scubacruiserx2

Welcome to South Florida in the Spring ! Today 91 F = 32.7 C heat before a cool front and some rain Tomorrow 73 F = 22.7 C to 52 F = 11.11 C ( known as French fries in a Volleyball game score ) tomorrow evening .

@Bimmer09 on HAL how can this be ? Congrats on your aft corner and your trips . May we suggest you and Carole take a look at our last reviews as they may help . And we defected from HAL for a half price cruise in January to Antarctica and Patagonia which blew Alaska out of the water with a suite that felt like home on NCL . 2 balconies , 2 baths , 2 dining areas at the HAL for the price of the aft corner on HAL .

We ate lunch in Hamilton and took the quicker water ferry back to the ship .

As we got closer to the city of Hamilton the bus got more busy with kids from school We got off at a Park And a little later there was a Town Crier competition . This video is from 2015

Horseshoe Bay We had to walk around these rocks by the water . Every time a wave would come in it would cover the sand walkway so we had to time it between waves . We had to walk up toward the road here There was a pit stop here where you had to climb up a step in order to be seated on the throne The area where we ascended to meet the bus

It takes about a hour and a half to safely navigate the channel to Bermuda , but the crew did a great job with the markers so close sometimes , that it seemed like you could almost touch them . But the NCL Dawn wasn't so lucky , in 2015 , she ran aground in Bermuda . http://fox8.com/2015/05/19/norwegian-cruise-ship-runs-aground-near-bermuda/ Arrival at the Dockyard in Bermuda We had an overnight stay so we purchased a 2 day pass to the public Bus and Ferry to Hamilton for $25 . We hopped the bus at it's origin in the Dockyard and rode to Horseshoe Beach . We had to walk down a bluff to get to the rocks at Horseshoe Beach . From there we walked along some of the best beaches that we have ever seem to Warwick Bay where we walked up the hill to catch the bus at the street . https://www.google.com/maps/@32.2535827,-64.8183897,16.77z?entry=ttu

We had a 2 day cruise to one of our favorite islands - Bermuda coming up next .

A map of Nassau https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Cruise+Port,+Nassau,+Nassau,+The+Bahamas/Fish+Fry,+Nassau,+The+Bahamas/@25.0658668,-77.3514724,14.06z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x892f7d4a48959425:0x1464342772704690!2m2!1d-77.3398253!2d25.0824406!1m5!1m1!1s0x892f7d2752ea6adb:0xf208e74b33db1629!2m2!1d-77.3583928!2d25.0799068!3e0?entry=ttu

A quick walk thru of FV 7199 . The door has a private hall that help keep the room quite . Lots of closets Main BR and looking to the 2nd BR with a sliding door and the balcony Looking back at the closets and bathroom and big screen TV Second BR with pull out bed and TV. We found a video on Youtube that shows the room after an upgrade that shows it better .

Our first port was South of us on the next morning in Nassau . From the ship we could see Atlantis But our hearts and stomachs were set on lunch at Fish Fry https://www.eater.com/2016/11/10/13557214/fish-fry-bahamas-nassau We did take the bus there but someone from there had passed away and the funeral was that day so all the people that normally work there were going to the funeral , so they were closed for lunch . We went back to the ship and considered the Pirate Museum but we're not big fans of Pirates so it was lunch on the air conditioned ship and a nap instead of the heat .

8 baby pineapples so far .

We certainly understand and share your your love of TA's and balconies . Our first visit to Europe was on NCL in 2006 and we had a forward facing window , but no balcony . It was a common overlook that functioned as a common balcony , so no privacy or meals there . And so we learned . When we took our first TA in 2009 it was from West to East so no red eye flight to Europe . We had booked a balcony on the Celebrity Constellation from our home port of Ft. Lauderdale to London in April . We watched for an upgrade and when they released a Family suite for about $ 300 more we pounced on it . It was our first Aft facing balcony and it was huge , #7199 ! In Ft. Lauderdale And breakfast at sea and room and time to sun ourselves !

Good morning @valemart_1 . Today is officially Spring with 12 hours of daylight and night here in Palm Beach County . Sunrise and Sunset are 0730 and 1930 . It is 0500 here so I'm still on BA time ! I know you and your husband must be excited about your TA and visit to Portugal and we are excited for you also . I know that you like a good story so I will share one . It's a way that we have got a good room for not much money in the past and it still works today . We were booked on the Star for a trip to Iceland in the same cabin that we had in Argentina - at a higher price from May 18 - May 20th . We went to Antarctica instead of course , but I decided to try to book the same cruise this morning . The most expensive was a Penthouse balcony SC at $8179 344 sq ' with a 65 sq ' balcony . But if we wanted a larger room at a lower price we would pick a Family Suite SP . $ 5979 for 495 sq ' . So if you wouldn't miss a balcony you could have 100 more square feet for $2000 less !

