Spring has Sprung

We are finally back at home and arrived with spring. The cherry and pear trees are in bloom. Forsythia and daffodils have blossomed. Our hyacinths bloomed. Thirteen hours remains the shortest time possible for our drive from Mom's to home or vice versa.  All our thanks to Mom for giving us a home base away from home for months. Thanks to she and Steve for the ride to and from Miami!

Disembarkation from Oceania Riviera was more chaotic than it needed to be simply because they returned to Terminal J at Port of Miami but embarkation for the cruise was across the island at Terminal F. The change would have complicated things for many but the fact that the change of terminal was never published anywhere nor ever announced verbally that morning really snarled things street side. Shame on Riviera.

We left pretty late in the process and would have been fine. Except Steve and Mom got caught behind a multi-vehicle Interstate pile up for over an hour. It caused some stress. Thankfully we all met a little later but with much less traffic so that was less stressful.

We got home in time to vote. We feel like we need a long rest! The house is all fine. We found we couldn't get in our driveway when we got back. The 2 houses across the cul-de-sac from us are both being renovated. One is being demolished and rebuilt. Lots of traffic and cars! This weekend we loss an hour, so it will be a while before we get recovered. Meanwhile, we stayed healthy all winter with all that travel and now Wake County has NC's first coronavirus patient! Fingers crossed for continued good health.

Still at Sea

The seas calmed down by about 3-4 feet overnight so the ride has gotten mercifully smoother. Clay was up about 6:30 am looking for sunrise. There was a Bahama island and clouds blocking his view. We are sailing along about 16 miles north of the coast of Cuba.

We had breakfast at Terrace. Clay got to walk laps on the finally reopened fitness deck. I got a final needlepoint kit. Our luggage was pulled out to remind us to pack up when we returned to the cabin. We are mostly packed up. Melissa, our cabin attendant, was so in love with our shoe organizer hanging bag that we packed it up and gave it to her. Not to be forgotten, we left her assistant Diman a stack of magnets for sticking things to metal walls. They have done a great job.

We were back at Terrace for lunch. The menu on the TV was a repeat of the day we discovered pork knuckles at the Mobi-Chef so we checked there first. It was open and uncovered but only big cans of river rocks were visible in there. I came back out and checked it again when I got potato chips at Waves. No change. Around 1 pm as we finished lunch, we went to check a 3rd time. We found a whole roasted goat on a spit supported by the cans full of river rocks! Clay had some and said it was tasty cabrito.

We plan to watch a movie this afternoon in the cabin. Dinner at Terrace again. Early to bed as we move the clocks back 1 hour tonight. We have to have our big bags out by 10 pm. We have to be out of the cabin for good by 8 am tomorrow. We have to off the ship by 9:30 am.

Today is Mardi Gras and like Valentine's before, it has gone totally ignored aboard Oceania Riviera.
It has been a good month, 100 countries accomplished, sorry to have missed the Dominican Republic.

The final Currents says we traveled 3374 nautical miles. The 12 day cruise cost us $7918 total for both in a category B1 cabin. For unknown reasons, at the end of this final segment Oceania is failing to provide the docking terminal for disembarkation. It wasn't in the disembarkation letter nor in the final Currents. Clay called reception and then went to Destinations Services and both told him verbally, Terminal J. If true, it will be the first time we've used that terminal on the opposite side of the island that is Port of Miami. It was only all 3 cruises final cruise vacation summary documents but at the last 24 hours has changed to E or F so I guess we'll know when we get ashore. Not convenient for arranging transportation though. That with the fact that we'll be departing from and returning to different sides of the port seems to be information Oceania should share with all passengers, departing or continuing. In any event, tomorrow we're off.

At Sea

We had about 4 hours of the best kind of sailing last night leaving Antigua. It was cool with a light breeze. Smooth water that sizzled as we cut through it. We saw fish flying, jumping and birds fishing. By 8 pm, it was all over. We have rocked, rolled, pitched, shuddered, wallowed, you name it. The barf bags are back out in the vestibules all around Riviera. We were sailing along the north coast of Puerto Rico this morning. I had a single 3-piece order of Swedish pancakes in GDR. Clay had a single regular pancake. I don't think it was as big as he was expecting. I made it up to Horizons Lounge for needlepoint. It was a challenge to stand up there. Clay walked above the pool deck as the fitness decks are closed.

It looks like weak lunch and dinner menus so sadly we'll probably eat both upstairs and aft at Terrace. Clay is still hoping to find crispy pork knuckles again at the pool deck Mobi-Chef on one of these last 2 sea days. We'll keep checking it!

Clay updated my Century Club list today and I have 129 countries/places visited by their criteria.

