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Today we flew from Ft. Lauderdale to Jacksonville on Southwest.  Flight is a short one of about one hour and 15 minutes.  We used luggage free so we had no checked luggage.  When the ship arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, there were six other ships in port.  So since we so small, we only had one customs agent working.  To say it was backed up is an understatement.  We finally got through the line and headed to the sedan to take us to the airport.

Flight up was uneventful.  The limo was waiting for us and we got home to a wonderful greeting by Aiden, Gretchen, Katie and David.  The kids had made a wonderful sign that was over the front door.  It was great to see everyone.

The only down side is that I am sick.  I did not feel well most of yesterday so I stayed in the cabin most of the day.  And now today I have a fever.  Not sure what is going on but at least I am home and in my own bed.

Katie and her family are taking Bob out to dinner.  I am staying home and watching NCAA basketball.

This was a great cruise.  We were not sure how we would feel sailing for 72 days, but both of us feel we could have stayed on longer.  Now thinking about a world cruise.  Maybe in 2014.  Next year is going to be river cruise in Europe.  Till then.

Gustavia, St. Barts

Thursday March 15, 2012.  We are at anchor here in St. Barts.  We arrived here at about 8am.  Early this morning, we heard the call for stretcher to deck 7.  So when we arrived at St. Barts, the first tender was used to off load the lady who had fallen and broken her hip.  We swam for one hour and then a light breakfast on the aft deck. 

We dressed for our tour which was "Sailing the Leeward Coast."  We took the tender into the town and boarded our catamaran which only had one Captain.  The young man was the only crew person on board which was a first for us.  Keeps his costs down at any rate.

Our ride around the island

1st Mate but my Captain

The trip was around the island which is very pretty.  The swells of the ocean are pretty strong so there was some movement of the ship and it kind of made me sick.  I did not get sick but I felt sick.  We stopped for a snorkel dip and only four of us got in the water.  The water was clear but no fish.  At least, I did not see any fish.  But it was a refreshing swim which I enjoyed as did Bob.

Our ship from afar

Then we returned to the dock and reboarded our tender for the ride back to the ship.  They take it slow so as to keep the tender from rocking too much.

Back on board, we headed up for lunch.  I still was not feeling great, so I had some flat bread and cheese plus a ginger ale.  Back to the cabin for knitting and then up to needlepoint, tea and trivia.  We lost again but our friends next to our group won so we were happy.

Dressed for dinner in Compass Rose.  Had our cocktails in the Mariner Lounge and we visited by David and Bonnie as they waited for Carol and Phil to join them.  We had a nice dinner at a table by the window. I had the lamb chops and enjoyed it.

Back to the cabin to watch some of the basketball and then lights out.  Good day considering that I did not feel well during the day.  I recovered well.

We now have two sea days before we get to Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday.  Not sure if I will post any more so I hope you all have enjoyed our trip.  We have had a wonderful time and was are sorry to see it end.  But it will be wonderful to see the family when we get home.  We have missed them and it will be great to see them on Sunday, at least we hope they will make time for us.

Next trip will probably be in 2013.  Till then, stay safe and keep on traveling.

Castries, St. Lucia

Wednesday March 14, 2012.  Docked in Castries, St. Lucia.  Morning started the same as always with one hour of water exercises.  Then breakfast on the aft deck of La Veranda.  It was windy and half of our paper blew away before we could catch it.  It may be on someone's balcony.  Not sure where it landed.

There is one other ship here today.  It is a P&O called Azura.  It is a fairly large ship but new.  Hit the water for the first time in 2010.

Azura

Today we took a tour  called "Snorkel at Marine Park".  We gathered in the theater at 9:30 for our tour.  We took a boat to the Marine Park.  It was about a 45 minute ride which was quite pleasant.  Then we were in the water for about one hour.  There was not as much fish life here as we had expected.  The coral reefs are some what dead.  They are trying to come back but it takes a long time.  We did see lots of small fish but nothing with the South Pacific.  But it was fun and good exercise.

Bob on deck

Eileen staying out of the sun

Snorkeling

St. Lucia 

This is a very pretty island.  Of course, all of our views were from the sea.  We only walked on the dock so do not remember what the town looks like.

Selling at sea

After we finished snorkeling, these locals brought their canoes right up to our boat to try and sell us shells, bracelets, etc.  Some of the people bought items but I did not.

We returned to the ship for lunch.  Just had a salad today.  Need to make sure I am not a two ton tessie when I get home.  This good living is terrific but one must be careful.

Now time for some reading and then off to needlepoint.  We are having dinner tonight  with Mickey and Richard.  Trivia was okay but we did not do so well.  Dressed for dinner and met Mickey and Richard in the Mariners Lounge.  I had the filet and it was good.  Back to the cabin and bed.

