Posts Tagged With: cruise

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.

Part One VIDEO is now posted: Our Galapagos Adventure – Part One

Part Two VIDEO is now posted: Our Galapagos Adventure – Part Two

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.

Categories: Cruising, Outdoor Adventures | Tags: , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

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.

Part One VIDEO is now posted: Our Galapagos Adventure – Part One

Part Two VIDEO is now posted: Our Galapagos Adventure – Part Two

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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It’s a WONDERful Cruise Life

Posted on December 9, 2024 by Doug and Jackie

Cruising again into the Caribbean!  Wow, I know it seems like we just got back from a Caribbean cruise – and we did.  In September it was aboard the brand new Utopia of the Seas with our grandsons and this first week of December is aboard the Wonder of the Seas, just the two of us.  We accumulated enough points on the Royal Caribbean credit card to get this cruise “free” (well, of course we had to buy the drink package and a few special dinners).  What an amazing adventure!  Let me give you some highlights:

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we were on the road with Santa’s sleigh to Orlando to stay the night before boarding on Sunday.  Normally a fairly easy trip, but this one took a few extra hours due to a few wrecks and slow-downs.  But we were soon checked in, having a flight of beer and dinner at Rock & Brews and talking about plans.  Parking, security and boarding were easy and quick and by 10:30am we were looking for that first “welcome aboard” drink.  Awesome!  Our room was Deck 9 all the way forward, with a nice big window out the bow.  It gave us a bit of extra space, too, but you had to watch your head.

On the pool deck I zipped down the Perfect Storm waterslide, the one that ends in a big funnel.  And since it was pretty quiet up top I had to try the FlowRider while the line was short – in fact there was no line!  My first attempt was a little wobbly, but the next time up I was able to quickly get up on my knees on the board.  Getting off can be tricky, however.  Love it!

Our first stop the next day was at Perfect Day Coco Cay.  We opted to purchase a day at Hideaway Bay, the new adults-only beach and pool on the island since we did not have youngsters with us this trip.  What a nice spot!  A huge heated infinity edge pool overlooks the private beach area and several bars and eateries surround you.  A huge swim-up bar made it easy to quench your thirst and we munched on various slices of pizza and apple empanadas.  It was sunny and warm, but there was quite a breeze.  It made it feel just a bit chilly on the beach, so after a dip in the salt water we stayed mostly in the pool.  A tram back to the ship made it easier on the return.  Overall, great day.

One of my goals was to search out all the various Old Fashioned drinks at the bars.  It made for very tasty evenings of toasted marshmallow, apple pie, peanut butter and jelly and basic Old Fashioned with several types of bourbon.  Now that is my kind of scavenger hunt.

I tried craps in the casino each night, but it was really not much action at all.  Most of the few players were new to the game and it wasn’t until the last night that we had a reasonably full table and some action.  Too bad, I enjoy the game.

On our port calls to Cozumel and Costa Maya we stayed aboard to enjoy the pools and hot tubs, lounge chairs and solarium with lots less crowd.  Surprisingly, there were lots of infants and toddlers on this cruise.  A fair number of elementary aged children and a very international crowd.  You just never know, but as former teachers we are always on the lookout.

The ship was decked out for Christmas and the large tree on the promenade deck was a favorite spot for picture taking.  We had such fun people watching from either the Schooner Bar or the Pub as couples and families paraded by or tried to stop others from walking through the selfies.  Formal wear competed with crazy Christmas sweaters, light-up necklaces and matching family outfits that would look crazy in any other setting.  We were in the spirit too, as Jackie had crocheted a gorgeous tree for our door decoration and I pulled out one of my Christmas ties.

And of course the food was always something to think about.  We got a bit goofed up with our main dining room reservations, as is usual for us somehow.  A change in policy with Royal puts reservations with My Time dining starting at 6:45, and we wanted to eat earlier to get to the entertainment.  We did manage to eat on the special nights (lobster and prime rib nights) but also reserved the Hooked seafood specialty restaurant and 150 Central Park restaurant for some delicious meals.  Well worth the added cost.  I have a sampling of food photos (who doesn’t?) to show you the good eats.  Oh, and Jackie got her beet salad, with plenty of beets arranged artistically.

Our last night was pretty special.  We went to Giovanni’s Wine Bar for a wine flight and charcuterie platter and pretty much filled up.  Our waiter was great, telling us about each wine and giving us a full pour of each, which was included in the drink package!  He also slipped us a dessert plate of petit fours.

The entertainment was fabulous, although the volume was chest thumping loud.  Aqua show featured all the expected elements of high dives, aerialist, slack line and water dancing – high energy and splashing for sure.  The ice show was just wonderful, with lots of jumps, spins, costumes and dancing.  And the two theater shows included a song and dance show with every sort of stage movement and wire harness possible and later the Effectors, a superhero story with all sorts of special effects, including lots of little drones and one big drone that circled above the crowd, with the bad guy aboard!

Our only excursion was at the port of Coxen Hole on the island of Roatan, off the coast of Honduras.  We were driven to the other side of the island to do a three reef snorkel with lunch following at the beachside spot.  Christopher, of Christopher Tours did a great job of navigating the crowded, muddy streets of Coxen Hole and hosting us for lunch at his adventure spot. 

