Liveish MS Rotterdam Partial Panama Canal, November 12-24

[rafinmd]

Thursday, November 9, 2023, Winter Garden to Lake Wales

 

I was up pretty close to 6 and once again watched the sun come up outside my hotel window.

 After a light breakfast at the hotel I headed out about 7:30, stopping first at the cemetery outside Lakeland where my parents are buried and my ashes will someday join them.  

 

Most of the graves are simple markers flush with the ground but I did notice one prominent stone easy to find and right next to their resting place.

 

The second stop is likely my favorite place in Florida.  Edward Bok made a fortune as publisher of Ladies Home Journal and on retirement became a philanthropist.  He purchased one of the highest points of land in Florida and established a 70-acre botanical garden designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, and the center piece of the garden is a 205-foot tower with a 60-bell carillon.  

I have found I no longer have the energy to experience the garden the way I used to but did enjoy 2 of my favorite places.  There is a small shed called “Window on the Pond”, just a simple cabin with a front window and a few benches.

It looks out on a pond where sometimes wildlife comes around unexpectedly, but it was quiet for the time I was there.

Leaving the pond I went back to the visitor center for lunch, a hot dog and ice cream.  Not exactly gourmet food but the atmosphere is tops.  There are recorded carillon selections played from the tower on the half hour so it is a delight for all the senses.

There are concerts daily at 1 and 3 so I headed up to the tower about 12:30 to be ready.  

There is an observation area near the tower with a TV screen focused on the artist as they play, and I settled in there.

Sometimes the concerts are recordings but today we had Chief Carillonneur Geert D’hollander at the console for about a 35-minute performance.

 

After the performance I left and headed to my hotel.  My first 3 hotel nights have all turned out to be Holiday Inn Express and I was surprised to see how much alike they all were, from the rooms and furnishings to apparently the breakfast menus.

I grabbed takeout at the McDonalds in the same shopping center and ate in my car as the sun was setting across the highway.

I was once again settled in for the night a little after 9.

 

[Iamthesea]

Your review has barely begun, and I am already hooked.   So unique!!!  Thank you. 😉

 

I am familiar with the Olmsted name.  I live near Biltmore House and Gardens.  Love taking the nature tours and learning all about how Frederick Olmsted, Sr.  designed the grounds at Biltmore.  Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr.  His son must have been equally talented.  If I am ever near Lakeland, I would love to see the Olmsted Gardens.  

 

 

[rafinmd]

The worst of the driving is over.  I am at my Fort Lauderdale hotel but my room won't be ready for at least another hour. 

 

Roy

[Happily@Sea]

6 hours ago, rafinmd said:

The worst of the driving is over.  I am at my Fort Lauderdale hotel but my room won't be ready for at least another hour. 

 

Roy

 

I'm glad the driving part is over for you. 

[rafinmd]

Friday, November 10, 2023, Lake Wales to Fort Lauderdale

 

It was a tiring but not very interesting day.  I was up early and did catch the sunrise from a housing complex connected to the hotel. 

I checked out about 8 and was soon headed for Fort Lauderdale, pretty much due East to I95 and then south.  I made about 4 stops along the way, the final one in Fort Lauderdale for lunch, and was at the Comfort Inn South about 1.  

 

I had a couple of things I wanted to take care of on the internet so I hung out in the lobby for a while and by the time I was finished rooms were starting to open up.

 

The room is bigger than the Holiday Inn Express rooms but I don’t think the extra size is really that much of a benefit.  The one thing that is not great about it is that while there are a lot of electrical outlets, there are only 2 USB slots.  It will all work out anyway.  

Dinner was at Panera a couple miles southwest of the hotel.  On the way back I discovered something to file away for the future.  Apparently while being loaded on the auto train my cars headlights had been turned off and I hadn’t noticed it since I hadn’t done any night driving for several days.  The first time away from bright street lights it became obvious.

 

Roy

 

[Himself]

Roy, when you get off the Rotterdam, I will board the Rotterdam.

[aliaschief]

On 11/9/2023 at 7:51 AM, 0bnxshs said:

Adding my best wishes for a great adventure and thanks for the ride along, Roy.  Glad you are cruising again.  We will be on board Rotterdam in December and are also interested in knowing if there has been any announcements about LCS and their "rotating" schedule.

Good to see you posting on CC.

