Henk van de Goor's Bloggers@large

Well guys & girls, the dream is over. I have returned from a nearly perfect, relaxing 6 night Western Caribbean Cruise on board of the splendid cruise ship The Jewel of the Seas. I had a very good time and I would highly recommend it to anyone that wants to relax, enjoy great food, beautiful scenery and have fun excursions! Even though it was raining a bit from time to time when we were in Mexico, the temperatures where in the eighties (24-28 degrees) and it was perfect. I have to admit that cruises are a bit expensive (only the food is included; tips are pretty high and so are alcholic beverages). Other than that I think it was great and I certainly would like to do it again!

I enjoyed the snorkeling and kayaking and we also did a cool dune buggy tour. As I mentioned the food (breakfast, lunch and dinner) was really great and so was the service. The people aboard did a great job entertaining us and they obviously work very hard. They serve a stunning 13.000 (!!!) meals every day and that is a pretty big accomplishment. I very much liked the Caribbean. Mexico is cool (but seems a bit like a 3rd world country) and so was Grand Cayman. I really would love to visit that area again one day.

Anyway, here are a few videos of the ship. I did have my video camera with me, but as usual I didn't use it at all and these snippets are shot with my mobile phone, so the quality is obscure to say the least, but you get the picture I guess...

Yes ladies & gentlemen. I am getting ready. Ready for my vacation; a nice Caribbean cruise on board of the Jewel of the Seas. Next week this time I should be in Fort Lauderdale with my girlfriend in a motel, waiting to get aboard the boat on Sunday. As you can see on the picture the cruise will take us on a nice route through the Carribean, starting in Ft. Lauderdale and then to Key West, Florida. After the Keys we set sail to Cozumel in Mexico, where we also will visit Costa Maya. After that we sail back via George Town, the Grand Cayman islands, around Cuba back to Florida. I guess I will have to take some sun tanning lotion with me and I better not forget the wine and other goodies. Guess I need to start packing already. We will probably take a rental to Ft. Lauderdale. I can't wait to see my girlfriend and beautiful islands and the sun! I only need to survive this week somehow! And off course tomorrow I have to go celebrate an early Sinterklaas party at my sisters mother-in-law's house. Hmm... Oh well: no pain no gain!

Popquiz: from what movie is the quote: "When life is over, all you can hope is, that you're sitting on a boat with all the pleasant people from your life, having boat drinks." Well, you will have to look for the answer at the rest of this blog; otherwise it would be too easy. The reason I brought it up though, is because in December I will be having "boat drinks": my girlfriend and me booked a carribean cruise. That's right folks. Most people take a cruise after they retire and are in their sixties, but we decided to take one now. Afterall: why postpone on nice things? So we will leave on a Sunday for a 6 night Southern Carribean Cruise on "The Jewel of the Seas" with Royal Carribean International.

The cruise takes us on a nice route through the Carribean area. It starts at Ft. Lauderdale and takes us to Key West, Florida. After that we set sail to Cozumel in Mexico, where we also will visit Costa Maya. After that we sail back via George Town, the Grand Cayman islands, around Cuba back to Florida. The ship looks great: it's huge, almost like a floating city. By the looks of it and what I read it is supposed to be a gem. Although some reviews about the food etc. are mixed (but I guess you can't please everyone). There are many trips and excursions you can take. We definately want to have a try at diving and also visiting the Maya ruins in Cozumel.

Anyway: by the time it is December I'm sure I'm more than ready to go: the next few months will be really busy at my work and I'm sure I am ready to relax and go with the flow. Continue reading ""Gentlemen, we have ... »