The Goat Pen

One cruise. On my honeymoon. The food and drink are nice. The rush on the shore excursions though is a bit irritating. Of course, it was my honeymoon. I didn't care. That many years ago, the walls were thin. Most were over 60 and the rest were newlyweds. It didn't take much to figure out which were which.

Hedge - regarding Grand Cayman: get to the East side of the island. That's the "local" side. Still have a few timeshares on that side, but much less foot traffic. And yes, the diving is sublime....again, less traffic on the east side.

Also the far east edge is where the floating bags of marijuana come ashore just before sunrise -- tossed out of canoes from Jamaica.

Good advice, thanks. We will be renting a car as always, so I'll make sure to cruise over there...

East end is pretty secluded, but a nice afternoon-evening excursion. One of the downsides to Cayman is the nightlife is pretty tame compared to other Carribean locations.

Make sure you get the MIF photographed next to "Big Black Dick" in Georgetown.

I was really trying to work a Cletus joke out of that...just not on my game today.

<cletus>I suspect Hedge's old lady had her picture taken next to a big black dick on that yacht</cletus>


how's that?

From what I remember, GC was pretty expensive. Not that I remember much of it.

I spent a week there on my honeymoon. Did the typical tourist stuff - snorkeled cheeseburger reef, rented a scooter and rode out to the turtle farm, did a Catamaran sunset cruise.

The reason its expensive is because its tied to the British pound and they don't allow unemployment/panhandling.

So, they are monetary policy manipulating Socialists? Why did you hate America during your honeymoon?

Bklyn wrote:So, they are monetary policy manipulating Socialists? Why did you hate America during your honeymoon?

because Jamaica sucked

We came out even once we got to Mexico.

I kinda like Jamaica...

St Barths is my favorite. Sint Maarten is second. Barbados is next. I've never been to Aruba. My MIL has a timeshare property there, but I've never taken advantage of it. Jamaica was cool when I was single. Mexico was the only easier place to have a fling. Nowadays I just want great accomodations, high quality food and plenty of opportunities to do a lot of physical activities or nothing at all...with no pressure to fall on either side of that line.

St. Maarten is very underrated. You can have the resort life and also not be too far from Philipsburg, a town that has the locals nightlife feel to it without being dangerous. I loved the stetch of eateries/bars along Philipsburg beach. Very reasonably priced and very good.

My favorite is Bermuda. Even though it is pretty expensive, and you're not allowed to drive a car, it is still one of the most beautiful places that is a short plane ride from here.

I think the only way you can do Jamaica, unless you really get into the whole hang with the locals Anthony Bourdain style is go to an All Inclusive like Sandals.

However my two experiences in Jamaica were not that, and while I came out unscathed , I must say my opinion is FUCK YOU LAZY MAKE ME WALK BACK 2 MILES TO THE HOTEL BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T THINK A $10 TIP FOR RENTING A JET SKI WAS ENOUGH BASTARDS.

Drop me off on the other side of the bay my ass motherfucker! I'm pissed off all over again now

Im fine with living the resort life.

I enjoy more of the Anthony Bourdain experience...

points for creativity

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Disney World is looking into reports that some wealthy visitors are hiring disabled people to pretend to be family members so that they can skip lines.

"It is unacceptable to abuse accommodations that were designed for guests with disabilities," spokesman Bryan Malenius told CNN Wednesday. "We are thoroughly reviewing the situation and will take appropriate steps to deter this type of activity."

Reports of the alleged practice sparked fury on social media, with some people calling the actions "crazy," "awful," and "despicable."

But others defended the idea, arguing it's a way to help some disabled people make good money.

The debate began with an article in the New York Post.

"The black-market Disney guides run $130 an hour, or $1,040 for an eight-hour day," the report said.

Social researcher Wednesday Martin "caught wind of the underground network" while working on a book about practices among New York City's Park Avenue elite, the Post reported.

"It really is happening," Martin told CNN's "Starting Point" Wednesday.

"I live among the privileged and powerful parents of New York City," she said, "and once in a while I come across a practice that's really surprising."

She added, "It's not my job to judge."

To Disney or not to Disney?

Disney for the '1%'

The Post anonymously quoted one mother as saying, "My daughter waited one minute to get on 'It's a Small World' -- the other kids had to wait 2 1/2 hours. You can't go to Disney without a tour concierge. This is how the 1% does Disney."

The woman said she hired a company called Dream Tours, the Post reported.

The Florida company did not respond immediately to CNN's requests for comment. But it posted a note on its website saying, "Due to inaccurate press and slander, Dream Tours is not offering VIP tours at this time. Our focus has primarily always been providing magical vacations for adults with special needs and helping their dreams to come true."
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One of my co-workers had to teach at Nasa last week in Houston. He moved over to the Hampton Inn close to the airport Thursday night so he could fly out early Friday.

When he came out Friday morning this is what he had left of his rental car