Traveling with the Jones

Having a birthday in the middle of spring break has always had its perks. I have had the luxury of traveling to a variety of places–Colorado, Padre Island, and Mexico to name a few–to celebrate my birthdays with both friends and family. One of my favorite birthdays abroad was my 19th birthday, which I got to spend touring through Italy.

We began our journey with a stay in the beautiful town of Assisi…

 A quaint town, we didn’t get to spend nearly enough time here. On the plus side, I did get to buy some handcrafted pottery to take home with me!

 We also got to sample some of the delicious delicacies of the region. Storefronts were filled with so many choices–and the smells didn’t make it any easier.

Next, we moved onto Florence…

A captivating city, with so much to offer us, Florence is a hub of people, culture, artwork, and food.

We spend a lot of time exploring the square, which was filled with people painting, sculpting, and sharing their art.

And of course, entirely too much gelato!

The travels through Assisi and Florence were just the beginning! While I loved both places, there was much more in store for the journey.

This article is written by Hannah Watkins – writer, traveler, and grand-scale dreamer – as well as a senior studying communications at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas.

She is an avid golfer and enjoys spending time with her pug named Cookie.

Hannah is currently completing an internship with VentureTime Travel and she hopes to someday work in the Public Relations field.

This is part 1 of a 3 part series. Check out parts 2 and 3:

• Photo Journey: Turning 19 on an Art Tour Through Italy (Part 2)
• Photo Journey: Turning 19 on an Art Tour Through Italy (Part 3)

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Thousands of North Atlantic humpback whales come to the Samana Bay to give birth each year between January and March, boosting the tourism activity around Samana, Dominican Republic during those months.

Since our visit was in late November, via a port call from the Seabourn Pride, whale watching was out.

At the last minute, we decided to join the Cayo Levantado Beach Escape,  one of the ship’s  shore excursions.

After tending from the ship to the dock in Samana, we immediately transferred to another boat waiting to take us to the island of Cayo Levantado.

Soon we could see the island and its white sand beaches.

After we docked, we were led to the beach area, through a variety of shops, and welcomed with a fruit punch.

The beach is huge, with hundreds of chairs and plenty of sun and shade.  The island is an all-inclusive resort, but this area is kept open for cruise ship tour visitors.

There’s a large covered bar serving all kinds of beverages. Prices are in U.S. dollars.

We had to cool off with a Presidente, the local beer of the Dominican Republic.

Out in the acres of lounge chairs, servers will bring drinks to you.

The beach is pristine  and the warm water is inviting.

Of course, relaxing on the beach under a shade tree is hard to beat.

On the ride back to Samana, we got a good view of our ship.

Our bottom line: if you are in Samana on a Seabourn cruise, we recommend this Beach Escape shore excursion.

Have you visited Samana?  What was your impression? Please share in comments below.

Read more posts about our 10-Day Caribbean Highlights cruise on the Seabourn Pride: 

• Jost Van Dyke, B.V.I. – Yachts, White Sand and Painkillers
• Exploring “The Baths” of Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands via a Seabourn Shore Excursion
• A Port Day in Basseterre, St. Kitts via the Seabourn Pride
• Views from the Seabourn Pride
• A Peek Inside the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port Hotel
  

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Fewer than 300 people live on tiny Jost Van Dyke,  one of 60 or so British Virgin Islands (B.V. I.) in the Caribbean. The island is accessible only by sea.

We visited via a tender from the Seabourn Pride, one port call on our 10-day Caribbean Highlights cruise.

While it was a short distance from the Pride to the dock, the trip took more than 30 minutes. The reason: this boat was blocking the dock and in no hurry to move.

Finally, someone came out and moved the Ocean Sem forward enough that we could dock in Great Harbour.

We immediately caught the Seabourn-sponsored shuttle to White Bay.

The ride is scenic, up and down with sharp curves. The white sand of White Bay can be seen in the distance.

White Bay is home to the Soggy Dollar Bar, the establishment that claims to have “originated and perfected”  the original Painkiller rum cocktail in the 1970’s.

It’s also home to a number of beachfront establishments such as Gertrude’s Beach Bar & Boutique.

Where the view is drop-dead gorgeous.

And the Carib beers are cold, plentiful and relatively inexpensive in U.S. dollars.  Don’t be in a hurry. The service is on island time.

We are certain that the North Dakota State University fans enjoyed themselves here: the beer is cold and the weather is at least 80 degrees warmer than Fargo in late November.

White Beach, with its nice white sand beach, attracts a number of yachts — bringing visitors for a swim and a painkiller.

The real reason to go to White Beach, however, is to experience the original Painkiller from the Soggy Dollar Bar while relaxing is a chair on the beach.

The Painkiller is a concoction of premium dark run, cream of coconut, pineapple and orange juice topped with fresh grated Grenadian nutmeg.

Painkillers are delicious, and guaranteed to make you forget any pain.

After 1.5 painkillers, and a rain shower, we decided it was time to head back to the ship.

The line for the shuttle was long and slow-moving.

If you need to get back quickly, the Soggy Dollar bartender will call a cab.  And for $5 per person, we were back to the tender dock in no time.

While our stay was brief, Jost Van Dyke was one of our favorite Caribbean islands.

Have you drank a “Painkiller” at the Soggy Dollar bar? If so, please share how many you enjoyed. Post your response in comments below.

Read more posts about our 10-Day Caribbean Highlights cruise on the Seabourn Pride: 

• Exploring “The Baths” of Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands via a Seabourn Shore Excursion
• A Port Day in Basseterre, St. Kitts via the Seabourn Pride
• Views from the Seabourn Pride
• A Peek Inside the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port Hotel
  

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