LIVE Norwaylady escape the winter on Equinox B2B 23.03-11.04.24

[Norwaylady]

Around 12.15 I called it for the day. 

Time to return onboard. 

 

A very underwhelming day for me🤣🤣😎

On the positive side, no big 🤩🤩🤩 things Mr didn’t attend🥰 

 

I stopped in Al Bacio to have a little espresso macchiato and soda water. 

 

It’s on days like this you really miss a functional roll call on CC for your sailing⚓️  

 

And I have 2 goals for 2024! 

I need to learn how to play bridge & mahjong🤓 

[Barwick Cruiser]

Sorry for the disappointing stop in Martinique…400 euros for a ferry to the beach?? Agree that’s craziness…I wouldn’t have paid either…our Cdn$ is similar to yours so whether something is priced in US$ or euro we take a big hit.
 

Have you checked out the hot glass show? Have you done it before? I tried it out on Solstice on our Alaska cruise and enjoyed the whole experience very much…my sea turtle is a great memento of that trip. 
 

Keep up the great work on this report, loving it very much as we anticipate our Baltics cruise in May. 
Cathy

[hcat]

sorry this port did not work out well for your visit .

 

. It was one of our favs when we were there.  We went on a weekday,  and had a great walking tour with a bilingual guide. Lots of history, nice market, very well kept and clean.

 

We had an outdoor mini lunch near the fort , and we  did ok...not great..with shopping!

 

Maybe next time we'd try to visit a beach!   

[Norwaylady]

2 hours ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

Have you checked out the hot glass show? Have you done it before? I tried it out on Solstice on our Alaska cruise and enjoyed the whole experience very much…my sea turtle is a great memento of that trip. 
 

Keep up the great work on this report, loving it very much as we anticipate our Baltics cruise in May. 
Cathy

Glassblowing is really fun🤩 it’s a creative activity! 
 

I am due to my volunteer work, able to blow glass twice a year at Hadeland Glassverk at home🤩

 

So I have several vases and hanging balls blown and handpicked colours of my self😌 

So it’s fun to watch their work onboard! 
but I’m blowing at home;) 

 

Fingers crossed for a great Baltic cruise! 
 Hopefully the weather is good😇😎☀️

[Norwaylady]

After my little stop in Al bacio, I went upstairs to say hello to Mr. It was 13.15.

He was working on the balcony. 

 

He said that the ship had a new medical emergency 🚨 just after I left the ship. 

Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery ❤️‍🩹 

 

Mr was ready for lunch. 

The OV offered French 🇫🇷 food as today’s special. 

I had a little plate of hoisin chicken and fried rice. 

Mr went all in on the French themed food😂 we had some cheese 🧀 for dessert. 

 

After the lunch break on the terrace we returned to the cabin. 

Mr needed to work a little bit more🤓

 

Today’s canapés had arrived: 

 

[cruisetonowhere10]

21 minutes ago, Norwaylady said:

After my little stop in Al bacio, I went upstairs to say hello to Mr. It was 13.15.

He was working on the balcony. 

 

He said that the ship had a new medical emergency 🚨 just after I left the ship. 

Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery ❤️‍🩹 

 

Mr was ready for lunch. 

The OV offered French 🇫🇷 food as today’s special. 

I had a little plate of hoisin chicken and fried rice. 

Mr went all in on the French themed food😂 we had some cheese 🧀 for dessert. 

 

After the lunch break on the terrace we returned to the cabin. 

Mr needed to work a little bit more🤓

 

Today’s canapés had arrived: 

 

Those look less like cat food today. They are actually semi identifiable.

[Lena11033]

Sorry today didn't work out for you

 

4 hours ago, Norwaylady said:

I stopped by the tourist information tent and the lady said unfortunately the ferry operator is on strike🤪🫠 they have had an ongoing strike for 5 weeks, so all ferry’s from Port-de-France to the close by areas is cancelled. 

Yes 👍🏻 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 That’s the grumpy French we know from home🤣🤣🤣😜

 

lol my stop last year in Le Havre (for Paris) was cancelled last year because the French had been on strike for weeks. For us it ended up being better because they diverted us to the Netherlands.

[Norwaylady]

Mr was working and I just relaxed on the bed after lunch. (The food coma is not underestimated😜) 

It’s nice to just relax also💙 

 

We left from Martinique 🇲🇶 before our time. All onboard was 17.30 and we left at that time😅 So I guess everyone was early back😂😂😂 

 

We could see on the tv/map channel that they had a sail-away party on the helipad. 

(Hey👋🏻 are we winners of sail-in this cruise😜😂) 

 

Then it was time to get ready for the evening💙

 

Tonight’s show is Danny Cannis

[Norwaylady]

Danny Cannis delivered a potpourri of Sinatra, Steve Wonder etc. 

Backed by the orchestra. 

