A Down Day in Dominica!

We’ve been to Dominica so many times.  It’s not on our top ten list of islands to visit.  Not even our top twenty.  We’ve done the Champagne snorkeling where we’ve snorkeled amongst the warm bubbles of the volcanic seabed.  Even the snorkeling excursions here are not on our top excursion list. 

We were docked in the island’s secondary dock/port area.  The industrial side.  The NCL Norwegian Sun was docked at the primary downtown port.  This was going to be our “stay on the ship” day. 

Dominica is known for their rainforest and waterfalls.  That was pretty evident as it rain for the most of the day while we were docked.  It felt like it rained every hour for 10-20 minutes. 

We had our usual breakfast at HC.  To give our cabin steward some time to refresh our cabin, we spent our time wandering around the ship.  We hung out on deck 7, Promenade, and watched our fellow cruisers leaving for their day trips/excursions.  I figured most of them were going hiking through the rainforest and/or waterfalls.  Down at the pier, there was an islander playing his steel drums and entertaining us with music.  Yes, we could hear it all the way up on the ship. 

I dropped Hubby off at the cabin while I picked up my laptop and headed up to deck 18 to the Skywalker’s Lounge to get my 5 bars (WiFi access).  This was one of the ways I got my exercise on the ship, climbing the stairs from Deck 9 (Dolphin…our cabin) to Deck 15 (Lido…think food!) or all the way up to Deck 18 (for WiFi). 

I spent time up here, looking through the pictures we’ve taken and picking out the ones to be posted on FB and for my cruise blog.  I enjoyed my time here at Skywalker’s.  It’s located at the back (aft) of the ship and at the top deck.  This lounge has floor to ceiling windows.  From here, I saw the downtown area of Roseau, the capital of Dominica.  I saw the traffic jams of what looked like the only road that went between the two ports.  I suspected many newcomers/cruisers were taking taxis to the downtown area.  I also saw the NCL ship.  I also saw the rain showers come and go.  Frequently. 

At some point, my stomach growled.  It was lunch time!  I gathered my belongings and headed back down to Deck 9 to check on Hubby.  He was lounging inside the sitting area of our cabin with our balcony door open.  I guess it got too hot out on our balcony, but he wanted to enjoy the slight breeze outside.  The best of both worlds! 

It was after 1pm and we headed back up to HC for lunch.  Yes, we were hungry.  Again. 

After lunch, I dropped Hubby back in our cabin.  I was in exploring mode.  I went to several venues to check out the entertainment.  Not much was going on.  Let me re-phrase that, some of the entertainment didn’t appeal to me at the moment.  

The crew on the ship had a test drill 

A view of the island

Houses and building in Dominica

I went back to the cabin to check on Hubby and to let him know that I was going dockside to see the local market.  Hubby was torn.  I knew he didn’t want to go wandering around the local market in the humid hot weather.  Yet, he wanted to come with me to make sure I would be safe.  I reassured him that I would be fine and I would hang out with my fellow cruisers. 

Off I went down to Deck 4 and exited the ship.  I walked slowly past the steel drum man to take in the beat of his music.  I can’t dance worth beans, but as I listened to this beautiful music I felt my feet wanting to move to the beat. 

The industrial port area with the market area

The local market is really a craft market set up in a huge metal warehouse just beyond the port security area.  Local women and men sell their crafts and gifts.  It’s mostly women that I see here.  There are plenty of handcrafted dolls and toys on display as well as handmade house ware items (trivets, doilies, bowls, wall hangings, clothes and lots of jewelry. 

I was on a mission.  I was looking for coconut shell jewelry.  A few years ago, a friend of mine had been to Costa Rica and brought me gorgeous coconut shell dangle earrings.  They were dark brown.  Ever since, I’ve been looking for a bracelet and necklace to go with it.   

As I went from table to table, no brown coconut shell jewelry was to be found.  There was a lot of what I called junk jewelry that was probably massed produced in some way.  Every table had the same, except for one.  I picked out a unique looking necklace.  The oval pendant was made out of banana leaf and the beads were a combination of coconut and blue coral.  It was gorgeous.  The designer was a man!  Each piece was handmade by him.  He told me he could lengthen and shorten a necklace for me. Given the living conditions on this island I knew I wouldn’t negotiate too much.  In the end, we were happy with our agreement and I was a proud owner a unique necklace.

