2023-Norwegian Cruise Line Cruise
Prolouge--2023
Sometimes the hardest part about these travelouges is starting them. How about the beginning? Sometime last October, we were trying to figure out what to do for a vacation in 2023. I usually have these planned out several years in advance, but for this year, while I had plenty of ideas, I was having trouble settling on one. Circumstances kind of made the decision for me.
We, Sally/Chuck, Jayme/Pam and Margo/Me, had all traveled to Ft Lauderdale in January of 2022. We had a great time and hoped that we could do it again. We had talked about a cruise to Alaska. Sally and Chuck’s anniversary is in March. You don’t go to Alaska in March. But, you do go to the Caribbean. Sally booked a cruise for March 2023 and told us we were welcome to come along. Jayme and Pam thought it sounded good, and were leaning towards going. I always think getting away from Colorado in winter is a good idea, so Margo and I booked a cabin on the same ship.
In just a few short days we will be on our way. Our last trip was in September, and while things have settle down some at work, the holidays were very stressful for me. I had two cycle counters, who are so close we think they are now a gay couple, essentially blew off two weeks, claiming to me sick. Not so coincidently, it was the week of Christmas and the week after. So, was dealing with all of that nonsense, trying to document everything with the intent of firing them, and was then not able to. Mary also takes those two weeks off, and we were dealing with snow storms, shutting down routes, and causing me issues with inbound loads and lost product due to code date from those downed routes. Couple that with this unusually cold and snowy winter and I a really looking forward to this trip, despite all of the problems we have had getting ready for it.
We are sailing on Norwegian’s Encore, cruising to the Virgin Islands, Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic. We are going with Jayme and Pam, plus Sally and Chuck. The ladies, especially Sally have been doing most of the planning, so I don’t even recall what order we are visiting the islands. My only input was that I wanted to visit St John and at least briefly visit the Virgin Islands National Park.
Margo has been having nothing but problems with Norwegian’s customer service. Maybe there was some misunderstanding on what we needed, but Pam also had some issues. To begin with Norwegian was going to arrange the flight, and when Margo told them we were thinking of flying in the day before, she was told you can make those changes when you get your flight info. By the time that happened, we were then told we were past their deadline to make a change. Then when we saw our flight info, we were scheduled to get in at 1:30 PM, and had to be on the boat by 3 PM. They had also routed us with a connecting flight in Dallas. That was way too tight a window, so Margo called to insist that something had to be done. We, I helped, were routed back and forth between two departments, three or four times, before they did, wait for it, nothing. So Margo called the airline and $150 later, which is cheap, we were changed to a flight the day before.
She called trying to make a change to a dinner reservation, which we made on their website. The website gave us a choice of seating for 2, 4, or 8. We are a party of six. We chose 8. Margo heard that if we reserved 8 we would pay for eight meals, so she wanted to get that fixed. Nope. Could not do that on the website, even using their chat feature. So she called. No help there either. When she finally got a supervisor, she was at least told we would only be charged for the meals we were ordered.
Their website is designed to push sales and upgrades, not find out basics. I was much easier to use google to find things on their website, then try to figure out where to go on there. Want to know what you get on a drink package? Very easy to find out how to upgrade, not a list of brands and such. It is on there, it is just not easy to find. Disney was so much better.
But, even with all of that nonsense, we are very much looking forward to stealing a week of winter back from Mother Nature, and enjoying some 80 degree temps, and some relaxation.
We, Sally/Chuck, Jayme/Pam and Margo/Me, had all traveled to Ft Lauderdale in January of 2022. We had a great time and hoped that we could do it again. We had talked about a cruise to Alaska. Sally and Chuck’s anniversary is in March. You don’t go to Alaska in March. But, you do go to the Caribbean. Sally booked a cruise for March 2023 and told us we were welcome to come along. Jayme and Pam thought it sounded good, and were leaning towards going. I always think getting away from Colorado in winter is a good idea, so Margo and I booked a cabin on the same ship.
In just a few short days we will be on our way. Our last trip was in September, and while things have settle down some at work, the holidays were very stressful for me. I had two cycle counters, who are so close we think they are now a gay couple, essentially blew off two weeks, claiming to me sick. Not so coincidently, it was the week of Christmas and the week after. So, was dealing with all of that nonsense, trying to document everything with the intent of firing them, and was then not able to. Mary also takes those two weeks off, and we were dealing with snow storms, shutting down routes, and causing me issues with inbound loads and lost product due to code date from those downed routes. Couple that with this unusually cold and snowy winter and I a really looking forward to this trip, despite all of the problems we have had getting ready for it.
We are sailing on Norwegian’s Encore, cruising to the Virgin Islands, Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic. We are going with Jayme and Pam, plus Sally and Chuck. The ladies, especially Sally have been doing most of the planning, so I don’t even recall what order we are visiting the islands. My only input was that I wanted to visit St John and at least briefly visit the Virgin Islands National Park.
Margo has been having nothing but problems with Norwegian’s customer service. Maybe there was some misunderstanding on what we needed, but Pam also had some issues. To begin with Norwegian was going to arrange the flight, and when Margo told them we were thinking of flying in the day before, she was told you can make those changes when you get your flight info. By the time that happened, we were then told we were past their deadline to make a change. Then when we saw our flight info, we were scheduled to get in at 1:30 PM, and had to be on the boat by 3 PM. They had also routed us with a connecting flight in Dallas. That was way too tight a window, so Margo called to insist that something had to be done. We, I helped, were routed back and forth between two departments, three or four times, before they did, wait for it, nothing. So Margo called the airline and $150 later, which is cheap, we were changed to a flight the day before.
She called trying to make a change to a dinner reservation, which we made on their website. The website gave us a choice of seating for 2, 4, or 8. We are a party of six. We chose 8. Margo heard that if we reserved 8 we would pay for eight meals, so she wanted to get that fixed. Nope. Could not do that on the website, even using their chat feature. So she called. No help there either. When she finally got a supervisor, she was at least told we would only be charged for the meals we were ordered.
Their website is designed to push sales and upgrades, not find out basics. I was much easier to use google to find things on their website, then try to figure out where to go on there. Want to know what you get on a drink package? Very easy to find out how to upgrade, not a list of brands and such. It is on there, it is just not easy to find. Disney was so much better.
But, even with all of that nonsense, we are very much looking forward to stealing a week of winter back from Mother Nature, and enjoying some 80 degree temps, and some relaxation.
Day One-Saturday, March 4, 2023
Today is Saturday, and our day began at 2 AM. I crawled into bed at about 9:45 PM, after helping Margo finish up the last-minute packing and cleaning. As expected 2 AM got here really fast. Our plane was leaving at 5:30 AM. That meant we needed to be there no later than 4 AM, which meant leaving home no later than 3 AM. All of this is predicated on everything going to plan, or at least close to it. This schedule did not build a lot of fluff into it. I like more margin for error, but 2 AM, 4 hours of sleep. Something has to give.
Well, everything went close to plan. We had some fog on the way in. Our shuttle from the parking lot to the airport, was delayed, by about 10 minutes, due a gate that was being temperamental, but that cost us about 15 total minutes, and only meant we waited at our gate to board for about 15 minutes. Close,, but part of that margin cut was because they started boarding early.
We flew American, and had a direct flight from Denver to Miami. Jayme and Pam, and Sally and Chuck took a later flight to Ft Lauderdale. Their flight was arranged by Norwegian. So was ours, but flew in the same day, had a connection, and only gave us an hour from planned arrival to boarding the ship. That timeline was nothing but trouble. We went through American Airlines and got it fixed.
Our plane touched down in Miami at 11:15 AM, EDT. I got about two hours of fitful sleep. I had an aisle seat, and Margo had the window. We always fly this way. I did like that American had assigned seats. That is the one thing I have always hated about Southwest. Of course, last Christmas, Southwest ended canceling 80% of their flights, which is really bad for travelers like me. American also charged Margo and $60 for our two bags and will charge us the same when we flight home in a week.
After we took our time getting out of the plane, we were literally the last people to claim bags at our carousel. I don’t like the layout of the Miami airport. Bag Claim seemed like a mile walk from the gate we flew into. Once we got our bag, we backtracked another quarter mile and found ground transportation, hotel shuttles.
We only had to wait about 15 minutes, watching tons of other hotel shuttles come and go. Our driver, Alian was very helpful, even taking time to make sure we got our hotel to port shuttle booked when we were at the hotel. I did not truly feel I was on vacation until I got into Alain’s shuttle.
We were staying the Pullman, which is a nice place. We are paying nearly $300 for the single night, but it is comfortable and has a restaurant, bar, and pool. It would be like a preview for cruise. We had mentioned that we were needing a shuttle to the port in the morning, and Alain went inside with us, made a call, and got our transport arranged. It would be $15 per person, and we had to give them a three dollar per person deposit. So I gave the lady at the desk $18 and got a receipt/ticket for a six person shuttle, by Miami Detours, to the cruise docks.
We got to our room, dropped off our bags and had lunch at the bar. We both burgers, which were very good. I had a beer and Margo stayed with Dr Pepper. It was so nice to just sit and talk, or sit and read, without having to worry about Jackie, the dogs, or work, or doctors, or the world. The burger was good and even my Bud Light was good.
We went back to the room and waited for the others to arrive. By the time they did, they were famished, and we were ready for dessert. We talked, ate, cut up, and got dangerously close to being “those loud people”. Margo and I told them about the shuttle and they each couple forked over $30, and I would pay tomorrow.
We moved to the pool area, more drinks, more cutting up, with me offering to take Pam’s picture on the edge of the pool. For reasons unknown to me, she did not trust me. We had dinner about 6 PM, and everyone headed to bed early. I finished typing my letter to the family, and was getting really tired by 9:30 PM. I was in bed shortly thereafter.
Well, everything went close to plan. We had some fog on the way in. Our shuttle from the parking lot to the airport, was delayed, by about 10 minutes, due a gate that was being temperamental, but that cost us about 15 total minutes, and only meant we waited at our gate to board for about 15 minutes. Close,, but part of that margin cut was because they started boarding early.
We flew American, and had a direct flight from Denver to Miami. Jayme and Pam, and Sally and Chuck took a later flight to Ft Lauderdale. Their flight was arranged by Norwegian. So was ours, but flew in the same day, had a connection, and only gave us an hour from planned arrival to boarding the ship. That timeline was nothing but trouble. We went through American Airlines and got it fixed.
Our plane touched down in Miami at 11:15 AM, EDT. I got about two hours of fitful sleep. I had an aisle seat, and Margo had the window. We always fly this way. I did like that American had assigned seats. That is the one thing I have always hated about Southwest. Of course, last Christmas, Southwest ended canceling 80% of their flights, which is really bad for travelers like me. American also charged Margo and $60 for our two bags and will charge us the same when we flight home in a week.
After we took our time getting out of the plane, we were literally the last people to claim bags at our carousel. I don’t like the layout of the Miami airport. Bag Claim seemed like a mile walk from the gate we flew into. Once we got our bag, we backtracked another quarter mile and found ground transportation, hotel shuttles.
We only had to wait about 15 minutes, watching tons of other hotel shuttles come and go. Our driver, Alian was very helpful, even taking time to make sure we got our hotel to port shuttle booked when we were at the hotel. I did not truly feel I was on vacation until I got into Alain’s shuttle.
We were staying the Pullman, which is a nice place. We are paying nearly $300 for the single night, but it is comfortable and has a restaurant, bar, and pool. It would be like a preview for cruise. We had mentioned that we were needing a shuttle to the port in the morning, and Alain went inside with us, made a call, and got our transport arranged. It would be $15 per person, and we had to give them a three dollar per person deposit. So I gave the lady at the desk $18 and got a receipt/ticket for a six person shuttle, by Miami Detours, to the cruise docks.
We got to our room, dropped off our bags and had lunch at the bar. We both burgers, which were very good. I had a beer and Margo stayed with Dr Pepper. It was so nice to just sit and talk, or sit and read, without having to worry about Jackie, the dogs, or work, or doctors, or the world. The burger was good and even my Bud Light was good.
We went back to the room and waited for the others to arrive. By the time they did, they were famished, and we were ready for dessert. We talked, ate, cut up, and got dangerously close to being “those loud people”. Margo and I told them about the shuttle and they each couple forked over $30, and I would pay tomorrow.
We moved to the pool area, more drinks, more cutting up, with me offering to take Pam’s picture on the edge of the pool. For reasons unknown to me, she did not trust me. We had dinner about 6 PM, and everyone headed to bed early. I finished typing my letter to the family, and was getting really tired by 9:30 PM. I was in bed shortly thereafter.
Miami Sunset
We went back to the room and waited for the others to arrive. By the time they did, they were famished, and we were ready for dessert. We talked, ate, cut up, and got dangerously close to being “those loud people”. Margo and I told them about the shuttle and they each couple forked over $30, and I would pay tomorrow.
We moved to the pool area, more drinks, more cutting up, with me offering to take Pam’s picture on the edge of the pool. For reasons unknown to me, she did not trust me. We had dinner about 6 PM, and everyone headed to bed early. I finished typing my letter to the family, and was getting really tired by 9:30 PM. I was in bed shortly thereafter.
We moved to the pool area, more drinks, more cutting up, with me offering to take Pam’s picture on the edge of the pool. For reasons unknown to me, she did not trust me. We had dinner about 6 PM, and everyone headed to bed early. I finished typing my letter to the family, and was getting really tired by 9:30 PM. I was in bed shortly thereafter.
Pool at the Pullman. Very peaceful. Hotel is a bit expensive, but look.
Day Two--Sunday, March 5, 2023
Margo’s alarm went off at 7:15 and mine at 7:30 AM. Margo did not stir when her alarm went off. She said I slept really well, as I snored all night. I felt really bad, because she needs her sleep. I know my nose was partially plugged, which is normal for me. But, most nights I can mostly clear it. I will have to try harder tonight.
We were supposed to meet downstairs at the hotel’s restaurant for breakfast. It was expedient. I chose this hotel, so I figured I should pick up the cost of breakfast, which I knew was not going to be cheap, and because Sally had bought a round of drinks and dinner at the bar. The buffet was OK. I have had as good at Best Westerns, so for the price, it was not good value. But, I have also had worse food. My primary concern with the hotel was having a shuttle to the port, and that it be fairly close to the port to minimize traffic concerns. This fit the bill, but it came at a price. Next time I will do better.
Margo and I went up to our 9th floor room to finish packing. It’s not like we unpacked, but there was all the bathroom stuff and such to do. Jayme and Pam had their luggage at the front desk and had checked out. I think Sally and Chuck had done the same. We were downstair at 9:48, two minutes before we were supposed to meet. Jayme was just about so send me a text saying that they were on their way to the port. Margo pointed out that this would be a good trick considering she had the receipt for our trip.
Our shuttle was about 15 minutes late, which was a bit irritating, considering we were told to meet 10 minutes early to leave time to load luggage and such. We Miami Detours arrived, out driver was a 20 something, tiny, Hispanic woman. She was cute, but did not look up to slinging about 50 pound suitcases. Jayme and I loaded the luggage and I paid her the remaining $72 for our transport, and we were soon on our way.
The trip to the cruise dock was only about 10-15 minutes. But, once we took the exit, things quickly came to a stop. We could see parts of three other cruise ships when we came in, so it was obviously going to be busy. After much horn honking and lane changes, we pulled up in front of Norwegian’s area. There were people everywhere, going in all different directions. We could see a pile of luggage, so at least we knew where to start.
We all dragged our luggage over to an affable enough baggage handler, who took charge of our luggage, said to ignore all the chaos around us and go the a not to distant door. We weaved through two or three lines of people, only to find that the last line we walked through, was the line to get into our building. So we walked until we found what looked like the end, I am still nor sure if we cut in line, and waited.
We got to the front and we were told we needed our passports and boarding passes. Margo our passports out, but our boarding passes were still in my bag. We walked off to the right and had to go through metal detectors. As usual, my hip set it off. I made sure I had no metal, except for my belt. I have a big belly and narrow hips, not the ideal combination for keeping your pants up. So, my belt stays on unless directed to take it off.
