The final two days involved the logistics of packing and organizing for our final day. There is not much time on Tuesday as we arrive at 7 am and are to exit at 8:15 am.

We had dinner with Joe and Anne on Saturday night. They have the World Cruise booked in 2024. On Sunday night we had dinner with Bill and Nancy, Jim and Lois. They traveled together on this trip. The men are ready to do it again but the women are not sold. Nancy said she would do another long cruise if she could fly home once a month, spend time with family, then return. I got the feeling that Jim and Lois could easily sign up for another long one. Everyone agreed that independent shore excursions would have been a better idea and would have made the trip more fun.

We had are final team trivia and brought a bottle of champagne to celebrate.

Richard will be going back to Missouri and then he has a long cruise on the Cunard line. Clare is booked on the 90 or so day Australian Cruise in early January and will only have a few weeks back in Salt Lake City. Kathy and LJ will be doing the same cruise and will return to Oregon and Washington just long enough to pack again. Jose will be heading back to Top of the World in Florida. My guess is that he will book another cruise very soon. We had lots of laughs with these folks and enjoyed the company.

We are looking forward to seeing our family and friends again. Time for home!

…

Saturday, September 4Saturday, September 4

Final day on the ship today as we pull into our final stop back on Mykonos.

Today we are touring an island about 30 minutes by ferry from Mykonos. The island is Delos and it contains only ruins, no inhabitants.

We met Gibson right off of the ship and he transported us to the ferry. The ferry ride was rather rough but the ship was big enough to handle the huge waves.

Delos is the largest archeological site that exists and many of the ruins date back to 3000 BC. The condition of these ruins is very impressive. As you look at the stacked stones, imagine a limestone covering on both the inside and outside of these buildings.

We spent about 3 hours looking at all of the ruins. This is the birthplace of the mythical Apollo. This city had a water supply and sewer system running beneath the city. At its height, the population of this city was 20,000.

The city reminded me of the ruins of Pompeii. It is incredible to think these ruins have been here for about 7,000 years.

We took the return ferry back to the ship at 1:30 pm. When we returned, Gibson said we had also signed up for a farm tour. We passed on that and had him take us back to the ship.

We began to pack and then had dinner with the Daleys. Euchre followed with the final score be 8 games to 7. Oshnock’s win!

…

Friday, September 3Friday, September 3

Today we visit Santorini. Our ship pulled in about 7 am. We have a 3rd party excursion and are hiking the rim of the volcano. The Caldera rim trail connects Fira(thira), the capitol of Santorini, to Oia (ee-ah).

We were up early, had breakfast on the Lido and then got on a tender to the island. The tenders were based out of Santorini, not the usual tenders that are launched off of the boat.. We upgraded before the trip to “Club Orange”. This allowed us a few perks and one is priority boarding. Other passengers need to obtain a tender ticket (often times waiting in line) and then wait until the assigned time. We can board anytime we wish. We also get priority seating in the dining room and a special menu with items not on the regular menu. We agreed that the upcharge is worth it.

About a 20 minute tender to the island where we were to find a cable car to the top of the volcano. It was easy to find and was a fast way to get up the mountain. Walking up is an option and later in the day, donkeys are another option. As we rode the car up I could see the switchbacks in the walking/donkey trail. This would be our route back.

We met Cris at the top of the lift. He was born in raised “right here in paradise”. We already liked him and after a few minutes we were off. Cris said we needed 4 hours to complete the trail and that anytime we felt like “giving up”, he would call a car to come pick us up. Giving up wasn’t an option we would choose.

Fira in the background and our ship in the mouth of the volcano. This is still an active volcano and when it originally erupted 3600 years ago, the land collapsed and filled with water.

Oia could be seen from our starting point.

The beginning of the trail was paved or had pavers. Later we would be on gravel and sometimes just bare earth.

Wind was an issue after an hour or so. Steep climbs and descents also were challenging. In one area, the wind howled like I have never heard before. We both bent over to take on the wind and I felt I would be lifted right off of the ground.

The blue roofs and white walls of the buildings are used to represent the colors of the Greek flag.

The earliest humans lived in the natural volcanic caves. They began by hollowing out the natural cave to make it bigger and then they started building on the outer part of the cave, following the interior roof line. The result was a rounded roofs. The island is prone to earthquakes and the rounded roofs proved to hold up better when such an earthquake happened. This was the beginning of this style of architecture in Greece.

Oia appeared in 3 hours. Cris was impressed by the 4K per hour pace.

We took pictures and then Cris called for the car. Quick ride back to Fira and the lunch.

We chose a restaurant overlooking the ship.

Terri had some local wine and I had the local beer. Volkan was the name of the brew. “Filtered through lava rock” . I thought it had a nice taste.

