On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 10:40:52 -0500, John H
wrote:

Hope your trip was spectacular. Understand you went to Antigua, St. Lucie, Bonaire, and Aruba on the
Disney Wonder! Great time, I'm sure. Probably gained a few pounds with the fantastic fare.

Glad you're back!


===

Sounds like an interesting itinerary. What were your favorite stops
and activities?

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:08:54 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 10:40:52 -0500, John H
wrote:

Hope your trip was spectacular. Understand you went to Antigua, St. Lucie, Bonaire, and Aruba on the
Disney Wonder! Great time, I'm sure. Probably gained a few pounds with the fantastic fare.

Glad you're back!


===

Sounds like an interesting itinerary. What were your favorite stops
and activities?

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com

Antigua was the least favorite. The place made me imagine what Haiti must be like. Maybe we just
didn't see enough of the place. We got off the ship, walked around about an hour and got right back
on the ship.

St. Lucie was enjoyable. Took a bus tour around the island and had a great guide. He was very
knowledgeable of the island's flora and fauna, stopping at several trees along the way to point out
peculiarities.

Bonaire and Aruba were very nice. Very clean and well maintained. We took a couple hour Segway tour
in Bonaire, looking at the beaches and the salt production area. Very interesting. Lots of scuba
diving about 50 yards off shore. No sand on the beaches there because the sand blows into the sea
and kills the coral. Local government prohibits putting sand on the beaches. If folks who live on
the coast want sand, they must import it and wall it in so it cannot blow into the sea.

Aruba also has lots of scuba diving. The island is very sparse when it comes to vegetation, as is
Bonaire.

The trip was very enjoyable!

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 19:44:58 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:08:54 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 10:40:52 -0500, John H
wrote:

Hope your trip was spectacular. Understand you went to Antigua, St. Lucie, Bonaire, and Aruba on the
Disney Wonder! Great time, I'm sure. Probably gained a few pounds with the fantastic fare.

Glad you're back!


===

Sounds like an interesting itinerary. What were your favorite stops
and activities?

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com

Antigua was the least favorite. The place made me imagine what Haiti must be like. Maybe we just
didn't see enough of the place. We got off the ship, walked around about an hour and got right back
on the ship.

St. Lucie was enjoyable. Took a bus tour around the island and had a great guide. He was very
knowledgeable of the island's flora and fauna, stopping at several trees along the way to point out
peculiarities.

Bonaire and Aruba were very nice. Very clean and well maintained. We took a couple hour Segway tour
in Bonaire, looking at the beaches and the salt production area. Very interesting. Lots of scuba
diving about 50 yards off shore. No sand on the beaches there because the sand blows into the sea
and kills the coral. Local government prohibits putting sand on the beaches. If folks who live on
the coast want sand, they must import it and wall it in so it cannot blow into the sea.

Aruba also has lots of scuba diving. The island is very sparse when it comes to vegetation, as is
Bonaire.

The trip was very enjoyable!

===

Too bad you didn't get to see more of Antigua. You were no doubt on
the north end at St Johns which I think is the only port big enough
for a cruise ship. The more interesting harbors where the big yachts
hang out are at the south end, Falmouth and English Harbour. You'd
have to rent a car or go on a tour to get there. Hawksbill Resort, a
bit west of St Johns, is also a very nice place to hang out.

Trust me, even the worst parts of Antigua are nothing like Hati except
for the little fake village called Labadee where the Royal Caribbean
cruise ships take people. We were there once and it seems very serene
until you realize that you're surrounded by barbed wire fences
patroled by heavily armed guards. We were even escorted by armed
guards when kayaking.

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 22:58:51 -0500,
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 19:44:58 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:08:54 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 10:40:52 -0500, John H
wrote:

Hope your trip was spectacular. Understand you went to Antigua, St. Lucie, Bonaire, and Aruba on the
Disney Wonder! Great time, I'm sure. Probably gained a few pounds with the fantastic fare.

Glad you're back!


===

Sounds like an interesting itinerary. What were your favorite stops
and activities?

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com

Antigua was the least favorite. The place made me imagine what Haiti must be like. Maybe we just
didn't see enough of the place. We got off the ship, walked around about an hour and got right back
on the ship.

St. Lucie was enjoyable. Took a bus tour around the island and had a great guide. He was very
knowledgeable of the island's flora and fauna, stopping at several trees along the way to point out
peculiarities.