Bridgetown, Barbados

Tuesday March 13, 2012.  We docked here in Bridgetown at 9am.  By that time we had already swam, had breakfast, and readied ourselves to get off the ship.  We are taking a tour titled "Barbados Photo Adventure".

We were all on one small bus.  This was a very limited tour.  Leading Barbadain Peoducer/Director, Ronnie Carrington, led the tour that showcased some of Barbados' most picturesque locations.  It was probably the best tour we have had on this cruise.  It was wonderful.

We left the pier and drove across Barbados toward the Scotland District.  You pass sugar cane plantations, quaint rural villages with their churches right next to the Rum shop, and the chattel houses.

Entrance to Sugar Cane Plantation

Chattel House

Mommy Sheep and her kids

Vista of Barbados

The Plantation owners would allow the workers to live on the Plantation in these Chattel Homes.  When they finished with the plantation, they would take the home apart and move to another site.  The government finally allowed the chattel owners to buy the small land and stay here forever.  When the family expanded, they would build on the back of the house.

The difference between sheep and goats is that the tail of the sheep goes down and the tail of the goat goes up.  These were the strangest looking sheep we had seen.


We continued on to enjoy the sights of Bathsheba, the most photographed area on the island.  This is where a world wide surfing competition is held.  Then we went to the Atlantis Hotel for a wonderful rum punch.  Then back to the pier.

Atlantic Shore

The shops at the pier were mostly closed.  This is the first time we have been to Bridgetown where we were the only ship docked.  Usually there are five or six large ships in port.  Because of the fact that we were the only one here, many shops did not bother to open.  I was able to buy a new watch band at Diamonds International.

Back on the ship, lunch on the aft deck of La Veranda.  Then time for a nap and catch up on blog.  I hope everyone is enjoying this.  It does take some time to up load the pictures so I do that at 5 in the morning.  Not many people using their computers at that time.  Then the process is pretty quick.  If I did it in the afternoon, it would take over 10 minutes for just one picture.

Needlepoint, tea and trivia this afternoon.  At trivia it was only Linda and myself.  Too say we did pretty good for just two of us, but we did not win.  Lost by one answer.

At sail away, the gold, platinum, and titanium members of the Seven Seas Society will gather on deck 7 forward for another sail away party.  This time we are taking our camera.  This is a wonderful way to see the port of Barbados.

Dinner in Compass Rose.  As we enter the Mariner Lounge, they already are making our martinis.  Boy are we creatures of habit.  Dinner was good.  Then back to the cabin to read and then lights out.

I will post the pictures from the party later as we have not downloaded them yet.  So check back later.

Sea Day

Monday March 12, 2012.  We are having another sea day.   The day started like all our others by swimming for one hour in the pool.  A very good workout.  Lots of wave action.  Then we clean up for breakfast in La Veranda.  

Needlepoint up in Observation Lounge.  Our group is getting bigger.  Then I went to Terry's lecture on "Sky Watchers" and then about the Maya calendar and its ending this year.  At the end, Terry said she would write our names in Maya script for those who attended the lecture.

Lunch was with the needlepoint group in Compass Rose.  There were 15 of us that attended.  It was great to get to know the other ladies.  Elda sat with us and Nicola sat with the other table.  Elda is Assistant Cruise Director and Nicola is Social Hostess.

Back to the cabin to read and knit.  Bob is up in the hot tub.  This afternoon they are setting up for the Country Fair.  This is where they have booths with fun games and you play for tickets and the winner is drawn and wins a nice prize.  The booths are manned by crew.

Ray the Emcee

Ronalyn our Cabin Stewardess

Cabin gals under water ballon sign

Waiters with their ballon game

Passengers at the Fair

American Football Cheerleaders!

It was a fun time.  I only tried to hit the sign over the girls and missed.  Oh well.

We dressed for dinner and went to the pre dinner show.  It was Pianist Liana Forest.  She is excellent.  We really enjoyed her.  We bought her CD.  Dinner in Compass Rose and then up to check if they were filling the pool as they had emptied it for the Fair.  They were so we returned to the cabin and I started watching "Jack and Jill".  Dumb movie.  Lights out.

Devil's Island, French Guiana

Sunday March 11, 2012.  Bob and I both forgot to set our cell phones to the correct time, so we were up early.  We thought it was 7:30 when it was 6:30.  So we returned to the cabin to change into our swim suits and did half hour of exercises.  The water is rough so half hour is like an hour.  Most people do not like to swim when it is so rough but we think it is fun.  You stay in the center of the pool and go with the waves.

Then champagne and caviar for breakfast.  A nice treat.  We arrived here at Devil's Island early.  We were supposed to arrive at 1pm but we are here at 8:30am.  Seems we have another medical emergency and need to get the patient off the ship.  So Bob and I decided to take the 10 am tender.  I went up to needlepoint for a short time and then got ready to tender to the island.

