thefouramigosblog

When Bruce and I think of cruising, we think long voyages across wide open seas. This is our third Transatlantic crossing and we are heading to some exotic places. But first we have six sea days ahead of us.

To our dismay, internet and WiFi are basically non existent. So much so that Princess reimbursed the full WiFi fee. I will most likely post this first trip blog when we reach the Azores.

The first two days were quite stormy. The seas pitched and hurled and quite a few travelers were confined to their cabins. Bruce and I have good sea legs. In fact, I love the rolling during the night. I sleep like a baby.

Our first night we had dinner with two lovely couples. One from Boca Raton and the other from Mexico. We shared stories and experiences and missed the early show. But it’s always fun to dine with new and interesting people. We choose my time dining so we can go whenever we feel like it and are always willing to share a table.

The show was a group called the Westenders. They were terrific. They sang songs from our two most favorite musicals, Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserable.

Day two we hit the gym – I did a stretch class and Bruce worked out with weights. We enjoyed the spa where we bought a cruise pass to their thermal suite. Love the heated beds and powerful jacuzzi.

Day three we had coffee with friends and also ate dinner with a group of people. It was formal night so we were dressed up. Bruce in his sport jacket and me in my sparkly top.

Day four we explored the ship and shops, had coffee with friends, and spent time at the spa. We decided to watch the movie under the stars which was a favorite, Bohemian Rhapsody. For dinner we ate hot dogs and pizza. They even provided popcorn and the lounges had extra padding with blankets. It was a great night.

Day five was absolutely gorgeous out. We spent time by the pool and hot tub and ate ice cream. We are getting to see a few familiar faces from our dinners and have people to stop and chat with.

Day six is another beautiful day. Lounging by the pool and enjoying the hot tubs. There are plenty of chaises because the ship is only 60% full.

Well we missed the Azores due to heavy winds and high seas. The ship has been rolling and rocking a bit but I have slept like a baby.

Two more sea days and we are enjoying every minute of them. We decided to try trivia. Not very good but it’s fun anyway. We also watched a battle of the sexes game show. That was a hoot. Of course the women won!

Tomorrow we head to the island of Madeira. Bruce and I are doing an excursion through cruise critic. I think everyone is looking forward to land after nine sea days!

#Princesscruises #Transatlantic. #travelblog

Post pandemic travel is an interesting affair. It used to be how much should I pack, do I have our passports and what shore excursions interest us. Now it’s do we have our shots, tests and masks.

For the Caribbean Princess, passengers must be fully vaccinated and have a negative Covid test two days prior to departure. We opted for a PCR test at CVS which is covered by insurance. Results are available in one to two days. When we went to bed the night before the cruise and still did not have test results, we planned to get a rapid test the next morning. Those can run up to $150 per test so we were hoping we’d get our results. They came in around 4 am. We were both negative.

We made it to the port early and had early boarding. One of the benefits of Covid was that we no longer had to do the life boat drill at the muster station. We watched a video in our cabin approximately 10 minutes long. Then Bruce and I proceeded to the muster station where we signed in using our medallions and that was it. Easy Peasy.

When I get on a ship, I immediately want to explore. I love all the wood finishing and colorful lighting. The Caribbean Princess was decorated for Christmas but that was a bit underwhelming. A tree here and there and some garland but not as much as I would have liked.

We stopped to have some water and a small bite to eat at the International Cafe

Our first night dining, it was my birthday. We had shrimp cocktail and ceviche, salmon, Mahi Mahi, and desserts. The waiters also brought me a small cake and sang Happy Birthday, off key.

We awoke the next morning to brilliant blue skies and the promise of a wonderful day on Princess Cay. We spent some time snorkeling which was great fun. The water was a bit chilly at first but as we snorkeled and saw all the beautiful fish, we quickly forgot the water temp

The little island had tiny cabins that you could rent for the day. Very colorful with the Bahamian feel, it felt like we were in paradise.

Now this being post-Covid, the Caribbean Princess was only 40% booked. That meant plenty of lounges and no waiting times.

After a fun day we headed back to the ship with one last photo of this lovely island.

One of the things I like to do on a cruise is sign up for a spa treatment and if they have a thermal suite, sign up for that. On the first day, I had a wonderful massage and Bruce and I used the thermal suite every day.

