We put the DYS in Functional, Completing our ABC’s

[somebunny]

Great trip report as always! Love the pictures. I would've regretted not wearing my swimsuit too! You are making great memories with your daughter ~ that's priceless

 

[jenseib]

Great trip report as always! Love the pictures. I would've regretted not wearing my swimsuit too! You are making great memories with your daughter ~ that's priceless

I am so happy I can make these memories with Claire!

 

[jenseib]

Feb. 2, 2019, Saturday, St. Maarten


Hello St. Maarten….Yet another new port for me today.


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Lots of ships in port today!


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We had no real plans today. None of us did. We talked about going to a beach and possibly going to see the airplanes come in at the “airport” beach.


That morning I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. J and MK said I could join them at the beach, but I knew it was just them and I didn’t want to be a 5th wheel. PT and family decided they were going to the airplane beach to start with. I decided in the end that sounded like something I should see at least once in my life.


Claire had no desire to do ANYTHING! So she slept and stayed on the ship.


I went up for breakfast with PT and F and the view was pretty from our outside table.


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We packed our bags and headed off towards the taxi stand.


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We stopped as F went in a building for some wifi as his dad was sick at home and he wanted to check up on him. Unfortunately it had to be paid for and he said he would look into it later.


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We found the taxi stands and decided exactly what route we wanted. They have taxis going certain routes, you pay a set fee, and then they direct you to where you will stand to wait for your vehicle.


And then we were off. It was a lot further away than I thought. I will admit I did next to no research about St. Maarten. I had looked at what Disney offered and I was not impressed with the options. PT looked at a few but in the end decided to wing it. J said from the beginning she was just doing a beach day as the beach is close. For some reason, I had thought the beach near the airport was very near the ship, but it wasn’t.


I found the ride interesting. There were some massive boats docked here.


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As we went along you could see some of the devastation left from the hurricane. Many boats on the ground or sunk.


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My guess is the owners got the insurance money and the boats weren’t fixable so they decided not to spend the money on getting them junked somewhere and just left them as is.


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[dizneeat]

We like St. Maarten. And your pics remind me ........ haven't been in quite some time there.
For us it was an easy visit as it is Dutch/French and we could pay in Euro and have free WiFi.
And, yes, Maho beach is quite the drive, but to be "blown away" by the aircraft overhead is fun too.

 

[lklgoodman]

Dh and I did a DCL for our honeymoon in 2001, we went to St Maarten. We did an island tour, I thought I was going to die(very scary drive, hopefully yours was better!!) Our March 2018 cruise on the Wonder was scheduled to go there, but when we got to the port they told us there was a huge storm so we weren't going there. Instead we went to CC twice. I loved going to CC twice, like you didn't care for the excursions at St Maarten, but I was looking forward to showing dd where we had gone. I'll just show her your pics instead, that's nearly the same as being there, right, lol!!

 

[jenseib]

We like St. Maarten. And your pics remind me ........ haven't been in quite some time there.

I really enjoyed it and hope to get back again in the future and just have a beach day.

For us it was an easy visit as it is Dutch/French and we could pay in Euro and have free WiFi.

Ahh. I am sure that was nice for you too.

And, yes, Maho beach is quite the drive, but to be "blown away" by the aircraft overhead is fun too.

It was fun to see the planes coming in. I am glad we went there.

Dh and I did a DCL for our honeymoon in 2001, we went to St Maarten. We did an island tour, I thought I was going to die(very scary drive, hopefully yours was better!!) Our March 2018 cruise on the Wonder was scheduled to go there, but when we got to the port they told us there was a huge storm so we weren't going there. Instead we went to CC twice. I loved going to CC twice, like you didn't care for the excursions at St Maarten, but I was looking forward to showing dd where we had gone. I'll just show her your pics instead, that's nearly the same as being there, right, lol!!

Did you just have a bad driver?
Sure...show my pics...I didn't get a lot of good ones, but at least you can see what it was like.

 

[jenseib]

We arrived at our destination. As we pulled in it was kind of a narrow road and people were standing on the curb. I swear we were going to hit them and no one paid attention. Later I realized they were watching planes come it and it was easy to lose track to where you were.


There was a building with a bar and food and a pool, chairs, etc. More to it than just a beach.


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We headed off to the bathrooms first and saw they charge a dollar to go….ugh. I HATE that!

But they were working on something and just told us to go in, so I did. Later I came back to go again before we left and they were charging then.


And then we made our way over to the beach. They had a bunch of chairs in rows next to the bar and beyond that was open beach and you could see the planes.


