The weather is always iffy in the winter time. We had a couple of good days and a couple of bad days.
First unusual thing that happened was very soon after leaving port the Captain announced that due to a ?mechanical? issue we were limited in the speed we could make. So, we wouldn't be able to make it all the way to St. Maarten and back. So our furthest port was changed to Saint Croix. We weren't terribly upset.
Grand Turk was very nice again. It was a little drizzly. But, the whole time of our snorkeling excursion was sunny and nice. We didn't get to go to the drop off though and I'm not sure why. We did some shopping which also included staying close to the Starbucks so we could use their wifi.
When we arrived in Puerto Rico they informed us that there had been a severe earthquake that morning; 6.4 the biggest one they had since 1918. Electricity was out on a lot of the island. We were still able to go see the fort. The admission was free because of the power outage and the fact that the other smaller fort was closed. There were no normal tours. But, we probably spent more time here than the last visit, especially the grounds outside. It's quite a fascinating site. We got some very nice photos because the clouds and sky were particularly beautiful. We walked back to the boat in the dark. We stopped at several shops that had arranged for electricity somehow. But, mostly the streets were without electricity.
St. Croix was very nice. We just got on a shuttle that took us to a very nice beach. And we just swam and sunned and walked and picked up shells. Since our stop there was unplanned and a surprise for the island, they might not have actually been in full swing. But, we didn't mind at all. It was nice and low key.
I think it was later after we embarked in St. Croix that we got another announcement from the Captain. We were starting to dread these. He told us one of the passengers was having a medical emergency and needed to be life flighted off the boat and that to make the rendezvous with the helicopter we needed to sail an hour or two out of our way. It didn't really impact our cruise. Just made for some excitement.
Thursday and Friday we ran into stormy weather, high winds and high seas. We tried to make the best of it. There were times when the promenade was closed because of the danger. Also, Leslie got stuck against a railing and couldn't move. We helped her. But, first we took pictures of her.
We were really hoping to at least be able to see Half Moon Cay. But, the resort is manned by people who live off island and have to take shuttles and ferries to get there. They couldn't because of the rough seas. And then when we arrived the Captain said is was too rough to attempt tendering anyway. So we just made a slow turn and waved goodbye.
While waiting for our flight out of Fort Lauderdale, we rented a car and went to see the Temple and got food at Honey Baked Ham.
Despite the changes and disappointments, it was still very nice and fun. Mainly, we just didn't get to see Half Moon Cay again. It will have to wait for us.
We made a fun photo book about the cruise.
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