Cape Canaveral, Kennedy Space Center

Cape Canaveral - that means the historic place where mankind started discovering the space. And the "Space Coast" that's a green, flat and swampy coastal region of Florida between the Banana River and the Atlantic, stretching from the Kennedy Space Center southward to Port Canaveral, Cocoa Beach and Melbourne - not hype like Miami South Beach, but nice, with innumerable vacation apartments and hotels scattered between highways and palm trees. The Holiday Inn we've chosen, is a family hotel, but it's advertising that it had been a meeting-point of astronauts more than half a century ago.


"Mariner of the Seas" and "Disney Wonder", Port Canaveral, 2008

The idea to start a cruise voyage from that place is in that year 2008 still so uncommon in far-away Europe, that it only can come from a beloved wife. And so we get off the hotel-shuttle at Port Canaveral Cruise Terminal in front of the skyscraper-like "Mariner of the Seas", one of the 137,000-ton 'Voyager' class mega ships of Royal Caribbean, pass through the check-in and security controls, take one of the glazed lifts and find our cabin. After having a short break, the lift and stairs in the "Centrum", one of the two 11-story atriums, lead us upward. The view down to the 'Royal Promenade', a boulevard-like mall, four decks high and long like a football field, connecting the atriums, makes almost giddy.

"Mariner of the Seas", the Royal Promenade

The Solarium

Arrived on the upper deck, the passenger is enchanted by a fantastic view: The Space Flight Control and, far away in the north, the Launch Complex of the Kennedy Space Center, close down the harbour bay of Port Canaveral and on the neighbouring quay another sensation, the "Disney Wonder", with her black hull, white superstructure and the two red funnels resembling an ocean liner of the past.

After the safety drill once again on the top deck, the passenger can watch the cast-off. The hawsers were removed and while on the neighboring terminal the futuristic Disney buses are arriving with the last passengers for boarding the "Disney Wonder", the still mightier "Mariner of the Seas" is separated from the quay by her pods and bow thrusters. A deafening bass note blast of the horn frightens the passengers as well as the small boats in the channel. We are passing by the buildings and parks of Port Canaveral, where innumerable holiday-makers are giving us a last goodby.

A small vessel is moored there, tiny in comparison to the cruising giants, the "Ambassador II". It's a nice ship, identified as the 38 years old former "Prins Oberon" of Lion Ferry, which really had a turbulent career, finally taken over by Sterling Casino Cruises.

The 70,000-ton "Carnival Sensation" has departed before and we are following her, out of the bay toward the open sea, the Atlantic. Now also the "Disney Wonder" has cast off. Then the harbour and the Space Coast are left behind in a light afternoon haze.

The ship is far out now. Walking along the upper deck to the forecastle, the passenger comes to a unique viewing-place, where he can watch the officers steering the ship. The Navigation Control Station with two pilot chairs, surrounded by radar screens and monitors, is truly different from the bridge of the "Titanic" (her helm and other relics were to be seen in the Orlando Science Museum days before). A monitor shows to the interested passenger the course set for Haiti, leaving the Bahamas far away in the west.

Dinner on the first evening is informal. The two main dining-rooms however, 3 levels high, are glamorous in a light Belle Epoque style. Not even the passengers of many prestigious ocean liners of the past could have expected such a splendour. The service is perfect, the waiter of Czech origin registers all our special orders, the menu is superb and the Californian wine chosen proves excellent (even though it's not a 100-dollar bottle). Tablemates are two cheerful ladies (Eillen tells us her story of trips aboard a Rolls-Royce, sitting in the rear, while her friend, owner of the car, steered it over Miami's Ocean Drive) and a sympathetic couple (he being a gravestone manufacturer, a crisis-resistant job, as he explains). After dinner an evening walk through the fancifully illuminated Royal Promenade with the Irish Bar, the shops, the Vintages Wine Bar and a corner were a trio is playing a decent Latino music, is convincing us that not even a week may be sufficient to discover all the miracles the giant is offering.

The other day, a day at the open sea, begins with a breakfast in the Windjammer Cafe on deck 11. Outside the huge windows there is the blue sea, the blue sky, endless. Poets would say: We are in the middle of nowhere...

Most passengers like to relax in deck chairs. Others enjoy the main pools, the Hot Tubs or, a quiet corner, the Solarium with its pool. For lunch, among the many restaurants the nearby Asian-themed Jade Buffet may be chosen, or the 1950s-style Johnny Rockets diner, offering also seats out on the sunny deck.

Who after lunch does not want to exercise in the oceanview gym or dislikes aerobics, may prefer the miniature-golf course, the basketball course or the rock-climbing wall, empty this afternoon (but much-touted by the press). The card room of the bridge players of course is a world of its own. Easier it is to attend the Park West Art Auction. "You don't need to visit a museum to see great works of art, we bring the museum to you", such runs the advert slogan. A tiny Dali wood engraving at $12,000 doesn't sell, bestsellers are the new neoromantic works, more fascinating is a painting by Russian Anatole Krasnyanski.

