cruise – Spicy…

February 10, 2026February 10, 2026

Creating Lasting Memories: Our Jubilee Celebration Cruise

Part 3

Jerry Malone took so many photos of us (Pat Kline photo-bombing), Oretha was our guiding star for the Chicago crew.

The Princess Cruise ship set sail with some precious cargo, a group of Golden Age Seniors who don’t know how to act or look their age. Every person we met on the cruise couldn’t believe we were celebrating 75 years of life, especially on the dance floor. But you already heard about those shenanigans in Part 2. Now we’ve got to talk about our island adventures, (Don’t expect any zip lining, hiking, or anything requiring copious exertion). What?!

Sint Maarten/St. Martin

Our first stop was Sint Maarten/St. Martin. Most of you know I lived there for four (4) years, so rather than touring, I went to connect with old friends. I had my own adventure while living there—a four-year separation from my husband. I wanted to connect with my sister friends who embraced and nurtured me during that period.

My quest began when I met my bestie, Karina Castillo, at the dock, and she chauffeured me to where I used to work, Divi Little Bay Resort, then to my daughter’s other mother, Barbara Cannigieter. Afterward, we were off to the French side (Marigot, St. Martin) to meet sisters Alyce and Rosalind Charville at the boulangerie. We reminisced about our ventures too quickly until I finally had to go back to the Dutch side for a late lunch with Dianna Johnson. No tourist sites for me. Funny, Karina, Barbara, Dianna, and I all lived on Sugar Hill Drive, an uphill climb for the kids and me, before we had a car. And they seldom connected with each other. Our goodbye was with a promise that they would at least meet for coffee from time to time.

**Barb, to the right, and her loving daughter, Erika, and husband, Diederick, both now gone. The Cannegieters were my daughter’s surrogate family. on the Island.**

**Alyce, Karina, and Rosalind, with. me at the forefront**

In the meantime, my Golden girlfriends were on a crowded van tour that took them to the Ace Hardware store and pointed out the sites on both the Dutch and French sides. They also shopped in Marigot before returning to the cruise port to board the ship. Here’s the thing: the walk from the port to the boat was treacherous for tired knees. Me? As soon as I was driven to the Port of Entry, I begged the guard, “Please, please…may I have a cart to ride back to the boat?” I plopped my behind on a bench until my prince arrived. However, my friends had to walk a country mile until they got a cart. What?! #hurtknees,backs

Barbados

I love Rihanna, but I swore I would never go back to Barbados. I didn’t care for the way folks treated Black Americans. Y’all know I’m all about the people, and I vowed not to tour the island. After our walk in Sint Maarten, Indria and I decided to leisurely stroll to the Port Mall. Thank God, there was a bus that was packed to the hilt, but we squeezed in and rode on. What?!

As soon as we entered the mall, we came across a kiosk featuring an artist who redeemed my feelings about Barbados: Azizah Onifa of Aziphos Creations. Azizah was so warm and welcoming. She was so engaging, and her jewelry was so lovely that I asked to feature her in an article for Garden Spices Magazine.

We also met Dale Montague, an activist, model, and warm spirit, and the Sales Assistant at Grudge Mode Boutique. Beyond the stunning clothes, this beauty gave us the full lowdown on the island and the Caribbean in general. My positive sentiments about Barbados were restored.

The Truth About Islands

“All islands are the same.” The truth is that each island has its own flavor.

Antigua – known for its shipyards, which Indria and I didn’t want to visit- also has a fine arts gallery that collaborates with artists throughout the Caribbean. Beautiful fashions too.

**Indria, Donna, Pat, and moi in Antigua**

Dominica – Waterfalls, Sulfur ponds, an Ancient Tree, Beautiful panoramas, and a tour guide who needed Indria to interpret him. We met a lovely African couple, Ibou and Jeelan Falls, who looked after us as we got on and off the bus at each stop. By the time the trip was over, I had adopted them.

