DDaley

Day Three
St. Kitts and Nevis! We had a shore excursion via Annie’s Caribbean Tours to Cockleshell Beach on the southern side of the island. We went with another couple in a nice van operated by Joe who was the best and taught us a lot about growing up on the island on our drive there. We stopped at Sir Timothy Hill along the way for the gorgeous two ocean view and some roadside rum punch and Caribs! The excursion came with chairs and cocktails once down on Cockleshell at Reggae Beach. 
We also rented a jet ski while we were here through St. Kitts Watersports. My first time, I loved it although I ended up with a** bruises the next day! haha. We rented a single jet ski and took turns driving while leaving the other floating in the calm open water. That way he could go faster and slightly crazier than when I was holding onto him. It was pretty exhilarating. 
After about 4 hours of beach time we got a ride back to the port and decided to call it a day with some Solarium swimming and drink package consumption. This was the only night we absconded from the MDR to dine in the Windjammer as we weren't prepared for another 2 hour meal. The Windjammer always seems to please just enough! Nothing terrible but nothing terribly delicious either. I would call it exactly adequate! 
Morning Carib in the port

Leaving port area

View from Timothy Hill looking North

Looking South (this is the money shot from the "You left your cruise behind" RC email newsletters after pricing something (although those bastards flip the image in the email  -  you think we don't notice things like that?!? please)

Edited to Add the offending email newsletter header.... sacrilege


Cockleshell from the Reggae Beach side




Sunset in the Windjammer
 

Day One (Part II)
Oops! Fallen a bit behind due to lack of Voom strength in the cabin. Magen’s Bay was beautiful and so relaxing. We snagged an open air taxi outside of the Pueblo after picking up some beach cocktail supplies and saved $2 pp over the Crown Bay price not a five minute walk back to the port. At the top of the hill our taxi driver did need to stop and add oil to his truck but this was a perfect beer opening and photo opportunity. 






After getting back to the ship around 4 we headed to the Solarium for some swimming and drink package usage. 
Leaving St. Thomas



Also snagged one illegal pic of our RC pics. Shhhhhh!

Day Three
St. Kitts and Nevis! We had a shore excursion via Annie’s Caribbean Tours to Cockleshell Beach on the southern side of the island. We went with another couple in a nice van operated by Joe who was the best and taught us a lot about growing up on the island on our drive there. We stopped at Sir Timothy Hill along the way for the gorgeous two ocean view and some roadside rum punch and Caribs! The excursion came with chairs and cocktails once down on Cockleshell at Reggae Beach. 
We also rented a jet ski while we were here through St. Kitts Watersports. My first time, I loved it although I ended up with a** bruises the next day! haha. We rented a single jet ski and took turns driving while leaving the other floating in the calm open water. That way he could go faster and slightly crazier than when I was holding onto him. It was pretty exhilarating. 
After about 4 hours of beach time we got a ride back to the port and decided to call it a day with some Solarium swimming and drink package consumption. This was the only night we absconded from the MDR to dine in the Windjammer as we weren't prepared for another 2 hour meal. The Windjammer always seems to please just enough! Nothing terrible but nothing terribly delicious either. I would call it exactly adequate! 
Morning Carib in the port

Leaving port area

View from Timothy Hill looking North

Looking South (this is the money shot from the "You left your cruise behind" RC email newsletters after pricing something (although those bastards flip the image in the email  -  you think we don't notice things like that?!? please)

Edited to Add the offending email newsletter header.... sacrilege


Cockleshell from the Reggae Beach side




Sunset in the Windjammer
 

Day One (Part II)
Oops! Fallen a bit behind due to lack of Voom strength in the cabin. Magen’s Bay was beautiful and so relaxing. We snagged an open air taxi outside of the Pueblo after picking up some beach cocktail supplies and saved $2 pp over the Crown Bay price not a five minute walk back to the port. At the top of the hill our taxi driver did need to stop and add oil to his truck but this was a perfect beer opening and photo opportunity. 






After getting back to the ship around 4 we headed to the Solarium for some swimming and drink package usage. 
Leaving St. Thomas



Also snagged one illegal pic of our RC pics. Shhhhhh!

