Caribbean Cruise: Tampa Return

Well, the elevator tells us it is Sunday so we must be in Tampa. We went to the Lido restaurant for the last time and had a great breakfast. We scheduled a tour of Tampa which started at 8:30 so we had to get off the boat early. We had Holland America pre-board us for our flight home and check in our luggage so we did not have to get our luggage. We were the first in line to get off and when we got to the customs clearing station, there wasn't a custom officer there. We had to wait for awhile, but, did manage to get cleared and make it to the bus for our Tampa tour. The tour started with a stop at an old hotel that had been sold to the University and converted into offices and class rooms. I think there was also some dormitory space in the building. It was a grand old hotel and still retained the charm of its golden days.

After the visit to the hotel, we went for a windshield tour of Tampa to see the different communities. We stopped in old Tampa where the old tobacco factories used to be located. We toured the old German Club and Spanish Club then walked around old town. It was a great day for sight seeing--warm and not too many tourist out. I guess Sunday mornings is always that way in Tampa. We went to one of the old restaurants and ordered hamburgers. We sat outside and enjoyed the meal. After the meal we toured some more of Tampa and then went to the Airport. We had a few hours to wait for our flight so we got to finish our books before taking off. The flight to Dayton was uneventful and we arrived a little ahead of schedule.

The Park-n-Go driver picked us up at the arrival terminal and we went to get our car. The whole process from airport to in the car and on the road probably took less than 15 minutes. We got home and lite a fire in the stove. Back to reality and the troubles life has in store for us.

We had a great trip, but it was good to get back.

Caribbean Cruise: Saturday At Sea

Another quiet, relaxing day at sea. Nothing to do but read, relax and have a good time. There were some clouds in the sky and a little rain, but, it made for an interesting sunrise. Linda took the sunrise pictures through the window of our room.

Since we had plenty of time, we decided to have a good breakfast at a slow pace and enjoy the food. Claude went through the omelet line and had an omelet with just about everything on it. Linda went through the Continental breakfast line and had her usual muesli, fruit, cheeses, cold cuts, etc. We both topped of breakfast with a sampling of their pastries.

We had our disembarkation briefing and crew farewell around 10:00 AM. After the briefing, we toured the ship until lunch and went to the Lido restaurant. We spent the rest of the day reading and laying on deck watching the waves go by.

The dining room staff put on a special dinner for us and labeled each course as an Act. For each act, they put on a small skit which was very enjoyable. We had the same two crew members serving us each night and by the last night on board ship, you began to develop a good relationship with your servers. Ours were great and they took very good care of us.

Caribbean Cruise: Costa Maya

Our projected time to dock today was 7:00 AM and we arrived on time. We had a continental breakfast before departing the ship. Since we were docked and did not have to tender in, we had to walk to the shopping center to catch our tour bus for the excursion to the Mayan ruins. I had not planned on touring two Mayan ruins on this trip, but, we had to take a tour in Belize as a replacement for the one that was cancelled.

The trip to the Mayan ruins was a good ride. Great weather, no traffic and good company. Our tour guide was the best guide that I have seen. He brought along some artifacts and passed them around for us to watch. He also made up a lot of pictures and charts to show us. You would have thought he was a professor of Mayan history, not a tour guide, by the way he presented the information. He maintained control of the group and we got to see and hear a lot more than we would have. On the way back, they had cold beer for us to drink. Being good hosts, they offered us another beer and being a gracious visitor, I accepted.

We arrived back at the port and we had to go to the jewelry shop to pick up Linda's purchases, then back to the ship.

This was the night of our second formal dinner and we had to put on our dress clothes. Pictures were also taking during dinner by a professional photographer. This picture was better than the others that were taken so we bought one.

After dinner, we went to the Showroom at Sea for their show called an encore presentation. The show was good, but, we left early to get to the piano bar to find a set. Wt Greer was doing the Best of Broadway and there was a large crowd waiting for his performance. After the performance, we went back to our room to rest. Saturday would be a day at sea and we looked forward to another relaxing day at sea sitting on the deck and reading our books.

Caribbean Cruise: Honduras

Another trip to the elevator to see what day it is. If it is Thursday, we must be getting ready to port in Honduras. The port is located at Mahogany Bay on the Island of Roatan. There is a beach area just off the dock which you can walk to from the ship. We had scheduled an excursion and had a little time to kill so we walked to the beach. The first beach shots are the beaches near the port. The last beach pictures were taken at a resort on the Island of Roatan.

The tour we signed up for was called "Far and Away Tour". It was about a 45 minute drive to the resort and it started out being a pleasant drive. Unfortunately, it started to rain so we didn't have good picture taking weather the rest of the day. Part of the way the roads were in pretty good shape--2 lane black top. However, we had to get off the main road and travel about 14 km to the resort. The road was dirt and gravel and mostly 1 lane and no shoulders.

