Cruising

Our Galapagos Adventure, Part 2

Posted on December 2, 2025 by Doug and Jackie

Let’s continue with this fantastic adventure cruise to the Galapagos Islands.  As I mentioned earlier, the Galapagos Islands lie 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, isolated for centuries and only visited by whalers, pirates and eventually settlers who tried to cultivate a living on the islands.  The volcanic islands lacked dependable sources of water, with a few exceptions, and thus put a huge strain on the bird and animal life that arrived to the islands.  The need to adapt for survival resulted in species that are totally unique and were what we wanted to see on this trip.  We were not disappointed.

Our fourth day aboard was off the coast of Santa Cruz and North Seymour Islands.  Overnight we were rocked pretty good by large swells, caused by the deep water Humbolt current we were told, and this was the first time seeing lights of other boats and onshore activity.  Choices of excursion for the day were a morning beach walk with beach snorkel or simply the beach snorkel.  Up early to catch breakfast and get ready, we chose the beach walk, since it involved a brief visit to a brackish pond where other birds were expected.  An 8:30 wet landing meant wearing wet shoes and changing into dry socks and hiking shoes.  The beach was white sand, the color of the water was a beautiful blue and frothy white waves crashed over the black volcanic rocks and over the red crabs and brown sea lions scattered about.  It was very cool. The pond behind the dunes was quiet and we saw some ducks and a great look at a black-necked stilt.   

Back at the beach landing we changed into our snorkel gear to check out the sea life.  Turns out it was pretty stirred up and hard to see clearly, so we opted to slip off our fins and get out.  As we were doing so, someone pointed out “octopus in the water”.  Sure enough, there in the wave wash was a dark grey/purple octopus, maybe 12” across the spread tentacles.  We watched a bit before it disappeared deeper into the water.  How very exciting!

Back on board we went through the washing routine with our gear, showered and headed to lunch.  Today was a Spanish inspired lunch with lots of delicious choices.  We had a little chill time while the ship repositioned around the island, just off Baltra and North Seymour Island.  As the ship moved north we closely passed two protected islands: Daphne Major and Daphne Minor. These treeless islands experienced severe drought in the ’70’s and as a result their finch population had to adapt to eating much larger, harder seeds. It is very protected and is the site of finch studies. Moving along the cliffs we spotted some of the red-billed tropicbirds fishing.

Doug skipped the 3:00 snorkel but Jackie went out on this deep water snorkel that she said was a bit rough with some of the same fish and was back onboard by 4:15.  It was a quick turnaround for her, as we both took the 4:45 tender for a dry landing on the rocky coastline.  This was a big nesting area for the frigate birds and blue footed boobies.  There were lots and lots of frigate birds soaring around, some who would try to snatch fish from the nesting boobies, others hovering just above us.  

Of course I was clicking away with my camera and also filming with my gopro camera the whole time – carefully stepping over the many rounded rocks and around the sleeping sea lions.  I was filming a very curious juvenile frigate bird who was just a foot or so above Jackie when he shifted over to me and came in way way too close.  I backed away as his long hooked beak headed straight for me. What else could you do, their wingspan was nearly 4 feet across and I really didn’t want to swat at him – so as I was shouting “too close, too close” I toppled over some rocks and went down.  Everything was fine, I was just a bit humbled and embarrassed by this silly bird.  Yes, it’s on video.

Further along we encountered a cute group of three sea lion pups flopping about.  The group circled around them to take pictures and the pups kept creeping closer and closer to us.  Once again we were telling them “too close” but they didn’t listen of course and they curiously kept advancing.  It was really quite amusing watching as another couple of pups joined them and there was much barking and jostling and flopping around.  Very special and up close look at them.

Onboard for the drink of the day – the Yellow Warbler (well at least I got the drink, if not the photo just yet) – dinner and then choices for tomorrow’s excursions.  Jackie has been very careful on this trip with her dining choices, since she has an allergy to shellfish (crab, lobster, shrimp) that she wants to avoid.  The cruise line was advised in advance and our servers have always asked, but somehow something was overlooked.  She had a rough night and the next morning just wanted to stay in bed.  I shared that with the maitre’d and he ordered up a bowl of chicken soup for her and followed up all day with how she was feeling.

The morning activity was a trip ashore on San Cristobal Island to visit a nature center and then have time in town for shopping or wandering.  Lots of sea lions on shore and laying about on sidewalks and benches – you had to once again watch your step.  I watched several pups splashing around in the tide pools.  Town was pretty quaint, with lots of open air cafes and shopping nooks.  I snapped pictures, did just a little shopping and was back on board before lunch.  It was a rather busy port compared to every other spot we visited.  Only 3% of the islands are inhabited, but where they are it is pretty crowded.

Jackie was still not feeling too good, but I told her it was not a real important excursion day and to stay aboard and rest.  We had some chill time again onboard as the ship repositioned off Punta Pitt and we waited for our scheduled time to visit the island (visitation is strictly controlled).  At 4:00 I boarded the tender for a wet landing, then changed into dry socks and shoes for the long hike up and around the island.  This was a hike up a dry, tight creek bed, much like a small slot canyon, and it was a nice challenge.  You pretty much had to watch your footing the whole time, but as I stopped to get a picture of the blueish lichen on the rocks I noticed something odd on the rock ledge.  Oh, wow it was a small owl.  I pointed it out to our naturalist, who got very excited to see the Galapagos barn owl.  It was just roosting on the rock, not paying a bit of attention to all of us who were snapping lots of pictures.  Nice catch.

Further along the hike we reached some shrubs where blue footed booby chicks were sitting in nests – all white and fluffy.  There was also a new bird for us, the red footed booby, both adults and juveniles.  They were much more gray colored, but the feet were definitely red.  Along the cliffs we saw the third booby, the Nazca booby.  These were white with black wing patches and a yellow bill.  Several flocks were flying along the cliffs and you could catch a few nesting out on the rocks.  Very scenic area, with red and orange plants scattered on the rocks (probably a variety of sedum).  We turned back and found the barn owl still sitting on the ledge, ignoring us.  

Back onboard the ship Jackie was feeling better.  She said the captain and other staff checked on her all day and they figured there must have been some cross-contamination.  The chef prepared a special chicken plate for her and I tried their pumpkin soups and a flounder plate.  The drink of the day was the red footed booby.  After dinner we went up to the darkened 8th deck to look at the stars, even though we couldn’t find the Southern Cross or recognize any of the constellations (too many stars!).  

Saturday was our day to visit tortoises and to do some reforestation on Santa Cruz Island so after breakfast we departed at 8:00 for a dry landing at Puerto Ayora and a short bus ride to the Charles Darwin Research Station and a walk into the Fausto Llerena Giant Tortoise Breeding Center.  We saw our first adult saddleback tortoises here and pens with many other younger ones.  This breeding center is where they hatch and grow the tortoises until around 5 years old, then introduce them back to the islands where they are native.  Great spot for lots of information about how the tortoises were removed so heavily by whalers and pirates as a long-lasting source of food onboard their ships and the efforts now to repopulate them.

Walking back to our buses in town we had some time to shop for shirts, souvenirs and chocolate.  We made sure to get some that was tagged “Darwin’s favorite chocolate.”  Right.  Chocolate was top of his list.  Our next journey was up into the Highlands for a tree planting activity.  We hopped out of the van and found our sizes of rubber boots before hiking into the green, tropical Highlands to plant some Galapagos Scalesia trees to replace the cleared invasive species that had taken over.  This tree is important to the island because of the lichen that grows on its branches and traps moisture from the air.  Each of us had two saplings to plant, with tags that indicated our specific cruise and date, so if we choose to return in years to come, we might just be able to find our trees.  

Changing out of our boots and back into hiking shoes, we boarded the vans for another short drive down the mountain to the El Mansanillo Ranch and a tortoise preserve.  The Highlands were rather lush, filled with pastures of cattle, groves of fruit and greenhouses of vegetables.  It helped us understand that when our cruise chef said they locally sourced all of their food for the cruise, it was indeed possible from Santa Cruz island.

At the ranch we were greeted in a beautiful open-air pavilion for welcome drinks and a delicious buffet lunch.  One of the featured drinks was their own Boobies Beer, which was a nice blonde ale.  After fruit, salad, ceviche, fish and dessert – plus wine and shots of their distilled moonshine – we were treated to a local high school dance performance of traditional dances.  Very colorful and entertaining.  But of course the big event was stepping out to find the giant tortoises.  Not too hard to do, since we had been watching these large moving boulders since we arrived.  In fact they were on the dirt road leading to the ranch and our driver had to gingerly weave around them.  

In the lush green fields we walked among the domed tortoises as they munched on grass, moved about, watched us carefully … and it all just seemed so strange.  These animals were two and maybe three times our age.  They had the freedom to go wherever they wanted on the island, they weren’t penned in.  Wherever the food source took them is where they went.  These domed tortoises had shells that differed from the saddleback tortoises we saw earlier, the result of adaptation that was all part of Darwin’s observations and concluding theories of evolutionary change.  The food they ate (saddlebacks needed to reach the prickly pear fruit) determined how their necks grew and shells molded.  The grass did not require these tortoises to have the long necks and saddleback shells.  It was just amazing to see so many of these big creatures all over the fields and pastures.

We had a little more time in town before heading back to the ship.  This waterfront avenue was filled with pretty high-end shops and restaurants and was lots of fun to shop, even though we really didn’t have much extra room in the luggage for extra souvenirs.  Oh, and I finally got a clear shot of that elusive yellow warbler – on a windowsill no less!

Speaking of luggage, our briefing before dinner was all about how to pack up before midnight, followed by a photo review of our week’s cruise adventure.  Each of us received a jump drive with the powerpoint slide show to take back with us – and we toasted the entire crew with champagne.  Dinner that night was special – a group of 12 of us who had become pretty close on the excursions asked to be seated together for the last night.  It was a lot of fun, as we laughed and chatted about the adventures we all just experienced together.  The meal was delicious, with most choosing the beef Wellington, while I had grilled octopus (sure hope it wasn’t the one we spotted).  If I recall correctly, it was Ena and Al, Andy and Kristy, Carol and Kathy, Judy and Linda, Adam and Janice who joined us for that last meal (which seemed to have bottomless glasses of wine). 

Well we did get our bags all packed up and outside the door for pickup by midnight.  We were up early to leave the room by 7:30 and catch breakfast before hopping aboard the tenders one last time.  The captain and crew were all there to wave us off, no doubt anxious to prepare for the next arrivals.  It was a contented bunch who docked and rode the shuttle to the airport, just a bit sorry the adventure had come to an end but thrilled with the experience.  We claimed our bags, passed through immigration, got our boarding passes and waited in the VIP lounge where there was food and water.  Unfortunately, due to national elections the next day, all alcohol sales and service in the country were shut down for 36 hours.  Ah well, we had our fill the day before.  

