October 31 - St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda

So last night we performed our stealthy, probably not allowed operation.  We brought along a small glass wine bottle with a screw top that had the proverbial "note in a bottle".  At around 1:30 am we tossed it overboard.  Hopefully the cameras couldn't tell exactly which balcony it came from.  We didn't get any calls to come see the captain so I guess we got away with it.  I put my email on the note and it would be a fun thing to share with the grandkids if we hear from someone.

For some reason our next door neighbors have kept their cabin lights on and their curtains open all night long.  With our curtains open also, it is a bit bright in our cabin.  Can't imagine how they sleep.

We took another included tour (all of our tours are the included ones) of the island. We were told that we are not allowed to wear camouflage clothes here.  Maybe it's only for the military?  Our guide was good; friendly and knowledgeable.  There's not a lot to see here.  We visited in 2015 as part of our South American cruise and I only remembered a couple of things.  The most famous site is Nelson's Dockyard.  I think it was much hotter the last visit because I know I chose a fruit punch over the little rum punch drink last time. Opted for the rum punch this time.  Saw another soccer stadium built as a "gift" from the Chinese - lots of infrastructure "gifts" by the Chinese in this part of the world.  Can't help but wonder what strings may be attached.  According to our guide, the minimum wage is about $4 an hour, the sales tax is 15%, payroll tax is 2.5% (matched by the employer), a 2 bedroom cement house runs around $10,000  - $15,000,  and average property tax is a few hundred dollars a year.  Basic medical is free and there is social security at age 65.  Since they also drive on the left, they import their cars from Japan.  Gas runs around $4.50 an imperial gallon but a gallon of milk is $10.  They have KFC, Burger King and Subway, but no McDonald's yet.

Spent a quiet afternoon reading, napping and exercising at the fitness center (well, Michael did that last one).  Dinner was with Chris and John from Delaware, formerly Sacramento.   With the exception of the lobster, all of the food has been very good.  And the included wines or beers with lunch and dinner have been very nice.  The only thing they don't have in the bars is a "Dark and Stormy" which is rum, ginger beer and lime which is very popular around here. The bars don't have the ginger beer, but will make it with ginger ale, which isn't quite the same.

October 30 - at sea

During the night we heard the dreaded "ding DING ding" over the PA in the cabin.  Code Alpha was called to cabin 3016 (we are in 3056).  We figured it wasn't a fire, but I wondered why they wouldn't just call the doctor directly if it was a medical emergency.  However, checking with Google, it seems a medical emergency was the most likely situation.  Hope it turned out OK since we are a long way from land.

The seas are much calmer today.  I think we were getting the rolling from Hurricane Oscar which was to our north.  Did a load of laundry first thing this morning.  I love that the laundry machines are free, including the soap.

I went to the Q&A with the captain this morning then on to the trivia game.  (What was the president's name in 1975?  Donald Trump [not who was the president]).   There was a nice brunch set up around the pool so we had lunch there.  Then went to the lecture by Jack Hardy on Strange Creatures of the Caribbean Sea.  Later Michael went to watch a little TV and I went to the port talk for Antigua.

We ate with Linda and John from Walnut Creek again and Carol and Jim from Monrovia, California.  The lobster I had was the only thing I haven't liked so far.

Have to set the alarm again for our early tour tomorrow.  From here on in it's a new port every day.

October 29 - at sea

During the night the seas got a little rougher;  not bad, just a bit of rolling.  Breakfast up on deck 7 at the buffet was a little wobbly. We spent some time down in "the Living Room" on deck 1 chatting with an English couple about their cruise experiences before going for the last lecture by Bill Miller on the world of cruising, which is not to be confused with the ocean liners that did the crossings and were primarily transportation, luxurious as it was.  Cruising is more of a vacation where you stop at various ports and often end back where you started.  He said there are 117 ships in production or scheduled for building now, the biggest being built for the Chinese market that will take 9,000 passengers. Yikes.

We had lunch up on deck 7 at the Explorers Lounge and spent an hour or so talking with another English couple.  The rolling started to give me a headache so we came back to the cabin and I watched a forgettable movie with Pierce Brosnan while Michael napped.  Dinner in The Restaurant was good with Sam and Roslyn from Riverside and Joan and Ron from upper Wisconsin. 

I love having unlimited WiFi which allows for texting.  We learned that grandson Reagan fractured his arm today at school.  Hopefully no surgery, but to be determined by the specialist.  At least he's smiling in the picture with his sling.