Pam was also stopped, and she was confused as to why. The lady doing the wanding was back and forth, top to bottom, and it never went off. Best we came up with was her large watch, which the lady ignored. Pam even got felt up, which may have been the lady’s goal, because finding the obvious metal seemed beyond her.
I never heard the wand go off when she did me, either. Not even over my belt area. My first impression of Norwegian was that they were undertrained, and disorganized. If the lady dismissed me I did not hear it, which would not be surprising, but I basically got bored with standing like a bird ready to take off, and walked away. When no one yelled at me to stop, I kept going to join the non-metalized portion of our group.
We moved from getting molested to checking in. Here we got a mugshot taken, asked if we had COVID symptoms, signed away all rights, and were given our key card. At this point in the process, who is going to tell the lady, “Yup, fever, cough, and no sense of smell. Why don’t you just send me home and keep my money”. But, luckily no one in our party had to face that delimna. The lady went to the back, made our cards, and pointed us to the waiting area to board.
They had not started boarding yet, even though it was past 11:30. I think some people had selected boarding times as early as 9 AM. There reward was a low boarding number and a three hour wait. Once they did finally start boarding, it did go fairly quickly. We were in Group 18, and after Haven members, handicapped, and frequent sailors, they began letting the peons come aboard.
Once aboard there was no fanfare, only a quick welcome aboard, and to go to deck 16 to eat. Deck 16 was the home of the Garden Café, the Encore’s buffet. I looked around for fried chicken and mashed potatoes, my buffet favorite, but was disappointed. I got mashed, but not fried chicken. I did find rotessiere, but not until I had a full plate.
The place was busy, as you might expect, but I had seen one YouTube video that recommended going all the way to the back of the buffet, the most forward area od the ship, and there wee usually empty seats, ice cream station, and bathrooms nearby. All turned out to be true, and we found a table for six.
Plates full, Margo wanted a Coke. There was a guys with cans, but was not permitted to give the out. He could open and pour into a cup of ice. I asked for two Cokes and one can filled the two cups. I was already missing Disney and their soft drink station. Lunch was good. While buffet is never gourmet, this was good buffet food. A nice variety and generally the right temp with good flavor.
From lunch we wanted to continue to enjoy the nice weather, so we went to the pool area, which was also on deck 16. It was crazy busy. The few chairs we found were in the sun, and even coming from the winter of Colorado, this was too much of a good thing. We ended up splitting up for a few minutes, with Chuck and Sally checking out the cigar lounge, and the rest of us scouting out our rooms. The signs said they were not ready, so we met the others at the very nearby District Brewhouse to wait for the mandatory muster drill at 4:30 PM. Adult beverages were ordered by all but, Chuck who does not drink due to his diabetes, and Margo who is a light drinker and not quite in the mood.
While waiting we made dinner reservations at The Manhattan Room for 7:45 PM, and after finishing my second drink, we went to check on our room. I think Jayme and Pam did the same, and Sally and Chuck went to check on the cigar lounge. Chuck is a cigar smoker and was looking forward to this activity both on and off the ship.
When we found the right corridor, there was sign on the door saying the rooms behind this door were not ready, but as there was no one around guarding the door, we decided to test the sign’s veracity. We were being bad, which came with fixed feelings of fear and excitement.
We were the third cabin in, 8158, and the door unlocked when I touched the my card to it. Inside we found that the room was ready. About 5 minutes after we walked in they made the announcement that rooms were ready, so our feeling of being bad was short lived. We had no luggage yet, so after checking out the balcony, and other amenitites.
We were supposed to meet downstairs at the hotel’s restaurant for breakfast. It was expedient. I chose this hotel, so I figured I should pick up the cost of breakfast, which I knew was not going to be cheap, and because Sally had bought a round of drinks and dinner at the bar. The buffet was OK. I have had as good at Best Westerns, so for the price, it was not good value. But, I have also had worse food. My primary concern with the hotel was having a shuttle to the port, and that it be fairly close to the port to minimize traffic concerns. This fit the bill, but it came at a price. Next time I will do better.
Margo and I went up to our 9th floor room to finish packing. It’s not like we unpacked, but there was all the bathroom stuff and such to do. Jayme and Pam had their luggage at the front desk and had checked out. I think Sally and Chuck had done the same. We were downstair at 9:48, two minutes before we were supposed to meet. Jayme was just about so send me a text saying that they were on their way to the port. Margo pointed out that this would be a good trick considering she had the receipt for our trip.
Our shuttle was about 15 minutes late, which was a bit irritating, considering we were told to meet 10 minutes early to leave time to load luggage and such. We Miami Detours arrived, out driver was a 20 something, tiny, Hispanic woman. She was cute, but did not look up to slinging about 50 pound suitcases. Jayme and I loaded the luggage and I paid her the remaining $72 for our transport, and we were soon on our way.
The trip to the cruise dock was only about 10-15 minutes. But, once we took the exit, things quickly came to a stop. We could see parts of three other cruise ships when we came in, so it was obviously going to be busy. After much horn honking and lane changes, we pulled up in front of Norwegian’s area. There were people everywhere, going in all different directions. We could see a pile of luggage, so at least we knew where to start.
We all dragged our luggage over to an affable enough baggage handler, who took charge of our luggage, said to ignore all the chaos around us and go the a not to distant door. We weaved through two or three lines of people, only to find that the last line we walked through, was the line to get into our building. So we walked until we found what looked like the end, I am still nor sure if we cut in line, and waited.
We got to the front and we were told we needed our passports and boarding passes. Margo our passports out, but our boarding passes were still in my bag. We walked off to the right and had to go through metal detectors. As usual, my hip set it off. I made sure I had no metal, except for my belt. I have a big belly and narrow hips, not the ideal combination for keeping your pants up. So, my belt stays on unless directed to take it off.
Pam was also stopped, and she was confused as to why. The lady doing the wanding was back and forth, top to bottom, and it never went off. Best we came up with was her large watch, which the lady ignored. Pam even got felt up, which may have been the lady’s goal, because finding the obvious metal seemed beyond her.
I never heard the wand go off when she did me, either. Not even over my belt area. My first impression of Norwegian was that they were undertrained, and disorganized. If the lady dismissed me I did not hear it, which would not be surprising, but I basically got bored with standing like a bird ready to take off, and walked away. When no one yelled at me to stop, I kept going to join the non-metalized portion of our group.
We moved from getting molested to checking in. Here we got a mugshot taken, asked if we had COVID symptoms, signed away all rights, and were given our key card. At this point in the process, who is going to tell the lady, “Yup, fever, cough, and no sense of smell. Why don’t you just send me home and keep my money”. But, luckily no one in our party had to face that delimna. The lady went to the back, made our cards, and pointed us to the waiting area to board.
They had not started boarding yet, even though it was past 11:30. I think some people had selected boarding times as early as 9 AM. There reward was a low boarding number and a three hour wait. Once they did finally start boarding, it did go fairly quickly. We were in Group 18, and after Haven members, handicapped, and frequent sailors, they began letting the peons come aboard.
Once aboard there was no fanfare, only a quick welcome aboard, and to go to deck 16 to eat. Deck 16 was the home of the Garden Café, the Encore’s buffet. I looked around for fried chicken and mashed potatoes, my buffet favorite, but was disappointed. I got mashed, but not fried chicken. I did find rotessiere, but not until I had a full plate.
The place was busy, as you might expect, but I had seen one YouTube video that recommended going all the way to the back of the buffet, the most forward area od the ship, and there wee usually empty seats, ice cream station, and bathrooms nearby. All turned out to be true, and we found a table for six.
Plates full, Margo wanted a Coke. There was a guys with cans, but was not permitted to give the out. He could open and pour into a cup of ice. I asked for two Cokes and one can filled the two cups. I was already missing Disney and their soft drink station. Lunch was good. While buffet is never gourmet, this was good buffet food. A nice variety and generally the right temp with good flavor.
From lunch we wanted to continue to enjoy the nice weather, so we went to the pool area, which was also on deck 16. It was crazy busy. The few chairs we found were in the sun, and even coming from the winter of Colorado, this was too much of a good thing. We ended up splitting up for a few minutes, with Chuck and Sally checking out the cigar lounge, and the rest of us scouting out our rooms. The signs said they were not ready, so we met the others at the very nearby District Brewhouse to wait for the mandatory muster drill at 4:30 PM. Adult beverages were ordered by all but, Chuck who does not drink due to his diabetes, and Margo who is a light drinker and not quite in the mood.
While waiting we made dinner reservations at The Manhattan Room for 7:45 PM, and after finishing my second drink, we went to check on our room. I think Jayme and Pam did the same, and Sally and Chuck went to check on the cigar lounge. Chuck is a cigar smoker and was looking forward to this activity both on and off the ship.
When we found the right corridor, there was sign on the door saying the rooms behind this door were not ready, but as there was no one around guarding the door, we decided to test the sign’s veracity. We were being bad, which came with fixed feelings of fear and excitement.
We were the third cabin in, 8158, and the door unlocked when I touched the my card to it. Inside we found that the room was ready. About 5 minutes after we walked in they made the announcement that rooms were ready, so our feeling of being bad was short lived. We had no luggage yet, so after checking out the balcony, and other amenitites.
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Room 8158
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We left for dinner about 7:20, and our suitcase was in the doorway, when we opened it. I had thought I’d heard a thump a few minutes earlier, but as there was activity in the hall, I did not escribe that with any degree of certainty to our wayward bag. Margo said its arrival was a weight off of her. I didn’t fret, but maybe some Airtags might be a good idea.
Pam/Jayme and Sally/Chuck had been waiting in the line to get into the Manhattan Room. Our 7:45 reservations appeared to be useless, as it looked like most of the people there had reservations and were waiting just to check in. Not impressed.
The food was good. I had Rottiserie Chicken, with Fruit/Cheese plate as an appetizer. Margo had the Fruit/Cheese Plate as her meal and ordered the Crab/Cheese Wonton for her appetizer. But it was too crabby for her and we switched appetizers. Jayme and Chuck ordered the Steak Medallions, Pam had Shrimp Fettucini, and Sally had the steak. The restaurant was as noisy as a cafeteria.
Margo started to feel sick to her stomach. Her stomach has been bothering for awhile. Her recent doctor’s visit said she was still anemic. They plan to do a procedure to check for bleeds when we get back. But, for now she had to find a restroom. When she did not come back after fifteen minutes, I left to go find her, missing dessert. She was not at the nearest restroom, I opened the door and yelled in, nor in the nearby casino. I figured she was in another restroom or our room. I went back to our table.
Sally confirmed Margo was back in our room, and as they were nearly done eating, we made plans to meet at the casino. I went to check on Margo. She was better, and the idea of going to the casino cheered her up. She loves her slots, probably too much. Everyone lost money, ranging from Jayme at $60 to Margo at just $7. I don’t like casinos much. I really only tolerate them when I win. The thrill of the hunt for that big score is not there for me. It’s a waste of time and money. But, it is entertainment, so I treat as such and set a loss limit. Mine was $20 for the night.
We headed back to the room. Dinner had lasted 1 ½ hours, and the casino time went fairly quick, but it was now around 11 PM. I had missed dessert and Margo had missed most of her meal, so she was hungry. We went to The Local for a late night snack. She got pretzel bites and I got carrot cake. The carrot cake was good, the pretzel bites tasted funny, per Margo. I just thought the bites were not warm enough.
There was a time change as we moved into a new time zone, so our watches said it was 1 AM when we went to bed.
Pam/Jayme and Sally/Chuck had been waiting in the line to get into the Manhattan Room. Our 7:45 reservations appeared to be useless, as it looked like most of the people there had reservations and were waiting just to check in. Not impressed.
The food was good. I had Rottiserie Chicken, with Fruit/Cheese plate as an appetizer. Margo had the Fruit/Cheese Plate as her meal and ordered the Crab/Cheese Wonton for her appetizer. But it was too crabby for her and we switched appetizers. Jayme and Chuck ordered the Steak Medallions, Pam had Shrimp Fettucini, and Sally had the steak. The restaurant was as noisy as a cafeteria.
Margo started to feel sick to her stomach. Her stomach has been bothering for awhile. Her recent doctor’s visit said she was still anemic. They plan to do a procedure to check for bleeds when we get back. But, for now she had to find a restroom. When she did not come back after fifteen minutes, I left to go find her, missing dessert. She was not at the nearest restroom, I opened the door and yelled in, nor in the nearby casino. I figured she was in another restroom or our room. I went back to our table.
Sally confirmed Margo was back in our room, and as they were nearly done eating, we made plans to meet at the casino. I went to check on Margo. She was better, and the idea of going to the casino cheered her up. She loves her slots, probably too much. Everyone lost money, ranging from Jayme at $60 to Margo at just $7. I don’t like casinos much. I really only tolerate them when I win. The thrill of the hunt for that big score is not there for me. It’s a waste of time and money. But, it is entertainment, so I treat as such and set a loss limit. Mine was $20 for the night.
We headed back to the room. Dinner had lasted 1 ½ hours, and the casino time went fairly quick, but it was now around 11 PM. I had missed dessert and Margo had missed most of her meal, so she was hungry. We went to The Local for a late night snack. She got pretzel bites and I got carrot cake. The carrot cake was good, the pretzel bites tasted funny, per Margo. I just thought the bites were not warm enough.
There was a time change as we moved into a new time zone, so our watches said it was 1 AM when we went to bed.
The six of us had split up, a bit before the 4:30 muster drill was to happen. We were on the 8th floor and the others on 5th. Margo and I went down to the spa to check on massage rates. They were nice, but started to sell as soon as we walked in. Margo gave them the just pricing shut down, and we were given a price list, while the lady moved on to other prey. A couple massage was only $399, plus tip, and like service fees, which we were to find seemed to be on everything. Pass. It would be nice, but not that nice.
We went back to the Brewhouse as that was our muster station. The muster drill, which was tedious and boring, especially due to the late arrivals. Until recently they had changed on some form of digital muster drill, which I heard people loved. But, now we were back to the old way. We stood the whole time, as there were not enough seats. But we lived and now knew where to meet if we stuck the Caribbean iceberg.
The others met us back at the Brewhouse. We grabbed drinks from another bar, which had a better selection for cocktails. The Brewhouse, as the name suggests was mostly about beer. We went to the Pool Deck, on 16, found no good viewing spots, but incredible energy and a party atmosphere there. We went up to 17, where there was better viewing, but all of the good spots were taken. We did manage to find a spot where one of could be on the rail, mostly Jayme, as he had found it, but we could see from behind him, well enough.
We hung out there until the ship pulled away and made our way out of Miami into the Atlantic Ocean. We all decided to head down to our rooms to see about luggage and unpacking. Only one of our two suitcases had arrived. Margo is in charge of packing and unpacking. I will help where I can, but that is mostly moving suitcases where see wants them, and I am mostly just to stay out of her way.
We went back to the Brewhouse as that was our muster station. The muster drill, which was tedious and boring, especially due to the late arrivals. Until recently they had changed on some form of digital muster drill, which I heard people loved. But, now we were back to the old way. We stood the whole time, as there were not enough seats. But we lived and now knew where to meet if we stuck the Caribbean iceberg.
The others met us back at the Brewhouse. We grabbed drinks from another bar, which had a better selection for cocktails. The Brewhouse, as the name suggests was mostly about beer. We went to the Pool Deck, on 16, found no good viewing spots, but incredible energy and a party atmosphere there. We went up to 17, where there was better viewing, but all of the good spots were taken. We did manage to find a spot where one of could be on the rail, mostly Jayme, as he had found it, but we could see from behind him, well enough.
We hung out there until the ship pulled away and made our way out of Miami into the Atlantic Ocean. We all decided to head down to our rooms to see about luggage and unpacking. Only one of our two suitcases had arrived. Margo is in charge of packing and unpacking. I will help where I can, but that is mostly moving suitcases where see wants them, and I am mostly just to stay out of her way.
