Our Cruise Vacation: F to J
by Jenners • 08/16/2012 • Travels • 76 Comments
I’m sharing photos and stories from our recent cruise vacation by working my way through the alphabet. Due to the excessive amount of photos, I’m breaking each post down into a few letters at a time. Picking up where we left off…
F is for Flowrider—which is kind of like a mechanical bull but with fast-moving water and tiny surf boards. You will fall (a lot). You will try to stay upright (to keep all your teeth). You will look like a total fool. (And you may even lose your top … but you won’t hear about that until the letter X.) Don’t believe me? Here are some pictures that Mr. Jenners took of my surfing attempt. (Keep in mind that this entire sequence of photos was taken over 4.5 seconds.)
Wow … I’m up and doing it all by myself!
Two seconds later …
OOOOOHHHHH NNNNNOOOOOO …. I’m going down….
Going…
… Going …
GONE!
G is for Going To Kid’s Club … NOT. One of the benefits of going on a cruise is that they have a kid’s club so that parents can get some adult time to themselves. We were CONVINCED that BB would have tons of fun and go at least 2 hours a day so Mr. Jenners and I could play in the casino or have some alone time. Mr. Jenners even went so far as to offer to pay BB $5 for every hour he was in the kid’s club. With visions of $100 dancing in his head, we dropped him off the first day—positive that this was the start of a beautiful thing. (Cue sound of brakes squealing.) When we went to pick him up, he informed us (in very well-reasoned and cogent argument) that the kid’s club was NOT FUN, too repetitive, filled with kids that didn’t listen and ruined stuff for everyone, didn’t have enough Wii remotes, was boring, and didn’t give out promised prizes to kids who clearly earned them (that would be BB, in his opinion). In the end, he only went to the kid’s club twice. Bleh.
No photos of the kid’s club because apparently nothing fun happens there
H is for Hot Tubs, which are scattered all over the ship and were critical in helping to ease sore muscles caused by multiple spills on the Flowrider (see F).
Relieving my Flowrider-induced aches and pains in a hot tub built for 30
I is for Iguanas—big, disgusting, scary iguanas that were LOOSE and running all over the port area at St. Thomas. At first, we just saw one and Mr. Jenners told me it was some guy’s pet. Then I saw another one on a rock … and then another … and another … and I completely freaked out and started running. People laughed at me and said “Apparently you don’t live in Florida.” To which I said “Nope. New Jersey. And we don’t have mutant gigantic lizards running loose in New Jersey!” (At least not in South Jersey … it might be different up north.)
Scary, right? But not as scary as …
… suddenly realizing there are tons of these suckers loose all over the place!
J is for Jewelry. Nothing really exciting about this other than I bought a knock-off Pandora bracelet on the ship for $25. It is very very sparkly and pretty and I love it and I annoyed everyone by constantly looking at it glitter in the light.
Not actually MY European bead bracelet (mine is a cheap one) but you get the idea. Mine has green beads and is very sparkly.
Tune in next time for letters K through P (the boring middle section of the series).
Looks like you had tons of fun. I’d love to do the Flowrider even though I know I would fall almost instanstly. Can’t wait to make my way through the old posts and see what the other letters will represent in the A to Z!
I think everyone falls on a Flowrider. I was told that even surfers who’ve been surfing for 30 years fall on a Flowrider!
Hot tubs and hanging ten…awesome! Those pics are terrific!
You really do get to do a little bit of everything!
OMG!!! I loved those surfing pictures!! Totally made my day!!
Glad to add a little sunshine to your day.
I showed my husband the photo sequence of you eating sh*t as an example of bad husbanding.
And that hot tub looks amazing! How long were you in it by yourself? It seems like everything on a ship would always be packed.
Glad to hear that my husband’s bad husbanding was a lesson to others! And I actually had the hot tub to myself for quite some time. We went on a port day after our excursion when the ship is way less crowded.
Oh those big iguanas would freak me out too! Sorry the kids club didn’t work out. And awesome awesome shots of you crashing- I mean surfing
NO … you called it right. It is crashing.
Bummer about the Kids Club. but maybe at least it kept the ‘other’ annoying kids busy and out of the way… I remember being amazed and appalled by how many kids were on the cruise we went on. and babies! crazy.
I LOVE the lizards.
If we went an a cruise without BB, I would probably choose a non-kid-friendly cruise line (I think they exist!!!)
Oh Jenners, you were having the time of your life, and those surfing pictures were hilarious! I live in Florida, but don’t have those crazy iguanas all over the place! That would scare the pants off of me! I love the hot-tub built for 30.That’s where I would like to be on some cold winter evening with a flute of bubbly in my hand. And that Kids Club sounds awful! It’s no wonder BB didn’t want to hang out there!
