Saint John New Brunswick Cruise Ship Terminals

Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada has 3 places cruise ships can dock at. The one most used is the Marco Polo Cruise Ship Terminal in my top photo. This terminal has free Wi-Fi and shops. This was the one I used when I arrived in Saint John. The second most used terminal is the Diamond Jubilee (named after Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee) Cruise Ship Terminal pictured in the 2nd photo down. I can't tell you much about this one though my tour bus did drive by it. Lastly, cruise ships can use an area called the Long Wharf (bottom photo). According to the Beyond Ships webpage (http://www.beyondships3.com/st-john-guide-2.html), this is normally used for cargo but, when necessary, a tent city can be set up for security and for shops. Because of these 2 terminals and the wharf, Saint John can handle 4 cruise ships at one (according to the tour guide on my tour). The Beyond Ships website states that cruise ships alone have brought in $25 million into the city's economy. The Cruise Saint John website (www.cruisesaintjohn.com) states that in 2013, over 165,000 visited Saint John by cruise ship. It is a popular cruise ship port.

Facebook Twinings USA Tea Coupon

Facebook has a coupon (actually code) that will get you 25% off on an order with Twinings Tea USA (website: twiningsusa.com). The code is FB25. You enter that code on-line where it asks for any coupons during the order process. Normally, a box of 20 tea bags will cost you $2.99 but, this coupon knock the price down 75 cents roughly a box. However, you will have to pay shipping and tax. I ordered 24 boxes of Twinings teas from them last December and, the shipping came to $9.95 and tax was $3.23. This upped the cost of each box to $2.79 overall. That's still cheaper than what you would find it at most supermarkets. The Columbia, Maryland Wegmans store sells a 20 count box of Twinings tea for $3.29 so, you can probably save 50 cents a box with this code. If you're going to order a number of their products, it can be worth using. Another plus with the website is you can shop the full range of Twinings products. You're lucky if most stores have 7 or 8 Twinings products. Twinings teas are very good. I usually have at least 1 mug of their tea a day. They've been in the tea business a LONG time. The founder of the company Thomas Twining started it in 1706 in London, England. Happy tea drinking all!

Portland Maine Cruise Ship Terminal

Here's a picture of the Portland, Maine cruise ship terminal. The terminal can handle 2 ships at one time. It has a small modern visitor's center where cruisers can book excursions and get information on what's available in Portland and other areas like Kennebunkport. The visitor's center doesn't offer Wi-Fi as I remember. According to cruisecritic.com, Portland gets close to 50,000 visitors a year via cruise ships. The ship on the left is the ship I cruised on i.e. Legend of the Seas. The ship on the right was a French named ship whose name sadly I don't remember.

Peggy's Cove Photos

During an excursion in Nova Scotia while on my Maine/Canada cruise this past September on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas, I got to visit Peggy's Cove. It's a touristy small scenic cove with a pretty lighthouse which can be seen in the first photo. For me, the real highlight of this visit is what you can get in the combination gift shop/restaurant you see in the second photo. On the second floor of the building, you can get a free special passport stamp that shows the lighthouse and the location Peggy's Cove. In my opinion, it's a neat souvenir of the trip that reminds me of the equally cool passport stamp I got at Machu Picchu, Peru.

Town Centre at Laurel (Maryland) Photos

I decided to try out my latest newest toy, a Sony DSC-RX100M2 point and shoot camera. The main advantage of the camera is that you can carry it in your pocket. This made it great for taking these photos as I was riding around on my TMAX motorbike.

My photos show the new Town Centre at Laurel shopping place. It has different parts scattered around, some of which aren't finished or haven't been let out yet. It is a huge improvement over the demolished Laurel Mall that used to occupy the site. The 2nd photo shows the new 12 screen Regal theater. I haven't seen a movie there but, that isn't any big surprise since I'm not a big movie goer. Most of the shops seem to be occupied by restaurants with others such at Sports Authority having moved from other locations in Laurel. The centre features other stores like Harris Teeter and Burlington Coat Factory (an original occupant). It's a nice development and may help bring more people into Laurel. Happy Holidays everyone!

Portland Horse Drawn Trolley Tour

During my Maine/Canada cruise back in September, I did a horse drawn trolley tour of Portland. The tour ended being really nice. The trolley took us around the historic parts of the city where the tour guide told us about the buildings as we passed them. I think the tour was 90 minutes long. I felt it was a very good tour and would recommend it to anyone visiting Portland.

New York City Skyline and Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Photos

One of the beginning highlights of my Maine/Canada cruise on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas was the view of New York City from Port Liberty, Bayonne, New Jersey. As you see in the photo, the views were awesome!

In the 2nd photo, you can see the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge that links Staten Island with Brooklyn. At one time, this bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world till the Humber bridge in the United Kingdom surpassed it in 1981. My ship would pass under this bridge on its way out to the Atlantic Ocean.

