Saturday, Day 1 - Embarkation Day!

After multiple changes, here is the route that our cruise was scheduled to take...or so we thought. 😉

I was wide awake at 7 am. With Bob's crazy hours as a paramedic and dealing with the tail end of a cold, I knew he would appreciate a little extra sleep. There was a coffee maker in our room, but I didn't want to risk waking Bob so I dressed quietly and went down to the lobby to get a cup of coffee. Big self-serve pots of Starbucks coffee were available and I may have grabbed a small muffin as well. 😉

I had been preoccupied with the snow forecast back in Minnesota for the last couple of days but had quickly checked before we left and saw that Ft. Lauderdale had a 100% chance of rain for our embarkation. I was pleasantly surprised when I looked outside and saw no precipitation. Perhaps our weather woes were behind us! Or at least that was what I imagined until I pulled up the forecast on my phone and saw this...

WHAT?!! A tropical storm was coming and we were on one side of the cone and Nassau (where we were scheduled to be the next day) was on the other side. Not good. The rain was predicted to start around 11 am so I crossed my fingers and said a little prayer that we could get to the ship by then.

By 8:30 I had showered and was starting to get hungry for a real breakfast. I pulled open the room darkening drapes and the daylight was enough to awaken Bob. We made our way to the lobby and there was quite a crowd helping themselves to what I considered an above average hotel breakfast. Hot choices included scrambled eggs (which were good!), bacon, and waffles. Also available were mini muffins, donuts, yogurt, cottage cheese, mixed berries, cereals, and oatmeal with various toppings. And of course...more Starbucks coffee for me and juice for Bob.

At 10:15 we checked out, walked outside and called a Lyft. Others were getting luggage loaded in the hotel shuttle. They were going to wait until the van was full and then pay $7 per person for the short ride to Port Everglades. In 3 minutes our Lyft driver arrived and our total bill was $5.75. There were some delays with traffic on the way to the port, but by 10:45 we had dropped off our luggage and were walking into the terminal. Our carry on bags were scanned, we filled out health forms and never stopped walking until we were at the counter checking in. The gal taking care of us was new but had a supervisor watching over each step of the process.

We received a card for group 4 and went and sat down in a large waiting area. A few days earlier, I had downloaded the Mobile Passport App to my phone and while waiting to board I noticed several signs promoting its use.

The website for the app states: "Breeze through customs. The Mobile Passport App speeds you through U.S. Customs and Border Protection at 1 cruise port (Port Everglades) and 24 airports." So who wouldn't want to get through the long lines faster? Prior to leaving I had scanned our passports, but the final information had to be added within 4 hours of going through customs...which pier, purchases made, etc. That would have to be done once we returned to Ft. Lauderdale and I had cell service. This sounded like a good idea, but stay tuned to read how things actually turned out when we disembarked.



Boarding began promptly at 11:30 and our group was called at 11:55. What a pleasure to be able to go directly to our cabin and drop off our carry on bags.

I mentioned in an earlier post that we had originally booked an inside cabin for this cruise but slowly worked our way up the ranks as the prices dropped until we were upgraded to a guaranteed category VH balcony. A couple of weeks prior to the cruise we were notified that we would be in stateroom #4144...a category VB. A nice upgrade.

A first for us...a cabin with a tub!

The cabins on our deck (Upper Promenade) were a little
bit deeper than all of the others. It was nice having the extra space.

The schedule showed that the main dining room was open for lunch from noon until 1:30 pm but when we arrived we were told that it was only for 3 Star Mariners and above. Instead we chose to eat with the other steerage passengers at the buffet on the Lido Deck. We did get lucky and were able to snag a table by the window. 

After making a pass through to check out the options, we both decided on salads. The salads were made to order and there were so many yummy choices for toppings and dressings. I liked that the salads were put in large bowls rather than on a plate. Bob also went back and got a plate of hot food from the main serving line but regretted it later when he realized there was an Asian food station...his favorite. Cream puffs were a nice ending to the meal.

