Day 1 of Cruise - Sailing from Tampa, Florida, for Our Very First Cruise

 Day 1 of  Our Cruise  – Checking in and Boarding Our Very First Cruise Ship

Our cruise ship sailed from Tampa Bay, Florida

Throughout our entire Florida trip, today was what we have been waiting for - boarding our very  first cruise ship!

We left our hotel in Port Richey at around 11am. Our ship would leave the Tampa port at 4:00pm but we were asked to be at the port 2 hours prior departure.

D., our friend, was kind enough to drive us to the Tampa port. We had lunch at C.B. on our way to Tampa.  Even with the GPS, it took us more time than we had expected getting to the cruise terminal.

By the time we got to the port, it was 2:3pm. I was surprised that there were no lineups; we were the only people checking in.

There were port officials and cruise personnel helping us every step of the way making sure that we knew what we were doing.



There were a few procedures to follow:

1  1.    Check in at Terminal 3 where the port officials checked our passports and cruise tickest which we  printed out from our computer.

2 2.   We went up to the Security Clearance area where our luggage and carry on were scanned, a   procedure similar to the one at the airport. I was glad they did that as we would not want anyone coming on board with any weapons at all.

3  3.   After security clearance, we had to answer a detail personal information questionnaire along with a   health form.     

W  4. We went to the Carnival counter where staff members were  ready to receive passengers.
      Our individual photo was taken and we were issued a card to our cabin. This is also the card that we would use for all our purchases on board.

5.      

Boarding our cruise ship!

F


    5. Finally, we proceeded to board our cruise ship -
–      the Carnival Miracle for our Caribbean cruise!

A Carnival Cruise Ship

As soon as we got to our room and unloaded our luggage, there was a knock on our cabin door.

It was time for the passenger safety drill on deck.
Whew! We just made it and it was about 3:50pm.

Passengers assembled at Muster Station B

Each passenger on board has been assigned a muster station if we need to assemble on the ship in case of an emergency.











There are four Muster Stations on the Carnival Miracle cruise ship:  Station A, B, C, D.

 Ours is Muster Station B.

Waiting for the safety demonstration at our Muster Station

Our fellow passengers were already assembled and waiting at Muster Station B .

After a few minutes, we had the safety announcements over the PA system and a safety demonstration by crew members at our Muster Station.

Our cruise ship set sail from Tampa Bay,  Florida

We hang around on the deck watching the cruise ship sailing off from Tampa Bay.

























We passed by a neighborhood close to the bay and had a good look at the houses.

After exploring the ship for a little while, we attended a welcome presentation at the theatre.







We had our first dinner on the ship at 8:30pm, went to bed and had a good night sleep.

Looking forward to our very first cruise!

R.T.
on the Carnival Miracle Cruise Ship
Tampa
Florida, USA
Sat.,Week of Feb 19

Awed by the Prehistoric Like Scenery at Myakka River State Park, Sarasota, Florida

Our travel destination for today was Sarasota, Florida, about 2 hours drive from where we are in Florida.

We left our hotel at 11:00 a.m.,  and stopped for lunch at our favourite American restaurant, C. B.

I had a grilled cheese sandwich and clam chowder.  After that my stomach did not feel good at all.

 I must remember to avoid this combination of food in the future to avoid stomach trouble during our travel.

                                                             

The drive took longer than we had expected, arriving  at the Myakka River State Park, Sarasota at around 2:30pm.

Officially opened in 1941 to the public, Myakka River State Park was one of the 8 state parks developed by the CCC- Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's depression era.

The American government wanted to boost the economy and the spirits of the American people, therefore it hire 5 million young men to do preservation work on their natural parks.

Many of the structures built by the CCC such as the Visitors’ Centre, the log cabins and the picnic pavilion are still used today

As we were driving into the park, we saw some people standing on the bridge above the river.

We joined the curious folks standing and looking quietly on both sides of the river.  What were they looking at?

They were looking at the alligators!  

These gators were lying very still. From afar they did not look like alligators but just some old logs along the river bank.

But the signs were there warming visitors that these alligators could attack people.

A few visitors stood on the lookout point to observe these wild animals.

Ignoring the warning signs, a man was standing and fishing by the river bank.

As we drove into the park further, we were amazed by the beauty of the park’s natural wilderness.