Personal Eulogy For My Friend May Jackson

Today, I got a nasty shock. I got a call from my friend May Jackson's son-in-law Mike (last name unknown) letting me know May had passed away last night. I had no idea she was doing that badly. I learned just maybe less than a month ago that she'd been put in a nursing home because she was having such a rough time with needless worry and other things. I hoped when I got word of that she would pull out of it and, we could resume our chats as well as continuing to exchange letters. It was not to be.

I first met May when I moved into an apartment complex in San Angelo, Texas. I was a Tech Sergeant in the Air Force at the time and had just been stationed at the air base close by. I forget how we first met but, I remember her and her apartment well. May would serve cheap champagne and was a delight to be around. We had similar interests. Both of us liked culture, travel and art. I remember well the artistic rug she had hanging on one of her apartment walls. It consisted of bright solid swathes of color one after another. May asked me how much I thought it cost. I guess I didn't know art prices that well because I didn't come close to guessing the actual price. The RUG cost over $4,500 to my total shock!

Later, I got assigned to other air bases and kept in touch by phone and letter. One time while home for Christmas, I called her and reminded her that I was going to come down there and see her again (a promise I later kept). She asked me what I was doing in April. I said nothing. She told me about a special graduation trip that she, her daughter Jan and her grand-daughter Dallas (who was graduating from college - Georgetown possibly) were doing to Egypt. May particularly liked the country. I'd never visited it. She said lets meet there. Since I was stationed in Bahrain at the time, it wouldn't have been a huge hassle to fly over there. I told her I'd do my best to make it happen. I managed to get an Egyptian visa at the Egyptian embassy in Bahrain, made hotel reservations at the MENA House Oberoi Hotel (where her tour group was staying), arranged to have a driver pick me up at the airport and take me to the hotel (and later back to the airport) and in April I flew to Cairo.

I arrived first and waited for her to show up which she did I think an hour or 2 later. May some how talked the tour group leader into letting me join her tour for the next 2 days. It ended up being a lot of fun. Sadly, it was the only time we got to travel together. Because of May, I found out I liked Egypt and later, I did an Avalon Waterways tour where I saw the rest that I didn't get to do with her tour. I won't ever forget that trip with her, her daughter and grand-daughter.

I kept in touch with May and, I hoped to make it down to San Angelo again some time to see her. Sadly, it won't happen. I can't make it to her funeral with my future travel plans which are already set. Plus, I suspect it'll be a very sad family affair. I know they'll miss her dearly. May was a wonderful lady with a lot of character and a lot of spunk. May she know peace.

The Original IQ Tester Game Product Review

Recently, my friend Harvey and I had lunch at Aunt Sarah's Pancake House at 4205 Broad Street in Richmond, Virginia. While there, my friend Harvey reached over and started playing a game they had at our table (it was a demo model). The game is called The Original IQ Tester. It's made by Venture Manufacturing in Dalton, Georgia. The game is simple and yet challenging. It consists of 15 holes placed in a series of triangle patterns forming a greater triangle on a wooden board. You put 14 white plastic pegs in 14 of the 15 holes on the board. Then, you try to eliminate the pegs through jumping to where you have 1 peg left on the board. You can jump sideways or diagonally. You decide which hole to leave open at the beginning of the game. You earn points depending on how many pegs you have left at the end of the game (3 pegs left - 10 points, 2 pegs left - 25 points and 1 peg left - 50 points), or for advanced players if you can have the last peg end up in the hole you left open at the beginning (100 points) or more challenging still, you leave 8 pegs remaining on the board with no further jumps possible (200 points).

Venture Manufacturing sells the game for $7.99 at their website: venturemfgproducts.com. Should you lose too many of the white plastic pegs, you can order a replacement pack of 21 of them for $1.99. You may also be able to find the game as I did at Aunt Sarah's restaurants. They have 2 locations in Virginia.

Overall, I was really pleased with this game. I've found it challenging and, I like that there aren't any batteries. The game is small, light and easily packable. It's a game you can easily take with you on trips. Also, it is nice that it is made in the United States. I would definitely recommend it. Happy playing all!

Update December 14, 2014:  I placed an order for this game on the mentioned website. I got a shock when I found they'll charge you $10 for shipping. That's more than the cost of the game! So, I think Venture's shipping charges are high. You have been warned.

Yamaha TMAX Front Tire Life

Recently, I had to take my 2009 Yamaha TMAX into Heyser Cycle for a routine oil and filter change. Oil and filter changes have to be done every 3,125 miles or 5,000 kilometers. While there, it was discovered I needed to get a new front tire for my TMAX due to normal wear. I found out front tires apparently last approximately 8,000 miles on the bike. The bike uses either Dunlop GPR-100F or Bridgestone BT011F tires for the front tire. I ended up buying a Bridgestone tire as it was the cheaper of the two. It cost me $125 not including the labor to get it installed. I suspect the front tire on the bike is going to wear out faster than the back tire because that is where the majority of the braking is done on the bike. I'll post another post when I have to replace the back tire so TMAX users can have some idea how long the back tire will last. Happy safe riding all!

Starbucks Refresher Drink Product Review

One product I've tried a number of times at Starbucks coffee shops when I haven't felt like have a glass of their tea is their Refresher drink product. The drink comes in 3 flavors in their stores: Valencia Orange, Cool Lime and Very Berry Hibiscus. A 16 ounce glass of the drink will cost you approximately $3.00 at one of their stores.