Picture taken from the District Brewhouse. Margo on our balcony
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Sailaway Party. Much more fun that this picture shows. Make sure you do it.
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Last look at Miami, from our balcony, as we head out to sea. The shaded windows are The District Brewhouse
Day Three--Monday, March 6, 2023
When we all parted ways and I tried to coordinate a breakfast time, Pam said she was not setting an alarm. So, neither did I. It was 10 AM before I got up. The others were already at the buffet, and Margo had been shielding me from the texts. We got there about 10:40 and they were done. But, we all visited for a time, mostly discussing why done of us had all of our excursion tickets. We all needed to go to Guest Services to find out.
As it turned out, they needed our driver’s licenses for the driving tours we would be on. The person helping us at the Excursion Desk said our tickets had been issued, but we did not get them. She reprinted them, but I wondered if there would be problems later.
The others had gone to their rooms first, and the Sally and Pam were going to collect free bracelets. If they were like the free bracelets we saw in Alaska, then a jewlery purchase was their goal
I decided I wanted ice cream, so we went to Coco’s on deck 6, and reported this to the others. I had two scoops of the Dark Chocolate gelato and Margo had one scoop. Afterwards the others had found a spot on the Waterfront, deck 8, near the Cavern Club to get drinks, and met there. Most of the drinks I had been having were going down very easy, which likely meant they were not loaded with alcohol. But, I was OK with drinking two already paid for drinks to get the alcohol of one.
At 2:45 Margo left the group to go join a Hair Show, at the spa. We all went to the Observation Lounge on deck 15 forward to have more watered down drinks. We were soon hungry and we met Margo at The Local, as the buffet was closed. We got a table for 6. Margo explained that it was more a seminar for facial products and they got her for $142 of what I am sure will sit in a drawer. Word of advice, most if not all free seminars are there to sell you something, jewelry is the most common, but it does not stop there. Just don’t go.
We were all there and ordered our meals by 4:15. 20 minutes later Margo and Pam got their nachos. The rest of us did not get our burgers until nearly 5 PM. We had asked the waiter why so slow, and he told us the burger station was backed up. Well, then we should get something hot off the grill. Nope, both the fries and the burgers were warm. They still were not terrible, but would have been good to great 10-15 minutes earlier in their life cycle.
Margo and I went back to the room so I could get me eye drops, the others went to get dessert at the buffet. We all met at the Atrium Bar near the Internet Café on deck 6. We stayed there until 7 PM, when it was time to leave to find seats in the Encore Theater for the ship’s big show Choir of Men.
Choir of Men is a musical show, performed by an all-male case who sing and play instruments. They have a barbershop quartet thing going on. They were all very talented, but for me the show felt off. The songs, while certainly of my time, were rearranged, musically, as to make them hard to recognize. It seemed like the songs came first and the whole men in bar, with their back stories created to sing them. Everyone else enjoyed it and said so. Except Chuck, he was mute on the subject, as is often the case. So, I guess it was just me. Still even a show I did not completely enjoy was better than watching TV at home.
Imediately after, we went to find the Texas Q Smokehouse restaurant, one of the many speciality (pay) restaurants on the ship. Margo and I had opted for a balcony on this trip, paying an extra $500 or so for the privilege. Included in the package were two free dinners at our choice of the specialty restaurants. The others had gotten just a single free dinner, with their staterooms. We all planned to use those at Cagney’s, their steakhouse, on the 10th.
Mie, as it was free, ordered pretty much a full meal. These specialty restaurants are not cheap, and are ala cart, so smartly, the others order just appetizers, desserts, or both. Otherwise they would have paid $50 a plate. Like I said, not cheap.
I had rotisserie chicken, which was very good, a baked potato, also good, Potato Salad, which was OK, and coleslaw, which was warm. For dessert I had banana pudding, which was decent, but not in the league of the stuff we had in Tennessee, last fall.
Margo had Mac n Cheese and Potato Salad. She pronounced them OK. Pam had crab cakes and did not offer much of an endorsement. Jayme shared my opinion of the banana pudding, liking it just a bit less than I did. He is not fond of whip cream, and it was swimming in it.
After dinner we all went back to our rooms, with Margo and I stopping by the Brewhouse to see her boys. They have taken to filling her cup with ice and Coke, and then giving her a can of the stuff to go. Not normal. She tips them each time, and walks away with a smile. This maybe her favorite part of the cruise. Margo took some Benadryl to try to help her sleep, and while it took effect, she hit the casino. I was in bed when she came back somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes later. It had been a nice day at sea.
As it turned out, they needed our driver’s licenses for the driving tours we would be on. The person helping us at the Excursion Desk said our tickets had been issued, but we did not get them. She reprinted them, but I wondered if there would be problems later.
The others had gone to their rooms first, and the Sally and Pam were going to collect free bracelets. If they were like the free bracelets we saw in Alaska, then a jewlery purchase was their goal
I decided I wanted ice cream, so we went to Coco’s on deck 6, and reported this to the others. I had two scoops of the Dark Chocolate gelato and Margo had one scoop. Afterwards the others had found a spot on the Waterfront, deck 8, near the Cavern Club to get drinks, and met there. Most of the drinks I had been having were going down very easy, which likely meant they were not loaded with alcohol. But, I was OK with drinking two already paid for drinks to get the alcohol of one.
At 2:45 Margo left the group to go join a Hair Show, at the spa. We all went to the Observation Lounge on deck 15 forward to have more watered down drinks. We were soon hungry and we met Margo at The Local, as the buffet was closed. We got a table for 6. Margo explained that it was more a seminar for facial products and they got her for $142 of what I am sure will sit in a drawer. Word of advice, most if not all free seminars are there to sell you something, jewelry is the most common, but it does not stop there. Just don’t go.
We were all there and ordered our meals by 4:15. 20 minutes later Margo and Pam got their nachos. The rest of us did not get our burgers until nearly 5 PM. We had asked the waiter why so slow, and he told us the burger station was backed up. Well, then we should get something hot off the grill. Nope, both the fries and the burgers were warm. They still were not terrible, but would have been good to great 10-15 minutes earlier in their life cycle.
Margo and I went back to the room so I could get me eye drops, the others went to get dessert at the buffet. We all met at the Atrium Bar near the Internet Café on deck 6. We stayed there until 7 PM, when it was time to leave to find seats in the Encore Theater for the ship’s big show Choir of Men.
Choir of Men is a musical show, performed by an all-male case who sing and play instruments. They have a barbershop quartet thing going on. They were all very talented, but for me the show felt off. The songs, while certainly of my time, were rearranged, musically, as to make them hard to recognize. It seemed like the songs came first and the whole men in bar, with their back stories created to sing them. Everyone else enjoyed it and said so. Except Chuck, he was mute on the subject, as is often the case. So, I guess it was just me. Still even a show I did not completely enjoy was better than watching TV at home.
Imediately after, we went to find the Texas Q Smokehouse restaurant, one of the many speciality (pay) restaurants on the ship. Margo and I had opted for a balcony on this trip, paying an extra $500 or so for the privilege. Included in the package were two free dinners at our choice of the specialty restaurants. The others had gotten just a single free dinner, with their staterooms. We all planned to use those at Cagney’s, their steakhouse, on the 10th.
Mie, as it was free, ordered pretty much a full meal. These specialty restaurants are not cheap, and are ala cart, so smartly, the others order just appetizers, desserts, or both. Otherwise they would have paid $50 a plate. Like I said, not cheap.
I had rotisserie chicken, which was very good, a baked potato, also good, Potato Salad, which was OK, and coleslaw, which was warm. For dessert I had banana pudding, which was decent, but not in the league of the stuff we had in Tennessee, last fall.
Margo had Mac n Cheese and Potato Salad. She pronounced them OK. Pam had crab cakes and did not offer much of an endorsement. Jayme shared my opinion of the banana pudding, liking it just a bit less than I did. He is not fond of whip cream, and it was swimming in it.
After dinner we all went back to our rooms, with Margo and I stopping by the Brewhouse to see her boys. They have taken to filling her cup with ice and Coke, and then giving her a can of the stuff to go. Not normal. She tips them each time, and walks away with a smile. This maybe her favorite part of the cruise. Margo took some Benadryl to try to help her sleep, and while it took effect, she hit the casino. I was in bed when she came back somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes later. It had been a nice day at sea.
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Day Four--Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Jayme/Pam and Sally/Chuck were all getting off the ship as we docked at Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic today. We were in port when my alarm went off at 7:30. Margo and I bowed out, after Sally sent us a Facebook post, which included a video and a recommendation that if you have back issues, this might not be the excursion for you. Margo’s back is giving her fits, and she is seeing a chiropractor to try to help. The video showed driving through muddy roads, with the occupants getting sprayed with muddy water. I am to the point in my life, where I don’t think that is fun. I don’t begrudge those who do. Lord knows, we all need more fun in our lives, but to me it just looked like a bone jarring mess.
We met for breakfast at 8:30, with Margo and I being the last to make it, again. This was getting to be a habit I was not liking. Once we were done at the buffet, the foursome headed directly to the gangway to meet their tour group. Margo and I also got off the ship, but we went back to the room first. We were off the ship by about 10:10 AM
What we found was a long walk to the end of the pier, but free golf carts givinr rides to that point. I was skeptical at first, as anything free sets off alarm bells, but remembering that this area was pretty much restricted, and that with the turnaround and a tip box, the drivers were going to make out ok. That pretty much erased my questions and we took one. Right call. It was quick and we tipped a couple of singles for the minute plus ride.
We walked the much shorter distance and found a beach and a shopping district, an outdoor mall. This was obviously designed as a safe place for the cruise ship tourists to spend their money and not have to worry about being hassled by the locals, who would have both legal and illegal intent. Tourism is a major part of the Dominican economy, so safe areas for those tourists is a must.
This area, Taino Bay, has only been open for about two years, and really is beautiful. It has a very nice white sand beach, multiple places to get something to drink, shops, and various other attractions.
We just wanted to look around, soak up the tropical sun. This was one of two major reasons for taking this cruise, be with family, and escape the Colorado winter for a time. There was no sign of snow here. Bikinis, sun screen, and hats were the dress code of the day. We started with several photo ops, which included a large gorilla, whose significance still escapes me, and parrots sitting on perches. They were not tied down, but they also did not attempt to fly away. I suspect their wings had been clipped, but I don’t know that. They were very pretty to see in person, with one blue one especially so.
The shops were like any other we would see, and we did not buy anything until we had been in several, and then not until our way back. I liked not having anything to do, and could just admire the beauty of the area, the blue, nearly cloudless sky, the blue water, the wind sand, and I might have noticed a bikini or two. Overall and this was true of all beach areas, the women’s swimwear was not what could be classified as conservative. But, like everything except the sun, it was easy on the eyes.
Margo was not going to wander this 20 acre area for long and I had a desire to see at least part of the unfiltered city. So I walked to the edge, where taxis dropped people off, and was immediately accosted by people wanting to give me a ride. Nope. First I had no idea where I was going. Second, I was not getting into any vehicle I was not confident was legit. There was no way of telling the legal, from the quasi-legal, from the illegal, from those who would do me harm. Safer just to keep walking.
The area turned depressing pretty quickly. Everything was old and rundown. There also seemed to be a lot of government of at least organizational buildings. I was afraid to take a picture, not knowing local laws or customs. I had not looked up the form of government, but I suspected that there were different set of rules for gringo tourists. I was not anxious to see them applied.
I walked about 1 ½ blocks in, snapped a couple of pictures anyway, after checking there was no one close enough to make a break for my phone, and headed back. I feel sorry for the people, and I have no idea how to help them, even if I could. But, ultimately, I am on vacation, and I hoped the money I spent would trickle down to them in some way. If it doesn’t then blame their government, not the tourists.
I found Margo where I had left her, at the Mojito Bar, sipping on a Coke. She perfectly content to be in the shade, working on something on her phone. It was hard to complain about being in comfortable spot, with people ready to wait on you, and having no immediate care or responsibility. I wish/hope that my retirement is like that, but I am very skeptical. But, maybe pieces of it can be. I will try to relish them when I see them again.
Margo asked me if the Coke tasted funny, and I thought it did. I mentioned that it was likely bottled locally, and that was likely the reason why. Water is different everywhere, and perhaps the standards of the making and bottling are not a ridged as in the States. I had a Presidente beer, a local. It was a skunker, likely having gotten too warm, but I drank it anyway. Once done we headed back through the area, picking up our souvenirs, and taking our final pictures. We had not been here long, maybe 1 ½ hrs, but we had enjoyed it. There were a lot of people. Truthfully, too many to enjoy the beach or lazy river, and our overall time was limited, anyway.
I do wish that I had replaced the Buggies and Beaches tour, with one that would have driven us around the city. The area has a small fort, a cathedral, and an old downtown, that would have been worth seeing. If we are ever back, we will give it a shot.
We were back on the ship at about 12:30. I think everyone was required to be back on by 2:30. Margo and I went back to the room to drop off our stuff. We were hungry and it would be at least two hours before my siblings would be back from their adventure. The buffet sounded as good as anything. There was no waiting, and the food was good enough. By 1:30 we were in the Observation Lounge, which if I have not mentioned is at the very front of the ship. It has two decks worth of windows, which carry to either side of the ship, and is made for looking at the waves and relaxing. It did the trick, as I started to fall asleep, ignoring my book.
We were back in our room by 2:30 PM. I decided that I liked my balcony. It was peaceful. I noticed that even with the areas around us, or on an upper deck being very noisy, the balcony was quiet. We read until we heard that the others were back, showered, and hungry. Unfortunately, the only places serving were The Local and the snacks in the Observation Lounge. With being hungry now, and the slow service at The Local, the choice was obvious, so we all me there. We snacked and visited until 5:30 when the buffet opened.
Margo and I signed up for a slot tournament. If you have never seen a slot tournament, you are not missing much. It is as simple as a group of people, pounding on a button as fast as they can with one hand, and with the other hand touching whatever star, balloon, cloud, or what have that pops up. The skill level is right up there with breathing. But, the top prize was $100,000 and it was something that Margo enjoys, so I went with her. We were both eliminated in the first round. I was 7th our to nine. Margo was 3rd out of nine.
The tournament was over, for us, so quickly that we just went back to the buffet. We all chatted and visited until around 7 PM. We had decided that we would see the Mentalist show at 7:30. It featured Anthonia and David. I like the show. It was like the Matt Franco show we saw in Vegas a couple years ago. He was outstanding in his tricks and presentation. These guys were a step below him, but still pretty darn good. It was definitely entertaining and worth seeing, but I do wonder if it is the exact same show each time, which should not be possible based on things they did, which were supposed to be either magic. Could the exact same number, which was needed because turned upside down it spelled out Elephant (you have to see it yourself), come up in each show, by coincident?
There was a comedy show later that night at The Social, but it was sold out. There was a standby line, but without knowing how many people would be no shows, it did not seem like a good idea to wait. Turned out a lot of people from the line got in, and maybe it was more than just standbys. Instead we went down to the Atrium and saw the tail end of Battle of the Sexes. In the only battle we saw, the groups of six each, had to join hands, in a circle, and ask members of the audience to come get in their circle. The most people in your circle wins. The guys got 45 people in. The girls got in 46, including a couple of male defectors. They either relished the idea of being squeezed against so many female bodies, or they were trying to use their larger size to sabotage the girls’ chances. Or they were just drunk. Could be any of those.
Chuck and Sally had had enough, got a soft drink and went to bed. Jayme wanted one of Coco’s milkshakes, and we sat with him. I was still pretty full, or I would have joined him. I should have anyway. I wasn’t here to not enjoy. But, I didn’t. Afterwards we made our requisite stop at the Brewhouse for Margo’s coke. They always offer to get me something, too. But, the timing has always been off. Still, it makes Margo’s day. I typed until 11 PM and went to bed.
