Category: Atlantic And Islands

Arrival in US

1/13/2016

We experience the roughest seas of the voyage our first day out of St. Thomas. The decks are much less busy and one of the staff members mentions that many of the passengers are down below suffering from sea sickness. I find that whenever I read or try to write on my iPad I get queasy. So, I sit back and watch the sea from the back of the boat and observe my fellow passengers. The ship band sets up in our area to play music for the Oktoberfest- themed lunch. The beat of the oompa-music actually makes me feel better. 😌

Luckily the waves calm down during the night. On our last evening at sea se enjoy dinner in the Garden Room and show then spend some time at our favorite lounge saying good-by to friends we have made aboard. At one point Anne and a group seven ladies are performing a line dance to Proud Mary at the encouragement of the singer and pianist.

Our arrival in Port Canaveral is a few days after the Paris attacks. I'm not sure if that is a contributing factor, but it takes well over two hours to go through Customs. Very frustrating. As a result we miss our shuttle bus to Orlando. After a few phone calls to the shuttle company it's determined that they are willing to send a van to get us, but it will take two hours to get to the Port, then another 90 minutes to get us to the airport. That's way too close to when our flight leaves. William walks through the Port and finds another service loading up passengers. $50 and 20 minutes later we are in a shuttle on our way. Two of the couples also in the shuttle are people we have dined with during the trip. Considering the size of the ship and the various timings of the morning this is quite a coincidence.

Chicago has experienced a snow and ice storm so our flight is delayed. William must take the blame, as when we were on St. Thomas in the heat and humidity he wished for cold and even some snow. He got his wish when we arrive very late in Chicago to the aftermath of the unusual pre-Thanksgiving snow storm.

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Caribbean Islands

1/13/2016

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Our Transatlantic cruise takes us to four Caribbean Islands. This is an added bonus as the only Caribbean islands we have been to are the Caymans, Puerto Rico, and St. Marteen.

Antigua is the first stop, and after so many days at sea most everyone on the ship is ready for some time ashore. Most of the activities / excursions on the island involve sitting on a beach or taking a catamaran and snorkeling. These are not activities high on William's to-do list, and I'm okay with that.

We get a map of the town. In addition to the requisite duty free shops at the port the map shows a museum and a historical church a few blocks into town. There should also be some local shopping, so those activities plus some e-mail time sound good to us. Well.... It's Sunday. The stores are closed. The museum is closed. We arrive at the historical church (which is not used and in need of significant renovations) just as the caretaker is closing the gates to the churchyard. He mumbles a bit about the last people not donating, so we persuade him (cash in hand) to allow us in for a few minutes. The exterior of the church and the graveyard are interesting and could be quite nice if they are renovated. Around here I would guess that would take 50 years!

Our priority is wifi access and e-mails. We find the Harborview Bar and Cafe. It's the bar/restaurant on the second floor of a gift shop near the port. All the seating is on the covered porch, which is perfect with a breeze and some cold beverages. The free wifi is an acceptable speed for downloading the hundreds of e-mails which have accumulated over the past days. Replies take a little longer than we'd like, but with patience they do go through. We finish a couple of rounds of beverages and process the important e-mails before making our way back to the ship.

Basseterre, St. Kitts is our next port of call. The town is small, but more developed than St. John, Antigua. Since it is Monday, the museum is open! We learn about the history of the island including it's primary product - rum. We walk around the small town for a while then find a cafe for a beverage and free Wi-Fi.

We visited St. Marteen two years ago on our first Transatlantic cruise and toured around both the Dutch and French sides at that time. The view of the bay near Philipsburg is gorgeous. Today we opt to take the water taxi to downtown then meander through the shops. Not much has changed, but it is a pleasant stroll.

Our last Caribbean stop is St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. It is already 86 Fahrenheit with 95% humidity as we take a shuttle into downtown. We are disappointed to find that the downtown seems to consist 50% of jewelry shops, 25% liquor shops, 15% tourist junk shops and 10% restaurants/bars. We check out the price of one of our favorite whisky's and it is the same price(before tax) as what we can get at the liquor store near our home. Hardly worth hauling it home to save $6. We decide to walk along the seafront and are treated to a seaplane landing in the bay.

The Funicular is located near the port. The idea of a ride up the mountain and a nice view with a breeze appeals to us. A few minutes later we find ourselves at the cafe on the top. The view of the bay is wonderful and the shade and winds provide welcome relief from the heat and humidity.

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Madeira

1/13/2016

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The sun is just coming up as the Captain starts his approach into Funchal harbor, Madeira. This is the first stop on our 16 day cruise from Barelona, Spain to Port Canaveral, Florida, USA. There's an uninhabited island near the port which we peer at through our cabin window. I decide to go up top for a better view while William shaves and showers.

Off the starboard side I am greeted by the island of Madeira and it's mostly white buildings. Walking portside one of the other passengers points out a school of porpoise who are jumping to entertain us. During our breakfast the bridge has maneuvered the ship into the dock. And by 9 am the announcement is made that passengers are allowed to go ashore.

