Sunday, December 25th
After breakfast Janice and I had coffee at The Deck in the Sea Club Resort. This place looks like it would be stepping back in time to stay here. Retro ... early 60's ish ... I could envision this place back in it's hay day being a very happening place (actually it still was - I bet the bar and restaurant here do quite well) ... we had a view of the ocean across the street. After the coffees, we enjoyed a nice walk along the beach.
Dinner today was going to be pretty cool. We were going to enjoy a Christmas dinner cruise around the bays and inlets of Miami, aboard a 111 foot, 380 passenger luxury yacht - The Biscayne Lady. This yacht was docked behind a mall - the Bayside Marketplace ... a busy place today - many people here to shop, party and enjoy a free outdoor concert near the water.
The twin hulled catamaran took us around Biscayne Bay, and the city lights of Miami looked beautiful from the ship this evening.There was a lovely buffet on board to enjoy, as Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble and Vince Guaraldi played in the background. We met Marlene ... a visitor from London who enjoyed coming to Florida often. It was a lovely evening for a cruise, and dinner was quite nice ... a beautiful way to spend Christmas.
Monday, December 26th
It's boxing day and we were going to leave dry land behind to board the Majesty of The Seas, a Royal Caribbean ship that sports a climbing wall, 9 bars & lounges, glass elevators and much more ...
By mid afternoon we had checked out of the hotel, snagged some lunch, dropped off the rental car, hopped a shuttle bus to the Port of Miami and were exploring the ship. The Majesty has a capacity of 2744, with a crew of 820, a length of 880 ft. (268 m) and a weight of 73,937 gross tonnes ... it's not their newest or biggest ship, but they've taken pretty good care of her.
It was warm and sunny as we headed out to sea later in the afternoon. The itinerary included a little cruise through the Bahamas, and we were looking forward to the next few days. At dinner in the dining room we had the pleasure of meeting Sarise and her daughter Shirelle, and Scott and his wife Francis. They would be our dinner companions throughout the cruise ... every day we'd share our adventures and get to know each other a little more. Nice people ...
Tuesday, December 27th
This morning we were docked at Key West. We had an early start to the day today ... we were to tour the town on bikes and had to meet on the dock at 9 am. It was another warm & sunny day - 26 degrees, so we applied our sunscreen and headed out.
The Key lime Parrothead Bike Tour took us around the town, highlighting historical locations, interesting landmarks and popular attractions. It was a nice outing ... the one-speed bikes took some getting used to ... you had to pedal backwards to break. There seems to be a few roosters here on the island ... you can even hear them from the ship.
We visited the Southernmost Point of the U.S., paused in front of Earnest Hemmingway's House, stopped at the cemetery, and peddled from The Atlantic Ocean to The Gulf of Mexico ... we were even treated to a slice of Key Lime Pie at the end ...
Before heading back to the ship, Janice & I walked down and looked around the Straw Market ... the streets were busy with 3 cruise ships docked in port today.
After dinner we went to the Corus Line Theatre to see some singing and dancing in a production called "Signed, Sealed Delivered".
Wednesday, December 28th
This morning it was nice to sleep in. We had breakfast in the dining room, and by lunch time we were docked in Nassau. Our itinerary today was a Sightseeing tour of the city, including a visit to Ardastra Gardens.
This is a very lush, fertile tropical part of the world, and the vegetation here was amazing. Unfortunately much of the city struggles with crime and poverty, so we didn't see too many luxury cars or fancy homes here. We had also been warned not to wander out in the evening alone by a crew member.
We stopped at Fort Charlotte, Fort Fincastle and the Queens Staircase. The Ardastra Gardens were nice ... flamingos, parrots, and various other examples of plants & animals of the area.
After dinner, Janice and I burned off a few calories with a walk around the ship. Tomorrow morning was going to be another early start, so we called it a night not long after our stroll.
Thursday, December 29th
This morning we are anchored near the little island of CocoCay. This is Royal Caribbean's private island, and after our room service breakfast, we will be tendered over to the island, as it is too shallow for the ship to dock here.
We will be taking a guided nature walk this morning ... a nice way to get some exercise and get motivated first thing in the morning. Our tour guide was quite knowledgable about the medicinal benefits of various plants here on the island, and showed us a plant that was known to help with stress ... Janice stepped forward and was hoping to take a few samples back home :P
After the nature walk, we relaxed on the beach for a while. It was warm and sunny again today (lucky us), and the reclining beach furniture was calling our name. Also anchored near our ship was it's sister ship - The Monarch of The Seas. The Monarch's passengers were also enjoying the island.
By 11:30 we were ready for lunch. The RC staff did a nice little buffet on the island ... we feasted on salad, burgers and ribs, with fruit for desert.
Around 2pm it was time for some beach volleyball ... sweet! Sun, sand and volleyball - awesome : )
Late afternoon ... time to head back to the ship. We snagged a couple of slices of pizza back on The Majesty ... Sorrento's serves up 'zah until late in the night ... decent pie, too.
After dinner, we took in "Boogie Wonderland", a 70's review at the Chorus Line Theatre. Following the show, Janice and I wandered around the ship, stopping by for a little Latin music at Bolero's, where Janice enjoyed a Lava Flow. We strolled through Schooner's, where a crooner was entertaining at the piano bar, then we walked through the atrium, where a band was playing a little rock and country. It had been a nice little cruise, and tomorrow we'd be returning to Florida.
Friday, December 30th
This morning we stopped by The Windjammer for breakfast. This is the ship's buffet style restaurant, and it was packed this morning ... very busy. We got our food and sat with a nice older couple from St. Thomas Ontario. After breakfast, we packed and disembarked the ship.
The beautiful Miami morning sunshine was a nice welcome back to dry land. By mid morning we were on a shuttle bus to pick up our rental car at Ft. Lauderdale airport.
After securing our chariot, we stopped by a Foot Locker Outlet store, where I bought some runners.
Lunch at Ft. Lauderdale beach, then a stroll along the sand. Another beautiful warm day : )
After the beach, we checked into our room at the hotel again.
That evening we enjoyed some sweet jazz at the Museum of Contemporary Art ... Ira Sullivan was playing at the outdoor stage. Nice!
Saturday, December 31st
This morning we visited Sawgrass Mills Mall - Florida's largest shopping centre. This place had some huge outlet stores, so Janice wanted to look for a few bargains.
After the shopping, we ate lunch at Whole Foods Market ... a grocery store that specializes in healthy foods. What a wonderful selection of goodies ... I hope we see one of these in Ottawa soon!
By mid afternoon, we were at South Beach in Miami. Parking was a challenge, but eventually we found a spot on a side street.
This part of Miami was alive with a buzz. People were out and about, ready to to celebrate New Years. Janice and I walked for several blocks to Ocean Drive tonight, it's closed to cars for one big New Year's Eve Block Party. The bars and restaurants down here were humming with music, and the crowded street was filled with folks ready to ring in the New Year. The colors, lights, balloons and sounds truly made this a funky festive place tonight. When all was said and done, we had walked for three hours through all the revelry. What a wonderful way to end our visit here : )
Sunday, January 1st
Happy new year! It was the last few hours of our trip ... after checking out of the hotel, we couldn't help but pause for a few moments in the Florida sun, knowing that soon we'd be headed back to Canada.
Today was a travel day ... a day of airports, lines, checking bags, changing planes in Toronto, and landing back in our snow covered home of Ottawa.
It was wonderful getting to know a little more of Miami & Ft. Lauderdale this trip. Lots to do and see down there, and the cruise through the Bahamas was awesome : )
