Not Quite "Live From" But Fairly Fresh (Long) Noordam Southern Caribbean Wayfarer Feb

[Skorpora]

Had a wonderful time! Here's my blow by blow of our cruise:

 

Noordam Southern Caribbean 11 Day Wayfarer, February 17 - 28, 2014

 

Day 1: Fort Lauderdale

 

Embarkation went smoothly. Of course there was a person in the suite lineup who got pissy because the non suite line was moving faster than theirs. Too bad.

 

We got on board around 1pm, and our cabin wasn't ready. So off we went to the MDR for the Welcome Back Mariners lunch. We sat with a nice couple from California.

 

After lunch, our room was ready, so we went up and unpacked.

 

Then it was time for muster, all went well there.

 

Then it was time for sail away, right on time at 4pm. Waved at the condo people, 1 single toot of the ships horn, and we were off.

 

We then went and got ourselves some ice cream, and sat in the Lido to eat it. I was looking out the window, and I saw a splash, and then another and another. I said I think there's dolphins out there and I got a 'no you didn't'. Then, there they were!! At least a dozen of them, swimming beside us. Then they dove and disappeared under the ship. So yes I did spot them.

 

Then we had a little exploration of the ship, and after that we went back to the cabin and sat out on our balcony for a while.

 

Time for dinner. We had 8 pm seating, with a request for a table of 8. What we got was a table for 6, but it was just the two of us at the table. We thought maybe the other 4 were at one of the other restaurants for the evening. We had prime rib, and snapper, both very good.

 

We then went to check out the BB King Blues Band. They were terrific!

 

End of day 1.

 

 

 

Day 2: At Sea

 

Breakfast in MDR. Sat with a mother and her 2 daughters, and a single gentleman.

 

Went to CC M&G, nice to meet people in person.

 

Next, we went to the kitchen tour. It was short and sweet, but it was nice to see where our food is prepared.

 

Then off to the pool for the afternoon. Our beverage server managed to dump a red fruity drink all over my white pants and jacket. He was very apologetic, and took my things to be laundered. Hopefully they can get the stains out. Fortunately, I was wearing my swimsuit underneath, so when it was time to walk back through the ship, I borrowed a pool towel to wrap around myself. I could have used a robe lol.

 

We had some lunch by the pool, and went for a swim, and a sit in the hot tub.

I went to the gym after the pool. It was interesting walking on the treadmill on a rolling ship!

 

Then we hung out in the cabin for a while until dinner. It was formal night. I wore my sparkly red gown, and Bill wore his tux. I think we looked pretty good. Our table of 6 was AWOL again, so it was just the 2 of us. When we were leaving, one of the other tables with some empty chairs invited us to sit with them for the rest of the cruise.

 

Later we went to BB King again. Another great show. We also checked out the library and read the news on the computers.

 

Then up to the Lido for a snack, and off to bed.

 

Day 3: At Sea

 

Slept in. No breakfast today, but we had a mid morning snack in the lido. Then it was off to the Mariners Lunch. Same as always. Met some more nice people.

 

Spent the afternoon at the pool.

 

We had a problem with our Pinnacle reservation. I had called to confirm it and they had a different date than the date on our printed invitation. We went to front desk first, and they were as confused as we were. They said we had better go straight to the Pinnacle to sort things out. We did and our reservation differed from their records, so we got it all straightened out.

 

We did some more exploring of the ship. Managed to sneak up for a peek at the cabanas. It was very windy, and no one seemed to be up there. I took some pictures, and rode back down in an awful, hot, tiny, slow elevator reserved for the cabanas. We met a gentleman along the way down the hall of new Deck 10 cabins, and their toilets weren't working. I believe there were several cabins with the same issue.

 

My newly laundered clothing (that had been spilled on by the bar server) had reappeared, and it was clean and white again.

 

Day 4: St. Maarten

 

Room service breakfast. It was late. They at least called to let us know. We got ready and went down to disembark.

 

Nice bus ride to Orient Bay Beach. The resort we were at was called Waikiki Beach. The waves were very high-we had to be careful not to get swept away. Beautiful beach, and the roaming vendors weren't too bad. The police showed up and seemed to be checking the vendors permits, so maybe that's why they were a bit subdued.

 

We all got lounge chairs, and a drink. The fellow with the rum needed to finish off his bottle so he could open a new one, so I got a bit extra.