So we did eat lunch at the Mobi-Chef. It was tandoori chicken and rice biryani though. It was spicy and we enjoyed it. This afternoon we are sailing along about 60 miles off the north coast of the Dominican Republic. According to the Captain's noon announcement the 9 or so foot swells we're in are causing the rough ride. We evidently need a bigger ship.

Back to Antigua

We were here last cruise exactly 2 weeks ago. It was a Sunday then too. The differences were the weather and last time we took a tour to the island's top local attractions outside the beaches. Today was a sunny, blue sky day and the island looks beautiful from the ship. Last time we were here it was gray and blowing rain so no long views. Most everything is closed here on Sunday which may explain why we're the only cruise ship in port here each time. We woke up after 7 am. We were already docked on the starboard side. Both sides have a view that includes some of the harbor and some of the land as it is a nice sized bay where St. John's sits. We went to the Grand Dining Room for a big weekend breakfast as we had no tour time to meet today. I enjoyed 4 Swedish pancakes with cherry jam and bacon. After breakfast, we thought we'd walk up the pedestrian part of the street before it got too hot. Last Sunday afternoon, almost the entire stretch was shuttered closed. First though since it looked like a whole lot of passengers were touring or out on the street nearby, we checked the deck 8 guest laundry. We were able to get a last load washed so we won't need to do that at Mom's when we get off Riviera. We started the dryer's 45 minute cycle and went ashore. That wonderful sunshine was brutal! A lot more shops were open this morning, maybe half of them. Most of them had signs saying they'd close for the afternoon and that would reflect our experience 2 weeks ago. Too bad Oceania couldn't make it here once on a weekday. We had gotten a flag patch last time we were here so we weren't shopping for anything. Before we left Riviera we checked with the local tourism representative aboard about Devil's Bridge. We thought about maybe hiring a taxi if it was close but it was about 1.5 hours roundtrip. She thought it was interesting and beautiful enough to be worth a visit but agreed it was a long roadtrip for 1 thing. She didn't recommend anything to add to such a trip for us to think it was warranted the time and money. The taxi vendors were very busy on the pedestrian street informing arriving cruisers that the town was closed for Sunday and trying to sell 1-hour town tours in AC vehicles, or a drive to a beach or one guy adamant that each of us should go to church which was open. We were back aboard before the clothes were dry.

The lunch menu at GDR and Terrace looked particularly weak so we both ate at Waves Grill. I really like their grilled panini without tomato and with potato chips. It is prosciutto, black olive tapenade, basil and mozzarella. Like a Mediterranean grilled ham & cheese. Clay had a burger which he'd planned to get in Terrace in any event.

The sun setting behind St. Kitts, a new country that we just sailed by.

We have dinner reservations at Polo, the steak house aboard, tonight. It is our last specialty restaurant reservation and a bonus one offered for our longevity we suppose. Based on your cabin price, I think, you are offered a fixed number of reservations per cruise segment. Ours was 1 per each of the 4 restaurants, so this is number 5.

All aboard is 3:30 and we sail at 4 pm. Two weeks ago, we were here until 6 pm. We have 2 sea days to return to Miami, but maybe we need the extra early start.

Fort-de-France, Martinique

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Today we arrived at Pointe Simon Cruise Pier at the foot of downtown Fort-de-France, Martinique just ahead of Caribbean Princess. There were 2 other big ships at the cruise terminal on the other end of town. It was a busy day in town especially as the country is an overseas territory of France and mostly Catholic and today is Samedi Gras, the start of carnival. As Princess was making their all aboard loudspeaker announcements, we heard that due to the spread of a GI virus onboard that they were raising their sanitation practices to Code 7. Whatever that means to them. What it means to us is rut-roh because we were quite literally bumping into, rubbing up against and sharing space with Princess tour groups for hours today!

While we haven’t been here before, it doesn’t count as a new country because France.

We had an 8:15 am meeting time for our ship’s tour again today. Terrace opened a ½ hour earlier today at 6:30 am. It was an early start like yesterday, but today’s tour was only 4.5 hours instead of 8. Pasted below is a description of our tour. We paid $126.75 non-refundable per person. It was obviously not the same value as yesterday’s tour in Grenada. Today’s tour guide claimed they were the only agricultural rum producer in the Caribbean because they grow their own cane and distill from it instead of imported molasses. Maybe as an exporter but yesterday’s River Antoine rum distillery processed directly from locally grown cane too. Internet is down, so I have no idea what tour description I’ll find online and I’m far too lazy to type it in from our booklet! I can’t really compare our experience to the description then. It was in a full-size bus for the first time I can remember. The roads were quite as terrifying even though this is another volcanic island. This one active. OK, so we went to the church, garden, Clement's plantation. No sugar cane tasting. No banana field stop.

