Saturday, November 19 - Miami to home

Since we weren't being escorted off the ship one last time by Manoj until 9:30, we had a leisurely morning of breakfast and hanging out in the lounge with Dale and Gunda one last time.  We took Uber to the airport, and it was a little chaotic finding our driver in all the confusion of 5 ships discharging their passengers.  Then she lost her connection to Uber and she ended up using Google Maps to get us to the airport.  We gave her $20 since the Uber connection never worked.  One interesting note:  Dale and Gunda were using Uber for the first time so I helped her call their ride.  She has an Apple phone and the price estimate for her exact same trip to the airport was $2 more than our Uber estimate on our Android phones.  Mmmmh.  Interesting.

Our flight from Miami to Phoenix was nice since they had about 30 movies from which to choose on our personal screen and I was able to pass the flight by watching 2.  Then a very uncomfortable 2 hour flight to Redmond in small seats and no entertainment except the woman in the row behind who was very talkative and loud.

It was a wonderful trip which we thoroughly enjoyed.  But sleeping in your own bed again is a good thing also.

Friday, November 18 - Nassau, Bahamas

Since this was a repeat stop, we just got off the ship and walked around for a bit around the pier area.  Lots of T shirt shops.  We had lunch at Senor Frog's which was surprisingly good.  It's a bit like Margaritaville in that it is a chain that makes its name off of tequila drinks and sales of logo items.  But the fish tacos were good as was the margarita.

One final game of trivia with our Canadian friends and a nice dinner before packing our belongings for departure in the morning.

Thursday, November 17 - at sea

We played trivia again with the Canadian couple.  We never properly introduced ourselves and at some point it seemed ridiculous to do so.  Today he mentioned returning to work, I asked him what he did.  Last week we ate with Harley who worked in Texas as an embryo transplant specialist with cattle.  Turns out that the Canadian fellow is an artificial insemination specialist with dairy cows.  Good grief!   At the morning game the staff member running the game made the lone player exchange his answer sheet despite his objections.  Turns out he did OK, but didn't win.  He didn't play the afternoon game.

We lingered over dinner with Dale and Gunda so long that we missed the evening show.  That was OK since the show the night before (a tribute to Queen) didn't thrill us.

Wednesday, November 16 - Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos, BWI

Grand Turk is a very flat island with not too much going for it except good scuba diving.  We were the only ship there and that was plenty.  There's a nice beach right where the pier is and the island sets up lots of beach chairs and umbrellas.   They are in rows and apparently some locals set up a couple of rows closer to the water and then charge for those, whereas the others are free.  There is a large Margaritaville restaurant / gift shop / pool area right there also.

As we were pulling in to the pier we saw what we believe to be a shark swimming around the beach.  From our deck 15 balcony it looked quite large.  We hung around the beach for a few hours but when we went into the water Michael joked that we needed to always have other swimmers farther out so the shark would get them first.

It was overcast so not too hot and the water was a little cooler than in St. Maarten but still lovely.  We amused ourselves people watching.  It seemed 90% of the people had cell phones and we're endlessly taking selfies.  There was also a couple with metal detectors patrolling the beach - he in the water and she along the shoreline.

We had a nice lunch at the Margaritaville and then wandered the shops which were not just your average cheap t-shirt shops, but we weren't tempted by anything.

Afternoon trivia with the usual couple.  This time it was pointed out to the crew member that the single fellow who seems to win 2 out of 3 times always plays alone and doesn't exchange his paper to "grade" the answers.  Can he really want the cheap prize so badly that he would  cheat?

Tuesday, November 15 - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Today was San Juan again.  As before, it was very hot.  We got off around 10:30 and walked up to the fort because Michael wanted to see the cemetary.  After a bit more walking around old San Juan, we returned to the ship.

Monday, November 14 - at sea

Another lazy day at sea.  Played trivia with the Vancouver couple and we are dreadful.  The pools in the "regular" area are jam packed.  People save their chairs as soon as it is light.  Consequently the areas inside are very quiet.  There are just as many Europeans as before, but not as many tattoos.  Don't know why we notice these things.

The staff on this ship is extraordinary.  Of course those in the Yacht Club area would be expected to be, but even the others are wonderful - so genuinely friendly and happy.  Made it to the show tonight.  Since the dinner theme was Italian, the show was Italian Classics.  The male and female singers were beautiful, I think the best I've ever heard on a ship, or maybe anywhere else for that matter.

Sunday, November 13 - at sea

Another lazy day at sea.  Played trivia a couple of times with a nice Canadian couple from Vancouver and an English woman.  First time we got one right, second time was 8 so we are improving.  It was too windy to sit on deck.  We finally made it to a show.  Unlike Princess there were still empty seats at show time.  Due to the international audience the shows are lots of music and dancing and we enjoyed last night's.  There was a darling little girl, maybe about 4, who started dancing in the aisle copying the dancers and she was pretty good.