 

Lunch was also included. We had grouper, salad, and rice. There was also a drink included at lunch too.

 

We went back to the beach for a bit, and then it was time to reboard the bus.

 

We had a wee look around Phillipsburg, Bill got a Piraña Joe shirt, and I got a bottle of wine.

 

Back to the ship. We stayed out on our balcony and watched the pier runners. There were a few. They were paging one couple, just in case they didn't get scanned in for some reason. Eventually they showed up driven to the gangway by the port security in a golf cart. There were 6 ships in port, and it seemed people were getting confused as to where their ship was docked. It's a long pier to walk, just to have to turn back when you realize you're on the wrong one!

 

Then to the lido for a snack, and a dip in the pool.

 

Dinner was much more lively tonight since we have now moved to a table of 8, with 8 actual people. Good company.

 

We then went back to our cabin to get our things ready for our excursion in St Lucia.

 

Went for tea and cookies in the Lido, and then off to bed.

 

Day 5: St. Lucia

 

Busy, busy day today! We had our room service breakfast, on time this time.

 

Disembarked, and joined our group for the Pigeon Island Countryside, Hike, and Swim. Our guide, whose name escapes me, was excellent. He was able to answer every question asked of him about St. Lucia. He knew about plant life, animal life, schools, churches, infrastructure, politics, history, and on and on.

 

First we toured through the countryside of St. Lucia, and saw some magnificent views. It is very hilly, and the bus driver would turn the AC off every time we needed to climb a hill. They must go through a lot of brakes and transmissions here.

 

Eventually we reached Pigeon Island. I headed straight for the beach, and Bill went on a hike to the fort. He said it was quite a steep climb. He also said they took another route down, that was not as steep. We spent a bit more time at the beach, and then back on the bus to Castries.

 

We shopped a bit, and Bill found himself another Piraña Joe shirt. I got a necklace and some bracelets.

 

When we reboarded, we dropped off our things, got a bite to eat, and then headed to the bow for the scenic sailing to Soufriere Bay.

 

The access to the bow was fun. We got to see the bell, and take lots of pictures. The Pitons were spectacular. We also saw many dolphins, and flying fish.

 

Later, after showering and dressing in "Tropical Casual", we headed up to the Seaview Pool area, where the whole deck had been transformed into a Barbecue/Pool party. There were buffets set up down both sides of the pool, and a fruit station at the back deck. There was steel drum music playing, and twinkling lights. Plenty of officers attended, including the Captain and his family. We had the whole of Soufriere Bay and the Pitons as our backdrop. It was a lovely evening.

 

Then off we went to a movie being shown in the Vista Lounge, rather than a live show. It was called "Last Vegas". Very funny movie.

 

Finally back to our cabin, where we realized that our Blue and white striped Holland America beach towels had not been replaced. The routine is the same as the bath towels - just leave them on the bathroom floor and they will be replaced with fresh ones. If the towels are not returned you are subject to a charge of $27.00 for each towel. We were concerned that we would be billed for missing towels. Called guest services, and they said they would send some up. But it was not to be.

 

After waiting about an hour for the towels, we gave up and went to bed. We were just dozing off, and the fire alarm went off. A very upset sounding young lady came on the PA, saying there was a fire in the Lido, and to await further announcements. Next the Captain came on, and assured us they were looking into the situation. A few minutes later, he came back on and said everything was ok. Apparently, a smoke detector had been set off by a toaster. It was all a bit over the top, but they have to ensure everyone's safety. Back to bed, and to sleep this time.

 

Day 6: Barbados

 

The towel saga continues... I called Guest Services first thing in the morning, and they assured me someone would bring them. There was a knock on the door a few minutes later, and there was our cabin steward. It seems he was sent to question us about where exactly we had left the towels. When the interrogation was complete, off he went, with a promise to return soon. He was back 5 minutes later bearing towels! He apologized and said they had put the towels in the wrong cabin. Whatever. We have our precious towels to take to the beach!

 

Off to the Lido for breakfast, and then we disembarked to get the shuttle to the cruise port. Free wifi! I texted the kids, deleted about 100 emails, and got on our tour bus and lost the signal.

 

We went to Harbor Lights beach. It was gorgeous. Soft, fine sand, and blue, blue water. It was a bit cooler than expected, but nice once we were used to it.