The main park just across the harbor looks close, but turns out to be a 30 -40 minute walk. The sun is peeking between clouds and the temperature is around 72F (22 C) so the walk is pleasant. We buy tickets and board the red Hop-On Hop-Off bus for the combined red and green line tour. The route takes us along the marina/port, to the starting point of the funicular, and through the city center. Then the bus climbs through the streets to Pico dos Barcelos. At 335 meters it is a good overlook of the city and the harbor so we hop-off to enjoy the view and take some photo's.

Thirty minutes later we've hopped back on the bus to continue the route. Along the way we see many banana plants and learn that the island has three main crops: bananas at the lower elevations, grapes are grown at mid-elevations and cherries at the high elevations. Bananas are the second largest export, while Madeira wine is the first.

The bus continues on toward another city, Câmara de Lobos, and during the ride we see the tall cliffs bordering this part of the island. Câmara de Lobo was a favorite location for Sir Winston Churchill and he complete several paintings while visiting.

When we have completed the red and green route we hop onto a blue route bus which takes us on a more eastern route and climbs up to Monte, at 550 meters. The route provides more scenic views of the harbor and the city of Funchal.

When the bus returns into the city center we hop-off to stroll through the narrow streets. We were warned in advance that on Sundays only a small number of stores will be open, which proves to be true. So, we decide to enjoy a late lunch at a local restaurant. After finishing a very good slice of quiche I explain to our waiter that I have never had Madeira wine. He explains that there are four types of Madeira wine ranging from very sweet digestive to very dry which some people might drink as an aperitif or with food. I opt for the very dry. The glass he brings me is quite nice, with almost an almond flavor and caramel color.

After lunch we wander over to Blandings Wine Shop. Their Old Blandy Wine Lodge is next door where you can tour and learn the history of Madeira wine. Unfortunately it is closed on Sundays. I'm interested in buying a table wine made from the local grapes to take back to the ship to try it with one of our dinners. The clerk points out her favorite dry red wines from the island and I choose a bottle. I know we will have to pay the ship's $15 corkage fee, but it should be fun.

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Cruisin' and 25 Hour Days

1/13/2016

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Norwegian Spirit is the vessel which we call home for the next 16 days. Our cruise takes us from Barcelona through the Mediterranean Sea across the Atlantic to the Caribbean and then up to Port Canaveral, Florida. Along the way we will stop at 5 islands.

The ship is older, but well maintained. William is happy to find a reasonably sized shower within our cabin - definitely larger than the one we had at the B&B in Scotland. With a guest to staff ratio of approximately 2:1 we are well cared for and needless to say there is food available 24 hours a day.

Norwegian has what they call Freestyle Dining. Guests can make reservations for the dining rooms or just show up and based upon availability get a table. We are provided the option of a table to ourselves or sharing a table with other guests. Like most of the cruise lines they have specialty restaurants where they charge more, but we find the food in the dining rooms to be generally good, and some meals very good. There's also buffets and a small restaurant which serves pub food.

As a result of Freestyle Dining and sharing of tables during some breakfasts we meet a variety of people, many whom we enjoy being with and sharing stories. A few of the stories....

One woman in her early 60's lives on a houseboat in England. She frequently takes cruises during November and December to escape the cold, dreary days during those months.

A Scottish man from outside of Glasgow met a woman from Perth, Australia a couple of years ago while on a cruise. They maintain a long distance relationship and meet two to four times per year, normally for a two to three week vacation/cruise.

An Irish man explained how he owns beds in four different cities, but only one roof. A friend in Atlanta, Georgia said he could use the lower level of his home whenever he wants if he furnished it; he has a bedroom (including bedroom set he provided) in each of his son and daughter's homes in Ireland; and he owns a home in the hills outside of Alicante, Spain. He takes a trans-Atlantic cruise to the US late each Fall and a cruise back to Europe in Spring.

We also me a couple from Holland who are doing several months of home exchanges in the US when we arrive in Port Canaveral. They vacated their home in Holland earlier this year to bank up the months, turning it over to Americans. During that time they traveled around Europe in their motor home.

There's daily entertainment, which we tend to take advantage of in the evenings. Each night there's a show in the main theater along with four different music venue's. Mid-day brings live music or DJ to the pool area. There's also the variety of games and activities dreamed up by the cruise director and his staff. We spend the bulk of our days reading. William is proud to announce that he completed Atlas Shrugged, which is a very long read. I decided to bring a diverse set of books for the trip and make my way through The Wright Brothers, The President's Shadow, The Last Founding Father - James Monroe and the Nation's Call to Greatness, and Princess - A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia.

We found that six continuous days at sea caused stir-craziness in some of our fellow passengers. The practice of placing beach towels on prime deck chairs early in the day and then disappearing until early afternoon caused frustrations and outbursts, including incidents on both days five and day six where the ship's security team step in to calm disputes. On our last full sea day William whiled away some hours between our breakfast and lunch at the Casino, where they offer $1 Blackjack tables from 10am to noon.

One of the advantages of taking a Trans-Atlantic cruise is the avoidance of jet lag when arriving at our destination. Cruising from the east to the west is great in this regard - how can you complain about seven 25 hour days?

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Arrival in US

Caribbean Islands

Madeira

Cruisin' and 25 Hour Days

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