We met for breakfast at 8:30, with Margo and I being the last to make it, again. This was getting to be a habit I was not liking. Once we were done at the buffet, the foursome headed directly to the gangway to meet their tour group. Margo and I also got off the ship, but we went back to the room first. We were off the ship by about 10:10 AM
What we found was a long walk to the end of the pier, but free golf carts givinr rides to that point. I was skeptical at first, as anything free sets off alarm bells, but remembering that this area was pretty much restricted, and that with the turnaround and a tip box, the drivers were going to make out ok. That pretty much erased my questions and we took one. Right call. It was quick and we tipped a couple of singles for the minute plus ride.
We walked the much shorter distance and found a beach and a shopping district, an outdoor mall. This was obviously designed as a safe place for the cruise ship tourists to spend their money and not have to worry about being hassled by the locals, who would have both legal and illegal intent. Tourism is a major part of the Dominican economy, so safe areas for those tourists is a must.
This area, Taino Bay, has only been open for about two years, and really is beautiful. It has a very nice white sand beach, multiple places to get something to drink, shops, and various other attractions.
We just wanted to look around, soak up the tropical sun. This was one of two major reasons for taking this cruise, be with family, and escape the Colorado winter for a time. There was no sign of snow here. Bikinis, sun screen, and hats were the dress code of the day. We started with several photo ops, which included a large gorilla, whose significance still escapes me, and parrots sitting on perches. They were not tied down, but they also did not attempt to fly away. I suspect their wings had been clipped, but I don’t know that. They were very pretty to see in person, with one blue one especially so.
The shops were like any other we would see, and we did not buy anything until we had been in several, and then not until our way back. I liked not having anything to do, and could just admire the beauty of the area, the blue, nearly cloudless sky, the blue water, the wind sand, and I might have noticed a bikini or two. Overall and this was true of all beach areas, the women’s swimwear was not what could be classified as conservative. But, like everything except the sun, it was easy on the eyes.
Margo was not going to wander this 20 acre area for long and I had a desire to see at least part of the unfiltered city. So I walked to the edge, where taxis dropped people off, and was immediately accosted by people wanting to give me a ride. Nope. First I had no idea where I was going. Second, I was not getting into any vehicle I was not confident was legit. There was no way of telling the legal, from the quasi-legal, from the illegal, from those who would do me harm. Safer just to keep walking.
The area turned depressing pretty quickly. Everything was old and rundown. There also seemed to be a lot of government of at least organizational buildings. I was afraid to take a picture, not knowing local laws or customs. I had not looked up the form of government, but I suspected that there were different set of rules for gringo tourists. I was not anxious to see them applied.
I walked about 1 ½ blocks in, snapped a couple of pictures anyway, after checking there was no one close enough to make a break for my phone, and headed back. I feel sorry for the people, and I have no idea how to help them, even if I could. But, ultimately, I am on vacation, and I hoped the money I spent would trickle down to them in some way. If it doesn’t then blame their government, not the tourists.
I found Margo where I had left her, at the Mojito Bar, sipping on a Coke. She perfectly content to be in the shade, working on something on her phone. It was hard to complain about being in comfortable spot, with people ready to wait on you, and having no immediate care or responsibility. I wish/hope that my retirement is like that, but I am very skeptical. But, maybe pieces of it can be. I will try to relish them when I see them again.
Margo asked me if the Coke tasted funny, and I thought it did. I mentioned that it was likely bottled locally, and that was likely the reason why. Water is different everywhere, and perhaps the standards of the making and bottling are not a ridged as in the States. I had a Presidente beer, a local. It was a skunker, likely having gotten too warm, but I drank it anyway. Once done we headed back through the area, picking up our souvenirs, and taking our final pictures. We had not been here long, maybe 1 ½ hrs, but we had enjoyed it. There were a lot of people. Truthfully, too many to enjoy the beach or lazy river, and our overall time was limited, anyway.
I do wish that I had replaced the Buggies and Beaches tour, with one that would have driven us around the city. The area has a small fort, a cathedral, and an old downtown, that would have been worth seeing. If we are ever back, we will give it a shot.
We were back on the ship at about 12:30. I think everyone was required to be back on by 2:30. Margo and I went back to the room to drop off our stuff. We were hungry and it would be at least two hours before my siblings would be back from their adventure. The buffet sounded as good as anything. There was no waiting, and the food was good enough. By 1:30 we were in the Observation Lounge, which if I have not mentioned is at the very front of the ship. It has two decks worth of windows, which carry to either side of the ship, and is made for looking at the waves and relaxing. It did the trick, as I started to fall asleep, ignoring my book.
We were back in our room by 2:30 PM. I decided that I liked my balcony. It was peaceful. I noticed that even with the areas around us, or on an upper deck being very noisy, the balcony was quiet. We read until we heard that the others were back, showered, and hungry. Unfortunately, the only places serving were The Local and the snacks in the Observation Lounge. With being hungry now, and the slow service at The Local, the choice was obvious, so we all me there. We snacked and visited until 5:30 when the buffet opened.
Margo and I signed up for a slot tournament. If you have never seen a slot tournament, you are not missing much. It is as simple as a group of people, pounding on a button as fast as they can with one hand, and with the other hand touching whatever star, balloon, cloud, or what have that pops up. The skill level is right up there with breathing. But, the top prize was $100,000 and it was something that Margo enjoys, so I went with her. We were both eliminated in the first round. I was 7th our to nine. Margo was 3rd out of nine.
The tournament was over, for us, so quickly that we just went back to the buffet. We all chatted and visited until around 7 PM. We had decided that we would see the Mentalist show at 7:30. It featured Anthonia and David. I like the show. It was like the Matt Franco show we saw in Vegas a couple years ago. He was outstanding in his tricks and presentation. These guys were a step below him, but still pretty darn good. It was definitely entertaining and worth seeing, but I do wonder if it is the exact same show each time, which should not be possible based on things they did, which were supposed to be either magic. Could the exact same number, which was needed because turned upside down it spelled out Elephant (you have to see it yourself), come up in each show, by coincident?
There was a comedy show later that night at The Social, but it was sold out. There was a standby line, but without knowing how many people would be no shows, it did not seem like a good idea to wait. Turned out a lot of people from the line got in, and maybe it was more than just standbys. Instead we went down to the Atrium and saw the tail end of Battle of the Sexes. In the only battle we saw, the groups of six each, had to join hands, in a circle, and ask members of the audience to come get in their circle. The most people in your circle wins. The guys got 45 people in. The girls got in 46, including a couple of male defectors. They either relished the idea of being squeezed against so many female bodies, or they were trying to use their larger size to sabotage the girls’ chances. Or they were just drunk. Could be any of those.
Chuck and Sally had had enough, got a soft drink and went to bed. Jayme wanted one of Coco’s milkshakes, and we sat with him. I was still pretty full, or I would have joined him. I should have anyway. I wasn’t here to not enjoy. But, I didn’t. Afterwards we made our requisite stop at the Brewhouse for Margo’s coke. They always offer to get me something, too. But, the timing has always been off. Still, it makes Margo’s day. I typed until 11 PM and went to bed.
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Day Five--Wednesday, March 8, 2023
I was up at 7:30 AM due to a leg cramp, so I just stayed up. A check of the balcony window confirmed we had not arrived at St Thomas, yet. We were to be a late arrival coming in about 10:30 AM. Sally and Chuck had hoped to get off early, so they could make it over to the Harley Davidson shirt. Chuck collects those shirts, and this place and yesterday’s Dominican Republic were too exotic to pass up. But, we were not able to get off until 11:30. Their quest would have to wait until after the day’s other activities.
As had been our recent pattern, we breakfasted at the Garden Café, the buffet. The food is good, you can get it quick, and we never had a problem getting a table. Continuing our pattern, Margo and I were going one way, Jayme/Pam and Sally/Chuck were going another.
Jayme and Pam had a doctor friend who frequents the area quite a bit. He gave them a recommendation for a place to eat and drink, on the nearby Water Island. Sally and Chuck elected to go with them. I like to visit National Parks, even if I can’t spend a lot of time in them. This would qualify, but as in Chuck’s shirts, this place was too exotic to pass up. We would also be going to a different island, St John.
We parted ways at breakfast, though each of us would be catching a taxi at the end of the ship. We would be going to Red Hook, on the other side of St Thomas. The foursome would be heading west to Crown Bay Marina. Each of us would end up on a 1 PM ferry.
Margo and I got there, on our $30 taxi ride, just in time to watch the 12 PM ferry pull out and head to St John. They leave every hour, and this was expected. We texted the others and got a reply that they were waiting at Tickles, a preselected spot to have a drink and wait. Our spot was inside the ferry station, and was called Captain Quinn’s bar. I was kind of a hole in the wall, but the Painkiller I had was decent enough.
The 1 PM ferry lasted about 20 minutes and offered nice views of the water, and islands. We confirmed that the rest of our group had made to Water Island and were now at a place called Dinghy’s, enjoying food and drink.
Once off the ferry dock, we found a kind of tent bizarre going on, selling mostly t-shirts and that sort of thing. As Margo and walking are still not on speaking terms, I dropped her off there, where the endorphins of shopping would, at least temporarily sooth her pain, and went about finding the shortest path to nearby Virgin Islands National Park Visitor Center. It ended up being about a 6-7 minute walk, which I double timed it back, or at least what my hip says is double time, to pick up Margo.
I immediately asked what she had found in the short 15 minutes I had been gone. An island dress for her, the choice of two different Hawaiian shirts for me, and a magnet. She is good. When the lady saw that I appeared to be in a hurry, she did her own haggling, and went to a price of $60 for everything (the one shirt I picked liked, not two), and as that sounded like a good deal, I handed her three $ 20s and we were on our way.
When I was over at Visitor’s Center minutes ago, I verified that the door was open, signifying that the establishment was open. We arrived back at 1:42, and was informed by the Park Ranger on the porch, that they had closed at 1:30 and would reopen at 8:15 AM. At that time, we would be on the island of Tortola, so I was disappointed. I always like to stop by the Visitor’s Center, you get history, exhibits, information, and the gift shop. Margo and I have walking sticks at home, more symbolic than used, that we attach hiking medallions to, when we visit a National Park. So, I would get none of that.
But to at least make an attempt at earning said hiking medallion, I left Margo in the shade and walked to a set of wooden stairs, that went up about 10 feet, to a landing, behind some greenery, and presumably to the Lind Point Trail, like the sign said. There were two flights of stairs, but as there is more oxygen at sea level, I was not doing too bad when I got to the top. In fairness to me, these damn steps did seem to go straight up.
What also seemed to go straight up was the first portion of the trail. Not only steep, it rocky, uneven, and a bit scary. A fall here would not be fun. I had seen no one else dumb enough to be walking here. But, as I had not done anything stupid in a while, I thought I would at least climb this 30-yard portion to see what was at the top. Unsurprisingly, another part of the trial, a bit less treacherous, so I continued.
On this part of the trail, I came across some scat. To me it looked like elk or deer. Were there deer on St John, I did not think so. Bear? No way. What else could it be? Horse or cow. I’ve seen my share of both, and definitely not cow. Maybe small horse. Mule or donkey? Maybe. I carried on.
Later, I did a Google search for St John donkeys, thinking it could be like Cripple Creek, and these were descendants from mining camps, or such. I was right. The “or such”, was the sugar plantations, which used the donkeys for labor until technology put them out of job. Some of those donkeys were released to their own devices or escaped. I understand there are about 60 of them on the island. Every place that I read said “Don’t feed them. Don’t pet them”. Yeah, right. I wish would have gotten to see more than just their droppings.
I saw a couple of species of cactus. I did not expect that in the tropics. At least one of them may have been more closely related to the aloe vera plant, but I’m not botanist. I took pictures just in case. This part of the trail took me higher to a section that was actually flat, for about eight feet. It looked like a good place to turn around. I did not like to leave Margo unattended, even if we were on US soil. So back down I went, managing to avoid falling, to my credit.
Margo’s ankle stiffens up when she sits, and it is painful to limber it back up. It took us a bit to get back to the ferry dock. We hungry and had been on the lookout for food. As we made it to the street in which a right turn would take us to our boat, we saw Cruz Bay Landing. Cruz Bay was the name of the city we were in, and this was a bar and restaurant. They were featuring some sort of Mexican food as their special, so it was an easy sell to Margo.
We took a table outside and a gal from California was our waitress. Margo took another stab at Pretzel Bites, which came with cheese sauce and honey mustard. I went with a burger and fries. The burger was really good. This was the best meal I had on this cruise so far. The burger was so fresh off the grill it burnt my mouth. I was more shocked than anything. The waffle fries were much better than Chick Fil A, and also fresh from the fryer. Top marks, for sure. Margo gave a very good rating to her pretzel bites as well.
We planned to take the 4 PM ferry, they run every hour, on the hour, both directions, so we would have plenty of time to make it back by 6:30. We walked down the street to the dock and sat down, expecting at least a half hour wait. But, they began hustling us all on board, as if this was the last ferry of the day, and they were late for a date. I didn’t care, but I did wonder what time the next ferry would have ran, and if they ended up screwing some other group of tourists.
We were back at Red Hook before the ferry was even supposed to leave St John. We found a taxi to take us to Havensight, which is where we were docked. But, instead of to the ships where they had picked us up, they dropped us off at the nearby Havensight mall. I can’t say I was surprised or disappointed. They needed to milk as much money from the tourists as they could, and we were looking to drop some money getting gifts for the some people back home.
It took a surprisingly short period of time to get t-shirts for Jess and Pete, who were watching Cooper, Veronica, who was watching Jackie, and a polo shirt for me. With that done, we began the not insignificant walk back to the ship. St Thomas could learn something from the Dominicans, and have a shuttle. Old, fat, and tired tourists would absolutely ride it. Even young fit, and tired tourists would ride. We went straight to our rooms to drop off our booty.
The fearsome foursome had gotten back a little before us and were doing Laser Tag. We had been invited when they made the reservations. Margo was in no hurry to be on her feet more than she had to. I was on the fence with the idea, but tired of leaving Margo out of things, so I declined, too. We both laid down and took short naps, until about 6:30, then we all met at the buffet.
Over dinner we heard about the Laser Tag, which they all loved. It sounded like Jayme was the top assassin, and that Sally was basically prey. They all had a blast. Their trip to Water Island, was fun, but the food was just OK. Still, they could not tell doc about it, and commiserate over the shared experience.. They were all happy to have done it.
After dinner Jayme/Pam and Sally/Chuck had made plans to drive the go carts. Again, we were invited, but we both declined. While this did sound like fun, I can’t get in and out of those things with my hip, and it is down right embarrassing. Sally did remind me that on the observation area, they have a place where you could shoot at a target on the passing go-carts, which was supposed to give them burst of speed. I could do that, so I planned to meet them at 8 PM. Margo would go to the casino and be happy. I asked her to set a loss limit, she agreed, and then said she would go to bed afterwards.
The go carts did look fun, but I could see no difference in speed when I hit the targets on the carts, so I did not know if I was doing any good. Still, that was fun, too. Jayme ended up with the fastest lap, Pam and Chuck were behind him, and Sally was happy to be there.
We were done by 8:30 and decided to see the comedy show at 9:30. I went to the casino and then our room to see if Margo wanted to go. She was in bed already, having lost a quick $60 and decided it time for bed. She was already half asleep, under the covers and decided to stay there.
The comic was Sean Corvelle, whose claim to fame was being on an episode of Friends about 20 years ago. With that faint praise, let me say he was funny. He had several spots where we were rolling. He did a 45-minute set, and I think he improvised most of it. I did truly enjoy his show.
When I got back to the room, Margo was up. She said she could not sleep, and asked that I go get her a coke. Her boys, led by Ryan, immediately asked if anything was wrong, because Margo was not there. I assured them she was OK, and left them a $5 tip. They really had been making her day. She lit up when I got back to the room and told them that they had asked if she was OK.
We were both a little hungry, how I have no idea, but we decided to try Room Service. We had a menu and the cabin phone had a button dedicated for this endeavor. One minute after pushing said button a fruit plate and a piece of chocolate cake had been ordered. 15 minutes after that, a full 15 minutes shorter than the promised minimal time, there was a knock at the door. The cake was good, the cheese and fruit plate a little light on fruit.
