Sept 9 - The Journey Home

We settled on meeting at 6:30 AM at our cabins to start the trip home. The buffet was open at 4:00 for the four people like us that were leaving early. I just couldn't resist all the four's.

It is basically a non stop walk to a line of awaiting cabs. We take a larger suv.

We arrive at the airport just after 7:00. We are in real good shape time wise. Leaving early paid off. Sometimes the congestion to get off a ship takes hours.

There are kiosks where we can print and tag our own luggage tags and boarding passes. Well three of us can. Adrienne's boarding pass won't print. After a 20 minute wait at the counter the agent quickly prints her pass.

On to security check. Probably the most disorganized I have ever seen. Some items were x-rayed over and over. I was swabbed down for explosive residue at least 3 times. Lynn's infamous scissors, which often get scruitny, took 2 people and several minutes before they determined they were too small to be of concern.  A fact that was taken into account when she purchased them years ago. After they determined they were OK, back to the beginning to be x-rayed again. Just a very slow process. We have now been at the airport well over an hour. Fortunately Quebec Ciry is a relatively small airport with only about a hundred planes per day.

We wander slowly towards our gate. Even though I had requested wheelchair assistance, I won't need it here. The distance is short.

The wait begins. The incoming flight is late. By the time it arrives and we begin to board, we are past our departure time. This is beginning to not look good. Our connection time in Montreal is only about 90 minutes.

The door is closed. The plane moves a few feet. There we sit. The pilot can't get a landing time in Montreal.

We receive an update via Air Canada's app. It will be another half hour before we depart. Making our connection will be impossible.

Sooner than anticipated the plane gets in position to take off. The pilot informs us the flight time will be 15 minutes less than normal. A miracle on a 55 minute flight.

En route we all get notice that we will be unable to continue our flight on the intended schedule and we all have been rebooked to another flight to Orlando 8 hours later. But all is not lost. The internet also tells us that the incoming flight for our original plane will be an hour late arriving. Is there hope?

We decide everyone is on their own to try and make the original flight. It is probably a mile or more between gates. The kids can almost run. Lynn walks much faster than I. I have requested a wheelchair and will be one of the first off the plane.

We land. I check with the agent. Yes the plane is here. No guarantees they will let us on, but the chances are better if we have the original boarding passes. Thank goodness for paper ones. How far? A long ways. If you run your chances are better, maybe.

I find the wheelchair man. Yes he has a chair for me. Can we go now? No! Not until everyone is off the plane. That will be another 20 minutes. Can we steal your chair? Sure.

Off we go. Lynn pushing. My carryon in my lap. The long route is very well marked. I look for signs, Lynn watches for pedestrians.

The kids catch up with us after about 20 minutes and Steve takes over wheelchair duties.

As we leave one terminal area headed to another they need to scan our luggage tags, indicating we have left the area even though Air Canada still has our checked luggage. So far all is still good.

Eventually we pass through US customs. Quick and easy. Over halfway there.

Soon gate C73 is in sight. Many passengers still waiting to board. This is a good sign. Now the big test. Can we get on the plane?

After a lot of checking we get new boarding passes. Where our luggage will go is anyone's guess.

Shortly I get a message that at least one of our four checked bags is headed to this plane.

There is an issue getting the plane ready and boarding is still being delayed. About 10 minutes after we arrive at the counter. Boarding begins.  I am called to board first. I guess a reward for even making it to the plane.

The plane is old. I do not get the extra leg room I had paid for. There are no USB charger outlets, no display screens of any type, no free internet.  But at least we won't be 10 hours late getting to Orlando.

The seats are terribly worn out. There. Is no bottom or back support. The gentleman across the aisle from me has to sit crooked with his knees in the aisle because there is no room for him to sit any other way.

Bur at least we are on our way. Then there is an announcement in the cabin. Is there a Doctor on the plane?  No response. Is there anyone with any medical training?  Still no response.

The entire flight team is busy with a passenger. The plane begins to descend. Are we being diverted?

Silence from the crew. I can overhear one of the attendants on a phone conversation with a medical person somewhere.

The plane levels off at a lower altitude.

No update, and maybe no diversion.

Another hour and the crew announces they will be around with a snack and glass of water. There has been no food or beverage service and we are now about 3 hours into the flight.

The flight attendants appear to be in a more normal routine. We are told we are 30 minutes from Orlando and to prepare for landing.

Our aporoach is through scattered thunderstorms. We land hard but safely and taxi to the gate. After nearly everyone has unbuckled and started to get overhead luggage we are asked to keep the aisle clear for boarding EMS personnel.

Shortly the ill passenger is able to walk off the plane with assistance of EMTs.

Is our luggage really with us? Luggage tracking says so. It is and we are soon on the final leg of a long hard day.

Drop the luggage, turn on the AC and water and go out for dinner. The fridge is empty. Once back home everything is unpacked and all the clothing heads to the washer.

Three weeks to relax before our next "vacation".

Sept 8 - Quebec City

We arrive in Quebec City and are clear to disembark by 8:30. The ship will remain here for about 2 1/2 days. An overnight stay for us before we disembark tomorrow morning, and an overnight stay for the arriving passengers for the next cruise.

I have been here before, but it has been years and I really don't remember much of it.

The coldest day of the cruise so far, the high is expected to be about 60 today. We take the free shuttle to the edge of old town and spend about an hour walking before returning to the ship. Our timing was perfect, 20 minutes after returning onboard there was a heavy rain that lasted about 15 minutes.

The ship is pretty quiet this afternoon. Lunch at the Salty Dog. A cheese dog and fries with bacon and cheese. Hey I can't always eat good stuff.

The suitcases are packed mid afternoon. We have decided to do self asist for tomorrow's disembarkation. Adrienne and Steve will help Lynn and I with the luggage.

For self assist we can leave the ship whenever we want, and are not dependant on the cruise line to have our baggage ready.

Dinner is prime rib. Good flavor but marginal quality of beef. We decide that we will meet at the cabins at 6:30 AM to start our trip to the airport and home.

No show tonight, just some rest before returning to reality.

Sept 7 - Saguenay

During the night we change our clocks back to Eastern time. At 2:15 AM we pick up our pilot for the trip in the fjord to Saguenay.

For days the forecast has been for rain here. When we get off the ship the skies are clear and sunny and the temperature approaching 70.

We received the warmest reception here by the local people of any port on this entire trip. Remarkable since the largest employer in town had to recently shut down because of the illegal tariffs imposed by our president. The aluminum smelter had to close as most of its output was sold to the US. With a 45% tariff and a slowing US economy, sales dried up putting thousands out of work.

Adrienne and Steve rented a car here to go to a park and take a several mile hike.

The car was litterally on the sidewalk outside the terminal. The rental clerk worked off a card table, and the car keys were in the back of a van.

Their hike was good. Strenuous but fantastic scenery. The only disappointment, no beluga whales which they hoped for but realized the posibility of a sighting was slim.

In midafternoon there was a short but heavy shower. Still much better than had been forecast.

I manage to spend the last of my onboard credit. A sweatshirt for Lynn and a hat for Steve. Dinner was again good. After dinner we try the piano bar again. Much more successful this time. No obnoxious passenger overpowering the entertainer.

Tomorrow we will be in Quebec City. Being in the protected waters of the St. Lawrence seaway, the seas are calm.

Sept 6 - A Sea Day

It is a little cooler today, probably in the mid 60's. Most of the day is sunny with a few showers producing rainbows late in the day. I spend much of the day writing this blog and trying to solve the glitch of disappearing photos from my gallery.

The writing I am successful at. Three of us spent seversl hours on the disappesring images to partial success. We couldn't figure out why or how to prevent it, but when it does happen I now know how to recover them.

Information in the app, especially as far as the day's schedule is concerned, is very unreliable when it comes to entertainment. Probably just carelessness or schdule changes.

Adrienne and Steve have a couple hour hike planned for tomorrow. For the past two weks the forecast has been for rain all day.  Now they are preedicting showers.  A substantial improvement.

The seas remain between 1 and 2 meters most of the day. Our speed varies from 10 to 20 knots based on local regulations.

