Homeward Bound (Plus update)

 Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Travel day.

It was pitch black outside when I woke up and peeked out of the curtains. I thought perhaps I had looked at my clock wrong, but no...we were already docked in Ft. Lauderdale and it was 6:30 am. I could barely see over the lifeboat blocking our window (because I am so short) but there were the lights of the city.

We had said our good-byes to Jon & Michelle last night but just as we were ready to go to breakfast I got a text from Michelle saying they were at the buffet. Our usual table was taken, but they had found another close by next to a window. While eating we were treated to a beautiful sunrise and a pod of dolphins swimming by! It was fun to see Jon & Michelle one last time, but it also meant a second "good-bye"...this time with a few tears.

Bob and I lingered a little longer in the crowded buffet finishing up our breakfast before we headed back down to our room. From there we could listen to the announcements being made as the luggage tag colors were called for disembarkation. I checked my watch when we heard "PURPLE #2" and it took us just 10 minutes to get an elevator, get checked off the ship one last time, find our luggage and walk out of the cruise terminal #26. 

The wait for an Uber was 15 minutes but judging from the line up for taxis that wouldn't have been any quicker. Our Uber driver, Doug, loaded our luggage in his trunk and we headed to the airport. Normally we would have booked a flight on Delta, but this time we flew on Sun Country Airlines. The one-way tickets seemed cheap at $79 but by the time we each paid for a checked bag AND a carry-on, the price jumped to $143...a little more than what we could have booked on Delta with the free luggage perk from my Delta credit card.  

The reason we decided to fly Sun Country was the 12:30 pm departure time. The Delta flight didn't leave until mid-afternoon and I detest the waiting in the airport after a cruise. Also it worked out to be a more convenient time for our son to pick us up once we got back to Minneapolis.

Being a smaller airline, getting through security was a breeze. Bob was the only one in the TSA pre-check line and I only had four people ahead of me in the regular line. But the flight came with some negatives as well. The leg room was miniscule...Bob's knees were pushing into the seat in front of him. Also there were no seatback video screens and the selection of movies offered on the airline app was very small and did not work on Bob's phone at all. Lastly...no snacks! Luckily I had a few things to eat in my backpack. I mean...after a three week cruise how were we to survive with no food for four hours!!

Goodbye Florida.

Hello Minnesota.
Frozen lakes and some signs of lingering snow greeted us.

Minneapolis skyline.

Our son's timing was perfect when he pulled up to the door at MSP just as our bags came out on the luggage carousel. We jumped in the car and headed out into the rush hour traffic. Still, we were back at our son's house within an hour.

Spending the night was considered, but Bob was anxious to get home. We did stay long enough to have a sandwich, visit with the grandkids and also see the new office set-up our son was putting together for his new "remote working" position. With daylight savings time it was light for much of our drive home.

The sunset on our drive home was just as beautiful as the sunrise was in Ft. Lauderdale.

What a difference from the sub-zero weather we had when we left three weeks earlier. The temps were forecast to be in the low 70's for the next couple of days but then...blizzard conditions by the weekend. Such is a Minnesota spring!

Even so...it was good to be home. I worried a bit about whether our "pet" squirrel, Rocky, would still be around, but the next day he was at our door begging for his nuts! 

Rocky didn't forget us!

I had mentioned at the beginning of the trip about the Mardis Gras King Cake that the squirrels got into last year while we were gone. When we went next door to retrieve our plants that the neighbor had kept for us she told us she had seen Fedex drop off a package at our house and it was another King Cake! She rescued the box before Rocky and his friends found it! We had told her in advance to enjoy the cake if it came so she had shared it with her pickleball friends but froze a small portion so we could sample it when we got home.

And that wraps up this 2025 Winter Getaway Trip. At this point, there are no future travel plans in place. Jon keeps hinting strongly that he would like us to go with them to Europe for an extended vacation but with my limited walking ability I just don't think that would be a good choice. So for now I will end this blog by saying "we will see". 

Thanks to all who have read and followed along on our journey!

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APRIL UPDATE:

Although the daily posts are actually being published about a month after the cruise, I wanted to take time to give a couple of updates in real time.

