WARMTH WELCOMES US ALL THE WAY TO FLORIDA!

Fairfield Inn

St. Augustine, Florida

73F

Even though December is the earliest we have ever departed for our winter getaway, it is the warmest weather ever all the way. Sandals and no jacket this morning, first thing!

Last night (Friday, December 27) was interesting in two ways—first TK received an email from Princess Cruise Lines offering to fully refund our money if we would take an inside stateroom on the same cruise. They would send a check to us in February. TK and I disagreed about this, to put it mildly. The email stated we would have to pay port fees and taxes (no amount mentioned) and did not state if we would receive our onboard credit for military and other amenities for our booking that included all gratuities paid. Also, it did not state the size of the inside stateroom, which would have no windows. 

Dear Readers, consider what you would do!?

A balcony stateroom for a Panama Cruise is ideal because one can see the canal and locks up-close and personal. I remember in 2010 when we wanted to see the whole scale of the canal (our first PC cruise), I could barely get to the rail on the top deck and I am a “tall person always in front of me so I can’t see” magnet. We bring binoculars as well as my DSLR camera.  On our 2010 PC cruise I saw a whale breech right in front of me off our balcony on the Pacific. That would not be possible in an inside stateroom (I hope).

Janie also thought this offer was an insult—why not offer an UPgrade, to a suite, not a DOWNgrade?? We have been upgraded one time on a Princess cruise, and this one would be our 12^th Princess cruise, 120 days of cruising with them.

We have been looking forward to this cruise for about a year, always with a balcony stateroom in mind. To do another PC cruise “the right way” would take another year and I believe in doing things while we are healthy and able. I can’t see into the future.  The money returned to us would not cover another “exotic” cruise, like the Mediterranean, and certainly does not cover airfare in addition.

TK showed me that others received the same offer and they mentioned it on Cruise Critic, a website where cruisers discuss such things. Many thought it was a great idea, others did not. However, no Cruise Critic member who was online last night took the deal.  Apparently, this kind of offer happens often.

Anyway, we did not take the deal. End of story!

The second interesting item was that our Hilton Garden Inn was accommodating busloads of unsupervised children about middle school age last night. Apparently, there was a basketball tournament in Rock Hill this weekend. Readers, you can only imagine the noise, slamming doors, running, shouting, laughing.  Thankfully TK can fall asleep easily—he is the driver! Several phone calls later and several visits by hotel staff to our floor, and the noise was finally subdued. There were adults with the children, but I guess they had their own party going on.

This may be the most negative blog day I have ever done.

After 7 hours of driving and "crawling in traffic," we arrived in St. Augustine-the Premium Outlet Mall and Tommy Bahama’s-no purchases this time!  Dinner at Cracker Barrel at 7 p.m. We are pushing ourselves too much, but from here it is easy. I appreciate TK’s driving skills!

Our traditional stop at the Florida Welcome Center, orange juice not available today?!?

I did skim David McCullough’s Path Between the Seas to refresh my memory of building the canal-I read and annotated it thoroughly in 2010.  Such an amazing feat! This year we will sail the new canal, finished in 2016.

TK’s Takes: He has never seen so much traffic as we travel. North and South Carolina highways (VA and WV too) are four lanes, two each way. People are crazy drivers, darting in and out of lanes, jostling with semi-tractor trailers, children in the car. We were slowed down by at least 3 accidents and got off the highway twice for detours—I-77, I-26, and I-95. Georgia and Florida have 6 lanes of traffic,  3 lanes each way. Anyone reading this knows the routine!  

TK said he would take the offer if he was traveling alone. [JK take: I hope that doesn't mean he has something in mind]