Tonight is another formal night. I would guess only 15%  of the men are wearing a jacket.

Being a special night, the ship sets up a stand to sell flowers. They look beautiful. None are sold.

Lobster is the main item on the menu tonight. I have cheese tortilini wirt peas and ham. All was good. The lobster tails were larger than usually seen. Lynn said they were very good.

Tomorrow we are in Saguenay.

Sept 5 - Charlottetown

As we dock this morning the skies are sunny and the air about 60 degrees. It is forecast to be 70 by 9:30 and 74 by noon. Another perfect cruising day.

There is not much here that entices me to leave the ship. A leisurely breakfast in "The World Fresh Marketplace", commonly know as the buffet. For a few hours the ship is quite empty, but that doesn't last as passengers soon begin to return.

Yesterday Lynn did a little laundry. Yes self sevice, kindof operated by your medallion. Use your medallion to pay for a token to operate the washers and dryers. About $6.00 for a load. Much better than $35 or $40 for the ship to do. I haven't cruised Princess enough to get free laundry.

This is the first time that everyone is not back to the ship on time. Fortunately they did make it before departure. The captain made it very clear he had to leave at his scheduled time and he would not delay departure. We are headed towards the St Lawrence seaway and there are numerous speed restrictions in place so he would be unable to make up any lost time.

We will be geting close to where the possibility of seeing whales gets pretty good. Steve, the other Steve,  my son in law, finds a website that shows the data being received from transponders used to track whales. Now they just need to swim our way.

Dinner is good as usual. I have southwestern white bean chili. We decide to skip the show, instead opting for the piano bar. One of my favorite venues, but my first stop there  this cruise. I'm just not the night owl I used to be.

Unfortunately there was a very loud passenger at the next table that talked so loud he overpowered the entertainer.

Everyone in the room had little choice but to hearing his trucking, restaurant and "you tube" production stories.

The following seas pick up to to 5 feet or as we head towards the St Lawrence Seaway. The ship remains very stable with no sense of motion.

Tomorrow will be a "sea day" as we head towards Saguenay.

Sept. 4 ‐ Sydney

Another great day. The seas remain calm, the skies sunny amd warm.

I have been to Sydney a number of times. We take our picture in front of the giant fiddle on the dock. A must for every passenger.

The last 2 times I was here a student from a local college was doing a survey of visiting passengers. I was disappointed, not this time.  After 2 years of survey they probably realize that tourists don't spend as much as the cruise lines may claim.

On our ship, the Majestic Princess, there are several quick service food places in additon to the buffet. One is The Salty Dog where they serve hamburgers, hotdogs, and french fries. An excellent choice for lunch. After nearly a week I will say the food is not disappointing. Hot food is served hot. For example the burgers are individually cooked just before being served, not cooked en mass and served out of a steam table pan like some ships may do.

We have a surprise visit by Canadian health inspectors today. I witnessed one officer taking pictures of something he didn't like, but we have heard nothing from the staff.

The Piaza, or centrum area of the ship is well laid out and quite functional with lots of seating and several bars. Musical or other entertainment is usually continuous starting at about 3 pm.

Another flat beverage in the dining room. I recognized the problem instantly now that I have seen it several times. Obviously the problem wasn't fixed yesterday, just circumvented. Quickly replaced so they have CO2 somewhere, just not at the standard service bar for the dining room.

Lynn gets a real surprise tonight. Just after dinner she gets a call from a gal that was one of her best friends in high school. A big surprise since she lost contact with her about 8 or 9 years ago and has been unable to locate her. Life is good.

A production show tonight. The singers are very good, the content... well that is a maturity thing. My daughter and her husband knew every song, I had no idea what they were singing.

The seas are calm as we head to Charlottstown for arrival early tomorrow morning.

Sept 3. - Halifax

Another fantastic day. Low 70's, sunny, a few scattered clouds.

I have been to Halifax a number of times. The first was almost 70 years ago. Took the Blue Nose ferry from Bar Harbor. I remember a little of the ferry ride, nothing of Halifax. For my last visit it was cold and rainy but we did lots of touring..

We take a short walk off the ship and down the dock a bit. Lynn's daughter will be here in two days, arriving on a different ship. We took a picture so she can take one in the same place. The stupid little things tourists do.

Another sideline on Princess technology. I went to the front desk with several questions about disembarkation at the end of the cruise. She was almost clueless except to say I should get a flyer in my cabin tonight.

Separately I asked a staff member which direction to the gangway. She sent me the wrong way. Common sense and basic knowledge is lost when you become too reliant on technology.

A strange Canadian law restricts the number of bars that can be open while the ship is in port. The thought being that people will go ashore to get a beverage. What it really does is put a lot of extra work on the servers as they have to go further to serve guests.

A new experience for me. Midafternoon suddenly the ship lost all power. The captain immediately told everyone not to panic and just stay where you are and avoid walking in the darkened hallways and not to attempt to use the elevators.

I just happened to be in our cabin, only aware of the problem as the automatic lights blinked on an off several times as the power went down.

Within 5 minutes the captain informs everyone that we were connected to shore power, and it was the shore power that failed. Our engines have been started and they are in the process of restoring all services starting with the stalled elevators.

The automatic lights in the cabins is another well intentioned failure. The intent was if you get out if bed, a light comes on under your night stand. As you approach the bathroom another light comes on.  The only problem is that the lights are triggered by the slighest movement. Roll over in bed and the lights cime on and wake you. A pillow strategically placed on the floor helps in most cases.

And of course the slot by the door that turns everything off when you leave the room has been bypassed with the insertion of a pemanent card.

So I've digressed. Dinner is good again tonight. The only hitch, the carbonation has failed at the dining room beverage station used by the servers. Every drink they served was flat until I pointed out what the problem was. The staff didn't catch it and all the guests knew was that the drinks didn't taste right.  Replace many drinks and all fixed.

The seas remin calm. I risk saying this but the weather is much nicer than I expected. Tomorrow we will be in Sydney.

Sept 2 - Sea Day

No northern lights to see last night. We make our way out of the Bay of Fundy and head towards Halifax.

I haven't been on a Princess ship in a number of years. This ship is only about 8 years old. Originally launched in Asia,, she was refurbished earlier this year for the American market.

Their newest innovation is Medallions. A device about the size of a quarter that functions as a smart key, tracking device, and instant identifier. Linked to the ships app on your phone it performs a number of clever tasks.

You can link with other travelers in your party and it can tell you where they are on the ship and how to get to them, or you can chat with them.

You can place a food or beverage order on your phone and the server is shown where you are to bring it to you.

You place an order ar the bar, and the bartender knows who you are, just by your pressence close by.

Approach your cabin and the door unlocks and the display outside welcomes you with your picture.

Perfect no. For example, leave the medallion in the wrong place in your cabin and the door continuously locks and unlocks. A fact denied by Princess. Adrienne ordered a beverage and it was delivered somewhere, just not to her. All in all, better than what many other lines do.

However, Princess is relying so much on technology to help the guest, simple things like signage are lacking.

My first task of the day is monthly reports for the train club. The internet service is on par with other cruise lines. I prepare all the financial statements and dues reminders for every member. 150 emails and all is taken care of.

The rest of the day is easy. Tonight is a dressier night. Some passengers are dressed to the 9's others in tee shirts and shorts.

We have the same wait staff for dinner each night, but at a diffetent table in his section. We are off in a corner in a small room with only 5 tables. They know. It is right where I belong. Actually it really is a good location as it is more quiet than being in the middle of a big room.

The weather remains fantastic. 70's during the day and calm seas. Some passengers spotted a few whales today, I didn't.

Tomorrow we will be in Halifax.

 

Sept 1, 2025

St John, New Brunswick

The seas have remained calm, the skies clear. Today we are in St John. I don't know why, but I have been of the mindset that we were going to St Johns, NF, a confusion in names made by many people.

I was here before, just about 8 years ago. Arrived on the Vision of the Seas, stayed 5 days in rhe hospital, and flew back to Orlando. An adventure I don't want to repeat. You can read the full story if you go back to October 2017 in this blog.

