Updating Photos of Our Rotterdam Caribbean Cruise

Well, we're back at home safe and sound. Now all I have to do is pay all the bills and get caught back up in the daily grind. Ha ha.

My intention is to go back over the entire trip, adding pictures I took while we were away. The internet was not widely/cheaply/conveniently available and I only had my phone, so come back soon and browse my pics.

UPDATE: It's taking a while but I am getting some pictures posted. Keep checking. (Sunday April 2)
UPDATE: Posted over 100 pictures of Guadeloupe. (Monday April 3)
UPDATE: Posted another hundred or so pictures of Barbados and Grenada today. (Tues Apr 4)
UPDATE: Finally got the last few hundred pics posted. I'll still fill in more commentary. (Wed April 5)
UPDATE: Worked on Barry's shot of Holly at Dolphin Discovery. (Thurs April 6)

30 March - Heading Home

Can't believe it's over. The elevator mat tells everyone it's Thursday, our last day.

Our final breakfast aboard the Rotterdam.

It was so nice to have Cliff and Abi with us again.

The trip home is always bittersweet.

Sad to leave and dreading the boring flight, yet happy we'll soon be home to our own bed.
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29 March - At Sea

The "splash pool" at the "Retreat" on the back deck.

Unusual sun glasses!

Wendy and Abi at the stern rail.

The last day is "packing day". What a bummer! Very calm sea as we slowly glide by Eleuthra, in the Bahamas in the background..

Our wait staff with Pat and Holly.

Our wait staff with Holly.

Our table staff, Erik, Sugi and Enrico. Great guys and very professional. Enrico leaves the ship to go home and "make a baby" tomorrow. He was walking on air all week.
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28 March - At Sea

Formal night tonight.

Heading back to Florida.

Late afternoon snack of 15 lobster tail halves. They were serving the tasty, grilled delicacy in the Lido before our formal dining room dinner.  I made several trips to the buffet. I retrieved several plates of 4 so I pigged out before another dinner in the dining room later that night. Guess what they served in the dining room? Answer: Lobster and prime rib. Ooooh! Gained 5 more lbs.
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27 March - Puerto Rico

We arrived at San Juan, Puerto Rico on time this morning.

The ship silently glided by the old fort on the point.

The sun was hot already.

Again, we were the only ship at the pier.

This strange hair style seemed popular with the rope handlers. Looks like a sort of "Black Beach Boy" ensemble singing group.

Holly suggests we head to the beach since we've been to most of the other usual attractions. With the recent outbreaks of Chikungunya and Zika viruses it's probably best not to be where the mosquitoes go. When we arrived at Playa de Isla Verde the sky was clear and the sun was hot.

We had the perfect spot under some palm trees. The vendor brought us some chairs for $4 each. No umbrella needed (we thought).

It started to rain almost immediately and didn't stop for over 1/2 an hour. We were totally drenched except for Holly who had gone to the nearby CVS drug store.

It's hard to believe that so much cold rain could come down. My drinking glass showed about 2.5 inches had fallen.

It rained and rained lke it was coming from the rain forest inland.

It cleared up and we dried quickly in the hot sun, only to be drenched again.

Finally it stopped raining but it was nearly time to go back to the ship (3:15 pm).

CLICK HERE to read more about Puerto Rico.
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26 March - St. Maarten

We are the only ship docked at St Maarten today. That means it will be easy to get a good taxi and because it's Sunday, maybe the roads won't be too busy.

Abi travels with her Teddy bears. They have been with her for 37 years and have gone more places than most real people. Ha ha

The beach was not too busy when we arrived around 11 am

Holly enjoys a book under her umbrella.

Danny and Teresa Maynard from Kentucky came with us to Mullet Bay

Lots to watch on the beach.

The coast guard was searching for two missing men.

This beach is one of our favourites. We visited here in December on our Celebrity Eclipse cruise.

Not quite as rough as last time but still difficult to enter and leave at times through the big waves.

Rosie's Bar provided the beer.

Our driver Andres Santos (Taxi 367) was excellent. For $7 ea way he took us to Mullet Bay but diverted to Maho and the Sunset Bar twice, so Danny and Teresa could see planes coming into the airport over the famous beach.

People waiting to be blasted by the jet stream of a small jet plane taking off. Cliff talks with Santos.

Tragedy at Mullet Bay Beach

While in St Maarten at Mullet Bay Beach on Sunday March 26 we witnessed the recovery of the bodies of two local young men (Jeff Stephane and Samuel Blaise both age 22). They had disappeared the day before on Saturday. The coast guard and a dive boat were on the scene looking for the 2 men. While we were there, a man in a white Tee shirt discovered one of the bodies. It was a very sad scene since the families of the victims were watching from shore.

Barry borrowed Wendy's dive mask and ran into the water. He mistakenly thought a man had just went under and wanted to try to save him. It was Barry who located the body in some seaweeds about 25 - 40 feet off shore in 7 feet of water. (right in front of where we were sitting) He directed the coast guard boat to the spot and they hauled him aboard. Shortly after, while they were still pulling the first man from the water, the other body was located about 200 yards down the beach towards the rocky point.

Click on the clipping to enlarge it.

A swimmer in a white tee shirt originally found the body under the water near shore. He reported to security who then summonsed additional help.

Anxious family members and friends wait frantically on shore.

Police and security shore side.

Barry uses Wendy's mask to find the body of one of the drowned men. He didn't know at the time that the men had drowned the day before. He couldn't understand why there wasn't more people helping in the search.

Coast guard retrieving the body of the first man.
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