Ocho Rios, Jamaica

The final stop was Ocho Rios on the Northern shore of Jamaica. Jamaica was very different to our other destinations, I guess because it's much poorer than islands like the Bahamas and Cayman. We were hassled a bit to buy souvenirs, take taxis or buy drugs (or seeing Bob Marley as they put it), but it was nowhere near as bad as places like Bangkok or Indonesia.

I'd been told by friends that a visit to Dunns River Falls is a must so we headed out early to beat the crowds. We weren't disappointed as it was like nothing I'd ever done before. Groups were formed of about 20 people and we proceeded to literally climb the falls from sea level to 180 metres above. Through most of it everyone's linked together and led by guides who rev up the group and take photos and film the climb as shown below.

At several spots there were compulsory dunkings which were great fun, especially as the water was nowhere near as cold as waterfalls back home.

After visiting the falls we headed to the beach for the afternoon, but not before Jody succumbed to having her hair braided (she'd been um-ing and ah-ing and finally went for it).

The beach - again just beautiful.

Cayman Islands

Second stop was the beautiful Grand Cayman Island. Here, we were tendered to shore and met by a lovely couple we met on our first cruise, Noel and Charmaine (thanks guys). Noel took us around the sites of the Island, first stop Hell, a rock formation to the north. Apparently it was a big tourist drawcard, but to my untrained eye it was just a lot of rocks. But there were iguanas too which were cool.

We then drove around the Island (there aren't really any roads going through the centre - I think it's pretty much swamp) towards Rum Point. It was really interesting getting local commentary as we traveled, especially on the affects of Hurricane Ivan just under three years ago. The highest point on Grand Cayman is something like 60 feet above sea level so it's easy to see why the Island was totally decimated.

Rum Point was a beautiful spot which we'd definitely return to if we had some spare time. Once again, the perfect example of a tropical paradise (seems to be a recurring theme on this holiday). Beautiful sandy beaches, the warm crystal-clear Caribbean and lots of water activities and rum-based cocktails. Again, what more can you ask for?

We then had lunch at a local restaurant. I was tempted to try the local delicacy of turtle (turtle soup, turtle steak and turtle burgers all feature on many menus there) but in the end couldn't turn down a buffet including jerk chicken and pork. I just love that stuff! Thanks again Noel and Charmaine.

We were then dropped off at the infamous 7 Mile Beach. It absolutely bucketed down for close to an hour but then cleared up for some much-needed swimming and lying on the beach, actually in the beach for me...

Cozumel, Mexico

The first stop on the Triumph was Cozumel, a small island off the coast of Mexico (and a part of Mexico). Aboard the ship, we'd signed up for "Jungle Kayaking" which was a great choice. We were bused then ferried to another island (Isle a la Pasion I think?) where all of our expectations were exceeded. We had unlimited Mexican food and cocktails for the day on a tropical island paradise.

After a quick couple of cocktails, we set out on our kayaks. We paddled back over to Cozumel then through mangrove swamp.

And of course, what would jungle kayaking be without salt water crocs - this guy was a good 8 feet long and not worth messing with. Unsurprisingly no-one got into the water at this part of the island (and there were nets around the swimming area now that I think about it).
We probably only kayaked for an hour and a half (by then all the Americans had had enough) so we returned to our island for more food, cocktails, games and swimming. We were definitely living the good life!

Alas, eventually we had to return to Cozumel and the crusie ship, but not before a beautiful Mexican dinner (with a couple more cocktails) and another cheesey photo: this is Senor Frog, apparently a bit of a personality in the Caribbean.

Carnival Triumph

The Carnival Triumph had much the same facilties as the Majesty of the Seas, though was a little larger. The top deck also had a waterslide and a mini golf course as well as the usual assortment of pools and jacuzzis (we were seasoned cruise travelers by now).

Jody looking very excited at the muster before sailing. Her Emirates experience clearly gave her the advantage if an emergency was ever to arise.
Several of the ports were too small for the ship to dock, so we were tendered to shore. This photo shows just how enormous our ship was:

The cruise had a couple of formal nights - we cleverly had photos taken before the Captain's drinks began...

Miami, Florida

We had a couple of days in Miami between cruises so got a little time to explore. Our hotel was across the road from Miami Beach, which was everything I expected. Just stunning and a lot of serious money around the place.

