Friday, December 5, 2014 – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – Sunny - 82F

Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas: 830 Nautical Miles (20.2 knots)

A beautiful morning at sea…

I arrived at the Princess Theater about 40 minutes early for my 10 AM presentation – “The CSI Phenomenon”.  I got set up pretty quickly but the image on the theater screen was fuzzy.  This would be OK for this presentation but future ones would need a clearer image – the techs said they would work with the aspect ratio to sharpen the image.  They did have a headset mic and that was a major positive.

Sammi was just passing through and Ellen convinced her to get up on the stage for picture with me.

Sammi and Me

(NOTE: The Princess Theater has a seating capacity of 709).

By the time I got started, the theater was about 50 percent full – translating to about 300 – 350 people).  The audience was pretty interactive shouting out comments as I went along and answering questions, as well.

The CSI Phenomenon

While I was presenting, Ellen was up on the open deck snapping photos of the Cabo sail in.

Sail In – Including Los Arcos

After lunch, we went to the Bernini Room to get our Tender Tickets.  The tendering process was very well organized – the wait was short, there were plenty of boats, and the boats left right away once filled.  The 10 minutes to shore was very smooth and, as a bonus, I got a seat on the top outside.

Best Seat in the House

Same Tender – In the Shade

Three Tenders Ready to Go

The shots below are from the tender ride to Cabo San Lucas.

 

I was able to get one shot of the ship as the tender headed for Cabo.

Los Arcos from the Tender

We walked around the pier area.  One of our favorite stops in Cabo is the Beauty Spa – offering great spa treatments for great prices.  We also walked several blocks behind the pier area stopping when the streets started to disappear.  It was a little warm and shade was at a premium but we did cover quite a bit of ground.

There was a strong armed police presence in the town.  It also looked like Cabo had recovered well from the pounding it took from a hurricane a few months earlier.

After getting some items from the open market, we headed back to the Tender Pier.

  

Cabo Harbor

While we were walking the streets of Cabo, the HAL Statendam arrived and anchored.  I was able to get the Golden Princess and the Statendam from the area of the tender pier.

Two Ships at Anchor

The return tender process also went very smoothly.  I took the opportunity on the ride back to get as many pictures of the Golden Princess as I could (to eventually grace the cover of a photo book).

    

After dinner, we just took it easy.

Chris Riggins is the headliner tonight in the Princess Theater.  He is an ex-football player (probably high school) but now he is a classically trained singer.  Very good show with classical numbers mixed in with show tunes and Josh Groban tunes.  One especially good number was “Starry Starry Night” (Don McLean) because the songs describe many of Van Gogh’s painting, which are shown in a video montage during the song.  Very nice.  Entertaining evening.

Thursday, December 4, 2014 – At Sea – Pacific Ocean – Partly Cloudy - 68F

A nice day at sea as we sailed away from the rain and gloom of Los Angeles…

 

A pretty good night – got up a lot but slept until 7:20 AM.

Had breakfast in the Horizon Court – waffle plus cottage cheese, sour cream, and preserves.  Tried a chocolate chip pancake.  The decaf coffee was hot and good.  Brought two hard boiled eggs and fruit down to the room for Ellen.

While working in the Atrium, Ellen ran into Sammi Baker, who came over to chat a bit – I don’t think she remembered us from the 2009 cruise.  She asked me to meet her in the Princess Theater at 11:00 AM to introduce myself and my presentations as part of a “What’s Going On” presentation.  I said a few words about the first presentation and just a hint and what might come afterwards.  Short and sweet.

It was a bit windy and chilly on the open deck.  This ship is almost like the Grand Princess but it lacks the comfy couches on the aft deck. We did venture out to check out the ocean – Mexico was visible on the port side.

Mexico on the horizon

Jacket Weather on the Back Deck

Tonight was the first formal night so we made sure that we got our picture taken together.  We ate dinner in the Horizon Court.

Tonight’s Showtime was the first production show - “Stardust”.  It is a really nice show but we had seen it several times.  We did stop in at the end and stood in the back of the fully packed theater.  The two male singers were on the Grand Princess and the two ancillary singers were also on the Grand Princess.

