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Next, a brief photo stop at Orient hilltop before our lunch stop in Marigot. I had a very yummy lunch of pancetta, cheese, and pesto panini and pastry. ? (Sadly, the bakery was sold out of macaroons ?) I had time to admire the yachts before meeting up with our group.

We made another photo stop at Oyster Pond prior to reaching the iguana farm.

I then met up with Bernard himself for my SXM Island Tour I through Bernard’s Tours. Our driver was David Taylor, a very funny, informative guide. All through the tour, he pointed out landmarks, interesting facts about the country. We crossed the Dutch - French border into the French side and made a photo stop at a lookout point, visit with sea urchins.

It is now Day Five a.k.a. I grabbed a quick breakfast at Cafe Promenade prior to making my way off the ship and met Kareem ? Besides Adventure, Harmony, Marella Explorer, MSC Seaside, and another ship I couldn’t quite get close to catch the name of.

Wrapped up Day Four by attending a concert of Adele songs by the very talented Amy Jo Slater.

Then it was off to Studio B for the fantastic skating show, Cool Art Hot Ice. (So happy to see a Canadian amongst the skaters!) I actually took quite a few pictures of the skating show, so I will break it up and show you the highlights.

Time to play catch up yet again.. sorry gang, but I hope to get some work done over the next two days while we are at sea. ? Back to Day Four.. I was actually 15 minutes late for MDR dinner coming back from San Juan, but actually was able to get my order in.

At this point I got lost and actually walked in the direction of the San Cristóbal Fort. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I elected not to go in, but I grabbed the free trolley toward old San Juan. Using Google Maps, I was able to navigate to the 16th century La Fortaleza (Governors Mansion), spotted Barrachina Restaurant (where the Pina Colada was born), the awesome Paseo de Sombrillas art installation, and Cristo Chapel (home of the Pigeon Park). I was able to spot Adventure ? My second-to-last visit prior to returning to the ship was Plaza de Colon with a statue commemorating Christopher Columbus. A quick visit to Walgreen’s located across from where Adventure was docked completed my visit to San Juan. At this point, my feet were killing me and I was running late for dinner in the MDR. I will update again tomorrow and finish off Day Four after my tour of St. Kitts.

I then took the steep Triangular Staircase downstairs to the Bateria de Santa Barbara and lower level. A quick stop at the San Juan Cemetary completed my visit to El Morro.

I then headed up the ramp to the upper level with sentry boxes, more amazing views, and the lighthouse which was rebuilt in 1908.

I then spent an hour exploring this impressive 16th century fortress, starting with the Main Plaza complete with chapel, kitchen, gunpowder storage, etc., all complete with scenic views.

I spotted a feral kitty on my walk and briefly went into the beautiful, historic 400 year old San Juan Cathedral where Ponce de Leon is buried. Next spotted the Plaza del Quinto Centenario... ..and finally reached El Morro! Happily, there were some families flying kites on the field.

I elected not to book an excursion and to follow a self-guided walking tour I found in my Google search. I followed the path around the San Juan Bay toward Paseo La Princesa and was impressed with the historic sights and city walls surrounding the area. En route to El Morro, I passed the Raices fountain and went through the San Juan Gate.

Hi gang, Apologies for the lack of updates in several days, but life is busy when you’re having fun on a cruise! Lets go back to Day Four (Tuesday, December 11th), shall we.. So, I quickly got my picture taken with Santa (and a selfie with Mercedes) before going up for lunch in the Jammer.. I quickly went up to the helipad for our sail into San Juan and spotted El Morro in the distance. Carnival Glory was in port with Adventure today. Unfortunately a massive gust of wind broke my soda cup, but a trip to Cafe Promenade fixed that ?

