World Cruise 2013: May 2013

Friday, May 17, 2013

Day 116 - Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Wichita, Kansas

World Cruise 2013

May 1, 2013

Today the ship arrived at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. This was the last day and after my group was called I left the ship, picked up my luggage, went to customs and got on a bus to the airport. My flight from Ft. Lauderdale stopped at Houston where I changed planes and caught a flight to Wichita.

Each blog covers one day on shore from 1/5/2013 to 4/1/2013. All were created in May after I returned from the world cruise.

Cruise Director Bruce Allen Scudder wrote the following about the cruise.

Around the World in 115 Days!

On January 5, excited guests and dedicated crew embarked on a journey that some can only dream about - to sail around the world! Your memories of this voyage may be as different as the extraordinary places we visited, but we share one thing in common - we did it together, as the ms Amsterdam Grand World Voyage family. And we did it with gracious service, exquisite flowers, wonderful music, and a wide variety of entertainment. Thoughtfully designed menus featuring both exotic and traditional meals. Your crew began each day with just one goal in mind - to make that day a special one for you. We know that what sets this Grand World Voyage apart is you - our guest. Watching friendships rekindled; and new ones made. Seeing extended families re-united; lives enriched and intertwined. We feel honored to be a part of that experience with you. Long after the bags are unpacked, the photos and souvenirs sorted, one truly lasting memory will remain. The memory of YU, our cherished friends, will be the centerpiece of what made this Grand World Voyage special for us. On behalf of Captain Jonathan Mercer, Hotel Director Henk Mensink and the entire ship's complement, thank you for a world full of indelible memories. Our hope is that we have returned the favor. Until we meet again! Bruce Allen Scudder

Below is the map of the World Cruise 2013

Map of World Cruise 2013

Picture with Captain and Hotel Director for 300 days with Holland America

Day 112 - Castries, St. Lucia

World Cruise 2013

April 27, 2013

Today the ship arrived in Castries, St. Lucia. Lying between Martinque and St. Vincent, St. Lucia is another island peak in the Windward chain, with slopes that soar from the sea to a central mountain spine crested by Morne Gimie (3117 ft.) and fall away in green cloaked forest hills to verdant valley of banana and tropical undergrowth before ending at foam-frilled golden sand beaches. The population of 145,000 is of mostly African descent and more than a third live in the sprawling northwest coast capital of Castries.

I took a tour called “World Heritage Site Route”. The tour left from the shore so I went down early and looked around at the shop located next to the ship. We left Castries and drove up the winding roads towards Morne Fortune where we stopped for a photo of Castries. We stopped to take picture of the Governor’s House and we later stopped at a Banana Plantation where we ate a Banana, received a short talk on the growing of bananas and had an opportunity to buy some products made from bananas. Our next stop was at Anse-La-Raye village, a small fishing village where we could view the beach and shop if we liked. Our next stop was to take a picture of the most famous site in St. Lucia. This site is the Pitons, which is a pair of high and sharp pointed mountains on the west coast of St. Lucia. Our next stop was the famous Sulphur Springs, often referred to as the world’s only drive-in volcano. This historic site is the result of volcanic eruptions 300,000 years ago. Here we saw mud pools bubbling and boiling on the earth’s surface. Next we stopped at the Morne Coubaril Estate where we walked among the tropical plants and learned the many different products that are derived from the fruit. We saw the traditional way of drying cocoa beans and a old sugar mill. We had a snack here with rum punch and fruit juice.

Below are some pictures taken from the ship and from my tour.