These are six cruises plus one visit to Puerto Rico which was not a cruise.

2009 Puerto Rico

Our first trip to the Caribbean was in 2009. This was not a Cruise, just a vacation on an Island we wanted very much to know: Puerto Rico. We were there from November 21 to 26.

Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the Caribbean. It is known for its rich culture and history, beautiful beaches, and vibrant music. It has a population of about 3.2 million people. The official languages are Spanish and English.

Puerto Rican culture is a blend of Taíno (indigenous), Spanish, African, and American influences. The island was colonized by Spain in the 15th century and remained a Spanish territory until the Spanish-American War in 1898, when it was ceded to the United States.

My father had been in Puerto Rico when he went to Europe for two years for his medical specialization in 1927. He had excellent memories of the people, the music and the food he had tried there. I felt like I had a duty to check what my father talked about.

On November 21, we departed with American Airlines from Dallas to Miami, Miami to San Juan Puerto Rico. We stayed at the Radisson Ambassador Plaza in San Juan.

Since at that time I was helping students with their dissertations at NOVA University, I contacted a student of mine and let her know I was going to be there for some days. She was excited about my visit and insisted on becoming a fantastic guide to her dear land.

We had planned to tour the old and modern San Juan, enjoy the beach and some excursions around the Island. However, Sulynet, my then student and now friend, insisted on showing us San Juan which is the capital and largest city of Puerto Rico. The city sits on the island’s Atlantic coast. The widest beach there is in front of the Isla Verde resort strip. This area is full of bars, nightclubs and casinos, which we did not visit.

The same day we arrived Sulynet took us to El Castillo San Cristobal, an imposing fortress. It was built in 1634 and served in the defense against land approaches from the east. It is positioned on the northeastern edge of San Juan. The Spanish were committed to defending that city! The fort proved its effectiveness when the British attacked San Juan 1797. We saw the famous Garita del Diablo, or the Devil’s Sentry Box. This is a legendary sentry box located at Fort San Cristóbal in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It is famous for the tale of a soldier named Sánchez who mysteriously disappeared from his post.

Next day we went to El Morro, officially known as Castillo San Felipe del Morro. This is an historic fortress. Its construction began in 1540 and continued for many decades. It is located on a cliff which provides an excellent view of the surrounding waters. The role of this fortress was to defend the island against attacks from pirates. The fortress has very thick walls, a series of bastions, and a lighthouse which was built in the 19th century. The lighthouse is still operational and serves as a navigational aid for all ships entering the bay.

She then showed us how to walk on the Cobblestones of Old San Juan. We fell in love with the colorful Spanish colonial buildings.

On Saturday afternoon Sulynet came to see us with her husband, Fernando. This time we went to the Museum at El Morro. It showcases the history of the fortress and its role in the defense of Puerto Rico. That night we tried the best food in Puerto Rico, arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), lechón asado (roast pork), mofongo (mashed plantains), and pasteles (meat-filled plantain dough wrapped in leaves).

Next, we went to La Fortaleza, also known as “Palacio de Santa Catalina.” It was completed in the 1530s.It was initially intended as a residence for governors, but throughout the centuries it has been a fortress, arsenal, prison, and the dwelling of the Governor-General, currently, the Governor of Puerto Rico. Casa Blanca, erected in 1525, provided early defense against Caribbean Indian attacks and served as the home for the Puerto Rican governor’s family.

On November 24 we went to El Yunque Rainforest which is a Nature’s Lovers Paradise excursion. We had booked the excursion with Rico Suntours, and the driver picked us up in the lobby of the Radisson Ambassador Hotel. The trip took less than one hour. El Yunque Park is the only tropical rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System. It is in northeastern Puerto Rico. It extends to nearly 29,000 acres. It is known for its diverse ecosystem. It has waterfalls, hiking trails, and unique wildlife that includes the famous coquí frog and the endangered Puerto Rican parrot. We particularly enjoyed the views from the Yokahú Tower which is an observation tower within El Yunque National Forest that is 69 feet tall at an elevation of 1,575 feet. It offers stunning panoramic views of the rainforest. We came back very tired that night.