Bruce and I never seem to get bored on sea days. We usually sleep in a little, go to the gym, have breakfast and catch some entertainment. We also made some friends and had coffee with them in the afternoon.

For dinner, we usually eat with a table full of strangers who become friends. Afterwards there is some form of entertainment in the theatre. In past cruises we had to get there early for a good seat but this time, with limited passengers, we had plenty of seats and most often were not sitting next to other people.

Bruce of course loved to have his after dinner cigar.

On some ships the smoking area is really nice but not on this one. It was under a staircase, next to a bar with little ventilation. We didn’t spend much time there.

Princess gave me $300 in free play for the casino. So after the show, we’d go to the casino for a little while. We ended up leaving the ship with $400.

On Wednesday we went to St. Thomas. We didn’t plan a tour since we have been to this island. We walked around town and shopped very little. Bruce bought a mug for his tea.

We stayed in St. Thomas until 9pm. Some pretty awesome boats in the harbor.

We love sea days and we had quite a few. Our itinerary included St. Kitts but when we approached the island the Captain announced the waters were too rough and a storm was approaching. In actuality, it appeared that there were already three ships docked, two waiting and maybe not enough room for us.

We did get a nice view of the island. Hopefully I will get to St. Kitts on another trip.

We had coffee on our balcony every morning. It was a huge balcony.

Two of my favorite people were Max, the barista and Pavlo, the ice cream man.

On the Princess cruises, they now use medallions that open your doors, charge your accounts, hold bank money for the casino and even play onboard games. It makes everything a bit hands free and I loved that I didn’t have to unlock my door – it unlocked when I approached it.

It was a great little vacation and we loved being out on the water again. And as far as safety, Princess gets high marks for it health and safety protocols.

#princesscruises #covid #travel #testing #princesscay

After the rainy day, skies began to clear and we ventured out to dinner at Bamboo.

It was a very expensive restaurant but not quite as good as La Yola. I had red snapper and Bruce had sea bass.

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The portions were small, presentation was nice but taste did not live up to the looks.

The overall ambiance was nice and we had a quiet little table that looked onto the pool.

In the morning we woke to vivid blue skies and the promise of a beautiful day.

Our first destination was the loungers on the beach. Today we brought our snorkel equipment just to see if there was anything to see.

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The only thing I saw was a tiny little fish. I guess we needed to snorkel near a reef.

We spent most of the day enjoying the beach, pool and hot tub. We had another virgin pina colada for our lunch. It was entertaining watching all the different people around the pool. And you could always tell the European male in his speedo.

For dinner, we ate at the Grill. This was in the Golf Club.

The Dominicans begin decorating for Christmas on November 1st. Lots of lights and Christmas trees everywhere.

The restaurant had music tonight which was quite nice. I had red snapper again and Bruce had seafood paella.

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We finished dinner with a passion fruit cheesecake.

Today we head home. I’m writing this blog from the VIP Lounge in Punta Cana International Airport.

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This lounge even has a swimming pool. And a full buffet with sandwiches and hot dishes.

It was a wonderful but short trip to the Dominican Republic. I look forward to returning sometime soon!

We soaked in the sunshine and sweet tropical breezes in this lovely resort at the Westin. The service was impeccable and the grounds were lovely.

We started our day having a light breakfast at the on site restaurant. They do have a full buffet but I’m trying to eat less and Bruce doesn’t eat that much so we just ordered ala carte. I had an omelet and he had pancakes.

We spent a few hours walking the beach, swimming in the salty Caribbean Sea and taking in the beauty that surrounded us.

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I thought when I came here I’d want to be zip lining and doing all kinds of action packed stuff. But I think with all the moving and renovating over the last six months, we are just happy to rest and relax.

We spent some time in the pool and even enjoyed drinking a virgin Pina Colada.

We did take the bikes out for a short lived bike ride. My tires were flat and Bruce’s handlebars were not locked in. We probably rode a good mile but it was not safe or fun so we headed back.

Our dinner reservations were for La Yola, a fantastic restaurant.

I had a shrimp dish and Bruce had linguini with seafood. For dessert we shared sweet coconut.

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It was a wonderful, relaxing day. It ended with Bruce stopping by the cigar bar to have his after dinner cigar.

Today we woke to stormy skies and torrential downpours. Noting that, we closed the drapes and slept in. I made coffee today. Unfortunately they only have powdered milk. But it will suffice. Bruce and I shared a little lunch, tuna tartar and ceviche.

