| Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
|---|---|---|---|
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26th Feb 2026 |
Miami Florida USA |
On board by 11:30 |
 |
1st Mar 2026 |
Oranjestad Aruba DWI |
Jeep Exploration Tour |
 |
2nd Mar 2026 |
Willemstad Curacao DWI |
Trolley Train Tour |
 |
4th Mar 2026 |
St George's Grenada BWI |
Adventure Open Truck Tour |
 |
5th Mar 2026 |
Castries St Lucia BWI |
Jeep Safari & Sailing Tour |
 |
6th Mar 2026 |
Basseterre St Kitts BWI |
St Kitts Scenic Rail Tour |
 |
7th Mar 2026 |
San Juan Puerto Rico USA |
El Yunque Rainforest Hike |
 |
8th Mar 2026 |
Cockburn Town Grand Turk BOT |
On My Own (OMO) |
|
10th Mar 2026 |
Miami Florida USA |
Turnaround Day |
| Flag: | Date: | Port: | Comment: |
I awoke before my six o'clock alarm, excited to be going away after two winter months at home, having turned three contracts down. At nine o'clock I called for a Streamline taxi, driven by an Englishman for a change. I caught the 09:55 FlixBus to LHR via SoToN, for just nine pounds. At first I sat right at the back looking down the aisle, but then had to move when an Oriental couple got on board.
I dozed for most of journey, getting to Terminal Five on time at 12:15. Here I had my picnic lunch sitting in the ground floor arrivals hall. At 13:30 I caught the Piccadilly tube train to Hounslow Central, getting to my £55 bed for the night in the Imperial Guest House, when it opened at two o'clock.
After settling in, I decided not to have a siesta, but instead to walk the short distance into town. I bought some food in the Iceland store and then walked back in the bright sunshine. Here I started work on this blog using my new Open University (OU) Hewlett Packard (HP) laptop. At 4:15 I went for a walk around Lampton Park to reach my daily quota of steps. I spent the evening watching the television, going to sleep just after 10:30. During the day I had done eleven thousand steps, equal to over four miles of walking.
I awoke at 6:30 to the sound of the first jet coming into LHR, having slept for nearly eight hours. I had a snack breakfast in the room before abluting. At 8:30 I had one cheesy bacon flatbread to eat in the nearby MacDonald's restaurant, with another to take away for lunch. I then had to use HighTail for the first time to send some lectures to Viking Ocean Cruises.
I left the guest house at ten o'clock, catching the Piccadilly Line tube train to LHR T5. I tried to check in at the kiosk, but as usual it rejected me, after I had struggled to fill in my MIA hotel details. A nice young man then checked me in and gave me an aisle seat at the front bulkhead of the economy section with extra legroom on the A380 double decker. He asked if I had a return air ticket, which I did have, but it was with Virgin Atlantic, not BA. He didn't ask to see my ESTA. I then went joy riding on the electric pods to the offsite car parks.
Security was quick, but my rucksack was pulled aside because it had two AA batteries in it! I did not have to empty out the complimentary bottle of water from that morning's guest house or extract my laptop from my rucksack. I found a seat with a great view of Terminal 5B from T5A to charge up my phones and update this blog.
At 1:30 I had to take the underground train to Terminal 5C. Loading was straitforward as the A380 was only half full. Unfortunately the plane suffered from a minor fuel leak, which had to be investigated and documented, so we were two and a quarter hours late departing. The captain announced that we could walk around the plane and, with no curtains deployed, I explored all the cabins on both the decks.
At the first round of the drinks trolley, I had two tin cans of Heineken lager and a glass of red wine to drink with my small packet of pretzels. The main meal was either beef mince or vegetarian, so I opted for the former. It was beautifully hot, accompanied by mashed potato and mixed veg. There was also a small salad, a bread roll & butter, cheese & crackers and a small crumble dessert.
At the second round of the drinks trolley, I forewent the tea and coffee in favour of a third tin can of lager. At the third way stage of the flight, I chose a chocolate syrup waffle from the basket. During the flight I dozed a bit and updated this blog, but spent most of the time playing Hearts and FreeCell on my phone, as there were no movies of interest and I couldn't get the headphones to work. At the half way point of the flight, half of the cabin crew emerged from their basement staff room and the other half descended for their rest period. I then dozed for a couple of hours with my legs outstretched towards the bulkhead. The final meal service was a warm cheese and onion chutney pastry with two cups of sparkling water.
We landed after a nine and a quarter hour flight, having passed over the estuary of the St Lawrence river in Canada en route. Disembarkation was quick, but we had a walk to the transit train and then another walk to the huge immigration hall. This process only took twenty minutes, as we were one of the last flights in that evening. The officer was chatty and having taken my fingerprints asked where I was staying that night. When I said the Airport Hotel, he recommended the Dunkin' Donuts outlet nearby which is open 24 hours a day.
There was another walk up and down floors to get to the hotel. The large room was rather warm, so I had to switch on the air con (A/C) for a bit to cool it down. I finally got to bed at 10:30 EST (03:30 GMT).
