Hello again, Everybody!

Time for a new adventure. We're headed off to central Europe on a river cruise. The ship is AMA Waterways' brand new AmaCerto, and our itinerary will take us from Budapest to Munich. The tour package includes three days in Munich after the cruise, and we are adding on another three days in Berlin at the end so we can explore the city in more detail.

So far, we haven't had Franklin exploring the suitcases the same way as Thomas used to. But then he hasn't quite figured out the association between the suitcases coming upstairs and us going away...He has, however, taken over the house since our last report in February.  Here's a more recent photo of him:

Today we're finishing up the last of the packing and will be off tomorrow, arriving in Budapest on Wednesday afteroon. We hope you'll enjoy following along with us.

Leading the Parade

According to Larry's office site, we will be one of six or eight ships in Ft Lauderdale on Sunday morning. At the moment there are four of them, including us, inhabiting this part of the Bahamas Channel. We are in the lead, followed by Allure of the Seas and one of the NCL ships, while off in the distance in front is another ship too far away to make out which line it is. The bottom line is that there will be something in the neighbourhood of 20,000 people getting off ships, most of whom will be heading to the airport!! Which is why we are flying home on Monday!!! Unfortunately the boys have to be back at school Monday, so the Ortofskys will be among the throngs!!!

Our last post we mentioned that Thursday night was Lobster Night in the Main Dining room and they sure didn't disappoint! Lobster in several forms was had by almost all (Monica had Rock Fish) and it was very tasty indeed.

One of the problems with this itinerary is that they try to cram what really is a 9 or 10 day cruise into 7 days. The result is we arrived in Grand Turk, our last port, at 1:00PM Friday. On the positive side though, everyone slept in Friday morning!!! Except Norm and Barb though. They were awakened at 9:00AM by a phone call from the Head Maitre D'Hotel apologizing for the hidden walnuts in Jason's pancakes on Thursday. He was very apologetic, assured Barb something like that would not happen again and then offered to pay for our dinner at Sabatini's Italian Restaurant last night to make amends. Fortunately Jason suffered no lingering after effects, eating more than his fair share of lobster at dinner Thursday!!

The facility at Grand Turk was built by Carnival Corp a few years ago and is really nothing more than a large beach facility with a Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville Bar at its center. Ships from virtually every cruise line visit here and we have been here twice previously, on Crystal and Silversea. When we arrived, Oceania's Marina, their newest ship, was already there, so the beach was a bit busy. We found a couple of beach chairs under some palm trees and Monica spent a couple of hours snorkelling while I alternately read my book and snoozed. Yes, it is a tough life.

All these fish in water that was no more than 4 or 5 feet deep

Barb had booked the boys on the FlowRider surf simulator for later in the afternoon so at 4:00 we wandered over there and watched them try and kill themselves!! All-in-all a very restful and relaxing last port afternoon.

We enjoyed our last afternoon at sea sitting on our balcony and watching the waves, such as they were, go by. For our last dinner on the ship Saturday evening we are reprising our visit to the Crown Grill, the steakhouse onboard. If the last time is any indication, we will walk in at 6:30 and waddle out sometime around 10:00!!! Tomorrow we will be off the ship by about 9:30 and will be spending Sunday and Monday in Ft. Lauderdale. The Ortofskys will be off the ship early and joining the thundering herd heading for the airport.

Mitch liked the Lobster Cake appetizer so much the first time that the waitress brought him two!

Filet mignon and lobster tail. Yum!!

Nobody could resist the dessert sampler - least of all Norm!

More tomorrow from dry land!

Island Time!!!

A brief update from the last post on the medical emergency. We have no idea how it turned out and we arrived in St Maarten as scheduled without incident.

Yesterday was St Maarten day. We came, we browsed, we spent, we went back to the ship. Pretty much describes our day. Oh, and we had Italian Gelato at the new Gelato stand along the beach. Yummy!!!

We did buy a new small underwater-capable camera. Not that there's anything wrong with the old one, but we did find out in December that they don't make the rechargeable battery or the camera any more, so even if the battery finally gives out and won't charge, the whole camera becomes useless. And it's always a good idea to look for electronics in the islands. The new camera is about the same size, but has most of the same capabilities as our 35mm, AND it takes HD video! Some of the photos from the new camera are included below.

