Freedom from the Polar Vortex... The GDF family sails RCCL

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

 

See! She's like me. She'll never be quiet!

 

And sometimes that is my downfall ...

[Big Kahuna aka John 71]

It would be creepy for sure, but remember that these ships are not registered in the US and might not fall under US privacy laws. 

 

Not that I'm suggesting that they have cameras in the rooms.  Unless these are registered in the Russian Federation. 

Or built by the NSA.... :rofl3:

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Or built by the NSA.... :rofl3:

 

Sad, but true!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Let’s do a weekend update, shall we?

 

First of all, I’m disappointed with you people. Where’s Aaron? Z picked up a beautiful older lady in the hot tub and got no comments on that?

 

Anyway, on to….

 

Tuesday, April 1

 

At around 8:00 AM, the Freedom arrived in Labadee. Labadee is actually part of Haiti, but Royal has been leasing this walled off peninsula for a long time. It used to be a tender port, but at some point, they built a pier. I was happy about that because walking off the ship is so much easier.

 

Our plan for the day was to have a laid back beach day and to perhaps try out the “coaster,” which is really more of a bobsled on rails.

 

Our morning started with room service breakfast. We put out the door hanger the night before, so breakfast was our wake up call.

 

Want to see the menu?

 

Complementary drinks

 

 

Drinks you have to pay for

 

 

Food

 

 

More food

 

 

I’ve heard Royal is one of few lines that still offers hot breakfast. I’m not sure if that’s true though.

 

Our first view of Haiti

 

 

Breakfast was good! And actually hot. I was wondering if it would be.

 

 

Love this breakfast view

 

 

We saw this boat going out, probably an excursion.

 

 

I’m ready for a beach day.

 

 

We got off the ship and decided to walk to Columbus Cove, the beach that’s the farthest away. I think there are around 5 named beaches. I’d heard that Columbus Cove was the one with the fewest rocks in the water and not as crowded as many because people don’t want to walk. There is a tram you can take, but we walked so we could explore.

 

 

 

A band greeting us.

 

 

We passed this area which is one of several that serves a BBQ lunch; it’s included.

 

 

There’s a spa.

 

 

We arrived at Columbus Cove and were greeted by a man who works there. A $5 tip got us chairs right at the water line and in the shade. Yay!

 

 

My view

 

 

A look down the beach

 

 

Jason was enjoying some relaxation.

 

 

A view of the Freedom from the water

 

 

Z relaxed too!

 

 

We’ll continue with Labadee, including lunch and more exploration in the next update!

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Isn't Labadee beautiful?  I like it much better than Coco Cay, RCCL's other private island.

 

Glad to hear they finally built a pier there.  Tendering was a pain.  Hope your lunch was as good as it used to be.

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Looks like an awesome day. I think that was our problem at Castaway Cay. We didn't get up early enough to score any beach chairs in the shade. 

[Beckers 1,136]

That looks beautiful!

[sherryberry 35]

Man, I really love Disney and the Fort - but, I'm thinking we're way overdue for another cruise!

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Finally caught up.

Z is quite the ladies man.

Thya is one beautiful ship.

Labedee is gorgeous.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Isn't Labadee beautiful?  I like it much better than Coco Cay, RCCL's other private island.

 

Glad to hear they finally built a pier there.  Tendering was a pain.  Hope your lunch was as good as it used to be.

 

Labadee is soooooooooooooooo pretty. When I first heard that it was actually Haiti, I was hesitant about getting off the ship. But, the more I read about how crucial the port is to the local economy and the more I saw pictures, I became excited about visiting.

 

I bought the black hat I'm wearing at the market. It was perfect for the trip! 

 

Looks like an awesome day. I think that was our problem at Castaway Cay. We didn't get up early enough to score any beach chairs in the shade. 