Park West Auction

The 3-level restaurant

This second night at sea is the night of a formal dinner. Most ladies appear in a pretty evening dress, gentlemen in dark suit and no few ones are wearing the "tux", the black dinner jacket. This time, the waiter recommends the Sirloin Steak, and he is right. And also the special request for a French cheese plate instead of the dessert is promptly fulfilled.

After the first seating, the Captain's Cocktail party takes place in the Royal Promenade, where a Glen Miller combo is playing. Captain Per Christoffersen, born in Norway, presents his truly international team, the Cruise Director coming from England, the Hotel Director from Vienna, the Food Director from Canada, the Chief Engineer from Norway. Shake-hands with the Captain, and we ask him, if he'll sail also to the Mediterranean. "The 'Independence of the Seas' is already doing it", he informs. We confirm our intention to undertake a cruise aboard the future 225,000-ton giant, not yet baptized, and if he'll be her Captain, - "Maybe later" - and we wish it to him.

For the next day the highlight of this cruise is on the program, a day in Haiti, this black-populated western half of the island with the ancient name Hispaniola, discovered by Columbus. The country had a troubled history, subjugated in the 20th century by tyrant "Doc" Duvalier and son "Baby Doc" during decades, anxiously avoided by most tourists. It's known for poverty and it survives with the mysterious Voodoo cult, having its roots in African and Christian religion.

"Mariner of the Seas" at Labadee, Haiti

The anchor chain has already rattled long before most guests are appearing to breakfast. Outside the glazed Windjammer Cafe green jungle tumbles down steep hillsides to the sea. We have arrived in Haiti!... The gigantic "Mariner of the Seas" is anchored in the bay of Labadee, surrounded by a chain of hills, completely covered with tropical forest. Passengers are transferred by tenders to the lovely shore, a sandy beach and a green park, fenced against the surroundings (and thus preserving the character of a nature reserve). Take a bath in the turquoise coloured sea, hear the rhythm of the drums in the background and enjoy the day in Haiti... Of course there are shops, too (and a black dealer, glad to chat in his French language, is selling to us a granite mini-sculpture, made from the rocks of the mountains which are rising some 2,000 metres high, he explains). And for those guests eager to experience even more, there is the chance to undertake a 'Dragon's Breath Flight', hanging on a zipline four hundred feet above the beach. For the return to the ship, also heavily disabled passengers with their wheelchairs are loaded to the tenders (and one of them we could see later taking a bath in a pool on board, assisted by his helpful friends). Have the experience of being once in your lifetime in Haiti...

The "Mariner of the Seas" is gliding along the coast, framed by the dark green mountain range under a cloud-piled sky, now and then illuminated by a golden sunray breaking through the towering clouds. Between Tortue Island on starboard and the mainland, the ship is passing a sort of channel, moving toward the Windward Passage.


Haiti sunset

The night swallows the megaship, its upper deck lit like a city promenade. Next morning, a town sparkling with houses, surrounded by palm trees and green hills, is giving the passengers a welcome. It's Ocho Rios, once a fishermen's village, on the North Coast of Jamaica. Having crossed the landing stage, the visitor finds himself surrounded by cafes, by bars and by innumerable shops offering every sort of local curios, but mainly Reggae T-shirts and Bob Marley CDs. That Rastafari sound, the music of the reborn African pride of the Jamaicans, their ancestors having been deported as slaves from their homelands, is omnipresent in that city, bursting with activity. And amidst all the rhythm and the bustling traffic, the taxis and tourist buses, the roaring of a racing-motorbike, a GSXR, is drowning everything else, truly a hell's music... That's Jamaica.


"Mariner of the Seas" at Ocho Rios, Jamaica

The Crown Lounge

"Mariner of the Seas" at Ocho Rios

Boarding time is 4:30 pm. It's relaxing to sit in a chair on deck 12 and to see the last passenger arrive exhausted at 4:32, boarding to the amusement of the crew members. From the "peek-a-boo" bridge one can see the officers steering "by joystick" the ship with its bow-thrusters and azymuthing pods away from the landing-stage. The monitor shows a light northeastern breeze of 12 knots while the "Mariner of the Seas" is moving along the north coast of Jamaica in western direction. A rain shower sweeps down, then the reborn late afternoon sun gives way to darkness. Around eight in the evening the far-away lights of a big city are coming into view. Also a black crew member is standing at the rail, admiring the spectacle. A question: - You are from Jamaica? - No, Nicaragua. - Do they speak English there? - On the Atlantic coast, we don't say Caribbean, yes. On the Pacific coast Spanish. - Shake-hands. The lights of that city, Montego Bay, are left behind in the dark.


Jamaica in the evening

Next morning the ship has a light vibration. A look out of the window shows that the sea has got somewhat violent and showers are sweeping across grey waves, up to four metres high, according to a message from the bridge. That's nothing in consideration of the ship's size, but the intended call at Grand Cayman Island had to be cancelled, for passengers would have been transferred by tender to the capital George Town. The island must be situated somewhere on starboard, but we are out of any sight of land. Grand Cayman reportedly had been settled by deserters, its dangerous east coast became infamous as the cemetery of the "wrecks with ten sails", and the hidden treasures of the pirates Morgan and Blackbeard have not yet been found. In our days Grand Cayman hides treasures of another sort, being renowned as a paradise for tax frauders. Imagine if a corrupt "nouveau riche" would be on board with his suitcase filled with cash and now be cannot go ashore...