Saturday, November 12 - Miami

Today is changeover day and the beginning of the second of our back-to-back cruises.  We were led off by our butler, Manoj, and then had to go through Customs / Immigration before getting back onboard.  We have the same cabin, so no difficulty there.  We met a couple from a small town near Kalispell, Montana (Dale and Gunda) who are also doing B2B so we spent the time waiting in the lounge talking with them.  He is a retired Delta pilot and they have cruised a lot.  Nice people.  We had dinner together and arranged to share a table going forward.

We discovered that 8 cabins in Yacht Club are larger than the rest, but still the same price (15028 - 15031, and 16032 - 16035).  Will have to remember that if we cruise with them again.

Friday, November 11 - at sea

Our last day of this week's cruise was another at sea.  We hung around the general pool at the front which has a removable cover.  When it's closed, it is very humid but it was partially open today so it was very comfortable.  It was a little loud since lots of families were there but we got to talking with some people so we stayed anyway.

With the exception of the first couple of days, the weather and the seas have been very comfortable.  

Tonight we had dinner at Eataly, one of the specialty restaurants.  This is a steakhouse, but we thought the steaks in our restaurant are better.  We have another complimentary dinner this upcoming week, but I don't think we'll take advantage.  Maybe at the other restaurant we have access to, Galaxy, but we'll have to see.  We also didn't go to a single show this week.  We'll go to dinner at 7 pm and then go to the second show at 9:15 on the next cruise.  This week we'd get back to the cabin after dinner and then not feel like going out again.

Thursday, November 10, at sea

Another quiet day at sea.  Spent the afternoon by the pool and tried their margaritas which are delicious.  We really like the privacy of the Yacht Club, but sometimes I miss the hubbub of the ship and just people watching.  We've "ventured out" a few times just to take the pulse of the ship.  It seems a little busier than past cruises, but that could be a combination of being the largest ship we've been on, lots of Europeans, and a generally younger crowd.  Not bad, just different.

This morning at breakfast there was a woman (European I believe) sunbathing topless right outside the restaurant window.  And apparently the body covering tattoo practice isn't only an American phenomenon.

Wednesday, November 9, San Juan, Puerto Rico

Turned on the TV this morning and said Oh My God!  I was stunned by the headlines on CNN that Donald Trump won.  It seems the pollsters are worse at their jobs than weathermen now.  Must say that the clip I saw of Trump seemed to show a man who was as shocked as most of the country that he actually pulled it off.  He seemed stiff, flat and more emotionless than he has ever been.

There were 4 ships in port and we docked right near Old San Juan.  Lots of tours were being offered but we decided to do the red HO-HO buses that we've done in other cities.  The good news was that this bus had a section at the front up top that was air-conditioned and sort of covered.  The bad news was that the AC was anemic at best and we could not always hear the guide.  San Juan has very narrow streets and getting around in that big bus was a real challenge at times.  This was not as good an operation as in other cities, but they are relatively new so maybe they will get better.

We wanted to go to a restaurant that had been recommended by Elizabeth's uncle, but it was closed, so we tried a Peruvian-Latin place but gave up after sitting at the table for 20 minutes with no service.  It was stinking hot so we ducked into the Sheraton hotel across from the pier for lunch.  We ran into 2 British couples also from cruises and had a good talk about the similarities between the Brexit vote and the Trump win.

We've started eating dinner regularly with Sherry and Harley which is fun.  Tonight they told us that US expats have to file a form with the IRS detailing all of their foreign assets (cash in foreign banks, real property, cars, etc.) to combat money laundering.  This was part of the Affordable Care Act, which seems unrelated.  There are very stiff fines for not filing right so they pay a professional to do the forms. And the foreign banks are required to report American customers' highest balances for the year.  Apparently Costa Rican banks don't give statements or have online banking so you have to keep track yourself, or go into the bank whenever you want your balance.

Tuesday, November 8, St Maarten

On the breakfast menu in our dining room are both smoked salmon and gravlax.  We aren't sure what the difference is, so we've tried ordering the gravlax but they've always been out.  Yesterday we were told that they'd be making them and would have them this morning.  We forgot that and had breakfast at the little buffet for Yacht Club members at our pool.  Just as we were finishing, we remembered that we'd told the waitress Anna that we'd be there for them, so we had to go to the main restaurant for another breakfast!

St. Marten is a lovely island with a Dutch side and a French side.  We took a water ferry over to the Dutch town of Phillipsburg and then just walked down the beach where every square foot is filled with chairs and umbrellas that locals rent.  Towards the end it wasn't as crowded so we paid $25 for two loungers, an umbrella, free WiFi  (which we didn’t use), access to restrooms and 5 beers.  We substituted 2 waters for 2 beers.  This operation was run by the restaurant right there - quite a profit maker for them.  The water was the perfect temperature, but it was a little noisy since there was a ski-doo rental enterprise nearby.  After a couple of hours the clouds started to build so we headed back.  We got to the water taxi just in time for a deluge, but it was over by the time we got back to the pier.

We watched a little bit of the early election returns, but figured we knew the results, so turned it off and read until lights out.

