Florida and Beyond

Despite Mother Nature's effort to keep us imprisoned by her wintry grip, our Air Canada Rouge flight AC1656 took to the skies delayed only a few minutes for a necessary deicing. The green goop that is the deicing fluid streamed off the body and wings as we climb into the sky, a final reminder of the winter we were quickly leaving behind. Our destination is Tampa Bay, Florida from where we'll drive to Kissimmee, our base camp for Disney World for a few nights before boarding the cruise ship Norwegian Dawn.

While Ann has been to Disney World three times previously, and I've been to Florida five times this was to be my first adventure to Disney World. This was our granddaughter's first visit and we wanted to experience it with her, through her eyes. Clad in matching t-shirt's, which is apparently the fashionable thing to do, we strolled through the gates. Let the adventure begin. The pre-arrival process has become unnecessarily complex, first having to buy tickets using an online system that only makes sense to its designers, then requiring you to go back in and hope the park you want, on the day you want is still available to be reserved. Further, to help facilitate the day each ride and restaurant needed be reserved, and all members in the group needed to be linked together in the Disney app. This upfront logistical challenge was painfully put together by Ann's daughter in-law for which we're very appreciative. The benefit: a whopping 17 rides, an amazing experience and very tired feet, that first day.

Magic Kingdom lives up to its name as a truly magical wonderland

for kids of all ages. Where else can you meet your favourite characters, fly with Dumbo, navigate the treacherous waterways

on a Jungle Cruise, waltz on Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway, zap aliens in Buzz Lightyear's Ranger Spin, and that's all before lunch. Speaking of which, eating in a '60s diner is in itself an experience. Its a day full of memories. Oh and lets not forget the end of day fireworks; incredible!

Not to be outdone, Hollywood Studios is a must with its immersive Star Wars experiences. Where else can you participate in a high definition flight simulator experience that feels as if

you're actually part of the crew on board the Millennium Falcon in Smugglers Run

or on a prisoner transport escaping the clutches of the Empire in Rise of the Resistance. After a successful escape, drinks in Oga's Cantina seem appropriate.

And when staying in Kissimmee why not stick with the Disney theme. Our AirBnB was quickly nicknamed the Star Wars house because the entrance way, living room and principle bedroom were all decked out with Star Wars memorabilia. The kitchen and dining room were Mickey Mouse. One bedroom immersed you in Fantasia, another was a page out of Brave while a third was cleverly done Up, surrounding its guests with balloons. The final room was a Sugar Rush.

After several days of Disney fun we left the magic behind and shifted gears to find our ship, the Norwegian Dawn and 10 days of being pampered. The Dawn is a sister ship to the Star which I enjoyed in Iceland. She's 92,250 tons making her marginally bigger than the Star, and despite being refurbished 7 years earlier she appears to be old and weathered. Looking past that, she's a grand ship with a magnificent crew. We embarked with roughly 2,300 passengers, the average age of which was seemingly north of 70 which was somewhat unexpected. It was several days before we saw the first child

First port of call was Key West, Florida and curiously our older ship was so long that the lines securing her to the pier were cast over the exit used by other boats to get in an out of the harbour. Stepping onto the pier the first thing that greets you is the melodic sound of steel

drums. We chose to walk through this lush, laid back tropical paradise heading in the direction of the southern most point in the continental US.

Along the way we were dis-hardened by the apparent low regard for the environment and climate change. Despite an abundance of sun we saw no solar panels, and except for our electric cab on the return trip cars were all conventional gas powered. We saw no recycling bins, and Walmart still packs groceries into an excessive number of "free" single use plastic bags. This wasn't intended to be a political statement but merely a surprising observation in light of the fact that this part of Florida will be the first submerged by rising sea levels.

