We leave in two days for a two-month adventure! This, trip has been almost a year in the planning stages and has many different facets. To begin with some background, we took a guided tour of the highlights of Italy last year. Saw many major tourist locations but it was very fast paced – no rest time nor much on our own time. We wanted to get back and explore in much deeper detail. So here is the plan:
Continue reading “Fall 2024 European Adventure”Cruise – Western Caribbean
One of our vacations from a strenuous retirement, is to take a cruise while we are already in Florida for the winter. This year I found a 6-day cruise on Royal Caribbean aboard the Jewel of the Seas. It was a good deal at less than $100 a day each for an inside cabin and it sailed out about 45 days from when I booked it. It was a beautiful warm week in late February and we had a surprise waiting for us on board! On to the Western Caribbean!
February Was a Blur
Not sure where the month of February went to, but it is in the rear view mirror now. We seemed to be busy for most of the days, but had just a few noteworthy events. So it is to be retired and enjoying life in Florida, the capital of the 55 and over set. I try to capture items in this blog that have some interest for others and to document our travels. So where did February go?
Crystal Symphony – A Tour
We have been back to our winter home for a few days now. Enough time to rest up a bit and reflect on our experiences on this cruise. In today’s blog, I have included several photos from onboard the Symphony. So this will be a tour of the ship and some of my thoughts regarding the cruise line.
Home! – A Wild Ride
Pat and I made it safely home yesterday, 1/24, after a very long day the day before. It was an adventure that we would rather not repeat. Although, I love the travelling and you have to take it that occasionally things do not go as planned. Thank goodness with time, we tend to remember the better parts. Here is a quick summary of the disembarkation from Crystal’s Symphony in Bimini and travel home.
Bimini Bahamas – Waiting to Disembark
It is now 9am Sunday morning and we are on Day 2 of our extra days onboard the Crystal Cruise Lines Symphony. After Crystal announced they were suspending operations we were to return to the port of Miami, get our car and then drive back to our RV park in Florida. Obviously, the arrest warrant issued by a Florida court (as previously noted) required the vessel to sail to the Bahamas, out of the US jurisdiction. So, here we are in Bimini Bahamas…
Tortola – British Virgin Islands
While we are on the “bonus day” Saturday of our cancelled cruise, I will attempt to provide an update from one of our favorite islands so far. The island of Tortola, one of the British Virgin Islands has the best mountain views that we have seen while on this cruise. Here is a quick update and a few photos.
Crystal Symphony – Arrest Warrant Issued!!
Perhaps a couple of red flags have gone up as warning signs. First it was the shutdown of the Crystal cruise operations after our ship returned to the port in Miami on Saturday morning. Today, Friday 1/21, the captain made an announcement that due to “non-technical operational issues” our ship would not be ending the cruise at the Miami port. What’s up now?
Continue reading “Crystal Symphony – Arrest Warrant Issued!!”
Crystal Cruise Update – Out of Cash!
On Wednesday of this week we received a letter in the mail slot outside our stateroom door. I grabbed it on the way to our dinner at Prego, the premium dining option. More on Prego later. I was a bit shocked when I opened and read the letter from the cruise line.
St. Kitts / Narrow Gauge Railroad
It is now day 10 of our 21 day anniversary cruise. Halfway done already. The stop today is at St Kitts, a volcanic island named after St. Christopher. It is a beautiful tropical island that has a rich history where sugar cane was once the primary economic product until the soil gave out.