Key West

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Waking up I quickly remembered why I don't like inside cabins. I had a choice. Stay in bed and then rush to get ready when Bob woke up or turn on the lights (which would wake him) so I could see to get dressed. I did the latter. 😏

We met Jon and Michelle at the buffet for breakfast before meeting for our tour on the dock. It was a hot sunny day and as soon as Jon walked down the gangplank he realized he forgot his sunglasses and had to run back onto the ship to retrieve them.

The gal who was rounding up the group for the Catamaran Sail and Snorkel tour warned us that the swells were a couple of feet high. She gave anyone the option to cancel if they were concerned about the conditions, but no one took her up on the offer.

The catamaran, operated by Fury Charters, was a large boat with shaded bench seats. Our snorkeling destination was a reef near the Sand Key Lighthouse located seven miles south of Key West. The crew put up the sail and then went through the safety information as we sailed for about an hour to reach the reef. There was unlimited water and pop available on the way out. The same, plus beer and wine were offered on the return trip.

Shaded seating on catamaran

The lighthouse was first erected in 1827 but had been destroyed several times by hurricanes and storms. The 109-foot screw pile foundation, which stands today, was built in 1853 and was the first to use a hydraulic lamp. Today, it marks one of the most popular snorkeling destinations in Key West’s marine sanctuary.

Sand Key Lighthouse

We had our own gear, but were required to wear snorkeling vests. In addition, I grabbed a noodle from the boat for a little added security. I had barely gotten into the water before I lost sight of Bob due to the waves. The coral was in poor shape and the waves made it tough to swim.

Jon, Michelle and Bob went closer to where the waves were breaking over the reef, but with the rough conditions I stayed closer to the boat in deeper water. I am always afraid of being too close to the coral but there wasn't much to see where I was swimming.

The darker water is the shallow area above the coral reef.

I really wasn't having fun so headed back to the boat a little early. I got there at the same time as Michelle. It was her first time snorkeling and she had seen a shark! She freaked out and couldn't get back to the boat fast enough!

It was quite comical to watch the two of us trying to get back on the boat. There was a staircase leading down into the water and we were instructed to sit on the lower step and then scoot up each step on our butts until we were far enough out of the water to stand up. But...each time we would move up a step, a wave would wash us off and we would have to start over.

The catamaran docked right next to the ship when we returned. We went back to the cabin and quickly got into dry clothes. The four of us met at the buffet for a late lunch before venturing off the ship again. For Bob and I, it was our first visit to Key West. We walked past the expensive yachts and speed boats that were in town for the World Super Boat Championship Races.

Off to explore Key West

Fast (and expensive) speed boats

It was hot enough that we decided right away that it was too far to walk to get to the southern most point marker but we did walk down Duvall Street and cut over a block to get a photo by the Mile 0 marker. On the way we passed by some of the well known tourist spots in Key West.

World's Smallest Bar...or so they say

Chicken and kapok tree.

Harry Truman's Little White House

I kept having to remind myself that it was really November

After dinner in the main dining room, we made it to the theater in time for the Captain's welcome toast followed by the production show, Heat. Two of the Veendam dancers (and I think maybe one of the singers) had been on our Antarctica cruise back in February.

Cruise Director, Hanna Delaney

Captain, Marek Zoll

It seemed a bit weird to stop at a port on the very first day of the cruise but Key West had been a substitute stop once the ports in Cuba were cancelled. The captain warned that seas would be rough during the night and into the next day. Bob and I both took a dose of Meclazine just to be safe. I enjoyed being rocked to sleep...

Sailing Away on the Veendam

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

There was a coffee maker (and fridge and microwave) in our room at the Holiday Inn Express, but I didn't want to wake Bob trying to brew my own coffee. Letting him sleep was my gesture of kindness after he was willing to be on that super early morning shuttle the day before without complaining.

I quietly got dressed in the dark and found my way to where the free breakfast was being served. On the way I detoured to the front desk to beg for some toothpaste. I was positive I had packed mine, but the night before it was no where to be found. The nice lady gave me a couple of small tubes when I mentioned we were leaving on a two week cruise. (Note: Turns out I had put the toothpaste in my "liquids bag" in my carry on and had forgotten.) 

