Fort Lauderdale: A Mini Cruise of the Rich and Famous

We were invited to go on a mini cruise to see some magnificent yachts and beautiful homes.  Okay, so it was actually a water taxi that we hopped on and off along the Stranahan River.  It did feel like we were cruising.  We were able to pick up the taxi close to the Hilton property.  A short walk to the water’s edge and underneath the 17th St Causeway bridge.  This is known as stop #6.

While waiting for the taxi (in beautiful weather I might add), we were able to watch the bridge/road open up for the sail boats with their tall masts to pass through.  We would normally be on top of the bridge and see all the traffic stop and watch the road raise up.  It was fascinating to see all this activity underneath.  It was amazing to see this perspective.

The water taxi service starts around 10am.  The first taxi to arrive was heading to Hollywood Beach.  A few minutes later another one arrived and would take us to FLL Beach and areas north.  We hopped on:



About 15 mins later we hopped off at stop #8, Beach Place (on Cortez St).    We walked two blocks east and landed on the beach between Beach Place (shops & restaurants) and the Drunken Taco restaurant.  OMG!  The beach was unusually beautiful today.  It was a windy day and the waves were really large and tall.  I wasn’t about to get in the water to see how tall.

We did most of our shopping for Hubby in Beach Place where you will find my favorite shop, Maui Nix.  The have an extensive line of clothes for the beach, boarding, and casual wear.  They also had a few GoPros and accessories.  One was a mouth piece.  That was weird.  The other was a short hand held pole with a trigger on the side.  Now that was cool!

The beach was calling us and so we sat on the short curved wall and enjoyed the scenery:



Did I mention it was a beautiful day?!



Eventually, our stomachs started to growl a bit.  We walked back to stop #8 and hopped on another water taxi going north and ended up at Bokamper’s Bar & Grill:



Yes, we sat at a table on the deck.  We dined and watched boats and yachts go by.  This a huge restaurant with both indoor and outdoor dining.  I think I counted 3 large bars…to give you an idea.  We had a wonderful dining experience here.  Good food and wonderful ambience.

Here’s more pictures from our water taxi adventure.  Lots of beautiful and EXPENSIVE waterfront homes and HUGE yachts.  Note:  these are the “backs” or “backyards” of the homes you will see:









Plain and simple, but expensive house:














This one has a “sold” sign:




Can you say Wendy”s?  Yes, the owner of Wendy’s owns this home:



This is one home.  Incredible:



This is a “hybrid” yacht.  Looks very military to me in the front:



Definitely looks like a yacht towards the back:





And let’s not forget the critters:

Apologies...

A tip on reading my blog.  When you stop by to visit here, you may see the same post and appears that I may not be doing any updates.  You will need to “refresh” the browser/screen and you will get the latest post from me…hopefully with good WiFi I can post daily here.  Okay back to the main topic of this post this morning.  

I’m still working out some issues with my blog and posting from different resources (tablet, smartphone, and now laptop).  I’m noticing some pictures are not the quality I would like them to be.  It’s not the blog itself, but the software I’m using on each device and how it’s handling the “uploads” for my pictures.  While I do not want my pictures to be MB huge on my blog, I also do not want them to be lacking in quality.  So a tinkering I will go.  Thank you for your patience.  

In the meantime, here’s a picture to give you warm thoughts for those of you who will be plunging back into the winter weather/temps.  This was taken last year in Costa Maya:

Our Room With A View

Hubby and I really, really like the Hilton FLL Marina.  It's a beautiful hotel located in the marina.  In the early afternoon we were able to get into our corner room on the 12th floor.  Here's our balcony which continues around the corner:  

 

With lovely views of the marina:

 

Here you can see downtown FLL in the distance:  

 

Backside of the Hilton including the pool area where we were sitting at earlier this morning:  

 

We are enjoying our balcony time so much that we took another stroll down 17th St to pick up dinner and take it back to our room.  The Hilton was providing outdoor Caribbean music while we were dining on our balcony.  What a treat!  

