Prolog
On a trip to Vegas, at the beginning of December 2010, we talked about a possible trip and I was handed (as always) to begin research regarding such trip for the month of February 2011.
When we returned home I found such possible trip. It was a cruise, leaving Fort Lauderdale for 10 days. The price was within our budget and I made the necessary reservations.
On Thursday, February 3rd, 2011 we left home and drove to Sharone & Gary’s. Our flight was scheduled for midnight and we planned it so Sharone will drive us to LAX and will park our car next to their home. During the week, a cold front “landed” on Dallas, Texas and the airport was closed numerous times for clearing the runways. Nevertheless, we prayed and hoped that the airport would be opened when we land and of course when we take off.
We left LAX as scheduled and after a pleasant, red-eyed flight, we landed at Dallas International Airport. The grounds were covered with ice except the runways and when we spotted our scheduled airplane, we discovered that both of the jet’s wings were covered with ice as well.
We boarded the plane at 6:10 AM and it took the crew about 90 minutes to de-ice the wings. We finally left at around 8:00 AM. The temperature outside were chilling 22 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Day 1: February 4th, 2011
Right before we landed at Fort Lauderdale, Florida the pilot announced in the intercom that we were one of the last planes to leave Dallas, as a new storm hit the city and the runways were covered with ice.
The pilot continued to tell us that “The weather here in Fort Lauderdale is partly sunny and the temperature is 22...” he then paused for a minutes and continued “Celsius!” to the cheers of the passengers. A quick calculation made me very cheerful as 22 Celsius equals to a warm 72 Fahrenheit!!!
We picked up our luggage and found the Royal Caribbean’s representative. Few minutes later we were driven to the port to the glorious ship, The Jewel of the Seas.After a quick lunch at the Windjammer Café’ we were allowed to our cabin and discovered a nice and cozy room with a large balcony. A bottle of wine was waiting for us at the cabin compliments of VacationsToGo.com.
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We toured the ship and found an officer, who told us a bit about the vessel: The ship was built in 2004 and can have 2110 passengers plus 450 crew members. It has twelve decks and is about 960 feet long. It features a rock climbing wall, 2 specialty restaurants, casino, several café’s, golf simulator, basketball court, mini-soccer fields, youth facilities, day spa, gym and many more other features.
I had to go and find the dining manager as by mistake they scheduled us to the second sitting for dinner and we wanted to be part of the main sitting. I met the manager and he arranged it on the spot.
At 4:30 we went through the emergency drill only that this was the first time we did not have to wear the life jackets and went straight to the Chops Grille restaurant were after a head count they let us go.
The vesel left the port of Fort Lauderdale around 5:30 and we waved our hands to whoever was on the shores to watch us leaving. The sea front homes looked great and I watched them as they became smaller and smaller...
At around 6:00 PM we found the main dining room on the fourth deck and found our table (number 491), where we met the other passengers that will have dinner with us for the next 10 days: Leslie, Bob and Laura Olsen from Chicago, Don & Yvonne Johnson, farmers from Illinois, and Gaston, Alice, Lise and Anita from Canada. Our waitress name is Arlene and her assistant name is Modesto (both from the Philippines). Arlene asked each and every one of us our names and did so for the other table she was serving, right next ot ours.
After dinner we headed to our room. Our luggage made it by then and we were busy unpacking until around 10:00 and then, after a hot long shower we watched CNN’s breaking news on the situation in Egypt. I was wondering how long Mubarak will be defiant and how long will he be able to hold on to the power.
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Day 2: February 5th, 2011
I woke up at 9:00(!) as Tova pleaded that she wanted to sleep some more. I climbed the stairs to the 11th deck and had breakfast at the Windjammer.
As today was “A Day At Sea” I planned to read a lot and that exactly what I did. I found a nice lounge chair next to the pool and read for the next couple of hours.
I met Tova at around 12:30 for lunch and then went back to the cabin to change to my swimming suit and then climbed back up to the 11th deck where I spend the next hour swimming and enjoying the hot water and the jets at the Jacuzzi.
I returned to the cabin, showered and then took a nap for the rest of the afternoon.
