Our Day in Antigua

Antigua,

It was a very nice day in Antigua. I guess it was morning and not the day. We disembarked and had our pictures taken with a gorgeous young lady. She was VERY tall and she was weating a costume with lots of orange feathers.

Next we walked toward the town area, checking out the prices of tours as we went. We will take a tour during our next visit. There are many to choose from. The taxi drivers are dressed in bright orange shirts and they are very friendly. We were asked many times but all we had to say was no thank you and they moved on. There was no pressure.

We did some shopping and we took time to visit The Cathedral of St John The Devine.. It is being renovated and so it was not open for touring. We had a very knowledgeable volunteer who told us all about the church and its history. He showed us the oldest tomb on the graveyard. It dated back to the 1600’s. The stone is actually black marble and the inscription is in Latin. He told us that all of the graves faced east west with the feat pointed east and the head to the west. The reason being that during the second coming when a person stood up they would be facing west where God would be. But this one tumb in the grave yard faces north south. There were many stories as to why but it was concluded that at the time of this burial the directions  were not known and the grave we just  placed nearest to the cathedral.

We stopped at several of the little shops before we returned to the ship where we had lunch.

Ken got some sun and I had a rest. On our next visit to Antigua in 20 days we will take one of the tours around the island.

Antigua

Our first port of call on this voyage is the island of Antigua

Antigua Overview 
Antiguans like to boast that they have 365 beaches -- one for each day of the year. And while no one is really counting to ensure the accuracy of this catchy marketing campaign, it's true that this squiggly-shaped island is full of beachy gems, each with their own unique appeal.

Antigua was first occupied by the peaceful Arawak Indians around 200 B.C. They stayed until the arrival of the Caribs, an Amazonian tribe, whose name was derived from the Spanish word "caribal," meaning "cannibal." Then, the island was known as Wadadli until 1492 when Columbus, who never actually made landfall, sailed by and named the island in honor of Maria de la Antigua, the saint he worshipped in Seville. Eventually the English gained control, and retained it until just 25 years ago when Antigua achieved independence.

The island was an important colonial base of the Royal Navy with English Harbor serving as its headquarters. The remains of its presence are still some of the most fascinating attractions to tourists -- a walk around historic Nelson's Dockyard and the grounds of Shirley Heights reveals remnants of a working Georgian harbor, old forts and officer's quarters, as well as a multitude of crumbling sugar mills from the days when sugar plantations ruled the island. In more recent years, English Harbor has become the capital of international yachting and sailing, whose activities are responsible for the surge in population during the winter months from 70,000 to 100,000. The season opens in December with the Antigua Yacht Show, and ends in May with Antigua Sailing Week, the largest annual regatta in the Caribbean.

Since gaining independence, Antigua has all but abandoned its agricultural heritage in favor of a tourist economy. Antigua can hold its own in the duty-free shopping category, but the real highlights of the island lie well beyond the port town. With 365 beaches to explore, it's best to check out at least a few of them during your trip. Antigua's sister island, Barbuda, is accessible by ferry for day-trippers. The ferry drops you in the middle of 14 miles of unspoiled pink shell beach, one that used to be a favorite of Princess Diana.

Weather in Antigua averages a pleasant 84 degrees year-round, but in the summer when the trade winds die down, it's a slightly less hospitable climate. Antiguans celebrate these slower summer months with the annual Carnivale at the end of July. The island is susceptible to hurricanes, although they have not had a direct hit for over 12 year

First Formal Night

First Formal Night

My I saw some wonderful outfits last evening. Everyone was dressed up and in a party mood. It was lots of fun.

The food was terrific. There was a crab quiche to die for and the sugar free dessert was very nice.

Ken and I ordered wine with dinner, We had champagne during the champagne waterfall and the captains welcome party.

Then we went to the theatre for the big production show which was great as usual.

After the show we went to the international café for a special coffee spiked with brandy,,,umm umm good!

The sea was rocking but only slightly, which made for a good night’s sleep.

We are about to dock in Antigua and it looks as if it is going to be a grand day. We are going to look around and possibly pick up a tour. We have room service bringing our breakfast any minute so I will sign off for now.

