VWL/Eastern Fantasy Cruise/AKV CL all wrapped into a fabulous b-day trip - Complete

[rentayenta]

I'm very sorry for your loss Pam.

I agree with MEK, the Dumbo is adorable.

I love the food photos and the port looks nice. The Nemo area looks darling. I know it's covered but is it enclosed, I can't tell.

Are those make your own omlettes or are they pre-made?

 

[dgbg100106]

Hi everybody, I hope you're all doing well I took a few days hiatus from the internet. A family friend passed away last week and I went to the memorial service yesterday. This lady was blessed with a long and wonderful life, it is just hard to see/feel the pain felt by those left behind.

I understand all to well. Hope you are ok today.

 

[dgbg100106]

Dumbo is very cute and I always love that when ever it gets posted.

Hope it is a lovely day.

 

[Pinkocto]

Some pictures on the way







Some fancy hotel on St Thomas, I didn’t write down what it was.



We’d arrived at St John. The weather has taken a turn for the better and by the end of the day wished we had booked a beach excursion.



I couldn’t help but wonder how the people get back to their boats that are in the middle of the harbor. Do they all have little paddle boats on them?









The reason we did this excursion over one on St Thomas was because we had been to St John many years before and thought it would be nice to see the island again.





Our ferry full of Fantasy guests







After we had disembarked we were told to find a seat on any of these buses.



And then our tour commenced.

I was pleased to recognize these shops from our previous trip which was 15 years ago.





And as soon as our tour started it stopped again. We stopped at the National Park Visitor Center for bathrooms. I didn’t get off the bus and thankfully didn’t regret the decision later. I did see this gorgeous tree while I was waiting. The picture really doesn’t do it justice, the leaves looked like they were on fire the way the sun was glistening off of them.



And then were were officially off on our tour. The driver would stop at various look out points where we could get out and take pictures.

 

[Pinkocto]

I'm so sorry Pam. It's always so sad when we lose people close to us.

I have a feeling you might be updating now, but I wanted to post anyway.

Love the splash area. That is too cute.

Dumbo on the front of the boat is adorable.

Can't wait to follow you on your Island tour!

Thank you this was a lady I grew up with, her grandchildren are like brothers to me, so it was especially hard to see them hurting.

I have plenty of pictures to share

I don't think Dumbo could have been any cuter. I love how he's holding that paint can!

I don't know if you can tell, but Mr. Ray is a little slide. They are so fantastic at thinking of so many details.

 

[Pinkocto]

I'm very sorry for your loss Pam.

I agree with MEK, the Dumbo is adorable.

I love the food photos and the port looks nice. The Nemo area looks darling. I know it's covered but is it enclosed, I can't tell.

Are those make your own omlettes or are they pre-made?

Thank you

The Nemo area is enclosed with clear glass/plastic so parents don't necessarily need to be in there with the kids.

They are pre-made, but still very delicious. On the Dream they would custom make them for you, and I'm sure they still would if you wanted something specific. We were just happy with the pre-made ones we didn't ask. They are fresh, you can see them being made behind the counter.

 

[Pinkocto]

I understand all to well. Hope you are ok today.

Thank you I encounter death at work all too often, but it is so different when it involves loved ones.

Dumbo is very cute and I always love that when ever it gets posted.

Hope it is a lovely day.

Overall it was nice to see St John again, but we were a bit disappointed in the tour itself. We still had a nice day though.

 

[Pinkocto]

Pam - that Palo brunch looks simply amazing. I can always count on you to take the most extensive pictures which must show absolutely everything that is on the buffet.

I kept thinking I needed to get everything for the TR I was on a mission!

And dinner looks pretty darn relish, too. I can see I am going to need a break from eating when I get off the Dream.

Our poor tablemates were attempting to try everything in the first few days so they could figure out what their favorites were. Problem was they were so full they couldn't eat any more in comfort for a while. Just pace yourself and you'll be fine

 

[Pinkocto]

Ah, Palo. We also had Predrag -- twice, in fact.

We really enjoyed Predrag, he was really nice. I was happy they paired us up again for dinner.

Like you, I much prefer the brunch over dinner. But just seeing the photos of all those selections again makes my salmon salad dinner seem just a little ... insubstantial!

It's time to book another cruise!

You also mention having jewellery catch your eye. I found that I did far more shopping on the Fantasy than I ever did on the Magic, probably just because there's so much more room to display things.

I absolutely love the shops on the Dream/Fantasy so much more than on the Wonder. So many beautiful things caught my eye, but would you believe I didn't buy a single thing in the shops this cruise

 

[Pinkocto]

Ugh, why must I read about Palo Brunch on yours and Alison's TR at the same time! Everything looks sooo delicious! A different set up from the Magic and the Wonder.

I really liked seeing the differences between hers and mine. Just goes to show I need to do brunch on the classic ships as well, all in the name of research of course

That's great that you and your mom had the RFR all to yourselves

As many people as there were on the ship it was amazing to still find places where there were few or no other people around. It was so nice.

I cannot figure out what that towel animal is

It was a complete and total mystery!

I think that dark blue towel "hides" some of the detail.... So it makes it hard to tell.

I assure you there were no hidden details. It just looked like a big lump.

 

[franandaj]

I'm sorry to hear about losing someone close to you. But as you said, she had a long and fulfilling life. You can take solace in that.

So far the day looks very nice. Someday we'll get on the Fantasy and visit that part of the Caribbean!

 

[dgbg100106]

Sorry you did not like the tour, it has hard, when you are disappointed.

 

[Pinkocto]

We continued along our tour with the driver stopping at various outlooks. He told us a little bit about the history of St John but not like we thought a good tour guide should. He was not very energetic at all.





There are plenty of ruins around St John, most of them are old sugar plantations. I can’t remember what he said this one was.



















Some sugar plantation ruins right next to the road

 

[dolphingirl47]

Pam, I am sorry for your loss.

St. John looks beautiful. I love the colour of the water.

Corinna

 

[dgbg100106]

Beautiful pictures, and don't you just love the blue of the water!

 

[rentayenta]

The water is stunning. Bummer about the tour. Did the bus tour allow you to get out and rome around at all?

 

[Pinkocto]

I'm sorry to hear about losing someone close to you. But as you said, she had a long and fulfilling life. You can take solace in that.

Thank you yes, that does help.

So far the day looks very nice. Someday we'll get on the Fantasy and visit that part of the Caribbean!

The day was nice and the scenery beautiful, I just regretted not being in that beautiful water. Mom really did not care for our tour guide.

 

[Pinkocto]

Sorry you did not like the tour, it has hard, when you are disappointed.

Thankfully it wasn't too much money.

 

[Pinkocto]

Pam, I am sorry for your loss.

Thank you.

St. John looks beautiful. I love the colour of the water.

Corinna

It was really nice to see St John again, it really is a beautiful island. I just wish I was swimming in that water instead of in a bus driving around!

 

[Pinkocto]

Beautiful pictures, and don't you just love the blue of the water!

Thanks I couldn't get enough of it! The day turned out to be gorgeous.