Day 3 - Disney’s Animal Kingdom

So today we had the thrill of doing something for the first time!  The day was all about visiting the brand new incredible ride “Flight of Passage” in the land of Pandora at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It is the reason we changed hotel rooms from Universal to Disney. You see Disney patrons had early admission to Animal Kingdom today. Early admission was at 7 am and the general public wasn’t allowed in until 8 am. 

And in heeding the advice of all my friends (thank you Gail and Susan) they warned me of the lengthy standby lines to get on this ride if you didn’t have fast passes or arrive early in the morning.   I tried getting fast passes for this ride about 50 days in advance and they were already sold out. So the friends were right, it was the star of the show at Animal Kingdom - and there are some pretty stellar rides there too ( African Savannah and Expedition Everest are family favourites in addition to Dinosaur)!

In getting up at 5:15 am again (remember this is like 3 am our time and this is our third day in a row getting up at this hour), we ate breakfast in the room, checked out of the hotel and left our luggage with luggage services.  We drove ourselves to Animal Kingdom knowing the shuttles would get us there later (since we got lost driving in the dark and the mist and the lack of a GPS for this drive that may not have been the case). We arrived at the gates st 6:40 and followed the crowds of people walking to the land of Pandora, the new section of park based on the James Cameron movie named Avatar. J wanted to stop and ask for directions and I told him there was no need - that EVERYBODY in the park would be walking directly to this ride. And I was right - everybody was walking towards the Flight of Passage ride. We arrived at the end of the line about 7:05 am - and by 8:30 we had finished the ride. The fact that we arrived in the dark with mist hanging in the air added to the mystery and beauty of the vegetation surrounding the ride! The actual thrilling part of the ride where should are sitting in fancy bicycles and looking out over the land of Pandora, much like Disneyland’s Soarin’.  By the time we walked off the ride, the standby line was 270 minutes long. That would have been more than 4 hours in line for us had we been arriving with the rest of the non Disney hotel guests about that time.   So we were very glad for the early start and the experience!

Of course we enjoyed the African Savannah (J & L) Expedition Everest (not J, he gets too motion sick on that ride), and Dinosaur a couple of times.  The boys rode Kali River Rapids when Expedition Everest broke down as they were in line using their fast passes, so Disney gave them another fast pass loaded on their Mickey wristbands that work as room keys, fast passes and charging machines!

We ate lunch at Flame tree Barbeque sitting overlooking the water.  By 1:30 the park was really busy and we had seen what we really wanted to so we returned to Port Orleans French Quarter to retrieve luggage and hit the road for Fort Lauderdale. By the book Orlando to Ft Lauderdale is 3 hours. Add in traffic and toll roads and that drive became 4 hours without any pit stops. 

Once at the Hampton Hotel North Airport we moved all our luggage into the room and happily walked across the street to Winn Dixie for the usual road trip supper of going to a grocery store to buy exactly what you want to eat for supper. Healthy,  not too expensive and interactive to shop for - we enjoyed our shopping expedition!  With a microwave and fridge we were all set to enjoy supper!  Good thing we brought our own cutlery from home!

Must go to bed and sleep as long as necessary tomorrow morning!

Day 2 - Universal Studios

The alarm at 5:15 am was rather startling considering that felt like 3:15 am our time. Hmm , two days in a row with a 3 am alarm!!  But we were on a mission. We knew that our hotel room key at Cabana Bay allowed us early admission into Universal’s two parks at 7 am this morning.  And that meant getting up, eating hot oatmeal in our room (because the restaurant didn’t open till 6 am - maybe 7 am, I am not sure), checking out of our room, leaving luggage with luggage services and catching a 6:15 am shuttle to the parks. 

We were rewarded with a spot fourth in line at Universal Studios Florida by 6:35 am. They actually opened the gates shortly after 6:45 am. And so we were first in line to ride Despicable Me at 6:55 am!  We immediately headed to the World of Harry Potter and walked right up to ride the amazing Escape from Gringotts ride. That ride is a combination of technology with green screens and an old fashioned roller coaster so it doesn’t make me motion sick. After that we caught a train ride at King’s Cross Station to go to the other park “Islands of Adventure”. We caught the train ride by  by 7:45 - three major rides under our belt in the first hour when the park was just opening to the general public. By the time we left the parks about 1 pm we could see Escape from Gringotts had a 120 minute wait and Despicable Me was a 70 minute wait! 

One downside was waiting in line at Forbidden Journey at Hogsmeade - we waited in line for about 15 minutes when they announced they expected the delay to be significant so we left the lineup. That was shortly after 8 am in the morning so if you had just lined up for that ride first thing in the morning you would have felt you wasted your precious early morning riding time!  

We left the parks, feeling fulfilled but exhausted and headed over to Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter to join J about 2:30 pm. J isn’t that big a Universal fan so he didn’t want to spend the money on a day pass. Once at the French Quarter we relaxed in the room for an hour. P stayed in the room but JG , J and I walked along the path along the river to the Riverside resort. JG was hoping to see an alligator but the most we could hope for was a few lizards!  It was a lovely walk!