After wandering around a bit more, I did not realize how hot and sweaty I became.  I was inside a warm warehouse and with the rainy weather made it feel really muggy.  I headed back to the ship to enjoy the cool AC.

Hubby really liked my new purchase and enjoyed his time in our cabin.  I think it was more like siesta time for him. 

The ship was getting ready to leave Dominica.  I grabbed my camera and Hubby and we headed down to Deck 7 (Promenade) to check out the view on the starboard side.  We walked towards the front (forward) of the ship as it was backing and moving away from the dock.  A security officer was walking towards us and told us that the forward area of the ship was off limits.  We headed around to the port side of the ship and noticed he closed and locked a gate behind us.  We decided to just walk around the Promenade (3 laps equals a mile). 

This was a pleasurable down day for us.  No rushing around.  Just doing what we wanted to do.

Barbados!

We went up to HC for another round of breakfast.  I must say that our buffet plate was not as full as the first few days of our cruise.  The first few days we had sampled and figured out what was great and what was so-so.  By now, we knew to skip the so-so and just go for the great!  Smoked salmon and capers were great!  The sliced fresh fruit was great (melons and pineapples).  Yogurt and an egg over easy was good.  A chocolate croissant was also good.  Potatoes were hit or miss or a so-so. 

We lounged around inside our cabin until we approached Barbados.  I stepped out into our balcony and saw a huge tug boat escorting us into the port area.  There was a huge yacht already docked at the furthest part of the pier.  Besides the yacht, we were the only ship in port.  Wahoooo! 

The huge tug boat

We dressed in our swim suits and lathered up with our suntan lotion SPF#s 45 and 70.  We finished dressing in our t-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops, grabbed our bags, and headed down to Deck 4.  Along the way, we stopped on the staircase somewhere between Decks 6 and 5.  Hmmmm…this was the start of a long line to disembark. 

I guess that’s what happens when we arrive into port later in the morning.  All of a sudden everyone is on the same schedule as we were. 

We walked along the dock and headed to the cruise port terminal and shopping center.  Once we were outside the terminal, we found our excursion guide and waited for the rest to of fellow cruisers to gather. 

We boarded a bus and headed out to another small docking area about three miles away from our cruise ship.  We made our away into a little shop and signed a waiver before we could board our catamaran.  It was a beautiful day to be sailing.  We headed out and sailed north along the coast of Barbados.  We were rocking and rolling with the Caribbean waves.  This is the way we liked it.  This is how we knew we were in the true Caribbean waters.  This was the life!

The captain of our Tiami catamaran

After sailing for what felt like 45 minutes, we dropped anchor.  We were told not to snorkel with our fins.  We were going to swim with the turtles!  I was the last one in the water.  It was pure joy!  I saw so many turtles by my feet.  They swam in and around my fellow snorkelers. 

One of several turtles swimming by

Hubby snorkeling in the foreground

I was one of the first ones back on the catamaran.  The jelly fish episode from yesterday had me a bit paranoid about being in the water. 

The crew members were setting up lunch for us right on the catamaran.  Life was definitely good!  We had BBQ chicken, pasta, salad, and bread.  It was simple, but very enjoyable.  It was delish!

After lunch, we sailed for about 15 minutes and then stopped for a beach break.  The beach was rather narrow and a bit steep.  Hubby and I decided to stay on the catamaran and enjoy the view of the Caribbean waters and the water sport activities. 

Watching a waterski go by

Afternoon tea on the Tiami catamaran anyone?  

We set sail again and headed back.  Along the way, the Caribbean music kicked up a notch and we were all swaying and dancing to the wonderful music. 

I had a great idea to use my weather proof camera and take a few videos of the Barbados coastline with the music in the background.  Hopefully, it will get posted here soon. 

