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By Vicky Wells, on November 8th, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Nov 08 ~ Day #182
|
Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$18200
|
$61.47
|
$16323.39
|
$89.69
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
15551+15=15566
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8185.5+3871.2=12056.7
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7662
|
168+28=196
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35480.7
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Current Location: Davie, Florida
Today’s Total Expenses: $51.47
Transportation: $30.00
consisting of:
$10.00 – cab from cruise port to TriRail
$5.00 – TriRail
$15.00 – cab from TriRail to pick up our car
Accommodation: $31.47 (camping)
Miles Traveled Today:
Road Miles: 15 (Fort Lauderdale to Davie, Florida)
Sea Miles: 3871.2 (3364 Nautical Miles – La Palma to Miami)
Train Miles: 28 (TriRail Miami to Fort Lauderdale)
Disembarking in Miami
Our ship had actually arrived in Miami late last night, so the disembarkation process was able to start very early in the morning – 7:00am!
If you wanted your luggage taken off the ship for you, you needed to have it outside your stateroom door the night before.
Fortunately, we were traveling with backpacks so when we disembarked we were able to carry all our luggage with us and not have to wait for our group to be called. People that had put their luggage out the night before had been sorted into groups and had to leave their staterooms and wait in designated areas for their group to be called. We could get off when we liked because we could take our luggage with us.
Long Line Up for U.S. Customs and Immigration
After a leisurely breakfast, we headed back to our room, picked up our loaded backpacks, a carry-on bag and our laptop computer, also in its own bag, and headed to the gangway to leave the ship.
The line up for customs and immigration was HUGE!
Standing there with fully loaded backpacks got pretty tired after the first half hour. Mine wasn’t too bad as it is actually smaller than Geoff’s. However, Geoff has a bad back and just standing around is difficult for him. But, standing around with a heavy backpack was just too much. He needed to take his backpack off.
The line was pretty bunched up so I had to ask the people behind us to back up a little bit so Geoff could actually get his backpack off.
We then edged our way up to Immigration for the next little while, pushing our luggage along bit by bit.
Best U.S. Immigration Officer EVER
Some people may not know this, but the immigration lines that say U.S. Citizens can also be used by Canadians. That’s because Canadians don’t need to be finger printed or have their photos taken.
So, as we got closer to the front of the line, I mentioned to the person that was directing people to various immigration officers that we were Canadian.
We were immediately whisked out of the long line and right to an available immigration officer.
I think I’ve mentioned before that I never like dealing with government officials. You never know what they’ll be like. With some people, if you put them in a uniform, they feel like they have to be officious and obnoxious.
Well, not this guy. He was smiling and happy and pleasant.
As he scanned our passports he actually started joking with us. And then he said, “Oh, Wait a minute. We can’t let you through too fast. We can’t have any Americans thinking that Canadians can get through the lines faster than they can.” And he then started to tap his fingers on the counter and whistle. Then he said, smiling, “I guess that’s long enough.”
We told him that this was our best experience ever and he said he thought Canadians were great. He said, “I’ve never gotten any attitude from a Canadian.” And, after a short pause, a little smirk passed over his face and he said, “Of course, that could have something to do with the fact that I carry a gun!”
We all chuckled. Geoff and I thanked him again and we were on our way. He had even marked our card so that we didn’t have to stop at Customs.
Camping Again
Before leaving Florida in early September we had prepaid our camping fees so we didn’t have to worry when we came back. The receipt was a little cryptic, though, so I had said to the manager, “You had better be here when we get back.” And he had assured us that he would be.
Well, as I’m sure you’ve already guessed, he wasn’t there any more.
It took a little sorting out but the new management accepted the receipt (that goodness we had one and that we’d kept it) and all was well.
By Vicky Wells, on November 7th, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Nov 07 ~ Day #181
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Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$18100
|
$102.34
|
$16261.92
|
$89.84
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
15551
|
8185.5
|
7662
|
168
|
31566.5
|
Current Location: On Board Celebrity Century En Route to Miami
Today’s Total Expenses: $102.34 (cruise cost includes transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment)
Miles Traveled Today:
We will record the miles for the Atlantic Crossing on November 8th when we arrive in Miami
Sailing Between Eleuthera and the Abacos
Early in the cruise we checked the chart in the main foyer that shows the course the ship will be taking.