David and Eileen on top of tender boat

Regent's tenders have space on the top to sit if the weather is not rough.  So when Bob and I got on the tender, there was still room up top, so we joined David.  David is married to Bonnie and swims with us in the morning.

This is a group of three islands known as Salvation Islands.  The individual names of the Islands are I'Ile Royale, Ile St. Joseph, Ile du Diable.  No one is allowed on Devil's Island.  We tendered to I'Ile Royale which was where the main administrative center for the prison, and this is where the vast majority of the surviving buildings have been preserved and maintained.  Each island served a different purpose: Ile Royale was the administrative center, Ile Joseph held the most troublesome convicts, and Devil's Island held political prisoners such as Albert Dreyfus in isolation.

Eileen with Devil's Island in the background

Cell Entrance

Isolation cells

Isolation Cell

Newest Prisoner 

Hospital 

We got off the tender and walked all around the island for about two hours.  Weather was hot and sunny.  There is a nice breeze but still, we got some great exercise.

We visited the children's cemetery, lighthouse, hospital, a small chapel, plus the prison itself.  The cells still convey the harsh conditions of the penal colony, both here in the Salvation Islands, and on the mainland at the largest compound at St. Laurent.  The guards and their families were buried but when a prisoner died, he was dumped into the ocean.  The hospital has bars where the legs or arms of the prisoners were chained to the walls.  When we were walking around the grounds, we came upon this peacock who was so proud.

Children's Cemetery

One Proud Peacock

There is a modern hotel with a snack bar and gift shop.  Why anyone would want to vacation here is beyond me.

Back to the ship for lunch, nap and reading.  Afternoon of needlepoint, tea and trivia.  We lost by one point.  Oh well.  Bob and I decided to swim one more time but since we are in the Atlantic, only did half hour and then visited the hot tub.

Dressed for dinner.  Tonight we ate in Prime 7 again.  While we were eating, a lady fainted right outside the entrance of Prime 7.  She had gotten up from her table to go to the ladies room and just fainted.  When she was awake, she came back in and had dinner.  I think I would have gone to my cabin and laid down.  To each his own.  Dinner was good and then back to the cabin and I started watching "The Desendents"(sic) which is not a happy movie so far.  Will finish watching later.

Sea Day - Leaving the Amazon

Saturday March10, 2012.  Today we are leaving the Amazon heading north and toward the end of this wonderful cruise.  We go up to the pool and swam for about one hour.  As long as we are in the Amazon, the water is quite calm.  Breakfast in La Veranda and the to Coffee Connection while the cabin was being cleaned.

Needlepoint up in the Observation Lounge with the ladies.  Then I attended the two lectures.  The first one was by Lt. Col. Rothschild on "The Way Forward".  Second was Terry Breen on "Devil's Island: Hell on Earth".  Both very interesting.

Lunch in La Veranda.  Today was the Officer's BBQ.  Several different officers were cooking out by the pool.  Cooking some of their dishes from home.  Then back to the cabin for rest and read.  The afternoon was the same with needlepoint, tea and trivia only today our team won and there were only three of us playing.  After I returned to the cabin we decided to take another swim.  This time the water was rough and lots of waves which makes for a better workout.  We are back in the Atlantic.

Dressed for dinner in Compass Rose.  We had cocktails with MIckey and Dick.  But they were attending a birthday dinner in Prime 7.  We skipped the early show because of our swimming.  Back to the cabin to read and lights out.

Santarem, Brazil

Friday March 9, 2012.  Morning swim and breakfast as usual.  It sprinkled a bit while we were swimming but nothing wrong with swimming during the rain unless it is lightening.  We are docked here in Santarem. Santarem is a city of about 300,000 persons and is found where the Rio Tapajos meets the Amazon River.  Today Santarem's biggest industry is soybeans.  There is one road into Santarem from the south and the road is not completely paved.  But this is where the barges are loaded for export.

Our boat

Meeting of the Waters

We took a tour and it was terrific.  We boarded these boats that first took us to the meeting of the waters.  We had seen this in Manaus but this is another river that feeds into the Amazon.  This is the Rio Tapajos.  It started to rain but this time we were prepared with ponchos and they put the tarp down on the one side of the ship.  But there was a lot of wind so it made it cool.


Then we continued on the the Eco Maica Lake.  This entire area is flooded and the homes are under water at some areas.  And the walk to the outhouse is wet.  The residents make platforms to hold the chickens and pigs to stay dry.  But the horses and buffalos have to walk in the water.

Buffalos

Chickens and Pigs

Home along the River

Outhouse

While we were sailing along, we were able to spot a Savannah Hawk, two Toucans, an Iguana, maybe a Sloth.  Then we stopped the boat and we all were trying to fish for Pirahna.  One gentleman did catch one so we all were able to see it close us.

