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Caribbean Princess 6/4-11/05 Journal


pamwinn

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6/1 Precruise-Random thoughts.

 

Let the journey begin. Today was the last workday for teachers. We both hurried home and started frantically packing. We are severe procrastinators, especially when it comes to figuring our who can outwait the other. I do everything in preparation for a cruise. I choose the ship and itinerary. I choose the cabin. I book the cruise. I track airfare prices until I get the best possible rate. I use Priceline to get good deals on hotels and rental cars. I memorize the deck plan. The night before the cruise, the anticipation of it all get’s the better of me. I am out of steam. It’s his turn. Rex made a list of last minute things we need to remember to do. It's on a legal pad, full from top to bottom. I hope we don’t loose the list.

 

It’s break time, let’s crack open a bottle of red wine and procrastinate more. Okay. It’s only 7:30 PM, we have plenty of time. We fly from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale tomorrow. The flight doesn’t leave until 11:30 AM, we have plenty of time, get me a Heineken, please. We are charging the laptop, the cell phones, the digital camera’s, and the iPod….can’t do much until that’s done anyway.

 

Okay, let’s eat the lo-cal vegetable soup. We wouldn’t want to be bloated on the plane tomorrow.

 

The dogs (3 miniature pinschers) know we are leaving. It is so annoying when they sneak poop in the suitcase. Bitzi the beast is the one who does that. Popi and Pipi would never do such a thing.

 

I have really over packed this time and so far we have both decided to forego formal night. Let’s see, I have a swimsuit that I might wear just to scare the kids out of the adult pool. I have packed 3 regular t-shirts, 5 polo style t-shirts, 6 sleeveless tops, 5 pairs of shorts, 6 pairs of slacks (drawstring, of course) and 9 Hawaiian print blouses. I am taking 2 pairs of flip-flops, a pair of sandals, a pair of tennis shoes and a pair of deck shoes (unless we through in the formal stuff at the last minute). I have the swimsuit cover-up and some sexy pj’s. Well, twenty years ago I might have looked sexy in them but I can pretend. I don't have to look at them anyway. I am an expert mirror dodger.

 

It’s after dinner, couch time! Who wants to miss Evander Holyfield doing the Cha Cha Cha? There’s nothing on so I’ll watch anything to delay the inevitable. I’ll change the sheets during a commercial.

 

We are so tired. Leaving for the cruise the day after the last day of school, is probably not the wisest move. But hey, I can sleep all summer.

 

Changed the sheets so they will be "almost" fresh when we return. We can’t finish packing tonight. We are both exhausted. Nite, nite.

 

Oops, can’t go to bed yet. Rex is using wood clamps, half-gallon chicken broth cans and the empty liquor bottles that he hoards to stretch his socks. There are some family secrets that will stay secret but I am going to reveal just a few of the less odd. I would take a picture of all the liquor bottle socks but the camera is in the backpack. Maybe in the morning.

 

Rex snuck to bed while I was typing this. Is snuck a word? Goodnight.

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Am looking forward to your postings each day. Will be on the CB in October so will live vicariously through you for a week.:D

 

As for Evander Holyfield...that was the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life!

 

Deena

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What a wonderful sense of humor!!! (I may borrow a few of those lines...especially scaring the kids out of the pool ;) )

I look forward to reading more !! :D

 

Have a wonderful vacation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Deb

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6/2 Precruise- Flying to Fort Lauderdale

 

From 5:00 AM until we left the house it was hectic. Rex says everything to himself out loud and I always think he is talking to me and then I forget what I was doing because usually it’s two things at once with two pending. I finally had to request he stop doing that and only speak if he was speaking to me.

 

Once we made it out of the driveway, things went smoothly. We arrived at the Atlanta Airport at 9:30 AM and left our car in the Park and Ride lot. The bus dropped us off in front of the Air Tran curbside checking in. We checked our luggage, and upgraded to business class. I don’t understand why more people don’t do this. It is inexpensive and the seats are much more comfortable. We almost always end up in row 1 with plenty of legroom.

 

We had breakfast and the traditional Bloody Mary at the airport before we moved to gate.

