12-18-11 Getting Ready

On January 3rd I fly to San Diego where I will board the Holland America "Rotterdam" the following day. I took this cruise last spring and so enjoyed it that I am doing it again. I have listed the itinerary. I will be getting off the ship early in Moorea, French Polynesia and staying through the end of March at a house I have rented. I am getting pretty excited about this adventure, and how many snowstorms I will miss in Denver. As you can see by the pictures I am planning on lots of time by the pool, snorkeling and kayaking. I envision living in shorts or a swimsuit. My older son, JIII will be joining me the end of March and we will fly home together ( he will adopt some of my luggage for the flight home - he travels light, I do not).

WED 04JAN12 Sail from San Diego, 5:00pm California, US

THU 05JAN12 Sea Day

FRI 06JAN12 Sea Day

SAT 07JAN12 Sea Day

SUN 08JAN12 Sea Day

MON 09JAN12 Honolulu, Hawaii, US1 12:00n

TUE 10JAN12 Honolulu, Hawaii, US 11:00pm

WED 11JAN12 Lahaina, Hawaii, US2 8:00am 11:00pm

THU 12JAN12 Hilo, Hawaii, US 8:00am 6:00pm

FRI 13JAN12 Sea Day

SAT 14JAN12 Cross International Dateline3

MON 16JAN12 Fanning Island, Kiribati2 8:00am 5:00pm

TUE 17JAN12 Sea Day

TUE 17JAN12 Crossing the Equator3

TUE 17JAN12 Cross International Dateline3

WED 18JAN12 Sea Day

THU 19JAN12 Rarotonga, Cook Islands 8:00am 5:00pm

FRI 20JAN12 Sea Day

SAT 21JAN12 Raiatea, French Polynesia2 8:00am 5:00pm

SUN 22JAN12 Bora Bora, French Polynesia2 8:00am 5:00pm

MON 23JAN12 Papeete, French Polynesia1 8:00am

TUE 24JAN12 Papeete, French Polynesia 5:00am

TUE 24JAN12 Moorea, French Polynesia2 8:00am 5:00pm

11-27-11

Flew home to the nest yesterday. It was nice to sleep in my own bed. I have updated all the posts with the pictures I took along the way. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed  the sights and cruise - I was fortunate to meet and spend time with some wonderful people.

11-25-11

11-25-11
Today we were at Half Moon Cay, Bahamas, a beautiful private island for cruise ships. I signed up for the Aqua Trax Adventure. I was with a much younger crowd this year and what a difference it made. Slow was 55-60 mph - on numerous occasions we all had the pedal to the metal at the top speed of 80 mph. Our lead said that the faster you go, the easier it is to handle, that was all the encouragement needed for everyone. What a ride!
Tonight was the farewell dinner - the waiters make a big production of serving our dinner and entertaining everyone. We had a great group at our table, we have decided it is not farewell, but until we see each other again. So to John H., John F., Carol, Roberta And Barry I look forward to a reunion of table 65.

11-24-11

11-24-11
Today was another beautiful, sunny day spent poolside reading. The weather has been perfect. My Thanksgiving dinner was great, I did not cook, I did not eat turkey - my kind of Thanksgiving, (they had a traditional dinner for those who preferred turkey and all of the fixings).

I hope all my family and friends had a wonderful holiday.

11-23-11

11-23-11
We sailed into Crown Bay, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. There were seven cruise ships in port today.
I started out my day with a half-day sail from St. Thomas to St. John on the Champagne Catamaran. We went across Pillsbury Sound stopping across from Honeymoon Beach to snorkel for a couple of hours. Saw a wide variety of fish and coral, and even some turtles.
Headed back to St. Thomas to walk around for a bit before getting back on the ship to enjoy the rest of the day's sun and our sailing away this evening.

This evening we went to the Tamarind and had a wonderful meal with some great new friends. They surprised me with an early birthday celebration. I am told the expression on my face said it all.

11-22-11

11-22-11
We arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico at 10:30 this morning to beautiful weather. I started the day at the Casa Bacardi Visitor Center. It was a nice tour, and of course, ended in their gift shop. Left Cantano and headed for the Candado District and through Old San Juan. We then visited the San Cristobal Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in 1634 to protect the city from attacks. (I visited the San Felipe del Morro Fortress last year). It had gorgeous views of the city.

This evening I attended "Exotic Puerto Rico: A Latin Traditions Show". This was a show consisting of dancers performing "modernized, slightly risque versions" of the mambo, rumba, conga, flamenco and rumba. However, the highlight was the vocalist and guitarist. He was a magician with that instrument. I really loved it.