Slow Internet

SLOW internet,

I tried this morning to download some photos for you but after 30 minutes I had none downloaded. I don’t know if it is because we are so far from land or what. But I will try again when we are in port tomorrow. Our port of call will be Antigua.

We do not have a shore excursion booked . We are going to see what we can find when we disembark.

It is an ideal day today. There is enough of a breeze to give the ship a gentle rock and to keep us cool, but it is sunny and warm The temperature is around 78 F or about 26 C so that is grand.

Tonight is the first formal night. I pressed Ken’s tux this morning before the laundry room got busy.

We had breakfast in the dining room, our table had a mother and daughter who have travelled the world, and they have top  loyalty levels with all of the cruise lines. The other couple were farmers from Ohio. It was a fun visit.

We played elevator roulette and I won a magnetic clip,

 we saw the Captain’s circle rep and got our ruby pins,

 we had lunch at Neptune’s Reef. I got my January fries

because tomorrow is the last day of the month.

Now we are resting up for tonight

Our Cruise Begins in Earnest

As I said we slept the clock around and missed breakfast in the dining room. We went to Horizon Court which is just 2 decks above us. We shared a table with a nice young couple from Montreal( John and Meriel). He is on cruise critic so I know we will see them again. We had a great visit and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast.

Next we did a bit of a tour of the top deck. Today is sunny and warm with quite a breeze blowing. Lots of people are taking advantage of the sun to get some color. You can tell the new comers from the ones who have been on for awhile simply by checking out the tan.  Being on a cruise always helps me feel better about my body image. Cruisers certainly come in all shapes and sizes.

This ship has 4 pools and many many areas to just sit and relax and enjoy the sea. There were lots of empty lounges and lots of happy people enjoying their time at sea.

The Emerald has had some changes since we were here last but if anything she is even more beautiful!

We decided to pass on lunch and we just had a banana in our room I played on the computer and Ken sat in the sun until it was time to go to Skywalkers for the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet. There was a great turn out. I think there were about 65 or more people there.

I met a few of the people who are on the Thenford Gray tour in St.Kitts. Ken and I had our first Ultimate Mai Tai. My, oh my they are good.

During the gathering Captain Nash came on the speaker and told us that he was making a slight course change to get out of the wind and provide us with a smoother ride.

I spent the rest of the afternoon browsing in the shops, Ken got more sun.

I went to the International Café and got our coffee card. Thanks Kim

We changed for dinner and met Howard and Janeer . As usual we had a wonderful  meal. I had shrimp and Ken had steak. We were surprised to learn that Janeen was celebrating her birthday. We all four shared that wonderful cake. It was so good that we passed on dessert.

After dinner we went to Explores Longue to head comedian A.J.Jamal. 

We were glad that we went early because seats were at a premium. He was very good and we all laughed long and hard.

Slept around the clock!

 I was so tired that I slept the clock all of the way around. We went to bed at 7:30, I woke up at 7:25, and since we had to move the clock forward one hour we actually missed breakfast in the dining room. But I am happy to tell you that we are just about back to normal.

Anyway to go back and fill you in since I last reported. We finally left Vancouver around one o’clock. We had been in the airport since 5:00 am so we were glad to lift off. The flight was rough but not enough to make anyone ill. We arrived in Huston with only 40 minutes between connecting flights. Fortunately it was in the same terminal, and we arrived in E 9 and our plane was leaving from E22. There were moving sidewalks and we made it in time. They were already boarding so we did not get at all familiar with that airport. To my sorrowL we have lost Bucky Beaver. Somehow in the rushing and the confusion he went missing. Perhaps he ran away believing that all of this hanging around airports would not be to his liking. Anyway, we hope that he is being appreciated where ever he is.

It was 11:11 when we arrived in Fort Lauderdale.  We had no trouble getting our luggage and we were able to get a shuttle to the hotel, after a bit of confusion. It was supposed to be a free shuttle but we ended up paying  $15.00 to another driver. But we arrived safely.

The hotel room was very nice, clean, modern and well done. The bed was very comfortable and by about 2:00 we were asleep.

It was seven when we got up and went to breakfast. The hotel provided breakfast which was very nice. There were eggs and bacon and sausage, toast, yogurt, juice, cereal, coffee, fresh fruit. The breakfast room was small but it was clean and bright .

