It's been a few weeks since the first installment of my cruise diary, but I finally had a chance to finish it and wanted to post it as soon as I could.

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SAILING AWAY TO HALF MOON CAY! Pt. 2

I’ve talked about the Zuiderdam in the first part of this review, so I want to talk about the various ports we hit and how the rest of the week went.

We flew down to Ft. Lauderdale on Friday morning (9/5), after days of worrying about how we might be affected by Hurricane Fabian. We had an uneventful, if pleasant flight on Song (formerly Delta Express) out of JFK. We picked up our luggage, rather quickly and called the Embassy Suites, where we were staying overnight. The hotel sent a shuttle and along with several other cruise bound guests took us to the hotel. We had already checked in and were relaxing in our room when a short, heavy rain hit.

One of the nice things about the Embassy Suites (and I believe this is common in all of them) is that not only do you have a nice ‘all-you-can-eat’ breakfast, but also each hotel has a ‘manager’s reception’ in the evening. Basically, this is a two-hour open bar where drinks (some places limit the types available) and snacks are free of charge. It’s a great way to meet fellow guests and to unwind before heading out to dinner, either at a nearby restaurant or in the Embassy’s own rather nice eatery. We went down at 5:30pm, just when the reception began, had some drinks and snacks, meeting a few of our fellow passengers. Feeling very relaxed, we had a late dinner and went back to our room to put together a smaller, travel bag for the next day.

(Hint to first time cruisers: While every cruise ship I have been on has been very good about getting out bags delivered within a few hours of arrival, there are plenty of stories we’ve heard of others who have found too late, that their bags were sent to another part of the ship and had to spend the rest of the day wearing whatever they happened to bring with them. While on this topic, be sure to carry some items (toiletries, night clothes and your cruise ship tickets, etc.) with you as carry-on items for the plane (whether or not you are flying in a day early). You’d be in pretty bad shape arriving at your ship and not having what you needed to get aboard.)

Jumping ahead a day….

Our first port of call was Key West, FL on Sunday. We were only going to be there for about eight hours (arriving at 8:00am; departing 4:00pm, but we had to be back onboard an hour before), so after a leisurely breakfast we debarked and waited for a tour we had already requested, which left at 9:30am. If you’ve never been to Key West, I’d really like to recommend that you take the Conch Train or Trolley tours that leave from the piers. They only take about an hour and you really do get to see many of the major highlights of the island, since you could walk across Key West in 30-45 minutes. The driver/tour-guide Brandon was very funny and pointed out just about everything of interest along our route. Besides the various residents of Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams, we also saw the ‘Little White House’ which Harry Truman used during his Presidency, hotels where famous writers, musicians and actors had stayed and Key West’s “Dog Beach”, where owners are allowed to let their best friends cavort and play at will. Brandon also disclosed a number of fascinating facts about the islands history and the people who have made it their home since before Columbus ‘disturbed’ the local natives relative peace.

We grabbed lunch at Sloppy Joe’s, a very popular bar/restaurant off Duval Street. When you go inside you’ll see dozens of photos of Ernest Hemingway, plus an ‘honor wall’ for Hemingway look-alikes. The original Sloppy Joe’s was actually a few blocks away and is now called Capt. Tony’s, which is where Hemingway actually did visit daily back when he resided on the island. The new place didn’t even exist, despite the name when the writer was enjoying the Florida weather. Despite this, the place is recommended, with decent food at surprisingly reasonable prices and amazing drinks. (I personally recommend the Rum Runner.) You can check out the bar over on their website http://www.sloppyjoes.com , which lets you see several shots of the bar and Duval St., just outside.

We spent an other hour or so walking about and then decided to head back to the ship early, since we wanted to hit the Crow’s Nest bar for bingo. We ended up making the right decision, since the skies opened up a little before 3:00pm, soaking many folks as they tried to get back before departure. We’ve decided that we’d really like to head back down to the Keys for a few days, probably early in the year before hot weather and the majority of the tourist trade settle in.