While on the topic of having been here before, I was also here about 70 years ago. Took the Blue Nose  ferry from Bar Harbor. No, I remember a little of the ferry but none of Halifax from that trip. Sorry no blog to go back and read either. Lots of stuff wasn't invented yet.

St john is noted for it's 50 foot tides and river rapids that flow both ways. Our arrival and departure time must be synchronized with high tide, otherwise the harbor channel is too shallow and the currents too strong for safe passage.

Often referred to as a tide, the drastic change in water level is not a tide but is caused by the normal 3 and 4 foot tides sloshing in and out of the bay of Fundy much as you can slosh water in a pan or a bathtub.

Tonight we go to the steak restaurant. An absolutely good choice. The food, beef tenderloin, was excellent and the service perfect. Much better than Royal's Chops restaurant has been in years. They were busy but not packed.

The main show tonight is a mix of "mind reader" and slight of hand illusionist. The theater was almost full for the late performance. The early shows which traditionally are performed to a full  house are simulcast to a second venue to help alleviate the over crowding.

The seas remain calm. Most of the day remperatures were in the low 70's. There is a probability of being able to see the Northern lights tonight. The captain has promised to wake us.

Tomorrow wil be a sea day.

Aug 31 - Portland, Me.

Portland is a very slow cruise from Boston. The ship is ready for disembarkation by 7:30. We have 2 tours booked, a trolly tour of the city, and a boat tour of the harbor.

The weather is absolutely perfect. Sunny skies, low 70's. What a relief from the Florida heat.

Our tour guide on the trolley is one of the best I have encountered in years. Like so many areas that have lost industries to foreign competition, Maine's tourism industry has become the biggest contributor to its economy.

Over the years portland suffered 4 major fitres that destroyed most of the city. We always hear of the Chicago fire, but Portland's was on the same scale. The last accidently started by childrn playing with fireworks.

After the trolley tour we enjpyed a delicious lunch at a local tavern.

On the water tour we saw the lighthouses from the waterside, learned about the current lobster industry, and an abbreviated naval history of the harbor.

Finding the tour departures much further from the ship than I anticiipated, I elect to Uber back to the ship. Definitely worth the $10. The mature legs are not as robust as they used to be.

We have 7:00 reservations every night in the dining room. Tonight I have fetticiene alfredo. Basically pretty good. So far all of the food has been appropriately hot, one of my pet peeves.

The production show was so so. The singers talented, the content not my favorite.

The weather and the seas remain perfect. Tonight we head to St. John, New Brunswick.

 

Saturday Aug 30 - Boston

We received an email from Princess that we will not be able to board before noon time. We change plans, Adrienne and Steve are going to be tourists and Lynn and I will take all the luggage and meet them on the ship.

Knowing the limited facilities in Boston, we arrange a late checkout from the hotel. Adrienne and Steve had checked their bags with the hotel and given me the claim tickets. 

It is time to leave. The hotel staff can't find the checked bags. Fortunately I have a vague idea what they look like and help the clerk sort through 2 rooms packed with luggage.  They are soon recovered.

A call to Uber.  A nice gentlemen with his first run for the day. He puts our cruise terminal destination into his navigation app. I neglect to follow our progress. After about 20 minutes he pulls up to a hotel. No way is our ship in the back yard.  He is lost, but I am not concerned. I still have a couple of hours to board.

He goes and talks to the bell hops standing by the curb. I now open up Waze. We are about 15 minutes from the ship.

I soon learn the hotel gets dozens of people looking for the cruise terminal each weekend. Another case of of the gps database containing an error that never gets fixed.

I now give the driver turn by turn directions, and hold my phone so he can follow my map. We soon make it to the cruise terminal. Our luggage is placed on a cart to be sent to the ship.  We head to passenger check in.

It is now 1:30. It does not appear a single passenger has cleared port security. We join the line with thousands of other pasengers. Ŵe eventually board just after 3:00.  Needless to say, Boston does not have a good system to deal with cruise ship passengers. Unfortunately the cruise lines will get the brunt of the complaints, but shore side is totally controlled by local authorities.

The up side is that the cabins are ready and we can drop our carry on stuff. Our luggage is also there ready to unpack and be stowed.

The usual routines of safety video, checking in at our muster station, and finally a bite of lunch at 4pm.

The ship gets underway a few minutes late just after 4.

Dinner at 7:00. No show tonight, everyone is beat. Tomorrow we will be in Portland, Me.

Boston to Quebec City

It is mid June. My daughter Adrienne asks about doing a cruise with them from Boston to Quebec City departing Aug 29 and ending September 9.

We said sure, never considering departure is on Saturday of labor day weekend. Once we realize the foolishness we conclude the wise thing to do is to get to Boston a day early. If nothing else this gives us several backup flights if something goes astray. The stupidity of me to be flying on labor day weekend.

Fast forward to Friday afternoon. We load the luggage in Tim's suv. A long time friend, he has graciously offered to take us to the airport. It takes several attempts to get the luggage arranged so the door will close.

We arrive at the terminal dropoff area. Deafening alarms are sounding. It is impossible to communicate with the baggage counter. Finally the alarms cease but my ears continue to ring. There is a problem with the conveyor that takes the luggage to where ever it goes prior to being placed on the plane.

TSA takes about 20 minutes. Pretty good. We head to the tram to take us to the gate.

Despite our plane arriving 50 minutes early on it's previous flight, it is just announced that our flight is delayed 30 minutes. The terminal is packed, barely a place to stand.

We find a restaurant and order a beverage to pass the time.

The next few hours are uneventful. The plane is full without an empty seat. I have been flying comfort plus in recent years. It helps tremendously!

We arriive in Boston just too late for the complimentary shuttle to our hotel. Internet wisdom of prior travelers says Uber is better than a taxi.  Uber fares are quoted at about $70.00, but it appears we need to lug our luggage to a nearby parking garage. The line of taxis is about 200 feet down the sidewalk. At least in sight.

We opt for the cab. Our luggage quickly loaded we are on our way. The meter slowly displays larger numbers. It is almost midnight. No traffic, he makes an illegal left turn into the driveway of our hotel.

The meter has stopped climbing. $26.00!

We check in and get a much needed nights rest.

A 20 Day Review

Not usually a part of my blog, but I decided to add a post trip review to reflect on choices we made.

Renting a car to get to Ft Lauderdale was a good choice. Total flexibility, and the most economical.

The Holland America Nieuw Statendam. The food was generally good. Scheduling and reservation system was far below expectations. Not only were reservations mixed up, a kind and nice way of saying screwed up, no attempt was made to either acknowledge mistakes or correct them.

There were a number of post cruise options, but none were listed before the cruise.

Excursion descriptions were fairly accurate.

Music was what I would expect on Carnival. Very loud. Next to zero listening or dancing music.

Entertainment was mediocre. Not as good as Royal, Celebrity, or Cunard. Headliners were repeated.

Seminars were a mixed bag. One series was professionally produced and presented by the cruise director. They were basically good. Another series, which unfortunately included the best topic, AI, was put together and presented by a horrible presenter. So bad in fact, that I could not bear to listen to him despite the AI topic.

Cabin. We lucked out and upgraded to a "family oceanview" designed for 5 guests, there were 2 showers and an extra closet. The standard configuration for most cabins is a shower in the tub. Fine, except no hand holds for safety when getting in or out or showering.

Bathrooms also had about a 5 inch step-up to enter.

Closet doors seemed to be backwards.

Not what I would consider a modern cabin design, but what I experienced on ships designed 40 and 50 years ago.

But being a cabin for 5, there was plenty of space for 2, and the bed was very comfortable.

Service staff and cabin staff were good. Cabins were cleaned twice a day. Two years ago Holland was still providing a chocolate every night. Now they have cut back to 1 every 5 days.

As with most lines, they rely very heavily on their app. It was often inaccessible, and gave incorrect information.

The biggest disappointment was lack of environmental temperature control in public spaces.

Once we left sunny Florida, The buffet, on deck 9 was usually cold because doors at each end opened to the outside decks and a cold blast of outside air would occur for about 2 minutes everytime the door was opened. Considering someone went in or out every minute, it was always cold.

Even worse was decks 1, 2, and 3 when we were in Port.

