Post-cruise tour of Ft. Lauderdale

When we got off the boat on Sunday, we had plenty of time before the plane left so we did the land and sea tour of Ft. Lauderdale. Of course, we didn't know at the time that the flight from New York to Columbus would be cancelled and we would be staying the night in Ft. Lauderdale.

The tour was actually good, except for the absolute downpour during the last two-thirds of it. Most of the photos were taken in rain, so they aren't perfect.

Here they are:

Ft. Lauderdale is called the Venice of America because of all the canals. Here's one.

This was a mural on a building telling the history of Ft. Lauderdale.

The River Walk next to the New River.

A sculpture in a park by the River Walk.

One of the oldest houses in Ft. Lauderdale still standing. It was built of hollow concrete blocks instead of wood and withstood the hurricanes.

The New River Inn (I think), built right next to the railroad and used by almost anybody stopping in Ft. Lauderdale in the early 1900's.

The house of the owner of the inn. Also used by Al Capone at times.

The home of Wayne Huizenga. He owns most of Florida. That's a three story bell tower next to the pool. There is 24 carat gold on top of that tower.

A big house.

Known at The White House because it was designed to look like the one in DC. It is for sale for about $30 million, we were told.

The yacht of the owner of the New York Islanders hockey team.

The largest cruise ship on the planet. Allure of the Seas.

We were told this is the largest private yacht ever. It is owned by Steven Spielberg.

The largest home in Ft. Lauderdale. About 40,000 sq. ft.

 

Thank you for reading the blog. I hope you enjoyed it this time and can take this cruise some time. In June we are going to Sao Paulo, Brazil and the blog will come alive again at that time.

Another flight cancellation

Our flight home was cancelled. I'll update when we get home tonight.

At sea...final day

A clarification on the wifi, first of all. You can only be on two devices at one time. If you brought six wireless devices, you can get on wifi with all of them, but only two at a time.

We ate at Giovanni's Table ($25 per person) for dinner. I think it's better than Chops ($40 per person). We split the antipasti and rissotto. She had stuffed chicken breast and I had the beef tenderloin. Both were excellent. For dessert, you get to choose from a cart. I had tiramisu and connoli. Very good.

Here are various pictures from around the boat:

The children's pool area.

The main pool. That is a giant movie screen in the center background.

Solarium pool area.

Basketball court and rock climbing wall.

Flowrider

Miniature golf course.

Arcade

The art was mostly modern and sometimes weird.

One of the bars on deck five.

Ice skating rink.

Inside Sorrentos, which is on the promenade.

 

Tomorrow we are doing a tour of Ft. Lauderdale before getting on the plane home. I'll post a review of the tour.

Labadee

Today was a stop at Labadee, Haiti. Before I talk about that, I wanted to put in some additional information on 1) Chops, 2) Internet on the ship, and 3) how they are doing onboard credits now.

Chops is well worth the $40 per person they are charging on Independence. You can have multiple appetizers, if you wish. The soups and salads are good and the shrimp coctail is huge. My wife and I both had the  6 ounce petite filet mignon, cooked to order. I recommend not cooking it beyond medium. There is a 9 ounce version. The dessert options were not great for me because I cannot have too much chocolate. If you love chocolate you will love the desserts.

They have changed the Internet packages, all of which are more expensive than before. We ended up taking the unlimited package for $229. As Diamond members, we got $29 taken off that price. You are allowed UP TO TWO DEVICES for that price. So if you connect via a laptop and the other person uses a phone, you are done. Or you can each connect via phones. But no more than two devices.

All your onboard credits are on your Sea Pass Card when you receive it. For instance, as Diamond members we are entitled to three free drinks between 5 PM and 8 PM every night. You order the drink. They take your card. You get your drink and your card and there is no charge. Same with any other perk you are entitled to depending on your category. It's a good way to do it, in my opinion.

