St. Martin

pretty sunset after the quick rain a rainbow *before* the rain. we could actually see the rain coming towards us. bizarre! below: matching ray bans! Stepping off the tender, the first area is a bustling square, full of restaurants and shops. We were on the French side, where prices were quite high…and they are mostly in euros (which is almost doubled in U.S. dollars). Luckily, Marsha had been to this port before on another ship and encouraged us all to go to the Dutch side. What a happy surprise. It had the best of both worlds – a wide beach with mountains on either side, lined with restaurants and surrounding middle to high end shopping. We started the day at a restaurant Marsha had visited before. It was a down – home kind of feel and served a complete meal of a meat / vegetable of choice, rice, mac and cheese, potato salad. Nothing to extravagant but fresh and satisfying. I then roamed the surrounding area with Takis and was treated to my first pair of Ray Bans… also looked at the expensive watches and jewelry, to just dream a little ☺ We then went to the beach to hang out and met up with the rest of the gang for a little R & R. After a while we decided to head back to where the ship was, on the French side. We were in port til late (a rare occurance), 9 pm, so we decided to have a dinner with other crew we met up with, since a lot of people were leaving at the end of the cruise. I split a cheese and mushroom pizza and goat cheese on toasted bread…Good goat cheese is gooooood, and the company was fun and fabulous. It was however, in Euros because this was the French side, and was a bit over priced. I conclude, you get more bang for you $ on the dutch side.

St. Croix

It seems whenever I forget my camera, or the battery runs out, I end up seeing and doing some really cool things! So you will have to use your imagination with this one. At the ship’s port, there is a nice little area with restaurants and shops, along with a small and humble beach. Takis and I wanted to venture out into the island, so we took a cab to Fredriksted, on the other side of the island. It was about a 25 minute drive. By the water, the boardwalk was lined with a few hip bars and restaurants, all of which were open aired as to not miss the view of the beaches and surroundings islands and mountains. From here, we could see a small island which held a small resort. Takis and I found a small ‘ferry’ which took us there. We were able to dine at the resort’s outside restaurant, away from the tourist traps we somehow managed to escape. The people staying there were very relaxed and friendly, and wanted to talk to us. Most of them were Americans who had found this tiny island to house their vacation away from the real world. There was of course a beach, just a few feet away from the resort with chairs and umbrellas. After lunch we hung around the beach for a little while to soak in our newly found secret spot, and then took the ferry back to explore the usual jewelry and souvenir shops.

Horseback in Costa Rica

Wow. So life at the beach has been relaxing and fun, but there’s only so much super powerful sun, sand, and pina colada a girl can take. I’m certainly not complaining – I am thrilled with this hot climate and happy with myself not to be blowing all my money on shoes in Europe (for now ☺). But, a crew tour was organized, and we were able to pick if we wanted to do horseback riding or zip-lining in Costa Rica. All the cool kids went zip-lining, but I was sold on the panorama horse adventure. We took a half hour bus ride to this little resort area with zip lines, 4 wheelers, horse stables and a restaurant. The horses were pretty well trained, but some seemed a little skinny. There was about 10 of us who went, including Michelle, who made it even more fun. A few of the girls had experience, so they went ahead with one of the guides, while a little group of us stayed back and enjoyed the nice mountains, few houses, and scenery. The halfway mark was where we turned around and went back the way we came. Michelle and I were in the back with a guide and were going slow. He asked if we wanted to speed up, so we did, and galloped back! It was scary at first, but then really exhilarating. I am definitely hooked. My back is really sore though ☹

Nicaragua

a beautiful day in San Juan Del Sure, Nicaragua. Just a simple lunch and stroll outside. But a wonderful day none the less. Yes, that is a whole fish once AGAIN!

Acapulco second time around

This time in Acapulco, we decided to take a trip to Paradise Beach. Takis and I met up with Marsha and Lindsay for some serious beach time. He had ‘the best meal’ which was a whole red snapper then he had to de-bone. I tried it and it was really light/refreshing. I over did the appetizer of guacamole ad chips so I left it at that. There parrots at the entrance/exit for the restaurant! After lunch we took a jet ski ride. 30 minutes for $40. Takis drove and I sat on the back, and we rode up the coast line to where the ship was docked, and then over to the really nice condos and apartments where the celebrities live. It was great views, but there were quite a few dead things in the water. When we were finished, we all hung out on the beach, in front of a bungie jumping platform…where we finally got to watch someone jump right before we left.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