After breakfast we walked about a block where we did some shopping. I got some Mardi Gras decorations for our stateroom door, and a wonderful bouquet of flowers, Ken got a new cord for him MP 3 player and we also got a bottle of Zinfandel. Then it was back to the Best Western to await the shuttle to the ship. There was a very nice pool but there was not enough time to try it out. There were about 20 people there waiting as we were. The cost of the shuttle was eight dollars per person so that was not bad at all. Ken was carrying my bouquet of flowers and all of the ladies we so impressed with the bouquet. He was the center of attention on the shuttle for sure. The attention continued in the Elite longue as well.

We were very impressed with the embarkation. Our Elite card got us very special treatment and everything went very quickly. We were surprised to see Howard and Janeen just ahead of us in the Elite longue. There was time for a bit of a visit and an arrangement to meet for lunch, and before we knew it we were in our stateroom, our home away from home for the next 40 days. We are on the port side and it is a standard balcony which is wonderful.

 Our room is just off of the elevator so we have no distance to walk which is both good and bad I guess. We always need exercise when on a ship.

There was just enough time to look around before we had to head for lunch. We met Howard and Janeen and we enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the Botticelli dining room. After lunch we returned to our room to discover that we had 2 wonderful gifts from Kim our travel agent. She had chocolate covered strawberries delivered to our room as well as a certificate for a free café selects  coffee card. She is so kind and so good at her job. We are so glad the BJ recommended her to us. Thanks Kim, for all you do.

Then the phone rang, it was Janeen telling us that now was the time to see if we could arrange to sit together at dinner. Ken’s suitcase arrived so he stayed in the room to unpack and I met Howard. We were successful and so we will be seated with our friend for dinner for the next 20 days, and to make it even more special we have a window seat. While I was there it was time for the safety drill so Ken met me with the life vest and we attended the drill. Thankfully we only have to do that once. Next time we can stay in our room.

After the drill there was time for me to unpack. My suitcase had arrived. Too soon it was time to dress for dinner. All I wanted to do was sleep and O would have passed on dinner if it was not our first night. Anyway we met Howard and Janeen and had a wonderful meal. There was another lady at our table for 6. Her name is Anne and she seems to be a delight. This will be a very nice cruise.

There were many things we could do after dinner but all we did was take one stroll around the deck and then it was into bed. I was even to tired to shower. I thought I might fall asleep and drown if I tried so I went right to bed. The gentle rocking of the ship lulled me to sleep almost immediately.

We have arrived, our wonderful holiday has begun!

Arrived safely

We are here on board the Emerald Princess and she is steaming her way to Antigua. 
I am so jet lagged and so tired that I can hardly keep my eyes open and even though it is only 7:30 we are heading for bed.
I promise to do a proper blog tomorrow when my eyes are opened.

Not a good start:-(

We are not getting off to a very good start.
Our flight has been delayed 4 hours. I gather that the fog is the problem. But no matter what the reason we are sitting here at YVR and will be here for the next4 hours. That means Our connection in Houston is not going to happen so we have been booked on another flight. We expect to get into Fort Lauderdale around midnight. I am so glad we are flying today and not tomorrow. We would have missed the ship which would be a whole lot worse that sitting here.
We missed our great breakfast at the hotel and had a Starbucks breakfast instead,:-(
But it could be a whole lot worse, a blizzard could be our problem.
We were looking forward to connecting with Tom and Jennifer so that is a disappointment. Perhaps we are meant to meet them at another time and place.

Ken stands with the moose near Starbucks at YVR.

On Our Way Again

We are on our way.
We went to church, had lunch with our church friends, and then we returned home to finalize everything before departure.
Marg and Dave Ruben offered to take us here to the Abercorn Inn. They arrived right at 2:30 as prearranged. Then we took own luggage to the car and loaded it and away we went. Marg and I chatted the entire way and before we knew it we were in Richmond. The trip was uneventful but we ran into some fog. It surprised us but it was not enough to even slow us down.
We checked in without a problem and we have a wake up call for 4:00 and a shuttle booked for 4:30. Our plane leaves at 6:30 so that is why so early.
This booking came with a full breakfast that they don't begin serving until 6:30 ... bummer. But we were told there would be coffee, fruit and danish pastries available for us t 4:00. So that is good.
We are in room 214. It is beautiful and bright and clean so we are very pleased with this choice. If you look at the web site you will see our room exactly as it is. Beautiful!!
The fact that we could book using airmiles made it even more special.
A good free wifi connection is an added plus.