St. Thomas – America personified in an island. This was said to be the island for shopping. Why did we end up in a mall that had a Marianne’s and a Kmart?! What?! After three tour guides, we never did find the quaint area we were searching for, but the bus ride had us clinging to our seats for dear life. What?! We ended up buying ice cream and went back to the ship.

Events

Our Guide Maggie and her team planned several events for us Jubilee celebrants. We wore a different dress attire for each day, including African attire. On our “all-white” day, we gathered for a lively game of Guess Who? We all submitted baby pictures, and those who weren’t 1950 babies had to guess who each one belonged to. We also had a T-shirt event with everyone wearing an identifying T-shirt. Of course, I had on my Project Say Something shirt, but, as usual, I couldn’t find where the event was held. (Indria wasn’t with me). What?!

Memories

With a penchant for exploring during my travels, I’m not much for cruises, but I was thrilled to spend time with this fabulous group and ended up on a never-to-forget, memorable trip.

See for yourself:

The Jubilee Celebration Cruise

You will meet the young sommelier, J’nai Gaither in Garden Spices Magazine.She and her mom were an active part of our cruise.

ONE LAST THING…

In Dominica, we were walking to the ship when a group of women rushed up to us, saying they could twist our hair in 10 minutes for $20. Pat and I said yes, and 15 minutes later, this is what my hair looked like:

Joy Juice

Guess what? We took this trip in November, and now it’s February 9th. My memory takes me right back to the joy of our wonderful celebration. That’s what we cherish, our memories, but isn’t it wonderful that no matter what the world looks like, we are creating new ones.

These years are valuable. We should love ourselves enough to pursue our passions in our own ways. On that cruise, some of us used wheelchairs or canes, but we were still living our lives! I am grateful to be here, and I express my gratitude daily. Thank you for traveling along with me and my shenanigans.

“It’s all good/love/God” – Victorine

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Victorine, Bio

Author of Be S.A.F.E., StillAware, Faithful, Excellent, now available on Kindle Amazon as an e-book.

“…the book title and its content are intended to be a whisper, reminding us that by connecting with our spiritual self, we can center through anything and that we are forever within the bubble of God’s protection.”

Don’t forget to check out Garden Spices Magazine.

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January 13, 2026January 19, 2026

Dancing Through Life: Cruise Adventures with Old and New Friends

This morning, I browsed a travel video by SugarPearl’s Carla Renae, a contributor to Garden Spices Magazine. Her video was resplendent with vibrant images of Morocco and Abuja, Nigeria– the food, sites, and an African wedding – all punctuated by her beauty. Through browsing these images, I realized…y’all, I’m not too good at travel blogging about places and things. It’s the people who leave me reeling. What?!

Part 2

Get on the Boat!

Last we met in Part 1, my girls and I were ready to board the Grand Princess Cruise Ship. Y’all know we wheelchaired from where we boarded all the way to our cabins, tipping all the way. (An aside: You gon’ do plenty of tipping, so bring fives and ones. )I tell you, wheeling is worth it. No stops at Customs, just traveling straight through. What?!

The ship was neither the most contemporary nor the largest, but it was comfortable for this venture. My roommate, Indria, and I were pleased with our cabin. We were upgraded and had a nice balcony. We barely deposited our luggage before we hit the ship’s dining room. We were famished. In cruise style, the dining room buffet offered traditional and vegetarian fare, but their vegan menu was limited, and Indria is vegan. We greeted a few of our group, but we were so tired; we filled up and were ready to pass out, especially after our night in Puerto Rico. (Read Part 1). We knew we would see the group in its entirety at dinner.

Dining, Dancing, and Declining

It’s amazing how many people I had never come across during my tenure in Chicago. Yes, Chicago is a large city, but you gotta know how we socialized as teens. We had clubs; the clubs had parties, and we were bound to run into many folks at the many gatherings.

This gathering allowed me to meet folks I missed during my teens. We discovered we all belonged to teen clubs; we all went to downtown parties and events, and we all recounted adventures from when we were wild and crazy. What?!