We made it back to the ship in time to change and then headed back out again.  It was around 4:30pm and we noticed some of the shops in the terminal we getting ready to close down for the day.  We jumped into a cab and took off to downtown Barbados to walk around.  It was really crowded and it felt like we were in the middle of a rush hour.  We went into the Little Switzerland shop and found what I was looking for (dive watch).  Afterwards, we headed over to the wharf area of town.  Not much was going on there and we headed back towards downtown.  It must have been after 5pm as we saw a lot of folks leaving the shops and businesses.  I guessed they were the worker bees.  They did not waste any time.  They dropped what they were doing and are out the doors by 5pm.  Sharp!  I don’t think we could get away with that here in the US. 

Downtown near the wharf

We grabbed the nearest cab and headed back to the ship.  By the time we walked into the cruise terminal, majority of the shops were closed.  The only shops that remained open were the Colombian Emeralds jewelry store and the rum cake shop.  I noticed there were still a few crew members and fellow cruisers who were using the free WiFi in the terminal. 

Back on the ship, we showered and changed into our comfy clothes set out to find dinner. 

We were exhausted from today’s activities.  I was looking forward to a good night’s sleep.  

The pier in Bridgetown Barbados

Antigua...Here We Come!

I stayed up late last night which led me to sleep all the way through the early morning until it was time to get up. 

We arrived in Antigua a bit before 8am.  A Royal Caribbean ship was already docked before us on the left side of the pier.  We docked on the right side. 

I enjoy being somewhat eye-to-eye with another ship so close.  From our balcony, I watched as our ship was being tied.   Captain Draper appeared on the ship’s speaker announcing our arrival into port.  We had to be back on the ship no later than 4:30pm. 

As we were docking, Hubby and I ran up to the buffet for breakfast.  Lots of people were milling around, again. 

Our excursion today was “Rex Halcyon Cove Resort Beach and Lunch”.  Departure:  9:30am.  Return:  2:30pm.  We had to be down at the dock and meet our group around 9:20. 

We dressed in our swim suits and applied tons of suntan lotion (SPF# 45 and 70).  First day on the beach always spells trouble for one of us.  Lots of lotion!  We donned our t-shirts, shorts and flip-flops and grabbed our bags and headed down to deck 4 to exit the ship.  Lines were already forming for many excursion groups.  I stepped out of line to take a picture of the steel drum band that was playing several melodies.  A gentleman to my right started to talk to me.  I immediately recognized him from our photography class.  How cool is that?

Our excursion line started to move and we headed into the main shopping area and then to the left.  We waited a few more minutes and were divided into small groups of 10.  Several mini-vans appeared and we were on our way to the beach. 

It took 15 minutes to get to the beach called Halcyon Cove Resort.  We had an introduction and a brief talk about our beach time (where the bathrooms are, beach lounges, shade, lunch, etc).  We were off for some fun in the sun!

Hubby knows to let me go first as I can wiggle and shimmy by folks to get where I need to go.  Yes, I can be fast and quick on my toes.  I snagged two lounges and plopped my bags down.  Territory marked!  I waited for Hubby and we headed for the water. 

Beach time!

The water was quite chilly at first.  I kept walking in.  The sand between my toes felt like so soft.  Sigh!  I’m one of the first few in the water…swimming around to get warmer.  It takes Hubby awhile to get acclimated. 

After swimming for an hour or so, I felt tentacles wrap around my right ankle and then the stinging began over my ankle and calf.  The pain was overwhelming and I tried to get away from whatever had grabbed a hold of me. 

I called out to Hubby who was swimming nearby.  We headed out of the water to see how my leg looked.  We walked along the beach basically to walk off the pain.  It took a while for the pain to subside and then the welts appeared.   

We continued walking until we reached the Sandals resort and then headed back to take care of my leg.

Our beach guide gave me a cup of ice and told me to ice down my leg.  Then I needed to take some of that fine Antiguan sand and coat my leg.  It worked!

Walking along the beach in front of Sandals Resort

We were called to lunch and were led to an outdoor dining area that sat over the beautiful blue Caribbean waters.  We enjoyed a buffet lunch of grilled chicken, salad, pasta, and rolls.  The view was spectacular!

Our outdoor dining venue

Our view from the buffet line

Our delicious lunch

View from my chair during lunch

My Darling Hubby...look at the view behind him!