Bonaire and Aruba were very nice. Very clean and well maintained. We took a couple hour Segway tour
in Bonaire, looking at the beaches and the salt production area. Very interesting. Lots of scuba
diving about 50 yards off shore. No sand on the beaches there because the sand blows into the sea
and kills the coral. Local government prohibits putting sand on the beaches. If folks who live on
the coast want sand, they must import it and wall it in so it cannot blow into the sea.

Aruba also has lots of scuba diving. The island is very sparse when it comes to vegetation, as is
Bonaire.

The trip was very enjoyable!

===

Too bad you didn't get to see more of Antigua. You were no doubt on
the north end at St Johns which I think is the only port big enough
for a cruise ship. The more interesting harbors where the big yachts
hang out are at the south end, Falmouth and English Harbour. You'd
have to rent a car or go on a tour to get there. Hawksbill Resort, a
bit west of St Johns, is also a very nice place to hang out.

Trust me, even the worst parts of Antigua are nothing like Hati except
for the little fake village called Labadee where the Royal Caribbean
cruise ships take people. We were there once and it seems very serene
until you realize that you're surrounded by barbed wire fences
patroled by heavily armed guards. We were even escorted by armed
guards when kayaking.

It sounds like where Holland America took us in Guatemala (Santo Tomas
De Castilla). It was a container port that they had just decided might
be a stop for their ships. The locals had set up a baby straw market
with a few trinkets but most people just walked around an hours or so
and went back to the ship. We found out you could go to the Navy base
and take a water taxi over to the Best Western so we gave it a shot.
Once there, there still wasn't much to do but we asked if there was
place to take a walk. They pointed up this dirt road and said there
was a gate in the 8' fence with the razor wire on top and we could
walk up that path. They had not seen the guerilla recently there.
It was really a cool walk up this well manicured trail (I think it was
how they got to work). We really had the rain forest experience, not
like just walking around here like the other "rain forest" walks we
have been on. We heard howler monkeys and saw tropical birds we don't
have here. No guerrillas.
15.703286° -88.647983° on the giggle.

http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Best%20Western%20Guatemala.jpg

http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Guatemala/g...avy%20base.jpg
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Guatemala/guatemala%20navy.jpg
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Guatemala/g...ine%20judy.jpg

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 22:58:51 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 19:44:58 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:08:54 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 10:40:52 -0500, John H
wrote:

Hope your trip was spectacular. Understand you went to Antigua, St. Lucie, Bonaire, and Aruba on the
Disney Wonder! Great time, I'm sure. Probably gained a few pounds with the fantastic fare.

Glad you're back!


===

Sounds like an interesting itinerary. What were your favorite stops
and activities?

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com

Antigua was the least favorite. The place made me imagine what Haiti must be like. Maybe we just
didn't see enough of the place. We got off the ship, walked around about an hour and got right back
on the ship.

St. Lucie was enjoyable. Took a bus tour around the island and had a great guide. He was very
knowledgeable of the island's flora and fauna, stopping at several trees along the way to point out
peculiarities.

Bonaire and Aruba were very nice. Very clean and well maintained. We took a couple hour Segway tour
in Bonaire, looking at the beaches and the salt production area. Very interesting. Lots of scuba
diving about 50 yards off shore. No sand on the beaches there because the sand blows into the sea
and kills the coral. Local government prohibits putting sand on the beaches. If folks who live on
the coast want sand, they must import it and wall it in so it cannot blow into the sea.

Aruba also has lots of scuba diving. The island is very sparse when it comes to vegetation, as is
Bonaire.

The trip was very enjoyable!

===

Too bad you didn't get to see more of Antigua. You were no doubt on
the north end at St Johns which I think is the only port big enough
for a cruise ship. The more interesting harbors where the big yachts
hang out are at the south end, Falmouth and English Harbour. You'd
have to rent a car or go on a tour to get there. Hawksbill Resort, a
bit west of St Johns, is also a very nice place to hang out.

Trust me, even the worst parts of Antigua are nothing like Hati except
for the little fake village called Labadee where the Royal Caribbean
cruise ships take people. We were there once and it seems very serene
until you realize that you're surrounded by barbed wire fences
patroled by heavily armed guards. We were even escorted by armed
guards when kayaking.

I'm sure we'd have been better impressed if we'd signed up for an excursion tour. I'd do more and
different excursions if we did that trip again.

