Wednesday - February 19, 2020
The day before a vacation is always a busy one, but this was especially so. I took Mom to an eye appointment in the morning and had the afternoon to get packed for our 11 day vacation. The weather forecast was for a cold, snowy morning on Thursday so Mike and I spent the night at the Wyndam Airport Hotel. We got checked in then went to a Mexican Restaurant in Centerton for dinner. This hotel provides a shuttle to and from the airport and has parking for $3.00 a night. This was a really good deal and we will probably take advantage of it in the future.
Thursday - February 20, 2020
Our flight to Miami was at 6:00 am so we had to get up by 4:15 to catch the shuttle to the airport at 4:40. We ate a small breakfast at the airport before getting on the plane. We had a good flight and got to the Miami Airport by 9:45 am EDT. We took a taxi to the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Ft. Lauderdale. With a tip it cost us $90. We checked our luggage at the hotel then walked a couple of blocks to get pizza for lunch. After lunch we were able to get into our room. We were tired from the early morning flight so took a couple of hour nap. After our nap we walked two blocks to Las Olas Boulevard. We walked to the river front and looked around a while until it started raining.
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| River Walk |
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| Taking a picture before the rain started |
We walked back up Las Olas until we found a place for dinner. We got drinks and dinner at an Italian restaurant called Gran Forno Pronto. Mike got a Cesear salad and I got a Caprese salad. They were both good. After dinner we walked some more on Las Olas until we came to the Hollywood Brewing Company Bar and Restaurant. Mike got a craft beer to go that we drank while walking slowly back to the hotel. We were back in our room by 7:00.
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| Evening on Las Olas |
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| Night time on Las Olas |
Weather was warm and it only rained for a little while. This was a good start to our vacation.
Friday - February 21, 2020
We slept in this morning and got breakfast at the hotel buffet at about 9:00 am. We asked the receptionist at the hotel for the best way to walk to the river walk. We found out that we had gone the long way yesterday. We walked back to the river walk, but it started raining so we went back to Las Olas and went in some stores for a while. We had lunch at the City Bar Tavern and shared a grilled chicken Rachel sandwich. It was really good. The weather got better so we went back to the river walk and strolled the length of it. At the end we were looking at a tourist map of the area. While doing this a local woman started talking to us and gave us some ideas of what to do the rest of our time here.
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| Another shot by the river |
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| Elephant sculptures close to the hotel |
We went back to Las Olas and found a place to get some frozen yogurt. We both got chocolate/vanilla swirl and it was pretty good, if a bit pricey. It got cool out while we were walking and eating our yogurt so we went back to the hotel for a while. After resting and napping for a while we went back to Las Olas for dinner at the Hollywood Brewery. Mike got a craft beer and we shared an avocado turkey burger with sweet potato fries. It was really good. They didn't serve wine there so I let the waitress talk me into getting a margarita and I wish I hadn't. It wasn't that good and was expensive. After dinner we just went back to the hotel for the night.
Saturday - February 22, 2020
We went down to breakfast about 8:00 am and it was very busy. We ended up sharing a table with a couple from Vancouver, BC, Canada. They were a lot of fun to visit with. After breakfast we got ready for the day and walked back to the river walk where we booked a tour on a water taxi. After we had been on the taxi for about 15 minutes, it started raining very hard so they had to put the sides down on the boat. It stopped raining after about 15 minutes and got fairly nice for the rest of the day.
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| One of the multi-million dollar homes on the river |
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| Trying to stay dry on the taxi |
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| A hurricane-proof home being built |
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| The house that person is living in while the new one is built |
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| Tne "White House" of Ft. Lauderdale |
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| A view of Ft. Lauderdale from the river |
We rode the taxi for about 1 1/2 hours until it stopped at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. We walked a trail from the river to a restaurant next to the beach where we got lunch. We shared a Cuban sandwich for lunch. This was an open bar/cafe with a view of the Atlantic Ocean. We enjoyed our sandwich and the view.