Next day we returned to do another tour of the Old city and that night we went to Restaurante Antonio in San Juan. This restaurant offered us a sophisticated dining experience with a focus on Spanish cuisine. The menu included seafood and vegetarian options. We appreciated the restaurant’s classy atmosphere and attentive waiter.

We returned on November 26, 2009, flying from San Juan to Miami, Miami to Dallas.

2010 Costa Maya Cruise

Our next adventure was a 7-Night Western Caribbean cruise. It was a round trip from New Orleans. We booked the cruise through American Airline cruises, but did not fly but drove to New Orleans and stayed for two nights, December 10 and 11 at a Super 8 hotel. We chose the hotel because it offered secured parking during the time of our cruise. The cruise was from December 12 to 19, 2010.

We enjoyed eating beignets and visiting New Orleans streets and market during the days before the cruise.

We embarked on the Norwegian Spirit on December 12, 2010. That afternoon we attended the obligatory safety drill.

Our first days were at sea and we went around the ship. We arrived on December 14 at Costa Maya, Mexico. We were received by a group of indigenous dancers performing an Mayan ceremony. The dancers were wearing traditional attire with handwoven garments, bright colors, and intricate patterns that represented their cultural identity. The we went to swim with a very friendly dolphin and relaxed strolling in the nice shopping center.

Next day we arrived at Belize City, Belize, where we had a wonderful excursion to see wildlife.

We were informed that Belize has over 600 bird species such as toucans, parrots, and hummingbirds, as well as mammals like jaguars, howler monkeys, and kinkajous. In our wildlife tours we also saw many iguanas, monkeys, tiny bats, and crocodiles in the rainforests and wetlands. We also visited a zoo where we saw a tapir, a gray Brocket Deer, and spider monkeys in the natural, Jaguars, a red-rumped Agouti, and many other amazing birds and animals.

Next day we were in Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras. Our tour here was called “Best of Roatan’ and we certainly saw all of it. We were taken on a complete tour of this island in the Caribbean, which is about 40 miles off the northern coast of Honduras. It is the largest of the Bay Islands of Honduras, between the Utila and Guanaja islands. It’s a very small island, approximately 36 miles long, and less than 5 miles across at its widest point. Here we saw another indigenous dance by the Garifuna people in the island. The dance involves a male-female couple performing energetic movements in a circle, often symbolizing courtship.

That night we participated on a Mystery Murder dinner on the ship. It was lots of fun.

On December 17 we docked at Cozumel, Mexico. This is a beautiful island in the Caribbean Sea, located off the eastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, opposite of Playa del Carmen. Our excursion took us to the interesting Tulum Mayan ruins. This is a very well-preserved pre-Columbian Mayan site. It is located on cliffs overlooking the Caribbean Sea. The structure, called El Castillo, is a temple that served as a lighthouse. The ruins have great murals. Tulum was one of the last cities built and inhabited by the Maya. They continued to occupy Tulum for about 70 years after the Spanish began occupying Mexico, but the city was abandoned by the end of the 16th century.

After a day at sea we came back to New Orleans, picked up our car and drove back to Dallas.

2012 6-night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale roundtrip)

We booked this one with US Airways Cruises. The cruise was from November 25 to December 1st, 2012. It was a small cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines on the Carnival Freedom ship.

We made the mistake of flying with the economy rate on Spirit Airlines. We discovered they charged us for the bags and any beverage or food on board. But we arrived on time to Fort Lauderdale to board our ship. We had a good cabin, and we did the safety drill that afternoon.

