FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA TO KINGSVILLE, GEORGIA
Monday, December 6, 2010
We disembarked to a cool Fort Lauderdale, about 50 F, by 9:30 p.m. Another “Platinum” perk is waiting in a nice lounge with USA Today and CNN before being called to disembark. We got through customs smoothly and called our hotel shuttle. When it arrived within 20 minutes we were ecstatic until we found out that 6 people were demanding to get on the shuttle with all their luggage and us even though they never called the shuttle, a prerequisite. The driver crammed us all into the shuttle with all of the luggage piled in and off we went. If these people had called, the driver would have brought a bigger van and the trailer to carry the luggage. Grrrrr…..
We drove the rest of the day to Kingsville, Georgia and stayed there for the night at a Hampton Inn.
KINGSVILLE, GEORGIA TO SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Sunny and 40 F
Today we drove to the Spartanburg Marriott in Spartanburg, South Carolina, about 5 hours. After visiting the Westgate Mall and Corona Mexican Restaurant, we returned to the hotel so I could review my Medal of Honor presentation for tomorrow. Friend H.K. flew in from Erie.
SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA TO FORT CHISWELL, VIRGINIA
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Sunny and 30s F
Tim drove H.K. and me to the Dorman High School Administration Building where we spent the day introducing about 16 teachers and 1 administrator to the Medal of Honor curriculum. We had a great day.
After we dropped H at the hotel (she will fly back to Erie tomorrow), Tim and I drove off for Erie. We stopped about 7:30 p.m. in Fort Chiswell, Virginia for the night at the same Hampton Inn we stayed in going south.
We will drive to Erie tomorrow—we have had such a good trip!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
PRINCESS CAYS--LAST DAY OF SUN FUN!
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Sunny, 77 F
We tendered this morning to Princess Cays, the southern portion of the Island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. Christopher Columbus discovered this island in 1492. We found two sort of secluded lounge chairs under a coconut palm, just for us! We could see more palm trees, endless white sand beaches, the sea, and our ship in the distance. A beautiful breeze cooled us just as the sun warmed us. I figured we had to soak up a lot of sun to take home with us. My new camera is fabulous, 18 mega pixels and I am enjoying the photos. I stood on a platform on the beach that jutted into the sea and looked down to take photos of tropical fishes swimming amidst the rocks. Princess Cays is a very nice private island, but we still would have preferred Grand Turk, the original destination.
Back on the ship we packed, a task we never like.
Reflection: We enjoyed the cruise---we always say we never met a cruise we didn’t like. I don’t think we will ever cruise during Thanksgiving again. (I heard an older couple complaining about the “British Invasion” show last night: “Princess has run out of things to do,” one said. I could not believe it.) I think we will try to cruise with our Cruise Critic friends more often.
We would take the railroad tour in St. Kitts next time. I think I would like to have more extensive tours of Santo Domingo and Grenada. I wish photos did not cost so much on the ship and I wish I could stop myself from buying them!
I am looking forward to seeing our family. We will be home by Friday. B2’s 9th birthday is Sunday and her party is Saturday at the Children’s Museum. I have two good surprises for her! On Tuesday we are stopping in Spartanburg, South Carolina, so I can meet friend H. to work with a school district there for Medal of Honor curriculum training on Wednesday. I’m looking forward to that too.
Sunny, 77 F
We tendered this morning to Princess Cays, the southern portion of the Island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas. Christopher Columbus discovered this island in 1492. We found two sort of secluded lounge chairs under a coconut palm, just for us! We could see more palm trees, endless white sand beaches, the sea, and our ship in the distance. A beautiful breeze cooled us just as the sun warmed us. I figured we had to soak up a lot of sun to take home with us. My new camera is fabulous, 18 mega pixels and I am enjoying the photos. I stood on a platform on the beach that jutted into the sea and looked down to take photos of tropical fishes swimming amidst the rocks. Princess Cays is a very nice private island, but we still would have preferred Grand Turk, the original destination.
Back on the ship we packed, a task we never like.