Starbucks also makes available the drink in 2 other forms - cans and powder. The 8.4 fluid ounce cans come in 3 flavors: Strawberry Lemonade, Blueberry Acai and Raspberry Pomegranate. You can purchase the cans at either the Starbucks stores where they will cost you approximately $2.45 each or in stores where you can buy a 4 pack of the cans for at least $4.55. Calories for the cans depend on the flavor. Their lemonade has 60 calories per can while the blueberry flavor has 90.

The powdered drink come in 3 flavors: Raspberry Lemonade, Very Berry Hibiscus and Cool Lime. The powdered drink comes in a small box with five .7 ounce packets. Each packet makes two 8 ounce glasses of the drink. The boxes of the drink sell for $5.95. Calorie wise, each 8 ounce glass has 35 calories. One plus of buying the powdered drink box flavors is you receive 1 bonus crown point in Starbucks reward program for every box you buy.

One of the noteworthy aspects of Starbucks refresher drink is their use of green coffee extract. Starbucks draws the caffeine out of green coffee beans and inserts it in the refresher drinks. As the green coffee beans haven't been roasted yet, the extract doesn't have the coffee taste so many know while giving the drink a natural caffeine boost. I can vouch that none of the refresher drinks have any kind of coffee taste (I'm not a fan of coffee).

Overall, I've been very pleased with this product and would recommend it. I don't think you get a big caffeine fix from it as I haven't been pinging off the walls after drinking a glass of this drink. I believe the powdered form offers the best value for money. If nothing else, it does give you an alternative drink at Starbucks if you're not in a coffee or tea mood one day when you're visiting one of their stores. Happy drinking all!

Laurel Maryland Pennsylvania Dutch Market Thanksgiving Hours

I thought I'd post the Thanksgiving week hours for the Pennsylvania Dutch Market in Laurel, Maryland. I've shopped at the market for a number of years and, I highly recommend it. A number of the shops have very high quality goods. Beiler's Meats have excellent luncheon meats as well as steaks, sausages and some poultry products. Stoltzfus Salads has some really good salads including their butter beans which are large lima beans in a very good bar-b-que sauce. JR's Candies and Bulk Foods have some outstanding Jake & Amos pickled products like pickled asparagus and pickled spice dilly beans which are pickled green beans (I've had these and they are really good). Dutch Country Corner has some great ice cream which you can buy in half gallons or in a waffle cone if you wish. There are only 2 things I can complain about with this market: 1) they're not open enough during the week (their normal days of operation are Thursday, Friday and Saturday) and 2) they need more parking (the market is sooooo popular it can be hard to find a parking spot at times). Anyway, enough raving about this market. Here are the Thanksgiving week hours:

Tuesday, November 25th, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday, November 26th, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Closed Thanksgiving Day November 27th
Friday, November 28th, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, November 29th, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Their website is: www.burtonsvilledutchmarket.com. This market is worth checking out if you're in the Laurel, Maryland area. Happy shopping all!

Starbucks Portland Commercial Street Restaurant Wi-Fi

While in port during my recent cruise on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas, I got to visit the Starbucks on 145 Commercial Street, Portland, Maine and try out their Wi-Fi. Due to expensive rates on the ship, I was looking for alternative Wi-Fi locations and, this Starbucks fit the bill superbly. Also, another nice thing about this Starbucks is that it isn't that far from the Portland cruise ship terminal. I think it was about 4 or 5 blocks from the terminal. As the terminal doesn't have Wi-Fi as far as I know, this is maybe one of the closer places to the terminal that offers it.

Also, the Commercial Street Starbucks has convenient hours. They are:

Monday to Thursday and Sunday: 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. (current at the time of this post)

Overall, I was very pleased with the Wi-Fi connectivity at this Starbucks as well as the service. Prices were the same as at other Starbucks and, they do accept Starbucks giftcards as well as participate in their reward program. I'd definitely recommend this Starbucks and plan to use it again when I make port again in Portland some time in the far future. Happy web surfing all!

Bar Harbor Maine Cruise Ship Pier

Last month, I got to visit Bar Harbor, Maine for the first time while doing a Maine/Canada cruise on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas. Bar Harbor was the only port on this cruise where the ship had to tender us in i.e. take up to port in smaller boats (this is standard for cruise ships as Norwegian Cruise Line's Dawn had to do the same thing while I was there). The reason for this is I believe is because the water is too shallow by the pier.

Concerning the pier, there isn't a cruise ship terminal there like at other places. The town did have 1 policeman nearby but, there weren't any dedicated cruise buildings. Royal Caribbean set up it's own security to check people before they were allowed on a tender which took them to the ship.

The pier does have restaurants which seemed useless to me since the free food on board the ship was fine. One plus in my opinion was the free Wi-Fi at Agamont Park which is right next to the pier. I tested this Wi-Fi and, it worked fine.