To our delight, it showed that we would be sailing through the Eleuthera Channel which is between Eleuthera and the Abacos.
We had asked the staff to find out for us the estimated time that we would be passing Eleuthera. We didn’t want to miss getting a glimpse of our island as we sailed by.
The staff member we asked for the information actually called the Bridge to get the information for us! And, it seemed we would be passing Eleuthera somewhere between noon and 2:00pm at our current course and speed.
We were determined to be on deck when that happened. Although the weather looked like it might not co-operate. It was still a bit overcast with the odd bit of rain every now and then.
Passing Eleuthera
The weather cleared, thank goodness, and we got our first glimpse of Eleuthera at about 2:30pm. We stayed on deck until we couldn’t see it anymore, feeling just a little homesick.
However, we still won’t be home until November 23rd as we still have more things planned for our time in Florida.
So, we bid farewell to Eleuthera and looked forward to ending our transAltantic cruise in Miami tomorrow.
By Vicky Wells, on November 5th, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Nov 05 ~ Day #179
|
Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$17900
|
$102.34
|
$16057.24
|
$89.71
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
15551
|
8185.5
|
7662
|
168
|
31566.5
|
Current Location: On Board Celebrity Century En Route to Miami
Today’s Total Expenses: $102.34 (cruise cost includes transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment)
Miles Traveled Today:
We will record the miles for the Atlantic Crossing on November 8th when we arrive in Miami
Hurricane Tomas
Apparently Tomas again reached hurricane strength at about 9:00am this morning. Again, even though we are not directly threatened by the hurricane it could possibly make things a little uncomfortable.
Formal Night Moved
Because of the possibility of rougher seas due to Tomas, the formal night, which was scheduled for tomorrow, has been rescheduled for tonight. If we’re going to have heavy seas tomorrow we don’t want to be all dressed up, with most women in high heels, while the ship is swaying.
Lobster and Baked Alaska
Geoff was really looking forward to this evening as this is the night that lobster is on the menu. Not being a lobster fan, myself, I just looked forward to another delicious dinner.
Dessert for tonight, however, was the cruise essential – Baked Alaska. There was much fanfare and parading of the Baked Alaska, flaming, while the lights were dimmed.
By Vicky Wells, on November 4th, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Nov 04 ~ Day #178
|
Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$17800
|
$102.34
|
$15954.90
|
$89.63
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
15551
|
8185.5
|
7662
|
168
|
31566.5
|
Current Location: On Board Celebrity Century En Route to Miami
Today’s Total Expenses: $102.34 (cruise cost includes transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment)
Miles Traveled Today:
We will record the miles for the Atlantic Crossing on November 8th when we arrive in Miami
Middle of the Atlantic Ocean
I do believe that today is the day that we are officially in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
It’s been a pleasant trip so far but their is some concern that Tropical Storm (and sometimes Hurricane) Tomas may affect us even though we won’t really be going anywhere near it.
It could affect our weather and stir up the seas. We’ll see what happens.
The Newlywed Game
One of the activities today was an onboard version of the Newlywed Game, or, in a lot of cases given the age group on this ship, the Not-So-Newlywed Game.
In the spirit of fun, Geoff and I joined in and were one of the three couples playing. We actually came in second. The couple that came in first, who were in our age group, had only been married about 9 years. We came in second and have been married 22 years. The couple that came in last had been married more than 40 years. Hmmmm … does that mean we actually end up knowing less and less about each other as each year passes?
Our Amazing Cruise Director – Sue Denning
We simply had the best cruise director – Sue Denning – on this cruise. She is actually around our age and is, quite simply, a powerhouse. Her energy is amazing and she just exudes excitement.
Aside from being the cruise director she has been in the entertainment field for more than 50 years! She’s an actor and a singer.
Tonight, after the regular entertainment, she did a one-woman show, with lots of 60s Music and a tribute to Judy Garland thrown in as well.
She was absolutely amazing and her show was very professional and certainly spoke to our age group.
When she was finished she received a much deserved standing ovation.
Thanks, Sue! Having you as our cruise director made this cruise even more special.
Midnight Dessert Buffet
I do believe that every cruise also features a Midnight Dessert Buffet where the pastry chefs just go all out. And this one was no exception.