Day Three
St. Kitts and Nevis! We had a shore excursion via Annie’s Caribbean Tours to Cockleshell Beach on the southern side of the island. We went with another couple in a nice van operated by Joe who was the best and taught us a lot about growing up on the island on our drive there. We stopped at Sir Timothy Hill along the way for the gorgeous two ocean view and some roadside rum punch and Caribs! The excursion came with chairs and cocktails once down on Cockleshell at Reggae Beach. 
We also rented a jet ski while we were here through St. Kitts Watersports. My first time, I loved it although I ended up with a** bruises the next day! haha. We rented a single jet ski and took turns driving while leaving the other floating in the calm open water. That way he could go faster and slightly crazier than when I was holding onto him. It was pretty exhilarating. 
After about 4 hours of beach time we got a ride back to the port and decided to call it a day with some Solarium swimming and drink package consumption. This was the only night we absconded from the MDR to dine in the Windjammer as we weren't prepared for another 2 hour meal. The Windjammer always seems to please just enough! Nothing terrible but nothing terribly delicious either. I would call it exactly adequate! 
Morning Carib in the port

Leaving port area

View from Timothy Hill looking North

Looking South (this is the money shot from the "You left your cruise behind" RC email newsletters after pricing something (although those bastards flip the image in the email  -  you think we don't notice things like that?!? please)

Edited to Add the offending email newsletter header.... sacrilege


Cockleshell from the Reggae Beach side




Sunset in the Windjammer
 

Day One (Part II)
Oops! Fallen a bit behind due to lack of Voom strength in the cabin. Magen’s Bay was beautiful and so relaxing. We snagged an open air taxi outside of the Pueblo after picking up some beach cocktail supplies and saved $2 pp over the Crown Bay price not a five minute walk back to the port. At the top of the hill our taxi driver did need to stop and add oil to his truck but this was a perfect beer opening and photo opportunity. 






After getting back to the ship around 4 we headed to the Solarium for some swimming and drink package usage. 
Leaving St. Thomas



Also snagged one illegal pic of our RC pics. Shhhhhh!

Day Three
St. Kitts and Nevis! We had a shore excursion via Annie’s Caribbean Tours to Cockleshell Beach on the southern side of the island. We went with another couple in a nice van operated by Joe who was the best and taught us a lot about growing up on the island on our drive there. We stopped at Sir Timothy Hill along the way for the gorgeous two ocean view and some roadside rum punch and Caribs! The excursion came with chairs and cocktails once down on Cockleshell at Reggae Beach. 
We also rented a jet ski while we were here through St. Kitts Watersports. My first time, I loved it although I ended up with a** bruises the next day! haha. We rented a single jet ski and took turns driving while leaving the other floating in the calm open water. That way he could go faster and slightly crazier than when I was holding onto him. It was pretty exhilarating. 
After about 4 hours of beach time we got a ride back to the port and decided to call it a day with some Solarium swimming and drink package consumption. This was the only night we absconded from the MDR to dine in the Windjammer as we weren't prepared for another 2 hour meal. The Windjammer always seems to please just enough! Nothing terrible but nothing terribly delicious either. I would call it exactly adequate! 
Morning Carib in the port

Leaving port area

View from Timothy Hill looking North

Looking South (this is the money shot from the "You left your cruise behind" RC email newsletters after pricing something (although those bastards flip the image in the email  -  you think we don't notice things like that?!? please)

Edited to Add the offending email newsletter header.... sacrilege


Cockleshell from the Reggae Beach side




Sunset in the Windjammer
 

Day Three
St. Kitts and Nevis! We had a shore excursion via Annie’s Caribbean Tours to Cockleshell Beach on the southern side of the island. We went with another couple in a nice van operated by Joe who was the best and taught us a lot about growing up on the island on our drive there. We stopped at Sir Timothy Hill along the way for the gorgeous two ocean view and some roadside rum punch and Caribs! The excursion came with chairs and cocktails once down on Cockleshell at Reggae Beach. 
We also rented a jet ski while we were here through St. Kitts Watersports. My first time, I loved it although I ended up with a** bruises the next day! haha. We rented a single jet ski and took turns driving while leaving the other floating in the calm open water. That way he could go faster and slightly crazier than when I was holding onto him. It was pretty exhilarating. 
After about 4 hours of beach time we got a ride back to the port and decided to call it a day with some Solarium swimming and drink package consumption. This was the only night we absconded from the MDR to dine in the Windjammer as we weren't prepared for another 2 hour meal. The Windjammer always seems to please just enough! Nothing terrible but nothing terribly delicious either. I would call it exactly adequate! 
Morning Carib in the port

Leaving port area

View from Timothy Hill looking North

Looking South (this is the money shot from the "You left your cruise behind" RC email newsletters after pricing something (although those bastards flip the image in the email  -  you think we don't notice things like that?!? please)

