Travel Diary for SalsaCrazy's Dance Cruise to the Caribbean

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Travel Diary: Caribbean Salsa Cruise with
Dance Fun on the Carnival Destiny Jan 2004

What can I say? I was cordially invited to join John Riddle’s Dance Fun Cruise to the Caribbean. I’ve never been on a cruise before and all I can think about is how nauseated I would be throughout this cruise. But then again, I have never been to the Caribbean Islands and what are my chances to have the opportunity again to be on a ship with 150+ salseros and salseras from all over the world? Needless to say more, I packed my bags, headed to Puerto Rico, hopped on the ship, and had the most enjoyable time with all the new friends I have met in 7 days.

Jan 16^th(SFO) – after a sleepless night I worked 8 long hours at the clinic then drove 2.5 hrs down to San Francisco to meet up with Evan. Called a taxi but the guy wasn’t so bright and took 40 mins to find our location. Luckily we were prepared to sit around in the airport so we have extra time left to check out the magazine store at SFO. We caught the red eye flight to Miami filled with infants and their crying. Waking up with a neck ache, we then walked miles within the Miami airport terminal to fly out to Puerto Rico.

Jan 17^th (Puerto Rico) – finally arrived in San Juan at 10:30am. Nice and hot already…I put away my leather jacket first thing. Hotel transfer took us back to the Wyndham Condado Hotel & Casino. First person I met was Amando – the most energetic salsero ever found. He must have danced to every song played on the ship. We settled into our room and then met up with Amando to go sight-seeing in Old San Juan and to check out the last day of the San Sebastian Festival. Local people recommend that we take Bus 21 (only cost $0.20) because of the heavy traffic…taxi would have cost us 2 arms and 2 legs. Advice taken and we made it to town. Walked through numerous narrow alleys to get to the wall – La Muralla de San Juan where we can look out to the Atlantic Ocean. We were all very hungry for some local foods and ended up eating lunch at Amadeus Café. The food was okay. We walked to El Morro San Felipe Castle but it was almost closing so we checked out the upper level of the castle and skipped the museum. As we walked back towards town, we passed by a live band playing all kinds of latin music with people dancing in Plaza del Quinto Centenario. Afterwards, we went to Maria’s for good drinks (a hole in the wall but recommended by Frommer’s). We were all tired from a day of flying and half a day of strolling through Old Town. We took the taxi back to the hotel (which took almost an hour to get back but luckily we bargained before getting on and only have to pay $10 for 3 people). We had room service for dinner (again…it was okay…and I’m not even picky with food! Well, most of the time).

Later on in the evening at around 9:30pm, we headed downstairs at the hotel to meet with some other Dance Fun cruisers (Ka, Dan, Steve, Ana, Ron, Jeanie, Barbara, Dan, Cheryl, Maria and Amando). More Pina Coladas and Salsa dancing. Most of the time the DJ and the first band played Merengue but the second band played mostly salsa (thank goodness). We sat and socialized with our new friends. On our way back to the hotel room…Ana, Steve, Evan and I passed by the Casino…I made some donations and in the end, I got into bed by 3am. That was a very long day for me.

