Alexandria, Virginia - July 2020

Tuesday - July 7, 2020

We spent today getting everything ready for our trip to Scott's in Alexandria, Virginia.  This is the first trip we have taken since the explosion of the Covid-19 pandemic.  This makes everything very different.  We are taking our trailer so that we do not have to go inside any business on the way and so that we don't have to hang out in Scott's house.  We are being very cautious about exposure to the virus.  We are so excited to leave in the morning.  We will spend 3 days on the road.  Even with the new dynamics of the pandemic, we have the same feelings the day before a trip; excitement, nerves, anticipation.  Ready to be "On the Road Again".

Wednesday - July 8, 2020

We got up early and left the house around 7:00.  We drove through Fayetteville to Hwy. 45 then hit Hwy. 412 to Hwy 65.  At Springfield we got on Hwy. 60 and stayed on it until we hit I24 in Paducah, Kentucky.  Driving was okay, it was just hot out.  When we stopped to get gas just before we got to the KOA east of Paducah, oil was sprayed out of the engine all over the passenger side of the car and trailer.  Mike discovered that he had left the oil cap off when he added oil on Tuesday.  Luckily the oil cap was still trapped on the engine.  Mike bought a quart of oil and added less than half a quart.  It was a mess.  When we crossed over the Mississippi River and then immediately started over the Ohio River.  There was construction on the bridge and we sat on the bridge for about 15 minutes.  We did not like that at all because the bridge rattled as the traffic passed us in the other lane.

Bridge over the Mississippi River

Bridge over the Ohio River

Ohio River

Another view of the Ohio River

We got to the Paducah/Kentucky Lakes KOA at about 4:30.  This KOA was  pretty nice with lots of shade.  

Campsite for the night

It has been different traveling during the pandemic.  We are extremely careful about wearing masks inside, keeping our hands clean, and not touching anything outside the vehicle as much as possible.   It did feel good to get to go somewhere away from home.

Thursday - July 9, 2020

Not much happened today.   We fixed coffee and pbj sandwiches for breakfast and got on the road by 8:00.  We traveled through Kentucky most of the day.  We spent the night just inside West Virginia at the Huntington/Fox Fire KOA.  It was an okay KOA, but our site did not have much shade and it was hot again.  I was bothered by the fact that no one except me and one other person in the office were wearing masks.  It was kind of hit and miss about the mask wearing.  We had leftovers for dinner then just sat around inside the trailer until time for bed.

Friday - July 10, 2020

We got up around 7:00 am, walked around the campground a couple of times, had coffee and breakfast, and got on the road by 8:00 am.  We traveled on I64 through West Virginia.  This stretch of road has a  toll road through the mountains.  It cost us $10, but was well worth it. It was another hot, steamy day.   We stopped for gas late in the afternoon at a Love's that had a Wendy's so we splurged and both had a Frosty.  YUM!

Bridge over the Kanawha River in Charleston, WV

Kanawha River

Traveling through the Smokey Mountains

We got to our campsite at the Fredericksburg KOA about 4:30.  This is a nice KOA just about 1 hour out of the DC area.  We stayed here so that we could get to Scott's house on a Saturday morning when the traffic on Franconia will not be as heavy.  We had leftovers for dinner, sat around reading, and called it a night early.  

Saturday - July 11, 2020

We got up, had coffee and breakfast, dumped both tanks, and got on the road about 8:00 am.  The traffic into Alexandria wasn't too bad.  We took I95 until the exit for Alexandria.  When we got to Scott's, Mike had to pull the trailer onto the road across Franconia from Scott's driveway.  Scott and I waited until no cars were close then stood in the road stopping traffic while Mike backed into the driveway.  It really wasn't too bad, Mike got the trailer where it needed to be on the first try.

We were so happy to be here.  We hadn't seen Scott and the kids since Christmas.  That is too long!.  We spent the day hanging out in the back yard, moving our chairs and fans so that we could stay in the shade.

Where we parked our trailer for 10 days

Social distancing in the back yard

Aslynn, Elli, Hunter, and Oscar enjoying the pool

The kids spent a lot of time in the pool

We social distanced outside so that we didn't have to wear masks all the time.  It was hard not hugging the kids and doing stuff real close, but we at least got to see everyone.  Cristin, Aslynn, and Hunter were staying at Scott's while we were there, so we got to visit with everyone.

Sunday - July 12, 2020 through Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Not much happening these days.  It was really hot so we hung out early in the day and of an evening.  Mike and I rested in the trailer during the hottest part of the day.  It got up in the upper 90's every day with a heat index over 100.  Scott had to work some of the time during the week.  Mike and I did everything in our trailer, except for using the bathroom during the day.  Scott sanitized his downstairs bathroom so that we could use it safely.  Trying to not spread the Covid.  Mike and I were able to use the shower in the trailer because we could empty the gray water tank into Scott's flower beds.  We couldn't dump the black water tank, so we had to quit using it at all eventually.

Wednesday - July 15, 2020

Another hot day, but we went for a hike not far from Scott's house pretty early in the morning.  We walked on the trail for about 2 1/2 miles.  It was a fun hike and good to get away from the house.

