Barbados

Well, today we did something we don’t normally do, we went to Malibu Beach.  Actually it was a very nice beach, with beach chairs, in our case under a big almond tree which kept the sun off of us all day.   The water was deep blue with a wonderful sandy beach,  along with a rum cocktail the day went well.  Of course lots of football, yea Vikings!!  Another milestone was reached tonight aboard the Ruby Princess, Judy finished a book completely on one cruise.  It was a Sue Grafton book and it must have been good.  Usually she starts one on one cruise then finishes it on the next two or three.  Tomorrow, St Lucia where we have an early tour booked.

St Kitts

The landscape in St Kitts is more like a Polynesian Island than the other islands of the Carib.  We had originally thought we would try and catch the ferry to Nevis, but my back was still acting up so Judy went into port by herself and did some shopping.  While she was there, she was told that the ferry was not completely reliable with their schedule, so we were probably better off not going anyway.  Judy won trivia today while I napped. 
We were up by the pool reading today for a couple of hours and we were both amazed at both the men and women that must not look in the mirror before they go out in public.  Tomorrow, Barbados and a trip to the beach.

St Thomas for the second time

Another day in St Thomas within the last ten days,  but this time it was black Friday and we got great deals on liquor, so we have a package coming home and the liquor cabinet will be restocked.  We didn't stay long in town and when we got back to the ship, a little reading, a little nap on the sun deck for both of us, lots of trivia, no wins, but not embarrassing ourselves either.  Tomorrow, St Kitts, where we are going to take a boat ride to Nevis on our own, if we can find the right place.  As always we are enjoying the shipboard life.

Thanksgiving and Football

The ships atrium was all decorated with Thanksgiving carvings and turkeys.  It was actually a good day at sea with trivia, (we haven’t won yet) lots of food and great entertainment and football.  It is always fun to see football on the big screen.   Tonight was another great stage production show, called Broadway Ballroom, with some great songs and fabulous dancing.  The choreography, set and costumes were designed by a choreographer from the TV show, “So you think you can dance.”   Tomorrow, St Thomas and black Friday.  We have a new folder from a liquor store so our cabinet will get stocked tomorrow.

Princess Cays

This was the day we stopped at Princess’s private Island in the Bahamas.  First it was a beautiful day and Judy and I took the tenders in, we took some pictures, had lunch on the island, then back to the Ruby Princess for Trivia's (no wins so far). We finally got a permanent table and met our table mates from Texas.  I might relay a short story that I forgot on our first segment.  We went to play some music trivia and invited a young couple  (early twenties) and we found out they were from a small town in Minnesota (population 3000) called Blue Earth.  It was where I was born.  Tomorrow,  Thanksgiving, and Football.  Judy and I wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving.

Another Departure

Tonight was another wonderful departure from
Ft Lauderdale.  As many times as we have sailed out of here, we still get the same exhilaration every time, another adventure lies ahead.  We met up with our neighbors and friends, Bruce and Dorothy who had booked this cruise before we had booked ours, but were happy that we would be able to join them on this one.  Tomorrow will be another visit to Princess Cays and the beach,  Not sure what we are going to do there, but will probably go in to get some pictures.  The sunset tonight was outstanding, and of course Judy got her usual wonderful picture of it.

Transition Day

Well, today is a day that will switch us from one room on carib deck to one on baja.  We can leave the stuff on hangers but we need to empty the drawers and at nine o'clock they will come and move us.  The first ten days of our trip were outstanding, we met some great people both at our dinner table and playing cribbage.  Today neighbors of ours will be boarding and we are looking forward to seeing them.   Tomorrow will be a day at Princess Cays and then onto ST Thomas, but after that all the ports will be different.  St Thomas shopping will include some liquor for ourselves and some friends.

Another sea day

I think we were ready for this sea day after so many ports in a row.  We slept in late and really enjoyed the extra sleep.  Of course it was football day and we did manage to watch a lot of it between trivia's and other activities.  Football was broadcast on the huge screen on deck 15 where they normally show movies in the evening.  Brett was awesome again today, go Vikings.  The entertainment aboard the Ruby Princess has been great.  We had three new productions shows that featured the singers and dancers and last night we went to one that I have probably enjoyed more than any other on any cruise ship.  It was called “I had a Dream” and along with great songs from the cast, the whole thing was a great job of video production, with great backgrounds and mystic scenes.  It is a show that I will look forward to seeing again.  We found out that we have to change rooms for the second half of our cruise, actually the second cruise, because it was booked separately and someone has this cabin on the next cruise, so we will be moving on up to Baja deck on the other side of the ship.  We just have to pack a few things and they will move it all for us. Tomorrow, another sea day with lots of trivia. 

