Let Sleeping Dogs Lie in the Sand: Magic Southern Caribbean 9/20-9/27

[franandaj]

Great day in San Juan. The segway tour looked like a lot of fun and you know me and food! I would have enjoyed a day like that!

 

[Poolrat]

Whoo Hoo - You met some cruise mates and are so close to the port.


You did good on booking the Segway tour and the flavors tour. Those seemed to be lots of fun and educational too.

 

[eandesmom]

Ooh poor Bailey! I remember this all when it happened but such a sad looking doggy in the picture and how stressful for you!

My word you did a LOT on that first day! Wow!!!!! Love that you got a lot of the history of places with your Segway and the flavors tour looks wonderful.

It really would have been nice if we'd docked at that port, I never saw a ship there on our 2 trips into OSJ but seeing your pics makes me a bit jealous.

So fun to see the OSJ pictures, so pretty there.

 

[jedijill]

Checking in late.

Great start! I'm looking forward to reading this TR.

Thanks....this was a great trip! I can't wait to share it all with you guys!

Jill in CO

 

[jedijill]

YUMMMMMMMM!

Hey Jill - thanks for the heads up! You are off to a great start!

First - poor Bailey. How stressful. I hope your fur baby is making a full recovery. She's (is she a she - I'm not sure lol) is adorable! :good vibes

Yay for having enough SWA points to book a free flight. I am not quite there yet. Almost. It's taking me forever to get a free Orlando flight. I didn't know they flew to San Juan. Noted!

Score on the great hotel view. How fun that you could see the other cruise ships.

Great choice on the segway tour. Now I want to book one since its been so long since I've done one. Looks like it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed all your scenery pics.

Looking forward to more!

Yep, she's a she. Thanks....she is getting around just fine and doesn't seem to have any lingering issues! I was really worried...she's my little buddy and she turns 10 at Christmas so I know I only have a few more years with her....I was hoping that this incident didn't turn out to shorten that time.

I was so excited with SW announced that they were taking over the AirTran flights. It really opens up where SW goes. I get a few more miles than some of you when I fly to Orlando so between trip to WDW and back home to KC the miles add up over the course of 2-3 years.

I was originally booked at a different hotel but my friend booked at the Sheraton. I'm glad I switched. It was so convenient to OSJ that it really make it easy to get around.

The Segway tour turned out to be a great idea. I'm going to look into doing more of them when I travel. The food tour was a great find as well.

Jill in CO

 

[jedijill]

Hi Jill! I'm in, thanks for the heads up!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Excuse me, has this seat been taken?
Just letting you know I'm here, will comment later.

Now seating Pkondz, party of 1!

I'm in! Thanks for the heads-up. I'll come back later to comment when I have time.

Take your time. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.

Great start to your trip report! Seems like you had a good start with a nice day exploring San Juan. Just out of curiosity: Do you get different stamps in Puerto Rico or could you have used US stamps??

It was a great day...a little hot and humid but that's kind of expected in the tropics.

Puerto Rico is a US territory so its just like being in mainland US. They use the US postal service so just normal US stamps.

One of the observations we made when driving in from the airport is the total proliferation of American chains. We saw all the US fast food chains, retail stores, etc. Apparently Puerto Rico has the highest number of Walmarts per capita.

Jill in CO

 

[jedijill]

Great day in San Juan. The segway tour looked like a lot of fun and you know me and food! I would have enjoyed a day like that!

It was a great day! The food tour turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip. I'm going to be looking for more of them when I travel to new places.

Jill in CO

 

[jedijill]

Whoo Hoo - You met some cruise mates and are so close to the port.


You did good on booking the Segway tour and the flavors tour. Those seemed to be lots of fun and educational too.

It really was a good day for a variety of reasons!

Jill in CO

 

[jedijill]

Ooh poor Bailey! I remember this all when it happened but such a sad looking doggy in the picture and how stressful for you!

My word you did a LOT on that first day! Wow!!!!! Love that you got a lot of the history of places with your Segway and the flavors tour looks wonderful.

It really would have been nice if we'd docked at that port, I never saw a ship there on our 2 trips into OSJ but seeing your pics makes me a bit jealous.

So fun to see the OSJ pictures, so pretty there.

