DAY 4 - SECOND FULL DAY IN MIAMI

A LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY:

ANOTHER LONG MORNING WALK✔ WALKED AROUND BAYSIDE✔ ROAD THE MIAMI METROMOVER✔  NEW YEARS EVE DINNER THIS EVENING WITH FRIENDS BOB AND GLO✔

We enjoyed a relaxing evening at the Hotel last evening. Although overall hotel occupancy is quite high, the guest room floors are very quiet and we are also located at a corner location of the hotel.  We both slept very well and certainly all of the walking allowed us to easily fall asleep.  

Keith was up first, and after doing some reading and writing, he went downstairs to get some coffee to bring back to the room.  Adjacent to the coffee set-up is one of the holiday decorations on display in the main lobby of the hotel.

Later, Keith made a second trip to the lobby to bring back some coffee to the room for Anne Marie.  A short while later, we enjoyed  breakfast in our room as we had done the day before.  

We recognized the room service staff staff from not only this morning but also from yesterday from our stay at this hotel last year when we also had chose to have breakfast in the room.  They have a very seasoned staff at the hotel with many long timers and we find them to be extremely professional.  

Showers were in today's forecast and this time they were right.

After leaving the hotel we took another nice morning walk.  We walked around the Bay and then we headed over to Bayside. Bayside is a tourist destination with stores and restaurants.  We walked through the park and they were setting up for this evening where thousands will attend the New Year's Eve Party where there will be music, food, drink, and fireworks.  As we entered Bayside we saw the familiar Hard Rock Cafe on the right hand side.

Our mission was to find two items, one of which we easily found.  Portions of the mall have no roof and it began to rain.  It was the first time that it has rained while we have visited this time of year.  After walking around for awhile, we decided instead of walking back the way we came it would be better to take public transportation called the Metromover.  We have never had the need to take this transportation but even with our large umbrella we knew it would not be practical for us to walk over the bridge as the pedestrian pathway would not be wide enough to accommodate the two of us walking next to one another and others walking toward us.  The Metromover covers a relatively small area but the area we needed to travel.  It is free and two cars are attached to one another.

We figured out which line to travel based on the map.

We then took the Metromover which is elevated above ground over to Mary Brickell Village to stop off at the Grocery Store.  We then walked from there about 10 minutes to the Hotel.  It was raining on and off.

Even with the Metromover and our walk cut short due to the rain we still managed to walk eight miles.  

After having lunch back at the Hotel we were going to go to a shopping mall but decided we would do this another day.  Anne Marie did some ironing and Keith read and wrote and then we went back out on another walk.  We walked over to Mary Brickell Village.  It was not raining but windy as we walked on Brickell which is close to the Bay.  

We passed by several restaurants which were busy as were the outdoor cafes with people already celebrating.  We managed to get in another 2 miles.  We have more walking to do this evening too.

This evening we will celebrate New Year's Eve with dear friends Bob and Glo who arrived here yesterday afternoon.  We will dine at the same restaurant that the four of us dined at on New Year's Eve, 2010 and where the two of us went by ourselves last year (New Year's Eve 2012) to also ring in the start of the new year.  

We wish each of you a very safe, healthy and Happy New Year.

TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY............

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Keith and Anne Marie

DAY 3 - FIRST FULL DAY IN MIAMI

A LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY:


ENJOYED FIRST FULL DAY IN MIAMI✔ NICE LONG WALKS AROUND MIAMI✔ VISITED PORT OF MIAMI✔ DINNER FROM LA PROVENCE FRENCH BAKERY & CAFE ✔ 

Since 2007, this marks our sixth pre-criuse stay in Miami.   We used to not have a very favorable opinion of Miami, having more to do with visiting the area back in the 1970's but our view of Miami quickly changed with that 2007 visit.  In 2007, tremendous construction related activity was taking place throughout many parts of the downtown area, including the financial district, with many mid-size buildings being removed and replaced by taller and more modern type structures for use as condominiums and office space along with some new hotels.  Although, it still paled in comparison to the transformation of Dubai, UAE, during that time Miami was booming,with construction, including the vast number of cranes which could be seen throughout the city. Back then, walking along Brickell say from the Four Seasons Hotel in the direction of the Port Of Miami was a major challenge as sidewalks were closed off in many areas on both sides of the street.  