The gangway was either on deck 1 or 2. The doors open all day. Nothing blocked the cold air from coming in the gangway doors, down the open space and up the stairwells, making most of the public spaces unusable during port time unless you wanted to be in a 55 degree environment.  A simple design flaw that should have been addressed during a refurbishment, but so far hasn't.

8 and 10 hour excursions 3 days in a row is tough. I don't like to admit it, but I'm not 50 anymore.

For the most part the hotel in Amsterdam was good. The staff very friendly and helpful, but if I had known that the only way to get in or out of bed was to climb in from the bottom I would not have chosen it.

In general the hotel was nice, but the functionality of the rooms very poor. I would not choose CitizenM brand again.

I will add that the hotel is high tech with everything from lights, room temperature, and automatic blinds controlled from an I Pad. 

Totally unrelated they were the only place the entire trip that would not accept my goto credit card. Fortunately I always carry backups.

I am writing this as we fly nonstop from Amsterdam to Tampa. We deliberately booked a bulkhead seat in Comfort Plus section. A very wise choice as there is probably more than 4 feet of legroom!

A delta flight on a Delta Airbus A330, but totally handled In Amsterdam by KLM. Mostly full, probably 95%.

Amsterdam was an interesting city. By far the best public transportation I have ever encountered. Clean and friendly. Bicycles rule the streets, car traffic is light as many inner city streets are blocked to vehicles. Prices are probably comparable to US big cities.

Our plane was probably 95% full. What I did not expect was only 5% of the passengers holding US passports.

About 4 hours after touchdown we arrived in Clermont in our rental car. The end of another "adventure" as my grandkids would say.

Tours in Amsterdam

April 21. Up early, breakfast at our hotel. The driver has been in contact with us several times. He is at our hotel lobby door at 8:20 as promised.

The day long tour takes us to many of the must see's in the greater Amsterdam area. A cheese factory, wooden shoe factory, diamond cutter and diamond sales outlet, windmills, a 20 mile long dike holding the North Sea at bay, etc. Our guide talks non stop, and feeds us samples of local mints, chocolates, licorice, and cookies.

The other 6 passengers are from Singapore, Connecticut, and Japan. Definitely a divese group. All in all a typical tour. Parts were excellent, some parts were much less so.

We are back at the hotel by 6 and head down the street about a block to a local tavern for dinner.

A hamburger, fries and a couple of drinks, expensive but good. A full stomach ends a long day.

Next up on Tuesday is the Keukenhof Gardens, our main tourist destination here in Amsterdam.

I quickly mapped out that the tram just outside the hotel lobby door would take us to central station, but after talking with a local, he tells me the metro is much easier, and the metro station is only a hundred feet further away. One of the reasons I picked this hotel was it's location next to the tram and metro. That reasoning was definitely sound.

Off on the Metro, at central station we then hop on the ferry to cross the river and have about a 10 minute walk to check in for our canal cruise and visit to the gardens. Public transportation systems here are excellent. Just scan a credit card when you get on a bus or tram or enter a metro station, scan again when you leave.  Charged by trip and distance, but a maximum of $10 euro per day.

I always try to allow plenty of time. It was good that I did today. Just as we reached the metro platform, the train was Leaving. Just as we reached the ferry, the gates closed and we need to wait for the next.  Combined with my "fast" walk, it couldn't have taken us longer.

At our designated meeting point there are hundreds if not thousands of tourists in various ques for different busses. Crowded but organized. Again we knew this would be the case with Easter, the tulip festival, and "Kings Day" celebration all taking place in Amsterdam.

We are given a blue card to get us on the proper bus. We make it. The driver wants to know who is staying at a certain hotel? The tourist gave him his blue room key instead of the blue card to board the bus. We are on our way.

The canal tour was good. Past farms and small villages only accessible by boat. 400 and 500 year old wind mills are still used to manage the canal and farm fields water level. The canals are 15 feet below sea level, the farm fields are another 10 or 15 feet below the canal levels.  First made lower as peat was harvested, and then sinking more as the land dried out. Many of the farms have been in the same families for hundreds of years.

After the canal we are off to the gardens. Absolutely gorgeous, and despite the very large crowds it was not crowded.  I was really mentally prepared for large crowds. Actually there were, but the grounds are very large so the crowds are dispersed. We wandered on our own for hours and then hopped the next tour bus back to Amsterdam. 

We couldn't have asked for better weather. The sun burned thru the clouds just as we stepped off the bus for the canal tour, and remained out for most of the rest of the day. Much nicer than the rain that had been forecast.

No scheduled return, but were warned the last busses leaves at 6:30. We beat that by several hours.

The journey home is basically the reverse of the morning trip. Bus to drop off, walk to ferry, ferry across river, and metro to hotel.

Leaving the metro we were able to help a couple from Italy lugging suitcases that didn't understand the metro process. Just a tiny payback for all those that have helped us.

Exhausted and hungry after we freshen up we return to the same pub for dinner. They are very busy with many reservations. They find a table for us, inside of course. Outside is too cold for us Floridian's.

The small world part. The couple from Italy we met several hours earlier on the Metro arrive and sit at a nearby table.

No alarm to set tonight. Tomorrow is basically an easy day. Nothing scheduled except packing in the evening.

April 23, our last day in Amsterdam.  The hotel has a good  buffet breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, fresh pastries, juice and fruit. We indulge again. 

Today we will explore the city and little by tram, or light rail as we would call it.  Dr Google tells us tram 2 is one of the most scenic in the world. Why shouldn't we trust Dr. Google?

Again metro to central station then find the stop for tram 2. It arrives within minutes and we board. It is quickly packed. We have seats, but it is difficult to see.

The tram takes us past many museums and beautiful buildings, and across many canals bustling with boat traffic. The end of the route is in the residential suburbs. We change trams and are soon headed back towards central station. This time we are able to secure prime window seats.

At central station Lynn does a little gift shopping as we head to our metro line.

When we arrive at our metro station and emerge from the underground maze, we are concerned we are lost. Nothing looks familiar, but should as this is our 4th passage though this station. Did I make a mistake and get off at the wrong station?

Studying Google Maps for a few minutes I was able to conclude we just took a different exit from the underground, about a block away from where we usually exit..

Tonight we have pizza at the hotel. It is raining lightly and we have had enough of the local pub.

We decide to try Uber and book our trip to the airport for Thursday morning.  A driver is assigned and will pick us up at 6:40 AM.

Thursday, April 24 home to Florida.

The app says our driver is waiting and is around the corner from our hotel. We check out and step outside. I can't find any way to message him so we start walking towards where the app says he is parked.  A truck has parked on the sidewalk, and I trip trying to get around the truck and all the bicycles. Fortunately this time it was only my pride that was broken, honestly I didn't check the bikes.

Uber is not where the app says he is.  We go back and head the other direction and see a parked car with flashers on. Yes it is our driver. A Tesla 3. He is reluctant to load our luggage, but eventually does. We are on our way.

He soon relates to us that Uber tracking is horrible and often sends him in wrong directions. He is not surprised that he wasn't parked where the app said. Traffic is light. He drops us about 100 feet from a terminal entrance. He is happy that the traffic isn't too congested yet. It will be soon.

It takes a little over an hour to get checked in. KLM does all the terminal stuff for Delta. The staff is very helpful with a process that is much different than any other airport I have ever been through.

As planned we have plenty of time for breakfast. Yes, McDonald's. 

By the time we board the plane our passports have been checked four times. My shoes taken away to be x-rayed, and of course the normal body scans and pat downstairs.

Our gate is very close to the main terminal, so the walk isn't too bad.

Boarding is just a few minutes delayed because of security inspection of the food.

Our seats are just behind a bulkhead, so I have not only lots of leg room, I can stand in front of my seat whenever I so desire without blocking the aisle. A great personal comfort during our 10 hour flight to Tampa

Day 26 - Rotterdam & Amsterdam.

The ship arrives on time. This is the end of the cruise portion of our trip. We will spend 4 nights in Amsterdam before returning to Florida.

We departe the ship pretty much on time. The process is slightly different than usual.  We are seen by local custom officials, have our passport stamped, and then gather our luggage.

