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My Spring Break Vacation 2022

And now – Week 3 of my 4-week series on my 6-day / 626-mile road-trip adventure here in South Florida and also up in Central Florida.

So my family flew in to South Florida (from North Texas) on a Thursday evening, and they arrived at their hotel at around Midnight. The next day – Friday – they did their own thing, as did I. (See my blog from last #TravelThursday.)

On Saturday March 05TH 2022 we spent the entire day together in Fort Lauderdale and adjacent Dania Beach. We enjoyed Breakfast at TooJay’s (one of my favorites). After that we went shopping at Five Below. (My nieces love that store.) From there we all proceeded over to the Broward County Convention Center where gymnasts from South Florida and beyond competed in various tournaments. My (almost) 12-year-old niece was one of the competitors from beyond – representing Allen Texas (near Dallas) – and she won awards. We were at the tournament for over 4 hours, and it was actually very interesting to watch. (I had never been to one before.)

That night we ate dinner at Lime Fresh Mexican Grill, and then we went shopping at T.J. Maxx. I had no idea that my sister-in-law absolutely loves that store. I think we spent over an hour there. I was bored after the first 10 minutes, but I was with my family, so that beats any other normal Saturday night for me.

The next day – Sunday – they did their own thing, as did I.

On Monday March 07TH we all cruised-up U.S. 27 (in 3 separate vehicles), and we all met at – LEGOLAND !

I’ve wanted to visit Legoland for the past decade, and just after opening time at 10 AM on that day I finally made it. (My family arrived about an hour later.)

Legoland greatly exceeded my expectations. I thought that I would just enjoy watching my nieces have lots of fun, but I had fun too. I even rode some rides including a scary rollercoaster !

My favorite part of Legoland is Miniland U.S.A. which features realistic Lego displays of various U.S. cities and their famous landmarks underneath several MASSIVE white canopy shade covers. You can walk around in this giant centerpiece of the park for a couple of hours enjoying it all and snapping photos all around.

I also appreciated the tribute to Cypress Gardens which was the original tourist attraction (and later theme park) at this location for almost 75 years starting in 1936 and peaking during the 1950s and 1960s. A portion of the original park has been preserved exactly as it used to be, and you can walk around and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature. Me and my brother actually visited Cypress Gardens on April 02ND 2005 when they had already converted over to a theme park (adjacent to the botanical gardens). We enjoyed the park during the day, and then we attended a Switchfoot concert that night at the park. The concert was quite memorable for us in that Switchfoot were at their mainstream peak back then, so a good crowd came to see them. Also a strong cold front had swept through the region during the day, so it turned cold just in time for the concert after dark. There were swarms of bugs flying around in the cold. It was quite eerie.

It was a fun day at Legoland. We were there from opening to almost closing. I would actually consider purchasing a limited annual pass to the park after I retire and relocate close to that local area. (It’s about an hour up the road from Sebring.)

Next #TravelThursday I’ll conclude my recap of this fun road-trip, and I’ll reveal the location of my next vacation (and series of blog posts).

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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My Spring Break Vacation 2022

And now – Week 2 of my 4-week series on my 6-day / 626-mile road-trip adventure here in South Florida and also up in Central Florida.

I blogged about The Beach Boys concert in Fort Lauderdale last #TravelThursday. Original members Mike Love and Brian Johnston fronted the band backed-up by talented touring musicians who looked and sounded great together – bringing back that unique Southern California surf pop and rock sound of the 1960s.

Brian Wilson and Al Jardine co-founded The Beach Boys (along with Mike Love) 61 years ago. Brian (80 this June) and Al (80 this September) are also touring together alongside another Beach Boy from the early-1970s – Blondie Chaplin. They are co-headlining (without The Beach Boys name) with Chicago for 25 dates this June and July. I may see them in Tampa (not sure yet). I checked tickets, and good seats were running between $206 and $436 (not including fees) with not that many of those seats left. I don’t really wish to spend that much money on that concert – as much as I really want to go to it.