Edited to Add the offending email newsletter header.... sacrilege


Cockleshell from the Reggae Beach side




Sunset in the Windjammer
 

Day Three
St. Kitts and Nevis! We had a shore excursion via Annie’s Caribbean Tours to Cockleshell Beach on the southern side of the island. We went with another couple in a nice van operated by Joe who was the best and taught us a lot about growing up on the island on our drive there. We stopped at Sir Timothy Hill along the way for the gorgeous two ocean view and some roadside rum punch and Caribs! The excursion came with chairs and cocktails once down on Cockleshell at Reggae Beach. 
We also rented a jet ski while we were here through St. Kitts Watersports. My first time, I loved it although I ended up with a** bruises the next day! haha. We rented a single jet ski and took turns driving while leaving the other floating in the calm open water. That way he could go faster and slightly crazier than when I was holding onto him. It was pretty exhilarating. 
After about 4 hours of beach time we got a ride back to the port and decided to call it a day with some Solarium swimming and drink package consumption. This was the only night we absconded from the MDR to dine in the Windjammer as we weren't prepared for another 2 hour meal. The Windjammer always seems to please just enough! Nothing terrible but nothing terribly delicious either. I would call it exactly adequate! 
Morning Carib in the port

Leaving port area

View from Timothy Hill looking North

Looking South (this is the money shot from the "You left your cruise behind" RC email newsletters after pricing something (although those bastards flip the image in the email  -  you think we don't notice things like that?!? please)

Edited to Add the offending email newsletter header.... sacrilege


Cockleshell from the Reggae Beach side




Sunset in the Windjammer
 

Day One (Part II)
Oops! Fallen a bit behind due to lack of Voom strength in the cabin. Magen’s Bay was beautiful and so relaxing. We snagged an open air taxi outside of the Pueblo after picking up some beach cocktail supplies and saved $2 pp over the Crown Bay price not a five minute walk back to the port. At the top of the hill our taxi driver did need to stop and add oil to his truck but this was a perfect beer opening and photo opportunity. 






After getting back to the ship around 4 we headed to the Solarium for some swimming and drink package usage. 
Leaving St. Thomas



Also snagged one illegal pic of our RC pics. Shhhhhh!

Day One (Part II)
Oops! Fallen a bit behind due to lack of Voom strength in the cabin. Magen’s Bay was beautiful and so relaxing. We snagged an open air taxi outside of the Pueblo after picking up some beach cocktail supplies and saved $2 pp over the Crown Bay price not a five minute walk back to the port. At the top of the hill our taxi driver did need to stop and add oil to his truck but this was a perfect beer opening and photo opportunity. 






After getting back to the ship around 4 we headed to the Solarium for some swimming and drink package usage. 
Leaving St. Thomas



Also snagged one illegal pic of our RC pics. Shhhhhh!

Just set sail a bit ago and recently returned to the cabin with a final cocktail for the night as we are running on about 1-1.5 hours sleep since 6am PST Saturday. Hopefully sleeping early tonight will reset my internal alarm for early natural rising on AST! 


The clouds here are unreal

Aft port panorama

Day Two!
Good morning from St. Thomas! ??
Today is our no strict schedule day so we are lazily rising as we dock at Crown Bay. I assumed we’d be docking at the other side of Charlotte Amalie at Havensight so we will see how taxi prices compare over to Magen’s Bay in a bit! 
Had my first taste of morning Windjammer and understand why some people stay far from here. haha





The size of this logo is very impressive

Ready to start the day! With my nerd necklace that I always tried to remember to remove the second we got off. 

Day Two!
Good morning from St. Thomas! ??
Today is our no strict schedule day so we are lazily rising as we dock at Crown Bay. I assumed we’d be docking at the other side of Charlotte Amalie at Havensight so we will see how taxi prices compare over to Magen’s Bay in a bit! 
Had my first taste of morning Windjammer and understand why some people stay far from here. haha





The size of this logo is very impressive

Ready to start the day! With my nerd necklace that I always tried to remember to remove the second we got off. 

Just set sail a bit ago and recently returned to the cabin with a final cocktail for the night as we are running on about 1-1.5 hours sleep since 6am PST Saturday. Hopefully sleeping early tonight will reset my internal alarm for early natural rising on AST! 


The clouds here are unreal

Aft port panorama

Day One
Embarkation Day! 
Popped straight over to the ship after arrival this morning to drop off all our bags and then we headed to Old San Juan with CBF's mom for some exploring. We walked down Fortaleza (unfortunately still no kites or umbrellas above the street), saw Castillo del Morro and stopped at a few bars along the way back by Carnival Fascination in the other port. What a beautiful city! Reminds me a loooot of Honolulu from the architecture and flora.  3 drinks in and waiting for muster! VACATION!! 