Aruba

Today we arrived in Aruba again.  This was one of the islands we visited when we went through the Panama Canal.  Aruba is an island with wonderful beaches, but because of where it is, it is also a desert with cactus and barren plains.  Right onshore is a big casino, of course we didn’t stop, Judy and I are not gamblers.  Trivia update: One  tie which we missed the tiebreaker, and one loss.   Last night was the Captains circle party and the people with the most days at sea had over 1000 which makes our almost 400 seem like Childs play. Now we have two more days at sea which will give us some final days at trivia and of course tomorrow…  FOOTBALL on the big screen, (pictures of the big screen tomorrow) Go Vikings!!

Bonaire

Today we arrived in Bonaire, one of the worlds best diving and snorkeling destinations.  We docked in Kralendijk, the capital of this Netherlands possession.  The locals welcome you with the term Bon Bini which is the welcome greeting.  Again we didn’t have a tour booked because we are not divers or snorkelers, but we went into a very clean town and walked around.  The town was very clean with some decent shopping, which of course we did a little off.  The locals were extremely friendly and we had a good time ashore.  Trivia update:  we keep coming in second, but we are hopeful.  Tomorrow, Aruba.

Grenada

Today we arrived in Grenada, the spice island, again a very lush tropical island noted for their spices including nutmeg, vanilla and many others.  We did not have a tour booked today, but Judy went into the town and bought some vanilla while I read on board.  Tonite was also the Captains Cocktail party for the 40 most traveled passengers on board and again it was a wonderful evening with good drink and great food.  It is interesting, we talked to a couple that actually treat the cruise ship like a winter home.  They are snow birds living in Staten Island, NY that get on a cruise ship in October and basically stay on until spring, just getting off for a couple of weeks over Christmas.  They truly give new meanings to the term Snow Birds.  Tomorrow… Bonaire.

Dominica

Today we arrived in Dominica unspoiled island with vibrant rainforests and streams flowing from the mountains to the sea.  Dominica is home to the last Carib indians.  Today we roamed around the town and then went on a whale watching trip on a catamaran.  We seen several sperm whales but could never seem to catch one with the tails in the air.  We were fortunate to get very close to the whales even watching as one went under our boat.  Not only was the whale watching fun, but just being out on the water going along the shore and seeing lots of beautiful sights was outstanding.  Tomorrow, Grenada.

St Thomas

Today was spent in St Thomas,  we have been here before but we did walk into port and looked around in the shops, checked on liquor prices so on the way back we can pick up what we need.  The dock area was covered with iguanas, literally hundreds of them.  I don’t think we noticed them when we were here the last time.  Trivia update, played four, won 1, but we are having a great time with our trivia partners.  The entertainment aboard ship has been outstanding and again tonite we were up until almost midnight.  Tomorrow, Dominica where we are going whale watching.

Our first Sea Day

We had a busy day today, and my friends will know how busy it was if I say that I did not get a nap today.  We played three trivia's and didn’t win any of them, in fact not even close.  We enjoyed several different acts in the Piazza on deck five, it seems they have something going on most of the day.  We enjoyed wine tasting, even though we tasted the same wines the last several times that we have gone.  We have been sleeping in in the mornings.  Tomorrow, we will be in St Thomas and we will go in a snoop around a little, because we don’t have a tour booked here.

Football and Trivia

Even though the Ship was docked at their very beautiful Island today, we decided not to go to the beach, was a little windy and we have been there before, after all it was football and trivia day.  We won one, lost one and tied for one, but lost on the tie breaker (who cares when JFK had his back surgery, it was 1954). My condolences to Mike and Seldon but Go Vikes.  Tomorrow we are at sea with lots of trivia and I am sure another fun day on the Ruby Princess. 

Leaving Port Everglades

Yesterday started with our good friend Seldon taking us down to the local McDonalds where we picked up by a bus called the Cruise Connection which proceeded to take us to Ft Lauderdale and the start of our twenty day cruise. This was the first time we used the Cruise Connection and it worked out great. We arrived at the Ruby Princess about noon and were swiftly on board. The Ruby Princess is only a year old and of course is a beautiful ship. As usual there was a kind of a scavenger hunt, getting things stamped from different venues on ship. Of course, Judy had to do this and as it seems she always does, she won an entry (for me) into the black jack tournament later in the cruise. We were parked close to the new “Oasis of the Sea” the huge new ship from Royal Caribbean that holds 6000 passengers. It is huge, here is a picture of it next to a normal size cruise ship. Today, Princess Cays, a private island with a wonderful beach.

Getting Ready to go

Well, we are getting ready to leave on Saturday Nov 14 to catch the Ruby Princess in Ft Lauderdale for twenty days in the Caribbean. This is the first time that we will be taking a bus called "The Cruise Connection" from Leesburg to Port Everglades. It was recommended by our travel agent and is priced well at 65 dollars per person round trip. We will try and post from each port and post some pictures as well.