Back in Florida

Sunday - After a week of 79°F temperature, the 69°F of Fort Lauderdale felt “chilly”. Welcome back to the real world. At least we aren’t headed back to snow.

From the parking lot to the RV park was 357 miles and took around 7 hours including a stop at KFC for lunch. This time, we took the Florida Turnpike from Fort Lauderdale to just east of Tampa. The toll was around $18 but after our trip down to the port, well worth it. The only slowdown was when we were near Orlando. So much less stress.

We arrived back around 4:30pm. If we took the non-toll roads, we probably would’ve stopped for the night along the way. So the toll roads were a net savings. 

Monday - It felt cold this morning. The low was 48°F. But by early afternoon, it was up to 80°F so time for a dip in the pool. The pool here was about the same as the ocean so pretty nice. And, the sun felt just as hot!

I got some tasks done. NSA sent some new parts to try and resolve the tow bar not locking into the extended position. The new part looks just like the old one. But I went ahead and installed it. We move next Sunday.

Tuesday - A quiet day but it did get a bit warm and humid. Another good day for the pool. Someone asked me where “home” is. The phrase “home is where we park it” came to mind. It’s kind of accurate, for now, but I think Bridget would like to have some sort of sticks-and-bricks home base. The big question is where. 

Wednesday - This morning, we visited Manatee Springs State Park. It is just across the Suwannee River but to drive there, we head all the way back to Old Town to cross the river. Day use was only $6/vehicle and there was a nice boardwalk to the Suwannee River. 

No manatees in the river or spring. But did see an otter and a lot of turtles. The park was pretty empty probably because there weren’t any manatees. 

This is the Suwannee River from the end of the boardwalk and where saw the otter. 

Afterwards, we picked up more groceries before heading back to the rv park. 

Perfect Day at CocoCay

Saturday - Last night after dinner, we saw a Broadway production of Cats. Which was phenomenal. We were in the second row and many times, the performers were just a few feet away. During the chorus numbers, you could hear individual performers. The action was almost non-stop. 

This morning, we pulled into the Royal Caribbean private island CocoCay. Their literature always says “Perfect Day at CocoCay”. I’m not sure if that’s the official name. The orange tower is a water slide, the sphere to the left is a helium balloon. And, there a lot of other extra cost activities. 

We are here for most of the day. It is cooler as we headed north. It’s 75°F at 6:30 am with a forecasted high of 75°F. 

Later - Hmmm, it shouldn’t be too crowded today. Actually, it’s not too bad once you got off of the pier. I was off the ship shortly after 8am after watching the second boat, Wonder of the Seas, dock. Both are Oasis class cruise ships with over 6K guests each.

My son rented a cabana on the beach for the day. The shade and having a place to relax without fighting the crowds was really nice. Below is the view from the cabana. Not very crowded.

Sea Days Heading North

 

Thursday - This mornings activity was sushi making. We made two rolls, a hand roll, and two nigiri. Both of the rolls had the rice on the outside which I had never successfully done before. One was tempura shrimp and the other was spicy tuna. It was a small class with only ten participants. It was fun. Plus, I had lunch and picked up some knowledge. I think I was the only one asking questions. 

We headed out of Willemstad, Curaçao shortly after sunset with slightly rougher seas due to wind. 

Before lunch, Bridget wanted to watch the parade through the promenade shopping area. Lunch was in the main dining room. Delicious Atlantic cod. 

Followed by mini golf on the sports deck. 

Friday - Another 78°F-79°F day. We are headed northwest through the Bahamas with a stop tomorrow at Royal Caribbeans island, called Perfect Day at Coco Cay. A strange name for an island. 

My son rented a casita on deck 16 looking out over the ocean. 

There were a few light sprinkles in the afternoon though the weather looked much worse to the east. 

This morning, we took a tour of one of the many kitchens. The tour was given by one of the head waiters and he explained the process from food storage through preparation and serving. I thought it was pretty interesting. 

I got to see another part of the ship this morning. While getting breakfast, I slipped on the wet tile and bumped my head. They took me to first aid along the central corridor that runs the full length of the boat on deck 2. They refer to it as I-95. I’m fine and they applied some glue to seal the cut. 

Willemstad, Curaçao

Wednesday - This morning, we came into Willemstad, Curaçao. The second of the ABC islands, which are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which we are visiting. 

We have a shore excursion scheduled this morning shortly after docking. The local time AST which is one hour ahead “ship time”. It was suggested that we disable auto time zone update just to avoid confusion. 

