Late in 2019 I celebrated my 21st birthday. It wasn’t a drunken night filled with crazy stories, in fact I didn’t even have a drink. However, it was the night that I received one of the best gifts I have ever been given.
On the couch in our new apartment, my boyfriend handed me a piece of paper with a list of Caribbean destinations. He then said “take a guess which one we are going to.” I was immediately excited! The list had some dreamy places on it; Puerto Rico, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, Antigua & Barbuda, and St. Thomas U.S. Virgin Islands. I think I guessed St. Thomas, knowing how much my boyfriend loved it there when he went once as a child. I flipped the paper over to reveal the answer; we would be going to all 5 destinations on a 10 day Southern Caribbean cruise! He booked the trip without my knowing for early March 2020.
Now we all know what happened in March 2020; the beginning of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully when we boarded our cruise there were only a few cases in the United States. When we got back it was a little bit more intense... but more on that later.
We would be sailing on the Norwegian Gem. I had heard great things about it from Ethan’s former cruising days with his grandparents. The “spinnaker” lounge promised to be an amazing place for relaxing and live music. Considering how many times Ethan abnormally mentioned it to me previously, I knew he was excited for another trip on the Atlantic Ocean. The Gem has 12 decks and a 2,394 passenger capacity. Being that it was the week of college spring break, we were joined by other rowdy and lovely guests... all above the age of 75. Apparently no one cruises for spring break? This shocks me as it’s warm sand and free booze the whole week. But no matter, we weren’t looking to get drunk and the Gem had plenty of activities for all ages.
We boarded the ship and headed to get a piña colada despite the cold weather in New York City. We were exhausted from getting up at the crack of dawn to drive 6 hours to the port, so we sat at the front of the ship facing the city skyline and took a nap in the Spinnaker lounge. That’s right, I started my trip with a nap. Best decision ever. All the other guests were still boarding the ship, checking out their cabins, getting food, etc. So while they were busy Ethan brought me to the best spot on the ship. It was quiet without a single other passenger there for a couple hours. That nap, and waking up to the end of Manhattan skyline was perfect.
And boy was I glad I took that nap later on. The next two days at sea were very rocky with 17 foot waves reported as an average height. I was not feeling so hot. I'm not one to get sea sick. I usually suffer more from delayed motion sickness (mal de debarquement) which is another kind of nauseating hell, so this was new for me. I thought I could hang on without any medication to handle the nausea and dizziness, but that soon changed. In the hours after dinner the second night I was starting to reach my limit. I took dramamine (dimenhydrinate) but it didn't touch me. The waves were bad and I knew if I didn't find a solution soon that there was no return.
On my way down to the nurse's office I ran into a lovely couple in the elevator who shared my misery. They said that ginger candy worked quite well for them. I followed them to their room and they gave me a handful of the ginger candy. It didn't taste the best (nor did it work very well), but I was so grateful for their kindness and willingness to share with a stranger. The ginger candy ended up helping Ethan, so that was a bonus.
I went down to the nurse's office onboard (conveniently located on the 4th deck where the ship rocks the least) and found a "closed" sign. I enjoyed the stillness for a few minutes then headed to the concierge desk to see if they had any advice, being that they lived on a cruise ship. The man at the desk pulled out two little packets of anti motion sickness medication and handed it to me. I said I had already tried dramamine, but he said he thought this had a different active ingredient so it was worth a shot. I was desperate and it was thankfully free so I downed both the pills.
Shortly after that I was mostly functional again. The nausea cleared and I was actually able to walk back to our cabin without pausing for steady my stomach too many times. The medication (meclizine) is something I will never travel without now! I was beyond grateful to sleep that night. Being an antihistamine it also made me drowsy and knocked me right out. I didn't hear Ethan get up several times running for the bathroom (the medication didn't help him much) or the extra bed (which hangs vertically from the wall) slamming above Ethan all night long due to the massive waves. He didn't sleep much at all needless to say.
For the most part, the beginning of our cruise was lovely, we spent a morning on the top deck sunbathing, we tried the fun foods in the buffet, and we went to the bar to try a drink. Since drinking in international waters at 18 is legal, Ethan (20 at the time) was able to have his first legal drink. A Miami Vice, which I ordered for him because he was too chicken. I had never ordered a drink from a bar either. Apparently I was a natural because the bartender took my order right away. I looked confident must be. I took a sip of the rum-based drink to find that it was 1.) mostly rum and 2.) all the rum was at the bottom of my straw. So after essentially taking a giant shot of rum I was unprepared for the alcohol that was about to hit my body.