The chartered 2 hour flight back to Quito was just fine, with another delicious lunch served.  One in Quito the group broke up in several ways.  Some folks were headed to Peru for adventure, a few were going to the cloud forest in Ecuador and others had flights home a day later.  We were part of the group that had an early flight back home the next morning, so we were escorted to a hotel near the airport: EB Hotel.  This is a very posh euro style hotel that welcomed us with drinks (juice) and had wonderful rooms.  Once again, the lobby was filled with large arrangements of long stemmed roses.  Gorgeous.  Dinner in their restaurant was included and once again I had grilled octopus with shrimp over fettucini, with coconut shrimp for appetizer and a chocolate mousse for dessert.  

Breakfast buffet the next morning, early, and off to the airport by 6:30.  Celebrity helped guide us through the self-check process for LATAM Airlines and we were set to board a 9:05 flight to Miami.  There was just a bit of time for last minute chocolate and coffee shopping before boarding and we had no problems with the flight.  We learned later that some of the group who had a red-eye back home had their flight cancelled and spent the night at a less-than-stellar hotel.  That’s too bad. 

We connected through Miami and on to Atlanta, although neither of us found the Miami portion to be enjoyable at all.  Completely full and not a very polite group of travelers.  Perhaps we had been so spoiled with the Celebrity crew and escorts and the wonderful cruisers who joined us that nothing would have matched that experience.  But we were soon back home chatting about the wonderful memories we had exploring the Galapagos Islands. 

I hope you enjoyed this recap of our experience and will consider this for your future “life list.”  We can both guarantee you won’t be disappointed.  And when I have a bit more time I will edit the video I took and post it on my YouTube channel.  Thanks for joining us on the adventure.

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Our Galapagos Adventure – Part One

Posted on November 23, 2025 by Doug and Jackie

Amazing, incredible and like something out of time, we just returned from our Galapagos Islands adventure full of great memories, tons of pictures and maybe just a bit exhausted.  It has taken me a few days to even begin to put this together for you and I am really not sure the best way to share the adventure, so I will just start at the beginning, probably breaking this into two blogs. If you can read it on a screen bigger than a phone, you will enjoy the pictures much more.

You will recall that both Jackie and I are wildlife biologists and that I was a naturalist and park ranger early in my career.  Jackie taught biology to middle schoolers and natural selection and evolution were critical elements of that teaching.  So a trip to where Darwin first observed and later wrote about the process of natural selection was somewhere between bucket list and trip of a lifetime for us.

Quito, Ecuador

The Galapagos Islands are located 600 miles west of the coast of Ecuador in the Pacific Island.  To start our journey with Celebrity Cruises we first flew from Atlanta to Quito, Ecuador – in the foothills of the Andes mountains.  Nearly 10,000 feet elevation. Once off the plane and with our collected bags we were met by Celebrity hosts and driven to our grand hotel, the JW Marriott – a drive that was about an hour on some very crowded roads.  A nice welcome, with arrival drinks and warm hand towels, and we were soon in our room checking out our goodies.  We each had a medium sized backpack and metal water bottle, compliments of Celebrity, that would be used for the cruise excursions.  We had some health and declaration paperwork to complete for the flight to Baltra, but the next day would be an excursion around the city.

The included breakfast buffet was a gorgeous spread of fruits, cheeses, pastries, omelets – I made sure to try the dragon fruit, papaya, cherimoya, golden berries and other fruits.  Cruisers were divided into smaller groups of 10 – 12 with a guide and by 9am we were on our bus headed into Quito.  The city sprawls across hills and canyons and is divided by tunnels running through the hills.  We headed into the older Spanish Colonial section first, reaching a hilltop with a huge metal sculpture of the Virgin Mary slaying a dragon – with views of the city and surrounding volcanic mountains. One nice touch was an earpiece we each wore that was connected to our guide, so we could easily hear everything that was said as we walked about.

Deeper into the UNESCO section of the city we began a walk along the crowded streets, filled with sidewalk vendors of all sorts and stalls of fruits, vegetables, cooked meats, candies, crafts – just a wild scene.  Each tour group also had an extra security guard who kept an eye on any locals who might be too eager – but we had no problems.  Our first stop was one of the many Catholic churches – decorated in an amazing Baroque style (which meant every surface had to be decorated, mostly in gold leaf).  We also visited the St. Francis Monastery, just off the large central square that was filled with performers and more vendors, some who had beautiful woven scarves of Alpaca – eager to show you all the colors and designs.  Inside the monastery was a beautiful courtyard, but of course I had to check out the monk’s brewery, which was more museum than active brewery, but they did serve their beer in a tasting room.

We kept walking around the bustling streets, into the square with the Presidential Palace and then to another monastery for a delicious lunch buffet served in the courtyard.  Back on the bus and an hour’s drive later we were at a museum park that sat on the equator.  We were told that the traditional equatorial marker just a block away (and quite crowded and fancy) was originally set by French explorers but more accurate GPS put the location where we were standing.  There were several demonstrations of the odd behavior of the Equator, such as no drain swirl on the Equator, but clockwise or counter clockwise just three feet to either side.  Tried to balance an egg on end (couldn’t quite do it) and we of course had pictures straddling the line. 

The museum had some historic shelters and artifacts to explore and after being treated to a chocolate tasting I chased down a fancy hummingbird and yellow bird (not sure of the species) in the shrubs and then it was back on the bus and an hours drive to the hotel.  A lot of traffic, even with some hefty public transportation – bus stations in the median of the roads, trolleys and double and triple section buses.  A quick moment at the hotel to freshen up and we were off again for dinner out.  We had a really delicious meal – yellowfin tuna appetizer, most of our table had a big veal shank, I had beef hind (like a pot roast), followed by a dessert selection.  Back at the hotel we had to repack our bags and take them to the lobby, keeping only our backpacks.  A requirement for the flight to Galapagos was having all bags checked and certified so nothing biological is introduced to the islands.

A note about the altitude and preparation.  We took some prescribed medications to help with oxygen uptake and were sure to keep well hydrated.  The regimen of pills was started the day before arrival and the day we left.  It seemed to help, but you still found yourself taking a big deep breath every so often.

To the Islands

Another delicious breakfast buffet (mmm, good coffee), then boarding buses to the airport – still in our groups, which did make it easier to meet some of our fellow cruisers.  The flight to Baltra on the islands was 2 hours, arriving with beautiful weather.  Much fuss was made about having the entry QR code on your phone to pass immigration, but it worked out fine.  We identified our luggage, which was brought to the ship for us.  Another short shuttle to the dock where we boarded the zodiac rafts for the first time and made our approach to the ship (with a brief visit to our first blue footed booby sighting on the rocks and lots of frigate birds circling overhead).  We are in the tropics now!

The “Welcome Aboard” greeting was wonderful, with the captain and all key crew shaking hands and welcoming us aboard – warm hand towels, champagne and an escort to our suite.  There a bottle of champagne, cookies and chocolates awaited us as we were shown how to operate the lights, the infinite veranda and shown the stocked mini bar. We had a few minutes to explore the ship before lunch at 1:30.  There are only two floors of suites for the 100 guests, the dining room and lounge/bar deck, upper deck with grill, bar and hot tub and the marina deck where your wet gear is and where you board the zodiac tenders.  Oh and there is a very small pool – like hot tub size.   

There was a 3:30 muster drill and a 4:00 briefing about the options for the next day’s excursions and how to connect to Wi-Fi.  Information overload.  Doug chose a long walk and snorkel off the beach for the morning, Jackie the short walk and beach snorkel.  For the afternoon we chose the tender ride along the coast followed by deep water snorkeling.  By 5:00 we were being fitted for snorkel gear, fins and wetsuits.  Snorkel gear was placed in numbered mesh bags and hung on hooks that corresponded to our suite number, wetsuits on hangers also numbered to our suite.  That was a fun exercise slipping into wetsuits that might have been a bit small, exchanged and then zipped up for proper fit.  These were short sleeved, mid thigh wetsuits, although we also brought some dive skins (essentially long tights and long sleeve UV shirts).

But wait, there’s more on this first day scramble:  A presentation about the ship followed by a champagne welcome toast.  Dinner, finally, at 7:30 and then back to the suite to unpack and hit the sack.

Morning Excursion

Monday was our first day official of the cruise, begun with a delicious buffet breakfast and followed by our tender assignments.  Boarding the tenders was a routine that we had to master.  First you had to have just the right things in your backpack – water bottle, reef safe sunscreen, towel and change of socks and shoes, depending on wet or dry landing.  Then you grabbed your mesh bag if snorkeling, put on a life jacket, THEN your backpack over that, carrying the mesh bag to your tender and handing it off to the crew.  Grab the rail as the steps bob up and down and then step carefully down, taking your place along the canvas floatation.  Zoom, zoom and we were off to the shoreline.

This was on Santiago Island, at Puerto Egas and a wet landing.  That meant you wore water shoes to step off the ramp at the water’s edge of the beach.  It also meant that to hike you needed to quickly change into your dry hiking shoes, leaving your water shoes on the beach.  The hike was amazing.  Beautiful weather in the mid 70’s – we were greeted by a pair of Galapagos Hawks on shore.  And what else?  How about some of Darwin’s finches, Galapagos mockingbird, frigatebirds, pelicans, lava herons, Galapagos doves, and … large land iguanas and little lava lizards among the cactus and scrub, fur seals, sea lions, marine iguanas, Sally Lightfoot crabs … wow.  Just right there, up close and personal, as if they were posing for you.  Lots of pictures taken, of course.  Other birdlife spotted included the elusive (to me anyway) yellow warbler, oystercatcher, yellow crowned night heron and lava gulls.  You can pretty much preface every bird or animal with “Galapagos” or “Lava” … maybe “Darwin.”

Back at the black sand beach our group caught up with Jackie’s group and we changed into our wetsuits and snorkels, struggling to put on the fins, naturally, and slipping into the cold water (57 degrees!)  But oh what a beautiful reef.  Fish all around: yellow-tailed surgeon fish, king angelfish, parrot fish, blue sea stars, chocolate chip starfish and something we later identified as a Galapagos sea cucumber. As we were having fun watching the fish we were suddenly joined by a very playful and curious sea lion.  I mean so close he practically bumped into you – but no, he skillfully swam around and under you.  How special and what fun.  I did get video.

Time to slip off the fins, pack up the mesh bag, don our lifejackets and backpacks and step into the tender for the short trip back onboard.  The arrival routine was to take off backpack, lifejacket, wet shoes and wetsuit and then plunge/rinse the shoes, wetsuit and mesh bag in designated buckets to rinse off sand, salt and bacteria.  Hang up wetsuit and bag on proper hooks, rinse yourself off under warm shower and hand in towel – oh and beep yourself back onboard with your seapass card.  One deck up you were greeted with spiked hot chocolate and some small sandwich bites or brownies – what a nice reception.  Time for drying off, changing, catching lunch and just a bit of time before the next excursion.

