Voyager of the Seas: Day 4, Jamaica
10 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
in Jamaica, Royal Caribbean, travel Tags: Big Timba, Blue Mountain Coffee, Falmouth, Jamaica, The Pork Pit, zip lining, Ziplining Adventure Tours
Day four of our cruise was the first port day and that was to be Falmouth, Jamaica. We were very excited to be stopping in Jamaica because we had planned a zip line excursion there. None of us had ever zip lined before so I had got on line months before to search out the best tour to take us. I chose to go with Zipline Adventure Tours, a US-based company with three locations in the US and one in Jamaica. I actually booked it through Jaital, a tour-booking company, but you can book directly with them as well. Our price was $94 for adults and $79 for kids making our total including transportation $346 for the five-hour excursion.
Falmouth Cruise Port
Falmouth is a very new port built as a joint venture between Royal Caribbean and the Jamaican Port Authority. Check out this article from USA TODAY. While the historic town of Falmouth has Colonial roots dating back some 200 years, it has only in the recent few years become a cruise ship destination. Once completed, the port is expected to host an array of shops and restaurants for passengers to enjoy. When we were there, I saw many shops but not very many restaurants as of yet. Construction seems to be 80-90% completed on the buildings in the new port area, while restoration in the historic areas of the town of Falmouth are coming along at a slower pace. Unfortunately, I missed getting to see Prince Harry by about a week as he was there to tour the new port on his recent visit to Jamaica. I had read many bad reviews about Falmouth and of people saying it was not even worth getting off the ship. I strongly disagree. Getting off to at least walk around the port area and sit to have drinks while enjoying the view can’t hurt anyone. While there may not be anything close to do just outside of Falmouth, you could do a tour of the historic town and Montego bay and Ocho Rios are easily accessible by taxi. I travel to experience the world first hand, not just from the rails of a cruise ship.
We didn’t have to meet the van until 10:00 that morning so we headed up to the Windjammer as usual to get breakfast before heading out. With a quick stop to pick up my son a pair of sunglasses, we met our driver at the taxi area and once the rest of the passengers arrived we were off. I sat in the front seat of the van mainly because I get car sick, but also because I liked to talk to the driver about the area. He told us how the current administration is working to improve the roads and sewage system, but the fresh water system still has a ways to go. We were heading to Lethe Estates, which would take us through Montego Bay and up into the mountains. Here is where I was glad I was in the front because once we left the streets of Montego Bay, the roads became very curvy and bumpy. It took almost an hour to get out to the estates, but it was a very interesting ride with beautiful scenery.
Tom (or Jerry) giving us instruction on the proper way to zip line.
Once we arrived, we were fitted into our harnesses and helmets and led to the off-road safari vehicle. We were with a group of about 12-14 people with two guides, Jungle Jane and Jerry (or might have been Tom; I never quite figured that out). Once we were all inside the vehicle with Jerry hanging off the back, Belly, our driver gave us quite the ride up the mountain to our starting point. Jerry briefed us on the proper way to zip line and we were off to our first 250-foot line.
I imagined I was going to have lots of anxiety before trying this for the first time. Even though I was very excited to try this, God has equipped me well with a fear of the unknown. My anxiety was put to rest, however, as I approached the first line and saw that it was a gently sloping hill where all I had to do was just walked off the small ledge they had dug out and then would begin gliding the 250 feet to the first platform. It was obviously intended as an easy warm up to prepare you for the longer lines coming up; the longest and last being 1600 feet. It was exhilarating and I couldn’t wait to get to the next line.
In between each line there is a short walk through the jungle during which Jane and Jerry would point out plants and trees along the way. It was a warm day and I was glad for the shade of the trees. About halfway through we stopped at a little area where Jane and Jerry prepared coconut, pineapple, and sugar cane grown there on the estate for us to sample, along with cold water and coconut water to drink. It was a welcome break before moving on to the rope bridge and the last two lines.
The rope bridge.
