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

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

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.  

 

Sea lice? There were definitely people swimming there when we went.

 

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. 

 

Do you dislike pools too or just sand and ocean?

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

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

 

TCD

 

I think they named the beach when they put the coaster and zip line there. 

 

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

 

Foofy.... ha ha ha!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

It’s coaster time! This was something that Jason was really looking forward to, and if you’ve read previous trip reports, you know that Z is a daredevil. We bought our wristbands and headed over.

 

 

Remember, you get to take a rider with you for free, so we decided that Jason would take Z first, and when they finished, I’d take him as long as he liked it.

 

 

But, the guy seating people was really nice, and there was no line, so he told me I could ride behind them and then take Z again. Yay!

 

They showed us how to use the brakes. Of course Jason wanted to know if he HAD to ever brake. The guy said not until the end.

 

Here we go!

 

 

Alright, that’s the only picture of the track I have because you aren’t supposed to take pictures, and since you have to brake yourself, I was scared to be taking them.

 

But here’s a POV youtube video if you want to see it.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTTpopoAYZc

 

Z loved it, of course! So I took him again.

 

This is us getting ready to ride the second time.

 

 

Random guy at the end… Jason tried to take a picture of us but ended up missing it.

 

 

Clouds were really rolling in as you can see from this zip line picture.

 

TCD mentioned that the zip line is new. It is. It’s supposed to be the longest zip line over water. It’s also really expensive, around $80 I think. Personally, I’m a wimp and would probably wet my pants if I did it, but here’s a POV video if you’re interested in it.  I bet my brother will be.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRTxkcML-ew

 

The clouds were getting really bad, so we decided to head back to the ship.

 

More Adrenaline beach pictures.

 

You can see the rock formation from TCD’s pictures in this one.

 

 

And this one

 

 

We found the splash park, and Z couldn’t resist, so we let him play.

 

 

I’m not sure if he was the only one because of the clouds or because it was getting close to the time we needed to board the ship.

 

 

Bathrooms

 

 

They had some entertainment as we boarded. He had fire, but that’s a bad picture.

 

 

We got back to our room and saw that a helicopter was coming in. We had a great day in Labadee, but someone hadn’t.

 

 

I found out later that it was a medical evacuation, and that person was taken to a hospital in the Dominican Republic. Hopefully, they are OK.

 

Once the evacuation was over, we set sail under cloudy skies.

 

 

Here are some pictures of the Haitian coast.

 

 

 

 

Bye Bye Labadee

 

 

My overall impression of Labadee, Haiti is good, and I was very hesitant at first. The area is beautiful, and it’s a shame that the Haitian government can’t work to control corruption and expand tourism like other Caribbean islands. I like that they’ve brought in some locals both to work and to sell goods. The goods aren’t “in your face” because you have to go over to that area; the vendors can’t walk around. I also like that Labadee has a variety of activities. If you just want to lounge at the beach, you can. If you’re weird like DIT and don’t like the beach, there are lots of other activities you can do. One thing I didn’t get pictures of (but there are plenty on the internet) are the private cabanas you can rent on 2 of the beaches. The pricing is very similar to Disney’s for those, and they include an attendant and floating mats.

 

We relaxed for a bit and decided what to do next (see, I’m being spontaneous and not planning… aren’t you proud?).

 

Next up we’ll head back to the “hot pool” and go to a restaurant other than the main dining room for dinner. 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Thank you for the coaster and the zipline videos.  If I ever make it back to Labadee, I will be staying off both.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

I am sorry I was away for the weekend and a ton of stuff going on but I am caught up!

Z picking up older ladies is now officially a trend. Good job Z.

The coaster looks pretty sweet. I think I would enjoy the zip-line too.

Love all the pics from the balcony and of the private peninsula.

Props on figuring out a way to keep your fridge stocked with beer.

Your TR even spawned a TCD trip back in time hijack.

Not bad.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Good for you for being spontaneous and not planning!

 

There definitely was no coaster or zip line on Labadee when we went.

 

And, even though they look fun, no way would I partake.  In our early years of cruising, I used to love me a nice shore excursion.

 

Then, we went on the Big Red Boat with my oldest daughter when she was 5. 

