Wednesday, 3 February, 2016 – Clearwater to Halifax, Charlottetown
Off to the airport – Tampa airport is perhaps the most comfortable that we have seen anywhere. There are comfortable arm chairs, 110v and USB plugs everywhere as well as bar tables and chairs with outlets for comfortable typing on your computer. From Tampa to Toronto and then home.
Anyway, we were to arrive in Charlottetown at 0006h in the morning (after midnight) when the pilot came on the PA and said that we would be landing in Halifax in 20 minutes. The 20 minutes was right, but the airport wrong - kind of disturbing when the pilot doesn't know where he is going! Everybody was looking at each other puzzled. A couple minutes later, he came on the PA and said that he forgot to tell us that Charlottetown was having snow and freezing rain and it was too dangerous to land and the runways were not clear. We ended up refueling in Halifax and sat on the runway until 0210h and the weather had moved off the Island and they salted the runways. We got in at 0230h and home at 0300h! The good news being we grabbed one of the 3 taxis that they send out to the airport for 100 or so people!
Saturday, 6 February 2016
Tuesday, 2 February, 2016 – Clearwater
Tuesday, 2 February, 2016 – Clearwater
Today we took a drive along the Gulf Coast Islands mostly for the scenery and for the nostalgia of our trip of 20 years ago, stopping to walk on the sand. Although it was still beautiful, the traffic was bumper to bumper, crawling around at 30 km/h.
Today we took a drive along the Gulf Coast Islands mostly for the scenery and for the nostalgia of our trip of 20 years ago, stopping to walk on the sand. Although it was still beautiful, the traffic was bumper to bumper, crawling around at 30 km/h.
Monday, 1 February, 2016 – Tampa & Ybor City
Monday, 1 February, 2016 – Tampa & Ybor City
We visited with Don & Betty Patterson who were staying in Ybor City, going out for lunch and then to a café where we just sat and chatted catching up on what has been happening. That evening we decided on a different take for dinner and went to Pete & Shorty's a neighbourhood pub.
We visited with Don & Betty Patterson who were staying in Ybor City, going out for lunch and then to a café where we just sat and chatted catching up on what has been happening. That evening we decided on a different take for dinner and went to Pete & Shorty's a neighbourhood pub.
Sunday, 31 January, 2016 – Tampa - Clearwater
Sunday, 31 January, 2016 – Tampa - Clearwater
After disembarking around 0930h, we picked up our car and drove out to Tarpon Springs, a Greek fishing village 46 km from Tampa. This village was settled by Greeks at the beginning of the previous century, who were sponge divers and came to Florida to harvest the sponges that grow in the area. We had lunch at “Rusty Bellies” which catches, serves and sells its own seafood. Greek is still spoken in the streets and many signs are bilingual, with some also including Spanish. We visited here about 20 years ago with the kids.
That evening we went to Villa Bellini Restaurant for dinner. I had the Saccottini Ciro which is imported pouch-shaped fresh pasta filled with ricotta cheese and black truffles in a light cream sauce with mushrooms. Delicious, but ridiculously rich! Gail had the Cannelloni Tampa Cannelloni filled with chopped spinach, chicken, roasted garlic, mozzarella, ontina, armigiano and ricotta cheeses, topped with a armigiano cream sauce.
After disembarking around 0930h, we picked up our car and drove out to Tarpon Springs, a Greek fishing village 46 km from Tampa. This village was settled by Greeks at the beginning of the previous century, who were sponge divers and came to Florida to harvest the sponges that grow in the area. We had lunch at “Rusty Bellies” which catches, serves and sells its own seafood. Greek is still spoken in the streets and many signs are bilingual, with some also including Spanish. We visited here about 20 years ago with the kids.
That evening we went to Villa Bellini Restaurant for dinner. I had the Saccottini Ciro which is imported pouch-shaped fresh pasta filled with ricotta cheese and black truffles in a light cream sauce with mushrooms. Delicious, but ridiculously rich! Gail had the Cannelloni Tampa Cannelloni filled with chopped spinach, chicken, roasted garlic, mozzarella, ontina, armigiano and ricotta cheeses, topped with a armigiano cream sauce.
Friday, 29 January, 2016 – Pirates of the Caribbean aka Bankers of the Caymans
Friday, 29 January, 2016 – Pirates of the Caribbean aka Bankers of the Caymans
All along I had been planning to say that the reason for the cruise was to visit our money in the Caymans.
