WOO-HOO! I'm going on a Caribbean cruise!

[feederband]

Congrats---Since you have not been on one I wont say much except you will wish it would never end...Best vacations I've ever been on...

[vbhoutex]

I think Frack needs a Frick to go along with her!

And I know you both need a chaperone like vbhoutex to make sure you are good girls!!!!!!

[furluvcats]

PART ONE: Port and Jamaica

Kelly...woohooo you're going to LOVE it and how awesome that they assigned you a balcony room! You'll have to email me info on the ship, etc...I took several cruises out of Galveston.... its a very easy port. Parking your car is very expensive, and you have to prepay before your cruise, in CASH. The lot is secured, but do not take a spot by the RR tacks as rocks fly up and damage cars...The best deal for parking was to book a room at a hotel that allows you to leave your car at no charge....our room was 50.00 night before the cruise, and they had complimentary shuttle to and from the cruise terminal...we ended up saving 20-40 I forgot exactly how much. Again, email me if you want the name of the hotel.

Ochos Rios : I just went there a few weeks ago for the first time. We docked, and walked off the ship, and hired a driver to show us the highlights of Ochos Rios..."SPICY" was our driver...they will try to hustle you...he wanted 40 a person for an 1 1/2 hr tour, we got him down to 40.00 for all 4 of us...we prob. still paid too much, but we enjoyed the tour, so what the hey...The main high light of Jamaica is Dunn's Rivers falls...We didn't hike the fallls, I was with my mom and grandparents...I had to go with the flow...the flow was sitting in a van sight seeing....lol The driver took us into "fern gully" a beautiful tropical rain forest...DO NOT STOP AND BUY ANYTHING FROM THESE VENDORS....they will RIP YOU off....you'll pull up and get out....immediatly they'll offer you a Red Stripe Beer...yum, you'll take it...then you smell something funny burning...its going to be something big, and huge and may smell appealing to you...they will offer this to you....you may, or may not choose to partake in this offering thinking "hey, I'm in Jamaica..."when in Rome"....if you partake...you may then be paranoid for the rest of your day in Jamaica, and roped into buying some really expensive crappy souvinires.... BUY everything in the nice stores by the dock...beautiful place, and I assure you things are in much better condition there, then in the open markets in the rain forest, and even much CHEAPER....Do not go home without buying some Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee...we are addicted...pay around 25.00 a lb. Again, if interested I'll email you the best brand...in fact, if you wouldn't mind, I'd love to send you a check to pick me up a couple more lbs...(we're almost out)... So, the tour is cool...I'll send you a picture of us with "Spicy" and you can give him the picture...if you ask for him off the dock...they'll know who he is....My reccomendation...climb the falls!

[southerngale]

Thanks for all the great info, furry. I wonder if duckie will let me park my car at her place.
j/k

I don't think I'll be smoking anything in Jamaica. rofl
I'll email you about some of that other stuff.

[Pburgh]

Hey Kelly, I have a feeling Furry got the munchies too -------- what do you think???ROTFLMBO --- Oh how fun.

Have a great time. I love going on cruises!!!!! When you gamble on the ships the odds are not very good. That's the only drawback.

[furluvcats]

PART TWO: Coz and Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman: Been here 5 or 6 times...do the same thing every single time...here you will "tender in" meaning the ship docks at sea and you will take a ferry into dock...the waters are too shallow here for ships and there is a great reef system...we snorkel...and Grand Cayman is paradise for snorkelers...we get off the boat, and head "RIGHT" down the main street along the water...about a 1/4 mile walk will be "EDEN ROCK DIVE SHOP"...rent your gear and step into the water here...snorkeling is free, gear is like 14.00...and an amazing underworld awaits you...you'll see your ship docked at sea from here as well... we always spend the day snorkeling here...there is a big wall drop off that is amazing...HINT: buy an underwater camera from walmart for 7.00 before you leave, and take a box of corn flakes or packs of crackers from the ship with you and feed the fish when you're in the water...you'll get great pics and be surrounded by 100's of fish...its pretty cool.

Shopping in Grand cayman is expensive...2-3 x higher than anywhere else...prices are often in Cayman money....which converts to more US money...and there are NO Coach stores on the island anymore...it closed...so whatever Coach you see is a fake...(girls need to know these things) Good place to buy your perfumes, they are at a much higher fragrance to alcohol ratio then what we get in the US...Dirty Dicks is the place to buy alcohol here...they'll guarantee delivery to your ship...If you drink like Johnny Walker Blue...this is the place to buy it...it's half the price we pay here in America...my grandmother bought 4 bottles...its good stuff...if you drink scotch...

