🚢 SYMPHONY LIVE -12/16-12/24 🚢 She’s sort of like a song. 🚢

[mo&fran]

I just realized you are on an 8 day which means a Saturday departure. If the prediction is correct, you will get wet, and if it is windy, an umbrella is not effective.

At least it is not cold. Unless you use offsite parking, and you can get dropped off next to the overhang.

[Luckynana]

Following along, Mark.  Thanks for sharing your trip with us all!🌴🛳️🌴

[Sunshine3601]

Following along too!  Safe travels and soon you will have feet in the sand and a well deserved cocktail 🏝🏖🍹

[SteelCityCruiser10]

10 hours ago, h20skibum said:

 

 

Yikes that is quite a drive!  It will make the cruise all that much more enjoyable!  Happy sailing.  Cheers 🍻 

[Jimbo]

10 hours ago, h20skibum said:

We make our drive over three days.  This gives us some time to explore areas along the way.  The planner in me has not only the route mapped, but our planned rest stops, lunch stops, and fuel stops.   With two of us driving, we try to limit each driver to two hours or less at a time. 

 

 

I know, planning even goes so far as to research gas prices at our planned stops.  Will see how close we stay to our schedule.

Today when you  were on I-77S and then took I-81N for a short  time, then you got off I-81N at exit 81 to get  back on I-77S. At that exit 81 on I-81N you was 8 miles from our house.

 

Elkin, NC is  about 1 hour from us where you are tonight.

Edited December 14, 2023 by Jimbo

[perfect match]

Looking forward to reading whatever you have time to share. Definitely impressed with your road trip planning skills! We usually have some idea where we’ll be making our stops, but we don’t have it mapped out as well as you do. We may have to up our game!

[Fall2010]

Following along.  I love the detailed schedule!  Enjoy your trip!

[h20skibum]

14 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

Hey Mark!  Happy to see you decided to do a live!  I am sure you will enjoy Symphony.   Looking forward to following your journey.   We are debating driving to Miami for the Icon cruise but will probably stick to flying.   Who knows, this trip might encourage us. 

Driving has been good for us for our December and January cruises, and as I mentioned, it is nice to explore along the way.  
 

Maybe I should mention here, why we drive this time of year.  We will arrive for the cruise, then we will spend the holidays in a beach house we rented.  Our family will fly in to join us for the holidays, and our vehicle will get the nine of us wherever we want to go.  After the first of the year, we will drive north to visit some friends, then board Allure for a short cruise.  

[h20skibum]

14 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

There's possibly light at the end of the tunnel though.  Seems like they're doing some clearing along parts of I-95 in SC.  Maybe they're planning to add another lane???  One can hope.

One can only hope!

[h20skibum]

14 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Love the spreadsheet and admire your organizational skills. Will be interesting to see how much you end up deviating but looks like you are spot on. Have a great time and safe travels wished to you.

Thanks, Greg.   I have been using spreadsheets for a while to keep things organized.  You should see my packing one for these month long trips. 

[h20skibum]

13 hours ago, FionaMG said:

Doing the same cruise in February, so delighted to follow along. Have a great trip! 😊

I really like these 8 night, southern routes.  Enjoy your February cruise. 
 

12 hours ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Glad you decided to start this Mark. I’m happily following along for whatever you’re able to add. 

Thanks.  It is easier right now, when I can post while Susan drives. 
 

11 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Have a great time. I looking forward to this.

 

Thanks OB.  I thought of you yesterday, when we passed a sign along the way that said Lighthouse Club.  I am sure you are a founding member. 

[h20skibum]

11 hours ago, Dan83 said:

We plan to be on this cruise. Flying to PBI on Friday afternoon. With your permission, I’ll add some photos if I see something noteworthy. 

By all means, feel free to post.  It may take some pressure off me.  Safe travels to you. 

[Ocean Boy]

1 minute ago, h20skibum said:

 

Thanks OB.  I thought of you yesterday, when we passed a sign along the way that said Lighthouse Club.  I am sure you are a founding member. 

Sounds like my kind of club!

