First few days

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Key West, Florida

Here we are on day one in Key West. Leaving Ft. Lauderdale about 10:30 on WednesdFirsat ay, Jan. 13, it took us all night to get here. We had a wonderful time in Ft. L. visiting with so many people (Sharon and Tony, Jon, Rosemary, Pat, Norm, Rory, Bob, Julie and Craig) and then Kathy and Joe, who live in South Carolina but were in West Palm visiting their daughter and new granddaughter, drove down to our hotel for a drink and catch up conversation. We got our seafood fix at the Seawatch and Rustic Inn, too. Now we’re recovering in Key West.

The weather is finally warming up. The past few days have been hovering around 40, and today it’s in the 60’s. Hopefully, this will continue for a long time. Key West hasn’t changed much except for some more hotels and condos. Duval Street is still the place to be, and crowds still spill out of Sloppy Joe’s and Margaritaville. Trolleys still offer tours around town, and bike “ buggy” rides clog the streets, while Harleys roar around, giving the town its own unique flavor. Naturally, there are a plethora of tee shirt shops and tacky trinkets available everywhere. Our ship docked right at Mallory Square making it very convenient to get on and off until 5:30 when we leave for Santa Marta, Colombia, our next stop. We go to the west of Haiti, but we’re seeing several planes flying over us, maybe on the way there with much needed supplies.

Now, about the Prinsendam. Much to our surprise and delight, we were upgraded to a veranda room. Don’t know why, but we’re not asking questions. Our room is smaller than the one on the Amsterdam, but there are fewer passengers on this - 700 vs 1300, so the trade off is good. As the weather improves, we will be able to sit comfortably on the balcony and enjoy the view from here. The ship is older, and has been updated - almost. They are still working on the new teak deck on two decks, hoping to finish in a day or two. We’ll see. Other than that, the common rooms are very comfortable and lovely. Lots of comfy seating in the lounges, and the dining room is beautiful. We have a table for ten in the rear-center of the room with a good view out the aft deck. Last night, however, there were only four of us. Perhaps tonight the others will come. Since we weren’t leaving Ft. L. until 10;30, maybe some came aboard later. And, of course, the arrival of luggage was a bit late!

We’re still getting used to the ship and the directions, but haven’t gotten lost yet. Tonight we think we will go to the movies and see Julie and Julia and skip the comedian. More activities are on the agenda tomorrow while we are at sea. I hope the pictures print.

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Photos

Key West
View from our deck heading west from Mallory Square.

Ft. Lauderdale
View from our hotel room toward 17th St. bridge.

Comments

[Paul and Bonnie]

thanks, good to hear from you.
Brett Favre had a great game, threw four touchdown passes, beat Dallas by a bunch(maybe 34to3) "Julie and Julia" is good, anything is with Meryl Streep. This week we saw both "Blind Side" and "Invictus" both are excellent. Sounds as if your are off to great start. We enjoy hearing from you and following your trip. Paul and Bonnie

[June Everly]

Great small ship!
I love a small ship. I'm sure you'll have a large extended by the time you get home. I'm glad I'm on your list. Enjoy! June