Dark Chocolate Amaretto Truffles

Posted on December 21, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Dark Chocolate Amaretto Truffles

I can’t deny that I’m a chocoholic, particularly if it’s dark chocolate. Truffles are a favorite too. I discovered amaretto quite by accident years ago with a free taste of amaretto fudge at a county fair. Since then I’ve had the opportunity to try other amaretto chocolate delights and liked every one of them. So combining dark chocolate, truffles, and amaretto all into one treat seemed like the perfect way to try making something with amaretto. First, of course, I had to actually find the amaretto. Not being a drinker, I’ve never actually shopped for liquor before. Just one of the several stores I checked had amaretto in their liquor section, and that store had only one choice in a rather large bottle.

Amaretto

I looked over other people’s recipes as a guide, but since I rarely ever follow recipes exactly, why start now? There wouldn’t be much point to publishing a recipe if someone else already had the exact same one. I took ideas from several, changed things around a bit, added my own touches, and came up with a rather tasty treat.

truffle toppings – for better coating chop the nuts smaller and use finely shredded coconut – I just had flaked and it is really too big

Pick chocolate that you like for both the dark and bittersweet chocolates because the truffles will only be as good as the chocolate that goes into them. If you are not a dark chocolate fan try semi-sweet chocolate in the filling and milk chocolate for the shell, or milk chocolate in the filling and white chocolate for the shell. (I have only tried the dark so can’t say how the others would turn out.)

unfinished truffles rolled into balls

Dark Chocolate Amaretto Truffles

8 oz bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon milk

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons amaretto

4 – 6 oz dark chocolate

finely chopped nuts, finely shredded coconut, and/or candy sprinkles

Break bittersweet chocolate into bits in heat-proof bowl. Mix sour cream, butter, and milk in a small (preferably non-stick) saucepan. Cook over relatively low heat until butter melts, then turn up a bit higher until mixture begins to boil. Stir frequently. Pour boiling cream mixture over chocolate and stir. As chocolate begins to melt, add amaretto and stir until smooth.

Put in refrigerator and chill for about 50 minutes to 2 hours or until chocolate sets enough to handle, but does not harden to the point where it will crumble when shaped. Line a pan with wax or parchment paper. Stir chocolate and roll into balls. The size is up to you, but keep in mind the candies are quite rich so try not to make them too big. Somewhere between 1/2 inch to and 1 1/2 inches diameter should work fine. Place balls on paper-lined pan and put back in the refrigerator. Chill at least 1 hour.

Line another pan with wax or parchment paper. Melt dark chocolate in small double boiler. If you have made very small truffles you may need extra dark chocolate as you will have more surface area to coat. Remove top of double boiler from over the hot water when chocolate melts.

Roll truffles around in the melted chocolate until coated. You can do one or several at a time, whatever works best for you. Once coated put them back in the pan they came from briefly. Before the chocolate sets, pick truffle back up and dip top into finely chopped nuts, finely shredded coconut, or candy sprinkles. Place finished chocolate on clean paper in new pan. If rolling balls one at a time, the chocolate is cooled to about the right temperature for dipping after rolling 2 or 3 more, so coat several and then dip them into the topping before moving on to the next few because if you try to coat them all before dipping any the chocolate will get too hard for the coating to stick.

Refrigerate at least an hour before serving, and store in the refrigerator when done.

Yield: about 15 – 25 truffles depending on size

These truffles are also delicious with a white chocolate coconut filling.

16 this batch, but they’re big

If you want quick and easy truffles, try these.

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2013

Posted in recipes | Tagged amaretto, candy, chocolate, cooking, dessert, food, photos, recipe, truffles | 11 Comments

Cruising Glacier Bay

Posted on December 16, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Holland America Westerdam Cruises Glacier Bay

The Holland America Westerdam spent one day of our Alaskan cruise cruising around Glacier Bay. The daily schedule included what time the ship would pass each glacier. Up in the Crows Nest they had a ranger giving a talk about the things the ship cruised past. At one point they said there was a bear on shore. Without the spotting scope, or perhaps some good binoculars, it just looked like a little brown speck. Throughout the day they had a variety of programs presented by the rangers or local Huna Tlingit people.

Westerdam Bow

The big bow area on deck 4, normally for crew only, opened to passengers along with a couple smaller bows on decks above. They had hot split pea soup available at about 10am, but not later when we went looking for it after it had started to rain and the crowds left.

Westerdam Crew Bar

I found an open door from the bow into a bar we never knew existed. When I tried to take a step inside to see if that was where the soup was they said it was a crew bar, we weren’t allowed to go inside, and they were done serving soup.

