Saturday, 30 March 2024
Jost Van Dyke, British West Indies

 

The Sirena is anchored off the small island of Jost Van Dyke, a British Virgin Island named for an imaginary Dutch pirate. The sky is a perfectly clear blue, the air temperature is in the mid-80's, and the sea is as smooth as glass.  We arrived at 8am, and after a leisurely breakfast I tendered the short distance to shore--barely more than five minutes away. But, as usual, I must return to Friday as LFLatSea plays catch-up.

 

Friday, 29 March 2024

At Sea on Board ms Sirena

Our second day at sea is as calm and restful as the first. In fact, it's a very Good Friday indeed. We decide to sleep in this morning and don't reach the Terrace Cafe for breakfast until after 9:30. But luckily we find a private table in the warm shade on the outdoor "terrace" part at the very back of the ship. No important details about breakfast, except that after our food we head down to Deck 5 for cappuccinos and pastry at the Barista Bar.

We spend an hour in a shady spot by the Lido pool and then walk 10 steps to the outdoor Waves Cafe for lunch: a Reuben sandwich for Will and an excellent cheeseburger for me. Will is still wearing his therapeutic boot and using his cane, but is walking more each day, especially since sailing has been so very smooth.

The big event of the day is the Captain's Cocktail Reception at 6pm, with free drinks--Will has white wine and I have "house" champagne and hors d'ouvrés. Although it is suggested that everyone dress "appropriately," the reality is that costumes run the gamut from cocktail dresses for women to casual shorts for men. The Captain and his chief officers line up on stage and introduce themselves and their duties on Sirena, and two entertainment team singers and their backup band perform a couple of songs.

Of course, all this ceremony is just a prelude to the more important event of dinner in the Grand Dining Room. We start off with another round of drinks; Will has a glass of Pinot Grigio and I treat myself to a glass of authentic French Champagne. Dinner is quite elegant tonight and our servers are excellent and very good-looking (two gentlemen from Croatia, to misquote Shakespeare). Will enjoys another shrimp cocktail (not quite as "colossal" as served in the Tuscan Steak Grill), lobster bisque, well-done prime rib, and an interesting chocolate volcano construction for dessert. I start with a small potato fritter stuffed with cream cheese and gravalax, Caesar salad, medium-rare prime rib, and a wonderful Dutch apple pie for dessert. But since I have heard too many complaints about photos of food, I shall restrain myself today. 

After dinner we manage to stay awake for the 9:30 show in the Sirena Lounge. The four young singers perform a program of iconic songs from several decades of Broadway and the West End. The lounge is very small with comfortable armchairs and sofas rather than tiered rows of seats. The singers and the band are good, but the sound system needs adjustment so the audience's eardrums won't shatter.

That's all for our day at sea. In the next LFLatSea you can expect photos from Jost Van Dyke.

Friday, 29 March 2024
Enroute to Jost Van Dyke, British West Indies

 

We are enjoying our second very-smooth sea day since leaving Miami. We have had a chance to explore the Sirena--it doesn't take long given her size. But it's large enough to easily find spaces that are quiet and empty. The ship was refitted in 2019 and everything is elegantly redesigned in blues and grays (matching my wardrobe, of course). Yesterday we sailed eastward past the big islands of Cuba and Hispaniola--visible to our south in the far distance. Today we head southeast to our first port, Jost Van Dyke, where we anchor tomorrow morning. But first LFLatSea returns to yesterday,

 

Thursday, 28 March 2024

At Sea on Board ms Sirena

After a restful night's sleep we head for the Grand Dining Room, in retrospect not a good idea for the first full day of the cruise. The food--eggs Benedict and assorted fruits and other sides--is hot and tasty, but the service is very slow. We enjoy a table for two beside a large window and relax looking at the calm seas and the occasional ship in the far distance. Rather than waiting in the Dining Room for second cups of coffee, we move on to the Barista Bar, just a few steps away, for hot lattes and ship-baked cookies.

With temperatures in the 70's and relatively low humidity, the remainder of the morning is perfect for sitting by the pool for the hour before heading up to the Terrace Cafe, where a large and varied buffet is available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We aren't very hungry after our big breakfast, so we settle for a couple of slices of thin-cut pizza.

There are three guest speakers on this cruise, presenting a variety of topics. We miss the morning lecture by UK travel photographer Benedict Brain (sic), but we do attend an afternoon talk by Katrina Gulliver, PhD:  "Old Age Piracy and New Age Treasure Hunters." The third speaker will make her first appearance on Friday.