How did it go? Well, the first snorkel was a shallow sandy reef filled with large colorful starfish.  The water was warm and felt wonderful.  We moved further along the shoreline to do a float above the coral reef, filled with lots of coral, fish and fans.  It got a bit shallow at times and we had to flatten ourselves to make it up and over some of the coral.  It was getting pretty windy and choppy, with a pretty good water current, so I felt pretty winded by the end of this long snorkel.  Plus, I think that holding the gopro camera hampers my swimming a bit.

The third spot was a swim around the wreck of an old tanker just at the reef edge.  I started out, but was still pretty winded from the previous swim and opted to head back to the boat.  Even with my light swim vest, it was a challenge to work against the current and wind chop.  We were also warned about the fire coral and shallow areas to glide over, so I think it was the smart move.  Jackie said the fish weren’t much more plentiful and it was a bit rough, too.

Back at the dock we had a choice of chicken or snapper, so I opted for the local fish.  Served whole and fried, so I picked my way through a surprisingly good lunch.  Local cerveza, too.  Altogether a nice excursion, even though the town of Coxen Hole is a challenge (extremely poor and crowded).

Back aboard ship we just took it easy.  I tried to find all of the special art – this time it was astronauts not monkeys (on Utopia).  We found nice loungers on the pool deck, spent some time in the adults only solarium, listened to all the live music we could and sampled food and drink everywhere.  Funny story about our favorite bar, the Mason Jar.  They featured some of the best Old Fashioneds – Apple Pie came with a little apple pie, Peanut Butter and Jelly came with two little PB&J sandwiches – and they had a nice country music trio playing at night.  We were warned by the bartenders that these were Romanian country singers, but you know what?  They sang the tunes with the right southern twang and it was only when they chatted between songs that you couldn’t follow their Romanian accent.  Rather strange.  It was all good, until they started in with John Denver and we were sure they had no idea where West Virginia was . . .  

So, that is how we spent the week after Thanksgiving.  We planned this cruise back in May, not knowing we would also be moving in December.  Yes, just weeks before the cruise we found a house we love on an acre of land just minutes from our grandsons.  It is only the next county over, but it will be a big change for us: single floor living with some elbow room and a nice big workshop for Doug’s many craft adventures.  So the end of the year adventure is to de-clutter, pack up and move before New Year’s.  Are we crazy?  I think maybe.

Until next time (and it may be a while before I am back online), enjoy the holidays and happy adventuring!

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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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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.

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Snorkeling the Western Caribbean

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Doug and Jackie

It’s mid-October in Atlanta and the temperature has finally dropped from 97 degrees to a more fall-like 65 degrees with 40’s overnight.  Jeans have replaced shorts, shoes replaced sandals and it is cold enough to use the firepit. Yet here I am at the pool bar, sipping a fruity frozen drink as a warm breeze blows ripples across the water.  What just happened? Maybe I better back up the story a bit …

You see, since our last great cruise on the Harmony of the Seas this summer, Jackie and I stated rather firmly that we would not be cruising again for a year or so, since we had plenty to do back home with grandson-sitting, beer festivals, maybe a fall camping weekend and such.  But it was just fine if Dad and the family wanted to head out to the Caribbean once again, we would wish them well. So plans were made for Dad, my brother Jeff and wife Vickie – even my sister Linda and husband Norman – to head out to the Western Caribbean on the Harmony of the Seas for a fall cruise.  Good stuff – wish you well.

But things got complicated when Norm’s family announced a trip to the Canadian Rockies and suddenly Linda was a single cruiser and gosh she needed a way to get to Port Canaveral via Atlanta (from California) and wouldn’t it be nice if Doug picked her up from the airport and drove her to the port and heck, he could even be her cabin mate.  Hey, Doug, whatcha think? Well it seems that, being retired, Jackie and I go where we are needed: so that meant cruising as a plus-one with my sister.

Turns out it was a great time.  We drove to Orlando and spent the night, checking out two breweries of course.  Hourglass Brewing had a lot on tap so of course we had two flights between us. Then a return visit to Rockpit Brewing meant another pint to try before returning to the hotel. 

 

Up early in the morning and off to the ship! We parked, checked in and were on the ship by 10:30 – just minutes before Jeff, Vic and Dad arrived. This trip Jeff arranged a scooter for Dad, so we had to practice getting him in and out of the room and around the ship.  Turns out it was the BEST move, as he was soon zipping along on his own.  

 

How about some highlights from the ports and sea days aboard ship you ask?  

Perfect Day at Coco Cay

The scooter made a world of difference for Dad, who was down the gangway and on his way across the dock to the Oasis Lagoon pool in no time.  We found lounge chairs by the huge pool and were soon sloshing around with drinks in hand. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, as you can see from the pictures.  

The only disappointment was the snorkeling reef.  Over the years we have been coming here, the area to snorkel has been corralled in closer to shore and the last hurricane seems to have damaged the reef enough that you really didn’t have much to see.

Cozumel Snorkeling

The three reef excursion Linda and I took certainly was a change from Coco Cay.  We walked around and through the maze of shops on shore to find a taxi to the departure marina to meet our guides. 