We are slowly fading and I'm sure the lights will be out before 9pm.  Tomorrow will be another adventure for sure.  

We Have Arrived!

Our adventure started around 3:45am this morning.  We left the Hyatt with sleepy eyes and arrived at the airport in time to be #3 at the counter line.  We breezed through security (TSA-pre) or at least one of us did.  I got stopped because the zipper of my down vest or maybe yet, it was my jewelry that set off the bleeping alarm.  Hubby just smiled as he passed by me.  No worries I just smiled and walked through again.  

We boarded our flight and took off around 5:50am.  Two hour or so later...we arrived at our destination in the beautiful and warm Fort Lauderdale.  

 

There's something about traveling in the early morning hours.  Besides being sleepy-heads, it's just peaceful.  

We grabbed a taxi and made it to the Hilton before 9am.  Daniel, at the front desk, noted that I had already checked in and selected a room (yesterday) and that room was not available yet.  No worries.  He said he would text me when it's ready.  We were free to roam around the hotel, but we decided to roam over to Joe's Cafe for some breakfast.  

 

Hubby and I have walked by Joe's so many times before, but never had the need to stop in to eat.  Since breakfast is not included with our Hilton room (like the Embassy Suites we stayed at several times) what the heck let's give it a try.  It's now our favorite breakfast place because of this:

 

Hubby has this thing for Eggs Florentine.  I can't remember if it started while we were cruising or was it at the Dunes restaurant in OC.  At home when I ask him what he wants for breakfast, he says EF.  I reply that it will so many months until we're on a ship and you can have it then.  So now, Joe's Cafe has made our list.  

On our way back to the Hilton, we stop by Lauderdale Diver shop to say hello.  I also add another accessory to our growing GoPro family.  I love visiting this dive shop as they have a nice selection of snorkel gear.  A nice teal (Caribbean) blue snorkel caught my eye.  I restrain myself as we still have to take a trip to FLL beach in search of a bikini...we'll see.  Caribbean blue....

It's around 12 noon and I'm ignoring Hubby's teasing remark..."is it lunch yet?!"  Really?  I'm just enjoying our view for now.  

 

Be back with more....

My Fujifilm XP80 Waterproof Camera

I've been collecting my gadgets which includes cameras, batteries, and chargers.  Since half of our upcoming vacation time will include spending time in and around water, I'm pretty sure we'll be bringing at least three (3) underwater cameras.  I thought it would be a great time to do a post on one of my waterproof cameras, my Fujifilm XP80.

I purchased this camera late last year right before going on our Eastern/Western adventure.  Now I don't normally wait until the last minute to make camera purchase, but I saw this at Costco which included a case and wrist strap and the prices was...just right.  My experience with these waterproof cameras is basically "disposable".  I expect to get 3-4 years of use especially when I use them for underwater/snorkeling.  Eventually, water will leak into the camera.  That's what happened to my Olympus from a few years back.  My Olympus camera was 4 years old when it decided to take in some Caribbean water.  The seal/gasket around the battery/media card door had worn down.  

In this post I will provide some insight into taking care of your waterproof camera.

On the Fuji, there's a door with a round knob on the side of the camera:

Here's a better picture of the knob in the locked position:  

To open the door, push and hold the middle button in while turning the knob counter-clockwise.  Here's the knob in the in the open position:

In the following picture, the side door is open.  Here, you can access the SDHC media slot and the battery slot.  Also located here is the HDMI and USB ports.  I've labeled the slots and you can see my blue media card and the white battery already in my camera:  

I've included two pictures to show how the SDHC media card should be inserted into the camera along with the battery.  Note:  I'm using a 3rd party battery that I picked up from my local camera shop:  

Once you have your SDHC card and battery inserted, the next step is to ensure that area and the inside door is clean.  Why?  If there is any debris (e.g. dust, hair, sand), the rubber gasket will not seal correctly and water may get into the camera.  

