PHOTO ALBUM
Day 1: Sun Nov 12 2023
We picked up Lauri about 2:45pm. She gave Cameron some hot n spicy Chee Its. Pretty decent line at security. We ate at the Local. We split the Dirty Mac n Cheese. We each had one of my Reese's Cups for dessert. We read while we waited for the plane. I ended up reading a whole Mitch Albom book that day. The plane loaded on time. The plane ride was uneventful except for a very obnoxious guy that was sitting near us. We think he was drunk. He just kept saying how much fun he was having. He was getting on his (new) wife's nerves and more of his family. They kept saying "shhh" but then would giggle. When we got to the airport, we took the MIA Mover and it took us to Metrobus. From there we took the 150 bus (just $2.25) all the way to South Beach. It let us off right in front of our hotel, but I messed up and took us all the way around the block before realizing it had been right when we got off.
We checked in to our tiny hotel. Lauri was not impressed with the cleanliness. The bed was comfortable enough, although I'm not sure how much sleep I got. Before we went to bed we went across the street to CVS and I got milk and cookies. We both took a shower at night.
Day 2: Mon Nov 13 2023
Lauri got up before me and went over to CVS for a coverup and something else. I got up about 8:30a, got dressed and packed and then took a quick walk around the block. I got sunscreen, toothpaste, Coke and another Kind bar and found $8 bluetooth headphones. So far, they work! (I was annoyed I had left my good headphones at home) We got an Uber from the hotel to our port. It was only like $15. We were a little early. We went to check in at 10:50a (our window was 11-1130) and "sailed" right in. It just turned out to be no lines anywhere. We were dancing up the escalator and having a great time.
Once on the boat, we sat on the deck at the adults-only solarium pool. Lauri watched our stuff and I explored every part of the ship. It's pretty cool. LOTS of bars, but we can get Coke at any of them. The fitness center is so cool - you can walk on a treadmill while facing out to the ocean. When I got back, Lauri went to the taco bar and got herself some food and me a couple of quesedillas. Then they announced we could go to our staterooms. Our room is pretty good - lots of storage space, and the deck is a decent size with two chairs. We made reservations for the main dining room for tonight and the last night. We took one of the glass elevators just for fun.
We read on our balcony for quite a while. We were able to watch as we left the port. We also watched several other ships as they left and it was fun to wave at them. While we were leaving port, we checked guest services (which had been super crowded before) and didn't have to wait to ask my list of 9 questions. I really liked the lady that helped me and she was teasing me about all the questions. We finished watching as we left port. Then we went down and looked in the shops, which didn't open until 6pm for some reason. We came back up and got ready for dinner.
We both dressed up for our meal in the main dining room. We got there at 730 and were seated right away (our reservation for MyTime was 745) We were seated by one of the windows. This sounds awesome, but it was dark and also we were hitting rough seas. We could see some of the white caps out our window. I had a crab cake to start. It was pretty good. Southern fried chicken was just okay. I appreciated that the portions weren't huge. We also appreciated that we got to sit at a table for two. There was this bread with pumpkin seeds on the outside. It was very interesting / yummy. Boston Cream pie for dessert, which was just okay.
After dinner we headed ot the ice show. I thought it was pretty good. Lauri fell asleep. We had seats in the front row. At one point the skaters stopped in front of us and sprayed ice on us. Lauri woke up a few minutes later and almost got mad because she thought the people behind us had spilled something on her. Then we got back to our room. I got milk from room service - 3 glasses - and finished my mini Oreos. It was too much, on top of my dinner. I tried to throw up, but couldn't. After a while, it finally settled. But it was almost 1am. I slept okay. I got up about 8am.
Day 3: Tues Nov 14 2023
Got up and down to the Windjammer for breakfast. No seating, so Lauri took hers back to the room. I ate scrabled eggs and sausage on the bench outside the buffet. With our suits on, we headed out to Coco Cay. We found the place where the wave runners left, and sat on the beach near there. We went to check in at 11am. After waiting 30 minutes and storing our gear in lockers, we were told they were canceling our ride because of high winds. So we didn't end up doing either excursion. I lay on a hammock at the pool for a while and Lauri went back to the beach. Then we both sat at the beach for a bit. We headed back to the ship about noon. Changed in the room, went to the pizza place. It was ok - you just got your pizza from the display case. I also picked up a cookie for later. Back to the room, I got my suit on and went in the hot tub for a bit. It was crowded, but cool to look out on the ocean from the edge. We read a little on the deck. Then I went to the fitness center and walked 40 minutes on the treadmill. My new headset worked the whole time.