Turns out there were only four of us on the small boat, which was awesome. Snorkeling in Cozumel is usually a float over the reef with the water current moving you slowly along.  We saw triggerfish (Queen and black), angelfish (Queen and French), parrotfish, yellow snapper, blue tang, butterfly fish, scrawled filefish, trunkfish and a couple of black and white eels.  Check the video:  Cozumel Reef Snorkel

 

 

We had a photographer along who kept attracting the yellow and black Sergeant Majors in front of us to get photos – nice at first, but a bit annoying if you were looking at something else on the bottom.  Overall, it was amazingly clear and a great snorkel. A float vest I purchased worked out perfect, along with a rashguard shirt that substituted for sunscreen (they are serious about protecting their reefs – no sunscreen).  Fish identification was much easier thanks to some waterproof cards I bought from fishcards.com. Thanks to Michael Greenberg for all his help getting us these essential cards. We had a few cold Coronas on the way back to the marina while sharing what we saw. 

Roatan Snorkeling

 

Getting to the reef in Roatan from our dock in Coxen Hole was much more of an ordeal than in Cozumel, where the reef was in sight of the ship.  Jeff, Vic, Linda and I made our way ashore (where they are in mid-construction of a second big dock), wound through the maze of shops once again and found our excursion driver.  Into a van with four other divers and we were off to the northeast coast. It was an hour’s drive up and over the mountains along a busy 2-lane road that was surrounded by small houses (barely one-room shacks by our standards) and market stalls.  Despite all the happy house hunters I have seen on HGTV, I can’t say that I would have chosen to retire to the island. Not exactly prospering.

   

But once we reached our destination at Turquoise Bay Beach and Dive Resort it all changed.  The small marina had several dive boats and we were soon joined by 5 others with Subway Watersports to head to the reef and snorkel.  Next to us was a beachside resort that we would be able to enjoy after the snorkel. Not far off shore we were moored and ready to slip in the water in a sandy spot that was maybe 6 feet deep with a few sea stars.  There was a bit of wind chop as we were directed ahead to find an underwater oasis of coral, sponges and fish that were just amazingly beautiful.  

The “wall” was covered with sponges, fans and corals of all sorts.  The fish were much like what we saw at Cozumel, darting in and around the corals.  A lionfish was pointed out to us along with a yellow trumpetfish. Our guide took my gopro down to get a shot of the lionfish (which was stunning, although destructive to many native fish on the reefs).  Again, my vest was a big help, since we were probably snorkeling the reef for an hour. The sponges and corals (thanks to my ID cards) seemed to be sea whips, sea fans, tube sponges (blue and yellow), sea fingers, vase sponges, staghorn coral, brain coral, star coral … gosh so many colors and shapes.  Check the video:  Roatan, Honduras Snorkel

As I mentioned, we were able to hang out at the beach resort until our taxi arrived to take us back to the ship.  Totally gorgeous spot on the water – dreamy. But since we would be leaving port early and Roatan was 2 hours behind ship’s time, we were a bit anxious when it had not arrived. We were told we would be waiting for the divers in our party to return, but when they were overdue and in fact were choosing to continue their dive, the excursion owner opted to have one of his staff drive us back to port.  We made it with time to spare, but grumbled about the decision by our fellow passengers to have extended their dive at our expense.

Costa Maya Shopping

We were surprised to hear Dad say he wanted to go ashore in Costa Maya to buy a shirt, but once again the scooter made that possible.  He was down the gangway and speeding along the dock ahead of all of us, making a beeline for the cluster of shops on shore. He found his shirt while shopping, as did the rest of us, and soon we were all back aboard.  Costa Maya is pretty much the shopping arcade, a water park and some nearby excursions and nothing else for miles around. But the coastline is very pretty and our sail away was beautiful. 

Around the Ship and Sea Days 

Now this is a big ship and you have a few of your close friends with you – about 6,000 of them, with about 3,000 crew members.  So finding a lounge chair on sea days can be challenging. You have to first get your Irish coffee at the Park Cafe, find something good for breakfast (waffles with strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate syrup maybe?) then grab a mimosa or bloody mary and head for the towel check.  Maybe some sunscreen gets slathered on and you are all set – until Jeff says “hey let’s go do the waterslides!

   

So we climbed the stairway to the waterslides for the highest view aboard ship and zipped down.  The “toilet bowl” slide was a first time for Linda and she screamed the whole way down. I did the dark Abyss dry slide again; we bobbed in the pool and Jeff and I decided to brave the Flowrider kneeboard.  The board took a moment to get the hang of, what with all the water shooting at you, but soon we both got up on our knees and … well, we took a few falls and scooted around the fast-moving sheet of water. Totally fun and a real blast – I definitely got better as the week went on, but neither of us felt confident enough to do the stand-up wakeboards.  Check the video: How We Did Harmony of the Seas

 

Dinners were in the main dining room, except the night that three of us ate at Jamie’s Italian (oh my gosh was it a lot of delicious food!).  A plank of meats and cheeses, garlicky prawns, lasagna, pasta and lamb chops washed down with a delicious red wine and followed by a huge plank of desserts. We had a delightful serving staff at dinner, with special after-dinner shots to toast the day (thank you Mikayla).  Late nights involved pizza slices and Octoberfest beer and lunch involved the famous Royal Kummelweck roast beef sandwich in Central Park. We all lunched at the Sabor Taqueria one day and had a fabulous and filling meal – so much so that we skipped the dining room and just did nibbles for dinner.

And of course we had to spend time in the casino.  The odds were not in our favor on the craps table and as the week went on, fewer folks were playing it.  But Dad had pretty fair luck at the roulette wheel, so he spent more time there than we did. He also seemed to attract his share of women who became helpful friends.  One couple adopted him as their good luck charm and we ran into them several times around the ship. Actually, everyone he met was very accommodating and helpful as he navigated his scooter.