Reflection: We enjoyed the cruise---we always say we never met a cruise we didn’t like. I don’t think we will ever cruise during Thanksgiving again. (I heard an older couple complaining about the “British Invasion” show last night: “Princess has run out of things to do,” one said. I could not believe it.) I think we will try to cruise with our Cruise Critic friends more often.
We would take the railroad tour in St. Kitts next time. I think I would like to have more extensive tours of Santo Domingo and Grenada. I wish photos did not cost so much on the ship and I wish I could stop myself from buying them!
I am looking forward to seeing our family. We will be home by Friday. B2’s 9th birthday is Sunday and her party is Saturday at the Children’s Museum. I have two good surprises for her! On Tuesday we are stopping in Spartanburg, South Carolina, so I can meet friend H. to work with a school district there for Medal of Honor curriculum training on Wednesday. I’m looking forward to that too.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
SEA DAY—BRITISH INVASION
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Sunny and warm—77 F
Pool morning for me while Tim used our free bingo card that we won the first day and he played in the slots tournament.
In the afternoon I did “On Deck for the Cure,” a 5 K non-competitive walk 8 times around the promenade deck for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. This is the 4th time I have participated on Princess/Carnival ships. In the past I honored my mother and friends, including A.B. and Nancy K (2 cruises with her and Brian and the Las Vegas trip), but this time I did it for friend H.G. who was just diagnosed in September. I wore Tim’s pink Erie Firefighter t-shirt (“Proud to wear Pink”). The walk was very hot, but the breeze and the sea really enhanced the good feeling!
It was a formal evening and for dinner we had lobster tail—very very good. After dinner we went to first showing of the latest Princess production on this ship and in the fleet, British Invasion. This show was phenomenal. Tim and I both agreed that it was the best show we had seen in our 25 cruises. There had to be at least 12 costume changes in 45 minutes, favorite songs from the 60s to the present, from the Beatles to the Eurhythmics and later. For “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” the dance was ballet style. Lights, music, stage set, the voices, all great. After the finale the audience gave a standing ovation. Billy London, Cruise Director, said this production cost $1.5 million. He said Princess was stepping up their productions for the future.
Earlier London told us that the Grand Princess is going into dry dock for 3 weeks in April 2011 for a $50 million dollar refurbishing and $15 million technical work. Apparently they are taking off the Skywalker deck (17th deck). This deck is quite a unique nightclub, but it does not get as much use as intended.
TK’s Takes: even the 70 somethings gave the show, BRITISH INVASION, a standing ovation.
Sunny and warm—77 F
Pool morning for me while Tim used our free bingo card that we won the first day and he played in the slots tournament.
In the afternoon I did “On Deck for the Cure,” a 5 K non-competitive walk 8 times around the promenade deck for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation. This is the 4th time I have participated on Princess/Carnival ships. In the past I honored my mother and friends, including A.B. and Nancy K (2 cruises with her and Brian and the Las Vegas trip), but this time I did it for friend H.G. who was just diagnosed in September. I wore Tim’s pink Erie Firefighter t-shirt (“Proud to wear Pink”). The walk was very hot, but the breeze and the sea really enhanced the good feeling!
It was a formal evening and for dinner we had lobster tail—very very good. After dinner we went to first showing of the latest Princess production on this ship and in the fleet, British Invasion. This show was phenomenal. Tim and I both agreed that it was the best show we had seen in our 25 cruises. There had to be at least 12 costume changes in 45 minutes, favorite songs from the 60s to the present, from the Beatles to the Eurhythmics and later. For “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” the dance was ballet style. Lights, music, stage set, the voices, all great. After the finale the audience gave a standing ovation. Billy London, Cruise Director, said this production cost $1.5 million. He said Princess was stepping up their productions for the future.
Earlier London told us that the Grand Princess is going into dry dock for 3 weeks in April 2011 for a $50 million dollar refurbishing and $15 million technical work. Apparently they are taking off the Skywalker deck (17th deck). This deck is quite a unique nightclub, but it does not get as much use as intended.
TK’s Takes: even the 70 somethings gave the show, BRITISH INVASION, a standing ovation.