Not only did everything look scrumptious, but the elaborate presentation was stunning.
Much as we love dessert, this was a bit late at night for us. But, we couldn’t go and just look, so we carefully selected a couple of small goodies that we knew we’d enjoy.
By Vicky Wells, on November 3rd, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Nov 03 ~ Day #177
|
Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$17700
|
$102.34
|
$15852.56
|
$89.56
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
15551
|
8185.5
|
7662
|
168
|
31566.5
|
Current Location: On Board Celebrity Century En Route to
Today’s Total Expenses: $102.34 (cruise cost includes transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment)
Miles Traveled Today:
We will record the miles for the Atlantic Crossing on November 8th when we arrive in Miami
The Lazy Days Continue
We continued our regular, relaxed shipboard routine today. All of it pretty much based around meal times.
We came through a small rainstorm today, but it’s pretty easy to stay dry as there are several ways to get around the ship without going out onto open decks.
Onboard Movie Theater
This ship has a small movie theater onboard and, from time to time, we’d take in a movie.
The movie-of-the-day would be shown several times throughout the day and the showings would be posted just outside the theater.
Tonight we decided to see the move Invictus. It’s about Nelson Mandella’s attempts to unite South Africa just after the end of apartheid. The movie’s principal stars were Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. It is a movie well worth seeing and we certainly enjoyed it.
By Vicky Wells, on November 2nd, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Nov 02 ~ Day #176
|
Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$17600
|
$102.34
|
$15750.22
|
$89.49
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
15551
|
8185.5
|
7662
|
168
|
31566.5
|
Current Location: On Board Celebrity Century En Route to Miami
Today’s Total Expenses: $102.34 (cruise cost includes transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment)
Miles Traveled Today:
We will record the miles for the Atlantic Crossing on November 8th when we arrive in Miami
Galley Tour
What cruise is complete without a tour of the galley?
Today was the day that they were offering the galley tour and we decided to take advantage of it.
The size of the galley and the amount of food they prepare there is simply staggering. And, because we are now at sea for an entire week, they had to make sure they had enough food on board for everyone for the entire week. There would be no ports where they could top up anything that might be low.
I find it amazing that they can pretty accurately predict how much they’re going to need of each item. But, I guess they’ve been doing this for a while, so there must be some type of formula that applies.
Changing Our Dinner Seating
We decided to change our dinner seating to the earlier seating today. I was finding that I was much too full when it was bedtime and wasn’t sleeping well because of it.
The people we were seated with on this cruise were very nice, very interesting people and it was sad to be leaving them, but I’m sure we’ll be running into them around the ship.
Even though we were supposed to have the early seating tonight at about 6:00pm, we’re weren’t quite ready to eat that early, having been used to dining later.
So, tonight we just ate at the dinner buffet on the Lido deck at about 8:00pm.
Too Much Food, Too Little Resistance
The dinner buffet on the Lido deck can be quite dangerous. At least in the dining room you pick ONE meal and ONE dessert.
Here on the Lido deck you can choose from ALL the items that are available in the dining room and have a little bit, or a lot, of each.
It’s just too easy to say, “I’ll just have a little bit of this and a little bit of that.” because that all adds up to a lot of food!
Changed dinner seating to early (6pm) but had dinner on the Lido deck at about 8pm.
From our dinner on the Lido deck with then went to late Show at 9:15pm.
Entertainment
The entertainment tonight was a violinist who was quite good but I neglected to record his name in my notes.
By Vicky Wells, on November 1st, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Nov 01 ~ Day #175
|
Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$17500
|
$102.34
|
$15647.88
|
$89.42
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
15551
|
8185.5
|
7662
|
168
|
31566.5
|
Current Location: On Board Celebrity Century En Route to Miami
Today’s Total Expenses: $102.34 (cruise cost includes transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment)
Miles Traveled Today:
We will record the miles for the Atlantic Crossing on November 8th when we arrive in Miami
First Day of Atlantic Crossing
Yesterday we visited our last port of call in Europe and we will now be at sea until we get to Miami on November 8th.
The ship has lots of activities, so I’m sure we won’t get bored. I expect it will just be a pleasant, relaxing week at sea.
A Little Too Relaxed?
As we’ve mentioned earlier, we are traveling with just one laptop. So, when one of us is using it, the other one has to find something else to do.