Next day we docked in Key West. We were looking forward to this stop. I had been to Key West many times when I lived in Miami. It was my favorite place to visit with my parents. However, it was the first time for Karelin and I enjoyed seeing her enthusiasm on this place. We took a great excursion with the world famous Conch Tour Train. This is a hop-on, hop-off. We went through the delightful streets of Key West admiring the conch houses, featuring wooden frames, pastel colors, and wide verandas. We also saw Victorian mansions, shotgun houses, and modern tropical design houses. We went to the Southernmost Point Buoy, a concrete marker located at the southernmost point in the continental United States. It was erected in 1983, it stands 12 feet tall. Noted for its vibrant colors and the phrase “90 miles to Cuba” painted on it. Many Cubans were visiting this point that day. We saw many of the everchanging sculptures in Key West such as “The Fourth Hand,” which depicts people playing poker, “Embracing Peace,” a sculpture celebrating the end of World War II, and “Marilyn Monroe” sculpture. After we completed the tour we remained on the train and got down at Ernest Hemingway’s Home where we were able to see the interior of the house and enjoyed petting the famous six-toed cats of Hemingway. The cats were sitting on the sofas, chairs, beds, drinking from the fountains and resting on the lap of many visitors. I think I took about 600 hundred pictures of the cats. There were cute little houses for the cats on the patio.

We had sea day and then we arrived at George Town in Grand Cayman. Here we took a tour that took us around the city and ended at the Cayman Turtle Farm where we also saw many Ruddy Turnstone birds and many chickens. The Farm was established in 1968. It focuses on breeding and protecting green sea turtles. Karelin was able to hold a turtle. We also went for an interesting visit to the the “Devil’s Hanghout” also known as Hell. This place has unique black limestone rock formations and a gift shop where visitors can mail postcards with a Hell postmark. A figure of the devil welcomes you at the entrance to the store but one of the walls has a sign that says: “Jesus died for all of us so give Him your heart and go to Heaven.” We were delighted to see this clear message in Hell! Karelin posed with an Angel sign with a hole to put your face.

Next stop was Ocho Rios in Jamaica where we were going to have a real adventure. Our excursion name was “Bob Marley Bus Adventure”. We took a picturesque and colorful Zion Bus Line of Chukka Caribbean Adventures company. The bus was fully decorated inside with flags and posters and pictures of Bob Marley. And his music playing loud. The No Smoking sign on the bus added: “There’s is a natural mystic blowing through the air.” We didn’t even ask. Another sign said: “Give thanks & praise to the Lord & I will feel all right.”

The ride to see Bob Marley’s Home was almost 2 hours through picturesque tropical landscapes. We had a brief stop at the Bumper Lawn Bar. We saw quite a bit of shanty town houses like constructions in all this area. At Marley’s Home we saw a sign for his mausoleum and an interesting flag that said: “A spliff a day keeps the doctor away” A marihuana leaf was in the middle of the flag. Outside the house was a big orange wall with a little low window on it. It was also a mural with the King and Queen of Ethiopia. There also was a small Rastafari band playing Bob Marley’s music. People in our group started dancing and then formed a line in front of the little low windows on the orange wall to buy some envelopes. We didn’t ask either. We took another route to go back to the ship with even more evidence of poverty.

When we arrived at Ft. Lauderdale two days later, we took a tour of the everglades on an airboat ride. We glided across the “River of Grass”. In spite of the roar of the motor, we saw alligators very near, gallinules and other exotic birds. We finished the tour with an educational talk at a facility where they rescue alligators. We had the opportunity to hold a baby alligator but no thanks.

After that we were taken to the airport where our Spirit airplane was waiting to take us to Dallas.

2013 11-day Panama Canal Sunfarer

Very soon after the last cruise our next Caribbean adventure was on February 4 to 15 in 2013. This time we were also going to see part of the Panama Canal. It was with Holland America on the ship MS Zuiderdam.

On February 4, 2013, we flew with American Airlines to Ft Lauderdale and embarked the same day on the Zuiderdam. We liked our cabin very much.

Out first stop was at the island resort that Holland America owns in the Bahamas, Half Moon Cay. We took an open tender and went to swim with sting manta rays.

After one day at sea, we arrived at Oranjestad, Aruba. Here we took an excursion called “Colors of Aruba” and we toured around the island. We saw a donkey sanctuary and an ostrich ranch where we got to fed them. We also visited the natural bridge, a natural arch formed from coral limestone, located in Arikok National Park. It collapsed in 2005 but some parts were still intact.