I awoke at 04:30 EST (9:30 GMT) having slept for six hours. I then enjoyed TWO full strength coffees from the Kapsulyst pod machine in my room. At six o'clock I luxuriated in the fullsized bath, with the addition of a Silversea bath salts cube that needed using up. I find it difficult to use my bath at home, I am a Spiderman! Here however it was a slim line bath which I could get out of easily.
At 6:45 I went joyriding on the free MIA Mover mass transit train to the Intermodal Centre. Here are the stations for the MetroRail and TriRail networks, but not the new Brightline (formerly Virgin Trains) railway. Back in my hotel room, I updated this blog and watched the television.
At 10:30 I checked out of the hotel, which had cost £130, and jumped into a yellow taxi. It was driven by a Bolivian man whose children had become an Architect, a Dentist and a Nurse. There was heavy traffic southbound on the I95 freeway, but the Port of Miami was clear, with only four ships in. It cost $55, so I gave him $60.
Check-in took fifteen minutes and I was on board by 11:30, where I had a glass of champagne. Up in the Waves Grill, I ordered a Swiss Cheeseburger, but I got given a plain Beefburger, I did however get my sweet potato fries. I sat in the library until all the state rooms were released at 2:30. I had the usual double cabin with restricted view, which is normally sold as a single. I did however have a newly refitted en suite shower room.
Having unpacked, at three o'clock I went for a walk past cruise terminals B, C, D, E and F to get to the Seamen's cafe and mission, before turning back. At 4:30 I spent five minutes in a hot tub, as the pool was too cold. Back in my state room, I chose my tour escort preferences.
At 5.45 I met Social Hostess (SH) Tori in the Horizons observation lounge. We hosted ten solo travellers, all but one of whom came with me to the Grand Dining Room (GDR), where we were given the Captain's table in the centre of the room. I was sat between Susan from San Fran East Bayside and Janet from Florida. Also present was Donna and Nina both from Vancouver, who didn't know each other, Ray and his new girl friend Tracy, English Peter from Oregon, Nancy from Montreal, Martin-David from Louisiana and myself. I had the lobster bisque, the Sicilian salad, the Sirloin steak and the no sugar added raspberry ice cream to eat. I had just two glasses of sparkling water to drink.
At nine o'clock I went to hear the singers in the Horizons observation lounge, not the Nautica theatre. I enjoyed the usual pop songs by ABBA and Ricky Martin, but was pleasantly surprised to hear "Take On Me" by Norwegian pop group A-ha. They finished with a medley of Fleetwood Mac songs, which was something different for a change. Afterwards I introduced myself to Cruise Director (CD) Billy from Canada. I went to sleep at 10:30 having done fifteen thousand steps during the day, equal to six miles of walking.
I awoke naturally at 6:30 having slept soundly for eight hours and the jet lag was over. I got up at seven o'clock in order to submit my tour escort requests in the back office. At 7:35 I was ready for my first full English breakfast al fresco a la terrazza.
Back in my state room, I worked on my laptop updating my presentations. When Levis from Honduras came at nine o'clock to service the state room, I asked him to change my stool for a proper chair. I then adjourned to the Horizons observation lounge, where I had a decaf cappuccino from the machine. At noon I lunched on tomato soup and cold roast beef salad. I forewent a lunch time dessert. The terrace was already busy, so I ate inside for a change.
At 1:40 Mario set me up and I left my Aruba photos running. At two o'clock CD Billy introduced me and I was off. I spoke for 42 minutes and had to answer a lot of questions at the end. At 3:30 I slept for over an hour, before doing twelve circuits of the top deck in the hot sunshine, which is equal to one mile of walking. I then had to turn down the offer of a contract on the Viking Mars, as I was already committed on the Viking Saturn.
At 5:30 I had a complimentary glass of champagne in the Horizons observation lounge, where I chatted to a couple from Toronto. Janet from Florida came to join me, but all the other solo travellers were at the Captain's cocktail party in the Nautica lounge downstairs. At 6:45 we moved down to the GDR where Canadian Nina met us at the door and led us to a table for six that she had nabbed. I was sat next to English Peter and American Janet. Also present was Martin-David from Louisiana and Canadian Donna. I had the fish soup which was suspiciously like the lobster bisque from the previous night. I then had the baby spinach salad, the lobster risotto and the no sugar added chocolate ice cream.
At 9:15 I stood at the back of the Nautica show lounge for the American Comedienne Kelly MacFarland. I didn't get many of her American jokes and slipped out before the end. I went to sleep at ten o'clock, but it was now eleven on Caribbean time. During the day I had only done less than five thousand steps, equal to less than two miles of walking.
I got up at 6:30, but it was now 7:30 on Caribbean time. I had TWO eggs Benedict made to order al fresco a la terrazza with views of the south west point of the island of Haiti. I had one large glass of orange juice topped up with sparkling water to drink.
Back at my state room, Levis and his assistant were working, so I went up to the Horizons observation lounge coffee corner. Here I had a decaf cappuccino from the machine. Back in my cabin again, I worked on my laptop.
At noon I touched base with Michel the tours manager, before lunching al fresco a la terrazza. I had the vegetable soup to begin, followed by lasagne with some mixed grill items. I forewent a lunch time dessert again. I just had one glass of sparkling water to drink.