Looking back towards La Perla




Loved Medalla! From the 1979 Panamerican Olympics Games

Finally time to board! 



Our JS 9538 ?

El Morro as seen from our port position!

You guuuuuys! You could see her upon arrival waiting for us! ?

3 days to go!
I have been thinking about packing for this cruise since I booked it! I started my iPhone note list that long ago and it has grown steadily to 80+ line items since then. I only ever travel with a carry on suitcase and a second, smaller carry on for under the seat (22” Samsonite and a Lo & Sons Deluxe Tote) so fitting all the stuff we’ll need between that and CBFs carry on is going to be a feat.
I go on a LOT of beach vacations and am always shocked at the amount of people who packed like they were going somewhere completely different. Really? You’re headed to the beach for days on end and you’re bringing only bathing suits and the postage stamp towels provided by the hotel? Amateurs! 
When I set out for a beach vacation I have a list of essentials that are coming with me and it will be no different for this cruise (although of course I’ve spent about $300 on random Amazon things I think I need!).
Beach Non-Negotiables
Our own towels (Dock and Bay, they fold up suuuper small and dry extremely quickly) that are also nice for identifying chairs on the pool deck
Beach tent for shade minus that chairs + umbrella price tag per beach
Beach sheet
Beach bag
Cooler bag
3 plastic reusable water bottles (2 for cocktails, one for extra ice) with neoprene sleeves
Camelpak for water
2 Swimways spring floats
2 Goggles
Underwater bags and waist bag for bringing valuables into the water with us
It looks like a lot but I will get it to fit. Especially once CBF presents his carry ons with empty space! Packing is a fun puzzle. 
If anyone is in the market for a beach shade device, I highly recommend the beach tent I linked in the list above! I toiled on Amazon for literally 5 months prior to finally choosing/buying one. I brought it to the beach here in San Diego for a trial run and it held up well in wind and was very easy to take down and put up. Best and most important part is that it fits easily in the carry on! Seen below upside-down and labeled as 'Gorich.' I had to replace the muuuch older tent I have been using (since my parents took me to St. Thomas in 1994!) and think I chose correctly. 

