Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Adventure of the Seas

This November, I got the opportunity to go on a Caribbean cruise with my family and some close family friends. I would miss school and get to go to a few different islands - Aruba, Dominica, Curacao and St. Thomas - with my three friends, Courtney, Tim, and Matt.

The first day on the ship, Adventure of the Seas, was a Sea Day. It gave us time to settle in to the new environment and explore the ship a little bit. We checked out the Optix Teen Program quickly and then found the secret route to the helipad on the bow. It was difficult- going there was permitted, but discouraged, so it was fun to try and find it. We also checked out the ice cream shop. They actually had a Ben & Jerry's on board!

Every night we ate dinner in the "Vivaldi" dining room at 6:00, and after that, we'd see that night's show. One night it was the ice skating show, one was a comedian. But my favourite was the ventriloquist, Ronn Lucas. He had three different puppets with very different personalities. It was probably the funniest show I've ever seen, and Ronn was INCREDIBLE.

Courtney and I always looked forward to going straight to the Teen Club again after. We met some other kids there, and we formed a club of English-speakers: Kyle, Gus, JP, Robert, Adrianna, Alex, Tim, Courtney and myself. Almost evening, we would go to the top floor in a private game room. We would stay there for hours just listening to Gus play the piano. He was incredible. We'd stay until something interesting was going on in the Club, because every night there was some kind of dance or party (or karaoke!).

Our first stop was to Aruba. Although the sun was shining and the beach was bustling, the waves were strong and tall. Courtney and I played in them for a few hours, I think, until they started getting even larger. Soon we invented a game: You had to stay standing through each wave no matter how strong, and whoever stands longest would win. But neither of us could hold on for as long as we thought we could. Nearly every time, the water would come up to our necks or over when we had been standing knee-high moments before. Then it would suddenly push us down to the sand and threw us backwards onto the beach. One giant wave hit me so hard that I scraped my hip against the sand and cut it. It was just sand, but I had hit it so hard! And after Courtney got a bloody nose, we were forced to swim in the pool instead. Later, the bartender told me about a big storm that was happening on a nearby island causing the waves, and that they were the biggest they had seen on the island in twenty years.

Curacao was next, and that was where I had my first kiss. It was with a young and energetic dolphin named "Kayena" at the Curacao Dolphin Academy. She was amazingly fast. Once, she got spooked and rammed into my mom and I so abruptly that we fell off the platform!

The marine life was teeming in Dominica. We were snorkeling on the side of a volcano! So the sand was actually volcanic and very black compared to the perfect white snow on the other islands. I also checked out some neat caves, and we saw a few sting-rays in the water below us.

St. Thomas was so gorgeous and sunny. The water was cool and refreshing and clear as can be; you could see every shell or piece of coral right at the bottom. Even the sand was perfectly white with no stones and soft on your feet. But the very best part of it was going snorkeling at 'Champagne' Beach. It's world-famous for it's cool lava springs, just like swimming in a giant glass of champagne! I think it must have been the most beautiful natural phenomenon I've ever seen.

I don't know if I could summarize the trip any more than I already have. There was just so much to do and explore and experience every single day. We were never bored, but always busy and completely engaged in whatever activities we were doing. I could try to pick out my favourite parts, but every part was my favourite. I know that sounds like a cheesy Disney ending, but what else can I say? Everything was breath-taking, mind-blowing, and jaw-dropping.

andie, xoxo.