With help from a porter We board our bus.  We have elected to take a canal cruise in Amsterdam, then being dropped off at the airport. From there we will take a taxi to our hotel. A convoluted route, but one we could manage. Taking two trains would have been more economical but I am not comfortable with all the luggage.

The weather in Amsterdam turned out better than forecast. The canal cruise was good and our tour guide was excellent.

The walk from bus parking to the taxi area at the airport was long. Despite telling us one fare, the cab driver charged me much more. I learned later that this is a common problem in Amsterdam.

We get to our hotel. It is prepaid except for taxes. My primary card won't work. Backup card works fine.

I use the questionable card multiple times at other locations and it works every time.

I understand Europe hotel rooms are small compared to American standards, but I was not prepared for how small this one really is. Smaller than any cruise ship cabin I have ever had, and more to the point not conveniently designed. So be it.

We are exhausted, grab a bite at the hotel, and call it a night. Our tour driver will be picking us up at 8:15 for a 10 hour tour.

Day 15, April 19, Dover, England

We arrive and are secured to the dock before 6:00. A number of passengers are leaving the ship here. We are scheduled for a 10 hour tour of London.

Room service does much better today. The coffee is hot and most everything is delivered. Well I got the cereal and milk, only the sugar was missing.

Off to the theater. The trek to the bus waiting area is long. I am not the last to arrive but almost at 38th out of 40.

Again the weather is cooperating. The forecast rain stays away.  Traffic is very light, probably because of it being Saturday and the Easter holiday. 

We are scheduled to have lunch at an English pub at noon, but arrive 45 minutes early.

We are seated and served very quickly. The tavern being unorganized, our tour guide helps deliver beverages, but not until everyone is nearly finished with their food.  Maybe that is English custom even though I prefer a beverage with my food.

The location is in the heart of London, across the street from London tower and under light rail tracks. A train passed over about every 5 minutes. The building over the pub was added many years after the pub. Support columns pass thru the pub and the old brickwork.

Fish and chips, and in my case a hamburger, we're good.

After a few hours to shop and sightsee we were on our way back to the ship. Today we will get back long before our scheduled time.

In all fairness this is the first tour out of Dover to London in almost a year.

Several cruise lines stopped calling on Dover because of increased docking fees. The tour operators are out of practice.  Going to London we used a new tunnel that has been open about 10 days.

On the return trip we took one of the oldest tunnels, one about 2 centuries old, originally dug for horses and wagons.

Tonight the clocks go ahead again. We are scheduled to departure the ship about 7:15 for our bus trip from Rotterdam to Amsterdam.

Paris

Room service arrives half an hour early. I had ordered cereal with skim milk.  Everything was in order except they forgot the cereal.  Eating is overrated, a glass of juice and a pastry will have to do.

Lynn doesn't function until she has morning coffee. Served in a metal pot, it was barely warm and more ran out the broken seam in the pot as out the spout.

The day is not starting well.

We make it to the main stage at the assigned time. Bus tickets are picked up, off to the waiting busses.

Traffic is heavy as expected. We pass a number of the famous sites, and eventually stop near the base of the Eifel tower at a dock on the Seine.

A casual cruise on the Seine while enjoying wine and a wonderful lunch.

The weather in Paris was sunny and warm. Well warm for April at about 60. All in all an excellent whirlwind tour of Paris.

Traffic was heavy, and we arrived back at the ship about an hour late, but still before the scheduled departure time.

Too late for the dining room, we grabbed a bite in the Lido buffet and prepared for another long day in London tomorrow.

Yes, we gave room service another chance.

Tonight our clocks go back an hour as we will be in England tomorrow.

Day 11 - Last Sea Day

As we approach Europe the seas have subsided to 10 or 12 feet. The skies remain partly cloudy. So far we have only experienced a few brief showers. Life is good.

Tonight we will go to Timarind, one of the specialty restaurants for Holland America.  The "Have It All" package gave us 2 nights of special dining, along with other benefits. Food and service was excellent.

The headliner shows have been typical. One comedian was good, the other, well we passed on his second appearance.

Tomorrow we dock at Falmouth, England.  We do not have an excursion but will get off for a bit if the weather cooperates. It is a small city and also a tender port.

Starting at 7:00 AM or when we dock all passengers need to be screened by UK customs. This usually just means verifying we look like our passport.

Cruising sometimes really is a small world. A couple of nights ago we ran into Marilyn and Skip, neighbors in my Kings Ridge Community.

I mentioned that Marty spent time in Antartica. We'll it turns out that Lynn's nephew, a photographer for National geographic was in Antartica at the same time, probably in the same places. There are not a lot of inhabited places in Antartica.  

I have managed to come down with a very bad cold. No going ashore for me. I will rest and hope to be better for our visit to Paris in a few days.

By April 17 I am much better, but will still pass on going ashore in Portland, England.  In case you guessed it, Portland cement was developed here.

The ship is pretty quiet today. The crew is practicing emergency skills. Some are learning to drive lifeboats, others fight fires, even the emergency generators are tested.

Yesterday's immigration was smooth as far as I was concerned, but many passengers just don't get it.

Everyone was told at least 4 times what the procedure would be. It was announced, it was in the app, it was in a letter placed in the cabin, in the guests native language I might mention, etc, etc.

Passengers were assigned to groups. When called, procede to the main stage. Have sea pass card scanned, present yourself and your passport to UK officials, have a sticker placed on your card. And you are done.

After all the groups were called, a process that took about 90 minutes for 2600 passengers and 900 crew members, then individual names were announced for all those that didn't show up.

90 passengers were individually called. Then 50 again, then 20, then 10, finally one. The last passenger was called  5 times before they complied. What can I say.

Generally the cruise has been good. I can't blame the cruise line for my cold.  Bar service has been good, and servers adequate. In the dining room the staff has varied. Some nights there has just been 1 server, sometimes 2. It did take the front desk 2 attempts to correct a simple billing error, but it did get corrected.

The weather in Falmouth yesterday, and Portland today has been good for this time of year. Sunny and no rain!

Today I discovered a major design flaw in this class of ship. The gangway opens directly to deck 2, the public area deck with shops and bars.  There are no door ways, so when we are in Port there is a horrific air flow in the gangway door, down the hallways and up ythe atrium and stairways located fore, center and aft on the ship.

When the outside temperature is cold, every public area of the ship experiences a very cold strong draft.

A minor design flaws that results in big discomfort for guests and staff alike.

This ship has been refurbished since launch, and this could have been easily fixed with the addition of some doors.

Tomorrow, we will be Lehavre, France. We have a 10 and a half hour tour of Paris scheduled, providing I fell well enough.  The clocks get set ahead another hour. Room service breakfast is scheduled so we can make our 7:00 AM meeting time for our excursion.

Days at Sea

Unlike oceanliners that cross the Atlantic as quickly as reasonably possible, repositioning cruise ships have different priorities. With fuel being a major cost, we meander across the ocean with only 2 of 4 engines running and a comfortable speed of 15 or 16 knots. No transatlantic speed records for us.

As we move further north and east the daily high temperatures have slowly dropped from the 70s into the low 60's, but the cloud cover is less and there is more sun. Too early for good European forecasts. Only time will tell.

The demographics on the ship are much as you would expect. One person reported less than 12 passengers under 30.

Personally I have spotted 4 children. 2 boys about 5 and 9, and a couple of young teenage girls. I expect maybe related. At least three of them are seated together in the dining room.

What there is here are some very interesting passengers.  Many cruisers dream about visiting Antartica. Most cruise ship just pass by. A few let you step on the ice for a few hours. Marty, one of our table mates, worked in Antartica with a number of the famous explorers. A naval engineer by education it was his chore to keep all the equipment working.

After hearing stories of the conditions, I think a quick visit would be enough for me. But he did relate swimming in the ocean near where a volcano had erupted and warmed the water.

Holland has always presented enrichment talks during cruise sea days. Now they have perfected the process that was beginning to change when I last cruised Holland a few years ago.

Experts in various fields put together the programs and they are then presented by the cruise director, following a script and using a teleprompter.

The best of both worlds. Excellent programs and excellent presentation.