Even with all of that construction we still had a tremendous time on that first stay in Miami.   Fast forward to December, 2009 and almost all of the construction had been completed, although several buildings stood empty given the economic collapse that had only recently taken place.  However, by around 2012 those same buildings were were rapidly being filled with commercial and residential tenants respectively.

We were last in Miami from December 29, 2012 thru January 4, 2013 and the one change we notice in the past year is that a lot of construction is going on again, particularly on roads that run parallel to Brickell as well as roads that intersect Brickell.  

Overall, while for us Miami is not in the same league as say New York City or San Francisco, we have found Miami to be a wonderful city to visit this time of year between the milder weather, its diversity and culture, places to go and see, as well as the high level of service and friendliness provided at  hotels, restaurants, and other establishments.

We spent time last evening getting settled in our room with all of the items we will need for our pre-cruise unpacked and put in their rightful spot.  

We slept extremely well.  We were both tired and it is amazing what a good nights sleep can do for you.   

Keith awoke first.  One of the reasons we enjoy this hotel, is because our room includes a living area that is separate from the bedroom area.  This works perfectly for us since we both get up early Keith is an even earlier riser than Anne Marie, so he can read and write, without disturbing Anne Marie's sleep.  

Some views of the living area.

Our hotel package includes breakfast which we can have at the restaurant (even the buffet) or via room service and as we did last year we enjoyed breakfast in our room.  We try to have a light and healthy breakfast so we went with cereal and a banana, along with melon and berries and of course coffee.

We were out and about by around 8:30 AM so that we could enjoy our first of many long walks in Miami.  

After we left the hotel we walked along the Bay.  We then made our way back to Brickell and a little while later we made a right and walked over a bridge that took us to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

We then proceeded to walk the surrounding area which is always well manicured and enjoyed the views.

After walking around the area for quite awhile we headed back over the bridge we had arrived on.

We then continued our walk and near Bayside there was an exhibit of various statues which included people who supported peace yet each one had a weapon.  We can only assume that the theme of this display had to do with War and Peace. Some of the statues included: Mother Teresa Muhammad Ali, Ghandi and even Charlie Chaplin

On the left hand side was the iconic Freedom Tower.

We then came to the entranceway to the Port Of Miami

We then arrived to the bridge that takes you to the Port Of Miami.  There was more traffic than usual between the industrial traffic related to the port and vehicles taking disembarking passengers to other locations and embarking passengers over to the Cruise Ships.

We then walked over the Bridge using the pedestrian walkway.

On the right hand-side was Bayside which has many restaurants and shops.

Six passengers ships were in port including the Royal Caribbean and the Resorts World Bimini Super Fast.

As we made our way a little further we could see a Disney, Carnival and NCL Cruise Ship along with one other ship.

We then made our way from the Port Back over to the other side.  Each time we have done this in the past, we will see a few crew members and one or two passengers crossing the bridge.  This time we saw several passengers who had disembarked their cruises walking across the bridge with their luggage in hand.

We then walked up and down several streets and eventually stopped  at an area with Holiday Decorations which we have seen in prior years.

By the time we had arrived back to the Hotel we had walked ten miles.  Although the skies were overcast the weather was very nice.  We had lunch and then we went out again for another walk.

We are keeping track of miles using two methods this year.  As we did last year we utilized an APP on our iPhone which tracks distance covered, and also let's us know average distance per mile.

At the same time we are using a Nike Fuel Wrist Band which each of us started using recently which let's us know total steps walked, miles, estimated calories and what they call Nike Fuel.

We went back out in the afternoon and walked to several other locations in the downtown area.  We likely stopped at every Publix (Supermarket) and CVS and Walgreen's in the city (just kidding but we went to several of them) to continue to pick up those remaining items on our list that we need for this adventure.  The good news is that we now have most of them.

Today, we walked close to 17 miles so it was a good walking day.