 

 

 

 

It was a good show and it’s always a winner💙🙂

 

In grand foyer Cheaza was doing a pop-up performance. Full house and standing ovation 👏🏻 

 

Tomorrow I have “secured” my day😂😅

Mr is going to work for a few hours…. 

So I said, Good for You! 

I will do something😆

 

So here we are…. I have booked the rainforest tour in St Kitts. 

This boots 🥾 are made for walking! (And yes, the transport time is only 21.minutes according to google maps🧐)

So fingers crossed for a perfect day on tour in the forest😇 

[81Zoomie]

I wish we could teleport your Motown Diva singer to our ship 🎶🎤🎶👠

[mauimary]

We have been all over the Caribbean numerous times but somehow none of our cruises has stopped in Martinique. I’m glad you tried to make a go of it.  Definitely underwhelming when everything is closed. I had to chuckle on your wanting to learn mahjong and bridge. Seems roll calls we have been involved with are always looking for players. Thank you for all your daily posts and photos. Really enjoying them. 
 

Edited April 8 by mauimary

[Norwaylady]

Dinner 

 

We had to eat😂😂

Today’s menu: 

 

We had the salad, gumbo, talapia, gnocchi and flank steak. 

 

 

The starters were delicious 😋 

 

For main course we wanted to see if the gnocchi was a bad day at work last week…. So we ordered a plate for sharing.

The gnocchi was much more tasty this week. The sauce was tasty and you could taste the cheese. 

 

 

The flank steak was really good 😊 the meat tasted really good and it was perfectly cooked for my liking. 

 

The talapia fish was okay according to Mr.

 

Dessert 

 

I ended up getting apple pie and Mr had the crème brûlée. 

 

 

Then it was off to bed 🛌 

( I have a early morning meeting time for my tour)

[Norwaylady]

CruiseCompass Day 8 St. Kitts & Nevis 🇰🇳 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[hcat]

Happy Hiking!

[Norwaylady]

Rise & Shine! 

St Kitts & Nevis calling

 

Mr is sleeping a bit longer😅 

So I’m off to the buffet for a little breakfast before departure for my walking tour. 

 

I bit crazy crowded😅 but I survived. 

The banana bread was 😋😋😋 (had to test it) 

 

No coffee or OJ service on the balcony😝 it’s the “lost kingdom” 😂😂😂

 

So I walked downstairs to Al Bacio. The line was loooong🤪

Breakfast offerings in Al Bacio

[Norwaylady]

Today’s tour

[dcbiker97]

2 hours ago, Norwaylady said:

Today’s tour

Looking forward to hearing about that. We once did what was billed as a walk in St. Kitt's rainforest. What they didn't say was that the walk was up half of the mountain. I was expecting a leisurely stroll and ended up having to use ropes in some places to climb to the next level. 

[upwarduk]

It really surprises me that MR is working throughout your ‘holiday.’

It appears that he has gone on this cruise to get any from winter, not for Rest & Rexlation.😱

[Norwaylady]

2 hours ago, dcbiker97 said:

Looking forward to hearing about that. We once did what was billed as a walk in St. Kitt's rainforest. What they didn't say was that the walk was up half of the mountain. I was expecting a leisurely stroll and ended up having to use ropes in some places to climb to the next level. 

I can report that we should have switched tours😂😂😂

Mine today was the leisure tour😝

 

it was a nice walk and the forest is beautiful and green🌳🌿🌳

The guide said that they had the other tour. But X had said that they would not offer the other anymore via the ship…. (Something tells me they received to many complaints or broken bones 🦴 in return to port😝) 

 

it was a bit uneven walking (it is a forest 🌳) 

[Norwaylady]

2 hours ago, upwarduk said:

It really surprises me that MR is working throughout your ‘holiday.’

It appears that he has gone on this cruise to get any from winter, not for Rest & Rexlation.😱

It happens from time to time. 
it was planned holiday and everything was supposed to go well🥰

But technology in critical infrastructure can go wrong 😑😅🤓

So as a super tech, it might happen that you need to help out from distance😇

 

The good thing is that we are used to this😂😇

I have helped out Mr in a full ball gown and he in a tuxedo, when something mega urgent happened. ( he was on technical assistance 📞) and we were going to our friends wedding and they called and said it can’t wait….. 

 

Well, you see the picture: 

Mr & Mrs “Smith” fixing a critical doorway at a location😂😂 YES, that’s us😂😂

 

We did make the wedding🥰🤪🥳

Yes, that’s us🤣🤣🤣

 

So a day on the balcony for Mr will not ruin my day or he’s day🙃

[Norwaylady]

I’m back on the 🚢 

Al Bacio was calling me☕️

 

 

So my tour 🌳🌿🥾🇰🇳

(I’m aloud to hope for the wild tour) 

But we all know this is X and the average age is not 20…. So it might be more of a leisure walk😎

 

Yep, that’s what we are doing today! 

First thing first…. 