We awoke to the rocking and groaning of the ship as it battled high seas. The captain said that the stern of the ship almost came out of the water. There was no way to safely anchor, so we turned into the waves steamed on to Tampa at a reduced speed. This resulted in two lazy sea days rather than the one we had been anticipating. And, to reiterate what we have always said, you can never be bored on ship. There are always several activities going on at the same time. Our complaint is that we never have enough time to do everything we want to do! Deck circuits and gym time also cut into activity time although sometime you think it is a losing battle. Actually it is when you consider the food intake!
All along I had been planning to say that the reason for the cruise was to visit our money in the Caymans.
We awoke to the rocking and groaning of the ship as it battled high seas. The captain said that the stern of the ship almost came out of the water. There was no way to safely anchor, so we turned into the waves steamed on to Tampa at a reduced speed. This resulted in two lazy sea days rather than the one we had been anticipating. And, to reiterate what we have always said, you can never be bored on ship. There are always several activities going on at the same time. Our complaint is that we never have enough time to do everything we want to do! Deck circuits and gym time also cut into activity time although sometime you think it is a losing battle. Actually it is when you consider the food intake!
Thursday, 28 January, 2016 – Ochos Rios, Jamaica, maaaan….
Thursday, 28
January, 2016 – Ochos Rios, Jamaica, maaaan….
We took a took a tour which included a chairlift called the Rainforest Sky Explorer which soars above the rainforest to the top of Mystic Mountain. From there, Ted took the famous bobsled run, 1000 metres, curves at 90 degrees and full throttle all the way, clocking in at 48 km/h. Taking advice from the pit guy, Ted put his hat on backwards and it stayed on – unfortunately, the same could not be said for his sun glasses that are probably still in the rainforest! (or being sold to other tourists) After the run, the pit guy said that with the speed I was doing, I could have hit 80 km/h on a rainy day!
We then checked out the gift shop (there is always a gift shop) and the hummingbird sanctuary which is home to some 48 species of hummingbirds.
Then it was back to the chairlift and off to Dunn's River Falls – the famous falls that descends 55 m over 183 m. It was featured in the James Bond Movie “Dr. No”. The movie included the well-known scene of Ursula Andress walking out on Dunn’s River beach. Ursula was not there, but there were quite a few good stand-ins.(:-) Ted climbed the falls – somewhere a bit over an hour in a human chain. Fortunately, the chain was not very good – chain means everyone falls over if one person falls. You must wear water shoes to ensure grip and be fairly agile. The waterfalls is surprisingly swift, although I could not find out the speed. There are pools in several places which are a metre or less in depth which give you a bit of respite in 26+C water! Take that PEI!
Wednesday, 27 January, 2016 – Sea Day
Wednesday, 27
January, 2016 – Sea Day
Another day to relax
and catch up on the entertainment on board.
Tuesday, 26 January, 2016 – Aruba
Tuesday, 26 January,
2016 – Aruba
A is for Aruba, B is
for Bonaire, C is for Curacao or the ABC islands which are all Dutch
dependancies. Aruba has its own government separate from the other
islands of the Netherlands Antilles but they are all tied to the
Netherlands or Holland. Citizenship is Dutch which means they are EU
citizens and enjoy free university in Holland, free medical care,
etc. All the islands are beyond the Hurricane Belt and are desert
islands receiving little rainfall. And, although the temperature is
in the 30s, as they would say in Winnipeg – it's a dry heat!
Believe me, it makes a big difference.
We took a private
2.5 hour tour with a local guide who was very knowledgeable. He said
that the unemployment rate on Aruba was virtually zero, which also
meant that there was almost no crime. Housing on the island was also
very affordable with all kinds of mortgage schemes supported by the
government to get people into their own homes. Obviously, there is
pride in ownership and no slums. The average 150m2 home
is about $150,000US and being a desert – no lawn! The downside of
living on Aruba is that everything must be imported, making products
quite pricey. Water is all from desalinisation. Apparently whisky
is the preferred drink. When I questioned if they made their own Rum
as most Caribbean Islands do, the guide replied that they do but you
would have to be some desperate to drink it!
After a brief tour
of the capital of Oranjestad, we went to the Casibari
Rock Formations
where we climbed to
one of the highest points on the island. Although not that high, we
almost blew off because of the wind (thank goodness for the constant
feedings on the ship to give us bulk). There are few high points on
the island, and with lack of vegetation, there is no leeward side to
the island, just the side the wind comes from.
The next stop was
the Alta Vista Chapel, built in 1750 as the island's first Roman
Catholic Church. The Altar and Sanctuary are inside a simple yellow
and orange building and the pews outside – very practical given the
climate. Interestingly, we did not spot any confessionals.
The next stop was
the California lighthouse on the western tip. It was built in 1910
after the loss of the merchant ship “Californian”, a tragedy that
spawned its construction.