Clement's Plantation & Balata Garden (FDF-002)
Port: Fort de France
Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Tour Description
Tour a 19th-century plantation where sugarcane is still grown to produce rum.
Sample freshly cut sugarcane and several premium Clement rums.
Drop by a banana field and learn about the crop’s economic importance.
Visit a church designed as a smaller version of the glorious Sacré-Coeur Basilica in Paris.
Meander through a fecund botanical garden that was farmland a few decades ago.
Delve into some of the attractions that have come to define Martinique, including a plantation that produces rum, a historical church and Balata Garden. Following a scenic drive to the town of Le Francois, you will visit Clement’s Plantation House, a meticulously restored 19th-century residence surrounded by sugarcane, an essential ingredient in rum making. While meandering the grounds, you will be offered a taste of the cane and the spirit. You may also learn about the historical meeting here between U.S. President George Herbert Walker Bush and France’s President François Mitterand. The French influence is apparent throughout Martinique and extends into the architecture, as you will discover at Balata Church, a scaled-down version of the Sacré-Coeur Basilica in Paris. Afterwards, you will stroll the shaded paths of Balata Tropical Garden. In all likelihood, you will see exotic palms, brightly colored flamingo flowers and hummingbirds darting from bloom to bloom.
HELPFUL HINTS
Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.
PLEASE NOTE
This tour includes approximately two hours of easy to moderate walking and standing on uneven ground and a significant number of steps. The tour is not available to wheelchair guests and those with mobility concerns should evaluate their stamina and ability before joining the tour. As there are winding roads, the tour may not be suitable for those who suffer from motion sickness. The order of the sites viewed or visited may vary.

End of tour description.

We got back just in time to catch a quick lunch before Terrace closed. Showers and rest this afternoon. There is an Oceania Club reception at 5:45 pm. We have Toscana reservations for dinner tonight. All aboard is 5:30 and sail away is 6 pm.

Tomorrow is yet another Sunday in St. John’s Antigua. We were there 2 Sundays ago and toured out of town. But we noted going back and forth through town that mostly everything is closed on Sundays. We hate to call it another sea day since this cruise ends with 2 sea days before ending in Miami on Wednesday anyway. But there it is.

Speaking of which, I failed to mention that a couple of days ago we got our 3^rd and final disembarkation form. The previous 2 had later disembark windows and they were delayed even further when the actual day arrived. This one said all passengers had to disembark by no later than 9 am. That is the time we chose figuring on a 10 am pickup time from Mom and friend Steve. We’ll wait to schedule until the night before in case they move the times back again at the last minute as they’ve done the last 2 turnaround nights/mornings.

Sorry this is so late there was a technical problem systewide with the ship's Internet and I didn't get online until after dinner. We went to the O Club reception at 5:45 pm as we began to sailaway. Clay ordered his Ricard on ice with water on the side from a sommelier and not a regular bar waiter tonight. He hadn't ever heard of it and rather than go to the bar with the order argued with Clay about it. I assured him it was a French liquor and it was at the bar. He left me a glass of champagne and didn't really act as though we could expect him back. By the time a 3rd bar waiter had questioned Clay's lack of a drink, he explained about the order and asked him to check with the bar if they'd gotten his order. Shortly after both waiters delivered drinks but only the bar waiter brought a glass of water. So it was a lot of booze. Clay felt bad and drank it all. He was very drunk. He had a half bottle of white wine he planned to finish with Dover sole at Toscana. After he lost his keycard (again) and almost fell out of his chair, I had to cut him off and ask the sommelier to throw out the last glass in the bottle. He has less than a half bottle of red to finish with steak at Polo tomorrow.

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Mission Accomplished, 100!

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We were already tied up at dock when we woke up around 6:30 am this morning. So we found ourselves in St. George's, Grenada. Country #100!

We  booked our longest ship's tour here today. It was advertised as 7 hours but we we were out closer to 8 hours. Description is pasted below. It went pretty much as described. The exception being that the fort was never armed or used according to our guide. I think the cannons facing inland description is from yesterday's fort. Also the crater lake was not any shade of blue, but olive green. Regarding lunch, always iffy, but I enjoyed it and had plenty to eat. It was a covered, breezy outdoor dining area with a combination of served and buffet courses. Soup was either split pea or callaloo, which was described as spinach. Both soups were smoothly pureed. I had split pea which I thought tasted like peanut butter. Clay had callaloo and thought it was milder than collards. Main course was buffet and included salad, potato salad, chickpea salad, bananas or yams, rice, chicken legs, fish, and stewed lentils. Dessert was a choice of vanilla ice cream OR chocolate cake. We got one of each and shared. The cocoa processing tour that followed lunch was good, as was the chocolate. I thought it was a good, comprehensive tour and I would recommend it. We paid $119.25 each for it. Once again, it was like the road to Hana with hairpins and ups and downs and today, one lane bridges. It rained off and on but never on when we were off the bus. Interesting point, I think Grenada's flag is the only country flag with a spice on it, nutmeg. Grenada produces about 75% of the world's nutmeg. It produces about 5% of the cocoa.