Cruising past a glacier

Most of the glaciers on our itinerary the ship just cruised past. One had a small ship near it, probably on a shore excursion from Juneau. Wandering about the ship, we found my parents at the ranger talk in the Crow’s Nest. We started to join them, but then the ship arrived at Margerie Glacier and Grand Pacific Glacier. The ship stopped. We went outside to try and get photos, but could not find any open space that was not behind glass.

glacier watching from our balcony on the Westerdam

It parked with one half the ship facing the glacier for half an hour then did a 180 so the other side got a view. Since it initially parked with our room’s side facing the glacier we quickly left the crowded public area to get photos from our room where we knew balcony space awaited.

Margerie Glacier

Margerie glacier glistened in all her icy glory, mostly white with some layers of sediment making patterns in the ice. Every now and then we heard loud cracking sounds, sometimes followed shortly after by a bergy bit calving off.

Margerie Glacier up close

Uncooperativly, it never calved when I had the video camera on and mine just has a very short battery life so I couldn’t just leave it on the whole time to cut out the boring parts later.

Grand Pacific Glacier has reduced to a dirty black bit

Grand Pacific Glacier – the little dirty black bit on the right

We largely ignored Grand Pacific Glacier, which looked more like a dirty little black corner of Margerie Glacier than it did like a whole separate glacier. It wasn’t until later we found out that dirty little bit of glacier dug the entire bay. For a time in the 1990’s Grand Pacific joined with Margerie Glacier, but has since retreated to the point they no longer connect. Early explorers to the area missed Glacier Bay entirely as Grand Pacific Glacier at that time blocked the mouth of the bay. Within about a 100 year span Pacific Glacier rapidly advanced through a valley where natives once lived, carving the bay behind it, then retreated rapidly and still continues to retreat as well as the ice thinning. At one point this was the fastest retreating glacier ever recorded, and as it continues to retreat and thin it will cease to be a tidewater glacier and eventually disappear altogether.

When early explorers went by they just saw the one glacier as it had advanced to the point of blocking the mouth of what would become Glacier Bay upon its just as rapid retreat. Before long Grand Pacific Glacier will disappear entirely.

Kittiwakes on a bergy bit

Sometimes people see seals and other wildlife while cruising Glacier Bay, but other than the brown speck of a bear we just saw birds, including kittiwakes. You can tell them from other similar looking seagulls because of the black markings on the underside of their wings. I had not heard of them before snorkeling over the USS Kittiwake off the shore of Grand Cayman, but since that trip kittiwakes are special to me.

Glacier through Westerdam viewport

Not all ships that cruise through Alaska get as close to glaciers as the Westerdam did. We quite enjoyed our chance to stop and take all the close-up photos we wanted. It definitely paid off having the balcony room where we could have the space we needed and no crowds.

leaving the glaciers behind in the Westerdam’s wake

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2013

Posted in Alaska, Holland America, Shipboard Life, Westerdam | Tagged Alaska, cruise, Glacier Bay, Grand Pacific Glacier, Margerie Glacier, photos | 6 Comments

How To Find Cheap Cruises

Posted on December 9, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

cruise ship at night

Cheap Cruises Do Exist

Whatever people enjoy doing, most like to find the lowest possible price to do it. After all, why spend more money than necessary if you can have the same thing for less? This goes for cruises as much as anything else. People prefer to pay the lowest price they can get for the cruise they want.

If you just want to take a cruise and aren’t particular about which ship, cruiseline, destination, or even time period you go, finding the cheapest price becomes a whole lot easier than if you want a specific type of room on a particular ship from a certain cruiseline going to a predetermined destination at a chosen time. Even with all those specifics sometimes there’s a better deal out there if people take the time and trouble to look for it.

Inside rooms can be quite nice

Choose Your Cabin Wisely

While most people would love to spend their cruise staying in a luxury suite, is it really worth paying more than double the price of an ordinary room to have one? Suites do cost considerably more. How much of the cruise do you intend to spend in your room? If not much, the cheapest route usually comes in the form of an inside cabin. Windows and balconies are nice for sure, but does not having one leave you more money to spend on other things like shore excursions or shopping?

Sometimes the cruise lines have limited-time promotions offering free upgrades. Jump on those if you get the chance, but do investigate fully because to the cruise line an upgrade can mean the same cabin on a higher deck or closer to the center of the ship. When free balcony upgrades are advertised it doesn’t normally mean you can have a balcony for the lowest inside cabin price, that upgrade would likely come from a much higher category, so do make sure of what you are getting for the price. Odds are you will save from the cost of booking the balcony directly by using the upgrade offer.

Different Ways to Find Cheap Cruises

Carnival Breeze on repositioning cruise – Barcelona to Miami

Repositioning Cruises

Sometimes cruise ships sail in one area for the summer, and go to a different place through the winter months. Others may go somewhere for remodeling, then return to their usual port. Or perhaps a new ship launched somewhere far from its scheduled sailings. All of those ships have one thing in common – they need to get from point A to point B.