We were first on and first off the plane.

 

It’s been raining forever in Atlanta and it followed us to Florida. The plane had to circle the airport for more than an hour due to severe thunderstorms and torrential rains. We did not mind, we took a nap.

 

From the FLL airport, we took the rental bus shuttle and picked up our car. It some kind of Mazda designed for Lilliputians but fine for a couple of days. Who would buy one of those though?

 

We drove to the Renaissance and checked in then drove around a little. We went to Las Olas BLVD and promised ourselves we will return if it stops raining. We stopped by the store for bottled water and a few other essentials then went to 15th Street Fisheries for dinner. We had heard so much about this place that we were anxious to try it. I am not going to beat this restaurant in the ground but we won’t give it a second chance either. That lesson only cost us fifty dollars. I will mention that we dined in the casual downstairs venue and that I had a lobster roll and potato salad and Rex had fried shrimp as that is his quest- the perfect fried shrimp. The potato salad was weird but I think it might have made a nice potato soup. It was not as thick as potato leek soup I make so it flattened out and spread across the plate.

 

After dinner, we returned exhausted to our hotel and called it an evening.

 

6/3 Precruise- The Day Before The Day Of

 

It is almost 7AM and I have showered and am waiting for Rex. We are on the 6th floor with a view of the port. We would be able to see the Caribbean Princess arrive tomorrow morning but we have heard she will be at Pier 18 instead of Pier 2 where she is usually docked.

 

I think the pier move is due to the OAS meeting coming to town. Many dignitaries and George “Somebody” will be here. The 17th street Bridge will be closed from today through the 8th. A lot of activity can be seen below. Fences and barricades are being erected and law enforcement is very visible. Plan accordingly if you are arriving soon.

 

The bath and body works products provided by the hotel in combination with the water here has given my hair the baby bird look. I like it!

 

We walked from the hotel to the Bonjour Bakery and Café for breakfast….and also the free wireless Internet access. This is a good place for a light breakfast or lunch. They have an array of quiche’s and croissants and other assorted pastries for breakfast and deli style lunch.

 

More later……..

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We'll be on the CB 8/6/05. I, too, am the chief organizer of our family cruise planning every bit of our journey, down to the last detail and will, of course, be the one everyone blames when things go wrong. :rolleyes:

 

I look forward to your moment-by-moment happenings. Do you by chance teach English? Great writing - love your witty humor. :)

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We'll be on the CB 8/6/05. I, too, am the chief organizer of our family cruise planning every bit of our journey, down to the last detail and will, of course, be the one everyone blames when things go wrong. :rolleyes:

 

Sunluva---I can definitely relate to and sympathize with you on being the chief cook & bottle washer --- most responsible person in our group --- whatever happens, we're "responsible." Maybe we should have people in our groups sign a "disclaimer" releasing us from whatever goes haywire. LOL

 

Whoever this talented writer is, I'm looking forward to reading the journal everyday. We are booked for 10/15 and have read different reviews about many pre-cruise hotels. We've already changed twice. And I appreciate the comments on the 15th Street Fisheries, won't go there.

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We had a fantastic dinner at the 15th Street Fisheries. We ate upstairs and went for the Sunset Dinner Special ($16.95 for a complete dinner, appetizer to dessert and coffee). You just have to be seated by 5:30 p.m. We thought the food was outstanding, as was the service. Could the downstairs venue be that different?

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Sunluva---I can definitely relate to and sympathize with you on being the chief cook & bottle washer --- most responsible person in our group --- whatever happens, we're "responsible." Maybe we should have people in our groups sign a "disclaimer" releasing us from whatever goes haywire. LOL

 

Whoever this talented writer is, I'm looking forward to reading the journal everyday. We are booked for 10/15 and have read different reviews about many pre-cruise hotels. We've already changed twice. And I appreciate the comments on the 15th Street Fisheries, won't go there.

 

;) i loved the "precruise" journal and will continue to read it! I just had to respond and see if you saw me.