   

     

We were naturally concerned about Dad on the days that he remained on board and we went ashore for excursions.  When we returned from Cozumel he told us that he had found the spa and toured the gym and made an appointment for a haircut and shampoo.  Then when we returned from our Roatan excursion he shared how he drove around the buffet with a plate of food and a bowl of soup, driving one-handed.  And to think we were worried about him!

       

The shows were also well done – we all watched Columbus the musical, the Fine Line aqua show (twice) and Linda and I saw the ice show 1887 (very good).  Headliner show was the Company Men, which Dad declared all “yelling and screaming – I don’t recognize any of the music” but the rest of us thought their mash-ups from the past decades was well done.

       

But aboard this huge ship, you can just sit somewhere and relax, maybe in the Central Park gardens while a guitarist plays.  Or people-watch on the Promenade on formal night. Or ride the elevator with the piano player. Or watch the sunset from the Mast Bar on deck 16 or even better from the “King of the World” overlook.  Maybe create your own drink from the robots in the Bionic Bar or discover the quiet Wonderland Bar for a martini. Watch the street parade from the Schooner Bar with a coconut mojito. It is easy to forget you are cruising off the coast of Cuba or Honduras.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Canadian Rockies . . .

 

… Norm was enjoying a beer in a hot tub in the midst of a snowstorm – – while his replacement was lounging by the pool in the warm Caribbean sun.  Ahhh, Life is Good.

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

The BIG Cruise

Posted on June 20, 2019 by Doug and Jackie

Some time after the holidays this year my brother told me that he and Dad were planning their next cruise in April and I enthusiastically wished them well. Jackie, John, Dad and I had done a Carnival cruise over Halloween to Nassau and I was just fine passing up any cruise for the next year. But things evolved and the cruise choice was no longer a 5-day out of Charleston but a 7-day out of Port Canaveral aboard the Oasis of the Seas, the first mega-ship by Royal Caribbean. Jackie and I still felt we were just fine sitting this one out and, again, we wished them well.

During a late January visit with Dad, he and my brother leaned on me to join them on the cruise — Dad pulling a bit of a guilt trip “I just want both my boys with me .. not sure how many cruises I have left in me” .. so I agreed to think it over, which meant of course we booked ourselves on the cruise shortly afterward. Heck, it should be fun on the Oasis class ship.

Then an accident happened while the ship was docked in Nassau for maintenance. A crane fell into the stern AquaTheater, the ship slipped and the (new word) azipods were damaged below. We kept our fingers crossed, but two weeks before sailing we learned the cruise was cancelled, refund was on the way, future cruise credit to be applied. Oh well.

But we would not be deterred. Since that meant that 3 cruises of 6,000 passengers each were now looking to re-book their cruise, Jeff and I jumped on the phone to contact our travel agents and find some options. The solution was the next ship scheduled to leave from Port Canaveral, the newer Harmony of the Seas, which was the same Oasis class of ship that hosted 6,000 guests and 2,000 crew. We booked the second week of June for an Eastern Caribbean cruise and hoped for the best.

So our most recent adventure just completed was an amazing cruise aboard a floating hotel/mall. Seriously, this ship had everything and really felt like you weren’t even on a ship most of the time. Not sure I can fully describe the wonderful time we had and all the available amenities the ship had to offer, but I will certainly try. I also have some videos that will take a bit longer to edit, but I promise to post them soon. I was having fogging issues with my 35mm camera aboard ship, what with the cold AC in the room and the warmer, tropical air out on deck, but the GoPro was good with the underwater shots and such.

Pre-Cruise Orlando
We drove to the Orlando airport area the day before, since it is about 7 hours (8 if you drive through rainstorms like we did) and stayed overnight. That meant we were less than an hour from the ship’s terminal and would have no problem arriving before Jeff, Vic and Dad (oh no, I am not competitive at all). So after checking in at the Best Western we searched for “breweries near me” and found several choices.

 

Since Rockpit Brewing also served barbecue, that was the choice for dinner, followed up by Dead Lizard brewing. I enjoyed Rockpit’s Yudu Yuzu, a sour Berliner Weiss, Jackie liked Nudge, Nudge golden ale and we both liked a mango beer that neither of us can remember the name of.

Slipping in the door of Dead Lizard we were immediately asked if we had a lighter – it seems they were having a birthday celebration going on and no one brought matches for the birthday candles. Sorry, we are just here for the beer (and the sticker), so we moved to the bar and ordered a flight. Pretty funky vibe to the place and we enjoyed a Hefeweizen Orange Ya Glad I Didn’t Say Banana and Key Lime Chameleon Cream-Sic-Ale. On the way out we got totally drenched in a downpour before heading back to our amply-air-conditioned room to chill for the night.

All Aboard!
Up and out and we were on our way through the Florida sunshine to the Cape and our ship. No traffic, no problems, parked close to the ship, breezed through check-in and we were in the boarding area by 10am. Within 20 minutes we were joined by the rest of our party and, gosh we were onboard in no time. Kudos to Royal Caribbean for a very smooth check-in and embarkation process. Now, where is that first drink??

