Caribbean the 13th time around....

So this is my 9th year in the Caribbean (for those who wonder why I have this funny accent that you can not place) and my 13th contract.  I started off the contract home ported in Miami and doing 7 day western and eastern caribbean runs. We did a drag queen charter cruise at the beginning of December which was also my birthday so I got to celebrate it in Playa del Carmen. The vessel then moved to Fort Lauderdale in January and we were doing six different runs which was amazing because I got to go to new places and it's been years since I have seen a new island. So that was pretty exciting. I also had one of my best friends come out and cruise and it's always nice to have people from home come out and see what you do here.

Let me give you a quick tour of some of the places that I traveled these last six months.

I got to go to Antigua but only once, I did an island tour to maximize my time there. Turns out that I was pronouncing the island name wrong forever and a half (it's Antigah not Anti-gwah).

Our first stop was the Devil's Bridge and then we  went to a gorgeous beach.

We spent the day sunning at the beach and having a few local beers. The bus dropped us off downtown and we walked back to the ship. Saw this dude with a smoothie stand and I just can't walk away from a smoothie. He had all fresh fruit and a blender attached to the cart, he had a lawn mower engine to start the blender to make the smoothies.

As soon as I downed the smoothie, I saw this incredible coffee car. It was a mini car with a full espresso machine in the back and it was completely mobile. What a brilliant idea! Of course I had to get a Vanilla Latte as well. I can pretty much live off smoothies and coffee.

Aruba was another place that I got to visit for the first time. Aruba has gorgeous beaches and is hella south in the Caribbean, just 15 miles away from Venezuela. The official languages are Dutch and Papiamento (which is a mix of Dutch, Spanish, English and Amerindian languages). But I found it interesting that most people spoke Spanish anyways and I had no idea that I also understand Papiamento, hah! 

One of my favorite ports that I have been to hundreds of times (and I will never get sick of) is Cozumel. Not only is it an incredibly convenient port for crew members (grocery store, dentist, doctor, chiro etc) but it also has amazing restaurants and lots of great places to relax.  Here are some of my favorite shots from Cozumel.

One of my favorite spots on the planet is Playa Del Carmen, I think one day I will surely end up living there.  It has everything all in one place; local and upscale restaurants, chill out beach bars, hot nightclubs, tons of sporting activities, diving, snorkling, gorgeous beaches and historic Mayan ruins just a short drive away.

Curacao was a new place for me to visit. Similarly to Aruba, it's a Dutch Island with Papiamento and Dutch being the official languages but I found that most people were speaking Spanish.  The port has a lovely fort right off the pier with great dining choices. Being our late port it's such a delight to be able to eat dinner off the ship and be somewhere where then sun is setting.

Past the fort is a sea side walk way and a movable bridge that you can cross to the other side of the bank. The view is dotted with colorful and bright houses.

There's also a great place called Saint Tropez which is wonderful for the day. You really feel like you are in heaven.

I've been to Dominican Republic before but not with the ship. We docked at La Romana which is a city like any other but the shore excursions are incredible. Got to go to Isla Saona which was stunning. I've actually been there from Punta Cana before but it was so beautiful that I didn't mind going again.

Another good old favorite of mine is of course Key West, Florida.  I haven't been in a few years and I so love it. I can't quite put my finger on it but there's something just so relaxing and easy going about walking the streets of Key West. I don't have to have a purpose or anything in mind, I just wonder the streets and I always find hidden gems like museums (which are almost always free for crew members), fresh seafood restaurants and mom and pop shops.  And at Christmas time, Key West looked more charming then ever.

I also went back to Ocho Rios, Jamaica after about 5 years. I was really looking forward to going back to my favorite restaurant. It was this quaint little cottage next to a brook, you had to cross this bridge to get there and you'd hear the faint sounds of the water  and Bob Marley as you sit on the patio. I was all excited, I hopped and skipped to the location AND I found it no longer there, my little bridge gone and my little cottage restaurant all boarded up.  I decided to go to my favorite record store instead, I used to pick up all my hip hop and reggae mixes there. Unfortunately, the record store had met the same fate as my fave restaurant.  Nevertheless, I was on a mission to find some proper Jamaican food. Went up and down the strip and sat down at the restaurant that seemed to offer the most local food. I wanted to order a little bit of everything good Jamaican so I had my sites set on beef patties, plantain and festival. Ask me if they had any of it? Of course not. Seriously, was this Jamaica? How could they NOT have plantain and beef patties in Jamaica. I was vexed!

For anyone that has known me, it's clear that San Juan, Puerto Rico is one of my favorite destinations ever. Something about the colonial architecture, the history, the cobblestone streets or the mofongo that makes San Juan a place you'll never forget.

Ahhhhh Saint Maarten! What is not to love there? The beaches, the warm breeze, sea side restaurants, it's Dutch and French heritage and it's myriad of ex pats makes this another crew favorite.  It was also a good 4 years since I have been here so I made sure to take advantage of docking there.

Saint Thomas, USVI was a busy stop this winter. There were usually 6 or more ships in port making it a little hard to move around at times.  It's got that island feel but still has all the American amenities that we all look forward to. For me of course the most important being my Korean Nail Salon, Kmart, Kona Coffee, a Polish pub and a Health Food Store.

People always ask me if I get to come home for the holidays. Well, not really. Unless if happens by chance, I normally can not take a break to come home for Christmas or my Birthday. Since I started 9 years ago I have been home twice for Christmas. The last Christmas was nice but I wasn't really able to help out or to partake in any Christmas events leading up to it because I was studying for my last and final exam.  Nevertheless, we always celebrate amongst us friends. It may not be the same way I'd celebrate at home but we certainly make new memories.

Thanksgiving in San Juan, Puerto Rico

My Birthday (December 6th) 

My staff decorated my office corridor, office AND Cabin

Christmas 

And of course the best place to be for New Years is on the ship

I am lucky that I have two portholes in my cabin. And year after year I still catch myself taking port hole photos and sunset photos.

Well it all seems like all play and no work but believe me, there's plenty of work. I am pretty sure that once I leave here I will be able to run a small country.  But I do squeeze in some fun in the workplace as well.

Senior Officer Dinner in the Dining Room

Now this was a special event.  When we moved from Miami to Fort Lauderdale and started our new itineraries, we visited many new ports. Normally there's some sort of celebration that takes place and the port as well as the ship are honored with plaques. Are first visit to Fort Lauderdale we had a celebration on the Bridge that the Captain was kind enough to invite me to. The Port Authority Personnel presented Captain, Staff Captain and myself presented us with a Challenge Coin. It is a sailor tradition for the last 200 years. Incoming Sailors who were welcomed to the area were given this coin so if anyone challenged them, they could show the coin and prove that they were allowed to be there.

Another really cool thing that happened during this contract was the instillation of the Dr. Seuss program onboard. We had a trial run on a sea day and we had a blast! Totally made me feel like a kid again.

Well this is mostly the fun stuff but I did have a full and challenging contract this time around. Now I am home being a house wife and doing all the things that I couldn't do on the ship.