The rain had begun once we were on board, but it really came down in earnest while we were eating. A pattern of heavy downpours followed by lighter showers continued throughout the afternoon. 

We did a bit of exploring and checked out the panoramic view from the Crow's Nest.

Our luggage was waiting for us when we returned to the cabin and we used the time before the muster drill to get most of it unpacked. Also while I still had cell service I texted our kids and did FaceTime with my sister. 

For the emergency drill, passengers had to first check in at their muster station out on deck, but then had the option of returning to a public room where they could hear the instructions AND stay dry. The whole process was a little unorganized but over very quickly.

Before sail away, Bob and I made a quick trip back up to the buffet to get something to drink. While we were there the captain made an announcement that "potential tropical storm #18" was on its way and he had made the decision to cancel our stop in Nassau the next day. Of course. Hurricanes, snow storms and now soon to be named Tropical Storm Phillipe. I wondered if perhaps Jim Cantore was on this cruise.

The Nieuw Amsterdam set sail right on time at 4:00 pm leaving Harmony of the Seas and the Carnival Conquest to follow. With a tropical storm approaching, we both took a dose of motion sickness meds.

Such ominous looking clouds!

Bob tried to watch a movie while I was making notes for the blog but in a very short time we were so sleepy that neither of us could focus. We napped until a little after 5 pm and then got dressed for dinner. There were no tables available for two when we arrived at the dining room (for open seating) so we willingly agreed to share a table with others. All of our recent cruises have been with friends so with just the two of us we were looking forward to meeting new people.

Introductions were made as we were seated with another couple that went something like this..."Hi...my name is Bob and this is my wife, Mary." Reply..."Hi...my name is Bob and this is my wife, Marianne." No problem remembering names! There is always a chance of an awkward situation when sitting with strangers, but not this time. Our conversation was enjoyable and the dinner was fun. 

The evening dinner menu...I have indicated what we each ordered by our initials.

Starters * Soups * Salads

Mozzarella and Zucchini

Crab and Scallop Ceviche

Chicken and Date Kebab (M & B)

Green Chile and Corn Chowder

Chicken and Leek Soup

Chilled Guava and Passion Fruit Soup

Heart of Romaine Lettuce Nicoise

Main Dishes

Penne with Crisp Pancetta

The Chef's Salad Bowl

Scallop and Shrimp Brochette (B)

Seared Scarlet Snapper with Island Fruit Salsa (M)

Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Charred Button Onions

Pork Buco

Caribbean Chicken with Rum Butter Sauce

Eggplant and Zucchini Piccata

Desserts

Chocolate Caramel Tart

Key Lime Pie (B)

Dutch Apple Pie (B with ice cream!)

Creme Brulee (M)

Banana Crisp

Sugar Free Lemon Torte

Pineapple Sundae

Only one show was planned in the theater...a preview of the week's entertainment and it wasn't scheduled to start until 9:30 pm. Bob and I walked around a bit but then went back to the cabin and sat on our balcony until it was time to go to the theater. We could see storms and other ships off in the distance. With a zoomed in view, it appeared that the Carnival Conquest had caught up to us.

"The Preview" show was encouraging...it looked like we were in for some nice entertainment throughout the week. As we walked from the theater in the front of the ship on deck 2 to return to our cabin in the back of deck 4 we discovered two things...1) go up and back rather than back and up to avoid walking through the smokey casino and 2) the ship seemed considerably smaller than most we had sailed on. 

I will end with the schedule of activities from the When & Where daily newsletter for the day...

Good bye winter...we are off to Ft. Lauderdale!

One look out the window at 4:30 am and it was confirmed...the weather forecast had been correct. Heavy snow was coming down...or I should say going sideways due to the strong winds.

The drive to MSP took about an hour and the closer we got, the heavier the traffic became. Thanks to 70 degree weather just a week earlier, the ground was still warm enough that the snow did not accumulate on the roads much and we arrived in plenty of time with no mishaps.