Our original plan was to dine this evening at the River Seafood & Oyster Bar in downtown Miami.   However, we decided to cancel our dinner reservation since we thought we would have a lighter dinner this evening.  Tomorrow night we have dinner plans to ring in the New Year.  

We will close now.

In the spirit of waking up early.....

TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY............

“Early to bed, early to rise,  makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” – Benjamin Franklin

Keith and Anne Marie

DAY 2 - FIRST DAY IN MIAMI

A LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY:

Flight to Miami✔ Settled into Four Seasons; Miami Hotel ✔ Dinner At Perricone's✔ Completed The First Of Several Shopping Trips ✔

Before we begin, we wanted to just remind each of you that we welcome comments as well as questions.  To post a comment or a question, at the end of any given post you will see a comments section.  If you click on the word comments, it will bring you to a screen where you can write a comment or ask a question, and then you will be asked to do a simple word verification. 

If you do not have a Google e-mail account, just click on anonymous before posting your comments.  If you would like, at the end of your comment include your first name, but that is not necessary.   We will read each and every comment.

If you ask a question we will post the question and our answer on the tab section located towards the top of the home page titled “Ask Keith & Anne Marie.

We slept very well last evening at the hotel.  Although you can see airplanes taking off and landing, we did not hear andy noises associated with the aircraft.  The rooms are obviously very well insulated.  

Interestingly enough, the hotel does not provide a coffee maker in the room although they provide complimentary coffee which they actually make for you at an area located near the entranceway of the restaurant.  No problems though if you would like some coffee in your room.  The bellman who escorted us to our room, contacted housekeeping for us, and within fifteen minutes, a very nice Keurig Brewer was brought to our room with several selections of coffee, tea, sweeteners, creamer and bottled water.

All in all, the hotel worked out very well and service in all areas was at a high level normally found at luxury properties and overall the best airport hotel we have stayed at.

After checking out of the hotel, it was a pleasure to just walk literally one minute from the lower level lobby of the hotel over to the checkin counter.  

We arrived to the Airport check in counter early and no one was ahead of us.  Check-in was a breeze.  We both have the TSA pre-approval so no need to take off shoes, or to remove computers or the 3-2-1 liquids.  They do still do random checks and Anne Marie was one of the "luck winners" and she had to just take a moment while another TSA person took a special piece of paper and wiped it on the palms of her hands and then inserted it into a machine which likely check for residue from explosives and in a few seconds said "you are ready to go".

We then made it over to the Airline Club Lounge and read and had some coffee & water.

Often our flight leaves out of a different terminal, but today it was scheduled to leave from the terminal that we first entered from the Hotel which was only a couple of gates from the Airline Club Lounge.

The key word about our departure gate was that was the way it was supposed to work.  However a little while later our departure gate changed.  We got on a tram but due to a technical issue we had to get off and go on another tram that took another track in the reverse direction.  Although it took a lot longer to get to the terminal, we did get to see the entire airport (LOL) and it made the time go faster.

Our flight was delayed about 40 minutes due to some issue. However, the good news is that we arrived to Miami just a few minutes after the original scheduled arrival time.

All was good and this is just part of the flying experience.

We were met at the luggage carousel by the representative from the private car service which Crystal Cruises arranged for us.  With our luggage in hand the representative walked us to the parking garage where the driver and the SUV was waiting for us.

We arrived to the Four Seasons Miami Hotel which will be our home for the next seven nights.  This is our sixth stay at this property since 2007.  We like the hotel, as well as its location which we find to be in a relatively quiet part of town.  For those of you who prefer the beach then there are many alternatives in other areas to choose from including South Beach.  

After having lunch at the hotel as we waited for our room we changed and then went out on a walk.  While the skies were overcast it did not damper our spirits.  We are thrilled to be in Miami.

This evening we dined at Perricone's which has become a favorite for us the past several years.  It is a relatively short walk from the hotel of about one half-mile each way.   It features Italian Cuisine including a nice variety of seafood and some very nice salads.  It attracts not only tourists but many locals and has an inviting and warm family type of atmosphere to it.  There are several dining rooms both inside as well as outdoor dining in a courtyard type of setting.

