Thursday, December 23, 2010 – At Sea – Sunny - 75F

Another warm and sunny day at sea…and the first day we were able to spend time on Deck 6 – the open deck.  Making progress on “Book of the Dead” – I don’t want to drag this heavy book back with me.

The talks are on the same schedule as the first cruise.  Today’s talk: “DNA Testing: Cold Cases Solved” is in the Cinema 4:30 PM (right after Holiday Show).  To make sure people found the Cinema, I asked one of the folks in one of the cubicles near the venue to print me out some signs, which I taped to the doors of the Cinema.  That probably helped a bit.  Attendance: 35 – 40 pretty enthusiastic people.

While waiting for dinner, we managed to get our picture taken by a random person at the Cova Cafe. 

This cruise has a new production number, “Dancing Around the World”, which is supposed to be mostly dancing.  It turned out to be about the same mix of singing and dancing as the other production numbers.  It was entertaining.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010 - Cozumel, Mexico – Partly Cloudy - 77F

Nice and warm in Cozumel.  The plan today is find a nice spa and get a massage at a reasonable price.  The Cozumel Massage Studio is just a five minute walk and we had wonderful massages with hot stones (70 minutes / $50).  Clean, bright place with friendly therapists.

We went back to the ship early to relax and read.

We went to Michael’s Club to hear Will and noticed that Hannah (Bornstein?) and Ryan, two of the Celebrity Singers, were in attendance.  It turned out that they sang along with Will as part of the set.  I was able to get a picture of Hannah (Ryan was in the dark – no photo possible).  They were both great especially Ryan, who sang a half dozen songs (all very well done).

Point of Info:  Will’s folks were on board and Will’s dad attended my talks and was very interactive (knew all of the answers).

Pedometer": 8060 steps /3.82 mi / 391 cal / 1 hr 55 min

Tuesday, December 21, 2010 – Key West, FL – Sunny – 75F

Another beautiful day in Key West – this time around, there is no chilly start – Warm and Bright.  I am up early so I catch the moon set over Key West.

 

Our plan today is to walk the town of Key West – many shops, bars, and restaurants.  We did see some real houses on the walk so people do live here.  We ended up at the south end of the island where everything is the “Southernmost”.  Chabad has a presence here and has placed a Menorah at the Southernmost spot – the Southernmost menorah in the US.

 

As was the case last cruise, my talk is late afternoon after the early departure.  I take in the other talk: “Science Askew” by Bill Gurstelle (engineer – DYI engineering).  He is a writer (seven books on technology) and contributes to MAKE magazine.  His talk is about Rube Goldberg and others (people who see humor in technology). 

My talk: CSI Phenomenon – Cinema – is attended by about 30 people.  They are enthusiastic and the talk goes well.

Pedometer: 9465 / 4.49 mi / 459 cal/ 2 hr 34 min

Monday, December 20, 2010 – Miami, FL – Partly Cloudy - 70s

Re-embarkation was pretty simple and quick.  Our group of six back to backers (including Steve the comedian and the wife of a crew member) went from the Martini Bar to swipe out, then to Immigration to turn in our declaration, then back to the ship (we already had our new Sea Pass cards) to swipe in and get our pictures taken.  Done and Done.

Had a relaxing lunch while everyone else tried to figure out where everything was.  The best part of back to backing.

Another very picturesque sail away from Miami including a great sunset.

We are staying at our same table at Flexible Dining for this cruise (worked it out with our Hostess) so we can be assured of good service.  We are already aware of the menu:  Spanish Merluza, Chilean Sea Bass, and Halibut for the fish entrees mixed in with pastas without meat. 

No checking in with Alejandro on the talks.  Both will be in the Cinema on the same days as the first cruise. 

Sunday, December 19, 2010 – At Sea – Caribbean Sea – 78F – Partly Cloudy

A warm and relaxing day at sea. 

I am trying to finish “Book of the Dead” and tuning up my second presentation (“Cold Cases Solved”).  Some changes need to go into the talk since the Daily listed it as “The Science of CSI”.  To make everyone happy, I am putting together a hybrid of the two talks.  The trick is to keep the talk from running long.

Glorious Sunrise

Cuba off the Starboard side

My second talk is at 4 PM in the Cinema – a great venue that is difficult to find.  The talk is also scheduled opposite the matinee Holiday Show so seating shouldn’t be an issue.  About 30 - 35 people attended the talk which went well if not a bit long.  The mix of the two talks did not work that well and will be a one time only thing.  I did meet an attorney associated with the New York Innocence Project, Larry Golden.