Lauri and I got to the Windjammer at 5:50p (opens at 6) because it was such a madhouse at breakfast. It was absolutely quiet. We had no issues getting a table. I had mac n cheese, pork chops, bread, pasta with cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, and SEVERAL desserts. I also was able to collect several milks from a waitress, which I was very excited about. Lauri and I both brought a bunch of chocolate chip cookies back to the room. Then I found out they were switching our days. Which meant that my day pass for Atlantis would be for the wrong day. They switched days because of the weather. I called Atlantis and was able to get it switched. Horray! Then we went to an evening (7:30) show. It was kinda a hodgepodge of Broadway hits. I enjoyed it.
Then I went to guest services because I had a message on the phone that my account was set up to be settled with cash. The credit card on file was the one we had to cancel. So I gave them my Amazon card. Another wrinkle ironed. We came upstairs briefly, and then decided to listen to live music at a 5th floor bar. He was pretty good, but we didn't stay long. Lauri felt bad because we weren't buying any alcohol. We went in the one store we hadn't looked in yet, then Lauri bought some Ben and Jerrys and shared it with me. It was yum (strawberry cheesecake) We came back to the room right around 9:20pm. Because of the change in schedule, we don't need to get up at any particular time tomorrow.
The seas are rough out. We are definitely feeling a lot of motion. I did not drink any milk or eat any cookies (I had choc chip cookies from the buffet, and the milk the waitress at dinner had brought me, 3 boxed milks) I still had trouble going to sleep - I think because I was still thinking about the long talk I had with David and how mad he was.
Day 4: Weds Nov 15 2023
"SAILING"
This was our day completely at sea. We had breakfast from the Windjammer buffet separately. Lauri brought hers to the room and I ate there. I ate a LOT. I esp liked the waffles with blueberry compote and whipped cream. Then we spent time on the balcony. Then this is the time I actually decided to call David. I was not sure what was going on with his texts. But it turned out he was actually mad. I sat in one of the bars that had not opened yet and we talked it out. We were on the phone for a long time. Then Lauri and I sat in the pizza place at a booth for a while. We heard live guitar music and moved to listen. We read some more, and then Lauri saw on the schedule that there was going to be a silent dance party. We watched from where we were for a bit, then got headphones ourselves. I got to do a couple of line dances, so I was pretty happy. Lauri had fun too. I think we tried to find chairs on the pool deck at some point, but it was pretty crowded - and windy - and we gave up.
I had an ice skating appointment at 4:55p. From the 3rd floor rink, you could see how crazy high the ocean swells were. I skated with my group - I'm still pretty good. I was able to do some front crossovers. But they didn't want us to spin or skate backwards. Still, it was nice to be on the ice for a while. After I was done, we went to dinner, then to the comedian's show, then back to the cabin and bed. Again issues getting to sleep.
Day 5: Thurs Nov 16 2023 - Nassau
We woke up early and got to breakfast by 7am. They weren't singing the "wash your hands" song yet. So when I saw the singing guy (the guitarist wasn't there yet), I said "Wash your hands, do-do-do-do-dodo" (like Baby Shark) and he laughed and said "soon!" I ate a big breakfast again. The weather was terrible - rainy and windy. When we went down to 1 at 8a, they told us they weren't cleared yet. About 820 they made the all clear announcement and we headed down. It was still windy/rainy, and they told us the trams weren't going yet. I got impatient and wanted to walk to the taxi area, but Lauri decided she did not want to brave the elements. So I headed to Atlantis on my own. I got a cab, though he told me it would be $22 because I was on my own. We went through some streets that were literally flooded. The cabbie was nice, and was excited to get my $10 tip. He said he would put his number in my phone so I could call him directly when I was ready to come back.
I went past some shops, and through the casino. I was stopped and asked for my room key. I told him I had a day pass that I hadn't picked up yet. He was kind of an ass about it. I finally found where to pick it up. I'm glad I got one. The pools were neat, and the ruins where sharks and stingrays swam were cool too. It was still drizzling, but I ventured out. There was a pool with giant turtles. There were pretty bridges, and waterfalls, and a large aquarium called The Dig. There were beaches and huge pools. I got a towel from the towel stand and it was HEATED. I finally found the lockers, and I put most of my stuff in. Then I went on the water slide! It went through a tunnel surrounded by sharks. You slow in the tunnel, and I watched sharks swim above me. There was NO line, so I went 4 or 5 times in a row. When there started to be a small line, I put my tube back and did some of the kiddie slides. Then I headed over to the raging river.