It’s nearly time! I feel like I have waited for yeeears to set off on my first cruise as an adult! (It’s been… 84 years… ) In reality, I haven’t had to wait all that long as the days between booking and embarkation maxed out at 146 days. Now it’s down to just SIX days! The saddest part was that I had three vacations to go on between then and now and the poor Grand Canyon and Puerto Vallarta did not get the travel-obsessing they deserved.
In March, my boyfriend and I were looking into different trips we could take for our birthdays this August (on the 22nd and 25th) and as a Puerto Rican he suggested a trip there to visit his mom who went down to help family after Maria. I was pricing it out to stay in PR for around 6 nights (typical length of a land vacation I can afford) when he mentioned having taken a cruise from there back when he was in high school. The next day I googled cruises from SJ and booked a 7-night sailing on Freedom hours later! The price was pretty comparable and on this itinerary we would get the added bonus of seeing 5 other Caribbean ports! Who could say no? It should be noted that I booked during the 30% off sale but I even got us into a JS for less than every vacation I have taken to Hawaii.
After reading about a million fabulous live blogs here I thought I would give it a go because I would love to give back, so if you have any Freedom questions, feel free to ask!
Itinerary
Day 1 8/18 - San Juan, Puerto Rico Day 2 8/19 - St. Thomas 8am-6pm - Magen’s Bay via taxi (haven’t been since I was 7!) Day 3 8/20 - St. Kitts & Nevis 8am-8pm (only ship in port) - Cockleshell Beach via Shore Excursioneer Day 4 8/21 - Antigua 8am-5pm (only ship in port) - Antigua By Sea (RC Excursion) Day 5 8/22 - St. Lucia 8am-6pm - Rainforest Zipline & Aerial Tram via Shore Excursioneer for MY BIRTHDAY!!!! Day 6 8/23 - Barbados 8am-9pm - Catamaran/Snorkel via Shore Excursioneer Day 7 8/24 - Cruising Day 8 8/25 - Return to San Juan With the added bonus of
Day 9 - Extra day in San Juan!
With a newly-renovated oceanfront room at my favorite hotel in SJ, the Caribe Hilton. I could not say no to seeing the renovation for myself. I am also a brand loyalist to my dear, sweet Hilton, specifically because I love getting to pick my own room (e.g. north-facing Disneyland Resort room for fireworks every time). We also got a rental car so we can cruise the island and pick up my boyfriend’s mom so she can point us to the best mofongo!
Who’s Going - my boyfriend (Adrian) and I (Daryl)
Cabin - Junior Suite 9538. The larger balcony is what got me because I am a lanai girl through and through. I get an oceanfront every time I go to Hawaii and even extended the year-round lanai time to include my apartment in downtown San Diego, specifically for sunset balcony-sitting! So suffice it to say I plan on spending a lot of time out there for sail away cocktails and the JS balcony was a major draw. Priority embarkation also sounds nice without having purchased The Key.
Pre-Purchases - I got us the DBP for $44pp/pd during the 30% off sale although I can never figure out if it’s on sale or not cause it remained the same price once the sale was over?! Seems like at $12 each it is not hard to get to $44 per day, I can easily drink 4-5 cocktails and will also need 100+ ounces in water to make up for all that dehydration. Hoping to keep track of my drink consumption like @JLMoran! 
Also got the Voom Surf and Stream for 2 devices for instagramming and live blogging.
Excursions
St. Kitts - Cockleshell Beach transportation that includes a stop at Timothy Hill on the way. A taxi all the way down there was somewhat comparable but with a drink and chair included, it was worth it for the excursion version of going straight to the beach.
Antigua - 80ft catamaran that circumnavigates the whole island! I went back and forth on which beach to taxi to from the port (for the record I had settled on Dickenson Bay - $14, haha) but decided this would be a fun way to see all 365 of them with a lunch/snorkel beach stop on Green Island off the east coast of Antigua.
St. Lucia - Rainforest Aerial Tram and Zipline in the Castries Waterworks Forest Reserve on my biiirthday! I almost did the Pitons zip as advertised on the cruise planner but opted for the one with the sweet 45-minute aerial tram ride through the jungle. I am thinking SD Zoo Skyfari x10!
Barbados - Catamaran/Shipwreck Snorkeling excursion to Folkstone Marine Park and Carlisle Bay. I am a sucker for both catamaran rides and snorkeling (a must in Waikiki and at Hanauma Bay evvvery single time) so I couldn’t pass this one up!
---
I hope I can keep up with this blog as we go. I haven’t been on a cruise since December of 2005 when I sailed HAL Oosterdam with my parents out of our home port of San Diego to the Mexican Riviera. BUT! My very first cruise experience was with my friend's family on RCCL ol’ gal Sovereign of the Seas out of Miami in 1998! We went to Key West, Nassau and the oooolddd fashioned Coco Cay. Would love to try out Perfect Day on a future cruise to see the transformation (besides the fact that I love waterslides).
Ahhh! Seeing the logged-in Royal countdown at 6 Days To Go has me feeling near-constant excited stomach butterflies! ? These 5 work days are going to crawl by.

Just set sail a bit ago and recently returned to the cabin with a final cocktail for the night as we are running on about 1-1.5 hours sleep since 6am PST Saturday. Hopefully sleeping early tonight will reset my internal alarm for early natural rising on AST! 


The clouds here are unreal

Aft port panorama

Day One
Embarkation Day! 
Popped straight over to the ship after arrival this morning to drop off all our bags and then we headed to Old San Juan with CBF's mom for some exploring. We walked down Fortaleza (unfortunately still no kites or umbrellas above the street), saw Castillo del Morro and stopped at a few bars along the way back by Carnival Fascination in the other port. What a beautiful city! Reminds me a loooot of Honolulu from the architecture and flora.  3 drinks in and waiting for muster! VACATION!! 




Looking back towards La Perla




Loved Medalla! From the 1979 Panamerican Olympics Games

Finally time to board! 



Our JS 9538 ?

El Morro as seen from our port position!

You guuuuuys! You could see her upon arrival waiting for us! ?

One day to go!!
I am in the waiting place today since our flight is so late, so I spent the morning at the zoo to relieve pre-travel waiting anxiety! 
Here are the San Diego Zoo stars of the day. Sadly, the baby hippo Tony got sent off to another zoo when he reached 1 year (he has been the star of the day countless times). 
Finally not all asleep! 

Ibex cave hangout (he fought off two baboons to claim his space)



C1283169-9E36-48A2-98DB-3C0B4DBFDE2B.MOV

Just set sail a bit ago and recently returned to the cabin with a final cocktail for the night as we are running on about 1-1.5 hours sleep since 6am PST Saturday. Hopefully sleeping early tonight will reset my internal alarm for early natural rising on AST! 


The clouds here are unreal

Aft port panorama

You guuuuuys! You could see her upon arrival waiting for us! ?