Join me on my next cruise:  Fort Lauderdale to Rio de Janeiro, 7 February to 2 March, 2014, on Holland America's ms Maasdam.

*****

2013 was a big cruising year for me, with four cruises and a total of 44 days on board HAL's ms Veendam, ms Maasdam, ms Prinsendam, and Cunard's Queen Mary 2.  I am getting an early start so I can overtake that record in 2014. 

This cruise has a varied and interesting itinerary, visiting seven ports in the Caribbean, one port off the coast of French Guiana, and five ports along the coast of Brazil, before ending in Rio (two days before the end of Carnaval).  I have previously visited only Key West (many times during the 1970's and '80's) and Grand Cayman (during last year's cruise from Chile to Fort Lauderdale).   In addition to 23 days on the Maasdam, I will spend an additional four days in Rio before returning home to Tucson on 7 March.

*****

PS:  Will and I also have a cruise planned for August 2014 visiting several ports in the Baltic, including two days in St Petersburg, Russia.  I will post details about that trip after I return from South America.

February 2014

6    Thu     1:52p lv Tucson (TUS) / DL 2473   

                 7:14p av Atlanta (ATL)                                              

                 8:43p lv Atlanta / DL 2509 

               10:33p av Fort Lauderdale (FLL)                               

                                Westin Ft Lauderdale Hotel (1 night)        
                                

7    Fri       5:00p lv Port Everglades, FL / ms Maasdam (23 nights)

8    Sat      8a-5p Key West, FL                                    

9    Sun      --        at sea

10  Mon     8a-2p  Georgetown, Cayman Islands                                     

11   Tue     --         at sea

12   Wed    1p-midnight Oranjestad (Aruba), Antilles

13   Thu     8a-5p  Willemstad (Curacao), Antilles

14   Fri       8a-5p  av Kralendijk (Bonaire), Antilles 

15   Sat      --         at sea

16   Sun     8a-5p  av Port of Spain, Trinidad 

17   Mon    8a-5p  Scarborough, Tobago

18   Tue     --         at sea

19   Wed   noon-6p       Devils Island, French Guiana

20   Thu     --         at sea / crossing the Equator

21   Fri       8-4p    Belem, Brazil

22-23 Sat-Sun      at sea

24   Mon    8a-6p  Recife, Brazil 

25   Tue     8a-2p  Maceio, Brazil 

26   Wed    --         at sea

27   Thu     8a-5p  av Vitoria, Brazil 

28   Fri       --         at sea

March 2014

1    Sat      8a-4p  lv Ilhabela (Sao Sebastiao), Brazil

2    Sun     8a       av Rio de Janeiro, Brazil / disembark ms Maasdam    

                                 Everest Rio Hotel (4 nights) / Ipanema 
3-5 M-W    --        Rio de Janeiro

6    Thu    10:42p lv Rio de Janeiro (GIG) / DL 60 

7    Fri        6:47a av Atlanta (ATL)

                11:00a lv Atlanta / DL 1240 

                  1:01p av Tucson (TUS)