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We spent 7 hours at Sawgrass Mill Mall. It is huge! We discovered that one of the suitcases still has some space in it as evidenced by the massive shifting and subsequent wrinkling of our fresh, professionally laundered clothing. We walked so much my heal cracked! Ouch! Rex and I both bought a pair of walking sandals and I found yet another pair of drawstring slacks to add to my collection. Rex bought some jammies, though I was enjoying his lack thereof.

 

If you read our Sapphire Inaugural Cruise journal last year, you may recall that Rex hoards his clothes. He thinks he is saving his favorite stuff for later. That means, regardless of the 4 suitcases of clothing we brought, he is wearing yesterday’s outfit. Go figure.

 

We had a couple of beers at Coco’s Tiki bar and listened to Jimmy Buffet and James Taylor. We found a 10 buck coffee pot in Target. We are among those who bring our own pot. I know…I used to think the coffee pot people were weird too.

 

For some reason I puffed up and my hands are so swollen, they look like those of a much younger woman….no wrinkles at all.

 

We chose to have dinner nearby as we were wearing down again. We tried Carlos and Pepe’s because I thought I read on Cruise Critic that it was rated the best Mexican restaurant in Fort Lauderdale. I hope that is not the case. I thought it was okay and they do use brisket or skirt steak instead of ground beef but they also use cheddar cheese and liquid smoke. The portions are massive. Should you decide to try this restaurant, order half of what you think you want. I had a Mango Margarita and enjoyed it.

 

So far, the best restaurants we’ve been to in FLL are Bimini’s Boat Yard and Kelly’s New England Seafood restaurant. You are probably expecting me to be one of those people who complain a lot about cruise food. That is not the case. Princess food is far better than anything we’ve had since leaving home and I am looking forward to it. The only thing I’ve ever had on a cruise I didn’t much care for is deep fried boiled eggs.

 

Cruising is the way to go. We can fly through some cash while on land.

 

It’s almost bedtime as I type this. I am seated at a desk with a mirror behind it and I can’t help but glance up at myself every so often. I am hoping that the red dots on my upper lip will disappear but they haven’t in spite of using every healing ointment known to medical science. That hot wax they used when ripping out my mustache as I was wailing like a siren left me damaged. For some reason, I always have some sort of facial aberration just prior to going on a cruise.

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It’s almost bedtime as I type this. I am seated at a desk with a mirror behind it and I can’t help but glance up at myself every so often. I am hoping that the red dots on my upper lip will disappear but they haven’t in spite of using every healing ointment known to medical science. That hot wax they used when ripping out my mustache as I was wailing like a siren left me damaged. For some reason, I always have some sort of facial aberration just prior to going on a cruise.

Oh my - maybe the folks at the Princess Spa can help with this. ;) You are too funny. :D

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We're in Ft Lauderdale getting ready to board the CP as well. I agree with the comments about Carlo's and Pepe's... we ate there last night too. I thought it was just OK and much more expensive than we are used to for Mexican... not to mention we left half the dinner.

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6/04/05 Embarkation Day Oh Boy!

 

I didn’t sleep very well last night. There was a lot of activity in front of the port where 17th street is being barricaded. I wonder what problems with debarkation and embarkation this is going to cause. I am glad we didn’t stay on the other side of the bridge.

 

Looking out the window from the hotel (at 4AM) there are police cars all over the place and it is pouring down rain. I don’t see any ships. I think I’ll check out the webcam.

 

At daylight, we went out on the fire escape balcony fearing we were going to set off an alarm and cringing only slightly as I talked Rex into pushing open the door. From that vantage point, facing 17th street we could see the Caribbean Princess. Our room, 604, is facing the port and the usual pier beside the convention center in vacant. It appears that even numbered rooms in the Renaissance face the port. The odd numbered rooms overlook the pool and parking lot.

 

I like this hotel. We are staying 2 days post cruise here also (Priceline 80 dollars). One might consider the rooms a bit on the small side but they are clean, nicely appointed and everything looks crisp and new. There are no sighs of wear and I like that.