Hiking in the creek bed of Clermont Park

Kids found a frog in the small pool of water

Oscar, Hunter, Aslynn, and Elli

Mike and I enjoyed hanging out with the grandkids

We spent the rest of the day hanging out in the back yard.

Thursday - July 16, 2020

We got everything ready on Wednesday to head to the beach on this day.  We left the house around 9:30 for the 45 minute. drive to the beach.  Scott, Cristin, and the kids went in Scott's van and Mike and I took our car.  When we got to the beach there were so many people there that we were not comfortable staying there.  It was a major disappointment.  It seemed like every fun thing we planned had to be cancelled because of Covid.  We had been to this beach before and there never were more than 2 other families there.  We left the beach and stopped at a park on the way back to the house to eat a picnic lunch.  After lunch we did about a one mile hike then Scott and the boys tried flying a kite before heading back to the house.

Scott flying a kite

More kite flying

After getting back to the house, the kids and I made a pretend amusement park in the backyard.  We made a couple of places to play 'miniature golf', had a ring toss, an obstacle course, and a photo booth.  This was our way of compensating for not getting to hang out at the beach.

Elli and Aslynn with photo props

Mike with a fake mustache

We had dinner outside and sat out visiting before calling it a night about 9:30.

Friday - July 17, 2020 

Another hot day.  Cristin had gotten supplies for tie-dying t-shirts, so the kids and I spent the morning making each kid a tie-dye shirt.  This was a fun activity to do on a hot day.

Helping the kids with their tie dye shirts

More tie dying

Everyone worked hard on their shirts

Hunter and Oscar making 'lava' shirts

After getting the shirts in bags soaking up the dye, Cristin and her kids went on a 'play date' by her house.  While they were gone Elli, Oscar, and I played in the pool.  The pool wasn't big enough for me to get into with all 4 kids there.  I had fun getting to play with Elli and Oscar and it felt good to be in the water on this hot day.

Saturday - July 18, 2020 through Tuesday - July 21, 2020

We just basically hung out in the back yard these days.  Elli and Oscar went to Beth's house on Sunday and were gone through Tuesday.   We went walking in the neighborhood most days, and occasionally the others joined us.  

Aslynn in a flower garden on one of our daily walks

Scott had to work every day during the week so Mike and I mainly hung out by ourselves.  Cristin spent a lot of time moving things to her house and getting things organized for when Scott, Elli, and Oscar move over there.  Scott moved a tv and his Switch into the garage so that the kids could play a game out there one night and then he and I played Mario Kart another night.  It rained hard and stormed the last 2 night we stayed at Scott's house.  One night it was so bad that Mike and I had to go sit in the house with them with our masks on.   This will be the last time Mike and I come to this house since Scott is moving in with Cristin.

Wednesday - July 22, 2020

We got around and prepared to leave Scott's.  Cristin's parents have a house in the mountains that we are going to spend a few nights at.  Her parents were at their condo in the Florida Keys.  Mike and I left at about 11:00 am since we had to go by the Fredericksburg KOA to dump our tanks.  The trip to the KOA was uneventful and we were able to get our tanks emptied.  It was a bit pricey ($30) but had to be done.  Shortly after we left the KOA we were hit by a thunderstorm with lots of lightning and heavy rain.  Luckily it only lasted for about 5 minutes.  Scott and Cristin weren't so lucky.  They took a different route and basically followed the storm the whole trip.  Their drive took 5 hours instead of the normal 3 hours.  Mike and I got to the house about 20 minutes before the others.  Since we didn't know where to park the trailer, we just hung around while we waited.

The house in the mountains where we stayed for 4 nights

After Scott and Cristin got to the house, we tried to pull the trailer to the top of the driveway so we could have a level spot to park close to an electric outlet.  However, the driveway was so narrow, steep, and wet from the rain that we couldn't get the trailer to the top.  Mike got stuck because the drop off by the driveway was to deep to drive over and the grass and dirt were so wet the tires just spun out.  

This shows the drop off on the right side of the trailer

The front tire was off in the grass

We decided to leave the trailer overnight.  There is a spare bedroom and bathroom downstairs that we could use and not be breathing air from the others.  Once we unloaded the cars and rested for a bit we all walked up the hill to the fence by the horse pasture.  The kids enjoyed petting the horses and feeding them grass.  

Oscar really enjoyed the horses

Elli trying to get the horse's attention

Oscar watching while Aslynn fed a horse

Aslynn feeds her favorite horse

Mike, Cristin, and Elli with the horses

Aslynn, Hunter, Cristin, and Oscar

It had been a long tiring day, but this is a nice place to stay for a few days.  Scott needed to get out of the city, even if he had to work some while we were here.

Thursday - July 23, 2020

Another hot, humid day.  We basically hung out in the house.  Right after breakfast Mike and I were able to get the car and trailer moved since the driveway and grass had dried off.  We just moved the trailer to a parking spot at the bottom of the driveway.  All the adults kept masks on while we were in the house.  The kids did a lot of playing outside on the swing set and went exploring on the trails in the woods.  In the afternoon, Cristin took the kids to the nearby lake to swim.  It wasn't crowded so they got to have lots of fun.

