Grand Turk was port #8 of 8. It is the only port that we also visited recently on the Carnival Vista cruise. Because we had been there recently we were not interested in hanging around the port area, so we decided to go into town – Cockburn Town. We inquired as to the availability of golf carts (none), bicycles (available but at $50 each for eBikes) and taxi (available but $8 per person each way). Marlene voted for walking – over 4 miles – and who and I to vote against her?

It was a long walk, but fairly interesting. And it was a lovely day. We encountered a memorial to John Glenn’s space ride (he landed near Grand Turk) and some feral donkeys. And lots of lazy dogs.

When we finally reached “downtown” after about 90 minutes of walking we were underwhelmed. There were only a few actual retail shopping buildings. Mostly it was tents along the shore. We considered walking to the famous lighthouse but learned that it was another 3 or 4 miles. We had already logged over 15,000 steps by that point. I wanted to take a taxi back but Marlene again balked at spending $16 and wanted to walk. I believe I expressed my opinion that walking back was “crazy” as it would be tedious and would cut the arrival pretty close to the ship departure time. Ever resourceful, Marlene found a guy who would drive us for $10.

We didn’t walk back but we still logged over 18,000 steps on the day – a new record. Over 8 miles, I believe.

We shopped a bit in the port area then returned to the ship. I blogged and we both snacked.

Dinner was forgettable, as was the casino: I lost $100 without getting a single bonus. Down $235. Bah humbug.

I don’t know what is in the “Funship Special” drink that you can get on a Carnival cruise, but they are deadly. I had about two and a half and ended up with the worst hangover that I have had in years. I slept until noon.

After a brief breakfast consisting mostly of coffee, Marlene and I went to the casino. It was exactly the opposite of the day before – very forgiving. And giving. I won $145, leaving me down $135 for the cruise. I was actually up by nearly $300 at one point, but you rarely finish at the top. Still, I was very happy to win back some of my losses. Marlene did well too but is still down much more than I am.

We weren’t in the casino all day. We spent some time on the Lido Deck in the bright sunshine. Then, believe it or not, we went to the gym to weigh ourselves (yes, we have gained weight), but we also walked a mile on the treadmill. It is a very nice gym with a view right over the bow.

It was formal night and we dined with Kay, Runette, Juan and Laurie. A very pleasant dinner.

It is always sunny in Aruba. Except on the day we were there. It was cloudy all day and even rained a bit. I felt sorry for those people who had booked one of those high-priced beach or snorkeling excursions. They couldn’t have been pleasant.

As is our wont (or at least Marlene’s wont), we shopped. We didn’t really buy anything, but we spent about 4 hours considering things that we didn’t buy. Not my idea of a great time – I didn’t even get a beer. I did get a coffee cup.

Back on the ship I blogged, had a snack and then read a bit before dinner. I had pasta at dinner.

The casino was brutal. I lost $160 with nary a bonus in the time I played the slots – my only “bonus” was 12 free games which garnered me 25 cents. Down $280 for the cruise.

I like Curacao. It is beautiful and has interesting shops and restaurants. This is probably the port that I was most looking forward to seeing again.

My last visit was about 10 years ago and a lot has changed. The port is more built up and there are more hotels, shops and casinos on the walk into town. But the town – Willemstad – is mostly unchanged. The floating bridge is still there and we had to hustle to jump off it as it started to move.

It was, as usual for our port days, a day of shopping. We visited many shops, but the one Marlene most wanted to see again was the “Everything $5” shop. We bought 2 dresses and a number of shirts. It must have been 10 items because the total cost was $50. That made Marlene very happy.

I also treated myself to 3 small beers for $10. That was right after we ran into 3 members of the Conquest Rockband and got a photo with them.

After dinner we listened to some music in the lobby and watched our Cruise Director, Robbie, dance. He is quite good. Then we went to the casino and I struck gold – I won $165 (but still down $120 for the cruise).