We explored the ship, got lost and turned around more than once, found our way to the Solarium Bistro for lunch, found several bars, stood for the safety lesson, checked out our room and settled in for fun. As I have said before, the first day aboard ship is the most exciting and the sail-away is exhilarating. As you stand on the rail watching the shoreline pass by and disappear into the distance, all the stress of the trip and worries back home just slip away. It’s party time!

So what exactly did we do?
I’m not sure when we did just what onboard, mostly on the three sea days, but I can share the activities. And we had three ports of call, so hang on, it’s a busy schedule.

Perfect Day CocoCay
This was a totally different experience from our last visit to the private island. The investment of over $250 million to transform this island into a waterpark with a new dock (no tenders!) was fantastic. We didn’t pay the extra fee to ride the waterslides, zipline or splash in the wave pool, but we did enjoy the upgraded food service, bars, huge Oasis Lagoon pool with swim-up bar and the snorkeling off Chill Island beach. It is a clean, lush landscape that just opened officially and it is a game changer.

 

 

After snorkeling and lunch we were enjoying the pool while a film crew used drones to capture the crowd for an upcoming promotional video. Perfect Day got a little less perfect when thunderstorms moved close and everyone was whistled out of the water. The rain made it easier to find a lounge chair, but I am guessing that thunder-rumbling, rain-soaked footage won’t make the “perfect day” video. Darn, and I was looking pretty good in those fly-by shots!

St. Thomas
We cruised into the port at St. Thomas about noon, a beautiful approach to this island. We were keeping it pretty casual that day and decided not to fight our way to a beach or snorkeling location, since we had a nice excursion planned for the next day.

So it made for a good day of having fun around the ship without the crowds. We never really felt like there were 6,000 other people crowded around us anyway – except on the pool deck on sea day afternoons – which is to Royal Caribbean’s credit for having so many places to hang out.

St. Maarten
This was our first time to the French/Dutch island and we were lucky to be the only ship in port at Philipsburg. Another gorgeous green-mountain island with a broad curve of beach along the harbor.

We had booked a snorkel excursion on a small-boat tour, hoping to avoid the disappointing experience in Nassau where we were overloaded with 60+ folks on a kayak, paddleboard, snorkel, party boat. Jackie and I walked the half-mile along Great Bay to the boat dock to check in and were told that once the other party of 2 arrived we would be good to go. That meant that all four of us had the boat to ourselves for a fabulous private tour along the coast.

First stop was snorkeling in Little Bay, a cove below the pelicans of Fort Amsterdam with clear water and some reef fish. The bottom was mostly rock and not much in the way of fans and corals, but there were fish around and some sunken artifacts (canon, helicopter, small sub, grocery cart?).

Back onboard and we zipped along the coastline, noticing the remaining damage from previous hurricanes (two Cat 5 within 10 days). Captain passed around a bowl of french bread, cheese and apple slices and we washed it all down with a cold beer. Hey, snorkeling is hard work. We stopped in the path of approaching aircraft as a jet passed overhead to land at the airport. This is the famous Princess Julianna airport with an over-water approach where people get blown around during jet takeoffs. Just Google Maho Beach. Then we crossed to the French coastline and hopped out for a swim in a turquoise water cove, Baie Longue, surrounded by villas that rent for thousands a night (Belmond La Samanna). Ahh, and we got to enjoy the same beautiful waters that they did. Time to head back to the ship and across some choppy water that made for a bouncy ride on a beautiful afternoon.  Snorkel video is posted here.

The excursion was really a treat. Back at the dock we stepped out of the boat with our gear, except that I was so focused on my footing that I completely missed the overhead metal rail of the bimini and “klunk” I hit it hard with my head. Had I been watching earlier, I would have noticed Jeff do the same thing as he was getting out. Ah … what’s a little blood in the scalp?

Aboard Ship
When we weren’t lounging by the pool or slipping down the waterslides, we might have been walking down the indoor Promenade (just like a mall), sitting at an outdoor cafe in the garden areas of Central Park listening to Spanish guitar, having a drink at an Irish Pub with a folk guitarist, watching robots fix our drinks or trying our luck at the casino. Our rooms were upper level balconies that overlooked the Central Park “canyon” so it was also nice to sit with a drink and listen to the music or wake up with a cup of coffee out on the balcony and people watch.

 

 

 

The casino was a destination for Dad most evenings, as he loves to play roulette. Jeff and I sat with him and played a few times – actually we donated to the casino, but our game is the craps table. We had our ups and downs and some nights were just wild at the table with some good runs, but in my case I came away just less than even for the week. Actually that is great, considering how long we played all week and what fun we had. We met the friendliest casino dealers who would really help you understand how to improve your odds and by week’s end came to recognize you. What fun.

Food
We did our best to try every eatery on board and enjoyed them all. Of course everyone heads to the Windjammer buffet for breakfast and lunch but we ventured away from that most days. The Park Cafe had delicious roast beef sandwiches and salads for lunch on the terrace in Central Park and Sorrento’s had pizza almost all night. The Solarium Bistro (the adults-only area on the decks 14 – 16 at the bow) had slightly lighter fare and a great view. There were several up-charge specialty restaurants that we mostly skipped.

Dad, Jackie and I ate lunch at Jamie’s Italian (complimentary for balcony bookings) on a sea day and were totally stuffed. Appetizer was an antipasto plank of cold meats, cheeses, olives and veggies; main courses were pasta, burgers and salads. We each made a dessert choice, whereupon our waiter asked why not all of them?