It was so stressful! Bailey has mastered the art of looking pathetic! Even the vet commented on it when I picked her up after surgery. She stayed that way for about 3 days post-op and then she got mad at me for another couple of days. The guilt didn't help the stress!

It was a really good first day! In the end, I'm glad I decided to skip F&W and enjoy the extra time in OSJ. There really is a lot of history and things to do in the area. I can go to F&W next year (foreshadowing!)

Jill in CO

 

[rentayenta]

What a fun day! Love the Segway. I've never been in one; is it easy to navigate? Can you drink and drive? Lol!

What was that dish, meat and bananas? Looks iffy. The piña looks good and I love the cup.

The taste tour looks like something right up my alley. You did a ton that first day!

Those pics of sweet Bailey are so cute. And sad. Poor little thing. I had a wiener dog, short hair, growing up. His name was Charlie. He had three legs. Fastest little guy you ever saw.

 

[jedijill]

What a fun day! Love the Segway. I've never been in one; is it easy to navigate? Can you drink and drive? Lol!

What was that dish, meat and bananas? Looks iffy. The piña looks good and I love the cup.

The taste tour looks like something right up my alley. You did a ton that first day!

Those pics of sweet Bailey are so cute. And sad. Poor little thing. I had a wiener dog, short hair, growing up. His name was Charlie. He had three legs. Fastest little guy you ever saw.

The Segways are easy once you figure out that they are an extension of you and you aren't "driving" them! I drank water while driving.

Mufango is smashed fried plantains with meat on top. The plantains are starchy and not sweet like bananas. They aren't my favorite.

I think you would have had fun on the tasting tour!

Awww, a little tripod doggy! Charlie sounds like a cutie pie. Dachshunds are fast...have you ever seen a wiener dog race? Hilarious!

Jill in CO

 

[disnygirl55]

Hi neighbor!

Can't wait to hear more. Sounds like a wonderful trip, with a fun itinerary. Glad Bailey is doing well. I understand about having furry babies. So glad you've posted another trip report!

-Leslie

 

[pkondz]

Welcome to my trip report about my wonderful trip to Puerto Rico and the inagural Southern Caribbean cruise on the Disney Magic!

Sweet! Looking forward to it!

I am the proud mommy of a furbaby named Bailey.

Cute pup.

I work hard to support my travel habit. I really need to win the lottery!

Don't we all, don't we all!

The Magic was originally supposed to sail from the dock right across the street but it was eventually moved to the Pan Am pier.

How much farther away was that?

I was chatting with one of my co-workers who really recommended a bio-luminescent bay tour. I looked into it and ended up booking a boat tour.

That sounds interesting.

I was able to drop Bailey off at the vet and they called me later to say the spot was actually a tumor. Cue the panic.

I, unfortunately, am all too aware of that feeling.

they would actually have to amputate her toe. (for $900!)

Vets. Not the cheapest service in the world.

Luckily, everything was fine while I was gone but I was still nervous!

Phew! Glad it all worked out in the end, but I can't imagine how stressed you must've been!

Unlike most of my other trips, this morning’s later flight let me sleep in a bit…all the way to 7AM! I’m normally at work by then so this was a major accomplishment.

I hear ya!

Due to a bunch of construction, everyone has to drop off on one side of the airport, and of course SW is on the other side.

Of course.

(Note to self: Don’t watch TV shows about grilling and BBQ while you are stuck on a plane and starving!)

In Orlando I grabbed some McDonald’s (blech!)

Agreed! Blech!

and some Starbucks (Yum!)

Agreed! Yum!

I ended up meeting a couple that were going on the same cruise and we chatted the entire time until boarding.

Curious to see if you spend more time with them since you're doing several excursions, etc.

I ended up sharing a cab with the couple I met in Orlando since we were all staying at the Sheraton Old San Juan and Casino.

That was convenient.

I got back up after about an hour and saw that the Carnival Conquest had arrived in port.

That's so cool that you could see the ships from your window.

I walked outside the hotel and was hit with the heat and humidity. I live in Colorado now and we don’t have any humidity so I’m really not used to it anymore!

I hear ya. I'm not a big fan of humidity either.
I always wondered what the big deal was... until I experienced it.

(You would think that as much as I packed I wouldn’t have forgotten anything!)