The Blood of Olympus Book Review

Yesterday, Rick Riordan's Blood of Olympus was released. It's the final book in the Heroes of Olympus series. The book picks up from the 4th book of House of Hades. In the 5th book, our heroes go through many more trials on their way to 2 climactic battles. Riordan shows his usual crazy humor such as the minor sea goddess whom Jason Grace promises to create an action figure for while at the same time keeping the story moving along. I won't spoil the ending but, I don't think there will be any devastated Riordan fans at the end of the story i.e. it has a happy ending.

Overall, I found the story ok. I thought it weak in some parts like the blood certain demigods shed to waken Gaea. I mean we're led to believe there is going to be some terrible sacrifice and, the sacrifice ends up being lame.

Still, the book will be a must read for Riordan fans. Price wise, the Costco near which I live is selling it for $10.99 in hardbound. Also, Barnes & Noble is selling the electronic version for the same price.

Lastly, Riordan fans will be very delighted at the far end of the book where Riordan announces the new series he'll be coming out with next October called Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. And yes, it's not a coincidence that the Chase in the title has the same last name as Annabeth Chase. We'll find out next October what the connection is. Happy reading all.

Maryland Penalties for Missed Emissions Test

Recently, I learned the hard way you don't want to fail to get your emissions test done in Maryland. I don't know how much time the state gives you to get the test done but, I managed to miss it. This is what happened to me because of that.

First, the state will suspend your car registration and not tell you. I got a serious scare when a Howard County policeman pulled me over last month. I wasn't speeding (I was doing 7 miles under the speed limit according to my Global Positioning System (GPS)), My tags were current, Nothing was broken on the car. The policeman came up and asked for proof of registration. I managed to find it and also gave him my driver's license which was current. He did some checking and found out my car registration was suspended because I didn't get the emissions test done. I was stunned. I had no idea it had been suspended. Thankfully, the policeman gave me just a warning though I had 30 days to fix the matter. He could've given me a ticket.

Second, later that week, I went to the nearest emissions testing center to get the test done. The price for the test is $14 which isn't bad. Also, I got there right when it opened so, there wasn't any line. I pull out a $20 to pay for the test and, the guy tells me it's going to be $149! The reason it was so high? The late fee for not getting the emissions test done in time. The fee is a whopping $135! Serious OUCH!

So, the lesson of this story dear readers is if you live in Maryland, make damn sure you get your emissions test done in time. It will be very expensive if you don't. Take it from someone who learned the hard way. Happy travels all!

P.S.
Concerning the car registration suspension, I found out from Maryland Motor Vehicles Administration (MVA) that the suspension will be removed within 24 hours of you getting the emissions test done. I visited their Glen Burnie office to make sure it had been and, that's how I found this out.

Hemingway Home, Key West, Florida

Due to the fact I wrote a review on Tripadvisor.com on the Hemingway House in Key West, Florida; I'm posting pictures I haven't posted before. To my surprise, the only pictures I took in Key West were of the Hemingway House. I'll rectify that when I go back this coming January with my totally awesome Aunt Marge, Uncle Dave and possibly my travel friend Harvey.

Concerning the pictures, the first is of 6 photos taken of Ernest Hemingway at different ages in his life starting when he was a baby and progressing to when he was an old man. The second is of the dining room in the house. The third is of a bedroom. On the bed, you can see 1 of the 40 cats that roam the house. I believe this one is one of the famous 6 toed cats. According to the guide who showed my group around the house, Hemingway opposed having cats because he knew once you get one cat, you'll get more. One of Hemingway's fishing buddies however changed his mind when he told him that 6 toed cats were good luck.

Concerning Key West, I really enjoyed it. It's small but, there is a lot to see there including the Hemingway House, mini White House and the Mel Fisher museum. I'm really looking forward to going back.

In regards to my last September cruises, after the Majesty of the Seas left Key West, we sailed back to Miami where sadly it was time to leave. Thanks to being members of Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor program (their frequent cruiser program), I was one of the first ones off the boat. When a cruise is over, I don't like hanging around. I want to get moving even if it means I hang around at the airport. I was glad to get off the ship and on my way. I got my suitcase and processed through customs and immigration. As I had a pre-paid transfer to the airport, I took my suitcase to the airport bus, handed it to the driver and boarded the bus. At Miami International, my travel friend Harvey and I would fly to Atlanta where we would go our separate ways.

Atlantis Resort Photos, Paradise Island, Bahamas

Finished in 1998 by South African hotel magnate Sol Kerzner, Atlantis is probably the most famous resort in the Bahamas. It has a water park, the largest outdoor aquarium in the Caribbean and a lot of impressive artwork specially created for the resort some of which you can see in the photos above.

My travel friend Harvey and I signed up for the Atlantis tour excursion through Royal Caribbean. It cost $39 and, I thought it was worth the money. The resort provided the guide for the tour who was very knowledgeable and funny. The tour included transportation to and from the resort. I think the tour took 3 hours. Next up - Key West, Florida

Miami Hop Hop Off and City Photos

Between cruises, my travel friend Harvey and I decided to see some of Miami. One of the easiest ways to do that is do a hop on hop off tour. You get on the bus which stops at various landmarks and when one really grabs your attention, you hop off and check it out. When you're done seeing that particular place, you hop back on the bus and continue on the tour. It's a really easy way to see the city.