So, as you can see in the picture, we were served another plank with Tiramisu, Lemon meringue cheesecake, brownie, Almond sponge cake, and a raspberry pavlova confection. Yikes.

Dinner was mostly in the main dining room (short ribs and rack of lamb were the best), but we also tried the Solarium Bistro on the upper deck for dinner as we sailed out of St. Thomas and then the Izumi Japanese hibachi grill on the last night. That was a hilarious show of food preparation that none of us had yet experienced. Chef tossed pieces of egg for us to catch in our mouths – ok, weird but fun – and a few of us (Doug and Dad) nailed it on the first try.

Lobster, scallops, chicken were all delicious, and the tenderloin beef was mouthwatering. And some strange ice cream-filled dough balls for dessert.

Jackie and I also had a complimentary dinner at Wonderland, themed with Alice in mind.

Definitely something different, with all sorts of special food effects – smoked buffalo chicken eggs, “liquid” olives and mushrooms, spicy tuna in frozen limes, baked halibut and branzino. Quite the presentation, capped by a dessert plate of fungi: mango sorbet with cake and meringue mushrooms in pop-rocks dirt and a crazy bit of wizardry: The World – a chocolate sphere that melts before your eyes as the waiter drizzles hot caramel sauce, revealing salted caramel ice cream and chocolate mousse. Wow.

 

Drink
I did get a chuckle on the first day when I pulled out a bar checklist for each of us – crazy Doug – but later in the week we were all caught checking which bars we might have missed! “Oh, did I get a drink on each floor the Rising Tide bar stopped at?” “What about the Bionic Bar?” “Darn, I missed a glass of wine at Vintages.”

The robot arms of Bionic Bar

If you purchase the Deluxe Drink Package, you will have more than 16 bars to choose from. Poolside, in the Central Park garden area, restaurants, Promenade (mall) area, Solarium (adults only), plus the island of CocoCay. Yeah. That’s right. You try it without a list! Plus specialty coffees with a shot to start your day, like Icy Bourbon Mint Coffee.

We definitely gave our beverage package a workout.

Fun
Yep, another checklist just to be sure I didn’t miss anything. Besides the snorkeling in St. Maarten and CocoCay, there were plenty of activities onboard.  Check the video that combines the fun from our two cruises on Harmony of the Seas:  How We Did Harmony of the Seas

 

 

Whirlpools, main pool, the 9 deck drop on the Ultimate Abyss dry slide, three waterslides, rock climbing wall (made it halfway), zipline over the boardwalk “canyon” … busy, busy. We didn’t ride the carousel, ice skate, or play mini-golf, nor did we try surfing the flo-riders, but it was fun to watch. We saw the Jules Verne styled ice show “1887”, “Grease”, “Columbus, the Musical”, “Fine Line” and “Big Daddy’s” aquashows and a rock tribute band, all of which were top-notch entertainment.

 

You might not have the pool to yourself

Riding the waterslides was crazy, since two of them were designed for you to race your opponent. Jeff and I swapped winning times, but maybe my worst showing was when halfway down the dark tube I realized the water was pretty much disappearing and I slowed to a stop. “Send water!” Soon a gush hit me from behind and I started to move along again, but it might have been a long squooch, squooch crawl to the end. And yes, Jackie did try the Ultimate Abyss, which also lost some steam at the finish and we both had to scoot ourselves out of the last 3 feet of slide. The launching pad was the best part, as you are perched on a glass floor high above the stern of the ship!

 

I guess this all sounds like one big commercial for Royal Caribbean, but it turned out to be a much easier cruise for Dad than we expected and I do have to give credit to the cruise line for a ship that was well designed. It never felt crowded, it was gorgeously appointed, there was plenty to do for all ages, the rooms were thoughtfully laid out, staff was abundant, friendly and attentive. Dad had his walker and our rooms were close to elevators, so it was easy enough for him to head to the casino or up to the buffet on days when we were ashore. Jeff and I figured out how to push him along backwards in the walker when we needed to cover some ground quickly, and he was a good sport to go along with it. These twice-a-year cruises are his big vacation getaways, and as his escorts we are happy to go along (but seriously, we need some time to recover!)

Once we got back home we were greeted by two of the five fawns born around our yard this year. I guess they thought we had left town for good this time and they had the run of the place. Kodi keeps a careful eye out now and the mommas don’t seem to be as fiercely protective, so it seems safe to use the backyard again.

Up Next?
Well, it isn’t really an adventure, but it does involve the motorhome. We head to the mountains of North Carolina to help John with some work on the cabin he is building. It is under roof now and I think we will be doing some staining and working on the deck railing. Once again we will pack the motorhome with supplies and the pets for a trip to the mountains.

If you haven’t checked out some of my latest glass creations, be sure to look over the Glass Totems page and then catch up with recent events on the Happenings page. Stay tuned for a brief blog with some of the crazy video from the cruise, once I get it edited.

Thanks for following along on the adventures. And to borrow a phrase from our cruise director, “bing bong.”

Doug

And I should thank Alex and Bethany for watching Kodi and Merlin.  It looks like Allie kept a wary eye on Merlin, though.

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Halloween on the High Seas

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Doug and Jackie

Here we go again with a Caribbean cruise, and just a week after returning from our Leaf Peeping in New England adventure!  Yes, crazy.  But this cruise should be a blast, with Jack (Dad), Jackie and first-time cruiser John (Jackie’s brother).