Stardust – Princess Theater

I found out that I would be giving my first talk tomorrow morning at 10 AM – just prior to anchoring in Cabo San Lucas.  No problem, I am ready.

Some more reading – BTW, I love my new Kindle HD 6.  Great screen and it fits perfectly into my front pants pocket.  I have both books and music on the Kindle.

Tomorrow, Cabo – one of my favorite stops.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014 – San Pedro, CA – 59F – Rain

Golden Princess Facts and Figures

Gross tonnage: 108,865 tons; Length: 950 feet;  Beam: 118 feet

Maximum Passengers: 3100

 

Our Itinerary

Embarkation Day

Our room at the Best Western Plus was very nice with very comfortable beds.  The problem with the room was the noisy plumbing – fortunately, that noise was handled pretty well with earplugs.  So, a pretty good night’s sleep.

The breakfast at the hotel was pretty good – cereal, make your own waffles, scrambled eggs (reconstituted maybe), and good coffee.  Not overly crowded or noisy.

We stayed in our room until checkout at Noon, then drove a short distance to the Enterprise office downtown.  After checking the car in, the Enterprise people took us to the pier (along with other passengers).  We were a bit hurried and didn’t stop for gas – we will do that next time.

Check in was quick and we were assigned crew cabin 6029.  Before getting lunch, we went looking for the room.  The room was deep in the crew section and as far forward on Deck 6 as you can go.  Two crew members had to help us get there and since there was no direct access from the passenger area of Deck 6, you could only get to the room from Deck 12 or 7.  Our keys did not work so we would need to take care of that later.  We were really in the working section of the ship.  (We had a chance to hear what the thrusters sounded like at the level of the room – a little like an angry T. Rex.)

We had lunch in the Horizon Court Buffet – salad, salmon salad sandwiches, and pizza from Trident Grill.  It was raining out on the open decks but I did some pictures of the San Pedro pier area.

Pier and Vincent Thomas Bridge

The Movie Screen on Deck 14

The USS Iowa and Museum complex

Rainy and Gloomy San Pedro Pier

The afternoon was spent trying to get our room straightened out and attending the lifeboat drill.

I should mention that Sammi Baker is the Cruise Director on this ship – we worked together last in 2009 on the Pacific Princess (Grand Panama Canal Cruise).  The Deputy Cruise Director is Matias from Argentina.  We accidentally ran into him and told him about the issues with room.  He took us to Guest Relations and took our keys to the back of the office.  He emerged a few minutes later and had new keys for us for Plaza 327 – a nice passenger stateroom just off the International Cafe and Atrium Area on Deck 5.  Almost perfectly mid ship in both directions.  Our bags were somewhere in the crew area and Matias said he would run them down and have them delivered to our new room.

Long Story Short – I found my bag after the show was over and Ellen’s bag arrived around 10 PM.  At least, we had clothes to wear on this voyage.

The Sail Away in the dark was nicer than the last time (in the day) – maybe it was the lights of the harbor area that made it look more interesting.

 

On Deck during Sail Away

Clearly visible on the starboard side during the sail out was the USS Iowa.  The rest of the harbor was all lit up as the Golden Princess made its way out to open sea.

 

Sail Away – San Pedro

We had dinner in the “Dine Anytime” restaurant, the Bernini Room (yes the same Bernini of “Angels and Demons” fame).  Veggie spring rolls (really good), mushroom soup (very good); ricotta tart with ratatouille (OK).  We got a nice table (#58).

Between the shows, we spent quiet time reading in the walkway between the two theaters.  I had just finished “Kill Artist” by Daniel Silva (Palestinian terrorists vs Israeli Intelligence in the Yasir Arafat era); my new book is “Driftnet” by Lin Anderson (novel in the Rhona McLeod series about a forensic scientist for the Glasgow Police).

The Welcome Aboard show was pretty typical – an intro to the singers and dancers; Sammi introduced the Entertainment Staff; and the Hawley Magic act followed (husband and wife duo).  Some of the tricks we had seen.

Back to the room after the show; clocks move forward tonight.

Seas are smooth…room is relatively quiet (except for ship noises).