[rafinmd]

Saturday, November 11, 2023, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

 

Well, I did a lot of driving Saturday with not a lot to show for it.  I was up early enough to catch the sun coming up just before heading to the breakfast room.  The breakfast was ok but not as good as the past few days.

I did have a couple of things I wanted to do.  There was a church I often visited when in Miami and they are currently redeveloping what had been their building, creating a mixed use complex of retail, residential units, and worship space.  I also wanted to replace the battery in my watch which was showing signs of weakness.

 

My internet search of watch repair places near the hotel was not very productive, but I thought I would try Dadeland Mall which I visited frequently when my brother lived in that area.

 

I left the hotel about 9 and traffic was more difficult than I expected but I THINK I identified the church site.  I did not see any sign of a place of worship but the stage of construction and the signs advertising residences looked right.  The drive to Dadeland was much slower than I expected and to my surprise the parking lot was so packed I gave up trying to get there.

 

I stopped on the way back for Panera, a split order with soup for lunch and mac and cheese which I could microwave for dinner, and was back at the hotel about 2.  I did find a mom & pop jewelry repair at a place about 20 minutes from the hotel.  They did the job quickly and for a fair price, but counting the gas and the wear and tear on the car it was the most expensive watch battery I will ever buy.  At least it’s done.

 

I was back at the hotel about 4 and hope to be in bed fairly early.

 

Roy

 

[StLouisCruisers]

Now you know what to do with extra OBC you don't want to go to waste on your cruise.  Check out the Citizen Eco-Drive watches in the shops and look for a sale on them (or ask when they will have them on sale).  You can get a nice one for under $200 and never need watch batteries again.  They run on light!  I remember the feeling of trying to find a place to replace the batteries and the time and trouble it used to take.  

 

Hope the embarkation goes smoothly for you and you have a great cruise!

[RuthC]

37 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

Check out the Citizen Eco-Drive watches in the shops and look for a sale on them (or ask when they will have them on sale).  You can get a nice one for under $200 and never need watch batteries again.  They run on light!

Yes, they are solar powered, but the batteries can run out eventually. I had to have one replaced in one of my eco-drive watches. Got them both on different HAL cruises. 
They are great watches, though. Just store them in a sunny window, instead of a drawer, watch case, or jewelry case. I like to think the burglars won't find them behind the curtains. 

Another thing to do with excess OBC is apply it as additional gratuities to the pool. 

[StLouisCruisers]

53 minutes ago, RuthC said:

Yes, they are solar powered, but the batteries can run out eventually. I had to have one replaced in one of my eco-drive watches. Got them both on different HAL cruises. 
They are great watches, though. Just store them in a sunny window, instead of a drawer, watch case, or jewelry case. I like to think the burglars won't find them behind the curtains. 

Another thing to do with excess OBC is apply it as additional gratuities to the pool. 

 

 

We have three of them and have had them about a decade with still no battery problems.  I keep my dressy watch on a table in my bedroom next to a window and it remains keeping perfect time, as they all do.  Just have to remember to pack it when we cruise, so it's on my packing list.  

[Sharon in AZ]

Roy, I’m enjoying your Live From reports and wish you Bon Voyage tomorrow. I am interested in your thoughts about the partial transit as I’m considering one for next December for our 50th. Please make sure to enjoy the pea soup in the Dutch Cafe. 

[travelnap]

Bon Voyage Roy.  I hope you have a great cruise.

[pirate cruiser]

Thanks for taking us along-I will be paying special attention since we are booked on the Panama Canal Sunfarer next Dec.

[kirkc]

Will be interested to hear if Starlink is up and running. We board the Rotterdam on 11/24.

[Cruisercl]

@rafinmd, Roy, Bon Voyage and smooth sails!

Curious to hear what you think of the new PC locks...😎

Edited November 12, 2023 by Cruisercl
typo

[cat shepard]

Bon Voyage, Roy!

[rafinmd]

I am on board but have a lot to do before I'm ready to write anything serious.  Arrived at port 11, snagged a great parking spot and was on board at 11:30.  Elevators are a zoo but most everything else is going well.

 

Roy

[dfish]

Roy, have a fabulous cruise.  I hope you enjoy every second of it!

[BetsyS.]

Roy - Bon Voyage! 🥂😊 I'm happy for you. I'm glad you got a great parking spot and that everything is going well (except for elevators).