Afternoon Excursion

By 3:30 the ship had arrived at Rabida Island and we were set for the afternoon activity.  We chose the wildlife tender ride with beach snorkel, so it was the whole wet landing routine again.  Dive skins, wetsuits, wet shoes, mesh bag, lifejacket, backpack, beep your card and off in the tender.  

The rocky shoreline was filled with wildlife:  a rare albino pelican, the infamous blue footed boobies (stop snickering), herons, swallowtail gulls, Nazca boobies and plenty of sea lions, fur seals and pups.  We landed at a red sand beach this time and saw flamingos on a small pond behind the beach. Our snorkel was with some of the same fish and another playful sea lion who kept swimming circles around and under us, sometimes leaping out of the water just for fun.  We were the last tender back to the ship and had to quickly shower and change before the wine and cheese gathering at 6:30.  This was also where we learned about and signed up for the excursion choices for tomorrow and got to mingle with the captain and crew (the captain was always out and about with us).

We were invited to join new friends Ena, Al, Andy and Kristy for dinner on the top deck under the stars.  Delicious meal and yes, you could see so many stars at this black sky location with little onboard light interference.  We had a final nightcap and off to bed.

Is It Only Our Second Day?

Overnight the ship moved to Isabela Island and after another delicious breakfast it was time for our first excursion: wildlife tender ride in Elizabeth Bay at 9:30.  From the deck while watching earlier tenders head out we saw whales later identified as minke whales, with sea lions swimming with them.  This was an amazing morning, as our tender moved quietly into a lagoon of mangrove trees and we started spotting EVERYTHING at once.  Look on the left, there is a green sea turtle, oh and another.  There are two sleeping on the bottom … oh, there go three spotted eagle rays and under them is a stingray.  On the mangrove branches were sea lions resting and arguing and a few others swimming around.  On your right is a group of golden cownose rays swimming past … oh look, a Galapagos penguin is zipping around, popping up and then circling back around.  There were flightless cormorants nesting in the branches and on the lava fields.  Our tender got so close we were just feet from the nest – pictures galore. What a morning!  

Back to the ship for lunch we went and while having drinks, guacamole and chips on the top deck we spotted more minke whales and sea lions in the distance.  While the ship repositioned to Tagus Cove we had time to talk with the onboard naturalists about what we have been seeing and identified a few of the fish.  I also figured out how the six zodiac tenders followed us:  they get stowed onboard after each stop.  Cables lift them up and inside the ship, stacked three high on each side.  When we reach our next stop, the ship opens up and the tenders are lowered out to the water and back to the stern, where the marina platform also lowers to the water.  Quite ingenious.  A kayak excursion was an option for this afternoon, so the kayaks were lowered along with the zodiac.  We opted not to do the kayaks, since photography would be difficult.

Afternoon Snorkel

At 3:00 we were off to do a deep water snorkel, meaning we slipped off the zodiac and couldn’t touch bottom.  This was along a rocky cliff wall in pretty rough water with current, so once in the cold water it took a moment to calm your breathing and relax.  Jackie was first in and I tried to catch up to her, but I have to admit it was a tough go – and after 20 minutes or so I was winded and got back onboard the tender.  That was ok, since from our tender we followed a group of 6 – 8 penguins swimming along the wall.  Jackie swam with 6 sea turtles, and was pestered by a pair of cormorants that got way too close. “Six feet, six feet” she kept telling them, the distance from wildlife encounters, but they seemed not to listen.  Back onboard it was the wetsuit routine, changing into dry clothes and we were back on the tenders by 4:45 for a short hike and tender ride.  The hike was up a lot of stairs to see Darwin’s Pond, a brackish inland pond.  Back to the tender and cruising along the rocky cliff we saw lots of marine iguanas, cormorants and penguins before back to the ship and the cocktail of the day: blue-footed booby.

We had our evening briefing about crossing the equator (which we will do twice this evening), choosing our activities for tomorrow and then dinner at 7:30 (the usual time).  Always a delicious meal, I opted for tuna ceviche then squid ink risotto with shrimp, squid and octopus.  Jackie had grouper, since we had sea bass the day before).  

Day 3

Wednesday we woke up with the ship anchored between Santiago and Bartolome Islands. After a quick breakfast of fruit, eggs and pastries we boarded our tender by 8:00 and were off for a dry landing at Sullivan Bay and a hike on the lava field. I remembered my geology from middle school and recognized the rough chunky  Aa (ah ah) lava and ropey pudding-like Pahoehoe lava that we walked across.  This was a huge lava flow that was a bit tricky walking over, but like a river of black mud frozen into rock.  There was some beautiful Galapagos cactus and the shoreline was crawling with Sally Lightfoot crabs.  These very colorful crabs have been all over each of the shorelines, moving fast and jumping between rocks sometimes.  

We headed back to the tender, onto the ship and Jackie got ready for another deep water snorkel at 10:00 along another stretch of the lava cliffs.  She saw lots of fish on this drift snorkel and several small reef sharks.  Once back on board we had lunch and finally some free time to relax on the top deck with more guacamole and chips, with vodka tonics.  Jackie mentioned that my hanger for the wetsuit was empty and we searched the spot for it, no luck.  The crew said it was probably grabbed by mistake and they sent two new ones for me to try (the 2X fit). With that problem solved we were ready for the afternoon excursions to Bartolome Island.  

We split up this time.  At 4:00 Doug did a wet landing and to the beach for a walk followed by snorkeling, Jackie went out at 4:30 for a shoreline tender ride.  On this snorkel around the unusual Pinnacle Rock I saw a reef shark, several starfish, including a chocolate chip starfish, lots of parrot fish and plenty of others.  Along the shoreline Jackie saw penguins and sea turtles breeding.  Back onboard the drink of the day was the Pink Flamingo before we had our excursion briefing for tomorrow followed by dinner at 7:30.  Tonight was a crab cake and a salad with grilled sea bass on top – and of course a delicious dessert.  We opted to skip the evening’s Karaoke night, grabbed a White Russian and were early to bed.

I think this is a good stopping point for Part One of this marvelous adventure.  Let me sort through my 1,000+ photos and gather my notes to complete Part Two in a couple of days.  Suffice it to say there are a few more stories and adventures ahead – you won’t want to miss them.

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Yes, Our Adventures Continue …

Posted on October 30, 2025 by Doug and Jackie

Oh my, it is now fall and I haven’t updated our adventure blog since our trip to Jekyll Island, the Okefenokee Swamp and Panama City Beach.  That was a wonderful adventure.  We haven’t had any other big camping trips, just keeping busy locally.  Moving to a new house has been a big step for us and is keeping us quite busy – some improvements and discovering what will grow on our acre.  Figs were a big surprise, keeping Doug busy with making preserves, tarts and breads.  We planted two crops of delicious corn, were overrun with yellow squash and were surprised with so many blooming flowers and shrubs.  And Doug has been crafting lots of new glass sculptures, bird baths and solar fountains, now that he has a new dedicated studio space over the garage.  Several new videos have been posted to his YouTube channel – check them out! 

We have also been exploring the “neighborhood” by visiting some fun wineries in the Georgia Mountains with friends and family – part of our Brew Crew. We still have a few great breweries nearby that feature some delicious craft beers and food trucks. We went kart racing at Atlanta Motorsports Park with family and had a blast! Jason is head chef there and is building out several great eateries for guests. A Taste of Woodstock local food festival was lots of fun and we volunteered to pour at Acworth’s mimosa festival (that featured a monster thunderstorm that drenched us just as our shift began!).

We did have a camping week at our nearby Lake Allatoona, which was great.  Our grandsons joined us overnight and we had fun with the kayak and paddleboards.  It might just have been our last camping adventure in the motorhome, as we have decided it is time to clean it up and put it up for sale.  It is rather sad, since we have had such amazing, exciting adventures in it over the past 10 years.  It took us to all of the national parks we could reach (excepting the Pacific coast), many fantastic state parks and so many wild and crazy adventures.  That may not end, just not in this particular motorhome.

You might wonder why this post, given that we really haven’t been camping at the beach, in the mountains, or someplace off the grid in the West.  Well, we have our next adventure coming up and I wanted to alert you to what may be posted on the blog by Thanksgiving.  To celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary this year, we decided to visit a place that holds a lot of meaning for wildlife biologists like us: visiting the Galapagos Islands off Ecuador.  This is a special place that instructed Charles Darwin on his theory of evolution.  Our trip will start with a day in Quito, Ecuador before flying to the coast and boarding our ship, the Celebrity Flora – limited to 100 guests and reached by a zodiac raft.  

Each of our seven days onboard will include morning and afternoon hikes, snorkels, exploration and discovery, moving between several islands.  We are so excited and maybe just a little nervous about this exploration cruise.  It should truly be a trip of a lifetime and I hope to have enough stories and pictures to share when we get back.  I will take a notebook instead of the computer, so it may take a while to compose the blog … and to sort through what should be awesome pictures and video.

So stay tuned for the big post-cruise posting while you are sipping your pumpkin spice latte and bundling up in the chilly fall weather.  Hope to share more soon.  And thanks for being a faithful reader.  Why not check out some of my glass sculpture videos?

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A Utopian Family Cruise

Posted on September 25, 2024 by Doug and Jackie

Yes, we are aboard the brand new, second-largest-in-the-world ship: Utopia of the Seas for a fun family cruise. This is an amazing adventure onboard with my sister Linda, her husband Norm and my daughter Karina, son-in-law Jason and our two wonderful grandsons.  This 4-night cruise fit perfectly during their fall break and was easy enough for us to reach in Port Canaveral.  And of course the unofficial cruise director (me) had the typed agenda all set – after all, this was a big ship with much to see and do – we wouldn’t want to miss anything.  ((I have a YouTube video of the highlights)

For us, the best way to cruise from Port Canaveral is to get to Orlando the day before, stay the night in a hotel near the airport and then make the 45 minute drive directly to the ship in the morning.  Linda and Norm flew in from California, arrived late evening due to delays enroute, but we managed to gather and plan for the morning’s departure.  Everyone had breakfast and was ready on time in the morning for the drive to the ship – I am proud of my cruisers!  

If you have ever cruised, you know the anticipation and delight as you approach the pier, the huge ship looming over the parking decks and embarkation building, as big as a skyscraper.  Security and check-in have become much smoother with the help of digital passes, but it is always a hustle and flow of people, bags, kids, walkers and wheelchairs.  But this was definitely the smoothest and quickest check-in ever.  You make your way past the photographers and up the ramps and suddenly the crew is welcoming you aboard and into the ship!  Wow, how exhilarating, how fun, what energy, how LOUD!  Ok then, let’s get the party started and make our way to the food and fun.  Ready?  Let’s go!  