Jan 18^th (Puerto Rico) – woke up by 11am…checked out from the hotel…dropped off our luggag with the bell boy…have breakfast down the street at La Hacienda near the Wyndham Condado Hotel. We sat right next to the windows that opens up to the Atlantic Ocean. I might have gotten some sea water in my face at some point but the view was gorgeous (but the food was so-so and the price is fair). We gathered with other Dance Fun cruisers and took the Carnival tour bus to board the Carnival Destiny (25 mins time with some traffic). The boarding was intense but luckily for Evan and I, we have the smallest luggage (or shall I say one carry-on and one backpack each person) of all passengers and we stroll our own stuff into our cabin. I have heard way too many missing luggage stories so I’ve learned to pack lightly. Turns out I have enough clothes to wear for 4 more days by the end of the trip! (It helped to have a laundry service on the ship). Anyway, after we situated ourselves in the cabin and checked out the beautiful view from our private deck way up on the 8^th floor (it was a bit scary looking straight down below but great view of the city!), we headed back into town to pick up some items (Radio Shack, Marshalls, Walgreens, souvenir stores, you name it). We got back on to the boat and struggled thru numerous luggages that were simply left outside other people’s cabin doors. This proves to me that Evan and I did the right thing bringing our own straight into our cabin. One can only do so with carry-ons…so pack light! We left our room and Evan went to rent his tux. We listened to the tour talk at the Palladium but it was way too elaborate. You really didn’t have to be there to listen because everyday on one of the TV channels they would replay the tour talk over and over again. So you can actually rest in your room while receiving all the wonderful information.

We had dinner at the Galaxy dining room (open seating). The food was not bad especially when I was beyond hungry…we heard that people can order a lot of things at the table but we were being conservative on our first night. We each had 2 appetizers, 1 entrée, and 1 desert with coffee. After dinner, we had to participate in the safety drill for about 30 mins wearing the life jacket (that smells). Once free, we headed down to the Criterion Lounge to meet with our Dance Fun Group and to pick up our name tags and activity schedule. Each night John arranged several hours of salsa dancing and there were several days with classes especially on the days the ship was at sea. Instructors were introduced to the group and they began dancing on the stage. It was quite scary to dance on an elevated stage with people you don’t know while the ship is rocking. However, it didn't take me long to balance myself and to forget that I was even on a ship. More events to follow...there was a single's cocktail party at Point After (another room designated for disco dancing). Well, only several people showed up since it was our first night on the ship, most people were unaware of this event. Several salseros basically took over the dance floor (including myself). Unfortunately we were dancing on marble floor and there was no powder around. Well, who cares when there's a lot of space on the dance floor besides being semi-drunk with several cocktails at that point? After several dances, we got tired of spinning around under the disco lighting so we headed up to the Lido Deck to meet with some other salsa dancers who were already dancing under the dark blue sky. Some were dancing Rueda which was interesting to see since I’ve never done it before. By 3am, it was time to hit the bed.

Jan 19^th (St. Thomas) – at 8:20am room service for breakfast woke us up. The food was not so great except for the smoke salmon. We went upstairs to the Sun and Sea Restaurant for buffet breakfast that was better. We woke up bright and early not out of will but for a tour that we joined. We found a website that introduced us to http://www.godfreytoursvi.com that only cost $20 per person and would allow us to tour all over the island plus 3 hours of shopping in downtown Charlotte Amalie. I do recommend Godfrey’s tour. He was a funny guy and was very thorough and knowledgeable about his island. We liked him a lot. We met up with him at the Port at 9am. His van dropped us off at downtown Charlotte Amalie for 3 hours of free roaming thru numerous tourist traps (especially stores like Diamonds Internation which is on almost every island). We checked out prices and were not extremely impressed with the deals I was offered. Evan did find and buy me a 256MB memory card for my new digital camera that cost only $85 (it was $120 in Puerto Rico). That turned out to be the most important thing that we bought because we ended up taking more than 200 photos and several movie clips). We also found a Western Union to purchase a phone card to call home that’s less than $0.50 per min (cheapest than anywhere else on our whole trip). There was also an open market where one can find good T-shirt deals, purses, hats and souvenirs. Godfrey picked us up along with other tourists and drove us to the Mountain Top (the highest point of St. Thomas). He made several stops along the way and explained the history of the island and how several hurricanes really messed them up. The view looking down from the Mountain Top was phenomenon. We looked down and see Magens Beach (claims to be one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches by Nat’l Geographics). The water was so blue because the sky was so bright. We had a banana daiquiri with 150% Rum in it. It was not as yummy as I expected but it was an interesting drink to try. We drove by the Mahagony Run Golf where Clinton and Tiger Wood had played (not together but separately). We were dropped off at Coki’s Beach by popular request for 2 hours. The water there is crystal clear and great for snorkeling. It is located near the Coral World (cost $18 per adult to get in). We ate a quick lunch at the beach café. On the beach, we coincidentally ran into Ana and Steve from our cruise. We swam and soaked up the sun for a while altogether. The Mango drink at this beach was excellent. Godfrey picked us up and drove past the Havensight mall straight to our ship. I watched our ship leave the port…bye bye!