One of the things Monica was looking for even before we left was a travel snorkel set so she wouldn't have to take organized tours or rent the equipment when we visited the islands. Well, we even found that in Philipsburg! See:

While we were doing that, Norm and Barb took the boys touring, and a good time was had by all. Even though Norm said there was NO WAY the boys were going to Orient Beach (where one-half of the beach is designated clothing-optional), that's where they ended up for some swim and water sports time. We never heard any comments about the bathing suits, or lack of same, so we assume they stayed safely away from the dividing line. They toured much of the island and had a local lunch in Marigot on the French side before their beach stop. The boys really enjoyed the whole experience – we didn't see them until about 7:30 last night, just before dinner.

Sailing away from St. Maarten

Before dinner at the Wheelhouse Bar - the first photo from the new camera

Last night was the Ultimate Deck Party around one of the pools. We watched from above on the Sun Deck; the boys showed up long enough to get a drink and some food before disappearing with some of their friends (Jason ran into someone he knows from home – sound like anybody we know??) to hang out someplace where there was no Conga Line.

Today we arrived in St. Thomas at 7:00 to a somewhat overcast morning. Barb and the boys were supposed to go on a Helmet-Snorkel tour, where you wear a helmet over your whole head instead of just a snorkel, and ride underwater scooters of a sort to see the sites. Unfortunately, Jason had an allergic reaction to something he had at breakfast and ended up in the Medical Centre for an hour getting epinephrine to counteract it. So they missed out on the tour. Instead, Mitchell came to Emerald Beach with us and Norm for a few hours.

A hummingbird sipping nectar from an aloe plant

We met Barb and Jason for lunch at the Parrot Bar and Deli just off the waterfront. It was a really good meal, and just enough to keep us going until dinner tonight – or until we get a little peckish and need a chocolate milkshake or oatmeal-raisin cookie or something…

This will be the second formal night, and the menu has already got the Ortofsky men salivating: Escargots, French Onion Soup, and Lobster Tails. The food so far this cruise has been excellent wherever we've eaten, so we're expecting this to be just as delicious. We'll put up some photos in the next post.

Sailing, Sailing!!

Well, here we are once again at sea in the Caribbean!!!


After a leisurely breakfast at the Harbor Café, we boarded the ship about 12:15. Being A) in a Suite and B) Larry being a Princess Commodore at work, we were among the first on the ship. Ruby Princess is not the largest ship we have been on, actually it is almost exactly HALF the size of Allure of the Seas, but at 113,000 GRT, it is still a pretty big ship. We are in a Vista Suite on Deck 10, right at the back of the ship. As a matter of fact, other than the balcony of the cabin above us on Deck 11, we are as far back as you can go and still actually be on the ship. We look straight down from our balcony into the wash from the ship's propellers, as you can see from the picture.!!

The cabin is a good size, at about 430 Sq Ft, with a separate sitting area, whirlpool tub and separate shower. Our only real complaints are the bathroom has no shelves, and the balcony is on the small side given the size of the cabin. Here are a few pictures:

After dropping off our carryons we set off to explore the ship. Our usual practice is to start at the top and work our way back and forth, and down, discovering what the ship has to offer along the way. Ruby is one of four identical ships in the class and was designed primarily with the Caribbean in mind. There are four pools in total, two large "family" pools and two smaller "adult" pools, one at each end of the ship. Below this are three "main" dining rooms, an Italian Restaurant, a steakhouse, two large buffet restaurants, a pizzeria, an ice cream bar a BBQ grill and a café/coffee bar. Oh and there are many, many, many bars. And a casino. Plus 3400 guests. All spread over 18 decks! Now you know why the ship weighs 113,000 GRT!!! …at least at the beginning of the cruise it does (if you know what we mean).

The Piazza - the centrum that spans 3 decks

Entrance to the Wheelhouse Bar

One of two main pool areas

After attending the mandatory, and (post Concordia) much more stringent lifeboat drill, we met Norm and Barb at the bar of the Terrace Pool, the one at the very back of the ship, for the sailout from Ft Lauderdale. Having stood down on the rocks on Saturday evening watching the various ships leave, we decided it is a much nicer view from the ship! After a quick change and freshen-up, and having watched Ft Lauderdale "sink" into the distance, it was time to start the evening festivities. This included drinks at Vines, the winebar, followed by dinner, which, for Monica and I, included watching Norm, Barb and the boys valiantly try to stay awake. They flew down at 6:15AM from Toronto, and had been up since 3:00AM!!