At 1:30 Mario set me up and at two o'clock I gave my forty minute talk on Willemstad: Capital of Curacao. I only showed one of the three final videos. Later that afternoon I did twelve circuits of the pool deck. At six o'clock I moved up to the Horizons observation lounge where I hosted Nina, Nancy, Donna and Martin-David. I did one slow dance with Nina.
At 6:30 we were joined by Jerri to make up another table for six in the GDR. I had the asparagus soup, the Caesar salad, the salmon with rice & beans and the no sugar added orange cream cheese dessert to eat. At 9:15 I sat at the back of the Nautica show lounge for the Good Lovin' 1960s pop production show. There were five musicians, four vocalists and two dancers: Tori from Melbourne, the Social Hostess (SH) and George from Warrington, the Assistant Cruise Director (ACD). I particularly enjoyed the Natural Woman waltz and the several Beatles songs that closed the show.
Back in my state room, I watched my Willemstad lecture on the TV, going to sleep at 10:30. During the day I had again only done less than five thousand steps, equal to less than two miles of walking.
I got up just before seven o'clock and took my time getting ready. I had the full English breakfast al fresco a la terrazza. Back in my state room, Levis soon arrived, so I went up to the Horizons observation lounge for a decaf cappuccino. The IT assistant printed out my MIA hotel bill, but it didn't have the price on it, so I spent ages trying to access it for the Purser.
During the morning I watched both my port talks on the TV. At 11:30 I lunched on the bean soup, the cannelloni and the no sugar added mango ice cream. I was sat with Janet and Nancy, whilst Nina, Donna and Martin-David were sitting on the next table.
At one o'clock I was on dispatch duty in the Nautica show lounge, ready for my second choice Jeep Exploration tour ($139). At 1:30 I led my party of 23 guests down to the quayside, where I met driver/guide Reggie. We took a normal coach to their garage, before transfering into two large open sided jeeps. Mine was driven by J.D. a young mixed race man.
We headed south east along the main road almost as far as Sint Nicolaas, before crossing to the northern sea shore. Here there were ten huge wind turbines, not wind mills, on a Dutch island! We entered the Arikok National Park (ANP) by the back door and headed for the Fountain (Fontein) Cave. We went about 50 yards into the small cave to see some Arawak Indian wall paintings and a few stalactites & stalagmites. A hundred feet away was a small pond where you could bathe your feet and have your tootsies nibbled by tiddlers! An empty third large jeep arrived, driven by Lulu, to spread the load of our guests.
We carried on to the radar station at the highest point of the ANP, before descending to the raging north coast. We descended down nearly one hundred steps to a fabulous natural swimming pool. The sea was crashing over the rocks, so I bottled out of having a swim. We returned via the ANP HQ to the main gate and returned to the coach depot. We reboarded our bus for the short run back to the ship.
I had just five minutes in which to change for the solo travellers meet-up in the Horizons observatory lounge. However no one else showed up, as some of them had reservations at the two speciality restaurants: Polo Grill steak house and Toscana Italian restaurant.
At 6:30 I asked for a sharing table in the GDR and quickly met Ron & Karen from Seattle in Washington State. He was a retired Lt. Col. in the US Army and she a former school teacher. He had served mainly in the Orient, in Vietnam, Korea and Japan. We were then joined by solo traveller Peter, originally from Nottingham, but now from Oregon State. I had the mulligatawny soup, the chicken tikka masala salad, the prawns with pasta and the no sugar added bananas Foster to eat.
Back in my cabin, I collected my escort report form and swapped it in the back office for my next assignment. I gave the American comedienne's second show a miss and went to sleep at 10:10. During the day I had done nearly nine thousand steps, nearly equal to four miles of walking.
I awoke at 6:30 having slept for over eight hours. I had the full English breakfast al fresco a la terrazza to eat. I had one glass of sparkling water topped up with orange juice.
At 7:45 I was one of the first people off the ship. I crossed over the Queen Emma pontoon bridge to get to the Punda (Point) Central Business District (CBD). I followed the Blow Hole Creek to get to the Roman Catholic (RC) cathedral in Pietermaai (Petermy). Here I turned on tracking and worked my way back via the new Jewish Museum. At 10:30 I had a run in at reception over my travel expense claims.
At 10:45 I was on the quayside to escort my third choice Trolley Train through History tour ($169). We had three minibus taxis to take the 23 guests via the ring road and the Queen Julianna bridge to Fort Amstedam. Here we transferred to the pink Trolley Train. After a ten minute wait, we headed off slowly, circling the town. We saw the famous coloured villas in the Scharloo, pronounced Scharlow, district, where we had a short stop. We went in the Pietermaai RC cathedral, before returning to the start point. Half the guests chose to stay in town, whilst half took the two minibus taxis back to the ship.
At one o'clock I lunched on the lamb and Swedish meat balls sat with Janet and Martin-David. When Donna and Nina arrived, I gave up my seat and went for my 35 minute siesta. Next I walked west from the cruise terminal to explore the Reef Mangrove Park ($15 admission) and the Mondi Beach Club. I tried, but failed, to find the Curacao historical museum in the western suburbs. I photographed the outside of the Santa Famina RC church, before wandering through the pretty Kura Hulanda village. As I reached the Reef (Rif) Fort, I bumped into Nina and Martin-David who were heading out.
