Monday, January 11th - Day 2

January 11, 2016

Today our port was Half Moon Cay, a private island owned by the cruise line that we’ve been to numerous times. Normally though we end the cruise there so it felt odd to stop there first. This time though we had the island to ourselves as there were no other ships. They had DW3 playing outside on the beach which was fun. We went down a ways and spent some time goofing around in the water. We saw dark clouds in the distance and decided to head back to the ship on the tender. We made the unfortunate decision to sit on the top of the tender which is uncovered. We ended up getting completely drenched even though the rain left as fast as it came.

Jason attempted to go to a sax session in the Queen’s lounge but it was packed so he came back and watched from the room. The handy thing is that all the events in the Queen’s Lounge and Main Stage are recorded and available on the room TV. HAL recently updated to flat screens mounted at the foot of the bed so it’s nice to be able to chill and watch the concerts.

We headed to the dinning room and were seated at a 10 person table with 3 other couples. It was little difficult to talk across the table but we had a great time. It’s always interesting to get to know people that we otherwise would have never met. Everyone on the ship has a common interest but we come from all over the country and the world and from a variety of backgrounds. Conversations go all over the place and are always interesting.

After dinner we went straight to get in line for the shows. First up was Norman Brown and he put on a great show. Jason was especially excited to see him again. Candy Dulfur also put on a good show. Then we stayed in the main stage to see Alonzo Bodden. He’s always a hoot.

Sunday, January 10th - Day 1

January 10, 2016

We woke up and had breakfast at the hotel before heading to the port. We were scheduling to start boarding at 12:00 but there were apparently issues with the gangway that backed things up. We were unable to even find a seat initially as the waiting area was so full. We sat around talking to people we’ve met on past cruises as well as a few newbies. When were finally able to board we headed straight to our room. This year we are one room over from last year as we had figured out that every other room has extra storage (versus a pull down bed for third person) Much to my surprise there were roses and a bucket of Corona waiting. Jason had called ahead and had gotten these in celebration of our anniversary (on Thursday). We grabbed a quick bite to eat before the safety drill and before we knew it we had set sail.

For dinner we decided to head to the main dinning room and were seated with a mother and daughter from the Atlanta area. When we got out of dinner we were surprised to see the line for the show was already long. Normally we don’t eat in the main dining room and are able to be fairly close to the front of the line. As there is no assigned seating this usually assures we are in the first two rows. We were pleasantly surprised that we were still able to be in the second row. It seems that many people on the cruise prefer to be further back. We know that the sound quality may be better a bit further back but it’s so fun to be in the front. The opening show was Marcus Miller with a multitude of guest appearances as always. Since were still tired from traveling on Saturday we actually headed to bed after this show.

Saturday, January 9th

January 9, 2016

We got up at 3 am to make our 5:30 am flight out of Wausau. We got checked in and were awaiting boarding when we notified that not everyone would be able to board because the plane was 2300 lbs overweight with fuel. Because of that they couldn’t fill the plane. There were several groups traveling internationally and then one was flying to Hawaii. Since those flights would be extremely difficult if not impossible to reschedule those people were allowed to board. Those of us with domestic flights would have to get rebooked on different flights. The bad news came when they admitted that there were no seats available on any flights out of Wausau today. We were given the option to fly on Sunday or to rebook from another airport. We quickly decided that we’d rather drive and get to Fort Lauderdale today. We rebooked on a 1:15 flight out of Minneapolis and got a ride back home to grab our car. In the chaos we ended up leaving 1 of our 3 suitcases in the garage. OOPS!!!! Thankfully things went smoothly from here and we flew from Minneapolis to Atlanta and then to Fort Lauderdale. We saw the sunset from the plane and it was gorgeous! We arrived at 7:30 PM which was 8 hrs after we were originally scheduled.

After grabbing our rental car we make a b-line for the nearest Best Buy to pick up a few things that were in the forgotten luggage. Dinner followed at Lime Fresh Mexican. We were both incredibly hungry as we didn’t have enough time to eat in any of the airports. We discovered Lime Fresh several years ago when we were here and it has become our go to meal spot before/after the cruise.

We then headed to the hotel. I (Anikka) still need to run a mile for my Runstreak. I headed to the hotel gym only to find out it was closed. I grabbed Jason and we found a well-lit empty part of the parking lot and he watched me run laps until I hit a mile. I was glad my streak lived on and I made it through Runstreak day 568. Afterwards were finally able to lay down and get some rest before the Greatest Party at Sea.