Friday, December 3, 2010
SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Friday, December 03, 2010
Sunny, high 70s F, breezy
As I write this I am sitting on our sunny balcony (C321) in my swimsuit watching Santo Domingo float by, about 3 p.m. EST.
This port surprised us today. We expected to get off and back on the ship quite quickly. Jarasin, our room steward said that the colonial city was interesting, and when we saw a shuttle to the “old city” for $5 round trip per person we decided to board. “Willis” introduced himself on the bus as a representative of the Ministry of Tourism and if we wanted a tour with him, it would be an extra $5. That was a bargain to us. About 20 people on the bus agreed and when we reached the colonial area across the river from port area, we followed Willis on a walking tour. He told us that Santo Domingo was the first European city in the New World and now the biggest city in the Caribbean with a population of 3 ½ million people. ___________ is the second largest city of the Dominican Republic and has a population of 2 million. The population of the DR is 9 million.
Willis told us that the whole island was called Santo Domingo or Hispaniola after its discovery, but after struggles with the French, the island was divided into Haiti and Santo Domingo of the West. Eventually the French part, Haiti, gained independence in 1804. At some point Haiti and the French controlled the whole island, but the Dominican Republic gained its own independence in 1844. This is an island where the people in Haiti speak French or Creole and the people in the DR speak Spanish. Santo Domingo is definitely a big city with lots of traffic and activity.
We started our tour near the home and fortress walls of Christopher Columbus’ son. The house (looked like a palace, columns, made of huge stone) was built in 1611. Willis showed us the first cathedral in the New World and some of the first buildings, like one where Christopher Columbus lived. The streets were cobblestone and again the houses reminded me of those in New Orleans. We visited the National Pantheon where their heroes are entombed. There was an eternal flame, the country’s flags, and a lone soldier marching a very slow cadence in front of the tombs. It was a solemn sight.
We visited a shop where young artisans were making jewelry with amber, larimar, and black coral. Another stop was a market. In the old city square is another shopping area with small shops. We stepped into a supermarket and a couple shops. There is a Hard Rock Café here, but it was not open yet for lunch. Men are offering beaded necklaces for $1, as well as packs of post cards, 10 for $5. I got the post cards. I do wish the statue we passed near the river was one of them, I could not find one anywhere. The huge statue depicts a pair of oxen pulling a cart of sugar cane. This seems to be a bygone industry in most of the islands but is rich in their history.
Today I was thinking of grade school where I first learned about Christopher Columbus and his discovery of the New World. The “West Indies” we were learning about with spices, sugar cane, and tobacco all seemed so exotic. Now I have been to so many islands in the “West Indies!” I pray that granddaughters B1 and B2 are learning about geography and the history of the world to enrich their lives.
We are far out to sea now and I will continue after dinner.
We dined again in the Horizon Court. It is hard to believe how many people eat there for dinner. We headed to the Vista Lounge for Comedy Showtime with Tom Briscoe. He is from NYC and was quite funny. Because we sat in the front row, he would ask Tim for agreement about his jokes about women. One routine was about the difficulty of picking out pantyhose for his wife when he did not know her size. I noticed a couple two seats away from us did not even laugh or smile at one joke. I wondered why they even came to the show. The theater was packed with people who did think he was funny and others were upset that they had to wait until the next show.
TK’s Takes: Bill London and Dave mentioned TK and his photo of Marie Osmond on the morning show today. Everyone loves that photo. TK said that the cruise director staff finally found a pool game that got people involved. All you had to do was be upright and breathing to play. It was the most attended poolside activity this cruise.
Sunny, high 70s F, breezy
As I write this I am sitting on our sunny balcony (C321) in my swimsuit watching Santo Domingo float by, about 3 p.m. EST.
This port surprised us today. We expected to get off and back on the ship quite quickly. Jarasin, our room steward said that the colonial city was interesting, and when we saw a shuttle to the “old city” for $5 round trip per person we decided to board. “Willis” introduced himself on the bus as a representative of the Ministry of Tourism and if we wanted a tour with him, it would be an extra $5. That was a bargain to us. About 20 people on the bus agreed and when we reached the colonial area across the river from port area, we followed Willis on a walking tour. He told us that Santo Domingo was the first European city in the New World and now the biggest city in the Caribbean with a population of 3 ½ million people. ___________ is the second largest city of the Dominican Republic and has a population of 2 million. The population of the DR is 9 million.