 

After the beach, we bought some more wine to take to the ship, and reboarded the ship. We had some lunch, and met some more fellow passengers. HAL should really think about flying the Canadian flag since everyone we seem to meet are Canadians.

 

Spent the rest of the afternoon at the Lido pool.

 

We went back to our cabin to get ready for formal night and have a glass of wine. Oops. No corkscrew. Bill went out to get some ice and ran into the room service manager, so he asked him if we can borrow a corkscrew. A few minutes later, a room service steward came to the door to open our wine for us. He said they only had 1 corkscrew, and he had to run all over the ship to open people's wine. You would think they might be able to invest in a few more with all the extra income from the corkage fees.

 

Our dinner tonight was at the Canaletto. The food was good, but I wasn't too crazy about the shared plate concept. I think it would work better with a larger group, but for a table of 2, I didn't make sense. We had to make sure we ordered plates that we both liked, since we were sharing. Our tastes are very different, so it seemed a bit of a compromise. The manager came around and asked our opinion, so I told him exactly that.

 

We returned to our cabin for a few minutes to make sure the AC was working, because it had strangely shut off during sail away. The hallway outside was also quite warm. Anyway, a section of the hallway was still warm, but our cabin was nice and cool.

 

We went to see BB King Blues club again, and then called it a night.

 

Day 7: Martinique

 

Arrived in Fort de France, Martinique. Had breakfast, and then set out to see what was happening in Martinique. Not much. Most places were closed because it was Sunday. We watched the dancers in port for a bit, then we got on the free shuttle to the duty free shop. One shop. We picked up a few souvenirs, and took the shuttle back. We dropped off our purchases in the cabin, and went back on shore. One of the few open businesses was McDonalds. Free wifi!! We texted the kids, and had a nice chat with them. Then the wifi stopped working, so we went wandering about for a while and back to the ship. On the way, there was a mass band playing, so we watched them for a few minutes.

 

We went to afternoon tea, since we missed lunch. We had only bought a diet coke and a McFlurry at McDonalds. The tea was very nice, and kept us going until dinner.

 

The ship got on its way, and did a slow pass by Mount Pelee, an active volcano. It's last major eruption was in 1902, and killed all but 2 residents of the village below. Our balcony was on the side facing the volcano, so we were able to sit out to enjoy the view. It seemed everyone else was on their balconies too, and we chatted with our neighbours on either side.

 

We purchased a FCD, and then off to dinner. After that, we went back to the cabin to get our things ready for tomorrow, and had an early night.

 

Day 8: Dominica

 

We got up, and went to the Lido for breakfast. The ship had not yet docked. I had woken up very early, and noticed the ship wasn't moving. I could see Dominica off the starboard side. There is not much distance between Martinique and Dominica, so I suppose the ship stayed offshore until the scheduled 8:00am arrival.

 

We got off the ship and met up with our tour group. It was the Whale and Dolphin Safari. We set out in a catamaran, with hopes to see something. We had a real treat in store for us! First we saw a huge pod of Fraser Dolphins. They were leaping and diving all around the boat. These dolphins are a fairly newly discovered species in these waters. They are grey with pink bellies.

 

Next, whale blows were spotted. The boat got closer and put down the hydrophone to hear them. They were sperm whales. They would stay on the surface for about 10 minutes, and then dive down deep for 45 minutes to an hour. We saw them surface three times. There were four of them, one was a young one. When they were about to dive, the tour guide would tell everyone to get their camera ready, and we got some really good shots of their tails in the air as they dove.

 

Next we saw another huge pod of dolphins. These ones were spinner dolphins. They were swimming all around the boat, and leaping in the air. They really like the wake of the boat. The boat returned us to the shore where we got off. What a fantastic experience!

 

We walked along the market that was set up at the port, looking for a new hat to replace the one I lost yesterday. We found a nice one with a string to tie under the chin so it won't blow away. It was nice to hear the Dominican people welcoming us to their island, and thanking us for coming.

 

We got back on the ship, showered, and went to the 'Chocolate Tea'. There were lots of yummy chocolate treats, and they found us some Tetley tea.

 

Later, we went to see the movie 'Rush' in the Queens Lounge, and then off to dinner. We walked the promenade deck after dinner, and then turned in for the night.

