Southern Caribbean Cruise

11:13AM - Coral Springs, Florida

Hi everyone, we are here! Grace and I flew out of Seattle around 10PM last night and after a connecting flight in Atlanta we arrived in Fort Lauderdale around 9AM this morning. Our cruise won't be until Friday evening. Some friends of ours that we met at Cambodian Heritage Camp were kind and sweet enough to pick us up from the airport, house us for one night, and also show us around before the actual cruise. In a bit, Da will be taking us down to Miami and South Beach. I haven't decided yet if I want to pack any swimwear to go into the water. He suggested I pack something anyway because I might change my mind when I get there. I have to say it's probably a smart idea. When I was researching on things to do and places to visit for the Oahu trip last year, I read that some of the beaches here in Florida are even prettier than in Hawaii. Woohoo, I can't wait! Afterwards, we're going to meet up with Tean and just chill. If we're lucky Kim might be able fly in and join us for the night. I'm so excited! BTW, I finally got to meet Mr. Sam. He's Da and Tean's pug. I always thought pugs were nasty looking until I saw Sam's pictures. Sam is the cutest dog ever! Oh, and he likes to lick toes. When I got here I couldn't stop laughing and jumping around when he did it. I had to make Da stop him, haha. Anyway, Da's back from walking Sam so I better get packing for some fun in the sun! Ohh geez, Sam is licking my toes again.

Da's bout to take us to a topless and full nude beaches. Haha bombness. I'ma make Nara get nakey haha.

While getting a quick tour of South Beach we spotted DMX and his bodyguard. It was Grace's first celebrity sighting so she was super elated. We got a picture with DMX. I'm so glad Grace was there to make that happen. I was scared to go up to him because you know he's like hardcore looking. He was actually a pretty nice and chill guy. He was telling us about places to check out for the nightlife and stuff. He even asked where we're from and when we got to Miami. What a cool guy, haha. Can you believe his bodyguard wanted Grace's number? Hahah... she said "uhh, no" and walked off.

Oh, for the record I did not get nakey at the nude beach. Wow, that was such an interesting experience at Haulover Beach. I can't wait to give Seung a call and tell him all about it. I don't know if what I'm going to tell him will be appropriate for the blog :D.

Day 3 of the cruise.

Hi everybody! You won't believe how expensive it is to use Internet on the ship. Definitely not as cheap as the Internet cafes in Cambodia. Well, at least the connection on the ship is somewhat faster. The first time I signed on I had to pay a one time activation fee. I was signed in for less than 15 minutes and I had to pay like $13. Geez! Anyway, I wanted to take this "At Sea" day to post an update on the cruise so far. "At Sea" means that the ship is sailing all day.

As I mentioned earlier, our cruise sailed out of Fort Lauderdale at 5pm on Friday. After Da showed me and Grace around South Beach and the Sunny Isles (sp?) area we headed back up north. Da and Tean took us out to dinner at this Brazilian place where we ordered dinner for two to feed four people. Oh and earlier for lunch, Da took us to a Cuban restaurant. Both places were delicious. Then later in the evening we went to the Seminole Hard Rock Casino. I wish Seattle had a hang out spot like this. We met one of Tean and Da's friend and hung out for just a bit longer before we had to go pick up Kim from the airport. He flew in for a party taking place on Saturday, which Grace and I wished we could've stayed for. Actually, I'm talking to Kim on Gmail right now and it sounded like we missed out. Oh well, we were at our Half Moon Cay which I talk about later. So, on the day of our cruise we had some time to kill. We got up later than I had expected. Da, Kim, Grace and I met up with another one of Tean and Da's friend for lunch at the Hot Dog Heaven? Can't remember the exact name. Then we stopped by the grocery store to pick up booze for the beach in Fort Lauderale, hah. The weather was much nicer than the day before. At the beach we met another one of the Tean and Da's friend. Actually, the guy that's throwing the party Kim flew in to go to. They were really cool people. Honestly, as Da was driving us to the Port Everglades I got kind of sad leaving sunny Florida and the really cool people we just briefly met. Then I saw our cruise ship and got really excited again.