The company our travel agent Joel Mills recommended was Big Bus. They offer 2 different routes. One takes in Little Havana and other historic landmarks while the 2nd route does Miami Beach and South Beach. We chose do the first one.

Big Bus was convenient for us because all we had to do was walk across the bridge that connects Miami to its port, cross the street to Bayside Marketplace and walk around to the Big Bus stop. The first picture is of one of their buses. The 2nd is of some of the fine folks that work there. I don't remember their names but, I remember them being very nice. They represented their company well.

The 3rd picture of a courthouse interestingly. The 4th is of a 50's type store. The last photo is of the historic Biltmore Hotel. In its heyday, it was the place to stay when visiting Miami.

The Big Bus tour was very nice though neither Harvey or I felt like getting off the bus during the tour. We returned to Bayside Marketplace where we walked over to the Miami Hard Rock Cafe so, I could get my t-shirt. I collect them from all the Hard Rock Cafes I visit. After that, we stopped in the Starbucks where I treated Harvey to a coffee so, he wouldn't mind me getting on the Internet for a little while. I don't like coffee but, I love Starbucks's free WiFi.

Then, we hoofed it back to the Majesty of the Seas where we used our 2nd cruise SeaPasses to get on-board. The SeaPasses were delivered to our cabins the night before we pulled back into Miami. Thankfully, Royal Caribbean has those who do back-to-back cruises in-process once. So, we got to skip it on the 2nd cruise though we did have to do the emergency drill again before the ship left the pier.

The next pictures I'll post will be of the very impressive Atlantis Resort on Paradise Islands, Bahamas. Stay tuned.

Miami Skyline and Port Pictures

While Royal Caribbean was founded in Norway by 3 Norwegian shipping companies, Miami was the first port the new cruise company decided to sail from. Royal Caribbean has been here since 1970 I believe. The first picture show the cosmopolitan city's skyline from the cruise ship piers. The 2nd picture shows the cruise ship piers (you can see another cruise ship further up) as well as the way the cruise ships sail out of the port and into the Caribbean Sea. The 3rd picture shows the cruise ship piers as well as the other side of Miami's port. You can see containers and the cranes that lift them and put them on container carrying ships. The final picture show Royal Caribbean International's Headquarters. This is the headquarters for the cruise line though they are just 1 of 5 cruise lines owned by their parent company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

These pictures were taken at the beginning of the first of 2 cruises I did on Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas in September 2013. Next up will be a couple pictures I took during a hop on hop off tour I did of Miami between cruises.

Oasis of the Seas Photos, Nassau, Bahamas

For those who wants lots of photos of this impressive ship, my apologies. I wasn't able to take lots of them from the pier at Nassau, Bahamas. I haven't sailed on the Oasis so, I haven't been able to get photos from on the ship. These photos are primarily to show my Aunt Marge just how BIG this Oasis is. It is HUMONGOUS!

The 2nd photo is a poor attempt to show the Aquatheater on the ship. This theater is noteworthy as it's largest swimming pool on a commercial vessel. It holds 1 million gallons of water and is 16 feet deep. It has to be deep because they have professional divers (not scuba divers) who dive into the pool during the shows they put on.

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that the Oasis or its sister ship the Allure will make port in Nassau during one of the two port calls my Aunt, my Uncle and myself will make to Nassau this coming January. Then, she can be Royally WOWED as Royal Caribbean says.

Next up: photos of the Miami skyline, cruise ship terminal and Royal Caribbean International Headquarters.

Cloister Photos, Paradise Island, Bahamas

Here are 2 photos I took of The Cloisters on Paradise Island. I took 3 others but, I used those in a review that I wrote for Tripadvisor.com. As I don't want to use those again and possibly have some trouble with those folks, I'm using my remaining 2 photos.

The Cloisters were the last thing I got to see on my first excursion in Nassau. I think they're the prettiest too though the Queen's Staircase was pretty neat. The Cloisters have an interesting story. William Randolph Hearst, the great newspaper magnate, bought the ruins of a French monastery and had them shipped either to the U.S. or the Bahamas (that point wasn't clear in my researches). Apparently, no one thought to note how the various pieces went together. When they tried to put the pieces together, they realized they had a BIG problem. Hearst never put the ruins back together. Later, his heirs I believe sold them to the A&P heir (I forget his name) who was building a super posh hotel on what was then known as Pig Island (I believe that was the name then, he later petitioned the Bahamian Parliament to have the name changed to Paradise Island, a lot more appealing to people staying there you know). He bought the ruins and hired an artist who then spent 2 years trying all kinds of combinations till he finally came up with what you see today.

The ruins are stilled owned by the hotel the heir built. I forget it's name though I do remember it's part of the One and Only Chain of hotel. The hotel allows anyone to visit the ruins and, there isn't any charge. They're open 24 hours a day. They are very popular for weddings according to the guide I had. It would sense as they would be a great setting for a wedding.

