Day 3: boarding Rhapsody of the Seas

I don't care how many cruises you go on but when you see your ship you get excited . . . well, at least I do! The main reason I picked this cruise is because of the port stops . . . it is ten days with eight stops which means you arrive at a new island almost everyday!  I can not wait.  I quickly get onboard to drop my bags in my cabin and leave the ship to pop into the drug store to pick up a few things I did not pack. I had to get back on board to enjoy some of my new perks. This is my first cruise since earning Diamond status which means I now get four free drinks that are no more than $14 every day of the cruise! Honestly that’s a lot for a non-drinker . . . they can be botted water, fancy coffee, or bar beverages. I am back on board and ready to enjoy!

So I’m starting off trying to taste a new drink each day! Schooner Bar has the most interesting menu! First up: Desert Pear Margarita.

A little cabin tour . . .

 

. . . it is a different layout than what I am used to.  It is an inside cabin which also means it was the cheapest cabin since I am paying double occupancy rate . . . don't get me started!  The room was long and narrow and parallel to the hallway.  It was a great size for one person and very spacious.  The only thing that I did not like was it had a fabric shower curtain which was annoying because the shower was a narrow rectangle and not square.  I managed but did some adjustments to the shower curtain so it did not stick to me while showering; gross!

Since I am traveling solo, I mainly dine in the Windjammer which is the buffet. It is usually the same dining theme as far as food as the main dining room but less casual. I do enjoy the laid back atmosphere but also try to visit the MDR (main dining room) a few nights.  

This cruise is a bit weird in that it doesn’t leave until 8pm; I was in bed by the time we sailed away!

Day 2: El Yunque National Forest

The one thing I really wanted to do while in Puerto Rico was visit El Yunque National Forest.  El Yunque is the sole tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System and is a popular destination for hiking and exploring diverse ecosystems; at nearly 29,000 acres, it is one of the smallest in size, but one of the most biologically diverse. Yes, it is part of the National Park Service, and I took a guided tour from San Juan since it was about an hour outside the city. I thought the tour was organized and our guide was very good with giving information and answering questions.  

First Stop: Baño Grande, or “big bath,” was originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the New Deal era as a swimming hole. It remained a swimming pool from 1936-1968 before it was closed due to safety concerns.

Next a hike to a cave . . . I did not write down any information so have no clue name of trail.  The trail was very muddy and slick so had to be careful.  The views were amazing!

Then on to Catarata La Coca for a quick photo stop.  

Short drive to Torre Yokahú . . . quick climb to top with nice 360 degree view of the forest and the east side of Puerto Rico!

Quick stop at: Rio Mameyes for a chance to swim but due to recent heavy rains it was not possible today; no way I would get in that water.  

Back in the van for our final stop at La Frutera Flores in Luquillo PR for a late lunch.  If you have been to Puerto Rico you have seen all these fruit stands and restaurant huts along the roads.  I have never stopped at one and have I been missing out!  It looks like an unorganized mess with so many lines but it turned out to be very efficient.  There was a line to order food, then get in another line for smoothies, and a different line to pay.  Of course all three lines were within a very small area with not signs but it worked. I ordered a shrimp and red pepper empanada and was in line to pay when an American lady said, "hey you try these smoothies?" to which I said no and she proceeded to hand me a small cup of a fruit smoothie.  I said thanks and took a sip; it was delicious!  And then I thought maybe I should not be taking a drink from a total stranger that I did not see being made from a random person but then proceeded to drink the rest!  Anyway, the food was fresh and delicious! 

. . . so be sure to stop at one of the roadside huts for a smoothies or snack!

Day 1: Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

It feels as if I have not traveled in forever!  I am about to start a trip that has been on my to-do list for a long time, cruising the Southern Caribbean!  I could not leave at a better time as there is a winter storm rolling in to Texas. I do feel a bit bad that I left behind a very cold Texas for an oh so warm San Juan, but my timing could not have been better. 

I have a couple days to explore the area before the cruise starts.  I have been to San Juan several times; I am just going to enjoy the popular tourist sites and wandering around outside. My hotel has free drop off so I am doing my own walking tour around Old San Juan.

Castillo San Cristóbal . . . thanks to my national park pass for free entry.  I love the sentry boxes!

Santa María Magdalena de Pazzis Cemetery

Castillo San Felipe del Morro . . . I was too lazy to walk inside.  

Gato Park . . . I was expecting to see a ton of cats but not many were out and about.  

Paruqe de las Palomas . . . know as pigeon park; I always want to go here but always think about the germs and diseases!  They freak me out when they start flapping their wings and flying.  

