Dec. 9, Monday. St. Thomas USVI.

Ships in this Port Today: 10,474 passengers, Norwegian Gem, Adventure Of The Seas, Carnival Valor, Maasdam. This is a pretty busy day for the sea port. There are actually two terminals in St Thomas. Havensight for the bigger ships and Crown Bay for smaller ships like ours. That's good because Crown Bay is right near the Water Island ferry which leaves from the nearby Crown Bay marina.

We were a little late docking here but no big deal because the ferry  to Water Island isn't until 10 am so we had time for a nice breakfast in the dining room.

This sea journey ended here.

You can see it's not too far back by ferry boat to the ship. ($10 ea, incl'd return trip)

Pete and Donna pose with Honeymoon Beach in the background.

We have been coming to Water Island for quite a few years.

Kevin retired to this island several years ago having worked in the Merchant Marine. He explained how the island has developed over the years.

I fear that now the excursion boats visit our "secret" island it will never again be the quiet little escape it once was.

We have seen Heidi's Beach Bar evolve from a simple hot dog cart to this quaint little beach bar.

This adventurous group on a 40 Sea Ray might have been dancers from another cruise ship. They weren't shy.

The water was clear in spite of the wave action out further.

 A Tarantula spider suns himself on the wall.

I threw down a kleenex to show the size.

Christmas in the Caribbean feels a little different. Good different!
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Dec. 8 Sunday. Another Day At Sea

With a 24 knot headwind the ride was a little pitchy and the captain advised us over the PA system that we might be delayed a bit getting to our first stop in St Thomas. No one in our group was sick but there were complaints from other passengers.

Pete and Donna brought their Svukkle game with them

Casual night at dinner tonight.

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Dec. 7, Saturday. A Day At Sea

We're all a little white but we've found our spot up on the Sports Deck (floor 12 on the elevator) where we seem to have the place pretty much to ourselves. I don't think the ship is full and that's a good thing. Two full days at sea to unwind and get ready for the adventures ahead.

Our Captain Ane Smit introduced the crew at a special "Meet the Captain" night before dinner.  I quite enjoy his daily "Voice from the Bridge" updates.

Tonight is formal night so everyone is dolled up for dinner. 

 The lobster was superb.The waiter takes the meat out of the shell but never gets to eat any. What a job!
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Dec. 6 Embarkation Day at Port Everglades

Other ships in port today: 3484 passengers Maasdam, Noordam. (rather light day for this Florida port)  Tomorrow there will be over 10,000 scrambling to board their ships.!

Finally, we board our ship the mv Maasdam. I think this is the third or fourth time we've enjoyed this smaller (1266 passengers) Holland America vessel. You can view a live web cam, actually 3 cameras, in Port Everglades and see us leave at around 4 pm. CLICK HERE to view the web cams.

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Dec. 5 Flying to Florida

We meet up with Cheryl, John, Deb and Chris at the BUF Airport and catch our 7:40 am Southwest Air flight 1254 to Fort Lauderdale. It arrives in FLL at around 11 am.

Another night, another hotel. This time the Sleep Inn in Dania FL.On other cruises we have flown in on the same day as the ship leaves but this time we figured, due to the time of year, we better get there a day early just in case.

John and Cheryl experienced a delay and arrived on a later flight. All the more reason to get to Florida the day before. If we had not booked in a day early they would have missed the ship. Oh well. All's well that ends well.
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Dec. 4 Buffalo (Wings) Tonight

Welcome to our journey beginning with the drive to an airport hotel before our flight to Florida and our cruise aboard the Maasdam, leaving Friday at 4 pm from Fort Lauderdale Florida. I will try to post to the blog everyday although communications are sometimes somewhat restricted aboard ship.I invite you to check back every day and follow the adventures of our motley group of eight as we explore the beautiful Caribbean.

We're meeting Pete and Donna at the Millennium Hotel in Cheektowaga where we will stay over night and take the shuttle to the airport in the morning. I love this spot because it is located right in one of Buffalo's biggest malls but also because the hotel sports bar has great chicken wings and cheap beer on tap. The others in our group are staying in nearby Niagara Falls Canada. Chris and Deb get "comps" at the casino hotel so the room is "free". Ha ha

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We're Nearly Finished Our Packing.

For once it pays to be overweight. See how it helps as I compact this stuff into the carry-on?

pack
(verb)
To fold, roll, or combine into a bundle; wrap up.
And
a. To bring together things closely; crowd together.
b. To fill up tight; cram.

Follow us every day right here on http://chocodaddy.blogspot.ca/
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Check Out Our Journey Starting Wednesday.

Maybe you should book today - mv Maasdam leaving Fort Lauderdale Dec. 6 for 14 Days

I know, the ship leaves Friday but I hope you'll check back starting Wednesday as we begin our journey to Florida and the embarkation on the mv Maasdam on Friday.  I'll try to post pictures and commentary every day. Thanks for stopping by!
Tim
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