We are settled in our cabin and notwithstanding the picture in the last blog it is starting to seem comfortable and dare I say “roomy”. Well not quite roomy but livable.
We were assigned a table for 10 but have only nine dining with us each evening for dinner. Two couples from England, an older gentleman (late 80’s) from England, a bon vivant from Canada (more to come) a neighbor from Bethesda (can you believe it!). Almost 800 passengers are cruising “round the world” some for the fifth or sixth time and more. Our Canadian friend, Don Brody is on this 10th trip but is only traveling to Los Angeles this time. Don is the very, very friendly type and talks to everyone. He knows the staff from prior voyages and salutes them with a thumbs up and memories of cruises past. He is really delightful and is perfect for this setting. He sends out more than 450 Christmas cards each year to people he has met cruising. He has lots of stories and is a “topper” of all stories told. He lives with his sister outside of Toronto and is very involved with charity work and is on the board of a college in Nebraska. He seems to spend most of his time running his family’s foundations. More to follow about other table mates later.
The food so far is wonderful. There are lots of choices and variety. Dinner is with the same guests and the same table each evening (with a table of nine we all rotate each night). Lunch and breakfast are served in the same dining area but it is open seating. There are lots of other locations to dine on board and Sandy and I have been using room service for breakfast and sitting out on our balcony and staring at the ocean. As I write this we are at sea off the coast of Cuba and it is in the high 70’s with a wonderful breeze.
Yesterday we docked at Port Lauderdale and we took a tour of the Everglades. We went on an airboat with a flat bottom and a large driving propeller at the stern and “skimmed” the surface of the shallow waters. We saw alligators and lots of birds. It’s a quite beautiful spot. The weather was hot and humid but the speed of the boat made it comfortable. The boat seated about 40 people and was so loud they hand out earplugs. After the ride we attended an alligator demonstration. The alligators were called by name and the ranger hand fed them.
Back on the bus our guide told us that after WWII the Army Corps of engineers went to Australia to obtain seeds of two hardy trees to plant in the Everglades as these specific trees drink lots of water and the goal was to dry out the Everglades. It worked too well. The Everglades at one time extended to Orlando and now are about 40 miles south of Orlando. So they set about killing the trees but the problem was with this variety of tree if you attack them they immediately drop all of their seeds and you get more trees. Only recently have they started to make small incisions and planting poison to kill the tree over a longer period. So for those who have visited Florida that explains the stands of leafless trees.
Sandy and I were both a bit homesick and Sandy really missed the kids and grandkids. She made many calls but didn’t reach anyone. Next chance on our cell phone will be LA at the end of the month.
There is entertainment every night in the Royal Theatre and so far we have seen a wonderful singer who won the Ed McMahon talent show in the US and its counterpart in England. There was a great show called “Celtic Heartbeat” that was an imitator of “Riverdance” and a comedian. Which brings me to the passengers: There are young people on board but the average age is probably in the sixties. Small percentages (2-3%) have canes, wheelchairs, walkers and oxygen tanks. I really admire the people that won’t stop and keep experiencing life. However the comedian made two observations: His grandfather stained furniture – but he didn’t mean to and he had one audience that didn’t laugh at all but at the end of the show there wasn’t a dry seat in the house.
More to come.
We were assigned a table for 10 but have only nine dining with us each evening for dinner. Two couples from England, an older gentleman (late 80’s) from England, a bon vivant from Canada (more to come) a neighbor from Bethesda (can you believe it!). Almost 800 passengers are cruising “round the world” some for the fifth or sixth time and more. Our Canadian friend, Don Brody is on this 10th trip but is only traveling to Los Angeles this time. Don is the very, very friendly type and talks to everyone. He knows the staff from prior voyages and salutes them with a thumbs up and memories of cruises past. He is really delightful and is perfect for this setting. He sends out more than 450 Christmas cards each year to people he has met cruising. He has lots of stories and is a “topper” of all stories told. He lives with his sister outside of Toronto and is very involved with charity work and is on the board of a college in Nebraska. He seems to spend most of his time running his family’s foundations. More to follow about other table mates later.
The food so far is wonderful. There are lots of choices and variety. Dinner is with the same guests and the same table each evening (with a table of nine we all rotate each night). Lunch and breakfast are served in the same dining area but it is open seating. There are lots of other locations to dine on board and Sandy and I have been using room service for breakfast and sitting out on our balcony and staring at the ocean. As I write this we are at sea off the coast of Cuba and it is in the high 70’s with a wonderful breeze.
Yesterday we docked at Port Lauderdale and we took a tour of the Everglades. We went on an airboat with a flat bottom and a large driving propeller at the stern and “skimmed” the surface of the shallow waters. We saw alligators and lots of birds. It’s a quite beautiful spot. The weather was hot and humid but the speed of the boat made it comfortable. The boat seated about 40 people and was so loud they hand out earplugs. After the ride we attended an alligator demonstration. The alligators were called by name and the ranger hand fed them.
Back on the bus our guide told us that after WWII the Army Corps of engineers went to Australia to obtain seeds of two hardy trees to plant in the Everglades as these specific trees drink lots of water and the goal was to dry out the Everglades. It worked too well. The Everglades at one time extended to Orlando and now are about 40 miles south of Orlando. So they set about killing the trees but the problem was with this variety of tree if you attack them they immediately drop all of their seeds and you get more trees. Only recently have they started to make small incisions and planting poison to kill the tree over a longer period. So for those who have visited Florida that explains the stands of leafless trees.
Sandy and I were both a bit homesick and Sandy really missed the kids and grandkids. She made many calls but didn’t reach anyone. Next chance on our cell phone will be LA at the end of the month.
There is entertainment every night in the Royal Theatre and so far we have seen a wonderful singer who won the Ed McMahon talent show in the US and its counterpart in England. There was a great show called “Celtic Heartbeat” that was an imitator of “Riverdance” and a comedian. Which brings me to the passengers: There are young people on board but the average age is probably in the sixties. Small percentages (2-3%) have canes, wheelchairs, walkers and oxygen tanks. I really admire the people that won’t stop and keep experiencing life. However the comedian made two observations: His grandfather stained furniture – but he didn’t mean to and he had one audience that didn’t laugh at all but at the end of the show there wasn’t a dry seat in the house.
More to come.
4 comments:
You two are lookin' good!!! Enjoy the great food, pleasant companions and balmy weather (sub-zero in Mystic, the coldest in 25 years. Love from your Mysticpals
Hey Grandma and Grandpa! I LOVE the blog!!! It's so well done, and I can't wait for the next post. Sorry I didn't get your call; I was in class, and I think by the time I had called back you were already on the high seas again. Love and miss you both so much, and I can't wait to read about your next adventure (Panama Canal perhaps?)
Hey Grandma&Grandpa!
I am really enjoying reading you blog and I love the pictures! It sounds like you are having a great time, and I can't wait to hear about the rest of your adventures! I have been meaning to tell you that I have been reading "Hot, Flat, and Crowded", and I love it!! It is so interesting; thank you so much! Love and miss you both!
-Natalie
You both look wonderful and it appears to be shaping up to truly be the trip of a lifetime! I am so happy for you. All is well in Georgia, at least I don't think we are poisoning trees (but poisoned is one of Anna's spelling words this week!!!!) I am staying busy at work and we are about to triple our census in the next few weeks. So, we will be hopping. I hope to talk with you when you are in/near LA. I also love the blog...how funny that Dad is writing it and not Sandy. Ironic, isn't it? MUCH LOVE to you both!!!
Post a Comment