Before getting ready for dinner in the Terrace Cafe, I wander around the various decks taking photographs. At tonight's dinner the highlights are as many grilled lobster tails as you can eat and pate en croute. Of course, a multitude of other main courses, sides, salads, sushi, and desserts is available. Diners can enjoy their repasts either at indoor tables or on the large outdoor terrace (hence the name of the venue).

We are looking forward to the Captain's Cocktail Celebration, with free drinks, at 6pm this evening. I will report on that, as well as our day in port in the next blog.

View of Lido Pool Deck and Observation Deck

The.Grand Dining Room

Shuffleboard on the Sports Deck

Putting Green on the Sports Deck

Wednesday, 27 March 2024
Miami, Florida

This morning Will and I awake to the bright sunshine and enervating humidity of South Florida—we are, at last, starting our six-week adventure. 

Yesterday was a long and tiring day of travel. In addition to my own mobility issues that readers are aware of from previous trips, Will’s broken left foot, still encased in a large therapeutic boot, made the day even heavier.

Tuesday, 26 March 2024

After a good breakfast in the dining room at Mountain View Retirement Village and prolonged goodbyes to our friends, we finish our last-minute packing and are ready for our friend Don to drive us the short distance to the Groome Shuttle station for our 11:30am van ride to the Phoenix Airport (PHX). The trip usually takes about 90 minutes, but the traffic is relatively light--except for all the huge trucks in the right lanes--and our driver has a heavy foot, often exceeding 80mph (the speed limit is 75 on I-10).

We arrive at PHX about two hours before our non-stop American Airlines flight to Miami and are able to check our bags and get boarding passes outside, just steps from the van. However, we are now charged $3.50 per bag for this outside service which was formerly free! Will's wheelchair is there as well, so we head right to security and the gate (which, as usual for me is as far away as possible).

We are in first class on a very new Airbus Neo plane with very roomy and comfortable seats. However, there are no screens anywhere. Flight attendants are forced to perform their old routines about safety measures, which used to be on videos. If you wish to watch movies or listen to music, you have to use your own phone, iPad, or laptop. I guess that's progress for you (and less expense when building the plane). We have a good lunch/dinner, which we had pre-selected on-line:  lemon-pesto chicken with crudités, roast potatoes and fresh green bean, and raspberry sorbet for dessert.

We arrive in Miami about 15 minutes early at 10:10pm (Eastern DST). After a quick wheelchair ride to luggage delivery, we wait a verrrry long time for the luggage to appear. The wheelchair assistant gets us out to the curb where we are picked up by a free shuttle to the Hilton Miami Airport Blue Lagoon Hotel, just a short ride away. After a speedy check-in for our free room (Delta Airlines miles), we discover that our 10th floor room is as far from the elevators as possible without falling out the emergency exit doors. But it has been a long day and we are soon comfortably asleep.

Wednesday, 27 March 2024

Miami

One reason we booked the Hilton is that it offers a shuttle to the Port of Miami for $15.00 a person. I called the hotel the day before we left Tucson to inquire about scheduling. I was told that we could schedule the shuttle after we arrive at the hotel. However (it seems I am using a lot of "howevers" in this blog), when I try to reserve space on the 11am shuttle, I am told that it does not run during the week but that a special shuttle will run today at 12:30pm. Not much help since our cruise check-in is at 11:30. Although I complain to the manage about the mis-information, all he can offer is an apology (not of much use). Fortunately, I am successful at arranging an Uber ride that turns out very pleasantly--and only slightly more expensive than the shuttle. We do enjoy an expansive breakfast buffet at the Hilton. Will, who hasn't traveled much since 2018, is shocked by the cost:  $71.00 for two, including tax and service. It's lucky we don't have to pay for it since breakfast is included with our free room.

After a very comfortable Uber ride we reach Norwegian Cruise Line's brand-new terminal, where the Sirena is docked; her sister ship, Vista, is docked at Oceania's location. Check-in, security, boarding and visiting our muster station take little time and we are soon enjoying lunch in the outdoor Waves Cafe. Of course, I order my standard Oceania first lunch--steak and lobster sandwich with remoulade sauce, fries and coleslaw, and a small mixed salad. Will enjoys his very first steak and lobster sandwich as well.