It’s been an extremely lazy morning with no plans whatsoever. ? Just wanted to mention that I appear to have a case of sea legs in which I feel motion swaying back and forth while on land. ? Currently in line on the Royal Promenade waiting to get picture with Santa and spotted a service dog! Forgot to mention that I needed to stop by the Voom service desk as I dropped the access code I had jotted down somewhere yesterday. No issues, old code cancelled, new one reissued. Manager there told me that the satellite outage from a few weeks ago was his first week on the job and directly related to fires in California. SANTA!!! <insert Buddy the Elf voice>

Good morning, it is.. Today’s MDR breakfast: Just stopped by Guest Services, and, sadly, one one of the dudes there knows me by name lol. The water temperature in my shower is still cold ?

Tonight’s entertainment was Invitation to Dance by the very talented Royal Caribbean singers and dancers, the definitely-not-for-children Blankety Blank, Love & Marriage game shows. ??? (Yes, I took some video!)! This couple, married for 27 years, ended up winning. The oldest married couple at 65 years. The newlyweds at 3 months. A couple of notes before I leave you all for the evening: - have had a few maintenance issues (burned out lightbulb, lukewarm water temperature) with my stateroom and had to contact Guest Services to get them fixed. This is in addition to missing Voom letter and Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle invite. -Service in MDR was slow on the first day, but picking up in speed in recent days. We have a late port arrival in San Juan tomorrow, so I’ll probably be able to post an update before I leave in the afternoon ? Good night!

Another delicious dinner in the MDR: crab cake, spinach and ricotta ravioli, and Grand Mariner soufflé ?

Another terrific day, totally lit as the kids would say ? Finally made my first visit to Labadee and she did not disappoint! But first it was off to the MDR for French toast breakfast.. Time to get off this gorgeous ship and explore! I really enjoyed my time on Labadee today and hope to make a return visit on a future cruise ? Just a nice, relaxing day at the beach! I have a few comments to make: If possible, please leave your expensive jewelry in your stateroom safe. A lady lost her wedding ring in the sand on Adrenaline Beach today ? People, the ocean is NOT your trash can, put away your garbage. ? Saltwater is not meant to be drank, I threw up my breakfast after accidentally doing so snorkelling ? I managed to walk the entire property very easily and grabbed a chair on Adrenaline Beach (partially because at that point I was starting to boil like a lobster lol) close to Cafe Labadee, Schooner Bar, Floating Bar. After a quick snorkel (and vomit into the ocean ?), I decided to continue my walk until call for 11:30 am lunch. I walked all the way north toward beach beds, basketball court, and turned around south to the Artisan’s Village and Market. In no way did I feel threatened to buy anything; sure, they tried to get my attention but a simple “no, thanks” sufficed. The walking path led me to Columbus Cove... ..and Nellie’s Beach. By this time, I was starving and it was time for BBQ lunch ? After lunch, I grabbed a Labadoozie, pulled out my People magazine, and drank, read in the sun for an hour. Needless to say, I needed to cool down and the ocean did its job ? I snorkeled again and chatted with a few people in the shallow end. I slowly made my way back (lots of photo ops) and was onboard the ship 30 mins prior to sailaway which I witnessed from the helipad. It was an eye-opening and awesome experience watching the ship back away from the long pier and then pulling forward. (I took video of sailaway, will upload later.) Goodbye, Labadee!

Finally arrived back at the room, first towel animal of the cruise! Goodnight!

Tonight’s headliner was Clint Holmes, gameshow Majority Rules, solid performance by Holmes and hysterical responses by fellow cruisers to questions asked. ? I am really digging both Isaac and Kareem; they are a true asset to Royal Caribbean! I then walked around the pool deck where the Rams - Bears is still in progress as I type this. (Ship sure is pretty at night ?) Silent Party was hysterical and a TON of fun; have never done anything like this before. Pictures do not do it justice; I took video which I will upload to YouTube at some point. Well, that’s it for today, talk to you all tomorrow from Labadee!

Next, off to the Captain’s Reception on the Royal Promenade; thank you for the free champagne, Royal ? Met the amazing Isaac in person, got my picture taken with the captain, and watched the tree lighting ceremony.

Then it was time for formal night, starting with MDR dinner: