Fred drove to St. Louis to visit Sister Margaret Wulff on December 23rd, 2013
Christmas: Faith Lutheran Church with Pastor Todd Ohlmann (Margaret's son-in-law). The church is quite small and most of the children in the service were Ohlmanns -- grandchildren of Margaret.
Dinner at the Ohlmann House
Visits with Margaret, the Ohlmann family and Stephen Maginnis on December 26th
Then da cruise ...
Reservation 7KMJ3G Vacations to go special deal #12879
Dec. 28
Left St. Louis 6 a.m via Atlanta on Delta Airlines (flights on sale)
Arrived Fort Lauderdale 11:55 a.m. Boarded shuttle to the ship.
Room P 340 located just off of the atrium (shown below)
Crown Princess (5 stars)
Featuring their latest innovations, Crown Princess is one of the largest Princess ships, with room for 3,080 passengers.
No shore excursions offered for handicapped. The cruise ship did not dock there (uses tenders) so Margaret could not go ashore.
Fred signed up for a boat ride in the Bahamas ($35) at 1:30 p.m. My one hour coastal cruise begans at Princess Cays, our beautiful island resort available exclusively to Princess passengers. I' boarded the 40-foot "Reef Princess" boat and travel along the coast of Eleuthera, an untouched paradise waiting to be discovered. Coasting alongside this pencil-thin island on soothing crystal-clear waters, I witnessed white sand beaches and natural foliage.
On the ship Margaret and I watched acrobats La Paire on the piazza outside our room.
Both Margaret and Fred feasted on surf and turf for dinner in the Da Vinci Dinning Room
We took in another performance of the acrobats
Often a piano player performed in the piazza.
Margaret and Fred investigated the card making demonstrations. Margaret participated.
Horse races were held in the Atrium.
Poolside competition in the afternoon
Food was always excellent
Getting ready for New Years Eve
More entertainment by the acrobats....
December 31st -- Curacao
Canons ar Rif Fort
Fred met a friend
Margaret bought an ice cream cone
Fort Amsterdam
Historic District
Queen Juliana Bridge
Street musician take a break
Little girl tackles a cocnut
Governor's Palace
Smoke from fireworks
Tired tourist
Crown Princess
The port of Willemstad is alive with historic treasures. One of the six UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Caribbean, it was selected in 1997 because of the city's dedication to the preservation of culture and its multicultural community that has grown over three centuries.
Fort Amsterdam. Strategically built in 1635 to guard the entrance to the harbor from enemy ships, the fort is one of the most important of Curacao's eight forts and is distinguished as a World Heritage Site. There is a cannonball embedded in the southwest wall. This citadel was converted into the Governor's Palace and the office of the Central Government of the former Netherlands Antilles.
New Years Eve Celebration
Sober King Fred
Balloon drop
Aruba
Table guests from Cleveland, Ohio
Comedy Show Time: Phil Tag
Apple pie and ice cream
Chorus
Crew Talent Show
Tour: :Land and Sea of Fort Lauderdale
Tour of Art Crafts
When Fred returned home, he read over proofs of his 3rd book "Speaking Out" and approved them for publication. The book is now in process of being printed. Book #4 "Detroit: The Way We Were" should becoming out around April of 2014.
ITINERARY
Visit Bahamas, Curacao and Aruba
DAY DATE PORT ARRIVE
DEPART
Sat Dec 28 Fort Lauderdale, FL 4:00pm
Sun Dec 29 Princess Cays, Bahamas
Princess Cruise Line's private
destination on the southern tip of the
island of Eleuthera 9:00am ---4:00pm
Mo Dec 30 At Sea
Tue Dec 31 Curacao
The simplicity of this colorful island
makes it one of the most delightful ports
of the Caribbean. Language Dutch. Good
view of colorful waterfront from the ship. 1:00pm--10:00pm
Wed Jan 1 Aruba
Aruba is an island of contrasting terrain,
from its white-sand southern shoreline to
its rugged and adventurous northern coast.
Language Dutch 8:00am---5:00pm
Thur Jan 2 At Sea
Fri Jan 3 At Sea
Sat
Jan 4 Fort Lauderdale, FL Fort Lauderdale lies
about 30 minutes north of Miami on Florida's
lower Atlantic Coast. 7:00am