We split up, Linda and I headed to the dining room to be sure we had a table for 8 set for the 5:00pm seating and the rest heading to their muster station for the safety briefing.  That finished, we exited up the elevator to a quieter location to find food and drink.  This was the first time aboard a Royal Caribbean ship for Jason, Karina and the boys, so they went off exploring.  I was headed to the Windjammer buffet in search of what I heard was a seafood spread featuring lobster tails.  I wasn’t disappointed.  Lobster, clams, mussels, shrimp – oh my!  And in the buffet.  That is definitely a first for me.

By 1:00 we were able to check in to our rooms, where our bags and room cards were waiting.  We each had balcony rooms, some overlooking the Boardwalk deck, some overlooking Central Park.  Exploring the ship, checking out the bars, pools and such was the next adventure – and learning that the sail away party involved more LOUD music and party vibes.  It was definitely an upbeat atmosphere onboard.

So what did we do for our 4 days?  Was it enough time?  We packed in everything we could and more, and it was just right for a week off.  Here are highlights:

I already mentioned the seafood surprise on day 1.  Dinner was just as delicious.  We made our way to the early seating, main dining deck 3 and after a bit of a “let me check” moment to find our reservation, we were escorted to the center of the room, under the huge chandelier, to a round table with high backed chairs – the premier spot of the dining room!  How special.  The boys were perfect each night, ordering their selections of fruit cup, fries, chicken fingers, toasted cheese or spaghetti (I kind of forget exactly), and of course ice cream.  Our servers Christopher and Tamera were excellent and attentive.  And we waved the napkins in salute to the kitchen staff.

The first night’s entertainment was in the main theater for “All In!” a song and dance performance that was great fun. Good that we had reservations to get good seats and we were even treated to lighted drones flying about.

Nassau Port Day:  We stayed onboard to enjoy the pool, flow rider, rock climbing and more, since a lot of folks had left the ship.  Wyatt and I made a run down the waterslide and he and Owen got plenty wet in the pool and Splashaway Bay. Norm found some comfy couches and chairs in the shade by the pool and Lime & Coconut bar and we kind of claimed the spot each day.  A mid-afternoon shower sort of chased the crowd away, but we hung in there, since the bar was right there (don’t want to waste that drink package).  The show at night was in the Aqua theater in the stern of the ship: Aqua80Too.  Amazing feats of diving, splashing, swimming, aerial acts, and slack line.

Sea Day: (and I might have my days a bit mixed up, it was THAT much fun). Doug and Wyatt did the boogie board on the flow rider just before lightning struck and a storm rolled in.  The boys played mini-golf, ate ice cream, searched for five chrome monkeys onboard, ate ice cream, watched the superheroes parade and ate ice cream.  Jackie, Linda, the boys and I tried the dry slide Ultimate Abyss and survived. The highlight of the day was a power failure aboard that shut down all power for a few hours. The worst part was that the AC wouldn’t turn back on for a bit and things got pretty warm. The show at night was a tribute band that was a bit “off” for the lead singer. 

Perfect Day CoCo Cay:  We were in port with Harmony of the Seas and were a bit worried about a crush of people, but it really was not a problem.  We found lounge chairs, splashed in the water of Harbor Beach on Chill Island, bobbed in the Oasis Lagoon pool and had delicious food (and ice cream) at the Chill Grill.  Rumblings of thunder had us exit the water for about a half hour, but no rain and we were back in quickly.  The show this night was in the ice arena where we had front row seats for “YouTopia.”  Very cool skating and dancing that was very high energy.

There is a quick story for this night:  Owen and Wyatt had a big day in Coco Cay, so their family decided to eat in the Windjammer while the rest of us did the dining room.  We met up later and they raved about the seafood selection and other good food in the buffet.  Hmm, well since Jackie, Linda and Norm were watching the comedy show I thought I would wander up and see if it was true.  Oh yeah, there were piles of stone crab legs, mussels, shrimp, clams – so I just had to grab some and find a spot by the window overlooking the boardwalk.  “We see you” texted Karina.  What?  I looked around me, none of my peeps were there.  “Outside” texted.  What?  “On our balcony” she texted and sure enough, across from me and down a few balconies were my grandsons waving to me.  They spotted me having my second dinner (and you would think you could go unnoticed on this ship of 6,000 plus!).

What else did I discover?  I tried to find all the bars, especially those that were new for me.  I had a toasted marshmallow old-fashioned in the Schooner Bar, PB&J old-fashioned in the Mason Jar, Peanut Butter Pina Colada in the Pesky Parrot Bar … well, you get the idea.  Our main dining room meals were delicious.  Prime rib, Caribbean pork chop, lamb shank, beef bourgeon, onion soup, coconut shrimp, crusted salmon, escargot, calamari, crab cake … all top notch, great service.  I got my 2 for $30 t-shirts (used to be $20!)  Jackie and I spent some time in the solarium pool and we all got the hang of the new elevator system.  You tap your destination on the pad and it tells you what elevator to take.  No other buttons.  We found the traveling piano player, I spent two nights in the casino playing craps (pretty much broke even), we tried the plunge pool hot tubs, the boys rode the carousel a few times and we all walked around plenty.

The pictures tell the story, and suffice it to say a wonderful time was had by all of us.  We started early, stayed up as late as we could and started it all over again the next day.  Until the final morning’s departure after breakfast, goodbye hugs and the drive home.  Jackie and I made a detour to drive Linda and Norm to see family in South Carolina, so we spent the weekend with them before driving ourselves home.

So what’s next for your favorite adventurers?   In a week we head to Panama City Beach with the motorhome, but a hurricane is headed there before our visit, so not sure of the outcome.  

I am also in the midst of making lots of glass garden sculptures, fountains and birdbaths and filming the process.  I have them posted on my growing (can you believe it?) YouTube channel.  I would appreciate it if you view, subscribe and enjoy:  youtube.com/@adventureswithdougandjackie But we had a large pine tree come crashing down on my hanging pieces and it pretty much smashed about 30 pieces.  So there will need to be some repairs made.

Stay tuned.

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What’s Next for 2024?

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Doug and Jackie

Indeed, we are now into 2024, which means we have been on this retirement journey for 9 years! (and the motorhome is now 20 years old … good deal).  And there is nothing on the calendar for the year!  So what new adventures are ahead for us?  Let’s find out.

When we last posted, we had just finished a short trip to Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains.  Fun time in the fall.  Just before that we returned to Alaska to explore all the way north to Denali in search of bears and other wildlife.  I have just finished up a video of that adventure and posted it to our YouTube channel.  Check it out: Back to Alaska

So the rest of October was a two week camping trip back to St. Andrews State Park in Panama City, Florida – a tough spot to get a reservation but a favorite location for us.  The motorhome was packed up and ready to roll, so off we went, south around Atlanta and on to Columbus toward Alabama.  We usually stop for one night in Eufaula to break up the trip.  

Well, as we were motoring along the interstate outside Columbus on a sunny, clear day, Jeep in tow, I heard a loud “bang” from the back of the motorhome.  I gripped the wheel, looked in my sideview mirrors and ran through thoughts of a blown tire or generator explosion, since it looked like something happened on the rear driver’s side.  I eased off the gas, gently applied the brakes, and looked for an opening to pull off the road.  Best spot was to move left and into the shoulder of the median, without fishtailing or making things worse.  I noticed a small pickup a bit behind me that looked to be doing the same thing.  Mind you, this all happened pretty quickly.

Once stopped, I hopped out to check the tire, but it was fine.  However, the entire side of the motorhome was a mess from there on back.  The Jeep was fine, but the doors to the generator, water and electric service were crumpled, ripped and smeared with black.  What the heck was all this??  The pickup had stopped on the shoulder back behind me, so I ran to it and noticed the front right side was all crumpled as well.  “What happened?” I asked the driver and passenger.  Did you have a blowout?  Their tire was flat, so I figured maybe it blew and caused them to hit my back quarter.

All I got from them was that the two vehicles came together and hit, suggesting I had swerved or fishtailed into their truck.  Nah, not possible.  Plus, I was well under the speed limit with cruise control and not weaving in lanes at all.  That’s not how I drive.  Well, we called 911, a local sheriff arrived who then called in the state patrol.  Trooper took statements from us both and concluded that he couldn’t find who was at fault and left it at that.  I have my own ideas about how I got rammed in the back, but it remains undetermined.  

Well, since our electric and water hookups were now pretty much unavailable, I took some rope, did my best to tie down the bent and broken doors and we turned around to head back home.  It wasn’t certain we could connect to water and electricity and I wasn’t sure they were safely functional either.  Two weeks at the beach were aborted, we called to cancel the reservation and nervously made our way back along the interstate, around Atlanta and back into the driveway.  A bit shook up the whole time, scratching our heads over how this all went so wrong so quickly and making the phone call to our insurance.

The next steps, over the rest of the fall, were:

  • Get an estimate on damage from local RV repair shop
  • Wait a month for them to even look at it
  • Get a preliminary estimate/payment from insurance adjuster
  • Finally get a complete estimate from repair shop (3 times original estimate)
  • Go to RV shop to drain water and winterize (since we have had many days of freezing temps – go figure)
  • Repair shop orders parts (over holidays, so it will be 6-8 week wait)
  • Wait for parts to arrive … still waiting at this point
  • Hope the repairs are done in time to enjoy some camping in April

It’s now February and despite a rather gloomy outlook for getting the motorhome back, plus needing brakes and tires checked and running a full 100,000 mile engine checkup, we went ahead and planned a late April/May three-week adventure.  We have all the reservations set at parks in Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Tennessee for a trip dubbed our “Bourbon Trail.”  There are plenty of distilleries we want to visit, plus lots of caves, hiking trails, waterfalls and Churchill Downs (yes, we will be in Louisville during Derby Week). Stay tuned for stories about the trip.

Oh, and on the rest of the maintenance schedule is some flooring repair and replacement.  When we were packing up to leave Pigeon Forge the living room slide got caught on the carpet and ripped a strip off.  Now this is a 20 year old carpet, so it wasn’t a total shame, but it does mean we have to figure out how to replace the floor for the main section of the motorhome.  Summer project, I guess.  By now you are probably saying “no thanks, I don’t want a motorhome,” but you would be wrong to think that.  We have had so many great adventures that would not have been possible without this trusty van.  It’s just part of the deal – like owning a home that always needs a little TLC.

Anyhow, thanks for coming along with us.  Sign up for notifications so you don’t miss our next adventure.

