Wednesday 25 April

After breakfast and a swim we prepared for a day of shopping today. Everyone has a list so it’s off to Florida mall. We split up so that we could each shop for different things. The time flew and soon it was lunch time and our first meet up. The kids were excited about things they had seen and purchased, particularly Claire whose first stop was the Disney Shop where she purchased Pua the pig from the movie Moana. We had tried to purchase this at Magic Kingdom but all were sold out, so there was much excitement when we found one today. Lilly found the Cheshire Cat, from Alice In Wonderland and Hugh got Wizard Mickey from Fantasia. After lunch it was more shopping, Ma and Lilly, Claire and Mum, Dad and Hugh and pa with all of us at some stage. The bags piled up as the purchases grew and finally we were all ready to go. Some great purchases were made and the American economy survives again.

We made it home all ready for a swim and some dinner before Joanne and Tristram finished their packing ready for an early flight tomorrow morning through to Los Angeles.

April 26

4 am we were all up and on the road to the airport. Joanne and family and numerous bags flying to LA. We headed back to our Accommodation for a couple of hours sleep before packing some of our bags and working out what we still needed to purchase before we head back to LA tomorrow and then on to Melbourne.

We have had a fantastic holiday with some memorable times, some wonderful sayings from all the children and some great experiences and many, many “firsts” had by all! The last five weeks will be talked about for many years to come.

April 23 & 24

Two busy days at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Jo and Tristram and the kids went on the 23rd while Philip and I had a lazy day. Jo can tell you about their day shortly.

The 24th was Joanne’s birthday so the kids were up early doing some decorating ready to surprise her, table decorations, presents, birthday cake and a nice breakfast. Then off for a swim, we are making the most of the pool before we head home to Tas and cold weather. Late morning we headed off for an early lunch at Red Lobster before heading to Disney’s Magic Kingdom for the afternoon and evening.

We arrived at the Magic Kingdom in time to have a ride on the Mad Hatters Tea Cups before finding a spot to watch the street parade, along with thousands of other people. Then it’s off for more rides, Speedway, Barnstormers, more Tea Cups, Space Mountain (twice), It’s a Small World, Thunder Mountain and finally Splash Mountain. Then it’s time to find a spot to watch the fireworks and light show over the magic castle (with, it seems like 50,000 other people also watching). Where did the day go. 8 hours and we have only touched the surface but we are all exhausted from a fun filled day. Made it back out to the car park and before we had left the park Hugh was sound asleep and never stirred as Tristram carried him inside and into bed. It’s been an awesome day and lots of memories have been made.

Hugh

We ended our cruise and then we had a big drive to our Resort. We had two days at Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom. We went on lots of rides, my favourite two were Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain. I also like the fireworks but I was very tired. I liked how the lights changed the castle. I bought a Mickey Mouse. Today we did lots of shopping. I got T shirts, shorts shoes and two police cars. We leave for home tomorrow morning. I really liked my holiday and going to Animal Kingdom and going on the Everest Expedition was the best ride.

Lillian

We finished the cruise and a couple of days at Disney World. We had 2 days at Disney World Magical Kingdom. Today we went shopping and brought a load of it. This holiday is one of the best holidays that I have had. I had a lot of fun on the cruise. The ride I liked was called It’s a Small World. It was slow but not fast. I had a blast on that ride. Last night we stayed to watch the fireworks and light show.

My highlights, the Sloths, the howling monkeys and spider monkeys, seeing Times Square and the M and M shop and seeing Frozen on Broadway.

Claire

My highlights, Costa Rica, Broadway, the snow in Lancaster (Amish), Splash Mountain and Expedition Everest.

We went to Disney World, I took ma on the tea cups and it nearly made her sick. I took pa on Space Mountain and he squealed loud, but I squealed louder. I took ma on splash mountain and she got wet but not as wet as mummy. The fireworks were pretty cool and thunder mountain was good with pa. We went shopping today and I bought lots of clothes and shoes and Pua the pig from the movie Moana. I don’t want to leave but we have to fly to LA tomorrow and Melbourne on Friday. It has been a very good holiday and the cruise ship was lots of fun.

Hugh

My highlights were snow, Disney World, Animal Kingdom and the cruise.

Jo here… one last time.

Two days at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. This is the Disney that I remember from being at Disney Land as a child. The kids were enthralled with the rides, people, noise and complete sensory overload. The kids were all keen to try many of the rides, with a special request from Lilly to do Splash Mountain, and from Hugh to do Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The first day we arrived early and took the monorail into the park entrance (even this was exciting for the kids and we hadn’t even got in the gates!). We were greeted with the iconic Disney castle as we walked in the gates and then made a beeline to our first ride – Tomorrowland Speedway. All the kids loved this opportunity to drive their own cars. Claire tells me she can quite safely get her car license now.

(T- if Claire gets her licence she is not allowed to drive in the same country as what I’m in for my safety)

Our day progressed nicely through the Mad Hatter Tea Cups, Disney Carousel and then a jungle cruise before we braved Splash Mountain. Lilly did an amazing job as she was sure she wanted to do Splash Mountain but after getting half way through she wasn’t so sure. By the time we hopped off she didnt like it much, something to do with the 55 foot drop at the end. She did tell me she liked the Zippidee Do Dah song they sing during the ride though. Adrenalin junkies Claire and Hugh thought it was enormous fun getting wet.

