Papering the record for appeal.
¶Our tour group stopped at Castillo San Cristóbal, on of the fortresses built by Spain on San Juan island over 500 years ago. Our tour guide, Hector, was truly amazing - knowledgeable, engaging, and passionate about the history of Puerto Rico. This is a shot of the whole group in the central part of Castillo San Cristóbal.
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¶We had a gorgeous look at Old San Juan as we continued into port. What a beautiful port entrance.
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¶Our first glimpse of San Juan, Puerto Rico. We wrapped around the fortress on the point, early in the morning, as we entered port. Beautiful time of day to see this port for the first time.
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¶I didn’t take many photos during our visit to St. Maarten. I’ll post some others later. This will do for now — Renee and I in front of “the sign” at the port.
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¶Maintenance on a cruise ship never ends. We walked past a painting crew giving some love to the Disney Fantasy signage as we returned to the ship.
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¶Our brief break waiting for the bus was actually quite relaxing. We spent a few minutes sitting on the rocks by the water, just enjoying the sun (and heat!). And I caught this great shot of Renee. This was such a nice moment.
¶I love this photo first and foremost because it’s a great shot of Renee and captures the happiness we had on this trip. There’s another level to it, too. Renee’s outfit shows a lot of the places and things that are important to us - the Harvard hat, the Pass-a-Grille t-shirt (you can’t see it well in the photo, but the shirt has a retro Pass-a-Grille design on it; she just bought this shirt on our last trip to St. Pete Beach), and the Minnie Mouse sticker (which designated our tour group).
¶This is a new favorite shot of Renee for me. Love it.
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¶Renee and I were back to the bus early after our shopping break - it was a bit underwhelming. So we sat and watched the scenery, which was nice. We watched this guy feed a group of birds, which were clearly waiting for him when he arrived.
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¶Here’s another mural, which is actually right next to the other one above.
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¶We had a bus tour on the island, which took us through parts of both St. Maarten (the Dutch side) and Saint Martin (French side). Our tour guide focused more on reading signs as we passed by (“we have a Burger King, and here’s the Isuzu dealership…”), which was odd and underwhelming. We didn’t have much opportunity for photos, which was frustrating. Saw some very cool murals in Marigot, which was nice. This is one.
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¶Interesting view back to the ship as we walked into the port at Philipsburg, St. Maarten.
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¶Welcome to St. Maarten!
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¶Renee and I are about to get our Bingo on. No idea how to use this tablet…but here we go!
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¶Here’s an overhead view showing my location adjacent the pier we docked at and the airport
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¶Here’s a screenshot of the Learjet I watched land at Grand Turk International Airport.
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¶We woke up this morning to an unexpected port call. At first I thought we were just slowly traversing the Turks Island Passage, cutting southward through the islands. I then realized we were sitting still, and then realized we’re were docked. The concierge told us there was a medical emergency on board, and the captain later made an announcement that a crew member needed “additional medical attention that can only be received at a hospital.” I watched as an ambulance slowly made its way to the dock and presumably carried the crew member away. I sure hope they’re ok.
¶I also watched a Learjet land at Grand Turk International airport, which was cool. Flew in from Tampa, making slightly better time than us. ;-)
¶Maybe 20-30 minutes later we were underway again. I guess now Renee and I can officially say we’ve been to Turks and Caicos.
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¶Renee and I had a bourbon tasting tonight. We (mostly) enjoyed a great selection of bourbons, including one that is, to date, a favorite of both of ours — Blanton’s. I didn’t care for the Wild Turkey Rare Breed, but I pretty much loved everything else. Town Branch was a standout.
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¶We’re quickly getting comfortable with the Concierge Lounge! No lines, great selection, and wonderful people. We enjoyed a nice breakfast before heading to the spa for a couples massage.
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¶You can’t help but relax with this view.
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¶We ended up having three dessert courses because of the anniversary cake. This course included another cake (presented in the smaller egg pictured here), some chocolates, and apricot rolls. They surprised me a bit, and I think I liked them the best.
¶We couldn’t finish this round. So much food!
¶The maǐtre ď brought Renee a rose (fibbing a bit, saying it was from me), and we left after enjoying one of the best meals we’ve ever had.
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¶Our waiter knew we were celebrating our anniversary, and asked if we wanted to celebrate in the restaurant (assuring us it would not involve a group of waiters clapping and singing at our table!). At the end of our meal, he brought our “surprise” - a celebration cake in a mirrored egg. The presentation was a bit odd when compared to the amazing presentation of everything else, but the cake was fantastic. We enjoyed it a bit later, as our second dessert.
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¶Renee and I enjoyed a wonderful, multi-course dinner at Remy onboard the Disney Fantasy tonight. Our waiter suggested that Renee order the French tasting and that I order the American, and that we then share each course. He essentially gave us permission to do what we were wondering but might have been afraid to ask, which was a really welcoming way to start the meal.
¶Turns out, pretty much everything from both menus was fantastic. I think we both like the toothfish the best, followed by the Wagyu beef and then, for me, the beet dish. Truly an incredible meal and amazing service.
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¶Here’s the view from the veranda this morning. Open water, cool breeze, and warm sunshine.
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¶I absolutely love waking up to sunshine spreading across the open water. What a beautiful sight and a wonderful feeling - nature, expanse, warmth. I love everything this sight brings me.
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¶We’re on board and about to head out on our anniversary cruise!
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