 

 

Day 9: St. Thomas

 

We had a Lido breakfast again, then we got off the ship to have a look around before our shore excursion. We saw some iguanas sunning themselves on the rocks. There were also some tiny geckos. We bought some more souvenirs, and returned to the ship to drop off our purchases. Back out we went to join our group.

 

We got onto the 'Island Girl' ferry to go over to the island of St. John. It was quite a bouncy ride, but the motion doesn't bother us at all. Once there, we all piled into one of their open air taxis, and took off.

 

We took a very hilly and winding route, with some spectacular views whenever there was a break in the greenery. Our final destination was Trunk Bay. It was absolutely gorgeous. A piece of paradise.

 

Bill snorkeled the underwater trail. There was coral and many fish to see. There were plaques on the seafloor explaining what you were seeing. Everyone was told to not stand on the coral. There were some who did, and whenever that happened, the lifeguard would stand up and tell them to get off the coral. If he had a dollar for every time he had to tell people, he'd be a millionaire.

 

I swam in the beautiful blue water. It was soooo clear! No seashells, no seaweed, just pure and clean. The sand was soft and fine. We had a brief sun shower, and it was exquisite seeing the raindrops splashing on the surface of the water. It was funny when people started getting out of the water - you're wet anyway people!! :)

 

Sadly, it was time to leave, so back to the taxi, and to the ferry.

 

We were starving since we missed lunch, so we headed straight to the Lido for something to keep us going until dinner. We each had a delicious cheeseburger.

 

Then back to the cabin to shower and change. We relaxed on our balcony with a glass of wine for a while. Then off to dinner.

 

We found out tomorrow's formal night was lobster night. We had moved our Pinnacle reservation to tomorrow, so I wanted to know if I was going to be able to get lobster in the Pinnacle. The answer was 'no'. I asked both the MDR manager, and the Pinnacle manager, and got the same answer. So I cancelled our Pinnacle reservation. It was the free Explore4 dinner, so no big deal.

 

We then went to the Vista Lounge the see Jeff McDonald, a comedian. He was alright. Then off to bed.

 

Day 10: At Sea

 

This morning, I got up and went out onto the balcony. I was greeted with quite the sight of dozens of flying fish. I am going to have to find out more about these interesting little creatures.

 

Went for breakfast, and had a nice table poolside. The was a sidewalk sale going on at the other end of the pool, so we went over to have a look. I bought another bracelet, and some pretty beads.

 

Went back to our cabin, and packed away our clean laundry. Turns out Bill is missing a shirt, so we will have to follow up on that. I packed everything that I would not need anymore :(

 

Back to the pool. We got a nice table in the shade. We played name that tune, and came in second. Oh well.

 

Then off to Dutch High Tea. Delicious. They had ice sculptures, a working windmill, and a white chocolate mermaid.

 

We went off to the ship shops to see if anything was marked down. I got a Fossil watch, another bracelet (they look like Pandora knockoffs), and some extra beads.

 

Next, back to the cabin to relax for a while, until time to get ready for formal night.

 

Lobster on the menu tonight!!! It was excellent. They were large tails, much larger than I expected.

 

 

Day 11: Half Moon Cay

 

We arrived at HMC at 8am. The seas were a bit rough, as there was a stiff breeze blowing. Tender operations were delayed for over an hour. We finally got to the island on the first tender.

 

We claimed our clamshell, and relaxed on the beach. The water was beautiful and clear, but quite wavy.

At lunchtime we went to the BBQ they had set up, which was very enjoyable. Then it was back to the beach until it was time to leave.

 

Tendering back was a bit tricky. The wind had picked up, and the waves were crashing right over the bow of the tender, soaking the people who were sitting at the front. The tender operator had a bit of a tough time getting us aligned with the ship. He eventually did, and we all had to hang on to whatever we could grab onto so we could stay on our feet. We all made it!

 

We went back to our cabin, and I went out onto the balcony to watch the next tender come in. I could see part of the bridge from where I was, and there was an officer watching the tender operations with an eagle eye.

 

While I was out there, I was looking at the water, and I saw what looked like a couple of sharks! I called Bill out, and we watched the water, and along came more sharks! Bill dashed back in and got his camera with the telephoto lens, and started taking photos. We downloaded them to the iPad, and sure enough, they were sharks. I don't know what kind they were, but they were around 6 - 10 feet long. This was Bill's estimate, and he has a very good eye for that sort of thing.