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Back to Alaska, Part One

Posted on September 3, 2023 by Doug and Jackie

“Chichagof Island has the highest concentration of bears in the world at 1 – 2 bears per square mile. The Alaska Brown Bear can weigh 1,500 lbs. and have a reach of 12 feet.  See those scratch marks high up that tree trunk? From a large male no doubt,” our Tlingit guide whispered as we walked quietly along the path.  We were walking along a creek on a moss covered trail trying to spot a bear.  That observation really didn’t help our nerves.  Just moments before, we saw one leaning back against a tree by the stream.  She moved into the brush, met up with her cub and was pulling down branches to reach the berries.  We were trying to get a closer look.  Did we?

Well here we go again, off on another adventure!  This one started last fall when we decided a return visit to Alaska was in order.  Jackie really wanted to go when bears were most active, which is toward the end of summer when the salmon make their run upstream to breed.  That meant we were looking at a mid-August cruise with an extra visit up to Denali.  So we spent days comparing the options and plotting the best way to see everything we wanted – within budget, since Alaska is pricey.  We settled on a northbound Celebrity cruise from Vancouver to Seward aboard the Millennium, a ship we were familiar with from our 2018 southbound cruise.  From there we added excursions and travel to Anchorage, Denali and Talkeetna.  It should be fun!

As news of the cruise spread among family members, we were asked by my sister Linda and Norm if they could join us.  Sure.  Can you add us to the Denali Wildlife Bus Tour?  Sure.  A bit later we added Norm’s cousin from Australia, Carol, and then my brother Jeff and Vickie jumped into plans for the cruise portion.  We were now a happy band of seven headed north. A video of highlights is posted here: Back to Alaska

The packing goal for the trip was to check one bag and have one carryon, with a backpack.  With all the possible layers for rain, cold, cruise attire and whatever, we barely got the bags closed.  Off we flew to Vancouver via a short hop from Seattle (and by the way, flying is really no fun anymore), arriving almost before we left, time-zone wise.  We took the city transit train from the airport to the waterfront, which was very clean and timely and checked into the Pan Pacific hotel at Canada Place, right where the cruise ship loaded.  The Queen Elizabeth was docked when we arrived and looked splendid.  

Norm, Carol and Linda had arrived a day earlier and we were able to meet them at the lobby bar for afternoon drinks.  Lots of catching up and chatter about what was to come, then around the corner we went to have dinner.  Rogue was a great spot at one end of the train station where we had local Steamworks beer and delicious food.  By the time we walked back to the hotel Jeff and Vickie had arrived and we all took some time to walk around the pier and admire the lively city waterfront and late sunset.  Vancouver has lots of cool buildings, rooftop gardens and lots of flower baskets, with rather mild weather, so it made for a delightful evening.

One benefit of staying at the hotel is that your bags are portered to the ship in the morning and you have only to take the elevator down to the ship’s check-in desk.  We were onboard well before noon and searching for our “spot” to have drinks and lunch.  That spot became a corner table at the Sunset Bar at the stern of the ship, just outside the buffet.  It was a beautiful, sunny and warm afternoon of drinks and chatting before sailing away under the Lions Gate Bridge and out of Vancouver harbor.  

Alaska cruises are a bit different from Caribbean cruises in that the ports and excursions matter almost more than activities aboard ship.  Combined with the time difference (3 and 4 hours) from the east coast, it makes for early mornings and not so late evenings.  But the excitement kept us going on day one and Jeff and I found ourselves at the craps table later at night, doing well and coming away ahead of the game. 

Northbound found us sleeping through most of the narrow Inside Passage, a scenic cruise past seaside villages, lighthouses and salmon farms, but the next day was a sea day of travel, cold and cloudy.  We spotted quite a few humpback whales off the sides of the ship as we headed north.  Not too close, but close enough to watch them blow and then pop their tails out before diving.  That evening Jackie and I had dinner at a unique specialty dining spot onboard: Le Petit Chef.  This was a meal that featured a projected story on our table with an animated tiny chef preparing our food.  As we progressed through the courses, the server would add the actual plated food that matched the animation.  Quite entertaining!

Our next day was in port at Ketchikan – site of a major salmon run. Jackie and I had an early excursion on a small boat that took us along the coastline looking for whales and wildlife.  It was a wonderfully scenic and smooth run along the islands and coastline where we saw harbor seals, a few bald eagles, black-tailed Sitka deer and marbled murrelet, but no bears or whales.  Since it was low tide we did see some very colorful starfish tucked into the rocks – both purple and orange, so that was neat.

Back in Ketchikan we walked along Creek Street and the salmon ladders and saw tons of salmon making their way upstream.  There were just so many fish they covered the entire stream bottom.  At the deepest end of the creek was a harbor seal diving around, no doubt making a meal of them.  An impressive display of the migration upstream to spawn.  Oh, and Vickie said she saw a bear.  Right there along the creek near the salmon ladder.  Just a quick glance before he ducked back into the shrubs and before she could alert anyone.  I could see the disappointment in Jackie’s face at the news, and of course we couldn’t find the bear.

Our next stop was at Icy Strait Point, or Hoonah, to explore for bears.  I love this port for the simplicity and emphasis on the local culture.  The main buildings are an old salmon cannery and sit well above the waterline.  If I recall correctly, there is about a 15 foot difference between tides.  Our excursion was in a van with six others as our local Tlingit driver took us through the Whitestone Logging Camp and surrounding creeks and woodlands in search of Alaska brown bear.  That is where this story started, when we were trying to get a second look at a female and cub.  

We didn’t spot that pair again, while walking through the brush.  But we did continue to drive around the logging roads and paused at the bridge crossings.  Our guide told us these bears had some polar bear DNA, which accounts for their larger size and color variations. They are also well fed from their salmon diet, preferring to eat the roe and brains from the females and tossing away the males. Of course all sorts of berries were good to eat, too.

As we checked out more creek crossings the young lady next to me said “bear” and we stopped to quietly slip out of the van and take a look.  Yep, there were two walking along the creek bank not noticing us.  The youngster moved out to the streambed where he looked back at us looking at him and decided that was a bit too much and turned to disappear into the brush.  But we all had a good look. 

We saw at least one or two more and while searching the roads we heard lots of stories about life among the bears and the precautions the local children are all taught. 

Back aboard ship we heard from the rest of the group about their adventure with side-by-sides and travels around some of the same woods we did, but unfortunately they did not spot bears.  

After a delicious dinner we sat out at our spot at the Sunset Bar to enjoy the sail away and share stories of the day.  The food and service aboard ship was really just wonderful and the drink selection was perfect.  Jackie was happy to get her Woodford Reserve bourbon with ginger ale in a TALL glass, as was I.  Dinner in the main dining room was white tablecloths and rather elegant and with one exception (first formal night) we were able to get the dining times we wanted.  A few nights we opted for the buffet, which had some really good food.  Lunch had a delicious charcuterie presentation of meats and cheeses, displays of desserts were amazing and the ice cream selection was a bonus (especially the After Eight mint chocolate).

Juneau was our next port of call and the weather continued to be sunny and rather mild.  Jackie and I planned to head to the Mendenhall Glacier and others were headed to whale watching and exploring town.  On our previous visit it was easy to catch a bus to the visitors center so we had no problem finding the City Bus this time and riding out to Mendenhall.  EXCEPT that the bus stopped short of the visitors center – by a mile and a half.  It seems the National Park Service limits visitation to the glacier and only issues a certain number of permits for transportation to and from.  Taxis, shuttles. buses and private coaches must have valid permits to drop off or pick up visitors and by the end of the season they have mostly used up their quota.  And the city bus doesn’t stop there anyway.

Aw heck, it can’t be that bad, eh?  Well it was getting to be a nice warm day, we had our layers of long sleeves and raincoats and backpack with cameras, binoculars and, well, it was a darn long mile and a half trek.  We did have some nice views on the approach and Jackie enjoyed the visitors center, but I just had to hike the mile further in to see Nugget Creek Falls and then back around to get better views from the Photo Point.  Ah, but that walk back to the bus stop …  As we got about halfway I noticed a van stop, turn and drop off two folks just ahead.  Looked like a taxi to me, so I waved frantically – the van waited and I breathlessly asked if he was headed back to town.  While agreeing to take us back, two other hikers ran up and asked to split the fare so it was a much faster and easier return trip back.  Thank goodness.

In town, Jeff and Vickie had a crab feast at Tracy’s Crab Shack, we had good eats at the Alaskan Brewery and we met up with Norm, Linda and Carol at the Red Dog Saloon for Alaska Duck Fart shots.  It’s a locally famous layered shot of Kahlua, Baileys and Canadian whiskey.  Norm met up with a work colleague who was on another cruise – what luck!  We really wanted to ride the tram to the top of Mt. Roberts, but we just ran out of energy.  We did all spend time on the aft deck searching the mountainsides for Dall sheep – spotting several. And we left port later at night, so it was magical watching the other ships set sail.

Skagway was our next stop and another sunny day.  At this port we had a midday helicopter flight to a glacier planned so it was wonderful to see clear weather.  Jackie and I made our way to the TEMSCO heliport, sat through the safety video, put on the ice boots and lifejacket belt and got ready to fly.  Front seat for Jackie, ready to assist the pilot I guess!  There were four of us plus pilot in the chopper and we each had a good view and headphones to communicate.  The flight up and over the water, through the mountain passes and landing down on the glacial ice was thrilling.  

Once out and on the ice the helicopters took the previous tour back and we were left with a couple of guides to explain the glaciers (and tell us why there was so much rubble).  It was a chilly 40 degrees and windy, but totally amazing.  Cracks in the ice were a beautiful shade of blue, with stones suspended within.  Rivulets became small streams that carved through the ice or disappeared down deep holes.  We were invited to lean down for a taste of the water – I leaned over and just scooped up a mouthful – cold and crisp.  We walked around the glacier for nearly an hour and it was just incredible, a bit like a moonscape – and cold.

The last trip to Alaska and the Hubbard Glacier was a rainy, windy visit with lots of sea ice, so we really didn’t get good views of the seven mile long icy front face.  This time it was much different.  We were able to get very close to the glacier as the ship then spun to share the view with all sides of the ship.  We saw and heard several calving moments (when the ice splits off) and I spotted a harbor seal on a chunk of sea ice as we cruised into the bay.  A great look at the blue ice and the ragged chunks of glacial rock and ice.  Very cool.

That night was “pack up” time and we all spent time stuffing everything back into our bags and preparing for what came the next day.  Jeff and I had cashed in our winnings at the casino the night before, but had to try our luck one more time at the craps table.  Mistake – minor loss on that last night.  We paid a last visit to the martini bar, grabbed some eats at the buffet and had drinks at “our spot” at the stern, although the weather was turning colder and wetter.  The next morning was our disembarkation in Seward where each of us had different plans.  Jeff and Vickie were going to catch a midday bus to Anchorage and then fly back home to South Carolina.  Norm, Linda and Carol were to catch a bus to Anchorage early to rent a car and then drive to Denali.  Jackie and I were set with a 4 hour cruise around the Kenai Fjords from Seward before catching a late bus to Anchorage to spend the night.  We would then start our land portion of the trip, catching the Wilderness Train to Denali and meeting up with Norm, Linda and Carol.

