DAY 4: Falmouth (Jamaica)
Wednesday, Jan 16
Wednesday, Jan 16
Happy Birthday Tom!
Today we ate breakfast in the Park Cafe, in Central Park. Not as much selection as the Windjammer, but truthfully I eat too much when we go to the Windjammer. The selection here was yogurts, pastries, muffins, bagels (toasted with a variety of cream cheeses) and even english muffin egg sandwiches. They offered inside or outside seating, but the outside tables were full, so we sat at a booth inside.
We didn't arrive in Falmouth till 10:00 am. One of the weird things about this ship is the Promenade Deck. On every other Royal Caribbean ship the Promenade deck is a big wide shaded deck with a walking track and lots of chairs and lounge chairs, and it is a popular hangout for those seeking shade or wanting to stand at the rail and soak in the scenery. On this ship, this deck is reduced to only a very narrow deck with a two lane running/walking track, and most of the viewing is obliterated by lifeboats. You need to go up to the pool deck or above to really see out. However! We found that at the back of the ship where there are no lifeboats hanging, they have a few chairs and a great view off the back. This morning as we arrived in Falmouth, the captain backed the ship in, so we found this to be a great spot to watch the arrival.
We were at Falmouth when it first opened two years ago. It was built especially for Oasis and Allure, since there were no ports in Jamaica that could accommodate these huge ships. So Royal Caribbean developed it in partnership with the Jamaican government, and today it is run by the Jamaican Port Authority. So you will only see Royal Caribbean ships using the port, and that includes Celebrity Cruise Lines as well. They have built a huge shopping area with the usual offerings ranging from t-shirts to diamonds and also a Craft Market where local artisans offer their handmade wares. The area is gated and guarded, and they do not recommend you venture out on your own. Last time we were here we went on an excursion to the beach, but with our beach day yesterday, we decided to just hang out, walk around the shops and get back on the ship.
While we were strolling the plaza we noticed a trolley tour of the town being offered so we decided to do that. It was a 45 minute narrated tour and it was interesting as there is a lot of history there. After we came back to the ship we had lunch in Johnny Rockets - they charge a small cover charge so we usually just do it once - it's our big splurge! Their burgers are so good! And the cover charge includes a sundae or apple pie! I had the former and Tom, the latter!
Later in the afternoon we participated in two Trivia contests and then hit the hot tub in the Solarium before dinner. Again for dinner we were seated in the same section with our same waiters. It is awesome! I never imagined that would happen with My Time Dining!
No show tonight! There are 6 shows for 7 nights, so one night is show-less - so that's tonight. But we ended up at a Crown and Anchor appreciation party (for Platinum and above) and they had some of the singers from Chicago sing a few songs and that was really good.
Tomorrow: Sea Day
Here are a few pictures from today:
Today we ate breakfast in the Park Cafe, in Central Park. Not as much selection as the Windjammer, but truthfully I eat too much when we go to the Windjammer. The selection here was yogurts, pastries, muffins, bagels (toasted with a variety of cream cheeses) and even english muffin egg sandwiches. They offered inside or outside seating, but the outside tables were full, so we sat at a booth inside.
We didn't arrive in Falmouth till 10:00 am. One of the weird things about this ship is the Promenade Deck. On every other Royal Caribbean ship the Promenade deck is a big wide shaded deck with a walking track and lots of chairs and lounge chairs, and it is a popular hangout for those seeking shade or wanting to stand at the rail and soak in the scenery. On this ship, this deck is reduced to only a very narrow deck with a two lane running/walking track, and most of the viewing is obliterated by lifeboats. You need to go up to the pool deck or above to really see out. However! We found that at the back of the ship where there are no lifeboats hanging, they have a few chairs and a great view off the back. This morning as we arrived in Falmouth, the captain backed the ship in, so we found this to be a great spot to watch the arrival.
We were at Falmouth when it first opened two years ago. It was built especially for Oasis and Allure, since there were no ports in Jamaica that could accommodate these huge ships. So Royal Caribbean developed it in partnership with the Jamaican government, and today it is run by the Jamaican Port Authority. So you will only see Royal Caribbean ships using the port, and that includes Celebrity Cruise Lines as well. They have built a huge shopping area with the usual offerings ranging from t-shirts to diamonds and also a Craft Market where local artisans offer their handmade wares. The area is gated and guarded, and they do not recommend you venture out on your own. Last time we were here we went on an excursion to the beach, but with our beach day yesterday, we decided to just hang out, walk around the shops and get back on the ship.
While we were strolling the plaza we noticed a trolley tour of the town being offered so we decided to do that. It was a 45 minute narrated tour and it was interesting as there is a lot of history there. After we came back to the ship we had lunch in Johnny Rockets - they charge a small cover charge so we usually just do it once - it's our big splurge! Their burgers are so good! And the cover charge includes a sundae or apple pie! I had the former and Tom, the latter!
Later in the afternoon we participated in two Trivia contests and then hit the hot tub in the Solarium before dinner. Again for dinner we were seated in the same section with our same waiters. It is awesome! I never imagined that would happen with My Time Dining!
No show tonight! There are 6 shows for 7 nights, so one night is show-less - so that's tonight. But we ended up at a Crown and Anchor appreciation party (for Platinum and above) and they had some of the singers from Chicago sing a few songs and that was really good.
Tomorrow: Sea Day
Here are a few pictures from today:
Arriving at Falmouth. Celebrity Constellation is already there.We have chairs at the back of the ship as we back in to port.
Shopping plaza in Falmouth.
Apple Pie at Johnny Rockets for the birthday boy!
The Promenade at night.