Southern Pacific Coastal Cruise – Golden Princess – Los Angeles to Valparaiso, Chile – December 3-19, 2014

Cruise Background.  This will be the fourth time we have been to South America and our second repositioning cruise.  This cruise, on the big ship – Golden Princess – will take us from Los Angeles, along the coast of Mexico and Costa Rica, across the equator, to Peru, and then to Chile, ending up at the major port, Valparaiso. 

Tuesday, December 2, 2013 – Travel Day

No early flight today so we can get up at a reasonable time for our flight to Los Angeles.  The cab was scheduled for 8:00 AM (I used a phone app to set it up – really easy) and he was right on time.  There was absolutely no traffic on the way to O’Hare so we were there in plenty of time for our 10:05 flight on AA1169. 

Our plane – a B737-800 –

was waiting at the gate and we boarded right on time at 9:40 AM.  This plane was literally brand new – even the carpets were clean and new.  All seats had screens (movies cost money but other entertainment was available).  The screens had USB and other charging ports and each set also had a standard plug by the seat pouch (no more reaching under the seat for the plug).  The flight tracker was very cool with HD graphics – the little plane icon was our exact model and even had the new AA color schemes.  We paid a few bucks for exit rows and it was worth it – lots of room.

New Generation Flight Tracker

The plane pushed early and we were on the active runway right on time.  I should mention that the Captain was totally understandable – none of that pilot mumble talk.  He said we would encounter some bumps along the way and so we were going to a low cruising altitude of 28,000 feet to minimize the chop.  The flight was still bumpy with most of that chop happening over the Rockies.  Once we got past the Rockies, we were in the shmoo.  Our plane had to kill some time over Arizona because traffic was being slowed down due to weather in Los Angeles.  I could see the zigs and zags the aircraft was executing to slow down. 

I watched the planes approach on my flight tracker (couldn’t see anything out the window) and noticed that the plane – now at only 2000 feet – had flown past the airport and was out over the Pacific Ocean.  I have to admit that I was a bit confused as to the flight path but had confidence that the pilot had it well in hand.  Finally, the plane turned back toward the airport and after a very bumpy descent, I caught a glimpse of the beach out of the window just prior to touchdown.  The plane had made a very rare approach over the Pacific – for wind and visibility reasons probably.  A smooth touchdown.  The rain was really coming down.

It took a while to get to the gate – traffic was even slow on the ground.  Our bags made it to Carousel 2 and we headed to the rental car shuttle pick up area.  In a few minutes, the Enterprise van showed up and took us to the offsite rental facility.  It took no time to get our slick black Chevy Cruz (very cool car with lots of bells and whistles). 

We drove the car through the clogged streets of Los Angeles to spend time with my sister, brother, niece and brother-in-law.  She ordered fantastic Italian food and it was a great visit.

At about 8:30 PM, we took off for San Pedro and the Best Western Plus Hotel on Gaffey Street.  It took about 45 minutes to get there on the traffic-free but rain soaked freeway system.  LA now has a “Fastrak” toll system for people who want to avoid the bulk of the traffic.  The city has built these massive sky ways to accommodate the Fastrak cars and they are Godzilla huge.

We found the hotel, checked in, and spent only a few minutes settling down before calling it a day.

Sunday, November 9, 2014 – San Juan, Puerto Rico – Sunny, Warm - 87F

The Sea Dream II has challenged the Atlantic Ocean and triumphed – we have duplicated the voyage of Cristobal Colon (he made it, too).

Breakfast is earlier today – 7:00 AM – but it is still the same breakfast menu so I had my final wonderful combination of blueberry pancakes, cottage cheese, preserves, and two fried eggs.  Yummy right up to the end.

We need to disembark the yacht by 10:00 AM and it took the local authorities that amount of time to clear the Sea Dream II.  The ship offered transfers to the airport but we opted for a local cab.  Leaving the ship was quick – only 49 passengers (they are all getting off because the SDII is being chartered for the next voyage) and finding a taxi was also easy (only ship at this terminal). 

The ride to Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in nearby Carolina took about 20 minutes and the fare ran $40 – we tried to pay by credit card but he wanted cash so we gave him $30 US plus 10 Euros (I hope he know what to do with them).  That left us with $0 but we figured we didn’t need any money for the trip home.