Tuesday, January 20th - The LONG Journey Home

January 20, 2015

After our drive back from WDW the night was short. We scrambled as usual in the morning but as always we made it to the airport with plenty of time. Unfortunately we realized that our Southwest “Early Bird Check-in” was useless and put us in the last boarding group. This meant middle seats for both of us but the worst part was that we weren’t sitting together. Not a great way to end your “honeymoon”. Thankfully the flight had a stop where many people got off and we continued on. We were able to switch seats and sit together for the rest of the flight. Once at MSP we grabbed a ride on Super Shuttle to get my car. We then started the long drive home. Traveling is always a pain but better when we do it together. We arrived home around 8 and another Smooth Jazz Cruise journey was over.

Last picture before heading to the airport

Monday, January 19th - WDW Magic Kingdom

January 19, 2015

Today we woke up and spontaneously decided to go to an amusement park. We left the hotel headed for Orlando with no specific park picked out. We stopped at a service stop on a toll road where we picked up a Disney and Universal brochure. We quickly ruled out Universal and then just had to pick a Disney Park. We went back and forth and decided upon Magic Kingdom. We were surprised to find an extra toll right as you get to the area. (Nice touch Florida) and an overly enthusiastic parking attendant ready to charge us $17 to park. Then you have to ride a tram to the monorail to the park. Simple enough process on the way in…

Modern disney is a different experience than it was as a child. First of all Fast Pass is now available with every ticket. Unfortunately due to our late booking we were only able to book for late in the day. Which by the time we used them most rides had no wait anyways. Still fun to practically walk right on to a ride. We road everything from the Teacups to Space Mountain to Big Thunder Mountain (Jason’s childhood fav). The rides were a blast and we managed to resist souvenirs. even the cute bride and groom Mickey Mouse hats. We were surprised to see people in winter hats/jackets but it did get down to 54. We were chilly in our shorts and t-shirts! Leaving the park took a long time as there were lines for both the monorail and the tram. Luckily we quickly found the rental car and started the drive back to the hotel. We did grab a quick bite to eat as we didn’t buy any overpriced food in the park!

Sunday, January 18th - Disembarkation

January 18, 2015

Disembarkation took longer this year than we remember it taking in the past. We always choose the latest disembarkation time because we fly out a day or 2 after the cruise. We grabbed one last breakfast in the Lido and then vacated our room. We have noticed that the stewards always seem anxious to get into the room on disembarkation day. It seems the time frame is pretty tight for the rooms to be ready for the next set of guests. We always carry our luggage off ourselves instead of having the crew do it the night before. We took our luggage to the Queen’s Lounge where many people were waiting. The mood was somber and many people (including us) were catching up on things on their phone. Finally we were called for disembarkation at about 9:00. The usual process of scanning our ship card one last time and then going through customs was relatively quick and easy.

We caught the shuttle bus back to the airport and picked up our rental car. We then headed to our favorite place in FL which is Lime Fresh Mexican Grill. It’s a chain but is a cut above the rest. We also did a little shopping before heading to the hotel. We were at a different hotel this year north of town. This one was right on the beach. We were happy to hear smooth jazz playing in the lobby. After hanging out at the hotel we went out for dinner at Smash Burger. It wasn't smashing but now I can say I’ve tried it. We then went back to the hotel and hung out in the hot tub for a bit where we heard a little more smooth jazz. We headed to bed early. It was a long week.

Saturday, January 17th - Day 7

January 17, 2015

Saturday brought our last port, Half Moon Cay, which is Holland America’s private island. This was our third visit and we used it as an opportunity to relax on the beach. We even got a drink at the island bar. They make it nice and easy because you use your ship card to buy anything on the island. I also got my run in on land for the first time in days! It was HOT and unfamiliar so I just did a mile. It’s fun to be able to say I ran in the Bahamas though! We then goofed around in the water and on the beach. We even saw a US Coast Guard helicopter land on the island but we aren’t sure what was going on. Hopefully it was not another medical emergency!

The last night of the cruise always seems to come too soon and seems too short. The main show was a tribute to Gerald Albright and (the late) George Duke as they were inducted into the SiriusXM Watercolors Jazz Hall of Fame. A lot of the artists came out and paid tribute to the honorees. There was no main stage late show but we headed to the Queen’s Lounge for an encore performance of Eric Marienthal’s show. Before we knew it the last song was played. We wandered around the ship for a bit before heading to bed.

Friday, January 16th - Day 6

January 16, 2015

Today was an at Sea day which gave us the chance to sleep in a bit. We started the day with one of the autograph sessions. We always have the artists sign the cruise poster that we get as one of our “pillow presents”. One of these days we will get around to framing them and displaying them! Next on our schedule was catching the end of a seminar with DW3 and Marcus Miller about song writing/music production. Then we went to a “Behind the Guitar" session with Marc Antoine, Norman Brown and Marcus Miller. Tonight was formal night so we dressed up and even managed to snap a few pictures on the verandah. The main show was BWB with is Rick Braun, Kirk Whalum and Norman Brown. They all are great individually and the combination is awesome. They had never been all on together so it was a great treat this year. The late show was another Alonzo Bodden show. He’s just great and can make a joke out of anything!