Willis told us that the whole island was called Santo Domingo or Hispaniola after its discovery, but after struggles with the French, the island was divided into Haiti and Santo Domingo of the West. Eventually the French part, Haiti, gained independence in 1804. At some point Haiti and the French controlled the whole island, but the Dominican Republic gained its own independence in 1844. This is an island where the people in Haiti speak French or Creole and the people in the DR speak Spanish. Santo Domingo is definitely a big city with lots of traffic and activity.
We started our tour near the home and fortress walls of Christopher Columbus’ son. The house (looked like a palace, columns, made of huge stone) was built in 1611. Willis showed us the first cathedral in the New World and some of the first buildings, like one where Christopher Columbus lived. The streets were cobblestone and again the houses reminded me of those in New Orleans. We visited the National Pantheon where their heroes are entombed. There was an eternal flame, the country’s flags, and a lone soldier marching a very slow cadence in front of the tombs. It was a solemn sight.
We visited a shop where young artisans were making jewelry with amber, larimar, and black coral. Another stop was a market. In the old city square is another shopping area with small shops. We stepped into a supermarket and a couple shops. There is a Hard Rock Café here, but it was not open yet for lunch. Men are offering beaded necklaces for $1, as well as packs of post cards, 10 for $5. I got the post cards. I do wish the statue we passed near the river was one of them, I could not find one anywhere. The huge statue depicts a pair of oxen pulling a cart of sugar cane. This seems to be a bygone industry in most of the islands but is rich in their history.
Today I was thinking of grade school where I first learned about Christopher Columbus and his discovery of the New World. The “West Indies” we were learning about with spices, sugar cane, and tobacco all seemed so exotic. Now I have been to so many islands in the “West Indies!” I pray that granddaughters B1 and B2 are learning about geography and the history of the world to enrich their lives.
We are far out to sea now and I will continue after dinner.
We dined again in the Horizon Court. It is hard to believe how many people eat there for dinner. We headed to the Vista Lounge for Comedy Showtime with Tom Briscoe. He is from NYC and was quite funny. Because we sat in the front row, he would ask Tim for agreement about his jokes about women. One routine was about the difficulty of picking out pantyhose for his wife when he did not know her size. I noticed a couple two seats away from us did not even laugh or smile at one joke. I wondered why they even came to the show. The theater was packed with people who did think he was funny and others were upset that they had to wait until the next show.
TK’s Takes: Bill London and Dave mentioned TK and his photo of Marie Osmond on the morning show today. Everyone loves that photo. TK said that the cruise director staff finally found a pool game that got people involved. All you had to do was be upright and breathing to play. It was the most attended poolside activity this cruise.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
ST. THOMAS---SHOPPING HAVEN
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Sunny and 77 F with a great breeze
We got up earlier than days so we could take advantage of the shopping in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas! The bus downtown from Havensight was $4 each way. I am very satisfied that we did the island justice with our purchases. I finally bought the digital camera I wanted for a long time at Royal Caribbean. We checked out some of our favorite shops like Little Switzerland, Cardow’s, Diamonds International. We had lunch at the Green Parrot House Restaurant, Bar, and Night Club on Waterfront Highway. Our table was by the open window with a view of the harbor, a 5 decked yacht, our cruise ship, sailboats at sail, some at anchor, palm trees, and we felt a gentle breeze.
We had dinner at the Horizon Court and went to the movie in the Vista Lounge today, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, with Nicholas Cage. It was a cute movie set in NYC in 2000, Balthezar vs. Horwath vs. Morgana with a few others, all involved in mystic magical powers.
