Tuesday Night Towel Animal

Posted on February 4, 2013February 4, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Aboard Ship~Day 2 (Tuesday)

Posted on February 3, 2013February 3, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Back on the ship after our Key West experience we headed to the Horizon Bar and Grill on the Lido deck for a quick lunch while the Imagination cast off for Cozumel, Mexico.

One thing about being in the ocean on a large cruise ship is that the staff and especially the cruise director work very hard to keep everyone entertained. Special events like karaoke, break dance exhibitions, bingo, dance classes and Towel Folding Fun supplement the casino, book reading and swimming pool for activities.

There is an internet café but with a charge of $.75/minute that seemed a bit rich to me. Especially when someone who had used it said the connection is very slow so you are paying for “dead” time.

There’s also something to be said for just sitting on the deck and watching the waves. It’s kind of mesmerizing. The ship doesn’t roll much although you do get a bit of motion now and then. It’s been particularly stormy between patches of sun and clouds.

Tuesday Night is elegant dining on this particular cruise. My dolphin sarong was just the added touch needed to dress up my navy pant suit.

This was also the Prime Rib or Lobster night. I went with the lobster. I’d been looking forward to that since I found out there was lobster served on every cruise. Today’s menu was lobster tail and grilled shrimp, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Served with drawn butter it was melt in your mouth goodness. Since it is elegant fine dining I splurged and had a glass of chardonnay with my meal. It was excellent too.

Joe is not a shellfish eater and he doesn’t eat meat but there were other options available. He had grilled chicken. Dessert was a Grand Marnier Soufflé for Joe but I was content with a small dish of chocolate ice cream.

A very satisfactory dinner under our belts we went to listen to the karaoke singers for a bit before making our way to the Dynasty Lounge for the Living in America show.

The Dynasty lounge has wonderful semi circle seats. We got there a bit late so had to sit in the back. I joked that it was the cruise ship version of “Obstructed View” as there were a couple of poles but it really didn’t interfere with the show which was excellent.

The ship was rocking a bit more as the weather had turned windy and rainy but the dancers never missed beat…literally! The LasVegas style show was a medley of songs that featured a state or town. For Example Neil Diamond’s “America” was stolen for the title song with a slight variation in the words. Instead of “we’re coming to America” they sang “we’re living in America”. Of course there were songs like Chicago, New York New York, Give my regards to Broadway, and Sweet Georgia Brown including basketballs. Elvis’s Viva Las Vegas introduced showgirls with elaborate head gear.

No pictures. Photography and video is prohibited.

The lead singers Patrick and Aretha were terrific. I thing Aretha is well named. As former dance instructors Joe and I couldn’t help critiquing the choreography. Simple. Most of the patterns were pretty basic but execution always makes the difference and the dancers executed their patterns well especially when you think they were dancing with a rolling stage under their feet.

There were a lot of costume and set changes which had to be challenging too. All in all it was a great show. Without a doubt this was the best day of the cruise so far.

We’ll be sailing all night and well into the morning before we dock in Cozumel. We have an excursion planned for Mexico so we’ll see what the day brings.

The Sights and Scenes of Key West

Posted on February 2, 2013February 2, 2013 by Dusty Roads

sea gulls swoop in for a free breakfast

Pink Flamingos everywhere

Paitently Waiting

Coast Guard Vessel moored at Key West

Hammerhead

Culture and Art

Beautiful, old architechture

The Conch Train

Cuban Cigars

Beautiful decorative Fox

Key West

Posted on January 30, 2013January 30, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Arriving in Key West

Good Morning Key West.

We enjoyed breakfast outside at a table on the deck as the ship pulled into Key West. The Sea Gulls are not shy at all. If you have any kind of bird phobia I recommend you stay inside to eat. The birds practically stalked their breakfast walking right down the railing to eye the food on everyone’s plates.

This determine Gull had his eye on Joe’s breakfast

When anyone got up to leave they swooped right down to the table and began picking scraps from the plates. Shooing them away only brought a moment’s respite before they were back again.

Key West Harbor

The ship docked just outside of Mallory Square, the gathering place for all Key West.

It was so early when we headed out that attractions, like the Key West aquarium, were still closed.

Some of the tourist / souvenir shops were just opening up. They probably wanted to take advantage of the hoards of tourist just waiting to come ashore and spend their money.

Even I, who was watching every penny this trip, succumbed to the urge to buy. I picked up a navy blue sarong with a dolphin pattern to wear as a shawl to dinner. It gets quite cool in the dining room.

Joe and I wandered down Duval St where I took the mandatory picture of Earnest Hemingway’s hideout…Sloppy Joe’s.

We peeked in at the lighthouse grounds where life sized statues straight from Renoir paintings danced around the court yard.

It was clear to see that Key West still had a love affair going with the chickens.

They run wild in the streets and are tolerated everywhere. Roosters crow all day, not just at dawn.

Outside of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church we spotted a couple of baby chicks.

The other creatures that Key West is known for are the Hemmingway cats. Descended from a polydactyl cat owned by Earnest Hemmingway there are now dozens of cats that make the Hemingway house home.

As any good cat lady will do, I went to visit the cats but admission was cash only and since the boat is a Cashless Experience, I wasn’t carrying any cash. Joe didn’t have any either. We hung around outside and chatted with one of the street vendors for awhile before heading back to Mallory Square.

Mallory Square is the heart and soul of Key West. During the day it’s a just a pier where locals come to fish or paint or just sit and watch the waves but come evening the crowds will gather to watch the sun set into the ocean and the square will be alive with street entertainment.

Mallory Square gave me a great view of the ship too. The size of the Imagination is amazing.

While I was photographing the ship a couple of hungry pelicans swooped in to see what they could fine for lunch. They zoned in on a young boy’s fish catch going so far as to steal a fish right off the line as he tried to reel it in.

We were looking for a place for Joe to get a signature dish of Key West and I don’t mean Conch Fritters. No he wanted the original Key Lime pie. Although we wandered quite a few streets he couldn’t find the shop he was looking for. It’s been a long time…13 years…so who knows if it’s even still around. Finally as we were heading back to the ship he settled on Key Lime on a stick, an ice cream version.

Some things have changed from the Key West I remember. It is even more touristy than I remember. Back in 2000 they had 1 trolley line

and the little Conch train for sight seeing

and the Bone Island bus line for getting around the island. Now there are 2 trolley lines and a duck tour all added to the mix. The shop owners don’t just wait for you to wander in. No, now many of them “hawk” their wares as you walk by the shops.

The presidential palace, a summer home for several past presidents, is still a great place to tour but we were told that the Fisher Museum of salvaged shipwreck treasure had relocated.

We didn’t have time to make it to Smather’s Beach or the monument at the Southern Most Point but we did spot mile marker 0 for the end of Route 1.

And speaking of Route 1, we stopped for a breather across from the Green Parrot which claims the be the last and first bar and grill on Route 1. Joe could get a wifi signal there so he could check his e-mails. It’s harder being “unplugged” than expected.

The weather stayed nice for our meanderings in Key West but it was soon time to head back to the Ship. The ship would be casting off to begin it’s cruise to Cozumel, Mexico and we didn’t want to be left behind.