 

It was a great day. They sell private cabanas with shade, but there is so much shade otherwise. We didn't even get out there until about 10 (2 hours after arrival) and still got a great spot. There are also blue clam shell type shade things that 2 chairs fit under. They're free, but the men who bring them to you do expect a tip. Royal brings bartenders, etc. off the ship, but from what I've read they also employee about 300 locals. 

 

That looks beautiful!

 

It really was. It's too bad that the government can't make it more of a travel destination like the Dominican Republic. 

 

Man, I really love Disney and the Fort - but, I'm thinking we're way overdue for another cruise!

 

We really had a good time. But I do still miss Disney. 

 

Finally caught up.

Z is quite the ladies man.

Thya is one beautiful ship.

Labedee is gorgeous.

 

Glad you caught up! Both the ship and Labadee are beautiful. 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Labadee looks nice.  As you probably remember, I hate beaches.  But that one looks beautiful.  

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Labadee looks nice. As you probably remember, I hate beaches. But that one looks beautiful.

What?

You hate beaches?

I bet you like Clementine's Beach?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

On DCL, can you bring alcohol on at any port or just when you embark?

You can reload in port. I've mostly been on Bahamas cruises with DCL, which means a stop in Nassau. There are several stores within a short walk of the pier where you can buy liquor and carry it back on the ship. On other cruise lines, I believe they take your liquor from you and you pick it back up when you're leaving the ship at the end of the cruise.

 

You already notice the no shows, huh? You might be disappointed. We didn't go to a single show in the main theater

I'm not disappointed at all. On our first few cruises, which were not DCL, we went to the shows because it felt wrong to skip them. Then we started skipping them, and I was fine with that.

 

On DCL, the shows are so good that I feel obligated to go.  But, I'd rather be sitting in a hot tub/balcony drinking a beer.

 

A couple of comments on the Labadee update:

 

1.  DCL doesn't offer hot breakfast from room service (for the regular rooms-concierge floors get it).

2. Labadee looks exactly the same as it did 26 years ago.  The spa, coaster, and four beaches weren't there then.  And the ship anchored in the cove and used tenders.  But the water and surroundings look the same.

 

I actually did find some photos from my first cruise on RCCL in 1988.  I will scan and post a few when I get a chance.

 

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Labadee looks nice.  As you probably remember, I hate beaches.  But that one looks beautiful.  

 

I forgot you hate beaches. I think you revealed that tidbit during my Topsail TR though. It's really pretty, and there's stuff to do for weird people like you that hate the beach. 

 

What?

You hate beaches?

I bet you like Clementine's Beach?

 

Dave is weird. But we already knew that, right? 

 

You can reload in port. I've mostly been on Bahamas cruises with DCL, which means a stop in Nassau. There are several stores within a short walk of the pier where you can buy liquor and carry it back on the ship. On other cruise lines, I believe they take your liquor from you and you pick it back up when you're leaving the ship at the end of the cruise.

 

I'm not disappointed at all. On our first few cruises, which were not DCL, we went to the shows because it felt wrong to skip them. Then we started skipping them, and I was fine with that.

 

On DCL, the shows are so good that I feel obligated to go.  But, I'd rather be sitting in a hot tub/balcony drinking a beer.

 

A couple of comments on the Labadee update:

 

1.  DCL doesn't offer hot breakfast from room service (for the regular rooms-concierge floors get it).

2. Labadee looks exactly the same as it did 26 years ago.  The spa, coaster, and four beaches weren't there then.  And the ship anchored in the cove and used tenders.  But the water and surroundings look the same.

 

I actually did find some photos from my first cruise on RCCL in 1988.  I will scan and post a few when I get a chance.

 

 

TCD

 

Nice that you can reload! I'll have to keep that in mind in the future. 

 

There were nights that I wanted to see the shows, but it just didn't happen. I really wanted to take Z to the magic show because I heard it was particularly good. That said, we had a blast doing when we did. And Jason had such a good time that he can't wait to go again. This is exactly the opposite of how he felt after our first cruise, so that's a success! I know the shows wouldn't have been Disney quality. 

