Well here we are near the end of our second day at sea, and all is well with the world. sort of. The good news is that the Prinsendam is wonderful, the crew terrific, and the food excellent. And we have made a pack with each other that we will not use an elevator the entire cruise. Which means we are using the "STAIRS".
We are on deck 6, the main dining room is on deck 7, and the Lido (buffet line) is on deck 11. As we eat breakfast and lunch at the Lido, that means a climb of 100 steps to get there. Coming down is not so bad, but the climb up is interesting to say the least. But, we are determined and by the time these 50 days are past we should be able to run up them (well, maybe not run, but walk up without stopping anyway).
The toilet in or room is giving us and the poor plumbers a major problem. It seems it likes to fill up all on its own and then overflow onto the floor. But only at night. After midnight. We are on first name basis with the plumber. And the young lady at the front desk.
Sharon and I have pretty much decided that if it does it again, we are going to ask if there are any other rooms available.
Tonight was the first formal night. We didn't go as the tux I had pre-ordered and paid for never made it to the ship. And I didn't bring any thing that I could wear in it's place. But that's not really a big deal as the same meals are served in the Lido. just very disappointing.
I still haven't been able to get a picture to upload, and am going to try a couple of other things tomorrow while we are in Gustavia our first port of call.
The seas are still moderate, running 4-7 feet, the temperature is in the low 80's, the sun is shining, and all is good.
Cheers!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
My friend Murphy seems to be cruising with me. I had every good intention of posting last night, but Murf insisted that my luggage not get delivered to our room until after dinner. By the time we got everything unpacked and put away, we were quite exhausted.
Yesterday went well. We left the hotel around 11:00 and found a delightful little restaurant for lunch. Then it was off to total beverage to pickup some wine for our stateroom. After dropping the car off and taking their shuttle to the pier, we were happily aboard and in our room by 1:30. We spent the afternoon walking around getting to know the ship. It’s much smaller than the other HAL ships we have sailed on, so that takes a little getting used to.
Today it is bright and sunny with smooth seas, with waves running 5-6 feet. For the open ocean it’s not bad at all. I'm afraid there are no pictures today as the internet connection is not great and it keeps cutting out of me when I try to upload. Maybe tomorrow I can get something loaded.
Tomorrow is another sea day and then Saturday we get to our first port.Hopefully I will have a couple of great pictures to share.
Until tomorrow, Cheers!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Everglades Eco-Tour
So today was an all day eco-tour of the Everglades. Let me say up front that if you are ever in Southern Florida and want to take a tour through the Everglades, look up ecosafari.com. While it seems a little pricey at $145 per person, it's an all day tour that includes an airboat ride, a nature walk, a pontoon boat ride through the 10,000 island area, and a wonderful lunch. Also, while you are riding in the van after pickup, they will stop along the way and point out various birds, gaters, and other interesting points. We highly recommend them.
So as our pickup time was 7:30 we were up and about around 5:45. Grabbing a quick breakfast and gathering our gear off we went. Our guide for the day was a young lady named Michelle who was very knowledgeable not only of the critters to be seen, but also of the history of the indian population that is found there. She was great at being able to spot animals along the side of the road as we moved along and pointing them out to us.
It was amazing to us the number of alligators found in the canals along the road. Various species of birds abounded including egrets, ibis, vultures, red-shoulder hawks, ospreys, and others.
Tomorrow is a slow day or repacking everything, making a stop by the local total wine shop for our onboard provisions, and then boarding the ship sometime in the early afternoon. We sail at 8pm and are very eagar to get going.
I hope that you enjoy the picture of just one of the many creatures that inhabit this delightful area of Florida.
Cheers!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Butterfly World and Flamingo Gardens
After crashing early last night, we found ourselves up and about around 6am so down to the fitness room and road bikes for 30 minutes. After that, we took advantage of the free breakfast at the hotel. We picked up ou rental car around 10am and headed off to Butterfly World. The azaelas are starting to bloom in the area, so the entranceway was really looking nice. One thing we hadn't anticipated was the bus loads of school children. Not that they were bad or anything, just a lot of them. We didn't see many new butterflies that we hadn't seen before so we primarily concentrated on the many variety of birds there. One of my favorites is the parrot above.
After spending a couple of hours there, we were off for Flamingo Gardens. They are a non-profit organization that takes in injured animals and raises them if they cannot be returned to the wild. While there certainly are flamingo's there, they also have several species fo hawks, a pair of bald eagles, a pair of golden eagles, several owls, and numerous other birds and creatures found around southern Florida.
Tomorrow is our all day eco-tour to the Everglades, and we have to be at the pickup point by 7:30am. It should be a very interesting day and we are really looking forward to it.
That's about it for now so until timorrow, Cheers!