It was our first Formal Night. We got all dressed up and met with all of our Dance Fun people at the Universe dining room. We had tables in the center of the dining room which I thought was the best location to be. Evan and I have a booth which was nice and cozy. Best of all, we can pig out and no one really sees besides our server Wilbur from Thailand. He was the best and so was Natalia who was his assistant. We were very well served in the dining room. We met everyone who joined the cruise with Salsacrazy and took photos together. After dinner, we gathered in the Criterion Lounge (which is designated for latin music and dancing). We danced and danced as usual. After dancing, we past by the casino which was in operation whenever the ship is at sea. We made some contributions (literally) and went to bed by 3:30-4am.

Jan 20^th (Dominica) – We were supposed to go to Martinique but there was a change of Port…I heard it was due to Political reason but I’m not sure. At 11:30am we woke up. We missed our dance classes…darn! We ate brunch at the Lido Deck with Ana and Steve. We got off the ship and were immediately surrounded by taxi drivers. Some were being very pushy but we gave them the hand and moved on to a guy named Cabey who gave us a good deal ($35) to take all four of us to wherever we want. He drove us through the Botanical Garden where we saw a tree lay smashing a truck and was told that the tree continues to grow in that position (strange sight). We decided to go to the Trafalgar fall within one of the rainforest. $2 admission fee per person but it was so well worth it. We had the most fun going to the Trafalgar fall. We hiked thru some dirt road and then got to a patio area where we saw 2 waterfalls. It was beautiful. We continued on to get closer to the fall. Some people came out all wet but said that they had a lot of fun going under the fall…ah huh…okay. Turns out we had to boulder for a period of time to get to the fall. Ana was wearing sandles and decided to stay behind to rest in a sulfur spring. Steve took a different route. Evan was ahead of me and almost slipped. I was quite scared and didn’t have the guts to keep climbing…As I was about to retreat, a local guide insist that I should keep going to enjoy the fall. He single handedly led me to the fall. I was impressed and was very thankful for his presence. Indeed it was a fascinating experience to be this close to a fall and be able to swim in it. The water was freezing (to me) at the point but I managed to pose for several pictures. Evan and Steve actually made it to the fall and I was there photographer. We had a wonderful and unforgettable time. The local guide helped me back down and Evan gave him a tip for helping me. As we head back, we stroll along the street markets. Things were quite expensive on this island. A liter of coke costs $8.00 USD and supposedly so does a gallon of gasoline per Cabey. Interesting island but a few hours was good enough for me. We got back on the ship and ate at the N.Y. deli at around 6pm. Then, we met up with our Dance Fun group at Point After for social dancing prior to our 8pm dinner at the Universe dining room (where we began to eat at least 2 appetizers, 2 entrees and 2 desert each). After dinner, we went up to the Criterion Lounge for more salsa dancing. There, we dance with other members on the cruise since it was not our private party. The night was still young, we went by the photo gallery to check out our photos. We waited til the end to make our purchases since it costs $20 for an 8”x 10”. We saw a dance/music show at the Palladium. Then we went back to the Criterion Lounge (some homing device tends to drag us back to that location)…danced a few songs there. We also checked out the 70’s disco music at Point After but the music wasn’t good enough to keep me from my bed…so we went to bed so we can get a little rest before getting to Barbados the next day.

