Day 6 - Sea Day

 

Ready to Sail
Philipsburg, St Maarten
October 1, 2026

Heading Home began last evening about 5 PM as Celebrity Beyond departed Sint Maarten and turned northwestward. Today and tomorrow are sea days with arrival in Miami Sunday morning.

I enjoy sea days. Sometimes though I have the urge to sat, "are we there, yet?"

Yesterday was, without a doubt, a drink and food day.

View from the Dutch Blonde Beach Bar
Philipsburg, St Maarten
October 1, 2026

About noon, Chris and I headed off the ship for a wine tasting in Philipsburg. Advertised as the Small Group: Dutch Blond Beach Bar French Wine and Cheese Tasting, we were pleased to learn, upon arrival, that calling it a tasting was a misnomer. It was a wine drinking experience. And we experienced it with five nicely chosen French wines paired expertly with Dutch cheese. As a backdrop to the tasting, we were treated to the story of the how the owner came to have a restaurant on Sint Maarten, which was very compelling. We had a great time with the about twenty other oenophiles and learned a lot about Dutch cheese and French wines.

Returning to the ship about 4 PM, we had just enough time to prepare for our Chef's Table experience. 

Dessert
Celebrity Beyond
October 1, 2026

The Chef's table is not for the faint hearted. And I don't just mean the price. We were unprepared for the dining experience that was to come. We enjoyed five courses of dishes that we did not even conceive of before the dinner.

I enjoyed having the Chef explain each of the courses and the Sommelier provide a dissertation about each wine. The wine explanation was very personal because Chris and I were the only ones who chose the premium wine add-on--which was not for the faint of heart. It was pricey, but worth the cost to enjoy perfectly paired wines with each course.  

Well, it was a day of wine and food. And it was fun. We also met a lot of very nice people. 

 

-- Bob Doan, Atlantic Ocean, 

Day 5, St Maarten

 

Celebrity Beyond
Tortola, BVI
September 30, 2026

Happy October 1st

Yesterday, a relaxing day was enjoyed. 

Walking the streets of the Tortola cruise port, we enjoyed the bright sun and gentle sea breeze. Together they were refreshing. A Norwegian Cruise Lines ship was in port as we arrived, but due to our late day arrival, they were in the final hour of their stop and most of their passengers were headed onto their ship as we disembarked from Celebrity Beyond.

Tortola, BVI
September 30, 2026

Chris and I did some shopping, but did not head out on a tour.

We have a busy day planned in Philipsburg, St Maarten. We are doing a French Wine and Cheese tasting with a little beach time added. We may also wander the streets of Philipsburg a bit. Tonight we are dining at the Chef's Table. We are both excited about that. 

Through the Dirty Window
Philipsburg, St Maarten
October 1, 2026

At this moment we are cruising into Philipsburg and the coastline is bathed in morning light. I would take an image, but Chris is sleeping and the window makes an incredible noise. I am still not a fan of the Infinite Veranda that this class of ships sports.

We have vacationed in St Maarten and also visited here on at least two previous cruises. This is one of our favorite islands in the Caribbean. 

-- Bob Doan, Philipsburg, St Maarten

Day 4, Tortola

 Our second Port Call of the cruise is today. We are making a stop at Tortola, BVI. 

Fortress of San Filipe
Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
September 292926

Chris and I enjoyed a relaxing day yesterday as most of the other cruisers got off the ship to explore the Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. We actually had a hot tub almost to ourselves and the noise level in the solarium was greatly reduced. Teh heat and the jets in the hot tub did wonders for my back, which has been problematic for the entire trip thus far.

Enjoying the Solarium
Celebrity Beyond
September 29, 2026

We had fun in the solarium. On this ship, the solarium is climate controlled, which made the experience nicer. The solarium was pleasant and we spend a while there before returning to our stateroom to head out for lunch. 

In the evening, we enjoyed a Captain's Club welcome celebration in the Eden. I enjoy these activities because we got to meet the captain and many of the senior officers of the crew. While at the event, I noticed the rocking of the ship abnd captured the motion on a chandelier. 

We had fun and are looking forward to visiting Tortola today. 

-- Bob Doan, Celebrity Beyond, Atlantic Ocean near 1850N 06557W

Day 3, Welcome to the D.R.

 

Arriving Puerto Plata
Dominican Republic
September 29, 2026

Day three dawned with the ship preparing to enter Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, for a brief port call. It truly is brief, we arrived at 8 AM and the gangway goes up at 2:30 PM. 