We are in a mid-ship concierge veranda stateroom on the port side, small but elegant, looking upon calm seas from our veranda.

We meet our cabin steward Paul, originally from Mumbai, and spend the rest of the afternoon finding places for all our stuff and relaxing until sail-away at 7pm. One hour later we have our first specialty restaurant reservation in the Tuscan Steak Grill. The Grill combines the Italian and Steak and Seafood specialty restaurants on Oceania's larger ships, which carry about 1200 passengers; the Sirena carries 670 passengers.

Dinner is wonderful. We both have dry on-the rocks martinis along with specialty breads offered only in the two restaurants. I have beef carpaccio, lobster bisque with VSOP brandy poured in at the table, and a perfect NY strip steak with steak fires and a roasted tomato. Will enjoys a "colossal" shrimp cocktail (indeed, they are), the lobster bisque, and veal Marsala with roasted potatoes. We share a Valhrona chocolate pastry with melted pistachio filling, large black cherries and chocolate sauce--a perfect ending before a perfect night of deep and peaceful sleep.

The next blog will take us to the first full sea day and adventures on board ms Sirena--check back for more. If this is the first blog page you are receiving, you will want to go back to the two preceding blogs with general information about the trip.

Thursday, 21 March 2024
Tucson, Arizona

Additional Information About Our 

Upcoming Adventure  

 

With only four more days until departure, we have been very busy getting things together for our six-week absence.  Did you know, for example, that the Post Office will hold mail for a maximum of 30 days? For a longer time away you must have your mail forwarded to a temporary address (friend or relative). 

But I am back with some additional information about our trip, including some minor corrections to the itinerary.  We are taking the shuttle to Phoenix, instead of leaving from Tucson, in order to have a non-stop flight to Miami. I have had so many problems with changing planes in the past year (cancelled flights, lost luggage, etc), that even the inconvenience of the 90-minute drive to Phoenix is better than taking a chance on a non-direct flight from Tucson.

The itinerary in the previous posting mis-states that the flight is in Business Class; we are flying First Class, and have just pre-ordered our meal choices for lunch. The other correction is that we have cancelled the E-Life limo from the Hilton to the cruiseport because the hotel has a shuttle service that will make the trip easier (and less expensive).

The first part of the trip is on Oceania Cruise Lines ms Sirena, refurbished in 2019. She carries 670 guests and 400 staff members. Her gross tonnage is 30,277 and her length is 593.7 feet. This is tiny compared to most of the new mega-ships, some of which carry more than 6,000 passengers! The general rule of cruising is:  the smaller the ship, the larger the cabins. This will be my seventh cruise on Oceania, and my 31st ocean cruise since 2007; Will has previously sailed on four Oceania cruises and 11 ocean cruises.

Sirena includes entirely new suites, staterooms and bathrooms, with the same beautifully re-inspired ambiance as her three sister ships. She features Tuscan Steak, her signature specialty restaurant, which serves Italian favorites, succulent steaks and fresh seafood; and the unique Asian-fusion Red Ginger. Sirena offers two additional unique, open-seating restaurants, the Aquamar Spa, eight lounges and bars, a casino and 333 suites and staterooms.

All Veranda Staterooms offer a number of special amenities:

• Tranquility Bed, an Oceania Cruises exclusive, with 1,000-thread-count linens
• Complimentary soft drinks replenished daily in your refrigerated mini-bar
• Complimentary still & sparkling Vero Water
• Private teak veranda
• Bulgari amenities
• Free room service menu 24 hours a day
• Twice-daily maid service
• Belgian chocolates with turndown service
• Interactive television system with on-demand movies, weather and more
• Wireless Internet access and cellular service
• Writing desk and stationery
• Plush cotton towels
• Thick cotton robes and slippers
• Handheld hair dryer
• Security safe

Additionally, our Category A Concierge Level Veranda Stateroom offers:

• Free laundry service
• Expanded lunch and dinner room service menu from The Grand Dining Room
• Complimentary welcome bottle of Champagne
• Priority online specialty restaurant reservations
• Unlimited access to theAquamar Spa Terrace
• Complimentary Oceania Cruises logo tote bag
• Cashmere lap blankets, perfect for relaxing on the veranda
• Complimentary pressing of garmets upon embarkation 
• Complimentary shoeshine service

This 14-day cruise will take us to four new ports on our way from Miami to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain:  Jost Van Dyke (British West Indies), Dominica, and Barbados in the West Indies; and Porto Grande (Cape Verde Islands), off the west coast of North Africa.