Of course the first objective is to board the ship quickly and early, get a drink (especially the colorful,  fruity kind), then take and send a selfie to everyone back home.  That was pretty easy actually, and we met John while getting checked in and headed for the Lido deck and got our drinks to celebrate!

I think the sail away on that first day is the most exhilarating, as the ship navigates the inlet and the shoreline slowly slips away with all your thoughts of things back home.  And with it, cell service, so the phones start to disappear and you direct your attention to the open sea.

The cruise was another break for Dad, although his current independent living is a pretty sweet deal for him.  But they don’t have a casino at home, so that is always a big attraction for him on cruise ships.  And he has quite the luck – overall doing much better than I did at craps.  I tried a new strategy that Jeff tried on our Alaska cruise, and I did hang in there for over 2 hours one night, but I think I paid for Dad’s winnings!  Ah well, it was fun just the same.

This was our first cruise over Halloween and we really didn’t know what to expect.  We thought we were clever packing some masks to wear to dinner, but soon saw that we were outdone by some pretty elaborate costumes.  John looked snappy in his pirate outfit, but there were many more aboard with us.  Kids (yes, there were school-aged kids aboard) were dressed up and even had a special onboard trick-or-treating night.  Certainly was festive fun.

~Halloween Cruise 2018 (64)

Two days at sea gave us a chance to relax on the pool deck, as the temperature was in the 80’s and sunny.  Yes, I did the water slide again, although it was a bit chilly. One nice sunny day was spent at Princess Cay and we were snorkeling around, checking out the reef full of fish and coral.  A  decent sized barracuda was hanging around the spot, but once there were enough swimmers, he moved on.

At Nassau, a port we have visited several times, we all wandered ashore to the Straw Market and the Woodcarver’s Alley.  Not exactly our style of shopping, but it was an experience nonetheless.  Oddly, we were the only ship in port and for some reason we were at the farthest pier.  It did give us a chance to work off some of the great food we have been eating.  We found out later that Dad had met some nice ladies on-board who shared a nice group picture.

The only spot of bad weather was just an afternoon drizzle off the northern Florida coast, but the worst of it stayed off our bow.

All of us ended the cruise in good spirits, glad to have been in sunny, warm Caribbean waters for a week and totally ready for the coming colder, colorful fall back home.  I know Jackie and I will be just fine spending a few weeks at home and not changing ports, cities, campgrounds and state locations every day.  But no complaints at all … it has been an awesome adventure-filled fall for us.

I have no idea what the next adventure will be, but stay tuned as our retired life’s adventures continue.  Time to get started with the planning … 

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Amazing Alaskan Adventure – Part 1

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Doug and Jackie

  

It’s pushing 90 degrees with high humidity as I sit to organize my thoughts and photos of our Alaskan adventure, but I am thinking of the cooler temperatures and amazing views of the mountains and waters of Alaska instead.  This seven day cruise with Jackie, my brother Jeff and sister-in-law Vicki was planned out almost a year ago and it exceeded all our expectations and has left us with great memories.  Now to reassemble those thoughts amid the muddle-headedness of air travel and time changes…

  

Part 1 – Anchorage to Juneau

Our June trip-of-a-lifetime had a great start in Anchorage and Seward, Alaska and will continue south through the Inside Passage aboard the cruise ship Celebrity Millennium.

  

We arrived in Anchorage barely 3 hours after we left Atlanta, but of course that was actually 7 hours of flight time later.  We picked up our rental SUV at the airport and drove into town.  The night was young and we were pumped, after seeing some amazing snow-covered mountains and glaciers from the plane already.  This was going to be great!  We dropped our bags at the Voyager Inn and walked the streets of Anchorage in search of breweries on Doug’s list, plus a recommendation for good eats at Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse.

 

Humpy’s didn’t disappoint as we toasted the adventure to come with local brews and shared a delicious platter of cod tacos. Yummy!  (Midnight Sun Oosik Amber and King Street Stout beers)

 

We found the 49th State Brewery, one of the craft breweries on Doug’s list, and took a seat on the rooftop terrace to sample craft beer and watch locals fishing along the nearby riverbank.  And of course the backdrop of snow-covered mountain peaks still seemed unreal. (Baked Blonde and Prospector’s Gold beers).

  

Getting up early was no problem, since we were still on Eastern Time, and we tucked into a delicious breakfast at the hotel.  Jeff and Vic were up early in search of a coffee shop, to no avail, but had a nice walk along the waterfront.  I grabbed my camera and wandered about, snapping shots of hanging baskets and … ouch, I rolled my ankle pretty good on a sidewalk crack. Dangit, we had barely started the adventure and already I had an injury!  Oh well, keep moving and carry on.

  

The big day began with our 3-hour drive to Seward along Turnagain Arm (the big bay).  There was almost nobody on the road as we wound around the cliffs and along the rocky shore.  All eyes were on the water for whales, but Vicki suddenly blurted out that she saw something on the rocky cliff.  Off to the shoulder and out of the car, binoculars scanning.  Soon we found the Dall sheep that she spotted, way up on the hillside.  A little further on we stopped at Bird Point to scan the water again, but the excitement was back on the hillside again.  This time there were young Dall sheep among the adults, and not far above us looking down.  Good spotting.