It’s interesting to watch the boat coming into the dock. Unfortunately, they seem to dock on the starboard side so I can’t watch from the balcony. 

Later - The tour was on a large bus with a knowledgeable tour guide explaining the different areas we drove through. Very narrow roads with tight corners and traffic. The first stop was at a small botanical garden. I couldn’t hear any of the explanations due to an inadequate sound system. So I just sort of loitered near the back of the group talking to others on the tour.

The views from the bus as we crossed the Queen Juliana Bridge were pretty good. Our ship is the one on the right. 

The second stop was at the distillery where they make and bottle Blue Curaçao liquor. We learned that they also make it in three other colors but they all taste identical. They gave everyone a sample of the blue and a chocolate one. 

The weather here is kind of boring. The temperature doesn’t change even though we are here at the end of the rainy season. We got a little bit of rain while traveling in the bus. 

We arrived back at the boat in time for lunch at the buffet. 

Oranjestad, Aruba

Tuesday - I was up early-ish (6 am) to watch our arrival into Aruba. I didn’t need to get up early as there wasn’t much to see until after 7 am. But it was nice to sit on the balcony in the 79°, which is the forecasted low temperature. 

There are clouds but it still should be a nice day. I stayed out on the balcony until we were almost docked. 

We then headed down to Johnny Rockets for breakfast (no extra charge for breakfast only). We then went to the solarium on the guess that most of the passengers were headed ashore. We decided to wait until after lunch. 

There appears to be some sort of military ship parked next to us but Bridget said that it wasn’t the Aruba flag. 

We did not schedule any excursion for this stop and plan to just wander around the port area. It looks like there are at least three cruise ships docked. That’s a lot of people wandering around. 

This is the boat that we’re on, Oasis of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. It’s large but it doesn’t feel as crowded as the last cruise which was also an oasis class ship. 

That area on the back of the boat is an aqua stage. The show last night was phenomenal and one of the highlights was a tightrope walker. About 60’ above the deck on a boat moving at 18 knots in open water. Others dived from this point into the pool. 

Total distance covered, so far, is 1272 miles or 2046 km. 

Eastern Caribbean - Day 3

Monday - Today is another sea day after passing between Cuba and Haiti last night. After coffee in the room, I headed to the solarium, an 18+ area near the front of the ship on deck 15. Much quieter with relaxing music instead of the live band around the pools. It was pretty quiet though a lot of the deck chairs were “reserved” in spite of the rules prohibiting the practice. 

The forecasted low is 79°F with a high of 80°F. Hard to complain about that. We had lunch in the main dining room as it’s open for lunch on sea days. I prefer the dining room to the buffet even though there is more choice at the buffet. Nothing fancy. Tomatoes salad, spaghetti, and an apple crumble dessert. Tasty and not too much food. We have a show tonight during our regular dinner time so I’m not sure where dinner will be. Probably the buffet. 

Later - The buffet was not great. And it was kind of crowded. The best items were the two Indian dishes and maybe the pasta. 

Eastern Caribbean - Day 2

Sunday - I was curious where we were this morning. I turned on the TV, which has a map showing our location, speed, temperature, etc., and was mildly surprised at how close we were to Cuba. The weather app even showed our location as Cuba. 

There wasn’t much to see from the starboard railing besides seeing that there is something on the horizon. 

Today is a sea day as we wander south towards our first stop at Aruba. Someplace I had only heard of in the Beach Boys song, Kokomo. Not being a big music person, I had to look the title up on Google. But I do remember the song from the late 80s. 

My son rented a casita for the day on deck 16. The shade is nice benefit. It is kind of windy up here. I had stopped in the solarium at the front of the ship and that was quiet. No DJs, no games, or live performances. 

I guess I'm fascinated that Google maps work with the wifi. The onboard Interneg was included with The Key package. I'm not sure I would've purchased it but it's nice to have. 

Those look like Starlink dishes mounted to the rail. I heard that it has been a game-changer for on-sea Internet. The speed is decent especially considering our location. 

Port Everglades

Friday - We headed east then south towards Port Everglades which is located north of Miami. Quite a long drive at 387 miles. Further than I thought. We could’ve shaved 20 minutes by taking toll roads through Orlando but we decided on the non-toll route through the outskirts of Daytona Beach. We stopped at Buckees for lunch which is always a win. 

The first couple of hours were all secondary roads, which was fairly relaxing. From Daytona Beach south, it was all I-95 much faster but more stressful. It was much warmer while heading down the Florida east coast with most of the drive in the mid-80s (°F).