At around 6:00 we dressed up as tonight the suggested attire was “Formal”. We took some pictures and then joined the rest at table 491. Dinner was delicious and we dined for the next couple of hours, talking and getting to know the rest of our new friends at the table. Arlene surprised us all when she greeted us all by our first names. Though we did not sit at the same seats she was able to greet each one of us and asked how was our day and what would we like to order. She also remembered that last night I told her that I am fond of anchovies. A plate of anchovies accompanied by sliced tomatoes was served.We left the dining room at around 8:30 and went to the Coral Theater were we enjoyed the sounds and moves of “West End of Broadway”, performed by the cruise’s entertainers. It was a really nice show!
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We found the Internet Café’ and after registering (we bought 500 minutes for $150) we checked our emails and then headed back to the cabin.
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Day 3: February 6th, 2011
We woke up at 8:00 when the ship stopped moving. It's a funny thing at sea that your body and mind are used to the smooth movement of the ship and when it stops, even though you are sound asleep, you will wake up.
We looked from our balcony and saw that we had made it to the island of Labadee, which is part of Haiti.
We had breakfast and then left the ship to discover the island.
Labadee (also Labadie) is a port located on the northern coast of Haiti. It is a private resort leased to Royal Caribbean International. The company has contributed the largest proportion of tourist revenue to Haiti since 1986, employing 300 l
ocals, allowing another 200 to sell their wares on the premises, and paying the Haitian government $6 per tourist. The resort is completely tourist-oriented, and is guarded by a private security force. The site is fenced off from the surrounding area, and passengers are not allowed to leave the property. A controlled group of Haitian merchants are given sole rights to sell their merchandise and establish their businesses in the resort. Although sometimes described as an island in advertisements, it is actually a peninsula contiguous with the island of Hispaniola.==============================================================================================================================================================================
There is actually nothing to see on the island except beautiful white sand beaches, some nice rock formations and the endless sea. We found a small beach, received a nice comfortable chair (provided free! All you need to do is tip the guy who takes it for you and set it where you want it), and then I went swimming for the next 30 minutes in the blue comfortable water. A band was performing right next to us and we enjoyed the Salsa sounds coming from their music instruments.==============================================================================================================================================================================
At around 1:00 we located the facility, where buffet lunch was provided and after consuming BBQ ribs, corn, and salad we returned to the ship.
A shower and then again an afternoon nap were the rest of the activities until dinner.At around 8:30 we left the dining room and went to the theater. Tonight performer was Zeidwig, who brings to the stage an unparalleled combination of musical virtuosity as a concert pianist and a unique sense of comedic timing.
As we left the theater, we saw the cruise director and his staff teaching some line dancing. Tova joined them and was actually pretty good!
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After a visit at the Internet Café’ we came to our cabin at around 1:00 AM,
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Day 4: February 7th, 2011
Another “Day at Sea”.
I woke up at 9:00 and after breakfast made my way to the pool where once again I read my book at the side of the pool. A lady named Sue learned that I am originally from Israel (she saw the cover of the book) and told me that another Israeli couple is onboard. She then spotted the man and introduced me to them. Nissim lives in New Jersey and is married to Amy.
I met Tova for lunch and then spent the rest of the afternoon taking a nap. (I do not remember when I took so many afternoon naps!)
Tonight’s dinner we spent in the “Chops Grille” steakh
ouse. The food was excellent, the presentation was out of this world and the service was simply great!! Our table was right next to the large window and as we sat down at 6:00 we spotted this beautiful sunset.==============================================================================================================================================================================
We left the steakhouse at around 8:30 and went to the theater to watch a wonderful performer: Bobby Arvon, who for decades has been entertaining audiences throughout the world. For years Bobby has been heard in households singing the theme from “Happy Days”, which was a hit TV series in the 70’s. Bobby is what I call a “True Entertainer” and although his age (He must be 70 years old, though he looks younger) was able to give us a great show and moreover made us feel that we are the only audience he cares about. He gave us his 100% and the entire crowd was on its feet cheering and asking for more.==============================================================================================================================================================================
After the show we paid our visit at the Internet Café’ and went to sleep at around midnight.
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Day 5: February 8th, 2011
We woke up at 6:30 as the ship arrived to Cartagena, Columbia.After a hearty breakfast we left the ship and found a tour guide, named Edgar, who took us to the wonders of this Spanish Style town.