It was a "high intensity" ride. That was really nothing until we got to one certain area. I was afraid my feet were going to hit and I pulled them in. I guess that was a mistake, because it flipped me over. My knee got scraped pretty good, and my t shirt got wet completely again. It was time for me to get out anyway. Luckily I was right near the lockers again. I also found where I had put my towels. I drived off as best I could, got a bandaid, and decided to just carry my soaking wet shirt. I put most of the stuff back. (I had checked my phone for messages, etc) I went to explore any areas I had missed. I saw the kids area, which was pretty nice. I found Dolphin Cay finally. There were so many dolphins. But event to go on the beach with them was $$. They have swim with the dolphins and kayak with the dolphins. I think the kayaking could be pretty cool. Supposedly the dolphins are curious and may come and look at your kayak.
After Dolphin Cay I walked along the beach, found the lockers again, got some fresh (WARM) towels, and got everything out of my locker. That towel was a God send, and kept me warm. Eventually I put my jacket over my bikini, got back inside to the front desk, and then looked at The Atlantis shops some. Back where I came in, I tried to call Kenal, my driver from this morning. He did not answer. But there were taxis loading cruise ship passengers into their vans, for $5/person. So I got back to the cruise dock, ran into Lauri, and we headed to the buffet because we were both hungry.
Now we are in our cabin, making plans for tonight. After we got back to the ship, our side of the ship was able to see the stragglers coming in. Everyone boooed whenever someone showed up on the gangway. I guess we did leave port late. I guess it could make us late to port tomorrow?
Last night on ship - we went to 7:30 Once Upon a Time show (dancing, singing with fairy tale theme) It was pretty good. Then I learned a Caribbean line dance on floor 5. Then we hung out and watched Joe Burrow get hurt on our phones. We also got a small bite at the buffet. 10p we went to the Star Lounge and watched some sill adult games. 10:30p was the silent party again, and then we went to the adult comic. His adult show wasn't as good. We were back in our cabin by 11:20p; shower, bed.
Day 6: Fri Nov 17 2023 - Miami to Key West
Last day on the ship. We got up at 6:50a, pretty good breakfast, but it was crowded. Everything packed up and Deck 4 by 8am. They got us off that ship FAST. We went to the taxi line, got a taxi, and headed for the Greyhound station. We got there about 9:15am. Waited outside until our bus got there about 10:50am. The weather was nice. I walked around a few times. Our bus pulled out right at 11am. We headed to Key West. One stop at Burger King, yum. At one point the bus did a U-turn. It had forgotten a stop, we gathered. We got to Key West maybe 20 minutes late. We got an Uber to the hotel - it took maybe 3 minutes for it to show up, lol. The A/C didn't work, but the lady was nice. She gave us water.
The resort is super nice. Our room is huge, the porch is nice; there are chickens, and pelicans, and cranes (?) I saw a really cool lizard. We settled in, walked the property. There are six pools, a boardwalk, fancy boats all around, a shuttle into Key West, a dog park, and a tiki hut with rentals (2 hrs/day included) We got to the tiki hut about 5:30 for a 6p shuttle and sat in one of the rope chairs/swings. Shuttle into town was pretty full. The shuttle driver was way too chatty, but definitely friendly.
When we got to downtown Key West - the power was out! The driver said he'd never seen it before. All the adjacent blocks seemed to be out. So we just stayed on the van. We asked him if he could drop us at Publix, and he did. We first walked to Wendy's for dinner, but it was drive through only! I would think it was a worker shortage, but we could see workers in there, just sitting. Lauri agreed to the Chines place, and I'm so glad. It was good, and it had been a while since I had a good General Tsos meal. Then we went to Publix and stocked up, got an Uber, and headed back. I couldn't get my fire stick to work, but we found Netflix and started a movie.
Day 7: Sat Nov 18 2023 - Key West
We got up about 7am (earlier than alarm) and ate breakfast out of our Publix supplies. I fed the chicken and rooster that was right in front of our balcony with crackers. We caught the 9am shuttle into town. The shuttle driver dropped us where we needed to be to catch the hop on hop off. We got on right away, and it took us around town, including new Key West. When the loop was almost over, we got off and went to Hemingway House. It was great, but there were so many cat lovers that the cats were sick of us. We went on a guided tour, but our tour guide was a little over the top, in my opinion.
