Day 22 Cadiz was founded about 1,100 years B.C., which makes it not only the oldest city in Europe, but also the oldest in the western world. On the way to the Port, we passed by San Sebastian Castle. We were not able to disembark until 10 am. Beside the port was a City Sightseeing Hop On / Hop Off bus waiting. We purchased our tickets for Euro 10.99 each. This sightseeing company operates in 5 continents (including Australia) - if you keep your ticket, you will get a 10% discount off your next purchase. The bus left about 10:30 am. We decided to do a full round trip to get ideas o... read more

Day 21 Around 07:30 am we went by the Bugio Lighthouse on it's own small island. A few minutes later we could see the Bélem Tower. The Belém Tower was built in the early sixteenth century. Next we saw the Monument to the Discoveries. A little bit further on we could see the 25th April Bridge (similar to the Golden Gate Bridge-which is the 3rd largest suspension bridge in the world). Near the 25th April Bridge, in Almada, there is a replica of the Brazilian statue of Jesus. By 8:30 am the ship arrived at the Port of Lisbon. img=http://img291.imageshack.us/img29... read more

Day 19 By 7:45 am, we were getting close to Ponta Delgada on the largest island of the Azores-Sao Miguel. We were greeted by a pilot boat. There was another Celebrity brand boat already docked in port-the Constellation. We were off the boat before 10 am. We walked off the boat & walked along the dock to the city which was just 10 minutes walk. We could see a Marina & swimming area opposite the main dock. Went past the City Gates & Building with a Clock Tower, also passing the Immigrants Statues. ... read more

Days 14-18 The next morning (20/4/2009) I was up early & went up to the front of the boat on Deck 15 to watch the sunrise. The difference in temperature from Fort Lauderdale was quite apparent-it was very windy & cool. At the front of the boat there is a Helicopter Landing Pad. The Basketball court was also at the front of the boat on Deck 15. There is an indoor observation lounge on deck 14, where you could just sit on a comfy chair or lounge & look out to sea. The observation lounge also is used for competitions & in the evenings as a bar & nightclub. Each day on board, th... read more

Day 13 While packing the Van for our trip to Fort Lauderdale, we saw many Hot Air Balloons rising just above us in the sky-it was a colourful sendoff. After taking group photographs, we were off on the road by 8 am to the port at Fort Lauderdale. We arrived at Port Everglades (also in an area called Hollywood) around 11.15 am. We unloaded the van & our baggage was labelled & then taken away by porters. We then proceeded through security & then to the check-in counters where we were issued with our multi-function cards which allow room entry & charging for items that would be purchased during the cruise. img=http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/7131... read more

Day 12 This day was set aside mainly for Shopping. Before we went shopping, I went for a swim in the Holiday Home pool (which is located at the back of the house). Luckily, the pool heating was still working (we were supposed to pay extra for heating, but I guess they forgot to turn it off). Our Holiday home is located in one of those Estates where every house seems similar in design (not enough variety!). On the way to the Factory Outlet we passed by a Catholic Church with the name "Mary Queen of the Universe". The church grounds featured a large pond with water Lillies. cle... read more

Day 11 This day was put aside for a day at Disney Epcot Theme Park. It was much closer to our Holiday Home, so we arrived just before 9 am. We had to pay for parking (which I believe is a bit unfair, since you are paying big money to enter the Park as well!). Once inside we headed (past a garden with Dwarfs) to the Land area of the park to organize our fast track entry for the Soarin' ride we would do later in the day. Each person is entitled to 1 fast track entry for the day, allowing you to by-pass the normal long queues. We took "The Land" boat ride which takes you through a greenhouse with of all sorts of fruits & a fish farm. Next we watched a 3-D show, ... read more

Day 10 This day was our trip to the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral. The drive to the Cape from Orlando was over an hour, so we did not reach the centre until 12:00 - parking was free (just watch out for Alligators that can be seen just off the car park). We did not pre-pay our tickets-we just paid for them at the booth. The entrance includes a bus tour that takes you around various parts of the site. After I had a quick look at the Rocket Park, it was time to board the bus for the 1st stop at the Launch Pad's A & B. On Launch Pad A there was a shuttle (Atlantis) already in position. img=http://img124.imageshack.us/img124/5198/16launchpad... read more

Day 9 This day was our trip to Universal Studios. We had to leave early as it was nearly an hour to drive to the Studios. There are actually 2 theme parks in the same area: Universal Studios & the Islands of Adventure-your ticket does cover both parks. We reached the Studios before 8 am, parked the car (you had to pay for parking as well!) & went inside the complex. The first ride we went on, The Revenge of the Mummy (an indoor roller coaster) nearly put me off rides for the rest of the day - it was really scary. After that I chose fairly tame rides. We then took the Jaws rid... read more

Day 8 Our Flight arrived at Indianapolis before 3 am in the morning, our next flight to Orlando was not scheduled for departure until 8 am. It was a long time to wait, but you really couldn't sleep, so we just sat or wandered around the transit lounge. Later in the morning we ate some breakfast before boarding the flight. When we left Indianapolis at 8 am they warned us the weather could be bad in Orlando. About an hour into the flight, they made an annoucement that the Orlando airport was closed due to Tornado alert, so they diverted our flight to another Airport at Wes... read more