Here goes....My first Trip Report Patrick & Lisa Mar2013....

[lisapat]

So..after a good 3 or 4 years of being thoroughly entertained by all you fellow boardies telling your tales of fun in the sun, friendships made and strengthened, etc, etc. Here's my turn. I'm going to try to go by memory as best I can, with pics to boot(if I can do this right)..I'm Patrick, and Lisa is the more photogenic one in all the pics..
1st, let me quiet down the screaming....that's better. We have been going to Negril now for a good 6 years, with the exception being an Ochi trip back in '09. Negril, however, is where our heart is, and where we will continue to foster friendships, and reunite with the dear friends we've made. We do this once a yr, as (believe it or not), the flying part kills us in $$, in spite of the fact that we live in Florida.We are in the very northwest part of the state, which means we have to fly out of a regional, and connect through a major hub like so many others do...Usually Memphis, Atlanta, or Charlotte(last 2 yrs)...anyway...the anticipation leading up to our yearly trip, which we scrimp all yr for, was building to the point of exhaustion by Wed(20Mar), when..I actually had to work on standby right up till the flight(no sleep here).....
Day1
Alarm gets us up at 2, so we have time for shower, coffee, and off to the airport...we're just so happy our daughter is 17 with a d/license now and can(very reluctantly) take us to the airport. 6am take off from Ft. Walton Bch, and arrival 11/2 later in Charlotte..In spite of the fact that our flight was on time, the 50 min. layover we have just gives us time enough to sprint the ENTIRE LENGTH of the airport to make our MoBay flight.. On the plane, and there we are.....delayed an hour because the plane needed fueling that had to be waited for...but hey, it's all good...After making up some time in the air, we arrive in MoBay only 30 min late, which time actually gets made up with a speedy(best time yet) processing through the lines(25-30 min in & out even getting checked bag). Henry is waiting for us as we walk outside, ready to get us to what would be our home for the next 3 days...Seastar Inn. The shuttle is nice, as is Henry who we are just meeting. We are treated to the music of Toots and the Maytals and the company of a great driver. Although at this point we officially are always feeling in vacation mode, I still get that bit of worry in the back of my mind about the likelyhood that that 'fluke' accident that is no- ones fault would occur on THIS DAY...but nope...even through the mid day quagmire of Lucea, Henry's professionalism put my mind at ease.
We arrive at Seastar for the 2nd time ever..Last yr we dropped in to the Sat. night show after the most kick butt Ivan's dinner ever last year, but felt overwhelmed at the crowd and the fact that we only had pool seating when we arrived..This time we are officially guests, and plan on thoroughly enjoying the next 3 nights here(Sat. too), before moving to the beach.