Southern Caribbean Cruise

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.