The Kid’s Club looked so cool — the facilities at least. I was so sure he was going to have so much fun. And I’m glad to hear iguanas like that aren’t all over Florida! I was wondering.
Bahahaha, you are awesome. Those surfing pictures are just fantastic.
We were all just dying of laughter when we first saw those surfing photos.
You trip has looked like a blast so far! That first photo is awesome. Should definitely be on your header. Too bad about Kid’s Club, but it sounds like you have a very cool kid who wasn’t fooled by the masses. Good for you!
Great idea … when I update my header (and you know I will) that will go in there!
Flowrider… Brilliant. I was SO impressed with the first shot. Then I continued reading. You should be a character actor. Your expressions are so engaging!
Well that one is the look of pure fear! : )
Condensing my comments for both into one….you’re welcome. First, that clown family photo is awesome and for you some how very appropriate. Swimming with the dolphins looks like so much fun…but on to those surfing shots. Oh my lord woman. I laughed so hard watching you fall, yes I laugh at others people’s miss fortune. You are the best for posting those. Like I always say to you…..you so funny!
. Can’t wait for the rest.
I totally cracked up at the falling photos too. They are just too good not to share so don’t feel bad for laughing!
oh my goodness, good for you on surfing! It sounds like you had an awesome time on the cruise! lol about those iguanas…same thing in Puerto Rico.
Well I can cross Puerto Rico off my list of “places to live when I retire.” No places with giant roaming lizards for me!
Great photos! And yes, I agree you are incredibly brave and adventurous!!!
Or incredibly dumb and foolhardy!
My daughter and I laughed a lot at your first set of pics – the Flowrider ones.
That’s why I posted them … they are too funny NOT to share. I laugh at them every time.
Overall it sounds like you had a terrific, fun time on the cruise. It’s really a bummer that the Kid Club was a total flop for BB’s sake and even more for your and Mr. Jenner’s sake. You’re very brave to try the flowrider thingy (and post photos of you doing so!) – it looks like fun but thank goodness it’s in water so when you fall (how can you not?) it’s not too hard a landing!
I sympathize and empathize with you over the iguanas…although they don’t bother me, plenty of creepy, crawly things and bugs do so I completely understand your reaction to them.
If there was just one or two iguanas, it might have been OK. But there were like 35 or 40 of them … and they were big. Too many for me to handle! And I was SO SURE the kid’s club would be a hit. We’ll keep trying though!
You re so brave for getting up on that flow rider!!
And I live in Florida and am used to Lizards everywhere… But we do NOT have giant mutant “lizards” like that!! Those are terrifying!!!
Good to hear!! The people who were making fun of me made it sound like Florida is crawling with these big ass iguanas too!
I love the Flowrider photos! Looks like a lot of fun despite you falling at the end. That is so awesome that this ship has that in the first place! oh and I totally remember those kids club things from when I was a kid. We started going on cruises at an early age and my parents use to try to get us to go to those clubs too. I have to agree with BB at how stupid and lame those clubs are. My parents ended up giving up on getting us to go and let us roam the ship on our own since we’re in the middle of the ocean so other than falling overboard there was little danger in letting us run around on our own.
I’m kind of glad but also sad to hear that so many kids had the same reaction to those kid’s clubs. I was so hoping it would provide him with lots of fun so we could have some grown-up fun. The key might be to go on a cruise with another family so he has a playmate!
Love your flowrider pics!! Looks like lots of fun. I live in Florida and they are everywhere. although the ones in your pictures look bigger. I even bought one at a pet store and had him until he died. I love him. His name was Clyde. He liked veggies.
So you’re saying iguanas are vegetarians and not carnivores. Good to know for the future!
I LOVE IT!!!!! So glad you had a wonderful time
It was a blast!
The flowrider looks fun!!! I’m sure I would wipe out in an instant, though. I think the lizards are pretty neat …. as long as they aren’t aggressive.
Pretty much everyone is guaranteed to wipeout at one point. And usually pretty quickly. It is really really hard!
LOL. Oh my goodness the look on your face on that Flowrider. Still you are braver than I am as I hate getting my face wet at the best of times.
If you don’t like getting your face wet, the Flowrider is definitely not for you. I got that water full blast in the face quite a few times.
Love, love, loved the pictures of the surfing. Hilarious. Thanks for sharing. My kids wouldn’t go anywhere with other kids, anyway. Unless they know them. So, that would not have worked for us either. I would love a vacation.
BB is similar … although he goes to a camp here at home where he didn’t know anyone and was OK. I thought it would translate to the ship but alas!
I’d never have attempted the Flowrider, but the hot tub looks amazing.
And the iguanas? I have the same reaction when I have to go to the mall – Shoppers! Aaaaaauuuuggghhhhh!