At noon the Captain makes the announcement that the "Mariner of the Seas" is steering straight to the next port-of-call, Cozumel Island off the coast of Mexico. As arrival is not permitted before 6:30 am, speed has to be reduced to 15 knots. For the evening a formal dinner is on the program. The menu is fine and the excellent Shiraz from South Africa reminds us of our holidays in that country. Then a show in the Savoy Theater is given - American, American... and excellent.

Wake-up on day 6 of the cruise. The ship has already arrived at the International Pier on the southwestern coast of the island, where the much smaller "Ocean Village" is moored. One and a half year before, the terrible hurricane "Wilma" had destroyed villages and piers. Passengers had to be loaded to tenders. The International Pier was repaired and the neighbouring Puerta Maya Pier is under construction. Passengers can walk ashore, being welcomed by Mariachi musicians, and they may admire the work of the traditional silversmiths in the shops. We decide to make the three miles' walk to the city of San Miguel on a promenade under palms along the main road. From far away already the "Carnival Conquest" and the "Norwegian Spirit" are visible, moored on the Punta Langosta Pier, overtopping a local cargo ferry of Transcaribe.


"Carnival Conquest", "Norwegian Spirit" and a Transcaribe ferry at Cozumel


"Ocean Village" at Cozumel

Cozumel island had been a centre of the bloody Maya culture, but when the Spanish conquered it in the 16th century, infamous Herman de Cortes destroyed it completely. On the mainland Maya Coast the pyramid of Tulum is still a relic of the past, while the island remained without any population until the 19th century.

Now the blue/white ferries with "Mexico" names and the blue/yellow hi-speeds of Ultramar are connecting San Miguel with Playa del Carmen on the mainland, some 10 miles distant. American tourists of course arrive by plane and in the afternoon hours the approaching Boeings are crossing the strait at low altitude for landing on nearby Cozumel airport. After a Corona beer in a small bar we return to the "Mariner of the Seas" and on the upper deck of the neigbouring "Ocean Village" the crowd is already dancing and chanting the oldie "We're, we're rockin'. Compared to that British club ship, totally informal, our megaship is so quiet... In the last moment before departure at 6:30 pm the hi-speed "Mexico V" arrives and passengers are re-boarding the "Mariner of the Seas", then she starts her drift away from the pier and along the lovely shore of Cozumel, following the lights of the "Carnival Conquest" when night is falling. Later a fellow-passenger tells that he had been aboard the "Mexico V" on the return from a booked sightseeing tour to Tolum and they had been so late that the little hi-speed surged against the waves at full speed, making many passengers feel "Montezuma's Revenge". During the late evening hours, Cancun, the well-known tourist resort on the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, must have been passed.

Next morning, Saturday or day 7 of the cruise: The "Mariner of the Seas" has entered the Gulf of Mexico, already far away from the Yucatan Canal. At noon the Captain informs: We are west of Cuba, but it's out of sight. The ship makes 21 knots, a breeze is blowing at 20 knots and the waves are lower than 2 metres. During a decent 5 o'clock tea session in the Windjammer Cafe, a widow from Hungary tells us the adventurous history of her husband, who had participated in the revolution of 1956, was arrested by the communists, but could flee to America.

For those ones feeling lonely, there is a lot of entertainment: the Conference Center on deck 2, the ice-skating ring and the Dragon's Lair Disco on deck 3, the ever-busy Casino Royale and the bars on deck 4, the English Pub, Wine Bar, Cigar Lounge on deck 5, the fitness center on deck 11, the youth center and teen disco on deck 12, the sports court, mini golf course and rock climbing wall on deck 13 and the Ellington's Martini Bar and Cocktail Lounge on deck 14. Due to the size of the ship however, it's easy to escape from all this bustle. The quiet place is the glazed Skylight Chapel on the uppermost deck, just beneath the funnel.

The last day of the cruise is the day of the farewell party. After dinner the staff is parading and gets a great applause. At 9 o'clock pm the last show in the Savoy Theater takes place: Bigband Jazz makes a furious start and then - what's that? Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake with a fantastic ballerina is on the stage - and suddenly it changes into a comedy, a change never seen before. Then the cooks are entering the stage, followed by the officers and Captain Per. He asks: "You liked the cruise?" - applause, applause. - "Imagine if I should capture the ship, should be fired by the company and should continue cruising for you ...No! Tomorrow at 6 o'clock we dock at Port Canaveral". The show is going on, frantic and crazy.

Late in the evening, at the Ellington Bar in the Crown Lounge, a combo is playing a light, decent jazz. Outside the panorama windows, far away, the lights of Miami and Fort Lauderdale are slowly passing by. We are on the way "home" to Port Canaveral.


"Mariner of the Seas"