Remember, I had turned 21 about 5 months prior, but I still had not had a drink until that moment. So my first drink was a Miami Vice (which Ethan drank the rest of). My first thought after the drink was; "that tasted weird, I wonder if I'll feel anything from that little sip..." Well that little "sip" which was 45% alcohol and about one and a half shots worth, was enough to make 5'3" me feel very fuzzy. I have always hated taking anything that alters my consciousness like that, laughing gas, benzodiazepines for before surgery, etc. It makes me super uncomfortable and I start hyperventilating. Alcohol is no different. I spent about an hour uncomfortable and breathing shallowly on a couch in a bar next to my boyfriend who was having a wild time. Once it wore off I wasn't keen to feel like that again, or at least not from rum.
I would soon find out that there are much worse things than rum. Rum is actually pretty good. Wine however, is nasty. I don't understand how people drink that everyday. Maybe I just haven't tried good wine yet! Now, I just try sips of drinks. I'm not very big into alcohol, but I'm still curious what brandy tastes like. Alcohol is of course part of many countries' cultures. So trying rum in the Caribbean is just as important as trying Guinness in Ireland or wine in Italy.
Being that we were into trying local cuisine and drinks, we decided to have a nice dinner out on our first day on land in Puerto Rico. I was so excited to go to a Spanish-speaking country for the first time since I took 8 years of Spanish classes. I didn't get to use much of the language due to the touristic nature of the area we were in. However, I did learn a few new words from the signs around the city. We arrived in San Juan on a rainy afternoon, so we couldn't do much without getting soaking wet.
We walked around in the rain, slightly miserable, but still excited to be there. We came across a restaurant called Cayo Caribe which looked like it had the seafood we were craving on the menu. I ordered salmon, despite the fish staring at me from the front of the restaurant. Ethan had a more traditional meal including mofongo, a local dish made mostly from fried plantains. It was different and delicious. So different from anything I'd had that I'm not sure how to describe it.
I'm sad that I didn't get to see more of Puerto Rico due to the rain, but I will be sure to go back someday. I know it is a country with such a rich culture. We turned in for the night after dinner because it was getting dark on the island. It was at this point that we started to notice some changes on the ship. The staff were now serving us at the buffet, hand sanitizer stations were every 10 feet, and for those of you who have sailed on Norwegian Cruise Lines before; the "washy washy" was mandatory to enter any restaurant. You could not go down a hallway without seeing a staff member cleaning and sanitizing every surface.
If you couldn't have guessed, we took our cruise the first week of March 2020. This was the week that the Coronavirus exploded in the United States. When we left there were about 100 cases in the whole country. Not a big deal. The cruise line was taking precautions; a health survey was given to everyone who boarded and if you were sick you weren't allow to travel. Travelers who had recently visited China or Italy (which were the hot spots at the time) were screened in depth as well. NCL did a fantastic job of keeping us safe so we were confident. Not a single person on the ship was sick, which would pay off when we returned to New York City.
Being on a cruise ship there is no internet (unless you want to pay too much money for terrible service). So most of us had no access to outside news for a week. When we were in Puerto Rico Ethan and I called home and found out that things were getting intense; my college extended spring break and then decided to do the rest of the semester remotely, restaurants shut down, and many more businesses and people back home were panicking. Apparently no one had any toilet paper... We were afraid to go home to the panic.
Despite a rough start to the vacation with sea sickness, rain, and global pandemic we were still having a great time. Ethan picked up a book from the ship library and actually read the entire thing that week (I honestly don't know if he has ever finished a book). It was The Inventor's Secret by Andrea Cremer, in case you were curious. We enjoyed the perfect weather which stayed for the rest of the week.
Our next stop was Saint Kitts. Known for its colonial history with sugar cane plantations, lush green forests, and local hospitality, Saint Kitts was my favorite stop. Although it is a very hard choice between Saint Kitts and Saint Lucia! Saint Kitts is also known for is monkey population. With over 60,000 monkeys in Saint Kitts and its sister island Nevis, there are more monkeys than people! Personally I am terrified of monkeys. Someone I knew as a child had one as a pet and it jumped on my head and ripped out my hair. So I was excited to see the monkeys from a distance.
When we got off the ship, we had some time to kill before our excursion. So we decided to walk around the shops near the port. As soon as we left the dock a man approached us and started hounding us for photos with his baby monkey. We didn't have our bearings yet and I was overwhelmed when the man just threw the monkey on my shoulder. I paused walking because I was scared and the man took my camera to take photos. Ethan was trying to get him to stop, but eventually just gave in and took the photos. The man was not an overly impressive photographer for the $20 he charged us (despite not having choice). And that is how I experienced my first tourist trap. After the photos were taken the policeman standing on the corner told him to get lost.