Even though I kind of knew what to expect out of the ships I must say everything so far has gone beyond my expectations. We didn't get the best room, but it was still really nice. We got two twin beds with sort of a mattress pillow top so the beds are really comfortable. It actually reminds me of the beds at the Marriott in Waikiki. There are ample closet spaces and the bathroom was nothing like I imagined. I'm sure I don't need to say anything about the food on the cruise ship. All I can say is that I'm doing good with not over stuffing myself. Oh, and the service onboard is amazing! We are totally pampered.... by men! LOL. I got in trouble at the breakfast buffet the other day because I grabbed my own tray. Geez! The only thing I wish would stop is all the Indo/Filo workers onboard asking where we're from (referring to nationality). I swear we should just wear a sign around our necks that read "We're Cambodian from Seattle, WA". Anyway, back to the cruise itinerary. Our first port of call was at Holland America's privately owned island, Half Moon Cay. It's real name is Little San Salvador Island. Holland America purchased the island from a private family about a decade ago. The beach was so freakin' unbelievable! I can't wait to post the pictures. The water was as clear as a swimming pool. Grace and I had a little photoshoot on the beach. It was hilarious. Well, the weather was perfect. It was probably in the 80's but I got a good tan from it. Actually, I got burned but it'll turn into a nice tan, hehe.

So, today we're at sea. I used to always wonder what there was to do onboard a cruise ship. I don't know about other cruise ships, but Holland America has something for guests to do by the hour from 7am to midnight. So far we've seen several shows, a cooking demonstration, movies, trivias, A-line dancing and today I attended a mixology class as Grace tried to qualify for the Black Jack tournament. We also missed a lot of other activities because everything starts on time and we always arrive a few mintues too late. That include the time the ship leaves a port. We're going to have to keep that in mind for sure. Tonight was also our first formal night. Grace and I had King crab legs for dinner. We have two formal nights to go. I wonder when we'll get the lobster. Anyway, I lost track of how long I've been online. I should check on Grace at the Black Jack table (yes, again). We got a nice day of shopping tomorrow at St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. Good night! It's early Monday morning here now.

BTW, I really miss my baby Seungshine. I wish he was here with me right now. All the old couples onboard are so freakin' adorable. It makes me so happy to see them all so still in love. Oh yea, I think me and Grace are like the only guests under 30 years old, hah.

Wassup errybody!

Nara and I are chillin in the back of a red pickup truck on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands with Ralph. Everyone else I've seen from our cruiseship is on some group trolley but Nara and I went the gangsta solo route. The island is beautiful, but its like a foreign country here even though its US property...where its economy depends highly on tourism. Alotta poor natives here and I feel bad for them.

Trip so far has been very relaxing. Like Nara said there's alotta old couples that have been married for 30-50+ years. They are beautiful together and are still romantic with one another. I hope I can have that one day =)

The workers on the ship are young Filipinos or Indonesians. They stare at Nara and I in awe and constantly ask us where we are from and if we're sisters. Cuties. I wanna take one home haha.

Well, who are them girls? Haha talkin bout me and Nara. EQC got nuthin on the Holland America cruiseship as far as ego boosts. Nara and I have been like celebrities on this ship. Ppl we don't notice be comin up and talkin to us, like weren't u at this one show earlier or weren't u sittin at that dinner table? If I'm by myself strangers ask where is ur sister? Ur twin? Passengers, employees, entertainers whatever. Last night as we were leaving dinner we literally had over half the restaurant staff run after us sayin.."Bye Grrrace...bye Noorraa!" Hahah I love being young still.