They could just sail an empty ship where they need to go, but that would cost the cruiseline a lot of money. If they fill the rooms while the ship gets where it needs to go they have someone to provide work (and tips) for the crew as well as money to the cruiseline itself. Longer cruises are often available for less money than shorter round trip cruises.

Many ships move from Alaska to Florida in the fall and vice versa in the spring, so that’s an excellent place to look for repositioning cruises through the Panama Canal. Repositioning cruises with Transatlantic itineraries can be found fairly often, and even transpacific if you search hard enough. Some people will combine a round trip airline ticket with repositioning cruises going each way and take one in the fall and the other in the spring to save money on their airfare over buying one way tickets.

cruise lines offer past guests specials not available to the general public

Holland America Westerdam in Sitka

Cruise Line Loyalty Programs

Once a person sails with a particular cruiseline, that company would love for them to come back and sail with them again and again. Most major cruiselines have loyalty programs giving benefits to previous passengers to encourage their passengers to continue sailing with them. Some will also send discount offers to past guests that are not available to the general public. On some cruiselines you can get a discount on your next cruise if you book while onboard.

Cruise Line Personal Cruise Consultants

Some cruise lines have personal cruise consultants available to help passengers or potential passengers booking with their cruise line. They can help to find the best deals within the cruise line they work for. We met a great one on Norwegian who can help anyone interested in booking there.

cruise ships anchored near Grand Cayman

Cruise Line Specials

Shop the internet carefully. The cruise lines all have websites, and sometimes they offer special deals. There’s often discounts for booking early, and if a ship hasn’t filled enough they may offer last minute discounts to try and fill it up too. Cruise lines also sometimes have sales that offer package deals on cruises booked within a particular time frame where you could get things like onboard credit, free drinks, or other perks. If you don’t find anything one day, look again another time because specials come and go. Booking through the cruiseline also means you can go to them directly with any problems or questions about your booking rather than dealing with an outside agent.

Norwegian Pearl at Grand Cayman

Discount Travel Websites

A number of websites offer discount travel, or specifically discount cruises. These sites have a limited number of rooms to fill on specific cruises at bargain prices. Google something like “cheap cruises” and you’ll find quite an assortment of sites to comparison shop looking for the best deal. Check out the price booking directly through the cruiseline as well because they sometimes offer things like bonus money for your onboard account when booking directly through them. Some of the standard discount travel sites offering cruise specials include Orbitz, Travelocity, Expedia, and Priceline. Cruise ship specific sites like cruiseabout, The Cruise Web, and Cruises Only offer discount cruises among their cruise selections. Some of the other online options are as follows:

1. Vacations To Go Must sign up, but worth it, as they send out some amazing deals via e-mail. They offer the best way to do custom searches and show the best price and percentage off published “rack” rate.

2. skyauction.com Great site for some amazing, super cheap deals. They have direct bookings as well as cruise auctions. We have won two cruises in the auctions on this site, both of which cost far less than published rates and rates found on any other site. But not all deals are super deals, so only bid on what you think is a great deal.

3. lastminutecruises This site truly offers last minute cruise deals. Cruisers here must be able to buy their cruise and travel on short notice.

4. Cruise Critic offers some great deals on cruises and more advice than you could ever use in a lifetime of cruising.

5. CheapCruises.com Decent site to shop for discounted cruises. Like many of the sites on the web, this site can be used to compare prices to which ever discount site you like best.

Travel Agents

Travel agents and online cruise consultants may have deals to offer that aren’t publicized elsewhere so it never hurts to check them out in the quest for the best possible price.

Online Auctions

Often cruises pop up on online auction sites, sometimes with starting bids as low as $1. Odds of actually getting the cruise for $1 are practically non-existent, but bids lower than the going price often win the cruise. Check how many rooms the site has to offer at that price as you may not need to outbid the previous highest bidder to win, but merely to match their offer. As mentioned above, we have booked through skyauction.com. You can also find cruise auctions on ebay or google cruise auctions for other sites. Bid wisely because while some cruises available at auctions are great deals, others are not. It’s best to check the going rate for any particular cruise on the cruiseline’s own website before putting in a bid at an online auction.

there's lots of cheap Caribbean cruises available

cruise ships in Saint Thomas

Other Money Saving Tricks

Some bookings have the option of choosing a category guarantee instead of a specific room. In addition to saving money, this also offers the likelihood of an upgrade at no additional cost. There’s really no risk since the worst possible outcome is the chosen category, and the best of course a really good upgrade. The probability lies in falling somewhere in between.

Buying cruise line stock can come with perks for stockholders who own enough shares. Stock in a parent company owning more than one cruise line may come with benefits on all of them.