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Our first stop was at the historic Spanish Fortress Castillo de San Felipe De Barajas, majestically stands guard on a hillside overlooking the city and harbor.Edgar did not go with us to the fortress, as the guard asked him to pay the $5.00 entrance fees and he refused. As his English was not as good, we decided to try our luck without him. We started the tour by ourselves and found a group of tourists (also from the ship) that were guided by an English speaking guide. We tagged along and heard the history of the city and its amazing fortress:
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Cartagena was founded in 1533 by Spanish Conquistador Explorers led by Pedro de Heredia. Within months of their landing, they had decimated and enslaved the indigenous native Calamari tribe of Indians and became the masters of this soon to be very important port. It became the treasure city of the Spanish Main and served as the primary transshipment port for precious gems and minerals destined for the coffers of King Ferdinand. Many Spanish Galleons, laden with riches from the new world, were attacked and seized by Pirates and English war ships. King Ferdinand ordered the city to be fortified to protect Spain's treasures. The fortress took nearly 200 years and 245 tons of gold to build.==============================================================================================================================================================================
Cartagena suffered invasions and sackings in 1544, 1560 and in 1586 (by Sir Francis Drake). In 1741, the English Commander, Edward Vernon, with 186 ships and 25,000 men laid a three month siege to the city. He was so certain that Cartagena would be his; he had a medal struck commemorating his expected victory. However, the Spaniards, outnumbered seven to one, held firm behind their walls and fortresses. The smaller cannons on the English ships were able to bombard the outer walls of the fortress along Boca Grande beach (nearby the fortress) but could not reach the distances and heights of Castillo San Felipe. The castle's cannons on the other hand, made prime targets of the English ships whenever they ventured within range. Vernon lost over 70 ships and 10,000 men in his ill fated attempt to take the city.
The Fortress itself is well preserved and we toured it for about an hour, finding cannons, towers and tunnels. The view overlooking the sleepy town was mesmerizing.
We left the fortress and were driven to the Walled City.
Cartagena is famous, above all else, for its fine colonial architecture, which is considered to be among the best-preserved in the Americas. We walled through the historic center of the city, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We simply wandered the cobbled streets and saw the beautiful homes and their breath taking balconies (much like New Orleans), taking in the atmosphere of the locals.==============================================================================================================================================================================
We visited few attractive churches, but the one that impressed us the most was the 18th-century Iglesia Del Santo Toribio, which has a stunning carved ceiling. Another outstanding structure was that of Cartagena's cathedral, by the Plaza de Bolivar.
We took a break and had Café’ con Leche’ in the plaza. The prices were touristy as we endedpaying $12 for 2 coffees and a bottle of coke.
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Our next stop was the Palacio de la Inquiscion, which tells the story of the Spanish Inquisition - complete with replica torture chamber. Once again Edgar stayed outside of the museum and once again we tagged along a guided tour. Their guide was very informative and we heard the following details:
The Palacio de la Inquiscion is one of the finest buildings in the town. Although the site was the seat of the Punishment Tribunal of the Holy Office from 1610, the palace wasn't completed until 1776. It is a good example of late colonial architecture, noted particularly for its magnificent baroque stone gateway topped by the Spanish coat of arms, and the long balconies on the facade.
On the side wall, just around the corner from the entrance, we found a small window with a cross on top. Heretics were denounced here, and the Holy Office would then instigate proceedings. The principal 'crimes' were magic, witchcraft and blasphemy. When culprits were found guilty they were sentenced to death in a public auto-da-fé (burning to death), whichtook place during the Inquisition until independence in 1821. About 800 people were condemned to death and executed. The Inquisition did not judge the Indians!
What we saw in the palace are Inquisitors' instruments of torture, pre-Columbian pottery and historical objects from both colonial and independence times, including arms, paintings, furniture and church bells. There was also a good model of Cartagena from the beginning of the 19th century and an interesting collection of old maps.
As we walked outside, Edgar pointed out to a sidewalk with pictures of Columbia’s beauty queens, carved on the street’s tiles.We walked towards our car and saw the Clock Tower. In former times the clock tower was the gate to the city and the only opening of the ramparts surrounding the city of Cartagena, connecting it with the neighboring community of Getsemani (nowadays a part of Cartagena).
