Costa Maya, Mexico

On Wednesday our ship docked in Costa Maya, a small port with a huge deep water docking complex, designed to accommodate several large cruise ships at a time. There is actually no town, rather a complex of shops at the port. The primary reason for the port is access to the many seaside Yucatan resorts as well as access to Mayan archaeological sites. Jim spent the day scuba diving on the lush reef that is situated just offshore, while Dan relaxed on board after a short stroll to investigate the port. We joined our new friends Rich and Ken for cocktails and dinner in the evening. They are both retired academics and Ken taught art history, so we really enjoyed chatting with these two most interesting people. Today, Thursday, we're in Cozumel where Jim will enjoy another day of scuba diving. Dan will probably walk around the town, which we last visited probably 25 years ago.

Key West Adventures, Celebrity Edge

Our adventures on the luxurious new Edge, a ship only in service around three months, started in Key West on Monday. After high-powered walks on the ship's jogging track and gym workouts, we explored Key West. The town still boasts many lovely, old Victorian mansions, but the main street, Duval, has been over-commercialized with shops or bars in every building. Hoards of tourists crowd the streets. For lunch, we had a reservation at Bistrot 245, a pleasant eatery on the waterfront, overlooking our ship. After eating, we walked to a different part of town, more residential and quieter. On Whitehead Street we visited one of Key West's most popular attractions, Hemmingway's house. It's another early 19th century mansion and the most unique attractions are descendants of the authors six-toed cats, who lounge everywhere, even on his bed, and have their own kennel. Late afternoon we returned to the ship. Jim enjoyed the Dog Tag tea dance party before We headed to the Martini bar and then dinner at the Tuscan restaurant, one of four different- themed main restaurants on board Edge. Tuesday the Edge sailed the Gulf of Mexico north of Cuba enroute to our next port of call, Costa Maya, on the East coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, where we we spend the day on Wednesday. - Dan

On Board Celebrity Edge

We flew to Ft. Lauderdale on St. Patrick's Day and boarded the brand new Edge. It's a really fantastic ship with design features unlike any other cruise ship, such as a theater in the round, four different main dining rooms, cabins that have balconies that can be made a part of the room, and a walking and jogging track that spans two decks. We visited Key West on Monday and we'll be at sea Tuesday headed for Costa Maya in Mexico.

Queen Mary 2 Voyage At An End

Today, Wednesday 1/2/19 we’ll spend our final day on board the QM2 sailing toward Brooklyn, where we will dock early Thursday morning. Our voyage included six days at sea, three at the beginning, and three at the end, with visits to five Caribbean ports sandwiched in between. New Year’s festivities on Monday and Tuesday included a gala dinner on Monday evening and another formal attire evening Tuesday. The chef’s parade took place at dinner last evening. Today will be a day for relaxing and packing away everything in preparation for our disembarkation early Thursday. It’s been another most enjoyable cruise vacation on this special vessel, a one-of-a-kind true ocean liner.

From On Board The QM2: New Artworks By Dan of Two Caribbean Islands

Despite the busy schedule of excursions and activities on board the Queen Mary 2, there have been days when I was able to work on drawings. Here are posted one of the Pitons on Saint Lucia and another of the hills surrounding the harbor in Charlotte Amalie, the town on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. These drawings are either in watercolor or pastel or a combination of those media with or without pen and ink. –Dan

The QM2 In St. Thomas, USVI

Sunday we visited our final port on this 12 day Queen Mary 2 holiday cruise. St. Thomas, one of the three U.S. Virgin Islands, is another of the important cruise ship deep water ports as well as an air travel hub. While is was a beautiful day in port, we elected to spend the day on board enjoying the facilities of our ship. Morning walks around deck 7, the teak-lined promenade deck, visits to the gym, fine dining and relaxing at the pool were the order of the day. In the late afternoon the ship departed St. Thomas with a festive sail-away party complete with passengers waving the UK flag as we left the harbor. Now we will make our way North over the next several days back into the chilly conditions in the North Atlantic. But first we'll have some on board fun as we celebrate the New Year!

A Windy Day In St. Maarten

On Saturday the Queen Mary 2 docked in Philipsburg, St. Maarten, a popular Caribbean port for shopping and a hub for air travel throughout the region. We were scheduled to take a fast boat to nearby St. Barth, our favorite island, however, the excursion was cancelled due to the weather. There were rain squalls on and off all day long, with unusually windy conditions. The ship's weather information listed the winds at 6 on the Beaufort scale, which means 25 to 31 miles per hour, a strong breeze with rough seas. Therefore, it was a day to spend on board the ship. We were docked near a beautiful five-masted sailing ship, and next to the Carnival Fascination, which departed into the mist during the early evening.