October 28 - Hamilton, Bermuda

Today's "included tour" was actually a pass to ride the ferries and local buses.  Not exactly a tour, but nice.  The ferry went to the western point where the Royal Naval Dockyard is located. Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory with its own money - the Bermuda dollar tied to the US dollar - its own passport and government.  We did a little walking around here before catching a bus back to Hamilton.  Big fast bus on narrow busy roads makes for an interesting ride.  The island is one of the cleanest we've seen in the Caribbean.  Most of the houses are painted in bright pastels and all of the buildings have white roofs. They are cement and tiered in such a way to collect the rain water, the only source of water.   The photo below shows what I mean, along with Michael's finger. 😉  For some reason my phone camera stopped working for a bit.  In town we visited the Anglican Cathedral which is beautiful and simple.  We had a good lunch at another ridiculous price at a local pub.  And a trip through a local supermarket was an eye opening experience  They had a very nice selection of items, but the prices were 2 or 3 times what we pay.  Understandable since nothing is produced on the island.

Late afternoon was spent near the pool again.  We had dinner at The Restaurant with Ann and Jim from Scotland and Linda and John from Walnut Creek.  No show tonight so we returned to the cabin for reading and a little TV.

October 27 - at sea and Hamilton, Bermuda

Today we attended the second lecture by Bill Miller on trans-Atlantic liners focused on the 50's and 60's.  The SS United States was commissioned around 1954 by the government to be a troop transport "disguised" as a cruise liner.  It carried 2,000 passengers and could travel forward at a max speed of 43 knots (double any other) and a reverse speed of 20 knots, which is what current ships do forward!  The plan was that should WWIII break out, she could be converted in a matter of a few weeks to a troop ship carrying 15,000 soldiers.  The government supported her financially until the late 60's when it was decided she was no longer needed for troops and it wasn't long before she was retired.  Too expensive to run and the airlines were cutting dramatically into the ocean liners' business.  Many went out of business.  One of the ship's last crossings took only 150 passengers.

We also went to the lecture by Jack Hardy on the coral reefs of the world.  Had lunch with Pat and Jim from near Modesto who retired from the banking business and now grow Sumo mandarin oranges.

We arrived in Hamilton around 5:00 pm for the night. We had dinner reservations again at The Chef's Table so we stayed on board.  Another delicious dinner featuring veal tenderloin (and more interesting foam on the appetizers).  We have one more reservation later in the cruise for Asian night.

After dinner was a talk on Hamilton by a local that was OK.  The biggest takeaway I got was that the shops will be closed tomorrow, Sunday, and the average salary is $30,000, a loaf of bread is $6.75 and a gallon of  gas is about $8.  The population is between 62,000 and 65,000 depending on the season.  We'll wander around tomorrow.

Another nice feature of our cabin is the closet.  When you open the sliding door, the light goes on.  It's motion sensitive so if you don't close the door again, it goes on and off every time you walk by.  I think my only complaint about the cabin is that there are only 3 drawers for clothes storage and one small drawer in each of the bedside tables.  It's working for us, but we don't bring that much stuff with us.

October 26 - at sea

We slept in and the clocks moved forward so we got a late start.  The seas are pretty calm and the sky is a bit overcast. I put in a load of laundry while we had breakfast and then we went to the lecturer who talked about the golden age of ocean liners from the days before WWI through the sixties.  After lunch I went to a line dancing class.  I'm not sure i would consider a dance called the Irish Shamrock to be a line dance, but it was fun and good exercise.

We finally went to the main dining room called (cleverly) The Restaurant where we had a fun dinner with Ann and Gary from Menlo Park and Betty and Stewart from Virginia.   The food was very good and the company was delightful.  Viking doesn't do set dining times and they have a lot of 2 top tables.  But if you let them know when you arrive that you would like to share, they'll accommodate you.

We actually made it to the evening show of the ventriloquist we've seen before on Princess named Don Bryan and his dummy Noseworthy. The seas have picked up a bit, but still not much movement of the ship.

October 25. New York City

We were up early for breakfast before our city tour.  Michael is very happy to see not only smoked salmon, but also gravlax at the breakfast buffet.  Our excursion was a 4 hour bus tour of Manhattan.  Our guide, Jim, was very knowledgeable, but spent a little too much time talking about all the famous people he has met or seen.   We made stops at Battery Park for a few minutes and also at the 9/11 memorial site.  The High Line park was interesting.  It's a park built on the old elevated freight rail line on Manhattan's West side.

We got back to the ship in time for lunch at the buffet and then a quiet afternoon by the pool reading.  Dinner was at the other specialty restaurant, The Chef's Table.  It's a 5 course set menu with wine pairings and the menu changes every 2 days so you can go more than once.  I couldn't even describe the courses, they were so exotic, but one had a goat cheese foam on it.  Sounds icky but it was very good. The main course of cod was the weakest since it was sort of bland.  I'm sure we'll go again since you can go as often as you like if they have availability.

We sailed out to the harbor during dinner so we were treated to lovely views of the Manhattan skyline and the moon rising which was spectacular since it was nearly full.  The captain said we'd have some wind during the night, but we didn't notice any unusual movement, either because it wasn't as windy as forecast or because our low down cabin insulated us from most of it.

One interesting note, Viking doesn't provide life jackets in the cabin but they are handed out at your muster station should the need arise.  Not sure how we feel about that.  Michael thinks back to the Costa Concordia when they didn't even give the abandon ship order until it was too late for many.  He'd like to be able to decide for himself when he needs a life jacket.