Could've been worse. You could've left your tickets in the bag you forgot.

Drink in hand, I wandered down and found the Segway office for my tour.

You did a Segway tour! Good for you!
(You probably remember how much I like them)

Tarpin waiting for the fisherman to throw out the fish scraps.

Fishermen waiting for the tarpin to get bigger and be caught.

Governor's Mansion. The oldest continuously occupied government residence in the Western Hemisphere.

That's interesting. It makes sense, of course, but still.

Proof I was there!

Fake! Obviously photoshopped.


jk

I was having so much fun!

I bet!

The bartender asked me the silliest question when I ordered my first pina colada of the trip…with or without rum. Duh!

So.... without?

I ordered the strip steak mofungo. It was ok. The meat was cooked more than I wanted and the plaintains were just eh. I can say I’ve tried it.

I looked at the pic and thought you'd ordered another drink.
I had to look twice before I realized it was the steak mofungo.

(Yes, I am a addict, now back off! )

Okay! Okay! Calm down!

I headed out around 4 to meet up for the Flavors of San Juan food tour.

What a great idea! I've never thought of doing a "tastes" tour before.

My friend Deb texted me to say she was here so I met up with her in the lobby and we caught up a bit before calling it a night.

Thanks for the update! Looking forward to reading more!

 

[KatMark]

Slowly catching up, Jill.

The tour looks very interesting and educational, and good to see a pic of you to know you were there.

I could go for one of those Pina Coladas right now...it looks so good.

The food tour sounds really great and something that Mark and I would enjoy.

 

[jedijill]

Hi neighbor!

Can't wait to hear more. Sounds like a wonderful trip, with a fun itinerary. Glad Bailey is doing well. I understand about having furry babies. So glad you've posted another trip report!

-Leslie

neighbor!

It was a great trip! I'm hoping to get another update or two done tonight!

Jill in CO

 

[jedijill]

Sweet! Looking forward to it!



Cute pup.



Don't we all, don't we all!



How much farther away was that?



That sounds interesting.



I, unfortunately, am all too aware of that feeling.



Vets. Not the cheapest service in the world.



Phew! Glad it all worked out in the end, but I can't imagine how stressed you must've been!



I hear ya!



Of course.







Agreed! Blech!



Agreed! Yum!



Curious to see if you spend more time with them since you're doing several excursions, etc.



That was convenient.



That's so cool that you could see the ships from your window.



I hear ya. I'm not a big fan of humidity either.
I always wondered what the big deal was... until I experienced it.



Could've been worse. You could've left your tickets in the bag you forgot.



You did a Segway tour! Good for you!
(You probably remember how much I like them)



Fishermen waiting for the tarpin to get bigger and be caught.



That's interesting. It makes sense, of course, but still.



Fake! Obviously photoshopped.


jk



I bet!



So.... without?





I looked at the pic and thought you'd ordered another drink.
I had to look twice before I realized it was the steak mofungo.



Okay! Okay! Calm down!



What a great idea! I've never thought of doing a "tastes" tour before.



Thanks for the update! Looking forward to reading more!

Wow! I got a pkondz chapter breakdown! I'm so honored!

Jill in CO

 

[jedijill]

Slowly catching up, Jill.

The tour looks very interesting and educational, and good to see a pic of you to know you were there.

I could go for one of those Pina Coladas right now...it looks so good.

The food tour sounds really great and something that Mark and I would enjoy.

Hey Kathy!

I hear you on catching up....I'm still not unpacked!

I think you guys would love the tour....you get to stop for pina coladas and San Juan doesn't have open carry laws.

Jill in CO

 

[pkondz]

Wow! I got a pkondz chapter breakdown! I'm so honored!

Jill in CO

If you write it I will break it...


That doesn't sound very good like that, does it.

 

[jedijill]

Thursday, September 19


Deb and I didn’t have big plans so we both slept in a bit and then headed over to Starbucks for breakfast. The broccoli cheese strata is delicious! After finishing breakfast, we wandered around OSJ and found the Crocs store where I bought a couple of pairs of shoes. I pointed out some of the historical details that I had learned on my tours and then we found ourselves at Barrachina which is the home of the original pina colada. I had stopped here the night before on the tour and I already knew the pina coladas were good! Deb and sat at the bar and each had one and chatted with another couple that were enjoying Miami Vices (pina colada and strawberry daiquiri mixed). Those coladas are so good and smooth! Deb and I got another one for the road but ended up sitting and chatting at the bar. (There doesn’t seem to be open carry laws in OSJ…anywhere I went, there was an option to get your drink to go in a plastic cup.)





