29. September 2008 by admin.

Well, it’s here….the final day of vacation.  All good things must come to an end I guess.  We caught a taxi to the airport, flew from Newark to DFW, then said our goodbyes and headed off in opposite directions from Mike/Jackie/Angie.  Got home around 5:15……..

This was a really fun and relaxing (for the most part) vacation….the sailing to/from Bermuda was rough and Toni got sick, but she was OK by the time we got to Bermuda and the weather there was great.  New York City is an unbelievable place, lots of people and tons of things to see/do.  I had been there before (a long time ago) but Toni had not.  It’s strange, the city really does grow on you and it’s now one of my favorite cities.  You quickly realize how much New Yorkers truly love their home just by being there for the short time that we visited.  Now I understand why.

All said, it’s good to be back home again…….I missed all my “critters” and there’s nothing like sleeping in your own bed.

Toni and I both agree that someday we will be going back to the Big Apple

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28. September 2008 by admin.

Went to Port Authority early, took the Upper Manhattan bus until it got to the Museum Of Natural History, then Toni/Angie/Me took a 3 hour tour of the museum…it’s 4 levels and it would take several days to see everything, but we sped thru as much as we could…saw lots of dinosaur bones, got to see the large Megaladon shark jaws, etc. One of the most interesting places I’ve ever seen. Then we took a cab to Times Square and ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, then took a cab to the Circle Line Pier and met up with Mike/Jackie inboard and took a 75 min. ferry ride around Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. Toni/Angie/Me took a Lincoln Town Car to Ground Zero and then over to St. Paul’s Cathedral…then took another cab back to Times Square where we finished up our wild shopping spree. At supper in a cafe on 42nd Street…took the old 320 NJ transit back to the hotel and put our worn-out bodies in bed.

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27. September 2008 by admin.

Got up early, took the bus to Port Authority station, then walked over to the Today Show taping to try to get on TV…..it was raining and they didn’t come outside to film….Taylor Swift was being interviewed.  Left there, walked around some more, rode the subway which was an “entertaining” experience that probably none of us want to repeat, then bought our bus tour tickets……..got on the bus and went all over lower Manhattan, taking lots of pics…….went to Midtown West, Chelsea, Gramercy, West Village, Soho (got out and walked), Financial District, Little Italy, Chinatown (ate lunch there), Lower East Side, Greenwich Village, Stuyvesant, Midtown East……Mike/Jackie left for the hotel and Toni/Angie/Me got on the Upper Manhattan tour.  Went to Upper West Side (along Central Park), Morningside Heights, Harlem, East Harlem, Spanish Harlem, and Upper East Side.  Unbelievable……the architecture alone is worth the trip….we were alongside Central Park almost the entire tour…..went to too many places to mention, got lots of pics, have take right at 200 pics so far (including Bermuda).  Came back, went to WalMart (have to work in a trip there!!!), then ate at “Cheeseburger In Paradise” restaurant.  Tomorrow we will be on a boat around Ellis Island and see the Statue of Liberty, then Staten Island.  Toni/Angie/Me plan to spend some time in the Museum of Natural History and maybe the Metropolitan Art Gallery.  Great day today, probably the best of the vacation so far.

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26. September 2008 by admin.

Took awhile to get off the ship, left around 11:30 AM…..took a cab into Secaucus which is just west of NYC…..checked into the Hyatt Place, nice hotel.  Waited there until Angie arrived, then went to eat supper at a nearby restaurant.  We decided to go ahead and make a night trip into NYC, so we rode a bus to the Port Authority terminal near 8th Avenue/42 Street.  Walked around Times Square, down Broadway…..it is an amazing place and lots of people!!!  Went to a bunch of shops and took lots of pictures……Toni, Angie and I walked around some by ourselves, then went back to the hotel…..had a great time, I love this town!!!!  Toni’s eyes were huge, her mouth was open, and her jaw was on the ground….I think she liked it too!!!  Taking a bus tour tomorrow

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25. September 2008 by admin.

Rough seas again this morning, captain took a more northerly course to avoid bad weather. Took lots of pics today, sat out on deck, did some shopping on ship. Went to a great ice show, had supper and said farewell to dining room staff, said goodbye to our great table guests. Went to farewell show later in the evening, got our stuff ready to go…went to bed around midnight.

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24. September 2008 by admin.

Got started early, went helmet diving about 2 miles offshore. Had a great time, got to pet lots of fish. Went shopping for awhile…had a great meal in the dining room. Went to a great show at 9:00 PM…music and dancing from a bunch of 70’s and 80’s movies. Toni went to bed early, I stayed out for a couple of hours.

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23. September 2008 by admin.

Much better day today….docked in Bermuda, beautiful place!!! Took a taxi to Horseshoe Bay, spent about 3 hours swimming, pink sand and crystal clear water. Took a cab back to King’s Whatf, ate lunch at the Frog and Onion, then did some shopping. Had supper on the ship then got back out after dark and shipped more….great day!!!

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22. September 2008 by admin.

Rough day today…lots of wind and VERY rough seas…tossed ship around alot…Toni got really sick right after breakfast and stayed sick all day. Had several “emergencies” during the day. She went into main dining but had to leave and go back to the room. I found some motion sickness meds for her and she felt a little better. Tonight was formal wear in the dining room so there were lots of fancy clothes.

We will be in Bermuda when we wake up in the morning….hopefully it will be a better day.

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21. September 2008 by admin.

Got up early, had a great breakfast buffet at the hotel. Caught a cab to the Royal Caribbean loading area. Got checked in fine but had to wait for 2 hours to board because the Coast Guard was using our ship for practice maneuvers. Finally boarded, went to the Windjammer Cafe to eat….room was ready so we unpacked and then went to the upper decks and took some pics of NYC. Went to the formal dining area at 6:00, food was unbelieveable as always. We are seated with some great folks from Long Island…did some exploring and ended up in the casino (how did that happen?). Wandered around for a little while then went to bed…weather was kinda cold this evening, hope it warms up tomorrow.

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20. September 2008 by admin.

Flew from Abilene to DFW, met up with Mike/Jackie, flew together into Newark, NJ.  Smooth flights……got checked into the Holiday Inn…….took a cab into downtown Newark to Iberia Peninsula Restaurant……it was a seafood place with a Portuguese flair……the food portions were HUGE……I had Portuguese steak, Toni had Chicken/Rice……it was great but too much food!  Got a cab back to the hotel…..they are having some sort of black-tie event at the hotel, so there was lots of styling going on.  Walked around the hotel for awhile…….we get on the ship tomorrow around noon.

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