 

The group was 13 people. When we walked from the ship to the tour guide my eyes 👀 detected a participant in Birkenstock😳🤔🫣 Hmmm…. This is interesting. 

 

We had a “safari” jeep driving us to the location where we went walking. 

It’s a 20.minute drive to the Wingfield estate. 

The scenery is beautiful and the views from the car was 👍🏻 

 

 

 

 

The walk was a slow rainforest walk, it took around 2h. 

I would gladly walked longer and faster. 

It went in an extremely slow speed. Since it’s uneven and people were not able to walk faster and prepared for this type of walking. 

So we had 4 people on different times falling on the ground. Scrubbing knees, half twisted knees and ankles🫣😰

You could tell they were not used to walk on uneven surfaces, dry leaves and trails. 

 

It seemed as it went okay 👌🏻 but I was on toes for a big ground smash 💥 

 

It says strenuous in the tour description…. Sometimes I think not everyone is reading this🫥

 

Back to our walk & talk 🗣️ our guide was talking about everything in the forest 🌳 the trees, the forest and animals. 

He was great🤓 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would love to do the other tour, the tour with more climbing and more hiking 🥾 

 

After the walk, we returned to our starting point. It was 2 choices of lemonade and a piece of banana bread. 

 

Then we returned to port. 

[Lena11033]

8 minutes ago, Norwaylady said:

It says strenuous in the tour description…. Sometimes I think not everyone is reading this🫥

 

No they don't - I did one that was listed as strenuous (uneven ground, mud, hills/steps) and people turned up unprepared for the walk, some had medical boots and walking canes.

 

Heck in the description it said wear long pants, I was the only person that did so. I also brought a long sleeve top and put bug spray on. People were cold on the boat and then had a bunch of mosquito bites.

[chemmo]

1 hour ago, Lena11033 said:

 

No they don't - I did one that was listed as strenuous (uneven ground, mud, hills/steps) and people turned up unprepared for the walk, some had medical boots and walking canes.

 

Heck in the description it said wear long pants, I was the only person that did so. I also brought a long sleeve top and put bug spray on. People were cold on the boat and then had a bunch of mosquito bites.

As an older person myself and with mobility issues I have two responsibilities when choosing a tour. Firstly not to choose something where I could hurt myself and secondly not to choose something where my issues could slow down/reduce the enjoyment of fellow travellers.
 

It is a sad fact that many people don’t read the description properly or expect tours to be modified to meet their needs. I remember clearly on a tour in Sicily when an older couple suggested we ‘skip’ a walk to a church and extend the lunch stop that followed as there were lots of steps…Fortunately others in the minibus were vocal in their choice to keep to the itinerary.

 

Dress for excursions never fails to amaze me…flip flops in Pompeii and to climb Mount Teide are two examples that spring to mind.

 

Continuing to enjoy your adventures Norwaylady! Please keep the commentary coming!

[Lena11033]

4 minutes ago, chemmo said:

As an older person myself and with mobility issues I have two responsibilities when choosing a tour. Firstly not to choose something where I could hurt myself and secondly not to choose something where my issues could slow down/reduce the enjoyment of fellow travellers.
 

It is a sad fact that many people don’t read the description properly or expect tours to be modified to meet their needs. I remember clearly on a tour in Sicily when an older couple suggested we ‘skip’ a walk to a church and extend the lunch stop that followed as there were lots of steps…Fortunately others in the minibus were vocal in their choice to keep to the itinerary.

 

Dress for excursions never fails to amaze me…flip flops in Pompeii and to climb Mount Teide are two examples that spring to mind.

 

Continuing to enjoy your adventures Norwaylady! Please keep the commentary coming!

 

Its unfortunate people don't read it and expect others plans to change because of it - regardless of age you need to know what you can and can't do. I have back issues in the past and have been in two car accidents so I tend to look through the write up for the excursion. I will admit some say be wary of if you have back issues but I know what I can and can't do, walking/steps I'm good with but if there was something that had say ATV I probably wouldn't do it.

 

I did the acropolis in Athens a couple years ago and knew I'd be fine but two couples turned up and were surprised the acropolis was at the top of the hill (go figure) and said they couldn't do it. The guide arranged with them where they could wait in the shade for us, we got back and one couple moved so we had to walk around looking for them before lunch.

The couple then complained it was taking too long to get to Plaka for lunch and too hot (August), the tour guide then turned around and told them it wouldn't have if they had waited where they agreed rather than us having to look for them 🤣

So yes lots of people think the tour is about them.

[hcat]

The rain forest walk looked nice but did not seem to be a strenuous hike..nice photos anyhow..hope not too buggy! Maybe pvt tours are more challenging,,,???

 

Of course,  not everyone is at the same fitness level. Even when I was much younger, I found the walk up to the Brimstone fortress St Kitts, a bit of a challenge...not that sure footed..and fear of heights! But the views were  excellent!