While Geoff was using the computer, I settled in to read my book and promptly fell asleep. That wouldn’t be so bad, I guess, but for the fact that we were in the Hemisphere Lounge on Deck 12 Forward. It’s really a lovely lounge with wrap-around windows so you can see the whole bow of the ship and, of course, a great view of the ocean.
So, here I was sound asleep, with my feet up on another chair. I think I slept for almost two hours. I sure hope I didn’t snore!
More Great Entertainment
The cast on this ship, both singers and dancers, are very good. The production numbers are well put together and very professional.
Tonight’s entertainment was called “Liverpool Knights” and treated us to a lot of songs we remember from the 60s as well as some incredibly “tight” dance numbers.
We thoroughly enjoyed it.
By Vicky Wells, on October 28th, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Oct 28 ~ Day #171
|
Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$17100
|
$102.34
|
$15206.88
|
$88.93
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
15551
|
6923.2
|
7662
|
168
|
30304.2
|
Current Location: At Sea On Board the Celebrity Century En Route to Madeira, Portugal
Today’s Total Expenses: $102.34 (cruise cost includes transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment)
Miles Traveled Today:
At sea all day, will record mileage at next port – Madeira, Portugla.
Lazy Days on Board
The days at sea seem relaxing and unrushed, yet seem to go by very quickly nonetheless.
Today consisted mostly of relaxing, reading and wandering the ship.
Entertainment
We had, once again, chosen the late seating for dinner, so we were going to the early entertainment at about 7:00pm.
Tonight was an act from Las Vegas – Sideshow Bert.
While it was fun to watch, we didn’t think it was what could be considered “A List” entertainment. I suppose it must be difficult to get entertainers on a transAtlantic cruise. After all, once we leave the Canary Islands, it’s sea days all the way to Miami.
Repositioning Cruises
You may think that we’ve got the daily expenses wrong on these posts. After all, $102.34 seems like an awfully cheap price for a transAtlantic cruise.
That’s a two-week, all-inclusive vacation. And we do mean all-inclusive – food, accommodation, entertainment AND transportation all rolled into one.
One reason for the price is that this is a “repositioning” cruise. What that means is that the ship had been doing Mediterranean cruises for the summer season and was now being moved to the Caribbean for the winter season.
Although some people actually flew over from North America just to take this cruise, we found that it was the most cost-effective way for us to get back home from our European adventure.
We checked the airfare from Barcelona to Miami and it was over $1100.00 for the two of us. This cruise, which offered us a two-week, all-inclusive vacation, like we said above, and also got us home, only cost us $1432.76 – total – for the two of us!
It was a simple decision. With only a $300 difference, who wouldn’t go for the cruise?
By Vicky Wells, on September 5th, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Sep 05 ~ Day #118
|
Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$11800
|
$953.38
|
$10577.70
|
$89.64
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
13890+15=13905
|
4451
|
4418
|
69+26=95
|
22869
|
Current Location: Winging Our Way over the Atlantic
Today’s Total Expenses: $953.38
Transportation: $939.89
Consisting of:
$919.89 Airfare
$ 15.00 Cab fare
$ 5.00 TriRail
Food: $13.49
Consisting of:
$8.48 Subway
$5.01 Drinks at Airport
Miles Traveled Today:
Road Miles: 15
Train Miles: 26
Air Miles: 4418 (Miami to Madrid)
Busy, Busy, Busy
We are flying to England tonight so this will be a busy day.
Fortunately when we woke up the sun was shining so we would be able to pack the tent away dry.
Our new friends S & B had offered to pack it up later if it was still wet but I’m glad we did not have to impose on them.
After saying goodbye to everyone we had to get dressed, which always feels strange after an extended stay at a naturist resort.
Both the camp and U-Store-It are in Dania Florida so we only had a short drive to the place we store our car. It would actually be cheaper for us to rent a car when we visit Florida but we have been paying for storage for several years and it seems a hard habit to break.
The TriRail station is just a $15.00 cab ride from U-Store-It and is the cheapest way to get to the Miami airport. Your TriRail ticket includes the shuttle bus from the train station to the airport terminal. My only complaint is the ticket machine that gives change in US $1.00 coins. I had a pocketful of the things and the weight was threatening to pull my pants down. Fortunately I was able to exchange them for bills at the airport currency exchange booth. I did not relish the thought of dragging a pocketful of coins around Europe.