We stood on there for a moment trying to react to what just happened, as it all went down so quickly. It was a weird feeling to shake. I asked Ethan why he so willingly gave the man the $20 and he said that these types of men will up the price if you say no. They already took the picture so you "owe them" for the service. The rules of this kind of scam aren't enforced barely at all in the Caribbean countries (or in most overly touristic destinations) so he said that we could've easily had him asking us for $100. I'm glad we learned our lesson to be more aggressive about saying "no" for only $20.
After a little walk around Basseterre, we went back to the dock to meet for our excursion. We would be doing an open air jeep tour of the island with Greg's Safaris. We met Greg himself and had a fabulous time cruising around the island as he pointed out the local wildlife and plants. Our hosts were so awesome at pointing out what everything was. We made an official stop on the side of a hill overlooking the bay where The Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea. The change in water color from dark blue to bright turquoise was amazing.
After stopping to get a lesson in the local view from above, we walked up the hill to the top where an old sugar plantation used to be. We explored the site as well as the beautiful flowers and "sensitive plant" which moves when you touch it. Being the houseplant nerd that I am, I was the only one who knew the name when the guide asked us what we thought it was.
Back at the bottom of the hill we could try pomegranate juice with local rum (this drink was much more delicious than my first). We bought some to bring home with us before climbing back in the jeep to head to our next destination which was Friar's Bay. This beach was like the ones you see in movies. The gorgeous green mountains poking up on either side of you, white sand, and perfectly aqua colored water. I looked for seashells on the beach and relaxed in the sand while Ethan swam around.
When we worked up an appetite from swimming we went to a beach bar for a snack. I WISH I knew the name of this place to share with you, but I have never been able to find it. The wings and fries we had there were out of this world amazing. Ethan claims they are the best wings he has ever had, and he is what I would call a wing connoisseur. We got so wrapped up in our food that we almost missed our return trip to the ship. We were the last ones to get back on the jeep as we realized the time and ran for it. I think Ethan still dreams about the extra wing he had to leave behind...
The next day we were back on land again. This time in Saint Lucia! Another incredible Caribbean island, Saint Lucia is known for its lush greenery and its "Pitons" or mountains that are very pointy. Made of two volcanoes that never quite broke the surface, the Pitons are also represented by the triangles on Saint Lucia's flag.
Our excursion for the day was a guided drive to Soufriere from Castries where our ship was docked. We boarded a little tour bus and started our beautiful drive to Soufriere along the coastline. Did I mention that the coastline is full of hairpin turns? I was so sick at the pace the speedy driver was going, but I enjoyed every moment as the views from this crazy curvy mountain were well worth it. We did make a quick stop for some banana barbecue sauce taste testing too, which was great.
When we arrived at the Soufriere Botanical Gardens I felt as though I was stepping into a garden oasis. Everything around me felt dreamlike and unreal. There were caterpillars the size of my wrist and flowers in every color. At the end of the botanical garden trail was a small waterfall called Diamond Falls, due to hot and dry weather it was barely a trickle at the time, but still gorgeous.
We spent some time soaking in the private hot baths under the Pitons. They were filled with water that had run down the mountain, which caused it to be full of volcanic minerals (which are great for the body). It flowed through the stream that went through the botanical gardens as a light-gray, cloudy water.
After our refreshing break from the winding road, we went to the top of the hill overlooking Soufriere. From there we got a delicious local meal cooked right on the giant barbecue. The view and the food were out of this world. The color of Soufriere from above is incomparable to any other Caribbean country I've seen.
Our time at that spot was way too short. I could have sat in that spot for hours. A local man made us a grasshopper and a rose from just one palm frond. It's amazing how quickly he folded it all up and made it into art. I wish I could've seen the sun set from that spot too. It was so romantic.
One of the nights on the cruise I decided to participate in a lip sync battle (If you know me, you know that I am the lip sync battle queen). In front of a good 200 people I got up and put on my best Donna Summer performance to Hot Stuff. Before my winning performance though, the cruise director asked me my name, where I was from, and who I was with. I told him I was there with my partner Ethan of 5 years. He began to tease Ethan about how LONG 5 years is. A long time to wait to propose. He asked all the other contestants how long they had been with their spouses before they proposed and it was of course less than 5 years. He gave Ethan a hard glance after every answer. The audience loved it. In fact, they loved it so much that Ethan kept getting people telling him "5 years huh?" in the elevator and around the ship the rest of the week.
The fourth stop on our cruise was the island of Antigua. We had a simple plan for our trip there: go to the beach. When we stepped off the ship we did a little shopping for some local art and then hopped in a taxi with about 10 other people. This taxi took all of us to Darkwood Beach, which was quiet and pristine.