For dinner we each had a nice green salad and then this was followed by two wonderfully prepared seafood entrees.  Keith's is shown below and was one of the special for the evening which was Pan Seared Wasabi Ahi Tuna Crusted over Spinach, Asparagus and a Glazed Sauce.  It was delicious.

Anne Marie enjoyed a wonderfully prepared Salmon Entree.

Afterwards we walked over to the Publix Grocery Store located near Mary Brickell Village.  There were lots of outdoor holiday lights.  We purchased some items for our stay such as bottled water and began to purchase liquid items that we could not take on the plane nor ship which we will need for our adventure.

Keith also spoke with friend Ricki while Anne Marie was shopping.

All in all a great day.  It was warmer as we walked back to the hotel for a typical December evening in Miami.

TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY............

"Getting on the plane, I told the ticket lady, send one of my bags to New York, send one to Los Angeles, send one to Miami."  "She said we can't do that!"  "I told her, you did it last week." - Henry Yougman

Keith and Anne Marie

DAY 1 - THE JOURNEY BEGINS

A Look At What Is Happening Today:

Picked Up At Home ✔ Checked Into An Airport Hotel ✔ Dinner ✔

As we mentioned, our first day of this adventure is somewhat different from the start of past trips.  In recent years, we have been picked up at home rather early in the wee hours of the morning for a drive to our home airport to catch the first of two flights that would take us to Miami.  Anne Marie has also  been concerned that at such an early hour of the morning that the driver might fall asleep.

This time around we decided to do this in a little more leisurely manner.

Late morning, we were picked up at our home for a drive to the airport that we normally would connect with for our second of two flights on our way to Miami.  This gave us more time to check over the house before we closed it up, and just turned out to be a very nice way to begin the start of this adventure.  

Since we shipped most of our luggage, we took with us two large bags, (one has many liquid items that we could not ship and the other one has items for our pre-cruise stay in Miami), plus we each had our carry on luggage, along with a personal item.

Our driver drove us in an Executive SUV which easily accommodated the two of usand our luggage.

The only minor hiccup was due to a major traffic backup, the driver arrived to our house about ninety minutes later than the original scheduled pickup time.  Ulysses, the dispatcher from the car service not only notified us well ahead of time, but gave us several updates.  We told him we were not in any rush.  Our driver, George, was driving all the way from the area that we would be driving back to after he picked us up.

This transfer along with all other transfers was arranged with Crystal Cruises by Gerri, our Senior Travel Specialist, and her assistant, Ashley.  The transfers took into account the input we provided as to desired pickup times, as well as the number of bags to accompany us on each transfer.

Once settled in the vehicle,we enjoyed a very nice drive from our home over to the airport and we brought lunch with us.  George made excellent time and we actually arrived in 2 hours and thirty minutes, about thirty minutes earlier than expected.  George is originally from Chicago and like Keith enjoys sports so we spoke quite awhile about Baseball, Basketball and Football Teams.  We all agreed that there is way too much money in sports, but we'll save that for another discussion.  All in all, it made the time pass very quickly.

We arrived to the hotel around 2:15 PM.  The hotel is located on the airport grounds, and connects directly to one of several airport terminals.  We stayed here a few years ago on our return back home as it was too late to connect for a final flight home.  Although around eight years old, the hotel was recently renovated and the rooms are very well appointed.  Check in was a breeze and the staff was very warm, friendly and helpful.

Before dinner we took a walk around the terminal from the in the non-secure area.   We didn't do this but they have a nice feature at this hotel.  You can get a security pass from the concierge which allows you to enter the secured area of the airport should you want to have dinner at the airport or visit the shops.  They do give you a much more vigorous pat down, so we were told by the hotel staff and consistent to what we read on the Hotels' web site so we decided to pass on that.  

We had dinner at one of the hotel restaurants.  The service was just fabulous from the moment we were seated.  Our server was Lynne, who was fantastic.  

The menus were quite unique as they were lit when opened so you could easily read them.  Now, that is a great concept and would just come in very handy in those restaurants where most of the lighting comes from candles on the each table.