We also had time to wander through the art deco district, along South Beach. Very trendy (we felt out of place) and clearly nothing on Napier's art deco.

Key West, Florida

Key West is the southern-most point of the US, and that's pretty much all there is to it. Basically just a whole lot of touristy shops and an equally large amount of large and noisy Americans. We explored for a few hours, taking a few random photos then returned to luxury aboard the ship. Oh, and I had a great slice of Key Lime Pie.

The "world famous" conch train:

Jody and President Harry Truman's head (I'm guessing he was from Key West, but didn't stop to read the plaque to confirm):Myself and what I'm guessing is supposed to be a local:
And for those who've been to Bermuda, there is just as much of a chicken problem in Key West as here. Was very amusing (and brought back great memories) seeing other people trying to corner and chase them down.

Cococay, Bahamas

The following day we arrived at Cococay, an island in the Bahamas owned by the Royal Caribbean cruise line. This was a day of relaxation in paradise - swimming, hammocks, beach bbq on your own island - what more can you ask for?

Nassau, Bahamas

First stop on the Majesty was Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. We learnt pretty quickly that the cruise loved taking cheesey photos everywhere so we got into the spirit of it:

The Island was absolutely beautiful, though we didn't see too much of it - instead choosing to spend the day at the luxurious Atlantis resort. This photo was actually taken opposite the resort, but loved the pastel coloured buildings - very Bermuda-esque.

I'd seen the resort on movies before but spending a day there was just incredible. There were dozens of pools, waterslides, private beaches and water activities, it was pretty expensive just to hang out there for the day so I'd hate to think what the room rates are.

The resort also had probably the best aquarium I've ever seen - many huge pools that could be viewed both below and above water. Apparently it's especially famous for its predator pools which contained (among others) some absolutely huge sawfishes, hammerhead sharks and sting rays. A couple of the water slides went through these pools too which was great fun!
The day ended a little early when a pretty vicious thunderstorm hit the Island. All the pools were immediately evacuated because of the danger if lightning struck. I'd never heard of evacuating pools during a storm before, but I know I definitely wouldn't want to be struck by that lightning!

As with most Caribbean storms, it had passed within an hour and we were treated with a nice sunset as we left the harbour.

Majesty of the Seas

Jody and I boarded the Majesty of the Seas on June 18 for the first of our two cruises. The ship was just incredible: three pools, several jacuzzis, a dozen restaurants, cafes and bars, a theatre, casino, night club, shops and a climbing wall all featured and were pretty top-class. There were organised activities including bingo, art auctions (= free champagne), dance lessons and shows meaning that the trip could be very full-on if you chose. Staff were excellent, as was the food - a definite recommendation from me as a holiday idea.

The Majesty of the Seas:
Looking down on part of the top deck:

Deep sea fishing

On Saturday a group of eight of us hired a launch to go deep sea fishing and it was one of my greatest days on the Island so far. We were up at the crack of dawn and headed south for about an hour until we were off the reef - the skipper told us on one side of the boat it was 200 feet deep and on the other 1,000 feet, so apparently the perfect spot for fishing. On the way out we were escorted by a pod of dolphins which was just brilliant (and reminded me of home). The edge of the reef was out of sight of land and for the geography buffs, in the Bermuda Triangle. Fine in the launch but I don't think we'll take our boat out that far!

We were pretty successful for our 6 hours fishing time - catching a tuna, a wahoo, a 6 ft shark, a barracuda, several bonito, a few rainbow runners and countless small fish that were unlucky enough to be live bait for the day.

Highlight for me was clearly this 65 pound bonito - took about half an hour to reel him in and even though I was wearing a harness, my back was aching for the rest of the day and for cricket the next. Worth it for the snap though (note I had no strength left to lift it off the ground!).

The near miss of the day went to Dave who fought a 50 pound yellowfin tuna for about 45 minutes to get it alongside the boat, only for it to snap the line - here he is looking pretty dejected and pretty buggered.

Also, Rich with his barracuda:

Heather with her wahoo:

The shark:

And Rich with his little bonito:

At the end of the day we had a good couple of kilos of fresh fish each (the skipper kept my bonito damnit) and went straight to Dave's for a bbq and a few celebratory drinks. I have the feeling I'll be eating fish for some time now...