The Malls beckon

In Miami at the Intercontinental Hotel Doral where the staff we encountered on reception last night didn't speak English!!

Breakfast done. Walking shoes on. Ready for the Mall. Hoping to find some bargain fashions for the cruise.

Breakfast in Club Intercontinental

Cayo Hueso

24 April, 2013

The original Spanish name of idyllic Key West, Florida where we finally found the sun yesterday was Cayo Hueso.

As our prebooked kayaking tour was scheduled in the afternoon we were able to join the "Harry Truman tour" in the morning then grab a quick bite before our adventure. Key West is one of our favourite ports and we were thrilled that we could take full advantage of our time there. I felt sorry for the people on the Carnival Imagination that was also in Port; they only had a few hours to experience this lovely island.

Our pictures tell the story of our day.

Our lovely little Navigator (left) in port beside the Carnival Imagination

Beer at 9:00am for only $US2

Perhaps Key Lime Pie is a better breakfast option

White sand beaches

Swish hotels

Pretty timber houses come in all sizes

Only 90 miles from Cuba


The US Navy has a strange looking ship moored in the Harbour.

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the Little White House

So that was our morning. We had reacquainted ourselves with the Key West area and learnt a lot about President Harry Truman during our visit to the Little White House.

We passed many vessels on our way to the island nature reserve for our kayaking adventure

Our Kayaking guide looking for a spot to drop anchor

Back seat driver 

The frontman is responsible for steering

"They only sting a little bit" says our kayaking guide

Still dry after an hour on the water

He drives this big boat better than he steers a kayak

Traditional Rum Punch after a successful ocean journey

Goodbye nature reserve  (left) that we circumnavigated in our kayaks

Our magical day ended with Dinner at The Captain's Table

Floridian Four Year Old

I usually have no trouble handling 4 year olds but this Floridian wasn't so easy.

GatoRide

21 April, 2013

As we had already done the only other tour on offer in our port today, a space themed visit to Cape Canaveral, we opted for the airboat ride.

A short bus ride took us to the town of Christmas, Florida and the very modest headquarters of Midway Airboat Rides. After having an opportunity to visit the gift shop 12 of our group boarded the boat for an adventure with our Captain. We had done an airboat ride in the Florida Everglades a couple of years ago which we enjoyed; although it was different we enjoyed this experience just as much. On our last trip the environment was different, the driver was more of a cowboy and we saw more wildlife.

For today's ride on the St Johns River we had a more experienced Captain with better knowledge of wildlife, our tour was twice as long and we had noise-cancelling headphones with microphones that allowed us to ask questions and  interact with other adventurers. Perhaps our more sedate ride was in deference to the number of silver-haired passengers in our group!

Lots of birdllife

Captain at the helm

Pretty in pink 

First gator sighting

Apparently the gators don't bother the cows

US emblem - Bald Eagle

There weren't many alligators on the bank - no sun for baking

The reeds lead to  different environment

Peaceful cypress grove

Adventurers

Full speed ahead 

Midway Airboats dock

GatorGirl

Art Deco

On the night prior to our cruise we stayed at South Beach in Miami at Mr Geniaus' request as he was keen to have a look around the 800 or so Art Deco buildings in the Miami Beach Historic Architectural District.

As well as going for a stroll on Wednesday evening we spent a couple of hours exploring the area before boarding our cruise ship yesterday. Our cameras went with us on our excursion. Aren't the buildings just amazing.

Sympathetic loos

Some buildings even have cars to match

Building decoration

Pink and pretty

A work in progress

I was captivated by this doorway

We enjoyed our exploration so much that we will try to take The Art Deco Walking Tour when our ship returns to Miami.

In Melbourne tonight

 Melbourne, Florida!

We are making good progress on our drive from NYC to Miami.

The Water Demon

 7 February 2012

Our excursion today took us a few miles away from the port in Key West, Florida to meet the Water Demon and take our White Knuckle Thrill Boat Ride.

I enjoyed this excursion where we were lifejacketed and restrained in a jet boat, the Water Demon, for an exploration of the sparkling clear waters around Key West. I admit to uttering a few screams as the boat twisted and turned and did a 360 degree spin. As we sped along we got to see lovely beaches and waterfront resorts while learning a few facts about the history of the area.

Our thrill ride in the Water Demon

I love the feeling of having a breeze blow through my hair while on the water on a warm day. This excursion was right up my alley and I would happily sign up again if I find myself on a Regent cruuise that stops in Key West.

Safety briefing

Clear waters

We avoided the telegraph poles

The smile didn't leave my face for the whole ride

A perfect day

Refreshing spray

A resort and sandy beach