We returned to the room and collected P for supper. You could take the boat transit to Disney Spings and that says “vacation” to take a boat rather than a bus for transit!  With a boat ride on both ends, supper ended up taking 4 hours. Dinner at Planet Hollywood was very well received. Dessert at Ghiradelli ( a banana split for the other three and a Starbucks Chai tea latte with soy for me!

Another early start tomorrow so I need to get to bed!  One minute re busy day before calmness and serenity will reign supreme!

Our Adventure Begins Christmas Day!

Christmas Day 2017 has arrived!  We have been planning this vacation for so long I cannot believe it has actually arrived!  So this may be the last year where our family of four has similar vacations so we thought it was a good one to celebrate. In the first half of 2018 our eldest, JG, will graduate from University with a degree in geology.  Our youngest, will graduate from high school and my husband, J, will retire from work so lots of changes on the horizon!  Hence why this vacation has been in the planning for a couple of years now!

The plan is to board a cruise ship in Fort Lauderdale, but to spend a few days in Orlando before that happens. In boarding the ship on the 28th, we counted backwards to work in a day at Universal and a day at Disney so that meant flying out Christmas Day!  We were able to have a fairly ordinary Christmas Eve eating a Ukrainian Christmas Eve dinner with great family friends and going to church. We were in bed by 10 pm but the alarm went off at 3 am!

So Christmas Day we ordered a taxi for 3:45 am and because we wanted a van to manage 4 grownups and all the associated luggage they were a little behind schedule. We were picked up and left the house at 4 am, arriving at the airport at 4:15.   Once we cleared security and customs (5 am) we had time to have everybody open their gifts of a new t-shirt and a small selection of chocolates!  Clearly the trip is the gift this Christmas!  We flew to Houston Airport, arriving a bit ahead of schedule at 11 am. With a four hour layover we each chose our preferred food for lunch. JG chose Mexican burrito ( Papacittos) I chose salmon, rice and green beans (Landry’s) and P and J chose smoked brisket and chicken. 

The flight to Orlando was uneventful and had us arriving at 6:15 pm. We picked up our luggage and Hertz rental car without incident. Hertz even gave us a Starbucks gift card as a gift!  Traffic proved to be quite busy even on Christmas Day!  JG, P and I are staying at Universals Cabana Bay to take advantage of early admission into Universal studios tomorrow morning at 7 am. J is enjoying the peace and solitude offered at Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter. Dinner at The Hard Rock Cafe was memorable for the effort to get there as opposed to the turkey dinner I thought it offered. Pretty sure we were directed to the wrong restaurant!  We will all be reunited at the Disney hotel tomorrow night. 

Mom st get to bed!  What a wonderful start to the vacation!

Disembarkation

Today I awoke at 5:30 am and by 6 am there was lots of action next door in the room stewards work area. 

LC and I went for one final breakfast in the Lido and it was very busy. Mom ordered breakfast in the room. 

On Holland America you can stay in your own stateroom while awaiting your time slot to disembark. I cleared out of my room and waited in Mom and LC's room so they started stripping down my room. At 8:15 we left our room and then sat in the Oceans Bar awaiting a porter and wheelchair for Mom. Those porters know the operation and the quickest way to move. By the time a porter pushed Mom we were probably through immigration in 15 minutes. 

An uber XL vehicle picked us up and we paid $16.58 for an uber (then added a $5 tip for our luggage)!  Much better than taking a $90 transfer through Holland America!

Our flight through Toronto seems to be on time. It will be good to be home with my family by 9 pm tonight!

What a wonderful vacation. 

Last Day at Sea

I awoke this morning with a phone call from LC advising me we had not moved our clocks back and it was indeed 8 am instead of 7 am. My sister had helpfully reminded me last night that we got an extra hour of sleep - only she was a day ahead of schedule!  I felt particularly groggy because I had taken a gravol to help me sleep - it was particularly rough at midnight last night when the movie ended. 

So off to the dining room we went for one final leisurely breakfast. Today is Shrove Tuesday (the day before Ash Wednesday) so Mom and I had pancakes for breakfast. 

Today there was a rather light offering of organized activities onboard the ship - that allowed ample time to pack up bags getting ready for our impending departure tomorrow. Instead Mom, LC and I went to the Lido deck for a swim and a hot tub in the morning. 

I attended Mariner's lunch in the dining room with Captain Emile de Vries (I and a few hundred other people)!  It was a lovely lunch which offered free champagne if that appeals to you. LC and I then went to a travel presentation entitled Travels with Ian on the World Stage. Our new Port Lecturer shared pictures of sites to see around the world. 

We then walked 3 laps for a mile around deck 3. We then collected Mom from the stateroom to go for a slushy drink around the pool and enjoy our last day!

One last supper in the dining room, a movie around the pool and a duelling pianos set at 9 pm and we were all done!