The first full day of the cruise dawned bright and sunny and found us anchored off Princess Cays. This is Princess' "private island", a feature first introduced to cruising by Royal Caribbean at Labadee. Basically, it is a day at the beach, with everything and everyone tendered in from the ship. There are four separate beaches, each lined with lounge chairs and clamshell cabanas, and various sorts of water toys/floats are available for rent. As there really is not anything else to see, it's at the southern tip of the island of Eleuthra in the Bahamas, we elected to stay onboard with Norm while Barb and the boys went ashore. By all accounts they had a good time playing volleyball and getting sunburned, while the three of us lazed about the adult pool all day. It's a tough life, but…..

Dinner last evening was at the first of the specialty restaurants, The Crown Grill. As you might guess from the name, it is a steakhouse and Norm had been raving about this one since they were on Emerald Princess in January. He was not exaggerating!!! Everyone had red meat in one form or another, be it large, thick steaks or rack of lamb, all cooked to perfection, and topped of with some sinfully good desserts.

Today has been our first full sea day, and while the weather has been warm, in the mid-20's, we have run in and out of showers a few times. Which was fine by us as we were sitting at the pool anyway!! Jason and Mitchell both had massages this morning and came to the pool looking very relaxed and 'Gumby-ish'. They're having a good time even though they have to study for an hour or two every day – midterms don't go away just because it's Reading Week.

At the moment, Monica is sitting on our balcony, taking the air and enjoying the sun while knitting mittens. Yes, rather incongruous!!!

Tonight is the first Formal Night, so it will soon be time to "scrape off the barnacles" and get presentable. The ship is also experiencing a medical emergency of some sort. Earlier they made an announcement looking for registered blood donors willing to give blood. If an evacuation is necessary we suspect we may get diverted to San Juan, which is now the closest land to our position. There have been no further announcements, but we won't be surprised if it happens. More on that, if it happens, next post.

Back in Ft. Lauderdale

After an uneventful, if full, flight to Florida, we once again found that those little Nexxus cards we got last year are a real time-saver. Our flight was post-clearance, which means that we didn't go through customs at home, as usual, but cleared customs and immigration when we landed. Since we hadn't had to do this for many a year, we had no idea how long the lineups might be, but hoped that the Nexxus Trusted Traveler cards would help out. Sure enough, there were quite a few people ahead of us, but we passed the entire line by and did our thing at the Global Entry kiosk. We were at the baggage claim within about 10 minutes of leaving the plane!


The Lago Mar Resort and Club, where we decided to stay instead of Pier 66, is relatively small, but very nice. There is a good sized pool area, tennis courts, shuffleboard, a couple of beach volleyball courts, and direct beach access with private canvas cabanas and lounge chairs. Here are a couple of photos:

Our room is actually a small suite – separate bedroom, bathroom, small kitchenette area with a bar fridge, microwave, Keurig coffee maker and sink, and a good sized living room including a round dining table, couch and chair. The balcony is also a nice size, and although we are on the third floor, we can't see the ocean because of the palm trees around the pool.

Last night we had dinner in the Acquario Restaurant here in the hotel, and it was so good that we decided to go back tonight. There aren't any restaurants in the nearby area that are as good as this, and the prices are very reasonable. The resort is privately owned and you can see it from the attention to detail, the friendliness of the staff, and the prices for services and food. It is definitely a keeper for future trips to the area.

This afternoon we drove up to Boca West to visit with Judith, one of the Crystal Cruise Critic people who Larry corresponds with on a regular basis. We had a great time talking about cruises – we'll be seeing her in September on the Symphony trans-Atlantic crossing from Dover to New York.

When we got back, we walked down the beach – for the SECOND time today, Eric – to the entrance of Port Everglades, and sat on the rocks to watch the cruise ships head out. There were seven ships in port today, including Oasis of the Seas, so it took about an hour and a half before they were all off to their first ports of call.

Dinner was as good tonight as it was last night. One of the specials was fresh Stone Crab Claws. As everyone knows, we LOVE stone crab, and it is one thing it is very hard to get at home. So we each had a dinner portion.

Then, after going through an extensive list of dessert offerings, our waiter brought a Coconut and Mango Sorbet in a coconut shell for Larry, and mixed berries for me...and added a whole martini glass full of whipped cream!! So much for light and low calorie!

Tomorrow about Noon we board Ruby Princess. We have a large, aft-facing Suite for this trip. More tomorrow from the ship.

Off we go again...

This edition of our travel blog is dedicated to Thomas the Cat. Although he is no longer with us as we pack the suitcases, we know he is there in spirit. And is truly missed.

