Are We There Yet?

We met 2010 in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean with 2,254 other people (27 of them being our family and friends.) But one week before the clock struck 12 and the balloons covered the floor of the promenade, we were opening Christmas presents in Andres's house in Colombia. As a gift to the family, his grandmother presented each family member and spouse an itinerary for our New Years Eve Cruise.

Here is a picture of the family with our suitcases outside of his grandmother's house in Colombia.


Since there were too many of us to take individual taxis or car services, we rented a charter bus to take us to the port. Sitting up front are his grandparents. I am right behind them.


Here is a picture of Andres and I before heading into the passport check.

Ship Facts:
Length- 990'
Passanger Max- 2,730
Highlights- Bungee trampolines, rock climbing, Solarium with a sliding roof featuring an indoor pool

Here is a direct link to the Royal Caribbean website. However, I prefer to book with Vacations To Go. They offer greater discounts and onboard credit. You can bargain with them a lot of the time and always ask what they can throw in for you. Andres and I have had chocolate covered strawberries and champagne greet us at the door upon arrival just from booking with them.

Note: This is an international cruise. There was a small percentage of English-speaking Americans. The woman who tended to our room informed me that I was the only one on our entire floor.

The casino, our home away from home, was the first area of interest in which Andres and I came across. The casino featured many of the basic casino games found on other cruise ships, however, I felt the poker table lacked interest of the people as opposed to our previous cruise with Carnival. We found it hard to get a game together most nights.


Here is Andres and I in our stateroom. We were given an inside cabin. On our first cruise, we chose an outside window view, however, I do not have much preference between the two, considering we are only in our rooms to sleep. The major difference is the lack of natural light source. In an outside view or balcony, the sun shines into your room in the morning. With an inside, it is difficult to wake up without any light alerting you to do so. Room wake up calls are a must!


Our group needed to be split into three tables for lunch and dinner. I found the choice in food to be a little more difficult on this ship then our previous one.


Before dessert, the waiters join together to sing songs.


Here is a picture of some of the family scoping out the cruise together. This is a beautiful view of us passing land.


Here is a picture of myself overlooking the main deck. The pools were a nice size, even offering a smaller pool for children. They had many family activities aboard which most of the passengers participated in.

Later times into the night, adult shows are provided, such as comedy shows, the Quest, and Battle of the sexes.


Here is a picture of me in front of the entrance to the casino named "Casino Royale"


Here is a picture of Andres and I at New Years Eve dinner. We were about the fifth day into the cruise.



Midnight struck and we brought in the New Year together, as well as with 2,700 other people.


After the promenade, we headed over the main deck for the celebration. This is a picture of the 2010 ice sculpture over the main deck.


While most of the family stayed on the main deck with their children, the cousins went over to the night club to continue the celebration. That night, we stayed up until 6am to watch the sunrise on the main deck.


On our final night, a night club offered ladies' night, which Andres's mom, aunts, cousins, and I all attended. They played music and had male chip-n-dales provide lap dances for the women.


This image summed up my time on the New Years Eve cruise. This is a picture of all 27 of us bringing in a happy and healthy year together.

Overall, if I had to make the comparison, I came to the conclusion that Royal Caribbean is a wonderful cruise line for families looking to spend time together with fun-filled activities. Carnival cruise lines are great for young couples and people looking to have a great time to party. They are more conducive to adults and do not offer much for children as Royal Caribbean lines offer.

Stay tuned for posts from each destination!

At population 40,000, can habitants of Salem actually vouch for whom walks their streets? Lucky for them, the infamous witch trials ended in the 1693, leaving all traces of the events and the condemned as mere tourist attractions to the 21st century.

Fun Fact: Salem is the first National Historic Site designated by Congress.

Did you expect Salem police officers to ride on brooms as well? Here is a picture of the Salem logo plastered on police cars, with the year of its founding in 1626.


Every year, Salem hosts year-round events to acknowledge the town's infamous history. Many attractions, museums, and haunted houses are opened to invite tourists from all over the world to visit recreations of the witch trials. Andres and I decided to rid ourselves of all superstition, as we journeyed to Salem on Halloween of 2009. If you are leaving from Boston, you can either take the ferry, or the train ride. Salem happenings are fun for the whole family, as a wide-rage of tourists from all ages join for the festivities. Restaurants and bars are widely available for adults as costumes, attractions, and museums may appeal to an even younger crowd.

Click on the link below for more information on events and means of travel.

Haunted Happenings- Salem


Here is a picture of a list of some of the Salem events. As you can see, haunted witch village, witching hour, and candle elit are some of the museum and houses that are offered. Prices of amenities range.


Upon arrival into Salem, Andres and I had opted for a trolley ride around the town to learn of its history. For around ten dollars, we were provided an informative tour guide who pointed out the important locations and records of many of the famous witches and trials. We were free to hop on and off as we pleased. Here, is the entrance to the Salem Witch Trials Memorial, where visitors learn about the 150 prisoners accused of being involved with witchery.

Adult Admission: $8.50
Child Admission: $5.50
Senior Citizen:     $7.00

Operates 10am- 5pm daily; 10am- 7pm in the months July and August.





The tour had guided us through the Salem wax museum, as well as the Salem witch village.
(Entrance fee is not included with tour. You must pay separately for all other amenities.)


Here is a picture of Andres and I outside the Salem Witch Trial Museum. Cameras are not permitted inside, but I highly suggest visiting the museum. The lines to sign up for a designated entrance time are extremely long. It is a good idea to arrive early to reserve a spot to enter the museum. We coordinated our entrance time with the an estimated guess when the trolley tour would end.




This is one of my absolute favorite pictures from our Salem visit. This is a picture of Allison's house from the movie "Hocus Pocus". As a child, I memorized every single word in the movie.


Here are some pictures of Andres and I with some of the tourists. People visiting Salem for Halloween walk around the streets for the entire afternoon and night dressed in a variety of clever costumes. We were most definitely not prepared from the look of our casual attire.


Fun Fact: Many of the front doors that were built during that time period were created with a narrow entrance way, placed on the left side of the door. (Notice the three vertical rectangles in the doorway, and focus on the black shaded section.) That was built in order to carry out (or in) caskets of the deceased.

Stopping for food, I spilled coffee on a young man who had happened to be with "The Hills's" Kelly Cutrone. After I apologized, she offered to take a picture with me. She was taking her young daughter out dressed as a princess.