We each began our meal with a nice salad.  It featured several different leafy salad items and was very well presented.

For those of you who have followed our Blogs, you know that we normally enjoy seafood, but knowing that we will have quite a bit of seafood in Florida and on the ship we went with chicken instead. 

The chicken was organic and it came in two different sizes.  We chose the smaller size which was a half-chicken. It was accompanies with carrots, broccoli and a starch.  It was all very tasty and the chicken was quite moist and it also made for a nice presentation.  We each had one roll and that it was whole wheat with a nut in the middle and also very tasty.

When we finished, Lynn asked us if we would like dessert and we passed on that.  We are sure they would have been terrific though.

When we returned to the room, we worked on our blog, read and caught up with the news.  

Tomorrow morning, we will walk from the hotel over to the airport terminal for check-in and then make our way to the boarding gate.

Yes, today was what precisely we had planned.  A leisurely day to get this adventure started.

TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY............

"We can think of no better way to travel and to see the world than by cruise ship." - Keith and Anne Marie

Keith and Anne Marie

READY - SET - GO

Remaining Bags Packed ✔ Car Pickups Verified ✔ Things To Do Lists Complete and Items Checked Off ✔  We Are Ready To Go ✔

After many months of careful planning, our adventure begins tomorrow morning.  The bags that we are taking with us are all packed, and only a few minor items will be completed tomorrow morning.

We will dearly miss family and friends.

We are very excited as we get ready to begin this journey.   We love to travel, and we realize that each new adventure marks yet another new chapter in our lives.  We look forward to making memories that will last a lifetime.

As we make our way to Miami, we are doing it slightly different than in the past, and we will explain more about this on our next post.

It's time.  Let the adventure begin.

TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY............

"We look forward to enjoying each and every moment of this adventure and we hope you will too."  - Anne Marie and Keith

Keith and Anne Marie

MANY PEOPLE TO THANK

Before this adventure gets underway, we wanted to take a moment to express our thanks to several people for all of their assistance with our trip preparations.

We wanted to begin by thanking our Senior Cruise Specialist, Gerri and the head of the agency, Mary Jean, and also to others such as Gerri's assistant, Ashley, and to the team of personnel who assist with tours and to all other personnel for all that they have done for us.  This team has been on top of each and every detail requiring attention.  

We greatly appreciate your professionalism, attention to detail, and your  timely followup to all of our inquiries.

(Mary Jean to the left of Anne Marie and 
Gerri to the right of Keith)

We would also like to thank Steve LeTellier, Pinnacle Travel Document Systems, for all of his help to facilitate the receipt of our Chinese visa and for answering all of our questions for not only this voyage, but for all of our previous voyages with Crystal Cruises, in which we have sailed, where visas have also been required.

We also extend our heartfelt thanks to the countless number of people from Crystal Cruises Headquarters in Los Angeles, California for all of the coordination and support they have provided leading up to the start of this adventure.  This includes Michael Vinar from Reservations, Samantha Haslop from On-Board Guest Services, as well as personnel from Crystal Society.  Special thanks to John Stoll, Vice President of Land Programs and Port Operations, for all of his assistance, tremendous input, and for his enthusiasm and passion, and also to Rachel Tabin from Land Programs.  There are so many others who work behind the scenes to provide a wonderful experience for all of us to enjoy and we say thank you for all that you do.

We also send our sincere thanks to several officers, crew and staff from the Crystal Serenity for all of the help and assistance they have provided to us.  We can't say enough for all that you do.

You are all simply the best!

We also wanted to thank those of you who have given us advice on an array of topics, including the input  as we planned tours to take while in some selected ports.  We have received several excellent recommendations as we made our selections and we can't thank each of you enough for your thoughtful recommendations.  

Finally, we thank our family for their love and we thank our neighbors/friends for their enthusiasm and for their assistance at home while we are away.

Coming next: "Ready-Set-Go".   Join us for a final post right before the start of our journey.  

TODAY'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY............

"In the end, it is the people who make the difference."  - Keith and Anne Marie

Anne Marie and Keith