Day two was my birthday. I awoke to a beautiful breakfast and decorated table created by the children and Ma and Pa, complete with Disney princess cupcakes, Minnie Mouse ears and singing birthday cards. We followed this up with a swim and then our second trip to Disney World, this time with Ma and Pa in tow. the kids were so excited to take Ma on the Mad Hatter Tea Cup ride just so they could try and make ma sick…. they succeeded! Following that we wandered through the park taking in the sights and a wonderful Disney Fantasy Parade filled with Disney characters. Claire has been so excited about Space mountain and screamed the entire way around ‘this is awesome’ at the top of her lungs with her hands in the air. She then proceeded to inform Pa that he also needed to go on it and took him to line up for a turn. The afternoon was filled with great roller coasters, rides and getting extremely wet on splash mountain again. And was all completed with a fantastic light and fireworks show in the evening before we went home.

( P-I missed the Light and Firework and went back to the car for a rest, whilst seeing the enjoyment the kids (and big kid Mummy ) got from the rides was awesome, the noise, crowds of people and my lack of energy overtook my wishes to stay to the end of the day).

Claire sang along to nearly every song they played and Lilly was able to name nearly every movie they showed the characters for. What an awesome couple of days…. we were all exhausted!

Today we have spent the day having a late breakfast, early swim and then made our way to the Florida Mall for a spot of shopping. I decided that our bags were a little too empty and it was up to me to fill them up, the girls and Hugh happily contributed as well.

We have had an amazing trip… the trip of a lifetime. Packed full of experiences, sights, sounds, fun, multiple countries, cities and states. It’s been amazing.

Lillian

Today we went to Costa Rica and went on a bus tour. After the bus tour we went on a train ride. We saw howling monkeys and 2 two toed sloths. We saw other animals. I thought this cruise was a good Surprise.

Judith

Today we are in for another long day. Tour starts at 7 am and we are heading for Hacienda Tayutic, a sugar and coffee plantation in the highlands of Costa Rica, a 2 1/2 hour bus ride away in Turrialba Hills. This tour gets us away from the coast through banana plantations, over rivers and finally winds up through the hills. We would have some great views if it wasn’t so overcast and misty. We pass many little villages and basic homes, (by basic I mean 4 walls, front door open so you see straight through, minimal furniture, no garden, dirt to the edge of the houses, washing hanging on lines under the verandahs or hanging out windows. Bars on most windows, which we thought was for safety but is a left over from colonial colonisation when they were used for safety, now most are just decorative. As we wind our way up into the hills we pass coffee trees, more banana Pseudostems ( banana plants which are actually a perennial herb), many growing wild, lush greenery and sugarcane. Now I thought sugar cane was grown on flat ground, like in Queensland and Florida, but not here, it is grown on steep ground, very steep ground, and extra steep ground. It is pretty much all harvested by hand and carted out of the paddocks by old tractors and trailers, loaded into trucks and carted to the sugar mill.

When we reached the Hacienda, it was misty rain which limited our initial views but they had a sugar block demonstration which was very interesting. The older of the two men had been on this farm since he was 7 days old and he is now 72. Neither men doing the demonstration spoke English so one of our guides told us what was happening. They had sugar syrup boiling away in a cauldron to reach 120 degrees, until it formed a ribbon, then they poured it into a wooden rectangular trough where they stirred it with a wooden spatula to cool it. Then it was poured into wooden mounds to cool and set. We had a taste at this stage and it was delicious. The guys kept stirring the remains in the trough and after several minutes it turned to crystals, (sugar consistency). Quite an impressive process. After this demo we moved to the coffee demo, which we were disappointed in, suppose to be coffee tasting but that didn’t happen and the commentary for this was very poor. The macadamia presentation wasn’t a lot better. We then moved on to lunch which we had overlooking the valley, great views. Lunch was very nice, chicken, pasta, rice, beans and bananas in sugar syrup. After lunch we visited the gift shop and then walked up the hill to the small church and viewing area and the pioneer home and then back to the boat for a 3.15 departure. We didn’t make it by then had to do some detours along a new piece of road, not finished and through some back streets because of congestion. It was quite the detour. Finally made the ship just after 4pm. As we were walking along the pier to board, one of the ships officers asked how our day was. We replied great, he then asked how our driver was and we also replied great, he smiled and replied that he couldn’t have been too good or he would have had us back on time. Lucky there were two bus loads of us running late. Once we were boarded the ship departed quite quickly and we settled in for the evening. We enjoyed a drink on the Lido deck to watch the sun set. Jo noticed that the setting sun was moving quite quickly towards the aft of the ship and then we started to see it out the opposite side. The ship is turning quite quickly, almost full circle. We all wondered what was happening. Then the captain came over the PA announcing that we had a medical emergency on board and would be returning to port. It was amazing how quickly we turned and how rapidly we reached port. We nosed into the pier and after securing only two lines the gangway was put in place and the ambulance moved in to pick up the patient. Three people were offloaded and after much paperwork and tooing and froing we backed away from the pier and headed to sea again. Can’t imaging the captain was too happy as we were already running late and then having to return to port putting us further behind. It wasn’t long before we were running at full speed to make up time. We were all glad that it wasn’t us being left behind in a strange hospital and hotel in a country where English was not spoken by everyone. A sad way for the cruise to finish for someone.