So we will also take this opportunity to introduce Franklin the Cat, our rescue kitten. He still hasn't worked up the courage to come out from behind the couch during the day, but we have little doubt he will one day follow in Thomas' paw prints as we pack for another trip.

This trip is a mid-winter (such as winter has been) get-away with Norm, Barb, Jason and Mitchell. It's a trip to a bunch of places we have already been, but on a ship we have never sailed before, the Ruby Princess, sister ship to Emerald Princess, the "Official Cruise Ship of Norm and Barb"! This will be Jason and Mitchell's first trip to this part of the Caribbean. Tomorrow we fly off for a couple of days in Ft Lauderdale, sitting on the beach and visiting friends, before meeting the Ortofskys onboard on Sunday. Forecast for tomorrow in Ft Lauderdale is Sunny and 27, a nice change from the dreariness of Toronto these last few days.

Hope you enjoy our trip!

Neko Harbour and Paradise Bay December 16

Well, the Lemaire Channel last night ended up being something of a disappointment. The clouds never did lift, and the channel was blocked by ice at the mid-point, forcing the ship to turn back. What we saw was impressive, but the ceiling stayed at about 300 feet and we know from our last trip that the ice-covered cliffs on either side of the channel reach to about 3500 feet! We're thinking of taking our pictures from last time, which are still on this laptop, and offering copies for sale to the other guests!!!

The plan for Friday morning was to stay in the area of Lemaire/Palmer for our final two landings of this trip, one at Neko Harbour and the second at Paradise Bay. We were to be the second group out, meaning we didn't have to get up early, but promptly at 7:30 our Expedition Leader came on the PA extolling "another beautiful Antarctic day and great conditions for a landing". Looking out between the drapes all we saw was snow falling! We're not sure what this guy would say if we ever actually GOT a beautiful, sunny day! One thing he did point out was this was a landing "on the continent" (as opposed to one of the islands) and congratulating anyone who now "had" all seven continents. Realizing that this would, in fact, be our seventh continent landing quickly dispelled any thoughts of rolling over and going back to sleep!! When we hit the beach about 10:15, we jumped up and down a couple of times and said, "okay we can go back now"! Actually we did hike the snow trails half way up the hill, took a few pictures, watched some of the crazy people "sled" down from the top, and THEN headed back to the ship.

As we had lunch, the ship moved out for our next, and final, stop at Paradise Bay. Along the way we sailed out into open water and were pelted by high winds and heavy seas. We didn't know it then, but this was a portent of later events! The staff had been in touch with another ship in Paradise who told them the bay was clear, but the vagaries of weather being what they are down here, by the time we got there the wind had blown the bay full of floating ice, so the last landing became a zodiac ride. As Larry has been fighting a bad throat and a bit of laryngitis all week, he took a pass on this one, but Monica got some great pictures. And a glass of champagne along the way!

As we were leaving Paradise Bay to start the journey home, the Captain came on with a brief description of the plan and announced that we should definitely "Drake proof" our cabins before dinner. Later, at the evening recap, he gave a weather briefing, complete with charts, showing expected winds of 50+ knots out of the west (our side of the ship by the way) and seas of 15 – 30 feet starting at about 9:00PM! To back all that up, when we entered the Dining Room on Deck 2 ALL of the port (left) side windows (again, OUR side of the ship!) had their weather shields in place and the blinds drawn. We had seen this on the Discovery Channel Mighty Ships episode about this ship. When heavy weather is expected they place steel hatches inside all of the lower deck windows to guard against the waves "blowing out" the glass. Not a comforting thought! We sat on the other side of the Dining Room! We will say the Captain knows his weather, because at almost 9:00 PM, on the dot, the ship started to pitch and roll!!

By the time we finished dinner the ship was pitching left, right, up and down with no sense of rhyme or reason. So what did a bunch of us do?? We made our way, holding tight to anything that was attached to a wall, to the Observation Lounge at the front of Deck 6 to watch the show. And what a show it was, with the bow moving up, down and around through an arc of at least 30 degrees in every direction, water and spray flying over the bow and the occasional wave hitting the windows! A couple of the staff popped in for a visit and told us the bridge registered a peak wind gust of 73 knots, or 105 MPH!!!! A few pictures……

About 11:00 PM we headed back to our cabin, where we discovered it wasn't QUITE "Drake proofed" enough!! Once we got everything else either packed away or otherwise nailed down, we crawled, quite literally, into bed and hung on for dear life!! Neither of us slept that much or that well for the not unreasonable fear we might wake up on the floor!!!