Koh Phangan | More Than the Half Moon Festival
After an amazing few days of diving and exploring Koh Tao, it was time to move on to the next island. This time for one main reason, the Half Moon Festival on Koh Phangan. The Full Moon Party and Half Moon Festival are famous in Koh Phangan. Backpackers and travelers alike plan entire vacations around these parties. They are one of the main reasons people venture to Koh Phangan on their vacations. They aren’t the only “big” parties that Koh Phangan offers. There are also Jungle Parties and Waterfall parties. Basically, ever week, sometimes twice a week, there is some massive party somewhere on the island. Although the Full Moon…
Scuba Diving in Koh Tao…and a list of things to do
Scuba diving in Koh Tao, Thailand might not have happened if it wasn’t for visa issues. As a teacher here in Thailand, I’m tied to my visa. I didn’t want to pay for another re-entry permit at 1000 baht to visit another country. That meant I had two weeks left of my school holiday and I needed to go somewhere within Thailand. As a scuba diver, it was a pretty easy decision. I cannot tell you how many friends and other travelers who have said “You have to go Scuba Diving in Koh Tao.” I knew I would regret not going scuba diving in Koh Tao if I ever left…
Living the Island Life on Koh Rong Samloem
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below may be affiliate links. This means that I earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and companies I use personally. My friends and I woke up the next morning excited for our next destination, Koh Rong Samloem, Cambodia. I was ready to get back on an island and the boys were just as ready. We didn’t want to waste a full day traveling from Kampot to Koh Rong Samloem. With small amount of research we’d done and with the help of our hostel, we had a goal of making the 11:30…
One Day Around the Phi Phi Islands
Today was one of those days where we had no plans on what we wanted to do. I had a semi-rough idea of what we could do, but I didn’t want to set anything in stone, unti I was with Chris. Together, after a few options were discussed, we decided on another boat day. Except, instead of a sunset cruise, we decided on a sunrise speed boat tour to the Phi Phi Islands. The particular tour we decided on was called The Beach Sea Trips. I’m pretty sure we found it at the stand where we rented our motor scooters. The Beach Sea Trips Tour The Phi Phi Islands are…
Royal Caribbean Day 7: Day at Sea
Our final day on the Adventure of the Seas was upon us. We set sail from Barbados knowing it was going to be a long 36 hours aboard the ship. We also knew our day at sea was going to be an enjoyable one with our new friends. As usual, our day started with breakfast. Thankfully, it wasn’t as early as the past five days and we were able to sleep in just a little. Darren and I had ONE thing we had on our list for the day and that was the pool Pool Day At this point, I hadn’t spent much time around the pools. Majority of our…
Royal Caribbean Day 6: Barbados
Bridgetown, Barbados Date: 26 April 2018Port: Bridgetown, BarbadosTime on Island: 8am-4:30pmDistance between St. Lucia to Barbados: 174.60 km or 94.28 nautical miles (5108.49 miles) Barbados, our final island and final port before our return to Puerto Rico. Also, the day I have been dreading. It means our Southern Caribbean Cruise is coming to an end. It’s been such an amazing past five day that I’m not ready for it to end. But, at the same time, I’m ready to explore another new island in the Caribbean! The Tour Like many of the other islands, I didn’t know much about Barbados, except that there was a popular cave attraction. We weren’t totally sure if we…
Royal Caribbean Day 5: St. Lucia
Castries, St. Lucia Date: 25 April 2018Port: Pointe Seraphine, Castries, St. LuciaTime on Island: 9am-5:30pmDistance between Antigua to St. Lucia: 363.65 km or 196.36 nautical miles (225.96 miles) The morning started just like every other morning on Royal Caribbean. We got up, showered, got ready, and then headed to the buffet for breakfast. Following breakfast, Darren and I headed to the deck and take in the beautiful scene of the island of St. Lucia. Standing on the deck every morning was one of my favorite things to do on the ship. That first glance of this island and the others is something I’m never going to forget. We would do it every morning, but…
Royal Caribbean Day 4: Antigua
St. John’s, Antigua Date: 24 April 2018 Port: St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda Time on Island: 8am-4:30pm Distance between St. Kitts and Antigua: 104.17 km or 56.25 nautical miles (64.73 miles) Antigua was our only port that we didn’t prebook any tours. We were ready for a relaxing, anything can happen sort of day. The more time we spent talking with people on our cruise, the more we realized how easy it was going to be to see the island without a guided tour. Thankfully, Karen and Richard also didn’t prebook anything, so we decided to spend the entire day together. We started our morning with the usual buffet breakfast and coffee before…
Royal Caribbean Day 3: St. Kitts
Our next port was St. Kitts and Nevis, capital and port city, Basseterre. I honestly didn't know much about St. Kitts, so I was quite excited for this port. Darren had pre-booked another half day tour excursion of the island that would take us around majority of the island with several stops. One reason we decided for tours, was for the history aspect. I love learning and having a tour guide who has in-depth knowledge of a place makes experience the islands that much better. One of the things I was most excited about with St. Kitts
Royal Caribbean Day 2: Sint Maarten/St Martin
Date: 22 April 2018 Port: Philipsburg, St. Maarten (Dutch side) Time on Island: 8am-4:30pm Distance between San Juan and St. Maarten: 372.04 km or 200.75 nautical miles (231.17 miles) St. Maarten was the first port of the trip. Darren and I were eager to start our pre-booked tour through Viator. We decided against booking directly through Royal Caribbean strictly because of our budget. We also knew that by doing so, we’d need to be aware of the time restrictions in order to NOT miss the boat. Darren and I also decided separate each post on who will book or decide on the tour. St. Maarten was my port to book.…