Dinners on the ship have all been good – menus are identical to what we had recently on the Equinox.

After dinner, we take in Justin Wade in the Cova Cafe.  He is a really good guitarist-vocalist from Forth Worth.  We had a chance to chat with him after his set.

Showtime Tonight: “Liverpool Knights” – a loose musical story set in 1960’s Liverpool.  The songs are a big obscure but they are well performed by the cast of singers and dancers.

After the show, we go to Michael’s Club to catch a jam session with Justin and Will, that turned out to be very entertaining.

Tomorrow – re-embarkation.

Saturday, December 18, 2010 – Cozumel, Mexico – 81F - Sunny

We are at the International Pier today so we are about three miles from town.  So today, we will walk from the ship toward the town and back.  It is a late departure, so we can relax on a nearly empty ship.

There a four ships here today – the Radiance of the Seas and two Carnival cruisers.

     

 

We are at our new table for Flexible Dining and we are pleased with our new set up.

The headliner tonight is comedian Steve Caouette from Maine.  He was so funny (especially in his interactions with audience) that we caught both his shows (even though they were very much the same).

In between shows, we listened to Will in Michael’s Club.

Tomorrow: A welcome Sea Day

Pedometer: 10,122 Steps / 4.80 miles / 491 calories / 2 hr 13 min

Friday, December 17, 2010 – Key West, FL – Sunny – 74F

Beautiful Day in Key West, FL after a chilly start.  The ship is docked right near the town.  We are on a tour today, “Discover Key West”, which involves touring the city in a trolley.  The guide was very funny and informative.  Transportation in Key West is unique – besides cars, there are Trolleys, Mini-Trains, and bicycle cabs.  Other folks rent bicycles to see the town.

  

Ellen on the dock in Key West

On our trolley for “Discover Key West”

The Trolley Tour takes us to the four corners of this tiny island and eventually drops off passengers at the Aquarium and Shipwreck Museum.  Not much escorting to be done on this tour.

Really?

Hemingway House (moved to Key West in 1931)

Southern tip of the Key – Cuba 98 miles ahead

Southernmost Hotel in US

Southernmost point in US

Southernmost Menorah in US

This is the end of US 1 (Mile 0), which goes from Key West up the East Coast of the US.

Marilyn in her iconic pose outside a local theater.

According to our guide, this Banyan Tree is the third oldest tree in the United States.

James Audubon House

The Key West Hard Rock Hotel was at one time owned by one of KW pioneers.

Once the tour was over, I spent a few minutes in the Aquarium.  I was amazed by the bioluminescent jellyfish.

 

Key West is a town made up of stores, bars, nightclubs, and restaurants.  These are located on the main drag, Duval St. Also found on the streets near the Port at the Key West Museum of Art and History (at the Custom House) are a population of statues.  These statues are arranged in the most amusing poses and scenes.

One particularly amazing installation is “Time for Fun”, two statues approximately 20 ft tall in front of the Museum.

We posed with some of the other statues in the museum area.

 

Another unusual exhibit is a statue painting a series of statues.  On the porch of the museum is another statue taking a photo of our artist and his models.  Very clever.

It was an early departure from Key West (1:30 PM) and my first talk - “The CSI Phenomenon” is scheduled for 3:30 PM.  It was supposed to be in the Cinema but the venue was commandeered by a large group of self help folks.  I was now in the Hemisphere Lounge on the top deck.  All windows, a makeshift screen, uncomfortable seats.  The slides were impossible to see and the projector went out in the middle of my slides but the 20 people who showed up bravely put up with the suboptimal conditions. 

We are staying with “Flexible Dining” but will switch our seats tomorrow night.

 

Beautiful Sunset – Gulf of Mexico

Before the first show of the cruise we took in the Muzemarine String Quartet (from the Ukraine) in the Cova Cafe.

Tonight’s Show: Touch of Broadway.  A production show featuring the Celebrity Singers and Dancers.  The entertainers are very good but the songs included were not the best (from Cabaret, the Producers).  Numbers from “Hairspray” and a tribute to Queen were more enjoyable.

The engineers are unable to figure out the noise in our room (“steam pipes” they say) but we determined it was air rushing under the door.  Two pillows placed at the base of the door eliminated the noise.

Should be able to get a better nights sleep.

Pedometer:  10,451 steps /4.953 mi/506.8 Cal / 2 hr 38 min.