Cozumel: Ah...a favorite place...I'll tell you the before and after of Cozumel...one word...hurricane...the island is destroyed...not even sure why they are stopping there until its rebuilt...roads were closed, no docks were left standing, (have to tender in now there)...hotels all closed...even the National Park of Chankanaab where we always go was closed due to the hurricane...the only thing really open was the shopping right there where you tender in, of course more will be open when you visit. This is the place to buy souvinires...cheap cheap cheap...thats all we could do when we were just there a few weeks ago...but this is the story of our previous visits to Coz.

We would arent a Jeep right where you get off the dock, about 50.00 for the day, and do our own tour of the island....the backside of the island has some gorgeous private beaches, with waves crashing on rocks, etc...some neat scenery...there is a ruin you can dive to, cost is 5.00 per person...its small and not the coolesest, but historic none the less..we always end up at Chankanaab State Park, National Park, whate ver...15.00 admission, and snorkel some awesome reefs there...theres stuff Jaques Cousteau found and donated to the park that you can see underwater....great outdoor palapa resturants, sea lion show, swim with dolphins, beautiful gardens to walk through, lagoons, palapas on the bch to get out of the sun with little bch chairs...bar service on the beach...relicas of ruins, a museum...you can also take a cab directly there for 10.00 each way. I think this is a must do place...if it has reopened...they'll tell you at the information area when you get ashore...Carlos and Charlies is a fun bar to visit...its in town...

Hope this helps...I'll send along some recent pictures of this place that will give you a touch of an idea of where you're going...Email me if you have any questions and have a great cruise!!!!

[furluvcats]

Karan...it was offered...others on the ship partook...and told me their stories...they actually bought other illegals....and brought them on the ship, which shocked me...the cruise director also warned not to buy chocolate bars on the streets in Ochos Rios, as they contain the green stuff in them and are very potent...no one ever approached us with chocolate, thank God...bc my can not say NO to chocolate, and we didn't hear of the warning until AFTER we were back on the ship...now that would have been a funny sight...my uptight holier than thou mother on a chocolate/mj buzz....lol....oh my!!!!!

[furluvcats]

OH! And don't buy any Bob Marley stuff there...its OUTRAGEOUSLY priced...paid 30.00 for a tshirt for my son bc I "promised"/...much cheaper here in the states...oh, and they look at Bob Marley as a prophet...don't diss him there...and the MJ "enlightened" him, and brought his prophecies to life....lol...

Jamaicans are friendly ppl, but there is always the underlying edge that all they want is your money...I was actually more uncomfortable there, then any other fpreign place I've traveled to....I didn't trust the people....paranoia???

[alicia-w]

maybe you had some of that funny chocolate and didnt know it....

[furluvcats]

LOL...not a chance Alicia! The coffee there does enough for me w/o ever putting anything illegal into my body!

But it is funny to be driving around and in many cars you'll see people smoking the big fat ganjas...it is shocking!!!

[Janice]

Hey, lucky you. I would love to see the Caribbean.....

No kidding, we take a cruise every year and always get a balcony. You will love it. Sit out there each morning drinking your coffee in you jammies. What a life.

Have a good time and I really think you should take mama and me with you.

[Janice]

Hey , fur.... John climbed those rocks in Jamaica. It was horrible he said. There was an older man yet stuck on a big rock in the middle. That can be a real dangerous climb. John will do anything. He even bungy jumped in Las Vegas, but he would never climb that again. I sat on a rock on the side and watched the nuts. Hey, Yuocona coffee beats Blue Mountain by a landslide and only about $6 a pound. Try it sometime. Bobby

Jamaica is one of my favorite islands and I think I have been to all of them in the Caribbean. You will love it. Aruba and Grand Caymans are great too.

[Janice]

When you go to an island or anywhere in the states and want an authentic Coach, Gucci or LV, only buy them at their stores. Any place other than major department stores or their own store are fakes. Also, my husband went to China and he said they were selling LV misprints and mismarked for half price. LV website says they never sell damaged LVs and never sell them on sale, money or give discounts. If you don't want to get ripped off, but the genuine at major department stores or their own store.Also, you get great prices on purfumes on the cruise ships.