  

So onward we went, the clear blue skies above, white, blue and green mountains all around us.  As we recounted our sheep spotting, Jeff declared “all we need now is a moose” and just ahead someone must have heard us and pushed out the moose, because a cow and calf appeared out of the bushes at the edge of the road.  No way!  The little guy scampered in and out of the shrubs around mom as she munched on grass and dandelions.  Wow how cool.

 

The rest of the drive to Seward we tried to muster up some bear, but instead got gorgeous scenery.  We did spot a huge eagle nest with dad standing guard over mom and youngsters in the nest.  Once we pulled into Seward we dropped our bags at the Best Western and headed to the docks for lunch and to check out the departure point.  We sat outside and shared baskets of fried rockfish, salmon, calamari, halibut and cod along with some Alaskan beer.  We walked back along the seawall, past a shoreline city campground and RV park and spotted some sea otters feeding on mussels along the shore.  Suddenly our spotter Vicki said she saw whales off the shore, blowing puffs of steam.  Well, it sure looked like that, so we ran to the rental car, drove out along the shoreline to get closer and had a great look at what we learned were humpback whales, possibly bubble feeding (the gulls were a giveaway).  Wow, what a day for wildlife!

Jeff and I returned the rental car and we met up with Jackie at the van for Stoney Creek Canopy Adventures.  Vic was off to explore Seward by foot and along the seawall again.  Our afternoon zipline was great fun.  There were tons of zips and a few really long ones over ponds and mossy woodlands.  A couple of suspension bridges and two rappels down to earth added to the fun.  I opted to skip the gopro and phone for pictures, since our guides promised to take several shots.

Back down in town we found Vicki, grabbed binoculars and headed out.  Dinner was wood fired pizza and Rockfish Red Ale at Seward Brewing Company, another one of my craft beer destinations.  Good stuff.  We still had time to see eagles and otters and Harlequin ducks along the shore, since sunset was a long way off, plus Jeff spotted Dall sheep on the hillside across from our hotel balcony.

  

The next morning was embarkation day and it started with another delicious breakfast at the hotel.  We took the town’s free shuttle to the pier and waited for boarding instructions.  It was a dreary, colder and rainy morning, not at all like the gorgeous day before. Fairly soon we had our ship credentials and were headed across a windy, rainy dock to walk up the ramp and onboard the Celebrity Millennium.  Cheers! We were handed glasses of champagne and noticed that we were the first four people aboard.  Ok then, let’s find a cool spot to hang out.  Pool bar was open and not at all busy.  The crew looked like they were fishing in the pool with their yellow slickers and nets – really?

 

I know we had lunch on deck 10, lots to drink at various bars as we explored the ship, a fabulous dinner in the dining room, a brief rally in the casino (I lost), but all I really recall was our sail away as we passed rocky cliffs and saw swarms of Kittiwake gulls circling and covering them.

 

Next morning was our day at sea as we headed to the Hubbard Glacier.  We crossed through some pretty bumpy water overnight and the day started cold and rainy again.  Darn, where was that great weather from Seward?

 

Below decks we had a chance to do the galley tour along with nearly everyone else.  Wow, what a big operation behind the scenes.

Our approach in toward the glacier was filled with glacial ice and the captain had to make his way gingerly through the icefield.  But the colors of the floating ice were a treat, with the deep blue indicating the oldest, most compact glacial ice and black/grey stripes containing rocks and sediment.  We did have a nice long look at the Hubbard Glacier as the ship spun around and the rain stopped for a bit.  Some of us saw some of the “calving” – chunks of ice breaking off the front.

Heading inside to warm up, we discovered the poolside grill had great burgers and really good fries.  Jeff and Vic opted for the Alaskan Crab Feast while watching the glacier and we all found out that Alaskan Brewing White and Amber ales were a good choice with lunch.

After a bit, it was time to head out to Juneau and hopefully better weather.

 

Yep, about that weather.  Jackie and I had a morning excursion by helicopter to several glaciers and a dogsledding trip, so we were up and off the ship early.  Just one thing though, the low cloud cover and drizzle meant our helicopter tour was cancelled, no chance at a re-booking later in the day. Drats.  We wandered around town a bit, checking Alaskan Brewing (which was only their storefront), the Red Dog Saloon, complete with sawdust on the floors, then decided plan B would be to book a whale watching excursion.

So that afternoon we went on our whale watch, Jeff and Vic went on theirs and we all met back at the ship to trade stories and sightings.  One added benefit was a trip through town, a loop in front of the Mendenhall Glacier and an eagle-filled marsh as we made our way to and from Auke Bay, the excursion harbor.

Each of us got to see humpback whales blowing, diving (with great looks at their hump) and tailing.  Several whales and some good sightings.  Jeff and Vic also saw sea lions piled on a channel marker.  It turned out to be a good afternoon.

We really wanted to take the Tramway to the top of Mt. Roberts, but the cloud cover just made that unrealistic.  Another great meal in the dining room, fancy desserts for Father’s Day, visits to the Martini Bar and we were off to Skagway.

  

It had been a great cruise so far, and more adventures lay ahead.  Stay tuned, the adventure continues …

Part two of our adventure, from Skagway to Vancouver will follow soon.  By the way, if you are planning a cruise, give our travel agent Cynthia Long (617-587-6000 x 38584) at CruisesOnly a call.  She was a great help booking the trip and getting us some onboard credits and extras.  Mention us and we can earn points.

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