(P- Kids! Where do they get their comments and questions from!

Ma “Hugh are you eating your meal up?” Hugh “ yes Ma I am eating slooowly like a sloth” ( which he saw the day before)! – Ma was somewhat stuck for words!

Claire and I went for a walk around the ship and I took a few photos of her, when we reunited we were asked where we had been? Claire- oh we went for a walk and had my photo taken with some of the SEVERED heads!!

What we actually did was She had her photo taken with some Busts of famous people in history— Severed heads – never thought of Abel Tasman that way before!

We have lost count of the times Lilly has scared the hell out of us- she is a master at hiding and “BOOING”!

I was a little stuck for words with this one! “Pa why are pubic hairs darker than head hair?” I did answer but not sure my answer was sufficient.”)

Lilly, Claire and Hugh have become quite well known aboard, with many of the staff knowing their names, joking with them, knowing what they like to eat, teaching them magic tricks and sharing some of their native language during greetings etc. I asked Hugh what has been the worst thing about our holiday? “Pa I don’t have any “worsest” parts it’s all been good.

Claire says it’s her “Best cruise yet” ( it’s the only one she has done one!)

Lilly says” the best part of the cruise is the whole cruise! and unlimited swimming”

Jo & Tristram’s turn…

Our final shore excursion saw us leave the ship at a leisurely 11:45 so we poked our noses in around the local flea market just inside the port. We then joined our tour for a bus ride through Puerto Limon and on to the outskirts of the city through banana plantations, jungle and small enclaves of shanty type houses. We stopped in a small village and boarded an old banana plantation train to ride the rails back towards Puerto Limon through more banana plantation, jungle and beach side vistas. We stopped the train twice to watch Howler Monkeys which was a great sight for the kids. As we boarded our bus for a short trip to the canal boat we passed coastline which has changed due to earthquakes which have caused the underlying coral reefs to be pushed up and be above sea level, extending the coastline for a considerable distance. The canal boat takes us on a tour through canals running around a small area on the outskirts of the city and introducing us to wildlife such as toucans, sloths, tortoise, Jesus Christ Lizards, iguanas, crabs, and an abundance of bird life, spider monkeys and howler monkeys. The kids were so excited to see two sloths!

We returned to the boat just in time for a mid afternoon departure. Only to return to port about 2 hours later due to someone requiring urgent medical assistance. It did make us wonder what was happening when mum and I were watching the sunset then realised the sunset was doing a circuit of the boat! Our short detour back to Puerto Limon was followed by two days at sea to get us back to Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades (over 1100 nautical miles, requiring us to do top speed of approx 22.5 knots to get us there on time).

The two days at sea were filled with Kids Club (the kids have voluntarily wanted to spend time here as it’s a no adult zone), musical and dance performances, cooking demonstrations, fine dining, swimming and general lazing about. There was one group of performers that were fantastic, Island Magic, a steelband (essentially a heap of 44 gallon drums made into instruments) they were extremely talented playing music from classical I.e. Ave Maria, to gospel, I.e. Amazing Grace, to musical, Andrew Lloyd Weber songs and pop such as Beatles, The Bee Gees, John Denver etc. our time on board was topped off this morning by watching a water spout from our cabin balcony.

We have now landed safely back on land and driven to Orlando today following the coast north from Fort Lauderdale to Melbourne and then across to Orlando. Lovely coastline, although today somewhat rough due to bad weather.

Tuesday 17

Wow, wow, wow.

What an amazing place.

As we woke this morning we were cruising the bay into the Port of Cartagena, Columbia.

A great view of high rise buildings, small coves, old fort battlements and finally the container port where we are docking.

Cartagena was the victim of 5 sieges during the 16th century, the most famous being led by Sir Francis Drake in 1586. Spain built a wall around the city (50 foot thick), completed in 1686 at the cost of 59 million ounces of gold. When England attacked again in 1741 with 24,000 men and 186 ships, Cartagena was successfully defended.

Much of the original walls are still in place and the city inside the walls still original. Its a beautiful, quaint, bustling place, with much to explore. Unfortunately we are only here for 5 hours. We could easily have spent more time poking around inside the walls of the city.

We started off with a bus tour and then spent time within the city. Colourful old buildings with flowers draping the windowsills, narrow streets, vendors selling wares of all types, stores and coffee shops. A stop at a cafe for some Columbian Coffee and cold drinks for the kids was quite the experience. (Jo – and the best coffee I’ve ever had!) Then back to the ship for a swim and lunch before departure. We were moored beside the Niew Amsterdam and as we departed both our ship and the other competed with horn sounding. Kids thought it was great.

