The purpose of my trip diaries is mostly to serve as a photo dump for me and a list of restaurants and activities we did so I can easily find it later should we return. I hope they inspire you for places to see and go should you travel to the destination described in the post.

Day 1 Picking up the Boys in West Palm Beach for Family Time

I flew down early to spend a few days with my parents. Marius and Matt  came a few days later. Matt being Matt immediately volunteered to make our parents a fabulous dinner of chateaubriand because most people wake up at 3am for a day of shlepping to make chateaubriand. I was quite happy he did as it was fantastic.

It meant the world to me to have Marius have a meal with both sets of parents.

Day 2 A Day at the Ritz Carlton FLL

After a lovely breakfast with my mother we moved to the Ritz Carlton FLL. This was Marius’ first visit to Florida and we wanted him to experience some beach time. Once we got settled we took a walk along the beach, and parked ourselves by the pool and enjoyed a day of sun and relaxation. The boys were exhausted still from their travels and an easy day was warranted.

For dinner, we took Marius to Casa D’Angelo, our favorite restaurant in Florida.

Day 3 Boarding the Cruise

We boarded the Star Princess ship and made our way to the Lido deck for lunch. Matt and I were having our typical first day on vacation anxieties and Marius was totally calm and relaxing. Sounds about right. Once we calmed down we did the same.

Once our suite was ready we unpacked and walked around the ship to get our bearings. We had dinner at the Crown Grill, the steak specialty restaurant. Marius ate an entire Porterhouse steak!

After dinner Matt and I socialized at the LGBTQ event for a solid 10 minutes before leaving to hide in our room while Marius went to the teen event and made like a million friends in 5 minutes!

Day 4 The Bahamas

Our first stop was Princess cruises’ private beach area in the Bahamas. We mostly lounged by the ocean, the boy met up with some friends and Matt and I sat in the corner ensuring no one would talk to us. Lunch was a BBQ catered by the cruise and to cap off our time by the ocean, Marius and I went Banana boating which was fun!

Day 5 Day at Sea

Quiet day lounging by the pool, lifting at the gym and enjoying the sun.

Day 6 San Juan, Puerto Rico

Cruise excursions are so overpriced and we really did not want to spend a day on a bus with boomers. I did some research and found a wonderful private driver to take us around San Juan and show us the wonderful city for basically the same price as the cruise excursion.

Hector picked us up right by the cruise port and took us to the main fort overlooking Old San Juan and the ocean. He did a wonderful job telling us about the history (even Matt found it interesting). After, we walked around Old San Juan which was just wonderful. The cobblestoned streets rampant and the architecture was stunning.

For lunch, Hector took us to a hole in the wall kind of place Manolin: Old San Juan  that was excellent.

Finally, our tour concluded with a drive around a trendy part of the city for us to see the graffiti art. All three of us had a wonderful time and we all proclaimed we would return to San Juan.

Day 7 St Thomas

I am not going to lie. I was not particularly excited about St. Thomas. None of the cruise excursions appealed to me, Matt and I were kind of tired of beaches and we just weren’t feeling any of the options. We decided to just walk around the shopping district by the port where Matt bought be a beautiful necklace.

Days 8-9

Our final 2 days at sea were nice and relaxing. Marius hung out with his friends and Matt and I mostly hid in our suite. Everyone was happy!

Overall

We had a wonderful vacation and are so happy to have created wonderful memories with Marius. We already booked our next cruise with Princess that just so happens to be leaving within driving distance of Marius’ hometown. 😊

Upcoming Reviews

Ritz Carlton FLL

Star Princess Cruise-An introvert/sober perspective.

Bon Voyage,

Email: andrew.reiser@fora.travel

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Website: Andrew Reiser Fora

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