Monday, November 7, at sea

Today was a sea day so it was quiet.  There are the usual activities on board, but we didn't take part.

It seems that the average age of passengers is much younger than the Princess passengers.  And there is a large European contingent, which may explain the ages.  Announcements are in five languages with English being first.  Fortunately there are only a couple of smoking areas.

We ate dinner with Sherry and Harley and learned about life in Costa Rica.  He worked as an embryonic transplant specialist in the cattle industry - a rather unusual job to say the least.

Sunday, November 6 - Nassau, Bahamas

We had a leisurely breakfast in our restaurant after checking out the buffet again.  It was a little hectic and since we don't have to eat there, we didn't.   After a while we walked off to see Nassau.  There was a van offering rides to Atlantis (the hotel/resort) so we did that.  We couldn't see too much without buying a day pass so we went over to the Westin Harborside timeshare to see if we wanted to trade in one day.   It looked nice, but no nicer than Maui and there's more to do in Hawaii,  so I don't think we'll trade in too soon.  We took a water taxi back to the port and wandered a little in the shopping area before returning to the ship for lunch.  The afternoon was spent reading by the pool.  It was formal night and we were given 2 bottles of prosecco and some chocolate-dipped fruits in our cabin.  We still have the bottle of champagne  in the fridge, so they are all just sitting there.   Since the Yacht Club lounge is only a few steps down our hall with all the prosecco and champagne we want, it seems like a waste to open these bottles and let them go flat.   For dinner I had the beef steak tournedoes which was one of the best pieces of steak I've ever had.  Michael had a dinner-size Caesar salad.  Wines are part of dinner and they have all been great - Italian of course and probably not available at home.

Saturday, November 5 - Miami to MSC Divina

After breakfast at the hotel we took an Uber to the ship.  We took advantage of the upsell offer to stay in the Yacht Club level.  This is a "members only" section of the ship located on the 15-18 decks at the front of the ship.  It includes unlimited alcoholic beverages, private pool, lounge and restaurant.  We were met at the pier by a "butler" who checked us in, took our bags, and then walked us through check-in (at a a special area), gave us a glass of champagne while we waited all of 5 minutes to be called to board, then walked us to the gangplank.   Yacht Club members get their cabins made up first, so at 11:45 we were all set.  At the gangplank we were met by Manoz, our on board "butler" who walked us and a few others through the ship to the Yacht Club area.  He then showed us to our cabin (15013) and explained how everything worked.  He then walked us to the special dining room  (Le Muse) for lunch. This is also on the 15th deck, but you have to go through the "regular" part of the ship to the back to get there.  We had a lovely, quiet lunch (scallop and mango salad,  Caesar salad,  ice cream and Italian pastries).   In the afternoon we explored the rest of the ship.  It was a bit chaotic with everyone boarding and wandering around with their carryon luggage while waiting for their cabins to be ready.  We spent some time at our special lounge on deck 15 at the bow of the ship which has a full bar and snack food out all the time.  And their snacks aren't chips and nuts, but a beautiful assortment of sweets and savories.  I have a feeling that we'll come off this ship a few pounds heavier unless we exercise complete self control.

Dinner was appetizers of lasagnetta and Caesar salad; entrees of salmon and beef tournedoes and dessert of tiramisu and ice cream.  The only thing I don't like about the dining room is that you are put at a table of 2 unless you come with others and need a bigger table.  There is no sharing of tables with strangers.  We have met some others and perhaps we'll eat with them at times in the future.  One couple, Sherry and Harley, retired from Texas to  Costa Rica  7 years ago so that might be interesting to learn about.

We were kind of beat after dinner so we went back to the cabin and hit the sheets early.  We did walk through the buffet after both lunch and dinner.  It isn't laid out as well as the buffets on Princess, and there are fewer selections, but it looked OK.    Well be staying in our own special areas I'm sure.

We were able to select a newspaper from a long list (4 in English) to be delivered each morning.  We selected the Washington Post.  They print it out with our name and cabin number at the top and bind it for delivery.  They also have a "pillow menu" with about 6 types from which to choose.

October 28 - November 4. Washington DC

We started our vacation with a week in Washington DC to spend time with Daniel and Elizabeth and, of course, sweet little Rose.  She is now 3-1/2 months old and cute as a button.  Saturday was her Baptism and all of her Garvin immediate family was there as well as many extended relatives.  She did beautifully and a delightful time was had by all.  During the week Grandpa and I went to Shanendoah National Park and took the bus into town to see the Botanical Gardens and the National Portrait Gallery.  Daniel came with us to the Newseum  (tickets courtesy of Aunt Joanie) which was very interesting.  They have a section of the Berlin Wall and a piece of the radio tower from the World Trade Center from 9-11.    After a wonderful week, we flew to Miami on Friday night in preparation for our two MSC cruises of the Caribbean.

Note to self: never rent a car from Dollar at Reagan airport.  After waiting 45 minutes for our car, we got one with a flat tire.

Friday night we stayed at the Sheraton Miami Airport.