Back in my state room, I updated this blog and answered a call from reception about my expense claim. At six o'clock I adjourned to the Horizons observation lounge where I hosted Nina, Martin-David and newly arrived Judy. The latter couldn't find her passport at the Port of Miami, so had to go home to look for it. Later she had to fly to Aruba to catch up with the ship. As it turned out, she did have it with all the time! I escorted her to the GDR, where we were joined by Canadian German Baron Hjalmar von Tiesenhausen and guest pianist Tim Brumfield. I had the cajun gumbo fish soup, the Boston lettuce salad, the steak au poivre and the no sugar added creme brulee to eat.
At the end of the meal, I escorted Judy to the Nautica show lounge, where her friend Janet was saving some seats. At 9:15 the excellent Our World production show began with an musical introduction followed by an Argentinian tango by SH Tori and ACD George. The show continued with songs and dances from France, Japan, India, Mexico, Greece, Australia, Ireland, Spain and Italy. I had last seen this show on the 21st of October last year on board the Oceania Vista. I went to bed at 10:45 having done over twenty thousand steps, equal to over eight miles of walking, during the day.
I awoke at 7:50, having slept for nearly nine hours, ready for my full English breakfast al fresco a la terrazza. At 9:40 Levis came to service the state room, so I relocated to the Horizons observation lounge. Here I said "hello" to guest pianist Tim, who had just accepted my FaceBook connection request. I had a decaf cappuccino, before returning to work on my laptop. At noon I had the spicy consomme and the mixed grill (lamb, beef and pork) al fresco a la terrazza.
At 1:30 Mario set me up, ready for me to give my 43 minute talk on St George's, Grenada at two o'clock. My first video was a bit problematic, but the second one was OK. At the end, Canadian German Baron Hjalmar von Tiesenhausen came up to say hello. He then replied to my email to say: "I had great fun enjoying the 3 new friends I met at supper. I also enjoyed your talk today on Grenada. I have to go see the chocolate factory and purchase some nutmeg for my wife, as she loves to cook and I love to eat."
I then slept for half an hour. At 5:15 I did six lengths of the small, cool, salt water pool. I then spent five minutes in one of the hot tubs.
At six o'clock I moved up to the Horizons observation lounge where I met Nina, Janet and Judy. Nina asked the duo to play a waltz, but they played "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran which is actually a fast Viennese waltz. We then moved down to the GDR where the other solo travellers were gathered.
At 6:45 SH Tori and ACD George arrived and we went through to the Captain's table. Martin-David thought that he was dining with the Captain, not with us, so after some confusion ACD George had to relinguish his seat. I was sat between Tracy and Nina. Also present was Janet, Judy, Nancy, SH Tori, Susan, Martin-David, Peter and Ray, making eleven people around the large table. I had the soup, the Cretan salad, the lamb and the no sugar added peach ice cream to eat. I had TWO glasses of the complimentary Pinot Noir red wine to drink.
I slipped away at 9:10 to catch Tim's first show time with the show band and the classical duo. I enjoyed the Broadway show tunes, but not the Gershwin, as I don't like jazz. I particulary liked the final waltz song. I went to sleep at 10:30 having done only two and half thousand steps, equal to just one mile of walking during the day.
I got up at 5:30, half an hour before my six o'clock alarm. On the way to the Terrace Cafe breakfast buffet, I collected my $230 travel expenses from Reception. These covered my stay at the MIA Airport Hotel and the taxi ride to the Port of Miami. At 6:30 I had a continental breakfast of one croissant with ham and cheese to eat al fresco a la terrazza, as the sun came up over St George's. I had just one glass of orange juice and some sparkling water to drink.
At 7:05 I was on dispatch duty in the Nautica show lounge, ready to move out to the transports at 7:30. Here I met guide Navine and driver Jason, who had just five guests to look after on my first choice Adventure Open Truck tour ($159). We had a slow run through St George's during the morning rush hour.
Our first stop was at Fort Frederick, which I had not visited before. At Uncle's bar on the Atlantic coast, I had TWO cups of rum punch to drink and one packet of plantain chips and one packet of sweet ginger peanuts to eat. Our next stop was at the central crater lake (Grand Etang). At the nearby museum, we saw the feeding of the Mona monkeys as usual, but my banana wasn't needed, so I ate it myself!
Back at the ship, I had the lentil soup and the veal scalopini with beans to eat. The terrace was busy, so I had to eat inside for a change. I then slept for forty minutes, before heading out again. I chanced the passage through the Sendall tunnel to reach the Careenage. I went in the chocolate shop next door to the National Museum, before walking around the inner harbour. I got as far as the little park by the Grenada Yacht Club, before turning on tracking and turning back.
Back at the ship again, I updated this blog. At four o'clock I touched base with the Shorex guy and found out that we would be berthed out of town. I had to do some quick updates, but I didn't have time to sort out the full walk into town spiel.