Grenada is “the spice island” – famous for the variety of spices grown there. I have visited the island before and have fond memories of it, particularly the harbor. But the island virtually shuts down on Sunday, so all the harbor was good for on this trip was a few photo opportunities. We got a lot of steps in, though, walking up the hill and down the other side.

We spend a few minutes in the local art museum. It was interesting. A couple of paintings done in coffee on paper caught my eye. Never seen coffee art before.

The other interesting thing was Marlene’s sandal repair. She broke a strap at the harbor but some young fishermen offered to glue it for her.

We were able to do a bit of shopping in the port area. We got a couple of souvenirs, including a unique spice necklace which smells great. Then we got back on the ship and had a bite to eat with new friend Marisa.

When we got back on the ship we had a snack with new friend Marisa while I blogged. Then we napped a bit before dinner. Mexican and not very good, in our opinion.

The casino was cruel to me. Lost $100. Down $185.

Today’s port was Bridgetown Barbados. We had breakfast in the buffet, as usual, and left the ship a bit late because we had a lovely chat with a Marisa, a fellow passenger from NJ.

The port is nearly two miles from the center to town. But Marlene and I like to walk, so we hoofed. it, with some stops in shops along the way. There was more shopping in town. Marlene got two more items of clothing. I got a snow cone. Then we walked back and split a hamburger aboard the ship while I blogged.

Dinner was short ribs. Excellent!

After dinner we went to the show which featured the Conquest Rockband. This is a good band, but the sound guy absolutely destroyed the show by amplifying too much and using WAY too much bass. For the second night in a row we walked out. I filed a complaint at the customer service desk.

The casino wasn’t great and I was down over $100 at one point. But I recovered and ended the evening up $5 (down $85).

Our itinerary has 5 straight port days where we arrive at 8:30am and depart at 4:30pm. Today’s port was Roseau, Dominica. We had breakfast in the buffet and then disembarked to wander around the town. It is less “third-worldy” than Antigua, but more so than St Maarten. We bought two clothing items for Marlene and a couple of magnets, then returned to the ship.

I had two hot dogs with sauerkraut for lunch. Very good. Then I did some blogging and did my monthly laptop backup.

We both napped before dinner and I read a bit. My dinner was antipasti, Seafood Newburg and hazelnut mousse, all terrific. The best meal so far.

We attended a show by Consuela Ivy. She was good, but the sound guy was terrible. The background music was WAY too loud. It drowned her out. There is no excuse for that.

The casino was exceedingly kind. I was up over $150 at one point but settled for a $75 victory, leaving me $90 down 6 days into the cruise. I can tolerate a loss of $15 per day.

Another day, another port. Antigua this time. This is one of the two ports on this trip that will be first-time visits for me. Based on what I saw I won’t be eager to return.

We had breakfast in the buffet and chatted with the people at the table next to us. It turns out that he and I both claim Madison WI as our home town. He was a few years younger and went to a different high school so we didn’t know each other. But we had a good time talking about our old home.

After breakfast Marlene and I walked into town (St John’s). We didn’t have a long walk this time as the cruise port is right in town. We tried very hard to find something to buy but failed. The was no shortage of women’s clothing shops. Antigua must be the shoe capital of the Caribbean. But everything was either too expensive or the wrong size.

The only thing we bought was a bottle of rum, for $11. Very cheap. We won’t open it until we get home and I don’t have high hopes that it will be very good. But $11 for a liter of rum? Worth a try.

I wasn’t impressed with Antigua. At least not impressed in a good way. It has a “third world” feel. It was similar to Bitung Indonesia in that the infrastructure was crumbling. But there were no mopeds and the people were not nearly so friendly. I won’t hurry back.

After we returned to the ship, had a light lunch in the buffet and I blogged. Then a brief nap and some time at the pool (but not IN the pool) before dinner. Grilled fish, very good.

The casino was good to Marlene but not so kind to me – lost $115 (down $165).