Next we went across the street and went to the light house museum and the lighthouse itself. We looked at the keeper's museum, then climbed the 88 steps to the top. I was a bit scared - the railing wasn't very high and it was windy up there. We talked to a newlywed couple from California for a bit, then headed back down. We each bought a small sourvenir there. I did it just to get singles in change.
I had some crackers I brought at the Hemingway House, and so I wasn't super hungry. We went to the butterfly conservation center next. It was very cool. 1200 butterflies. One landed on my back, and stayed for quite a while. What I loved most were the birds. There were some rare ones, I think I heard someone say. They were so beautiful.
Next we found trolley stop 11, near the southern most point. We just missed a shuttle, and settled down for the next one. I got a Coke and ate a melting granola bar. We took the shuttle back to 1, got off, got back on and went to 3. Lauri got an espresso shot and beans and rice. I fed some baby chickens, but then the male chicken started violently attacking the female, so I stopped. I hit the male chicken and he stopped attacking the female.
After that, we walked around and looked at shops and walked up and down the pier. We started to head for the sunset ceremony. We passed Kermits and I bought some key lime lip balm and a Key Lime graham cracker. At the sunset celebration, we saw two performers and watched the sunset. Then we went to Blue Heaven. It was fancier than we expected, but we got to eat outside in the beautiful weather.
After dinner we walked to our shuttle stop. We had to wait quite a while, but it was right on time. We got back to the hotel and got ready for bed.
Day 8: Sun Nov 19 2023 - Key West
Boat day. We took the 9am shuttle in, checked in for our boat ride, did a little shopping, found the boat, and I used the restroom. When we were at the pier, a man called "Hey do you guys want to see a blow fish?" Yes, I did! Lauri didn't come close to the water. I saw the blowfish and then he started pointing out other fish too. Some parrot fish, a queen angel, and then we saw a nurse shark! Very cool. We also saw the shark flip over on his back. I got some decent pictures of that. Then we saw a jellyfish, floating near the surface. Turns out the guy had come down recently from southern Kentucky. He was living in a hammock - so he was homeless. But he definitely knew his fish!
We boarded our boat at 10:15a. Although they do that trip with up to 20 people, there were only 4 of us. The other 2 were a couple from Chicago (they did not live together) They were both pretty icky - esp him. Our crew was Mario and Renee. I liked them - esp Renee. She had gone to Ohio State and then decided to move to Key West. We used the motor (no sails) to get to the snorkeling area. They said they couldn't go to their normal area because the tide was too low. I went in first. I headed towards where they had indicated. But I quickly realized I couldn't see anything. Plus, there were waves, which tend to make snorkeling unpleasant. One of the flippers Lauri tried on snapped. I told her (with Renee listening) "I wouldn't worry about it. These are super cheap." I guess I shouldn't have said that, but it's true.
I headed back - for one thing I wanted to tell Lauri not to bother. I took my equipment off and handed it up. Then Lauri and I sat on the big mat for a while - the water was actually perfect temperature. Just a little chilly, but you got used to it right away. Lauri had to swim a few feet from the platform to the mat. So she can say she has gone swimming in the ocean. We both had a Coke on the big mat. Then we went back on the boat. We went to Mule Key and went out in the kayaks. Lauri got the hang of that right away. We were in the ocean with waves for a short bit, and then we were in the shallow water near the Key and the water was calm.
We saw a stingray, a tiny shark called a bonnet shark, and lots of cool birds. Lauri spotted a huge orange iguana! We watched it for quite a while. I had not brought my phone, but the Chicago girl took a pic and at the end she sent it to me. There was a heron that was giving the iguana the stink eye for quite a while. We thought maybe they were going to fight. Renee said she had never seen a lizard that big. We also went in a hurricane hole, which was pretty cool. After maybe an hour we headed back to the boat. I found out later my knees had gotten pretty sunburned.
On the boat we had lunch. I wasn't super happy with it, and added a couple of packs of crackers I had brought. We turned off the motor and just sailed for a while. We all got a big chocolate chip cookie - that was pretty good. I think we got in right on time. I changed my clothes and felt much better. I had been pretty damp.
We went to a store on the pier and got a few souvenirs - At first I couldn't find the little squishy guy that I wanted to get for Megan. Turns out they were right by our hotel shuttle stop, so I was excited when we found them. We went to Kermits (I got coookies there) and the Key Lime Pie company, where I had the chocolate covered Key Lime pie on a stick and Lauri got a mini Key Lime pie. They were both good. We caught the 425 back to the hotel. I hung out on the hammocks near the tiki hut for a bit. Then I tried out each of the seating options at the pool - the hammock, the circular couch, and the traditional lounge chair. Hammock definitely wins.