We have both. One speaker that is doing his own series of presentations, and others that are being presented by the cruise director. I wish she were doing all. Bradley Jacobson who is talking about AI amongst other topics is a very poor presenter, but I endure because of the topic.

It is frequent for reservations to be messed up on the first few days of a cruise. Passengers have come to expect that, at least I have.

By the third night we were settled into sharing early dinner with the same 4 other people at our table. Then the next night it happened. A 7th person was sitting at our table when the rest of us arrived. If I related that she told me she had "talked with the captain" and he told her she was to be seated at this table you might correctly get the feeling that I quickly formed an opinion about her.

More unacceptable was that no one up to and including the dining room manager would even attempt to resolve the problem. They wouldn't even acknowledge that something was wrong with 7 people assigned to a table for 6, or that any mistake was made somewhere. Getting the feeling that we would never get dinner until this was resolved we litterly took matters into our own hands. A chair and place setting was stolen from a nearby table. The staff wouldn't resolve the simple problem at our table so now they have other problems to solve.

Our table became overcrowded, creating more work for the servers not only in serving 7 instead of 6, but in juggling everything to fit on the table. And the adjoining table - well they were short a chair and place setting. Management wouldn't address their original mistake so now they have more to contend with.

There are a few first time cruisers on this voyage. One interesting gentleman is originally from Vietnam. He was one of the children evacuated from the embassy roof by helicopter and air lifted to the US at the end of the war. He became a data analyst for a large Washington financial research firm and comfortably retired in his 50's.

Just for those that feel we should not allow immigrants into the US.

About 3 days from Europe the seas have increased to about 5 meters with waves coming from both the North and the South as we pass between 2 North Atlantic weather disturbances. The roll of the ship has increased to about 4 degrees, still very manageable for most passengers.

The colder temperatures and some rain keep most of the passengers inside.

There is an underlying concern amongst many passengers of how we will be received in Europe in lite of the actions being taken by our deranged fascist president. Time will tell.

Overall the food has been good. There is a heavy emphasis on fish and seafood, but let me assure you I have found more than enough to choose from.

Having done it both ways, I have concluded that it much easier when traveling east across time zones to change the time midday, and when traveling west to change during the night. This was the scheme used by Cunard on the Queen Mary 2, and it was much easier.

I add to this in bits and spurts. It is now day 10, 7 days after Bermuda. The skies are partly cloudy. This morning there was a very bright rainbow that appeared to be only 30 feet from the side of ship. Of course I was too slow to capture it. But I was able to tell many passengers and crew to take a look.

As expected the swells today are about 7 meters or just under 25 feet. The captain has raised our speed slightly to 17 1/2 knots so the stabilizers can work better. For most passengers the seas are very tolerable. I imagine a few of those most sensitive to motion are having a more difficult time.

The Seas are predicted to subside after midnight.

As do many ships the Statendam has a cook to order hamburger and hot dog venue on the pool deck. I must say probably the best of any ship. The secret - everything is cooked to order, not prepared in a galley and left in a steam table pan for hours.

With the enclosed pool deck it is quite comfortable. A few passengers enjoying the pool, many more reading, playing cards, and just relaxing.

Bermuda

We arrive an hour early. The wind and gulf current has been behind us since leaving Florida.

The air temperature is about 70, and the wind is a brisk 25 or 30 mph but the skies sunny.

No shore excursion booked, we take the free shuttle around the dockyards.

Shortly after noon the NCL Nowegian Jewel arrives. It is amazing how gently a 100 thousand ton vessel can be manuvered in close quarters. She is gently nudged into the next dock. An ambulance is awaiting as it was for our arrival earlier this morning. A few minutes after docking the ambulance leaves, sitens warning the tourists to get out of the street.

Probably less than 30% of passengers take a shore excursion. This mature crowd doesn't have a high interest is beaches.

We leave port promptly at 5pm. At 6:00 the curse of the Bermuda triange strikes. The Azipods are turned to stop the ship, and then turn her around. We are heading back into port to discharge a crew member that needs medical treatment beyond what is available on the ship. This seems to be a common process in Bermuda, but it makes sense since the next closest port is days away.

For us it will be 8 days until the next port. Falmouth, England.

As we finally get into open waters, the seas have picked up a little as the ocean swells are now on our starboad side, imparting a gentle roll to the ship.

Sea days ahead.

2 days at sea

The Nieuw Statendam is a relatively new Holland America ship. Launched in 2018 she carries 2666 passengers. Probably we are close to that number on this cruise.

Much more of a traditional design than the large megaships of Royal. No large promenade, no central park, and just 2 pools without waterslides or artificial surfs. The main pool has a large retractable domed glass cover.

The main theater is very good. Sort of a theater in the round design, seating for 660 extends over 270 degres around the stage. The electronic LED backdrop covers not only the backside of the  stage, but extends back both sides of the theater almost to the rear doors.

There are only a handful of obstructed view seats. Missing - no drink holders in the arm rests.

Food in the buffet is served by the staff. So far food in the main dining room has been excellent.

Seas remain such that no roll or pitch is imparted to the ship. Temperatures remain in the 70's, someting that will change as we approach northern Europe in a week or so.

Our first port is Bermuda.

April 5, 2025 Heading to Amsterdam

Yesterday afternoon we pick up the rental car. It is the best option for a 3 week trip leaving from Port Everglades by ship and returning to Tampa by air.

The suitcase is packed with more than usual. It is in the high 80's in Florida amd we expect temperatures may be in the 40's in Northern Europe. This time of year the probabilty of rain is significant.

It was after we booked this trip that we learned it will be tulip festival time in Amsterdam. Tiny Tim I am not, but the tulip fields should be colorful.

We are underway before 8 AM. Traffic is average for a Saturday morning. The rising sun in our eyes is the only irritation.

We make our usual stop in Ft Pierce for a restroom break and a quick breakfast at McDonalds.  The restrooms have been remodeled, a desparately needed upgade. McDonalds is well, McDonalds. Not nearly as bad as on some previous trips, but not great.

The security check at the port entrance is backed up, and it takes about 30 minutes to pass. Lynn drops me and the luggage at the terminal and takes the rental car to the airport to return it.

Boarding is quck and easy. Certainly disappointing but I witness 2 couples being denied boarding because they do not have the required visa for England. I get it, this is a relatively new requirement, but the cruise line has reminded us about this numerous times.

The cabins are ready so I put away the contents of my carryon.

Lynn arrives 30 or 40 minutes later, having returned the rental and taking a cab to the pier. Cabs have a separate lane and don't encounter the security check delay that private vehicles do.

I can be slow at catching on sometimes, but this must be a universal cruise line thing. My confirmations clearly stated that we had early dining, exactly as I had requested. Once on the ship, the reservation had been erased.

The best they could do was tell me to show up in the standby line.

We explored the ship and unpacked the luggage. A week or so ago I was able to upgrade our cabin to a "large family oceanview". 2 baths and sleeping accomadations for 5. The cabin is a little larger, but I would never want to be with 4 others in it.

Dining works out just fine, we share a table with 4 others at the aft of the dining room at a window.

I never learn why, but our 5:00 pm departure is delayed until almost 8:30. So is life at sea. As we leave Port Everglades the seas are under 2 meters. Winds will be basically behind us for the majority of the crossing

The next 2 days will be sea days with our first stop in Bermuda on Tuesday April 8.

Disembarkation and Home.

The ship isn't cleared until almost 7:30. Many passengers have gathered near the gangway. There are about 35 or 40 passengers gathered for wheelchair assist. They take the passengers by order of luggage tag number, not when you get there. Totally makes sense. Being Pinnacle does have its advantage, I am in the first wheelchair to leave the ship.

The disadvantage, the crewmember doesn't know the correct passage to the gangway and makes several wrong turns, but in the end it works.

As we are waiting for the elevator, Alyssa and James walk by.  The elevator is much faster, because the distance is much less. Luggage is quickly spotted. The orange straps help immensely.

We find a spot near the curb and begin our wait.  Soon Alyssa and James arrive. Uber requests keep being canceled by the drivers. Ultimately they decide to walk to the garage to get the cars.