 

Once the ship got underway, we went up to the Crowsnest, where it was happy hour! You buy one drink for regular price, and the second drink is a dollar. We ordered 2 Piña Coladas, and joined in the trivia game. We only got 6/15, but the winners got 10/15, so not too bad.

 

We then got ready and went off to the final dinner of the cruise. We really enjoyed sitting with our table mates, and we are so glad they invited us to sit with them. One of the ladies (Pat) was a fellow genealogist, so we exchanged emails. There were hugs all around after dinner. We even got hugs from our waiter. I don't remember if that was before of after we tipped him!

 

Back to the cabin to finish packing :(

 

Day 12: Going Home

 

We had one of the later disembarkation times, so we were able to go to the Lido for a leisurely breakfast.

 

We went back to our cabin to wait for our number to be called, and off we went. The customs line was a bit slow, but we eventually got though that too. All they did was look at our passports and compare the photos, and we were on our way. We went outside, cabs were waiting, so we got into one and were at the airport within a few minutes. It was a wonderful cruise!

 

Final Impressions:

 

Embarkation/disembarkation: Quick and organized. There was a bit of a wait for customs, however.

 

Ship: Very clean, there was always some maintenance going on somewhere. They were even washing the interior walls one day.

 

Dining: Food was good overall. Canaletto specialty restaurant was a bit of a disappointment. They're still serving bread pudding in the Lido :)

 

Service: Excellent service. The wait staff all seemed so happy. We could hear them singing as they worked, and they were always smiling.

 

Cabin: It was kept very clean. Except for the previously mentioned beach towel issue, no problems. Ice service was a bit hit and miss, but I found the ice myself one day.

 

Laundry: Everything came back nice and clean, but one shirt was missing. It was never found, and we were not charged for our laundry, and received a very small shipboard credit.

 

Ports: We enjoyed all the ports. Unfortunately, we were docked at Martinique on a Sunday, and everything was closed.

 

 

 

 

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[alwaysfrantic]

Did you get charged corkage bringing the wine on at embarkation, or just when you bought bottles in port?

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your wonderful review.

Every time we have been to Martinique, it has always been on a Sunday.

Chocolate Tea -- I hope we have that on our next cruise (not the Noordam).

[Kona921]

Great review! Thank you for sharing!

[cruiseapril]

Enjoyed the way you did your review. We did this Noordam itinerary a few years ago- your review brought back good memories.

[Skorpora]

Did you get charged corkage bringing the wine on at embarkation, or just when you bought bottles in port?

 

 

The first bottle was free, and any more bottles, whether brought on at embarkation or a port, were all subject to the $18 corkage fee.

 

 

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[ookpik]

What a lovely positive revue.

Thank you.

PS Are you anywhere near Exeter Crescent in Burlington?

My daughter lives there.

Cheers.!

[alwaysfrantic]

The first bottle was free, and any more bottles, whether brought on at embarkation or a port, were all subject to the $18 corkage fee.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

Where were they at embarkation? We walked in carrying ours in wine carry bags, like reuse able grocery bags. Clear what it was. We didn't hide. Didn't try to cover in any way. I kept thinking around the next turn or station would be the table for corkage fees. Nothing. This was very unexpected. We went through the lines and to the stations we were directed to. No one ever sent us to a wine station. No one asked if we had any, though they went through the scanners and we carried then just as you'd expect to lug around a bag with 6 bottles in it.

 

 

And on another item----did you catch the marriage show? The show that if they can't prescreen couples maybe they need to not have it. Two lovely couple, just as one would expect. One that made everyone uncomfortable. They should not have been on stage.

Edited March 2, 2014 by alwaysfrantic

[ger_77]

What a pleasure reading your review - thank you for putting the time into it for us. Sharks just off Half Moon Cay? Yikes! Can you post photos? I'd love to see them!!!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[Skorpora]

Hope the pics post ok. Here are the sharks!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ger_77]

Oh my goodness . . . I wonder if the beach of Half Moon Cay is netted off so they don't get close to those of us who enjoy the water!?! I remember on our stingray excursion at HMC, we were told that sometimes the rays get out of the enclosure, but quickly try to get back in (and often need assistance) because of the predators (namely sharks) that exist nearby. I don't know of anyone else who has ever mentioned seeing sharks at HMC before - thanks to your good eyesight, we all have now!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

Gerry

[cbr663]

Thanks for the pics of the sharks. I seem to recall that there is some sort of netting in HMC as I remember being there and watching people swim right out to it and think to myself that there is a reason for the net. Nets in the ocean are never to keep things in but to keep certain things out.