Just before the last line, The Big Timba, we crossed the rope bridge. This is where the kids can pretend they are in an Indiana Jones movie as they are crossing. It was a lot of fun. Everybody was anticipating the last line knowing it was the longest at 1600 feet. It was also the highest giving you a spectacular view of the Great River. One by one we watched each other go taking over 30 seconds from beginning to end. The line by far was the most exhilarating for me. Soaring above the treetops, you get a small glimpse into the life of a bird flying high in the sky. Watch this video I made of our time zip lining.
Alas, our time at Lethe Estates had to come to an end, but not before one more butt-clenching ride with Belly in his safari vehicle back to where our van driver was waiting. Once we turned in our harness and helmet, we had the opportunity to have a cold Red Stripe and sit by the banks of the beautiful Great River before heading back to town, but we were all anxious to head out as we had discussed with our driver earlier to take us for some authentic Jamaican jerk chicken and a quick shopping stop for some Blue Mountain Coffee. We tipped our guides generously for the great day of zip lining and headed back to Montego Bay with mouths watering for jerk chicken.
We stopped at The Pork Pit, a traditional jerk restaurant located on Gloucester Avenue in Montego Bay. This is an area of about one mile long considered “the strip.” They serve jerk chicken, pork, and even sausage. My family tried all three and found them all to be excellent. We then headed over to a store where our driver said was not like the tourist stores, and they would bargain with us. I had planned on buying Blue Mountain Coffee, my favorite, but ended up coming back with some jerk spice and coconut cream rum also.
Arriving back at the port, we were ready to head up to the pool deck, grab a cold drink and relax for a while. We watched from the rail for a while as other passengers came back, but as it had become very windy (again) and clouds were moving in, we headed up to the Viking Crown to have drinks and watch us sail away.
At dinner, our tablemates told us about the a very similar zipline excursion they had taken through the ship and we quickly decided that ours was the better deal. Our lines were longer and it seems our equipment was better. We didn’t have to wear any gloves in case we needed to break or pull ourselves in. As fast as we were moving, there was no way I was going to grab that line, gloves or not. All the work was done for us. The one thing I think was better was that they didn’t have as long a drive to get to where they were going; however, their family was split up between the two buses and it seemed to be a huge problem trying to have them ride together.
After dinner we met our friends at the Cleopatra’s Needle lounge to see how the karaoke would be, and it was running late by a half an hour due to the trivia game scheduled before it. We waited around until it was finished, but only stayed for a few songs because people were either really good singers or singing songs nobody knew. In my opinion, those are two elements that make for very bad karaoke. We stopped in the Pig and Whistle for a drink and to see what Derek and the Adult Daycare at Night Program was up to before turning in for the night.
Day five was Grand Cayman and we were looking forward to some Seven Mile Beach time and good snorkeling. Stay tuned to hear more about it…..
More pictures…
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Voyager of the Seas: Day 2 & 3
03 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
in cruising, Royal Caribbean, travel Tags: cruising, Del Sol, Derek Lewis, Five Minute Party, Kamikaze Karaoke, Pig and Whistle, Promenade Cafe, Royal Caribbean, sea days, Voyager of the Seas
Day 2 & 3 of our cruise were sea days aboard the ship, which is one of my favorite itineraries. Sea days give you a chance to just relax and hang out after what is sometimes an exhausting trip just to get to the port city. Like to relax with a spa treatment? Sea days are good for that. They also give you a chance to explore the ship and see what all it has to offer in terms of eating venues, entertainment, and shopping. If you plan on making any reservations for the specialty restaurants and have not done so before boarding the ship, a sea day at the start of your cruise gives you ample opportunity to do that. Just be sure to get it done fairly early to ensure you get the day and time that you want. This is also a good time to reserve any shore excursions you plan on doing with the ship if not previously reserved. The Voyager Class ships have a wonderful sports deck where you can climb the rock wall, play basketball, in-line skate on the track, and play miniature golf. You can also make use of the golf simulator. Seas days are a great time to do all of this. Fortunately, our itinerary began with two sea days.
- Soaking up the sun.