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Video of plane taking off.

They have an area painted red where the danger zone is. As you probably know, people used to hold on to the fence and let their bodies fly back from the jets and someone was killed not too long ago. I heard they were watching, but I never saw anyone actually watching, though no one tried it either.


And then we watched for planes and tried to get pictures. It was harder than you think.


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Video

I did go to the water at some point and waded in a bit. We never did end up swimming because for some reason Z didn’t wear a suit today.


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Beautiful water here too.


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The beach

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This lady who didn’t speak English well kept asking me over and over when the next plane was coming in. I told her I had no clue and that I just kept watching the sky….but she kept asking me.


In this video you will see her in front of me. She seemed to constantly stand in front of me and if I moved she did. It started to become a joke with us and PT and F were referring to her as my new friend. I guess I looked like I knew a lot about plane schedules.

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Ahhh…this must be when I went up to the water to check it out.


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The water felt good….at home we were below zero….here in the 80’s.


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So F was going to take a nice video and PT and I were going to do selfies with the plane. I never loaded the video to my Youtube, but he did a great job. I don’t know what the heck I was doing though. The sun was shining and it was really hard to see my selfie….but seriously…I am not even facing the right direction!!!


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There I got a wing….Wow….that was bad!


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Oh let me try one more. Evidently I didn’t have any clue on direction that day.


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[TestingH2O]

Ooooh. I've wanted to go to airplane beach ever since I first heard of it.

Your selfies are too funny. Totally something that would happen to me.

 

[Timon]

Hello St. Maarten….Yet another new port for me today.

Oh wow, you've never been there before? I didn't know that! Back when we first started cruising, it seems like that's the only place we went, Sint Maarten and St Thomas

It was my very first cruise port actually! I still remember it like it was yesterday, we rented a jeep, it barely worked, it was in such bad shape and we drove the island. Stopped at Maho and saw some big planes, it was my favourite part of that day.

Okay, is that a life-size towel animal elephant???

What the heck!!

There was a building with a bar and food and a pool, chairs, etc. More to it than just a beach.

When we last went, it was just the Sunset Beach Bar and a bathroom, nothing else! Topless women drank free, is that still the case?

This lady who didn’t speak English well kept asking me over and over when the next plane was coming in. I told her I had no clue and that I just kept watching the sky….but she kept asking me.

LOL! You make friends everywhere you go

There used to be a big surfboard there and they would list all that day's flights on it in chalk, is it not there anymore?

So F was going to take a nice video and PT and I were going to do selfies with the plane. I never loaded the video to my Youtube, but he did a great job. I don’t know what the heck I was doing though. The sun was shining and it was really hard to see my selfie….but seriously…I am not even facing the right direction!!!

LOL! This is the funniest thing ever

This is my new favourite photo!!

 

[lklgoodman]

OMG, Timon I didn't notice that about the elephant, but now that you mentioned it looking like a towel animal, I totally see it, so funny!!! I hope whoever had to wear that wasn't out there for too long, I'm sure they were sweating a lot in that.

When we went there we were in an open air jeep and our driver sped around like he was in the Indy 500. It was a tour of both sides of the island, but we didn't get to go to the airport beach. You got some great pics! I would have been ducking my head every time a plane flew over, wouldn't have matter how far above they were from me, lol!

 

[bcwife76]

Haha your selfies are hilarious

I wonder why that woman kept bugging you and such....stalker! Maybe if she'd seen how your selfies turned out she would have followed someone else

Stunning beach photos.....again!! LOVE IT! Oh and the colour of the water.....sigh......

 

[rndmr2]

stm7 by

I was on this ship back in 2000

Beautiful water, I love these kinds of pics with the water/waves.

Really cool to see the planes come in. We were in St Maartin another time (in 2013) I really wanted to go there but we ended up just taking a n excursion that went to Orient Beach.

 

[jenseib]

Ooooh. I've wanted to go to airplane beach ever since I first heard of it.

I am glad I went. It was fun to see.

Your selfies are too funny. Totally something that would happen to me.

I have no talent for Selfies. Claire always laughs at me when I try them.

Oh wow, you've never been there before? I didn't know that! Back when we first started cruising, it seems like that's the only place we went, Sint Maarten and St Thomas

It was my very first cruise port actually! I still remember it like it was yesterday, we rented a jeep, it barely worked, it was in such bad shape and we drove the island. Stopped at Maho and saw some big planes, it was my favourite part of that day.