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 11:30:45 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 22:58:51 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 19:44:58 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:08:54 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 10:40:52 -0500, John H
wrote:

Hope your trip was spectacular. Understand you went to Antigua, St. Lucie, Bonaire, and Aruba on the
Disney Wonder! Great time, I'm sure. Probably gained a few pounds with the fantastic fare.

Glad you're back!


===

Sounds like an interesting itinerary. What were your favorite stops
and activities?

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com

Antigua was the least favorite. The place made me imagine what Haiti must be like. Maybe we just
didn't see enough of the place. We got off the ship, walked around about an hour and got right back
on the ship.

St. Lucie was enjoyable. Took a bus tour around the island and had a great guide. He was very
knowledgeable of the island's flora and fauna, stopping at several trees along the way to point out
peculiarities.

Bonaire and Aruba were very nice. Very clean and well maintained. We took a couple hour Segway tour
in Bonaire, looking at the beaches and the salt production area. Very interesting. Lots of scuba
diving about 50 yards off shore. No sand on the beaches there because the sand blows into the sea
and kills the coral. Local government prohibits putting sand on the beaches. If folks who live on
the coast want sand, they must import it and wall it in so it cannot blow into the sea.

Aruba also has lots of scuba diving. The island is very sparse when it comes to vegetation, as is
Bonaire.

The trip was very enjoyable!

===

Too bad you didn't get to see more of Antigua. You were no doubt on
the north end at St Johns which I think is the only port big enough
for a cruise ship. The more interesting harbors where the big yachts
hang out are at the south end, Falmouth and English Harbour. You'd
have to rent a car or go on a tour to get there. Hawksbill Resort, a
bit west of St Johns, is also a very nice place to hang out.

Trust me, even the worst parts of Antigua are nothing like Hati except
for the little fake village called Labadee where the Royal Caribbean
cruise ships take people. We were there once and it seems very serene
until you realize that you're surrounded by barbed wire fences
patroled by heavily armed guards. We were even escorted by armed
guards when kayaking.

I'm sure we'd have been better impressed if we'd signed up for an excursion tour. I'd do more and
different excursions if we did that trip again.

We always try to avoid those excursions. They are expensive and a
little too "canned" for us. I think the one that finished it for us
was the plant hike in St Croix. We signed up not being sure what to
expect and were met at the dock by "Ooh Alooloo" a black guy (not
unusual in the islands) but we just started walking from there up
through residential neighborhoods looking at the weeds in people's
yards. It was the same crap that grows behind my house and he didn't
even know the real names for anything. It was just stuff he made up.
After talking to him a while, it turned out he was Lou from Detroit
and he was just a formerly homeless guy in St Croix who got this gig
from Carnival.
We paid them something like $50 a head. He wouldn't say what his cut
was but I assume taking 8-10 people for a 2 hour walk every time a
ship landed would pay for an apartment there..

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 14:11:54 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 11:30:45 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 22:58:51 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 19:44:58 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:08:54 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 10:40:52 -0500, John H
wrote:

Hope your trip was spectacular. Understand you went to Antigua, St. Lucie, Bonaire, and Aruba on the
Disney Wonder! Great time, I'm sure. Probably gained a few pounds with the fantastic fare.

Glad you're back!


===

Sounds like an interesting itinerary. What were your favorite stops
and activities?

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com

Antigua was the least favorite. The place made me imagine what Haiti must be like. Maybe we just
didn't see enough of the place. We got off the ship, walked around about an hour and got right back
on the ship.

St. Lucie was enjoyable. Took a bus tour around the island and had a great guide. He was very
knowledgeable of the island's flora and fauna, stopping at several trees along the way to point out
peculiarities.

Bonaire and Aruba were very nice. Very clean and well maintained. We took a couple hour Segway tour
in Bonaire, looking at the beaches and the salt production area. Very interesting. Lots of scuba
diving about 50 yards off shore. No sand on the beaches there because the sand blows into the sea
and kills the coral. Local government prohibits putting sand on the beaches. If folks who live on
the coast want sand, they must import it and wall it in so it cannot blow into the sea.

Aruba also has lots of scuba diving. The island is very sparse when it comes to vegetation, as is
Bonaire.

The trip was very enjoyable!

===

Too bad you didn't get to see more of Antigua. You were no doubt on
the north end at St Johns which I think is the only port big enough
for a cruise ship. The more interesting harbors where the big yachts
hang out are at the south end, Falmouth and English Harbour. You'd
have to rent a car or go on a tour to get there. Hawksbill Resort, a
bit west of St Johns, is also a very nice place to hang out.