We arrived at the airport at about 10:30 AM for our 4:10 PM flight to Chicago so we had the whole day to spend at the airport.  We found a quiet place to sit (although it was a bit dark and cool) near our gate.  Lunch consisted of cheese sandwiches, plantain chips, and extremely expensive diet coke and water. 

Our plane arrived from its previous destination on time

AA395 Waiting to go to Chicago

so we boarded on time.  The plane pushed on schedule and wasted no time hitting the active runway…

San Juan, PR Climb Out

The flight was relatively smooth and about 4 hours later we were on final approach to a dark and cold Chicago.

Final Approach ORD

Our luggage, which was, we were told, checked way too early, still managed to get on the right plane.

Our cab arrived in a reasonable time (he did drive like a maniac) and soon our trip was over.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable stay in Lisbon and voyage on the Sea Dream II.  I am forever spoiled by the fantastic breakfasts on board the Yacht.

Friday, October 31 – Sunday, November 9, 2014 – Westbound Transatlantic Crossing

Friday, October 31, 2014

 

Ship’s Position

Warm and sunny but till bumpy – hoping for a change in the wind…

View from the Aft Deck

Ellen ordered room service, below…

While I had the delicious Granola French Toast at the Topsider Restaurant.  Very yummy…

Talk 2 - “Landmark Cases” scheduled for 3 PM in the Grand Salon drew 17 attendees.  Good feedback afterwards.  Only ran about 45 minutes (speaking too fast, maybe).  One British passenger was in attendance – I told him that this lecture was just for him.

The ship is decked out in Halloween stuff and some folks in the Dining Salon are in masks and costumes.  Otherwise, everyone else is ‘Ween Free.

We had dinner with Gary and Florence from Newport Beach, CA.  Gary is a highly informed passenger (and the two of them are terrific trivia partners).  Tonight’s choices:  Minestrone Soup (terrific); tried the Parpadella Pasta with chunky tomato sauce (exchanged it for the Pasta Pesto).  It was a very pleasant dinner.

 

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Still bumpy especially at night…

I had some blueberry pancakes for breakfast along with scrambled eggs.  The food – all cooked to order - continues to be very good.

The view from our portholes is that of an angry ocean.

Someone pissed off Poseidon

Later on in the day, things smoothed out a bit and the sea looked calmer.

We had a nice lunch overlooking the back deck.  I think I had a veggie burger, which turned out to be mostly a potato patty.  I also had the fish and chips, which was OK but not very British.

 

Lunch Seating

Tonight at dinner, we ate by ourselves at a table for two.  The gazpacho was so good, I had two bowls.  I also had what could be described as Eggplant Parmesan, which was very freshly prepared – the eggplant was breaded and fried and was perfectly crisp - and very good.  Although we didn’t rush, we were through with dinner by 8:45 PM.  This gave us a chance for quiet time in the Grand Salon.

I finished “Guilt by Association”, a Rachel Knight novel by Marcia Clark.  I have to admit that she writes better than she prosecutes.  I started a new book - “A Dark and Twisted Tide” by Sharon Bolton.  It is the seventh novel in the “Lacey Flint” detective series (British).  It’s different and so far I am staying with it – I am going to have to go back and catch up on the earlier novels if I get hooked.

At 10 PM, the Grand Salon hosted the “Liar’s Club” show.  That turned out to be more fun that we thought it would.  We did get three or four answers right but lost to a perfect score.

Very bouncy back in our rooms – the wave slap is still present but is not a big issue compared to the roll.

 

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Still about 1800 nautical miles from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Perhaps, the seas are becoming more calm…I hope so because I did not get much sleep last night

Ellen ordered her usual room service fare and went to Yoga at 8:30 AM.  I went up to the Topsider Restaurant and had the waffle I ordered yesterday along with cottage cheese and one egg over easy.  The combination was very good so I pre-ordered another waffle for tomorrow.

At 10:00 AM, we went to the Grand Salon to try our hand at “Broadway Name that Tune” hosted by Steve.  There were 20 multiple choice questions and we got 36.5 points (the half point was for knowing that John Waters was involved with “Hairspray”).  Our closest competitor only got 28 points with the third team coming in a a very distant 2 points.  Even Steve was impressed with how well we did including knowing that Larry Kert and Carol Lawrence were in “West Side Story”.  It was a lot of fun and will be repeated a couple of more times this cruise.

