Cruisin' (Aruba-Curacao-St. Martin-St. Thomas) - June 2002

Overall, 2002 was a tough year for the Grubers.  With Glenn out of work, staying with the Grubers in Great Neck, and our future home and careers uncertain, we decided we needed to invest in a relaxing getaway.  We decided to take a cruise, Glenn's first, to be able to see a lot without having to move around and not having to worry about where to stay and where to eat.  We chose to cruise the Southern Caribbean on the Adventurer of the Seas, from Royal Caribbean, then the largest ship on the water.

Our cruise left port from San Juan, Puerto Rico and sailed for Aruba, Curacao, St. Martin, and St. Thomas, returning to San Juan a week later.  After embarking in San Juan, we quickly felt the weight of our worries slipped away and relaxed faster than we do most vacations.  In the afternoon, we had fun exploring the ship and all its amenities, like the climbing wall, golf course, basketball courts, pools, spa, gym, ice rink, "main street," and various restaurants and lounges.  At the captain's party, Glenn was surprised to learn that the drinks weren't free, but we had fun anyway, watching the ship set sail.  We spent our first day at sea, soaking up the sun and relaxing by the pool.  While we found the food disappointing and the boat crowded with more kids then expected, we still had a terrific time.

Aruba

Our first port-of-call was Aruba.  Little did we know we'd be back next year for a week!  We had booked separate excursions in the morning so Glenn went off diving while Tamara took a snorkel tour on a small island, where she saw many blue parrot fish, native to that area.  We met back at the boat for lunch and then ventured out into the brutal afternoon sun to check out the town.  It was too hot to go far so we used the excuse to browse the shops, where Glenn bought Tamara a pair of tanzanite earrings.  Back at the boat, we prepared for our evening adventure aboard a sunset catamaran cruise.  The catamaran was huge and the atmosphere was festive.  We soon got into the island mood and enjoyed the scenery, sail, and sunset.  Back at the ship we were wiped out and after dinner, called it an early night.

Curacao

In Curacao, we again went our separate ways so that Glenn could get in more diving.  Tamara took a snorkel cruise and they both ended up at the same wreck, although from different vantage points.  We spent the afternoon at a local beach, enjoying the shade of a palm tree, before heading back to the boat for an early sailing. 

St. Martin

In St. Martin, we skipped the kayaking outing we had planned and slept in.  In the afternoon, we headed over to the French side to enjoy the beach at Orient Point (not the nudist side).  The water and beach were perfect and we felt more relaxed then ever.  Back to the boat and on to St. Thomas!

St. Thomas

Instead of exploring St. Thomas, we took the opportunity to go over to St. John and enjoy some snorkeling in their national park.  After too short a stay on the beach and a tour back to the ferry, we returned to St. Thomas.  We spent the afternoon at a local beach but the weather turned rainy, and continued for our return to San Juan. 

San Juan

After returning to San Juan, in the rain, we had decided to stay another night instead of flying right back to NY.  We checked into the Marriott and spent a little time, between showers, by the pool, before leaving the next day. 

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