The following picture shows where I've circled the rubber seal or gasket on the door.  I always check this area to make sure there is no lint or hair or dust or even sand.  Take the time to check and make sure this area is clean

Here's another area I've circled where I also check for dust or sand or lint.  

After the two areas are checked and everything looks good, you can go ahead and close the door.  Turn the knob clockwise, until you hear it click.  

The camera is now ready.  

Here's additional tips on camera maintenance if you use your camera in or near water:

• If my camera is exposed to salt water, I alway rinse the camera with clean water.  If I'm on an excursion boat that has a shower, I will rinse my camera then.  Other times I have to wait until I get back into our cabin.  I will fill the bathroom basin with fresh water and let my camera soak for 15-30 minutes.  After that, I place my camera on a towel, away from direct sun, and let it dry for 4-6 hours if I don't plan on using it.  
• The important thing to remember is not to open your waterproof camera until it dries out.  If you open it while it's still wet, there's a chance water drops could get in.  Plus there will still be water around the rubber gasket that might leak in if the door is opened.  
• Have spare batteries available.  After my camera dries I will not have time to recharge the battery.  It's easier for me to take out the expired battery and pop in an extra battery and go.  

General Tips/Comments:  

• When I get ready to use a SDHC media card for the first time, I always format the card in my camera.  
• The Fuji camera has WiFi capability.  Download the Fujifilm PhotoReceiver iOS app to your iPhone.  Once your iPhone is connected to your camera's WiFi, you can transfer pictures from the camera to your iPhone. 
• There are additional Fuji iOS apps available including:  Fujifilm Camera App and Fujifilm Cam Remote.  The Camera App allows you to receive/transfer photos, browse the camera (take a picture using your iPhone as a remote control), geotagging, and sharing pictures.  The Cam Remote app allows you to control your camera from your smartphone, take pictures, and then save them onto your iPhone  This is a cool app because your iPhone will see what your camera is seeing or focusing on.  
• It looks like the rubber gasket used in the current cameras are a bit better than what was used years ago.  Hopefully, I'll have a better refresh rate than I had with my Olympus camera.  

If I remember other useful tips, I will back to update this post.  

BlogTouch Pro

As a cruise blogger, I enjoy sharing our adventures as well as pictures.  Many know it takes time to sort through the many pictures I have taken and then to spend time writing about our travels.  It used to be on most sea days, I could easily spend an hour or two "blogging" and burn through our Internet minutes on the ship.  

Over the years, I have tried to streamline that process through gadgets (laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc) and various software apps.  Overtime, the process gets shortened and well I have more time to enjoy our adventures.  The only thing that remains constant has been the ship's Internet speed.  It's just downright slow.  

When I find a decent software application or product I tend to try out all of it's features.  When it exceeds my expectations I can't help but share my experiences.  This post is dedicated to this wonderful application and I will include some screenshots.

This screen shows a new post where you can add a title and labels.  You tap into the body of the post to start typing.  You can see menu bar is quite extensive and you can basically be very creative with your blog posts.  Here I am demonstrating a format option where I can type on the right side of my picture.  

The following screen shots show what each of the icons can do:

 

 

When you have several blog entries posted, you can easily change the listing.  This custom listing is only used with this app.  It's an easier way to review previous posts or select certain ones (by label, date created, date modified, etc) I might want to look at.  This will sure help me when I need to go back to a specific date or port and do updates to the post or add missing pictures.  

Here's what my cruising blog looks like.  On the left side is my past posts/entries.  On the right side is the post I've selected:

 

 

While I have a blog entry shown, I can do several things to this post.  In this screen shot you can see the menu selections I have available.  One of the most helpful feature is to "View Post".  This will open a window that will show me what my current post looks like at my site.    This is helpful to show if my pictures are too large or the text is not correct.

Depending on what screen I'm in (publish, draft, offline) the menu will give me different selections.  

 

Cruising Thoughts

It looks like my BlogTouch Pro app is working out great and so I will continue to use this process to update my blog.  