Jan 21^st (Barbados) – We woke up early enough to have breakfast at the Universe dining room with Ana (while Steve was still sleeping). We had pancakes, French toast, hash browns, eggs, and fruits. The choices were the same everyday so the breakfast meal wasn’t very impressive. The only good thing was being served. After breakfast, we decided to walk into downtown because it was supposed to be a 15-mins walk. We walked through the mall outside the Port Terminal. There was this Calypso Rum Cake store selling very yummy rum cake in four different flavors (the chocolate was excellent). They come in different packages and a small gift pack (4oz) costs $4. As we continued our walk…the street was empty besides taxi cabs. Turns out it was a public holiday in Barbados and everything in town is closed. We continued to walk towards downtown since it was such a nice sunny day, but we actually walked a bit too far and ended up near the waterfront area. Miraculously, one internet café was opened right in front of us and we checked our emails that cost only $2 for 15 mins. (It costs $9.99 per min to use the phone from the cabin and it costs about $26 for 30 mins plus extra for activation fee). The guy at the internet café told us that the Boatyard Beach is right down the street and recommended it because most people around here goes there. So we went there and we had to pay $12 each person to enter the Boatyard Beach. The fee includes the use their beach chair, umbrella, and $5 towards drink credit. At Boatyard, we first ran into Amando who just returned from his Snuber diving (not sure exactly how that works but he seemed to have enjoyed it very much). We situated ourselves right by the water but there were several young men playing soccer right in front of us. We didn’t get hurt as side-walk victims but they definitely blocked some of my view when I was checking people in their swimming suits. =) After half an hour, we saw Mirabelle and Frank and they joined us at our established pad. They went swimming and dancing and supposedly done some lifting moves in the water. Another hour past, Liz and Shannon walked by the beach and joined us. Evan and I swam out to the water trampoline. It was not easy for a weak swimmer like me but I made it and I bounced on the trampoline that was floating in the Atlantic Ocean (okay…it was anchored otherwise I wouldn’t have done it). Later on, I realized that I got a major sunburn after laying out in the sun for a few hours. Dying for Aloe Vera, Steve was lucky to have donated a tube to me. (Aloe Vera is a must have!).

After frolicking at the Boatyard, we attempted to walk back and hopefully eat at the famous Waterfront Café that many previous tourists recommend. Nope. It was closed. So were all the other stores in town. We went by the malls at the port terminal (the only ones opened for tourists to shop) and ate more rum cake and drank samples of rum drinks. We bought a large bottle of Malibu Rum and half a dozen cans of pineapple juices to take back to the ship for our late night drinking party in Room 8287. (Side note: you are not supposed to buy alcohol from the islands for consumption on board so as you re-enter the ship, they have an x-ray machine that would detect that you have bottles and they’ll hold it for you until the day before you get off the ship. Thus, you must find ways to smuggle the bottles back to your room). With good success…Liz, Shannon, Evan and I we gathered with Steve and Ana that night in party cabin #8287 for drinks and snap-shots. We then went to take a supposedly quick nap but we woke up an hour and a half late for dinner. Our server, Wilbur, was kind enough to retrieve 2 entrees for us and desert even though the kitchen was closed. After dinner, we went upstairs to the Lido deck for salsa dancing with Dance Fun. Alex, Drew, Isabelle, Francisco were present along with other dance instructors. There was a special high energy cha-cha/salsa dance performance by Sandra and Solomon. Almost everyone got up to do a butt wagging meringue practice led by Solomon and Sandra…it was quite energy draining, back-aching but fun. Many people also participated in a few rounds of Rueda. Overall, it was a fantastic experience for everyone present.