Trust me, even the worst parts of Antigua are nothing like Hati except
for the little fake village called Labadee where the Royal Caribbean
cruise ships take people. We were there once and it seems very serene
until you realize that you're surrounded by barbed wire fences
patroled by heavily armed guards. We were even escorted by armed
guards when kayaking.

I'm sure we'd have been better impressed if we'd signed up for an excursion tour. I'd do more and
different excursions if we did that trip again.

We always try to avoid those excursions. They are expensive and a
little too "canned" for us. I think the one that finished it for us
was the plant hike in St Croix. We signed up not being sure what to
expect and were met at the dock by "Ooh Alooloo" a black guy (not
unusual in the islands) but we just started walking from there up
through residential neighborhoods looking at the weeds in people's
yards. It was the same crap that grows behind my house and he didn't
even know the real names for anything. It was just stuff he made up.
After talking to him a while, it turned out he was Lou from Detroit
and he was just a formerly homeless guy in St Croix who got this gig
from Carnival.
We paid them something like $50 a head. He wouldn't say what his cut
was but I assume taking 8-10 people for a 2 hour walk every time a
ship landed would pay for an apartment there..

The excursions we went on this time were very enjoyable. Disney asks for input after the excursions,
and maybe they put a bit of effort into making sure they aren't ripoffs. I would always trust a
Disney excursion more than those being hawked on shore. I can't think of one that I didn't find
worth the money.

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 14:33:25 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 14:11:54 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 11:30:45 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 22:58:51 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 19:44:58 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:08:54 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 10:40:52 -0500, John H
wrote:

Hope your trip was spectacular. Understand you went to Antigua, St. Lucie, Bonaire, and Aruba on the
Disney Wonder! Great time, I'm sure. Probably gained a few pounds with the fantastic fare.

Glad you're back!


===

Sounds like an interesting itinerary. What were your favorite stops
and activities?

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com

Antigua was the least favorite. The place made me imagine what Haiti must be like. Maybe we just
didn't see enough of the place. We got off the ship, walked around about an hour and got right back
on the ship.

St. Lucie was enjoyable. Took a bus tour around the island and had a great guide. He was very
knowledgeable of the island's flora and fauna, stopping at several trees along the way to point out
peculiarities.

Bonaire and Aruba were very nice. Very clean and well maintained. We took a couple hour Segway tour
in Bonaire, looking at the beaches and the salt production area. Very interesting. Lots of scuba
diving about 50 yards off shore. No sand on the beaches there because the sand blows into the sea
and kills the coral. Local government prohibits putting sand on the beaches. If folks who live on
the coast want sand, they must import it and wall it in so it cannot blow into the sea.

Aruba also has lots of scuba diving. The island is very sparse when it comes to vegetation, as is
Bonaire.

The trip was very enjoyable!

===

Too bad you didn't get to see more of Antigua. You were no doubt on
the north end at St Johns which I think is the only port big enough
for a cruise ship. The more interesting harbors where the big yachts
hang out are at the south end, Falmouth and English Harbour. You'd
have to rent a car or go on a tour to get there. Hawksbill Resort, a
bit west of St Johns, is also a very nice place to hang out.

Trust me, even the worst parts of Antigua are nothing like Hati except
for the little fake village called Labadee where the Royal Caribbean
cruise ships take people. We were there once and it seems very serene
until you realize that you're surrounded by barbed wire fences
patroled by heavily armed guards. We were even escorted by armed
guards when kayaking.

I'm sure we'd have been better impressed if we'd signed up for an excursion tour. I'd do more and
different excursions if we did that trip again.

We always try to avoid those excursions. They are expensive and a
little too "canned" for us. I think the one that finished it for us
was the plant hike in St Croix. We signed up not being sure what to
expect and were met at the dock by "Ooh Alooloo" a black guy (not
unusual in the islands) but we just started walking from there up
through residential neighborhoods looking at the weeds in people's
yards. It was the same crap that grows behind my house and he didn't
even know the real names for anything. It was just stuff he made up.
After talking to him a while, it turned out he was Lou from Detroit
and he was just a formerly homeless guy in St Croix who got this gig
from Carnival.
We paid them something like $50 a head. He wouldn't say what his cut
was but I assume taking 8-10 people for a 2 hour walk every time a
ship landed would pay for an apartment there..