We purchased a small "beaver",(I think I will call him Bucky)
and we will take him along with us on this adventure. 
That is Bucky perched on the pillows of one of the beds.

We are going to have a VERY long day tomorrow so I am going to lie back and enjoy the hockey game and begin this vacation.

 Ken is getting ready to lock up.

 Dave and Marg and Ken load up the luggage,one suitcase each :-)

 My name is Bucky and I am going on a trip.

Ken and Bucky and Carolyn like this room.

Does buying a new one count?

Well I decided that I was going to take only one suitcase on this trip.
I began by using the bed in the spare room as a marshaling point.
 I took out all of the item I thought I would like to have with me during this 7 weeks.
 Then I changed it to what I might need during this adventure.
Finally I cut it down to what I would actually need.

The result was my being able to close a 25 inch suitcase. It was so stuffed that getting another hanky in would be a challenge. I weighed it and even though the suitcase weighed 11 pounds empty I was only at 38 pounds. We are allowed 50 pounds so I was in good shape.

But what about shopping? I would not be able to buy anything at all, not even some nutmeg. I could always buy jewelry and wear it of course. :-0.

Since the drop in the dollar makes very much jewelry buying not very likely and because I really want to bring something back for Leo and Emmie and Noah if no one else I had a problem.
The answer was to buy another bigger suitcase.

So off I went to Bentleys last evening and I now have a 28 inch suitcase. Everything fits in quite nicely and there is lots of room left for shopping. The weight is now 40 pounds and I have 10 pounds of gifts that I can buy  and I will have room to pack them.
 And of course there is always the extra room and weight in Ken's suitcase. He never shops.:-)

We Don't Get Bored!!

Sometimes people ask us if we get bored on a cruise and so I stole a copy of a typical day's activities from another blog to show you what is usual. This one tells you what is happening but it does not always say where. The actual Patter will tell you where as well. By the way MUTS is the big outdoor movie screen. (If I can I will post an actual patter and not a typed list sometime during our adventure.)

The schedule is delivered to your stateroom the night before. Ken and I go over it and we each use a highlighter to mark what we are planning to do. We use different colors so we will each know where the other person is. We usually get together for lunch and of course we spend the evening together.
The schedule is called The Princess Patter and it also has a bio of one of the staff members and of course it advertises sales and shows etc. Basically it is an interesting read of what is happening around the ship during that day.

Besides the listed items there is always the boutiques, the spa,the gym, the beauty parlour, the pools, the hot tubs, the coffee shops, the promenades and the library. Sometimes a guy just want to find a quiet corner and read or sun or soak or people watch.

So you can see it would be impossible to get bored.


This is the schedule for Jan.6/2014
Emerald Princess

9am- unhosted Bible study

9am onwards- Man of Steel on Channel 37 

10am- morning trivia

10am- 18-20 year olds basketball

10am- arthritis solution with acupuncture

10am- Mamma Mia on MUTS

10am to 1pm- onboard outlet sale (G calls this the garage sale and never misses it)

10:30am- culinary demonstration with Executive chef and Maitre d' in the Princess Theater

10:30am- restore your youth with nonsurgical facial rejuvenation

10:30am- 10 second frenzy in the Piazza

10:30pm- book club review 

10:45am- Zumba fitness

11am- 18-20 year olds poolside get together

11am- health seminar:  detox for weight loss 

11am- $60 Texas hold'em tournament 

11am to 4pm- bridge, mahjong, and games get together (unhosted)

12:15pm- music melodies with Playthoven in the Piazza

12:15pm to 1:15pm- poolside melodies with Sugar Cane

12:30pm- what about collagen?

