The Caribbean Islands - Cruise Vacation
Another reason to keep my excitement high was, on the way to Orlando, Florida we were going to meet my good old friend Srividya and her hubby Suyodhan for a whole long day! They were newly wed and I guess we were going to be their first guests. Well, we were all set, packing was done as I wound up my hour long call with Anitha. Mom and dad were driven to my apartment at Pleasanton by a friendly uncle Pramode. Sayed, our regular cab driver, was ready to drive us down to San Fransisco Airport.
Five hours later we landed at Atlanta. Srividya had booked a cab to pick us up at the airport. Unfortunately he did not turn up, later on calling him we realized that his wife had an emergency and he couldn’t come. Now started our adventure at the new place – dad was trying to figure out some means of transport to Birmingham, abt 2.5 hrs drive from Atlanta. Varied conversations with the locals out there led us to one cab, the driver agreed to give us a ride.
I dozed off while on way. I sleep like a baby on all the rides/flights. I generally do not prefer short flights, by the time I get cozy with my sleep, it is time to land L. Whom do I see at the corner of the road? Oh my goodness, it was srividya… I j
Woke up fresh after a power nap, to the aromas of mouth-watering lunch along with
A chauffer driven limousine drove us to Holiday Inn, our tired bones got some rest. A fresh bath and continental breakfast gave us all the energy to start our cruise at Port Canaveral.
The Mariner of the S

A day of sailing and exploration led us to Labaadee Island, Haiti. This was an awesome bright green isl
and with mostly rather all colored people. The natives make beautiful handicrafts for a living. Labaadee is Royal Carrebean’s private island, bought and maintained for the pleasure of its visitors. Numerous water sports were at our reach here, such as parasailing, snorkeling, banana boats, water scooters, and scuba diving…. For our entertainment a classical Labadee dance and music show was hosted. This was audible till our room on the boat.
In the evening we departed from Labadee, a night of sailing was required to see Ocho Rios, Jamaica!!! Ocho Rios is a Spanish name. After the Spanish left Jamaica, the British took over and ruled, so your guess is correct - left hand drive!!! This place had similarities with Southern Sri Lanka, sluggish with respect to its agriculture, infrastructure, and people…. We boarded a bus and it drove through The Duns River falls, Dolphin’s Parade and then the shopping center. Surprisingly most of the shopkeepers were none other than our own gujju’s expect for 1 whom we met was a Hyderabadi Reddy.
In the evening we departed from Labadee, a night of sailing was required to see Ocho Rios, Jamaica!!! Ocho Rios is a Spanish name. After the Spanish left Jamaica, the British took over and ruled, so your guess is correct - left hand drive!!! This place had similarities with Southern Sri Lanka, sluggish with respect to its agriculture, infrastructure, and people…. We boarded a bus and it drove through The Duns River falls, Dolphin’s Parade and then the shopping center. Surprisingly most of the shopkeepers were none other than our own gujju’s expect for 1 whom we met was a Hyderabadi Reddy.
Just before our cruise vacation there were consecutive hurricane hits, the worst being Hurricane Katrina. We had to deviate from the schedule and skip The Cayman Island as it had severe effects. This influenced the captain of our ship to reduce the average speed from 24 knots to 14 knots. Couzumel, Mexico was scheduled for Day 5. Couzumel looked so much like Mumbai, India. A part of its interesting history beauty is dedicated to the Mayan ruins. Here too we had a whole list of water sports at our reach.
Being vegetarians and non-swimmers, we thought we would have less to do on a cruise. To prove us wrong th
Day 6, now I started feeling gloomy thinking about the return to the real world L. I began to sense the boat was going faster than usual though it wasn’t…
Phew!! L Woke up – I had never felt heavier, had my bath, dragged myself up to WindJammer to bid Sandeep a good bye… Went to the balcony where the bright florida sun shone, Oops, I realized my favourite Ray Ban sunglasses were missing. It happened to get misplaced during a photo session the previous night. What more did I need to make me feel worse at that point of time. I was feeling so low. Our boat reached the Port of Call, Port Canaveral. We went through customs clearance check, the officers had a tough time with some handwritten items in my Indian passports. Took a taxi to the Florida airport, flew to Oakland, California via Salt Lake City.
Now back to the Real World. This is the most impressive holiday of my life is a must say – Thanks Dad!
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