The excursions we went on this time were very enjoyable. Disney asks for input after the excursions,
and maybe they put a bit of effort into making sure they aren't ripoffs. I would always trust a
Disney excursion more than those being hawked on shore. I can't think of one that I didn't find
worth the money.
We have had some good excursions, stingray city in Grand Cayman is
cool and we did a Jeep thing in Cozumel that was fun but mostly
because of the other 2 people in the Jeep.
This deal in St Croix came well rated and I guess if you are from Ohio
and don't know what you are looking at it might have been great.
In the end my wife was doing the tour for those people (she sold
landscape for over a year and had a flower store for 5) and me and Lou
were just walking together talking. After a few minutes that authentic
island accent slipped away, Mon became Man and it was like talking to
"Fitty Cent". He was an engaging guy but not much of a plant expert.
He did know which ones tasted good and which one gave you the ****s. I
suppose that is useful for a homeless guy. It was enlightening hearing
about being homeless in St Croix tho. Their welfare system is not very
robust. I think in the end we gave it a pretty good rating too but not
because it was what they sold us.
In the end we travel to meet different people and that guy was
different. We also enjoyed talking to an off duty bar maid in a bar
near the dock for an hour or so. She told us all about what it is like
to pack up and move to St Croix. We also got some insights into how it
is to live there. She was a Florida girl.

On Friday, February 9, 2018 at 2:33:26 PM UTC-5, John H wrote:
On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 14:11:54 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 11:30:45 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 22:58:51 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 19:44:58 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:08:54 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 10:40:52 -0500, John H
wrote:

Hope your trip was spectacular. Understand you went to Antigua, St. Lucie, Bonaire, and Aruba on the
Disney Wonder! Great time, I'm sure. Probably gained a few pounds with the fantastic fare.

Glad you're back!


===

Sounds like an interesting itinerary. What were your favorite stops
and activities?

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com

Antigua was the least favorite. The place made me imagine what Haiti must be like. Maybe we just
didn't see enough of the place. We got off the ship, walked around about an hour and got right back
on the ship.

St. Lucie was enjoyable. Took a bus tour around the island and had a great guide. He was very
knowledgeable of the island's flora and fauna, stopping at several trees along the way to point out
peculiarities.

Bonaire and Aruba were very nice. Very clean and well maintained. We took a couple hour Segway tour
in Bonaire, looking at the beaches and the salt production area. Very interesting. Lots of scuba
diving about 50 yards off shore. No sand on the beaches there because the sand blows into the sea
and kills the coral. Local government prohibits putting sand on the beaches. If folks who live on
the coast want sand, they must import it and wall it in so it cannot blow into the sea.

Aruba also has lots of scuba diving. The island is very sparse when it comes to vegetation, as is
Bonaire.

The trip was very enjoyable!

===

Too bad you didn't get to see more of Antigua. You were no doubt on
the north end at St Johns which I think is the only port big enough
for a cruise ship. The more interesting harbors where the big yachts
hang out are at the south end, Falmouth and English Harbour. You'd
have to rent a car or go on a tour to get there. Hawksbill Resort, a
bit west of St Johns, is also a very nice place to hang out.

Trust me, even the worst parts of Antigua are nothing like Hati except
for the little fake village called Labadee where the Royal Caribbean
cruise ships take people. We were there once and it seems very serene
until you realize that you're surrounded by barbed wire fences
patroled by heavily armed guards. We were even escorted by armed
guards when kayaking.

I'm sure we'd have been better impressed if we'd signed up for an excursion tour. I'd do more and
different excursions if we did that trip again.

We always try to avoid those excursions. They are expensive and a
little too "canned" for us. I think the one that finished it for us
was the plant hike in St Croix. We signed up not being sure what to
expect and were met at the dock by "Ooh Alooloo" a black guy (not
unusual in the islands) but we just started walking from there up
through residential neighborhoods looking at the weeds in people's
yards. It was the same crap that grows behind my house and he didn't
even know the real names for anything. It was just stuff he made up.
After talking to him a while, it turned out he was Lou from Detroit
and he was just a formerly homeless guy in St Croix who got this gig
from Carnival.
We paid them something like $50 a head. He wouldn't say what his cut
was but I assume taking 8-10 people for a 2 hour walk every time a
ship landed would pay for an apartment there..