12:30pm- slot tournament

1pm- bridge players get together

1pm- line dance review

1pm-  knitters and knatters (unhosted)

1:15pm- afternoon melodies with Natka on piano in the Piazza

1:30pm- afternoon movie Despicable Me 2 in Princess Theater

1:30pm- Princess pop choir rehearsal

1:30pm- bar wars

1:45pm- ballroom dance class:  rhumba

2pm- elevator roulette ( Ken and I always play this)

2pm- On Deck for the Cure walk for Susan G Komen

2pm- Raiders of the Lost Ark on MUTS

2:15pm to 3:15pm- poolside melodies with Sugar Cane

2:30pm- Wiii Sports in Club Fusion (for 18+)

2:30pm- card making class

2:30pm- afternoon melodies with Natka on piano in the Piazza

3pm- tri-bond trivia 

3pm- Grapevine wine tasting (this costs $9.95 but is free for Elite passengers)

3:15pm- Passport to Value $150 prize draw

3:30pm- $2500 snowball jackpot bingo

3:30pm- champagne ring toss in the Piazza

3:30pm- Red Hat society tea

4pm- Beyoncé concert on MUTS

4pm- golf: hole in one contest

4pm- Dr. Bob and Bill W. meeting

4:30pm- Princess pop choir concert in Piazza

4:30pm- afternoon trivia

5pm- singles and solos get together (unhosted)

5pm- early evening music with Pastime Duo in the Wheelhouse Bar

5pm and 7pm- evening melodies with Natka on piano in the Piazza

5:15pm and 7:15- movie The Way Way Back on MUTS

5:45pm and 7:50pm- La Paire- a nimble acrobat and dazzling beauty in the Piazza

6pm- casino no smoking night

6pm- LGBTQ get together in the Wheelhouse Bar

6pm and 8pm- evening melodies with Playthoven in the Piazza

7pm and 8:30pm- live music with Sugar Cane in the Explorers Lounge

7:15pm to 8:15pm- Jukebox request hour with New Deal

7:30pm- dance date with Pastime Duo in the Wheelhouse Bar

7:30pm- formal portraits raffle for $100 of formal portraits

7:45pm- Motown music trivia in the Explorers Lounge

8:30pm to 9:15pm- classic rock with New Deal in Club Fusion

9pm- dance date with Pastime Duo in the Wheelbouse Bar

9pm to late- variety music from swing to pop with Bobby Hamilton in Crooners (the piano bar)

9:15pm- The Liars Club gameshow in the Explorers Lounge

9:30pm- BCS Narional Championship on MUTS 

10pm to 11pm- Motown Soultown DJ in Skywalkers

10:15pm to 11pm- 18-20 year olds karaoke in the Explorers Lounge

10:15pm till late- dance date with Pastime Duo in the Wheelhouse Bar

10.15pm till late- late night music and dancing with New Deal in Club Fusion

11pm onwards- late night party with DJ in Skywalkers

11pm til late- adult late night karaoke in the Explorers Lounge 

As you can see it would be pretty hard not to find something that would interest you.

Here is a second day just to show you that there are some repeats but not all days are the same.

Jan.10/2014/Emerald Princess

8:30am- Bible study (unhosted)

9:30am- Welcome to Princess! In Club Fusion

10am- Ferris Bueller's Day Off on MUTS

10am- back pain solutions with acupuncture

10am- Navigation @ Sea lecture

10am to 1pm- Holiday store at sea $10 sale

10am to 4pm- bridge, mahjong and games (unhosted)

10:15am- morning trivia

10:30am- The Art of Light and Human Connection Photography lecture 

11am- Scavenger hunt

11am- $60. Texas Hold'em tournament

11am- Secrets to a flatter stomach lecture

11am- lunchtime facelift

11am- Zumba fitness

11:15am- fruit and vegetable carving demonstration

11:15am- Technical @ Sea lecture

12pm- free ladies pamper hour

12:15pm and 1:15pm- poolside melodies with Sugar Cane

12:15 and 2pm- afternoon melodies with Playthoven in the Piazza

12:30 to 2:30pm- slot tournament

12:45pm- ballroom dance class foxtrot

1pm- bridge player get together (unhosted)