Capilla del Santo Cristo de la Salud . . . I have never been inside the gates as it is always closed!

Blue Brick Streets . . . I read about this online and have never noticed the blue tiled streets.  They are pretty cool and became a mission to watch for them as I walked around Old Town.

  

I really just enjoyed hanging out at a nice leisurely pace.  I often stopped at benches and enjoyed the day.  I picked up a mango paleta at Señor Paleta to enjoy while hanging out . . .

. . . and then a large tour group showed up and were being noisy so I headed out to explore more.  I ended up on Calle Fortaleza where I was yelled at for not stopping for a guy trying to get me to buy something that I am certain I did not need. He was down right rude and continued to yell not so nice things at me for waving and saying no thanks, jerk!  I continued on my way and stopped for a ate lunch at Pirilo Pizza Rustica.  I found the return hotel shuttle and enjoyed the rest of my day relaxing!

Puerto Rico review

Since traffic was a mess when we drove back to San Juan, we headed to the airport super early.  Of course it was a breeze and checking in/security was super fast too.  So we waited and waited and then made our list of favorites of this trip . . .

Colin's favorites

1.  kayaking

2.  hanging out on the private island

3.  swimming

Heidi's favorites

1.  Old San Juan especially Fort Morro

2.  relaxing by pool or on beach especially Palomino Island

3.  hearing all the coqui frogs each night as we walked to the room

 . . . and just like that it was good-bye to Puerto Rico . . .

Puerto Rico day 4

Busy, busy day planned today so we were up and at breakfast by 9am . . . I think that is a record for this group.  We figured since it is going to be so hot and humid that we needed to get out and about early and the fact there were three cruise ships in port today we knew it would be crowded too.  As we were eating breakfast, Marilyn handed me the local paper to read something that caught her eye.  It was a letter to the editor that was exactly what we had been talking about the last few days . . .

We are a military family that has recently been stationed here for three years.  I cannot say that my impressions have been good.  We have noticed that traffic laws are not obeyed, not even remotely; they don't check for traffic before changing lanes, they park IN the traffic lane because they are too lazy to walk from the parking space, people hawking stuff in the street and block traffic lanes, etc.  Traffic is horrible here!  People here also seem to be very discourteous; they leave shopping carts behind other vehicles because they don't want to even move them out of the way, they have a "no care" attitude about working, they litter everywhere, and so forth.  I hear about Puerto Ricans wanting US statehood, I personally hope you don't get it and doubt that you will simply because of the culture here.  First, you would have to speak English and it would have to be the language of the state.  You would have to start paying some income taxes and property taxes to make Puerto Rico more self-sufficient.  You would have to stop acting like a third-world country.  And I don't see that happening here.  The doesn't apply to ALL Puerto Ricans, but there seems to be a large amount of them that are this way.  We have driven all over the island in the months that we've been stationed here, and we have definitely determined that we want to spend as little money and time as possible on this island.  Puerto Rico is great, if you have nothing to do with the people.  Start forcing change and maybe things will improve for this place.  Sorry, but that is an honest outsider's view.

Well isn't that a bold move!  Honestly, I could not agree more with several of her points.  I know we are staying at hotels but just about every person we have encountered has been super friendly and bends over backwards to make us happy.  I know it would probably be totally different if we were living here.  So we finished breakfast and jumped in the car to head to Old San Juan for the day.  We are staying in the Condado area so we crossed the bridge into Old San Juan to start exploring.  Our first stop was the San Felipe Del Morro Castle.  Since this a National Historic Site I used my America the Beautiful Military Pass for free admission for our group of two adults and three kids.  I am a huge fan of our National Parks and usually make Colin do the Junior Ranger book but today I did not.  He was thrilled, and I admit it was nice to enjoy the site instead of trying to figure out answers to the questions . . . but we did not get the badge/patch so a little sad too.  As you enter the area it is a long walk but so pretty . . . open fields with no buildings near by . . . so nice that it has remained undeveloped!

Before we crossed the dry moat, Colin posed where the guards stood watch  . . .

 . . . and the entrance coat of arms was massive . . .

We really enjoyed the views and the crowds were non existent . . .

. . . just loved all the sentry boxes . . .

. . . if I had to stand guard here I would probably be day dreaming with those views!  And when we left there was a huge line to enter.  We waited for the free city trolley for about 15 minutes and then gave up . . . the kids were thrilled that we would now be walking across the city.  Of course we stopped often and let them have ice cream and snow cones so they would become more willing to walk!  We just wandered around the town stopping when we saw something that caught our eye.  And I was secretly leading us to Parque las Palomas (Pigeon Park).  Colin was thrilled but Marilyn not so much.  I let Colin walk in the park but no touching the pigeons . . .