There was a Wal-Mart when I looked outside today! I never thought I’d be so excited for this. I was able to get a few essentials…especially all new eye make up, because I had to throw all mine out from getting pink eye the other day. YUCK…you don’t need to hear about that. Anyways, after Wal-Mart, Marsh, Linds, Takis and Dicky (the new personal trainer) took a 20 minute taxi ride to get to a nice beach area. We went to a nice open restaurant and had chips, salsa, beans, rice, and of course, margaritas. Afterwards we went to the beach and lounged around while local vendors walked up to us, trying to sell us all sorts of things – ranging from silver jewelry to sunglasses to dresses. I ended up getting 3 dresses… oops! You can see the red one in the picture. You can also see I made three new friends! Some musicians started playing music on the beach, and we had our own little dance party. The little girls couldn’t speak English and I don’t know Spanish, so it was like we were using body language to talk to each other. We took turns playing follow the dance leader and copied each other.

holiday cruise recap

They are sad to go, and I am sad to have them go, but I certainly had a most lovely holiday cruise with my mom, dad, theo, and gram. Some highlights include: -Talking in British accents, especially at tea time. -Dad getting super mad at theo for taking the only tuna sandwich at tea time. -After the whole family had a 2 hour dinner with Takis, we had lunch the next day, and grandma asked “who are you?” to Takis! (it was the “lighting”.. they ended up being quite good friends by the end of the cruise, no worries!) -Theo entertaining more people then anyone in entertainment with his card tricks and wii lessons -Theo and mine’s day in Hautulco – playing our new mini violins -our tour in Nicaragua of the mombachu volcano and cloud forest. -Seeing lots of wildlife in the ocean – sea turtles, sea lions, dolphins/spinners -Cruising through the panama canal -Harp Lessons and learning about harp with Mary Amanda Fairchild, the harp player on board -boogying all night on new years eve!

Theo's blog

Hi everyone, this is Theo, Molly’s brother, and I will be doing a guest blog because this is my last day of the cruise and I would like to wrap up my experience with a nice blog (all said in a British accent). I have been to many places on this cruise and have met many people, but my favorite places were huatulco, mexico and cabo san lucas, mexico. Both of these places were fun because I had lots of time to chill and hang out on the beach. My people that I have to give a shout out to are definitely Ron, Eric, Adrian, and all the other fun people from the cruise. I would name all of them but I would be here forever. I learned how to play harp, how to do card tricks and apparently I’m a good dancer. I’d also like to say thank to Mary Amanda, Michelle, the cast, my 18-25 group friend, and Takis for being so awesome and I’m going to miss everyone and everything here. This was the best 2 weeks and 2 days of my life!

Cabo

The last production show of the holiday cruise was on New Year’s Eve, so it gave me just a few hours to go out in Cabo. Takis and I went to a resort he had been to a few years before on another contract. This place was FABULOUS. It had 3 swimming pools on separate levels. We picked the 2nd level pool with a swim up bar, volleyball net, and hot tub. There was a view of the beach and ocean from the resort. We spent our time swimming, laying out, relaxing, and finishing the day with a trip to the hammocks on the beach. I love hammocks! It was also a plus that it was happy hour…well, happy afternoon… and every drink Takis ordered he got one for free. I was given 2 pina coladas… but had to take it easy because I had shows in the evening, of course! My mom said it’s good to be working the last night of the year… to ring in the new year with a job! The cast had such good energy for the 2 shows and I had so much fun performing and kicking off people’s new years celebrations. There was a huge deck party with the rockin’ Mirage Trio band, fruit and dessert layouts, and festive decorations galore. Everyone was there – dancing and partying! I was so happy to have my family there to ring in the new year. It had been quite a few years since I brought in a new year with them! We danced, took tons of pictures, and hung out on the windy deck all night. I finished off the night at the crew party, where michelle was dj-ing. I definitely partied enough to last me for the entire year, which is just fine for me, because I have big plans for 2009.