I typed until 11:30 and then we went to bed. It will be an early morning tomorrow.
As had been our recent pattern, we breakfasted at the Garden Café, the buffet. The food is good, you can get it quick, and we never had a problem getting a table. Continuing our pattern, Margo and I were going one way, Jayme/Pam and Sally/Chuck were going another.
Jayme and Pam had a doctor friend who frequents the area quite a bit. He gave them a recommendation for a place to eat and drink, on the nearby Water Island. Sally and Chuck elected to go with them. I like to visit National Parks, even if I can’t spend a lot of time in them. This would qualify, but as in Chuck’s shirts, this place was too exotic to pass up. We would also be going to a different island, St John.
We parted ways at breakfast, though each of us would be catching a taxi at the end of the ship. We would be going to Red Hook, on the other side of St Thomas. The foursome would be heading west to Crown Bay Marina. Each of us would end up on a 1 PM ferry.
Margo and I got there, on our $30 taxi ride, just in time to watch the 12 PM ferry pull out and head to St John. They leave every hour, and this was expected. We texted the others and got a reply that they were waiting at Tickles, a preselected spot to have a drink and wait. Our spot was inside the ferry station, and was called Captain Quinn’s bar. I was kind of a hole in the wall, but the Painkiller I had was decent enough.
The 1 PM ferry lasted about 20 minutes and offered nice views of the water, and islands. We confirmed that the rest of our group had made to Water Island and were now at a place called Dinghy’s, enjoying food and drink.
Once off the ferry dock, we found a kind of tent bizarre going on, selling mostly t-shirts and that sort of thing. As Margo and walking are still not on speaking terms, I dropped her off there, where the endorphins of shopping would, at least temporarily sooth her pain, and went about finding the shortest path to nearby Virgin Islands National Park Visitor Center. It ended up being about a 6-7 minute walk, which I double timed it back, or at least what my hip says is double time, to pick up Margo.
I immediately asked what she had found in the short 15 minutes I had been gone. An island dress for her, the choice of two different Hawaiian shirts for me, and a magnet. She is good. When the lady saw that I appeared to be in a hurry, she did her own haggling, and went to a price of $60 for everything (the one shirt I picked liked, not two), and as that sounded like a good deal, I handed her three $ 20s and we were on our way.
When I was over at Visitor’s Center minutes ago, I verified that the door was open, signifying that the establishment was open. We arrived back at 1:42, and was informed by the Park Ranger on the porch, that they had closed at 1:30 and would reopen at 8:15 AM. At that time, we would be on the island of Tortola, so I was disappointed. I always like to stop by the Visitor’s Center, you get history, exhibits, information, and the gift shop. Margo and I have walking sticks at home, more symbolic than used, that we attach hiking medallions to, when we visit a National Park. So, I would get none of that.
But to at least make an attempt at earning said hiking medallion, I left Margo in the shade and walked to a set of wooden stairs, that went up about 10 feet, to a landing, behind some greenery, and presumably to the Lind Point Trail, like the sign said. There were two flights of stairs, but as there is more oxygen at sea level, I was not doing too bad when I got to the top. In fairness to me, these damn steps did seem to go straight up.
What also seemed to go straight up was the first portion of the trail. Not only steep, it rocky, uneven, and a bit scary. A fall here would not be fun. I had seen no one else dumb enough to be walking here. But, as I had not done anything stupid in a while, I thought I would at least climb this 30-yard portion to see what was at the top. Unsurprisingly, another part of the trial, a bit less treacherous, so I continued.
On this part of the trail, I came across some scat. To me it looked like elk or deer. Were there deer on St John, I did not think so. Bear? No way. What else could it be? Horse or cow. I’ve seen my share of both, and definitely not cow. Maybe small horse. Mule or donkey? Maybe. I carried on.
Later, I did a Google search for St John donkeys, thinking it could be like Cripple Creek, and these were descendants from mining camps, or such. I was right. The “or such”, was the sugar plantations, which used the donkeys for labor until technology put them out of job. Some of those donkeys were released to their own devices or escaped. I understand there are about 60 of them on the island. Every place that I read said “Don’t feed them. Don’t pet them”. Yeah, right. I wish would have gotten to see more than just their droppings.
I saw a couple of species of cactus. I did not expect that in the tropics. At least one of them may have been more closely related to the aloe vera plant, but I’m not botanist. I took pictures just in case. This part of the trail took me higher to a section that was actually flat, for about eight feet. It looked like a good place to turn around. I did not like to leave Margo unattended, even if we were on US soil. So back down I went, managing to avoid falling, to my credit.
Margo’s ankle stiffens up when she sits, and it is painful to limber it back up. It took us a bit to get back to the ferry dock. We hungry and had been on the lookout for food. As we made it to the street in which a right turn would take us to our boat, we saw Cruz Bay Landing. Cruz Bay was the name of the city we were in, and this was a bar and restaurant. They were featuring some sort of Mexican food as their special, so it was an easy sell to Margo.
We took a table outside and a gal from California was our waitress. Margo took another stab at Pretzel Bites, which came with cheese sauce and honey mustard. I went with a burger and fries. The burger was really good. This was the best meal I had on this cruise so far. The burger was so fresh off the grill it burnt my mouth. I was more shocked than anything. The waffle fries were much better than Chick Fil A, and also fresh from the fryer. Top marks, for sure. Margo gave a very good rating to her pretzel bites as well.
We planned to take the 4 PM ferry, they run every hour, on the hour, both directions, so we would have plenty of time to make it back by 6:30. We walked down the street to the dock and sat down, expecting at least a half hour wait. But, they began hustling us all on board, as if this was the last ferry of the day, and they were late for a date. I didn’t care, but I did wonder what time the next ferry would have ran, and if they ended up screwing some other group of tourists.
We were back at Red Hook before the ferry was even supposed to leave St John. We found a taxi to take us to Havensight, which is where we were docked. But, instead of to the ships where they had picked us up, they dropped us off at the nearby Havensight mall. I can’t say I was surprised or disappointed. They needed to milk as much money from the tourists as they could, and we were looking to drop some money getting gifts for the some people back home.
It took a surprisingly short period of time to get t-shirts for Jess and Pete, who were watching Cooper, Veronica, who was watching Jackie, and a polo shirt for me. With that done, we began the not insignificant walk back to the ship. St Thomas could learn something from the Dominicans, and have a shuttle. Old, fat, and tired tourists would absolutely ride it. Even young fit, and tired tourists would ride. We went straight to our rooms to drop off our booty.
The fearsome foursome had gotten back a little before us and were doing Laser Tag. We had been invited when they made the reservations. Margo was in no hurry to be on her feet more than she had to. I was on the fence with the idea, but tired of leaving Margo out of things, so I declined, too. We both laid down and took short naps, until about 6:30, then we all met at the buffet.
Over dinner we heard about the Laser Tag, which they all loved. It sounded like Jayme was the top assassin, and that Sally was basically prey. They all had a blast. Their trip to Water Island, was fun, but the food was just OK. Still, they could not tell doc about it, and commiserate over the shared experience.. They were all happy to have done it.
After dinner Jayme/Pam and Sally/Chuck had made plans to drive the go carts. Again, we were invited, but we both declined. While this did sound like fun, I can’t get in and out of those things with my hip, and it is down right embarrassing. Sally did remind me that on the observation area, they have a place where you could shoot at a target on the passing go-carts, which was supposed to give them burst of speed. I could do that, so I planned to meet them at 8 PM. Margo would go to the casino and be happy. I asked her to set a loss limit, she agreed, and then said she would go to bed afterwards.
The go carts did look fun, but I could see no difference in speed when I hit the targets on the carts, so I did not know if I was doing any good. Still, that was fun, too. Jayme ended up with the fastest lap, Pam and Chuck were behind him, and Sally was happy to be there.
We were done by 8:30 and decided to see the comedy show at 9:30. I went to the casino and then our room to see if Margo wanted to go. She was in bed already, having lost a quick $60 and decided it time for bed. She was already half asleep, under the covers and decided to stay there.
The comic was Sean Corvelle, whose claim to fame was being on an episode of Friends about 20 years ago. With that faint praise, let me say he was funny. He had several spots where we were rolling. He did a 45-minute set, and I think he improvised most of it. I did truly enjoy his show.
When I got back to the room, Margo was up. She said she could not sleep, and asked that I go get her a coke. Her boys, led by Ryan, immediately asked if anything was wrong, because Margo was not there. I assured them she was OK, and left them a $5 tip. They really had been making her day. She lit up when I got back to the room and told them that they had asked if she was OK.
We were both a little hungry, how I have no idea, but we decided to try Room Service. We had a menu and the cabin phone had a button dedicated for this endeavor. One minute after pushing said button a fruit plate and a piece of chocolate cake had been ordered. 15 minutes after that, a full 15 minutes shorter than the promised minimal time, there was a knock at the door. The cake was good, the cheese and fruit plate a little light on fruit.
I typed until 11:30 and then we went to bed. It will be an early morning tomorrow.
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LInd Point Trail. It is steeper and rockier than it looks. At least here
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Day Six--Thursday, March 9, 2023
I was up at 5 AM, because we need to meet on the dock at 7 AM for our Jeep and Beaches tour on today’s port of Tortola. Tortola is one of the British Virgin Islands, with St Thomas and St Johns being US territories. They still all drive on the left side of the road.
I watched through twilight as the ship was finishing docking. I watched for just a minute or so and got to work getting ready for our early Jeep and Beach tour. We were all together for our standard buffet breakfast and then headed to Deck 4 to get off the ship.
We were told to walk to the end of the pier. We had gotten off at one end of the Encore, had to walk it’s length and the entire length of another ship to get to the end. There we were put aboard a shuttle to take us into Roadtown, Tortola.
Our tour would take us to Smuggler’s Cove, a sea shell museum, and then a mountain top overlook. It sounded like fun. We arrived at the starting area, and I was once again amazed at how much of everything appeared to be broken and fixed, broken and not fixed, or broken in a pile with other broken stuff. The only things that looked newish were our Jeeps and the resort or hotel areas. It must be so expensive to fix anything or get anything officially discarded that they just pile up, one way or another. But the weather was amazing. I can understand why the rich like their vacation home down in the islands.
Each of the Jeeps would hold four people. Jayme/Pam and Sally/Chuck were put in the silver Jeep, dubbed the Silver Fox. Margo and I shared Snow White with Caroline, and North Carolina native, 10 years in the Air Force, and stationed in Hawaii. She did not look the part. She was maid of honor at her best friends’ cruise wedding. They were married by the captain of the Encore. Pretty cool. Margo would driver the first leg and I road shotgun.
I did not time how long it took to get to the beach, but most of it was on paved road, some of which was very steep. We turned off road at one point and it got a bit rough, but I am sure Margo’s Trailblazer would have handled it fine. We arrived parked and were turned loose with the caveat to be back in an hour.
There were two competing beach area, Patricia’s to left and Nigel’s to right. We were explicitly warned to stay away from Nigel’s as the owner was grumpy and did not like people on his beach. That immediately did not make sense, as we were told as there was no such thing as a private beach on Tortola. This was law. Plus it was evident that this guys was running a business, so why would he not want a group of cruise ship passengers to spend their money there. I am thinking there is something else going on, family of the tour company on Patricia’s side perhaps? We did what we were told.
There was a changing shack if you wanted to put on a swimsuit, but it looks like it was made by some 13-year-olds, who got some old wood and were trying to build a clubhouse. The bar area of Patricia’s was little better. Our guide mentioned hurricanes Irma and Maria hitting the island directly, but that was 2017.
I ordered a painkiller and recommended it to Sally. They tasted fine, but Patricia was using some old crème of coconut and it flaked rather than blending. It made the drink a bit less appetizing. I finished mine. I don’t think Sally did.
The beach itself was beautiful. There was some wind, but we had the place to ourselves. Margo and I mostly sat and enjoyed the serenity and watched others. I think Chuck broke out a cigar and enjoyed that while walking the beach with Sally.
An hour when you were not planning to get in the water, which I was not, was plenty. If I had brought a book and rented a beach chair, I could have spent more time, but I’m not an ocean kind of guy. I barely like swimming pools. It just does not appeal to me anymore. Like I said, I’m getting old.
Margo offered the keys to Caroline who took over driving. I stayed at shotgun and Margo crawled into the back. We drove for about 10 minutes or so to another rundown looking shack that I am still unsure if it was supposed to exhibit of sell shells. There was a nice selection of conch shells at the end, but they were full of sand, and had no prices. It was like the same bunch of 13-year-olds were trying to sell sea shells, and this was the best they knew how to do. I did not even see anyone around to ask. Everyone walked in one end of the shack and out the other, with a kind of puzzled look on their face.
We next crossed the street to this concrete building that looked like the hurricanes had gutted it. It had a sign that said North Shore Shell Museum Restaurant and Bar. Everywhere in both of these buildings were hand lettered, on plywood, signs that made little sense. “Two sister go to the gut to wash. One helping herself. The one sit on her old ass for God to come help her.” I get that this was written by someone who English is their second language. But, what does it even mean. Is this some sort of parable? Is it supposed to be for sale or entertainment? There were at least two dozen of these.
Inside the stone building were wooden 2 x 4 bins of shells. There were no labels or descriptions of what we were looking at. I did not see a restaurant or bar, or even a sign that would direct us to the second floor, which may have help it. If this stop was for education, it failed miserably. If it was to make money for the owner, it failed miserably. If it was designed to confused the hell out of the Americans on the tour, mission accomplished.
Caroline offered the keys to me, and I told her I would take over if she wanted. She said she was fine, so I let her keep going. I was completely fine being a passenger and not having to deal with the responsibility of the vehicle.
As we drove from the shore to the top of a mountain, we passed several very nice lookouts, only one had any parking at all, and that one did not have enough to handle all of the jeeps, so I was beginning to wonder if we were going to have to skip the mountain top overlook. About that time we pulled into one with a parking lot, and a grand view of the area. We were able to see Jost Van Dyke, an island we had previously visited, and many other islands, whose names were not given to us. I learned about Jost Van Dyke from another tour guide, from another tour. Our guide was not very impressive.
I asked Caroline if she wanted me to take over, as if she wanted to enjoy the view from the passenger seat that would only be fair. When she again said she was fine with whatever, I let her drive. She had mentioned that she had a jeep back home and looked comfortable behind the wheel. Our guide had us driving all like ducks in a row, and fairly slow, by local standards. They all drive like the island is 100 miles long and need to make that drive several times a day before then can go to bed. I was wondering whatever happened to Island Time.
We were soon back at the staging area. I tipped our guide, but not as generously as I could have. I just did not think she did a very good job. She announced things over the radio, but sometime we could not understand, and a lot of the things were more like her is this hotel or this marina. Things we were not going to be able to enjoy. I wanted history of the area, and we go very little. Our total time on this tour had been about 4 ½ hours, meaning it was now about 11:30 AM.
We were dropped off in another shopping area near the dock, so we looked around and got a magnet or two. Then it was the walk back. We were hungry and headed to our normal spot, the buffet, for lunch. I was sleepy and Margo’s stomach was acting up again. She is definitely going to see a doctor when we get back. I took a two-hour nap, and Margo worked a puzzle book on the balcony, enjoying the sun and shade. About the time I got up, she decided to take a shot a nap herself. I met the others at the Observation Lounge.
They were engaged in conversation with two sisters, one 67 and the other 73. The elder one had won the cruise, but did not have the money to pay for the taxes and such, and was going to turn it down. Her granddaughter did not like this idea, and paid the surcharges. It was their first cruise and they were having a grand time.
I never did catch their names, except the granddaughter, her name was Geisel. The 73 year old told her life’s story, about being married to a controlling man for 30 years, until he ran off with one of her girlfriends. They had met and married in Minnesota, but moved to Arizona. After the divorce she moved back, married another guy, and he died five years later from lung cancer.