At 4:45 CD Billy was running the Trivia session in the Nautica Show Lounge, and then SH Tori had to do the Mensa annoucements. Just after five o'clock Mario tried to set me up, but he was having problems with the Panasonic projector and it only got sorted just two minutes before my start time at 5:15. I was thus unable to run my Castries slides beforehand as usual. I spoke for forty two minutes, but the first video was a bit noisy. I also showed the second video as it showed the walk into town.
Just after six o'clock, I adjourned to the Horizons observation lounge, where I was joined by the usual suspects. After half an hour, we went down to the GDR, where I was sat with Donna, Nancy, Peter, Susan, Nina and Martin-David with one seat spare. I had the lobster bisque, the salad, the tournedos filet mignon and the no sugar added cherry crumble to eat. I enjoyed the Broadway in Concert production show with five musicians and four singers, but not the two dancers (SH Tori & ACD George). I particulatrly liked the selection from Les Mis as usual. I went to sleep at 10:30 having done seventeen thousand steps, nearly equal to seven miles of walking during the day.
I got up at 6:30 one hour before my alarm. I had the full English breakfast al fresco a la terrazza with the view overlooking the harbour. Just as I was about to leave, I was joined by the Baron, who regaled me with his Jasper National Park forest fire evacuation stories.
At nine o'clock I was on dispatch duty in the Nautica show lounge, ready for my second choice Jeep Safari & Sailing tour ($149). When all 43 guests were called down, I met local dispatcher Natasha on the quayside. After signing a waiver form, I met my Jeep driver and guide Donling.
We had a slow run through Castries, until we reached Government House on the hill. At a roadside stall, I shelled out two dollars on a whole coconut full of juice. The next stop was at Anse-la-Raye, where I had been some years earlier on a mountain bike ride. (Couldn't do that now!)
When we got to Marigot Bay, we had a forty five minute delay, so we were given complimentary drinks at the quayside bar. I had a glass of the famous Piton lager beer. When the catamaran finally arrived, we got on board and we sailed out into the Caribbean sea.
At Anse Cochon (Pig's Cove), we had half an hour of swimming in the bay. We were all given plastic noodles as bouyancy aids. Back on the catamaran, we got given our rum punches to drink and some small tuna and cheese rolls to eat. I also had a slice of fruit cake, but gave the bananas a miss. We motored further south to view the famous Piton peaks from a distance, before retreating back north to Castries. We had to wait a bit to berth alongside the Pointe Seraphine cruise terminal.
I didn't get back to the ship until 4:20, just ten minutes from all aboard time. I had to rush to get changed and do a quick check of my Basseterre port talk. At five o'clock Mario set me up and I left my Basseterre photos running. At 5:15 I gave my thirty eight minute lecture on Basseterre: Capital of St Kitts with just one final video.
Just after six o'clock I moved up to the Horizons observation lounge where Tori was hosting the usual suspects, plus one new lady. At 6:40 I led Donna, Peter, Judy, Martin-David and Nina down to the GDR. Here I had the sweet potato soup, the Mykonos salad, the Wiener schnitzel and the no sugar added strawberry ice cream to eat.
Having filled in my escort report form, I picked up my next assignment and went to the Nautica show lounge. Here I heard the first half of Tim's second piano show, this time without the show band. However I had trouble keeping awake, not having had a siesta that afternoon, so I slipped out before the end. Back in my state room, I updated this blog and went to bed at 10:30. I had done just seven thousand steps, equal to less than three miles of walking during the day.
I got up at 6:30, one hour before my alarm, ready for my continental style breakfast of two croissants with smoked salmon and cheese. I had just one small glass of orange juice, poured into my large glass of sparkling water. On the way back to my state room, I collected my blue umbrella which had been handed in to Reception.
At 9:30 I was on dispatch duty in the Nautica show lounge ready for my group to be called down. I had been given my third choice St Kitts Scenic Rail tour ($159). I zoomed out to the minibus area, where I met driver/guide Warner and my twenty one guests. We drove north west along the Caribbean seaside to the Sandy Point terminus of the railway.
After the toilet queues had dissipated, we departed, skirting around the northern end of the island. I had one pina colada with rum and one mango cocktail with rum to drink and one biscuit to eat. We passed stands of sugar cane and other plants along the way, passing over four metal trestle bridges. At the southern terminus, we reboarded Warner's minibus for the short run back to the ship. I had last done this tour in 2012 and nothing had changed!
Here I had the potato and leek soup, followed by the mixed grill from the buffet. I was sat with Donna, Nina and Judy inside the Terrace Cafe. Instead of napping, I walked back into town to photograph the ferry terminal, the market and the inside of the RC co-cathedral. I finally found one of the latest tourist maps.
Back on the ship again, I had a decaf cappuccino in the Horizons observation lounge, before working on my laptop. At five o'clock Mario set me up and I left my San Juan photographs running. At 5:15 I gave my 42 minute talk on Puerto Rico.
Just after six o'clock, I met the usual suspects in the Horizons observation lounge. There was a queue for the Pool Grill steak house, so we descended to the GDR. I was sat with Judy, Martin-David, Donna, Nina and Janet. I had the duck soup, the crunchy salad and the Korean BBQ ribs.