 

Rex wants to go to Bonjour bakery again for Breakfast and I want to just skip it and go to the ship for lunch. Rex is making out the last minute shopping list. We need Picante Clamato juice, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, and celery salt. We also need Lysol and alcohol wipes. I haven’t mentioned the obsessive-compulsive germ aversion thus far but Rex has it bad. Uh oh, we forgot to bring string!

 

Rex just told me the weather forecast is for rain from South Florida to the South Pole until Thursday. Oh well, I am glad we booked E730. Quite honestly, we would love to experience a churning thunderstorm at sea. That happened once and we loved it, though I know it bothers some people.

 

There are hundreds of police cars, hummers, dive teams, underwater recovery teams, rescue vehicles, prison transport vehicles and armored military vehicles passing by. There is a swat team dressed in camouflage on the roof of the culinary arts institute across the street. This is definitely not your typical day in FLL. Looking at the Caribbean Princess, there is no way to get there from here. We’ll let the hertz shuttle worry about that.

 

Speaking of Hertz, car renters are picked up from the airport in a large bus painted with bright vertical stripes. The bus will transport people to another site that houses most of the better known rental agencies. I asked the agent if there was transportation from tthat facility to the port and she advised me to drop the car off at another location. (Location 7 from the Renaissance). We verified that yesterday on the way back from Sawgrass.

 

A huge brigade of cops on bicycles just went by going up and over the bridge. Better their legs than mine.

 

We couldn’t make up our minds as to whether we should arrive early, say 10:45ish or late perhaps around 2. We have settled on checking out of the hotel at noon, going by the store to pick up Rex’s last minute list and then returning the car and catching the shuttle to the ship. I’m not sure that one can pick the perfect time to arrive. We’ve been among the first on the ship to the last and I am hoping we will not have to stand in an anxious crowd of people shoving each other to be first in the terminal. It is 10:00 AM as I type this. I’ve been dressed so long that I am already getting wrinkled. I like to look fresh for the embarkation photo but it isn’t going to happen…..once again.

 

You are probably getting tired of reading the Precruise saga and would like to hear more about the ship and the actual cruise. I will try to post from the ship but I have made that promise before and then never seem to find the time. Once I get in the cabin and unpacked, I go full throttle into vacation mode. I am signing off for now so I can pack up the laptop. I have to call one last time and check on the dogs. It's way past Bloody Mary time.

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pamwinn...Please let me know all about E730, as I've booked it on the Crown.

 

String for Rex? Hope your dogs aren't suffering from too much separation anxiety and I also hope you've had your Bloody Mary by now. Keep up this wonderfully honest report. Thanks!;)

 

 

6/04/05 Embarkation Day Oh Boy!

Oh well, I am glad we booked E730.

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Finally The Caribbean Princess

 

We left the hotel around noon and went to CVS and Winn-Dixie. The Publix that was on 17th is no longer there. We bought everything on the list and then some. Rex found tooth- whitening Listerine and had to have it. I think I mentioned already that he has become obsessed with whitening his teeth. They are looking good too.

 

We reached the pier via the Hertz shuttle at 1:30. We had platinum check in so virtually walked right on the ship. There was no wait whatsoever. I think this was better than the maddening crowd we usually face. The ship is beautiful, as you all know.

 

We are in cabin E730 with the extended balcony. I haven’t heard any noise from Club Fusion below us so far. I think this minisuite is smaller than the minisuites on the Grand, Star, and Sapphire. We were wondering why this cabin is E730 instead of E728. I don’t have Internet access on the ship yet (I’ll get it tomorrow) but it seems like another mini was squeezed in. There is still plenty of room for the two of us and we love this cabin category. Our steward is Noel from The Philippines. He’s great. Every movement he makes is double time. I wish I had that kind of energy.

 

After muster we went to Outrigger’s to meet our fellow cruise critics but we couldn’t find anyone. Maybe they were there and just didn’t say anything. We did not have a plan to wear blue wristbands or anything but I did describe how we look. We sat at the bar and I took note to make sure that Rex was the only man out there with a beard. Maybe they just thought we look so much younger than our ages that we just couldn’t be Pam and Rex.