Acapulco

Cruising with the Rents is proving to be quite the experience. Day 12 of being in closed quarters with family.. and I must say, overall, we are really doing wonderful. But of course, as usual, today I learned lots of things about my family . 1) We are especially non-functional in the morning. Group activities before 10 am should be scheduled with precaution. 2) Don’t pick meeting times or places the night before. 3) The universal language is spoken with smiles, music, and food –Mom. (I’ve heard her say it before but it bears repeating). 4) Life is the greatest teacher. Last night I was thinking I don’t want to do a cruise gig ever again, and today I was really moved and decided I have to keep traveling (however, I don’t know if it will be via cruise ship.) We started our day off with an excursion, which was a cruise to see the Acapulco cliff divers. They are one of the cities claims to fame, along with being the home of many American celebrities. We took a triple decker boat to the home of the divers. We saw about 5 jumpers, each at different levels. The last jumped off the highest point and did 2 flips. Three of the divers swam to the boat at the end and came on board for pictures and a ride back to the main town. The youngest in the particular group was 15, however they said the youngest diver ever was 11. They all belong to and are paid by a union of divers. At the end of the trip we were served chips, pico de gallo, guac, and other Mexican snacks, at 9 am (!). We took the boat back to a shopping area, and ended up going to the flea market. There was a lot of hassling and the same odd items repeatedly lined along the streets. It was overwhelmingly intimidating. I didn’t enjoy it. We returned back to the ship. Shortly after coming back, Michelle was going out to the beach, so I decided to give Mexico another go in her Spanish speaking company. We didn’t need to walk too far to find a breezy, open restaurant serving cold beers and pico de gallo. We sat on the backside of the restaurant which was right in the sandy beach. While chatting and catching up, merchants would walk up to us every other second. Finally, one was much different from the others – a very small and skinny 6 year old boy. He was selling magnets. Michelle asked him to sit down, and talked to him in Spanish. We got him apple juice and he ate the rest of our chips, which he smothered in mounds of salt. He was so afraid to eat or drink because he didn’t believe that we would pay for it. He was missing some education, and was obviously very poor, but had a bright smile and a fun heart. He said his mother was coming over (I was scared she would be upset he was hanging out with us) who selling hanging glass mobiles, and ended up being very friendly and lovely. She had a baby hanging from tied blankets around her waste. She had one other son at home. She was genuinely interested in us, and the two of them looked at Michelle’s pictures from her camera in awe. The woman looked young and was very warm… I will never forget her smile. Weather she was or not, she seemed content with herself and her life. She was open and so friendly to us. I can’t explain the ways I was moved by this interaction, but it showed me that joy and is everywhere, and life can teach you anytime, anywhere, if you are willing to learn.

Acapulco

Cruising with the Rents is proving to be quite the experience. Day 12 of being in closed quarters with family.. and I must say, overall, we are really doing wonderful. But of course, as usual, today I learned lots of things about my family . 1) We are especially non-functional in the morning. Group activities before 10 am should be scheduled with precaution. 2) Don’t pick meeting times or places the night before... 4) The universal language is spoken with smiles, music, and food –Mom. (I’ve heard it before but it is important to repeat). 5) Life is the greatest teacher. Last night I was thinking I don’t want to do a cruise gig ever again, and today I was really moved and decided I have to keep traveling (however, I don’t know if it will be via cruise ship.) We started our day off with an excursion, which was a cruise to see the Acapulco cliff divers. They are one of the cities claims to fame, along with being the home of many American celebrities. We took a triple decker boat to the home of the divers. We saw about 5 jumpers, each at different levels. The last jumped off the highest point and did 2 flips. Three of the divers swam to the boat at the end and came on board for pictures and a ride back to the main town. The youngest in the particular group was 15, however they said the youngest diver ever was 11. They all belong to and are paid by a union of divers. At the end of the trip we were served chips, pico de gallo, guac, and other Mexican snacks, at 9 am (!). We took the boat back to a shopping area, and ended up going to the flea market. There was a lot of hassling and the same odd items repeatedly lined along the streets. It was overwhelmingly intimidating. I didn’t enjoy it. We returned back to the ship. Shortly after coming back, Michelle was going out to the beach, so I decided to give Mexico another go in Spanish speaking company. We didn’t need to walk too far to find a breezy, open restaurant serving cold beers and pico de gallo. We sat on the backside of the restaurant which was right in the sandy beach. While chatting and catching up, merchants would walk up to us every other second. Finally, one was much different from the others – a very small and skinny 6 year old boy. He was selling magnets. Michelle asked him to sit down, and talked to him in Spanish. We got him apple juice and he ate the rest of our chips, which he smothered in mounds of salt. He was so afraid to eat or drink because he didn’t believe that we would pay for it. He was missing some education, and was obviously very poor, but had a bright smile and a fun heart. He said his mother was coming over (I was scared she would be upset he was hanging out with us) who selling hanging glass mobiles, and ended up being very friendly and lovely. She had a baby hanging from tied blankets around her waste. She had one other son at home. She was genuinely interested in us, and the two of them looked at Michelle’s pictures from her camera in awe. The woman looked young and was very warm… I will never forget her smile. Weather she was or not, she seemed content with herself and her life. She was open and so friendly to us. I can’t explain the ways I was moved by this interaction, but it showed me that joy and is everywhere, and life can teach you anytime, anywhere, if you are willing to learn.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays. I am so grateful to have my grandma, mom, dad, and brother Theo on board the Azamara Journey with me. We are having so much fun! Tonight we are all having dinner at the fancy restaurant with Takis, then it's time for our Christmas show! I'm looking forward to spending Christmas day in Costa Rica with my family... then putting on the production of Twisted TV! Cheers to my wonderful family here and all over the place, new friends, and of course, all of my lovely friends back home.