Her sister, who is really her cousin, but was raised with the 73-year old’s family, as the 67-year-old came from a poor family with a lot of kids, lives in Wyoming, and was an oil field worker for a time, and is a self-described free spirit.
I was doing much more listening that questioning. Pam and Jayme have that gift for meeting and talking with strangers. Sally and Chuck were likewise quiet. Though it looks like Chuck’s silence was due to his blood sugar plummeting, and the rough seas we were now experiencing, upsetting his stomach.
We had steamed out of port an hour or less after getting back aboard, and it appeared to me like the roughness of the ride was due to the speed we were traveling, because, to me, it did not look like the seas were roiling that much. As we were one Deck 16, near the very top, and staring at a bouncing horizon, everyone was at least a bit uncomfortable. Sally and Chuck took their leave for find steadier quarters.
I was right behind them, looking for Guest Services to see about a refund for the excursion we had skipped, and canceled, a week before we had set sail. Pam and Jayme decided to hit the casino. Pam ended up winning a $500 plus jackpot, most of which she put in her pocket. Good for her.
We met on Deck 17 for Laser Tag. Running was not allowed, and in theory everyone had the same size target, on their gun, so I saw my immobility as less of a handicap then in the go carts. I sucked anyway. I was cannon fodder. I seemed to get shot seconds after emerging from the recharge area. Our team lost. I think Jayme was top assassin again. It had been Jayme, Pam, and I, plus another group of three, against a group of seven. Their strategy was just better, I guess. I would do it again. I did have one highlight. Your laser gun did have a shield feature. When it appeared on your screen and activated it, you were invulnerable and could run up to someone and shoot them without fear. I was able to do that once, and the look on the guy’s face was priceless, as he realized what was happening. Simple pleasures.
As the buffet is on deck 16, we were not anxious to go up top even though none of was sick, it is still no fun walking while the ship is swaying, even if it is only a little bit. Carrying food would be worse. So, we ate at Taste, one of the complimentary restaurants, and we were seated right away. We did not include Sally and Chuck, who opted for room service
I had fried chicken, my first and only of the cruise, as it was not a buffet staple. I was happy. I like fried chicken and this was good. Margo’s stomach had not improved much. I suspect the seas were a contributing factor, but not the overriding one.
Pam and Jayme had not gotten a nap, and decided to head off the bed. We went back to our cabin, and I did my nightly routine with the money and writing notes from our daily activities. I use those notes to write this narrative, as it is impossible to write each day as it happens. In bed by 11 PM.
I watched through twilight as the ship was finishing docking. I watched for just a minute or so and got to work getting ready for our early Jeep and Beach tour. We were all together for our standard buffet breakfast and then headed to Deck 4 to get off the ship.
We were told to walk to the end of the pier. We had gotten off at one end of the Encore, had to walk it’s length and the entire length of another ship to get to the end. There we were put aboard a shuttle to take us into Roadtown, Tortola.
Our tour would take us to Smuggler’s Cove, a sea shell museum, and then a mountain top overlook. It sounded like fun. We arrived at the starting area, and I was once again amazed at how much of everything appeared to be broken and fixed, broken and not fixed, or broken in a pile with other broken stuff. The only things that looked newish were our Jeeps and the resort or hotel areas. It must be so expensive to fix anything or get anything officially discarded that they just pile up, one way or another. But the weather was amazing. I can understand why the rich like their vacation home down in the islands.
Each of the Jeeps would hold four people. Jayme/Pam and Sally/Chuck were put in the silver Jeep, dubbed the Silver Fox. Margo and I shared Snow White with Caroline, and North Carolina native, 10 years in the Air Force, and stationed in Hawaii. She did not look the part. She was maid of honor at her best friends’ cruise wedding. They were married by the captain of the Encore. Pretty cool. Margo would driver the first leg and I road shotgun.
I did not time how long it took to get to the beach, but most of it was on paved road, some of which was very steep. We turned off road at one point and it got a bit rough, but I am sure Margo’s Trailblazer would have handled it fine. We arrived parked and were turned loose with the caveat to be back in an hour.
There were two competing beach area, Patricia’s to left and Nigel’s to right. We were explicitly warned to stay away from Nigel’s as the owner was grumpy and did not like people on his beach. That immediately did not make sense, as we were told as there was no such thing as a private beach on Tortola. This was law. Plus it was evident that this guys was running a business, so why would he not want a group of cruise ship passengers to spend their money there. I am thinking there is something else going on, family of the tour company on Patricia’s side perhaps? We did what we were told.
There was a changing shack if you wanted to put on a swimsuit, but it looks like it was made by some 13-year-olds, who got some old wood and were trying to build a clubhouse. The bar area of Patricia’s was little better. Our guide mentioned hurricanes Irma and Maria hitting the island directly, but that was 2017.
I ordered a painkiller and recommended it to Sally. They tasted fine, but Patricia was using some old crème of coconut and it flaked rather than blending. It made the drink a bit less appetizing. I finished mine. I don’t think Sally did.
The beach itself was beautiful. There was some wind, but we had the place to ourselves. Margo and I mostly sat and enjoyed the serenity and watched others. I think Chuck broke out a cigar and enjoyed that while walking the beach with Sally.
An hour when you were not planning to get in the water, which I was not, was plenty. If I had brought a book and rented a beach chair, I could have spent more time, but I’m not an ocean kind of guy. I barely like swimming pools. It just does not appeal to me anymore. Like I said, I’m getting old.
Margo offered the keys to Caroline who took over driving. I stayed at shotgun and Margo crawled into the back. We drove for about 10 minutes or so to another rundown looking shack that I am still unsure if it was supposed to exhibit of sell shells. There was a nice selection of conch shells at the end, but they were full of sand, and had no prices. It was like the same bunch of 13-year-olds were trying to sell sea shells, and this was the best they knew how to do. I did not even see anyone around to ask. Everyone walked in one end of the shack and out the other, with a kind of puzzled look on their face.
We next crossed the street to this concrete building that looked like the hurricanes had gutted it. It had a sign that said North Shore Shell Museum Restaurant and Bar. Everywhere in both of these buildings were hand lettered, on plywood, signs that made little sense. “Two sister go to the gut to wash. One helping herself. The one sit on her old ass for God to come help her.” I get that this was written by someone who English is their second language. But, what does it even mean. Is this some sort of parable? Is it supposed to be for sale or entertainment? There were at least two dozen of these.
Inside the stone building were wooden 2 x 4 bins of shells. There were no labels or descriptions of what we were looking at. I did not see a restaurant or bar, or even a sign that would direct us to the second floor, which may have help it. If this stop was for education, it failed miserably. If it was to make money for the owner, it failed miserably. If it was designed to confused the hell out of the Americans on the tour, mission accomplished.
Caroline offered the keys to me, and I told her I would take over if she wanted. She said she was fine, so I let her keep going. I was completely fine being a passenger and not having to deal with the responsibility of the vehicle.
As we drove from the shore to the top of a mountain, we passed several very nice lookouts, only one had any parking at all, and that one did not have enough to handle all of the jeeps, so I was beginning to wonder if we were going to have to skip the mountain top overlook. About that time we pulled into one with a parking lot, and a grand view of the area. We were able to see Jost Van Dyke, an island we had previously visited, and many other islands, whose names were not given to us. I learned about Jost Van Dyke from another tour guide, from another tour. Our guide was not very impressive.
I asked Caroline if she wanted me to take over, as if she wanted to enjoy the view from the passenger seat that would only be fair. When she again said she was fine with whatever, I let her drive. She had mentioned that she had a jeep back home and looked comfortable behind the wheel. Our guide had us driving all like ducks in a row, and fairly slow, by local standards. They all drive like the island is 100 miles long and need to make that drive several times a day before then can go to bed. I was wondering whatever happened to Island Time.
We were soon back at the staging area. I tipped our guide, but not as generously as I could have. I just did not think she did a very good job. She announced things over the radio, but sometime we could not understand, and a lot of the things were more like her is this hotel or this marina. Things we were not going to be able to enjoy. I wanted history of the area, and we go very little. Our total time on this tour had been about 4 ½ hours, meaning it was now about 11:30 AM.
We were dropped off in another shopping area near the dock, so we looked around and got a magnet or two. Then it was the walk back. We were hungry and headed to our normal spot, the buffet, for lunch. I was sleepy and Margo’s stomach was acting up again. She is definitely going to see a doctor when we get back. I took a two-hour nap, and Margo worked a puzzle book on the balcony, enjoying the sun and shade. About the time I got up, she decided to take a shot a nap herself. I met the others at the Observation Lounge.
They were engaged in conversation with two sisters, one 67 and the other 73. The elder one had won the cruise, but did not have the money to pay for the taxes and such, and was going to turn it down. Her granddaughter did not like this idea, and paid the surcharges. It was their first cruise and they were having a grand time.
I never did catch their names, except the granddaughter, her name was Geisel. The 73 year old told her life’s story, about being married to a controlling man for 30 years, until he ran off with one of her girlfriends. They had met and married in Minnesota, but moved to Arizona. After the divorce she moved back, married another guy, and he died five years later from lung cancer.
Her sister, who is really her cousin, but was raised with the 73-year old’s family, as the 67-year-old came from a poor family with a lot of kids, lives in Wyoming, and was an oil field worker for a time, and is a self-described free spirit.
I was doing much more listening that questioning. Pam and Jayme have that gift for meeting and talking with strangers. Sally and Chuck were likewise quiet. Though it looks like Chuck’s silence was due to his blood sugar plummeting, and the rough seas we were now experiencing, upsetting his stomach.
We had steamed out of port an hour or less after getting back aboard, and it appeared to me like the roughness of the ride was due to the speed we were traveling, because, to me, it did not look like the seas were roiling that much. As we were one Deck 16, near the very top, and staring at a bouncing horizon, everyone was at least a bit uncomfortable. Sally and Chuck took their leave for find steadier quarters.
I was right behind them, looking for Guest Services to see about a refund for the excursion we had skipped, and canceled, a week before we had set sail. Pam and Jayme decided to hit the casino. Pam ended up winning a $500 plus jackpot, most of which she put in her pocket. Good for her.
We met on Deck 17 for Laser Tag. Running was not allowed, and in theory everyone had the same size target, on their gun, so I saw my immobility as less of a handicap then in the go carts. I sucked anyway. I was cannon fodder. I seemed to get shot seconds after emerging from the recharge area. Our team lost. I think Jayme was top assassin again. It had been Jayme, Pam, and I, plus another group of three, against a group of seven. Their strategy was just better, I guess. I would do it again. I did have one highlight. Your laser gun did have a shield feature. When it appeared on your screen and activated it, you were invulnerable and could run up to someone and shoot them without fear. I was able to do that once, and the look on the guy’s face was priceless, as he realized what was happening. Simple pleasures.
As the buffet is on deck 16, we were not anxious to go up top even though none of was sick, it is still no fun walking while the ship is swaying, even if it is only a little bit. Carrying food would be worse. So, we ate at Taste, one of the complimentary restaurants, and we were seated right away. We did not include Sally and Chuck, who opted for room service
I had fried chicken, my first and only of the cruise, as it was not a buffet staple. I was happy. I like fried chicken and this was good. Margo’s stomach had not improved much. I suspect the seas were a contributing factor, but not the overriding one.
Pam and Jayme had not gotten a nap, and decided to head off the bed. We went back to our cabin, and I did my nightly routine with the money and writing notes from our daily activities. I use those notes to write this narrative, as it is impossible to write each day as it happens. In bed by 11 PM.
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Day Seven--Friday, March 10, 2023
Today was a day at sea, and our rough seas continued. I still could not see a weather reason for it. The skies were mostly cloudy, but the water looked only moderately wavy. Margo and I had slept fine. It was like being rocked, when we felt it at all.
There was a time change with us moving the clocks back an hour due to moving back into the Eastern Time Zone. We were up at 6:30, which felt like 7:30. We were supposed to meet at 9 AM, but the time zone changed messed with everyone’s sleep and we were all there by 8:30.
There was back at Taste. Chuck was feeling much better, and we were all ready for a change in breakfast venue. I ordered a Bloody Mary, and it tasted like the tomato juice was watered down. That made it taste a bit off. I finished it anyway, along with my Eggs Benedict.
We left the restaurant and went to the buffet for some dessert. It was closed. They would not even let us sneak in for a quick ice cream cone. It would not reopen until 11:30. I was very annoyed. We decided to drop back down to Coco’s.
It was at this time, before ordering that I discovered my key card was missing. I had to give it the waiter for my Bloody Mary, so I figured he had to have still had it. I got to the check in station for Taste and asked about it. They had nothing turned in, and said Guest Services would issue me another one. Yeah, but I had just walked past Guest Services and their was quite a line. How about you just go ask the waiter if he still had it. They found the guy and he claimed not to have it. Grand. So, off to guest services. It did not take as long as I feared. But, they did not check my id. When I questioned this they said “Oh, we have your picture on file”. I was not really comforted by this, and confirmed that they had inactivated my other card. I made a mental note to check my bill when we were next in our cabin.
Back to Coco’s, where I ordered their San Jose dessert, a decadent chocolate pudding, maybe a mousse, with flourishes on top. It was good, if a little small. Margo had a couple, two, bonbons, which cost as much as my dessert. Key Lime and Pistachio were her choices. She said they were good.
We went up stairs to meet Jayme/Pam and Sally/Chuck, to see if the Galaxy Pavilion was open and maybe do their escape room It had just closed, and it was only 12:30. Annoyed again.. This was a day at sea. That means 4,000 people are looking for things to do, and this is closed. We tried to get information from a random crew member walking by, but he was no help. It was not his area, and cross training seems to be lacking. But, at least the buffet should be open. Let’s eat again.
After achieving yet another food coma state, I opted for a nap in my stateroom, harkening back to my first cruise, and remembering even on Disney I was tired of the lack of diversions, by this point in the cruise. Still, a nap did sound good.
When 4 PM came around we got up and went to deck 17 to see about the Galaxy Pavilion. It was open, and some of the rides did look like fun. But, there was a line and no clear explanation on how to start any of the rides, and Margo was not thrilled about anything, so I abandoned the idea and we went down to the Atrium where by siblings and spouses, had gathered to listen to the music.
At the piano was a Filipino lady singing Marty Robbins. El Paso City. Good song, but when I listen to country, I want it to sound like the original. Her set was over soon, and a Filipino group called ADDA took over. They were a quartet with electronic drums, and a couple guitars. They also had an iPad, so the lead singer could remember the words. It sounded like karaoke to me, and I tired of it quickly. I enjoyed being with my family, but this was a waste of time. It was not being entertained, and I figured I could at least do some writing in our cabin. We had dinner reservations for 9:30 and the rest of the team was doing go carts again at 8:00. I told them I would meet them there to watch and try to zoom their cars.
Later, I got up there just in time to see them all lined up, in their carts waiting for the group on the track to finish. I got up to the viewing area, which had not been busy before, and was not busy now, and grabbed a gun. These are the same guns you use in laser tag, so by now I was familiar with them. But, all the guns died after the first lap. They turned them off for some reason. Annoyed again.
Jayme was annoyed to. The 21 car was either intentionally blocking him, or was just to ignorant to get out of the way, so he wasted two or three precious laps trying to get around him. As such, he didn’t get much of chance for a personal best. Still, they all looked like they had a blast. Maybe next time I will be a little thinner, and my hip will be stronger. It’s just no fun getting in and out of those things.
Back to our room to change. We were not exactly dressing up, but Margo has specific cloths she wanted us to wear. I kind of wish we had brought dressier cloths. I wore a Hawaiian or collar shirt all the time, with nice shorts (mostly) and loafers. But, I felt under dressed each time we went to a specialty restaurant. Cagney’s was no exception.
Cagney’s is their signature steakhouse and they have one aboard several of the other Norwegian ships. Today was Sally and Chuck’s 26th wedding anniversary and we were celebrating it with them here. We were all looking forward to see what they could do with a steak. Most people, on line, had raved about the food. I was hopeful.