Yes, we will be cruising again real soon.  We are going back to my second favorite cruise ship the Caribbean Princess.  This year we are handling things differently.  For the first time, we are not using a travel agent and I've been handling all the cruise arrangements.  Also a first, we will not use the Princess transfers nor the contracted hotels they use.  I have to say there's a bit of freedom I'm feeling and I actually like it!

By not using a travel agent I have access to more information than I did before.  Yes, I had an enlightening moment.  The only time I called Princess was to check if our cabin rate changed and also to fix an FCC issue.   Other than that I do like having some control over our travel arrangements.  While online, I've ordered 24 bottles of water to be in our cabin when we arrive, put in our flight information, and selected one Princess excursion.  

I've been collecting warm weather clothes and setting them aside.  Travel gadgets are also being collected.  Travel documents have been printed as well as the luggage tags.  We can not wait to go cruising again, but first we have to get through the upcoming holidays.  

Of course, we are heading back to the Caribbean again.  Looking forward to another year of beach time, snorkeling, and many photog moments.

Test Post Using New Blog App and Gadget

This is a test post using a new blogging iOS app called BlogTouch Pro.  My Blogger app that I've used for the last two cruises is no more.  Nada.   It's a good thing I tried to use Blogger  now versus later while on the upcoming cruise.  A fellow cruiser is using this BlogTouch Pro app while she and her hubby are cruising on the Pacific Princess in the Mediterranean.  Looks like it has been working well for her.  Glad she posted the tools she was using.  :)

To make my blog posts go smoothly while using my iPad Air, I've found a cool typing case by NewTrent.  So far, it's comfortable to type on and the case itself is not bulky.  There are many things I like about this case.  My iPad snaps into the top part of the case.  The top part can also swivel from side to side.  When the case is closed, my iPad turns off.  I can also release my iPad from the keyboard.  Yes, I've done my research and quite happy with this new gadget.  

I hope to edit this post by adding a picture.  A good way to test out this new iOS app.  I can also change font types and font size.  Looks like I can also change the color of the text.  I can even highlight the text.   I can also do the usual bold, italic, underline, and strike through.  So I will be back to update this post and to start blogging about our upcoming cruise.  Stay tuned!

Update:  Here's a picture of my new gadget the NewTrent keyboard case for my iPad Air

 

When I first brought this picture into the post, it was huge!  As in off-the-page huge.  I figured out how to resize the picture.  Tap the picture and "handles" will appear around the picture.  Grab one of the corners and resize picture.  Cool!   I can also tap the center dot (when the handles appear) and edit the picture properties (center, change picture pixel size, align picture with text).  This way too much fun!  I think this new BlogTouch Pro is working out fine for me.  

Regal Princess: Lido Deck

The Lido deck 16 is a hopping outdoor venue where we dined on pizza (Prego's-included), chicken sandwiches with awesome french fries (Trident Grill-included), soft ice cream (Swirls-included) and enjoyed some fruity libations ($).  The pools are located here as well as several hot tubs.  It's a great location for people watching, reading, and well enjoying each other's company.  We also watched several movies at night at Movies Under the Stars or MUTS and found popcorn at Swirls in the evening.

 Preto's Pizzeria (included), Mermaid's Tail Bar ($), and Trident Grill (included):

The Fountain/Plunge Pool:

The Seawalk that juts out over the starboard side:

Because it's an open area and open to the weather, have to be careful walking around here:

Can see the Promenade deck 7 below:

Below on Gala deck 4, folks getting on tenders for a ride over to Princess Cays:

Some folks worry that they can be seen on their balconies when fellow cruisers look down from the Seawalk.  Once the initial novelty of walking back and forth wears off as in the first two days, don't notice as much.  Plus there are so many balconies below:

Here's the round Plunge Pool.  Behind this pool you can see rows of blue lounge chairs:

On some nights, this lounge area becomes a fountain show.  You can see the Fountain Pool in the back towards the right:

I will be back with more pictures....