7PM - the Caribbean Sea somewhere

Tonight is our second formal night with lobsters for dinner (EDIT: we were lied to and didn't get the lobster tail. Third formal night I guess.). In fact, after dinner there's going to be an "Oldies" Prom Night. I can't wait! It's going to be my first prom, hehe. Grace and I invited guests to our dinner table tonight. One of them is a dude from North Carolina. He's on the cruise with his dad and has nobody else young to talk to. Our other guest is one of the entertainers on the ship. He had a performance last night. I'm not sure what to call him... opera singer? He's really funny so our dinner should be very entertaining tonight. Speaking of entertainers, the only other young group of people onboard are the Maasdam singer/dancer crew. Grace and I got invited to hang out with a few of them last night at the Crow's Nest, basically the most happening spot at night. They bought us shots so that was really cool of them. Never did I expect for Grace and I to get our first free drinks from the hottest girls onboard, haha. Tonight the girls have a performance after dinner and we're going to sit in the front row and make a riot for them.

Yesterday, we docked in Roseau, Dominica. Grace and I wanted to go up north to Portsmouth to check out the black sand beaches that I read about in my Lonely Planet guide. Except none of the taxi's wanted to take us there. Apparently it's about an hour and a half drive. The taxi's here are basically vans so these taxi drivers would lose money just driving the two of us there or they would probably just charge us a lot. I was disappointed with that but what could I do? Instead, we opted to take a tour through downtown Roseau, which wasn't much. Then we went up the mountains to Trafalgar Falls. The falls were okay. Nothing spectacular or anything. If anything, the 12 mile views up to the falls in the taxi ride was much better. This island is so beautiful. The island is basically a dense rainforest. I'm in love with the banana and palm trees. The place reminds me a lot of Cambodia. The rural areas is very tropical and the urban areas just poverty strickened. We were told there is only a 2% crime rate there. I was really surprised by that. There wasn't much to do mainly because we didn't have the best access to transportation. We ended back up on the ship a few hours before departure and just sunbathed by the pool. I have to say that I had the best pina coladas here on the ship. In fact, all the cocktail drinks are some of the best I've ever had. I attended another mixology class today and learned four new cocktail recipes. I can't wait to make some for the girls to try.

Tomorrow we'll be in Willemstad, Curacao all day. Since the ship won't depart until midnight, some of the cast members we met last night have invited us to join them at the Sopranos bar in Willemstad. Apparently, many of the ship crew and staff will be there. Both this stop and our next stop in Aruba will be totally different from our last two ports. Both will be very urban with Dutch influence/architecture. I've been waiting for another photo op moment so I'm really excited! Oh and we heard that Aruba has nice beaches. We haven't been on a beach since the Bahamas, so Aruba will be a very nice last stop on our itinerary. Anyway, I have to wrap up now. I have an hour to get ready for dinner, a show and prom dance party to attend, hahah.

Haha Gwyneth Paltrow and Kidd Rock got nuthin on me and Nara. Like she said we been kickin it with the on board entertainers. Last night we had dinner with one of the main guest entertainers and another young passenger from N.Carolina. After dinner we went to "prom" and kicked it with almost the entire cast of entertainers. I like kickin it with them cause they get us free drinks.

Today we're on the island of Curacao. As Nara and I were walkin around the downtown market area hella local dudes be tryin to holla. I'm in a friendly mood today so I said hi back if they didn't look too creepy. This one flashy lookin type cutie tho started followin us when I said hi back heeheee! Good thing tho. Turned out he used to be a local comin back to visit. He had another local friend that still lives in Curacao with him. Right now they takin us around the island and payin for our shit. Homies gettin a rental car and so we don't gotta pay for transportation or tourist excursions either. I'm happy.

So Nara and I are back in Seattle. Although the trip was quite relaxing I am very very happy to be back home. I missed work, my home and friends so much! XOXO

The remainder of the trip was pretty low key. We visted our final island Aruba, which had another beautiful beach that we lounged on for hours. Other than that, Nara and I continued to meet a lot more nice people. I don't know how ppl can stay on the ship for months at a time though. It was kind of like this reoccuring nightmare to me, almost cult-like??? I don't know how to explain it. I just think it can be maddening to wake up every morning to the same sing-songy Filipino voice, then go to breakfast and see the same greeter with a love song...then go through the same routine of eating, loungin, eating, loungin, watch a show, drink and listen to the same 10 songs they play in the bar over and over and over! I swear its like in the movie the Shining where the guy goes crazy in the mansion trying to work..."all work and no play makes jack a dull boy" but instead it's "all play and no work makes grace a dull girl" haha. I'm serious though!