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| Banyon Tree in Hugh Taylor Birch State Park |
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| Mike posing inside the tree |
After finishing lunch we went to the beach and walked on the sidewalk next to it for a while. It was pretty, but very windy. We left the beach and walked on a hiking trail for about a mile on the way back to the water taxi stop.
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| Mary on the beach - it was very windy |
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| View of the Atlantic Ocean |
We rode the water taxi for another 1 1/2 hour for the entire length of the tour. Luckily it didn't rain anymore. This tour was pretty good, we saw a lot of expensive houses and yachts by the river. The guides on the taxi were very informative.
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| Another shot of the "White House" |
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| One of the many expensive yachts we saw |
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| Mangrove trees between river and beach |
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| Another expensive yacht |
We went back to our room to rest and clean up before dinner time. Since it was raining again we went about 2 blocks to the American Social restaurant. We had drinks then dinner. We ate off of the happy hour menu, expecting it to be smaller portions, but it was not. Mike got a hamburger and I got chicken/cheese quesadillas which were really good. When we were done with dinner at about 7:30 we headed back to the hotel. We had a good time, but the rain kept us from staying out.
Sunday - February 23, 2020 Embarkation Day
We slept in this morning, ate breakfast, then hung out in our room getting ready for the cruise. We checked out of the hotel about 11:45 and had them hold our luggage. We couldn't embark on the ship until 2:30 - 3:00. We thought that was too late of a check in time, but had to go with it. We went to a sandwich shop on Broward Avenue and shared a chicken sandwich and fries. After lunch we walked around on Broward Avenue for a while before going back to the hotel. We ordered a Lyft ride at about 2:00 to take us to the Port Everglades cruise terminal. Our driver was Octavius and was a good driver. We arrived at the terminal for the Nieuw Statendam at about 2:30 and were able to pretty much just walk in. There was no one else checking in when we were. The workers told us that we got there at the only slow time of the afternoon, so that part was good. We went to our room, ocean view 1066, dropped off our backpacks, and then walked around the ship until time for the emergency drill.
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| View of cabin 1066 looking toward the door. |
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| Mike sitting on the couch by the large window. |
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| Storage area |
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| Bathroom |
After the drill we went back to our room and unpacked all of our luggage. Our room has a lot of storage, a small couch, table, and a large window. It is a nice room. We will try to get an ocean view for other cruises because of the size. After unpacking we got ready for dinner, walked around the ship, then went to the seaside bar for drinks and watched the sail away. The weather was nice, just a little windy. We had dinner in the main dining room. We were seated at the front of the dining room next to the entrance. We did not like this location.
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| Atrium of the Nieuw Statendam |
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| Mike looking at the atrium |
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| Mary in front of a statue on the lower level of the atrium |
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| Statue in the atrium |
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| Dining Room |
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| Enjoying drinks by the Seaview pool before dinner |
After dinner we went to the Rolling Stone Rock Room, had drinks, and listened to the Billboard Onboard piano players/singers and then the rock band. The Billboard musicians were very good and the rock band was okay. We went back to our room at about 10:00 for the night. This was a good start to our week long cruise.
Monday - February 24, 2020 Sea Day
We slept in today since it was a sea day. I ordered coffee for the room then we went to the Lido for breakfast where we both got omelets made to order. After breakfast we walked 3 laps on the promenade deck then went to the Ocean Bar to have a Coke Zero. We have a drink package included with our cruise so we plan to take advantage of unlimited drinks. Later we went to the Lido and had salads made to order for our lunch. After this we went back to our rooms for a short nap before getting ready for the first Gala Night of the cruise.
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| Dressed up for the first Gala Night |
We got to the dining room about 5:30 and got a better table this evening and better people at our table. After dinner we got a drink at the Billboard Onboard Bar and took it to the World Stage so we could get a seat for the show. The show was the ship's dancers. They did dances with a light show on all of the wrap around screens behind the stage. This was a very enjoyable show. While waiting on the show we visited with a couple from Oregon. The man did business with the Walton family and he and I visited a lot about Bentonville. This couple had both lost their partners, his wife died 10 years ago and her husband 2 years ago, and they had just gotten married to each other 4 months ago. The man said 'Now life is good again." So sweet. After the show we went to the BB King Stage for the music show, a very good show. We called it a night at about 11:45. This was a very good day.