By 9 o'clock or so we are finally on our way. James and Alyssa take Pann and Terry to their hotel in Miami, Lynn and I take Adrienne and Steve home to Clermont, but only after a breakfast stop, a fuel stop, and a few restroom stops.

Home by just after 1:00 I unpack and do laundry. About 10 weeks until our next cruise to Amsterdam for the tulip festival.

Days 9 and 10 Sea Days

We are cruising at about 15 or 16 knots. The Seas are as predicted, about 5 feet for the most part. Occasionally a larger wave hits the hull and you can feel a shudder throughout the ship, but more pronounced in random locations depending on the harmonics of the ship structure.

The Diamond lounge has become the go to for breakfast. Others tell me it is the best coffee on the ship. Since I never drink it I wouldn't know. The pastries are always fresh and "Birdie" does an excellent job of keeping everything stocked.

I don't know his real name, but his nickname comes from the fact he is always making the sounds of birds.

About noon the captain informs us of a slight change in plans. Because of a medical emergency we are running at full power towards Miami. We will arrive Saturday evening instead of Sunday morning. Our speed is now between 21 and 22 knots, and the stabilizers are not being used. This is as fast as this ship can go.

Of course there are no details as to what the emergency is, and likewise there is lots of speculation as to why this is the chosen course of action. We are expecting to be docked by 10 PM Saturday evening, but of course no passengers will be allowed off the ship until the regular scheduled time Sunday Morning.

There are a few showers and it is a little chilly for many, so the pool is not crowded, but the Diamond lounge remains nearly full all day.

Friday night I again choose to go to the Windjammer for dinner. This then allows me to listen to a set at the piano in the Schooner bar, and also catch the late evening production show with the Singers and Dancers.

Kirk, from Norway, has an excellent voice, he is good, but I will still say Kelly Goodrich is a better entertainer.

This was probably the best of the three production shows. "Wild Cool and Swinging" consisted of a number of songs tied to various U.S. cities.

Overnight the temperatures dip into the 60's. The skies are mostly cloudy and there is an occasional shower.

Cuba is visible off the port side of the ship.

No update from the captain other than we are still scheduled to be at the dock by 9:30 PM.

Saturday the weather is about the same. Low 70's, mostly cloudy.

By dinner we are approaching the channel leading into the port of Miami. We are headed to terminal G, quite a ways into the harbor. 

The air is crystal clear and all the city lights sparkle. Actually one of the nearest harbor approaches I have seen in years.  The captains do everything they can to avoid close quarter navigation in the dark. Tonight he has no choice.

Sleeping while docked is strange. No sounds, no motion. I might as well be at home.

I assume the passenger transfer was accomplished without incident. The ship is expected to be cleared by 7:00 AM.

Day 8 - St Croix

We arrive in St Croix mid morning. Our stay here is short, with departure scheduled for 4:30.

As often is the case, I elect to spend the day on the ship. Probably a wise decision as showers pass over every hour or so. Not a heavy rain, but enough to make you wet if you can't find shelter.

The others walk to a bar and restaurant they have visited in the past, and stop at the animal shelter to see the dogs available for adoption.  The shelter is actually quite successful with cruise ship passengers, sending several rescue dogs to the US every day cruise ships are in port. I get it, dog lovers that have been at sea for a week miss their pets and have a weak spot to adopt another.

I have been reading articles and watching videos to learn more about my most recent hobby expansion. I have ordered a 3D printer that I expect to arrive a few days after my return to Florida. I have resisted this for years but decided it is now or never. When I no longer can or want to use it, I have four grand children that will be tickled to have it.

I skip the dining room tonight so I can catch the early headliner show and the big band ballroom dancing set.

Dinner was a hot dog and fries, not something I have very often. Both were delicious and hot.

The head waiter was very upset that we were not with the others for dinner. 

Alyssa had ordered Mac N Cheese. The head waiter seeing this insisted she also have a Chop's Tenderloin  steak, usually a $20 upcharge. It was shared by several and was reported to be good.

The headliner show was excellent. I guess the description should be super fit aerial and acrobatic performers. I have seen them before and am nothing but awed by their strength and physical fitness.

The big band ballroom dance set was also excellent. Some dancers were very good, there were a few others that were not so good, but were having a very good time.

This is our last port of call before returning to Miami in two days early Sunday morning. The next two days will be sea days. Seas are expected to be 5 feet or less.

Day 7 Castries, St Lucia

The seven others have booked a private tour for today. We are docked early, and the gangway is down by 7:30. They meet at 7:45, headed to their van for the day. I remain on the ship.

Snorkeling at the beach was better than the dives of a few days ago. Lots of fish, some lobster, and some unidentified sea life.

A tour inside a volcano was a hit. The alternative was a mud bath, everyone felt they made the right choice.

Lunch at a local restaurant was good. Everyone was happy with the tour.

Always a concern with a private tour, they were brought back to the ship with 30 minutes to spare.

I have tried to avoid writing about bad or strange behavior observed while cruising, but this morning there was an incident that shocked me.

I was sitting in the Diamond lounge. There were many other guests enjoying coffee. A man asked if he could sit in one of the 3 empty chairs around me. I told him sure and continued what I was doing.  About 15 or 30 minutes later his wife came in and they immediately started arguing. "Where have you been?" "Looking for you." "Did you bring my water bottle?" Or something similar. The argument escalated. She turns to leave and he gets up and lands a hard punch on her.

Needless to say I was shocked and unresponsive. They were out the door in seconds. I must add, they both were probably in their 60's. Not exactly out of control teenagers.

Again the lounge is very busy. The staff is checking cards and denying entrance as appropriate. The result of a loyalty program that has become much more successful than ever imagined.

Another attempt at the main dining room. Caribbean spiced chicken was good and actually served warm.

Tomorrow we stop at St Croix.

St John's, Antigua

The Seas remain about 5 to 7 feet. Just enough that you know you are on the water, but not enough motion to bother even the most sensitive.

Again today the temperature peaks just above 80.

No one has specific plans. Lynn and I get off and take a leisurely stroll along the waterfront. There are 5 ships here, I would expect the shops and bars are doing well, but I make no contribution to the local economy.

I have been good with my PT. I started just 2 weeks before the cruise, and currently have a routine of about half dozen exercises to strengthen my back. I usually do them first thing before the day starts. So far so good. I am optimistic for the long term results.

As has become the normal routine, we gather in the Crown Lounge before dinner. Another area of the ship that needs refreshing. Many of the chair cushions are worn out if not totally broken. The bar service works just fine though.

Food is not hot in the MDR again. The head waiter was standing beside me as I was given a bowl of dried out, room temperature, fettuccine alfredo. It was so cold and congealed that an attempt to remove a few strands resulted in the entire glob being lifted from the bowl.

She took my plate and returned it ten minutes later. The plate was definitely hot, the fettuccine only so so. My guess, she put the dish on a hot plate and made no attempt at a hot serving of food.

In another botched attempt to appease us, she brought Lynn 2 more entrees and an unordered dessert. Nothing more than wasted food.

I suspect it will be the buffet for us for much of the remainder of the cruise.

A production show is the last activity for us for the evening.

Tomorrow we will be in Castries, St Lucia.

Day 5 - St Maarten

I exaggerate a little as I tell people this is the only reason I took this cruise. I need to go back about 2 years when I was last here to give you the beginning.

Somehow I managed to take a minimal amount of cash with me off the ship. I went to the Lazy Lizzard for beverage and lunch, and found myself without cash to tip the water taxi crew.  Nick loaned me $10. I have had a reminder on my calendar since then. Yes it is the longest outstanding reminder on my calendar. I must get back to St Maarten to repay this debt.

Fast forward to today.

Adrienne and Alyssa have a 2 tank dive scheduled with a private operator. Lynn and I  will venture to the Lazy Lizzard to pay my debt. James and Bobo will probably pursue local beer, that seems to be their favorite activity now that Steve is fully recovered. Pann and Terry discussed several hours on the beach.

Since the divers have scheduled plans, they determine that 12:30 would be a good time to meet for lunch at the Lazy Lizzard.