People who travel a lot may find membership in a travel club as a good way to save money not just on cruises, but on other travel as well.

cruise ship in Antigua

Most ports have plenty to do if you just get off the boat and see what’s there. Venturing out on your own saves money over booking cruise ship shore excursions. Many popular destinations have people holding signs offering cheap tours of all sorts.

In some places you can even pre-book excursions on your own. It helps to google the visitor’s bureau or other online travel information sites about a place before you go so you have some idea of what to do if you aren’t booking an excursion. We normally do cruise ship excursions at some ports and venture out on our own at others on any given cruise. If there’s something you absolutely want to do at a particular port, book the excursion to make sure you get to do it. If not, there’s usually something less costly to do.

Hidden Costs

To get your vacation for the absolute lowest total cost, do all the homework before booking. If one price includes tips and port taxes and another does not, find out how much they are because the seemingly higher price could actually be the best deal. If a flight to the port comes into the picture, check the airline prices as well. Sometimes you can get a cruise and flight package – make sure that comes cheaper then booking them separately on your own before signing up. If a very cheap cruise comes at a time when airline tickets cost more then you may save overall with a bit higher priced cruise at a time when airfare costs less.

To save the most always look at the total vacation package including which ports cost less to fly to, and how much hotels at a given area run if you need to stay a night before or after the cruise. Hotel costs can also be deceptive – does that slightly higher priced hotel provide free transportation to the port while you would have to hire a taxi to get there from a less expensive one? Sometimes the ships have a shuttle – does that cost more or less than a taxi? Consider everything to get your absolute lowest price. If there’s money left over in the cruise budget after all the savings it might provide the opportunity to do that once-in-a-lifetime previously unaffordable shore excursion!

Trip Insurance

Buying insurance in case you need to cancel your vacation is always an option. If you or one of your cruising party has health issues, or you have the sort of job where things come up and you sometimes need to cancel plans at the last minute it’s a good idea to buy the insurance so you can get your money back if you can’t take the trip. Some trip insurances will also help with things like medical costs while abroad.

If the odds of needing to cancel your vacation are slim you can save money by not buying the trip insurance, but if unforseen circumstances arise and you can’t go you probably will not get your money back regardless of which cruiseline you booked with or what company you booked the trip through. If you’ve never cancelled a vacation and go on quite a few then over time it would actually cost less to lose the money paid for one trip than to buy the trip insurance on them all.

Posted in Randoms, Uncategorized | Tagged cheap cruises, cruise, how to, money saving tips, photos, travel | 14 Comments

Carnival Breeze – Things to do and Best Kept Secrets

Posted on December 2, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Carnival Breeze

An Interview with John Heald

John Beath interviews Carnival’s number one cruise director, John Heald.

John Heald – the man in the suit

During the transatlantic crossing on the Carnival Breeze, John Heald and sidekick Calvyn broadcast a morning show from Club O2 aboard the Breeze each day. While most passengers chose to watch either from the big screen above the pool or the TV in their cabins, a few – in numbers that grew larger each day – wandered down to club O2 to watch in person. One morning he agreed to an interview following the broadcast of his show.

singer on the Breeze stage

Part of the interview relating to John Heald’s favorite places on the ship appeared in a previous blog. This segment involves things he likes to do and a couple of the ship’s best kept secrets.

Serenity Deck on Carnival Breeze

An Interview with John Heald – Things to do on Carnival Breeze, and Best Kept Secrets on the Ship

Of all the ships I’ve sailed on, the Breeze was one of my all-time favorites. It had such a variety of things to do, something for everyone.

cruise ship gym - where to work off all that great food

Gym at Cloud 9 Spa

Different people like to do different things, so it is nice that the Breeze has so many to choose from. Some of my favorites such as the water slides and the Thrill Theater (motion ride) were not even mentioned in the interview, as it was about John Heald’s favorites, not mine.

Taste Bar on Carnival Breeze

John and John each mention something they consider a best kept secret in the video, and to that I’ll add one of my own. On the inside of the ship running along the front edge of decks 6 and 7 behind those secret balconies mentioned in the video, there’s a hallway leading to a row of cabins.

where to find peace and quiet on a cruise

balconies at the front of decks 6 & 7 are little known and uncrowded

These are classified as inside cabins, but each has a window looking out on the front balcony and onward to wherever the ship is heading at the moment. With doors to the balcony at either end of the hall, these rooms are definitely oceanview, and practically balcony cabins, for the price of an inside room! They also book up well in advance of any cruise so to get one you’d need to either plan your cruise far ahead of time or get incredibly lucky.

For more of this interview see Best Places on Carnival Breeze, Life on a Cruise Ship and Carnival Funships 2.0 or What Happens if You Get Left Behind on a Cruise.

More John Heald Interviews: Gratuities, Rescue at Sea, Quick Fire Questions, American Table.