There were two more hurdles we had to face before I could start to breathe a little easier...(1) would my luggage be overweight? And (2) would we be charged for checking our bags? In July we had taken advantage of an offer from Delta Skymiles and applied for their credit card. This was the first time flying since then and all went well...our checked bags were free...and...my bag only weighed 47 pounds!

I picked up some Caribou Coffee to go with the homemade bran muffins we had packed for breakfast. As we ate, we watched the snow flying and planes being de-iced.

When boarding began, we got in line when they announced priority boarding. I "thought" that was a perk that was included with our Skymiles credit card but half expected to be stopped. No one said anything so I guess we were OK.

I had booked our flights under Delta's "Basic Economy" fare which is very restrictive...and advance seat selection is not included. When checking in for the flight the day before we were given seats on opposite sides of row 15...both in the middle. I guess you get what you pay for! A very large man was seated next to me in the aisle seat. Due to his size, he could not even begin to lower his tray table and his arm was touching me the whole time. He was eating for most of the flight, stopping occasionally to take selfies with his cell phone. Creepy. And for some reason there is no window on that side of row 15, just a solid wall which added to my claustrophobia.

I had brought along Chlorox wipes which I used to wipe down the seat arms, tray table and entertainment screen. Using the wipe on the touch screen caused it to go wonky and changed the language to Arabic. Since everything on the screen was written in tiny squiggles, the nice lady in the window(less) seat helped me figure out how to change things back to English. Except...it would automatically switch back to either French or Portuguese no matter what I did. (Later on in the flight, the attendant was able to reset the screen and get it back to normal.)

With the onboard entertainment not available, I was glad I had downloaded a couple of episodes of the series, "Victoria" from Amazon Prime to keep me occupied. Delta also offered free texting during the flight (a first for us) so my sister got to hear about how my personal space was being invaded. 😏

After the de-icing in Minneapolis had delayed our takeoff, we were only a few minutes late landing in Ft. Lauderdale. As we waited for our luggage at the baggage carousel, I looked around remembering the shooting that had taken place there in January and the videos on the news that were taken in that very spot. So eery.

The warm breeze and sunshine felt absolutely heavenly when we walked outside of the terminal. Bob called for the shuttle to take us to the Hyatt Place and was told it would arrive in about 10 minutes. It was closer to 25, but how could we complain? No snow...and palm trees!! Another couple shared the shuttle with us and were also there for the same cruise. Over the course of the week we enjoyed visiting with them several times.

Yes...a down coat in Florida.
Bob is always cold (because he has no meat on his bones!) and insisted on taking the coat.

When we checked in, we were advised that there would be an extra $2 charge for the shuttle (which we knew) and then given room 101...the last room at the end of the first floor hallway. They look just like the photos on the hotel website, but I will post a few pictures I snapped of our room.

I booked the Hyatt Place through ValueTrips.com and got a much better price than booking directly with the hotel. No need to pay in advance and the reservation could be cancelled up to 24 hours in advance.

The 17th Street location of the Hyatt Place is near Port Everglades and convenient to a shopping center and many restaurants. After resting for about 30 minutes (and failing to sleep) we decided to go out exploring a bit.

Four years ago we had stayed in the Embassy Suites next door so knew we could get to the waterfront by walking down 17th Street. Using an app on my iPhone, I clocked the distance at around 2.5 miles round trip. There is a water taxi stop next to the lift bridge and is a fun way to get a glimpse of the lifestyles of the rich and famous. On our last visit we took a couple of the different routes, but this time we just watched as others boarded the boat.

Everything from yachts to jet skis went under the lift bridge as we sat and enjoyed the warm weather. While we were there, the Island Princess was heading out to start a 15 day cruise through the Panama Canal to San Francisco. From our vantage point it looked as if the ship was headed right into a residential neighborhood and we kept waiting for the ship to turn. But it didn't.

The channel was completely blocked from our view and it looked as if the ship was going to run aground!

And there she goes...

Once we were confident that the Island Princess was on a safe route to the sea (and not going down a city street), we headed back to the hotel.