Chris and I are staying onboard today.
This is our third visit to Puerto Plata and the port area is very nice, but we are going to take the opportunity to enjoy the ship while most of the passengers are off.

First Wine Tasting of the Day
Atlantic Ocean
September 28, 2026

Yesterday's sea day was especially fun. We attended two wine tastings and enjoyed a very nice dinner.

The two wine tastings was a complete accident. I had purchased the worldwide wine tour for our afternoon enjoyment and when we boarded we were advised that because of our Captain's Club status we were invited to a complimentary late morning wine tasting. So we wined out for the day.

Tomorrow we visit Tortola and while we do not have an excursion planned, we will definitely get off the ship to explore.

-- Bob Doan, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

And we are off

Bag Drop-off
Terminal AA, Port of Miami, FL
Septemberb 27, 2026

Embarkation Day was not without its challenges. The challenges began right as we dropped our bags off and then had to park. It was not the smoothest process.

Let me explain.

South Miami Beach
Miami Beach, FL
September 27, 2026

I knew that our ship was docked at Terminal AA, and I had previously received a notice from Celebrity that we would also park at Terminal AA. I understood then that we returned that the ship would dock at Terminal A and we would have to schlep our bags to Terminal AA and depart the garage. Well that got changed. We dropped the bags off at Terminal AA and then drove to the Terminal A parking garage and then had to return to Terminal AA to depart. Sound confusing? Yup! And wait, the Post of Miami is a confusing enough to begin with.

The process to board the Celebrity Beyond was very smooth and we only stopped long enough for them to review our passports and verify us as the travelers. With the parling gymnastics wev arrived a mere 15 minutes before our scheduled time. That is the latest we have ever presented ourselves for boarding. 

Being Chased by Icon of the Seas
Atlantic Ocean
September 27, 2026

Our welcome aboard Concierge Class lunch was fantastic, although I didn't understand the non-English words on the menu--we chose wisely.

Our bags were a bit late arriving to the stateroom, but that allowed us to take a nice midafternoon nap. 

We were lucky to be able to watch the tense game between the Cowboys and the Ravens in the sports bar. I felt bad for Chris because the overwhelming majority of those watching the game were Ravens fans. We might have gotten a bit rowdy when the Ravens were the winniers with a 1 second remaining field goal. 

First Impressions: 

The ship is beautiful. It is 4 years old and wears it design well. 

Stateroom Door Secorations
Celebrity Beyond
September 27, 2026

The stateroom, however, is tough to enjoy. It is long and narrow and the much touted infinite veranda is a poor excuse for trying to convince people that dual use space is a good thing. So far, it is not. It becomes a problem when one of us is awake and desiring to sit on the veranda without disturbing the other. The motors for the blind and the window are loud! I am, however, writing on the veranda with the window closed and the blind half down. And it is too small--there are no recliners.

The crew has been fantastic even last evening when I could not find the room service menu to order or the promised bath robes. Within 15 minutes I had everything I needed. 

More to follow. And Monday Musings are on hiatus until next week.

-- Bob Doan, Atlantic Ocean near 2429N 07529W heading 210 degrees

Sunday Follies

 

MSC Cruise Terminal AA
Port of Miami, FL

And we are off. 

Headed to Port of Miami in a couple hours to board the Celebrity Beyond for seven nights of "get away!"

We are, sadly, sailing alone. It has been a very long time since we sailed alone without friends or family. It feels different and we are already missing those with whom we have been sailing. 

Even though we are on a Celebrity cruise, we will be embarking at the MSC Terminal due to some problems with scheduling at the Royal Caribbean terminal. That swap caused me to spend a lot of time trying to discern the proper parking garage. 

Excitement is in the air. The preparations are final. The EV us charged and ready for the round trip to Miami! 

We are looking forward to a sweet Bon Voyage!

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Figurehead Try-out

 

Mourning Dove on the Hood
Tequesta, FL
September 26, 2026

Finnegan and I came across a mourning dove sitting on the car this morning looking into the car. I wondered if the bird was trying-out to be a hood ornament or a figurehead. The bird did not mind that we were staring at it from pretty close range.

Finn was great. He looked at the bird, but did not bark. I had enough time to get the camera out and take an image. 