October 24 - Boarding the Viking Sea

This morning I decided I better see a doctor about a suspected UTI so we went to a nearby CityMD clinic after breakfast at the hotel. It was easy and quick and then we went to a CVS pharmacy on the corner to pick up my prescription.  New York doesn't allow written prescriptions given to patients; they must be sent directly to the pharmacy.   Then it was back to the hotel to check out and take our last Uber to the ship.  After all of the discounts, we spent about $12.50 (plus tips) on 6 trips.  Thanks Uber!

We got on board in about 10 minutes since it was only 11:30 and there were very few people around. The ship spends the night here so I guess people didn't feel the need to rush.  Plus there are only 900 passengers.  We had a nice lunch at the World Cafe which is the buffet.  The selections are fewer than on the large ships, of course, but everything was very good and the ship is beautiful.  We wandered around getting familiar and really like the decor.  It's Scandinavian in style - clean, simple lines with light wood and warm fabrics. 

The cabin is a touch smaller than a mini-suite on Princess and the balcony is a little tight.  But the decor is pleasing and they have some nice touches like the heated floor in the bathroom and a roomy shower. They also provide a Nespresso coffee maker, binoculars, complimentary sodas and light snacks in the fridge, and two personal receiver gizmos to use on tours.  We are on deck 3, port side just in front of the life boats which is a good spot, low down and midship in case the seas get rough.

The pool is in a covered area which we appreciated since the air temp was in the 50's.  We took a soak in the hot tub which is closer to warm than hot, but still felt good.

We ate dinner at Manfredi's, the Italian specialty restaurant.  We enjoyed it enough that we made another reservation for later in the cruise.  I like that Viking doesn't charge extra for the specialty restaurants.  It was early to bed since we were tired and have an 8 am tour tomorrow.

October 22-23. New York City

On Monday morning we said goodbye to Daniel and Elizabeth (off to work) and Rose and Olivia (off to daycare).  We lounged around before taking an Uber to Union Station for our train. Had a nice lunch at Shake Shack and then found a redcap porter to escort us and our bags to our train. Thanks to Gina for the suggestion. These trains are very comfortable so the 3-1/2 hour trip went quickly.  Another Uber to our hotel, Residence Inn by Marriott on 54th St.  Our corner room is on the 62nd floor. My ears pop with every elevator ride, but we have a nice partial view of Central Park and the Hudson River.  We went to a pub around the corner and had a mediocre dinner for major money.  Welcome to New York!

Tuesday morning we had a nice hot buffet breakfast included with the room.  Then we tried unsuccessfully to get something notarized (needed witnesses who know us) and just walked around absorbing the city.  In the evening we saw My Fair Lady at the Lincoln Center, only a 15 minute walk.  It was a wonderful show and was directed by Bartlet Sher, a San Franciscan from a family I know.

So another good trip to NYC and tomorrow we board the ship.

October 20-21 Family Days

Our trip on Friday was long but uneventful. Since we had such a long layover in Seattle (5 hours) I scheduled my interview for my Global Entry pass for that morning.  I was approved and off we went to the lounge that my new credit card from Chase gives us as a bonus. It was nice to sit in comfort with food and beverages available.   We got to DC on time and took a Lyft to Daniel and Elizabeth's home.

Saturday morning was the baptism for Olivia and her cousin, Clem Lewis, who was born in New York 11 hours after Rose.  It was a lovely day with about 50 people in town from both families.

Sunday morning Anna flew home; Andrew took Lindsay to Annapolis to show her the Yard; Elizabeth took the girls back to Travers' house for a last visit with out of town family; and Daniel and we went to the National Portrait Gallery.  I'm not a huge fan of the portraits of Clinton (modern abstract) and Obama (being overrun by the leaves) that are there.  They aren't the official portraits though.  Andrew and Lindsay flew home in the late afternoon and we had a quiet dinner at home.

Since I discovered that Uber had a special of $10 off rides until October 28, we used them to get around.  Sorry Lyft, but we'll be back soon.

Tomorrow Daniel returns to work after his paternity leave and the girls go to daycare.  (Elizabeth regurned to work a few weeks ago.)  That will be hard on them all I think, since they've had a wonderful couple of months together.  We head to New York by train.

October 18 Getting Ready

We'll be leaving tomorrow for a few days in Washington, DC and New York before getting onto the Viking Sea for a 2 week cruise from New York to San Juan, Puerto Rico.  This is another new cruise line for us, but we've heard lots of praise for it so we are looking forward.

I think you can try signing up to be notified when I make a new post by submitting your email address on the right side where it says "follow by email" and then click the button that says you're not a robot.  Apparently there are lots of robots that follow blogs.  Then you'll get an email asking you to confirm that you signed up for the notices.  This may go into your spam folder, so check there.  One caveat, I don't know if this really works - conflicting reports - so you might want to bookmark this page if you want to read future posts.