Next day February 8, 2013, we docked in Willemstad (Curacao), Antilles. I had been to this port before because of my work. It is a wonderful, picturesque port with colorful Dutch colonial architecture. Willemstad is the capital and largest city of Curaçao. The historic center of the city consists of four quarters: the Punda and Otrobanda, which are separated by the Sint Anna Bay, an inlet that leads into the large natural harbor called the Schottegat, as well as the Scharloo and Pietermaai Smal quarters. We took a wonderful tour of the island including a stop at Bokatabla at Shete Boka National Park, Curaçao, where large waves crash into an underground cavern.

Another day at sea and then we stopped in Cartagena, Colombia. Here we took an excursion to see the highlights. We visited the walled city and the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, an impressive fortress, built by the Spanish in the 16th century, and Catedral de Santa Catalina de Alejandría, built between 1577 and 1612. The streets of colonial Cartagena are as enchanting as the ones in Old San Juan in Puerto Rico. We visited the San Pedro Claver Sanctuary Museum and the Museo Naval del caribe. It was at this port when Karelin fell in love with Antonio, a three-toed sloth that she held in her arms. That night we had a Filipino show on board that was prepared by our crew. We also eat adobo, a Filipino dish, that night.

The day of my birthday, February 11, 2013 we entered the Panama Canal at Cristobal, located on the Caribbean side of Panama, serving as the Atlantic terminal port. We took pictures through the Gatun Locks, where our ship was lifted by inrushing water through three locks before entering the Gatun Lake. This area was bustling with vessels of various types. They formed a convoy as we began to transit the canal. In the lecture on board, they explained the whole system of locks and how expensive it is for Holland America to just enter the canal. At that time, they were working on the Panama Canal expansion project, also called the Third Set of Locks Project, that doubled the capacity of the Panama Canal by adding a new traffic lane. It was inaugurated in 2016.

Once in Gatun Lake, I would love to say that the whole ship celebrated my birthday, but in fact, they were just celebrating being there. We took a boat ride to see wildlife in dense tropical area. We saw iguanas, monkeys and many birds. That same day we exited the canal, retracing our route through the locks and into the Atlantic Ocean where we visited the port of Colon which was not in very good conditions.

I was surprised by a wonderful Alaska cake for my birthday at dinner time.

Next day we docked at Puerto Limon in Costa Rica. There we took a boat excursion at the Tortugero Canals. This Park is famous for its turtle nesting sites, particularly for green sea turtles, which come ashore from July to October to lay their eggs. The park is a vital conservation area for these endangered species. We also toured a banana plantation.

We arrived at Ft Lauderdale, Florida, after two days at sea.

We flew American Airlines directly from Ft Lauderdale to Dallas on February 15, 2013.

2019 11-Day Southern Caribbean Wayfarer

In 2019, we decided to go back to the Caribbean on another cruise with Holland America to see islands we had not been to yet. This time the ship was the MS Koningsdam.

We drove to Florida, starting on March 23, 2019. We lodged at two Quality Inn hotels in Jackson, Mississippi and Tallahassee, Florida. We lodged at a Days Inn in Orlando where we also visited the Holy Land Experience. This was a Christian theme park that recreated the ancient city of Jerusalem and performed reenactments of various New Testament stories. We really enjoyed them. They also offered church services and biblical studies. It opened in 2001, but we have since learned that it closed permanently in March 2020 and was sold to AdventHealth in 2021. They are trying to convert the area into a new emergency department and hospital.

On February 27, we drove to Ft Lauderdale and parked our car at Park By The Ports in Dania, Florida.

Our ship departed that day for two days at sea and then we arrived to Philipsburg, Sint Maarten. There we took a tour of the Dutch part of the island with its picturesque houses, iguanas and goats on the roads and the statue of Lady Liberty of Freedom point.

