Travel After Divorce

“When using a Cheap Caribbean Site saves the day!”

Finally the week arrived when we are supposed to go on our cruise to the Caribbean. Out of nowhere a cryptic E-Mail message is in all of our inboxes. It read to the reality of “we are sorry for the late notice, but our giant boat is broken and you will not be cruising with us next week’

The anger and confusion that happened next was beyond anything imaginable. How can a giant cruise ship be broken? How can they tell thousands of passengers that they can’t sail? More importantly HOW ARE YOU PAYING US BACK OUR MONEY?

In the next few days there were more E-Mails telling us the process of getting our refund. Not only were we getting all of our money back, but we will also be getting 50% off future travel and a pile of free onboard credits as well. The only thing this didn’t solve was what we were going to do to celebrate the 40th birthday of the love of my life.

Communication is everything in a relationship, and without hesitation I was on the phone basically telling my girlfriend to find ANY destination on earth and just book it. There was no way she would be missing out on this milestone birthday travel. Unlike my previous miserable marriage, my smart girlfriend refused to just book an expensive getaway, but was going to find us the perfect vacation at the perfect price.

Within the hour she finds a site that at first made me nervous by the sound of its simplicity. “cheapcaribbean.com” seems like the name of something a 7th grader would make for an online project. After looking around at the destinations we could do a cheap all inclusive trip to the Dominican Republic and after the airfare was purchased, it would be even cheaper than the originally booked cruise!

TRAVEL DAY

Just like what was planned for the cruise, our friend Will was booked on our trip and coming with us. It is amazing to have a friend so devoted that they would re-book a vacation because of the friendship he has with my girlfriend. If you have read any of my other posts the morning of the trip is just like many others.

They pulled up in to my driveway early in the morning before the sun rises and I was standing on the front steps with my arms raised and a smilie on my face. In the next 10 minutes the three of us were loaded into my car and headed for the Air Train to our terminal, DRINKS IN HAND of course 🙂

Getting to the Jet Blue check in we unfortunately encountered a miserable employee that was doing anything in his power to delay us on our flight. After working to stay calm, our luggage was thought, and we were on our way through security. The time was exactly 0550 in the morning and we only knew this because the three of us had to wait the last few minutes until the airport would serve us our pre-flight drinks.

The flight was quick and easy as the three of us found ourselves laughing non-stop and were probably borderline disruptive to the other passengers around us. I would recommend the Dominican Republic as a destination for a lot of reasons, but the quickness of the flight to the tropics is amongst the highest. The arrival was easy and we went right through immigration without a hitch.

Once out of the terminal the pre-arranged transportation was waiting, and the three of us had our own van taking us on a quick 15 minute ride to the Viva Heavens by Windham resort. The check in took only a few minutes, we were given our all inclusive bracelets, and were told that it’s a very slow time for the resort. We booked an excursion, and were really pleased to see our rooms were upgraded to what looked like custom suites. A quick (ahem), break in the room and we were off to the pool.

The pool area was big and almost empty when we arrived! The bar was right next to the pool, and we found ourselves lounging in the sun and floating in the pool for hours. My girlfriend and I decided to go on a mission to see what the beach scene was, and found a beautiful pathway leading us there. Surrounded by ponds full of fish and what looked like a hundred turtles, this 5 minute walk was perfect.

Walking up to the beach we found there was a bar to our right with a restaurant which serves buffet style food and snack all day long. We sat and had a few bites to eat, grabbed another drink and found ourselves laying under the palm trees with plenty of lounge chairs available. Another cute thing about this beach is there are dogs walking around looking for food and love. The blue water all around us, I had my book in my hand, and I dozing in and out of consciousness.

After a day of relaxation, we had reservations for one of the Mexican style restaurants on the property. The food was okay, but we were definitely no overly impressed. The next morning the breakfast was very good, however the three of us found that we were happier not over eating, and having simple breakfasts and snacks at the beach. Our vacation changed day two when we made friends with a Canadian named Darryl. This guy speaks 100MPH and convinced us that for dinner we had to go to the sports bar next to the resort.

That night we took his advice and ventured off the property. The mostly empty bar had an amazing vibe to it. Name brand alcohol is a plus, and we also decided to order our food. As the Knicks Basketball game was put on the big screen, my pasta Bolognese arrived and was one of the best things I’ve tasted (since England).

Our nights were spent at the bar, and then poolside for nightcap drinks. Luckily our friend Will is a card player, and the three of us found ourselves drinking and laughing into the night. The excursion day was approaching.

Going on an excursion is something that we usually dont do, but this one seemed simple enough. A boat ride to a sand bar with drinks included. There wasn’t a lot of big expectation once we got on the bus there, but wow were we pleasantly surprised once the bus arrived to the water.

A giant modern catamaran was backed up to the beach, and we were helped on board. As we sat down, drinks were already placed in our hands and we were getting ready to sail. Before long we were coasting through the crystal clear blue water and then we came to a stop. The nice crew tried to get us to jump into the water and I was the first to do it. Another crew member had cocktail on a float and was making sure everyone who got off onto the sand bar had a rum punch.

The three of us stood and floated around while a professional photographer put us all into different poses to get the best photos possible. Before long we were back on board and headed to our second sand bar which had people waiting in Tiki Style huts which served as bars. After even more time swimming and partying, the only thing left to do is to head back to land, only I decided I was going to drive the boat!

The rest of our trip was amazing with endless lounging and relaxing both by the pool and on the beach. I can honestly say that this trip was the perfect getaway at the perfect time. Are the drinks top shelf ? No. Is all the food the best quality? No. But my perfect girlfriend is the opposite of snobby, and just like me doesn’t mind the simple things in life.

We celebrated the 40th birthday of the hardest working mother, professional, and the best girlfriend on the face of the earth in style. When I take the time to think of the last 3+ years of my life, I understand that none of this would be happening without finding her.

The inspiration for this blog site is that it’s time to enjoy the ones we are with, and doing the things we love to do. For us it’s travel. Travel after divorce is more than a blog…. it’s a movement to enjoy our lives now that we are free. Travel well and wish us luck in Vegas 🙂