[CruiserBruce]

Oh my goodness . . . I wonder if the beach of Half Moon Cay is netted off so they don't get close to those of us who enjoy the water!?! I remember on our stingray excursion at HMC, we were told that sometimes the rays get out of the enclosure, but quickly try to get back in (and often need assistance) because of the predators (namely sharks) that exist nearby. I don't know of anyone else who has ever mentioned seeing sharks at HMC before - thanks to your good eyesight, we all have now!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

Gerry

 

No reason for netting. Most sharks are not "man eaters". That would be a Hollywood legend. They have no interest in humans.

 

On this day there were MANY people in the great swimming conditions at HMC. No attacks reported.

Edited March 2, 2014 by CruiserBruce

[CruiserBruce]

Thanks for the pics of the sharks. I seem to recall that there is some sort of netting in HMC as I remember being there and watching people swim right out to it and think to myself that there is a reason for the net. Nets in the ocean are never to keep things in but to keep certain things out.

 

There is no net. There is a "roped off" swimming area to keep the boats separated from the swimmers. However, that rope/float line was washed on to the beach on half of the beach. You could clearly see there was no net on this rope buoy line.

[nutensteve]

Great review ... We will have to try a Caribbean cruise soon and on the Noordam. We love that ship.

[sail7seas]

Thanks so much for your review.

 

I really enjoyed reading about your cruise on the very beautiful Noordam. She's a wonderful ship. :)

Welcome back.

[Skorpora]

There is no net. There is a "roped off" swimming area to keep the boats separated from the swimmers. However, that rope/float line was washed on to the beach on half of the beach. You could clearly see there was no net on this rope buoy line.

 

 

There used to be a net. Maybe it wasn't really necessary. I remember seeing it years ago when the roped off swimming area was much smaller.

 

I did a bit of research, and I think the sharks we saw were Caribbean Reef Sharks. They tend not to be too interested in humans, but they should not be fed or provoked.

 

I saw people on HMC with food in the water trying to attract fish. Not a good idea. Cheerios are not fish food. I don't think the sharks would come unless someone brought along a porterhouse steak lol :D

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[CruiserBruce]

There used to be a net. Maybe it wasn't really necessary. I remember seeing it years ago when the roped off swimming area was much smaller.

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Have been there 8 times dating back to the early 1990s. No net in that time. Again, there is a rope/float line- actually two of them, that separate swimmers from powered water sports areas. Have swam out to it many times, and it has always just been that same rope/float line that was washed ashore on our visit there last Thursday.

[Skorpora]

What a lovely positive revue.

Thank you.

PS Are you anywhere near Exeter Crescent in Burlington?

My daughter lives there.

Cheers.!

 

 

Hi! I had to look at Google maps, and we are not too far away. We are southeast of the Guelph Line/Upper Middle intersection.

 

Thank you for your nice comment :)

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Skorpora]

Where were they at embarkation? We walked in carrying ours in wine carry bags, like reuse able grocery bags. Clear what it was. We didn't hide. Didn't try to cover in any way. I kept thinking around the next turn or station would be the table for corkage fees. Nothing. This was very unexpected. We went through the lines and to the stations we were directed to. No one ever sent us to a wine station. No one asked if we had any, though they went through the scanners and we carried then just as you'd expect to lug around a bag with 6 bottles in it.

 

 

And on another item----did you catch the marriage show? The show that if they can't prescreen couples maybe they need to not have it. Two lovely couple, just as one would expect. One that made everyone uncomfortable. They should not have been on stage.

 

 

We didn't bring any wine on at Ft. Lauderdale, but now I wish I did! We thought we'd see how far the E4 beverage cards got us. Then I decided I wanted to get some wine for our cabin anyway. I was immediately directed to the wine/liquor attendant, and corkage was added right then and there.

 

As for the marriage game, we were passing by the Queens Lounge after dinner, and stopped for a couple of minutes, but there was such a big crowd at the entrance, that I couldn't really see anything much. Your description makes me glad I didn't waste my time.

 

 

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