We even found some fabric shops but only had time for a quick look inside as we were on our way back to the ship.

(T- the coffee was delicious (jo has only just started to drink coffee)

(T- the street vendors were much more polite than I thought and would sell you a cold bottle of water straight from a foam esky with more holes than the titanic

Jo here (I’ve taken over)…

Cartagena (pronounced car-ta-hey-na) was a beautiful city. And the coffee was just divine, even if it did cost Tristram a years salary to have one ($43,000). (P- It was actually Pesos conversion rate bought it back to about $16.00 USD). Riding through town on the bus to the old walled city we were a little astounded by the powerlines draped across roadways which frequently hit the top of the bus or poked in the windows. The tops of buildings lined with razor wire or broken glass bottles as protection. As we arrived at the old walled city there was a large group of police at the clock tower gate that Hugh was fascinated by, I think it was the large machine guns they were toting that piqued his interest. We were all fascinated by Cartagena and it was sad to have to get back on the ship and depart so early.

The following day brought us to the Panama Canal. An early morning for everyone as we were entering the breakwater just before dawn. The captain had opened up the bow of the boat so that we could look out and watch the lock gate open and close and the workings of the canal. The history of the building of the canal was very interesting. The canal is 104 years old this year, yet the technology used to manage the locks 100 years ago is the same now as it was then. After going through three lock gates we reached Gatun Lake (a large man made lake at the top of the canal).

From Gatun Lake we got on the tenders to go on shore and take our tour to an Embera Indian village. A little over an hour of bus travel through Panama (Colon to Chilibre and then on to the village of Parara Puru). Once there we took a dug-out canoe to the village where we were greeted by the chief and told a little about the village way of life and how it has changed over the last 20 years including how they have changed some of their traditional practices due to the Panamanian government making their area into a national park prohibiting them from hunting and fishing. We were treated to a meal of fried plantain and tilapia.

Claire:

In Cartagena the power lines were everywhere. If I stuck my hand out the bus window I would have been electrocuted! Ma was scared and nearly sat on Pa’s knee in the bus. I was sick while we were in Cartegena because of the heat and humidity. Mum and I got off the bus on our own and walked through the walled city and met the others on the other side. Dad brought a coffee shop in the Old Walled City for $43,000.

I saw the Panama Canal. We went through some of the Canal. We went to see a little native Indian village. We took a bus ride through Panama to get there. Then we got on a dug out canoe to get to the village.

(P- it’s been a couple of busy days Cartagena was fascinating as covered above! The Vendors selling their wares were almost in plague proportion but a polite “no thankyou” from us was responded with “have a pleasant day “ or similar, they were so polite, well dressed and just trying to earn a living.

EAST TO WEST AND EAST AGAIN IN A DAY

Another “big tick” off the bucket list as we traverse the Panama Canal one of the “Worlds modern wonders” and as expected from me if it is engineering related it’s a must see and explore! The first 2 locks were on board our cruise ship the “Zuiderdam”. 2’ (600mm) clearance on each side and 16’ (5m) forward/aft required and displayed some precision manoeuvring . Once in Gatun Lake Judith and I (well I with Judith tagging along) chose to travel the rest of the Ditch to the Pacific Ocean on a much smaller vessel, the day ( as we were warned was quite long and tedious) was fascinating and interesting. Dredges, Pilot boats, Tugs, Canal Police boats and Pleasure craft intertwined with Huge Freighter and Cruise Boats.

Our small transit vessel had to share the Locks with 2 private yachts and a fuel tanker. It is an amazing and somewhat daunting experience to have the bow a huge freighter towering above us in the locks! A 33’ ( 10m ) drop or raise at each lock takes 26,000,000 gallons of water and the raise or lower process takes around 8 minutes! After the locks we cruised to Panama City Marina area – Wow was there some flash pleasure vessels in this Tax haven!

As with all Central American countries there is Security Bars on almost all buildings. We drove thru some areas of extreme poverty, contrasted with areas of opulence in Panama City. We returned by coach to Colon to meet with our cruise ship. In Colon cruise passengers are restricted to a small shopping area security fenced off by the port. Driving thru the city (known for its crime and poverty) we could understand the restrictions imposed on us!

The Canal Transit was a long day but fascinating!

I have a feeling there will be a “payback” shopping trip or two for Judith to balance out the patience she had on the transit!

Lillian

We found out that we were going on a cruise and it was a surprise. The cruise has been fun and I have enjoyed it so far. We are now on day five we have six days and our cruise is over. I had so much fun in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the next place is Disney’s Magical Kingdom. This is a life time fun and surprise. This has been the best time of my life. I’ve had a great time overseas and in kids club. They have both been really good and really fun. I’ve had the best time of my life with everybody. Today we made bead animals I made a penguin and a lizard.

Hugh

We hopped on a big cruise and it was a big surprise. We have two swimming pools. I enjoyed going swimming at Half Moon Cay and playing at the water park. We hopped on a little boat called a tender which took us to shore. We had lots of fun. I can eat pasta every day on the Lido deck. The chef makes it specially for me.