The week after we returned home I had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon who decided it was time for me to have total knee replacement surgery. The surgery is scheduled for April 21 and I can say I am very nervous. I've heard that knee surgery is one of the toughest to recover from and not everyone gets good results. However, at this point my mobility is so limited that I have to give it a try. My summer plans for riding my new e-bike will be delayed for some time now. 

And the other update is a sad one. I mentioned that Rocky (our friendly squirrel) was here when we returned and was back to his old routine of coming to the door multiple times a day wanting nuts. One day we had VERY strong winds (like over 50 mph all day long) and we didn't see him. That wasn't uncommon when the weather was bad, but then the next day he didn't come again. It has been over two weeks now and no Rocky. Chances are we will never know what happened to him, but I know we will miss him. 😢🐿️

Last Sea Day

 Tuesday, March 11, 2025

I dislike the first day of any cruise. It is nice to know that the journey is just beginning, but things are so hectic on the ship. People are cramming into the elevators with massive amounts of luggage, crowding into the buffet trying to find an empty table, looking for their muster station, making dinner reservations and lining up at guest services for all sorts of reasons...it seems like everyone all needs to be in the same places at the same time. Not the relaxed atmosphere I usually love on a ship. 

But compared to the first day, the last day is the absolute worst. I dread the packing and it hangs over my head until it is finished. But...there is no way to get it all done until the end of the day. Invariably, things never go back into the luggage the way they came, and partly this happens by choice. When I come, I try and prioritize things in my carry-on that I would most need if my checked luggage went missing. Going home, I don't have that same fear so I pack differently. But regardless of which direction I'm traveling, I struggle with the weight of my suitcase and being careful of how my liquids are packed. OK…enough whining. The last day is still a day on a cruise and I need to quit thinking about the stupid luggage!

When I woke up at 6:30 am I was surprised to see how dark it still was. A couple of days earlier we were due to switch our clocks back from the Atlantic Time Zone to Eastern Time Zone but instead (because of the change to daylight saving time) we didn't make the change. I didn't want to fall back asleep so got up and worked on my Wordle and other NY Times puzzles in the dark on my iPad while Bob continued to sleep. Right at 7:00 am the phone rang. It was Jon wanting us to come to the Sea View Pool to watch the sunrise. Bob can throw on clothes and be ready to go out the door in two minutes, but I was still sitting in my pajamas and knew the sun would be well above the horizon before I was ready! (It turned out that the sunrise wasn't that impressive so I didn't feel too bad about missing it.)

Bob's sunrise photo.

Once I was dressed, I went up to the buffet and there was Erni with our table all set. I thought maybe the others had beat me but no, she had just gotten it ready ahead of time. I got my eggs benedict but I had to wait much longer than usual. There were quite a few people behind the counter and I got the impression that maybe there was an inspection happening.

I had almost finished eating by the time the others arrived. Erni came by to visit a couple of times while we sat there for our extended breakfast. She let us know that she would not be in the buffet tomorrow morning so this was our time to say goodbye. What a sweet girl. Her contract ends in a couple of months and she said she would most likely go home and not come back. She has a four year old daughter who will be starting school soon and she wanted to be home for that.

I went back to the room to start packing but banished Bob from the cabin so I didn't have to work around him. Michelle also went back to her room to start packing and I believe Jon ended up in the casino. By 10:15 I was to the point I really couldn't do much more so I went up to the art studio because I knew Bob was planning to be there for the origami class at 10:30. Michelle had also ended up in the Crow's Nest and was trying to finish her book so she could return it to the ship library.

Bob was walking on Deck 3 and happened to see into the bow of the ship through an open door.

Bob spotted a Carnival ship sailing by while he was walking.

That beautiful blue water!

Bob had also been at the 9:30 "Coloring for Adults" class and had an Alaska picture about 25% finished. With Ian's instruction, the two of us made a couple of the origami roses. They turned out slightly better than yesterday's crane but there was no chance I could ever re-create either one on my own.

Art director, Ian.

Ian connected an iPad to the video screen to demonstrate origami folds.

