FLORIDA, AND HOME

Wednesday, March 08, 2017
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Being the cruise fans that we are, you will rarely hear any complaints from us, and our cruise across the Atlantic will be no exception. It was fun and relaxing—a wonderful way of getting from Europe to America. It is amazing how quickly 14 days pass. There are so many distractions and diversions, and interesting people abound. The days just fly by. After leaving Gibraltar, we had 7 sea days. While some people cruise to see the ports, we equally enjoy the sea days. Mornings are more relaxing, and there's no schlepping around all day. Instead, you get to enjoy the ship as a resort. Sleep in, sure. Stay up late, why not? Be active all day, or just lay around the pool vegetating. Whatever floats your boat (ha ha). Ships offer a full range of programs for passengers, so you can never be bored. For instance, in a 9-day progressive trivia competition with 30 teams, our team of six passengers took second, and we each received a good-looking Royal Caribbean baseball cap. Whoopie! In the dining room, our table companions consisted of 5 other couples. We all got along well, so dinners were always something to look forward to. Every night, they counted on me to tell a few jokes, and I delivered, to a chorus of laughs (or groans). I never knew what reaction I’d get, but I always got one.

After Gibraltar, our only port in the N . American leg was San Juan, which was sweltering hot and humid. We decided that our past visits to Puerto Rico would suffice, so we spent our time in an air-conditioned hotel using their Internet. Afterwards, it was just a bit of shopping on the pier and back to the ship in time for lunch and a nap. Decadent, isn’t it? But that’s what cruising is.

FLORIDA

We arrived in Tampa, and sadly disembarked the Brilliance. We had had a brilliant time, so the name was appropriate. Once on land, our task was to find our way to the car rental office. Somehow, I started talking to a limo driver who had spent some time in Toronto, and he offered to drive us to the rental location gratis. It was amazing. People were taking Corolla taxis and here we were getting a lift in an Escalade. During the drive, he told us a few unbelievable stories of his life, and said he was going to write a book about his ex, calling it: My Hypocritical Religious Fanatic Wife. We also heard about his close friend who died on a cruise ship and was refrigerated until they reached a port . Gross.

Our rental car, a nice white Altima was perfect, as it could accommodate our 2 big bags and our two big bodies. It was comfortable and peppy. The date was October 31st, and being Halloween, we expected Tampa to be full of costumed Trick or Treaters, and great parties. Well, being a Monday, all the adult bar parties had been held the previous weekend. So, it was actually quite quiet, except for a local Halloween event for kids which we just happened to come upon. Tons of kids, costumes, and candy, bouncy rides, junk food. It was fun, as it took us back to the days when our kids were younger and all the great things we would do with them at Halloween time.

The next day, we checked in for the first of our 2 timeshare stays/presentations. This got us a few hotel nights in Orlando and some cash, but we had to sit through a 4-hour ordeal. We’re pros at it, though, and just sluff it all off. Basically, we’re taking advantage of their marketing offers, without any commitment on our part . The weather was wonderful, and we had some great pool time. We chose not to visit any of the Orlando theme parks, as we’ve been to all of them, and they’ve gotten so pricey, the equivalent of a mortgage payment, or so it seems. Instead, we went to Senior Frogs, a bar/resto which was 'hopping’ with tons of partiers, and we ate junk food. (Poor health choices, as Tammy would say.)

The next few days were spent with our long-time friends, Jenny and Stew, who recently moved to a gated community in a lovely town called DeLand, an hour outside Orlando. Their new house is just perfect for them, and they are so happy, having become part of the social scene there. We went to a street music festival in DeLand, and it was enjoyable wandering through the quirky shops while listening to the various performers up and down the street.

From Orlando, we drove down to Miami Beach for three days in South Beach. Our hotel was a classic art deco with the theme "Red" . Hence, everything was decorated in red and white. As people living in Canada, these colours resonated with us—it’s our flag after all. The weather had turned a bit chilly, but we still managed a day at the beach, long walks, some time at the pool, and a self-driving tour of Miami. We visited areas we haven’t been to before, and it was quite eye-opening. The Holocaust Memorial, for instance, is a must-see experience. It is so beautifully done, and so moving. Neighborhoods such as Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, and even downtown Miami were mostly new to us, and we marveled at the architecture and the luxurious waterside homes we saw. We visited the historic Biltmore Hotel, a massive property impressive for its buildings as well as its landscaping. While I must admit that Miami is not one of our favourite cities, we did enjoy this stay.

Our last destination was Pompano Beach, about 45 minutes drive from Miami. Here, we were to do our second timeshare, this one being at a Wyndham property . Admittedly, it was beautiful and they put us in a large 2-bedroom suite on the property. We had 2 days to sample the facilities, and then sat through yet another 4-hour presentation, which we again sailed through. Although the time might seem unreasonable, it goes by quickly, and we were given a 4-day cruise for our trouble.

BOOZE CRUISE

We had no idea of what to expect, but we soon learned that this was a booze cruise, where it was open bar and the ships’ bars never closed for the entire time. It was absolute mayhem on the ship, with people drinking and carousing all day and night. The pool area was absolute bedlam as were all the public areas and the disco. The crowd was mostly young Floridians out to have a fun weekend. What a contrast from the muted behavior of the older crowd on our previous cruise. Hey, take 1000 young people, feed them well, give them all the booze they want, add in hot sunny days and loud music, put them in the middle of the Caribbean, and you have a soup of testosterone and estrogen like you can’t believe. It was nutsy, but it was a lot of fun.

After the cruise, our trip had virtually come to an end. It had been so eclectic, ranging from the cold beautiful scenery of Iceland to the culturally stimulating Morocco to the relaxed social cruise across the Atlantic, to our multi-faceted Florida time. It had been a wonderful trip, and we were spared any health issues other than annoying colds. Fortunately, there was no other adversity on this trip. All the trip planning, and the spontanity of our trip had worked out splendidly. Memories were created that will linger for a long time to come.

Thank you for accompanying us throughout, and for your warm words of support, both in the blog comments and in your emails.

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