 

Something I wasn’t aware of, I guess it is an elite perk. Instead of the typical continental breakfast menu, he left a full breakfast menu, which includes most of what you would find in the dining room or the horizon court….well, except for the baked beans. I was really looking forward to those too.

 

I know you won’t believe this but I swear it’s true. Rex ate the horizon court. No, really. I am not kidding he ate the whole thing. I have not seen him eat like that for more than 20 years. He probably consumed 40 huge lobster claws, along with perhaps 10 lbs of king crab. The young lady who kept removing his huge platters of shells (picked completely clean I might add) was horrified. When he finally said he was done and going to get some desert, I suggested he pass on that because I feared he would get sick. He said, “Just a little” and proceeded against my advice. Much to my amazement, he returned to the table with yet another huge platter of crab mounded so high a grain of salt would have toppled the whole thing. Then he ate it. All!

 

We explored the ship a little and then returned to the solitude of our cabin. The balcony door is open wide and we are listening to the ocean and falling under its spell as we always do. Sorry, that we didn’t go to any shows tonight. The sea is the show for us.

 

Oh, before I forget. Captain Romano left for vacation today. I was really looking forward to seeing him again. Captain Alan Wilson is in charge until much later this summer. I sent a card to him via the purser’s desk in an attempt to get on the bridge. I’ll let you know how that goes.

 

6/05/05 Princess Cays

 

I slept like a baby. I woke at 6AM. Rex was not far behind. We slept with the balcony door open…air-conditioning the Caribbean. We did not fill out room service cards for breakfast. I am not hungry when I first wake up and I doubt Rex will be hungry for the rest of the summer.

 

We did call room service to have them bring cream and coffee cups for our freshly brewed coffee. Rex wanted a carafe for purposes yet unknown but instead of ordering a carafe of hot water, he ordered a carafe of “the dreaded brown liquid”. I have a good nose for that so I could tell when it was on its way down the corridor and was able to step outside on the balcony. No need to scare some little guy with my PJ’s and morning hair. I look like a berserk wild woman from Tasmania in the morning. My hair sticks straight out.

 

Speaking of hair, Rex gave me a Flowbee haircut before we left. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a hair cutting device Ron Popiel used to sell on TV. We bought one years ago. It finally burned out and Rex found a source on the Internet. Problem is, they only sell in volume so we have six. That’s after giving several to friends. The Flowbee consists of a large hose that you attach to a wet/dry vac. The length of the cut is determined by the number of plastic tubes you attach to the business end of the Flowbee. You turn on the Flowbee and the wet/dry vac, then your hair is sucked into the device and cut….perfectly…unless you are me.

 

I have an odd sense of humor so over the years I have talked many people into letting us Flowbee (as we refer to it) their hair….once. HAHA. One friend actually comes regularly. Rex has been Flowbeeing Mike for years. But Mike is a unique individual. He also let us talk him into a Mohawk once. He’s a teacher too, folks. Just so you know whose capable hands your children are in.

 

This is becoming more the misadventures of Pam and Rex than a typical cruise review but that is our life and we’ve come to accept it. The heal crack ointment I bought during the last run on stores in FLL hasn’t worked on my heal yet. It’s a kit that consists of a tube of ointment and a small bottle of flammable liquid that glues the crack together. The ointment worked wonders on my razor burned legs.

 

I fell asleep with the crest whitestrips on that Rex is making me feel obliged to wear and now when I smile I keep hearing that musical ding.

 

Back to the cruise, we are at sea and should arrive at Princess Cays in a couple of hours. For now, we are going to relax on the balcony and enjoy our freshly brewed coffee. I smell like a coconut.

 

We spent some time on Princess Cays and are now back on the ship. We made a light lunch of the beach BBQ, as it’s too hot to eat much there. The fruit was great. It is so good this time of year. I’ve removed the sand from all my crevices and Rex is making us a Grey Goose and tonic. We ordered the vodka from room service upon embarkation. The elite minibar consists of the following airline-sized little bottles: 2 Smirnoff vodkas, 2 beefeater gins, 2 Canadian clubs, 2 Courvoisier’s, 2 bottles of dos equis, 2 Perrier waters, and 2 dannon spring waters, 2 cokes, 2 sprites, and 2 cans of tonic. We can have a cabin party. This is more booze than we can drink in the little time we have.