Posted in Breeze, Carnival, Shipboard Life | Tagged Breeze, Carnival, cruise ship, cruise ship secrets, John Heald, photos, travel, vacation, video, what to do on a cruise | 5 Comments

How to Make a Towel Turkey

Posted on November 28, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

How to Fold a Towel Turkey

Towel Turkey

Supplies Needed for Towel Turkey

1. One Bath Towel for main body

2. Three Washcloths for tail

3. Red Felt for wattle

4. Two Pipe Cleaners (AKA Chenille Stems) for feet

5. Two Eyes (google eyes, bits of felt, or bits of paper)

Towel Turkey Folding Instructions

How to Make a Towel Turkey Body

hang bath towel on wall hook

Hang center of long side of bath towel on wall hook, or tuck it under your chin. Roll both sides tightly to the middle until entire towel becomes two tight rolls with a pointy end at the top and wide end at the bottom.

Roll rolled towel starting at wide end

Set tightly rolled towel down on flat surface with rolled side down. Roll towel bird body starting from wide end of towel and leaving enough of the pointy end unrolled to make the head and neck.

roll body until just enough is left for head and neck

The part of the towel hanging out the sides becomes the wings after rolling the towel turkey body. Tuck the neck between the body rolls and curl the end down for the head.

tuck the leftover end between the rolls

How to Fold a Towel Turkey Tail

fold washcloth like a fan

Fold one end of washcloth over. Fold same end again going the opposite way. Continue folding back and forth until entire washcloth is folded accordion style. Repeat with other two washcloths.

folded towel fans become a towel turkey tail

bend folded washcloths at the center

Fold all three at center, pinching folded end tight so they resemble a fan. Set them side by side and pinch folds as tightly as possible to make that end small enough to fit between the rolls of the turkey body.

three washcloths make a towel turkey tail

gather washcloths together at folded end

Assembling the Towel Turkey

pinch ends of washcloth tail tight and push tail between rolls

Push folded end washcloth tail into crack between turkey body rolls. Bring edges together where washcloths meet and shape tail as needed.

red felt wattle inserted between rolls on underside of head

Fold red felt in half. Cut a turkey wattle out of the felt with the fold at the thinnest point. Insert folded end between rolls on underside of turkey’s head

Decorate with eyes and feet. Use double stick tape to keep google eyes on. See towel pigeon folding blog for instructions on how to make the pipe cleaner bird feet.

Finished Towel Turkey

Next towel animal in My Cruise Stories Towel Animal Folding Series: Reindeer

Towel Reindeer

For instructions on other towel animals visit My Cruise Stories Towel Animal Page.

Posted in Towel Animals | Tagged holiday, how to fold a towel turkey, photo, Thanksgiving, towel animal, towel animal folding instructions, towel turkey | 8 Comments

Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins

Posted on November 25, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Pumpkin Muffins, plain and with streusel and walnut toppings

When looking for a special breakfast for Thanksgiving, Halloween, or any morning, these delicious pumpkin muffins will definitely foot the bill. People not on a gluten free diet would not know these tasty muffins are gluten free if you don’t tell them so.

You can adjust the amount of sugar to suit your taste, and use all brown sugar if you don’t have the raw sugar available. Using a sweeter topping or the butterscotch chips may also influence some people to want less sugar than they would if they didn’t add anything sweet on or in the muffins. It comes down to personal preference. My husband thought this recipe needed more sugar, where I thought it could have done with less since I had added butterscotch chips.

If you don’t have the coconut oil, use whatever cooking oil you normally use instead. If you’re not on a lactose free diet and don’t have almond or coconut milk available regular milk would work too.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

1/2 cup sweet white rice flour 1/2 cup tapioca flour

1/2 cup millet flour 1/2 cup sweet white sorghum flour

1/3 cup potato starch 1 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice 1/2 teaspoon cloves

2 eggs 1 cup pumpkin

1/3 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup raw sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted

3/4 cup almond or coconut milk

Optional stir ins – 1 cup butterscotch chips or coarsely chopped walnut pieces

Optional toppings – streusel or finely chopped nuts. I made streusel with vegan buttery sticks instead of butter and tapioca flour instead of wheat flour, and the usual brown sugar and oatmeal (which comes in gluten free) and added ginger and nutmeg along with the usual cinnamon. Finely chopped walnuts would also be a good addition to the streusel topping, especially if using walnuts as a stir-in.

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with cupcake papers.

Measure flours by shaking flour from spoon into the cup so it fluffs lightly into the cup rather than packing in densely. Scrape excess flour off top of cup with spoon handle. Add all other dry ingredients. Stir together in a bowl, set aside.

Lightly beat eggs in mixing bowl with a fork. Add pumpkin, sugars, vanilla, oil, and milk. Stir until mixed together.

Add dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture. Stir with spoon until partially blended, then add butterscotch chips or nuts if optional stir-ins are desired. Stir with spoon just until blended. Never overstir muffins. It’s better to have muffins not quite totally blended than to have them overstirred.