(P- Kids Kids Kids – It is amazing what the grandkids absorb – even if we may think they are getting a little bored! Eg. I was commenting to Joanne and Tristram that Lilly, Judith and I were told that Aruba was a desert Island ( yes it was dry desolate and covered in 🌵 cactus which smashed my illusions of a beautiful tropical Caribbean island!) – I commented that the Island only received 14” of rain a year VERY QUICKLY Lilly corrected me “ No Pa they get 14-18” of rain a year!!! – I am guessing Pa needs to get his facts correct for Little “Miss” perfect!

There were a few comments made about taking the kids outta school for some of the trip- I can assure all concerned that the worldly knowledge that has been gained plus different currencies, languages and food will be of great benefit for them in the future!

Over 60% of the crew on the ship are Indonesian- the smiles (of joy and amazement) on the crews faces when Lilly and Claire respond with a greeting, thank you or maybe even a number or two in Indonesian is awesome! It has also created a bond with some of the crew and there is no doubt it has led to a little bit of “special treatment and attention” for the kids.)

(T – if only Hugh (Mr Shy) would talk to Maria the waitress he would learn lots and have a lot of fun)

Jo & Tristram…

Aruba was a surprise…. there seemed to be nothing much in the town itself, however for Tristram and myself it didn’t matter as we were booked into a scuba dive (with only 4 others, practically a personalised tour). Our dive tour took us on a short bus ride to Palm Beach and then a short boat ride to the wreck of the Antilla, a german freighter which was scuttled off the coast by the Germans in 1945. Known as the ghost ship it is the second largest wreck in the Caribbean at 400 feet long. The dive was breathtaking! Gliding through the wreckage of the old ship complete with canon barrels was eerie and beautiful. So much sea life. Tropical fish, octopus, moray eel, a huge array of sponges, corals and anemones. The Dive was at a depth of 60 feet. Our second dive took us to the wreck of the Perdonalis, a Dutch oil tanker torpedoed by a German submarine during World War 11 when it was being used to protect the oil refineries of Aruba again gave us a beautiful underwater playground for vibrantly coloured fish, lobsters, angelfish, groupers, huge puffer fish and sting ray.

Willemstad, Curacao was our next stop. We were treated to streets lined with colourful buildings and houses. Of Dutch heritage, Willemstad was a gorgeous little city to wander the streets of, despite it being Sunday and most places being closed for business. The highlight of Willemstad for all of us was the floating bridge which moved aside frequently during the day to allow freight and tanker ships through to the main port area. The bridge was driven from a small hut on one end and was driven by a ‘driver’ who operated the motors (what appear to be some form of outboard) on the bridge as swings it out of the way, still with people on it! . The old bells on the side of the building still chime on the wall near the Main Street on the hour was nice to hear as was a local street parade that went through with calypso style music, kids on bikes (push and motor.) Helmets 🤔 well that was definitely only optional or closely resembled ice cream buckets in their safety ratings). Our day was wonderfully polished off by a dinner for two in one of the fine dining restaurants on board where we were spoiled with a wonderful Italian meal.

(T – was awesome to stand on a bridge whilst it opened with no rail just the open end of the wooden bridge)

Today has been a relaxing day at sea. We attended some talks on Cartagena, Columbia and the Panama Canal which are our next destinations. The kids have been very excited to go to kids club while we are on board!

Aruba

While Joanne and Tristram were diving, we took the children on a bus trip around the island. First stop was at a 🦋 butterfly farm. We got to see a wide variety of beautiful butterflies. The kids were very excited to hunt out the butterflies, continually calling out to look at this or that, see what we’ve found etc. then back onto the bus. All of us along the back seat of the bus. Next stop was at the Natural bridge on the coast. An interesting drive out to the coast through some of the Resort areas and local villages. There are cacti 🌵 everywhere, very tall and very prickly. The coastline is quite rough with big waves rolling in and crashing against the shore. Best part about this stop for the kids was the ice cream shop. Had to eat them quick or they melted. From here we stopped at the Ayo Rock Formations. Huge rocks with cacti around them. We could walk through the area and view some rock paintings and more rock formations before reboarding the bus for the trip back to the Ship. Hugh purchased himself a Hawaiian shirt after much debate as to which one he would have. We had a short walk around the local tourist shops before getting back on board.

Curaçao Sunday 15

We were in to Port early this morning and have until 11pm, so a long day. We decide to let the kids sleep in and breakfast at our leisure before heading ashore. Philip and I headed off first and immediately walked over Queen Anne Bridge (pedestrian bridge J talked about earlier). We then continued through the local tourist area. Not much being open as it’s Sunday. We then continued along the waterfront. ( Willemstad, the local area we are in is UNESCO World Heritage Listed Site.) the buildings are very cute and very colourful and old. This area is called Scharloo, it is a former residential neighbourhood lined with picturesque homes built in the 1800s. We continued to walk passing through many quaint streets and past lots of colourful homes. By the time we got back to the Queen Ann Bridge it was open so we sat and watched as several tugs guided an oil tanker up the channel to the refinery just up around the corner. While we were waiting J and T and kids found us and sat to watch as well. Once the bridge closed again we recrossed and headed back for lunch. After lunch Philip and I decided to take a taxi ride around some more of the island. Got a great young driver and hopped in his car. Right hand drive, driving on the right hand side of the road. They can purchase either right or left hand drive vehicles here.