So for that portion of the trip I will start a second blog, Part Two.  For now I will try to gather some of the many photos and post this segment.  Stay tuned for more of our return trip to Alaska (and maybe soon some YouTube video – but my GoPro Studio has been glitchy lately).  Thanks for joining us on the adventure.

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Mardi Gras Magic

Posted on July 4, 2023 by Doug and Jackie

Yes, that’s right, we are back on the high seas again – this time it is a wonderful family affair aboard the Carnival Mardi Gras, a darn big ship that just launched in 2021 with a passenger capacity of 6,500.  I actually booked this one just before our cruise on the Carnival Sunshine last year, hoping that our first-time cruisers Karina, Jason, Wyatt and Owen would want to sail again.  And they did, joined this time by Bethany and Alex.  It was truly a magical time for everyone as you will see from the many, many pictures (and check out the video: Mardi Gras Magic ).

So before we get started, just a few updates on our non-sailing adventurous days.  The RV is still in the driveway awaiting the ladder repair.  This has been a bit of back-and-forth with the repair dealer about ordering the correct ladder, but I think we finally have a ladder ordered and final install soon.

We had a short visit by Nashville family Judy and Craig with the planned highlight being an ebike trip into town.  That started off just fine, but Doug’s ebike developed a “communication error” and would not power up the motor for the return back home and he pedaled off ahead of everyone back home.  Unfortunately, a heaved section of sidewalk got the better of Jackie as she swerved to avoid it and instead went up and over the handlebars.  Pretty banged and scraped up, she rode an ambulance to the hospital, went into a level 2 trauma unit to get scanned and x-rayed and ultimately stayed the night.  The result was quite a bit of road rash on arms, shoulder and knee and lots of internal bruising, but no serious internal injuries, thank goodness.  

Jackie’s pulmonologist was good about explaining how she will have a few months of recovery for her internal healing and full lung capacity to return, but everything was moving in the right direction.  Yes, we kept John’s accident in the back of our minds and were thankful for the very thorough medical exams and diagnostic equipment available to us.

So on to the fun adventure.  These trips to Orlando and Port Canaveral are always a bit of competitive fun.  Alex, Bethany, Jackie and I were in car #1 and Jason, Karina, Wyatt and Owen were in car #2, heading in the same direction but two different starting times and points.  Alex and Karina kept texting fake locations and travel points to each other (rest stops, state lines, lunch stops) so we all were never quite sure who was in the lead.  Not that it was a competition.  But I did hear it when we arrived at the hotel just five minutes after Karina’s group (yes! We beat Dad).  

And the next morning was the big reveal – a straight shot drive to the pier to see the massive ship waiting for us to board.  Cruisers will tell you this is always the big “gasp” moment of excitement, followed by the trek from parking to check-in with a few bags in tow, passing through security, passport control and the gauntlet of photographers to join 6,499 of your fellow passengers.  But then you have that first look aboard, gathering family and for some of us that first drink (for which you had to do the muster station checkpoint first) and “let’s eat!”

Ok, but what about the fun?  Where did we go, what did we do?  Well, this cruise was all about family and making memories, not as much about the shore excursions.

Aboard Ship and Sea Days

Where to start?  This is a huge, 20 deck ship and some of us were in the Family Harbor section on deck 4.  That made it easy to get to the kids club, also on that level, and a small area with food, coffee, drinks and games for families.  Very easy to grab breakfast and afternoon bites but harder to snag an elevator.  Jackie was moving a little slower around the ship due to her recovery, but didn’t miss out on anything. Alex and Bethany booked a room in the Havana District, which featured their own pool and a porch with swing. They had ready access to the Havana Bar, too.

Sea Days were understandably crowded around the pools (kid soup as Jackie put it), but lots of fun on port days with far fewer onboard.  Our crew didn’t spend much time ashore other than Mahogany Bay, so we took advantage of that.  Wyatt and Owen absolutely loved the pools and waterslides – in fact both did the Blue Lightning waterslide their first chance.  That one had a head-first mat that you used.  Wyatt later told me he did the Orange Thunder drop slide, but I said I didn’t believe him.  So of course he grabbed my hand and marched me up the stairs to show me – how brave!  That meant following him down, too. This was all about family and making memories, so everyone was splashing around together and having fun.

Several of us braved the ropes course on the top deck, even the short but breathtaking zip line section.  It might not look like much, but the step off the ramp out and over the water was a scare for sure.  Alex, Bethany, Karina and I all did it though, even with rain and dark clouds threatening nearby.

And then Bolt: the roller coaster at sea.  After some technical glitches delayed the action for a few days, Alex, Bethany and I managed a reservation and a two loop trip on this wild ride.  It did a good job of launching you forward and around the track, with a few power boosts along the way.  Definitely worth the extra $15 per person.  Didn’t let you take GoPro shots, so no first person video.

First Stop: Cozumel

Jackie and I stayed onboard to hang out with the grandsons as the rest went ashore to check the shops.  It was very hot and not too breezy that day, so it was a quick shopping trip for most.  But as I mentioned, it made it a good day for splashing at the pool decks.  Owen and Wyatt have come such a long way with their water sense, having had swim lessons this year and growing confidence.  In the pool they were holding their breath underwater for me to count how long … a big difference from last summer.  We were spending so much time in the pool that I said they were waterlogged.  Wyatt declared “I’m not waterlogged, I’m a kid!”  So true, but your hands are pretty wrinkled up.

Next Stop: Costa Maya

While this stop is a big shopping plaza, it does have a generous salt water pool in the center that you can use.  Two other pools with lounge chairs require that you purchase food and drink, so that was a “no thanks”.  Once again, the boys got wet and loved it.  We all watched the ritual of the Papantla Flyers perform high above us, marveled at the dolphins, flamingos and tropical birds all around and just enjoyed a few hours ashore.  

We were the only ship in port for the morning and as we disembarked onto the long pier Jackie was encouraged to ride the tram.  We ambled on down the pier, soon to be passed by the tram with Owen seated beside Jackie, grinning from ear to ear.  For the trip back, Wyatt made sure not to miss out and rode along, too.  Great choice.  The rest of the afternoon was more pizza and pools.  I was surprised that both boys knew what a Vespa was, so we had to stop and get some pictures.

Last Stop: Mahogany Bay, Roatan, Honduras

This was really the only beach stop.  Each day before this the boys had their buckets and shovels ready for the sand, only to be disappointed when we told them “no beach today”.  But this was a beach that had bits of coral and shell to discover and lots of water to splash around in.  From the pier you had a choice of walking through a tropical botanic garden or riding the chairlift to the beach (Jackie and I chose the chairlift).  Even though this is Carnival’s pier and beach, food and drink are not included, although the chicken fingers were quite good and reasonable.  This was a really beautiful day and we totally enjoyed bobbing in the water, holding the collected bits, dumping and refilling buckets … all good fun.  

Back aboard and showered off we set sail into a very windy sea, with the mountains of Honduras on the horizon.  The last two days were very calm sea days – extremely flat water.

Green Eggs and Ham!

Of course we had to try the Green Eggs and Ham breakfast with all the Dr. Seuss characters and a very colorful (and sweet) assortment of food.  While some of us had fun at breakfast, Alex and Bethany were taking a tour of the ship from the laundry on deck 0 to the navigation bridge and time with the captain.  That seemed to be a really special tour that was truly “behind the scenes”. 

Food, Drink and Impressions

I think we all agreed that the dining choices, from main dining to casual eats and ice cream, were varied, delicious and fun (well, Lido buffet for breakfast was the usual zoo).  Bars were plentiful and creative, with lots of specialty drinks.  The Fortune Teller, Brass Magnolia and Alchemist bars in the French Quarter were especially fun.  Havana bar near Alex and Bethany had a distinctive Cuban feel and in the Italian District you had themed selections at Bar Dela Rosa.  And that was next to the pizza, panini and Italian restaurant. Jackie and I had breakfast one morning in Emeril’s Bistro: a plate of bananas foster crepes with a side of beignets. Yummy and a nice quiet spot. And banana splits got a big thumbs up.

Entertainment was all around, with live music in the corners of most bars and great musical events in the central Atrium, which actually was along the starboard side of the ship.  One show featured a magician, several had aerialists, all had song and dance (and loud).  The younger among us went to dance parties and glow parties on the Lido pool deck, we hit several trivia contests and a few main stage shows. 

The grandsons did their best to consume massive amounts of pizza and ice cream cones, with a few trips to the candy shop Cherry on Top.  Guys Pig and Anchor Smokehouse was a big hit for barbecue pork, chicken and brisket – plus they brew their own beer aboard.  Shaq’s Big Chicken had generous chicken sandwiches and chicken fingers, Guy’s Burgers had big sloppy burgers with the fixings, Street Eats had variations of loaded fries, bao buns, stir fry and noodles, but was not open as often as we wanted.  We dined at Cucino’s Italian and ChiBang Mexican/Chinese and celebrated Jackie’s 70th birthday.  Alex and Bethany dined at Rudy’s Seagrill for lobster and seafood, and we all made sure we were at the Palm main dining for the second formal night.  Somehow our server knew I would appreciate two lobster tails, which were just about the best I have had (well, except the one from the Harmony).  

The only glitch we had was making the table request on the two formal nights.  You used their Hub app to request a table, then had to wait for the notification that your table was ready before proceeding to the dining room.  That wasn’t clear to most folks and the result was a logjam at the dining entrance (and a very long wait the first night).  Service overall was adequate, but it was clear there were many new crew members and not the usual depth of experience.  Getting there, but not quite pre-pandemic – and people are definitely cruising in big numbers.

I have to add some post-cruise notes:  what should have been a 7 hour trip back home took over 10 hours, it being the start of July 4th weekend I guess and everyone leaving Florida?  And our son Alex had a one-day turnaround to repack for a 2 week business trip to Vietnam.  Poor guy, I know he wasn’t looking forward to another long travel day.

And we won’t speak of the casino.  They had one craps table, fairly high minimum and it was not nice to me, so not a lot of time spent there.

So as we unpack, do laundry and gather our memories, I realize that we have just two days before it is check-in time for our next cruise to Alaska in August.  And I just learned the RV ladder is ready to be installed just in time for next week’s local camping on Lake Allatoona (a camping adventure for the grandsons).  Who planned out this summer?  Were they nuts?  Oops, guilty – this fun is self-inflicted.  So if I find a moment, I will edit our video from Mardi Gras and probably post about our Alaska cruise once back home.  That one grew from just Jackie and I to my brother and sister, their spouses and a cousin – seven of us heading from Vancouver to Anchorage.  Wheee!