Today was Labadee, Royal Caribbean's private 'island' (really a peninsula) in Haiti. The high temp was 89 degrees, but there's always a breeze on the beach. You can do the longest zipline I've ever seen out over the water. I heard it was $95. There's also so kind of ride that looks like a roller coaster except you are in individual cars. Don't know the cost. The lunch is free and included salad, a few side dishes, hot dogs, hamburgers, pork ribs, and jerk chicken. It's just OK.

Saturday I will be taking pictures around the ship and posting them.

Here are some from today:

 Arriving at Labadee in the morning.

The Grandeur of the Seas was already at the dock. Labadee is the little peninsula to the left.

From the beach at Labadee.

One of the many bands playing in the shade.

You can choose to be in the sun or shade.

The waves were very small the day we were there.

You can see the fruit in the center of this tree.

Fishermen near the cruise ship.

We had no idea what this was at the tip of Labadee.

Labadee as we approached, I think.

Puerto Rico

First, there are two questions that I need to answer from the comments section of the blog. We book all excursions through Royal Caribbean. We want the assurance that the boat will not leave without us. Maybe we pay more, maybe we don't. We like the comfort of knowing a ship will be there when we get back. This actually saved me once on St. Maarten when the guys doing the America's Cup Yacht Racing excursion had the time wrong. I was the last person on the boat and the gang plank followed me.

Second, we have not seen Chops or Giovanni's open at lunch. Ironically, we sat in Giovanni's at lunch today because the Windjammer was out of seats and they allowed people to sit inside, but not order.

Here are some pictures from today:

They now have touch screens on every deck of the Independence. It's very convenient for finding things.

You'll have to excuse me for a personal picture. From inside the tour bus: A view of Roberto Clemente Stadium in Carolina, Puerto Rico. He was my hero growing up and he was from Carolina.

A plant in the rainforest. Don't ask me to identify any plant or tree you see here.

Trees. Lots of tall, skinny trees...with vines.

I don't remember seeing anything like this in Ohio.

Ferns...I think.

Bigger ferns??

A waterfall. It had not rained that day. Not much of a waterfall.

Bottom of the waterfall.

In the distance, the port at the entrance to Old San Juan harbor.

 

 

We are eating at Chops tonight. I will give a review, but we love Chops so expect a good review. It is also formal night. We missed the first one on either Sunday or Monday.

 

Tomorrow is Labadee, Haiti. We will visit the beach.

St. Kitts

This was our second visit to St. Kitts and we have enjoyed it both times. Today our excursion was the Beach Extravaganza. We easily found the tour on the pier (which is one of the better ones in the Caribbean, in my opinion) and got on a comfortable bus. There were eighteen of us plus an excellent driver. Well, he was funny and informative, but must have thought he was Mario Andretti because he took us on a sometimes harrowing trip up and down the mountains of St. Kitts. There must be no taxes in this country because the roads we were on barely qualified as paths. The beach doesn't look like much as you approach, but ended up being perfect.

Here are some pictures:

The view from our balcony.

A man, his donkey, and two monkeys (on the donkey).

On the way to the beach. In the far, far background is the island of Nevis, a popular stop for celebrities.

This is what Di thinks heaven will look like.

On the beach.

More of the beach.

The restaurant at the beach. There is also a bar.

You can rent these.

The far end of the beach.

Always windy here.

Plenty of time to build a castle.

You could rent these.

 

In news not related to the excursion, we are eating at a table for two at the 6 PM seating. The food is typical Royal Caribbean: consistently good, but rarely exceptional. Our waiter is David from Scotland and is very good. We've had two breakfasts and lunches at the Windjammer. There's something there for everyone. My only disappointment so far has been a dramatic drop-off in the quality of the grits. Yes, I know. Most of you hate grits. I'm a connoisseur. They are much too dry.

 

I promise ship pictures later in the week. If you leave a comment with a specific request or question, I will answer it.

 

Tomorrow is San Juan, PR. We are doing the rainforest. Hope it isn't raining.