Scrapnana

There’s always one, isn’t there? I’m glad they spoke to him.

Embarkation Day and St. Patrick's Day - March 17, 2024 I was dreading getting downstairs because when we came in on Saturday people were waiting for 30 or more minutes to get downstairs. Although I like the hotel, they only have two elevators and a freight one. One of them is currently being refurbished so it is very slow when there is a full house of cruisers wanting to get to or from the lobby, We were lucky (maybe because we were early) and had no trouble. The bellhop picked up our bags and we were in the lobby by 9:30. The shuttle ($8) was early and we were away before 10, our scheduled time. We dropped off three passengers for the RCI ship and then to ours. We had priority boarding and no set time to be at the terminal and were through to the waiting room quickly. We sat for about a half hour but were in the first group due to my wheelchair. Our cabins were not ready but we were able to drop off bags and then to the Lido for lunch. Cabins were ready after lunch and we all unpacked. I was out on the Promenade Deck to watch sail-away early. I waved my HAL flag and some people were able to get pictures off the PTZtv webcam as we sailed away. At 7 I played St. Patrick's Day trivia. The winners had 14 and I had 9 out of 19. 1. What is the highest number of clover leaves on one stem ever recorded? 2. What must leprechauns share if they are caught? 3. St. Patrick was originally connected with what color? 4. How do leprechauns get their gold? 5. What US city dyes its river green every year since 1962? 1. 56 2. their gold 3. blue 4. making or mending shoes 5. Chicago After trivia I headed for the Club Orange dining room. This is my first time with Club Orange which gives certain perks such as a separate dining room with a few extras on the menu. The show was the Origin Story of Holland America. We had all seen it before so we did not rush our meal and finished well after the starting time of 9pm. On my way back to my cabin I sat and listened to the last few "One Hit Wonders" in the billboard on board lounge. By that point I was exhausted so it was off to bed instead of writing this up. Smooth sailing until next time!

Embarkation day was long and tiring so I am going to bed now (and it’s only 10:15!). I will write up today’s report tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Thanks everyone for the photos. I was not certain they would find me .

We are moving

NS on the move

Caribbean P moving

More toots sounding like they were from X.

Enchanted played the Love Boat as she started her turn. My internet is really slow. Toots from EP

Thanks to everyone that responded to my question about the new building. Maybe they’ll put a WebCam on it.

The captain just announced that we had to wait for a royal Caribbean and celebrity ship to leave before we do as we are boxed in.

I will do my best! Do you know what that huge building going up on the corner of SE 17th and Eisenhower is? We have been debating offices vs. apartments/condos.

Leaving on a Jet Plane - March 16, 2024 My friends (Frances and Tony) and I arrived at the airport just before 5am. Check-in was quick and easy and since we were all TSA pre approved, getting through security was a breeze. The two hour flight was smooth (admittedly I slept through half of it) and the plane was not full (I was the only one in my row -everyone seemed to pick the back of the plane). We were able to get a van for our 7 bags and my rollator/wheelchair to get to the hotel and our rooms were ready at 10. We are staying at the Renaissance on SE 17th Street. I like it because of its proximity to restaurants and stores. We walked to a hoagie shop for lunch, made a stop at Walgreens, and then came back to spend the afternoon at the pool. Dinner was a delicious meal at Carrabba’s (also a short walk) with a great server. We made it an early evening since none of us got a full night’s sleep last night. Now if we can just get our luggage and us down stairs easily in the morning… more on that tomorrow. Smooth sailing until next time!

I will be waving from the Promenade Deck midship of Rotterdam. I have asked for a wave. I seriously doubt we will leave on time with so many ships in port

It doesn't seem like five years. That was a fabulous cruise.

It's a busy day here in FLL. We arrived at the hotel around 1030 and there had to be at least 100 people waiting around to leave for the ships. If my walking wasn't so bad I'd go stand on the bridge and watch the sail-away but instead I think I'll be down at the pool.

Still a test to see if I can do the Pole to Pole next year.

After battling cancer for the last fifteen months, I am finally able to go cruising again. Two friends (we all worked at the same school) were planning this cruise and asked if I wanted to go. I said yes even though I still don't walk very well or for very long. Although I likely won't get off at every port, I will be happy just to be back on a 'dam' ship. Some of you may have read the blog I usually write on cruises. This time I am just going to have this "Live" thread. I will try to update it each day provided my stamina and the onboard internet cooperate. We fly out before dawn on Saturday morning and arrive in FLL around 9am. We plan on enjoying the pool most of the day before boarding the ship on Sunday. For those who watch the webcam, I have requested a wave. I will be midship on the Promenade Deck waving the HAL flag. https://www.portevergladeswebcam.com/ Our Itinerary - 12-day Southern Caribbean DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE DEPART Sun Mar 17 FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA, US 3:00pm Mon Mar 18 At Sea Tue Mar 19 At Sea Wed Mar 20 PHILIPSBURG, SINT MAARTEN 8:00am 6:00pm Thu Mar 21 ST. JOHNS, ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 8:00am 9:00pm Fri Mar 22 FORT-DE-FRANCE, MARTINIQUE 8:00am 5:00pm Sat Mar 23 BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS 8:00am 5:00pm Sun Mar 24 POINT-A-PITRE, GUADELOUPE 8:00am 5:00pm Mon Mar 25 BASSETERRE, ST KITTS AND NEVIS 8:00am 5:00pm Tue Mar 26 SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO 8:00am 6:00pm Wed Mar 27 At Sea Thu Mar 28 HALF MOON CAY, BAHAMAS 8:00am 3:00pm Fri Mar 29 FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA, US 7:00am Smooth sailing until next time!

You all are the best. Thanks for all the support. 💕

Thanks, everyone! I'm thrilled to be going on another cruise!

It's been over a year since I've been on a HAL ship and we have a couple of questions. Is there any bar soap in the cabin bathroom? (I seem to remember dispensers.). If not, has anyone gotten some on request? Has sending messages on the Navigator app to others onboard improved any? Thanks!

I have requested a wave. I will be midship on the promenade deck with the HAL flag.

No toots?