 

They had a parasail excursion.  It was two island guys with a crappy boat and a crappier parachute with knotted and frayed ropes.  They looked like they had been smoking dope all day.  And, we were supposed to trust them with our lives?

 

Think about it.

 

You're in a third world country engaging in a hazardous activity.  Do you think anybody inspects or regulates this stuff?  What happens if you get hurt?  What kind of medical facilities are there? 

 

No thanks.

 

TCD

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Looks likes great was had at labadee.

Nothing better than a frozen drink on a sandy beach.

Cool coaster.

I can't believe you didn't try the zip line. Who cares if you would have peed your pants, your over water. Just warn the people below you.

There's definitely a pattern of fiend men that have married up and us guys who out numbered by the women in our lives.

Foofy? Foofy? Dave?

Not planning Rocks!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Thank you for the coaster and the zipline videos.  If I ever make it back to Labadee, I will be staying off both.

 

Ha ha! I don't blame you about the zip line. The coaster was pretty fun though. 

 

I am sorry I was away for the weekend and a ton of stuff going on but I am caught up!

Z picking up older ladies is now officially a trend. Good job Z.

The coaster looks pretty sweet. I think I would enjoy the zip-line too.

Love all the pics from the balcony and of the private peninsula.

Props on figuring out a way to keep your fridge stocked with beer.

Your TR even spawned a TCD trip back in time hijack.

Not bad.

 

That was a good hijack right? I love all the old photos people post. 

 

Z is the man. He picked up some ladies in Labadee too, but they go to a neighboring school, so I'm not going to post the pictures. He collected shells for them to win them over. 

 

Good for you for being spontaneous and not planning!

 

There definitely was no coaster or zip line on Labadee when we went.

 

And, even though they look fun, no way would I partake.  In our early years of cruising, I used to love me a nice shore excursion.

 

Then, we went on the Big Red Boat with my oldest daughter when she was 5. 

 

They had a parasail excursion.  It was two island guys with a crappy boat and a crappier parachute with knotted and frayed ropes.  They looked like they had been smoking dope all day.  And, we were supposed to trust them with our lives?

 

Think about it.

 

You're in a third world country engaging in a hazardous activity.  Do you think anybody inspects or regulates this stuff?  What happens if you get hurt?  What kind of medical facilities are there? 

 

No thanks.

 

TCD

 

Those are good points. RCCL owns those attractions though, so I don't think they'd let anything happen. But it could. 

 

Looks likes great was had at labadee.

Nothing better than a frozen drink on a sandy beach.

Cool coaster.

I can't believe you didn't try the zip line. Who cares if you would have peed your pants, your over water. Just warn the people below you.

There's definitely a pattern of fiend men that have married up and us guys who out numbered by the women in our lives.

Foofy? Foofy? Dave?

Not planning Rocks!

 

The coaster was fun!

 

Frozen drinks on the beach are definitely SC on the DIT scale. 

 

It's funny you mention peeing over the water because Jason said something similar when I shared my fear. I'm even afraid of the ToT, so there is no way that zip line is in my future. 

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

 

It's funny you mention peeing over the water because Jason said something similar when I shared my fear. I'm even afraid of the ToT, so there is no way that zip line is in my future. 

 

I would ride that zipline 100 times before I would be caught on ToT!

[Beckers 1,136]

I am sorry I was away for the weekend and a ton of stuff going on but I am caught up!

/quote]

Does that mean a TR from you?

[Beckers 1,136]

They had a parasail excursion. It was two island guys with a crappy boat and a crappier parachute with knotted and frayed ropes. They looked like they had been smoking dope all day. And, we were supposed to trust them with our lives?

Think about it.

You're in a third world country engaging in a hazardous activity. Do you think anybody inspects or regulates this stuff? What happens if you get hurt? What kind of medical facilities are there?

No thanks.

TCD

I'm with you on this. Brian and I say that all the time while watching The Amazing Race. They are in the taxis telling the driver to drive faster in these crazy, congested, hot mess of traffic areas. No freaking way. I don't want to do anything slightly risky, nor get in any foreign taxis.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

I am sorry I was away for the weekend and a ton of stuff going on but I am caught up!

/quote]

Does that mean a TR from you?