Hawk

Pirannah

Iguana

Toucans

In Flight

So the tour was a good one.  We really enjoyed it.  Back on the ship for lunch and then reading on deck.  I am cold so I changed my clothes to something warmer and headed up to needlepoint, tea and trivia.  Bob went up to exercise in the pool.


We had the Seven Seas Party at 5:30pm and then stayed for Ray's show.  We sat with Doris and Arlen from Plantation.  Then we headed to the Mariner Lounge for a cocktail and let the crowd settle in the Compass Rose.  Dinner was good.  Then back to the cabin to read and bed.  This was a great day.








  

Parintins, Brazil

Thursday March 8, 2012.  We got up real early so I downloaded some pictures and Bob did the laundry.  Then up to the pool by 5:30am.  The man who opens the pool does so when he sees us.  So we did one hour and were done by 6:45 am.  Then cleaned up for breakfast in La Veranda.   Today we are at sea until about noon.

Coffee Connection while cabin is cleaned and then I went up to Observation Lounge for needlepoint. I then went to the lecture which was on Boi Bumba.  This is a celebration held in Parintins in June.  It combines theater, drums, music, dancing, and circus.  One of the two teams will put on a short display of some of the celebration for the passengers this afternoon.  We were here before and saw it then, so we decided to give our tickets to someone who has never seen it.

For lunch they had a Brazilian fsh fry.  In Brazil there is this huge fish called Pirarucu and we had two of them for the grill.  I did not try it as it looks like a heavy fish.

After lunch I sat on the balcony and read.  Finished the book and then we returned to Coffee Connection for a snack.  I went to needlepoint even though it was not scheduled.  Five of us showed up.  I stayed for tea but no trivia today as they had it in the morning.

Bob and I then returned to the pool for another hour of swimming.   It is fairly crowded in the afternoon.  Some want to swim laps, some just stand around and chat and I pretty much stay in one place and try not to get in anyones way.

Dressed for dinner.  We had cocktails in Mariners Lounge and then sat with Roman and Barbara for dinner.  They are from Philadelphia.  Still not clear on what Roman did but he is retired now.  Barbara was a teacher and for 32 years has been a guide at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Roman also guides there.  At any rate, dinner was good.  Roman brought along some red peppers for us to try with our food.  He claims it helps relieve pain.  Bob forgot and rubbed his eye so had to go to the men's room and put water in it.  That helped.

Back to the cabin to try and watch some basketball but was between games.  We lost one hour tonight so we read a bit and then lights out.

Manaus, Brazil Day 2

We stayed in Manaus overnight.   We got up early and were in the pool by 5:45am.  Swam for one hour with Bonnie and David.  We are glad no one else wants the pool at that time.  Gives us lots of room to do our thing.  Breakfast on La Veranda and then readied for our tour.  Today is "Meetings of the Waters."

Our cabin is on the dock side and it is quite interesting to watch the goings on here.  Manaus is not reachable by car from  the south of Brazil.  To get anywhere, you must go by boat.  And it takes any where from 5 to 7 days.  There are only a few cabins, most of the locals hang hammocks and sleep in the hammocks.  They do their own cooking etc, so not anywhere near the cruise experience that we enjoy.

Manaus dock

We were on boat #3.  This is a two level boat they use here on the Amazon.  They had plastic chairs on the upper deck which were not bolted down.  They were quite unstable.  Bob almost fell on the floor when he tried to move to another spot.  The chair when down but he stayed on his feet.

As we were riding out to the meetings of the water, we were stopped by the local police.  They need to check the paper work for the boats.

We continued on our ride out to where the Rio Negro meets the Amazon River.  The Amazon is brown water and the Rio Negro is a black river.  Because of the different speed of the currents and the acidity of the waters, they do not mix right away.  They continue this way for several miles.

Meeting of the waters

We then traveled along the other side of the island where we saw several homes.  These are floating homes as the river rises quite a bit during the rainy season.  Then you see homes on stilts and of course, children swimming in this water.  Not me.

Children swimming

Bathing

Floating home

We then transfers to smaller motorized canoes for a ride to see the large lilly pads and continues through the "jungle" to see some very large trees.  You can see how high the water gets by the coloring on the tree trunk.

Then back to our original boat and back to the ship.  We had lunch in La Veranda and then nap and I headed to needlepoint, tea and trivia.  We are getting better but still did not win.  

We dressed for dinner and while having our cocktails, we were asked if we wanted to dine in Prime 7 .  We agreed and this time we knew how to slow the pace of the service.  So dinner was very good.  I am surprised that the men do not wear jackets in the special restaurants. 

After dinner we returned to the cabin and read.  I did finish watching "The Artist" and what a disappointment it was to me.  No way it should have won any awards if you ask me.  Then lights out and bed.