Miami December 13th, 2023 Today is the day! We are due to board at 12:30, and I was so excited. I looked out the window of our hotel room, and there she was, hiding behind a Regence Seven Seas ship. We will be on her in a few hours. I had...
At Sea December 14th We got up early as I was still trying to get things organized for my group, and had failed thus far. Then came the “this is your captain speaking” announcement. These are never good. I always fantasize that it may mean we...
At Sea December 15th, 2023 It was quite a rough night, but not so bad that the poinsettia we were given on embarkation got thrown around the room. We had a bromeliad as a gift on the Queen Victoria in 2017 (Brunhilda) and it had to spend many a...
Still at Sea December 16th, 2023 We had a time change overnight, so by the time we were up and ready for the day we had missed breakfast. We went to the Crema Café for coffee and pastries. Well, Brian had yogurt like a good fellow. The café was...
San Juan December 17th, 2023 It was hot and humid and raining. We decided not to venture ashore. The Castillo San Felipe del Morro in Old San Juan was beckoning in the distance, but the dark clouds, heavy with moisture, were sure to drench us as...
Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda December 17th, 2023 Today was our day for going to the Baths. This is a wonderful area for swimming, snorkeling and sunbathing on Virgin Gorda. It is time to be back on a white sand beach again. Well, it didn’t happen....
Samana, Dominican Republic December 19th, 2023 Today is the day. Today we will host the shore excursion for our group. I love doing this, but it is always anxiety provoking. What if more people show up than we have booked? What if we can’t find...
At Sea December 20th, 2023 Our last sea day. It was still raining, and had been very rough overnight. This is the strangest Caribbean cruise we have ever done! I’m not sure this ship has the best stabilizers, there’s an awful lot of rocking and...
Ocean Cay, Bahamas December 21st, 2023 Would we or would we not actually be able to set foot on Ocean Cay? Ocean Cay is a private island in the Bahamas, owned by Explora Journey’s parent company, MSC Cruises. The MSC large ships get to stop...
Miami December 22nd, 2023 We had to be out of our suite by 8:00, so it was an early start. We said farewell to Patsy the poinsettia and hoped that the new occupants of the suite would take good care of her. I had thought about leaving them a...