🚢🚢🚢

For the second cruise segment of the trip (after five days in Las Palmas), we will sail on Seabourn Cruise Lines ms Quest, built in 2011 and refurbished in 2018. She carries 450 guests and 335 staff members. Her gross tonnage is 32,348, her length is 650 feet and her width 84 feet. The Quest is slightly larger than Sirena, but carries fewer passengers. I have previously cruised on Seabourn Encore in 2019 on a 19-day cruise from Athens to Dubai. As a solo traveler I can't usually afford Seabourn's prices, but they had a special no-single supplement sale.

Will has previously been to only two of the ports, Ibiza and Barcelona. I have previously visited those ports, as well as Tangier, Gibraltar, and Cartagena. New ports for me will be the four ports in the Canary Islands, Casablanca, and Melilla.

• All ocean-front suites, most with a private veranda
• Complimentary premium spirits and fine wines
• Complimentary caviar throughout the voyage
• All dining venues are complimentary
• Dine where, when, one with whom you wish
• Welcome Champagne
• Complimentary in-suite bar stocked with you choice
• Tipping is neither required, nor expected
• Complimentary signature events
• Complimentary wifi with unlimited minutes  
• Writing desk and stationery
• Plush cotton towels
• Thick cotton robes and slippers
• Handheld hair dryer
• Security safe

🚢🚢🚢

To conclude this long post, the third and final cruise that will bring us back to the US is on Cunard's Queen Mary 2 (hereafter called QM2), from Southampton, UK, to Brooklyn in New York City. Built 2002-2003 and refurbished in 2026, she carries 2,695 passengers and 1,253 staff members. Gross tonnage is 149,215, length 1,132 feet, and width 147.5 feet.

Queen Mary 2's facilities include 15 restaurants and bars, five swimming pools, a casino, a ballroom, a theatre, and the first planetarium at sea.

Although this will be my ninth transatlantic cruise (plus one transpacific), I have sailed on QM2 only once--eastbound in July 2013. Will and I have both sailed on Cunard's Queen Victoria in the Mediterranean in October 2010.

  

Our Britannia sheltered balcony stateroom includes the following amenities:

• Half a bottle of sparkling wine on arrival 
• Fresh fruit on request
• 24-hour room service
• Nightly turndown service with chocolate
• Satellite TV (with multi-language film and music channels)
• Direct-dial telephone
• Refrigerator
• Tea and coffee making facilities
• Hairdryer
• Safe
• Daily shipboard programme
• Bathrobe and slippers
• Penhaligon's toiletries
• 220V British 3-pin and 110V 2-pin sockets

A Dramatic Adventure in Three Acts, 

with Prologue and Epilogue

Prologue

Tucson—Phoenix—Miami

26 March 2024

American Airlines

Tue   26 Mar  11:30am  lv  Tucson (Twin Peaks) / Groome Shuttle

                        1:00pm  av  Phoenix (PHX)

                        3:25pm  lv   Phoenix (PHX) / American Airlines 821

                                             Business Class / free flight with AA miles

                      10:38pm   av  Miami (MIA) / Hilton Miami Airport Blue Lagoon Hotel

Act One

Miami—Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

27 March-09 April 2024

Oceania Cruises ms Sirena

Wed  27 Mar   11:00am  lv  Hilton--Cruise Port / E-Life limo

                        11:30am       Embark ms Sirena (14 days)

                                                   Suite 7046 / Concierge Veranda Stateroom

                          7:00pm  lv  Miami

Thu    28 Mar-                      Days at Sea (2)

Fri      29 Mar

Sat     30 Mar    8:00am  av Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands

                          4:00pm  lv  Jost Van Dyke

Sun    31 Mar    9:00am  av Roseau, Dominica

                                                  Shore Excursion:  Easy Dominica & Rainforest Drive

                          6:00pm  lv  Roseau

Mon      1 Apr    7:00am  av Bridgetown, Barbados

                                                   Shore Excursion:  Discover Barbados

                           2:00pm  lv  Bridgetown

Tue        2  Apr-                     Days at Sea (4)

Fri          5  Apr      

Sat         6 Apr  11:00am  av Porto Grande, Mindelo, Cape Verde

                                                  Shore Excursion:  Spectacular San Vicente

                            8:00pm  lv  Porto Grande  

Sun         7 Apr-                      Days at Sea (2) 