Next day we were at Castries in Saint Lucia. We took a Scenic Cruising Soufriere Bay.

One very interesting thing to see was the natural arch formation at Marigot Bay, the arch, also known as Lady’s Slipper Arch or Lover’s Rock. We also saw the Pitons which are two mountainous volcanic plugs, the Sulphur Springs, and the beautiful beaches Anse Chastanet, the scenic town of Soufriere and the Diamond Waterfall.

Next stop was Bridgetown, Barbados. The cruise terminal was excellent for shopping and the architecture of this place was spectacular–a mix of British colonial and West African architectural styles, with Georgian and Jacobean designs. Here we also visited a small zoo where we saw the so-called green monkeys.

We arrived at Fort-De-France, Martinique. This is the capital city that offers a mix of French and Caribbean culture. We took an excursion passing Mount Pelée. This is a stratovolcano that rises over 4,500 feet. The volcano erupted in 1902, destroying the nearby city of Saint-Pierre and resulting in a tragic loss of life. We also visited a Rum Distillery, Rhum Depaz.

Next day we visited Basseterre, in St Kitts and Nevis. Here we took an interesting tour with the St. Kitts Scenic Railway in Basseterre which takes passengers on a 3-hour tour around the island, combining an 18-mile train ride with a 12-mile bus journey. We also saw cute green monkeys at a zoo.

Our next stop was St. Thomas, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. We docked at the cruise port of Charlotte and we took a tour to Charlotte Amalie, the capital, named after a Danish queen. The tour was a scenic drive around St. Thomas that took us to key viewpoints at Drake’s Seat and Mountain Top.

After another day at sea we came to Windy Half Moon Cay, Bahamas, where we took a glass bottom boat tour. We enjoyed seeing black-headed sea gulls taking turns to drink and bathe at the fountain in the middle of the square.

We came back to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 7, 2019. We had seen Sint Maarten, Saint Lucia, Barbados, Martinique, St Kitts and Nevis, St. Thomas and Bahamas.

After recovering our car from the parking lot we continued to Dade city to see a friend who had recently written a book about her adventures as a language surveyor in India. We stayed at a La Quinta Inn in Tampa that night.

Next day we continued to the Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida. This park is divided into several themed areas, each inspired by different regions of Africa and other parts of the world. These areas include Congo which has thrilling rides; Edge of Africa, an area focused on animal exhibits and interactions; and Sesame Street Safari of Fun–a family-friendly area with rides and attractions for younger children. Of course, we visited the Edge of Africa where we enjoyed seeing the animals, mainly lions, giraffes, and elephants.

Continuing our trip back to Texas we stayed at DeFuniak Springs in Florida at a Regency Inn and at Vicksburg, Mississippi at a Best Wester Hotel.

We arrived back in Dallas on April 11, 2019.

2022 7-Day Tropical Caribbean

This cruise was to go to the Caribbean Grand Turks and Dominican Republic. This was another cruise with Holland America; this time on the ship MS Rotterdam.

We flew with Delta from DFW to Atlanta and then to Ft Lauderdale. It was from February 13 to February 20, 2022.

We embarked on Sunday February 13 on the Rotterdam in Ft Lauderdale.

Next day we stopped at the traditional Half Moon Cay in Bahamas. This time we just took tender going and back without getting off.

After a sea day, enjoying our balcony in the morning and that afternoon, as in many other cruises, we found a group that played Mahjong with us.

Then we arrived in Grand Turk, at Turks & Caicos. We took a tour around the island on a picturesque open cart. We discovered that this is an island where you see many donkeys wandering free and they are used to being fed by the tourists. Unfortunately, we had not known that so we were only able to give them a drink from several water bottles. We went to visit the only lighthouse in the British Overseas Territory of Turks and Caicos. It was built in 1852. It was converted to electricity in 1971. We also saw flamingos in this island.