Pardon my goofy expression..the bartender was cracking me up!

After leaving Barrachina, we wandered back to the hotel along the waterfront. We stopped in CVS to grab some water for the cruise and then back to the hotel to rest up for the evening’s special adventure. Deb and I met back up at 3:30 and went down to pick up the rental car I had reserved. Car picked up we braved Puerto Rico traffic to drive to Fajardo for our BioBay tour. The instructions I copied down on the internet were very iffy….they included things like turn at the small, white church and turn left at the construction equipment. Neither Deb nor I thought were would get there but we did with only a couple of false turns. We did take a quick stop to eat dinner at Church’s which turned out to be a good choice! The biscuits were amazing!



After a quick stop for directions, we soon found the meeting place and parking lot.
Puerto Rico has 3 of the best bio-luminescent bays in the world. These bays are home to plankton that thrive on a unique concentration of vitamins in the water and they glow. Fajardo is the closest to San Juan. There are 2 ways to get to the bay…kayak or airboat. Not being super adventurous, we chose the boat. There are only 2 companies that offer the boat tours and I chose Bio Island which was highly rated on Trip Advisor. The company wants you to check in at 6:30 for the 7:30 tour. Check in took 3 seconds and then we had to kill an hour. There were several food and crafts vendors in the area so we could have eaten at the park had we known. The next hour crawled by but we amused ourselves by watching the kayakers take off and Deb talked to her daughter, Kayla, that had just gotten off work and was flying down to join us.






The trees back behind the boats is where the entrance to the canal is.



We were sitting on a bench near the water and 2 dogs had settled there on the sand to sleep. One of the kayak groups lined up right there to get in the water and get in their kayaks. A group of women were in line making silly comments and one of them started telling the other not to pet the dead dog because they might get rabies. Deb and I just looked at each other. It was bizarre. I finally told them that the dog wasn’t dead, it was sleeping and had just been walking around 5 minutes ago. They finally left and I realized I had wasted a brilliant opportunity to mess with that girl further.  Of course, that would be evil and I never use my powers for evil! Plus I got a trip report title out of it!

At 7:30 we headed back over to meet our company and we found out that the prop on the boat was broken so they were trying to get it fixed. We kept being told 20 more minutes. By this time, the 9pm tour folks showed up. About 8:30 they got the boat fixed and back to the dock. They decided to combine the 7:30 and the 9pm group and put us on a bigger boat. While I was glad they tried to accommodate all of us, 12 people were too much especially when one family hogged all the attention. The tours were supposed to be capped at 6 people.

We let most of the kayakers go first and then headed to the canal that leads to the bay. The canal is about a mile long and is almost completely covered by trees. Some of the trees were destroyed by Hurricane Hugo 25 years ago but are growing back. There are some places along the canal that the trees completely block out any light. The trip down the canal took about 20 minutes since we had to dodge the kayakers that didn’t know how to paddle or steer. The ones coming out were pretty tired since they had to fight the tide going in. We finally entered the bay and it was gorgeous. The real magic happened when you put a stick or your hand in the water and moved the water around. The effect was like pixie dust. You could see fish jumping out of the water and they would just glow from the plankton. It was amazing! Words and pictures really can’t do justice to what we saw.











Pardon the goofy expression. I was being blinded by the flash!

After almost an hour on the bay, we headed back through the canal to get ahead of a lot of the kayakers. We saw several iguanas in the trees. If you are ever in San Juan, I would highly recommend you take this tour! It is incredible and it is really easy on the boat. I wouldn’t do the kayak unless you are really athletic. After the tour, Deb and headed back to San Juan and happily went to bed!

Jill in CO

 

[KatMark]

So San Juan is like Vegas...you can walk around with cocktails. I LOVE IT! I even like the sound of the pina colada and the margarita mixed together. Dinner looks yummy.

about the dead dogs.

It sounds like a great tour and I love the look of the water as you had your hand in it. Sounds amazing and breathtaking.