We had lunch at the Topsider restaurant.  I asked the chef to make me a tuna salad sandwich – the sandwich along with the fresh fries was very good.  I have also become addicted to the Focaccio bread with sun dried tomato spread – a constant appetizer for lunch.

Waiting for Lunch

My third talk - “Cold Cases Solved” only pulled 12 attendees.  It ran a little long due to the Jack the Ripper section, which will be pulled for any upcoming ships.

After the talk, Rosemary, Gary, and I teamed up (team name:  “Commodores”) to win the trivia contest (19 of 20).  Disputed answer: the name of the road dividers (that reflect) – answer was “cat eyes” – we had road dividers.  The other team gave it to us and that was the difference.

After the talk, we spent the rest of the afternoon on the pool deck because that was the shady spot on the ship.  I had a mojito, which was very sweet, limey, and good.  I am very behind on my drinks.

You will notice that I am out of uniform (my lecture outfit) in the picture below. One of the passengers said I should wear more red and the customer is always right.

 

Relaxing on the Pool Deck

We did not go to dinner in the Dining Salon tonight but rather had room service (including getting some Sea Bass from the real dinner menu).  I had the Cesar Salad and Tomato/Mozzarella sandwich, which were both OK. 

We are going to spend the rest of the evening in our rooms – not a bad idea since we are both a bit tired.

So far, the seas are cooperating.

Clocks move back an hour tonight (DST Ends in the US).

 

Monday, November 3, 2014

Very smooth night, finally…slept a full 8 hours.

We have a mechanical clock in our room and the ship is able to change that clock remotely.

Breakfast today was on the back deck overlooking the pool deck – the seas were smooth and the sun bright and warm.  I had pre-ordered a waffle but that was unnecessary since Belgian Waffles were the breakfast special today.  So breakfast consisted of a waffle, cottage cheese, preserves, and two over medium eggs.  I also put some fresh blueberries on the waffle (everyone needs antioxidants).  Along with some very good decaf coffee, the breakfast was perfect. 

Ellen tried the Belgian Waffle with bananas for mid morning brunch and then, looking for shade, we had to settle for the Grand Salon (where I am now drinking a perfect Bloody Mary and listening to Lindsay Hamilton).  Perfect, except for not being outside.

I had a tuna melt for lunch today – pretty good with chopped onions in the tuna salad – along with fries.  I took Steve’s suggestion and asked for a pot of iced tea so I can keep filling up my glass.

Lunch

In the afternoon, it was “Broadway from the 50s – the Classical Era” – lots of Sondheim and Jerry Loesser – it included “Sound of Music” and ended with “West Side Story”.  Entertaining but this talk ran over an hour – lots to cover.

   

Relaxing on Deck before Dinner

Something was amiss with the AC in both the Grand Salon and Dining Salon (it was very warm in the Grand Salon for Steve’s talk) so it was announced that dinner would be served on the outside decks.  We got a nice table on Deck 4 Aft (overlooking the pool area).  I had Aubergine and Asparagus Soup, Cesar Salad and Pasta Pesto with Salmon – they were both very good and I could not finish the main dish.  Ellen had the Filet of Sole, which was presented in a very usual way (with the fish bones on tope of the filet).

Filet of Sole

We finished dinner before 9 PM giving us some reading time.

Sunset Sky from the Pool Deck

 

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Following Seas so a smooth ride…

A very nice day at sea – the temperature continues to rise as we pass the midway point of the Atlantic Ocean…

 

There was the occasional storm (below)

  

I had breakfast with Gary and Florence – I had the Swedish Pancakes, scrambled eggs, and a bagel – everything was perfect – Breakfast continues to be the best meal of the day.  Ellen joined us later.

Ellen spent a little time helping me edit and rearrange some sections of my fourth presentation on the Romanovs.

Today’s lunch was a Barbecue buffet so we have limited food options.  It came down to a Cesar Salad, some Spanish Rice, and Corn on the Cob.  Limited but good.

It was hot in the Grand Salon for “The Mystery of the Romanovs”, which drew only 15 attendees.  There is little opportunity to grow an audience because there is no audience to grow.  The talk, though less energetic that my usual outing, did end up on time and there was some post-talk discussion (mostly with Gary).  The edits proved to work very well and they will now become part of the presentation.