I would definitely recommend the hot tub over the Flowrider. Much less painful!
I’m sure my sons would have not liked kids club either, but they would have loved the iguanas, and the surfing.
BB loved the iguanas. Mommy, however, was not so excited about them!
You know how to have fun lady:) and are much braver than me…..BTW…as for me on the 10th floor of the cruise ship since I can’t swim, I’m afraid of heights as well…LOL see I am just not meant to be part of the cruise set.
You do have a lot working against you on this I suppose!! ; )
I have to say, that second flowrider picture is PRICELESS!
You are awesome for even trying that thing – I wouldn’t have gone near it! Actually – can you believe it? – I didn’t get in the pool once during our cruise, or the hot tub. What’s wrong with me???
PS – I think iguanas are cute. My cousin used to have one as a pet.
You have a very twisted definition of cute, lady!!! And I wouldn’t have gone in the pool at all if it wasn’t for BB. The hot tub was a necessity. I was pretty sore.
My favorite is the one with just your leg sticking up!
It is just a big jumble of body parts isn’t it?
So now I can tell you that there was also a kid who sliced his knee open on the Flowrider.
You should be proud that you escaped with only a wardrobe malfunction!
Also…you are a brave, brave person to go on that thing.
I’m glad you didn’t tell me that before or I might have thought better of it. I can totally see that happening. You go down hard and fast. I’m amazed we emerged as well as we did. It helped that we had two instructors working with us or I think it wouldn’t have gone as well.
Nice legs…..hubba hubba!!!
Those iguanas would make me poop my pants and hide out in my room…..
You made my day (or my leg’s day anyway). And that was pretty much my reaction to the iguanas. Ssshhh…don’t tell.
You are so funny! Great post and photos. I like iguanas, but seeing them all over the place would freak me out a bit as well. That hot tub looks divine! Glad you enjoyed your cruise, even though BB didn’t care for the kids’ club. I look forward to the next installment.
The iguana thing is just like with mice: one is OK and kind of interesting. More than two is becoming disturbing. And a whole bunch is a scary freaky problem!
Maybe I’d just have to see the iguanas in person, because I think they’re kind of cool. The hot tub looks so relaxing, and the action shots of you surfing were priceless! So brave of you!
They are cool FROM A DISTANCE. Not lurking one foot from your feet and camoflauged on rocks. SCARY!
I am LOVING these! Particularly the blow-by-blow spill off the flow rider (sorry). And if it makes you feel any better, that is the exact same complaint I got from my kids on the Disney Cruise kids club. Apparently they thought they were about three to five years more mature than the other kids in their group. They went once or twice then refused to go back.
I’m hearing that from a few people–that the kid’s club on these things aren’t as great as they appear. (The facilities were amazing.) I shall go in with my expectations lowered next time.
BB sounds just like my daughter when she got sent to regular camps. Nothing interesting, too much sitting around, and lots of whiny children
I am loving reading these vacation posts and am very proud of you for doing the surfing thing!
I think our burning desire for him to go may have also caused problems. He might have sensed it. HAHA!
The first time I saw one of those Iguanas, I think I jumped a couple of feet in the air. Scary as all hell. We only have little geckos here in northern FL – and frankly, that’s enough wildlife for me!! The flowrider photos were awsome.
Geckos are a reasonable size. Iguanas are NOT. And the way their legs stick out on the sides just gives me the willies. I don’t think I could actually live in Florida!
The Flowrider pictures have me laughing, even a little tear, that is exciting and funny as hell Jenners. Love the hot tub for the aches and pains.
Those suckers in St. Thomas are huge and frigging scary, I totally agree, I was like what the hell. I can’t handle little lizards at home so the iguanas, I wanted no parts of.
These post are fun, I must go back for A – E
I was laughing the Flowrider photos too … they came out so good and I had no idea my face was so dramatic in its expressions.
This post literally made me laugh out loud several times! I could not help but get a visual of you running and screaming and waving your hands wildly in the air as you tried to escape the lizards! lol
I need a camera like Mr. Jenners shot your Flow Rider experience on. How fast does that thing go! It made for a very awesome slideshow there.
I have to say I have no idea how fun or not the Kids’ Club might be, but I am pretty certain no matter how fun, the rest of the ship would have been more fun.
Finally Mr. Jenners was able to justify his need for a better camera that takes lots of photos really fast. It paid for itself with those photos!
When we moved to the US, we took a cruise ship and my mother said my sister and I didn’t like the Kid’s Club either – it sounds like they haven’t improved that!
I am hearing this from quite a few people!!! Now I know!
Those photos say it all, don’t they? He must have a super fast camera! You are so brave to try it and even more brave for allowing the event to be captured on film!
His need for decent digital SLR really paid off with those shots. (Which of course he pointed out.) It made for some great photos.