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We also had a lovely view of the beach and it was no longer raining.

This afternoon we went for a hike with a guide through an Ecological Park and Reserve. It was a great walk and our guide was very knowledgeable. She’s a college student studying ecology.

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The plant that looks like a fern is actually not. Our guide told us they used to use the root of it in baking bread but they had to grind it and leave it in the sun to bake to release the poison in it. She said it really isn’t used anymore.

There were several cenotes and we could have swam in them but did not wear our bathing suits.

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In some of them there were lots of turtles. I actually think people must feed them and the fish because they came when they sensed us.

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We also spotted a couple of birds, one a woodpecker.

One particular tree had signs in front of it saying do not touch. She said because it can cause allergic reactions in people.

It’s been a wonderful day even with the rain and clouds. We are really enjoying our short visit to this fascinating island.

#LaYola #westinpuntacana #DominicanRepublic

As some of you know, I’ve been playing with points and miles for some time. I joined a group called 10X Travel, and by following their lead, I’ve been able to take my travel to an all new level.

Our flight out of Miami was scheduled at 5:45 pm but due to delays didn’t leave until 6:45. I have the Amex Platinum card which gives me access to many lounges worldwide. Thus we had access to the Centurion Lounge. We were there during late lunch early evening. Some of the food they offered included butternut squash soup, chicken, rice and an assortment of salads.

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Luckily in the lounge we could take off our masks while seated. That made the wait much more tolerable. In fact, no sweat at all.

We arrived in a Punta Cana at 9:15 and the hotel had scheduled a ride for us. It was quite dark out but the pool was lit up.

Our Stay is at the Westin Punta Cana Resort. Our cost for the room was free. Marriott had a promo when Bruce opened this card for 5 nights free at a 50k resort. Not bad. I believe he had to have a $3k minimum spend in 3 months which is no problem because we pay for things only with credit cards. As a caveat, if you cannot pay off your credit cards at the end of each billing cycle, this is not for you. We haven’t incurred interest on a credit card in over 20 years.

Our room is lovely. A king bed, dressing room, balcony with pool and ocean views.

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We quickly dropped our suitcases in the room and headed to the restaurant on the beach. We ordered a shrimp and seafood ceviche. It was delicious. Then we shared a cheesecake. The cost of food is not cheap here. This cost is $38 including tip.

After a wonderful night’s sleep, we opened our curtains and stepped out on our balcony.

Paradise – now to explore or just chill!!!!

It’s been a very busy month and I have been completely remiss in blogging about life in Florida. Valentine’s Day came and went. I did get some pretty roses.

Our friends, Sandy and Scott, arrived on the 17th and it’s been a whirlwind ever since.

We have so many neat places to walk here so almost every day we were out walking. Our first walk outside our neighborhood was to Wadokahatchee.

We did get to see a few alligators there as well.

After Wadokahatchee we went to Loxahatchee National Preserve. I wanted to show them the owl nesting but it was all taped off. Apparently someone used a laser pointer and ruined it for all those who were considerate to the wildlife. In another area however, there was another nesting owl. It was from a great distance. I really need that 600 lens.

We had a lovely dinner out at Deck 84 and a walk on Atlantic Avenue. Bruce and Scott’s fish dinner was great. Sandy and I had a steak which was not worth the $32 it cost. She ordered her steak medium and it was as rare as mine. I like mine bloody.

No alligators today but lots of birds.

We went to my sister’s pool for a swim and the water was lovely.

Of course I had to take them to Green Cay because it’s such a pleasant place to walk.

I did see a hummingbird in the butterfly garden but he was a little too quick for me. If you look closely you can see the little bird.

Morikami is such a beautiful place to take visitors. It’s a lovely Japanese Garden in the middle of Delray Beach and busy crowded streets.

One night I made stuffed peppers for Sandy and Scott and Kinda and Stan joined us. Sandy learned how to play poker but unfortunately we took our guests money.

We all ate at Cafe Luna Rosa the next night. The food was delicious but the acoustics inside made it hard to hear each other. Scott, Sandy and I had snapper and Bruce had a ravioli dish. Linda had eggplant and Stan had rigatoni.

For our last day together we went to the beach. It was extremely rough and apparently there were man of war in the water.

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We watched some surfers on the beach.

For lunch, we ate at the Banana Boat on an inlet. We watched the drawer bridge go up on the hour and the half.