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We found our car and drove to the New City, where we tried to find me a pair of jeans (as I forgot to pack one) at Pierino Gallo Shopping Mall, but could not find anything to my liking and when we did find one it was a pair of Levi’s, which would have cost me $117.00(!) as it is imported from the States. We ended up buying a box of cigars and coffee (Columbian Coffee – What else?)
We returned to the ship at 12:00 and after a BBQ lunch (sitting outside) we lloked back at Cartagena, as our ship sailed away to the blue sea.
We took a shower and once again I found myself taking an afternoon nap.
At 6:00 we headed to the dining room. During dinner the waiters and waitresses entrtained us with an Indian Style dancing. At 8:30 we entered the fabulous theater and enjoyed the Tango Buenos Aires performance, featuring a couple, who mesmerized us with their sexy routine.After a short visit at the Internet Café’ we climbed the stairs to the Windjammer Café’ to enjoy the “Midnight Buffet”, featuring many kind of cheese and deserts.
We returned to our cabin at around 12:30
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Day 6: February 9th, 2011
Once again we woke up early. The ship was moving slowly towards the port of Colon, Panama.
After breakfast we left the ship and along with Bob, Leslie and Laura we found a tour guide named Alana, who was driving us around in a mini van. We told Alana our plans for today and she suggested that we should get right into it, as our list was rather long and we wanted to be back at the ship no later than 5:30.
Colon is a sea port on the Caribbean Sea coast of Panama. The city lies near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It has traditionally been known as Panama's second city. Its’ population is about 200,000.
Our first stop was also the highlight of the cruise: The Panama Canal and The Gatun Locks.We arrived there in about 20 minutes and luckily for us we were one of the first tours to arrive. We found a great spot and viewed few ships crossing the canal. Another tour guide, occupied by the local authorities, gave us a great overview of the sight and answered candidly all questions asked.
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The history of the Panama Canal goes back almost to the earliest explorers of the Americas. The narrow land bridge between North and South America offers a unique opportunity to create a water passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. This potential was recognized by the earliest colonists of Central America, and schemes for such a canal were floated several times in the subsequent years.
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By the late-19th century, technological advances and commercial pressure advanced to the point where construction started in earnest. An initial attempt by France to build a sea-level canal failed, but only after a great amount of excavation was carried out. This was of use to the U.S. effort, which finally completed the present Panama Canal in 1914. Along the way, the nation of Panama was created through its separation from Colombia in 1903.
Today, the canal continues to be not only a viable commercial venture, but also a vital link in world shipping.
We watched the water filling up the lock and the ship, situated between 2 gates, was raised enough to slid into the next lock. A complete cycle, which takes a ship from The Pacific to The Atlantic Oceans (or vise versa), takes about 8 hours and the cost is per the number of tons the ship weighs. The total income to Panama was over 2 billion dollars in 2008. The government is using the revenues, investing it back in building a new phase of the canal and in the big cities.==============================================================================================================================================================================
We spent 90 minutes there and then were driven by Alana to the other side of the locks to get a different view of the process.We continued our way towards Panama City and stopped along the way in a rain forest, for just a few minutes.
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We entered the Capital few minutes later and headed to Amador Causeway. Created with excavated dirt and rocks from the construction of the Panama Canal, this 3½-mile breakwater connects the islands of Naos, Perico, and Flamenco. Alana told us that city residents come here to enjoy sea breezes during evening jogs or strolls, and visitors often rent bikes (available at the entry to the causeway) to take in the sights. Open-air restaurants and small shops provide other diversions.==============================================================================================================================================================================
We stopped at a restaurant and had a light lunch before continuing our tour. The views from the road were breathtaking as the city’s skyline was visible to almost 180 degrees.