1pm- elevator roulette

1pm- lightning art auction

1pm- speed sudoku for fun 

1pm and 4pm- musical melodies with Natka in the Piazza

1:30pm- country line dance class

1:30pm- Scattergories with the cruise director's staff

1:45pm- flower making with the cruise director's staff

2pm- James Brown live in Berlin concert on MUTS

2pm- walking in comfort with good feet lecture

2pm- pool games with cruise director's staff

2:30pm- gemstones around the world event

2:45pm- Princess pop choir rehearsal

3pm- veterans get together

3pm-  Maitre d' wine club

3pm- champagne hoopla (ring toss to win champagne)

3pm- City Slickers on MUTS

3pm- Advanced facial rejuvenation lecture

3:30pm- Jacqueline Kennedy jewelry event

4pm- Dr. Bob and Bill W. meeting

4:15pm- egg drop challenge

4:15pm- singles and solos get together (unhosted)

4:30pm- afternoon trivia

5pm- LGBTQ get together

5pm- evening melodies with Playthoven in the Piazza

5pm and 7:15pm- music and dancing with Pastime Duo

5pm, 7:15pm and 9:30pm- Now You See Me on MUTS

5:15pm- Jewish Sabbath Eve service

6pm- casino no smoking night

6pm and 8pm- musical melodies with Natka in the Piazza

7pm to 8pm- live music and dancing with Sugar Cane in the Explorers Lounge

7:15pm to 8:15pm- formal night ballroom music with DJ Christopher in Club Fusion 

7:15pm to 8pm-  Captain's Welcome Aboard Party and Champagne Waterfall 

7:45pm- Captain's Welcome Address and Introduction of the Senior Officers

8:30pm to 9:30pm- Live Band Jukebox by New Deal in Club Fusion

8:45pm- Jeopardized trivia in Explorers Lounge

9pm to 9:45pm- Frank Sinatra hits and requests in Crooners

9pm and 10:15pm- music and dancing with Pastime Duo in the Wheelhouse Bar

9:15pm- Emerald Princess Downs horse racing

9:30pm- Princess Pop Star heat 2

9:45pm till late- piano melodies with Bobby Hamilton in Crooners

10pm to 11pm- Beach Boys with DJ Christopher in Skywalkers

10pm till late- live music and dancing with Sugar Cane in the Explorers Lounge

10:15pm till late- Live Band Jukebox with band New Deal in Club Fusion

11pm onwards- late night party with DJ Christopher in Skywalk

Another Adventure is about to begin.

We are heading off to the Caribbean to cruise aboard the Emerald Princess. We leave on January 26 and return to Abbotsford on March 16.
It will be a winter adventure for sure.
The time on the Emerald is actually 4 ten day cruises, We have booked it as 2 twenty day cruises.
Here is the first one.

Eastern Caribbean Voyager and Southern Medley

Day	Port / Date	Arrive	Depart
1	Ft. Lauderdale, Florida  Tuesday, January 28		4:00 PM
2	At Sea  Wednesday, January 29
3	At Sea  Thursday, January 30
4	Antigua, Antigua & Barbuda  Friday, January 31	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
5	St. Lucia  Saturday, February 1	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
6	Barbados  Sunday, February 2	7:00 AM	4:00 PM
7	St. Kitts, St. Kitts & Nevis  Monday, February 3	10:00 AM	6:00 PM
8	St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands  Tuesday, February 4	7:00 AM	5:00 PM
9	At Sea  Wednesday, February 5
10	Princess Cays, Bahamas  Thursday, February 6	9:00 AM	4:00 PM
11	Ft. Lauderdale, Florida  Friday, February 7	7:00 AM	4:00 PM
12	Princess Cays, Bahamas  Saturday, February 8	9:00 AM	4:00 PM
13	At Sea  Sunday, February 9
14	St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands  Monday, February 10	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
15	Dominica  Tuesday, February 11	9:00 AM	6:00 PM
16	Grenada  Wednesday, February 12	7:00 AM	2:00 PM
17	Bonaire, Caribbean Netherlands  Thursday, February 13	12:00 PM	7:00 PM
18	Aruba  Friday, February 14	7:00 AM	5:00 PM
19	At Sea  Saturday, February 15
20	At Sea  Sunday, February 16
21	Ft. Lauderdale, Florida  Monday, February 17

As we visit an island I will first post an overview of the island and then I will report on what we did during our visit.