Funny Stories: One person was at a concert at Grant Park in Chicago with her friends, and she had a drink that must have been potent, because when she woke up, she was the only one left in Grant Park! (Some friends, huh.) Another friend knew folks driving back to California who ended up circling Washington Park for three days.

Is it something about Chi Town’s parks? What?!

Of course, I’m telling y’all the benign stories, but it was so nice to meet and dine with various attendees. Most of us were from Chicago, but we lived all over the country. We had a standing reservation at Botticelli’s and enjoyed the conversation more than the food. And we loved getting on the waiters’ nerves. “May I have soft rolls instead of hard? Do you have vanilla vegan ice cream instead of chocolate? Where’s my salad?” After dining, we convened for shows and events, both collectively and individually.

Our first show featured the amazing Terran Brooks. He could really sing and provided great entertainment. Once Eddie Kendricks in the Temptations biopic and Simba in The Lion King, Brooks truly has star quality, and we got to see it.

As a group, we also saw the Grand Princess Dancers perform a tribute to R&B. Now, I don’t want to offend anyone, but we were like, “Y’all couldn’t find one Black dancer or singer?” Let’s just say that Rollin’ on the River waters were rough. What?!

Dancing

Y’all, at least a few nights found us dancing to a DJ spinning music. We had to get him straight, too. He was playing Motown, but not the dance music. Once we put a bug in his ear, we got that floor jumping. On one song, a girl in a wheelchair was rolled by her husband down the middle of the floor jammin’! Some of us didn’t want to dance, but by the time We Are Family started, everyone was on the floor. But there was one or two of us who danced every song, but only one of the two was limping with bad knees the next morning. Guess who?

Here’s the thing. A word to the wise senior… You gotta know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em. Ain’t no way I should’ve been up every single song. Lesson learned.

Stay tuned for Part III

By the time this song played, I was tired, but still jamming. We Are Family!

Terron Brooks singing The Impossible Dream

December 15, 2025December 16, 2025

75 and Alive Celebration: Essentials for Senior Travel

We came by new knees and hips, by walkers and canes, by glittering gym shoes, swagging attire, every hairstyle known to man, some blinging, and all swinging at our Celebration Caribbean Cruise. The stars – everyone born in 1950. What?!

Part I: The First Leg, San Juan, PR

Planning

It took Travel Agent, Maggie Longley of All Seasons Cruises & Tours, to organize and gather us by mail, Zoom, and numerous reminders. Oretha was the Chicago connection, but our personal travel advisor, Nedra Shelton, kept my posse, Janice Bell, Pat Kline, Indria Perrrilloux, and me in the loop. Her constant cry was “Don’t y’all read?!!!” We splendidly ignored her and kept bugging her for the information we needed throughout the cruise, including booking our one-night hotel accommodations. (Thank you, Nedra, for your generosity).

The cruise was setting sail from San Juan, PR. Most folks flew in from Chicago, but I traveled from Huntsville, AL, and Indria from Las Vegas, NV.

Airport Wheeling

Y’all, if walking challenges you in any way, or if you have a short time to make a connecting flight in a large airport, do not hesitate to ask the airline for a wheelchair. The wheelchair porters make their living wheeling you through the airport, providing the utmost comfort and efficiency. Tipping is not mandatory, but again, this is a good part of the wheelchair porters’ job. I suggest tipping at least $5.00.

You have to walk the outside expanse of this airport for the transportation pickup area.

Warning: In PR, you have two porters to tip for wheelchair service – one to baggage claim and the other for taking your bag off the turnstile. What?!! Also, once you pick up your bag, you gotta walk a country mile to the pick-up stand for your transportation. Needless to say, we could not wait to get to our hotel in Old San Juan.

Old San Juan

English: Buildings in downtown San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Date 23 February 2016, 19:35:54
Source Own work
Author Bjoertvedt

Old San Juan was lovely and quaint, with pastel shops lining the streets. We made it to Novona Studios, our small, lovely hotel in downtown Old San Juan, where the owner greeted us and told us we were on the third floor.

Guess what? No elevators!

