Newsletter Date: Thurs, 04/26/2012
JEAN WELLS TRAVEL PRESENTS
Caribbean Discoveries with Lynda and John Needham
Lynda Needham
Independent Agent, Jean Wells Travel
Ph. 336-354-2914
John & I recently returned from our annual winter cruise. We usually cruise to the Caribbean in January, February or March depending upon the itinerary, the cruise line and/or the best deal we can find. We have been cruising for the past 10 years or so and enjoy it for so many reasons. Where else can you go where you are waited upon 24/7, have your room cleaned 3 times a day, towels replaced just about as soon as you use them. And let’s not forget all the great food that is prepared and available to you at every turn!
This year we chose to book the Ruby Princess for a couple of reasons: we had never cruised on a Princess ship and the itinerary included Grand Turk, an island we had never visited. We also elected to drive to Florida instead of fly down the day before embarkation ( a fancy world for the ship leaving the port) from Port Everglades. If you have the time to make the drive, I highly recommend it verses airline travel these days. We were able to explore Jekyll Island and Boca Raton, visiting dear friends along the way.
The boarding procedure for the Ruby Princess was extraordinarily smooth and efficient. We were on board and in our stateroom within 30 minutes. Our baggage arrived quickly, however we had included swimsuits in our carry on so we were able to begin our vacation right away. The Ruby Princess departed Port Everglades at 4:00 pm and our cruise officially began! After a mandatory safety drill, we relaxed on our veranda as the sun set. Ahhhh…this is definitely the way to relax before dinner and the nightly show in the Princess Theater !!
Our first stop was Princess Cay, a picturesque island in the Bahamas owned by the Princess Cruise line. We reserved a clamshell on the beach to set up our ‘home base’ while we walked around and had lunch at the island buffet. A relaxing day!
The Ruby Princess has an awesome spa and we booked deep tissue massages, manicures, and facials while we were at sea. They also had a huge well equipped gym and offered several exercise classes. We had the best intentions, but I only utilized these facilities once, however, John actually went twice!
Our itinerary included St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Grand Turk as well as 2 days at sea. We shopped in St. Maarten, tried to play golf in St. Thomas (it rained after 2 holes!) and toured Grand Turk. As you may surmise, we were all about rest and relaxation on this cruise, however there were activities for all ages to be found on board the Ruby Princess. The Princess Patter, a daily guide to life at sea, was delivered every day. This gave the times and descriptions of all activities available from daily Bible Study, brainteaser contests, golf putting challenges, Team Trivia competitions, Masters Art Lectures and auctions, various night clubs (from disco to Motown & Classic Soul to Ballroom, Latin & more), piano bars, and game shows in Club Fusion. The Ruby Princess offers Movies Under the Stars®, 300 sq. ft LED screen on deck showing concerts and current movies all day long. At night, the pool stewards distributed blankets and popcorn! We watched the NCAA sweet 16 Tournament under the stars – how cool was that!
People cruise for different reasons. What are yours? Here are some suggestions you might consider:
• Family vacation (activities for all ages)
• Visit new places
• Spend a really special vacation with your children before they a “fly the nest”
• Graduation gift
• Special vacation with elderly parents
• Seamless, all inclusive vacation possible
• Girls get away
• Wedding gift from parents and / or friends
• Anniversary
• Great gift to give your parents (Christmas, anniversary, birthday, etc)
Please give me a call to help you plan the best vacation of your life!
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Keep those travelin' shoes ready!
Warmest regards,
Jean
Phone:
336 725-1624
Fax:
336 724-5852 |
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