HOMEWARD BOUND

    

        We some of the first one to disembark at 8:30 this morning.  Rommel, our Blacklane limo driver, was right outside baggage claim and took us to his nice big limo.  He had some help loading our bags.  Jane was with us so we had quite a load for him.

 

DAY 25---GREAT STIRRUP CAY

 

        It is a beautiful day.  Sunny day with no clouds at all,  74 degrees.  We will be anchored here until 7:00pm

        We arrived at Great Stirrup Cay an hour early at 10:30.  The ship is taking food and drinks ashore as they are having a BBQ lunch from noon to 2pm.  We are not going ashore as usual. Been here many times and never been ashore here.  A lot of zip lining and wave runner tours.  That does not interest us and we are not beach people.

BACKGROUND INFO

        Great Stirrup Cay is a 268 acre island that is part of the Berry Islands in the Bahamas.  Norwegian Cruise Line purchased the island from the Belcher Oil Company in 1977 and developed it into a private island for their cruise ship passengers.  NCL also owns Regent Seven Seas and Oceania cruise lines.  

        The northern part of the island has a sandy beach surrounded by rocks with snorkeling areas.  The southern part features a helicopter airfield and is without vegetation and has numerous concrete blocks.  These are all remnants of a previous US military installation and satellite tracking station.  There is a lighthouse on the island that was built in 1863. It is 80 feet high and its light can be see for 20 miles away. 

        Tender boats is currently the only way to go ashore but a pier for cruise ships is being built and due to open end of this year.

        Great Stirrup Cay is adjacent to Little Stirrup Cay, Royal Caribbean Cruises' private island.

LAST EVENING

          Donald, Food & Beverage, and Estera, Head of Housekeeping, joined us for dinner.

        Donald had requested a special zinfandel red wine to be decanted earlier.  Donovan is presenting it for me to taste.

                                                 The show went on despite the rough seas.

                                                   Tom was a great pianist and funny also.

        Leaving the theater the ship was still rocking and rolling and Rebecca fell flat on her back.  Luckily nothing was broken but her right hand is bruised and sore today.

TODAY

                                                      Smooth seas again this morning.

        Today is packing day as the 25 night cruise ends tomorrow morning.  We had our 3 large suitcases packed in just a couple hours this morning.  We have to have our bags out in the hallway after dinner as crew members will then take them down for off loading in Miami.

Regent's Grandeur is also here today.  We were at the christening of her in Miami in December 2023.

                                There are two other cruise ships here besides us and Grandeur.

        We are anchored off north part of the island.  All tours will be in the distance.  The light house is on left side of this photo.

                                                      More construction.  Not sure what.

Last night during dinner the Executive Chef invited us to a private galley tour at 4:15 this afternoon.

                                      This is the hot line where the waiters pick up their orders.

        Executive Chef, Jaroslaw (from Poland).  It amazing as the serve over 350 meals every night.  Prime 7 & Sette Mari have their own kitchens.  The crew mess is also separate.  He said the serve 200 pounds of rice in crew mess every day.  Most of the crew are Asian or Indian.

                                                 Baguette bread coming out of the oven.

        At 5pm we were escorted to the bridge for a tour with Captain Loris.  I was not allowed to publish photos of the bridge so I did not take any.

        We will be sailing at 7pm and heading to Miami where we will be arriving tomorrow morning at 6:00am.  It is only 150 statue miles from here to Miami.  People will be disembarking according to their colored luggage tags.  We should be disembarking around 8:30 as our limo is scheduled for then.

        We will be flying out of Ft Lauderdale at 11:39 and arriving DFW airport at 2:00pm.   We have a driver who will meet us and take us back to The Tradition.

        This is the menu for our "Last Supper".  We will be having cocktails at 6:00 in the Stars Lounge as usual, and then down to Compass Rose at 7:00 for dinner.  There is no show in the theater tonight but they are having a "Beatlemania" up in Galileo's Lounge at 9pm.  

        After dinner we will put our luggage outside in the hallway so they can take them down for off loading tomorrow morning.

        I will be doing one more posting to this blog when we arrive back home tomorrow afternoon.