After a relaxing day at sea, spent going from poolside to bar or restaurants, we hit our next port, Cozumel, Mexico. Donna had been there before, so we passed on the tours (also the ship was only going to be in port for about six hours) and hit some of the shops downtown. Unless you hit the beaches or take some of the various tours outside the town, there really isn’t much to do or see in Cozumel besides the dozens of shops. Everything from local crafts to jewelry is available, along with liquor and cigars (for those looking to get some real tequila or Cuban cigars). We picked up some silver jewelry for Kristina and her partner Devin, and then moved on to get some gifts for others. Again we headed back a little early, so we could grab a late lunch.

Next morning we arrived early at Grand Cayman Island. After breakfast we took a tender (HAL uses their lifeboats) to shore. Unlike in Cozumel, where you needed to take a taxi into town, unless you just wanted to visit the Duty Free shops at the pier, the tenders brought you right into the heart of the shopping district. The Caymans have a very relaxed atmosphere and it’s easy to see why it has become so popular with cruise ship passengers and those who fly in. The people are friendly and the numerous shops are generally low pressure, allowing you time to browse and still possible to find a salesperson should you need one. Again, the beaches are quite nice and the water inviting. The big drawback, for anyone considering a vacation there, is that food is pretty steep, at least in the tourist sections. Donna and I had lunch, comprised of an appetizer, iced tea and fried fish w/sides. Total for the two of us was over $50, not including tip. L

Anyway, we did some shopping, picking up some more birthday and holiday gifts for friends and family, before once again heading back early. When we had arrived there was only one other ship in the harbor, but by the time we finished shopping three other cruise ships, besides our own were anchored and sending thousands of eager shoppers ashore. The place was crowded and we both felt it was wise to go back early, hit the pool again and enjoy a nap before the evening’s usual festivities.
Once again we enjoyed a day at sea, playing bingo using the pool and probably spending more in the casino and bars than we should have. It was also the second ‘formal’ dress night of the cruise so we spent an hour or so making ourselves glamorous.

Friday was the last day of the cruise and the ship arrived around 8:00am off the shore of HAL’s own bit of paradise, Half Moon Cay. Leased (or purchased) from the Bahamas Half Moon Cay is actually within sight of the island of Nassau. As with the other ‘private islands’ belonging to several of the major cruise lines, Half Moon Cay has little actual construction, other than a few shops and garages for their maintenance equipment. The majority of the island has been kept natural, with a few trails winding along the beach and into the interior where guides will take you for tours. They have also wisely divided the beaches into sections, depending on age group; so older folks won’t have children and teenagers around if they desire a bit more relaxation. To be honest I can’t recall seeing more than a handful of kids during the entire cruise, once we had boarded. Of course, HAL is noted at being geared towards older adults, so it should not have come as a surprise.

Donna and I got off early and were situated in lounge chairs on the beach before 9:00am. The water in the Bahamas is absolutely beautiful, being as clear as you could imagine. It was also warm, with an amazing amount of small fish darting between your legs even standing only waist deep in the surf. As someone once said, “It’s always five o’clock somewhere,” so Donna and I took advantage of the wandering waiters. There is nothing quite like floating on a foam pad in the sea while drinking a frozen rum drink.

Except for the brief shower we had leaving Key West, the cruise had great weather for the entire time. Sadly, it was now our turn to be hit by some of the residual rainstorms that followed in the wake of Hurricane Fabian. Around 10:30 there was a brief shower, but not bad enough to even get it out of the ocean. As the sky grew darker we decided not to take a chance and were able to find shelter in one of the small half-tents along the beach. WE were certainly lucky because within a few minutes, with a crash of thunder and flash of lightening the skies pretty much opened up and we found ourselves caught in one the heaviest downpours I’ve seen in quite a while. For a brief time I fully expected the winds to rip the tent from the beach and go flying off behind us. Fortunately, the entire thing lasted less then fifteen minutes and then ended as abruptly as it had begun.

The ship had a barbecue planned for around noon, but as everything we had was now soaked and the skies were still a bit threatening we decided to take the next tender back and simply have lunch onboard. Later we talked to folks who had stayed and found that we really hadn’t missed much, except your standard cookout fare and swarms of mosquitoes. Still it was enough of a taste of the Bahamas to get Donna and I thinking of returning there in the future for more than a single day.

If I have conveyed just some of the fun that the two of us had than this has been worthwhile. Cruising may not be for everyone, but for Donna and I it remains our perfect way to relax and getaway from everything.

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Whew! Longer than I had originally planned, but I tried to get in just about everything.