At noon we all met up at the main dining room to have a civilized lunch with a waiter taking care of us. We were seated at the very back of the ship and could easily see why we were feeling some ship movement today. The wind was very strong and the swells were big. (For two days the captain had been warning us that we would experience gale force winds today!)

As the waiter was clearing the dishes from our table, a knife somehow slipped off his tray and landed in my glass of water. Water and ice went EVERYWHERE...even on top of my iPhone which was laying on the table. He was horrified, but we quickly mopped up the mess with some napkins and all was OK. The waiter apologized over and over and I know he felt bad but it was just an accident.

Bob didn't order any dessert after lunch and instead wanted to go to the "Cake Me Away" event in the buffet. Jon rushed off to go to the "City on the Sea" presentation about the inner workings of the ship and Michelle went with us. I got a skinny slice of carrot cake and Bob got some almond roca and we shared a little bit of each.

Just a random photo that Jon took to show how expensive prices were on the ship.
By my calculations, at this rate, a pound of M & M's would cost over $34!

While Bob was packing in the room, I took a shower and then laid down on the couch as best I could. It is really no more than a loveseat, but by propping up and hanging my legs over the edge I soon fell asleep. I woke up as Bob was coming back in the room from having taken his luggage down the hall to where a scale was set up. He announced his luggage weighted 49.5 pounds. Once I finished my packing, mine weighed in at an even 50 pounds.

A little after 4:00, Bob and I had done all of the packing that was possible and had dressed for dinner so we went back up to the Crow's Nest for the watercolor class. Ian, the instructor, had the class painting a beach scene, but Bob and I just painted flowers.

We went straight from the class to the main dining room where we met Jon and Michelle. They announced they had taken part in the the "Deal or No Deal" game show during the afternoon and Michelle had won $75! This wasn’t their first time to win on a cruise. Back in November of 2019, they were lucky enough to win a free Holland America cruise playing bingo...but unlucky in that the pandemic struck a few months later. The cruise certificate was to be used within 12 months but cruising was paused for much longer than that. Jon never bothered to call so I'm not sure if HAL would have eventually honored their prize or not.

Michelle playing "Deal or No Deal"

At dinner, we were given the same table at the back of Deck 3 that we had the previous night. Erni was doing bar duty and came by our table to say "hi"...a pleasant surprise!

Ric Steel was performing for the second time in the theater and we had enjoyed the first show enough that we returned. He had a great voice and told stories of growing up in Memphis with Elvis.

Ric Steel

Bob hadn't slept well the previous night and didn't want to be up late, but we decided to just go to the Crow's Nest to use our last two Mariner's cocktail coupons. Holland America got by cheap with us because I had a Diet Coke and Bob had a virgin daiquiri.

After three weeks on the ship, I think this is the only photo we got of all of us together!

Jon planned to disembark early the next morning because they were driving and he wanted to go to Tampa to stop in at one of his company's offices. We said our goodbye's before heading to our cabin. I shuffled a few things around, hoping to get a little weight out of my checked luggage. We didn't bother to weight it again and just hoped it would be OK. The bags were placed out in the hallway and we went to bed.

Sea Day

Monday, March 10, 2025

Bob was actually up and out of bed before me today which was unusual. I didn't sleep well but finally fell sound asleep sometime after 5 am and then had a hard time waking up around 7:15. I knew Jon and Michelle would be up and ready to go to breakfast so I forced myself to crawl out of bed. Bob went down and walked a couple of laps on Deck 3 while I got dressed and then we headed to the buffet. Ideally it would be nice to have a balcony cabin but the next best thing is only being one deck away from the promenade deck...the biggest balcony on the ship!

When Erin saw us walking in, she quickly came with my coffee and Bob's OJ but thanks to the norovirus protocols being lifted the silverware and salt & pepper shakers were already on the table. I resisted the temptation to get one of the crab cakes for "Eggs Chesapeake" and just went with the English muffin and two poached eggs. I will sure miss having those prepared for me each morning when I get home. I do occasionally make poached eggs, but not often.