Spoon batter into prepared pans. Sprinkle topping on top each muffin if toppings are desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 28 – 35 minutes.

Makes about 15 muffins.

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2013

Posted in recipes | Tagged baking, dairy free, food, gluten free, Halloween, lactose free, muffin recipe, photos, pumpkin muffins, Thanksgiving | 10 Comments

Maho Beach, St. Martin

Posted on November 18, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Carnival Breeze docked in Phillipsburg, St Martin

Airplane Beach

Maho Beach, Sint Maarten

For a very unique experience, try a visit to Maho Beach near Philipsburg when visiting the Dutch side of Saint Martin – an island of dual nationalities known officially as Sint Maarten on the Dutch side and Saint Martin on the French side. A beautiful sandy beach sits just across the street from Princess Juliana International Airport. Planes of all sizes from small Cessnas to the largest jets fly just over the beach on their way to landing on the runway, which lies perpendicular to the beach. Tourists flock to Maho Beach in hopes of catching close-up photos or videos of the underside of things like 747’s as they fly right overhead.

Underside of a jet flying overhead at Maho Beach

Catching the underside of large airplanes on film is not as easy as it sounds. They fly over so quickly and there’s a crowd of people jockeying for space so it’s just as likely to catch the person who stepped in front of your carefully aligned camera just as the plane flies over as it is to get footage of the plane. Or they just cause you to lose your focus on the plane and then it’s gone. There’s lots of YouTube videos of these planes though, so some people do manage to obtain excellent footage. I was not so lucky. I got footage, even undersides now and then, but it’s not exactly excellent.

When we stopped in Saint Martin on our Carnival Breeze transatlantic cruise, we found that it’s very easy to catch a shuttle near the shopping area by the cruise ship dock. They have shuttles to a variety of places including Maho Beach. The per person price goes down as the size of the group goes up, so it’s best to group together with other passengers that want to go there as well. Shuttles come to the beach often so getting back to the dock is quite easy. They often fill with random groups of people that just happened to want to leave at the same time you did, so returning with the people you came with isn’t necessary.

Bar at Maho Beach that provides everything needed for a pleasant day

sign posted at Maho Beach listing the airplane schedule for the day

schedule for large jets landing and taking off

A bar at the beach posts a sign with all the day’s take-offs and landings of large jets. They also rent beach chairs with umbrellas, very nice to have on a shadeless beach in the sun. Of course cold drinks and refreshments are available there too as well as restrooms. The bar certainly helps make a day at Maho Beach more comfortable.

Waiting for the next plane on Maho Beach

People sun themselves, swim or splash about in the water, and do all the normal beachy things until time draws near for a plane to arrive. When that faint light of a jet approaching appears on the distant horizon it seems as if a herding dog suddenly came through and gathered everyone up like cattle.

the beach where the airplanes fly just overhead

Jet landing at Princess Juliana Airport across the street from Maho Beach

They all line up in front of the runway, cameras up hoping to get that shot of the underbelly of a plane. The larger the planes are, they are the lower they come in. The biggest ones almost feel as if you could just about reach up and touch them.

people go to Maho Beach to get pictures of these large jets overhead

The big jets fly very low over Maho Beach

Later in the afternoon, we heard, the large jets take off. Our ship left too early to stay and watch the phenomenon of people who risk life and limb to cling to the fence between the two signs warning them not to and wait for departing jets to blast them across the road.

people wait for departing jets to blow them down

The danger sign does not prevent people from trying to get blown away when jets take off

Even on the beach people can get knocked down or blown into the water if standing in the danger zone near the runway’s end when a big jet takes off.

The St Maarten water taxi sports advertising for a jewelry store found in nearly all cruise ship ports

After a day at the beach the shuttle will let those who wish off in town and take the rest back to the cruise ship dock. From town a water taxi makes a quick journey back to the ship for a small fee.

Saint Martin has many other things to do besides visiting Maho Beach. We stopped there on a previous cruise and had a great time on a sail and snorkel excursion to Tintamarre Island.

Posted in Breeze, Caribbean, Carnival, Port Cities, Ports of Call | Tagged airplanes, jet watching, Maho Beach, photos, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, travel, video | 15 Comments

Holland America’s Greenhouse Spa

Posted on November 11, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Westerdam Greenhouse Spa

Holland America Westerdam

A Piece of Paradise at Sea

Often on boarding day regardless of which cruiseline or ship you sail with, the spa has open tours for anyone wishing to see inside. I almost always take the tour, but have very rarely actually signed up for anything. While it all looks wonderful – and for the most part no doubt is – everything comes with a price, and not usually a small one.

They do have some good deals offered on first-day specials. The first time I cruised on the Westerdam I did try out an aromatherapy pod thing that didn’t cost too much. It was quite nice, but I don’t think it is there now as I did not see that offered this trip.