Categories: Cruising, Outdoor Adventures | Tags: , , | 4 Comments

A Prima Voyage

Posted on March 1, 2023 by Doug and Jackie

What a great start to the New Year! Jackie and I (well, mostly me) planned this trip to celebrate our 70th birthday milestones – choosing the brand new Norwegian Cruise Line Prima ship. Actually, a year ago when the ship was announced and open for booking I jumped on a reservation, since the design just wowed me. The amount of outdoor space and outward facing design really seemed like something very different. But, booking a ship that was still under construction for another year meant not knowing much else beyond the early renderings.

What a nice surprise this ship turned out to be.
I searched out and watched posts and videos of the launch, the naming ceremony and Katy Perry’s christening of the ship in Iceland and then caught every new reveal about the ship that was posted. This was going to be wonderful – oh! and a three story racetrack, too? Are you kidding me?

Turning 70 and celebrating this way is going to be a blast. So let me recap the adventure for you, post some pictures and remind you that a video of this whole trip is posted to our youtube channel ( A PRIMA VOYAGE ) and here on our video “Places” page.

Heading to the Ship

Most of a day’s drive takes us from Atlanta to Orlando and an overnight stay near the airport. We like the direct drive to the cruise port the next morning – less than an hour east. You know that our usual habit is to find a local brewery, such as Rockpit here in town. This time we checked out Gatlin Hall Brewing for pizza, salads and beer, with a repeat visit to Hourglass Brewing. Ok, back to the hotel (which was way more bargain basement than I had expected). Ah well, only one night and we would soon be onboard.

We were able to check in pretty early for the cruise and we were on board well before noon, gazing at the gorgeous lobby, searching out that first drink and arranging reservations for entertainment. If you cruise, you know the excitement of walking the gangway and stepping aboard – such a rush! And of course checking out all the decks of the ship and finding your cabin, getting ready for that marvelous sail away celebration as you head out to sea. Actually, as we were standing in line at the bar my brother texted that he was watching us leave the dock on the harbor camera. Yikes, we were indeed on the move and we hustled out to the rail to wave to the folks on Wonder of the Seas.

Aboard the Ship

This is certainly a different ship design and layout and while I won’t detail it like the many travel bloggers, I will try to point out what we noticed. Lots of artwork all around the ship. The colors and design are muted, classy and well thought out. Technology is evident everywhere, from the ipads for ordering food at the Indulge food hall to the room alerts and the VR Galaxy Pavilion. Navigation around the decks has been a source of discussion, but you do find lots of nooks with seating and bars that are spread around the ship – you just have to explore a bit.

This was our first time booking an outside balcony and I worked hard to get one that looked out and down along the side of the ship. Generous space that made it nice to gaze out as we entered or left our ports. The room was gorgeous and comfortable, no complaints.

Some adrenaline maybe?

Onboard we just had to try out everything. Jackie was game for doing both dry slides – the curly tubes that wound down the side of the ship, one of which was the Drop – a pretty quick whoosh straight down before spiraling to deck 8. The Wave waterslide was a quick rush down a tube, then up and out over the side of the ship. That one was pretty fast since you were riding a tube. We went to the sports deck and tried foot soccer, ping pong, mini golf and actually played a short game of pickleball, but it seemed like a small court.

And of course we had reservations for the race cars! I strapped my GoPro to a chest mount hoping to catch it all on video, but it caught more of the steering wheel and my feet than the wild ride around the 3-level track. It was nearly 10 minutes of absolute exhilaration – even though my car was last in line and I only managed to pass two cars. I booked a second run later in the week and I knew enough to get the first car in line. Wheeee!

What about food?

If you know me, you know that food is pretty high on the list. We had two nights booked in specialty restaurants: Le Bistro and Palomar. Both were excellent meals of seafood and with the offerings of the main dining room there was plenty of good stuff for dinner. I particularly enjoyed my grilled octopus, lamb chops and oysters – Jackie ordered her veal oscar without crab, but was a bit disappointed by her strip steak. After all, we do steak pretty good at home.

But hands down the best meals were in the Indulge food hall. You sat at a table or counter and ordered your tapas size choices on a tablet and whoosh they arrived hot and fresh. You can see by the pictures we had salmon from the Texas smokehouse, gnocci from Nudls, tenderloin from the rotisserie, naan and chicken tiki from the Indian kitchen and my favorite: bacon wrapped grilled dates. Definitely fun for tasting and sharing.

So what about ports of call?

Great Stirrup Private Island

NCL’s private island is just a stone’s throw from Royal Caribbean’s Coco Cay, but we didn’t miss the excitement of that other private island.  We tendered over early with no problems and hiked across the beach of lounge chairs to find a spot “in the shade” as Jackie insisted.  Well, most of those spots were already taken but I did find a lounge chair under a wonderful palm tree.  As you can see, the not-so-robust tree of maybe 3 fronds had little shade to give, but we stayed anyway.  The water was definitely on the brisk side, but it was clean and a nice way to cool off.

I had a zipline reservation, so off to the lighthouse I went to get set – figuring I would have to climb the stairs to the top.  Ah, but they had an elevator to the platforms above.  Each of us got strapped into our harness and clipped to the safety cable so we could walk gingerly to the launch spot.  Amazing view from up top, and more than a few were hesitant to walk around without any railings.  But the three zips were so much fun.  Two of them were pretty long as they crossed over the beach and loungers below.  Again, I had the GoPro fastened to a chest mount, but caught more of my harness and gloves than I wanted.  O well, the only way to really enjoy it was to be there and do it.  Really, really fun.

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

This was a gorgeous port to slip into and the ship slowly made the passage to the dock and past Celebrity Reflection.  Our excursion started with a short van ride to the Mystic Mountain Skyway where we rode chairlifts to the top of the mountain and got ready for the Jamaican Bobsled run.  In preparation for this we watched “Cool Runnings” to recall the story of the Jamaican Olympic bobsled team.  Jackie strapped into her sled just ahead of me and with a big starting push from the staff we were both off and running.  This was full tilt speed down that mountain and a real rush.  I had the GoPro on a head mount this time, so I got more of the action than just my feet. 

Once at the bottom, the sleds are pulled back up the mountain through the woods to the starting point.  Really cool.  At the top there was an infinity pool, a waterslide, restaurant and shops, but we were pretty much ready to head back down the lift and onto the ship.  Before leaving, however, we spotted an Eastern Streamertail hummingbird in a feeder area.  This fella had pretty amazing wings and tail and would definitely be a sight at our feeder back home.

Georgetown, Grand Cayman

We had an excursion planned for Stingray City and some reef snorkeling here, but we learned that the excursion would arrive back at port just as the last tender was headed to the ship and figured that might be a little too close for comfort.  So we opted to skip it and stay aboard.  Two other ships were tendering just offshore too on a nice sunny day, so we soaked in the infinity pool and just relaxed.

Cozumel, Mexico

And then there was Cozumel.  We booked a 3 reef snorkel, something we have done before, grabbed our gear and walked down the pier.  Once checked in we were told “your boat is here, go get on it” and we walked back to a large catamaran loading up with guests.  “No, not your boat” we were told as we prepared to board.  “You have red boat.”  The two dozen of us looked around, there was another big catamaran, not red, and well … not much else.  Wait, there was this little skiff, not much bigger than a rowboat – could that be it?  Yep, that was us. Hmm, well we were packed in pretty tight, shoulder to shoulder and heading around the pier to a reef along the shoreline.  Just past the big ships. 

Into the clear warm water we all went to look for fish.  And the fish were there, but so were snorkelers, so Jackie and I tried our best to stay outside all of the swimmers.  I wasn’t that successful and found myself bumping into folks a bit.  But it was decent viewing.  I saw many of the familiar fish and when we picked up and moved to reef 2 I saw a couple of French angelfish that always delight.  Plus parrotfish and the pesky Sergeant Majors (attracted by the photographer who was feeding them).  Whadda ya gonna do?

Hey, it’s looking kinda dark over there, I thought as I surfaced.  As we climbed back onboard and our guide said reef 3 was next, the captain up top nixed that plan and good thing, too.  Suddenly the wind whipped up, the rain began and we were in the middle of a drenching, windy rainstorm.  Heck, we were already wet, so what was the big deal?  Well, the waves were doing a good job of splashing over the boat, soaking all our towels, gear, sandals … it was a slow, wet slog back along the shore to the ship.  We all had a good laugh about it, as we squeak-squished our way onboard.  Jackie and I both got in our shower and turned the water to “hot” and tried to warm up.  Fun!

Entertain Me!

Two shows were featured in the theater and we got into both of them.  Summer! The Donna Summer story was in the style of most of the bio/musicals that featured her life and songs.  Three singers who played her at different ages were terrific and did a fabulous job with the songs.  The Noise Boys was the other show that combined tap dancing, beat boxing and rap for a lively, loud presentation.  Not bad and I enjoyed the tap dancing.  Around the ship were other small groups performing Motown, classic rock, ballads and such and we sat in the atrium to listen.

Of course no cruise is complete without a trip to the Craps table for Doug.  First night was a winner!  Followed by up and down nights at the table and going into the last night in the hole.  BUT somehow that last night the table got hot and I was able to cash out a winner for the week – having had a lot of fun shooting the dice, placing my bets and collecting my winnings.  Yay. But that last day was a whopper – the wind whipped up late afternoon, rain came down and it was pretty much rock and roll with the ship. And of course it was raining when we arrived in Orlando. Yep, welcome home.

And the sad, sleepy trip back home.

You know it’s coming, that last morning when you grab the last breakfast, disembark to collect and drag your bags back to the car and start back home.  Orlando didn’t seem that far away at the start, but somehow driving north is longer uphill.  That’s ok, we had time to review all that we had done during the week.  It was an adventure.

What’s next for us?

Motorhome has some minor tweaks and needs to get out of the deep freeze here, so we will start up 2023 with some maintenance.  Then a family camp in Tennessee followed by a celebration of spring in Panama City Beach, Florida. There are two more cruises (yes, we ARE nuts) coming up, but more about that later.

Stay happy, healthy and thanks for joining us for the trip. Be sure to check out any and all of our videos, prior posts and adventures!

Categories: Cruising | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sunshine & Splashing

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Doug and Jackie

Oh my gosh, we are back from another cruise!  This one was super special, since we took our daughter’s family with us and that meant the first cruise for Karina, Jason and our grandsons Wyatt and Owen.  And once she heard about it, my sister Linda just had to join in the fun with the boys, bringing along “Uncle Norm”.  