After breakfast, Michelle went to play pickleball with the guys but didn't stay long. She met up with me on the promenade deck where we worked on our NY Times puzzles of the day. The schedule showed a clearance sale in the shops at 9 am and the two of us went to check it out. Michelle bought two t-shirts....one from Half Moon Cay and another with a photo that looked like Curacao. The shirts were marked down from $19.95 each to 2 for $25 and with the purchase came a free backpack! As she was checking out she saw the Caribbean charms. We had each purchased a charm bracelet on a previous cruise together so Michelle bought several more charms to add to the bracelet.

We spent a little more time on the promenade deck before going to the art studio for the origami class. The colored pencil class was just finishing up so we put our things down to save a spot and went into the Crow's Nest to order lattes. The line was longer than we realized so by the time we got our orders, Ian (the art instructor) was already starting the class.

The project was to make paper cranes out of a square piece of colored paper. Ian would show a video explaining each step and then he repeated the step using a camera that projected his work onto the screen at the front of the room. He was a patient teacher and gave good directions but it still took us all of the 45 minute class to get one crane made. We had a 2nd piece of paper, but I would never be able to remember the steps on my own.

Michelle and I returned one more time to the promenade deck where she continued to read her book and I played games on my iPad. To get two chairs together required a little maneuvering, but we made it work. A lady sitting nearby decided she would watch several videos on her phone at full volume. Not sure if it was her grandkids or what, but I do know that it was very annoying.

When someone sat down next to Michelle and started coughing frequently, we got up and left and went back to our rooms. I got a message from Bob that he and Jon were at the buffet so we went up to meet them.

We were still sitting at our table at 1:10 when Michelle scolded Jon because he was late for the military meet up that had started at 1:00. Bob decided to return to the pickleball court and Michelle and I changed into swimsuits and went to the pool. Everyone else had the same idea and at first we couldn't find any lounge chairs. Eventually we each snagged one and then finally two chairs together became available so we moved a third time! The DJ was blasting the music way louder than I would prefer, but I told myself it was still better than shoveling snow back in Minnesota!

The sun was hot and I was getting thirsty so I pulled out one of the Mariner cocktail coupons we had been given when the cruise began. I wasn't sure if it could be used for a pina colada but when I asked the waiter he said "Sure!" Oh my how good it tasted. 

Bob showed up around 3:00 and I reminded him that he probably wasn't going to get a seat for the watercolor class he wanted to attend if he didn't take off right away. I decided I would rather lay in the sun by the pool because I can paint at home in the middle of a blizzard.

When I decided I had had enough sun for one afternoon, I came back to the cabin and showered and dressed for dinner so I could be done before Bob returned. After so many port days in a row, I had welcomed a lazy day at sea but there were many activities that I could have attended...a cooking show, a towel folding demonstration, lectures on rum and Caribbean music, poolside games, afternoon tea, Tech for Travelers (photo editing), multiple trivia contests, line dance classes, afternoon movie and several different art classes.

Last night, when we left the dining room, Bob made dinner reservations for tonight and tomorrow night at 5:30. We never know whether we will be seated on the upper level or the lower level of the dining room. Tonight it was on Deck 3 so we had to take the elevator up one floor to get to our table. I was concerned about how we were going to like having open seating (instead of fixed dining) but I can say it has worked out well. I miss having the same waiter every evening, but the flexibility of dining when we want has been nice. We have never had to wait more than a couple of minutes for a table as well. 

Tonight was dressy night.

Bob was hungry from all of the pickleball and ordered three appetizers which seemed to surprise the waiter. I ordered two myself...the shrimp cocktail and a salad. My main course was beef tenderloin Oscar and then creme Brulée for dessert. As we were walking out of the dining room, we were surprised to see Erin handing out the after dinner treats (only offered on dressy nights now.) I made sure to get some of the candied ginger...mmmm. 

Eating at 5:30 pm works out perfectly because we leave straight from the dining room to get to the theater about 30 minutes before the show so we can get good seats. There are a couple of double seats on the top row of the balcony where Jon likes to sit. He calls them the "love seats"!

