MickeyandKimWorldAdventures

  Two very relaxing days at sea.  Lots of eating and drinking going on...there is a group on board who are "walking" around the world....I believe we are drinking around the world, LOL.  That included premium drink package makes it way to easy, and convenient....  Tons of activities going on around the ship - I have not made it to the Mahjong group yet, trying to get my blogging skills up to speed.  There are some incredibly talented bloggers/vloggers/Utubers/Tiktokkers on board.  I am definitely in the amateur status.  Just a little recap on stunning sunsets and the entertainment that has been provided.... taking a night off today to get ready for RIO tomorrow...Christ the Redeemer statue then lots of shipboard activities to bring in the New Year....Look for that blog - should be spectacular!!!

  Fortaleza, Brazil Fortaleza, one of Brazil’s largest cities, is also one of the most beautiful and underrated places in the country. Claimed by the Portuguese in 1500, settlement of northern Brazil began around 1603 but only in the coastal areas due to battles with the natives when they tried to go inland. It was actually the Dutch who built the first fortress here in 1649, a place they called Fort de Schoonenbrorch. Just five years later it was captured by the Portuguese who ousted the Dutch and renamed it Fortaleza Noosa Senhora de Assuncao, then shortened it to just Fortaleza as the city began to grow up around the fort. Later on, during Brazil’s fight for independence Cearà was a rebel stronghold and eventually became the first state to abolish slavery. Today it’s known for its 34 km (21 mi) of sunny beaches, delicious food, and friendly people.  The Mercado Central is the main gigantic shopping mall that has four stories and can be fun to wander in. Authored by Laurie Hardcastle

  December 25th, 2023   Missing the family and friends and all the holiday celebrations.  So glad we were able to see all of our kids and grandkids before we took off on this once in a lifetime adventure.  At sea all day today, here is a recap of Christmas...... At 9 am, we crossed the equator - actually crossed it three times as our captain circled around - pretty cool.  We are now officially shellbacks and the ship celebrated with a King Neptune ceremony that was a lot of fun...

  Devil's Island, French Guina Welcome to Hell, at least that’s what Devil’s Island was for a hundred years.   Authored by Laurie Hardcastle Seil. First thing to know is that there are three islands here, not just one, and all three were part of the French penal colony called “Bagne de Cayenne” in French Guiana, as well as a town on the mainland called St. Laurent-du-Maroni, Maroni is the river it was located on. St. Laurent is important to note as it was the first place that the ships that carried prisoners from France would stop to offload and process the inmates. Most of the men, and all of the few women sent to French Guiana, would stay at this location to work at a logging camp. The incorrigibles and political prisoners were the ones sent out to the islands. As France was trying to populate this colony the policy was that once the prisoners had served their sentence they were then required to stay in French Guiana for the same number of years as their sentence before they co

  Barbados  Authored by Laurie Hardcastle Seil The original European discovery of the i sland was by a Portuguese explorer named Pedro Campos who dropped in on his way to Brazil in 1536. It’s believed that he found so many Bearded Fig Trees in his explorations here that he decided to name his discovery “Los Barbados” or “The Bearded One”. Bridgetown itself was originally a village called Indian River Bridge, then St. Michael’s Town before it got it’s current moniker. Locals today just call it “Town”. The British arrived in 1627 to create a colony that would grow cotton and tobacco, the sugar industry was added in the 1640s. Supposedly the vibe in this UNESCO city is “a distinctly English character with a laid-back West Indian feel”, you can decide for yourself if that rings true or not. Trivia question next, what famous square did Bridgetown and London used to have in common? Hint is that they both have a statue of a certain famous naval officer on that square, although the one in Barb

  So, getting caught up on my blogs- going from my phone, Mickey's phone, my Nikon camera, Mickey's Go Pro, and gathering pics from fellow cruisers.... whew, I hope I get better at this as we continue our journey, or I may have to give it up!! Today is 12/22 and we are cruising to our next destination, which is Devil's Island, French Guiana, which we have not visited before.  The beginnings of lots of new cities and countries. Revisiting the islands was nice - Mickey got in his first scuba dive in Bonaire while I had a spa day on the ship.  Once we figure out the download of his videos, I will share some of his dive with you. Now for some educational info on the ABC Islands, compliments of Laurie Hardcastle Seil, a fellow world cruiser... Aruba ABC, it’s easy as 1, 2, 3 …. yep , that’s where we’ve arrived, the three westernmost islands of the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, also known as the ABC Islands, and where we’ll spend the next three days exploring. The first

  December 14th, 2023  Chichen Itza, Mexico A bit about Chichén Itzá since many of us will be visiting there. It was named after the cenotes located there, the chichén or “mouth of the wells” and for the Itzá, the Mayan tribe known as the “water witches” who lived in the region. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988 and voted a World Wonder in 2007. The earliest buildings here date back to around the 5th or 6th century, while the larger, most familiar structure, El Castillo (The Castle) was built several hundred years later. At its peak around 35,000 people lived at Chichén Itzá but by the 13th century the city had been abandoned. Unfortunately,  you can no longer climb the steps of El Castillo but you should hopefully be able to see the carving of a plumed serpent at its top which is symbolic of Quetzalcóatal also known as Kukulcán, one of the major deities of the culture. The pyramid stands 79’ (24 m) in height and was built with 91 steps on each of its four sides

  Boarding and settling in on December 10th.  Boarding process was very smooth - all of our luggage was in our cabin when we arrived.  A bit overwhelmed when we saw all that luggage (13 total bags plus carry-ons) and wondered where in the world was it all going to go (300 square feet) in our cabin.  Very thankful that we were able to upgrade to the larger cabin - gives Mickey a better chance of surviving.  Two and a half days later, the cabin is unpacked, bags stowed under the bag (duffle bags saved us!) with room to spare - I know, I can't believe it either.  Just so you know, Mickey brought more clothes than I did....so here are a few pictures of our cabin - before and after, and the lovely ship we will be calling home until September 2024.  And yes, there is a little bit of Christmas in the room. We made it work.... the extra room is well worth it and so glad we were able to upgrade.....   This is our beautiful ship.  Royal Caribbean lived up to their promises and the ship is in

 Soooo.... December 8th, we made it out of Naples, heading to Miami for dinner with friends and then the big Gala dinner that Royal Caribbean is hosting.  Amazing coincidence - when we got to Miami, Mickey sees a post from a good friend and business colleague from our days at MONY and Aviva....they are coming into Miami on Dec 9th from a cruise and staying at our hotel.... we got to have lunch and catch up.... it's probably been 15 years since we have seen them.  They are heading out on a world cruise in January - not as long as ours but many of the same destinations!  Great way to start our journey.... When we checked into our hotel, the hotel staff took our 11 bags and will have them delivered directly to the ship...Only kept our overnight and Gala clothes (which, by the way, Royal took the next morning, so we didn't have to drag it all with us when we boarded.  Heaven) Royal had some pre cruise gifts for us, small backpacks with a variety of items that will come in handy on

December 6th, 2023   So...we had a fabulous sendoff with our Greyhawk buddies...lots of laughs, hugs, and a few tears as we get ready to head out on our epic adventure.  Food was fabulous and plentiful ( getting us ready for the cruise - yikes) , shared a few cocktails and had a wonderful toast to send us off on our journey.... See you all in September See you when the summers through Here we are, saying goodbye at the pier We'll have a good time but remember WE WILL SEE YOU ALL IN SEPTEMBER!!!!!!