This was a 5 day cruise out of Charleston, SC aboard Carnival Sunshine heading to Nassau and Half Moon Cay.  We all gathered at my brother Jeff’s house days before departure, since it was only 2 hours from the port.  It made for a great start to the cruise, even though it did leave my brother with major FOMO as we departed Charleston!

So what happened, how did it go, what are some stories from the trip??  I will mostly let the pictures tell the story, but here are some highlights (plus a NEW video of the fun):

It was a BLAST!  Our rooms were on Deck 9, the Lido Deck, all the way forward.  Only a few rooms have this full wall of glass facing the ocean ahead for an amazing view.  The boys totally loved it.

Ice cream and pizza were a hit – Wyatt had a record 6 cheese pizzas one day, Owen was not too far behind.

Waterslides were also a hit, but maybe not the big ones.  Wyatt was brave to try one of the racing waterslides the first day with Karina, but probably didn’t know just how fast it would be.  One and done for him, but he quickly made up for that on the smaller slides with Owen.  Whole lotta splashing going on.

The shuttle tender ride from the ship to Half Moon Cay was pretty much a sardine packed trip, but the beach and water more than made up for it.  Absolutely the best beach in the Caribbean and we all made a nice long day of it.  Uncle Norm was definitely a perfect playmate: “quit acting like a kid”.

The Serenity Decks (three of them) for adults were a nice break for us old folks and they gave a nice overview of the entire midship pool deck and it also was good for sunset watching.  The bar was close at hand, too.

Most of us stayed onboard when in port at Nassau.  As you can see by the pictures, the arrival area of the port is undergoing some major changes and all the docks have been rebuilt.  Surprisingly we were the only ship in port that day.  Linda and Norm took a snorkel excursion to a reef that had been pretty much blitzed in the past but they said it had recovered wonderfully over the 2 year pandemic.  Ah well, Jackie and I missed out on that one, but the time aboard with the family was pretty great too, much quieter.

The grandsons were very well behaved during dinner and sea day brunch in the main dining room, with a couple of activity books to help pass the time.

Ah the casino – something that has not always been kind to me, but entertaining anyway.  I bet conservatively and always hope my money will last long enough to have fun, but for two nights the craps table was hot.  Lots of fun and way longer than I expected – plus I definitely came away with some chips this time around.  Yay me.

The arcade and candy shop were also pretty exciting for the boys – heck anytime you have pizza, ice cream and gummies 24/7 it’s a good time.

Probably the only odd moment was one late night toward the end of the cruise when I discovered I had squeezed out anti-itch cream on my toothbrush instead of toothpaste.  I just caught it before brushing, but I was clearly getting cruise-tired!

I know we all declared it a major success and totally enjoyed ourselves – with thoughts of doing it all again (well, way into the future at least).

What’s next for us (after we do laundry and get our bearings)?  We have a week of camping at our local lake with paddleboards, kayak and the grandsons – plus Alex is going to try out his new/old camper.  Only one month of summer before everyone else is back to school and work, so we have to make haste.  Thanks for joining us on our travels and check out the videos posted on the PLACES and VIDEOS page.

Categories: Cruising | Tags: , , , | 2 Comments

Family Sail-Away to the Caribbean

Posted on April 20, 2022 by Doug and Jackie

So the topic around the dinner table was whether or not lobster would be a good choice the next night.  About half of us were looking forward to it and the rest were “so-so” about it, saying that it was often disappointing – being a bit tough, not too tasty and well, just not the best.  Four of us were scheduled to eat at the Sabor Mexican specialty restaurant and would be missing the last fancy meal (I didn’t time that meal choice right) and even Jackie expressed concern that we would miss out.  She was reminded that she has a shellfish allergy and wouldn’t be eating it anyway, but she felt bad for Doug missing it.  But before we finish that story, let’s start at the beginning.

Last April my brother Jeff announced that he and Vickie were going to spend spring break on Harmony of the Seas and did anyone want to join?  Since it seemed likely the pandemic restrictions would be gone and cruising would surely be back to normal by then, we said sure and talked it up.  Soon we had nearly the whole family booked (14 of us) and were excitedly planning the adventure.  My nephews Adam and Chris had gotten married during the pandemic and were anxious for something fun to celebrate with the family – their wives Ashley and Becca were all in, plus Ashley’s twin sister Chelsey had also gotten married last year to Eric and they were also up for some fun.  Our son Alex and wife Bethany were in and my sister Linda and husband Norm said they would fly in from California to be part of this.  Ok, big group!

Fun times started right away.  The cruise departed from Port Canaveral, Florida so we all planned to travel the day before and stay local overnight before boarding.  The SC gang quickly posted a travel selfie from the road followed by us (taken safely while stopped) as we made our way to Orlando and Cocoa Beach.  It was something of a relief to be on the road, considering that we each had to have a negative COVID test the day before – which also involved a lot of “negative” text messages among the group as we sweated the results.  

In Orlando we had to wrangle a bit to get us all to a place to eat, but we managed to squeeze into the Rav4 and hit up Rockpit Brewing for some beer and barbecue. Thanks to Bethany for taking the far back storage area to make us all fit!

Next morning I dropped Linda and Norm at the airport so they could catch the shuttle bus to the port, circled back to the hotel, packed up the rest of our crew and we were off to the port.  Checking in at the port was a bit of a crowd at first as everyone had to pass a health check, wear their masks and go through security, but once aboard we were told the masks can come off and it wasn’t long before we all caught up on the top deck to gather and grab that “Welcome Aboard” first drink.  Yeah, we all bought the drink package.  Oh, and somebody’s hat decided to sail away overboard as we departed Port Canaveral.

Ok, so here are some stories from the trip – at least those that I know about.  For some of us it was our first time cruising, for some it was the first time on Harmony of the Seas, for some of us it was our second time aboard, and for a few it was our third time on the ship. Newbies went exploring right away and we all had different activities on our “checklist.” (You can now watch some video highlights at “How we did Harmony of the Seas . . . Again“).

Flowrider and Waterslides

Jeff and I got on the Flowrider almost first thing and mostly got the hang of it again.  The boys joined us and did well considering it was their first time.  Linda was in charge of photos “Is it on?” and did a decent job.  Of course we all had to try the waterslides, some of us nearly getting stuck mid-way with not enough water pressure and the day was VERY windy at the top. 

Onboard Entertainment

I think we tried to catch everything on board, from “Grease” to the ice show and aqua show to comedy to trivia and dance parties.  Some of us did quite well with the dancing, others not so much.  The gaming tables were probably a break-even plus a little more for the craps and roulette players, but I think some of the guys did better at blackjack.  It was exciting fun anyway.

Poolside on Sea Days

We started off on the solarium deck the first day, but once we found a better spot by the pool with good bar service and mostly enough chairs, it made for a base of operations.  The sun got pretty strong, so some of us moved in and out of the shade, grabbed munchies at the mini-bites and solarium bistro and had our share of frozen drinks and beer.  Oh, and milkshakes from Johnny Rockets!  A few braved the Abyss dry slide, which we were told “needed waxing” so it wasn’t too zippy scary.  

St. Marten

Our first port of call was Phillipsburg in St. Marten.  It was going to be a busy day with four big ships in port.  Half the group had an awesome ATV trip around the island exploring beaches and mountains and half the group had an excursion to Creole Rock on jet boats to try snorkeling.  Jackie and I were on the jet boats with Norm, Linda, Alex and Bethany and had a blast bouncing across the blue waters and among lots of sailboats.  The snorkeling was not great, since the reefs were pretty well blitzed, but the water felt wonderful and it was a thrill on the boats.

St. Thomas

Our second port of call was St. Thomas and we again split up for different excursions.  Jackie and I, Norm and Linda took a FastCat boat to snorkel at Turtle Cove and then hang at Hollywood Beach on Water Island.  Snorkeling was much better, water was awesome and clear – we did not see turtles but there was a barracuda under the boat that most of us spotted.  The beach spot was just perfect, as we bobbed in the clear shallow water.   

Perfect Day at Coco Cay

We were joined by Independence of the Seas at the dock on CoCo Cay, so it was going to be a crowd at the watery oasis.  Some of us found chairs at the Oasis Lagoon pool, some at the South beach area in the sand.  We spent time at both spots and I enjoyed the pool, which was a bit chilly, except that the music by the swim up bar was rather loud and created a very congested “spring break” style crowd.  Too many people, too loud.  Otherwise we all got plenty of water, sun, drinks and snacks.

Dinner

Our plans for dinner were to eat in the main dining room and I thought I had things pretty much set for everyone to be together at a reserved time each night, but it took a little negotiating at first to smooth things out – the result was a long table for 14 and the BEST dinner service ever.  A few of us had specialty restaurant reservations during the week, but the table was lively every night.  Our first night was a champagne toast to Dad, who along with Mom, introduced the joy of cruising to all of us.

For the most part the food was excellent and well received by all.  The prime rib slices were huge, the apps delicious – although there was some discussion about the lack of beets and oranges in the beet and citrus salad by some among us.  Someone finally got a banana split, french fries were quickly brought out for some of our diners and then there was the lobster affair.

You will recall I mentioned that the next-to-last meal was the fancy lobster tail meal choice.  Linda and I had booked the Mexican restaurant for that night, not knowing it was lobster night, so we were going to miss it.  Well, we resigned ourselves to missing what could have been a meal of average lobster – and most of us figured it would be chewy and tough anyway.  But the next day our crew said, guardedly, that it really was a spectacular meal and the lobster was the best they had ever had.  In fact, beside two tails each, the wait staff brought our extra plates of tails.  Oh, boy, that news didn’t help.

As we sat for dinner the last night and our waiter described the choices, I made pinching motions with my hands and told him that he could bring me my missing lobster tail from the night before.  I joked with him quite a bit but ordered the short rib anyway – and when taking my order Al said he would try.  Word around the dining room was that they had exhausted their supply the night before and not a lobster was on the ship.  That’s ok, I was fine with my order of short rib – I won’t pout.

When I finished my appetizer, the dining room manager Catherine came to my shoulder and asked how my day went in Coco Cay.  She said she saw I missed the lobster dinner the night before and then slipped a plate in front of me and revealed … a whole lobster, split and beautifully broiled!!  

After that last meal together we took some last group shots, broke off into small groups, packed our bags and some of us returned to sit on our connected balcony overlooking Central Park and reflected on a very satisfying family get-together that was the perfect start to the summer.  Even our armadillo mascot Heffe enjoyed himself.  I love our family!

I have some video I will soon edit and post, both here and on the “Videos” page, so watch for that update.  

What’s next?  This upcoming weekend we volunteer to pour at the Kennesaw Beer Fest and in 2 weeks we take the motorhome down to the panhandle of Florida and Grayton Beach State Park, meeting our good friends Dan and Terry, and … another cruise?  Stay tuned.

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