Travel Tips

Send Photo to a Friend

Ceiling lights in the dining room

Tuesday was a sea day. We ate breakfast with a girl who was in her first year of law school and she told us that on deck 5 at the stern the inside cabins had MUCH more space than most of them, and in addition had no neighbors because they were between storage closets.

She also said that the Senior Assistant Cruise Director was an a**hole. The Junior Assistant Cruise Directors said (maybe joking or maybe not) that they would throw him in the pool at the end of the cruise and the SAC said they would be fired if they did. So the girl's brother asked what if he (the brother) threw him in and the SAC said they would still get fired if that happened too

Send Photo to a Friend

Lifeboat tender from the ship

When we dropped anchor at Half Moon Cay the next day, the Volendam was already there. They were also using the tenders, so we had to use the lifeboats. Bob said at least we could see that they worked.

We had breakfast (I had an omelet) and watched other people parasailing out the window. Then I got on my bathing suit and took my cameras and my ticket for the parasailing, and went down to the auditorium to get my ticket for the shuttle to the beach. Bob went with me.

On shore in the fake town, there were a lot of shops. I had forgotten the strap to hold my glasses on, and so I bought one in one of the shops ($6). I used my ship card as they didn't take money. I wanted to get some post cards and mail them, but I didn't have any money for stamps and the one place that didn't take the ship card was the post office.

Send Photo to a Friend

Shops on shore

We sat around in the patio of the fake town for a bit - I wanted to take a tram around the island, but that was by ticket only until the BBQ at which time the tram train was a free shuttle to where the BBQ was. So Bob went back to the ship, and I went out to where the boat was.

Since the Volendam was their first, they had to do the BBQ setup, which made the crew on our ship very happy.

Send Photo to a Friend

Buddy getting ready to go

The parasailing boat people didn't ask for my ticket - they just took my word for it that I was on the 10:30 trip. There were three others. An older man called Buddy who went first, a young girl and a young man. They gave each of them a life jacket - except me. They said that I would use Buddy's jacket when he finished with it. I assume that was because they didn't have two big ones. As each of us went, we got into a harness which was hooked to a line and then attached to a parachute. We sat on the aft deck of the boat and they reeled us out

Send Photo to a Friend

The ship with a tender

The girl and the boy went after Buddy and then it was my turn. When it was my turn (the guy running the boat said I wasn't going to chicken out was I? as if I would) I took my film camera up and took a whole roll of photos.

I was up - I think higher than the ship. I saw the horseback riding where they swam the horses from the beach - I saw over the island, and to the other side. It was quiet up there - not even any wind.

Send Photo to a Friend

Being reeled in - life vest in picture

When they wanted us back, they reeled us back in, and we were supposed to come in and stand on the deck. When they pulled me back in, they dunked me in the water. So when I came in, I wasn't standing up - I pulled up my feet and came in just above the deck sitting down. Then because of the pitching deck, I couldn't stand up without help from Buddy and the parasailing boat guy because there was nothing to hold onto.

Send Photo to a Friend

Bob's picture

Bob tried to take pictures from the ship, but you can't rally tell it is me, as even at the max zoom the parachute is less than the size of a penny.

Tomorrow - the end of the cruise - Port Everglades