[Cruisercl]

Saw you on the ship at sailaway!!

Bonvoyage....

[ClippyJoe]

Have a wonderful time ! I am so envious of you but glad that you will be keeping us informed.

[rafinmd]

Sunday, November 12, 2023, Embark MS Rotterdam, Ft. Lauderdale

 

I was up just a little before 5 and with packing (some things to go to the ship and others to stay in the car) and breakfast, I left the hotel about 7:30.

 

I have cruised frequently out of both Fort Lauderdale and Miami, and I relate to 2 churches in South Florida.  I have not actually worshiped in Fort Lauderdale, but I have frequently visited First Methodist Church of Miami, and have a continuing online relationship with them.  The other church is Miramar Methodist Church.  The pastor there grew up in my church and I’ve known him and his father for at least 50 years.  It could easily be my South Florida church except that is virtually inaccessible without a car.  Not a problem when I have used the auto train, and I arrived at there back door (construction on the road in front of them) just after 8 for the 8:30 service.

I was back on the road about 10, and dropped off my bag with the porters just after 10:30.  I roamed the parking garage a bit and found an ideal spot on level 4 about 11.

 

It seemed like almost continuous action for the next half hour.  Down the elevator, across the street to terminal 6, wrong line for checkin, but when the clerk saw “Priority” on my boarding pass she let me out of the general line and into the right line, quickly through security and on to a kiosk where my passport was scanned, a photo taken, and I was given a boarding pass, no need to go to a checkin counter.  I was sent up an escalator and expected to be moved to a waiting lounge, but no, almost a straight line to the gangway.  

 

Usually, Holland America Rooms are ready for use immediately on boarding, but not quite this time. 

 

The elevators were a zoo, but they were manned by staff who took them directly up to the lido deck.  I decided Dive-In and the pool deck might be a bit calmer than the Lido Marketplace and was almost at the order counter when the announcement came that staterooms were ready.  It was 11:30 and I headed down to check out my room.

 

It is very nice, the one down side is not much storage in the bathroom.

I pulled things out of my rollaboard, set up a laptop and put a few things away.  Just after noon I headed back up to the lido deck for Dive-in Naked Fries, and then headed down to my assembly station to get my card scanned.  My station is in front of the shops.

 

My big bag came about 3 and I rushed to get things out of it and temporarily stored in cabinets before heading on deck for sailaway, choosing a perch on deck 10 for the sailaway.

 

There is a webcam at the exit to Port Everglades that follows ships out the channel to sea.  A group of us on Cruise Critic get together online to watch Holland America ships as they depart.  I indicated to them that I would be waving from the top deck just above the Rotterdam sign.  I went up to my perch just about as we were due to leave but things were moving pretty slowly and my feet were starting to ache as I watched first Caribbean Princess, and then Celebrity Reflection leave ahead of us.  

 

Finally we started backing away from the berth and straightening out to line up for the exit channel. 

 

There is a tradition of ships blowing their horns as they head out the channel and our captain took the tradition very seriously.  A fellow cruise critic member captured me as we sailed out.

There was for a long time a second webcam on the Pier 66 hotel that had better angles on a number of the berths, especially Terminal 66 which HAL mostly uses now.  That webcam has been down for some time now as the hotel is closed for renovation.  I got a look at the hotel as we left and it does not show any signs of being anywhere near reopening.

 

Dinner was a bit strange.  I have purchased Club Orange, which includes a smaller, more intimate dining venue, but my card showed me at a table in the large dining room.  It was not bad but it was also clear that I was not at a Club Orange overflow table, and I inquired as I left the dining room.  Apparently , Club Orange is open seating and I had chosen fixed dining with constant tablemates and waiters, and that table was assigned to me.  The Maitre’d indicated I really was eligible for the intimate dining room, and “unseated” me from my assigned table.

 

My choices for the evening were Classic Caesar Salad, Beef Pot Roast, and Lemon Torte a la mode.

After dinner I unpacked and stowed a few things and started organizing the day’s photos, calling it a night about 9.

 

PS We are anchored now off Half Moon Cay.  I will go ashore about lunch time.

 

Roy

 

[travelnap]

Roy, Glad to hear that you made it aboard safely and that you are now enjoying your cruise.  Glad to hear that you were able to worship with someone you know before departure.  Look forward to traveling along with your voyage.

[kirkc]

Is Starlink operational for the internet?