DAY 24---ROCKING AND ROLLING ON THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

        This is our position at noon today.  We are now half way from our last port, San Juan, to our next stop at Great Stirrup Cay.  So we have 397 miles to go.  We are doing a fast 18.5 knots today.  Mostly sunny skies with a temperature of 75 degrees.  The Atlantic Ocean is very rough today due to 25 knot winds, but with this the ship's speed the wind is near 40 knots if you were standing outside on the upper deck.  For that reason the deck is closed.  Also we are experiencing a 11 foot swell.  Ocean depth is 16,500 feet here.  Unfortunately, Captain Loris said conditions are not forecast to change.  Quite a few passengers and crew are seasick.

LAST EVENING

        The theater was packed for the Captain's Reception and Krew Kapers show at 6pm.  Some very talented crew members put together a show, practicing on their own time late at night after their duties.

                                      Captain Loris welcomed us and kicked off the show.

                                                           The dancers were very good.

        This gentleman works in provisions.  He was AMAZING as sang a song with voices of a man and woman intertwined during it.  Bocelli was man's voice but can't remember the woman's.  He got a standing ovation!

                                                           They are doing a Bali dance.

                                                         They did a Philippines dance.

                                          This was funny and is done on most all crew shows.

        She works in the dining room and had one of the best voices we have ever heard at a crew show.  Another standing ovation!

        They did a short dance of several countries.  Guy in the middle was responsible for putting the show together.

                              Same singer as one above in the red dress.  Great performance!

                                                                At end of the show.

        Representatives for all the ship's departments were on stage receiving a standing ovation for their service to us on this cruise.

        The 3 of us had been invited to join Captain Loris in Compass Rose for dinner.  Made (short a) did this selfie.

        What a super guy.  Non-stop conversation.  We had never been invited to dine with a Captain twice on the same cruise.

        I had $75 left to spend from our ship board credits so ordered this Duckhorn Merlot that cost $80.  Here Donovan, the head sommelier, is presenting it.  Jane and I enjoyed it.

        Rebecca and I started with a shrimp cocktail then had this beef Wellington.  It was perfectly cooked and melted in our mouth tender.  Best beef Wellington we have ever had.

                                       The comedian, Cory Kahaney, was entertainer tonight.

                                                            Not very many at her show.

                                               She was not good and I walked out mid show.

TODAY

        We were really rocking and rolling last night and today.  I had put a half of a scopolamine patch on behind my ear before going to the crew show.  Glad I did!  This morning I put the other half of the patch on behind the other ear.  I have never been sea sick and do not want to be.

        It is rougher than this photo indicates.  I did manage to go to coffee connection and get our usual Americano coffees without spilling them on the way back to our suite.  You know it's rough when there are white caps on the coffee.  LOL

        Way too rough for Rebecca to stay on the treadmill this morning.  The outer decks are closed so no walking for me either.

At 10:00 I went to the theater for Brian Unger's talk on how Miami came to be.  Very interesting.

        Jane joined us in Compass Rose for lunch.  Jane and I had a healthy piece of grilled salmon and Rebecca had her usual Atkins bar.  We were supposed to have lunch with Rich & Beverly Lomas from Boston.  Beverly is sea sick today.

        After lunch they are watching "Young & Restless" streaming on Rebecca's phone in Jane's room and I am preparing for packing our suitcases tomorrow.

        Hold on!!!!  The ship is moving even more this afternoon than it was this morning.  Last night Captain Loris asked if we would like to visit the bridge at 4:15 today.  Of course, we said yes.  Well, I just asked to Executive Concierge to call the bridge and cancel our visit.  Just too rough, as the higher floors are rougher than the lower ones.  That is why we always select a suite on the lowest deck and midship.  Maybe we can see the bridge tomorrow when anchored.

        We have only been on one other cruise that is rougher than this one.  It was as we were crossing the Pacific Ocean on our 2010 world cruise.

        We are invited to dine with Donald, Food & Beverage Director, in Prime 7 tonight at 7:00.  I also asked Matthieu to call Donald and see if he would mind dining in Compass Rose instead of up on the 10th deck in Prime 7.  Compass Rose would be a much better ride and more enjoyable for dinner.

                                                         Tonight's Compass Rose menu

        The pianist, Tom Franek, is supposed to be the entertainer in the theater at 9:30.  I am thinking his show will be canceled.  Not sure if his piano would stay on the stage.

        At 11:30 tomorrow we are to anchor at Great Stirrup Cay and not sailing again until 7pm for the short trip back to the Port of Miami.