The time zone change for us made it feel earlier than it really was and I was surprised at how many people were already up and eating breakfast. Looking around the room I would wager that over 90% of the folks were staying at the hotel prior to boarding a cruise ship. Somehow the age and dress just labeled them as "cruisers".

As I was eating, I logged into my Facebook account on my phone and began seeing quite a few photos of the snow back home. It was definitely more than a "dusting". I texted my neighbor who responded and said she would take care of shoveling our sidewalks. A very generous offer from someone who is in their 70's!

Bob was awake when I returned to our room. He went down and grabbed a bowl of cereal and brought it back to the room to eat. After he ate he went out for a walk and explore the area while I showered and got ready for the day. 

When we checked out around 10:30 am there were many people waiting for the hotel shuttle. Instead, we used the Lyft app and called for a ride. Our cost was less for the two of us than the price of one on the shuttle and it would be much quicker.

I was following online as our driver made his way to the hotel so we were aware that he had turned into the driveway at the hotel next door by mistake (probably due to the construction that made it confusing on where to enter the HI-Express.) I caught his attention and motioned for him to come to where we were waiting. The car was a small, older model. With some creative cramming, he was finally able to get our luggage into the trunk but it took multiple slams before the lid would actually latch...not a good situation for my already wounded luggage. Our receipt shows we were picked up at 10:50 am.

It was a short drive to the port, but the driver got lost. In hindsight, I think it was my fault for putting in "Port Everglades" as our destination rather than Terminal 26 where the Veendam was docked. He also admitted it was his first time dropping someone off at the port so maybe I will share the blame. At the check point going into the port entrance, the inspector asked to look in the trunk. Once again, it took many tries to get it closed. Our round-about route cost us a little over a dollar extra on the bill, but we eventually got to the ship with Bob doing most of the navigating. Time of arrival: 11:07 am.

Map of our Lyft ride. 

Check in was easy and swift. I checked my watch as we were seated in the waiting area and it was 11:15! Boarding began promptly at 11:30. We were in boarding group 8 and were walking onto the ship at 11:45 am. Not bad!

But...things went downhill from there. When we got to our room, the key cards didn't work. At first I thought it was "operator error", but the women in the room across the hall couldn't get their cards to work either. Bob and I went up to guest services and waited in line to have new cards made. 

Back to the room but the new cards didn't work. Ugh. Bob agreed to sit in the hallway by our cabin with the luggage so I could go back to the front desk without dragging my carry-on. The waiting line had grown quite long and from overheard conversations we weren't the only ones having issues with our cards. I positioned myself in the back of the line expecting a long wait, but luckily the gal that had helped me before noticed me and called me up to the desk. She made yet another set of cards and promised me that they would work...which they did.

Our home for the next two weeks was cabin #400 in the aft section of the Lower Promenade deck of the Veendam (Deck 6). I have no idea why the decks and cabins were numbered as they were on this ship...but it didn't make any sense to me. Our two previous cruises had been on the Zaandam which is very similar in layout but a totally different numbering system for cabins and decks.

Our room was almost identical in appearance to the ocean view cabins we had on the Zaandam except...no window. This time we had taken the cheapest option and booked an inside cabin. However, just a few steps away from our room was a door leading outside to the public deck that goes all the way around the ship. It was "almost" like having a huge balcony!

It was near 1 pm by the time we finally got into our room and I was hot and sweaty from running back and forth to deal with the key issues. And...we were hungry and ready for some lunch. We dropped off our carry on bags and went up to the Lido buffet. As we were eating, we were texting back and forth with our good friends, Jon and Michelle, who were en route by car to the port to join us for the cruise. They arrived shortly after and met us at the buffet.

After lunch, the four of us went to the Shore Excursions desk. To use our onboard credits, we had to wait until we were on the ship to book any tours rather than booking in advance. I had suggested we all take a river tubing tour in Jamaica and the guys wanted to book a scuba dive for Grand Turk. Since we weren't going to be in Grand Turk until the second week (which was technically considered a different cruise) the guys had to wait on booking their dive but we were able to get tickets for the tubing trip. As Jon was looking through the booklet of excursions, he found a catamaran snorkeling tour for the next day in Key West that he thought looked fun so we booked it as well.