Pann and Terry change plans and head out with Lynn and I. First a shuttle from the ship, then the water taxi followed by a short walk to Nick's place. Before I enter I can hear James's  voice. They have been here for awhile.

Just then there is a message from the girls. First dive completed, everyone is safe, will tell us later.

With another dive to go we  guess it is probably going to be 2 hours before they arrive. We are not waiting for them.

Food was excellent as always, and reasonably priced. We linger over beverages waiting for the girls while being conscious of occupying 3 tables in a small venue.

All except Steve and James decide to move on. We are tired of sitting. The bills are paid, and I repay Nick. Of course he did not remember I owed him, but that is not the point. I had an excuse to cruise.

Just then we hear from the girls. They are on the way.

Long story short, one diver's tank came loose. In working with that, Adrienne, Alyssa and 2 young inexperienced divers became separated from the rest. Following standard safety procedures, after not reestablishing contact within a certain time frame, they returned to the surface, ending the dive after less than 10 minutes. The 13 and 15 year old did just fine on their first dive after certification, and have a story to tell. Eventually everyone is back on the boat.

I catch the water taxi and shuttle back to the ship.

The ice show is scheduled again for this evening. I decide to forgo the dining room, eat in the Windjammer, catch the Ice Show, and then listen to the piano player in the Schooner bar.

The Windjammer is much busier than I expected. Again the food was good, but not very hot. The ice show was much better with a full complement of skaters, and Rick, from Norway had an excellent voice to go with his piano keys.

A good evening. Tomorrow we will be in St. John's, Antigua.

San Juan - Day 4

We arrive about 9:00 AM under partly cloudy skies. Temperatures are supposed to reach about 80, with a chance of showers.

The Rhapsody Of The Seas is at the next pier and we share a dock with the Silver Moon. A 4 year old vessel operated by silverseas, another Royal brand. A NCL ship is a few miles away at another dock. This is currently the home port for the Rhapsody. Later this fall she will be based in Tampa.

Fares on the Silver Moon  are typically $1000.  No, that is not per cruise but per person per day. I think I like other lines just fine. The Silver Moon is currently on a 40 day voyage. You do the math.

Today is the last day of a 5 day celebration in San Juan  marking the end of the holiday season. Many shore excursions were canceled as many streets are closed for the festivities.

Pann and Terry seek out a church to attend Sunday mass. By chance, the church they are in is the final stop for one of the major parades. Just for them, what luck.

Steve and James head to a local brewery for a beer, the rest of us remain on the ship. The report is that beer was basically 3 for $5 throughout the festival.

Strange but true. Midafternoon  a passing shower drenched the starboard side of the ship where Alyssa and Adrienne were enjoying themselves, while our balcony on the port side stayed perfectly dry. Sorry girls.

The dining room is more busy tonight. The noise level where we are located is very high, the service very slow. The flavor of the food is excellent, but the only thing served above room temperature was dessert.

A female vocalist was the headliner show for the evening. An excellent voice, but most of the songs I did not know. That is a personal maturity problem.

As we retire for the evening the moon is just above the horizon with its reflection glistening  in the Caribbean waters.

Tomorrow we will be in Philipsberg, St. Maarten.

The First Few Days

Steve has not felt well since we left home. Often he would drive, but yesterday he slept most of the way. Nothing contagious, we expect he will be feeling better soon.

He milks it as nuch as he can, just watching videos all day and having Adrienne bringing dinner to their cabin.

When we left Miami the temperatures were about 70. Today, a sea day,  not much warmer. The sun comes and goes with only one shower - just as Alyssa was trying to get in a few miles on the walking track. The treadmill would have to suffice.

Being a 10 day cruise there are few children. At top tier we learn there are just over 100 pinnacle loyalty members and about 500 diamond plus. Way too many for the crown lounge. Mario is also on the ship. With well over 10,000 points he is by far Royal's best customer. I get it, if I had a couple million to spend on cruising, I just might do what he has done.

A little too cool and windy for most to be in the pools.

A card is left at our cabin for dining time and table. We'll it should have been one, but we actually had two. Both at the same time but in different dining rooms. The staff shared that they just love the new software - not! But it does help keep them busy sorting things out. We choose to use the card that specifically  indicates a table for 8.

Dinner was sliced beef tenderloin. Again excellent.

We have moved our clocks ahead an hour, so the 7:30  dinner feels like 6:30 on my body, but it also means the only option for evening shows is the late one at 9:15 or 9:30.

The second night, I pass on the headliner, again a comedian, and head to the piano bar. He leaves for break just as I arrive, there are no seats, so I give up and call it a night.

The seas have been the usual 5 to 7 feet. Occasionally you can feel a little motion but not much. Our first port of call is Puerto Plata, Dominion Republic.

I elect to stay on the ship, the other 7 hire an Uber to take them up the mountain to the rain forest.

Alyssa, the youngest and smallest was the designated fare negotiator. On her third negotiation she was happy with the results. Up the mountain they went. A transfer to the back of a truck and then a long walk over very steep and slippery trails and they arrive. Lovely scenery and views was the reward for the mile long walk.

I'm glad I remained on the ship.

The dining room has many empty tables tonight. The service is quick.

We go to the production show with the singers and dancers, sparsely attended with many empty seats. Seemed to lack the energy usually seen, I was told I slept through much of it.

Tomorrow we will be in San Juan.

10 Days on Explorer Of The Seas

The Explorer is about 25 years old. I first cruised on her when she was almost a "new" ship.

A week or so before departure I verify my supply of prescriptions and other essentials. I am good. The rest of packing gets delayed until the last day.

There are 8 of us cruising together. I swap cars with my daughter as 6 of us are leaving Clermont, possible in her minivan, not with my Lexus.

It has been cold in Central Florida with morning temps below 40.

Half way home the "check tire pressure light" comes on. She already had warned me that she had ordered new tires, but they were out of stock.

Probably just the cold weather. I stop and fill all the tires, the warning light goes off.

I check all my ziplocks of supplies, all those things I take just in case and can not rely on being able to purchase on the ship. All is good.

It is the night before departure. We agree to pick up the others at 7:30. This should get us to Miami by our scheduled boarding time of  1:00 PM. I finish my packing, and set the alarm.

In the morning I secure the house and head to Adrienne's to pick up the others. I arrive precisely at 7:30 as planned.

All the luggage is stashed and we head south on the turnpike towards Miami. We plan to meet Alyssa and James in Port St Lucie. A fuel and food stop.

After about an hour on the road, the "tire pressure warning" light comes on. I don't tell the others about the backordered tires, or the fact I had filled the tires 24 hours earlier.

We look for a tire pressure gauge. Don't find one. A call to Alyssa to ask her. If there is one it would be in the glove box.  None there. The next rest area is 20 miles. I take the risk and keep driving. Nothing with car handling seems abnormal.

Are the 5 year old tires worse than they look? Have I picked up a nail? Is a valve core leaking?  No answers, just fears. I manage to keep my questions to myself. We have about 4 extra hours in the schedule. Abandon the car and Uber is always a last resort.

It seems like it takes forever to reach the service plaza, the warning light continually glaring at me.

Finally the exit sign. I quickly spot the tire air fill hoses.

All 4 tires are checked, and all are exactly at the pressure I had filled them to two days ago. Relief. It is not a leak, but a faulty tire pressure sensor. Now I can share the rest of the story with my five passengers.

We meet the others as planned. Refueled and nourished we are on our way.

The plan is to drop most of the passengers and all the luggage at the terminal and then Adrienne and Alyssa will take the cars to the off site parking garage and Uber back to the terminal.

Financial savings? About $500 compared to parking at the port.

Boarding is effortless. There are no lines and no waiting. The cabins were ready at 1:00, we arrived at the terminal at 1:15, and by 1:30 we had checked in at our muster station and are in our cabin.

Alyssa and Adrienne are no more than 20 minutes behind us.

The only other "must do" task is to fix our dining reservations. We are booked at 2 different tables. 

"See me at 7:30 and I will have a table somewhere for you." Later than we had reserved, but OK.

Southern fried chicken was excellent. Too tired to bother hearing a comedian, we are sound asleep before 10.

Tomorrow is a sea day.