Tuesday, February 10 - Cruise Day Three

Today – Jamaica, Mon!
The kids woke up mercifully late and we had a leisurely breakfast in our staterooms. Then we had enough time to attempt the rock wall again – this time with Aaron and Shannon if they were interested. (Christopher was too young, although he would be the best at it!) Well, Doug and I went first. Aaron then agreed to try, although he was very nervous. He got up about 10 feet and then wanted down. We were proud of him for trying! Shannon declined, as she was not feeling well. In fact, she woke up coughing with a slight fever. Cudos to her, though – she did not complain at all for the rest of the day.
Then on to the island. There were no beaches right by the boat this time. Most people take a shuttle to the City Centre and do some shopping. We were no different, although we were not into gems, watches, and rum (Jamaica’s specialties). We wanted to get some Blue Mountain coffee and crazy glue. Yes, you read right. We were out for crazy glue. Doug’s glasses were still not fixed and his contacts were bothering him, so that was our mission.
We were successful! Next, we took the shuttle to Margaritaville – the supposed place where Jimmy Buffett used to hang out. We sat outside on a beautiful veranda overlooking the water and dug our teeth into some great hamburgers. We drank, of course, margaritas. Unfortunately, either they make their margaritas stronger or my stomach was too empty – because I felt like I was “wasting away again in Margaritaville.” I decided that in the future, half a margarita was enough for me J. We all enjoyed a Jamaican trio that came to each of the tables. They gave the children maracas and played us a great song. It was a great time.
As we were going back to the ship, we asked the children what was different about Jamaica. After all, it was their first time immersed in another culture. “Lots and lots of black people!” Aaron said. We also heard that it was poorer, and Shannon said the people were very nice. They were surprisingly friendly, I thought. But perhaps the differences that stood out the most to them were the British touches. Aaron noticed that they spelled “Centre” wrong, and they were astounded that people could drive on the wrong side of the road. The Jamaicans’ advice to American drivers is, “The wrong side is the right side and the right side is suicide!”
After a nice jog around the 12th deck, we ate some pizza and took Christopher up to his class. The older children we took to an ice show. It was incredible. There was a guest star who could twirl about 10 hula hoops while she skated around, and a male skater who did a couple of back flips. The costumes were extraordinary. We did have to apologize to the children about some of the skimpy female costumes, though. “Their bellies are showing!” they kept saying.
The finale to our evening was the Pirate Parade. All evening, Christopher had been preparing for this parade, learning some moves and getting a patch painted on. We hung out on the promenade, with Shannon giving into sleep and napping in my arms. Finally, the pirates arrived to take over the ship! They performed a show for us, and then marched on to take over the dining room. Christopher was in his element. He was so happy and proud of himself! Very worth the late hour.