My first Eastern went to Tortola instead. It had become the norm, so I totally missed out on St. Maarten. I would love to go back for another visit though.

I think my first cruise port was with NCL and it was Key West...and probably first foreign one was Cancun...back when ships visited there. The next year I did an all inclusive there and it was a lot of fun too. Those 2 trips were with an ex-boyfriend who used to win trips through his work and that was probably the best part of that relationship! hahaha.

I really had fun seeing the planes come in and I am glad I went with PT's family.

Okay, is that a life-size towel animal elephant???

What the heck!!

Yep!

When we last went, it was just the Sunset Beach Bar and a bathroom, nothing else! Topless women drank free, is that still the case?

Well I didn't see any topless ladies...nor saw a sign..but it still could be a thing.

LOL! You make friends everywhere you go

I do. I don't know why people think I am nice and approachable! I am so not!

There used to be a big surfboard there and they would list all that day's flights on it in chalk, is it not there anymore?

Yes it was there! I didn't see it till later and by then we weren't really watching for planes anymore! hahaha

LOL! This is the funniest thing ever

Do you expect anything else from me?

This is my new favourite photo!!

It is lovely! I now have a nice selfie with some stranger in the background.

OMG, Timon I didn't notice that about the elephant, but now that you mentioned it looking like a towel animal, I totally see it, so funny!!! I hope whoever had to wear that wasn't out there for too long, I'm sure they were sweating a lot in that

I had seem that towel animal guy in other TR's so I had to get his picture.

When we went there we were in an open air jeep and our driver sped around like he was in the Indy 500. It was a tour of both sides of the island, but we didn't get to go to the airport beach. You got some great pics! I would have been ducking my head every time a plane flew over, wouldn't have matter how far above they were from me, lol!

I hate when you get a crazy driver like that!
LOL, they were close, but not that close, plus we stood off to the side.

Haha your selfies are hilarious

It takes a special kind of talent to get those!

I wonder why that woman kept bugging you and such....stalker! Maybe if she'd seen how your selfies turned out she would have followed someone else

I just have something that attracts people like that. I don't know what it is. I can walk into a place and look for the oddest person and say "they will be talking to me soon"...and they do! Maybe I look odd and they feel comfortable with me?

Stunning beach photos.....again!! LOVE IT! Oh and the colour of the water.....sigh......

The water was just amazing this trip. I would sail this sailing again in a heart beat!

I was on this ship back in 2000

Cool!

Beautiful water, I love these kinds of pics with the water/waves.

I do too...and I took approximately 1 trillion photos like this!

Really cool to see the planes come in. We were in St Maartin another time (in 2013) I really wanted to go there but we ended up just taking a n excursion that went to Orient Beach.

I think my cousin went to Orient Beach last time she went there too.

 

[jenseib]

At some point Z had left us to go up by the bar and wait for us. We decided it was time to go and we found Z…eating a pizza! LOL. So we waited for him to finish.


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After he was done, we headed off to catch a taxi back, but we were having him drop us off at the beach. It didn’t take too long and one arrived.


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And back we went. This time we took a different route back and there was a lot of traffic today too.


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I see our ship!


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He dropped us off and we headed off to the beach to walk around and look in shops etc. Note that you have to rent beach chairs here, which is fine…but you will be asked every 5 minutes if you are interested in renting chairs.


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Kind of funny to find Ohio State fans here in St. Maarten. Those Ohio State fans truly are die hards!


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J had texted me and told me about where they were. I did see them at one point and said hi, but again, I didn’t want to just join in on their alone time.


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When we were at the airplane beach a lady had asked F if he knew where the beach with the golden cow was. We had no clue and not heard of that…..well we found it.


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Walking the Beach

We decided to get something to eat. Some places were pretty full and had a wait and some just didn’t sound good. We decided on a Mexican place and sat outside. The sun was really bright and the waitress moved the tables and umbrella to shade us better. She was really nice.


I decided to get a drink.


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I got 3 empanada’s but they weren’t like any I have ever had before. They were ok. I didn’t like that they were made with corn instead of flour. But the insides were decent.


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When it came time to pay, she told us their credit card machine was down and we had to pay cash…..nice time to tell us. Luckily I had cash, but F did not. He had to borrow from Z to pay. Hahaha.


We then headed back down to look around some more.

 

[bcwife76]

Sure, because why wouldn't there be a gold cow on a beach?

Ugh, I hate that, you've already eaten and ready to go and then , oh sorry you must pay by cash. Annoying. But I get that if they say that at the beginning you might not eat there. If they do it at the end they can always say "well there's an ATM just down the block" blah blah blah. Still......