On my way back to the room, I heard something in the garbage can. I stopped to see, and it was a raccoon. He started to come towards me, I'm sure looking for food. I ran back to the room to get some. He seemed to like the granola bar, but was not very interested in the Wheat Thins. I held some out, and both of them came near me, and even sniffed what I had, but did not take it out of my hand, or even eat it after I dropped it. I ran back to get another granola bar, but they were both gone when I got back. I left the granola bar anyway. I hope they ate it.
After a little in the room, I went back to the pool and hung out in the hammock, and read for maybe two hours. I had Wheat Thins and cheese for dinner. After milk and cookes, I went to bed at maybe 10:30pm.
Day 9: Mon Nov 20 2023 - Key West
I slept until the alarm went off at 7:45a. I ate breakfast on the porch, including Coke in a wine glass. I swear it tastes better that way. I went to the tiki hut and got a bike. I rode towards Key West, and stopped at a large t-shirt, etc store. I didn't get anything, and rode on. It was a beautiful morning for riding - breezy and overcast. Lauri stayed at the hotel. When I passed the store on the way back, I got 4 for $11 t-shirts - 2 for David, one foir Megan and one for Cam. I also bought myself a $35 hoodie. It was just so pretty - a beautiful teal. As I went to unlock my bike, I couldn't find the key. I panicked a little, but it was at the back of the store where I had tried on the hoodie.
I had the bike barely over an hour. ( we are allowed up to 2 hours) I am going to try to go further tomorrow. Maybe I'll try to make it to McDonalds. It says it's an 19 minute bike ride. It was still overcast, so I decided to walk. I went back the same way. The area seems to be impoverished (Stock Island) I saw many shacks, trailers, and also a food bank. I walked to the store, turned around, and went to a pizzeria. I didn't feel like eating room food all day. I had a calzone. It was pretty good. Next door was a French pastry shop. I got a cholcolate eclair and a Coke (the pizzeria had Pepsi, and not Mt Dew??)
I walked back, stopped at a convenience store to get one more milk, and walked back quickly. The sun was out, and it was pretty intense. Got back to the room, unpacked stuff and wrote here. It's about 2:15p now. We are taking the 7pm shuttle into town for our spooky tour. I think I read on the porch after that. We took the shuttle in at 7pm, found the meeting spot, then popped in at several stores. We decied to try some conch fritters. Lauri absolutely did not like them. To me they tasted like crab cakes meet hush puppies. I ate all 6 of them. I don't think I would get them again, but they were okay.
It was time to head for our tour. It was a full tour. The lady did not have a mic. It was not hard to hear her though. I did not think she was great at telling ghost stories. But some weird stuff did happen on the island. We were done after about 90 minutes. We went to wait for the 11:25p shuttle. It was right on time. I had wanted to get up and do the bike again, but decided to sleep in instead. We watched the rest of our Netflix movie.
Day 10-11: Tues/Weds Nov 21-22 2023 - Key West and Miami
I got up about 9am. I got my stuff packed / ate breakfast, and went to find chickens to feed. I finished our Townhouse crackers and became popular with the chickens. Then I got the Wheat Thins and fed those to the chickens too. We checked out of our room at 12pm, and checked our luggage at the front desk. We sat on the porch and read most of the time. We got the 3pm shuttle into town. The pickup spot for our bus was just a couple blocks away. I sat with the luggage while Lauri got something for lunch. Then she sat and I walked across town for a sleeve of crackers and a couple cokes. On the way back I got a scoop of Key Lime ice cream. It was delicious. It got me very messy though. A nice man helped us figure out which bus was ours (after I fed the sleeve of crackers to the chickens) The bus was very full. But the trip back was much faster because we made no stops. Also, it dropped us off very close to our hotel.
We got to the hotel a little after 9pm. It was very nice. We went to bed and got up early - 7am-ish. There was a continental "breakfast" at the hotel. Then we went across the street and walked on the beach. After about an hour, it got too hot and we headed back. We checked out, got an Uber, and got to the airport plenty early. At first I thought it was terrible, but then I found an area with some stores, etc. I got a pizza and a delicious empanada with chocolate hazelnut filling. Our flight went fine, and David picked us up from the airport.
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