Mon        8 April

 

Tue         9 Apr    8:00am  av Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

                                                   Shore Excursion:  The Gardens of Grand Canary

                             9:00pm      Disembark ms Sirena

                                                    Hotel: Occidental Las Palmas (5)

Interlude One 

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

10-14 April 2024

Hotel: Occidental Las Palmas

Act Two

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain—Barcelona

14-26 April 2024

Seabourn Cruises ms Quest

Sun    14 Apr  12:30pm        Embark ms Quest (12 days)

                                                    Veranda Suite 665

                          7:00pm   lv   Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Mon   15 Apr     8:00am  av  Santa Cruz, La Palma, Islas Canaria, Spain

                                       GYG Tour: La Palma-Tacande Volcanic Landscape Tour

                           9:00pm  lv   Santa Cruz

Tue    16 Apr      8:00am  av  San Sebastian de la Gomera, Islas Canaria, Spain

                                                     Shore Excursion:  In the Footsteps of Columbus

                           4:00pm   lv   San Sebastian de la Gomera

Wed   17 Apr     8:00am   av  Arecife, Lanzarote, Islas Canaria, Spain

                                                      GYG Tour:  Full Day Bus Tour with Scenic Views

                           6:00pm   lv   Arecife

Thu   18 Apr                     Day at Sea

Fri    19 Apr       7:00am   av  Casablanca, Morocco

                                                     Shore Excursion (L): Casablanca & Rabat

                                                     Shore Excursion (W): Casablanca Highlights & Hassan II Mosque

                           9:00pm   lv   Casablanca

Sat   20 Apr       12:00nn  av  Tangier, Morocco

                                                      Shore Excursion (L): Blue City of Chefchaouen

                                                      Shore Excursion (W): Shore Excursion: Exploration of Tetouan

                           11:00pm  lv   Tangier

Sun   21 Apr        8:00am  av  Gibraltar, UK

                                                       GYG Tour: Dolphin Watch Cruise & Cable Car Fast Track Combo

                             6:00pm   lv  Gibraltar

Mon  22 Apr                             Day at Sea

Tue   23 Apr   7:00am  av  Melilla, Spanish Morocco

                              5:00pm  lv   Melilla

Wed  24 Apr         8:00am  av  Cartagena, Spain

                                                      Shore Excursion: Roman Theatre & Tapas Trail

                              6:00pm  lv   Cartagena

Thu   25 Apr         8:00am  av   Ibiza, Spain

                              5:00pm  lv    Ibiza

Fri     26 Apr         7:00am  av   Barcelona

                                                       Disembark ms Quest

Interlude Two

Barcelona--Paris--London--Southampton

26-28 April 2024

Fri      26 Apr      12:40pm  lv    Barcelona (BCN) / Air France 1349   

                                         Business Class / free flights with / Delta Miles

                       2:35pm av   Paris (CDG)

                              4:10pm  lv    Paris / Air France 1280        

                              4:35pm  av   London (LHR)

                              5:15pm  lv    London /  Taxi2Cardiff Ltd

                              6:45pm  av   Southampton, UK / Hotel Moxy Southampton (2)

Sat     27 Apr                              Southampton  

  

Act Three

Southampton-New York (Brooklyn)

28 April-5 May 2024

Cunard Cruises ms Queen Mary 2

Sun     28 Apr         tba      lv     Embark ms Queen Mary 2 / Balcony Stateroom Aft 5237

       tba         lv     Southampton

Mon     29 Apr-                        Days at Sea (7)

Sat         4 May

Sun        5 May       tba       av       New York  

                                                         Disembark QM2

Epilogue

New York (Manhattan)-Chicago-Tucson

Southwest Airlines 

5-8 May 2024

Sun        5 May 4:00pm  av            Hotel Milenium Broadway / Times Square (3) 

Mon        6 May-                       New York, NY

Tue         7 May

Wed        8 May  9:25am lv      New York (LGA) / Southwest 3137

                              10:55am av     Chicago (MDW

                                1:45pm lv      Chicago (MDW) / Southwest 4380                    

                                3:25pm av     Tucson (TUS)

We are way behind in getting ready for trip, but I hope to post more information in the coming days. Look for announcements in your email, or log on to www.lflatsea.blogspot.com at any time.