The first group of cruisers had left and we were given the opportunity to sit in loungers under the shade.  This was definitely the islander life. 

Another view of the beach from the restaurant

Our beach side dining experience

The Aloe Doctor!

We enjoyed our beach time and soon it was time to head back.  We got back to the ship, changed our clothes and headed back out to do some window shopping in town.  It was a hot and sunny day.  It felt great to run in and out the shops to cool down. 

We got back to the ship in time to see the Royal Caribbean leaving port.  We were next.  The sun was setting and shining on the beautiful island.  I spent some time in our balcony taking lots of pictures.  

Watching the Royal Caribbean ship leave

Leaving Antigua!

Another Day @ Sea

I’m up early again!  You would think I would be fast asleep with the wonderful movement of the ship.  Not meant to be.  I get up and take my iPad with me over to the couch.  I don’t want to disturb Hubby from his sleep.  No point in having two sleepy heads on this cruise. 

After several rounds of Sudoku, I head back to bed and fast asleep until we get up for breakfast. 

Hubby was asking me if there was another photography class being offered today.  I told him the one I attended yesterday was the only one.  I think he wanted to attend one after hearing my rave reviews.  I check the Princess Patter to see what might be on our horizon.  At this point of our vacation, I really don’t want to be on a schedule. 

I see Yoga, Pilates, Brainteasers, Zumba, Speed Sudoku, Golf Putting, Croquet, Bocce, Bible Study, Ring Toss, Body Sculpt Boot Camp, Scattegories, Line Dancing, Morning Trivia, Basic Spanish Class, and a few seminars.  This is just the morning line up.  In the afternoon we had:  Slot Tournament, Visual Trivia, Art Auction, Cards/Games/Bridge players, Tropical Rum Tastings, Burn Fat Faster seminar, Pool Games (Neptunes Pool), Journal  Making, TV Themes Poolside Trivia, Wrinkle Remedies seminar, Survival French Class, Ballroom Dance class, Sommelier Wine Club (Tastings), Afternoon Tea, Strength-Indoor Cycling, No More Bad Hair Days seminar, Scavenger Hunt, Princess Pop Choir, and Afternoon Trivia!  Whew!

I decided not to partake in anything.  I got tired just thinking about all those activities! 

Line dancing!

I spent some time looking at the pictures I had taken and tried to get onto the Internet.  It was turtle-speed slow going.  Back to the cabin door I went…a bad girl facing the door again.  First thing in the morning, no less. 

By the time the afternoon came, I was feeling restless.  This has happened to me before at the beginning of a cruise.  Whenever I have two sea days in a row, I’m ready for the beach or to get in the water.  I was anxious and didn’t know what to do with myself.  I ended up wandering around the ship and watching the activities take place in and around the ship.  I wandered around the art gallery on deck 5.  I enjoyed looking at the paintings…contemporary and traditional.  I enjoyed seeing the textures as well as the dull or vibrant colors I saw. 

Art work being readied for an art auction

Dinner was a Mexican buffet in Café Caribe on deck 15.  Afterwards, we headed over to the MUTS (Movies Under the Stars) to watch “The Bourne Legacy”.  The wind was blowing a bit and we snuggled under the wool blankets that were given to us.  During the movie, we were offered pizza, popcorn, peanut butter cookies and milk!  Popcorn and a cookie made my evening. 

Tomorrow is our first port day in Antigua.  I gathered our snorkel gear and bags, beach towels, suntan lotion bottles, J&J shampoo for our mask, excursion tickets, copies of our passports, small bills for tipping, etc and set them aside.  I’ve learned over the years to do this the night before.  That way we don’t forget anything and we’re also more relaxed when we leave the ship rather than being frazzled. 

I’m getting sleepy and well…lights out! 

It's a Sea Day!

What do I do?  I wake up early!  As in 3am early!  Good thing I brought my own iPad with me.  I played Sudoku for an hour until my eyes got heavy and then I was back asleep for a couple of hours.  I really dislike getting old and I really dislike waking up in the wee hours of the morning and then going back to sleep.  It makes me more tired when I finally get up. 

