Those pesky chairs....

Gone for just a couple of days and those lovely white stretcher deck chairs are back on the decks of the Amsterdam. I knew that would happen. They really had to with more "pool" people coming on for the Panama Canal cruise. I just hope they get a chance to refurbish the chair situation before I re board in September. My next sailing is 19 September on the ms Amsterdam going to Asia, Australia & Polynesia. I will do a blog (new site) on my future voyages and I will put a link on this site and my other two blogs http://worldcruiser.blogspot.com/ and http://worldvoyage2007.blogspot.com/ for those of you that are interested. There may be some posts during the summer on the worldcruiser site. Next challenge..... deck chairs on the ms Rotterdam for the 2009 World Voyage..... I did have an amazing adventure! I miss the crew and my friends a great deal but I'm so buried in luggage I can't think about it too much. Have a great day!!!

Day 216 New York, New York USA

Back in the USA!!!! We sailed into New York harbor early this morning drawing to a close my Mega Voyage. It was a beautiful sail in.... much better than last year's rainy morning. It was sad to say goodbye to friends, especially Allan & Sandra and Peter & Betty. The crew was so wonderful, I will miss them all. I left the ship around 0845 and took a transfer to Newark airport. There I met my friend Patty who picked me up with a full sized SUV. It was a good thing because I had 9 bags.... embarrassing! We went back to Patty's house and had a nice visit, then it was time to hit the road. The drive to my sister's house in Delaware was a bit strange.... I haven't driven a car in over 7 months.... scary! Tomorrow I will drive home. I am really looking forward to seeing my home and my neighbors......

Day 215 At Sea

What a day to finish up an amazing voyage..... The weather was in the 80s, abundant sun and a nice breeze. Tomorrow morning I get off after 216 days in New York. It could be a hectic day getting off the ship, transferring to Newark airport and ultimately driving to my sister's house in Delaware.... I hope everything goes smooth. I will miss the people on the ship, guests and crew. Seven monhts is a long time to spend with the crew..... great people! Stay tuned, I'll post again. I will also link this site to the new blog site for the next adventure..... Not done yet

Day 214 Hamilton, Bermuda

Today was fabulous!!!! We arrived very early this morning for our approach to Bermuda. By the time we had successfully navigated through the treacherous reefs and anchored in the West End it was 8:00. We had made plans the day before to go ashore with Apolonnia in the morning for a possible beach run, a bit of shopping and to meet Peter & Betty for lunch in Hamilton. After we go ashore, around 0945, we went for drinks at a local café. After drinks we split up for a while. Allan & Sandra went off shopping and Apolonnia & I took a run out to Horseshoe Bay, one of my favorite beaches. After getting back to town we once again met up with Allan & Sandra for lunch. Betty also joined us…. Peter was unable to make it. We had a fabulous lunch to finish off the afternoon. Once we got back on the ship we went topside for a pretty good Sail away party…. Great day!…. To finish off the day I will pack tonight so I have tomorrow free for bronzing…...

Day 213 At Sea

We are back on track…. Today was fantastic… This crossing of the Atlantic has been fabulous…. Tonight we have the Black & Gold Ball, our last formal night. Tomorrow we are in Bermuda…. I hope the weather cooperates…. Pretty soon it will be time to say goodbye to friends, hoping to see them again soon on another Grand Voyage.

Day 212 At Sea

Well…… It couldn’t last! I went out this morning and settled in for a day of sun and life was good. Then, the clouds and rain came…. Bummer! It was time for plan B, packing and nap time. Tonight I’m having dinner at the Pinnacle Grill with my friends Allan, Sandra, Peter & Betty. It should be a fun evening and definitely a great meal….. One more day at sea before Bermuda…. I normally would be very excited about Bermuda, even after 21 cruises there but….. We will be tendering. I hate tendering and on top of that we are getting on boats that take 800 people. Can you imagine how long it will take to load and unload these babies????? I think I’ll bring a box lunch. Oh Well……. I hope the great weather is back for tomorrow.

Day 211 At Sea

Every day has gotten better. The Atlantic was like a lake today and the weather just perfect…. I am definitely back to peak color….. The most exciting thing today was a large whale off the starboard side of the ship…. That’s the good news…. The bad news was that it was dead. Sushi for dinner?

Day 210 At Sea

I can’t believe it…. Today was even better than yesterday. Amazing! I’m really loving this transatlantic journey. Knock on wood, I hope it continues…. Tonight is our next to the last formal night. Today we are celebrating the 135th anniversary of Holland American Line….. I changed my plans on going home because of schedule conflicts with people I wanted to visit (plus I want to get home…. Lot’s to do). I plan on getting home on Friday the 25th….. I hope I remember how to drive….

Day 209 At Sea

What can I say???? As amazed as I am, it was another wonderful day. If we could sustain this during our entire Atlantic, I will be a happy camper. I can't believe, after all this time, I have less than a week to go. I'm getting off in New York, taking a transfer to Newark where my friend Patty is picking me up. I will take about 3 days to get home. It's only about 7 hours but I will stop and visit family and friends along the way. Fabulous day!!!!

Day 208 Funchal, Madeira

I decided that today I would just go ashore in Funchal Madeira without a plan, map or anything…. except a camera. Last year I got a good look at this beautiful island. I thought checking out the town would be a great idea…. One of the first places I came to was the market. Here they were selling fish, fruits, vegetables, flowers, etc. Pretty cool place. I then ran into some folks that were looking for the cable cars to the top of the mountain and that seemed like a good idea. The views of the city and harbor from the cable car was fabulous…. Next, I walked down to the far side od the city and checked out the Forte De Sao Tiago which goes back to 1614. It was really magnificent! I then walked back down the coast toward the port. It was really amazing weather so I decided that the rest of the day should be spent poolside…. What a day!