January 22, 2017. Fort Lauderdale U.S.A. Disembarkment

Rise and shine we are back to where we started 2 weeks ago.  We were up by 6:00 showered and went for breakfast. Sun was just coming up by the time we got to the Lido.  We wanted the expedited time between 7:30-8:00 to leave the ship.  You have to be able to take your own luggage off the ship. Not a problem for us.  We just wanted to get ahead of the 2600 others.  Got off the ship and caught the first shuttle to the Park and Go.  We were on our way home by 745 and no traffic being it was a Sunday.  So driving back up to Largo took no time at all.  We got into our drive way by noon.  We had to drive all the way up on interstate 75  because they were experiencing high winds and the Sky way Bridge was closed.  Lots of rain and wind came in our area by 5:00 pm.  Good to be home.  Will unpack tomorrow.  So that was our 2 week adventure.  Very hard to do the blog this time with no internet.  In March when we do the Grand Mediterranean I haven't decided if I will continue this.  I write it up at night. Then we have to find wifi somewhere to upload everything.  I might try it for awhile we shall see.  Thanks for following us. So remember...

Day 14. January 21, 2017. Key West Florida U.S.A.

> This morning after United States Immigration Inspection, we proceeded to get off the ship as we were docked right downtown. We are here all day, and we only have one thing planned as we were just here on June 30 last summer. We are meeting a very nice couple that we meet on the Insignia last year. Joyce and Craig they opened there home to us Worldies. We are meeting them at 1:00 at the Lazy Gecko. This will be fun. We have just learned on this cruise that we lost a wonderful women also that was on the 6 month journey with us. She was a very sweet women and her passion was the dive. She was in Honduras diving and doing what she loved to do. Our hearts go out to Pierre and their family.

Day 12 January 19, 2017 Cozumel Mexico

Our plan for today was to go to Paradise Beach, south of where the cruise ship docks on Cozumel. We connected with another couple also going there, and split the $15 taxi fare. Unlike Nachi Cocum (which is even further south) Paradise Beach is not all inclusive. There is a $3pp charge to rent chairs and umbrella and use the beach and pool, and, in return, each person must buy at least $10 of food or beverages. The resort is beautiful, very well maintained and clean. Though the pool does not have a swim up bar, it does feature tanning ledges and is less than 4 feet deep, making it great for families.

 

We headed right to the beach, and the sand was recently raked. There were plenty of chairs and umbrellas, and some were closer to the music and others further away. We chose chairs further away. The water itself was marginal, very rocky and sea grass-y, but at least the wind was kind today and it wasn't too rough. 

 

Paradise Beach features numerous optional water toys including kayaks and stand up paddleboards for an additional $18pp. These were a huge draw for families.

There are 5 ships in Port today so this is going to get pretty busy.  Glad we got here very early.

Free wifi here as well and that always helps me do this blog.  We are here late tonight so we can just take our time and no worries about missing the ship.

Its starting to get a bit busier so now I am going to finish this off and just relax in one of these chairs under the tree's.

My view for awhile.....Thanks for following us.

Day 11 January 18, 2017 Georgetown Caymen Island

Georgetown is a tender port which means that there is no dock for the ship. To get to shore you take a tender. We took a tender to town and walked around the town a bit and then went back to the ship. I don't know how many times we've been on Grand Cayman over the years.  Our first visits were spent doing the typical Grand Cayman excursions:  swimming with stingrays at Stingray City, snorkeling Coral Gardens and a shipwreck, visiting the town of Hell.  Like most islands we visit on these itineraries, spending a day on a beach didn't come until all other tourist options had been exhausted. Georgetown is a very "American tourist" type town with many jewelry stores and souvenir shops (and of course hundreds of banks). An afternoon on the ship was very relaxing especially when there are 7 ships in port today.
That's 19,366 people all trying to get to the beach, stingray city, and walking the town. No thank you

Carol Keys if you are reading this we wish you a wonderful Happy Birthday.  Sending you warm winds up your way.  Love you

Day 10 January 17, 2017 Sea Day

More pictures of this beautiful ship

In the evenings, Lido Pool transforms into a movie theatre with fresh popcorn being served.

Lido Market on Deck 9 is Koningsdam´s buffet restaurant and one of the most beautiful and elegant self-service venues onboard any cruise ship that I have seen so far. Reminiscent of the design of the era of grand ocean liners of the 1960´s, this hotspot offers a little different approach: The buffet stations are not self-service.

 

In for a game of shuffleboard? The outdoor deck on Deck 10

 

While the forward section of Deck 11 is reserved for further balcony staterooms, the gallery circulating the retractable roof of Lido Pool is reserved for the joggers. Outdoor stretching on metal bows  perfectly prepare for a run …  with the best views

 

 

Day 9 January 16, 2017 Half Moom Cay, Bahamas

Ok this is our 2nd time around at this beautiful beach.  We are just going to relax here.  It really doesn't get much better than this for such a clean, sandy beach. 

lots of toys you can play with, nature hikes, horseback riding.  For us its all about the water

 

 

Look at this view....

