Nassau --the good and the bad

As we pulled into Nassau, we saw our first rain of the trip. To go without rain for the whole time was amazing--but it did foreshadow a troubled time for us in Nassau. Our port time changed by an hour which made our Dolphin Encounter reservations impossible to follow through with. We simply would not make it back to the ship in time. With pre-purchased, non-refundable tickets, we were a bit stressed and disappointed. After a few calls by phone (haven't got the bill yet for these, but I'm sure it will be ugly) we did get them to refund our money. Nonetheless, we were now in port with no plans. We decided to take a water taxi over to Paradise Island to see Atlantis. Let's just say the water taxi didn't quite get us close in location to Atlantis. We walked and walked on already tired feet. The rain was just dribbling at the time so it wasn't too bad, but the walk was not a welcome activity. Souvenir shops helped distract us along the way. Karly decided she's collecting key chains, and Kyle is collecting magnets, so we had to stop and find our island goodies.

Once we finally arrived at Atlantis, we were quite impressed with the resort. Huge and beautiful. We headed for the Diggs. A large aquarium within the hotel/casino. There were so many different kinds of fish but the Bat Ray took the cake for the most impressive of all. This guy was amazing, I've never seen a Ray so large before. Very cool. Atlantis has many more great areas to explore, though most are not accessible to the visiting population. Paid guests only. We walked around the inside and the outside of the DIggs and this was the most enjoyable part of our Nassau experience.

We left Atlantis and headed to the Hard Rock for lunch. This is the bad of the trip. The rain came in buckets at this point, harder than I've ever seen it rain. Sheets of rain. We waited 1 hour and 15 minutes after ordering our food before we got up and left--we never saw a morsel. Don't ask Kent about the event--not one of his favorite experiences for sure. We were all hungry, tired, irritated and soaking wet by the time we reached the ship. We were amongst hundreds trying to re-board one of six boats that were in port that day so it took some time in line to get through the security check. On board I then succeeded in spilling an entire drink in my lap. Not exactly the memories of the last port visited you want to have.

As we left Nassau, the beauty won us over again of this piece of the world. The pictures amazing.

Our Top Destination

Tortola won our top destination award. The island (a British Virgin Island) itself is lush and green, all 32 square miles of it. It was also the cleanest and most polite island we visited. Tortola (and the other BVI's) are well known for their draw attracting the world for their beautiful waters friendly to yachts and sailing vessels. The were small boats everywhere which gave the port quite a bit of charm. Only 22,000 people call Tortola home.






We arrived on the beach just after 8:00a.m. There was only one other group on the beach and they were some of our traveling buddies we had met on-board. We headed straight out for snorkeling as we had heard it was the best time of the day for maximum opportunity for a variety of sea life. From sand fights and handstands underwater to chasing fish, the kids kept busy--hardly stopping to eat. I was surprised by two Tarpin about four feet long. Both swimming amazingly close, just close enough to spook me a bit. I also watched a colorful eel for quite some time weave in and out of coral.

The kids made friends with some local girls (actually they were from the island of St. Lucia and visiting their Auntie). Sweet little girls who had the most beautiful accents. Very English proper. I always enjoy seeing my kids play so easily with children of other cultures. They played sandball with a stick and packed sandballs. We stayed at the beach until about 1:30 p.m. I'd say there were no more than 20 people at any given time. Quiet and just lovely. We all agree that Tortola --which we had never even heard of before our trip--was the island of choice for us. Another great day in paradise!

Under the Sea!

These kids took to snorkeling like it was natural to life! We all spent hours in the waters floating above the undersea world. Fish from big to small, different kinds of coral, Tarpin and even an eel. Some of the people we traveled with swam with a Ray just a moments before we arrived in Brewer's Bay, Tortola.

Tortola had the best snorkeling. Antigua had beautiful coral and a thick reef. St. Johns was great with the underwater trail. I'd say it was the most consistent snorkeling we've seen. Always fish somewhere and at times we had to swim right through schools of smaller fish.

Cruise This and That

Eco Tour

The island of Antigua was full of adventure for the Kern family! We booked an Eco tour: we took kayaks about the mangroves, hiked Bird Island, and snorkeled the protected reefs. Our guide was fabulous and provided a variety of information from nesting turtles to sea vegetation to the secrets of water clarity.
Kent and Karly won the kayak race and Kyle was quick to pick up his paddling technique. He was quite determined to get everywhere quickly. Kyle had the opportunity to help drive the boat across the inland waters to our starting location. He's very proud to say he's driven a boat on the Ocean! We had a fabulous time and consider this tour money well spent! What a great hand-on way to experience the wonders of this Caribbean Sea!

Trunk Bay

After a few taxi rides and a ferry trip from St. Thomas to the pier at St. John we found our way to the lovely beach of Trunk Bay. Hosting the world's only underwater snorkel trail, Trunk Bay is a lovely place to snorkel complimented with a beautiful white beach. While we had practiced snorkeling at home a little we were amazed how well the kids did! They hit the water without hesitation and snorkeled with more ease than most adults. Lots of pointing fingers and muffled squeals along the reefs.


On the beach Karly just rolled about the sand. Kyle kept busy playing catch with coral pieces that had washed to the shallows. A lovely beach, and no cares but remembering to reapply the sunscreen and watch how far down the beach Kyle chases fish.

Defiantely a piece of paradise!

Puerto Rico--1st stop

Puerto Rico is a beautiful port to pull into. As the sun was beginning to set, the kids experienced their first steps off the boat and onto foreign land. We headed inland to the nearest national park, Fort El Morro and Fort San Cristobal. We were delighted to find a festival in progress, so their hours were extended and we were able to experience some traditional Puerto Rican songs and dances. The fort was filled with spirit and we walked about the grounds. We took tiny twirly staircases and dark walkways-- kinda gave Mommy the creeps, but the kids thought it was cool.

After a few hours at the Fort, we headed back to the ship to find "The Wild" playing on the big screen pool-side. We sat and watched the end of the movie and enjoyed a bag of popcorn too! Pretty cool to watch a movie in lounge chairs, at night, nestled against the Puerto Rico city lights.

After the movie, it was off to bed. We had an early morning planned--a morning Ferry (8:00 am) to catch in St. Thomas that would take us over to the beautiful island of St. John. Snorkel fun, here we come!