[h20skibum]

11 hours ago, mo&fran said:

I just realized you are on an 8 day which means a Saturday departure. If the prediction is correct, you will get wet, and if it is windy, an umbrella is not effective.

At least it is not cold. Unless you use offsite parking, and you can get dropped off next to the overhang.

I saw a little of that forecast.  We do plan to park at the port.  I hope it warms up by the time we return, and our family arrives 

[h20skibum]

10 hours ago, Luckynana said:

Following along, Mark.  Thanks for sharing your trip with us all!🌴🛳️🌴

 

9 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Following along too!  Safe travels and soon you will have feet in the sand and a well deserved cocktail 🏝🏖🍹

 

8 hours ago, SteelCityCruiser10 said:

Yikes that is quite a drive!  It will make the cruise all that much more enjoyable!  Happy sailing.  Cheers 🍻 

Thanks all.  I am really looking forward to this cruise. 

[h20skibum]

7 hours ago, Jimbo said:

At that exit 81 on I-81N you was 8 miles from our house.

 

Elkin, NC is  about 1 hour from us where you are tonight.

I thought we passed not to far from your place. 

[h20skibum]

4 hours ago, perfect match said:

Looking forward to reading whatever you have time to share. Definitely impressed with your road trip planning skills! We usually have some idea where we’ll be making our stops, but we don’t have it mapped out as well as you do. We may have to up our game!

 

34 minutes ago, Fall2010 said:

Following along.  I love the detailed schedule!  Enjoy your trip!

Planning gives us an idea where we will be, but it also leaves room to deviate from it.  

I had started planning a cross country road trip, but it isn’t nearly complete.  May be a couple years before we do that.  That is one that really takes some thought. 

 

[FionaMG]

14 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

I really like these 8 night, southern routes.  Enjoy your February cruise.

 

Thanks. It's surprising what a huge difference having that one extra night on board makes. Plus, the ports are great. 😁

[Ocean Boy]

10 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

 

Thanks. It's surprising what a huge difference having that one extra night on board makes. Plus, the ports are great. 😁

I agree. That extra day seems to make such a difference. I try to avoid 7 nighters now.

[Lionesss]

Good morning. 
 

Mark and Susan glad to see your sharing your travels and excited to follow. 
 

Safe travels. 
 

[h20skibum]

2 hours ago, FionaMG said:

 

Thanks. It's surprising what a huge difference having that one extra night on board makes. Plus, the ports are great. 😁

I totally agree

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

I agree. That extra day seems to make such a difference. I try to avoid 7 nighters now.

That’s why I think I will not like the 3 day Allure.   But I have my reasons. 

1 hour ago, Lionesss said:

Good morning. 
 

Mark and Susan glad to see your sharing your travels and excited to follow. 
 

Safe travels. 
 

Thanks Sue. 

[h20skibum]

So how did we do with the last leg vs. the spreadsheet?   Crossed into NC

 

 

Arrived at our hotel 4 minutes ahead of schedule.  Not bad for the first day, and the weather was beautiful.  

[h20skibum]

One of the nice things about driving, is you get to see so many interesting places in this beautiful country.  A couple years ago, we made a slight diversion to Mt. Airy, which is about 20 minutes from our hotel.  If anyone remembers The Andy Griffith Show, Mt. Airy was near Mayberry.  
 

Andy Griffith’s home place is here. 
 

 

I will not say this happens often, but we ended up in the back of a police car. 
 

 

It was a neat way to get a tour of the town. There are lots of things related to the tv series here. 
 

 

 

[h20skibum]

We didn’t revisit “Mayberry” this time.  As many know, we both do a lot of walking, so we went out to get a five mile walk in before dinner.  They have a nice trail here that we have walked many times before. 

 

This is the Elkin RR trail

 

 

They take very good care of their trail, and everything was decorated for Christmas. 
 

 

There are several gongs along the trail. 
 

 

With the Broken Heart gong at the end of the trail. 
 

 

 

[bobmacliberty]

Is there a meaning to the gongs?  Or is it just art?