Warning: When booking a studio or villa, always check for essentials. Some of us ain’t built to do stairs anymore, especially with luggage.

By God’s grace and some x#!##!!!, we made it to our rooms. Indria (my roomie) arrived after us, so we had to make the trek again with her luggage. Y’all!…!

FYI: She had individual fabric packing cubes in her luggage, which made carrying and arranging her belongings easy at the hotel and on the cruise. (Y’all know I’m gon’ find some for my next trip.)

Slideshow of Norvona Studios

outside studios
The infamous steps
Rooms
Roof

We finally settled into our rooms.

Let’s Eat!

Y’all know that by this time, Pat, Nedra, and I were famished, so we set off to find a place to eat. (Indria is vegan and had to order in.) We found a local spot almost across the street from our hotel. Ajo del País was right on time for what we wanted. Not fancy, real local and a server to die for. What?!

We were really hungry, so I didn’t take any pictures of our food: (Sorry, not sorry). Our server helped us navigate the menu, and we settled on Conch Fritters, a shrimp dish, and chicken with vegetables. We all had margaritas, and our server gave us a sample of a Latin liqueur.

The food was delicious, and we had a great entry into an Old San Juan dining experience.

Statins Ain’t for Me

We got back to the hotel and readied for well-deserved sleep. Indria and I were knocked out when, all of a sudden, my left leg cramped… then my right leg cramped. Poor Indria had to try to help me, but I had to moan and move the cramps away. Y’all, them cramps came back every ten minutes. (At one point, I was so out of it, I got up and started to dress, thinking it was morning. Wishful thinking; it was only about 2 AM! Indria was like, WHAT?) Every time I’d try to sleep, the cramping started. Indria and I surmised it was the statin I had recently started taking; I finally had to place a chair and pillow on a chair in front of the bed. Legs raised, I finally got to sleep until…

…Drag Racing

I want to know how cars could drag race down a narrow street. Kids were screaming and cars were racing, Vrooming” loudly all night! The funny thing is, Pat and Nedra were on the same side as us, and they slept so soundly they didn’t hear anything!

The racing and my cramps made things oddly exciting during our night in Old San Juan, but we were glad to call an Uber and get our bags to the street to travel to the boat. Oh, and I stopped taking the statin.

A Few Things:

Every Senior group traveler needs a Nedra Shelton . Someone with a clear head who can read and check details and talk about you when you don’t take care of your business. Check.
Every Senior traveler needs a Pat Kline. You need popcorn or sandwiches? She travels with it. A nail file, lipstick, scissors, she’s got it. My girl has any and everthing you forgot to bring. AND when you need someone to grab some young men off the street to lug your luggage down 3 flights of stairs, , whether or not they speak English, Pat’s your girl. Check.
Every Senior traveler needs an Indria Sita Khan Perrilloux. When you can’t understand your tour guide, Indria interprets what he’s saying and has you rolling with laughter. all through the cruise. Check
Every Senior traveler needs a JB. We need some exotic style to shake us up, and JB is your girl. Check
I can dance. What?!

On the serious side, even though I travel at least twice a year, I am finding I need to focus a bit more to organize, get myself on the road, and stay safe and mobile during my trips. I ain’t saying I can’t do it, but I give myself more grace for preparation and execution.

I got this, and so do you!

featured image: Indria, Nedra, and I (St. Thomas Apostle grad pic.), JB. Pat is on image at the restaurant.

Stay tuned for Part II – The 75 and Alive Celebration Cruise

Please Subscribe and Follow my blog! Name(required) Email(required)

Please support Spicy…a blog by Victorine, through Patreon.

Victorine, Bio

Author of Be S.A.F.E., StillAware, Faithful, Excellent, now available on Kindle Amazon as an e-book.

Don’t forget to check out Garden Spices Magazine.

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Creating Lasting Memories: Our Jubilee Celebration Cruise

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Dancing Through Life: Cruise Adventures with Old and New Friends

75 and Alive Celebration: Essentials for Senior Travel

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