We grabbed an umbrella chair and slathered on the sunscreen. It looked like it might rain a little, but thankfully the clouds cleared up after lunchtime. I walked the beach looking for little sea shells, but didn't find very many as this area had no bay to protect it from big waves. The water was perfectly turquoise; prettier than any other beach I have seen in my life so far.
After lunch we went into the water. We saw a sea turtle swimming in the distance near a jet-skiier which was so magical! I mean who gets to see a sea turtle in its native habitat!? I felt so lucky. We walked around in the water talking and laughing until Ethan stepped on something hard. He figured it was a rock and moved on with a bruised foot... until it happened again further down the coastline. This time Ethan grabbed the object and pulled it up with his foot. A big seashell! Apparently we had been stepping on them all afternoon and had no idea that they were exactly what I had been looking for; big intact shells. We fished a bunch out with out feet and threw them back. I kept a few for my seashell frames. If you haven't seen that post on how my recent craft project go check it out!
After our time in the water we relaxed on our umbrella chairs. While sitting, Ethan tells me "hold on, I have a surprise idea." He walked away and talked to a man down the beach. I watched him come back and he said "we're going to go jet skiing!"
Well we were going to go, except Ethan failed to realize that we hadn't paid the taxi driver for our return trip and we would be short on cash if we went jet skiing. Thankfully the jet ski rental man gave Ethan his cash back! Always bring more cash than you think you'll need when getting off a ship for the day!
At the end of the day we got back on the ship to have a delicious hibachi dinner. This was Ethan's favorite part of the cruise I think. Their fried rice is out of this world and the chefs really put on a hibachi show like no other! After dinner we were walking around the ship when the captain made an announcement; due to "time constraints" we would not be visiting St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands the next day.
We were, of course, disappointed as we had planned to go swimming with sea turtles the next day. Ethan went to St. Thomas with his family on a cruise as a child and said it was his favorite place he'd ever been, so he was disappointed that he would not get to show it to me. The "time constraints" excuse was surely about COVID-19 as the situation on the mainland was worsening. At this point we were just sitting back in the sun and awaiting our fate, whatever it may be, when we returned home. We did get a whopping $18 refund on our bill due to missing St. Thomas though.
Apparently it was not just Ethan and I who were having a wild trip, we watched a man get evacuated via helicopter over the bow of the ship. I would not want the job of being responsible for helping the man into the helicopter via a rope.
We saw several good shows on board the Gem, including a hilarious comedian who watched the helicopter evacuation with us. He had very interesting insight being that he had lived on the ship for 7 months. He said it wasn't the first time this had happened.
Another funny moment on this cruise was when we finally discovered the right term to use for the drink I wanted. The majority of servers on the ship are foreign. So when I asked several of them for a "milkshake" they did not know what it was. You could name just about any obscure mixed drink and these guys could make it for you, but a milkshake? Never heard of it. At the end of the cruise I was describing the ice-cream-based drink to one of the servers and he says "ohhhh you mean like a mudslide, but virgin? no alcohol?" I told him yes, and what he brought me was an absolutely delicious chocolate milkshake. Now I know to order a "virgin mudslide" next time!
When we arrived at our ending port of New York City, we were rushed off the ship in record time. No questions were asked at customs. Our temperatures were taken by nurses wearing full surgical gowns and masks (a scary sight at the time, but a normal one nowadays). We got in the car and drove straight for home. We learned shortly after arriving that the New York State border was closed to traffic just hours after we arrived home. We also learned that we were one of only a couple cruise ships that let passengers off in NYC that day. The rest of the many ships were told to go to Florida to disembark. (Still curious how this helped control the spread as almost all of these ships had cases of COVID-19 on them, and yet they still had to return to New York to retrieve their cars and get home. It just made everyone's journeys more convoluted.) We were lucky to be home and escaped entrapment by an inch.
We obviously did not plan to travel during a pandemic, but everything happened so quickly that first week. It was crazy. However, the crew's response to the danger was absolutely astounding. Not a single person on board our ship got sick. We had no cases of COVID-19 to begin with or to end with. It gives me a lot of faith in Norwegian Cruise Lines.
Our Southern Caribbean cruise was quite the whirlwind with plans changing and lots of crazy circumstances, but I had the time of my life. The sights were gorgeous, the culture was beautiful, and the fun we had along the way was priceless. Even the monkey incident was great looking back, as I learned something valuable about traveling that I'll hold onto as I make my way around the globe.
Have you made any "happy accidents," as Bob Ross called them, during your travels? Let me know in the comments. I would love to hear your crazy stories and trade tips on how to avoid them or enjoy them next time!
And remember to bring compassion wherever you go!
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