We had a lot of laughs, good food and nice walks.

A fabulous visit with good friends.

Our days flow into one another like a stream that winds around each curve, beckoning to see what lies ahead. We’ve fallen into a regular routine idling away peacefully without a care in the world.

Our morning begins with reading and quiet meditation. Of course we are missing our meditation room at home, but we’ve acclimated to our new surroundings.

After meditation and checking out our phones, we take a walk around the pond. It’s a lovely pond with lots of birds. Today we spotted about half a dozen turtles.

Three days a week we head to Planet Fitness for some strength training. As we get older our muscles atrophy easily if we don’t use them. Bruce seems to get his muscle tone back quicker than I, but isn’t that usual for men.

It was a gorgeous day yesterday with the temperature around 80, so we headed to the beach. After a lot of driving around we finally found a parking space. In Delray Beach they have metered parking on the street. It’s actually very convenient if you can find the space.

The beach was lovely with people social distancing from one another. If I can say one good thing about this pandemic, it’s that beaches have been far less crowded which is ok by me.

Bruce went into the ocean and I put my feet in. Water temp is about 73. It was pretty chilly.

We had a little visitor, a little seagull which hung out with us for awhile. I think he was looking for a bite to eat. So sorry we didn’t have a thing to eat.

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For lunch we headed to Atlantic Avenue where the restaurants were in full gear. We found a little cafe, Serenity and Tea By The Sea. I had a feta and spinach quiche and Bruce had ham and cheddar. We also had scones, raspberry and blueberry.

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In the afternoon we headed over to my sister Linda’s pool. It was a great day for a dip. Linda and Stan made dinner for us and then we played some cards.

Today we went to the gym and then had coffee with friends. We also took a trip to Costco, always a feat in itself. One older gentleman almost ran us over with his cart three times. Boy oh boy. I had to remind a Bruce that people here don’t have the politeness of the people in South Carolina.

I have to admit I am really enjoying our stay here and not missing the colder weather or dreariness of home. For lunch we went to ihop. I had Swedish pancakes and Bruce had the 2x2x2 for seniors.

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Now I’m sitting on my patio, a cool breeze making it very comfortable sitting outside. At this point in my life, I am happy and peaceful almost anywhere and I am grateful for my life, just the way it is.

It’s been a worrisome two weeks but life is finally getting back to normal. Bruce is feeling good with only a little fatigue if we do too much. I had a negative Covid test on Saturday. I would have been surprised if I was positive because I feel great.

Bruce and I took a stroll around the pond this morning. There are always a lot of birds. Today we walked with a Great Gray Heron

And of course there was this guy. He sure looks evil!

My sister and I went to the beauty parlor and the boys went to the barber. Everyone was in dire need of a hair trimming.

My sweet daughter and family gave me a Cheesecake Factory gift card. We went for a delicious dinner this evening.

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I had a skinnylicious shrimp and pasta dish. It was really good but not very filling.

Bruce had a shepherd’s pie which was enormous. He has lunch for tomorrow.

Tomorrow we hope to go to the gym and then maybe hit some balls at the driving range. And if we are lucky it will warm up enough to go for a swim on Thursday.

Bruce and I appreciate all the concern about Covid and feel grateful that it was not any worse than a bad cold. And of course I’m grateful that he didn’t pass it on to me.

Our trip was cancelled to St. Croix and we were supposed to leave tomorrow. We are hoping to plan a new trip soon. I’ll keep you posted but until then let peace be with you.

Bruce started feeling better today. Actually he seemed a lot better yesterday and the doctor said he was no longer contagious after 10 days from the onset of symptoms. So a ride down A1A was just the ticket for getting back to life.

We passed many a mansion traveling south. Many gated houses lined the avenue for miles.

Flowers were blooming, the air was fresh and the sky was blue. We made a stop at the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse.

The lighthouse is only open once a month so in February we plan to visit and climb to the top. Today it wouldn’t work because we needed to ensure social distancing and wear masks. Plus it would have been too much for Bruce anyway. If all goes well, he should be back to exercise by next week.

We watched the drawbridge open for the larger vessels.

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Bruce has been housebound all week and was feeling quite good. But after we reached Lauderdale By The Sea, I could see he was fading. But it was a great day and Very promising towards his recovery. Tomorrow I will get tested but I’ve been feeling great,