I slipped out before the desserts to go to the dance session in the Nautica show lounge at 9:15. When the band started playing ABBA songs, I led off the Electric Slide line dance. When the disco bunnies came on to the floor, I sat out until near the end when I joined in. In the middle the South African duo played a few songs. I went to sleep at 10:30 having done over ten thousand steps, equal to over four miles of walking during the day.
I awoke to my alarms (sic) at six o'clock ready for just one croissant with Brie cheese for breakfast al fresco a la terrazza. At 7:30 I was on dispatch duty in the Nautica show lounge ready to escort my third choice El Yunque Rainforest tour ($179). At the end of the pier, I met driver David and eighteen guests. One guest had to go back to the ship to find his wife.
We drove east for fifty minutes to get to the National Park with the very impressive El Portal Visitor Centre. Here we met local guide Ricardo, who showed us some displays, before ushering us into the cinema. Unfortunately it was dark inside and I fell asleep, after my early morning start.
We then reboarded the minibus to drive to the Yokahu Tower, which had panoramic views across the tropical rain forest to the north eastern coast. Our next stop was at the pretty Coca waterfall, but I bottled out of climbing up the slippery rocks to the higher view point. We then began our hike at the Angelito trail head. This was about half a mile down to the Rio Mameyes bathing pool. However the water was very silty, so I declined to bathe here, but a few guests did go in. After a comfort stop back at the visitor centre, we sped back into San Juan, arriving at the all aboard time of 1:30.
Back at the ship, I had a bowl of pumpkin soup followed by fish & chips with mushy peas. The terrace was full, so I ate inside, but I later found a table of solo travellers outside who I could've joined. I then slept for an hour and three quarters, catching up on my busy days.
Just after five o'clock, Mario set me up and I set my Grand Turk slides running. At 5:15 I gave my forty minute talk on Cockburn Town: Capital of the Turks & Caicos Islands. Just after six o'clock, I moved up to the Horizons observation lounge where SH Tori was already ensconced with the usual suspects plus newcomer Patti. It transpired that they had all been invited to a dinner hosted by Tori and me, that I didn't know about!
At 6:55 we descended to the GDR where I hosted six guests at the large central Captain's table. I sat with Janet, Peter, Nancy, Martin-David, Nina and Donna. Tori hosted five guests at the next table: Ray, Tracy, Susan, Judy and Patti. I had the miso soup, the iceberg lettuce salad and the lovely lamb chops, which I gnawed. I had TWO glasses of the Pinot Noir red wine to drink. I didn't have time for any dessert as I had to hand my escort report in and collect my next assignment.
When I got to the back office, I found that all three Grand Turk tours were full, so I had the next day off. At 9:15 I went to Jonathan Scott Roth's really excellent "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" show time in the Nautica show lounge. As a line dancer, this was one of the best shows I have ever heard. He began and ended inevitably with John Denver numbers. He covered classic country songs by Hank Williams, Roger Miller, George Strait, Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks and newcomer Luke Combs. I went to sleep at 10:30, having done fourteen thousand steps, nearly equal to six miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 6:45 ready for TWO croissants with smoked salmon and cream cheese at 7:30 al fresco a la terrazza. When Levis and his assistant came to service the state room at 8:10, I adjourned to the Horizons observation lounge to have a decaf cappuccino. I spent the morning backing up my cruise photographs, updating this blog and watching my Grand Turk lecture on the television.
At 10:45 CD Billy phoned to ask if I had a spare lecture to hand, as we might not be able to berth at Grand Turk that afternoon. I declined the offer as I didn't have anything really suitable, though I could've offered Volcanoes or Oceanography on reflection. At 11:30 I had my second Swiss cheese burger with sweet potato fries of the cruise at the Waves Grill. I had another decaf cappuccino in the Horizons observatory lounge as we slowly berthed in the gusty wind and rain.
I got off the ship at 1:30 in the hot sunshine and walked north along the beach as far as the commercial port. I cut inland to the main north-south road where I hitched a lift with a local. He dropped me at the Immigration building, so must've thought I was escaping from the cruise ship and wanting asylum! I continued into Cockburn Town to photograph the important buildings along the sea front.
I headed back via the main road, before hitching another lift back to the cruise centre. Unfortunately I think I left my Bahamas baseball cap in his car. I photographed some of the cruise terminal sights, before returning to the ship.
Here I managed to lose my wallet, so back in my state room I cancelled my Halifax credit and debit cards via their app. Five minutes later, reception rang to say that my wallet had been handed in! Oh dear have I become an absent minded professor? At 4:30 I did six lengths of the salt water pool and spent five minutes in one of the hot tubs.
At 5:15 I went to the Headliners production show which started with the Pointer Sisters and ended with Tina Turner. Other tributes included Cher, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart and the BeeGees. At the end the crew parade took place and I slipped out to get to the solo travellers meet up in the Horizons observation lounge. Here I sat with Janet and Judy until they left for their speciality restaurant reservation.
At the GDR I bumped into Nancy, so we asked for a sharing table. We were placed with a couple from Essex. He used to work for the Ford Motor Company (FoMoCo) and she was a geography teacher. I had the borscht beetroot soup, the blue cheese salad, the Floridian lobster risotto and the no sugar added berry crumble to eat.
