When Eric and I purchased our cruise, we were both excited to go to Jamaica as it was the one place we hadn't been before. Shortly before our vacation however a travel warning was issued for the country due to gang violence. Thus, we were a bit nervous about touring there. Still, we wanted to see the island and of all the excursions that Royal Caribbean offered, the opportunity to climb Dunn's River Falls sounded the most interesting. So, we figured we would be safe if we stayed with a tour group and signed on for the excursion which took us not only to the falls but also on a tour of Green Grotto Caves...
The ride to Ocho Rios took about an hour and while we drove it began to pour. This was the only day of rain that we received the entire week, but it made up for it all at once. The rain (or "Liquid Sunshine" as our tour guide called it) came down heavily sometimes making it difficult to see but by the time we arrived at the falls it had stopped and given way to a beautiful day (not that it really mattered since we were about to get very wet anyway!).
Once at the falls our tour group was given a guide from the falls to take us up. I really wasn't sure what we were in for but it turned out to be a total blast. Eric and I agreed it was a lot of fun and a major highlight of the week. The guide said that our group would climb the falls' 180 foot high, 600 foot long falls hand in hand, helping one another the entire way. Eric and I stood next to him listening to his instruction when he looked at me and said that I would be first. He grabbed my hand and instructed me to grab Eric's who grabbed the girl's next him until everyone had formed a human chain. Then, hand in hand, we climbed the falls together. The water was a little cool at first but we got used to it quickly (it was like a hot bath in comparison to the waterfalls that we swam in during our honeymoon in Maui). The climb was difficult at times, but I was thankful to be holding the guide's hand as he knew exactly where to step and helped me maintain my balance as the water gushed past and pushed against me. In fact, being at the head of the line made me feel a bit like we were getting a backstage tour or something. It made the experience even more personal and fun. It also made it a bit more exhilarating as there were moments when our guide would let go of my hand to go down the falls and help others further down on the chain and instruct me lead the group to a point further up (as he directed). Then there were other times where we would stop along the way to have a more personal experience with the falls and being first in line meant that I was first to try whatever it was we were going to do as everyone else looked on (not something I would ever volunteer for), such as taking a ride down a slide-like rock (only to discover that the water at the bottom was VERY deep and I would have to swim out), leaning back against the waterfall as it gushed over us, and holding Eric's hand as we allowed ourselves to fall backward into a pool of water.
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| Eric & I about to start our journey up the falls. |
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| The water rushing overhead (I was thankful for the AquaVault Waterproof phone cases that Eric and I had purchased before our trip). |
About an hour and a half after we began our climb we were at the top. We headed back to our van to get clothes and change and then continued on to our second destination: Green Grotto Caves.
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| Dr. Suess-like flowers. |
When we arrived at the caves we were again given a guide to take us through. It was not nearly as fun and exciting as the falls were, but it was still cool to see another part of the world and another portion of God's amazing creation...other than the snake we saw...I am never a fan of seeing snakes.
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| Eric & I looking HOT in our hair nets and hard hats! <3 |
When our cave tour was finished, we rode back to our ship again watching as the Liquid Sunshine fell from the sky. And again, as soon as we arrived to the port the rain let up and and gave way to more warm air and sunshine.
We headed back to the ship to drop off our swimsuits, towels and extra clothes and have a late lunch and then we went back out to the port shops to search for souvenirs for the boys. (We figured that since we'd told the boys we were going to Jamaica, at least one of their souvenirs had to come from there!).
We searched through several of the shops and ended up deciding on two hand-carved sea turtles for the boys and a Christmas ornament for us. Then we sat and enjoyed the breeze on a nearby bench before returning to the Harmony.
Once we were back on board, we made it to the back of the ship just in time to watch the sun go down behind the Jamaican mountains.
When the sun had gone down, Eric headed over to the nearby Flowrider to do a little body boarding while I sat in the cheering section to watch. Having done this a few times in the past he did pretty good, but he did get in trouble from the crew member for doing a barrel role (which although he was taught how to do this on a previous cruise is apparently now against the rules)...
Video: Flowrider
After Eric showed off his Flowriding skills, we spent the rest of the evening enjoying the dinner and desserts of the Windjammer Buffet, the iSkate ice show, meandering the ship and the traditional Love & Marriage Game Show before retiring to our cabin for the rest of the evening.
Video: iSkate Show
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| Eric enjoying "Crepe-Thirty" and an chocolate sundae for dessert...again :) |
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| Evening relaxing in the Solarium pod chairs. |
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| My "fancy" Shirley Temple ;) in the Theater for the Love & Marriage Game Show. |
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| For this Love & Marriage Game Show (always a funny part of RC cruises) one of the husbands said some seriously DUMB things. Have to wonder how things were for him and his wife AFTER that night. |
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