These huge trees with moss hanging down from their branches reminded us of the movie Jurassic Park where pre historic animals roamed the landscape.

We were awed by the wild prehistoric like scenery at the Myakka River State Park, Sarasota, Florida

The landscape was so wild! Something we'd never seen before.

We felt like we were back in time being in the middle of some prehistoric forests.



















We thought at any time, some dinosaurs or Tarzan might be jumping out at us!

















Being present in such a wild natural setting was a humbling and awesome experience!

As we drove to the end of the path, there was the outpost building with a gift shop and a restaurant serving alligator stew. Too bad, we were full from our lunch.

We walked across this bridge to the tower to view the amazing tree top canopy. 

Another awesome experience we had at the Myakka Park was the canopy walk.

Having climbed the stairs leading to a wooden bridge built 85 feet above ground, we got up to the top and walked across this narrow wooden bridge swaying between the two towers.

At the top of the tower, we saw a field of green below us as if they were green grass. In fact, these green things were the top of the trees that created a canopy for the forest floor. This was the first time we were ever this high above the ground to experience and view the tree canopy. A unique experience!

Aside from the view that amazed us was the fund that have been raised to build this canopy walk bridge. Many people have generously donated to build and maintain this bridge on an annual basis.

There was a river boat tour and a land safari tour available to visitors.

I noticed that visitors to the park could drive all the way to the parking lot.

From there visitors could take the tours and there was no walking required during these two tours.

I thought of my Mom and those seniors who have mobility issues.

The Myakka Park is a good place to visit even for less able bodies.

R.T.
Myakka River State Park
Sarasota, Florida, USA
Friday, Week of Feb. 19, 2018

p.s. After visiting the park, we met with Pat and his family and had dinner at an Italian restaurant in Sarasota. The girls have grown a lot!

Clearwater Beach, America's Best Beach!

We visited Clearwater Beach during our recent trip to Florida.

Clearwater’s population is a little over 114,000 , but with the snow birds spending their cold months during the winter season,   the population can easily swell by another 20,000 people.

Clearwater holds the Guinness Book of World Records as having the most consecutive days of sunshine, average at 361 days!

Clearwater Beach is a huge beach; it

is about 3 miles long and 3 blocks wide.  It draws about 4 million tourists a year.


















The white sand on the beach was unbelievably soft, fine like sugar.
I felt as if I had stepped on baby powder. I sank my feet deeper into the sand trying to enjoy the soft powdery sand massaging my tired feet.

 It felt absolutely wonderful!

No wonder, Clearwater Beach  has been voted as the best beach in America.

With so many visitors coming to this famous beach, I was surprised that the beach was kept very clean, free of debris, garbage or any broken bottles.

Then I noticed the strict rules posted on the beach.

Clearwater Beach, Florida, at Dusk

We felt safe enough to take off our shoes and walked on the beach and wet our bare feet.

Though we got to the beach in the late afternoon, we were on the beach in time to catch the sunset!

There were quite a few people on the beach with their cameras in hands, ready to enjoy and snap pictures of the sunset.

Watching the sunset on Clearwater Beach, Florida, USA

The beach was alive after sunset.
At Pier 60, there is the Sunset Celebration held nightly.

The evening we were there, we saw  many vendors with their tables already set up along the boardwalk.

These vendors were selling various types of merchandise and crafts items.

There were a few artists offering their services and artistic skills to interested visitors to the beach.

There was a glass artist creating his glass sculptures right on the beach.

He demonstrated his masterful skills and turned out beautiful creations in a short period of time.

At one of the stalls, there was a crowd gathering watching something interesting.

Wearing a mask to avoid the fumes and using his spray cans containing different colours,  a spray paint artist was creating his tropical and Florida landscape paintings in front of a crowd.

We saw a few people casting their fishing lines from the pier fishing in the dark.

After walking on the beach side, we crossed the street and strolled along the pier side where we discovered a few nice seafood restaurants.

Along the pier, there were many boats for hire to people interested in fishing, snorkeling and other water activities.

At the pier, we also saw many fishing cleaning stations so that people could have their fish cleaned and gutted right after they were caught.

With four million tourists visiting the area every year, Clearwater Beach is a top Florida destination for many visitors.

We will definitely come back in the future and will plan for a longer visit to this famous beach!


R.T.
Clearwater Beach
Florida, USA