 

[jenseib]

Sure, because why wouldn't there be a gold cow on a beach?

Exactly! hahaha

Ugh, I hate that, you've already eaten and ready to go and then , oh sorry you must pay by cash. Annoying. But I get that if they say that at the beginning you might not eat there. If they do it at the end they can always say "well there's an ATM just down the block" blah blah blah. Still......

I think she said they had a sign inside....but we were met right at the door and they asked if we wanted inside or out and we said out. So we never saw it....But even then, she should have said something.

 

[jenseib]

We headed down another street as F and Z wanted to see the Yoda Guy building. They went in for a short time and came right back out.


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We shopped around a bit and I believe I bought Claire a shirt. And a magnet for myself.


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I found another cow! (Good thing he is tied up...You wouldn't want him wandering away)


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Then we decided to walk back to the ship as it wasn’t too far…but it was hot and I was sweaty. I was now wishing I had gone for a dip in the water so that I would have been a bit cooler on the way back.


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There was a shopping plaza up near the port. This actually might be where I ended up getting Claire a shirt. I separated from PT and family and looked around on my own here.


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And then after I was satisfied I didn’t need anything else I headed back to the ship.


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I headed up and got some ice-cream. They had Mango in the machine today. I love Mango.


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It was disgusting! It tasted nothing like Mango.


I got cleaned up and Claire wanted to play Bingo. I have absolutely no desire to play and never have. Claire has played with others many times and always has fun. M said she kind of wanted to play too.

Claire said she would pay for our set of cards if I took her, so I did. We had to wait in line for quite a bit before they opened the doors.


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One of us left our key in the room again and someone ran back to get it and still were back in plenty of time.


We sent Claire off to get some seats when the door opened and M and I stood in line to get the cards. We then saw T and D were here, so we told Claire to go sit with them.


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Claire told me to use the electronic one and she did the paper cards. We were close several times but never won.


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I didn’t find it all that thrilling and Claire said Katelynn on the Fantasy is way better at calling Bingo.


Sadly, it was time to sail away from St. Maarten now and we watched as we left again.


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The sky was pretty once again….the last sunset from the ship!


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We hit movie toons trivia tonight…We suck! But we had a lot of fun once again.


Time to finish up packing, which I never enjoy.


Dinner was in Animators tonight. I believe J and MK were eating Palo with T and D.


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Hey I actually took pictures of the menu tonight.


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Tonight we drew our pictures for the animation show too.


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Claire and I both had the beef wellington. Now I have been saying how most of the food has been better than the Fantasy this cruise. This was one of the exceptions….it was not good. I think it was just mine though as Claire seemed to like hers.


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Luckily I had a backup.


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[jenseib]

I guess I felt the need to take a close up of M. hahaah


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Time for dessert!


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I decided I need a Mickey Bar too.


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And selfie with Mickey Bar…which Claire was very embarrassed about.


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And F, PT and M all looked at my bar and asked for one each. Hahaha!


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Time for the show. I can’t remember whose is who’s now, but I obviously was taking pictures as they said “that’s mine”.



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And I selfie with Poncho


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A stop off at our room before heading to the last show of the cruise.


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Again, we had a lot of laughs. It was not nearly as full tonight either.


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And then time for the jump ropers…which were very talented.


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Then time for 80’s flashback.


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We had teams (each side of the room was a team) and they would play a snippet and the person representing us needed to say the song, but we could shout it out. I can’t believe how many songs these people don’t know! I was shouting out and Jo caught me! LOL. I guess I was a bit too loud…and she made me come up on stage and “sing” a bit. I am the world’s worst singer. It was I love Rock n Roll by Joan Jet. I could do the screech part though and she was impressed with that.

I think PT videoed it and I hope she lost it somewhere! Heehee. I never saw it and hope never to see it.


And with that, the fun was over and the evening was coming to an end. All too soon we would have to leave this wonderful ship!


I did a little bit of my rounds around the ship and noticed land in the distance…..booohoooo!


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Then off to bed for Claire and I. M stayed out with her friends one last night and was pretty sad that she would not see them for quite some time.

 

[TestingH2O]

Awww. What a fun last evening! That last sleep is always bittersweet.

 

[jenseib]

Awww. What a fun last evening! That last sleep is always bittersweet.

It sure is. We were all not ready to leave. Another week would have been fine!
This next sailing was actually going to Florida and many people were doing back to back. I honestly thought about it, but it was just too much money for me to do it.