At nine o'clock I worked on my laptop. I went to sleep at 10:30 having done twelve thousand steps, nearly equal to five miles of walking during the day.
I awoke at 7:45 ready for my continental breakfast of TWO croissants with smoked salmon and Brie cheese. Just after nine, I touched base with the Shorex ladies to ascertain which cruise terminal we would be at the next day. At 10:15 Levis and his assistant came to service the state room, so I moved up to the Horizons observation lounge to have a decaf cappuccino to drink. I enjoyed watching the flock of brown boobies, which were actually black and white, circling the ship. I started work on updating my Cockburn Town, Grand Turk presentations with my newly taken photographs.
At noon I lunched with Nina and Martin-David al fresco a la terrazza. I had the cauilflower cheese soup, the mixed grill and the Humphry Slocombe ice cream of the day. At 1:30 Mario set me up ready for me to give my final lecture of this cruise entitled "Miami: Magic City" to a small audience. Afterwards I slept for half an hour, before updating this blog.
At 5:15 I really enjoyed Jonathan's second Country Music show time. He began with Brooks & Dunn's "Boot Scootin' Boogie", followed by Keith Urban's "Somebody Like You". He continued with Josh Turner's "Your Man" and Glen Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy". Next came Collin Raye's "In this life". Later we had John Michael Montgomery's "Grundy County Auction" and songs by George Jones & George Strait. He finished with "Wagon Wheel Rock". He was the best country music artist I have ever heard!
Just after six o'clock, I met up with the usual suspects in the Horizons observation lounge. At 6:40 we descended to the GDR where we picked up Nancy and Susan, so we had a table for eight, including Donna, Martin-David, Janet, Peter and Judy. I had the coconut curry soup, the iceberg lettuce salad, the veal and the no sugar added poached pear to eat. I had THREE glasses of Judy's white wine to drink. I went to sleep at ten o'clock, having done only two and a half thousand steps, equal to just one mile of walking, during the day.
I awoke at 6:50 ready for my TWO croissants with smoked salmon, cheese and tomato to eat. I had just one small glass of orange juice to drink. Back in my state room, my steward Levis from Honduras had already been busy. I worked on my laptop until my departure time of nine o'clock arrived.
The back-to-backers gathered in the Martini piano lounge. After a few minutes we were led ashore and after a few more minutes we whizzed through a cursory immigration inspection. I then headed out over the divided highway bridge from Dodge Island to the mainland.
It took me half an hour to reach the Freedom tower, where I boarded the free MetroMover elevated tram. I was stood next to a loud, drunk man who was amusing. After three stops, we got to the Museum station, but just sat waiting. Eventually the drunk pressed the communications button and swore at the microphone. The controller replied that the delay might last more than ten minutes, so most people got off and started walking. I walked around the outside of the Science Museum and the Art Gallery, including the colourful Cats & Dogs statue walkway.
After ten minutes, I returned to the Museum station, but our tram was still waiting. When one came the other way, I jumped on and travelled several stops to the Government HQ station. Here it stopped and waited again, so I got off to explore the nearby TriRail and Brightline railroad stations. Access to the elevated walkway was blocked off, when I explored it from the other end.
At the TriRail station, I photographed their trains on tracks 4 & 5 and the opposition Brightline train on track 3. I was told that the elevated garden on the top of the building was for residents only. Outside I had a short walk to the nearby MetroMover station, which had restarted operations again. I got on a southbound train all the way to the Financial district terminus, where it quickly reversed out again. It followed the east side of the central loop, which wasn't itself in service. I alighted at the Bayfront Park station and walked through the Bayside complex. I crossed the divided highway bridge to get back to the ship just after noon.
Back on board, the Terrace Cafe was heaving with the newly embarked guests, so I stood up to eat a slice of pizza in the corner. A waitress found me a spare seat on a large table in the hot sun, where I had a bowl of clam chowder to eat. I had one large glass of sparkling water, before going for my over an hour long siesta. I then popped up to the Horizons observation lounge for a cup of decaf cappuccino coffee.
I spent the afternoon working on my laptop, finishing my first Oceania Nautica cruise blog. At five o'clock I did six lengths of the warm, salt water swimming pool and then spent five minutes in one of the very hot jacuzzis. As I dried off, I watched the sailaway past the Container Port of Miami.
At 5:45 I moved up to the Horizons observation lounge where I spoke to Cruise Director (CD) Billy from Canada and Social Hostess (SH) Tori from Australia. We had Assistant Cruise Director (ASD) George's sister Caroline and mother Margaret, Mike from Ohio, Kathy and Peggy-Sue to chat to. I had one and a half glasses of complimentary bubbly to drink.
At 6:40 I led Debbie & Vanessa from Texas, Lew, Donna and Susie from West Palm Beach down to the Grand Dining Room (GDR), where I hosted a table for six. I had the cauliflower cheese soup, the Sicilian salad, the turkey and the no sugar added raspberry ice cream to eat. I had just two glasses of sparkling water to drink.