As we drove back
into town, we saw all the people participating in the wind and wanter
sports – wind sailing, kite sailing, etc., all thanks to the
constant winds.
From there we went
to the local market for a few last minute souvenirs and back to the
ship.
Sunday, 31 January 2016
Monday, 25 January, 2016 – Sea Day
Monday, 25 January,
2016 – Sea Day
After St Lucia we
had a relaxing sea day. Watch the video to see the ship:
MS Veendam in Juneau, Alaska, United States
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name: | MS Veendam |
| Namesake: | Veendam |
| Owner: | Carnival Corporation & plc |
| Operator: | Holland America Line |
| Port of registry: | Netherlands |
| Route: | Canada/New England and Bermuda. South America in winter months |
| Builder: | Fincantieri |
| In service: | 1996 |
| Refit: | 2012 |
| Homeport: | Boston |
| Status: | in active service, as of 2016 |
| Notes: | The current captain is Eric Van Der Wal |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Statendam-class cruise ship |
| Tonnage: | 57,092 GT [1] |
| Length: | 719 ft (219 m) |
| Beam: | 101 ft (31 m) |
| Decks: | 13 |
| Installed power: | 2 × 12-cycle 8640 kW, 3 × 8-cycle 5760 kW diesel generators |
| Speed: | 20.9 knots (38.7 km/h; 24.1 mph) |
| Capacity: | 1350 passengers |
| Crew: | 568 |
Sunday, 24 January, 2016 – St Lucia
Sunday, 24 January,
2016 – St Lucia
We
docked in the capital of Castries. We booked a seven hour tour that
took us from Castries on the north-west of the island thru the rain
forest to the east coast. St Lucia is a volcanic island and to quote
our tour guide “Ricardo” we don't tunnel through the mountains we
go over them.
The road was an ever-ending series of switchbacks with
beautiful vistas over the ocean and the rainforest. We had several
stops along the way at gift shops and scenic lookouts. We saw
bananas, mangoes, bread fruit, tomatoes, limes and oranges. At the
southern part of the island we stopped at Vieux Fort and then at
Laborie where a local beach barbeque was in progress – it looked
like fun but we were not invited! From there we visited the
Balenbouche Estate http://www.balenbouche.com/ where we had a very interesting tour of
the homestead.
From there we
proceeded to the Morne Coubaril Estate where we had a typical
Caribbean buffet for lunch. It is an estate granted by Louis X1V in
1713 and is still a working farm producing cocoa, coconuts and
manioc (cassaba). We were given tastes of coconut, fresh coconut,
coconut candy, coconut beans, coconut water and chocolate.
Saturday, 23 January, 2016 – Antigua
Saturday, 23
January, 2016 – Antigua
We docked in St
John's (just like NL except for the temperature) where we took a
ship's tour of the island booked. Upon disembarking, we were greeted
by a steel band. The best we have heard anywhere. We got an
overview of the island including th
e
remains of two British Forts perched as always on the highest land
with a spectacular view. Little did they know in their day that they
were not only defending the Empire, but providing future tourist
attractions! For us the highlight was Nelson's dockyard, the world's
only Georgian era dockyard still in service, established in 1704.
Today, the dockyard is a haven for private yachts rather than the
Royal Navy! The dockyard has many of the original buildings which
have been well maintained as well as a dockyard museum. The tour
gave us a great overview of the island with a very interesting and
well informed guide (hi Carolyn). She said that when the British
came, they brought stone (which was used in construction) and took
the Rum, the sugar, the molasses and the cotton. Now, the Rum, the
sugar, the molasses and the cotton are gone, but the stone remains.
Indeed, as we drove around we saw many buildings, including Churches
and houses built of the stone.
e
remains of two British Forts perched as always on the highest land
with a spectacular view. Little did they know in their day that they
were not only defending the Empire, but providing future tourist
attractions! For us the highlight was Nelson's dockyard, the world's
only Georgian era dockyard still in service, established in 1704.
Today, the dockyard is a haven for private yachts rather than the
Royal Navy! The dockyard has many of the original buildings which
have been well maintained as well as a dockyard museum. The tour
gave us a great overview of the island with a very interesting and
well informed guide (hi Carolyn). She said that when the British
came, they brought stone (which was used in construction) and took
the Rum, the sugar, the molasses and the cotton. Now, the Rum, the
sugar, the molasses and the cotton are gone, but the stone remains.
Indeed, as we drove around we saw many buildings, including Churches
and houses built of the stone.
Did you know that
Antigua has 365 beaches – one for every day of the year! We forgot
to ask, but I guess that Monday, 29th February will be
beach-less!
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