After five days in Puerto Rico, we returned home, did laundry, and are now headed out on a five-day cruise.
It was easy packing. We just basically repacked the clean laundry adding a dressier outfit and a warmer jacket. It may get cold on the ocean.
We are on Celebrity Silhouette. I think she’s a sister ship to the Reflection which we love.
Unfortunately, I am not feeling great so we plan to just relax and read our books on this trip. I’ve been to Key West and the Bahamas and feel no great need to get off the ship.
We sat on our balcony and watched as we sailed out of Port Everglades. We could see the rain in the distance.
What do you see when you look at this picture?
Do you remember one of the Star Wars movies?
The ship was fully decorated for the holidays!
We relaxed by the pool looking out on the city of Key West.
We played in the casino a bit.
But most of all it’s time to relax and get better.
How did that happen? How did I get here? Seems the years go whirling by in a blink of an eye. Well today I am in Puerto Rico. Unfortunately a little under the weather. So we decided to just relax.
This is me relaxing. The wind was blustery. Half the time my hair was in my mouth. But the surf roared. I don’t think I look too bad for 72. No botox or fillers yet!
We spent a few hours reading our books, listening to the waves crashing. I went for a little walk into the beach to get closer to the wave action. I could feel the salty sea mist on my face.
Little waterfalls momentarily captured with each passing wave.
Later we went for a swim in the infinity pool. We lounged around for awhile reading our books.
For dinner we ate at a Caribbean restaurant, El Refran.
We shared codfish fritters and Empanadillas.
It was delicious.
When we returned to our suite, a card and birthday cake were waiting for me from guest services at Condado Vanderbilt.
A trip to Puerto Rico isn’t a trip without a visit to old San Juan. Although we walked six miles yesterday, we were up for another day’s sightseeing. Our Uber driver gave us a little history of the place and also talked about the catastrophic hurricane a few years ago. He said the rain was going sideways.
He dropped us off at Castillo San Felipe del Morro or El Morro for short. This is an old fort built originally in 1539.
As we approached the fort, people were out on the greens flying kites. It was a grand day for kites.
Bruce has been a National Parks pass holder since he turned 65. Since the fort is part of a national park, we paid no entrance fee. Usually, it is $10 per person.
We strolled through the old fort which had displays of barracks.
The view was amazing from the top.
And of course I had to take a photo of Bruce with a cannon.
Here are some other photos in and around the fort.
One of my favorite flowers!
The streets and colors of buildings reminded me of Charleston.
We made our obligatory stop at Catedral Basilica Menor de San Juan Bautista.
Another obligatory stop is a cafe. Bruce trying to figure out which pastry to buy.
We stopped in shops. The souvenir shops were everywhere. We didn’t purchase anything but a Christmas tree ornament.
After a lot of walking we made it back to the Condada Vanderbilt and went in the infinity pool. I captured the sunset from our balcony.
We ate at an Asian restaurant. I had wonton soup; Bruce had egg drop soup. Then we had a dim sum platter and mango pudding. Sorry no pictures.
The Condado Vanderbilt is celebrating 100 years. To mark this momentous occasion, they had a party in main lobby bar area. They have live music as well as a DJ!
Tables, hosting an array of sweet delicacies, were scattered about in the VJ Lounge.
There were food stations everywhere but Bruce and I had just eaten. We did get a rice dish, a sort of paella.
The waiter brought us two virgin pina coladas since we didn’t partake in the champagne.
Then we had a few desserts and headed to our room.
It’s supposed to rain this morning and clear up this afternoon. We decided to sleep in a bit and then go for breakfast.
Luckily, the breakfast was included because the bill was over $100. I guess if you can afford to stay here you can afford the breakfast.
The food was so-so. The melon appeared as though it had been frozen and then thawed. Pretty tasteless and soggy. The bread pudding was crunchy. The omelet was good and so were the pastries.
Now I’m sitting on my balcony writing up some of this blog. If I look left I get this view. Right is all ocean.
And this is straight ahead.
We walked to the Walmart. I forgot a prescription which I need to take and they were able to fill it for me.
The Walmart reminded me of a Sams. Huge. And an entire display of Christmas fabuloso.
Many murals adorned the city scape.
This last one was mosaic tiles.
We walked to a church but unfortunately, it was closed.
A nice little park including chickens, hens and fountains.
Beautiful trees were lining one street. They are called rainbow eucalyptus and are not indigenous to Puerto Rico.
I thought it was painted until I got up close.
After we returned to the Condado Vanderbilt, we took a dip in the infinity pool.
We went out for coffee with friends. Afterwards had a pizza and some gelato. Now off to bed!
For a little change, Bruce and I decided to take my birthday trip to Puerto Rico.
We requested our ride through Lyft. I get 5x points on my Chase Sapphire card.
We arrived at Miami airport. What a zoo! It appeared that flights and security were backed up. By the time we went through TSA, it was too late to find the lounge. Our flight went off without a hitch and we arrived in San Juan around noon. We took Uber to the hotel- Condado Vanderbilt Hotel.