We arrived at the resort and the owners had some local dancers perform for us. She also had a lunch waiting for us which was good. We were supposed to set on the deck to watch the performance, but, it started raining again and we had to move inside. After the performance, we walked to the beach area and then around the end of the Island. Looks like it would be a very good vacation spot if you wanted a quiet relaxing vacation on the beach. The restaurant was very well maintained and the owner and entire staff were very friendly.

We finally returned to the port and we walked around the shopping area and visited some of the shops. We bought some Honduran coffee beans to bring back with us. If the coffee tastes as good as the beans smell, it will be great coffee.


We went back to our rooms to rest and get ready for dinner. After dinner, we went to the Show room at Sea to watch part of a comedian show before going to the Piano Bar to listen to WT Greer. The crowd gets bigger every night and the bar is packed. The crowd is standing 4 deep outside the bar to listen to the performance. WT's performance tonight was songs from the 50's and 60's. As usual, the performance was great.

After the show we went to the Chocolate Extravaganza, a late night treat that they have one of the nights of the cruise. Just about all of the deserts are made from chocolate or have chocolate in them. There were many ice carvings placed throughout the Lido deck. They also had carvings made from watermelons, carrots, etc which were gorgeous .

After partaking of some of the deserts, we wen back to our rooms to get ready for an early arrival in Costa Maya, Mexico and a tour to another Mayan ruin.

Belize Sunset

The tender ride back to the boat was another pleasant ride. We went back to our room to rest and change for dinner. Dinner menus are great. We had steak and lobster one night; steak and prawns; New York strip steak; and a lot of main courses that we had never had before. The appetizers, soups, salads and deserts for each night were well presented and very delicious.

We watched a little of the live show in the Showroom of the sea, then went to the Piano Bar to find us a seat. We got there about 30 minutes early and there was a crowd forming. WT Greer featured the songs of Elton John and once again did a great job. After the show we went to our room to relax and get ready for the next day.

Caribbean Cruise: Belize

The ship was projected to arrive at 8:00 AM. We could not get into port so we had to anchor above 5 miles out and tender into the port. It was a pleasant 15 to 20 minute trip. Once again, we had good weather.

We went to breakfast and had a leisure breakfast. We were given numbers to use to board the tenders and since we had a excursion we reserved through Holland America, we were scheduled to be one of the first groups to board. We arrived at the collection point; got our boarding numbers; and were waiting to be called when they announced that our excursion had been cancelled because the bridge we had to cross to get to sections of the jungle and caves had been damaged beyond use. Of all the excursions available on this cruise, this was the one we liked the most by reading the description of the excursion. It was described as a 45 minute fast boat ride up the river to a dock; walk through the jungle across a swinging bridge; tour of caves; entrance to a protected valley (through the caves) that Mayan Indians used for protection and religious sits; and a ride back to Belize City in a truck through the jungle. All other excursions that we liked were already booked and we were told to try to book a tour on the dock. We were advised to not deal with anyone outside the port area. We did manage to get on a guided tour of Altun Ha, a Mayan Indian archaeological site with a local guide.

Of all the guides we could have gotten, I think we got the worst. He told us to form up at a sign at the beginning of the ruins while he parked his van. Linda and I went to the sign and waited and he did not return. We finally looked at the entrance to one of the buildings which was a long way away from the sign and he was sitting there. I asked him why he did not come to the sign as he had said and he stated that it did not look like there were very many people there so he decided to change locations--unfortunately, he never told anyone. That was probably the best part of the tour. It was down hill from there. We did enjoy the ruins, but not the tour guide or the ride getting there.

We left the ruins and returned to the port. When he picked us up, he was on the docks. When he dropped us off, he let us off in the city. Needless to say, we had vendors, beggars and others trying to take our money. We managed to get through them without too much problem and went back to the ship to rest awhile and get ready for dinner.

Carribbean Cruise: Day at Sea

Tuesday--at least that is what the rug says in the elevator--and no ports today. We will spend the day and the night at sea. We will spend some time on deck reading a book and relaxing. The sun is shining and it is a warm, beautiful day at sea.

We decided to attend a "Shop Til You Drop in the Caribbean" to find the best places to purchase things at our ports of call. The presentation was very informative and we were given a lot of information on the jewelry that was available. On our other cruises, we did not shop for much jewelry and did not buy much. We did buy a jade necklace for Linda from my winnings at the blackjack table. We also bought a lot of small jewelry pieces as Christmas presents. We decided that on this cruise we would shop for Linda some jewelry.

Our day at sea was a very quiet, relaxing day and we managed to put all our problems behind us and just relax. We did do a lot of walking and a lot of eating. We also enjoyed happy hour in the Crow's Nest, the bar on the top passenger deck at the front of the ship. It sure was nice watching the waves as we sailed along. The sun was going down, but, because we had to get ready for dinner, we could not watch the sunset.

This was our first formal dinner so we both had to put on our dress clothes. On the way to the dining room, we had our pictures taken. The pictures did not turn out too well so we did not buy them.

