On to the next big adventure with the caravan cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. After settling our rigs in Titusville's Great Outdoor Adventure RV community, we hopped our bus to begin our Sea-Streaming Adventure.
We were able to board the Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas rather quickly and all gathered in the Windjammer Cafe to await our rooms. This was just the beginning of our weeklong feeding frenzy.
The ship is huge, and when built in 2006 was the largest. It's very elegant and richly decorated. In comparing it to our first cruise with Celebrity's Century, we would give it an A+ for entertainment. There were aerialists, ice skaters, singers and dancers, a magician, an impressionist, a comedian and many Calypso and Reggae bands.
Most of us felt there were way too many children (and why weren't they in school the first week of March???). The food was good, but not as outstanding as Celebrity's. Celebrity had more diverse activities onboard as well. Marcia was quite excited about her napkin folding class, but the two morning Joker sessions had us making our own entertainment. Drinking their signature beverages and playing Bingo encouraged the cruisers to fork over as much $$$ as possible.
We saw a TV show not too long ago that focused on cruise ships. It was divulged that when the passengers boarded the ship, that was the break even point. From then on, the profits would be made, so we did get the impression that they were continually hustling for business.
Our first stop was CocoCay, a tiny island owned by the cruise line. It was my birthday and we spent a delightful day walking around enjoying the views and beautiful sandy beaches. The water was a bit cold, but many waded, swam and sunbathed. Larry forgot the sunscreen and went back to the ship to retrieve it while I took pictures of anything and everything during the wait.
The glass bottomed boat trip we'd decided to take was an excellent experience. Our boat's captain entertained and educated and we even got to sample fresh, raw conch meat - direct from the shell. I thought it was better than lobster.
Back on the ship, it was our first formal night (and my birthday). I was serenaded by the group and wait staff - and presented with a slice of strawberry cheesecake with a candle in it. My second dessert of the night. Oh well. It was my birthday; I can cut back the other 364 days of the year! Gracie gave me a card from the caravan and a bottle of hand sanitizer on a caribeaner.
It had to be one of my best birthdays ever. If only my little darlins could have been there, too!
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