Sunny and 77 F with a great breeze
We got up earlier than days so we could take advantage of the shopping in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas! The bus downtown from Havensight was $4 each way. I am very satisfied that we did the island justice with our purchases. I finally bought the digital camera I wanted for a long time at Royal Caribbean. We checked out some of our favorite shops like Little Switzerland, Cardow’s, Diamonds International. We had lunch at the Green Parrot House Restaurant, Bar, and Night Club on Waterfront Highway. Our table was by the open window with a view of the harbor, a 5 decked yacht, our cruise ship, sailboats at sail, some at anchor, palm trees, and we felt a gentle breeze.
We had dinner at the Horizon Court and went to the movie in the Vista Lounge today, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, with Nicholas Cage. It was a cute movie set in NYC in 2000, Balthezar vs. Horwath vs. Morgana with a few others, all involved in mystic magical powers.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
ST. KITTS---MORE SUN AND WARMTH
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Sunny and warm-80s F
As I write this about 3 p.m. EST, I am sitting on our balcony with the Caribbean stretched out to the horizon in a southwesterly direction and St. Kitts to the northwest. I am so glad that the ship ended up stopping here. About a month ago some Celebrity ship passengers on a tour bus were robbed at gunpoint and a Princess tour bus was right behind it on the road. The following 2 weeks no cruise ship stopped in St. Kitts, to my knowledge. This deed instantly affected their economy, as attested to today by merchants I talked to. Apparently the robbers were caught and ships started coming back.
St. Kitts is a lovely island. An Englishman, Capt. Thomas Warner, established the first European settlement in 1624. For the next 80+ years the French and British struggled for control of the island, but the 1783 Treaty of Versailles gave Britain dominion over St. Kitts and Nevis. The two islands gained independence in 1983. According to the Princess Patter, the landscape is more reminiscent of Polynesia than the Caribbean, the terrain, rich soil, and climate made the islands ideal locations for growing sugarcane and were called the crown jewels of the sea. It is 65 square miles and has a population of 32,000. The colonial two story buildings in Basseterre, where our ship docked, remind me of New Orleans.
This is the island that English friends Colin and Gwen watched a cricket match in January 2009. There is a shopping area just past the dock. Today the Emerald Princess is in port with us. We walked leisurely to the clock tower at Circus Circle. We could have had our photo taken with tiny monkeys a dozen or so times. St. Kitts has large monkey population. We shopped for a while—I am still looking for a certain watch and I was still looking for things for dear granddaughters B1 and B2. I did buy something at Del Sol for them. I already bought Christmas presents in Aruba for dear daughters in law—I hope they like them. It is very hard to buy for sons R and B.
Anyway, we happened to be in Diamonds International when they were having a drawing for a diamond bracelet. When I heard the name, “Tim Koenig,” called out, I could not believe it! So unless he has a girlfriend I don’t know about, I now have a diamond bracelet. Aren’t we lucky!!!!
We returned to the ship about noon for lunch in the Horizon Buffet. I loved the cheese tortellini. Since I have read all three of the books I brought I am now reading Tim’s. Many many years ago in the early 80s, when I first met Tim, we read the Thomas Covenant Chronicles, a series of six books by Stephen R. Donaldson. After all those years, Donaldson decided to continue the saga. I like the fact that we have both read the series and will continue!
It is 3:30 now and the ship has left the port. I can hear the band playing country & western by the pool-apparently they read my remarks about not playing by the pool! I will try to post this on the blog now and will return later.
As it turned out, there was no Internet connection then so we enjoyed the view of the sea and the island. At dinner we went to DaVinci again and enjoyed the very best pasta e fagioli and veal scallopini. It is Italian night. Tim noted that the maitre d’ no longer makes a pasta dish for the guests at dinner. When we asked him about this, he said to let him know before dinner some night and he would gladly see that we got our own pasta. Two years ago on the Grand we saw the maitre d’ do this, as well as on the Crown and Coral. We are finally getting the hang of when to go to dinner so we don’t wait for a table for two. Dessert was Cassata alla Siciliano (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream layered with a topping, like Neopolitan) and Venetian Style Crepe with Apple and a vanilla topping. Both desserts were excellent.
Tonight is an early night because tomorrow is St. Thomas and that is a total all out shopping island for me. Tim is gracious enough to go with me. I think he is making sure I don’t spend all my money??? He likes to look at watches too.