As we approached Fort Lauderdale, the traffic became horrible. Lots of accidents on the highway probably from people driving too fast and not paying attention. When you look at other drivers, a significant number of them are on their phones.

We had dinner at a casino a short walk from the hotel. I had carnitas tacos and they were pretty tasty. The back parking lot at the casino is being run as discounted cruise parking. Less than half the daily rate at the port. We’ll see how well the shuttle service works tomorrow. 

Saturday - Parking was easy and the shuttle ride to the terminal was quick as they didn’t use the normal vehicle entrance. The priority boarding was quick and straightforward and we were in a “special” waiting area until the ship was ready. 

We were on the ship by 11. And we finished our required tasks pretty quickly. There is a special lunch at noon that is supposed to feature some really good food. 

Later - The wild mushroom soup was wonderful as was the fillet mignon. The mac and cheese was lukewarm but creamy. It was a nice lunch. Way less hectic than the buffet.

Now it’s time for a nap. We don’t leave for a couple more hours. We have a port side, ocean view, balcony room on deck 6. Time to relax…

Below is the Princess cruise at the next terminal. 

Day 7 - Sea Day

Saturday - Today the ship is heading back to Galveston into a 35kt quartering headwind. The net result is an apparent wind of around 45kts according to the status screen. You can feel some movement but this ship is pretty stable due to its size. You can hear the empty hangers rattling in the closet as a reminder that the trip is almost over. It really has been a nice vacation. To me, the most enjoyable part have been the sea days. I could really take or leave the ports and excursions. We’ll arrive sometime tomorrow in the early morning and our departure window opens at 8:45am. The picture was actually taken at lunch but it was the only picture I took all day.

Breakfast was in the main dining room with Bill and Casey from the park. I don’t have much planned today besides packing. We need to vacate the room by 8am tomorrow and we opted out of the crew moving our luggage. This gives us more flexibility but we will need to carry our luggage off the ship. Hopefully we can get most of it into luggage with wheels. 

Mid-morning was spent in the solarium. Supposedly a quiet place but there are a few loud people but it’s generally pretty quiet. I heard that there is slow WiFi available in the card room. 

Later - Sigh, No WiFi on the card room. We had lunch in the main dining room. I think we both decided that we like someone bringing us the food instead of fighting the crowds at the buffet. On sea days, they serve lunch so we took advantage of it. 

It seems like I came down with a fever today. And an annoying cough. Bridget brought me dinner from the main dining room. It was a delicious lamb shank! Fabulous flavor with some mint jelly and pearl onions!

Since I’m feeling sick (tired, cough, aches) we opted for the crew to take all except our carry on bags.

Day 6 - Cozumel, Mexico

Friday - Today’s adventure started early. We met Gail, one other member from the park, for breakfast at Park Place. The toasted onion bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon, onion, and capers was delicious. We had an excursion scheduled which started with a bus ride to some Mayan ruins followed by a couple more stops. After signing waivers we headed out. Travel on the road system here seemed much more controlled than Roatan. Traffic signals!

The Mayan ruins at San Gervasio were less impressive than expected. Then again, Cozumel is a small island. No pyramids. Several foundations for a temple, palace, and other limestone structures. The commoners lived in wooden structures. Many of the buildings had their stones taken by conquering Spaniards for their own buildings and churches. 

It was interesting and the guide did a fantastic job. One thing that surprised me was the lack of any writing but that could have been due to the site being picked over in the past. While we were there, I did pick up some more extra-strength Ibuprofen for less than we paid yesterday. $35 for 100 tablets versus $20 for 50. Still more than Los Algodones. But I now have enough to last for a while. 

We then stopped at a honey bee place to give us an opportunity to buy more stuff. I think it was associated with the tour company. The claimed reason was to allow a shaman to “bless” the obsidian pendants that people purchased at the previous stop. The next stop was scheduled and listed on the itinerary. A chocolate demonstration at the Mayan Cacao Company. They gave us the history including how it was used by the Mayans. They did a demonstration of grinding the cacao nibs and adding honey, allspice, cinnamon, and a few other things to make Mayan chocolate. Their traditional drink is mixed with water. Using milk was a European thing after the cacao was brought back to Europe by the Spaniards. 

We arrived back at the ship around 2:45 and we hit up the hot dog place again for a quick snack as we missed lunch. This excursion was fairly long time-wise and we ended up traversing the entire road system of the island. 

Tomorrow is a sea day as we head back to Galveston.