Field just below the house.  There is a deer in the back of the field.

After dinner Scott and I stayed up late doing our normal talking about world problems.  It was after midnight when we went to bed.  Cristin's dad has a room filled with stuffed game that is next to Mike's and my bedroom.  The kids had left a light on in the far corner.  I went to turn it off and on the way back ran into a sharp place on the ear of an African caped buffalo.  

The game room with the African caped buffalo

It split the right side of my forehead open and Cristin had to drive me to the hospital in Waynesboro - about 30 minutes away.  I got 10 stitches and we were able to get back to the house at about 5:00 am.  We were extremely tired.  It made us nervous to be in the emergency room because of the Covid - 19.  There was even a call to do a Covid test 2 rooms down from us.  We made it back safely and immediately went to bed.

Friday - July 24, 2020

Cristin and I both spent most of the day sleeping.  Scott took off from work so that he could take care of the kids to let Cristin sleep.  That evening after dinner, Cristin and Scott took the boys outside and let them use the golf clubs at the house to learn how to hit golf balls.  Both boys were pretty good at it.

Scott, Cristin, Hunter and Oscar hitting golf balls

Another shot of the golfing 

A beautiful sunset

Not much else happened this day.  We all called it a night fairly early after the tiring night on Thursday.

Saturday - July 25, 2020

Today Scott and Cristin took the kids back to the lake right after breakfast.  They wanted to get there early to avoid the crowds.  They all had a good time.  They made it back to the house about 12:30.  While they were gone Mike and I did some cleaning at the house to help get ready to leave the next morning.  Mike and Scott went to a barbeque place to get take out for dinner.  After dinner Mike pulled the trailer and car through the yard to get it turned around.  That turned out to be pretty easy.  Our whole problem on Wednesday was due to the heavy rain.  Not much else happened this day. 

Sunday - July 26, 2020

After breakfast, Mike and I got our trailer and car packed so we could get on the road.  We left Cristin's parents house about 10:00 am while Scott and Cristin were finishing getting all of their stuff ready.  It was really hard to leave.  It was probably the most tearful that I have been since Scott first moved to the DC area.  We took I64 west to the Huntington/Fire Fox KOA.  While still in the mountains we saw a young black bear run across the interstate.  That was exciting.

A view of the Blueridge Mountains

Another view of the mountains

We got to the KOA at about 4:30.  I had asked for a shady spot and we were given a nice place.  Had a lot more shade than when we were there on our way to Scott's.  I fixed chicken alfredo with canned chicken and peas for dinner.  We called it a night pretty early so we could get up and on the road fairly early the next day.

Monday - July 27, 2020 and Tuesday - July 28, 2020

Not much happening these two days other than driving home.  We basically just reversed our drive out to Scott's.  We stayed at the Paducah/Kentucky Lake KOA on Monday night.  Then on Tuesday we had a 10 hour drive to get home.  It was a long drive, but we had a good trip and really enjoyed getting to see Scott, Cristin, and the kids.  As always, we were glad to be home.

Ft. Lauderdale and Caribbean Cruise - Feb. 2020

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.

River Walk

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.

Evening on Las Olas

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.

Another shot by the river

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.

One of the multi-million dollar homes on the river

Trying to stay dry on the taxi

A hurricane-proof home being built

The house that person is living in while the new one is built

Tne "White House" of Ft. Lauderdale

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.

Banyon Tree in Hugh Taylor Birch State Park

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.

Mary on the beach - it was very windy

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.

Another shot of the "White House"

One of the many expensive yachts we saw

Mangrove trees between river and beach

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.

View of cabin 1066 looking toward the door.

Mike sitting on the couch by the large window.

Storage area

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.

Atrium of the Nieuw Statendam

Mike looking at the atrium

Mary in front of a statue on the lower level of the atrium

Statue in the atrium

Dining Room

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.

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.

Docking at Amber Cove Cruise Terminal

View of Nieuw Statendam from pool area

Mike is relaxing by the pool

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.

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.

A view of the old fort as we cruised into port

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.

Just got off the ship

The Visitor Information Center

A typical San Juan street

Another street view

Some political wall graffiti

Ocean view from the far side of the island

Mary in the ravelin of an old fortification

The Ravelin

Cemetery by the ocean

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.

Good brews

Enjoying the break

View of the fort from our table

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.

A courtyard by the bar

A statue we saw on the way back to the ship

A pretty street with nice flowers

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.

I could see the shadow of the ship from our window.

View as the ship came into port

On St. Thomas

View of Nieuw Statendam from the Sky Ride

Mike in the gondola

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!

View from Paradise Point

Mike at Paradise Point

Mary at Paradise Point

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.

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.

The World Stage

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.

A pretty 'heart' bush on the island

View on the far side of the island

View of Nieuw Statendam from the beach -
such pretty water by Half Moon Cay

Half Moon Cay

A view of the beach - not many people in the water

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.

View from stateroom window as the ship pulled into port

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.