OK it’s now Friday March 04TH 2022, and I’m spending the morning at Flamingo Gardens – one of Broward County’s top tourist attractions that’s not a MASSIVE shopping mall or a beach. Flamingo Gardens is a longtime botanical gardens and now Everglades wildlife sanctuary and aviary in Davie Florida (a South Florida suburb near Fort Lauderdale). I’ve been visiting this fun place since 2012, and this was my 5TH visit – and 1ST since December 2017. This is the type of place that I would work at after I retire if I were to move to that local area, but there’s no chance in that occurring. Broward County is a fun place to visit for the day or for a vacation, but I wouldn’t want to live there.

That night I saw The Bee Gees – LIVE in concert. Well – sort of.

Instead of me trying to capture the experience of this concert in my own words – allow me to share this promo with you:

Some tribute bands sound good. Some look good. Some move and dance like the originals. Every once in a while you get this powerhouse combination of sounds GREAT, looks GREAT, stage presence is GREAT, show is GREAT, light show is GREAT !

You’ll have a night like this with this Bee Gees tribute band – “Stayin Alive”. The vocal match of Tony Mattina, Todd Sharman, and Joseph Janisse to the Gibb Brothers – Barry, Robin, and Maurice – creates an eerie sense of seeing The Bee Gees LIVE in concert. The performance captures a full history of The Bee Gees music beginning with the 1967 breakout album “Bee Gees First”.

Stayin Alive offers songs and sights of a full Bee Gees playlist – singing blockbuster hits such as “Night Fever”, “Jive Talkin’”, “How Deep Is Your Love”, “You Should Be Dancing”, “Nights On Broadway”, and “Stayin’ Alive”.  In addition – they perform softer poetic ballads – “I Started a Joke”, “Massachusetts”, “Fanny Be Tender”, and “To Love Somebody” – among other great hits.

Close your eyes, and The Bee Gees are THERE in the theater. The band and their show bring back an unforgettable era of great music !  If you’re looking for a concert that will take you back in time this is it ! You might want to break out the white bell-bottoms, low-neck shirt (for the guys) with the 8-inch collars, or perhaps a leisure suit. Then again – maybe just jeans or shorts and a ’70s-looking’ tee-shirt. Oh – and maybe watch “Saturday Night Fever” before you come – just to set the mood.

I fully concur with that description of the concert. I never got to see the real Bee Gees in concert, but this was definitely the next best thing.

One final note: They performed an unknown song to me early in the show that I immediately loved and started singing along to with the 1,400+ in attendance. “I’ve Gotta Get A Message To You” was actually their first Top 10 hit here in the U.S. in 1968, but I had never heard it before. It rocked the Coral Springs Center For The Arts. #HOLDON #HOLDON

Next #TravelThursday I’ll share my fun adventures with my family (and extended family) in Fort Lauderdale – and 3½ hours away up in Central Florida at a popular theme park that’s not near Orlando.

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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My Carnival Liberty Vacation 2022

And now Week 7 of my 7-week series on my 8-day fun-filled vacation on the Carnival Liberty out of Miami Florida.

If you missed any of the previous weeks of this series then you can click here: Week 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6. (If you missed all of them then start with Week 1 and work your way forward.)

You know I disembarked the Carnival Liberty 46 days ago, and I’ve been reliving my 8 days on that fun ship every #TravelThursday since then. When I walked off the ship and into the terminal building at PortMiami I thought to myself – that was a great cruise – just as great as my previous Carnival cruise of nearly 3 years earlier. I was already thinking about when my next Carnival cruise would be. More to come on that !

What do I actually do on a Carnival cruise ship ? Well I don’t drink or party. Those days and nights ended on – ironically – a Carnival cruise ship in 2007. I drank alcohol for the very last time in my life on that ship coming out of the Mediterranean Sea and entering the Atlantic Ocean on its way across the sea to Miami. I drank for 22 years from age 18 to 40. I quit drinking 14 months after the start of my salvation in Christ.

Here’s what I do onboard when not in port. I eat a lot. I walk a lot. I eat and walk more than twice as much on a cruise ship as I do back at home and at work. I watch people, and I meet people. Carnival does a fantastic job in encouraging activities where you meet and talk with new people that will hopefully become new friends. I play trivia. I play BINGO. I attend nearly all of the shows in the main lounge. I laugh a lot. I applaud a lot.