No TR. It was baseball and a trip up north where we did a lot of walking on woods trails. Not much to report about.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I'm with you on this. Brian and I say that all the time while watching The Amazing Race. They are in the taxis telling the driver to drive faster in these crazy, congested, hot mess of traffic areas. No freaking way. I don't want to do anything slightly risky, nor get in any foreign taxis.

 

I guess I'm on the adventurous side. I would not have done it if it had been owned by some random tour company, but since Royal owns and employees everything and everyone on Labadee, I considered it safe. I wouldn't race in foreign taxis though, but I do ride in them. 

 

ame="ShinysparklybubblesBeckers" post="353371" timestamp="1397593914"]

No TR. It was baseball and a trip up north where we did a lot of walking on woods trails. Not much to report about.

 

Bummer, but your time travel report is still going strong!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Tuesday 4/1

 

Let’s finish up Tuesday. First, I forgot to share the pictures we got as part of our package. Since we knew we’d get all the digital pictures, we went ahead and posed a lot.

                                                                        

 

We should have made Z put sunglasses on.

 

 

Not hiding that we’re in Haiti these days.

 

 

I thought it was cool when I saw the photographers come out on the beach.

 

 

So I made the family pose too.

 

 

OK, so with that out of the way, we’re back to Monday evening.

 

Z was BEGGING to go back to the “hot pool,” and Jason really wanted to try Johnny Rockets, so we decided to skip the dining room and do that. We went to the pool for a bit. The cool thing about the pool in the early evening is that it’s empty.

 

We had our own hot  tub AKA hot pool.

 

 

Cheese!

 

 

After freshening up, we hit Johnny Rockets. The only problem is that there’s a $5 per person charge to eat there. Once you pay that, you can have as much and whatever you want, but I thought paying for burgers was dumb when there were free burgers around. But whatever, I’m keeping the family happy, so we went. I’ve heard that Johnny Rockets used to be free, but it was always really overcrowded, so they charge to keep the crowds down.

 

When you sit down, they bring you onion rings and fries. They were good, and Z liked the ketchup design.

 

 

Our waiter also let us know that he wasn’t going to charge for Z. That was nice.

 

We ordered some bacon cheese fries. YUM!

 

 

Johnny Rockets serves beer on Royal. I’m pretty sure the land restaurants don’t.

 

 

My burger

 

 

Now, when I was eating this burger, it tasted oddly familiar. I swore with the exception of the bun, it was the Bistro Burger from room service. I didn’t say anything at the time because I was the only one who had eaten one at this point. But fast forward a couple of days, and we ordered room service late at night. Jason tasted the Bistro Burger and said that it was the same seasoning and patty as the burgers at Johnny Rockets. So there’s another tip for you. We’re convinced they’re the same. And Jason knows his burger seasoning.

 

Z was excited about the Oreo sundae!

 

 

The waiters dance periodically.

 

 

Z decided he wanted to be in the show with Daddy.

 

So they were.

 

 

Overall, we really enjoyed Johnny Rockets. The food was good, and the service was excellent. I think it stinks that you have to pay to eat there though, since it’s just burgers. I’m not sure I’d eat there every cruise, but I guess the sundaes kind of make it worth it.

 

It was time to drop off Z for some adult time. I don’t know if it’s the lighting, but I don’t think I got a single picture of this entrance in focus.

 

 

We headed up to Olive or Twist which is the big round top of the aft of the ship. It has a cool view.

 

 

After some quiet time, we decided to head down to the Irish pub. We ran into some folks who we’d met before. And they had kids Z’s age, so we kept running into them. They were playing this game and invited us over.

 

 

That is a FUNNY game. It’s highly inappropriate and not good for people who get offended easily. But it’s funny. We laughed so hard. That reminds me, I need to buy it. 

 

After awhile, the music started.

 

 

Cheese! Wow, I look a lot like pictures of my mom when she was in her 30s in this one. 

 

 

We sang along, made requests, and generally had a good time.

 

Then we headed up to get Z.

 

This greeted us when we got to the cabin.

 

 

Z thought that it was really funny that he was wearing his glasses. That’s why he’s not wearing glasses in many of the pictures. He liked leaving them for our steward, Dexter.

 

After some balcony time, we went to bed. The ship was arriving in Falmouth, Jamaica at about 10AM and we were going to be somewhat adventurous by taking a cab to a place I’d read about.

 

Jamaica, mon… In the next update.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

The food looks good.