 

I can't wait to see your old pictures!!! 

[GOBA Mom Lynn 18]

Thanks for all the great photos.

They're helping me get ready for my trip in June to Bermuda.

And I love your nail polish  :)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

 

I can't wait to see your old pictures!!! 

 

OK, you asked.

 

I found three envelopes of photos and negatives.  Some of the photos are missing, and are in a photo album that is stored away somewhere.  So, these were not the best photos from the trip.

 

These are from our cruise aboard the RCCL's Sovereign of the Seas.  We went for our second anniversary, which means these are from August, 1989.  This was a brand new ship at the time, and the largest in the world. It had just begun cruising in January, 1988.  They were still selling gear aboard labeled "Inaugural Cruise."

 

I had never cruised before.  We had an outside cabin.  There were very few balconies on this ship.  That wasn't a trend in those days.  The cabin was small.  There were two beds in it that the steward pushed together and made up at night, and then separated in the morning so we had floor space.  This photo was taken from the hallway:

 

 

When DCL came along, one of their innovations was to offer much larger cabins than was industry standard at the time.  The cruise industry has since caught up with DCL in this regard.

 

Our cruise was a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise.  We visited St. Thomas, San Juan, and Labadee.  This is the ship anchored at Labadee.  You can see one of the tenders used to get passengers back and forth there to the left of the ship:

 

 

I remember there not being too much to Labadee. There were paths, a dining pavilion, some very rustic restrooms, and the beach.

 

This is us along one of the paths with the ship out in the harbor.  My camera had a timer on it, but I wasn't too good with aiming it:

 

 

I remember that Labadee was very rocky.  Here we are along the path again:

 

 

That's pretty much all I have of Labadee. I know that we snorkeled and ate lunch on the island.  I don't think there was anything more to do there.

 

We loved St. Thomas. We took a helicopter tour there, and since I had invented Selfies a couple of years earlier, I took another one.  As you see, I was getting better:

 

 

So, there's a Selfie from 1989-24 1/2 years ago.  Top that.

 

This is the ship from the helicopter.  St. Thomas was beautiful:

 

 

One last photo from the cruise.  People often wonder how it is that I ended up with Mrs. TCD since she clearly is way out of my league.  What you don't know is that I used to be in her league:

 

 

She has aged a lot better than I have.

 

It looks like I have a nice Mai Tai in that photo.

 

It has always been good to be TCD. 

 

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

The Sovereign was a great ship.  I've sailed on her two or three times, the last one being in November 2007.  Her sister ships, Majesty and Monarch, were great too.  

 

BTW, Mrs. TCD was and is beautiful.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

TCD,

 

I love the pictures! Thanks for sharing. We never made it out to that rocky point in Labadee, but I know it's still there. I'm going to make it a point to explore more when we go with my mom next year. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Monday 4/1 Continued…

 

Let’s go back to Labadee….

 

Jason got in the water! That's not as rare as I pretend it is, but I like to tease him. 

 

 

It’s almost lunch time, cheers!

 

 

We walked over to get some lunch. Lunch on Labadee is brought off the ship. It’s a buffet of burgers, hot dogs, ribs, and some sides. It’s served in 3 different places which was nice because there wasn’t a line and it was easy to find seating.

 

Seating is either at tables with umbrellas or in a pavilion. We chose a table.

 

 

 

Pavilion

 

 

I went to make a plate for Z and me. Here’s mine.

 

 

The food was good. I prefer my cheese melted, but it’s not that big of a deal.

 

 

After lunch, we swam a little more. Here’s what it looks like walking to the beach. One of the dining locations is really close to Columbus Cove.

 

 

 

We brought sand toys for Z. That was smart.

 

 

After swimming, we went exploring. Here’s the path back to everything else in Labadee and the ship. You can also see the tram they run. You can also walk because it isn’t very far.

 

 

Here’s a map of Labadee that I probably should have posted earlier.