Thursday, January 15th - Day 5

January 15, 2015

Today we got up early and had room service because we were arriving in St. Croix at 7 am. Well after breakfast I went back to bed. After getting up later we got off the ship and walked around St. Croix. It’s not very touristy yet and there wasn’t much to do/see but it was still a neat little town. Jason was able to get some cool shots as always! We walked a beach and a little around town. It was interesting that all the cab drivers wanted to take you to another town the other side of the island. We weren’t sure if there was more to see or do over there so we just stayed near where the ship dropped us off.

After dinner we went to see Eric Marienthal in the Queen’s Lounge. He is new to the cruise and both of us were very excited to see him based on what we knew of his music. He put on a great show and it sounds like he will be back next year. After his show we ended up taking a nap. It seems that every year we struggle on Thursday to make it to all the shows. This year was no different. Jason made it up and went to part of the main show with Marc Antoine, Brian Simpson and Gerald Albright. This was followed by the History of Jazz led by Marcus Miller and David Sanborn.

Wednesday, January 14th - Day 4

January 14, 2015

After re-boarding the ship we headed to our room to rinse off. The salt water left us sticky but we wanted to stay in our dress clothes. We hopped in the shower and then dressed back up. Dinner was actually a BBQ on the Aft Deck. Lot’s of good food! Although we always get in line early for the show we knew tonight’s headliner would bring an extra long line. So we headed straight to line after dinner. The show was Natalie Cole and I'll say it was “Unforgettable” :) The late night show was Kirk Whalum.

We set sail during the show from Crown Bay port in St Thomas.

Since I was wearing my wedding dress even those who hadn’t previously heard about the event were congratulating us. We got many questions and even some advice. One gentleman said marriage is all about the 4 “C”s. Initially I thought he was referring to diamonds but he then listed the 4 Cs as “Commitment, Compromise, Communication and Cash”. That sounds like good advice to us.

Wednesday, January 14th - Our Wedding!

January 14, 2015

Today was our big day. We had decided to get married in St. Thomas. We were so laid back however we didn’t book a wedding coordinator until about a month prior. It was hard to pick someone based solely on internet communication but we finally choose Cheryl from Wedding, Set, Go. We went back and forth between Magen’s Bay and Lindquist Beach. Lindquist Beach is a smaller beach that we’ve never been to but had heard good things and seen nice pictures. Eventually we decided on Magens Bay Beach where we had been on our first Smooth Jazz Cruise in 2012. We had gotten engaged on that cruise so it seemed like a fitting location. It can be busy and today was no exception. We got up early and showered and threw on regular clothes before heading to the dinning room for a sit down breakfast. We then headed back to the room to change and head to the gangway. As we walked down the stairs to the first floor everyone who was waiting for the gangway to open started clapping. They offered to let us cut in line and since we had a tight schedule we did accept. As soon as we were out of the secured area we met our driver. He was a very nice gentleman who provided us some history behind why different countries drive on the right or left side of the road. It was very interesting although I can’t remember all the details. Anyways, he was responsible for taking us to the courthouse to pick up our paperwork and then on to Magens Bay. The courthouse was interesting. Anikka had read that they had a strict dress code including no shorts, sandals or bare shoulders so we came prepared in dress clothes, shoes and with a shawl. The policy however is not enforced. They did however take our cell phones which was amusing as the “security” was right next to the window for marriage licenses. Our wedding coordinator had taken care of bringing the paperwork ahead of time so all we had to provide was our ID and swear that the information on the form was correct. After that we hopped back in with our driver to head to Magens Bay. Once there we met Cheryl for the first time, Kelli the photographer and Steve the officiant. Anikka went off with Kelly to take some photos while Jason set up a live video stream for our families. The ceremony was simple and sweet. Steve our officiant had a nice speech and it seemed well fitting despite the fact that we just met him that day. At the end of the ceremony strangers on the beach applauded. Jason and I, naturally, turned around like a “regular” ceremony and kind of waved. Cheryl and Kelly thought that was funny :). Anyways we spent a bunch of time with Kelli after the ceremony taking more photos. They all departed and then we changed into our suits. We also grabbed some overpriced frozen drinks at the beach bar and had ourselves a little toast. We hung out for a few hours, swimming, taking pictures and just goofing around. We then got a taxi back to the ship. It was a beautiful day!