We woke up around 8am and then lounged around our cabin.  Our stomachs started grumbling an hour later and we headed back to the Horizon buffet.  Bad call!  The buffet area was packed and so was the seating areas.   Where did all these people come from?  Are they on the same schedule as we are?

I checked the Princess Patter (I received last night) and saw there was a Photography class at 10:30 this morning.  This class intrigued me.  It was “learning the art of artificial and natural lighting techniques with the Princess Master Photographer.  It was a complementary class with a maximum of 35 guests…first come first served basis”.  I’ve never seen a photography class offered on a Princess ship before. 

Off I go with my hunky Nikon DSLR hanging around my neck.  I go down two decks below (deck 7) and I end up back in the Crown Grill restaurant waiting for the class to begin.  Being the shy and introvert person that I am, I start to engage in small talk with a few folks gathered around the table I’m sitting at.  One guy to the left of me had traveled to India and stayed for several weeks taking pictures.  He didn’t have a camera with him at the moment.  Suspect!  A lady to the right of me didn’t have a camera with her, but was interested to see what the class was about.  She’s cool!  Others around me had their Canon P&S cameras with them.  A table behind mine had Nikon cameras.  Way cool!  I was the only one with a DSLR.  Interesting….

At 10:30 sharp, Nikola (Serbian) and Ivan (American) separated us into two groups (indoor and outdoor).  I was in Nikola’s group and we headed up to deck 19 where his indoor studio was located.  Nikola specializes in black and white portrait photography.  He showed us the studio lights he uses and his settings.  When it was time to take a picture, Nikola selected a gentleman to sit and pose for him.  Nikola showed us the three groups of lights he uses:  A, B, and C.  The “A” light was a backlight.  The “B” light was a small front light that was to the left of the subject.  The “C” light was a large front light, positioned in front of the subject.  Nikola took a couple of shots and showed us the results on his camera.  He then wanted another model and selected me to do a few poses.  I had a blast!  I got the chance to see how the different lights work (from the model’s perspective).  I got a chance to shoot a picture of the audience. 

A picture of Nikola and the audience

I snapped this picture using the studio lights

It was Ivan’s turn to take our group outside for natural light photography.  The sun was bright.  Ivan was looking for a model and picked me out of the group to pose for him.  Yep, that was a blast too!  He used two tools to help with natural lighting.  One was to use a medium size round reflector/diffuser and the other was to use his external flash.  There I was sitting on the putting green on deck 19…posing for the Princess photographer!

Ivan showing us how to use the reflector on a sunny day

That was the best two hour photography class I ever had! 

I went back to the cabin and found Hubby sitting outside on our balcony.  He was enjoying the peacefulness with his iPad and listening to the waves below. 

After lunch we went to the Princess Theater to watch a matinee movie:  Hope Springs with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones. 

Much of the afternoon was spent lounging around in our cabin or on the balcony. 

In the evening I tried to find the best WiFi location in our cabin.  I went to the balcony…no such luck!  The desk in the middle of our cabin gave me only 3 bars.  I headed towards our cabin door and noticed I received an extra bar!  Four bars resulted in a good connection.  Not great, but good.  Except good meant the WiFi would go in and out…connect and then disconnect me.  Love the satellite at sea!

I grabbed the desk chair and place it front of the door.  You would have thought I was a very bad girl…sitting and facing the cabin door.  Hubby had a good chuckle.  My laptop was propped on my lap with the monitor leaning against the door.  I was hoping with the laptop touching the door would give me a continuous connection or perhaps another bar?  Again, no such luck!

Emerald Princess - Embarkation

Today, there were 8 ships in port.  Three of them were Princess ships:  Emerald, Caribbean, and Grand.  A very busy and crowded day!

After a quick breakfast at the hotel, I had to make a quick walk to Publix to look for a beach bag.  Another item I forgot to pack for this trip.  I walked into Publix right after they opened and found a pretty decent bag for under $20.  It felt funny to be running around in the early morning before our embarkation.  It’s so not like me to be this disorganized.  I had a funny feeling this has to do with that age-thing. 

