Florida- The land of Mojitos and Strip Clubs

In October, Dave and I were trying to figure out what we were going to do for the month of Dec.  Lots of vacation spots are discounted between Thanksgiving and Christmas because it’s typically a low travel time.   Dave threw out that we look at a 10 day cruise.  I started to look around and found a 21 day cruise that was SUPER cheap at that time, $1299 a person. Peeps, that is just over $60 a day to sleep, eat and see the islands.  Dave’s response- “Book it, Danno.” 

I have to be honest, I had some apprehension about a 21 day cruise for 2 reasons.   Reason  #1-On our first cruise, the first several days were rough seas.  Some of the staff had never seen it so rough.  I get seasick anyway so needless to say I was feeding the fish.  After a double dose of drugs, I was in a coma for a day and half.  Reason #2- At this point, I’ve been “vacationing’ for 2 months and I am currently sporting a muffin top.  I’m not currently feeling my bikini best and I have nowhere to go but down if I continue with my cocktail and dessert fest.

So, we drove from my Dad’s house down to Ft Lauderdale to catch the cruise.  Along the way, we stopped in Charleston because that is one of the places we wanted to stay after the cruise. (Side note- we liked it so much, we have a beach house for Jan, Feb and Mar).  After that, we decided to check out Miami Beach.  The architecture is cool.  But to be frank, the place is a little too fake-hip for me.  It’s all about being seen.  You know me, I’m a gypsy, bumpkin at heart.  But we did have lunch at the coolest place- called Nikko’s which is right off the beach .  Our table was sitting in sand and we enjoyed the Cuban delight known as Mojito!

We get to Ft Lauderdale.  Dave has booked a cheapo packing spot for $4 a day. SCORE!  We get to the address on our paperwork and low and behold- it’s a club- a bar type club.  This can’t be the place.  But there is another couple with suitcases loitering in the parking lot.  Hmmm- they look like cruisers not clubbers.  Mike and Veronica were from outside Toronto.  They had been waiting outside what Veronica coined the” strip club” for over an hour but the shuttle was on the way.

But we safely get to the Noordam ship with no incidence.  Remember, we’ve got the cheap room.  So it’s about the size of a postage stamp on the interior of the ship.  Alright, I’m exaggerating.  It is 150 square feet which means that you have to scoot in sideways to get into bed from the side or you can always just dive in from the end.  Our bathroom is small enough where I could maximize my efficiency by peeing, showering and washing my hands in the sink all at the same time. 

The first night- we set sail into the sunset with a glass of wine and the sound of Jimmy Buffet.

The first island stop is tomorrow.  Stay tuned….