When I woke on the morning of Day 2, I had high hopes of sunny skies and warmer temperatures. I would not be disappointed. I pulled back the curtains on our oceanview window to find the beautiful blue waters of the Caribbean below and sunny skies above. Everyone else was still snoozing, but I was eager to lather on the sunscreen and slip on my swim suit and head to the pool deck for some much-needed warmth and sunshine. It didn’t take long for the rest of my family to have the same idea.The clocks had moved forward an hour overnight for daylight savings so it was almost 10:30 by the time we got up to the Windjammer to eat breakfast. We ate quickly and headed out to the main pool to find our friends who were already out there. We found that the temperature was warmer, but it was quite windy, which made it chilly if you were sitting in the shade or when a cloud covered the sun. The hot tubs seemed very inviting at this point so we headed to the adults only one at the main pool while our kids enjoyed the open hot tub.
All the kids enjoyed this hot tub on the pool deck.
I had looked over the Compass the night before to see what activities were planned for that day. I was disappointed on this cruise with the activities, both the variety of them and their scheduling. I wasn’t that impressed with the Cruise Director on this sailing, and I assume he is responsible for the activities and schedules. He is a very nice guy; I just didn’t think he was cruise-director material. Some examples of my irritation with scheduling were having the belly flop contest, a very well-attended contest, scheduled for the same time as sail away time from Grand Cayman. I have always seen those contests scheduled for a sea day when everyone is already hanging out by the pool. I had heard it was not well attended on this sailing. Another example is the Love and Marriage Game Show that always draws a crowd either before or after dinner in the evenings on one of the first nights of the cruise. On this sailing it was scheduled for 2 in the afternoon on the last day of the cruise. What!? That’s one night they wouldn’t have to pay for entertainment because the passengers provide it for them. I usually relive the hilarious moments, watching them on TV while getting ready for dinner for the rest of the cruise. But not this time.
The Royal Promenade on Voyager of the Seas. Welcome Aboard!
Since there didn’t seem to be much activities scheduled beyond 500 different trivia games, the art auction, and bingo, we decided to hang out at the pool deck all day sipping Miami Vices and listening to the poolside band. By around 4:30 the clouds had increased and the wind became too annoying, so we headed down to the Promenade Cafe to get a slice of pizza, then back to the room to nap for a bit before getting ready for dinner. That night was the first formal night and the Captain’s Welcome Aboard party on the Promenade.
At dinner that evening we discovered we had new tablemates, a very nice family from Nebraska. They said they had been called earlier in the day and told they had been reassigned to our table. This made me even more suspicious of the couple on the first night who would hardly look our way and didn’t seem to want to speak to us at all. That’s okay; to each their own. I have a feeling I enjoyed this family much more than I would have them anyway.
After dinner, our kids headed to check out the kid’s club and teen hang out while we went to the Pig and Whistle to see if we could figure out what this Derek Lewis character was all about. Derek was the entertainer in the pub. He played guitar and played songs that we all love and could sing along with, but he also gets the audience to participate in a fun and engaging way. I had noticed the LED scrolling sign behind him that scrolled, “Nobody fails as long as they try.” It didn’t take me long to figure out what that meant when Derek, through his excellent people-reading skills, was able to coerce someone up to do Kamikaze Karaoke. This is when Derek gets his participants to do karaoke to a song picked completely at random by the computer (read: Derek) while he plays along on his guitar. After they finish, he asks everyone how they did to which we all respond with hands raised yelling, “Super Star!” If Derek catches you not participating in this ritual, you are considered a challenger to the previous participates and everyone gets to judge your Kamikaze Karaoke skills. Everyone who accepts Derek’s challenge of Kamikaze Karaoke receives a Del Sol color-changing ring WORTH FAR LESS THAN ONE-THOUSAND DOLLARS!!! Believe it or not, this is the coveted prize that gets everyone up there.
We had a great time watching and participating in the antics of Derek’s Adult Daycare at Night Program, but it was time to head to the room. The next day was our first port stop at Jamaica, and we couldn’t wait to head out for our zip line adventure in the morning. Stay tuned for that post coming soon.
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