Our wonderful privileged vacation has come to an end. We are so very fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend such memorable family time together. We are blessed. 

Day at Sea

This morning I slept in until 7:30 am and it is the first day that I felt any noteworthy movement on the ship. The Koningsdam, with its 2600 passengers, is a big vessel and with the benefit of calm seas, has felt very stable for the entire cruise. 

Mom and LC joined me in the dining room for breakfast where we got a window seat (after LC requested one)!  Though the Koningsdam is a beautiful ship - the size is a bit big for Mom as our cabins are forward and the dining room is aft so it is always a long walk to go to the dining room for a meal. The Lido is more accessible and central (and one floor up from us) so that is a more manageable distance for Mom. 

LC and I walked the promenade deck - the best views from the promenade deck are at the back of the ship, the stern. Most of the starboard and port sides have views blocked by the lifeboats - so less people walk the promenade than other Holland America ships. There is a very small jogging track about deck 11 and of course treadmills in the fitness centre. It seems many of the fitness classes have a $12 or $20 charge associated with them. 

I spent the morning in the Culinary Arts Centre - at 10 am for a comedic presentation by Cruise Director Carson and at 11am by the pastry chef decorating with marzipan. 

The three of us then ate lunch on the Lido deck. I have chicken Caesar salad - I figure I better have salads at lunch to make up for desserts at dinner!

LC and I attended an "Ask the Captain" session with Captain Emil De Vries on the world stage, where we had a virtual tour of the command centre and engine room. Mom paid $45 to have her hair done for formal night. I then made my way to Lincoln Centre stage for a presentation by the quintet. Cruise Director introduced the artists of Lincoln Centre Stage for a question and answer session. 

The five ladies in the quintet are on the Koningsdam for a 4 month contract. They each auditioned (2 violins, 1 viola, cellist and pianist) and were selected to be a part of the quintet. They practised together 2 weeks on land then came onboard to perform. And they are fabulous. After this 25 minute question and answer session they performed "From Piaf to Peanuts". 

People are committed to this stage - if you wanted a seat for the performance you HAD to be seated for the question and answer session!

The quintet performance was excellent - it moved me to tears. It reminded me that I love to play the piano. I took lessons for ten years and have grade VIII Royal Conservatory in piano and don't play enough anymore. The quintet added on one song at the end in tribute to their colleagues and friends, the dance troupe is performing for the final time tonight as there contract ends with this cruise on March 1st. They performed the song in the afternoon so that the dancers could hear it as both groups would be performing tonight. 

I collected Mom and LC in their verandah room to head up to the Lido deck. Holland America has a bit of a profiteering idea - they close the ice cream shop and leave the gelato station open. Ice cream is free - gelato is an extra $2 for an 8 oz serving and $2.75 for a 12 oz serving. I did have a small cherry gelato and it really was superb. 

Tonight was the second and final gala or formal night. It seems that fewer people are dressing up for these occasions now. Many men wore jackets with ties but a number were without ties and a few in just shirt sleeves. Women wore long gowns, knee length dresses and even dress pants. 

In the menu tonight was surf and turf and it was delicious!  The flourless chocolate cake was the best dessert I have eaten on the cruise. 

The production called "Off the Charts" on the World Stage wss performed in the round and I chose to take a front seat on the stage!!

We closed out the day with a viewing of the movie featuring Warren Beatty as Howard Hughes!

A full day at sea indeed!  We are so very fortunate to have had this time cruising together!

Aruba

What a busy day this has been. We met up with private tour guide, Frances, whom we found through "Tours by Locals" - they are a Canadian based company and offer tours in a number of countries around the world. In this case, we are in Aruba. Hiring a private guide for just the three of us was a good decision as today is Carnival - and many streets are closed. Frances knew how to manoeuvre around this all!

We started with a tour of sites in Oranjestad.  

 The island measures about 12 km by 30 km and is 25 km away from Venezuela. 

We headed to see the Casi Bari Rock formation near the town of Santa Cruz.   

The town of Santa Cruz has the claim to fame that Betico Croes is from here. He took Aruba out of the Dutch West Indies - they were fed up with the dominance of Curaçao and so separated in 1986. 

There is a desalination plant in Balashi. First time visitors are told they must try a Balashi Cocktail- and that is a glass of water!  Balashi also makes one of the three local beers. 

Frances took us to a beautiful local beach called Mangel Halto Beach near the town of Pos Chiquito. There are mangroves, snorkelling and shadey spots!  I learned the thatched roof umbrellas are called palapas. 

Aruba bus transportation is good - a trip from the ship to the resorts (and common beaches) costs $4.50. A day pass costs $10. 

We headed west and visited Alto Vista Chapel where there was a labrynth in the yard. Mom lit a candle in memory of Dad. We had a chuckle as Mom nearly burnt the church down trying to light the candle!!

We stopped at Tierra Del Sol for a bathroom break and our guide told us that ship's tours will bring guests here for a day trip. Looked like a lovely resort and pool overlooking the ocean. 