Tuesday - February 25, 2020 Amber Cove, Dominican Republic
We slept in and got coffee in the room again before going to the Lido for breakfast. We walked around the ship then went back to our room to get ready for the day. The ship didn't dock at Amber Cove until 11:00 am so we had an easy day. We went to the Lido for lunch before disembarking. We went to the cruise line pool while on shore and lay out in the sun for about 3 hours. It was a windy, but sunny and warm day. It was very relaxing by and in the pool.
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| Docking at Amber Cove Cruise Terminal |
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| View of Nieuw Statendam from pool area |
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| Mike is relaxing by the pool |
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| Mary had to hold on to her hat because of the wind |
We got back on the boat about 3:00 and went back to the room to get ready for dinner. After dinner we went to the World Stage for the show featuring the comedian Drew Fraser. He was really funny. We enjoyed this show very much. After the comedy show we went to the BB King show. They were good again.
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| Entrance to the club |
We called it a night at 11:00 pm after a fun day.
Wednesday - February 26, 2020 San Juan, Puerto Rico
We slept in and had breakfast in our room again. The ship didn't dock in San Juan until 11:00 am. After breakfast we went to the cruise specialist on board and booked a cruise to Lima, Peru for January, 2021. We are excited about that. We shared a reuben sandwich at the New York Deli for lunch. It was really good.
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| A view of the old fort as we cruised into port |
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| A view of San Juan as the ship is docking |
After lunch we got off the ship and walked around the old town area. We began by walking to the Tourist Information center and got a map and information about where to walk. We walked from one old fort to the other and completely across the island along several of the streets.
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| Just got off the ship |
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| The Visitor Information Center |
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| A typical San Juan street |
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| Another street view |
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| Some political wall graffiti |
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| Ocean view from the far side of the island |
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| Mary in the ravelin of an old fortification |
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| The Ravelin |
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| Cemetery by the ocean |
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| Mike in front of the old fort |
While on the far side of the island, close to the old fort, we took a break at a local bar and had a local beer. The bar was the Cinema Bar and Grill and we had an SJU pale ale. It was a good spot to sit for a while. There was a gentle breeze and several people were flying kites in the lawn of the old fort.
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| Good brews |
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| Enjoying the break |
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| View of the fort from our table |
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| Bar where we had a beer |
After having our beer break we walked back to the ship. All told we walked about 6 miles in San Juan.
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| A courtyard by the bar |
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| A statue we saw on the way back to the ship |
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| A pretty street with nice flowers |
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| A street vendor with parrots |
After getting back to the ship we had drinks at the Billboard Bar and then went to dinner. After dinner we each got a drink to take to our room where we watched the movie "Harriet". We had a good time this day, but were tired from all of the walking.
Thursday - February 27, 2020 Charlotte - Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI
We woke up at about 7:00 am and went to the Lido for breakfast. We got off of the ship at 9:30 and went to the Tourist Information Center first. The lady showed us the way to the Sky Ride to Paradise Point. We rode the Sky Ride gondola up to Paradise Point. It was kind of strange getting on and off because they didn't stop the cars, just slowed them down. The ride up had nice views.
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| I could see the shadow of the ship from our window. |
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| View as the ship came into port |
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| On St. Thomas |
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| View of Nieuw Statendam from the Sky Ride |
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| Mike in the gondola |
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| Mary riding the gondola up |
Once at Paradise Point we walked around a little bit then had a Coke Zero and lunch at a restaurant at the top. Views up there were so beautiful!
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| View from Paradise Point |
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| Mike at Paradise Point |
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| Mary at Paradise Point |
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| View of Nieuw Statendam from the top with the Sky Ride on the right |
After lunch we rode the gondola back down and got back on the ship at about 1:30. We went to our room to rest before getting ready for dinner. We had drinks at the Billboard Onboard Bar before dinner. This was our favorite bar, we liked the bartenders, and there were a few other regulars that we got to know.