Vicky in Panic Mode
Vicky tends to panic when it comes to departure times so we had managed to arrive more than 4 hours before check in. In fact, the airline counter was not even open so we settled down to eat the subs we had bought on the way to storing the car.
Eventually the waiting was over and we got to go through the airport check in process. I’m only half joking when I say we should all fly naked. No more scanners and you can be pretty sure the average fanatical Muslim might be willing to blow themselves up but would no drop their drawers in public.
Off to London, England via Madrid, Spain
We flew Air Europa to Madrid, then Madrid to Gatwick. Vicky can talk about that tomorrow but the overnight flight was cramped. Leg room is always at a premium but the seats themselves seem to be getting narrower. No – actually I’ve lost a little weight so it really is the seats.
None of the seat back TVs were working so we had no movies or music to pass the time.
We did get supper sometime around 11:00pm but it was some kind of pasta dish with a pasta side salad. I’m so glad we’re taking a transAtlantic cruise back. We’ll get a two week cruise with stops in Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands plus all the food we can eat for just $300 more than this flight is costing.
By Vicky Wells, on August 26th, 2010
Our transportation, accommodation, food and entertainment cost so far
|
Aug 26 ~ Day #108
|
Budget to date
|
Spent today
|
Total to date
|
Daily average
|
|
Total
|
$10800
|
$30.00
|
$9283.38
|
$85.95
|
|
Miles by Road
|
Miles by Sea
|
Miles by Air
|
Miles by Train
|
Total Miles
|
|
13570+10=13580
|
4451
|
000
|
69
|
18100
|
Current Location: Kissimmee, Florida
Accommodation: $30.00
Our Last Day in the Condo
Today’s our last day in the timeshare condo. From here on we will be tenting until we leave for Europe on September 5th.
Yes, a Purse IS a Necessity
I don’t know how most women feel about their purses, but I’d feel lost without mine.
So why I am mentioning something like that?
Well, all we’re taking to Europe is our backpacks. It would be really silly to carry a purse and a backpack.
HOWEVER, We will be checking our backpacks at Miami airpot and we are flying through Madrid on the way to London. That means not only do we have to change planes in Madrid but so does our luggage.
There are certain things that I simply will not risk in checked luggage. Things like the laptop, wallets (with credit cards, etc.), Passports (duh!), my jewelry, important papers (reservation confirmations, etc.) and our camera.
So, I initiated a campaign to convince Geoff that I needed a purse, of sorts.
It would have to be small enough and pliable enough to fit into one of the pouches on my backpack, but large enough to take all the stuff I refuse to check with the luggage,
Yes, girls, I was on a mission!
Back to the Flea Markets
When we had gone to the flea markets earlier I had seen some bags that might fit the bill.
These bags (can’t really call them purses) were tapestry, so they could be folded up while they were empty and all the stuff I planned to put in them was still in the backpack.
One of my goals was that even the laptop should be able to fit in the bag giving us (well, me) only one thing to carry after we had checked the backpacks.
Another criteria was that it not only be functional but it also needed to be cheap. After all, I didn’t really need another purse. (Did I say that out loud?)
Found the Perfect Purse
After dragging Geoff around numerous flea market stalls, and visiting some of them more than once (hey, I had to compare features, qualities and price – right?) I finally found the one I wanted.
This bag was a kitty cat motif tapestry, so it would fold up nicely. It had an inside and outside zippered section and the main section itself also zippered shut and then velcroed shut for added security.
It also had its own change purse and an elasticized net pouch on the outside for a water bottle. And, it looked like it should be large enough for the laptop, but we didn’t have the laptop with us so we couldn’t be absolutely certain.
Believing all my criteria had been met, I bought it for a total cost of $5.35 including tax. No, that’s not a typo – $5.35 is correct.
Will the Laptop Fit?
The only thing I wasn’t absolutely certain of was whether or not the laptop would fit.
We had the laptop with us in the car so we immediately gave it a try.
It was like it was made for it! It slid right in and the main zipper of the bag closed snuggly over it. Yay!
Now I don’t have to worry about the stuff I refuse to check and I’ll also have a purse of sort when we’re doing sightseeing and stuff.
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