Margo and Sally each had a filet mignon. Pam had a steak and lobster. She had been looking forward to that lobster the whole trip. Jayme and I had a New York Strip. I don’t recall what Chuck had. There were no complaints about the food. My steak was cooked exactly right, medium rare. While it was a good meal, the best we had had on the ship, the steak was nothing special. It was a bit tougher, but not tough, than I had expected. It was really on par with Texas Roadhouse. The best steak I have ever had was at the Northwestern Steakhouse in Mason City, Iowa. If you ever go there, definitely add the spaghetti.
We had gotten in early, 9 PM, as opposed to our 9:30 reservation, and we finished dessert after 10:30. That appears to be about standard in one of the specialty restaurants. The service felt just a tad slow, but having a leisurely dinner was a plus, rather than a complaint. The waiters, I think we had three of them, were attentive, so there was always bread. No restaurant on the ship was in a hurry to refill soft drinks, and ice is in short supply. Both pretty normal for cruises.
That was our night. Back to the room and we went to bed.
There was a time change with us moving the clocks back an hour due to moving back into the Eastern Time Zone. We were up at 6:30, which felt like 7:30. We were supposed to meet at 9 AM, but the time zone changed messed with everyone’s sleep and we were all there by 8:30.
There was back at Taste. Chuck was feeling much better, and we were all ready for a change in breakfast venue. I ordered a Bloody Mary, and it tasted like the tomato juice was watered down. That made it taste a bit off. I finished it anyway, along with my Eggs Benedict.
We left the restaurant and went to the buffet for some dessert. It was closed. They would not even let us sneak in for a quick ice cream cone. It would not reopen until 11:30. I was very annoyed. We decided to drop back down to Coco’s.
It was at this time, before ordering that I discovered my key card was missing. I had to give it the waiter for my Bloody Mary, so I figured he had to have still had it. I got to the check in station for Taste and asked about it. They had nothing turned in, and said Guest Services would issue me another one. Yeah, but I had just walked past Guest Services and their was quite a line. How about you just go ask the waiter if he still had it. They found the guy and he claimed not to have it. Grand. So, off to guest services. It did not take as long as I feared. But, they did not check my id. When I questioned this they said “Oh, we have your picture on file”. I was not really comforted by this, and confirmed that they had inactivated my other card. I made a mental note to check my bill when we were next in our cabin.
Back to Coco’s, where I ordered their San Jose dessert, a decadent chocolate pudding, maybe a mousse, with flourishes on top. It was good, if a little small. Margo had a couple, two, bonbons, which cost as much as my dessert. Key Lime and Pistachio were her choices. She said they were good.
We went up stairs to meet Jayme/Pam and Sally/Chuck, to see if the Galaxy Pavilion was open and maybe do their escape room It had just closed, and it was only 12:30. Annoyed again.. This was a day at sea. That means 4,000 people are looking for things to do, and this is closed. We tried to get information from a random crew member walking by, but he was no help. It was not his area, and cross training seems to be lacking. But, at least the buffet should be open. Let’s eat again.
After achieving yet another food coma state, I opted for a nap in my stateroom, harkening back to my first cruise, and remembering even on Disney I was tired of the lack of diversions, by this point in the cruise. Still, a nap did sound good.
When 4 PM came around we got up and went to deck 17 to see about the Galaxy Pavilion. It was open, and some of the rides did look like fun. But, there was a line and no clear explanation on how to start any of the rides, and Margo was not thrilled about anything, so I abandoned the idea and we went down to the Atrium where by siblings and spouses, had gathered to listen to the music.
At the piano was a Filipino lady singing Marty Robbins. El Paso City. Good song, but when I listen to country, I want it to sound like the original. Her set was over soon, and a Filipino group called ADDA took over. They were a quartet with electronic drums, and a couple guitars. They also had an iPad, so the lead singer could remember the words. It sounded like karaoke to me, and I tired of it quickly. I enjoyed being with my family, but this was a waste of time. It was not being entertained, and I figured I could at least do some writing in our cabin. We had dinner reservations for 9:30 and the rest of the team was doing go carts again at 8:00. I told them I would meet them there to watch and try to zoom their cars.
Later, I got up there just in time to see them all lined up, in their carts waiting for the group on the track to finish. I got up to the viewing area, which had not been busy before, and was not busy now, and grabbed a gun. These are the same guns you use in laser tag, so by now I was familiar with them. But, all the guns died after the first lap. They turned them off for some reason. Annoyed again.
Jayme was annoyed to. The 21 car was either intentionally blocking him, or was just to ignorant to get out of the way, so he wasted two or three precious laps trying to get around him. As such, he didn’t get much of chance for a personal best. Still, they all looked like they had a blast. Maybe next time I will be a little thinner, and my hip will be stronger. It’s just no fun getting in and out of those things.
Back to our room to change. We were not exactly dressing up, but Margo has specific cloths she wanted us to wear. I kind of wish we had brought dressier cloths. I wore a Hawaiian or collar shirt all the time, with nice shorts (mostly) and loafers. But, I felt under dressed each time we went to a specialty restaurant. Cagney’s was no exception.
Cagney’s is their signature steakhouse and they have one aboard several of the other Norwegian ships. Today was Sally and Chuck’s 26th wedding anniversary and we were celebrating it with them here. We were all looking forward to see what they could do with a steak. Most people, on line, had raved about the food. I was hopeful.
Margo and Sally each had a filet mignon. Pam had a steak and lobster. She had been looking forward to that lobster the whole trip. Jayme and I had a New York Strip. I don’t recall what Chuck had. There were no complaints about the food. My steak was cooked exactly right, medium rare. While it was a good meal, the best we had had on the ship, the steak was nothing special. It was a bit tougher, but not tough, than I had expected. It was really on par with Texas Roadhouse. The best steak I have ever had was at the Northwestern Steakhouse in Mason City, Iowa. If you ever go there, definitely add the spaghetti.
We had gotten in early, 9 PM, as opposed to our 9:30 reservation, and we finished dessert after 10:30. That appears to be about standard in one of the specialty restaurants. The service felt just a tad slow, but having a leisurely dinner was a plus, rather than a complaint. The waiters, I think we had three of them, were attentive, so there was always bread. No restaurant on the ship was in a hurry to refill soft drinks, and ice is in short supply. Both pretty normal for cruises.
That was our night. Back to the room and we went to bed.
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Day Eight, Saturday, March 11, 2023
We were docking in Nassau today. Nassau was not on the original itinerary when we booked this cruise. We were supposed to have visited their private island, Great Stirrup Cay. I was ok with Nassau until I saw five other cruise ships already there. There were two Carnival ships, two Royal Caribbean ships, and the Disney Wish already there. I estimate that they were dumping 12,000 to 15,000 people onto the dock. It was going to be busy, especially with us not arriving until 10 AM. Even the late sleepers would be vying for position.
We ate at 9 AM. Chuck had his eye on a Harley Shirt, so he wanted to get off quickly. Everyone was OK with that. Everyone except Norwegian. We were late docking, and did not open up the gangway until 11 AM. That gave us an hour in Nassau to get souvenirs. Once they did open up it was insane. It was like the entire ship was trying to get off though one queue. They should have had forward and aft open.
We got off and the others left us behind. Margo can’t walk fast, and they had a tight deadline. We didn’t care. But, as we looked down the pier, it was evident that the town was quite a hike. There was a handicap shuttle, but it soon became obvious that it was overwhelmed. Margo parked herself again, and I walked up ahead.
When I finally go to the front, where I could see the main entrance, it was under construction, and closed. People were being funneled off to one side, but line was not moving. Jayme later told me that it was because they would stop the pedestrians to let traffic pass. I am not a fan of big crowds, especially when they seem to lead to nowhere. There was nothing I needed in town so I turned around and found Margo near where I had left her.
I decided my time was going to be better spent getting some water from our room and going to the bathroom. Both of which I did. The other four rejoined us shortly, and we found our way to where we were to meet for our shore excursion. We had started off being told to meet in one area, then moved to another. No problem. But, once there, they disappeared. Once it got pat noon, I was starting to feel abandoned. We were more in the “Are you here for the Segway tour” area, than “Attention everyone! Everyone going on the Segway tour wait here”. My 12:15, with no one representing Norwegian or Blue Lagoon around, I was starting to feel abandoned. Not alone, mind you. There were hundreds of people around, I just kept questioning are we really where we are supposed to be? A few seconds later some showed up and started marching us to the end of the pier.
Jayme, Pam, Margo, and I had taken this exact tour back in 2017 when we had first cruised together. So, we had something to compare it to. I remembered the ship we took going out to have an open air area on the lower deck, which we used to great effect. This one was much larger and most of the seats on the lower area were taken. We all ended up separated from each other, with Margo and I in the middle of the ship with a speaker pointed at us, from about six feet away. It was loud. But once they started narrating some, they turned it down.
The narrator pointed out Oprah’s two houses, side by side, plus Michael Jordan’s place, he was supposedly in town, and Jay Z and Beyonce’s place. All huge, on the water, and super expensive. They pointed out Tiger Wood’s place, plus the gold course behind it that he owns. He seems to be doing OK.
We got to the Blue Lagoon at about 1 PM. Our Segway tour was not until 2:30, so we had time to enjoy the free lunch that came with our tickets. We first made a pit stop to look around the gift shop and go to the bathroom. Then it was off to the left to the lunch pavilion to get something to eat. It was set up cafeteria style, and we used these tickets we were given to get our food. I think everyone got a hamburger, which was given their set up, surprisingly good. While it was not piping, fresh off the grill hot, it was better than warm, and the fries were still close to hot.
We went over to the segway area and waited for our guides to show up. They were on time and began pulling out more pads than I have seen outside of a linebacker. We were required to were, knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, in addition to the helmet. We were told some lady to a spill and broke her wrist, and screwed it up for everyone else.
The six of us lined up first to get on. We were all veterans, and began riding around the practice area, like we had been doing it our whole lives. This was Margo and mine’s 10 time riding a segway, Jayme and Pam’s third, and Sally and Chuck’s second. I think the rest of our group of 14 were doing it for the first time.
Margo was motoring her machine around the sand like the rest of us, and then pulled up beside me. She said it was making her ankle hurt. For the most part riding a Segway is standing and leaning, but it can be fatiguing on your knees and feet, because there is no padding, and you are standing still, with your knees at least partially bent. It puts stresses in areas that normal walking would not. So, I told her if she did not think she could do it for an hour now was the time to say something. So, she elected not to go.. I was disappointed, but it was a beautiful place just to lounge around.
The tour was too supervised and too stop and go. There were a couple of hills that they babied us on, and bridge they seemed overly concerned about. I guess that lady’s accident had them a bi spooked.
We made a stop at the old Customs House, which is the old port for the island. It is where they would store and ship the salt that came from the island, and then sold. It is also the reason the place was originally called Salt Cay. Now the area serves as their station for Manta Ray and Nurse Shark interaction.
We got to see several mantas and one shark. They are called nurse sharks because they make a sucking sound, like they are nursing, when they feed. They are essentially bottom feeders and not a threat to humans. We could not see them very well, and our guide went to juggle a feeding bucket to rouse them, and the “zoological staff” got all bent out of shape, saying that we did not pay for this. There were three of them and they were just sitting on their asses doing nothing. One of them and are guide about got into it, but he let it pass and we were soon on our way to our next stop.
That stop was McCutcheon Tower. You could see the tower from boat when we approached. I was built to keep an eye out for pirates and to signal the surrounding area if they needed help. They would use smoke to signal their status. White smoke was a request for help. Black smoke meant they were under attack.
We were allowed to go up in the tower. I was not letting my hip stop me, and even though it was a pretty tight stair case, I made it. I was wearing my helmet which is a very good thing. I was the first up, and I slammed my head into a low beam. I believe I would have been knocked cold without the helmet. As soon as my head hit, I remembered this from last time, but that time we had been warned. I did not hear an admonishment this time. It did have a very nice view, and I got several good pictures from the top, including one taken by a fellow Segwayer.
This was basically the end of the tour. From this point we turned around and went back a flank speed to where we started, with no stopping. It took five minutes or so. I tipped the guys $25, more than adequate for just me, and found Margo. She said she had taken a short nap in the shade. The weather was beautiful. Today had been our warmest day, nearly 90, but there were no complaints. I was starting to dread going back home and seeing snow and 30s.
The ferry was to leave at 4:45. We were told there would be a call to come forth at 4:30. We were there and ready to go back at 4:15. The ferry, fully loaded left at 4:30. I saw another boat pull in, so I would assume fellow cruisers did not get stranded. I know we did not, we were all present and accounted for.
We were tired and hungry by the time we got back to the pier. Everyone was supposed to be on the Encore by 5:30. At 5:30 Margo and I were at the gangway, waiting for the attendant to let us on the ramp. For some reason they were very leery to let people fill the ramps. There was some sort of fear of collapse. I may have read that there was an incident with a cruise ship, but it is only a vague memory.
For once, Margo and I were the first to the buffet, as Sally and Chuck showered first. We saved a table around 6:10 and the others were all there by 6:30. We had a leisurely dinner. Jayme wanted to go back up to the Galaxy pavilion to ride this formula one type ride. The other three followed, but Margo and I wanted to get all of the packing finished. So, we parted ways, again.
Margo had the bags ready to out by 9 PM, an hour later we went to bed. It was going to be an odd morning, because we had both disembarkment and Daylight Savings time to deal with.
We ate at 9 AM. Chuck had his eye on a Harley Shirt, so he wanted to get off quickly. Everyone was OK with that. Everyone except Norwegian. We were late docking, and did not open up the gangway until 11 AM. That gave us an hour in Nassau to get souvenirs. Once they did open up it was insane. It was like the entire ship was trying to get off though one queue. They should have had forward and aft open.
We got off and the others left us behind. Margo can’t walk fast, and they had a tight deadline. We didn’t care. But, as we looked down the pier, it was evident that the town was quite a hike. There was a handicap shuttle, but it soon became obvious that it was overwhelmed. Margo parked herself again, and I walked up ahead.
When I finally go to the front, where I could see the main entrance, it was under construction, and closed. People were being funneled off to one side, but line was not moving. Jayme later told me that it was because they would stop the pedestrians to let traffic pass. I am not a fan of big crowds, especially when they seem to lead to nowhere. There was nothing I needed in town so I turned around and found Margo near where I had left her.
I decided my time was going to be better spent getting some water from our room and going to the bathroom. Both of which I did. The other four rejoined us shortly, and we found our way to where we were to meet for our shore excursion. We had started off being told to meet in one area, then moved to another. No problem. But, once there, they disappeared. Once it got pat noon, I was starting to feel abandoned. We were more in the “Are you here for the Segway tour” area, than “Attention everyone! Everyone going on the Segway tour wait here”. My 12:15, with no one representing Norwegian or Blue Lagoon around, I was starting to feel abandoned. Not alone, mind you. There were hundreds of people around, I just kept questioning are we really where we are supposed to be? A few seconds later some showed up and started marching us to the end of the pier.
Jayme, Pam, Margo, and I had taken this exact tour back in 2017 when we had first cruised together. So, we had something to compare it to. I remembered the ship we took going out to have an open air area on the lower deck, which we used to great effect. This one was much larger and most of the seats on the lower area were taken. We all ended up separated from each other, with Margo and I in the middle of the ship with a speaker pointed at us, from about six feet away. It was loud. But once they started narrating some, they turned it down.
The narrator pointed out Oprah’s two houses, side by side, plus Michael Jordan’s place, he was supposedly in town, and Jay Z and Beyonce’s place. All huge, on the water, and super expensive. They pointed out Tiger Wood’s place, plus the gold course behind it that he owns. He seems to be doing OK.
We got to the Blue Lagoon at about 1 PM. Our Segway tour was not until 2:30, so we had time to enjoy the free lunch that came with our tickets. We first made a pit stop to look around the gift shop and go to the bathroom. Then it was off to the left to the lunch pavilion to get something to eat. It was set up cafeteria style, and we used these tickets we were given to get our food. I think everyone got a hamburger, which was given their set up, surprisingly good. While it was not piping, fresh off the grill hot, it was better than warm, and the fries were still close to hot.