A couple of years ago we had eaten at a fast food restaurant called "Pollo Tropical" in Ft. Lauderdale and enjoyed the Caribbean style food. I had looked online and discovered another one just a few minutes away from the Hyatt Place...in the opposite direction from where we had just walked. To get there, we walked down an alley and noticed piles of garbage at each house and realized it was remnants from the hurricane. Getting to the restaurant required crossing a very busy 4 lane street (SCARY!) The atmosphere in the restaurant was less than desirable, BUT...the food was good. We each got a chicken platter and it was fun trying out the various sauces available. I chose the corn casserole as one of my side dishes and was a little surprised when it was served cold...not what I was expecting.

It was dark by the time we got back to the hotel. Bob enjoyed watching a movie on the big screen TV while I shuffled things around in my luggage. One more sleep and it would be time to cruise!

On our way...the weather curse continues!

Planning for travel always flusters me a bit, but I'm slowly fine tuning the process. I have a long "to-do" list on my iPad and getting through the last minute items occupied most of the morning. My brain was going in a thousand different directions and as I would start to do one thing, I would remember something else and promptly forget the first task. 

Eventually everything seemed to come together and shortly before noon everything on the list had a check-mark next to it. I was feeling somewhat confident that we were ready to go. After all...this was just a one week cruise. How I will cope with planning for lengthy travel? Most likely not very well.

Today's part of the journey was just a 3 hour drive to get to our son and daughter-in-law's home just west of Minneapolis. On many trips, we have booked a hotel near the airport where we could leave our car parked and take a shuttle. This time our son had offered to drive us and our flight time was relatively convenient for him to drop us off and then go to his office in the Twin Cities area.

I am thankful for a husband who is willing to do the driving.

Spending time with our grandkids was an added bonus to our arrangement, but the fun was overshadowed by what we were seeing on the weather forecast. For a cruise that had already been totally changed due to weather this prediction just continued the pattern. Hurricanes...and now a blizzard. 

The snow was not scheduled to start until sometime during the night so I suggested that perhaps we should leave our son's and find a hotel near the airport rather than make the one hour drive in nasty weather during rush hour the next morning. Of course Bob responded as most males would...NO.

Sleep was fitful. I got up a couple of times just to check weather (nothing happening) and also look at the clock. I had 3 alarms set on my phone, but was still worried that maybe we would oversleep. The first was set for 4:30 am and I was up before it went off. It was going to be a long day...

The Magical Mystery Tour

The magical mystery tour is coming to take you away

Coming to take you away...

A magical mystery tour. Yep...that seems like a suitable description for this cruise! The itinerary has changed...and changed again...and changed even again. Up until just days ago, the Holland America website was showing we were going to St. Croix...the same island that was still under a curfew following the devastation of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the same island that was under a boil order because drinking water wasn't safe...and the same island that was still mostly without power. The governor himself had announced that the port wouldn't be open until mid-November at the earliest and we were scheduled to stop there on November 1. I don't think so. 😕

Finally a few days ago, I got the following email message from my travel agent...

Due to slower than expected recover of Frederiksted, St. Croix, the 11-1-2017 call has now been replaced with a call to Amber Cove, Domincan Republic.

With the cruise just 6 days away, the itinerary map still hasn't been updated and there are still no shore excursions for Amber Cove posted on the Holland America website. Surely our itinerary can't change again...can it? (Please...don't answer that question.)

Yes...this is a first world problem. I know I am so fortunate just to go on a cruise. And I am not going to gripe about going on a cruise that doesn't go to the ports we wanted. Or at least I won't gripe too much. I was just so looking forward to enjoying a food tour while walking the streets of Old San Juan. Or sitting in the shade of a palm tree on a white sand beach looking out at the bluest water ever in Grand Turk...just steps from the ship. Such an easy day for me while Bob was to go off scuba diving in one of the top diving destinations in the Caribbean.

But instead we will now be making TWO stops in the Bahamas and TWO stops in the Dominican Republic. It is sort of like ordering a lobster dinner in a nice restaurant and being served canned tuna. I really like tuna sandwiches, but it would be a disappointment if I were paying for and expecting lobster.