. . . it wasn't that bad but there were thousands of them.  Thankfully, we did not get 'hit' and quickly left the area.  It was starting to become crowded and hot so we started asking for recommendations on a good local spot for lunch.  Several people mention Raices so off we went.  We were told it would be full of tourist but the food was good.  We arrived and were seated in an area with no one else!  I really did enjoy the decorations and murals . . .

We ordered our food and again I ordered mofongo . . . it will be hard to top the dish I had last night!

It was good but I liked the mofongo I had last night better.  It was a great afternoon of hanging out but it was sure getting h-o-t outside.  The kids were perfectly happy to be leaving since they were tired of walking.  I must admit it was nice to return to the hotel and relax by the pool for a few hours . . . it is so relaxing to just listen to the waves crash against the rocks as we lounged by the pool.

And one fact about the The Condado Plaza Hilton where we are staying . . . this was one of the Scout About scavenger hunt places for the kids to find . . .

. . . isn't that interesting?  Every time I crossed the walkway I thought about it . . . it was an eerie feeling.  We headed back to the room to change and relax a bit before heading out for dinner.  Of course after dinner the kids were wound up and a bit crazy so what do we do?  We let them have a sweet treat.  Colin requested another waffle . . .

. . . and back to the hotel.  It was a short walk and we were just talking about how the first time in all our years of traveling the kids got along so well . . . and about 100 feet from the hotel two of the kids had a moment . . . I blamed it on the sugar rush . . . oh well it only lasted a few seconds so I think it was a successful trip!  We said our good-byes and headed back to the room to pack for our flight back to Texas tomorrow!

Puerto Rico day 3

Today we leave the El Conquistador . . . while it has had some issues it really is a fun place to visit.  I know I have complained about small things but overall our group has had fun together.  It was a slow morning wake up, and we managed to roll into breakfast before it closed . . . heck have to enjoy that $26 breakfast buffet.  Colin started complaining that his sunburn was hurting . . . really, you think so kiddo?  I noticed a drugstore when we came to the hotel so will stop by and buy some after sun aloe treatment for both of us.  After our scrumptious breakfast, we set out to find the last seven bands for the Scout About program.  It was so hot and humid outside . . . I was wondering why I even took a shower!  We grabbed our bags and headed to claim our 'prize' for the scavenger hunt . . .

. . . oh don't get that excited it was just one of those plastic bracelets with the resort's name.  As a reward I treated everyone to a drink of their choice at Starbucks . . . mainly because I still had money from my $50 a day food credit so we all left with a sweet treat and a crappy plastic bracelet.  We stopped by CVS to pick up a few things and funny thing is Marilyn and I both picked up the exact same bottle of aloe . . . odd because there were many choices but we picked the same one!  We laughed and me being the fun parent today, I let the kids pick any candy for the car ride to San Juan.  We get on the road and in less than 5 miles traffic comes to a halt except for the people driving on the right shoulder . . . I tell you people just drive where and when they want around here; it is totally driving me crazy that there seems to be little to no order on the road.  It was annoying and continued for 3 hours . . . a drive that was suppose to take 45 minutes took us 3 hours and 10 minutes.  Thankfully, the 'no electronics in the car' rule was out for the day and the kids were so patient.  We had plans to visit a few places but due to the traffic we headed right for the hotel.  We checked into our rooms . . . .

. . . and headed out for dinner at 4:30pm since we were all so hungry.  We went to the first restaurant as we exited the hotel since the receptionist recommended the place . . . Ropa Viejo Grill.  It was so yummy . . . we needed a good great meal after the disaster last night.  I had the mofongo which is a traditional Puerto Rican dish of a mound of mashed plantains served with meat.  Even if it sounds not so good, it was yummy . . .

. . . the meal was absolutely no comparison to last night.  It was so yummy.  I also ordered a side of black bean risotto which was melt in my mouth yummy!  Colin ate a loaf of bread and shrimp in a garlic butter sauce . . .

We had finished dinner by 5:30pm and headed to the pool to hang out the rest of the evening.  It was so beautiful and nice to do nothing . . .

The hotel grounds were so nice and relaxing.  It was nice to hang out and enjoy the cool evening breeze.  We were all craving something sweet to eat so walked down the street to find ice cream.  We came across a place called  Waffler Avenue.  Surprisingly, Colin wanted a waffle . . . not sure why because he has never had one before . . .

. . . oh my it was good!  He ate the entire thing with me only having one small bite.  Of course the ten year old boy was starving so stopped in a pizza place and grabbed him a few slices for a late night snack.  It was back to the room to relax before our big day tomorrow.