Tuesday, January 13th - Day 3

January 13, 2015

Today was an at sea day as scheduled. We slept in and ran to the lido for a late breakfast. Anikka went to play Bingo with Alonzo Bodden. Unfortunately she didn’t win anything but it was still a lot of fun and cool to see high-tech bingo. The numbers were on a big screen and presumably done by a computer instead of the old fashioned balls. The cards however were still paper and you punched out the numbers as they were called. Anikka then headed to the gym to get her run in. It’s the 207th day of her runstreak. She’s very thankful she’s been able to keep the streak alive during the trip. Running on the treadmill that was in metric is confusing! It’s also hard to land right when the treadmill moves while your foot is in the air!

The show was Marcus Miller and David Sanborn. It’s great to see two legends on the same stage. They are the the music hosts of the cruise and put on a great show both separately or together. Marcus is one of my (Anikka’s ) favorites. The late night show was trumpeter Rick Braun on the main stage.

Monday, January 12th - Day 2

January 12, 2015

Today brought our first ever (in 4 cruises) missed port. We’ve had a windy journey so far. We had room service scheduled for 6 am and we were both SOUND asleep. We let room service in and went back to bed. We were supposed to arrive in Nassau at 7 am but we woke up around 7:30 and we were still moving. They later made announcement that they we’re not able to dock in Nassau due to the weather. We took the opportunity to have a lazy morning before heading to the t-shirt party at the Lido deck. Free drinks and appetizers as usual!. This year the entertainment for the t-shirt party was Norman Brown. We then headed to the autograph session where we got the signatures of about half of the artists on our posters. We then went to the Behind The Sax session with all the saxophonists.

We grabbed dinner at “The Dive In” which is the revamped Terrace Grill by the Lido Pool. The burgers are GREAT! Then we got in line for the main show with Candy Dulfer and Brian Culbertson. It was Brian’s birthday so of course the whole audience had to sing “Happy Birthday” to him.

Elan Trotman, David Sanborn, Grace Kelly, Eric Marienthal, Gerald Albright, Candy Dulfer, Kirk Whalum

Next up was the comedy show with Alonzo Bodden. Alonzo has been on the cruise for many years and so we’ve seen his show numerous times. We knew that he tends to pick on some audience members but we still risk sitting in the front. Well he decided to pick on Jason and me. Our upcoming wedding plans were made known to the whole main stage theater (probably about half of the 2,000 guests). One lady in the audience even asked if she was invited. Afterwards we wandered around to the pajama party at the Lido and then the Crows Nest before calling it a night.

Sunday, January 11th - Day 1

January 11, 2015

We got up at the hotel and had realized a few more things we had forgotten to pack. We were very relaxed about the cruise since it is our 4th time but unfortunately that translated to many forgotten items. We ran to Target, Kohls and Dick’s sporting goods looking for a belt for Jason. We never realized how hard it can be to find mens casual belts. Thankfully the golf section of Dick’s Sporting Goods pulled through for us. We grabbed a quick breakfast and returned our rental car. The rental car company has a shuttle to Port Everglades and we caught that. Unfortunately it was raining as we were driving to the port. We stopped to pick up a few people from another ship that had been waiting for the shuttle in the rain. Some how we managed to stay dry. Yet again the process seemed to go even more smoothly than prior years and were on board the ship within an hour or so. This year, for the first time, we are in the exact same room as a last year. We love the location of our room as it’s near the front of the ship and provides quick access via the stairs/elevator to the Lido Pool/Restaurant, Gym, Main Stage and other items. This year Anikka seems to have the leg up on navigating the ship and Jason keeps trying to steer us in the wrong direction :)

We had the mandatory safety drill in the rain and we set sail a little later than scheduled due to the boat in front of us being delayed. We went to the main dining room for dinner and ended up sitting with a woman that Anikka had met on the cruise Facebook group. Jason got authentic Key Lime pie for desert which made the meal complete. The first show was Boney James. After that we caught a new (young!) artist named Grace Kelly in the Queen’s lounge.

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Saturday, January 10

January 10, 2015

We woke up at Anikka’s sister’s house and caught a ride to MSP. We were flying out of the smaller terminal which meant security was a breeze. Once through we grabbed some breakfast from Caribou. We were flying Southwest which was a first for both of us. We were a little confused by the boarding process (Southwest does not assign seats but does assign a boarding position). Thankfully we had paid for automatic check-in which gets you a better boarding position. This mean’t that we were able to sit together. Our first flight was from Minneapolis to Atlanta and then our second was from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale. Happily all our bags arrived with us. Anikka had checked her wedding dress in a suitcase which was a little nerve racking. Overall our travel process was really smooth this year and we both commented on how quick it seemed to go. We picked up our rental car and headed to Target to pick up a few items. We then headed to dinner at Joe’s Crab Shack. We tried the Fireball appetizer which is jalapenos, cream cheese and seafood. They were very good! After dinner we headed to our hotel which was a bit out of Fort Lauderdale in Miramar. Anikka squeezed in a run and then we headed to bed. We knew a busy day awaited us.