Pumpkin Display
Ace Hardware, Tequesta, FL
September 25, 2026

I can tell we are rolling into October and Halloween. The local Ace Hardware store is decked out for the hoiday. I can't believe the pumpkns are out. I'm not sure how well they will last until the end of next month without rotting.

I do really like the the black flamingos standing amidst the pumpkins.

Tomorrow is cruise day. Final packing is the plan for the day. Well, and of course watching Georgia football and maybe USF as well.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Break out the Relaxation

Celebrity Beyond

 Chris and I have been careening down the highway that is the week. Looking forward, on Sunday we will board the Celebrity Beyond for a seven night vacation to the Caribbean. Yay!

All of the planning that began months ago will come to fruition. We began packing yesterday. Packing will be a three day exercise to ensure we take more than enough for the seven-night cruise. 

We have never cruised on the Beyond or any ship in its class. This will be a new experience for us. The Beyond carries about 3200 passengers, which is about half as many as the Royal Caribbean Allure, an Oasis-class ship, on which we last cruised.

We have not planned an aggressive schedule for our three port calls: Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic; Tortola, BVI; and Philipsburg, Sint Maarten. We are looking for relaxing. The nice thing about the cruise is that we will be visiting Tortola for the first time!

There is still so much to do to be final and ready on Sunday morning. 

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Did He do that on Purpose?

Trump at the UN
September 23, 2026
Photo Credit: Anadolu / Getty Images

 I wonder who is really running the country. Trump asserted that Biden was asleep at the wheel, but Trump seems to be in a state of total dementia. Witness the embarrassing speech at the UN yesterday. 

Our President threatened to commit war crimes. He threatened to obliterate a society of 93 million people. 

At the United Nations, a meeting that should have been about ending the war in Ukraine became another opportunity for Donald Trump to talk about himself. Sitting beside Volodymyr Zelenskyy, he dominated the brief press conference, threatened Iran with obliteration, and then turned to his excitement about hosting President Xi and building a ballroom. Zelenskyy was there trying to secure peace for his country. Trump was talking about room capacity and the hottest ticket in town.(Hope for the Nation)

Is that who we, as a nation, have become? 

I think not. 

Our President is working for only himself and his family and not the good of the country and our people. We are sinking billions of our national treasure into a failed conflict. If he is such a good businessman, when does he begin to calculate that he is throwing good money after bad? 

Face it--he started a war and lost. The objectives, whatever they were, have not been achieved. 

And worse, our President is violating his oath of office by intentionally ignoring the 1st Amendment. 

Why?

To keep the news media from digging deeper into the Epstein Files, the corruption of the Trump Family as it fleeces the government, the failed Iran War, the failed promise to end the Ukraine-Russia war, failure to reduce inflation, failure to control prices and affordability. 

What is the common themes here? Corruption and failure. 

Think about it--even with the failed Iran War, had he ended the Ukraine-Russia war, diesel fuel would not be as expensive as it is! We would have dropped the Russian sanctions. Which makes me wonder, if there are sanctions against the Russians for oil, how is their lack of diesel production affecting the price, as Trump alleges?  

Does he lie on purpose? Or are his mental faculties so compromised that he doesn't know the difference?

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL

Keeping a Close Eye on Things

Seagull in Flight
Carlin Park, Jupiter, FL
February 17, 2022

 The seagull was keeping a close eye on the activities occurring nearby. There might have been food available nearby. 

I have been assaulted by campaign ads on the TV of late. Seems there is a very important election on the horizon. 

Campaign ads are worth watching to understand the motivations of the candidates. I came across ads that made wildly false claims. For instance, one ad, posted by a candidate for governor of Florida, falsely claimed that the other candidate intended to tax Social Security, tips, and other personal income sources. However, Florida doesn’t have a personal income tax. Recently, the same candidate has been alleging that the other candidate has a hurricane tax plan that will cost every family in Florida $1,000 per year. Upon researching this allegation, I found that it is entirely false. Moreover, the sources listed in the ad either don’t exist or are intended for a different program that doesn’t tax Florida residents. 

Florida does not need another fact fabricator as governor.

I would report the ads with the evidence I found, however, For actual lies in campaign ads, there is no Florida state agency with authority to adjudicate their truthfulness. Voters, the press, and the courts are the primary checks on false political speech. (ChatGPT)

We must stay sober and keep a close eye on things. 

Truth is out there, we need to work to find it.

-- Bob Doan, Tequesta, FL