The excursions we went on this time were very enjoyable. Disney asks for input after the excursions,
and maybe they put a bit of effort into making sure they aren't ripoffs. I would always trust a
Disney excursion more than those being hawked on shore. I can't think of one that I didn't find
worth the money.

Sounds like you had a good time. I've never been on a Disney cruise, and probably never will. Been on 3 Carnival cruises. The one almost 25 years ago was nice, good food, etc. one about 10 years later had slipped some. The last one 6 or so years ago we wouldn't have gone on except it was a family thing. Really bad. Carnival is the Walmart of cruises. Never again.

I want to go on a Lindblad cruise. They really look exceptional, and are on small ships with nice service and real National Geographic folks onboard to tell you what you're seeing on the land excursions. There's one that goes down the coast of Costa Rica, stopping two or three times, then through the Panama Canal. That would be great, but they are very spendy.

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 14:11:54 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 09 Feb 2018 11:30:45 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 22:58:51 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 19:44:58 -0500, John H.
wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:08:54 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 08 Feb 2018 10:40:52 -0500, John H
wrote:

Hope your trip was spectacular. Understand you went to Antigua, St. Lucie, Bonaire, and Aruba on the
Disney Wonder! Great time, I'm sure. Probably gained a few pounds with the fantastic fare.

Glad you're back!


===

Sounds like an interesting itinerary. What were your favorite stops
and activities?

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
http://www.avg.com

Antigua was the least favorite. The place made me imagine what Haiti must be like. Maybe we just
didn't see enough of the place. We got off the ship, walked around about an hour and got right back
on the ship.

St. Lucie was enjoyable. Took a bus tour around the island and had a great guide. He was very
knowledgeable of the island's flora and fauna, stopping at several trees along the way to point out
peculiarities.

Bonaire and Aruba were very nice. Very clean and well maintained. We took a couple hour Segway tour
in Bonaire, looking at the beaches and the salt production area. Very interesting. Lots of scuba
diving about 50 yards off shore. No sand on the beaches there because the sand blows into the sea
and kills the coral. Local government prohibits putting sand on the beaches. If folks who live on
the coast want sand, they must import it and wall it in so it cannot blow into the sea.

Aruba also has lots of scuba diving. The island is very sparse when it comes to vegetation, as is
Bonaire.

The trip was very enjoyable!

===

Too bad you didn't get to see more of Antigua. You were no doubt on
the north end at St Johns which I think is the only port big enough
for a cruise ship. The more interesting harbors where the big yachts
hang out are at the south end, Falmouth and English Harbour. You'd
have to rent a car or go on a tour to get there. Hawksbill Resort, a
bit west of St Johns, is also a very nice place to hang out.

Trust me, even the worst parts of Antigua are nothing like Hati except
for the little fake village called Labadee where the Royal Caribbean
cruise ships take people. We were there once and it seems very serene
until you realize that you're surrounded by barbed wire fences
patroled by heavily armed guards. We were even escorted by armed
guards when kayaking.

I'm sure we'd have been better impressed if we'd signed up for an excursion tour. I'd do more and
different excursions if we did that trip again.

We always try to avoid those excursions. They are expensive and a
little too "canned" for us. I think the one that finished it for us
was the plant hike in St Croix. We signed up not being sure what to
expect and were met at the dock by "Ooh Alooloo" a black guy (not
unusual in the islands) but we just started walking from there up
through residential neighborhoods looking at the weeds in people's
yards. It was the same crap that grows behind my house and he didn't
even know the real names for anything. It was just stuff he made up.
After talking to him a while, it turned out he was Lou from Detroit
and he was just a formerly homeless guy in St Croix who got this gig
from Carnival.
We paid them something like $50 a head. He wouldn't say what his cut
was but I assume taking 8-10 people for a 2 hour walk every time a
ship landed would pay for an apartment there..

===

I agree that some of the excursion opportunities are pricey, but if
you're on a tight schedule, and/or not likely to get back any time
soon (if ever), the excursions offer a chance to see and do things
that you'd otherwise miss out on. We took advantage of all the
excursion opportunities when we did our Alaska cruise and never
regretted any of them - a sightseeing flight around the summit of
Denali (Mt McKinley) in a twin engine turbo prop; a helicopter flight
to the top of the Mendenhall glacier with plenty of walking around
time; a float plane flight into Misty Fjords with a landing and
dockage in the back country; and a jet boat trip up the Chilkat River
into the eagle preserve. Every one of them was memorable.