Tonight was the production show, "Hey Mr. DJ". This was a repeat from the last leg of the cruise, but good enough to see again. It featured the whole cast of singers and dancers. There are two male singers (Casey Berry & Daniel Grest) and one female singer (Sebastian Sowell) and there are four girls and two guy dancers. We often see them eating in the buffet and we suspect that two of the girls might be sisters...or even twins.

Cruise Director, Valerie, introducing the evening show.

With all of the games being back on the shelves in the Crow's Nest, we played several rounds of Boggle and then a couple of games of Rummikub instead of our usual card games.

I'm not sure where the time has gone, but tomorrow is the last day of the cruise. Sad that the cruise is almost over but even worse...it means we have to pack. 😞

St. Martin

 Sunday, March 9, 2025

I woke up around 6:30 am when I sensed that it was getting light outside. I was surprised when I peaked out of the curtain that the ship was already docked. Or at least I assumed it was docked. I was too short to see over the lifeboat to confirm for sure.

The tour we had booked for today didn't leave until 9:30 so we were less rushed than normal. We took the glass elevator up to the Lido buffet. We had found that using the midship elevators worked the best since we had the choice of the main elevators or two glass elevators on either side. The glass elevators were smaller, but usually quicker.

Erni, one of the crew members in the buffet, had learned that we always sit at the same table and had gotten to know our names and preferences for breakfast drinks. Bob and I were first to arrive this morning and Erni already had orange juice and silverware placed on the table. She said she was saving it for us! By the time I picked up my food and sat down, my coffee (with cream) and a glass of water were there. Erni had also brought sugar since she knew that Michelle liked it in her coffee. She was such a sweetie and it was fun to see her each morning. (She only worked in the buffet for breakfast.)

Bob and Erni

Today there was a new choice at the poached egg station. It was called "Egg Sardou". It consisted of an English muffin, poached egg, creamed spinach and hollandaise sauce. I was a little hesitant so only ordered the creamed spinach on one muffin half and then had a second poached egg on the other plain half. It was actually quite good with the spinach! I told Bob life was sure going to be boring when we got home and I didn't have all of these breakfast choices!

I've also gotten into the habit of having a small spoonful of Greek yogurt with berries and sometimes a little granola. I joked with the girl at the serving station that I could tell it was the end of the cruise because the bowl that used to be mostly strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries was now mostly just grapes. (The same thing happened at the end of the first leg of our B2B cruise!)

Knowing how much walking our tour was going to involve, I decided to stay on the ship and let the others go without me. Even just walking to where the tour was to meet was further than I wanted to go. 

The distance from our ship to the tour meeting point was over a third of a mile. Not far for the able-bodied, but quite a distance for me. 😧
And the tour itself would include plenty more walking.

I had booked the tour last October and it required a partial deposit. The cancellation policy said you had to cancel at least five days in advance to get a full refund so I wasn't planning on getting any money back if I didn't show up. 

Bob, Jon and Michelle left the ship and I went to the promenade deck for awhile. The weather was just perfect outside...not too warm with a slight breeze blowing off the water. The Celebrity Summit was docked on our starboard side so I went to the port side with a beautiful view of that gorgeous blue water and hills. There was a lot of boat traffic too which was interesting to watch.

What a balcony! (On the Celebrity Summit.)

A little more balcony envy...

While I was sitting there I got an alert on my phone that my credit card had been charged for Bob's tour and it was way more than what his tour alone should have cost. I texted Bob and found out that I not only didn't get my deposit refunded (which I assumed would happen) but they also charged Bob the remainder of the cost for my tour. I emailed the company but all they said was "their cancellation policy was clear." Hmmm...not so. I wonder what would have happened if NEITHER one of us had showed up? All I could see on their website was that the deposit wouldn't be refunded so I wasn't very happy with the extra charge.

Since I didn't go on the tour, I will turn the blog over to Bob to fill you in on what he did.

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The 3 of us made our way off the ship to get to our tour bus. It was a longer walk than anticipated. We waited just outside the fenced area where all the companies staged their tours. We had about 18 folks on our bus so not too bad for getting on and off a lot. 