Jan 22 (fun day at sea) – woke up very early to have breakfast at the Universe dining room. Rushed to Isabelle’s lady styling class where she taught the girls how to pop their butt and ice-skate and shine. Took Drew’s turn & spin which coordinated with Isabelle’s moves we just learned. Then comes Alex’s Salsa Triple which I thought was an interesting experience. We barely have enough females (2 each for one guy) so John has to go find more ladies and he did very quickly. It all worked out in the end. Lunch time, Liz, Shannon, Amando, Mirabelle, Frank, Evan and I ate at the Universe dining room (thank goodness they have a different lunch and dinner menu everyday because we eat there almost 3 times a day!). After an hour of lunch, we rushed to Francisco’s Rueda class which was my first and I must say it was a very good class. Francisco was great at keeping everyone on track. After several classes, we checked out the show called “Newlywed Not so Newlywed” funny show at the Palladium Lounge. The Cruise director A.J. basically asked a list of embarrassing questions to 3 different couples and got them in trouble and then rewarded them with souvenirs. It was entertaining and relaxing after all the dance classes. Checked out more photos at the Photo gallery. Then it was time for me to hit the upper deck to hop into the Jacuzzi while Evan and Steve hung out under the sun. Feeling a bit lethargic, we took a nap for a couple of hours and then got dressed for the 2^nd formal night. It’s dangerous to take naps because it is so hard to wake up and chances are you will over sleep and miss everything. (Hint: so I brought my alarm and it worked out most of the time).

Got dressed in black tux and dress, we met everyone at the dining room for more photos. Dinner was great until you couldn’t eat anymore after the 9^th course. After dinner, we took a Dance Fun group picture in our formal wear (at our best for good memories). Along the way to the Palladium for a night show, we stopped by numerous photo booths with various backgrounds. At the end, only Ana, Evan and I made it to the show (not sure what the name was but there were people singing and dancing…all very entertaining). We ran into Tommy (Alex’s brother) and Joe as we were heading over to the Casino. I spent some time donating at the Casino and then we got a big hungry again! Well, there was a midnight gala buffet on Lido deck where we pigged out again. Actually, we were there to check out the fabulous dragon ice sculpture and all the desert that was available. We only had a few bites since were too tired to chew. Must get ready to sleep for our last Ports of call the next day!

Jan 23 (Aruba) – The only island that was actually not having a holiday when we visit. Hurray! We woke up, ate breakfast on Lido deck. Ana & Steve were still sleeping so Evan and I walked into town by ourselves. It was scorching hot and my burnt skin was getting a bit sensitive. Ouch! There were a lot of booths selling souvenirs and T-shirts. We bought a couple of things and we each got a hat that was most essential (especially when I already looked like a raccoon with a burnt nose). We wondered around and finally took a taxi to Palm Beach (few mins for $10) on the N.W.side of Aruba. We walked along the beach for a while. There were water sports available for rent. We took the taxi again to the next adjacent beach (Eagle Beach). From there we stroll by the water and landed on a quite spot which turned out to be the Manchebo Beach (where topless is optional). A naked couple actually laid down near us. =P. We passed out under the sun after a little bit of swimming but only I got the tan. We took the taxi back to the ship. We ate at the N.Y. Deli for a quick dinner because we have to meet our Dance Fun Group at the Aruba Gate to town. John has arranged with Janice (some world dance champion last year) and her salsa team to take us dancing in a local club. Janice was a great dancer and it was a rare opportunity to have a bunch of salsa dancers from all over the world gathered on a local night club in Aruba. Everyone seemed to have such a great time (even though we only had 2 hours at the club). We have to head back to the ship by 10pm. Some of us gathered at the Palladium Lounge to watch the talent show where Sandra and Solomon along with several other who came with Dance Fun performed. We then all moved up to the Lido deck where John hosted the Caribbean Costume Contest. More salsa dancing followed. Since we missed our 7-course meal that we typically have at 8pm, several of us hit the midnight buffet and had a fair share of food. Again, we walked by the casino before going to bed.

