February 2014

We arrived at Key West at 11:00am this morning, and have to leave at 5:00pm so we don't interfere with sunset as that is the most important part of the day for locals. There were three ships in, but the streets including Duval Street weren't especially crowded, which made getting around town easy.

It took about 5 hours from the time we left the pier in New Orleans to get into open ocean. As it was dark, there wasn't much to sea. Our first day was a sea day and the weather was sunny and warm and the seas were calm. The usual cruise activities were in progress around the ship.

It's off to sea again aboard Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas, sailing to Key West, Nassau and Coco Cay. I have a large group of nearly 100 folks on board, and we are all looking forward to some sun and camaraderie. We came in early as I usually do and headed to Harrah's and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for a wonderful dinner. We were also entertained by a small mouse that was running in and out of a mouse hole in the wall, and was evading the staff who were trying to catch it. Most of the patrons were on the side of the mouse. This morning - a beautiful one - we wandered out to Cafe Du Monde for a beignets - a New Orleans favorite during Mardis Gras. We ate them on a bench on the Riverwalk - nice and warm and sugary!
At noon checkout time at the Hilton Riverside, we headed to the ship and boarded without problem, although check-in was slower than in other ports.