Live from Explorer's 14 Night Repositioning S. Caribbean cruise to Port Canaveral

[Whitnee1]

It is funny that mention is made of the "status egos" which I agree with. We had heard there were upwrads of 2300 C&A and 44 Pinnacle on this cruise. On her prior four sailings every night our head waiter would come over to our table and ask how things were and where we would be the next day. This cruise ours was in the Witness Protection Program until strangely the last night. Hmmm.

 

Talked at length to our waiter who we have come to know very well. The crew cringes when you have the high numbers of Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacles. He said they often will complain about things that are not true because they know they will get a bottle of wine or a free Portofinos night. Not saying they all do it but I did see thwe red jackets at the same tables or with the same people every night.

[Langley Cruisers]

Carol, sorry to crash your thread but just wanted to say hi again and it was great to finally meet you. :) Sorry we didn't spend more time together. What an adventure! We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise and are glad I was healthy enough to enjoy it.

 

Perhaps Perry and I will see you again one day. :D

 

.

[Coralc]

Coralc how the heck are you? This is Sharon from our vision cruise. Are you planning any cruises? We are on the Legend in March.:D

 

Hi Sharon! We are doing well. We just booked Serenade out of New Orleans for next month. Looking forward to it. I will take my e-cig. :rolleyes:

 

Happy Holidays to you and your family. :D

 

~Patti :)

[sharonlacey]

Pattie, We are only home from Aruba 2 months and I am all ready for our next vacation already, lol.

Guess you are doing good with your cigs, me not so much. I am down to about 1/2 a pack a day, yuk. :rolleyes:

[Merion_Mom]

Carol -- did you use the Diamond Breakfast area that is part of the Main Dining Room? How was service etc.?

 

I don't "do" breakfast! ;)

[Merion_Mom]

Just to stay COMPLETELY out of sync...............

 

Departure morning.

 

i do not think that we will ever know why it was such a mess.

 

My opinion? It was a lot of different things that added up to one huge cluster-you-know-what.

 

These include:

 

a serious accident where the port's exit road meets the main road to the port

 

four ships in port

 

an unusually high demand for rental cars and cabs and shuttles because NO ONE from the Explorer was "just parked at the port" since this was a repositioning cruise

 

VERY poor traffic management and direction from the local port transportation people

 

a business model that has the car rental companies NOT expanding the number of shuttles that they own just to be able to cover peak periods of demand, but trying to get by with fewer vehicles

 

the lifeboat accident, which necessitated the heavy equipment to remove the damaged vessel and a giant truck to bring in the new one (see pictures below)

 

too many people arriving early for the November 15 cruise despite being told not to

 

and probably some things that I am forgetting to mention

 

And now..........THE PICTURES!

[Merion_Mom]

From inside Deck 14 before I disembarked:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

Ok, now I am outside, waiting for the Thrifty shuttle. That first wait was more than an hour. When it finally arrived, it was mobbed by, um, unpleasant people.

 

I was unable to get on that shuttle.

 

But I got these great photos!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

It is now down on the ground. Poor Lifeboat #20.

 

 

 

 

 

 

and here is the big gap left behind:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here comes the new one, the replacement, on a truck:

 

 

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

Just in case you are not yet totally confused, here are my pictures from Aruba:

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the first time in a VERY long time that I took a cruise ship excursion. But our port time in Aruba was extremely limited: All Aboard was 12:30!

 

It wasn't bad as a general tour, and it was excellent for a ship's tour.

 

Our guide was Mirto, and he was good and kind and gently funny.

 

 

 

 

 

First we went to the Casibari Rocks. Apparently, you climb them and look around at the rather flat island. So we did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we got back on the bus and drove around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

Aruba is coral, like many other Southern Caribbean islands, and water wears it away. Aruba used to have a "natural bridge", one of its greatest tourist attractions.

 

Several years ago, it collapsed.

 

This does not keep tour guides from taking you there.

 

:rolleyes:

 

There is now a "baby natural bridge" there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is still very beautiful there.

 

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

I am trying to capture the motion and crashing of the surf here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

GOATS!!!! ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

CACTUS!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stop #3 - The Aloe Factory

 

These are the aloe plants in the field:

 

 

 

 

 

These are the aloe plants on the "guide"'s demo table:

 

 

 

 

 

Local cemetery: colorful, above ground because it's too hard to dig

 

 

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

Expensive housing development:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

stone wall made with no mortar between the stones:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My new house, complete with infinity pool: ;)

 

[Merion_Mom]

4th & final stop:

 

The California Lighthouse. It is named for the ship that was wrecked just off the coast here.

 

 

 

 

 

pretty cloud:

 

 

 

 

 

 

pretty sea and sky:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

There is a miniature replica of the lighthouse on the patio of the restaurant there:

 

 

 

 

 

You can read the history of the lighthouse on this plaque:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Driving back to port:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the famous Kukoo Kunuku party bus:

 

 

 

 

 

"DUSHI BAGEL" stand:

 

[Merion_Mom]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We're home!

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

On the final day, the ice cast put on a special show.

 

They choreographed and rehearsed it themselves, outside of their regular work hours.

 

Again, I was using my iphone, not my "good" camera. I have been able to take very good action photos with my camera, but these aren't too bad.

 

 

 

 

 

CD Leigh Xuereb introducing the show:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Merion_Mom]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Merion_Mom]