 

I’m not sure what we will do the rest of the evening, we always play it by ear. If Bert Stratton is on the ship, I haven’t seen him yet. No word so far on the bridge tour.

 

Lest I forget, I will mention today’s misadventure. The lens popped out of my sunglasses this morning. These are not just any glasses. These are my new, cool looking, prescription, invisible bifocal Ray Bans. I won’t bore you with the details of the many things that went awry with my latest visit to Lenscrafters, but I am never going back there again and I’m going to post on all the buyer beware sites I can find on the internet. Of course, the ship’s stores were closed because we were in port. We had an eyeglass repair kit in our travel pack but I had taken it out a week or so ago to repair my other brand new pair of rip-off Lens Crafter expensive-designer glasses and forgot to put it back. Dammit! Rex was quick to point out how this misadventure could have been avoided.

 

Rex just mentioned we forgot to bring a funnel. I let your imagination take you where it may trying to figure out his need for that one. He is clever though. He just figured out that the coffee filter holder makes a good substitute. He’s even chuckling at his ingenuity. We are currently in the cabin waiting for my hair to dry. I get hot before my hair dries when I use the in-cabin blow dryers and I don’t pack my own because it is too great a part of my work routine. I haven’t put on makeup in 3 days either. Of course, I shave my legs twice a day now. Hey, that reminds me of the wooly mammoth man we saw on Princess Cays. He has no need to wear sunblock as there is no visible skin. My leg hair would do that if I didn’t shave it constantly. We are probably related and just don’t know it.

 

We enjoyed the sail-away sipping on freshly squeezed orange juice and Grey Goose. Good stuff. Tenacity is the name of the band for those who are interested. Following sail- away we were lubricated enough to book two future cruises and to celebrate the bookings, we talked Virgil, in the Patisserie bar, into making us a Bloody Mary Martini. They are very good and I know there is a name for that drink but neither Virgil or I know what it is.

 

The ship is more crowded than the other Grand Class ships. I didn’t want to believe that but I’ve been here long enough to know it is true. For Rex and I, this is not a problem. We like meeting people, and even more, we like watching people. We had a great time watching at the pool today. Those who are really into full service would be better served on one of the other ships. I wanted to do the “Ultimate Balcony Dinner” and so did Rex, if they would just bring it all and not hover over us. We do not need that level of service. We are very laid back and casual people. If we weren’t, we couldn’t have survived a quarter century as high school teachers or um…with each other.

 

It’s Italian night in the dining rooms and Bavarian night in the café caribe. We have no plans.

 

Is this long enough for you? Okay… the three of you, let’s go on…I love you Mom.

 

We just received our first batch of finished laundry. As usual, they ironed my slacks flat meaning the crease is on the sides rather than in the front. Why do they always do that?

I need the front crease for the “slimming” illusion. Rex is writing something on a napkin and he won’t let me see it. I think he is going to add to this journal. I am hot and should probably take my third shower for the day but if I do, it means I have to shave my legs again.

 

Another musing I just had and I don’t want to go back and insert this in the proper place, I did begin this with the random thought title after all. Do not bother renting a cabana at Princess Cays. I know it’s only eight bucks but why pay to rent a little oven. It is at least 20 degrees hotter in the cabana than it is in the blazing sun. It is so hot that we did not use ours. While I was waiting for Rex to bring us the drink of the day from a bar not far from our cabana, I gave up and went to find him. I could not sit in there for 5 minutes. After lunch, Rex went back to get our stuff. He decided to try out the cabana. I had not mentioned the blazing inferno I experienced. He later mentioned the “human microwave effect”. Get off the ship early enough to grab a lounger in the shade of one of those little grass roofed shade things. You will know what I mean when you see them.

 

We chose the Baviarian dinner. I enjoyed it as I like unusually spiced meat. We aren’t talking bologna here. Rex prefers lobster.

 

I am going down now to post this so I’ll continue with the rest of the today, tomorrow.

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