Other beaches we passed included Arushi Beach. This was very busy. Boca Katalina offers great snorkelling. San Nicholas has Baby Beach and that is a great place to take kids snorkelling. 

The geology student in our house would have been interested in seeing the volcanic rock that erupted some 80 million years ago and coral remains!  Sorry - I was not allowed to take a sample of what remains!

The California Lighthouse is at the far west end of the island. It is named for the ship California that sank there after reportedly failing to respond to the calls for help sent out by the Titanic. 

Frances then drove us to Eagle Beach area where Mom and I went in for a swim. Mom found the surf a little too strong for her to feel comfortable in the water so I walked her out the floated for a few minutes. Refreshed, we returned to her vehicle and headed back to the ship. 

Just before we stopped at Eagle Beach, Frances mentioned we were passing her local bakery and I asked her to stop!  We all clambered out and bought an individual bun that was fresh and a little something to hold is over until supper tonight!

We enjoyed swimming in a quiet section of Eagle Beach!

Frances dropped us off about 1 block away from pier exit and then walked us across the Carnival parade route - still no sign of the parade so we could safely return to the ship!

After a shower and cleanup LC and I returned to the Aruba wifi zone and paid $5 for an hour of free high speed wifi. $10 for the day. We walked out into the street hoping to see the parade and many tourists and locals lined the streets by no parade yet to enjoy. 

So we returned to the ship and LC showered and I updated my blog!

We enjoyed dinner in the dining room followed by by the BBC documentary called Frozen Earth. The footage was filmed in the Artic and Antarctica over four years and accompanied by live musicians. 

We raced to the big screen over the pool to see the Oscars begin at 8 pm. Fun to watch - we had a cabana on the tenth deck to watch the action. By 11 pm we still weren't through 50% of the awards so we headed to bed. 

It has been a great day!

Curaçao

Because I went to bed at 9:30 pm last night I woke up at 6 am without an alarm!  I started walking on deck 3 on the Promenade but found the deck too wet from cleaning to go too quickly so I headed up the stairs to deck 9 and went to the fitness centre to use a treadmill to get a great view of the docking process at Curaçao.  

After a shower I went to the dining room for breakfast while Mom ordered breakfast into the room and LC ate breakfast at the Lido. We had arrangements to meet with the brother of a colleague of LC's and he has lived here for 34 years. We were privileged to tour the island in his private vehicle. 

The island of Curaçao is about 15 km wide by 60 km in length. The eastern tip of the island is owned privately and not open to the public. Our private guide headed through the city of Willemstad and headed West. We stopped to buy two coconuts to drink the coconut water - they cost the equivalent of $1.75 US. 

Because this is Carnival weekend a number of facilities were closed so we kept on driving and stopped at two beautiful beaches - Small Knip Beach and Big Knip Beach!  Small Knip Beach had snorkellers and divers and a few families swimming. 

There were many umbrellas and chairs on the beach available to use.   A local was cooking chicken for sale too - but had no bathroom facilities. We did use the facilities at big Knip - we paid about $5 US for four of us to use the bathroom. 

We then went for lunch at Restaurant Landhuis in Klein Santa Martha. It was perched on the hill overlooking an inlet to the ocean. We ate outdoors, thankfully in the shade because it was 30 degrees Celcius. What a delightful setting for a laid back lunch!  Nothing happens quickly in Curaçao but the chicken stew I had was delicious!

After lunch we were fortunate enough to see some flamingos in he wild. What a thrill!

Cos Abou Beach near Bandabou was our guides favorite beach (24 km West of Willemstad) - it is great for snorkelling and has bathrooms, umbrellas, the works!

As we returned to Willemstad we saw great amounts of  traffic going the opposite direction, because of the Carnival. The parade is taking place tomorrow but people save up their money all year long to put towards this event - costumes, food, drink, buying a permit to build a viewing area for their friends along the Carnival route. 

We then drove up to Fort Nassau to get a great view of the city.  Our private tour drew to a close in the Punda district - the Unesco World Heritage site.  We loved all the buildings with Dutch architecture and the Caribbean colours!  We thanked our guide with a gift of Canadian products and some money in a thank you card. I am sure he didn't want anything but we appreciated his 6 hours of time and customized your just for us!

After a bit of shopping in Punda Mom and LC took a taxi back to the ship and I walked across the floating bridge to the ship. 

A shower and change of clothes was needed from the heat of the day and we were ready to enjoy supper in the dining room. We don't leave port until 11 pm so LC and I are walking off the ship to use the free wifi  to try to post this blog tonight!

Bonaire

Today's alarm was set for 6:30 am to ensure I had plenty of time to meet up with the private snorkel excursion with Woodwind Bonaire. Mom and LC met me and the three of us ate breakfast in the Lido at 7 am. Around 7:30 am we took time to watch the process of docking the ship - a very interesting process!  I returned to my room to do final preparations for my snorkelling and at 8:15 I discovered I was to be at the meeting point at 8:20!  Yikes!  How did I miss that?  I thought 8:45 was the designated meeting time!