Backside way to funny

 

 

 

 

 

Day 8 January 15, 2017 Fort Lauderdale USA (Turn Around Day)

Disembarking today NOPE not us we are going back out for another week.  This is where the first week ends and a new weeks starts.  This week we will be going to Georgetown, Cozumel, and Key West. 

Coming into Ft Lauderdale early in the morning. 

Lots of Ships
There are two things most crew members love: WiFi and shopping at Ross. Both of these things are not hard to find in and around the Port Everglades cruise terminal.  We  definitely had a crew member moment when I realized we spent our whole morning in Fort Lauderdale shopping at Ross, walking around the public beaches, and then using WiFi. We are walking to a Turtle Nesting Beach which is about 45 minutes away from the cruise terminal. Along the way we stopped by Dunkin' Donuts to have an iced coffee for the walk to the beach. Turtle Nesting Beach is massive! The beach appears to go on for miles with lots of sand so it never feels crowded. The abundance of picnic tables and benches at this beach makes it a great place for any type of group gathering involving food. Although the weather is in the mid 70's there are people still sunbathing on the beaches.  Not us we are just walking today.

Ok back on the ship we are again scheduled to leave once again around 4pm.  Lots of newbies on board now.  It will be funny to watch the new people get lost on the ship.

Our sail away with ships now departing to head for the Caribbean

Day 7 January 14, 2017 Half Moon Cay Bahamas

 What a beautiful Island.  It's really all about the beach itself. 

We were at Half Moon Cay for about 6  hours today, and we spent all but about 30 minutes either in the water or walking round trip the entire length of the beach, barefoot along the water's edge (which is so long it takes about 80 minutes). It simply doesn't get any better than that. 

We ate lunch from the BBQ on the beach- chicken and ribs and lots of fruit. There was a lot more to choose from, but we wanted it limit it to easily eaten finger foods, as we couldn't bear to leave the beach and sit at a picnic table to eat with silverware. The last tender back to the ship was at 2:30pm.

In 1997, Holland America Line purchased Little San Salvador from its previous owners for a cool $6 million. Today, the 2,400-acre island is known as Half Moon Cay and serves as a private retreat for passengers on the line's Caribbean and Panama Canal sailings. (Carnival ships sometimes visit, too, as Holland America is owned by Carnival Corp.)
The line invested $15 million to spruce up Half Moon Cay, but just two percent of it has been developed. Located less than 100 miles southeast of Nassau, the island houses its passenger facilities on less than 50 acres; much of the remaining land serves as a preserve for migratory birds. Day-to-day operations are handled by nearly 100 employees who reside on nearby islands.
Physically, the island boasts a 2.5-mile-long crescent-shaped beach -- the source of the name Half Moon Cay. Facilities are divided into three sections: the welcome center, Bahamian Village and Tropics Restaurant. The welcome center features an information booth, restrooms, a bar, a Bahamian straw market, an ice cream shop, a post office, a first aid station, an island shop and tram stop.

Day 6 January 13, 2017 Sea Day sailing towards Bahamas

First we would like to wish Nancy a very Happy Birthday.  May your day be wonderful and blessed.  Happy Birthday from us

So today is a very relaxing day.  Little bit of sun little bit of planning for our next week.  Here are a few more pictures of this amazing ship.

This is the Sea View pool out back.  2 decks of sunbathers

 

This is what they call the retreat.  You can book the cabana's for the day, for a cost of coarse  69.00 for 1/2 day. .  So for sea days we are either busy inside doing seminars or outside relaxing. 

 and one of our favourite snack spots called New York Deli & Pizza. Like in the Dive-In downstairs, all sandwiches and pizzas come at no extra charge and are made-to-order

 

The dive in serves great hot dogs and Hambergers

speaking of food this is the main Dinning room

 ok I don't want to bore you all, so enough of that. 

 

Day 5 January 12, 2017 St. Thomas USVI

Arrived at the Crown Bay cruise complex at 8am under drizzly skies and mostly cloudy at 75* so Sunrise was a bust...by 915am the sun was peeking thru so it was over to the Marina next door at 10am and  off on a short water taxi ride--about 10 minutes-- over to Water Island --the 4th US Virgin Island.. love Honeymoon Beach here.. quiet.. out of the ordinary and off the beaten path as we have been here a number of times in the past...shhhhhhhhh.. it hasn't been discovered yet by the tourons ...a super day on the beach.  Then we came back and walked all over town. 

   Another great day in the Virgin Islands.

These guys are all over the place.

 Need I say more......