"Take a picture while you're still clean" they would advise, because we won't stay that way today. Today's port is the Dominican Republic and we're heading out on an off road dune buggy adventure. Helmets on, anti-mud masks in place, seatbelts tightened and loose items secured, we pop the clutch and join the convoy of buggies ahead. The trail was more like the aftermath of a world war II bombing run. The pot holes,

all lurking below an innocent surface of muddy water all seemed to have rocky, uneven bottoms and sides which our buggy was happy to bounce over and around. Naturally the mud went flying everywhere. Fortunately the fender and mud guard combination did a good job at sparing me the onslaught. It wasn't until half way through the expedition I learned that the right side was missing said fender and mud guard. Ann was covered, but killing herself laughing. This was the most incredible excursion, well worth the onslaught and the looks we got boarding the ship, mud laden later that day.

The next couple of days were more laid back, sun absorbing days. It was a little disappointing that our St Thomas mango grove kayaking experience was cancelled, but there's a variety of reasons why this happens (you're not in Kansas any more), so rather than get upset it's best to simply reflect upon the reason we're here, relax and enjoy the vacation, which is what we did. Curacao for example had five ships in port and an afternoon hike into Hato caves was rescheduled to accommodate the onslaught of tourists. The new time assignment was too early for us so we cancelled. Instead we met up with friends over iced

coffee and yogurt parfait, explored the city, marveled at the Dutch designed floating swing bridge, and upon our return found a bar that we had previously noted promised the "best strawberry daiquiri’s

in Curacao" so we had to validate that claim. Two to three daiquiri’s later, chatting with other cruisers and listening to the live entertainment we had spent an incredible afternoon ashore. Oh and the daiquiri’s did in fact live up to all the expectations. They were delicious.

Despite it being an island in the tropical Caribbean, Aruba is actually a desert. With an annual rainfall around 450mm the primary vegetation is cacti.

Our tour today was a landrover safari around the island. They call it that but its essentially just a pickup truck with bench seats

in the back. Strapped in we zoomed around the roads and high speed round-about’s toward the coastal trails and the Natural Bridge. Fun fact; Aruba doesn't have any traffic lights to manage traffic flow, instead, intersections are simple round-about’s. Skirting the cliff’s edge Eduardo, our guide, aimed for every rock and pot-hole he could find.

We arrive at the Natural Bridge, only to be told we’re too late as it’s collapsed and we'll have to settle for the “Son of a Bridge”. Guess Eduardo didn’t drive fast enough. Watching the awesome power of the

waves crashing against the cliff carving into it with each assault was just incredible. The tour took us to the Alto Vista chapel, a remote outpost on the sea, a place of worship built by Spanish missionaries in 1750. Next on our stop was the lighthouse California, named in memory of the merchant ship SS California which hit the rocks off that dark spit of land in 1910.

Have you ever fed a stingray? Today it's Grand Cayman and we've set sail on a catamaran heading for a sandbar frequented by stingray. The anchor is dropped and we step into the water to snorkel among these gentle creatures of the sea.

A little further along where the water becomes shallower we step off the boat once again, this time to walk among them. As much as we try to give them space they swim right up against us, fearless, very much accustomed to the visitors hand feeding them.

I hold a piece of squid under water and one comes close, wraps its tongue, which is on the underside of its body, around the squid delicacy and gently pulls it out of my hand; a magnificent close encounter!

Later we drop anchor on Starfish Cove where we walk among the starfish, picking them up to get a closer look. There’s only a handful to enjoy today. Don’t lift them out of the water we’re cautioned, as the air bloats them, killing them. Good advice.

We left today's experience with a memory of an incredible interaction with nature. At the same time, we as humans need be aware of the impact our interactions are having and ensure we take steps to safeguard the species which we've come to see in their natural environment.

As with any vacation experience there are a number of adventures and excursions available, each one designed to enhance your vacation in a unique way. And as is the case with any cruise, you have limited time to explore so although there are many more excursions available the ones we’ve showcased here are the ones we chose. Based upon your own budget, interest and activity level you will want to choose the ones which are right for you so you too may be whisked away.