So I grabbed my already packed backpack and my ship card and raced off the ship!  I hurriedly ran down the pier to meet up with the group and learned there were others behind me so I took the time to stop at the bathroom. My two cruise critic friends fom Florida welcomed me and brought me up to speed to learn I had missed nothing.  

Owner Dee welcomed the 24 guests on board the Woodwind Bonaire ship - well maybe catamaran is a better term!  She reviewed snorkelling basics and signals. We were each divided into 3 groups and partnered with a leader of each small group.  We all the option of wearing a wetsuit or an SPF shirt. Woodwind Bonaire also offers prescription masks from -1 to - 8 corrective lenses. I had my own mask and snorkel but borrowed some fins from Dee. I was partnered with Dee in the third group, partly because I was a solo traveller. 

Dee would get our attention above water then free size down and point up close to the marine life, then resurface to tell us about the animal or plant. She identified hawksbill turtle ( out of season now as their season is May through January), barracuda, snapper, parrot fish and a whole host of other ocean life. 

 We completed took two drift dives around Klein Bonaire. Drifting is very easy in that th current moves you along as it will and the. Out picks you up perhaps 45 minutes or an hour later. Klein bonaire s a protected marine park where there will never be any development. There was also a photographer snorkelling with us that took pictures of the fish and the snorkellera. You could buy a CD from him for $35. I saved my money!

I was pleasantly surprised to see they served us a lunch of noodles, chicken and veggies along with some cake after our second snorkel. I drank several glasses of water and a sprite - but there were alcoholic options available complimentary. Total cost of the tour was $65 US (plus cash tips are appreciated at the end). 

The tour ended no sooner than 12:45 and that was exactly the meetig time of the complimentary excursion. For a number of reasons I decided to give it a pass. One reason was in my haste I forgot to grab a dry shirt and towel so I was a bit cool after boating on the return. 

Instead I stopped at a beach front bar and ordered a virgin piña Coloda to get some free wifi and catch up on emails that require attention. Sounds like it's snowing at home. 

Upon returning to the ship, I ran into LC who was leaving the ship to go do a little shopping. She and Mom had done a trolley tour through town that didn't go far and wide but gave them a brief overview. I turned around and joined LC looking at some local shops. The Elements jewellery store had a better selection of earrings than did the shop in the Domican Republic. 

As we walked around the little market the heat of the day was very evident. LC and I stopped for a cool drink at a little bar by the market ( maybe it was called Abu noobi)?  There LC had a bottle of water and I had a pineapple juice for $4.75 total and wifi seemed pretty fast once we actually logged on. 

I was crying for a shower by that point so was happy to return to the ship about 4 pm.  Service in the dining room with Sulton and Marga was very attentive, if not one of my favourite dishes. I found the red snapper too dry for my liking - maybe I swallowed too much  salt water while snorkelling and that affected my taste buds!

The dancers were kept very busy with their performance of Musicology. On the backstage tour yesterday, I learned these dancers and singers are getting off the ship in Fort Lauderdale after this cruise as there contracts are up!  We will get to see their final performances.

LC and I were tired so we all retuired to the verandah room where I typed the blog, LC did some organizing and Mom watched the Big Band Theory. 

At Sea

Today was our first day at sea!  Hip, hip, hooray!  I set my alarm for 7 am and went to the fitness centre where I found a treadmill and did some weights. I had a  shower where I didn't get my hair wet.  Mom, LC and I met at 8:15 to enjoy breakfast in the dining room. I always enjoy the fresh orange juice they serve and meeting other travellers at a shared table. For breakfast I had fruit and cottage cheese as well as a dish of muesli. 

Straight after breakfast, at 9:30 am, I went to the culinary arts centre to see fruit and vegetable carving demonstrated.

 Then at 10 am I raced to the world stage at the opposite end of the ship,but still on deck 2, to hear the location guide Ryan talk about the ports of Bonaire, Curaçao and Aruba.  At the end of the presentation the excursion guide said to look at the seat we were sitting in. I found an empty seat next to me with a sticker on it and turned it in for a port excursion in Bonaire. It is for a 1 pm sail and snorkel in Bonaire. I had booked a private excursion drift snorkelling in the morning with Woodwind Bonaire who offer excellent trips. So I will snorkel in the morning and if I have the energy, I will snorkel again in the afternoon!

I attended a Cruise Critic Meeting at 11 am in the Crowsnest Lounge.   I met two other passengers from Florida  who will be snorkelling with me on the private excursion in Bonaire. Fellow CC members just talked about what they enjoyed about the Koningsdam - and it made me want to try the Culinary Arts Centre Meal, called Farm to Table!

The three of us went up to the Lido Deck on 9 for lunch - I grabbed a Caesar salad again and tried the sugar free Pistachio pudding. LC and Mom both had salads and different desserts - as LC says, "I rewarded myself for having a salad by having two desserts!"