At 4:30 PM, we stayed for Broadway Trivia with Steve.  This time, we came in a distant second (56 to 40) but we are still not sure how the winning team got so many points. 

Dinner once again was outside and we ate with Gary and Florence.  I had pre-ordered a pizza (based on the delicious Pizza pass around the other day).  I had that along with Pea Soup and Marinated Tomatoes and Feta Salad.  The whole meal including the pizza was very good.

We were planning to attend the Pub Trivia Event in the Grand Salon but the AC was still not working so the event will be rescheduled later in the cruise.

Beautiful Atlantic Sunset

A little more rock and roll tonight…

 

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

The ship is rolling a bit more this morning and that usually means a headache…

After losing the headache, I had my pre-ordered waffle (with cottage cheese, fresh strawberries, black currant preserves, orange marmalade, and pure maple syrup) along with a perfectly prepared fried egg.  Again, just wonderful.

Ellen joined me after Yoga.

I tried to hit a few balls in the Golf Simulator but, as you can see, trying to hit a golf ball on a rocking ship is potentially dangerous (I did whiff one and wound up against the wall) and universally frustrating (check out my best drive).

 

We are now (in real time) on Deck 6 Starboard enjoying the limited shade on the open decks.

Lunch consisted of a tuna sandwich and fries and then back on the deck for the first day nap of the cruise – boy, that really felt good.

Went to Steve’s talk on “The Golden Age of Broadway – Part II” – this segment included “Camelot” and “Fiddler on the Roof”.  The Grand Salon was still warm.

Joined up with Gary and Florence for trivia – need to step up our game since we came in third – I did get “inspector Morse” correct (based on his sports car) but several of the questions were Anglo-Centric so we didn’t know them.

Tonight’s dinner (back on the back decks) is the special “Chef’s Degustation” Dinner – several small courses to check out coupled with some main dishes. We tried what we could but the bottom line was that this dinner just proves we are not “foodies”.  We ate with Steve, Gary, Tony, Florence, and our two Aussie friends.  Dinner was over for us at around 10:00 PM.

Finished Sharon Bolton’s “A Dark and Twisted Tide”.  I liked it although the author played several tricks with character’s names that forced me to go back and reread certain sections.  Now, her methods look brilliant – as they say, “The answer was here all the time…”

Started a new book - “The Kraken Project” by Douglas Preston.  It’s the fourth novel in his Wyman Ford series and has to do with a malicious computer program (I thought they all were).  It has a good hook and some crisp dialogue. 

Another clock change – forward.

Seas are kicking up – not a good sign.

 

Thursday, November 6, 2014

A roly-poly night and a little warm as well…need to find a nap on deck today…

The seas are still a’movin…

Another great breakfast – blueberry pancakes, fried eggs, cottage cheese, and preserves.  Must have been hungry because there was only trace left on the plate.

Ellen came up later and she had the cinnamon French toast, a banana pancake, and scramble eggs.  Very good, as well.

Broadway Trivia was at 11:00 AM this morning.  There were just two teams today and we won 43 to 35.  A good win.

Lunch was on Deck 4 Aft – Focaccio with sundried tomatoes; Salmon Scaloppini, and cheese and onion spaetzle.  All good.  The pass around was mini-hot dogs and hamburgers.  Ouch…

 

During his morning announcements, the Captain (our second captain – the original captain had to get off at Funchal due to a leg injury) said that we were making such good time that we would make a stop at St. Maarten (1 PM to 10 PM) and then still have plenty of time to get to San Juan, Puerto Rico.  I am ready to get off the yacht for a day and I love St. Maarten.

After lunch, we found some shade on Deck 6 but after a bit, it started to sprinkle, then rain – really rain.

 

Tropical Rain

Before Dinner (Caribbean Night tonight), we spent some time on the Port side Bali Beds – very comfy.  Tony, our mate from California, popped over and volunteered to take our pictures.

After Ellen, my Favorite Picture

Fun on the Bali Beds

The AC is still funky so dinner is once again served on the back decks.  It’s Caribbean Night so I ordered the Blackened Mahi along with a baked potato. The fish was very good.