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| Billboard Onboard Bar - our favorite |
We had our regular excellent dinner then went back to the Billboard Onboard for drinks and the music. We sat through two sets before heading to our room for the night about 10:45. This was a great day.
Friday - February 28, 2020 Sea Day
We slept in today and had breakfast in our room. We enjoyed the extra space we had in the ocean view room. We went walking on the Promenade deck at about 10:00 then sat by the Lido Pool until time for lunch. We both had a salad for lunch then went back to the room. We rested, took showers, then got ready for the second Gala night. We were glad that Gala nights didn't require dressing up too much. After dinner we went to the World Stage for the Dance on the World show. It was very good.
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| The World Stage |
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| Waiting for the show to start |
After the dance show we went to BB King for one set before going to the room for the night. We did not like the BB King show as much on this ship as we had in the past.
Saturday - February 29, 2020 Half Moon Cay
Our last day of the cruise. Little did we know how much life was going to change after we got home due to the novel coronavirus - COVID-19. We had breakfast at the Lido and got off of the ship at 10:00 am. It was so cool out that we both wore long pants and our windbreakers. We walked across the island to the Stingray Enclosure then down the length of the island until we got to the horse stables. We walked over by the beach for a while then headed back toward the BBQ pavilion where we ate lunch. It was a sunny day, nice for a 3 mile hike, just not good for swimming.
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| A pretty 'heart' bush on the island |
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| View on the far side of the island |
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View of Nieuw Statendam from the beach -
such pretty water by Half Moon Cay |
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| Half Moon Cay |
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| A view of the beach - not many people in the water |
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| We always enjoy our time on Half Moon Cay |
After lunch we got back on the ship around 1:00 pm. We went to the Ocean Bar and had a Coke Zero while we watched the remaining passengers reboard the ship and watched the sail away. Later we went to our room to pack our suitcases so that they could be put in the hallway by midnight. We showered then went to the Billboard Bar where we said goodbye to our favorite bartenders, Noah and Lou. At dinner we sat by Laura, Rick, Laurie, and Jim from Des Moines, Iowa. We had sat by them one other time and enjoyed their company. After dinner we went back to the Billboard Bar where I had a 'Frank Sinatra's My Way - Tuscan Lemon Drop' drink. I called it that because I changed the regular lemon drop to be just how I liked it. We moved to a table for the Billboard Onboard show and Laura, Laurie, and Jim joined us. The show was very good and we enjoyed the company at our table very much. We had so much fun on this day. We went to our room by 10:00 pm, finished packing, moved our luggage to the hallway, set our clocks back an hour, and called it a day. This was a good day to end our cruise.
Sunday - March 1, 2020 Disembarkation and Flight Home
We had breakfast in our room again and disembarked the ship around 8:30 am. We had booked an excursion to Ft. Lauderdale and the Sawgrass Mills Mall with drop off at the Miami Airport. Our flight wasn't until 9:30 pm so we had to do something to take up as much time as possible. Our tour bus left the port by around 9:15. We had a tour of Ft. Lauderdale and stopped at a local bakery. Mike and I didn't buy anything, but did use the rest rooms. After the bakery the bus took us to Sawgrass Mills Mall. This is a huge mall. We got there about 11:00 and stayed until 2:00. Mike and I walked around 2 1/2 miles while there and didn't see even a half of the mall. We weren't interested in shopping so we just walked around, ate lunch, then sat outside enjoying the weather until time to leave.
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| View from stateroom window as the ship pulled into port |
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| Entrance to Sawgrass Mills Mall |
After dropping other people off at Ft. Lauderdale airport and the cruise terminal, we were dropped off at Miami Airport around 3:30. We got checked in quickly because we had TSA Pre-Check for this flight. The gate for our flight was a long way from checkin and we got there around 4:30. We had a long time to wait. We ate dinner and spent a lot of time reading, etc. Our flight took off on time and we arrived at NWA by 11:40 pm. The shuttle from the Wyndam Hotel was waiting for us. We will definitely use this service again. We got home by 1:00 am, tired, but had a good trip.