In the afternoon Mom laid down for a rest while I went and had a backstage tour of the World Stage. Singers Jonathan and Michael were quite vocal in sharing stories, while dancers Katie (Btitain), Victoria and Vladmir (Kiev) were a little more reserved. The World Stage theatre cost $10 million to build and there isn't a permanent theatre anywhere in the world that can rival it. The singers were not lip syncing and but were singing live.  

It really was a day full of activities - even if this activities were enjoying a drink sitting on the couches on deck 10 overlooking the pool!  Mom and enjoyed watching flower arranging in the Oceans bar.  I took the time to shower and clean up for formal night. The dining room menu didn't appeal to LC and I so the three of us made a reservation for Tamarind - the Asian restaurant. Normally this is priced at $25 per person but as. 4 star Mariner we get extra meals like this at 1/2 price!  It was delicious!

We then raced off to the world stage for the 7:15 show and found not a single seat available. We headed over to the Lincoln Stage to enjoy the Quintet again - it too, had no seats, so we settled in the Billboard lounge across the way. The Commonwealth twin sisters joined us again. We had some great conversation and took on the music trivia challenge together. The Brits on the team solidly answered 14 of our 15 questions about the Beatles and LC answered the 15th. We scored a perfect 15!

I was left holding down the fort for the tiebreaker music trivia question while the twins went to their dinner reservation and LC and Mom wen to get seats in the world stage. Of course I lost without any. True Bestle trivia knowledge!  We enjoyed the show with a ventriloquist and musical impersonator. 

I took in the late showing of the movie Florence Foster Jenkins, starting Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. Early to rise tomorrow morning for snorkelling in Bonaire!

Amber Cove afternoon

LC and I headed over to the shopping area to look at some locally made jewellery. We decided to head back to the ship to meet Mom for lunch. My lunch was a chicken Caesar salad again (with two small pieces of seared tuna that were delicious!)

Mom wanted to ride a rickshaw down the pier to get to the Amber Cove development. With only one ship in port there were lots of empty loungers around the pool. What was in short supply were loungers in the shade! We were able to find some chairs facng the pool with he sun behind us!  Mom and LC didn't have swimsuits on but they did get there feet wet. I wore my bathing suit and cooled down with a quick dip, then a waterslide. The challenge of the waterslide was the VERY hot asphalt path and stairs up to the top - water shoes would have been essential for me to be willing to walk a second time up to the top!  It was a fun waterslide with zero lineup!

Mom really enjoyed the rickshaw back to the ship and hopes future ports offer the same service. (We won't hold our breath though!). Once back we used our coupons for a free hour of time in the thermal suite and hydropool. People usually buy a pass for access to this retreat area for the entire cruise. One hour opened our eyes to the wonders of this facility!  We went into the hydropool first, where they had these massage type water sprays. 20 minutes on the warm stone beds were pretty neat - and would be totally amazing on a cold weather cruise!  LC discovered a shower where you lied flat that was cool!

Dinner n the dining room was turkey for all of us. For dessert I had a sugar free chocolate mousse that was delicious. We wanted to try our hand at trivia at 6:45 - we didn't get wiped off the map so that was good.  We had a pair of British twins join us for the music trivia where we performed amazingly well because of the British influence!  The hilight of the evening was the duelig pianos - where they had 45 minutes of country music. Not my first choice of genre but amazingly talented musicians!

In bed at 10:35 and looking forward to our day at sea tomorrow!

Amber Cove, Dominican Republic

Today I tried breakfast in the dining room - I was placed at a window seat facing the port of Amber Cove and seated with four Americans and we had interesting conversation about health care and non-residency taxes in the USA. Mom and LC headed to  the Lido buffet. 

From and Laurie's balcony we had a lovely view of the island. As Mom's knee is too sore to walk she is happy to have such a great view of all the comings and goings!  Rickshaws were offered as you disembarked the ship and willing to pedal you for tips to land. Mom would have definitely taken a rickshaw back to the ship yesterday as her knee was giving her so much trouble. 

Laurie and I walked ashore and found the Amber Cove development. Families would love it here. There are pools, waterslides for free and zip lines for $20 all day. 

Laurie took lots of photos , I bought wifi for $8 for the day. (Could have saved the money and just bought a drink with the same result.). A lovely virgin piña floods was $5!

Prices for all rentals are here:

Grand Turk

We had a leisurely wake up call set for 8 am (which was appreciated because we moved clocks ahead by one hour last night!). We had breakfast in the Lido Buffet. LC and I perched Mom on a couch overlooking the pool at midship and we walked three laps on the Promenade deck to equal one mile. We enjoyed 15 minutes sitting beside Mom in the sunshine. You can tell we are heading further south as the temperature was very comfortable. 

I then went to the culinary arts centre to watch two cooking demonstrations. One was with the head chef from Sel de Mer and she cooked mussels three ways. We were given a sample of one of them. The second demo was with Chef Tata from the Tamarind. He created the menus for all the Tamarind fine Asian restaurants onboard Holland America. The red chicken curry was delicious that he created!  And the best news yet - we were given the recipes!