After visiting these ruins, my tour group returned to the cruise ship terminal where I would take some photos of the Oasis of the Seas. Stay tuned for those photos tomorrow. Happy travels all!

Naked Juice Blue Machine Product Review

Due to a promotion by MyPoints where you can earn 1,000 points by buying $5 or more of Naked Juice products (offer expires June 26th, 2014 so you best hurry if you want to take advantage of it), I decided to try a 2 quart bottle of their Blue Machine juice product. Here's what I found out about it and what I thought of it.

First, Naked Juice states on the bottle that they put 114 blueberries, 12 blackberries, 4 apples and 4 and 3/4 bananas in my 2 quart bottle. That is a LOT of fruit in my opinion. Also, for those who care about such things, they state that the fruit was sustain-ably grown and the bananas were certified by the Rainforest Alliance. It doesn't have any added sugar, no GMO, no preservatives, gluten free and it's vegan. The bottle the juice is in is produced from other plastic bottles helping to reduce waste in landfills.

Second, price wise the 2 quart bottle cost me $6.98 at the Laurel, Maryland Sam's Club. I thought this was a reasonable price. Juice doesn't come cheap.

Taste wise, I thought the product tasted pretty good. Naked Juice calls it a blue smoothie. Plus, it appears to be good for you. It's loaded with B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E and fiber (one 8 ounce glass will give you 3 grams of fiber which is 10% of your daily requirement for fiber).

Overall, I think Naked Juice is a fine product that is good for you. It's definitely better to drink this than soda. It's a product you might want to try. Happy drinking all!

Nassau, Bahamas Harbor Pictures

Time to post some more Bahamas cruises pictures for my totally awesome Aunt Marge. The first picture here is of the entrance to the harbor at Nassau, Bahamas. This is noteworthy because the Bahamian government had to widen the channel entrance to the harbor so the Oasis and its sister ships could visit Nassau without running the risk of running aground. It would've been a tight fit for the ship otherwise. Two pictures of the Oasis will appear in future posts as I was able to get up close to the ship in Nassau.

The second picture is to the left of the harbor entrance. You can see some kind of factory out that way as well as a nice beach. As I remember, there were food stands by the beach too.

The third picture is of the 4 ships that were in port the first time I made port in Nassau on Majesty of the Seas. From left to right, you have the Oasis, a Norwegian Cruise Line ship (name unremembered), a Carnival ship (name unremembered but always easy to identify due to their unique smokestack) and Majesty of the Seas.

The fourth picture is another picture of Majesty of the Seas that I didn't know I had. This shows the ship from the pier close to the building where you pass through security to enter Nassau.

Next up will be the Cloisters which you won't want to miss. They are really pretty, have an interesting story and are very popular for weddings in Nassau. Stay tuned.

Fort Fincastle and Queen's Staircase Pictures

Fort Fincastle was built in 1793 by Lord Dunmore, the governor of the Bahamas at the time. It was named Fincastle after his 2nd title Viscount Fincastle. The fort was 1 of the 3 forts that protected Nassau. The other 2 forts were Fort Charlotte and Fort Nassau which no longer exists. The fort had 2 12 pound, 2 24 pound and 2 32 pound cannons as well as 1 howitzer. Oddly, the fort is shaped like a paddle steamer. You can see what looks like the front of a ship in the 2nd picture.

The Queen's Staircase was built so soldiers could easily get to Fort Fincastle. According to my guide, it took slaves 16 years to hack out of stone the steps that led to the fort. Later, as far as I know, they beautified the staircase and, there is now a pretty waterfall as seen in the 4th picture as well as plants along the staircase. The guide for the tour I did was kind enough to give those who wanted to see the staircase the option of walking down it and joining the tour bus at the base of the staircase. My travel friend Harvey and I took him up on the offer and enjoyed checking it out barring the hustler who tried to get a tip off us for some information on the staircase we didn't ask for.

Coco Cay, Bahamas Photos

Here are the best photos I took of Coco Cay, Bahamas. The first photo shows the small cove that the tender boats would take folks to. There were 2 docks for the boats to tie up and unload their passengers.

The 2nd photo shows one of the beaches on the island. Another beach had cabanas for rent.

The 3rd photo shows the guide for the nature walk tour my travel friend Harvey and I did. The tour showed some of the plants on the island that Bahamians used for bush medicine. The tour was very interesting. Sadly, I don't remember the guide's name.

The 4th photo shows some of the iguanas that live on the island. Surprisingly, these lizards are very agile climbers and, they'll actually climb up into trees by their little inlet. My travel friend Harvey was so taken by the iguanas that he bought a t-shirt from one of the souvenir stalls on the islands that showed iguanas with sunglasses on relaxing and enjoying the sun.

The 5th and final photo shows one of the trees the guide showed us. This tree produces such large leaves that Bahamians will break them off and use them for make shift plates.