Our driver took us to some of the more prestigious areas, past the oil refinery, over the bridge and down to the eastern side with more local shops, industries and churches etc. then down to the locals beach. Just off the swimming beach their is a massive Oil Rig parked. Doesn’t seem to worry the locals though as there were many swimming and BBQing along the beachfront. After leaving the beach we drove up into a hill area for some good views over the beach and marina. After an hour he delivered us back to the ship. The cost was $50 plus tip and it was worth every cent.

(P- we seem to mix the odd ship arranged tour with self exploration. This depends on prior research. So far we have made some good options with this mixture! Over the years I have often found that “slipping” a few bucks to a Taxi, Limo or Van driver and asking to see the “real” city – wealthy and poorer areas, where the locals shop, local beaches and industrial areas. We feel it gives us a greater appreciation of the area. In Curacao, one area (in the next valley to the main city and tourist area) was a huge Port for a small Island nation, also a massive oil refinery where Venezuela ships in their crude oil and it is refined and then shipped back. This is the major employer for the nation with tourism #2. Yet another great and interesting stop!

Footnote– arriving in some of these ports of a Sunday is a little disappointing as most businesses are closed. However one bonus was the local fabric and Quilt shop was also closed – potentially saving excess baggage and a (more) empty wallet!

Wednesday 11th

We had an early start this morning telling the children we had to get our hire car back to Fort Lauderdale before midday (a 4 hour drive), then to “pick up” another vehicle for the next stage of our “Great American Surprise”. It was a lovely drive as we drove up through the Keys back to the mainland and up through Miami to Fort Lauderdale. A beautiful sunrise welcomed us into another glorious day! Claire wants to visit Miami Beach because it’s “one of the worlds best beaches”, so she tells us, unfortunately we don’t have time to visit the beach, maybe next time. (Jo – she tells me she has started saving for her next trip…sum total of 25 cents). All the kids were plane spotting as we drove alongside the Miami International airport. Heaps of planes arriving and leaving. The traffic was frantic with 6 lanes in both directions. I say thank goodness for GPS which makes it so easy. We arrived at the Budget depot at Port Everglades with the kids and Tristram still not knowing where we are going. Hopped on a shuttle that took us down to the Cruise Terminal and our “Vehicle” for the next 11 days, the Holland America Ship MS Zuiderdam for a cruise through the Caribbean and the Panama Canal. Best to say we have some very excited people once they realise what is happening.

(P- Jo, Judith and I had planned this for 12 months, the secret held firm and I think the “Surprise” was a little overwhelming for those that didn’t know! Lots of excitement when on board and the Ship exploration began almost immediately! I will now spend the next 11 days “PACING” myself as the food is so “ good and plentiful!” Prime rib steak for Lunch #1!)

Thursday 12

We all had a good nights sleep. Lilly is off to see the ships doctor this morning as she has a bad ear infection. Dr was really good and she is onto some antibiotics now. After we breakfasted we got ourselves organised for a day at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas for some swimming and snorkelling. We’re now back from the beach, hot, salty, sandy and a little sun burnt, but we have all had a great day. A beautiful buffet lunch was provided on shore, hamburgers, ribs, chicken, salads and ice creams. (J- I couldn’t get over how blue and clear the ocean was… quintessential Caribbean vistas).

The kids loved the water, it was so clear and warm. (Jo – Lilly who didn’t want to go swimming or get off the boat was the one we couldn’t get out of the water! And while the rest of us swam and snorkelled Tristram disappeared for a walk around the island, which he tells me he tagged onto a walking tour for a bit til the guide got boring!). Pa had fun tossing the kids under and then they all ganged up on him, pushing and pulling and holding him down. Ma and Lilly floated gently, (Lilly couldn’t get her ear wet), and the kids all played in the sand for a while. (Jo – as Claire and I were walking along the beach she turns to me and says “mum, there’s a lot of oldies here. I guess they’re all having fun before they die. I suppose they don’t have a long lifespan left” …. this kid cracks me up!). We boarded the ship just after 1.30 for a 2.30 departure. Showers, moisturiser for all and a nice glass of bubbly for Joanne and I. Topped off a great day.

Lilly commented to Pa at one stage “ yuck Pa don’t get yellow shorts they’re ugly,” just as a man in yellow shorts walks past. (P- the guy was definitely in earshot!!!)

Friday 13

A day at sea. (P- a good thing for me today as I have one of my almighty bad headache days that make me feel so ill!) Time to sleep in and relax. Kids are keen to go to Kids Club for the morning and then again this afternoon. This left the adults to do what we wanted. Joanne and Tristram did the kitchen and galley tour while I did a few laps of the promenade deck. Philip and I both ended up at the tour information session in the Main Stage both sitting on different sides of the auditorium. Didn’t know the other was there until it was over.