After dinner, we went back to our room and put on casual clothes. We then went to the Showroom at Sea (live theater) for the show of the night which was Bob Mackie's Broadway--another great show.

We left the show and went to the piano bar to listen to WT Greer. His show consisted of songs of Nat King Cole and Johnny Mathis. I guess the news must have gotten around that he was a great entertainer because there wasn't a seat left in the Piano Bar. We sat outside the bar and listened. We decided that we would have to get to the Piano Bar early if we wanted a seat.

After the Piano Bar, we went for a late night snack, then to the room. The fresh air, good food and great entertainment had made the day very enjoyable, but, very tiring and tomorrow would be an early day. A good nights sleep--however short--would be a great way to start the new day.

Carribbean Cruise, Day 2, Hemingway House Museum

After a long walk through the streets of Key West, we ended up at Hemingway's house which is now a museum. Every time I hear of Key West, I think of Hemingway. He was one of the best known residents of the town.

We decided to take a guided tour of the house and our guide did a fantastic job of giving us the history of the house as well as Hemingway's life. Hemingway was a collector of antiques from all over the world and the house contains many of them.

After the tour of the house, the guide took us on a tour of the property. The house sits on one of the biggest residential lots in Key West and has lovely gardens. Hemingway was a cat lover and there are cats all over the place--more than 60 cats reside on the property now. They lead a charmed lives and are visited weekly by a vet to ensure they are in good health. When a cat dies, it is buried on the property.


A visit to Key West would not be complete without visiting Sloppy Joes, a bar that Hemingway visited frequently. It is said that many of the characters for his books came from the customers that visited this bar.

This was the one place in Key West that was crowded and we thought we might not find a table. We finally got seated and ordered lunch and with a cold beer. Food was great and everyone in the restaurant were friendly.


We left the bar and went back to the ship which was leaving within the hour. We had time to rest a little, then get ready for dinner. As usual the dinner was great. We went to see a live performance which was great, then to listen to a piano player at the piano bar. He was better than the live show and we decided to listen to his show every night. He played for 2 hours each night.

Carribbean Vacation-Day 2, Scenes of Key West, Florida

One thing about cruising with Holland America, you do not have to worry about remembering what day it is--just take a ride in any elevator and the day will be in the rug. We were scheduled to arrive in Key West around 7:00 AM so we got up and went to breakfast. We went through the continental breakfast line and ate fruits, cheese, cold cuts, muesli and some pastries. All were great.

We then went out on the deck to watch the shore line as we arrived in Key west. The entrance has a great view and the terminal where we docked also was a beautiful setting. We did not schedule a shore excursion for Key West because we wanted to tour on our own. We walked the streets and visited many of the "gotcha" shops. We bought t-shirts and not much else. We did go to the Truman "White House" in Key West which is now a museum we toured the free section, but, decided to not tour the rest of the house. It wasn't a very impressive building and we could not get a good picture of the building.

Although we were late in the season, there were many flowering plants, trees and vines along the streets which made the walk very enjoyable. Key West wasn't what I expected, but, we were there after the tourist season I suppose. There were no crowds and you could get into any restaurant, shop or museum without waiting.

Western Carribbean Cruise

Up early Sunday morning and out to Dayton International Airport. It was a little cool, but, the weather was clear so we should have a good flight. We put our car in the Park-n-Go and they took us to the departure terminal. We walked up to the Air Tran counter--no one in line-- and checked our luggage. Took less than 2 minutes which was a lot faster than the last time. We went through security and again no one was in line so we cleared through security without any problems. Our departure was uneventful and we had favorable winds so we arrived at Tampa International Airport a little ahead of schedule. The first shuttle to our ship wasn't until 11:30 so we had a little wait.

We had a pleasant ride through downtown Tampa and our drive gave us an interesting briefing on Tampa and what we were seeing. We arrived at the terminal and again had very little wait to clear through customs and board the ship. We did have a slight delay because the computers crashed, but, they were brought back on line very quickly. We could not get into our rooms until 1:30 so we decided to go to the Lido deck for lunch. After a nice leisure lunch--great food as usual--we decided to take a tour of the ship. We went to check out our room and it was ready before 1:30 so we went into our room. Only one bag was in our room and we began to think that one had been misplaced. Eventually, it did show up.

We continued our tour of the ship until it was time to go to the dining room for dinner. We had reserved the first sitting for dinner which was at 5:45 PM. We had requested a table for 6, but got placed at a table for 4. We were seated and we waited for awhile to see if another couple came to our table. No one did so we had a nice quiet dinner by ourselves. As it turned out, there was another couple who were supposed to be at our table, but they never showed. We had a table by ourselves for the entire cruise which was nice.

We went to the theater to watch the live show for the nights which was a preview of all the entertainers for the week. We enjoyed the show and, based on what we saw, decided to watch the show each night.