Jetty Park Pelicans

Good morning,

These are a few more pictures from the Jetty Park in Port Canaveral, Florida.

We enjoyed walking out on the boardwalk where we were able to get some great pictures of Florida's State Bird, the Brown Pelican.

These guys wait for lunch to swim by, scoop them up, then swallow.  So easy.  ;)

 On the opposite side of the boardwalk from the sea is cactus and other plant life,

 but I just loved watching the pelicans.

 ...while they watched us.  ;)

 Bye, bye.  :)

Lois

Jetty Park at Port Canaveral, Florida

Good morning,

We've been sailing out of Port Canaveral aboard Freedom of the Seas for five years now. 

At the very end of the channel on the right side while sailing out is the Jetty Park where you can fish, camp, watch birds, take pictures, and just relax.  Look very carefully in the center of the image above and you can see a cruise ship in port to begin a cruise with a new group of guests.

There are some great facilities for kids,

and administration building,

 and lots of hunks of granite along the shore line. 

 There's that handsome man I so often see when I am out taking pictures.  Explorer of the Seas is in the upper left corner of the image.  Freedom of the Seas will be tied up in the same spot the following day.

 We saw these two men set up their fishing gear.  We didn't stay around to see if they caught anything.  Maybe actually catching something wasn't important.  ;)

 The wood jetty walkway extends far out into the sea.  When ships sail out there are people lining the rail here cheering and waving to those cheering and waving from the ships.  It's such fun!

More images of the Jetty Park to come!

Lois

Driving to Port Canaveral Cruise Terminal Number One

Good morning,

Here are a few more images of the new Cruise Port at Port Canaveral.  That is  Explorer of the Seas in the image above.  I took these images the day before the arrival of Freedom of the Seas, the ship we were here to board.

Here's another view, this time from directly across the street from the port.  In the foreground is the parking garage.  There are entrances to drop off/pick up or parking.  If you are doing both, that's easy, too.  Just start by dropping off your luggage, then pull around to park.  The terminal is between the garage and the ship.  Nice!

All the best,
Lois

Maritime Center - Port Canaveral

Good morning,

Freedom of the Seas is now docked at Cruise Terminal Number One at Port Canaveral. 

If you're driving to the port, the Maritime Center is a landmark directly across the street from the parking garage. 

Port Canaveral is one of the easiest ports for those of us who drive.  At the newly built terminal and garage, you can go from parking your car to the terminal to the ship without going outside.  Sweet!

Enjoy,
Lois

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Port Canaveral

Good morning,

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

That's Explorer of the Seas tied up at Cruise Terminal 1 at Port Canaveral.  This is the same terminal that is the new home of Freedom of the Seas.

I took the picture from the restaurant area that is conveniently within walking distance of the cruise ship.

This is the dockside view of the entrance to Fishlips Restaurant.  The Port Canaveral web cam that you can view by clicking the image of Freedom in my right side bar is located here at Fishlips.

The day before we boarded Freedom of the Seas we had lunch at Fishlips.

Port Canaveral is a combination Cruise Ship and Commercial port.

 The sea food you get here is as fresh as it can be.

 We sat on an upstairs deck where we could eat and take pictures (two of our favorite pass times!).

 When we have sailed out on board Freedom of the Seas we've heard the music from bands using the area in the back of this room.

 No, he's not real, but he sure gets your attention!

 Yes, he's real.  ;)

 And, so is he.

The food at Fishlips was great, but the service was extremely slow.  The restaurant was about 75% occupied and it took nearly an hour for our order to arrive after a fifteen minute wait to place it.  If you plan to eat here on a turn around day while doing a back-to-back cruise you may want to plan accordingly.

All the best,
Lois

On the Way to Port Canaveral

Good morning,

I'm going through images I took on our way to Port Canaveral a couple of weeks ago.  I get a kick out of this view of a causeway that we cross just before the turn off for the port.  If you look VERY carefully on the right side of this image you can see a cruise ship waaaaaay off in the distance.

I always think the road here appears to take off into the wild blue yonder.  It takes faith to drive up there at 55 mph that there will be more road on the other side. 

;),
Lois

PS - Yes, I took the picture while My Honey was driving.  :)

Before and After Dry Dock - New Staterooms Aboard Freedom of the Seas

Good morning,

I took a few pictures in December, 2014, of Deck 12 of Freedom of the Seas.  This is the jogging track, one deck above the pool deck.  Looking aft you see the hot tub hanging off the side of the ship and in the distance the Viking Crown Lounge.  The big round objects that look like golf balls on tees are satellite receivers.

Looking forward from the same spot you see the extension of the jogging track around the front of the ship on Deck 12. 

Now in 2015 there is a wall closing off the front of Deck 12.  The area that was part of the jogging and observation deck has been made into additional very elegant staterooms on the front of the ship.

The jogging track has been shortened and an additional observation area has been added above the new staterooms.

 This is a new view of the jogging track.  It is pretty much the same, only shorter so you'll have to go around a few more times to run your miles.

 I took this shot from St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. to show how the new staterooms look from the outside. 

The top row of glass windows on the front of the ship are the new staterooms on Deck 12.  One deck down on Deck 11 are the windows of the Spa.  The windows on Deck 10 with the extensions over the side of the ship are the Bridge and Wing Bridge.  On the very top is the new observation Deck 13.

 The addition of the new staterooms was beautifully done to maintain the beautiful lines of the ship and provide some very exclusive living space. 

All the best,
Lois