Jan 24 (Fun day at sea) – woke up at 9:30am to have breakfast and barely made it to Alex’s intermediate/advance salsa class at 10am. He taught us his signature moves with lots of body contacts including the pulling the girl thru the legs from behind (which was a challenge for most guys and girls on the floor but most made it without much injuries for the guy). Later on I took Sandra and Solomon’s intermediate Cha-Cha class. It was a great class and they were very thorough. They even offered people to video record their routine so we can practice at home. After class, we went upstairs to get our last chance for sun tanning. There was a band playing island music and it is always pleasant to watch drunk girls dance in swimsuits on stage. Ate some fries with ketchup. Evan returned his tux and bought seven photos from the photo gallery. They charged $20 for an 8”x10” and less for the smaller prints but they have a tendency to print large photos so you have to pay more. We couldn’t resist because some of the fake backgrounds actually looked pretty real. We checked out the “sale” at the duty free shop on the ship. They did have hundreds of watches for $10 with no name brands. They were also having sale on jewelry. Dinner time comes, Ana and Steve joined us at our table. We each had our 9-course meal. We worked our server tonight since it was our last chance to pig out. Between the four of us, we tried every item on the menu for the night. Our waiter was so cool we had to tip him and his assistant. They definitely made our dining experience much more pleasurable. Except now that I have gained 7 lbs and not sure how to loose them…I think I should have eaten less hashbrowns and skipped some of those midnight buffet deserts. After dinner, everyone was urged to pack their bags so they can leave them outside the room to be taken out for departure the next day. Since Evan and I only had small luggages to pack, we had extra time to hang out at the Criterion Lounge for more salsa dancing. Steve, Ana, Alex and Tommy joined us later on. We were but didn’t have a chance to listen to Ana sing “Like a Virgin” at the Karaoke lounge but maybe someday we will. We ended up in bed by 1am…but the sad thing is…we have to line up for custom at 6:30am the next morning.

Jan 25 (Puerto Rico) – we woke up at 6am…gathered in line with a lot of people to check out with US customs. We went back up to the lido deck for breakfast buffet. We got our luggages to meet at the Criterion Lounge since we had to evacuate from our cabin for the crew to cleanup. We then got our call signal to exit the ship. We walked right out with our little luggages while other people have to search for theirs among thousands of bags. Since our flight was not until 2pm…we had 4 hours to kill. We went to the Wyndham Hotel to check out the Casino. Just checked it out and it was very small. I was able to make long distance phone calls from the hotel’s payphone. Afterwards, we went back to the port to catch our transfer to the airport. We had lunch there since the plane does not provide much more than fluids. The whole week of travel was so intense and energy draining that Evan and I passed out the moment we got on the plane. Unfortunately we have to wait 3 hours at the Miami Airport to connect. We at again at the airport but the selection was minimal. Our appetite definitely increased dramatically since prior to our cruise. Another long flight back to SFO where we finally landed at 10:30pm.

That was the journal of my first trip on a cruise. Unlike what I have anticipated, I was not even bothered by any sort of motion sickness. I totally enjoyed myself and the company of many new friends. I get to dance with numerous excellent salsa dancers, sight-see a lot of natural wonders, eat more food than I normally would in a month and lay under the sun with warm heat when it’s supposed to be 40 degrees where I live. That was a wonderful experience I would recommend everyone to join. I am ready to go on another cruise but I am sure what made this cruise special was the presence of the other 140+ salseras and salseros. I am grateful that John Riddle of Dance Fun made this trip possible. It was a great success and I look forward to joining more future cruises.

Travel Diary: Caribbean Salsa Cruise with Dance Fun on the Carnival Destiny Jan 2004

Travel Diary: Caribbean Salsa Cruise with Dance Fun on the Carnival Destiny Jan 2004

Travel Diary: Caribbean Salsa Cruise with
Dance Fun on the Carnival Destiny Jan 2004

Travel Diary: Caribbean Salsa Cruise with
Dance Fun on the Carnival Destiny Jan 2004