We did a loop around the island and in spots could see the damage from hurricanes. We had great weather with sun and clouds which just made the scenery great. The shoreline is quite nice in many spots. We made a quick stop to see some iguanas and feed them. They didn’t seem too hungry though. I’m guessing we may have been the 53^rd bus to stop and they may have been full. They were fun to see anyway. 

Hurricane damage

We ended up going to a beautiful beach to spend some time, but I refused to pay for a chair just to be packed next to 600 other people. I opted to go climb a hill a mile in the distance. I made a leisurely stroll down the beach passing an interesting graveyard on the way. When I reached the hill, up I went. My goal was to see the other side and it was worth the climb. It was peaceful and beautiful. I wanted more time but had to head back shortly after reaching the top. I think I had the best time of anyone! 

Jon & Michelle rented beach chairs at Grand Case Beach.

Jon ordered an appetizer platter.

Walking down the beach...

Looking back to Grand Case Beach where I started.

We also visited a market on the shore that was fun. I bought a handmade necklace for Mary that I really liked. Jon and Michael found a French bakery to enjoy. 

French Bakery

Once on the bus we made our way back to the hustle and bustle of the Maho beach. We had the chance to see several jets landing over our heads, but the takeoffs were nothing great. The wind was wrong and nothing large was leaving, so no good jet wash. Then it was back to the ship.

Almost home...

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Back to the Eurodam and Mary's report:

When "nature called", I went back to our cabin and puttered around a bit. Packing day was coming soon and I tried to do a few things in advance. I also took some time to transfer photos and videos from the two cameras I have used onto a flash drive and my iPad. We had been sharing photos with Jon and Michelle and it would be easy to Air Drop them from the iPad.

Around 11:30 I put in an order for pizza on the Navigator app. I walked through the buffet to get a glass of iced tea on the way to pick up the pizza and was totally shocked when a crew member said "just help yourself!" That was the first time since we had boarded the ship that we were able to get a drink on our own! When I got out to the Sea View Pool, my pizza and caprese salad were ready and waiting. I found an empty table and silverware wrapped in a napkin was already on the table...again...something new.

A very large sailboat went by while I was eating.

I thoroughly enjoyed my meal and as I walked back through the buffet I noticed how many things were available for self-serve now. I was sure the crew must be delighted that their workload had been decreased.

I went back down to the promenade deck and parked myself in an empty lounge chair. My cell service wasn't fantastic, but it worked well enough that I was able to check Facebook and do some texting.

Bob and Michelle both texted as the tour was headed back to the ship. Michelle asked me to make dinner reservations but when I called the earliest reservation available was 8:15 pm. Too late for us. They did tell me that if we just showed up between 5:00 and 5:30 we should be able to be seated. It was Dutch Night in the dining room and most of the offerings were available in the buffet as well as in the main dining room.

I tried to spot Bob coming back from the tour, but no luck.

Once everyone was back, Jon, Bob and I changed into our swimsuits and went to the Sea View Pool. Besides getting some sun, it was a great place to watch as the ship sailed away from St. Martin. Michelle had broken a fingernail while in Dominica so she stopped into the spa and had it repaired.

When we got to the dining room at 5:15 we were seated right away. I went with the Dutch theme and ordered split pea soup, Hodge Podge Klapstuck and sugar free apple pie for dessert. Tonight was also Orange Night and looking across the dining room it was easy to see many people were dressed for the occasion. 

Comedian, Andrew Grose, was on stage in the main theater. I guess word got out that he was pretty funny and the theater was full. Tonight his show was a little more adult oriented than what we usually hear on Holland America.

Tomorrow was a sea day (finally!) which meant no alarms, no getting up early. With that in mind, the four of us went to the Crow's Nest to play cards. All of the games that had been removed were back on the shelves there...another sign that the norovirus precautions were being lifted. For the first time, we could feel the ship rolling a bit. The captain said we would be traveling at 18 knots and hit windy weather within 24 hours so it could even get worse.

While I was online during the day I was starting to see mention of a major weather system coming through the Midwest late next week. Words like "bomb cyclone" were even being used! Oh boy...what we got to look forward to I guess!