Arrival
It's expensive to hire a service to take you from where we live into DC. The cheapest I could find was $140 one way. Way more than my poor pocketbook can afford. So we rented a car for each end of our trip. Total cost is under $100. So I saved myself about $180. Being a Saturday, the drive into DC was not bad, and we arrived at Union Station around 1pm and checked in. Because we purchased a roomette on the train, we were considered "first class" and had access to Club Accela there which we took full advantage of. It's much nicer and a lot more comfortable there.
When it was time to board, we were escorted out to the track and our train and to our room. Now, we knew it was going to be small, as I had researched them prior to booking. Lets just say that they are "cozy". Not bad mind you, but . . . .
They are very quiet however with the door closed, which was a plus, and all meals were provided free as part of the fare which after seeing the menu was a major plus. The two facing chairs were very comfortable and at night made into the lower bed, while a second bed is pulled down from the ceiling. It should be noted that at least one person riding in these MUST be fairly agile in order to get up into the upper bed. When the beds are made, there isn't much room at all between the bed and door, perhaps 24".
We are staying at the La Quinta Inn near the airport and today will be going to Butterfly World and Flamingo Gardens, then meeting some friends of ours for dinner. Will get a couple of pictures posted tonight.
Until then, cheers!
When it was time to board, we were escorted out to the track and our train and to our room. Now, we knew it was going to be small, as I had researched them prior to booking. Lets just say that they are "cozy". Not bad mind you, but . . . .
They are very quiet however with the door closed, which was a plus, and all meals were provided free as part of the fare which after seeing the menu was a major plus. The two facing chairs were very comfortable and at night made into the lower bed, while a second bed is pulled down from the ceiling. It should be noted that at least one person riding in these MUST be fairly agile in order to get up into the upper bed. When the beds are made, there isn't much room at all between the bed and door, perhaps 24".
We are staying at the La Quinta Inn near the airport and today will be going to Butterfly World and Flamingo Gardens, then meeting some friends of ours for dinner. Will get a couple of pictures posted tonight.
Until then, cheers!
Friday, March 6, 2009
The Bags are Packed!
And ready to go! Two rolling 28" suitcases, two rolling 30" duffel bags, two camera cases, and a 20" carry-on. Thank God for porters. I will go out to Dulles airport tomorrow morning and pick up our rental car (cheapest way to get into Union Station), drive home, load it up, and leave around noon for Union Station in DC. Our train leaves at 3pm (or there abouts), and we arrive in Ft. Lauderdale around 5:15pm Sunday. I will let you know Sunday night what we thought about the train ride.
We wish everyone well, and hope that you enjoy traveling along with us. Until Sunday night, AU REVOIR!
Bill and Sharon
We wish everyone well, and hope that you enjoy traveling along with us. Until Sunday night, AU REVOIR!
Bill and Sharon
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Packing with 8 Days to go
Do you know how hard it is to pack for an extended cruise? Of course you do. Do you know how frustrating it is trying to keep luggage down to three pieces? Of course you do.
Much to our chagrin, we have decided that it can't be done. We have three bags packed and all weigh 47 - 48 pounds each. Then there is a fourth smaller bag that will become a carry-on for the train, plus two camera bags. We have pared our clothing down to absolute minimum and will have to use the self serve laundry weekly to get by. I have rented a tux from Cruiselineformals.com to save carrying formal clothing, and Sharon has kept hers down to two long skirts and a couple of blouses. Fortunately there is only 7 formal nights for the 50 days, and we may opt to skip a couple which we have done in the past.
We will be watching very closely this cruise to see if there is anything we brought that wasn't used, as our next cruise is out of Los Angeles and we will be flying there. Given the high cost of excess luggage (or weight) when flying we really need to see if we can keep that trip down to three bags.
But, the excitement is building and we are so looking forward to getting away for a while and seeing all of the sights throughout the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
Cheers!
Much to our chagrin, we have decided that it can't be done. We have three bags packed and all weigh 47 - 48 pounds each. Then there is a fourth smaller bag that will become a carry-on for the train, plus two camera bags. We have pared our clothing down to absolute minimum and will have to use the self serve laundry weekly to get by. I have rented a tux from Cruiselineformals.com to save carrying formal clothing, and Sharon has kept hers down to two long skirts and a couple of blouses. Fortunately there is only 7 formal nights for the 50 days, and we may opt to skip a couple which we have done in the past.
We will be watching very closely this cruise to see if there is anything we brought that wasn't used, as our next cruise is out of Los Angeles and we will be flying there. Given the high cost of excess luggage (or weight) when flying we really need to see if we can keep that trip down to three bags.
But, the excitement is building and we are so looking forward to getting away for a while and seeing all of the sights throughout the Mediterranean and Black Sea.
Cheers!
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