We went over to the segway area and waited for our guides to show up. They were on time and began pulling out more pads than I have seen outside of a linebacker. We were required to were, knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, in addition to the helmet. We were told some lady to a spill and broke her wrist, and screwed it up for everyone else.
The six of us lined up first to get on. We were all veterans, and began riding around the practice area, like we had been doing it our whole lives. This was Margo and mine’s 10 time riding a segway, Jayme and Pam’s third, and Sally and Chuck’s second. I think the rest of our group of 14 were doing it for the first time.
Margo was motoring her machine around the sand like the rest of us, and then pulled up beside me. She said it was making her ankle hurt. For the most part riding a Segway is standing and leaning, but it can be fatiguing on your knees and feet, because there is no padding, and you are standing still, with your knees at least partially bent. It puts stresses in areas that normal walking would not. So, I told her if she did not think she could do it for an hour now was the time to say something. So, she elected not to go.. I was disappointed, but it was a beautiful place just to lounge around.
The tour was too supervised and too stop and go. There were a couple of hills that they babied us on, and bridge they seemed overly concerned about. I guess that lady’s accident had them a bi spooked.
We made a stop at the old Customs House, which is the old port for the island. It is where they would store and ship the salt that came from the island, and then sold. It is also the reason the place was originally called Salt Cay. Now the area serves as their station for Manta Ray and Nurse Shark interaction.
We got to see several mantas and one shark. They are called nurse sharks because they make a sucking sound, like they are nursing, when they feed. They are essentially bottom feeders and not a threat to humans. We could not see them very well, and our guide went to juggle a feeding bucket to rouse them, and the “zoological staff” got all bent out of shape, saying that we did not pay for this. There were three of them and they were just sitting on their asses doing nothing. One of them and are guide about got into it, but he let it pass and we were soon on our way to our next stop.
That stop was McCutcheon Tower. You could see the tower from boat when we approached. I was built to keep an eye out for pirates and to signal the surrounding area if they needed help. They would use smoke to signal their status. White smoke was a request for help. Black smoke meant they were under attack.
We were allowed to go up in the tower. I was not letting my hip stop me, and even though it was a pretty tight stair case, I made it. I was wearing my helmet which is a very good thing. I was the first up, and I slammed my head into a low beam. I believe I would have been knocked cold without the helmet. As soon as my head hit, I remembered this from last time, but that time we had been warned. I did not hear an admonishment this time. It did have a very nice view, and I got several good pictures from the top, including one taken by a fellow Segwayer.
This was basically the end of the tour. From this point we turned around and went back a flank speed to where we started, with no stopping. It took five minutes or so. I tipped the guys $25, more than adequate for just me, and found Margo. She said she had taken a short nap in the shade. The weather was beautiful. Today had been our warmest day, nearly 90, but there were no complaints. I was starting to dread going back home and seeing snow and 30s.
The ferry was to leave at 4:45. We were told there would be a call to come forth at 4:30. We were there and ready to go back at 4:15. The ferry, fully loaded left at 4:30. I saw another boat pull in, so I would assume fellow cruisers did not get stranded. I know we did not, we were all present and accounted for.
We were tired and hungry by the time we got back to the pier. Everyone was supposed to be on the Encore by 5:30. At 5:30 Margo and I were at the gangway, waiting for the attendant to let us on the ramp. For some reason they were very leery to let people fill the ramps. There was some sort of fear of collapse. I may have read that there was an incident with a cruise ship, but it is only a vague memory.
For once, Margo and I were the first to the buffet, as Sally and Chuck showered first. We saved a table around 6:10 and the others were all there by 6:30. We had a leisurely dinner. Jayme wanted to go back up to the Galaxy pavilion to ride this formula one type ride. The other three followed, but Margo and I wanted to get all of the packing finished. So, we parted ways, again.
Margo had the bags ready to out by 9 PM, an hour later we went to bed. It was going to be an odd morning, because we had both disembarkment and Daylight Savings time to deal with.
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Day Nine, Sunday, March 12, 2023
Sunday was strictly a travel day, which when you are heading home is the worst day of vacation. It had also been the start of daylight savings time, like I mentioned. , so that took an hour away, with us moving the clocks forward. We were up at 6:30 AM to meet for breakfast. They were going to stop serving food at 8:30 AM, so if we wanted to eat we would have to be there early.
We did and then decided just to wait there. The literature told us to wait until our color (brown) was called before heading to deck 7 to get off. We were on one of three decks the Norwegian specified we could wait on. Those were 8, 15, and 16. We ate on 16. It was going to be a long day, and I was trying not stress.
Then some buffet employee tells us we need to leave because all of the colors had been called and they need to sanitize the area. All of the colors had not been called. They were about half way through, and we were waiting where we were told to. When he came back, I asked him why he was lying to us, as all of the colors had not been called. He said he would get a manager, and I told him “do that”. I guess his manager was too busy to attend to this, and now he claimed this is what he had been told and that they needed to sanitize the area. We moved, I wonder how when this is done every seven days, that they don’t have the exact procedure down. If where we were at was not a good place to wait, why did the literature, which they put in our cabins just the night before, not say “Deck 16, except for the buffet, after whatever o’clock.” I was not happy
We eventually found some place on deck 8 to hang out. They were about a half hour behind getting the colors called. Ours had been scheduled for about 9:30. It was around 10 AM when they called us. The disembarkation process was a mess. I had down to deck 6 for some reason, and the elevator stopped at 7. You literally could not get off. The whole area was filled with people trying to exit the ship. It was better when our color was finally called, because we were among the last groups, so most of the ship was off, and they had started blocking off the elevator area.
The chaos continued when we exited the ship. People were everywhere. We found our next line, to get to a shuttle bus to take us to the airport. From the time our color was called until we were on our bus we waited in one line or another for nearly two hours, 10 AM to 1 PM.
Our ride to the airport started with a one-minute safety briefing and then a four-minute fictious tale about him handling one of the bags on this bus with something moving. We did not know that he was shining us on about the bag. He later told us that he was legally required to spend five minutes on a safety briefing and that he was monitored. He could be fined $500 if he failed to do so. Based on the tale we was about to tell, I wonder if any of that was true either.
Anyway, he, Randall, went on about something live being in a bag, and asked that the owner come forth. That right now was the last opportunity before Customs would be called, and when that happened it became a felony situation. He was really making a production of it. As none of us were used to our bus driver being an entertainer, we were mentally preparing ourselves for questioning by Customs and a long delay. It finally ended with one lady started confessing to having sea shells and another asking about liquor limits. He laughed it off at that point, telling people to stop, he did not want to know anything, and that it was a joke to fill his five minutes. I was relieved when he admitted it was a joke, but later started getting annoyed. I guess I am just getting too old.
Once inside the airport we rearranged our bags, digging out coats, and adding bathroom and bed cloths, which we needed a few hours ago. Then we were pleasantly surprised that we could check these bags right now. We had never been able to that. Maybe that is a Southwestern rule and not an airport rule. Anyway, it was about 1:30 and our flight was not for another 7 hours. Norwegian had set our return flight. Thanks, Norwegian.
We the first time in years, I, and everyone else clear security without being stopped for one reason or another. It would be smooth sailing from this point, right? We set up camp at Gate D22, where we would be flying out. We had lunch at their small food court and passed those six hours, reading, wandering the airport, eating, and such. We were not sitting together for most of this with Margo and I sat near a charging port near the entrance to the gate area, and the others by the window, watching what was going on outside. It was a long 7 hours.
When it was about half an hour before boarding we were told TSA had picked our flight to do an ID audit, so they would be checking identification for all people. It would slow things down, but I figured maybe 5 to 10 minutes. We were supposed to start boarding at 7:49 PM, but nothing happened. We saw about 6 or 7 TSA agents standing around like they had nothing to do. The gate agents, all three of them, were not doing much more. We ended up boarding an hour late, after eventually being told two replacement flight attendants were on their way. We were never told what the issue had been.
People were pretty understanding, but by the third official delay, communicated via a text, there were more and more people walking up, asking a gate agent for an explanation. The only relayed to us was that “the captain is talking with TSA”. But no mention of what they were talking about or what the issue was. As was par for this trip, communication sucked.
Margo and I had not flown American for years, and maybe this was a chance to win, at least some of our business. Maybe not. I liked checking our bags early. But we were also charged $120 to them from Denver to Florida and back. I did like the assigned seats, but they loaded by group number, and the cheap fares got on last, risking having no overhead bin space. That did not come up on either segment. I suppose we will likely price them along with Southwest.
We finally boarded an hour late and took off around 10 PM Miami time. With the time change that 8 PM in Denver. It was supposed to be a 4 ½ hour flight, but the captain was able to shave off 30 minutes and we landed around midnight. It to use about two hours, a bit less to get home.
Cooper greeted us at the door and it was hard to tell if he or Margo was happier to see the other. He peed on floor, like has been his custom. We just clean it up, as I doubt he will ever change and it is kind of cute that he is so happy he loses control. But it had been a long day.
We did and then decided just to wait there. The literature told us to wait until our color (brown) was called before heading to deck 7 to get off. We were on one of three decks the Norwegian specified we could wait on. Those were 8, 15, and 16. We ate on 16. It was going to be a long day, and I was trying not stress.
Then some buffet employee tells us we need to leave because all of the colors had been called and they need to sanitize the area. All of the colors had not been called. They were about half way through, and we were waiting where we were told to. When he came back, I asked him why he was lying to us, as all of the colors had not been called. He said he would get a manager, and I told him “do that”. I guess his manager was too busy to attend to this, and now he claimed this is what he had been told and that they needed to sanitize the area. We moved, I wonder how when this is done every seven days, that they don’t have the exact procedure down. If where we were at was not a good place to wait, why did the literature, which they put in our cabins just the night before, not say “Deck 16, except for the buffet, after whatever o’clock.” I was not happy
We eventually found some place on deck 8 to hang out. They were about a half hour behind getting the colors called. Ours had been scheduled for about 9:30. It was around 10 AM when they called us. The disembarkation process was a mess. I had down to deck 6 for some reason, and the elevator stopped at 7. You literally could not get off. The whole area was filled with people trying to exit the ship. It was better when our color was finally called, because we were among the last groups, so most of the ship was off, and they had started blocking off the elevator area.
The chaos continued when we exited the ship. People were everywhere. We found our next line, to get to a shuttle bus to take us to the airport. From the time our color was called until we were on our bus we waited in one line or another for nearly two hours, 10 AM to 1 PM.
Our ride to the airport started with a one-minute safety briefing and then a four-minute fictious tale about him handling one of the bags on this bus with something moving. We did not know that he was shining us on about the bag. He later told us that he was legally required to spend five minutes on a safety briefing and that he was monitored. He could be fined $500 if he failed to do so. Based on the tale we was about to tell, I wonder if any of that was true either.
Anyway, he, Randall, went on about something live being in a bag, and asked that the owner come forth. That right now was the last opportunity before Customs would be called, and when that happened it became a felony situation. He was really making a production of it. As none of us were used to our bus driver being an entertainer, we were mentally preparing ourselves for questioning by Customs and a long delay. It finally ended with one lady started confessing to having sea shells and another asking about liquor limits. He laughed it off at that point, telling people to stop, he did not want to know anything, and that it was a joke to fill his five minutes. I was relieved when he admitted it was a joke, but later started getting annoyed. I guess I am just getting too old.
Once inside the airport we rearranged our bags, digging out coats, and adding bathroom and bed cloths, which we needed a few hours ago. Then we were pleasantly surprised that we could check these bags right now. We had never been able to that. Maybe that is a Southwestern rule and not an airport rule. Anyway, it was about 1:30 and our flight was not for another 7 hours. Norwegian had set our return flight. Thanks, Norwegian.
We the first time in years, I, and everyone else clear security without being stopped for one reason or another. It would be smooth sailing from this point, right? We set up camp at Gate D22, where we would be flying out. We had lunch at their small food court and passed those six hours, reading, wandering the airport, eating, and such. We were not sitting together for most of this with Margo and I sat near a charging port near the entrance to the gate area, and the others by the window, watching what was going on outside. It was a long 7 hours.
When it was about half an hour before boarding we were told TSA had picked our flight to do an ID audit, so they would be checking identification for all people. It would slow things down, but I figured maybe 5 to 10 minutes. We were supposed to start boarding at 7:49 PM, but nothing happened. We saw about 6 or 7 TSA agents standing around like they had nothing to do. The gate agents, all three of them, were not doing much more. We ended up boarding an hour late, after eventually being told two replacement flight attendants were on their way. We were never told what the issue had been.
People were pretty understanding, but by the third official delay, communicated via a text, there were more and more people walking up, asking a gate agent for an explanation. The only relayed to us was that “the captain is talking with TSA”. But no mention of what they were talking about or what the issue was. As was par for this trip, communication sucked.
Margo and I had not flown American for years, and maybe this was a chance to win, at least some of our business. Maybe not. I liked checking our bags early. But we were also charged $120 to them from Denver to Florida and back. I did like the assigned seats, but they loaded by group number, and the cheap fares got on last, risking having no overhead bin space. That did not come up on either segment. I suppose we will likely price them along with Southwest.
We finally boarded an hour late and took off around 10 PM Miami time. With the time change that 8 PM in Denver. It was supposed to be a 4 ½ hour flight, but the captain was able to shave off 30 minutes and we landed around midnight. It to use about two hours, a bit less to get home.
Cooper greeted us at the door and it was hard to tell if he or Margo was happier to see the other. He peed on floor, like has been his custom. We just clean it up, as I doubt he will ever change and it is kind of cute that he is so happy he loses control. But it had been a long day.
Final thoughts on this trip. I spent more money that I should have on what was something we had done before. I was glad to go with my siblings and their spouses, and would have liked to have had Darrin and Kris with us. I was also glad to have missed a week of Colorado winter.
It was clear that Margo and I had different things we wanted out of this trip than the others did. We all agreed on the being with family and the weather thing, no doubt. Sally and Chuck were on their first cruise and wanted to wring out everything they could. We were the same on our first cruise. Jayme liked all of the adventurous things the ship had to offer and was all over them, with Pam right beside him. I really could and did take them or leave them. Margo and I wanted to pull back and relax more. We aren’t as physically active as we used to be, and I am stressed all of the time with work and life. Margo is stressed managing Jackie and all her health issues. While the ports were nice, we had been to three of them before, and we really did not do anything new in any of them. Not taking a tour in the DR was my only regret there.
Those differences in expectations had Margo and I being left out, even if we had been enthusiastically invited, on a lot of the activities my siblings and their spouses did. Would I do it again. Yes, but I would have a different set of expectations, and would adjust my mindset towards those. Would I do Norwegian again? Maybe. I would approach it differently for sure. I would start with a travel agent who was very familiar with them. I think they could have prevented a number of the things that annoyed me.
Well, I do learn something new on every trip I take. So, here’s to next time and applying what I learned.
It was clear that Margo and I had different things we wanted out of this trip than the others did. We all agreed on the being with family and the weather thing, no doubt. Sally and Chuck were on their first cruise and wanted to wring out everything they could. We were the same on our first cruise. Jayme liked all of the adventurous things the ship had to offer and was all over them, with Pam right beside him. I really could and did take them or leave them. Margo and I wanted to pull back and relax more. We aren’t as physically active as we used to be, and I am stressed all of the time with work and life. Margo is stressed managing Jackie and all her health issues. While the ports were nice, we had been to three of them before, and we really did not do anything new in any of them. Not taking a tour in the DR was my only regret there.
Those differences in expectations had Margo and I being left out, even if we had been enthusiastically invited, on a lot of the activities my siblings and their spouses did. Would I do it again. Yes, but I would have a different set of expectations, and would adjust my mindset towards those. Would I do Norwegian again? Maybe. I would approach it differently for sure. I would start with a travel agent who was very familiar with them. I think they could have prevented a number of the things that annoyed me.
Well, I do learn something new on every trip I take. So, here’s to next time and applying what I learned.