Seas are semi-calm.

 

Friday, November 7, 2014 – St. Maarten, Netherland Antilles – 82F and Rain

Approaching St. Maarten

Still no land but the presence of seabirds is a positive sign.  Land should be pretty close.

 

Following the Birds (or they are following us)

We soon spotted the first land since we departed Funchal, Madeira.

Land Ho…

Another top flight breakfast – pre-ordered Waffles with Cottage Cheese and the usual works along with two fried eggs – my poor cholesterol.

Good News – we are in St. Maarten – Bad News – the weather is miserable and most port facilities are closed (we are the only ship here and we are an unscheduled visitor).  The Captain came clean and told us that the real reason we are stopping here is for a medical emergency – a passenger needed to be evacuated for health reasons. 

Pulling into the Pier

The ship arrived a little late (around 2 PM) and the passenger and his wife were met by transportation to take them for appropriate treatment (we got word later that he was doing better).

   

The Sea Dream II - Docked

The water taxi was closed so we took a cab to Philipsburg ($3/person).  In the end, it worked out better than the water taxi ($7/pp all day).  Even though we were the only ship in port today, the town still had plenty of tourists – probably staying at the various hotels and resorts around town.  The problem was the torrential tropical downpours that trapped us under various overhangs.  We didn’t get much walking in and I had to flag down a cab for the ride back to the port.  The other good news is that our text and data plan extended to the Netherland Antilles so we could catch up on e-mails (not much there) and news.

The weather continued to get worse and we heard some thunder at we were returning to the ship.  This was the only time we have visited St. Maarten where the weather was bad all day – sometimes, a tropical shower would interrupt a sunny day.  Today, clouds and super rain all day.

A Not So Sunny Day in Philipsburg

Because of the rain, dinner was back in the Dining Room, which was cooled down somehow.  I had a very good combination of Cesar Salad and Cheese filled Ravioli.  We dined again with Gary and Florence and manage to finish dinner before 9:30 PM.  The ship departed at 10:00 PM. 

 

Saturday, November 8, 2014 

Survived another year…

We are not at sea – in fact, we are not moving – the SDII is anchored off of Tortola, BVI. 

 

Hoisting the Bahamian Flag

Tortola Airport

At Anchor – Near Tortola, BVI

We are eventually told that this is due to the high winds (30 plus kts) and the ship will stay here all day until the winds die down.  The bridge also announced that they will open the aft marina today so people could swim in the Caribbean (water temp 28C/82F).

Ellen and I had breakfast together today – Blueberry pancakes, fried eggs and the usual combo of preserves.  For some reason, I just don’t have a good appetite today. 

Attended Steve’s trivia session today and did miserably.

My final talk of the cruise - “Search for the Unknown Titanic Child” (including the new segment on Lorraine Allison) is scheduled for 3 PM in the Grand Salon.  This talk is competing with the weather and the fact that the marina deck is open and my usual audience is in the water. 

Sea Dream II Swimmers

As expected, only six people show up for the talk.  I thought the talk went well but again it was very warm in the salon and I sweated through my shirt during the 45 minute session. 

We hung out on the deck – where you could find some shade – until it was time for the cocktail hour and dinner.  Dinner tonight was out on the open decks (good weather plus a hot Dining Salon).  During the cocktail hour, the Captain gave a little greeting and farewell.  He clarified some of the events that had resulted in the final itinerary.

From a personal perspective, I liked the change in the itinerary because we did get a stop before San Juan (even though the weather was wonky) and the day anchored at Tortola was very relaxing (even though it cut down on Lecture attendance).

Gary and Florence asked us to join them for dinner.  When we finished, the crew brought out a birthday cake (Ellen said she had nothing to do with it).  That was a nice touch.

 

Fortunately, the cake only had three candles – already a violation of open flames on board.

We finished dinner before 10 PM and the ship had not yet departed – I don’t think it left until after midnight.

Another surprise awaited me in the cabin, which was all ballooned up.  The crew must have put in some time attaching all those balloons to the ceiling.

 

Ellen did her usual magic packing and I had the bags outside by 10:00 PM.

We turn back the clocks tonight so, theoretically, everyone gets another hour of sleep.