The captain opened the Bow area up for viewing as we passed Haiti. Lots of little boats about fishing. (P- By “little boats” Judith means vessels not much different in size or structure to a dug out canoe that were miles out to sea in choppy conditions. There were Long lines everywhere as they fished for their daily catch)

Lovely clear waters and great scenery. Very mountainous island. A lazy afternoon, a swim and a rest filled the day in nicely.

Gala Night tonight so it out with the glad rags. Joanne and Tristram and the children dressed up and went to dinner early in the Main Dining Room. All enjoyed their meal, trying some new foods. Claire’s favourite was the chicken Soup and the Lemon Meringue Cheesecake. Lilly tried some Soufflé and really liked it. Hugh had some soup and some steak. Joanne had Escargot, which she hadn’t had since she was 8 years old. Tristram had soup and Lamb. All enjoyed being waited on. After the meal they had some photos taken and then met us as we were on our way down to the Pinnacle Grill for our dinner. We had some more photos taken of all of us. Then kids went off to bed and we enjoyed our dinner. Halibut and crab cakes for me and Steak Tartare and Rib eye and Lobster for Philip. (P- and the BEST Bomb Alaska Ever made – I remember these from our cruise last year!!)

After our dinner Joanne and I went to the Stage Show 1000 Steps. A great dance and singing show. Another great day.

(P- I could publish a book of “quotes and comments and doings” that these grand kids spontaneously say or do! I am yet to fathom where they come from!

Claire gets up thru night to go to Bathroom– TURNS EVERY LIGHT ON! Goes to bathroom comes out and at the top of her voice says ” I didn’t flush as I didn’t want to wake you up! Not a thought about Judith and I laying there with our Retinas Burnt out from all the bright lights and Her Loud announcement about not flushing!

Oh maybe I can fathom the comments! I remember Joanne well when she was that age!)

Jo here…

Today has been a lazy day of sun, sea and snorkelling. We started the day with a trip around the eastern coast of the island of Key West. We walked out on White Pier, drove past the southern most point of North America and landed ourselves at Fort Zachary Reserve for a spot of snorkelling and swimming. The term beach is clearly used loosely here, as what we arrived to was essentially coarse white gravel (broken coral) which is extremely harsh on the feet when trying to enter the water!

After our snorkel/swim we ventured to a local grocery and then back to our beautiful accommodation at Courtney’s Place for a spot of lunch – the kids had hot dogs and us adult a little more refined meatloaf and mash.

Tristram and I spent the afternoon wandering the Main Street of Key West – Duval St. It’s an eclectic mix of bohemian and tourist shops. The kids spent the afternoon swimming in the pool.

( T – think there are just as many art galleries as tourist shops and bars)

The streets here are tiny and the houses just as tiny and quaint. The weather steamy. But it’s a quiet laid back pace which is really quite relaxing.

( T – laid back means anything is allowed on the road that has wheels of some sort but must have drink and/or Phone in Hand)

Claire

We are heading to Key West. I’m still the selfie queen. I am having the best time of my life with my family.

Today on our drive I had fresh cut sugar cane… it was delicious 😋 we watched the sugar cane being harvested. We saw some alligators in the canal near the harvesters. They are tiny compared to our crocodiles.

Disney World was awesome. I took ma on the scariest roller coaster there. She was scared and squealed. I also got to hold an Alligator and a snake.

Hugh

We went on a long car trip and we saw some sugar cane harvesters. We saw the tractors tipping the sugar cane into trucks and train carriages. We saw two alligators.

We went on an Airboat ride and I got splashed. Then we watched the snake show. I got to hold a biiiiiig snake and a I patted an alligator. Daddy taught me how to snorkel and it was fun.

Judith

After leaving Orlando we headed south for Key West, with a nights stop in Florida City. 1st day was a long day in the car and the kids coped very well. Lots of “I Spy” and counting of trucks etc. Best part of the day was when we stopped to watch some sugar cane harvesting. The cane had been burnt and there were many cane harvesters loading into trailers, tractors pulling 3 trailers and the trailers being unloaded into trucks. All very well synchronised so there was no waiting for any trailers or trucks, fascinating to watch. We were stopped alongside a canal so we did a bit of alligator hunting as well, catching sight of our first few “gators”. Tristram is the chief “gator spotter”. We arrived at our overnight stop and the kids, Joanne and I enjoyed a swim in the pool before heading down the road for dinner. Texas Steakhouse. Very nice.

(P- The huge sugar cane harvest operation was followed up by a “drive by” tour of one of the many sugar mills. They were huge by Australian standards! We passed many Beef farms and also large Dairy farms before going thru a fruit growing area on the outskirts of Florida City. Pa seems to get landed (or handballed ) the technical questions each day! Question? “ What is a Gentleman’s Club? – “ASK PA” is the quick reply from all the other adults! Same applied for a sign promoting STD awareness- “Pa what is a STD”? “Pa why is one of those turtles riding on the other ones back”? Pa why is that big Monkey bouncing up and down on the other Monkeys back? These questions are gold and I will remember them for a lifetime! I do enjoy explaining the answers in a way they can understand.

