This cruise really snuck up on us this year. We weren’t nearly as well prepared (mentally or planning wise) as we usually are. There were lots of things going on leading up to this cruise so there wasn’t much time to just get excited an anticipate it. Before we knew it, it was time to pack and leave for the airport. Amazingly, we were packed with 8-1/2 hours to spare! Our 7am flight came pretty early – 4:30am to be exact. But, thankfully, we landed in San Juan around 2pm without any hiccups or problems. After checking in (Courtyard Marriott) we went downstairs for a little refreshment and snack to tide us over until dinner. It was nice to have some time to just chill and read or nap. This hotel doesn’t really have anywhere conducive to just hanging out so we made do in our room.
Casita Miramar has become a tradition for dinner when sailing out of San Juan. It’s a little local spot that has delicious local food. It’s always jam packed and we’ve always made reservations in the past because we had a group. Since it was just the two of us we just went with it. We only had to wait a few minutes and were seated in their outside dining area, which we loved. It was quieter and more intimate. Food choices never disappoint and tonight was no exception. We waddled out of there glad we had to walk a few blocks back to the hotel. Between a 4:30 morning, travel and bellies full of food we didn’t last much longer. Soon it was lights out for both of us.
We went down to the little restaurant for breakfast, hung out in the room and read until it was time to check out and head to the ship.
We got to the port around noon and were delighted to find the passengers checking in were pretty light. In fact it went so quickly we had to kill time in the duty free shop because they weren’t letting passengers on the ship yet. By the time we finishing in the shop, they were letting folks on board. It’s been three years since we’ve been on this ship. It was almost like coming home again. It would be a while before we could get to our cabin so we went to the Ocean View Cafe for some lunch and then found a spot by the pool and planted for the afternoon.
A little reading, a little snoozing later we headed to the cabin around 4:00 and to our delight our bags were sitting outside of the door for us! Muster was at 4:30 (used to be 8pm) so we only had about half hour to get unpacked and to our station. By the time that was over it was nearly 5:30 and since our keys to the cabin didn’t work we had to go down to Customer Service and get them rekeyed – the line was long. We barely made our 6pm reservation (actually we were a few minutes late) for Tuscan Grill. Holy Moly we rolled out of there. That dinner was an amazing way to start our week on the ship. And I totally forgot to take any pics of the food except dessert. LOL Anywho …
We went upside to watch the ship pull out of the harbor. Totally missed that it had rained while we were having dinner so everything was wet. I had wanted to have a drink in my hand when we set sail – Ha! I had a water bottle. I was way too full to even think about an adult beverage.
Tomorrow is snorkeling Buck Island off of St. Croix with Big Beards. Time for some zzzz’s!
It's a Wonderful Life! 