 |
In
late Nov 2006, we visited our friends, Rick & Paula Woolf (who live
in Cooper City, FL). They gave us a wonderful tour of the Miami, FL,
area for several days (NOTE: See photos of Miami
area on Cruise page #5) before we left together on a 10-day Princess
cruise to Panama aboard the CORAL PRINCESS.
|
 |
From
our adjoining stateroom balconies, we had a nice view of Fort Lauderdale's
harbor area and about 4 or 5 other cruise ships parked along adjacent
piers. (These other cruise liners were all scheduled to get underway
about the same time as our ship.)
|
 |
Prior
to getting underway, all passengers have to become familiar with shipboard
emergency drills. Paula's attention is captured....
|
 |
...by
Steve's doing his best to impersonate a blimp wearing a life preserver!
|
 |
Paula
and Lena watch the maneuvering of the various ships which were all getting
underway at almost the same time (shortly before sunset).
|
 |
For
those who know Rick, this view of his head could indicate either (1)
he was NAPPING or (2) "24/7 RICK" was busy fondling his 'CrackBerry.'
In this case, since the ship would soon be out of reach of shore antennas,
he was busily answering emails and tending to business while the rest
of us enjoyed ourselves!
|
 |
With
Fort Lauderdale in the background, a Coast Guard cutter provides protection
against terrorism to the departing cruise ships.
|
 |
These
are but two of about 5 cruise ships which were exiting the harbor for
various destinations.
|
 |
High-rise
beach-front condos overlook the beaches of Fort Lauderdale as we pass
by on our way to the open sea.
|
 |
This
Fort Lauderdale beach (as seen from our balcony) was beautiful in the
setting sun...
|
 |
...and
all of us (except "24/7 Rick") enjoyed the view.
|
 |
As
we hit the open sea and Rick discovered his "crackberry" mobile
communication unit was no longer phoning home, he finally joined us
to tell us he was HUNGRY!
|
 |
Since
we had two 'formal meal' nights during our 10-day cruise, Steve had
to buy himself a new suit for this vacation since he had outgrown his
ONE suit which he had previously worn ONCE for his wedding back in 2000.
|
 |
On
our way to dinner, Rick and Lena overlook the 'lobby area' of the Coral
Princess (which has a series of glass elevators running between the
decks of the ship).
|
 |
As
anyone who has ever taken a cruise knows, EATING is one of the KEY things
to do while traveling from port to port. And, anyone who goes on a cruise
with the intention of maintaining their diet while cruising is simply
NUTS!
|
 |
As
we arrived at our first port visit in Montego Bay, JAMAICA, we were
impressed by the beauty of the harbor, the ships' anchorage, and the
condos overlooking the beach.
|
 |
While
none of us had previously been to Jamaica, we decided to go ashore and
to hire a private tour guide to show the four of us around the island
(rather than purchasing one of the much more expensive tours provided
through Princess Cruise Lines.)
|
 |
In
this case, we were quite fortunate to pick a guide who showed us a number
of places which were NOT on the list of 'usual' cruise ship tour routes.
More importantly, by having our own guide, we could stop when we wanted
and stay as long as we liked...
|
 |
...without
having to consider the needs of 25-40 other members on a normal ship's
shore tour. This photo taken from a hill outside Montego Bay provided
an excellent view of the harbor and of our ship at the pier.
|
 |
This
is a telephoto photo of the Coral Princess tied up at the pier.
|
 |
Next,
we visited a beautiful golf and tennis club with its many privately-owned
homes overlooking the ocean.
|
 |
Steve
thought that a guy could easily get interested in living in a place
like this with its incredible view and the warm ocean breezes blowing
over the balcony of his own home 365 days per year.
|
 |
We
next visited a private hotel resort which had its own ocean beach and...
|
 |
...beautiful
swimming pool overlooking the ocean below.
|
 |
Lena
thought this swimming pool was one of the most unique and impressive
she had ever seen.
|
 |
Adjacent
to the resort, we saw a group of men who were engaged in carving various
wooden masks and statues to sell as souvenirs. We particularly liked
this wooden mask of a man with a pipe which was quite different than
others we had previously seen.
|
 |
Next,
we visited the former estate home of a family which had been famous
for distilling Scotch years ago. It provides an exceptional view of
Montego Bay city and the harbor below.
|
 |
Behind
Rick are two cruise ships at the pier (one of which is ours).
|
 |
This
photo shows more of the city below that runs along the harbor's edge.
|
 |
Behind
Lena is the swimming pool and the bar area of the former family estate
that had been built in the early 1900's.
|
 |
Prior
to returning to the ship, we had our tour guide drop us off at "Center
Centre Mall" which is famous for its 'tax-free' shopping catering
mostly to toursits.
|
 |
If
you wanted souvenirs, or jewelry, or watches, this small block-long
area was the place to go.
|
 |
 |
 |