 

 

We’re now going from Columbus Cove to Adrenaline Beach.

 

They allow a set number of local vendors to set up in one area and up on a hill. I got my hat from one of them when we first arrived because I had forgotten to pack a hat.

 

 

 

 

 

Not sure how you’d pack these.

 

 

We arrived at Adrenaline Beach.

 

 

Adrenaline Beach is really pretty, but the water is really rocky. I guess it isn’t bad if you have water shoes and no young kids though.

 

You can see some clamshells here.

 

 

And beds on the beach! I think you have to rent them, but I did hear that the ones that aren’t reserved are up for grabs. It’s later in the afternoon, and they’re empty.

 

 

We weren’t lounging around though. We had a mission. We wanted to ride the Dragon’s Tail roller coaster which is kind of like a railed bobsled. You have to pay to do this, which kind of stinks, but it and the $5 tip were the only money we spent that day. A rider can ride for free with the driver, so we decided Z could ride once with each of us since he’s a thrill ride junkie.

 

Will we survive a roller coaster in Haiti? Will Z love it or hate it? We’ll ride in the next update! 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

TCD,

 

I love the pictures! Thanks for sharing. We never made it out to that rocky point in Labadee, but I know it's still there. I'm going to make it a point to explore more when we go with my mom next year. 

 

That rock formation in the water is called Dragon's Rock.  If you view it from just the right spot and the water hits it in a certain way, it looks like the dragon is spewing water out of its mouth.  I saw it, ran to get my camera, waited forever, and didn't see it again until after I put my camera away.  

 

 

Adrenaline Beach and that entire side of the peninsula used to be off limits for swimming because of sea lice.  

[DaveInTN 3,247]

 

Adrenaline Beach and that entire side of the peninsula used to be off limits for swimming because of sea lice.  

 

 

Ewww.

 

And y'all wonder why I hate the beach? 

 

And Andrew....it's nice to see I'm not the only one who's wife has aged better than I have.  It's definitely good to be DIT, too. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

That rock formation in the water is called Dragon's Rock.  If you view it from just the right spot and the water hits it in a certain way, it looks like the dragon is spewing water out of its mouth.  I saw it, ran to get my camera, waited forever, and didn't see it again until after I put my camera away.  

 

 

Adrenaline Beach and that entire side of the peninsula used to be off limits for swimming because of sea lice.

 

I see that on the map.  I don't remember it being called that back then.  That is something that I would remember.  Looking at the map, I remember that we did walk along the coast all the way out to that rocky point.  I don't think we could go any further.

 

I see that there are zip lines there now too.  Wow.

 

I don't remember any beaches with names- especially not Adrenaline Beach.  I would have checked that out for sure.

 

There really was nothing on the island peninsula  back then.  I would have taken more photos for sure if there was.  And by the way, they went out of their way back then to not mention that we were in Haiti.  I had no idea that we weren't on an island until after we got back from the cruise, and I tried to figure out where we had been.  Remember, there was no internet back then, so companies could pull stuff like that.

 

 

 

Ewww.

 

And y'all wonder why I hate the beach?

 

And Andrew....it's nice to see I'm not the only one who's wife has aged better than I have.  It's definitely good to be DIT, too.

 

It must have something to do with being the only male in the house.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

 

 

It must have something to do with being the only male in the house.

 

TCD

 

At least your dog is a male. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

At least your dog is a male. 

 

The one before this one, may she rest in peace, was not.

 

But, you're right, thank goodness for Rocky.  Now that the girls are all off at college, the men outnumber the women in the TCD house for the first time ever.

 

 I have Rocky.  You have Foofy.

 

I feel your pain, brother

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Thanks for all the great photos.

They're helping me get ready for my trip in June to Bermuda.

And I love your nail polish :)

So glad you're enjoying them and that they're helping you. And thinks for the complement on the polish. It's gel polish that lasts for 2 weeks. I do them myself.