Ok, ok...its maybe not really the same thing at all. It is time for me to adjust my attitude and count my blessings. I will be spending a week in the tropics with the love of my life being treated like royalty. Life is good...very, very good. (And I will be thankful and enjoy my tuna!)

The Mystery Revealed

Thanks to the horrific damage caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean, our upcoming cruise has been changed from an itinerary of favorite and familiar ports to one that is taking us to four new and never visited ports (for us, at least.) Although it will be nice to see some new places, I'm feeling a bit uneasy with the fact that I have not been able to spend much time researching what we will do.

At first the only change that Holland America announced was that Nassau would replace Grand Turk and we would be there on the first day of the cruise followed by a sea day (reversed from the original schedule.) The ports of San Juan and St. Thomas were still on the schedule in spite of news reports showing total devastation of the islands. Finally last week a second revision was announced with Cap Cana, Dominican Republic and St. Croix replacing San Juan and St. Thomas, respectively.

Originally my plan was:

• Grand Turk --- Bob would scuba dive and I would enjoy a day on the beach, just steps from the dock
• San Juan --- I had found a walking food tour that explored the old city
• St. Thomas --- a day at Sapphire Beach for swimming, sunning and snorkeling
• Half Moon Cay --- another lazy beach day with even lunch provided by Holland America

Cap Cana, DR (near Punta Cana) and St. Croix are less visited ports so I'm having trouble finding many options of what to do on our visits. Nassau on the other hand will be overrun with cruisers. I believe there will be at least four OTHER ships joining the Nieuw Amsterdam on the day that we are there. AND...to make matters worse, we will be there on a Sunday when it sounds like many tourist places will be closed.  For now my preliminary plan for Nassau is to do a self-guided walking tour using directions I found online.

With less than 3 weeks until we cruise, Holland America has not posted any ship sponsored tours for Cap Cana or St. Croix. I will be spending time online looking for reviews from other cruisers to find something to do while in port.

A side note...several weeks ago, I had booked Bob's scuba diving tour in Grand Turk through the Holland America website and our credit card was billed immediately. When the schedule changed we had gotten an email stating that the tour would be cancelled and our VISA card would be credited.

I kept checking the online credit card statement, but just figured the transaction would take some time to show up. (After all...the refund we got from Norwegian after our Hawaii cruise took MONTHS!) Can you imagine my surprise when I logged onto our reservation on the Holland America website and saw the schedule had a booking for scuba diving on a SEA DAY!! I quickly cancelled the reservation but we have been chuckling over the idea of a sea day scuba excursion! Bob is certified for deep diving, but that might be a little extreme!

And as the itinerary for this cruise has been changing, our cabin category has also evolved. Hoping to do this quick get-away as cheaply as possible, we started by booking an inside cabin in late June. I pored over the deck plans on cruisedeckplans.com (which has a feature that lets you drag one level of deck over another to see what lies above and below potential cabin choices) and I chose a Category J cabin on the Main Deck. These cabins are larger than most inside cabins and I was pleased with my choice.

A month later, the price on this cabin had dropped so I called and got a price adjustment. A couple of days after final payment was due in August, the price dropped again and I requested another price adjustment. Holland America was not willing to do that, but did upgrade us from the inside cabin to a guaranteed oceanview cabin. Yay...a window for us...we will have daylight!

Then...a little over a week ago I saw quite a drastic drop in price AGAIN! (With all of the hurricane damage, I'm guessing Caribbean bookings are way down.) The cost of a balcony cabin is now only $10 higher than what we had been paying for an inside cabin so we were able to pay the difference and move up to the lowest level of balcony stateroom. We have no idea where this cabin will be located and there is a good chance our railing will be solid steel rather than clear plexiglass, but hey...we now have daylight AND fresh air AND a balcony!!

Today the countdown clock is showing 20 days until we cruise! Scary because I am confused on what to do in the ports, but exciting because it is so close. It is getting real!!