Our next destination was Puente De Las Americas (The Continental Divide), the unofficial dividing line between North and South America is the Bridge of the Americas. This landmark on the Trans-American Highway was the only static bridge that crosses the Panama Canal.==============================================================================================================================================================================
We headed back towards the city and arrived a few minutes later to Panama Viejo or the Old Qaurters. We walked around, discovering a couple destroyed old churches, and very old homes. Alana was able to convince a policeman to let us park “only for a few minutes” at an illegal spot as we toured. Later on we drove to another spot and as Alana was looking for a parking spot I stepped out of the van, walking around and viewed the buildings, pedestrian walkways and historical plazas, and of course the ocean. This area is known to be the original settlement for Panama City. It is part of the World Heritage Sites!==============================================================================================================================================================================
After about an hour we all climbed the van and asked Alana to find us cold beer. Alana drove us around and we stopped next to a bar. Laura and I went inside this dark room, which smelled terrible and an X rated movie was running on one of the walls to the pleasures of its patrons. We ended buying the local beer, which was cold and with an excellent texture. The price was about $1.00 for half a litter.
We drove away from the city as the time was already around 3:30 PM. From the windows of the van we saw an amazing site as the new, modern, and beautiful buildings were actually a continuation of the slams near the highway. It was obvious that not long ago the entire city looked like those poor looking homes and that new money enables the city to develop and become one of the most beautiful in the Americas.
We arrived back to Colon at around 4:30, which gave us about an hour to do some shopping at the world’s second largest Duty Free Trade Zone! According to Alana there are nine square blocks all with Duty Free shops. Alana took us too few shops and indeed the prices were amazing and the quality of goods was AAA Grade. We managed somehow to finish shopping at 5:30 and went back to the ship.==============================================================================================================================================================================
We showered and then headed to the dining room. After dinner we entered the theater for another great show feturing a comedian by the name of Ralph Harris, one of today’s hottest comedic and acting talents. We were on the floor laughing!
After the evening routine of surfing the Internet we headed to our cabin and fell asleep at around 11:00.
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Day 7: February 10th, 2011
We woke up at 7:00 as the ship was already docking at Puerto Limon, Costa Rica. Besides our ship, there was another ship docking. It was a smaller ship with German tourists.After breakfast we looked for a tour guide and found Geibel, a young and charming guy, who has lived in the city for his entire life.
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Joining us in the van, were a German couple from the other ship, who were looking for a private guide as well and were extremely happy when they learned that the cost 
will be $20 per person as the excursions from the ship were about 3 times more than that. We headed towards Veragua Rainforest, which is located only 40 minutes from the historic Puerto Limón. The Park is located on a 1300-hectare (approximately 4000 acre). Part of the way was on a dirt road, which only increased the sense of adventure heading towards the wild.==============================================================================================================================================================================
When we arrived, we bought a couple of tickets and joined a larger group including a tour guide to start our visit.
We used the amazing tram to take us to the floor of the jungle, riding through the rainforest canopy, where we visited a magnificent waterfall. We then used the tram back to the top and on the way spotted some snakes, lizards, different kind of frogs, beautiful birds and colorful butterflies.==============================================================================================================================================================================
We walked in the walking trails, as our guide was able to spot small and amazing frogs, lizards, and huge spiders.
We visited the reptiles’ exhibit where we watched large snakes and different kinds of lizards, and then entered into the largest indoor nocturnal frog exhibit in the world. The uniqueness of this exhibit is that they created a dark room, which fools the frogs as they think that they are at night (in the daytime), when they are super active and then when night falls and the visitors are gone, the place is lighted by many powerful lamps and the frogs, who think it is now daytime, go to sleep.
We then entered the butterfly garden and watched many colorful butterflies in an inside garden.
I was very disappointed from what the park has to offer as there really were no hummingbirds as advertised, and the same goes to the rest of the wild life we expected to see. However, it was a good experience.
We headed back to Puerto Limon. Gabel took us to a beautiful panoramic spot where we watched our ship from a top of a hill and then we headed to the town, ate a couple of empanada’s accompanied with beer and managed to find me a pair of jeans in the market.We spent some more time buying shoes and souvenirs and then returned to our awaiting ship at 3:30. On the pier we bumpped into the Argenteian's dancers, who mesmerized us a couple of nights ago with their Tango routine.
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We showered and rested in the cabin and then at 6:00 joined our friends at the dining room.
Tonight show was magic as Kyle and Mistie Knight, a couple of magicians from Vegas took on the stage and through amazing routines proved to me once again how your eyes could play games with you.
A short visit to the Internet Café; and then back to our cabin for a long night sleep.
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Day 8: February 11th, 2011
I woke up at 9:00 as another “Day At Sea” was on our plates.