One of my first priorities on the first day of a cruise was to get settled in so we went back to our room and were mostly done unpacking by the time the muster drill began at 4 pm. During the drill we watched as the Caribbean Princess, Island Princess and the Majesty of the Seas cruise ships sailed out of the channel from Port Everglades.

Watching as crew members do some touch up work on the back of the ship.

Jon and Michelle had an oceanview cabin on deck 5 midship...one deck below us. Jon had some business to take care of while he still had internet so after the muster drill Michelle met up with us by the back pool on the Lido deck for the sail away. 

I had sent a link for the online port webcam to family members. My sister got the following screen shot when the webcam zoomed in on us!

The webcam is located in this building.

Following the Caribbean Princess out to sea.

As soon as the ship cleared the channel, it got very windy and a big gust blew my hat off. It happened so quickly all I could do was watched as it sailed through the air behind the ship and into the water. To get away from the wind, we moved down to the promenade deck (our big balcony!) and watched as the sun set over the skyline of Ft. Lauderdale.

Michelle met us back at our room when it was time to go to dinner, but had no idea where Jon was. His luggage hadn't been delivered and she had concluded that they found his diving knife in his luggage and he was in trouble. He had just finished his scuba certification the week before and had forgotten the knife was in with all of his scuba gear. Funny thing was...she didn't seem concerned about the knife or Jon!

We put a sticky note on our door and Bob also ran down and put one on their door telling Jon we had gone to the dining room. We were seated right away on the lower level of the dining room (for open seating) and sent a message to Jon through the Navigator app so he would know where we were sitting. The three of us went ahead and ordered and were almost finished with dessert before Jon arrived! He had gone back to the cabin and taken a nap. He swore he never saw the note! And...the knife HAD been confiscated from his luggage and would be held until the end of the cruise.

Since we had finished eating, we went with Jon to the buffet where he could get dinner...and Bob got his 2nd dinner.  We had a great time just visiting and catching up until it was time to go to the welcome show in the theater. (Jon & Michelle live in Georgia so we don't see them often.) The show was a nice introduction to the singers, dancers and Veendam show band. It didn't begin until 9:00 pm and by the time the show was over we were tired enough that we called it a night and went to bed.

When & Where for November 6

The Airline Paid Us to Fly

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

My alarm was set for 3:45 am, but I needn't have bothered setting it. After a fitful night of sleep, I was awake before the alarm even went off. While Bob took our overnight bags to stash in the car, I checked out of the hotel. The shuttle left from the lobby precisely at 4:30 am for the airport.

Our shuttle driver was obsessed with planes and airports. When he found out we were going to the Caribbean, he told us all about the airport in St. Marten where approaching planes fly over the nearby Maho Beach at a very low altitude...visiting this airport was on his bucket list. Even after we mentioned that we had already been there he continued to rattle off all sorts of facts and trivia about the airport.

As we were getting close to MSP, the driver started pointing up in the sky to planes getting ready to land. He was able to identify each one (in the dark mind you!) and from there gave a long string of details about Fedex and their flights. If anyone needs an aviation expert for a trivia team, he’s your man.

I am fortunate to be married to a man that doesn't say "I told you so" because we breezed through security and then had a long wait until our flight boarded. Waiting another hour to take the 5:30 am shuttle would have gotten us to the airport in plenty of time. Yes...it would have been nice to have an extra hour in bed, even with poor sleep.

Well before dawn with a Caribou coffee to start the day.

Our airfare had been a great deal using very few points, but to get such cheap tickets meant booking basic economy fare. No seat assignments until 24 hours before the flight and at that point only middle seats were left. At least we were in consecutive rows.

The flight went smoothly and we landed a few minutes ahead of schedule for our layover in Atlanta. While waiting for the second leg of the trip to Ft. Lauderdale, the gate agent announced that the flight was overbooked and they needed volunteers to give up their seats. I didn't wait for her to repeat the request. Once I was sure they could get us on a flight the same day we agreed to be bumped. Our compensation? We each were to receive $400 which would be applied to a gift card of our choosing. 

Our layover became a little longer than planned, but well worth it!