I also pray a lot and dive-in to God’s Word while watching and listening to His marvelous seas. On some cruises I even write sermons; although, I didn’t do so on this cruise because of all of the activities that I was participating in.

This was a very unique cruise in that it was only about 40% full (my estimate – not based on any actual data). There was plenty of open space with very few people at all times during this cruise – both inside and outside on the open decks. I think on my next cruise it will be back to normal – at 100% full capacity.

And so now my big announcement. Exactly a month ago – just 18 days after disembarking the Carnival Liberty – I booked my next Carnival cruise. I’ll be sailing on their newest and biggest ship ever – the Carnival Celebration. It’s still under construction in Finland. It makes its maiden Transatlantic voyage from 06 to 20 November 2022, and she arrives in Miami as her new homeport. I’ll be sailing on her about a month-and-a-half after her arrival. It’ll be the newest cruise ship I sail on in my entire 30+ year history of cruising. (I sailed across the Atlantic on the Carnival Freedom in 2007 – 8 months after her maiden voyage.)

Next #TravelThursday a new short series (not 7 weeks) begins at the scene of my next vacation. It won’t be too far away from home – just 60 to 90 minutes away – north up in Broward County. I’m attending a couple of concerts, and I’m spending some fun times with my family (visiting from North Texas).

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Food Photography Travel

My Carnival Liberty Vacation 2022

And now Week 6 of my 7-week series on my 8-day fun-filled vacation on the Carnival Liberty out of Miami Florida.

If you missed any of the previous weeks of this series then you can click here: Week 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5. (If you missed all of them then start with Week 1 and work your way forward.)

As I’ve mentioned previously I’ve been on Carnival (15 cruises), NCL (6), Royal Caribbean (once), and Disney (once). All of these cruise lines specialize in something different. Carnival has the best (and most) fun activities for all ages from early in the morning until late at night. NCL has the best professional entertainment at sea. Royal Caribbean has the best innovations that you won’t see on any other cruise line. Disney has the best food, and surprisingly I had some fun at the dance club late-night on my one Disney cruise (in 2018).

My favorite cruise line (by far) is Carnival, as I enjoy all of the fun activities at sea. Carnival has a reputation of being the “Walmart” of cruises. Hey – I like Walmart. You get a good deal for your money at both. If you want to go on a fancy cruise ship then don’t go on Carnival, and you can pay three times the amount for your cruise.

Carnival also has a reputation of being filled with drunken college kids running rampant. Yeah – maybe if you go in March or April – which I would never do. My 2ND week of January cruise had very few kids on it, and not too many in their 20s or 30s either. In fact – as a near-55-year-old – I think a little more than half of the cruisers were older than me. Go in March, April, June, July, or August, and meet a different demographic. January is a fantastic time to take a cruise (for me anyway), as it’s back-to-work and back-to-school for most people.

Carnival is not really known for their spectacular food quality, but I enjoy eating a lot of good food onboard. It’s certainly better than anything that I can get here in my hometown. Most of the food on Carnival is free (part of the overall cruise price). On my cruise I actually did eat at both of the “upcharge” places a couple of times each. Their steakhouse cost $38 (all-inclusive). You get a lot of food there – HUGE portions – and it really is the best food on the entire cruise ship.

I was assigned a 6 PM (early) seating at a large table in one of the two main dining rooms. I ate there 5 out of 8 nights. As Carnival typically does when you’re a solo cruiser (like myself) I was seated with other solo cruisers in my age group (which turned out to be 50s, 60s, and 70s). I enjoyed the company of each and every one of them, and we got along great as dinner companions. We ate. We talked. We laughed. We looked forward to seeing each other each night at 6 PM.

I ate a lot of good food on my cruise, and I did a lot of walking around the ship and in the 3 ports-of-call in an attempt to burn off a bunch of those calories. I typically eat twice as much food – (OK maybe even more than that) – than I do back on land at home and at work. Of course I also get more exercise walking on cruises (and on vacations in general) than I do during my normal everyday routine.

Next #TravelThursday – the journey concludes as I reveal my next cruise (already booked). I’ll also reveal my next vacation (on land) which will be much closer to home.

All rights reserved (c) 2022 Christopher M. Day, CountUp