A faulty engine (nothing to worry about the captain assured us) meant we arrived in Grand Turk one hour late. So we docked at noon instead of 11 am. That allowed us to eat lunch on the ship before departing. In he crowds of departing guests I got separated from Mom and LC. I exited off the ship and they were a dozen people or so behind me and they never came off!  I stood and watched closely and couldn't find them. Probably 10 ,minutes later they exited - LC had run back up to the room to get Mom's ID. The port has been developed into a beautiful beach and waterfront property quite removed from th local life. Mom, LC and I found 3 chairs underneath Palm trees.  

Chairs and Grand Turk green umbrellas were free - further down the beach locals charge $20 for umbrellas. The ocean had quite a strong wave rolling in. I walked down with Mom to put our feet in and Mom was nervous about entering. I suggested we check out the Margaritaville pool so we walked over to check that out. We found a shallow entry side where we walked in, then sat at the pools edge dangling our feet in the water. It quickly felt very hot in the direct sun. 

We returned to LC, collected our belongings and moved to the other side of the Grand Turk development. This is where I snorkelled three years ago and today it was exceptionally rough. I saw one lone snorkelled getting out of the water and he said it was far too turbulent to see anything. And far too dangerous for me to consider getting in the water!

By the time we returned to the ship Mom was having a lot of pain in her knee and lots of difficulty walking. We appreciated the cool cloths, glasses of water, shade and benches offered just outside the ship before moving inside the ship and upstairs. We headed in our bathing suits to the hot tub. 

After cleaning up with a shower, changing our clothes and dinner Mom and I went to watch the movie "The Light Between the Oceans" around the mid-ship pool deck while LC did other things. Popcorn is offered in bags at the bar and blankets at each deck chair. It was amazingly warm sitting there because they didn't have air conditioning blasting!

With plans for tomorrow we are all retiring for bed around 10:30 pm. I am going to carry on watching a movie from last night that operates like a personal digital player, knowing where I left off!

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

I slept soundly in my dark inside room, evidently my Mom did not!  She and LC have single beds and Mom was worried she would roll out. My wake-up call at 6:30 roused me out of my deep sleep. Mom ordered breakfast to eat in the room and LC and I went up to the Lido buffet to eat ours. I had a glass of milk, 2 slices of turkey bacon, a boiled egg and some fish fruit. 

We then returned to our room to get ready to catch the 8 am tender to Half Moon Cay. 

In the port lecture with Ryan today we learned that Holland America bought the beautiful white sand beach for Half Moon Cay from France. The sand is man made!

Being on the first tender at 8 am, allowed us to choose the clamshell we wanted for shade and close proximity so mom didn't had to walk far.  LC and I both snapped some photos with an empty beach too!  The Clamshell cost $20 to rent and comes with two chairs. It becomes a home base to leave our belongings and return to all day.  For the first t hours we sat in reclining chairs in the sun until 10 am because we wanted to stay warm. By about 11:30 Mom was willing to go for a swim so we walked down to the water and swam.  

LC and Mom headed back to the ship around noon and I went snorkelling. Saw vry feed fish but enjoyed swimming and snorkelling for about 45 minutes with the sun warm on my back. I enjoyed a little nap in the clamshell till about 1:20 before heading to catch a tender. Last tender was at 2:30 and the lineup was long!  It was quick to process and I was on th tender within 15 minutes. 

I grabbed a Caesar salad for lunch and then enjoyed a hot tub before I changed out of my wet swimsuit. Once showered, all three of us went to the port talk with Ryan to hear about Grand Turk and Amber Cove - our next two  ports. 

We requested a window seat for the third time and again were unsuccessful so we went back to Table 165 where we enjoyed dinner. My appetizer was a tomato & fresh mozzarella salad stack, Mom had a seafood devilled egg and LC had a green salad. We all ordered Baramundi fish for supper and it was very tasty. 

The production show "One World" was a first rate production. Two male singers, one female and 8 dancers. The 270 degree stage with amazing digital backdrops made it visually stunning. Add in costumes, singing and dancing admit felt like a night out at a theatre on Broadway. 

It is now 8:35 and I am wrapping up my blog post. Hopefully I will find wifi in Grand Turk tomorrow to post it. I am going to gt a cup of tea to settle in for the night!

Embarkation Day

Today we woke about 7 am  - I had awoken a few times in the night. With my last few hours of wifi available I decided to check to see if flights were available for our family Christmas vacation and they were!  So I proceeded to check two airlines in particular and check prices & times. After calling home to speak to J to confer, we decided to go ahead and book the flights. That chewed up about 90 minutes in the mornng and we didn't head to breakfast u til about 8:30 or 9 am. 

Breakfast was busy but not extraordinarily so. After packing up our bags and heading back down to the lobby at 11 am - it was extraordinarily busy at the front desk!  We called an uber XL car and got a speedy, courteous lift to terminal 19 for $15, rather than $27 through the hotel shuttle service. 

