Because we were boarding later there was no delay and we went right to our stateroom on the 11th floor. We were delighted with the balcony room. We sailed at 5 pm as scheduled and met up with the rest of our group at dinner.
Monday we docked at Princess Cay in the Bahamas. It is a private beach with lounge chairs, pavilions, bar service and lunch served for two hours. The weather was perfect but the water was still on the cool side. Here is my view from my lounge chair. Terry & Lynn had fun with their "monkey" drinks and so did the anniversary couple.
Tuesday was a day at sea and we did all the normal things the ship offers ... mostly eating! It was the captain's dinner night so we all got dressed up. Our group was aged 21 to 71 so we left the late, late nights and most of the drinking to the young folks.
On Wednesday we docked on the Dutch side of St. Maarten. The six "older" folks had reserved a van for a tour while the "younger" group opted to stay in town. One of our stops was the beach where the planes are only a few feet above you as they land. The beach stops, there is a two lane road, a fence and then the runway. The sign warns of engine thrust and we saw a couple hanging on to each other to stay upright from a jet taking off. The smaller planes we saw land don't need the whole runway and land slightly beyond the fence but the big commercial liners put it down right over the fence.
Our last stop was Orient Beach. This is on the French side and half the beach is clothing optional. Our side was clothing required but apparently that doesn't include tops for women. We walked the entire beach and reinforced our belief that most people look better with their clothes on! The water was warm and we stayed a couple of hours swimming in the surf.
Thursday was the highlight of the trip. We docked in St. Thomas, rode a taxi van (all 12 of us) to Sapphire Bay and boarded the Yacht Nightwind which is actually a 57-ft sailboat with a captain and first mate (who was also the bartender). We sailed to Hawk's Nest Bay off St. John's Island in the Virgin Islands. I've only been on a two person sailboat where I only had to shift my weight as directed. When this boat keeled while we sailed, it laid over so far water was coming in over the edge. I was told this was normal so as long as I could see land I didn't freak out.
We had a continental breakfast, snacks, lunch on the boat and an open bar all day. We anchored in the bay and I was the first one off the boat with my flippers and boogie board. It was a long way down to the water it seemed but it was delightfully warm and clear. The captain threw some Chex Mix out and lots of fish came around.
Because our ship was scheduled to sail at 4 pm we had to leave about 2 pm to sail back to Sapphire Bay and ride the taxi back to the ship. Normally we would have pulled anchor and sailed to another place to snorkle. It was a great time even though it had to be cut short.
Friday was a disappointing day. We sailed into Grand Turk but were unable to dock with the high swells and our call at this port had to be aborted. I'm not sure who was most disappointed ... the 3000 passengers on board or the vendors on the island watching the boat make a 180 degree turn and sail away. The ship added activities and Ted and I took a waltz lesson. We were deemed "not the best suited dance partners" because of the difference in our size. As if we didn't aleady know that! But it was a lot of fun and after 44 years I think we'll just learn to live with that problem.
Saturday started out wonderful. Karen and Ron wore their 50th anniversary T-shirts and everyone was stopping them to offer congratulations. We ran into them around lunch and went into the buffet. Just as we were finishing up Tim & Cindy came in so we moved to a larger table. All of a sudden Ron had an acute angina attack and couldn't get his breath. They called 911 for the ship's medical staff and he was taken by wheelchair to the medical center. An EKG and blood enzyme tests revealed no heart attack but he had to stay for a 6 hour and 12 hour repeat of the tests. Later that evening he returned to his stateroom with the instructions to use a wheelchair to leave the ship and at the airports and to see his doctor as soon as he got home.
So the celebration dinner never happened. The corsage and boutonniere were never used, the remaining 10 of us glumly drank the champagne and the waiter prepared the cake for me to take to their stateroom. UPDATE: Ron underwent angioplasty on Tuesday. He had two stents plus one balloon angioplasty done and is feeling much better. He has a battery of medicine but at least no permanent damage was done and he is still with us to work on 51 years.
Sunday morning getting off a ship is usually a hurry up and wait event but Princess did an excellent job. We were dressed, packed, had breakfast, got off the ship, claimed our luggage and made it through Customs by 8:45 a.m. We waited a l-o-n-g time for the rental car bus and didn't get on the road until after 10.
We arrived in DeBary around 3 and took Kristin home from our friend Eileen's house. She was feeling better and by the time we left Thursday was back to normal except for being a little tired.
We did lots of little things around the house for Kristin. Single ladies with homes tend to have things for Dad (and Mom) to do during visits. Ted cut and weed whacked the grass and hung two new porch lights as well as put air in her car tires. I hemmed 8 sheer panels for the living room and did the laundry. Ted also put RID down the toilet for the septic system and poured Liquid Plumber down the sink and tub drains. She is getting ready to have her kitchen redone so we spent a lot of time at Lowe's with her in the Kitchen Design Center. I may go back next month to help her unload the cabinets so they can be taken out then get the new kitchen all set up. It will depend on the timing. This is a morning view of the lake from her back porch and two Sandhill Cranes walking through her front yard. Florida had a very cold spell and the grass died like ours does here in Texas. It was strange to see all those brown lawns when they are usually so green. Ted cut Kristin's to help the new growth that you could see coming up.
Our original seat assignments on the return flight were the two middle seats in the two back rows! We were able to change them online when we checked in to an aisle and middle in row 7. No one came for the window seat so I moved over and we had a very comfortable flight home.
As we approached the baggage carousel we noticed TV camera crews. They said they were waiting for "Stump" the Sussex Spaniel that won Best in Show at the Westminster Dog Show. He had flown home First Class and would be coming down the escalator because the NY luggage would be on the same carousel as ours. I managed to get a few shots through everyone's legs. Stump was as bored as could be. What a great little ending to our vacation.
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