We were confirmed on a flight for 3:58 (less than 4 hours later than our original flight) but then asked to be put on standby for an earlier flight at 2:30 pm. It didn't look promising since that flight was also fully booked but luck was on our side and we got the last two seats! We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale just two hours later than our original flight...and $800 richer!

Once in FLL, we had to retrieve our checked bags which had arrived earlier on our original flight. It was a relief to see them safely inside the baggage office, but a letdown when we saw that my luggage had been severely damaged. It looked like an elephant had sat on the bag. There was a gaping hole where the side had popped loose. Luckily the lining was still intact which kept the contents from spilling out.

Knowing the bag still had to make it through the cruise and then another flight to get home, I was not sure what to do. The lady working at the baggage office said "oh, it isn't so bad". What?!?! I had visions of it on the bottom of one of the huge bins of luggage being loaded onto the ship with my unmentionables being strewn all across the dock.

She and Bob worked to get the side pushed back somewhat into place and then she scrounged around in a back room and came out with a dirty luggage strap to help hold things together. The strap had an ID card from someone from Tokyo so I know it was a lost & found item. I filled out a damage report and they assured me that Delta would compensate me in some form for the damage. 

Fingers crossed that the strap holds things together!

Having flown into FLL for previous cruises, we knew where to go to catch the shuttle to our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express on 17th Avenue. It was the first time we had been at the HI-Express although we have stayed at the Hyatt Place and Embassy Suites nearby. The regular hotel entrance was blocked off for construction and there was only a temporary lobby, but our room was fine. It looked like it had been newly renovated with modern furniture and a very large screen TV. One indication that the room had just been redone were the many USB outlets available. The bathroom had a nice glass shower and a sliding door between the bedroom and entry/bathroom area made it possible for one person to get ready in the morning without the light or noise bothering someone else trying to sleep later.

Our room looked out over the pool.

View from window.

For dinner we walked across the street and had gyro platters at a little spot in a strip mall. Nothing to get excited about but it was incredibly nice to sit outside soaking in the warm evening air.

The long travel day caught up with us so after showering we crawled into bed. Bob enjoyed watching some sports on TV while I updated my blog notes. As I was working on my iPad a weather alert came through. There was a winter weather advisory for our county back in Minnesota! 

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM Wednesday. Snow. Additional snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches. Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the evening and Wednesday morning commute.

So...please disregard the statement I made at the beginning of yesterday's blog saying there were no weather issues! Honestly...it didn't affect us, but it is just the idea that EVERY SINGLE TIME we travel it seems a big weather system comes through at home or where we are headed.

Off to The Cities

Monday, November 4, 2019

Unlike the last few trips, it appeared that this one was going to begin without any winter weather advisories or tropical storm warnings. I was beginning to think our travel plans were somehow tied into global weather systems because regardless of which month we planned our trip, it would coincide with some extreme weather forecast. My youngest son even texted me once when blizzard warnings were posted for our area and said "shouldn't you be leaving on a trip today?"

But...instead we woke to a crisp fall day! Bob began the day as usual by playing pickleball at the community center. I used the morning to finish up some last minute packing and tie up other loose ends at home. By 12:30 we had gotten the mail, finished lunch and were on the road to Minneapolis-St. Paul (better known as "The Cities" to us out state Minnesotans.)

Although it was blue skies above our heads, you can see a storm off in the distance
over the flat farm lands as we were driving to Minneapolis. 

Our destination was the Doubletree Hotel in Bloomington. Booking a night there with the park & stay option was cheaper than paying for airport parking alone for the two weeks we would be gone. Often we spend the night at one of our son's homes and they give us a ride to the airport, but with a very early morning flight, I felt guilty even asking.  

Check-in went smoothly. Bob was given instructions on where to park the car while we were gone and they handed us some warm chocolate chip cookies! Our room was on 17th floor overlooking Bloomington. 

View of Bloomington from our hotel window.