I did meet some nice ppl and will try to keep in touch with them. I got emails from 3 of them already wishing us a safe return to Seattle. If anything though this trip inspired me to be in love, and to relax more. There were some cutie couples for sure, and for some reason they learned early to not sweat the small stuff.

Like Grace, I'm very glad to be back home now. The cruise was a perfect relaxation vacation. We came back to the Thanksgiving holiday which made it even more perfect. It was like a vacation from vacation for me. I got a few days to unwind before I need to kick into full gear for work on Monday. I know that everyone has been waiting to see pictures. Wait no longer. The photo gallery link can be found at the bottom of this page.

I guess it's my turn to put in my two cents about our last two port of calls, Curacao and Aruba. These two islands were very different from St. Thomas and Dominica. Though they're all in the Caribbean the terrain is drastically different. St. Thomas and Dominica were mountainous and covered in green dense forest. Curacao and Aruba on the other hand are relatively flat and dessert-like with cactuses. The islands are less than 40 miles away from South America. I didn't pay much attention in Aruba, but Curacao had this nice warm and constant breeze. We were warned about it onboard to hold on to your hats. In Curacao, we docked in the capital city of Willemstad. I loved how colorful the buildings are. Even the houses further inland are colorful, so it wasn't just flashy in the touristy areas. We did a little walking in the "punda" which is the shopping district in Willemstad. It was there that we were approached by some locals who eventually showed us around and paid for everything. We went to the Curacao distillery and Mambo beach resort and back to the punda. We went back onboard for the dinner BBQ and then back into town to have a couple drinks at a local piano bar called Sopranos. Remember the warm breeze I was talking about? The breeze was so cool and relaxing at night. I felt I could just sit there all evening, sipping on a drink and listening to the music from the piano bar. All that was missing was a hammock. The guys we met earlier were supposed to meet us there also, but they never showed up. In a way I was relieved. In hindsight, we didn't take any safety precautions by going off and trusting these strangers. Same thing with the guy Ralph in St. Thomas. In the back of my mind I'm really glad we're back and safe. Fortunately, the strangers we came across were nothing but nice to us. The next day we arrived in Oranjestad, Aruba. We decided that we just want to hang out at the beach on our last port day. We went to Palm Beach and stayed there for a few hours. Afterwards, we headed back to port and did some souvenir shopping. We didn't get to spend too much time there, but it was a beautiful shopping center. It reminded me of the indoor shopping center at the Aladdin in Vegas. Except all the colorful buildings and blue sky are all real! Anyway, all the fun in the sun really made us tired quick so we finally headed back for the ship.

All in all, my first cruise was very nice. It was just what I needed. Also, not to be biased, but I couldn't have asked for a better cruise line to go on my first cruise with. Of course there were things I wish were different, but overall I couldn't complain. I would definately go on another cruise again. I don't know if I can handle being on a cruise ship for anymore than 10 days though. Maybe I'd feel differently if I was more prepared for the trip or if I had gone with Seung. I constantly wished he was there to experience everything I experienced. Many aspect of the cruise was very romantic for couples. As I mentioned before, there were a lot of old couples onboard. Although they made me happy and smile, they also made me sad and miss my baby a lot. Anyway, I would recommend for everyone to go on a cruise at least once. Don't knock it until you've experienced it. Then again cruises aren't for everyone. Up to you. I mean I was never really interested in going on a cruise before, but now I think I might've caught the cruising bug because I'm already plotting where I want to cruise to next. Mexico? Alaska? South America? Europe?