Next day we stopped at Amber Cove, in Dominican Republic where we visited Puerto Plata. We saw the Fortaleza San Felipe and visited the Cathedral of St. Philip the Apostle. In the city we saw Umbrella Street. The whole street has colorful umbrellas hanging from cords, so you walk under them. It has chairs so visitors can sit and enjoy the whole place. We also saw the Paseo de Dona Blanca, known as Pink Street. The whole city is Spanish colonial style and very well maintained. Just off Puerto Plata we could see the 26 feet tall statue of Neptune, built on a small island.

After a day at sea, we arrived at Bimini, in Bahamas. It is just 50 miles off the coast of Florida. Here we rode a small tram that took us to see all the luxurious Hotels and beaches in this place.

We arrived on February 20 at Ft. Lauderdale and were transferred to the airport.

We flew on Delta to Atlanta and then Dallas.

2023 7-Night Southern Caribbean

We have been clients of Holland America for a long time but we wanted to try another cruise line. So we took a cruise on Celebrity Cruise Line on the Celebrity Millennium ship. Many people had recommended Celebrity to us; however, after this trip we were not convinced.

This was another cruise during which I was going to spend my birthday.

The cruise departed from San Juan Puerto Rico so we flew there on February 10, from DFW arriving in San Juan almost at midnight. We did not have any problem taking a Uber to our hotel, the Costa Bahia Hotel Paseo Caribe. The views from that hotel were spectacular.

Next morning Sulynet and her husband, my friends, came to greet us and took us on a small tour and lunch before taking us to the port to embark. It was such a nice visit with them. It was good to learn about Sulynet’s successes as a professor at Universidad Ana G Mendez in Puerto Rico. (She had been one of my doctorial advisees.)

We embarked the day of my birthday on the Celebrity Millenium.

Next day we stopped at Tortola in British Virgin Island but we stayed on board.

Next port was Philipsburg, St. Maarten. Philipsburg is the main town and capital of Sint Maarten, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is located on the southern coast of Saint Martin island, between Great Bay and the Great Salt Pond. This time we took an excursion to the French part of St Marteen. We went to Marigot which is the capital of the French side, it had charming waterfront, shops, and a lively market. We visited the Fort Louis that overlooks the town and provides stunning views of the harbor. We also went to Pic Paradis that offers breathtaking views of both the French and Dutch sides of the island.

Next port was Roseau, Dominica. We went to see the Jacko Falls there. Jacko Falls features cascading water that flows over rocky cliffs, creating a mesmerizing sight. We enjoyed talking to the woman at the only place we could by a drink or something to eat in this area. She accepted prayers. We also went to Morne Bruce Garrison which is a historical site located in Roseau. It was established by the British in the 18th century as a military garrison to protect the town of Roseau from French attacks. The site features remnants of the original barracks and officers’ quarters, along with an old cannon and a large cross erected in the 1920s. We saw magnificent sights of the island from this place and also many flowers and plants.

Our day in Bridgetown, Barbados. We had recently been here so we stayed on board this time.

Our next stop was St. George’s, Grenada, usually referred to as the “Spice Isle.” This is a beautiful Caribbean nation. The island covers approximately 133 square miles. It gained independence from the United Kingdom on February 7, 1974. In 1983, the United States invaded Grenada following a coup, which led to significant political changes on the island.

Our tour took us to Fort George’s, an historic fort that offers panoramic views of the harbor and the city. Built by the French in 1705 during their colonial rule over Grenada. It was constructed to protect the harbor and the town of St. George’s from potential attacks by rival colonial powers, particularly the British. In 1762, during the Seven Years’ War, the British captured Grenada from the French. Fort George was subsequently expanded and reinforced by the British, who recognized its importance in maintaining control over the island. When we visit this Fort we found it well-preserved in spite not being in use.

Next day we returned to San Juan, Puerto Rico; we immediately went to the airport; and we flew to Charlotte in North Carolina and then to DFW.

This summarizes the cruises we have made in the Caribbean (so far). We have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the history of these places that is too much to include her. We have learned about so many people and their origins in these islands and have a lot of respect for all of them. We especially enjoy learning about how much faith they have in our Lord and how happy they were when we offered prayer.