After my morning reading and swimming, I joined Leslie and Laura at the lounge and played Bingo.
I met Tova for lunch and we then took our (now) traditional afternoon siesta.
Tonight attire was once again formal.We dressed up really nice and headed to the dining room for a lobster dinner, which was simply d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s.
Later we went to the ship's mall to say good evening to Pam, who works in one of the stores and with her charming personality has become our favorite person from the crew.
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We met with Nissim and Amy and went to the theater to watch the Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers performing City of Dreams.
After looking at our emails, at the Internet Café’ we headed back to the cabin.
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Day 9: February 12th, 2011
We woke up at 7:00 and stepped out to our balcony. We already arrived to George Town the capital of the Grand Cayman Island.After breakfast we climbed onto a tender, which took us to the dock. In Grand Cayman they do not have a big enough dock to serve a ship our size.
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Once on shore we located the Tourists Information booth on the main street and asked for some details about the place. The rep told us as follow:==============================================================================================================================================================================
This island is part of the Cayman, which is a British Overseas Territory located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the 3 islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica. The Cayman Islands were sighted by Christopher Columbus, on 10 May 1503 on his fourth and final voyage to the New World. He named the islands Las Tortugas after the numerous sea turtles there. The first recorded English visitor to the islands was Sir Francis Drake, who landed there in 1586 and named them the Cayman Islands after caiman, a term for an alligator. He continued to tell us that this island is the most visited due to the Duty Free jewelry shops.
We decided tour the downtown area on our own as there are only few things of interest.
On Fort Street we found the Clock Tower erected by the people of the Cayman Islands and dedicated to the beloved King George V. The Clock Tower is a simple white brick structure with illumination at night. To the left of the tower we found Heroes Square, dedicated to Cayman's 500 years history and to the islands’ dead, who dedicated their live for the islands’ freedom. Few statues are around the square with plaques. A nice fountain is there in the middle.
We decided to rent bikes and were directed to a small shop on the main street, parallel to the sea shore. The store was closed. Few minutes later the owner came over and told us that we could rent his bikes for $15 and need to return the bikes in a couple of hours as this is Saturday and he just happened to be there. We declined his offer and found a van with a nice driver, who agreed to be with us for the rest of the day for $20 a person. The driver name was Tomas.
We drove about 15 minutes and arrived at the Dolphin Discovery Center to view about 6 dolphins in huge pools. Other passengers were swimming with them.
Across the street we found the Turtle Farm, established in 1968 by a group of investors from the United States and Great Britain as a facility to raise the green sea turtle, for commercial purposes. The grownups turtles are sold for use as gourmet food, traditional medicine ingredients, or as pets. This farm is the only commercial sea turtle nursery in the world. The farm can produce 1800 turtles a year and some of the farmed turtles are released to the sea.==============================================================================================================================================================================
Between 1980 and 2006, the farm released some 30,600 turtles to the wild, and these individuals have subsequently been found throughout the Caribbean.
At one of the pools, I picked up a huge turtle and held it. I even gave it a kiss for good luck!
Our next stop was Hell, Which is a group of short, black, limestone formations in the northwest Grand Cayman town of West Bay. It is roughly the size of half a soccer field.People are not allowed in amongst the limestone formations and two viewing platforms exist for tourists. Tomas told us that there are numerous versions of how Hell received its name, but they are generally variations on 'This is what Hell must look like.'"
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Regardless of how it first came to be called Hell, the name stuck and the area has become a tourist attraction, featuring a post office from which tourists can send "postcards from hell".
I entered a gift shop and a man with a 'Satan' costume was passing out souvenirs while greeting people with phrases like 'How the hell are you?' and 'Where the hell are you from?
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The next stop was Seven Mile Beach (SMB). Tomas told us the following on this famous beach: The beach is world renowned for its beauty, recently receiving the honor of "The Caribbean's Best Beach" from Caribbean Travel and Life Magazine. SMB is very popular and in turn, the most developed area of Grand Cayman and is home to the majority of the island's luxury resorts and hotels. Despite the name, the beach is only about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) long, and falls victim to annual erosion, which has reduced its size in some areas. Like the rest of Grand Cayman, the development around SMB was severely damaged in Hurricane Ivan in September 2004 but many condominiums & hotels are now running at full capacity.We asked Tomas to return in an hour as we decided to spend the hour swimming and walking on the beach. The water temperature was warm but with high surf. I was able to swim across for about half a mile and then walked bare footed on the white sands for the other half an hour.