As an American citizen of the US I believe in the Bill of Rights attached to our Constitution . It has 10 amendments and the first one says : Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. I worked for the National Government ( US Navy ) and the County Government Miami Dade Fire Rescue . I was trained to help ALL people medically and not to discriminate . Thus I honored the Constitution and God and believe in freedom of speech and religion - even ones that differ from mine . I risked my life many times to help people that I didn't know . When NCL ships were in the Port of Miami they followed our countries rules to receive help from us . They do make the rules at sea . But we didn't like being lied to by NCL . We were told a couple of different stories of why we couldn't use the Freestyle Daily . 1 . Miami is the headquarters of NCL and RCI and we were told that they wouldn't allow it . I have responded on numerous calls to these places in Miami and they should follow the American law in their property . 2 . We were told by another authority on the ship that the Freestyle Dailies were pre printed before the cruise and loaded on the ship in BA . This isn't true . When changes at sea were made - the Freestyle Daily reflected the changes . How could pre printed reflect changes that hadn't occurred yet ? On my job as a Paramedic I was not allowed to wear a cross or to share my faith ( Christian ) or discuss my faith unless asked by the patient . But I was allowed to pray silently and as the treatment medic I always faced the people when started IVs , or giving meds and when riding in the back of the truck with them to the hospital . If I had a free moment I might bow my head in silent prayer . Many people did ask me to pray with and or for them aloud or silently and I did . Or listened or talked about my savior - if they wanted to . Both my wife and I were raised Roman Catholic , she attending Catholic school until High School . We were not practicing Christians when we met and married . But after about 2 years of marriage I knew something was missing beside my life . I was still an Alcoholic and Drug addict , trying to numb my abusive childhood when I began reading the Bible for the first time in a Fire Station on my free time . One of my coworkers asked me if I was going to heaven when I died . I told him that I thought so . And he told me that I could know for certain . Well I was never taught that in Catechism or Catholic church . So with much prayer and Bible reading I discovered that to be true and accepted the Gift of Eternal Life on September 13 , 1979 . When I told my wife that I was going to heaven she thought that I was crazy , because she was a much better person than I . But she did notice the change in my behavior as I lost my addictions and she too trusted the Lord's promise as well . When we went and talked to a Priest he refused to acknowledge that we were even married since we were not married in the RC church . When I asked him if he was going to heaven he said that no one can know for certain . I told him that wasn't the blind leading the blind , and if he as a man of God didn't know where he was going , how could he show me the way ? Thus we found Jesus and a church that taught his word and haven't looked back except to see where we came from .

Snowy Egret with it feathers ruffled Roseate Spoonbill with Black Bellied Whistling Ducks

Eagle on the nest We will rock you Anhinga swimming Feed us

Working on it's suntan Sandhill Cranes and chick Snake bird mode Osprey landing and perching Water lily

One of my favorite photos of birds was this pelican who had caught a fish . It was going down tail first so it stuck out it fins so the pelican couldn't swallow it . The bird coughed it up and had a few friends waiting for the fish to come out so they could steal his meal . But the crafty bird moved and was turning the fish to go head first . I didn't have a flash so it's hard to see him but the fish is in his mouth ready to go down like Jonah in the great fish .

Thank you both . In the event you are in Ft. Lauderdale in the Spring we will tell you where the place is less than a hour away . I was early as the eggs have not hatched yet so we will go again in about a month . Fewer people then since winter visitors will return to where they live when it gets hotter and more humid . We did find it strange that there was no Bible in the night stand next to the bed . We have always found one in every hotel and cruise ship that we have ever been on before . Here's a couple more bird shots from home . They are all from our house . The first one is a Swallow - Tailed Kite ( Like a child's toy ) . We see then in the winter or Spring soaring high up on cool days . A Pileated Woodpecker is the largest woodpecker that we see in our conservation easement . They are funny to watch looking for a mate . The Red Shouldered Hawk lives here year round and eats our lizards or mice if they see them .

The little sparrow is a Grasshopper Sparrow and the Orange Iguana is an Albino .

The bird place part 2 with the new camera and an old 300 mm telephoto lens . You will see some serious birders and camera equipment here in addition to cell phones . Wood Storks on their nest Snowy Egrets Nest building During the late 1800s, five million birds a year including Snowy Egrets were killed so their feathers — and sometimes even the whole birds — could be added to the hats of fashionable ladies in Europe and America. In 1886, Snowy Egret plumes were worth twice as much as gold.Sep 20, 2019 What Lizard ? Black Bellied Whistling Ducks are snow birds that some have retired and stay here all year long . Fly over Great Blue Heron . We used to see these big birds as neighbors frequently but the new people in our neighborhood have destroyed their habit by killing all of their trees on their property and planting grass . For 25 years we had no neighbors but in the past 2 years , 5 houses have been built destroying hundreds or thousands of old tall trees . We have a1acre conservation easement on our property set aside for animals of all natural land and trees , with no invasive species 23 year ago . It was given to the county with no building ever in exchange for a tax break on that part of our land . It has been more populated with animals that have moved there when the machines destroyed the nearby land . We have nicknamed it ( not officially ) Joe's Jungle . Anhinga with their green mating masks on . Female with the brown neck is on the nest . A sloppy eater drooling Some others

I was up early yesterday to drive and arrive at the bird place before sunrise . It is about 45 minutes South from where we live and about 45 minutes North from Port Everglades . I haven't been there for years but I needed and my new camera wanted some exercise . First up I will show my pocket camera . I got a close parking space near the entrance and bathrooms . Some loud people scared the alligator away before I could get my big camera defogged . Here comes the sun

It sounds like a great trip in the Spring . We have never been to any of these ports except Lisbon and that was back in Spring of 2015 on the Eclipse . You can see our visit there and what we did there here : Begin with post # 540 - 595 .

Sorry , we've been busy including a pre dawn 1 hour drive to shoot some birds with the new camera this morning . Tomorrow is our annual case of 1 hour jet lag called Daylight Saving Time where we move our clocks ahead 1 hour . We don't care for it and wish our government would live time alone We don't know how a standard balcony would be but the price is right . If thinking Antarctica or the Malvinas , we looked at more time in Antarctica like Princess , Celebrity or HAL but they cost more . We knew that we would do Patagonia and we had 4 1/2 days on the Zaandam and saw the Malvinas before so we didn't mind 2 days as much as others did . Regretfully , people behind our cruise didn't get 2 full days and may have missed the Malvinas .

Pat's true beauty comes from what is inside . Her appearance was the first thing that I noticed because I only dated attractive women . But looks do fade like photos , so it's the heart and spirt that last much longer like a lifetime and beyond . So we don't always agree but she is my wife for life . 💗