Here's a little more info about the island though I can't state that it is 100% accurate. First, the island is owned by an unidentified marine biologist who has a home on the island on the other end of it. The biologist supposedly leased the island to Royal Caribbean for 99 years. The biologist and their family can apparently still stay at their home when they feel like and, they can visit Royal Caribbean's facilities on it. Second, some Royal Caribbean staff actually live on the island. The guide I mentioned pointed out the housing facilities for those staff during my tour. I suspect the staff stay busy as Royal Caribbean has various ships come here. The Majesty of the Seas comes here twice every week alone. Third, Royal Caribbean offers a number of activities on the island. You can snorkel, scuba dive, jet ski, parasail and go on a glass bottom boat ride. Keep in mind there is a charge for a number of these activities like the glass bottom boat ride, scuba diving, jet ski and the snorkle treasure hunt (I plan to do that one during one of my visits there with my Aunt). Fifth, Coco Cay is one of two private resorts Royal Caribbean has. The other is their resort at Labadee, Haiti which I've been to and is very nice. Sixth, there are some souvenir stalls on the island though not tons by any means. I believe some of them are run by Bahamians. I don't think there were more than 15 of them.

Thats's all for this post. The next one will be on the history tour I took of Nassau and will have pictures of Fort Fincastle, Fort Charlotte and Nassau harbor. Stay tuned.

Photos of Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas

Photos of Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas

In January/February 2015, I'll be treating my totally awesome Aunt Marge and her husband Uncle Dave to their first 2 cruises. I decided that an easy introduction to cruising would be to take them on back-to-back cruises on Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas. The ship isn't overwhelming though ironically at one time, it was the largest cruise ship in the world which shows you how much cruising has changed. Also, the itinerary for both cruises are light and easy. The first cruise in 3 nights and takes in Coco Cay (Royal Caribbean's private island resort), Bahamas and Nassau, Bahamas. The second cruise is 4 nights, includes both Coco Cay and Nassau and makes port at Key West, Florida.

As I'd like to show my Aunt Marge what to expect, I'll be posting pictures I took during these same 2 cruises which I did last September. For those that are interested, I did blog a report on what I saw on those cruises. It's located here: ronw.blogspot.com/2013/09/majesty-of-seas-cruises-review.html

For this blog entry, I've posted 2 photos I took of the ship we'll be sailing on. The first is a shot from the beach at Coco Cay of the ship at anchor. At Coco Cay, all visitors have be tendered i.e. taken to the island in smaller boats as the ship is way too big for the island's small bay. The second photo is a closer shot taken at Key West, Florida from the U.S. Coast Guard station there. It's not very good in my opinion but, it was the best I could do from the location while trying to get the WHOLE ship in the photo.

Princess Juliana International Airport WiFi Report

With my out-processing done on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas this past May, I took a taxi to St. Maarten's Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM). There, I'd catch my flight to New York JFK International Airport with a connecting flight to Washington's Reagan National. I would've dreaded my wait time at this airport but thankfully, they have free and excellent WiFi at this airport. I didn't have any problems using it with my Nook e-reader which is what I prefer to use Internet wise when I'm traveling (easier to carry than a laptop). It was really nice. It definitely helped the time go by as I waited for my flight.

The airport itself is surprisingly busy for such a small island. My taxi driver told me during high season, they'd get 17 flights a day from the U.S. and Canada and 5 from Europe! The airport has 4 jet bridges and 12 gates. Also, it has at least 3 or 4 eateries and a gift shop on the upper level.

Overall, I was really pleased with this airport. The WiFi works great here and, the people who work here are nice. I suspect I'll get to use this airport again some time in the future as I plan to do another transatlantic cruise with Royal Caribbean where I'll either leave the ship at St. Maarten or join it there on it's way to Florida. Happy travels all!

Beginning of My Panama Canal Cruise on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas

Cabo San Lucas Marina

Time to start posting some travel photos. This one was taken at the beginning of my Royal Caribbean Panama Canal cruise on April 3rd, 2014. The cruise would be an adventure from the beginning. It was the first ever cruise I would join late. What do I mean by late? I mean that the cruise had already started on April 1st. The cruise began in San Diego, California. However, to keep the folks where I work happy, I'd agreed to cut 2 days off the cruise by joining it in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. You can join Royal Caribbean cruises late or leave early as I've found out the last 2 months. However, there are conditions. In the case of joining a cruise late, the cruise must be open ended i.e. it starts in one port and finishes in another. Also, you must notify Royal Caribbean in advance if you plan to do this and get approval from their security. My travel agent Joel Mills did that though it was still a little scary as I did wonder if the ship would know I was coming. I'd never been to Cabo San Lucas before and, I didn't want a screw up and have to try to get back home from there.

The airport that serves Cabo San Lucas is at Los Cabos. From there, I took a shuttle that was supposed to drove me off at the Wyndham but, I got it to drop me off close to the pier. Then, I walked to the pier with my suitcase and introduced myself to the Mexican security there. To my relief, they had my name in one of their books. They checked my passport, verified that I was who I said I was and let me through. Then, I got to go through the routine again with Royal Caribbean.

Once they confirmed I was who I claimed to be, they gave me my SeaPass which I would use to get on board the ship with. As the port/marina is very small at Cabo San Lucas, you have to tender out to your cruise ship. Once on board my ship Legend of the Seas, I'd finish my in-processing with the ship and my cruise would begin. It was the beginning of a very fun 2 week adventure. Stay tuned for more posts.