TK’s Takes: This cruise makes a Holland America cruise in Alaska seem like Spring Break on a Carnival cruise. The assistant cruise director could only get six people for volleyball in the pool. There are only about five or six children on this cruise. The Emerald Princess was in port with us—it looked like a very nice ship.
Sunny and warm-80s F
As I write this about 3 p.m. EST, I am sitting on our balcony with the Caribbean stretched out to the horizon in a southwesterly direction and St. Kitts to the northwest. I am so glad that the ship ended up stopping here. About a month ago some Celebrity ship passengers on a tour bus were robbed at gunpoint and a Princess tour bus was right behind it on the road. The following 2 weeks no cruise ship stopped in St. Kitts, to my knowledge. This deed instantly affected their economy, as attested to today by merchants I talked to. Apparently the robbers were caught and ships started coming back.
St. Kitts is a lovely island. An Englishman, Capt. Thomas Warner, established the first European settlement in 1624. For the next 80+ years the French and British struggled for control of the island, but the 1783 Treaty of Versailles gave Britain dominion over St. Kitts and Nevis. The two islands gained independence in 1983. According to the Princess Patter, the landscape is more reminiscent of Polynesia than the Caribbean, the terrain, rich soil, and climate made the islands ideal locations for growing sugarcane and were called the crown jewels of the sea. It is 65 square miles and has a population of 32,000. The colonial two story buildings in Basseterre, where our ship docked, remind me of New Orleans.
This is the island that English friends Colin and Gwen watched a cricket match in January 2009. There is a shopping area just past the dock. Today the Emerald Princess is in port with us. We walked leisurely to the clock tower at Circus Circle. We could have had our photo taken with tiny monkeys a dozen or so times. St. Kitts has large monkey population. We shopped for a while—I am still looking for a certain watch and I was still looking for things for dear granddaughters B1 and B2. I did buy something at Del Sol for them. I already bought Christmas presents in Aruba for dear daughters in law—I hope they like them. It is very hard to buy for sons R and B.
Anyway, we happened to be in Diamonds International when they were having a drawing for a diamond bracelet. When I heard the name, “Tim Koenig,” called out, I could not believe it! So unless he has a girlfriend I don’t know about, I now have a diamond bracelet. Aren’t we lucky!!!!
We returned to the ship about noon for lunch in the Horizon Buffet. I loved the cheese tortellini. Since I have read all three of the books I brought I am now reading Tim’s. Many many years ago in the early 80s, when I first met Tim, we read the Thomas Covenant Chronicles, a series of six books by Stephen R. Donaldson. After all those years, Donaldson decided to continue the saga. I like the fact that we have both read the series and will continue!
It is 3:30 now and the ship has left the port. I can hear the band playing country & western by the pool-apparently they read my remarks about not playing by the pool! I will try to post this on the blog now and will return later.
As it turned out, there was no Internet connection then so we enjoyed the view of the sea and the island. At dinner we went to DaVinci again and enjoyed the very best pasta e fagioli and veal scallopini. It is Italian night. Tim noted that the maitre d’ no longer makes a pasta dish for the guests at dinner. When we asked him about this, he said to let him know before dinner some night and he would gladly see that we got our own pasta. Two years ago on the Grand we saw the maitre d’ do this, as well as on the Crown and Coral. We are finally getting the hang of when to go to dinner so we don’t wait for a table for two. Dessert was Cassata alla Siciliano (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream layered with a topping, like Neopolitan) and Venetian Style Crepe with Apple and a vanilla topping. Both desserts were excellent.
Tonight is an early night because tomorrow is St. Thomas and that is a total all out shopping island for me. Tim is gracious enough to go with me. I think he is making sure I don’t spend all my money??? He likes to look at watches too.
TK’s Takes: This cruise makes a Holland America cruise in Alaska seem like Spring Break on a Carnival cruise. The assistant cruise director could only get six people for volleyball in the pool. There are only about five or six children on this cruise. The Emerald Princess was in port with us—it looked like a very nice ship.
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