[cajungal]

It is so much easier when you can find a cruise terminal within driving distance out of your home. I have been on 2 cruises both out of New Orleans. New Orleans is only an hour drive from my home. The first time my mom and I went, a bus drove us to the cruise terminal and brought us back home after. We had a group of about 15 people with us. The second time my aunt and I went, my dad dropped us off. And I took the bus back home. My aunt lives in Kenner which is surburb of New Orleans, so her husband picked her up when it was time to head home. I really miss being on a cruise. It will be quite awhile before I can afford it again. And since Hurricane Katrina, we no longer have cruises operating out of New Orleans. The closest being Galveston which is a 5 hour drive.

Yeah, Dunns River Falls is very difficult. My aunt got all black and blue and I am 25 years younger than she is, and had a very hard time. It is very slippery. But, so beautiful. The drivers drive crazy! We almost got in a wreck and everyone on the bus was screaming. Almost everyone gets stoned in Jamaica. Our driver was actually bragging about it. And our tour guide kept offering it to us. I don't touch the stuff. And someone would have to be crazy to try to smuggle that back on the ship. Yet, lots were stupid enough to try on our cruise and many got arrested. Including the chef on board.

[GalvestonDuck]

Thanks for all the great info, furry. I wonder if duckie will let me park my car at her place.
j/k

I would, but 1) you'd still be quite a few blocks for the cruise terminal (and I know how women pack), and 2) since I'm so close to UTMB, parking is strictly enforced for residents only and you'd probably come home to a ticket on your windshield. My neighbor gets the driveway and she's in the hospital for now (has been for a couple of months) and only if I could move her car could you use it.

I wish I could let ya park here though.

[MSRobi911]

I think Frack needs a Frick to go along with her!

How about a Fly???????? I need to go too!!


I have been on 3 different boats all with Carnival and loved everyone. The last was out of New Orleans and just went down to Mexico for 4 days.....we had a blast!! The Party Barges are fun, on our first one when we went to the Bahamas we went on the Fantasy, which is a huge boat and had a wonderful time. We were spoiled with that. We had a big group from our office and because we had booked so early we got bumped up about 4 times to higher priced rooms with no extra charge to us. THE ONLY THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT YOU HAVE TO TIP THE PEOPLE THAT CLEAN YOUR ROOM, SERVE YOU DINNER AND THE HEAD GUY IN THE DINING ROOM. They give you little envelops underneath your pillow and there is usually a sheet of paper that has the customary amount for each person.

The daily excursions are expensive, but usually worth it. The only mistake that we made was going on one every day. We never got to enjoy the boat and stuff that they did on board, we were always busy going here and there.

I'm just about ready to go again but afraid we will have to put it off for a while.

Have a great time!!!!

Mary

[southerngale]

Wow, kewl - enjoyed all the stories! I think I'll print and take all your tips with me, fur, and others. lol

duckie, I was just teasing about that.
But anyway, I found out a couple of days ago that I'll be reimbursed for parking, so I'll be parking wherever we're supposed to.

[therock1811]

Cayman was great. I loved my visit there during a cruise I took in 2004. I'd echo the 7 mile beach thing, but be forewarned, if you can't get a cab, it's a REALLY long walk! So, make sure you have shoes in case.

Cozumel - Didn't do much here, but I thought it was beautiful when I visited on the same cruise. Of course, I would go back.

I actually went on the Carnival Inspiration for this one. Great boat.

Of course, mine didn't leave from Galveston, but from Tampa. Still have never been to Texas to this day, but want to.

[GalvestonDuck]

duckie, I was just teasing about that.
But anyway, I found out a couple of days ago that I'll be reimbursed for parking, so I'll be parking wherever we're supposed to.

Well, that cool!

Prepare for a different view when you come here. One-half of the new causeway is complete and off-bound traffic heads out on that. Then, on-bound traffic is now being diverted onto what was originally the off-bound side of the old causeway. Does that make sense? We still get confused trying to explain it.

Then again, since you're coming from Beaumont, you might just be taking the ferry across from Bolivar. I'd advise against it since there can be as much as a two-hour wait during tourist season.

[southerngale]

I'm almost done packing and heading out in the morning. See you all week after next!