a few drinks and spent the night doing the usual dueling piano show till 1am and hanging out with everyone for most of the rest of the night. In all, there's no way the cruise made any money off of me considering how much food I ate. Next time, I'll definitely have to find all-inclusive drinks or smuggle some onboard. Oh, and take a friend, not just the family.