Sometimes they entice people into spa tours with sample hot rock massages. This cruise used neck massages for people gathering in the chairs they had set out to wait for the next tour of the Westerdam’s Greenhouse Spa.

It’s worth taking the spa tour just to try these cozy heated chairs.

I’ve always eyed the hydrotherapy pool and the ceramic chairs that look like they should be hard and dreadful, but actually feel warm and so comfy you could sleep there when you try them out. Both features are part of the thermal suite package, which on the Westerdam also included sauna and steam room.

Normally I cruise with my husband, and for the two of us it’s always more than we’re willing to spend, so I just eye it longingly and enjoy the sample few minutes on the ceramic chair. When the tour guide offered a first day special for two on the full cruise pass to the thermal suite my sister piped up with interest. Intrigued, my aunt and I joined in with I-will-if-you-will. When they offered an even better deal for 3 we couldn’t resist. Finally I’d get to try that out! Split between the budgets of 3 households the cost was not too bad.

the dry float bed – so comfortable

On this tour they asked for a volunteer to lay on the dry float bed. Always eager to try any spa treatment offered for free, I volunteered before anyone else even had a chance to think about it. My reward was to revel in the soft warmth while they gave their spiel about treatments available there, which I paid no attention to whatsoever and just enjoyed my few minutes of free bliss.

couples can have massages together on the Westerdam

couples massage room

One of the rooms held two tables where they offer a couples massage.

They must have really loved my sister at that spa, she also signed up for a special that included 20 minutes each of a whole bunch of different things for a price that normally includes just 3. She thought she’d get 5 of them, but she got them all. She came late to dinner with some sort of oil in her hair since they’d given her a hair treatment she wasn’t expecting and her appointment ran longer than she thought.

Lucky for her she looked like she just got out of the shower and had wet hair, though if anyone had touched it they’d have known that wasn’t the case. She had to let it sit for sometime before washing it out, and once she did she said it made her hair very nice and soft and she’d like to have whatever it was they’d put in it. Unlike my own very thin baby fine hair, hers is thick, course, and plentiful. I sometimes kid that she got all the hair and left none for me since she was born first.

spa treatment room on Holland America Westerdam

one of the many spa treatment rooms

She enjoyed her spa treatments very much and probably would have gone back for more if she had a bigger budget.

The thermal suite didn’t open until the tours finished, so we had to wait for evening to give it a try that first day. We relaxed on the ceramic tile chairs soaking up the heat. The room has an entire wall of windows so there’s always a view to enjoy, but the chairs felt so cozy and relaxing I tended to shut my eyes for the most part whenever sitting in one, which we did every day of the cruise.

On our first visit to the pool we walked down the stairway into the pool to to find the big bubbly ring in the center already occupied so we walked along to where we could see people sitting along the far wall, thinking they had hot-tub like jets there. Just past the center of the pool we ran into underwater metal bars. That whole end had a sort of bench shaped similarly to the ceramic tile chairs made from a series of bars under the water. Once we knew they were there, we climbed up on them to relax in the bubbly mineral water coming from a series of jets, finding the corners to have the most water jets.

The jets run about 15 minutes, which is the length of time people are supposed to stay in the pool. Often people did not get in just as they started, and many do stay longer, so someone always gets up to push the restart button unless a new person enters at just the right time to catch it on their way in.

hydrotherapy mineral pool is part of the thermal package

we dubbed the spot inside the ring nearest the right shower pole “major whitewater” due to the intense current there

When the people in the center ring left we decided to give it a try. Depending on where you stand in the ring, the current ran from mild to where it would push you right out of there if you didn’t hold onto the middle rail provided for that purpose. We dubbed the one spot in the ring with the most intense current “major whitewater,” which became our code name for going to the spa.

Later in the cruise we tried out the steam room, which had a nice eucalyptus smell that probably cleared many a sinus as people sat in the fragrant steam. It seemed to burst out on some sort of timer, clouding the small room until you could not see the person across from you, then clearing somewhat before the next burst.

I never did venture into the dry sauna, but since I did visit at least the hydrotherapy pool and the warm ceramic tile chairs daily I definitely got my money’s worth. Total passes sold each cruise are limited to keep the area from becoming too overcrowded. We really only saw it crowded once, and that was when we had the same idea as everyone else – go right in after an early afternoon all-aboard on a port day. That was our first venture into the steam room, so the crowd caused us to try something new until our usual things had space. In doing so we found a new thing to enjoy and used that room again another time.

If you’ve ever wondered about trying the thermal suite, I totally recommend it. It’s like your own little Paradise Island right on the ship. Other treatments the spa offers include massages, acupuncture, and tooth whitening among many other options.