Monday 9th

We breakfasted at our Holiday Inn before hitting the road. Claire thought breakfast was ok as she could make pancakes with maple syrup. Others tried the breakfast sausage (hamburger) with gravy, or the cereal, (packaged sugar), or good old toast and jam. P J and T sampled the coffee, Home Blend made specially for Holiday Inn and promptly decided we would stop at Starbucks just down the street as soon as we checked out. Needless to say the House Blend didn’t reach their high expectations. (Jo – I think we must be spoilt with our coffee at home, it’s made us coffee snobs).

Our first stop today (P- second after Starbucks!) was at the Alligator Farm. We were out there by 9 am and got the first Airboat Ride of the morning out thru the fascinating Everglades. Warning signs saying it was a wet ride, but it’s 88 degrees so we will dry out quickly. We hopped on the airboat with 4 others and donned our ear muffs to shut out the noise and off we went. Nice and sedately to start while Jose our guide and driver told us a bit about the Everglades and the Alligators. We spotted a few gators as we motored away from the dock and into the swampy areas. The water level is very low. Jose wound up the air prop (P- powered by a Big Block Chev V8!) and wound up the speed and we were flying over the grassy reeds and water then into an open area of water and a 360 degree spin with water flying everywhere. The kids, big and small in the front whooping and hollering, P, T, C and H splattered with mud and water. Water washing over the front of the boat and over all our feet. What a rush, then off again through the reeds to another clearing and more spins and turns. Great fun, we all loved it.

After a half hour ride we returned to the dock and wandered around the alligator pens with alligators of various ages, iguanas and lizards, snake cages, beautiful Macaws and turtles. We stopped for the snake show, only about 20 at the show. Liz, the snake handler was great and had several different snakes to show us. She needed a volunteer to feel a snake so guess it was my turn. They feel surprisingly smooth and dry, not what I expected. (Jo – surprisingly brave for someone whom hates snakes). I eventually held the python for a few minutes. Gave the kids a bit of encouragement to have a go. Next it was Claire and Hughs turn. They thought they were going to hold the same smaller one I had but had a big albino python hung around their necks and over their hands. Gave Hugh a bit of a fright but they both did a great job. After the show most people got to hold or feel the snake, even Lilly gave one a very brief touch. Next it was the Alligator show. Liz, now the Alligator handler, gave a talk about the gators, handled several of the large ones and then handed out three small ones for people to hold and feel. Great shows and a terrific park. We’ve spent almost all morning here and we need to hit the road. Heading for the Keys.

We stopped at Key Largo Visitors Centre to get some info and found a great spot for a bit of snorkelling only a few mile away so best go check it out. John Penneykamp National Park, the first underwater park in the USA. Nice little beaches that you can snorkel from the shore. Pa had been to Walmart early this morning (before we were all up) and purchased some snorkels and flippers so after a very brief introduction all the kids were off snorkelling. They all did an amazing job. Lilly kept giving little squeals and her head would pop up with a big smile and a giggle, Claire discovered she could still talk underwater and Hugh after a few false starts swam like a fish. They all looked quite the part. Jo and Tristram also snorkelled. Although it’s not a brilliant spot for coral etc they did see some fish and crabs, were able to swim among the mangroves and get a feel for the snorkelling gear. Another great experience for them. Philip and I spent time with the kids swimming to us or away from us or around us. Our turn will come tomorrow, maybe.

After a couple of hours in the water we really need to get on the road, we still have several hours drive ahead to reach our accommodation in Key West.

After several more short stops and a drive over a seven mile long bridge, we reach our destination about 5.30. Another longish day, but lots of fun. We find our Accommodation, Courtney’s Place, down some very cute and narrow streets near Duval Street in Key West. Parking was a slight issue with signs on most spots for a compact cars. Guess our Suburban will be compact tonight.

The kids hit the pool while we unpacked and decided on dinner details then we walked to Duval Street and found a restaurant. Had a lovely meal upstairs on the open deck, overlooking the very quaint old Main Street with a Blues band playing just far enough a way to be pleasant.

Disney Animal Kingdom by Jo and Tristram

The kids have been hanging out for this for months. Yesterday we started the world of Disney by going to the Animal Kingdom. Wow! What a big day… over 12 hours after we arrived at the park we left… exhausted. The kids were excited to go on rides, and experience all that is Disney.

Claire was so excited to take Ma on a roller coaster that she nearly couldn’t contain herself until our allotted time slot. Much to Ma’s disgust it was the biggest roughest roller coaster in the Park, Expedition Everest. Hugh, all 7 years of him, thinks he’s the bees knees cos he got to sit in the front row.

Lillian loved watching the River of Light, light and water show and thought that the Finding Nemo musical was great. She also discovered that large roller coasters aren’t for her and that she’ll happily leave that to the others thanks very much!

All the kids did an amazing job walking around the park and waiting in cues for the day. The Rivers of Light show was a fantastic finish to a great day.

Tristram reckons the food at the park was a major improvement on Washington DC street food!