I made my reservation through my Amex Platinum card and received an upgrade to an ocean-view suite, breakfast every day, and $125 hotel credit. The cost to me was half what I would pay if I booked through the hotel.
The suite was lovely with a coffee setup. I love that.
The view of the ocean off the balcony was breathtaking but I can see why it is dangerous to swim.
A nice king-size bed and two sinks in the bathroom. Heaven!
We ate at one of their restaurants with a view of the ocean. We shared tuna tartare and a Cubano burger.
After lunch, we checked out the fitness center. Absolutely going to make time to workout.
The for a quick trip to checkout the gingerbread village made to look like Old San Juan.
What an interesting hotel. It first opened its doors in 1919 and the charm of yesteryear can still be seen within its walls.
We spent a little time relaxing by the sea.
We took a walk taking in the sites of the Condado Beach area.
A knock at our door at about 6:30 wondering if we’d like turn down service. We said not tonight but she gave us some goodies.
Having had such a big lunch we weren’t really hungry so we just went out for ice cream.
It was a nice night for a walk.
We are going to bed early because we have lots to see and do tomorrow!
I won a day at the spa on the first night of the cruise and decided to use it on our last day. Bruce was going with me and the day rate was $82 but the lady at the desk allowed him in for free. If you buy the thermal suite package for the length of the cruise, its $219.
The Spa was empty because we were in Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean’s private island. The heated beds are wonderful. Unlike the Persian room on other Celrbrity ships, there appears to be more heated loungers on Apex.
We started in the salt room breathing in the air. I didn’t smell any salt but its supposed to be good for you.
Then we proceeded to the heated loungers where we took cat naps. It’s interesting how the hard surface can make our backs feel better, aching less.
Water infused with oranges is provided in the spa.
We checked out the infrared sauna which looked out at the ocean!
We also spent time in the crystalarium and steam room.
It’s a very nice spa. There were only a handful of people which made it especially nice. This spa does not have its own jacuzzi like they have on some of the Princess ships. But this was lovely and, to lay on the beds and look out at the ocean is divine.
The ladies’ changing room had showers, lockers with robes, and toilet facilities. All steam rooms and saunas are coed.
We decided to use the whirlpool out on the deck.
This was our last day. Up early tomorrow and off the ship and onward home!
We woke up this morning to a beautiful rainbow! It was beautiful but on the other hand, it might mean we are facing a rainy day. Hopefully, the rain has passed.
Up early again but this time we had to wait because it took a bit longer to get the all-clear from Jamaican authority.
It’s supposed to rain today but I’m hoping it will just be a passing shower.
The Falmouth Port is one of the nicest I’ve seen in the Caribbean. Plenty of shops and pleasant to walk around. It also appeared very safe.
We were greeted with music and dancing. They apparently like the cruise ship tourists.
We were on a small bus with 23 people. Bruce and I didn’t get to sit together. The guide told stories of Jamaica as we drove around the lush countryside. Our first stop was the Trelawny Parish Church built in 1795 (also known as St. Peter’s Anglican). It is the oldest public building in the town. The land for the church was donated by Edward Barrett, part of whose estate had been bought to lay out the town of Falmouth.
Unfortunately, the church wasn’t open so we left quickly.
We stopped for an overlook view of Falmouth and at a monument dedicated to Queen Elizabeth.
We stopped in a place called Fern Gully with many different types of ferns. It was overgrown with ferns and I caught the sun rays shining between the trees.
We drove to Ocho Rios and took in the view of the town from the mountaintop.
Lunch was included in our tour and I had jerk chicken and something called festival bread which is a Jamaican bread that is sort of like a bread stick but more cakelike.
There were lots of colorful dwellings on the island.
After lunch, we headed back to the ship. All aboard was 4 pm. It was a pleasant day but a little too much sitting for me.
The evening show was called The Tree of Life with the production cast. What a great show.
Bruce and I decided to join a tour today that went to the Cayman Turtle Centre. It started on the wrong foot having to rise and meet up in the theater by 8:15. For some reason, this always reminds me of being herded like cattle.
Turned out it wasn’t too bad. We had a short tender ride to port.
We shared a bus trip with about 30 people and a driver from Jamaica. He was very informative, relaying the history of Grand Cayman. Christopher Columbus discovered the Cayman Islands in 1503 and named them Las Tortugas, after the sea turtles observed in the sea.
We arrived at the center and our first stop was what appeared to be a mating pond. Large turtles mate here and the sandy area is where they lay their eggs.
We washed out hands and were allowed to touch smaller turtles in different holding areas.
The Center works with the turtles and helps them return to the sea. Some of the eggs are placed on quiet beaches in the Caymans. Turtles once leaving the nest usually return to the same beach every year even when they are hundreds of miles away.
We entered the lagoon to snorkel with the turtles. They told us not to touch them but a few of them bumped into me.
There were lots of fish as well!
We were there during feeding time which was interesting. Especially watching them hand feed the nurse sharks.
They also had a fresh water pool at the centre where we spent the rest of our time relaxing in the water.
All in all, it was a very pleasant day and if you are ever on Grand Cayman, you must visit the Cayman Turtle Center.
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