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Feb 2005 Cruise from Miami -west to Cozumel and back, then to St. Maarten and back over two weeks. |
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"Radiance" is a techie new generation 90,000 ton ship driven by ELECTRIC motors, front and back. Add GPS navigation and no need for tugs to park it. Six big diesels generate more than enough watts. 'Tho' we did have a couple of power fails. I imagine trouble with switchgear. |
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Stabilisers kept us from bouncing around too much, and the lack of enormous engine and drivetrain kept noise and vibes down. |
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Cabins on twelve decks offered assorted comforts and views. |
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Our cabin is two decks above the first lifeboat, on the other side. |
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Masses of amenities available to all. Running track, rock climb wall and fully equipped multi-gym. |
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I knew where they were. |
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..and I did use the stairs more than the elevators - honest ! |
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Worldwide staff, especially domestics and catering, meant lots of social intercourse!! ..even from Columbia and Nicaragua talkin "Caribbean Hinglish"???? |
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Labadee, Gran Cayman, Coco Cay, |
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St. Thomas (main pic left is Megan Bay) and St. Maarten are sand-banks or volcanic rocks you can drive round in under an hour. St. Croix was just a gas stop. Features are clean beaches or buzzing duty-free shops. |
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Also interesting to see how many Brit Caribs are living or working there. |
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Jamaica has more to see and Cozumel is more advanced as an attraction. |
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International sense of humour? |
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As we were sailing past Dominican Republic, someone shouted "Whales!" |
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I said "dat ain't Wales, dats's Hispaniola." |
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How come no-one larfed....? |
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My favorite visit was the 900 feet of Dunns River Falls in Jamika. |
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Add to list of "wonders of the world." |
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Top must-visit-site. |
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The sun was just starting to warm up so the water was COLD! Would I do it again?? |
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Next best outing was the airboat ride on the Everglades. Great ride with seven litres of V8 Cadillac behind you needs earplugs at full pelt. Sonny Crockett below didn't mind too much driving the tin can -just like the Ferrari really- since losing the job at Vice.....and Janet doesn't need a new handbag....shoes? |
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Ride needs to last a couple of hours for me. |
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But not likely to see many beasties flying around fast. |