Adult games and drinks. Sounds good.

Looking forward to your Jamaican bobsled run.

[YodaGirl 13]

Looks like y'all had a good trip so far! I've been on a cruise once (The Big Red Boat), and I can't wait to go back. Our high school band went my junior year because someone thought it'd be a good idea to turn 100+ high school kids loose in the Bahamas. Maybe that wasn't such a good plan...

That roller coaster looks cool. Although there's no way I'd get on it. DH would, I'm sure.

[Beckers 1,136]

I just looked up that game and saw some of the cards. Whoaaaaaa man you are right that is not for the easily offended. I want it lol

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

I love the fact you can dump your kid, I mean take him to the kids club and have a nice evening with just adults.

I love pictures of Z. He cracks me up.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

The picture if Z with the sundae is priceless!

 

Looking forward to reading about Falmouth.  Been to Ocho Rios several times but never to Falmouth.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I guess I'm on the adventurous side. I would not have done it if it had been owned by some random tour company, but since Royal owns and employees everything and everyone on Labadee, I considered it safe.

 

Maybe.

 

You're still in a third world country, and relying on people who are not drug tested or background checked to keep things in safe working order.

 

And, if you're hurt, what kind of medical facility do you think you will be taken to?

 

I'm all about adventure, too.  Labadee doesn't look too bad, but be careful on the islands where the excursions are run by third parties. 

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

The food looks good.

Adult games and drinks. Sounds good.

Looking forward to your Jamaican bobsled run.

 

The food was good! And the game was a hoot. Adult time is fun. No bobsled in Jamaica, mon.... weren't you paying attention? We did that in Labadee.

 

Looks like y'all had a good trip so far! I've been on a cruise once (The Big Red Boat), and I can't wait to go back. Our high school band went my junior year because someone thought it'd be a good idea to turn 100+ high school kids loose in the Bahamas. Maybe that wasn't such a good plan...

That roller coaster looks cool. Although there's no way I'd get on it. DH would, I'm sure.

 

You should go on another cruise! One without 100 unsupervised high school kids! (but I bet you enjoyed that one too)

 

I just looked up that game and saw some of the cards. Whoaaaaaa man you are right that is not for the easily offended. I want it lol

 

Yeah, it's bad. I probably should have said that it's not even for people who sometimes get offended. 

 

But it's really funny. I ordered it yesterday.

 

I love the fact you can dump your kid, I mean take him to the kids club and have a nice evening with just adults.

I love pictures of Z. He cracks me up.

 

Having access to the kids club was a big reason we chose to go on a cruise. I love Z, and I love spending time with him, but I like adult time too. The funny thing is that when we'd go to pick him up, he would BEG us to leave and let him stay longer.

 

And Z is a funny kid!

 

The picture if Z with the sundae is priceless!

 

Looking forward to reading about Falmouth.  Been to Ocho Rios several times but never to Falmouth.

 

He was just a little excited about the sundae...

 

Falmouth will be coming shortly...

 

Maybe.

 

You're still in a third world country, and relying on people who are not drug tested or background checked to keep things in safe working order.

 

And, if you're hurt, what kind of medical facility do you think you will be taken to?

 

I'm all about adventure, too.  Labadee doesn't look too bad, but be careful on the islands where the excursions are run by third parties. 

 

TCD

 

All good points. Royal does do background checks though. 

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

A Labadee bobsled run cannot compare to a Jamaican bobsled run.

Come on.

Haitians don't bobsled.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Looks like y'all had a good trip so far! I've been on a cruise once (The Big Red Boat), and I can't wait to go back. Our high school band went my junior year because someone thought it'd be a good idea to turn 100+ high school kids loose in the Bahamas. Maybe that wasn't such a good plan...

That roller coaster looks cool. Although there's no way I'd get on it. DH would, I'm sure.

 

Hey, when was your cruise on the Big Red Boat?

 

On our last cruise on the Big Red Boat, we had a huge group of High School kids who had just graduated.  Holy Smokes, that was a bad idea!  What were their parents thinking?

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Hey, when was your cruise on the Big Red Boat?

 

On our last cruise on the Big Red Boat, we had a huge group of High School kids who had just graduated.  Holy Smokes, that was a bad idea!  What were their parents thinking?

