GOING ON A CRUISE WITH MOM & DAD

The last time I took a vacation with my parents, I was a pre-teenager. Needless to say, that was a year or two ago!!!

Last September, while Tom and I were planning a cruise for my upcoming birthday, my Mom said, "I've always wanted to take a cruise." Since she is in her early 80's, Tom and I decided now was the time to plan that cruise.

As we started talking about it, my Dad kept acting like he didn't want to go. So I finally proposed Mom and I doing a girl's cruise - at which point he decided he didn't want to be left behind. I asked them what islands they would like to visit. The only one they came up with was St. Martin/St. Maarten. They had gone there many years ago; unfortunately, right after a hurricane, so it wasn't the best time to visit. They had always wanted to return but never had. This was their chance!

I found a great itinerary on Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas. We would be leaving out of San Juan and visiting Tortola, St. Martin/St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia and Grenada. Mom & Dad agreed that it sounded great, so cruise and airline reservations were made. The my parent's friends, Dora and Odd Larsen, decided to join us.

On the morning of April 10, we left Providence heading to San Juan and the Serenade of the Seas. The flights went smoothly and before we knew it we were on board enjoying our first drink.

Tortola - after a little snag regarding our (non)rental car, we found a great taxi driver to take us around Tortola. We spent some time at Long Bay, Brewers Bay and Skyworld, as well as some other stops for general sightseeing. Tom and I love Tortola, so it was a great chance to share it.

St. Martin/St. Maarten - We had a tour set up with Bernard's Tours. It was great! We visited Orient (clothing optional) Beach and Maho (planes landing overhead) Beach. We wandered the island enjoying beautiful scenery including a stop at a patissserie shop.



Antigua - Fortunately, this was the day with no tours scheduled. We were just planning to catch a taxi to a beach. It rained all day - not just light rain, but pouring rain. We stayed on the ship, except for Tom who ventured into the town for a beer and an quick internet fix.


St. Lucia - Another tour scheduled - this one with Cosol. What a beautiful island. We visited waterfalls, botanical gardens, volcanoes and the beach. We enjoyed a stop where we were served some local delicacies and fruits. However, the highlight of the day was after we departed. Our captain steered the cruise ship between the Pitons and then did a 180-degree rotation between them. It was an absolutely incredible experience.



Grenada - Our last tour of the trip with A&E Tours. We learned about spices like nutmeg, mace and cinnamon as well as chocolate. We visited a botanical garden, waterfall and crater lake. We enjoyed monkeys, a rum factory and, last but not least, another beautiful beach.

Day at Sea - Today we were able to relax and enjoy the ship. Tom and I agree that the Serenade of the Seas is the best ship we've ever been on. It's not too big, never feels crowded, has lots of out of the way spaces, and boasts the most incredible crew. We elected to dine at Chops tonight instead of the main dining room. What a way to end our trip.

Heading Home to Rhode Island