Discover Grenada (GND-004)
Port: St. George's
Tour Length: Full Day (Approximately 7 hours)
Tour Description
Spend an enlightening day driving to Grenada’s signature destinations and attractions.
Tour an 18th-century fort and dine at an estate from the same time period.
Gaze down on an impossibly blue lake that filled the crater of an extinct volcano.
See the spot where Caribs jumped to their death rather than surrender to the French.
Pass through one quaint village after another, including the island’s largest fishing village.
View the bays where U.S. forces landed during the 1983 invasion of Grenada.
Enjoy a remarkably comprehensive driving tour of Granada that will leave you with a clear understanding of the island’s charms. Just east of Saint George’s, you will find the 18th-century Fort Frederick, which is named the “backward-facing fort” because its cannons point inland. The views will be spectacular, as will be the ones of Grand Etang, a cobalt-blue lake in the crater of an extinct volcano. Grenada is also known for its premium rum, which you will taste at River Antoine Estate before dining at historical Belmont Estate. More memorable scenery awaits you at Carib’s Leap, where dozens of indigenous Caribs jumped into the sea rather than surrender to the French in the mid-1600s. Continuing on, you will pass the island’s largest fishing village, tour Dougaldston Spice Estate and finally see the bays where U.S. forces landed in 1983 during the invasion to protect American nationals from Grenada’s Marxist regime, which was soon overthrown.
HELPFUL HINTS
Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.
PLEASE NOTE
This tour involves approximately 3½ hours of moderate walking and standing. The tour is not available to wheelchair guests and those with mobility concerns should evaluate their stamina and ability before joining the tour. Guests must be at least 18 years old to consume alcohol.

End of tour description.

We sailed away before we both had time to shower. We were advised to wear both sunscreen and insect repellent here. According to the signs, they have zika virus here. We didn't see any mosquitos. Dinner tonight in Terrace. Featured on the buffet tonight but not listed on the menu anywhere was the national dish of Grenada, oil-down. Clay liked it.

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Saint Vincent & the Grenadines, #99!

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Clay got up first today before 7 am. It was light and we were approaching the harbor in Kingstown. It is a nice natural bay surrounded by high cliffs. The downtown area is crowded and compact. According to our guide today, only 3 main streets. Bay St., Middle St. and Back St. That may have been meant as a joke because Google Maps says the back street is named Halifax. We drove through most of each street and what we saw enticed us not to go out walking downtown after our tour.  No sidewalks. We docked at 8 am and we sail tonight at 11 pm. I assume because we don't have far to sail and not because people want an evening ashore here.

We had a ship's tour today. We paid a discounted, non-refundable price of $74.25 each for a half day tour. Tour description is pasted below. The tour was described in a little more detail in our booklet, but this was what I could find online. It is more or less what we got except that the drawbridge has been replaced so no bus changes required. Clay was able to get a Hairoun beer at the drink stop. Pronounced high rune. The word means land of the blessed in the language of some early Amerindian settlers.

Best of St. Vincent (KGN-002)
Port: Kingstown
Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 3 1/4 hours)
Tour Description
Trace the island’s history at Fort Charlotte and then behold its natural beauty at a botanical garden. The British started construction on the fort in 1763, building it on a ridge that offers an unobstructed view of Kingstown and beyond. Interestingly, the cannons point inland over the moat, as the fort was built to protect the English from the indigenous Indians and their French allies, who were more inclined to attack from land than the sea. Nearby, you will find the island’s botanical gardens, which are among the oldest in the Western Hemisphere, having been established in 1765. An oasis of serenity, the gardens contain countless species including rare ones such as a breadfruit tree that is the third generation of one donated by the infamous Captain Bligh of the HMS Bounty. Continuing on, you will venture through the Mesopotamia Valley, where much of St. Vincent’s fruits, vegetables and spices are grown. Photo stop at Belmont Lookout. After departing the picturesque valley, you'll stop at Paradise Beach Hotel's bar for a cool drink of rum punch or fruit punch and then return to the pier. Hairoun beer available for purchase.
HELPFUL HINTS
Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.
PLEASE NOTE
This tour includes about an hour of easy to moderate walking with some slopes to negotiate. The tour is not available to wheelchair guests and those with mobility concerns should evaluate their stamina and ability before joining the tour. Due to a weight restriction on the drawbridge at Fort Charlotte, you will travel there by minibus. Following this stop, you will travel by motor coach for the remainder of the tour.

End of tour description.

Lunch at Terrace. Dinner tonight at Polo. Tomorrow Grenada, Country #100!

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