I thought a visit to the nearby Mall of America or IKEA would have been a fun way to spend our evening, but Plan B turned out to be even better. Our son drove into the city and brought two of our grandkids to have a "pool party" with grandma and grandpa at the hotel! As they got off the elevator on the 17th floor, the 5 year old walked off with his daddy (our son) but the 2-year old must have been daydreaming. Before our son realized what was happening, the doors on the elevator closed with her still inside! He instantly pushed the button on the wall and fortunately the doors opened back up. She was freaking out, but a much bigger crisis was averted. I shudder to think how traumatized she would have been if the elevator would have gone back down to the lobby with her alone! 

The hotel pool was large and comfortably warm, making for a fun time. The hot tub was one of the biggest I had ever seen and just the perfect depth for the little kids. Normally I wouldn't want kids in the hot tub, but no one else was around and the temperature was not overly hot. Grandpa Bobby went next door to Subway and brought back sandwiches to turn our pool party into an indoor picnic!

Our little fish showing off what he learned at swimming lessons. 

You could swim laps in the hot tub!

Since it was a school night for our kindergartner, their stay couldn't be late. Back up in the room, our son got them changed into their jammies so they could go straight to bed when they got home and we said our goodbyes.

It was an early-to-bed night for us as well. The airport shuttle was scheduled to leave the hotel each half-hour beginning at 3:30 am. With a 7:30 am flight, I was worried that taking the 5:30 am shuttle was cutting it too close so convinced Bob that we needed to be in the lobby for the 4:30 am trip. The drive to the airport would take 20 minutes or more and construction happening at the terminal may cause even further delays. I didn’t want to deal with the stress of being late. Bob wasn't convinced we needed to go so early, but he let me have my way.

So...by 9 pm we were tucked in and ready for bed with an alarm set way earlier than any human ought to be awake. 

The Price Was Right

I am always keeping my eyes out for cruise deals so I was ready when Princess announced their 3-for-Free sale in the fall of 2018. The cruise that caught my eye? A 28-day cruise to Hawaii and the South Pacific on the Emerald Princess. The sale offered free stateroom upgrades, free gratuities, and a little bit of free onboard credit. And...the best part...it was round trip out of Los Angeles. That meant no long flights!

Bob hesitated when I told him that there would only be 8 ports on a 28 day cruise, but when I gave him all of the reasons why cruising to the Polynesian islands was such a great deal compared to flying, he gave in and said "book it." 

Over the next few months I spent time getting to know fellow cruisers on the Cruise Critic roll call message board, found decent flights through the Princess EZAir program, researched and booked a few independent tours...but I could tell Bob just wasn't excited about going.

Then, after experiencing some health issues while we were on our long cruise to Antarctica in February (long story...I had 2 broken ribs) I started worrying a bit about what would happen if a major health scare happened while we were in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Advanced medical care could be days away! 😧

As a result of my worries and Bob's reluctance to having so many sea days, we cancelled the cruise. 

But going from February 2019 (our South America/Antarctica cruise) to spring of 2020 when our next trip is planned was much too long of a gap with no travel. I needed to plan SOMETHING. In my search for a moderately priced fall cruise, I was stymied by the outrageous airfare prices. I refused to pay more for a 3 hour flight than a 7 day cruise so I gave up my search.

In July, I stumbled across a Holland America cruise that was ridiculously cheap. Turns out the ship was originally scheduled to go to Cuba but had to be rerouted after Trump declared a ban on Cuban travel. Unlike most of the other Caribbean cruises, this one on the Veendam left mid-week on a Wednesday. When I checked airfare prices I was amazed to find great round trip fares from Minneapolis to Ft. Lauderdale. The cost using miles was even better...in fact as low as I had ever seen.

Holland America Veendam

I quickly got the go-ahead from Bob and booked a "collector's cruise" which is Holland America's name for combining multiple shorter cruises into a longer single cruise. Here is the itinerary...

Veendam Caribbean Cruise

A month or so later, good friends of ours were here visiting from Georgia and I was telling them about our cruise. I jokingly said..."want to come along?" To my surprise they said "YES!" and in a few hours they were booked! 

The cruise instantly went from being just a warm-weather getaway to one that would be full of fun and laughs!

As you are reading this, the cruise is past tense. As much as I admire people who do live blogs I have decided taking notes and posting when we get home works much better for me. The dates associated with each post will be correct, but just published after the fact.

So...come along as I share about our wonderful cruise to the Caribbean!