We checked out of our room a little before 11am and joined a large crowd waiting in the lobby and atrium.  There were at least three groups representing three different Princess ships that were leaving the hotel today.  Once I identified the Emerald Princess rep, I signed us in and received a numbered ticket that designated the Emerald Princess group.  I walked over to one of the conference rooms and located and acknowledged that our luggage was there.  Around 12:30pm, we were gathered and loaded onto a Cabana bus.  Thirty minutes later, we were off to the Port Everglades.  The Caribbean Princess was at berth/terminal #2 the closest terminal to the main gate.  Our ship, Emerald Princess, was at berth/terminal #21.  Another 10 minutes and we were dropped off at terminal #21.  We waited for the bus driver to remove our luggage from under the bus.   He then gave us the signal to leave the bus and identify our luggage once more (to make sure it will get onto the ship).  It was easy to identify ours as I wrapped bright orange shoe laces on the handles.   

We acknowledged our luggage and proceeded into the terminal.  There were two long lines.  I pulled Hubby into the Priority Express Line as we are Platinum members.  At first it was a bit confusing as both lines didn’t seem to move at all.  Then both lines started to move.  Once we got beyond a long wall, that’s when we noticed the other line had several zig-zags before getting to security.  There was a lot of people in that line!  I was so glad to be standing in ours, as it was a straight line.  They had to shut down security as there was a large backup (people) upstairs in the Princess check-in area.  We waited 10 minutes before the line started to move again.  Once we passed through security, we headed upstairs.   

The left check-in area was packed with people waiting again in several lines.  I looked to my right and saw the Elite/Platinum check-in area.  There was hardly anyone on this side.  I grabbed Hubby who was heading to the left side and pulled him over to the right side where another Princess rep was standing.  She checked to see if we were Elite or Platinum members and pointed to the empty check-in area.  This was the first time where being Platinum members really worked for us.  The check-in took less than 5 minutes and we were heading to our ship!

We had our embarkation portrait taken and then proceeded to get our security picture taken for our cruise card.

Our mini-suite cabin was D622 and located towards the back of the ship on Deck #7 called Dolphin deck.  Our cabin was located a few doors before the back stairs of the ship.   This cabin location was the furthest back of the ship we been since cruising with Princess.  It was also located across the main crew entrance way where the most of the luggage for Dolphin deck port side came through to be delivered to the cabins.  The entrance way was also where most the port-side room stewards use to get their carts in and out.  Later, during our cruise we could hear the carts in the early morning hours coming out of that doorway.  I could hear the glassware clink together.  It was an issue with us, just noticeable.  We were also close to the Launderette which came in handy over the next few days.  

It was close to 2pm and we headed up to the Horizon Court buffet for some lunch.  Wow!  It was crowded.  

We walked around the ship, so I could take some pictures.  

The aft  pool area

Port side of the ship

Our hallway on Dolphin Deck 7

I knew we had to be back in our room after 3pm to get ready for our mandatory muster drill.  When we got back, our luggage was already in our room.  I checked our Princess Patter and muster was set for 3:30pm.  When we heard the 7 short and one long blast of the horn, we grabbed our life vests and headed down two decks below to our muster station.  We were fortunate to find seats in the Crown Grill restaurant.  Yes, that is our designated muster station.  They gave us a demo of how to put on the life vests and how to jump off the ship if needed.  All in the comforts of the restaurant.  If this was an actual emergency, the Princess guides would escort us out of the restaurant and into our designated life boats. 

We were back in our cabin in time for sail away at 4pm.  A Holland ship was the first to leave.  They were tucked away in the farthest berth/terminal and had to back out in front our ship and then proceed forward through the port channel.  Then it was our turn.  The captain, Tony Draper, blew the ship’s horn.  The Princess ships have an awesome sounding horn.  It is deep and long!  Not the wimpy horns we have heard from other ships. 

We were on our way!

I don’t remember too much of the unpacking.  I knew our room steward, Robert, was keeping an eye on us.  He was waiting for us to unpack, so he could “refresh” our room for the evening.  The unpacking was a long drawn out process for me.  I was inside our room removing items from the luggage and then I was outside on our balcony taking lots of pictures.  Then I was back inside and then outside.  By now you got the picture.  What should have taken an hour to unpack ended up taking almost 3 hours. 