Just before nine o'clock, I slipped away to brush my teeth and rush up to the observation lounge to see the Blue Horizon dancing. I led off the Electric Slide to the first number, but no-one joined me, before the disco bunnies arrived, when I slipped away. I then had to sign up for my tour escorting in the back office. I went to sleep at 10:30 having done thirteen thousand steps, equal to over five miles of walking, during the day.
The highlights of the cruise were:
* The natural rock swimming pool on Aruba
* The catamaran sail with swimming in the Caribbean off St Lucia
* The St Kitts railway with pina coladas
* Hosting the solo travellers every evening
Cruise Director Billy Lazic wrote:
"Thank you for the wonderful presentations, we all appreciate them and you very much!"
Guest Nina from Vancouver wrote:
"Dear Martin, I just wanted to say thank you for being such a great lecturer,
your speeches were always engaging and inspiring, and I truly learned a lot.
Dancing on the Catamaran in the middle of the Turquoise-ocean was one of the most unforgettable moments of this trip.
I wish you all the best in the future."
Guest Judy from Florida wrote:
"It was so nice of you to host us.
Hopefully we weren't too boring!"
Guest Donna from Vancouver wrote:
"What a lovely recap of the Caribbean cruise.
The solo gatherings were really special.
Thank you for getting us together for dinners in the GDR etc.
Needless to say, your port talks greatly assisted in maximizing time in each stop.
Much appreciated.
So nice to meet you and share the adventure!"
Guest Janet from Florida wrote:
"This was a wonderful way to revisit this cruise.
Thank you for putting it together!
Here's hoping we cruise together another time."
1) "Oranjestad: Capital of Aruba"
An illustrated talk on the history and highlights of the first of the Dutch ABC Islands.
Martin had been to Oranjestad three times previously, most recently on the:
Azamara Journey
2) "Willemstad: Capital of Curacao"
An illustrated talk on the history and highlights of the third of the Dutch ABC Islands.
Martin had been to Willemstad six times previously, most recently on the:
Azamara Journey
3) "St George's: Capital of Grenada"
An illustrated talk on the history and highlights of the Spice Island.
Martin had been to St George's ten times previously, most recently on:
Silversea's Silver Whisper
4) "Castries: Capital of St Lucia"
An illustrated talk on the history and highlights of the Island of the Iguanas.
Martin had been to Castries ten times previously, most recently on:
Silversea's Silver Whisper
5) "Basseterre: Capital of St Kitts"
An illustrated talk on the history and highlights of Saint Christopher Island.
Martin had been to Basseterre three times previously, most recently on:
FOCL's Braemar
6) "San Juan: Capital of Puerto Rico"
An illustrated talk on the history and highlights of the city of Saint John of the Rich Port.
Martin had been to San Juan three times previously, most recently on:
Silversea's Silver Wind
7) "Cockburn Town: Capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands"
An illustrated talk on the history and highlights of Grand Turk Island.
Martin had been to Cockburn Town once previously, on:
Silversea's Silver Wind
8) "Miami: Magic City"
An illustrated talk on the history and highlights of Florida's greatest city.
Martin had been to Miami more than four times previously, most recently on the:
Regent Seven Seas Splendor
217 Cruises 58 Cruise ships (see below) 16 Cruise lines (see below) 12 Night cruise 8 Port talks, including Miami 7 Ports of Call 6 Tours escorted (not Grand Turk) 5 Full English breakfasts 4 Production shows 4 Smoked salmon breakfasts 4 Mixed grill lunches 3 Steak dinners 2 Guest musicians (Pianist Tim and Guitarist Jonathan) 2 Continental breakfasts 2 Lobster dinners 2 Burger lunches 2 Lamb dinners 2 Bed cabin 1 Eggs Benedict breakfast 1 Guest comedienne 1 Dance evening
* Seabourn (Carnival) * Princess (Carnival) * Cunard (Carnival) * P&O (Carnival) * Regent Seven Seas (NCL) * Oceania (NCL) * Celebrity (RCCL) * Silversea (RCCL) * Marella (TUI) * Ambassador * Azamara * Crystal * Viking * FOCL * Saga * VoD
Black Prince Black Watch Borealis Boudicca Balmoral Braemar Bolette Silver Whisper Silver Spirit Silver Wind Silver Muse Silver Moon Silver Dawn Oceania Nautica (R5) Oceania Sirena (R4) Oceania Riviera Oceania Marina Oceania Vista Viking Sea Viking Sky Viking Star Viking Saturn Viking Neptune Celebrity Silhouette Celebrity Solstice Celebrity Eclipse Celebrity Edge Celebrity Apex Saga Rose Saga Ruby Saga Sapphire Saga Pearl II Quest for Adventure Spirit of Adventure (Old SofA) Spirit of Adventure (New SofA) Spirit of Discovery Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) Queen Elizabeth (QE) Queen Victoria (QV) Queen Mary 2 (QM2) P&O Arcadia P&O Aurora P&O Oriana P&O Iona Azamara Journey (R6) Azamara Quest (R7) Crystal Symphony Crystal Serenity Seabourn Odyssey Seabourn Sojourn Ambassador Ambience Ambassador Ambition Regent Seven Seas Mariner Regent Seven Seas Splendor Sapphire Princess Caribbean Princess Marella Explorer VoD Discovery