Port Canaveral Beach

Good morning,

This beautiful white sand beach is at the mouth of the channel at Port Canaveral.

It stretches all the way South to Miami's South Beach.  Gorgeous!

 Enjoy,
Lois

Sailing Out of Port Canaveral

Good morning,

Here we are at the beginning of another week long cruise aboard Freedom of the Seas sailing out of Port Canaveral, Florida.

This view is looking down the starboard side of the ship of the cruise terminal we have just left.

Ahead is the opening of the channel into the Atlantic Ocean. 

 Also in port is our sister ship, Grandeur of the Seas.

 Other traffic keeps a safe distance.  :)

 It is fun to be able to see other Royal Caribbean ships from this angle.

 Grandeur is a Vision Class ship.  We spent a great deal of time on board Splendour of the Seas, a ship of the same class.

 As a friendly greeting as we pass we blow our horn three times, Grandeur responds in kind, then each ship blows her horn one more time.

 There are plenty of waves as we each go off to our next port of call.

 We also exchange waves with people lined up to say goodbye.

 We pass dredging equipment as we leave the port.  Port Canaveral is enlarging to be able to accommodate Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, our sisters and the only ships in the world larger than the on on which I am standing to take these images.

 Good bye, Port Canaveral!  See you next Sunday!

If you would like to watch us on web cam while we are in port on Sundays, there is a link in my right side bar.

Enjoy,
Lois

Portofino Breakfast

Good morning,

Ah, the elegance of eating on board a cruise ship.  Today's images are of breakfast aboard Freedom of the Seas. 

Above is French Toast served with chocolate sauce, strawberries, and whipped cream. 

Steak and eggs for the hearty eater.

And, this is my favorite:  salmon, poached eggs, spinach on sourdough bread.  Yes!

Enjoy,
Lois

Captain's Welcome Aboard Party

Good morning,

The Captains' Welcome Aboard Party is one of the highlights of every cruise.  Above you see Captain Tor welcoming guests.

He tells everyone about the ship then introduces his senior officers and department heads.

Here comes a handsome one now!

The officers greet the crowd and give a brief explanation of what they do on board.

 This lovely lady is the Environmental Officer.

 Royal Caribbean takes the care of the environment very seriously.  This officer explains that almost everything is recycled and that nothing is thrown overboard.  She asks that all guests help to keep the oceans clean.

 We all know who this is.  For some reason he gets the biggest round of applause.  ;)

 After this event a formal dinner in the dining rooms is served. 

For those who don't want to get all dressed up and go to a formal dinner, there are other restaurants on board with a more casual theme.

Enjoy!

 Lois

Ice Carvings

Good morning,

Only one image today, but what a pretty one!  These are ice carvings prepared by the Culinary Team on board Freedom of the Seas.  How very elegant!

There is so much talent here.  :)

Enjoy,
Lois

Lovely Chandelier

Good morning,

Here's another little space on the ship I don't think I've shown you before. 

This is the lovely chandelier at the entrance to Leonardo's Dining Room, one of three formal dining rooms on board Freedom of the Seas.

So pretty!

Enjoy,
Lois

Flowers

Good morning,

Regular readers of this blog know I love flowers.  We have an excellent florist on board Freedom of the Seas so I am definitely in the right place.  Some friends were on board with us who received the flowers above in their suite.  They were ready the leave, but the flowers were still so perfect that they left them in my care.  Aren't they pretty!

The story is the same with this arrangement of orchids.  They lasted for three weeks!  How pretty!

These fresh white roses were a gift from another friend.  I received them in the evening when we went to dinner so I took a picture in front of the mirror with flash as soon as we got back to our suite...

...then took more images in the morning with the sun shining through the translucent petals.  

 Wow!  Pure white and so perfect!

Enjoy,
Lois