Lucky and Led Mystery Series Review

During my May cruise on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas, I got to attend mass repeatedly. This isn't normal as Royal Caribbean doesn't always offers the services of a priest on its cruises as I've seen from personal experience. I didn't know they did it at all until I did my April Panama Canal cruise on their Legend of the Seas ship. During the May cruise, the Roman Catholic priest was a retired U.S. Navy chaplain named David P. Remy. As he is a vet like myself (although I served in the Air Force), this made him points with me right off the bat. He was a great priest and, I really enjoyed his masses. They gave a nice start to each of my days on board the ship.

Shortly, before I left the ship, Father Remy remarked that he was an author. He has written and published 6 e-novels. 5 of those are the Lucky and Led cruise ship mystery series (Cruise to Mayhem, Cruise to Hell, Cruise to Pandora, Cruise to Yuletide and Cruise to Critique). As I really liked the priest, I decided to buy 1 of his novels (I later bought the other 4) and see what I thought of the series.

The series has to be kind of unique in that one of the primary characters - Father Lucky, is a retired Navy chaplain who works as a priest on various cruises. This character gives an interesting insight into how things work on cruise ships as far as chaplains and for the ships in general. Father Remy has extensive experience in that way as he's done over 45 cruises over the years and will do 7 cruises this year alone (he told me that during the May cruise). People who have cruised on cruise ships will definitely be able to connect with some of the things he tells about in his novels. The stories are very nice and move along well. Nor are they overly long so, I found them easy reads. The novels are cheap cost wise. The first 2 cost me $1.99 each and the last 3 cost me $2.99 each from Kobobooks.com.

Concerning e-readers, the e-novels are meant for Kindle e-readers which created a problem for me with my Nook e-reader. Barnes & Noble doesn't sell them because of that. Luckily, Kobobooks with their app can work with Nook e-readers. I haven't any problems reading the novels through their app.

Overall, I've very much enjoyed the 2 e-novels I've read so far and, I look forward to reading the other three. Plus, it was very cool getting to meet their author during my May cruise. If you like cruising or mystery novels, you might enjoy these easy and neat reads. Happy reading all!

Cariloha Product Review

During my May cruise on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas, I saw some information on Cariloha's bamboo products. I thought it sounded interesting having clothing made out of bamboo so, I decided to buy something and see how well it worked. I bought 2 Men's t-shirts and 4 pairs of white socks at their Crown Bay, St. Thomas store. The t-shirts felt very soft. Cariloha claims their bamboo merchandise is softer than cotton and, from my experience, their claim is valid. It really is. Also, they claim it will keep you cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. I say maybe on that. Lastly, they claim the product is very "Green." Bamboo grows very quickly (one variety can grow as much as 3 feet in 1 day according to them), requires little or no pesticides and can grow in a number of places. I know from personal experience it can grow in Maryland.

One down side to their products is you will pay a little premium for them. The Men's t-shirts cost $34 a piece and their white socks were $12 a pair though they have a deal where if you buy 3 pairs, you get a 4th pair free.

The chain is proving popular and, franchises are opening in a number of places in the U.S. I saw a thing where they recently opened a store in Washington D.C. which I plan on visiting some time soon. Also, I plan on visiting their store in Key West, Florida when I visit there again next year during a cruise with Royal Caribbean. I think they have a number of stores in the Caribbean too.

One thing about their Men's t-shirts. Some of them have the name of the town the shop is located in and some of them don't. According to the folks I spoke with at their Annapolis, Maryland store, some folks don't like the town name on the shirts so, Cariloha puts out some shirts sans town name to keep them happy. Personally, I like having the town name on them. That makes them something of a collectible to me and gives me a way to show folks some of the places I've traveled to.

Overall, I've been pretty pleased with Cariloha's stuff. I think it's pretty cool that it's made out of bamboo. I don't like that it is a little pricey. They do have sales which can help with that. Plus, I really do like the stuff. I'd definitely recommend it. If there is store near where you live, check it out. They do make very good stuff.

Update June 28, 2014: I did visit their Washington D.C. store which is located at the National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. I really liked this store. I got to chat with the owner who is super nice. Plus, they had some nice deals. I wasn't wiped out with the National Harbor.

Market House Annapolis Maryland WiFi Review

Today, I got to visit the old part of Annapolis, Maryland. I wanted to post something on the Internet from my Nook e-reader so, I looked for a place with free WiFi. I walked into Market House at 25 Market Place and saw a sign claiming they have free WiFi. Awesome! I bought 3 scoops of gelato from their Firenzes Gelateria, sat down and tried to connect to the Internet. No go. It turned out the sign was total bs. The place doesn't offer free WiFi. A worker at one of the shops I spoke with said the local government was supposed to do something about it but, they apparently haven't. :-( Thankfully, there are a couple places in the dock area that do offer free WiFi like the Starbucks at 124 Dock Street. So, if you want to surf the web, skip the Market House. Happy Internet surfing all!