 

TCD

 

How funny would that be if you were both on the same cruise, and yodagirl was one of the kids you were probably complaining about?!?!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Tuesday, April 3rd 

 

Let’s go to Jamaica! You need some back story first though. While most cruise lines go to Ocho Rios (and some may go to Montego Bay), RCCL now goes to Falmouth, a port that they built a few years ago. The town of Falmouth is old, but small, and the port area is still being developed somewhat. Some of the other cruise lines are also starting to use Royal’s port in Falmouth, so it will be interesting to see what the area looks like in a few years.

 

So all in all, there aren’t a ton of things to do in Falmouth, so I had a hard time deciding what we should do that day. You can go to Ocho Rios, but that’s about an hour away. Z is too young to climb Dunn’s River Falls anyway. You can go to Montego Bay, but that’s about 40 minutes away. We considered just staying in the port area, but that seemed like a shame. Royal Caribbean does offer an excursion to a place they call Red Stripe Beach in Falmouth, but many of the reviews aren’t good. It’s supposed to be crowded, especially when there are 2 ships in port. And I knew the Explorer would be there with us.

 

Some people talk about crime in Falmouth, that they don’t feel safe. I couldn’t find any specific issues with crime in my research though. I think people see some poverty, and it makes them uncomfortable. In any case, my research also led me to find Time n Place, a little rustic resort on the beach in Falmouth. Most of the reviews were great, and it was suggested as a relaxing day with Jamaican flavor. I found out that the place has also been used in a country music video and a movie. It looked beautiful, rustic, but beautiful. They also offer day passes for cruisers who would like to take a cab there. And they’re the #1 rated restaurant in Falmouth. We were sold!

 

The Freedom doesn’t arrive in Falmouth until 10:00 AM, so we got to sleep in and were woken up with room service (that became a pattern). I went out on the balcony and saw the Explorer.

 

 

More of the port area

 

 

 

Jason’s ready for the day. And I think that’s a Fort Wilderness shirt.

 

 

We headed out into the port area.

 

 

They’ve done a nice job.

 

 

It was really windy that day.

 

 

 

Culture in Jamaica

 

 

We caught a taxi inside the port area. Here are some pictures of Falmouth.

 

 

 

After about 10 minutes, we arrived at our destination.

 

 

Cruise day passes are $10 for adults and $5 for kids, but they didn’t charge us for Z. We thought that was nice.

 

Our first glimpse of the beach.

 

 

We arranged for our driver to pick us up about 2 ½ hours before we needed to be onboard the ship. We figured that would give us some time to call another taxi if he didn’t come back. (Spoiler alert: He did!)

 

Z instantly fell in love!

 

 

 

When we arrived, there were about 6 other people there, all from the Navigator. At the peak midday, there were about 12 of us. Coincidentally, a girl that goes to a neighboring high school in our town and her dad ended up there. They were also the same people we had met at the beach in Labadee. What are the chances of that?!?!

 

As you can see, it’s very rustic and no frills. It was perfect for us!

 

 

Next door there is a nudist resort. Ha ha! But I didn’t see any naked people. I guess they swim farther down the beach.

 

 

Feels crowded.

 

 

Some very rustic cabins where you can stay. Believe it or not, I’d do that.

 

 

Ahhhh……

 

 

Wait, this is better.

 

 

Some of the older kids took the kayak out. We were just enjoying the sun, sand, and sea.

 

 

We met the nicest couple there. They had a daughter who was older than Z, but really enjoyed his sand toys. Then the brother came over too. You’re never too old to build a sandcastle!

 

 

 

After awhile, we decided to order lunch. The lady taking orders said the portions were big and suggested that we order 2 plates for the 3 of us and share. They had jerk chicken (which I knew I must try) and fish, I believe it was red snapper. We decided to get one of each.

 

 

 

 

The food was so good. My mouth is watering thinking about it now, and I just finished my lunch!

 

After lunch we swam some more.

 

 

This is a cool kid!

 

 

In too short a time, our driver arrived and it was time to head back to the ship. But the day isn’t over yet! Tonight was Pirate Night in Adventure Ocean! 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

The red beans and rice looks good!  And Red Stripes....the best of Jamaica, brewed in Pennsylvania!  (although I would hope the ones you got there were actually brewed there).