Oh yeah, I also logged into our Internet accounts and signed up for our free Internet minutes.  We each received 250 minutes for 10 days for free.  Can’t complain about this wonderful deal! 

We left our room to let Robert do his thing.  We ended up back at Horizon’s buffet for a light dinner.  Or so we thought it would be.  They were having their Bon Voyage buffet. 

After dinner, we wandered around the ship.  Visited several shops to see what they offered.  Did some people-watching and then headed back to our cabin around 9pm.  We could feel the ship rocking a bit.  We were at home at sea. 

A Princess Patter with a list of tomorrow’s activities had arrived in our mailbox.  

Second Day in Fort Lauderdale

After breakfast, we headed out and walked east along the 17^th Street Causeway.  We decided to head to the beach and check out the views.  It was pleasant sunny day with a slight breeze. Along the Causeway, we noticed that the palm trees were more lush than last year.  They were definitely greener and so brown.  

Palm trees lined up along the 17th Street Causeway

Can you see the coconuts?  These same palm trees were bare last year

Here's a different variety of palms

We walked for about 2-3 miles and ended up at the southern end of Ft Lauderdale beach.  It was quiet here.  There was hardly anyone on the beach.  It was a bright sunny morning with blue skies and puffy white clouds.  It was a perfect day for walking around and for people watching. 

Fort Lauderdale beach!

A colorful playground.  Where are the kids?

An empty basketball court right on the beach

We headed down to the main beach area around Olas Blvd.  This area was hopping.  We started to see more people hanging out on the beach.  We saw many diners sitting outside enjoying their late breakfast meals. 

Bubba Gump's restaurant

Beach Bunnies!

We did some window shopping along the main shopping area along the beach front. 

We stopped in this surf shop to find some sturdy flip-flops

Walking past Bubba Gump's

A few people enjoying the beach.  Notice how pale the life guard is?

After a few hours, our stomachs started to growl.  We were getting tired and walking back was not a good option for us.  We decided to catch the local trolley and head back to the 17^th Street Causeway. 

As we made our way along the Causeway we signaled the trolley driver to stop and we jumped off the trolley and headed over to the Bimini Boatyard restaurant for lunch.  Hubby had an Ahi Tuna salad and I had Swordfish. 

On the way back to the Embassy Suites, we stopped off at the Fort Lauderdale Dive shop to pick up a hat for Hubby.  Yes, we had slowly figured out a few things we forgot to pack for this trip.  While at the Dive shop, I tried on a few masks.  I immediately found one that fit on my face and stayed in place without the straps.  When I pulled the mask off, you could hear the suction of air being released.  Great fit!  I passed up on this purchase as it would have been a “want” purchase and not a “need” purchase. 

Fort Lauderdale Dive shop is my favorite Dive shop as they are well stocked and the staff is very friendly and they are a wealth of knowledge.  They offer dive certifications and mentioned that the next time we’re in Ft Lauderdale to come down a few days earlier and get certified.  Now that’s a great idea!

We headed back to our hotel to get some rest and I had to do some last minute repacking.  At that point, luggage weight doesn’t matter when you arrive at the cruise ship terminal.  I transferred all the heavy items from our backpacks (e.g. magazines, a book, rechargers and cables, etc) to our luggage. 

For this trip I had managed to get Hubby to purchase Kindle-versions of his books.  He used to carry a backpack full of books for the cruise and I noticed he would read only one or two of them during the whole trip.  Slowly, he has weaned himself from carrying the physical books.  I did throw one in his bag just in case it was too bright for him to read his iPad. 

Hubby had mentioned he wanted to get some nice polo shirts in case we went to one of the dining rooms on the ship.  I remembered there was a Ross Dress for Less across the street from our hotel.  After a quick trip to Ross with two nice polos purchased and bagged, we were ready for dinner. 

We found a lovely sushi place a block from our hotel.  The menu was extensive and there were many items I wasn’t familiar with.  I let Hubby order for us.  We had tuna sashimi and an order of vegetable fried rice.  I have to admit something funny here.  At this sushi restaurant, I learned how to use my chopsticks correctly.