After leaving our bags withy the porters outside the terminal we had a minor delay waiting for a wheelchair for Mom. Once we got the wheelchair and the Holland America wheelchair escort we raced through the lines - through security and check in and thanks to LC's 4 star mariner status straight through to the embarkation photo area. The whole process couldn't have been mor than 15 minutes. It was at that point that Mom said, "Where is my carry-on bag?"  I thought, "Uh-oh - I pushed that from the outside porter area, but I don't remember pushing it after that."

Mom and LC stayed in chairs by the photo station and I backtracked throughout the terminal - back to the check-in desk (for wheelchair guests so they remembered me from 5 minutes previous).  No bag was there. Back to security where a HAL employee went to check for my bag.  At that point our wheelchair porter spotted me and offered to go outside of security to check at the wheelchair check-in desk.  Three trips later by staffers and the lost at was found!  Thank you HAL staff!

Still managed to board the ship within 30 minutes of arrival to the terminal, even with all the commotion in recovering the lost bag!

I have an inside room and LC and Mom are across the hall in a verandah room.   My inside stateroom is pretty tight so I took the advice of more experience cruisers than I and moved the furniture. I moved a night table to inside the closet and that allowed me open the three desk drawers. 

LC and I took advantage of a tour of the Koningsdam ship offered by Nathan - the assistant Cruise Director. Great way to orient ourselves to the ship!

After packing away my clothes and attending a fairly high tech muster drill, Mom and I visited the sail away party on decks 9 and 10. Mom and I stood port side for sail away and enjoyed seeing waving pedestrians as we pulled out of the port. With a quick return trip to the room, I changed clothes and we all headed to dinner at 5:15. A very early dining time but that generally suits us better than later!

For dinner I had two sea scallops for an appetizer and shrimp and grits for the main course with chocolate cake for dessert. We headed to the World Stage to hear comedian, Erin Jackson. She had a good clean act but the response was rather lacklustre. The Lincoln Centre Stage offers the music of a quintet that was top notch. Five young women played - a viola, two violins, a cello and a pianist. We will seek them out again. 

I am reminded that I need to start typing this blog a little earlier in the day as it is 10:21 now and I am tired. 

It has been a good day. :)

Day in Fort Lauderdale

Today we awoke at 7:15 EST - which was 5:15 AM our time so pretty solid transition to the new time zone.   Breakfast was a busy affair. This hotel must be sold out with it being Saturday of the President's Day weekend because the hotel had a hard time replenishing food fast enough. I was happy to stand in line and wait for an omelette to be prepared. 

Mom, LC and I walked kitty corner from the hotel to shop at Ross the Dress store. After shopping there we ate lunch at Panaretto's. The three of us shared an order of bruschetta and a ham and pineapple pizza. That was the perfect amount for us.  We walked back to the hotel and Mom laid down for a nap, while LC Nd I explored the nearby TJ Maxx and the Publix. I bought a case of 12 very small water bottles for Mom for the grand total of $1.67. 

By the time we returned to the hotel, Mom had napped and we were ready to find the Stein Mart store. That required an uber trip and a detour to the Bealls Outlet store, which was nothing like the Stein Mart that we eventually visited. What great fun we had shopping for clothes that are nothing like those found in Canads.  We took advantage of life in Pompano Beach and had an inexpensive supper at Carraba's. I had a cup of milestone soup and salad wraps with chicken for $15 - tax and tip included. 

Another more professional uber driver drove us back to the hotel for $19. And now we repack our bags to get ready for boarding Holland America's Koningsdam in the morning. Not sure if we will call an uber driver or take a transfer offered through the hotel. At $9 pp for the shuttle, I'll bet an uber can beat that with a price of less than $27!

It has been a fun day!

Girls Cruise 2017 Vacation Commences

Well my Mom, G, my sister, LC, and I have flown to Fort Lauderdale to begin our 2017 Girls Cruise. How wonderful that WesrJet now offers a direct flight to FLL!  Mom and LC were in plus seats on the plane and that meant they could check two bags for free and eat all the airline cuisine they wanted!  Plus seats are only offered in the aisle and window seats with the middle seat used as a little table. As they were in the front row they had amp,e room I. Front so I went in and visited them for about half an hour. 

Once we arrived, we caught a cab from the airport to Embassy Suites (1100 SE 17 Street, Fort Lauderdale). Cab ride by the meter cost $15.50.  Pretty reasonable cost divided by three!

Once we checked into the Embassy Suites, we were given a room on the top floor (12). Perfect set up for us in that it has two double beds in one room and a pullout couch in another room so we each get our own bed. I like that the suite has a fridge and microwave in addition to separate coffee and tea machines. 

LC and I were really hungry so we all went for supper in hotel Dino g room called "E Spot". Mom had crab cakes, LC a hamburger and I had a green salad with chicken. I enjoyed the meal but I had to make a rather quick trip to the bathroom shortly thereafter!  All is well now though. 

Heading to bed at 11:30 pm which is only 9:30 pm home time.