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Tomas returned and took us back to downtown where we shopped for watches. I landed myself my dream watch: Movado Museum Collection and Tova got a beautiful Esquire watch, both at half price compared to buying them in the USA. This was our Valentine gift for each other.
We were back in our cabin at 3:00 and after taking a shower I napped for about a couple of hours and then we headed to the dining room. Once again we accompanied Nissim & Amy as we entered the theater for another beautiful night.==============================================================================================================================================================================
The show was about the Legend of Motown, starring Horizon, a group of three dynamic musicians who reach for the sky as soon as they hit the stage.
After the show we stayed in the theater for the Love & Marriage game, featuring 3 couples. At one point the host asked one of the wives: "Where was the strangest place you had made love to your spouse?". The wife answered: "In the backyard". When it was her husband turn to answer the same question, few minutes later, he answered: "In the shower!", to which the host replied: "Your wife said 'In the backyard'". The husband looked staright at his wife and said: "Really? then why don't you tell me where was I?". Needless to say that the whole crowd were rolling on the floor laughing. The host could not catch his breath...Next day, the episode was repeated again and again on the ship's TV...After the show we surfed the web and then climbed the stairs to the Windjammer Café’ for a fabulous Midnight Buffet and then retired to our cabin around 1:00 AM.
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Day 10: February 13th, 2011
Day at Sea
After breakfast at the International Dining Room (I usually like the buffet style at the Windjammer Café), I met with the Cruise Consultant inquiring about our next cruise. We plan to cruise around Brazil coast in 2012. I then headed to the pool area reading and swimming. I met Tova for lunch and then we returned to the cabin to pack. This is the act I hate the most when we cruise. After a beautiful few days we must now concede and tell ourselves that it is over by tomorrow.
We went to our last dinner on the ship. I brought a bottle of wine to share with our new friends at the table and we said our goodbyes. I felt that indeed these people are my new friends. We were so lucky to spend the last 9 days with them at dinner and at other occasions.
We also thanked Arlene & Modesto for their perfect service.
We headed to the theater (once again with Nissim & Amy) and viewed the “Farewell Showtime”, including the juggler Jeff Taveggia, who whizzed around the stage on razor scooter while juggling. He played ping-pong with nine paddles(!) at once. Neon lights, blocks, knives, balls, clubs, rings and more fly from his fingers to create rainbows of motion in the air. It was a mesmerizing display!==============================================================================================================================================================================
We returned to our cabin at around 10:00. I watched CNN for about an hour viewing the situation in the Middle East and learning that Mubarak, the president of Egypt gave up his role as the head of the state and is now hiding someplace.
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Day 11: February 14th, 2011
Happy Valentine Day!!
We woke up at around 7:00. The ship already arrived to Fort Lauderdale. We had a huge breakfast and at around 9:00 went through the immigration and costume and climbed the bus for the airport.
Our flight was scheduled to leave at 4:00, so after checking in with American Airlines, we stored our luggage and climbed on a bus, heading to the city. We stepped out of the bus at Las Olas Blvd.
We visited the Riverfront, watching the street opens up in the middle to let tall boats crossing. We walked around for 45 minutes and then found a Starbucks Café’. As Tova opened her Laptop and started to check her emails, I went down the road to a bakery and bought a couple of cakes and a French baguette. We found a deli later on and ordered salami and mayonnaise, which we used to make a beautiful sandwich with the fresh and tasty baguette.==============================================================================================================================================================================
We returned to the airport and boarded our plane.
Our plane landed at LAX at around 7:30. Our car was in the parking lot, brought there by Danny & Sharone the night before.
We arrived home at 9:00 PM.
Notes:
If you visit these parts of the world and would like to use the services of our guides, here are some details:
Panama - Guide: Alana Escalona. Email alana.escalona@hotmail.com
Grand Cayman: Guide: Tomas. Phone: (345) 926-7500
Port Limon: Guide: Geibel. Email: geibelmn@hotmail.com
If you wish to view a complete photo album for this trip, please send me you details to Aviram.Oren@gmail.com