Posted in Holland America, Shipboard Life, Westerdam | Tagged cruise ship spa services, Greenhouse Spa, heated ceramic lounge, heated tile spa chairs, Holland America, Hydrotherapy, mineral pool, photos, relaxation, spa, spa treatments, Westerdam | 16 Comments

Norwegian Pearl At The Dock

Posted on November 4, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Pearl docked in Cozumel with Freedom of the Seas

Most of the time when returning to a docked ship from a port stop, passengers just walk up the gangway and get on board. Sometimes they have to pass through customs first, but there’s normally no fanfare or hoopla about it. You get on the ship, send your things through the scanner, pick them up and go on your way.

Norwegian Dawn and Star docked in Cozumel

The Norwegian Pearl did things a bit differently on our Caribbean cruise. At most stops they had crew waiting to greet returning passengers at the dock with cold drinks, or maybe popsicles and wet towels for a little refreshment and cooling off before getting back onboard.

shopping area near the dock in Cozumel

Then came our last stop at Cozumel. After finishing an excellent shore excursion that took us snorkeling on Palancar Reef and relaxing at Playa Mia Beach Park, we wandered through the shops by the dock a bit. We had over an hour, but me having lost my watch at Playa Mia and John’s watch not working due to swimming with it on, we stayed at the nearby shops rather than trying to get to town.

Carnival Magic and Conquest at their nearby pier

After a bit we made our way toward the ship. We dawdled about taking photos of the Pearl and the two Carnival ships at their nearby pier. We even took a few of Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas, docked next to our ship. Norwegian’s Dawn and Star docked at the other end of town, but we got photos of them on the way in.

Lots of action on one side of the dock

Coming down the dock toward the ship we could hear music. As we got closer we saw a shade tent by the ship. Passing by there a crew member handed out fruit juice treats to all the returning passengers. Another crew person handed out wet face towels.

the Pearl welcomes passengers back in style

Welcome Back to the Pearl

Walking under a Norwegian sign strung across our side of the dock led returning passengers between two lines of dancing crew. Then we saw the cruise director and another girl on stilts with long pants so it looked like they had extremely long legs dancing around between the lines of crew people in a singing, dancing welcome back.

Pearl welcomes passengers back to the ship in grand style

Most passengers walked through the corridor between the dancers, some dancing along their way. I ducked out and got out the camera. The crew of the Pearl certainly went all out to welcome passengers back to the ship from our last port stop. The people on the other ship next to us walked down a bare dock to an empty gangway, all looking over at the partying entrance the Norwegian Pearl gave to their passengers. Perhaps their way of saying our ship may be smaller, but look how much fun we have.

Posted in Caribbean, Norwegian, Pearl, Ports of Call | Tagged cruise, cruise ship dock, dock, Norwegian, party, Pearl, photos, travel, vacation | 7 Comments

Miracle Spice Cupcakes

Posted on October 31, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

gluten free, sugar free, lactose free spice cupcakes

Miracle Spice Cupcakes with Maple Frosting

Not long ago I wrote a blog with the very popular Miracle Chocolate Cake recipe. Not everyone eats chocolate though, so I started experimenting with that recipe to change things up a bit and turn it into a spice cake.

Just like with the chocolate cake, this recipe is gluten free, sugar free, and dairy free with all natural ingredients.

If you aren’t on a sugar free diet, try the maple frosting recipe in this post which goes very well with these cupcakes. (The cake is sugar free, the frosting is not.) If sugar is an issue for you try finely chopped nuts or shredded coconut on the cupcakes before baking. People on sugar free diets do need to watch their portion size as this recipe contains honey and molasses.

gluten free, sugar free, dairy free cupcakes

cupcakes fresh out of the oven

Miracle Spice Cupcakes

Recipe:

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons ginger

Miracle Spice Cupcakes look and taste like regular cupcakes

2 teaspoons nutmeg

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 Tablespoon molasses

3 Tablespoons honey

3/4 cup almond butter

3 eggs

Directions:

Line cupcake pan with 10 cupcake papers. Stir all ingredients together by hand. Drop batter by spoonfuls into cupcake papers in prepared pan. Bake in at 325 degrees for 21 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 10 cupcakes.

Maple Frosting

1 Tablespoon vegan buttery stick

vegan buttery sticks

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 cup powdered sugar

Melt the vegan buttery stick in the maple syrup. Stir in the powdered sugar. Keep stirring until completely mixed into frosting. Add syrup or powdered sugar as necessary to achieve the desired consistency. For anyone without lactose issues, butter can substitute for the vegan buttery stick.

These make a great treat for Halloween parties or other occasions when looking for a healthier treat that looks and tastes great.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Posted in recipes | Tagged baking, cupcakes, dairy free, dessert, food, gluten free, maple frosting, spice cake, sugar free | 5 Comments

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Copyright My Cruise Stories 2013

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2013

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