The wall down to the pier was steep. We opted to use our feet and skipped hiring a donkey. The way down was littered with donkey dung and was an incentive to keep a good pace.

The tender back was a bit rough. We sat out by the pool for a bit, dinner and the euchre tournament with the Daley’s. 7 to 6. Oshnock’s lead. …

Thursday, September 2Thursday, September 2

Today was a full day at sea. We started at the Lido and then went to the gym. Not many folks in the gym. Masks have to be worn unless you are on the treadmill. I guess the virus reacts to the treadmill much like it reacts to a table in a restaurant. 4 of us in the gym and no employees around. I was reprimanded by an employee after about 15 mins on the bench press about putting a mask on. This makes me believe that cameras are being used to monitor mask wearing. Nothing says freedom like using cameras to spy on “citizens”. I guess with so many employees and so few passengers it is a good time to do some surveillance training.

We spent the afternoon by the pool and enjoyed the breeze and clear skies. The ship is moving very slowly as the ports are not far away. I imagine on this cruise, the days at sea are not necessary but purposely built into the itinerary to allow people to rest and enjoy the ship activities.

We have two more days and two more excursions. Both are booked through trip advisor and both have been confirmed. Santorini should be challenging as we hike along the ridge of the volcano. We can use the rest this day gives us.

We had dinner in the main dining room. The service is very good since there are so many people taking care of so few people.

Euchre with the Daleys on the back of the Lido deck. The evenings we have done this, we have shared this large space with about 20 other people.

…

Monday, August 30Monday, August 30

Today was a day at sea. We slept in to about 8 and headed to breakfast and then the gym. It was already after lunch by the time we finished our workout.

Terri had some decorating business to do and I had lots of issues with students at Lourdes University. I took care of those and worked on the blog on the Lido. We finished and prepared for dinner in the dining room. Terri and I had a private anniversary celebration of 18 great years together and talked about the many more we plan to have together.

Tim and Kelley had lots of internet issues and we did not meet for our daily game night.

Definitely a day of rest after multiple excursion days.…

Sunday, August 29Sunday, August 29

Today we arrived back in Athens. The cruise we are on is almost the same one week cruise for two weeks. In Athens, some folks left the ship and others joined us. Since we boarded the ship last Sunday in Athens, we weren’t able to tour the city then.

Today is another HAL tour. Our bus left the port about 8:15. A short drive to the acropolis. This acropolis one of about 200 in Greece.

This area represents the Venetian, Greek, and Roman Culture. Each used the same location and built on the other ruins of previous cultures. Arches and bricks are from later Roman construction. Greeks used huge blocks while Romans found it faster to use bricks.

Lots of tourists but I am guessing it is a fraction of who is here in normal times. There was a lot of climbing in the heat. We grabbed a coffee at a nice cafe.

After lunch, our guide took us through a museum and stopped at the most important pieces. The first pieces was used a timer. Water was put into the vase and it poured out of a hole in the bottom. 6 minutes was the time limit for a senator addressing citizens.

The next piece was a series of discs with names on them. These were used by members of the Senate to eliminate members they thought were unworthy. Names of those that should be removed were placed in a bin and then counted. One woman next to me said “Joe Biden”.

The next piece was a child’s potty chair.

The final piece was a shield used by warriors from Sparta. The shield weighed almost 50 lbs.

Our final stop was a large parthenon that had about 7 pillars remaining. One of the pillars was on its side and one could see the hole in the middle that was used to line up the pillar when it was assembled.

We returned to the ship about 4:30 pm and headed to the Lido deck for dinner. We joined Tim and Kelley for another game of euchre on the back of the ship. Terri and I won and moved the tally. 3 games to 3 games.

…

Thursday, August 26Thursday, August 26

Today was a sea day and we got up later than usual. Breakfast and then the gym.

We had to get a covid antigen test done and we did that at 11am. I congratulated the nurse on the speed, accuracy and depth of the swab. “Yes, many take the swab and go to (as trump would say) Chhh-iinnaa. ” The fact that she was oriental and probably Chinese made me laugh even harder.

The Dive In was waiting for us after the grueling workout. They have added milkshakes to the menu!

Tim and I played some more table tennis. Interesting game when the ship rolls to one side.

Terri and I listed to a piano quartet in the Lincoln Center. A piano quartet contains a violin, viola, cello, and piano. The group played a program called “Music of the Ballets”. Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Peer Gynt and others. The intonation of the group was superb and the attention to detail outstanding. I gave them a 10.

Another formal night. Tim and Kelley invited to dinner in the Pinnacle Grill to celebrated our 18th anniversary.

The evening entertainment were the HAL dancers. They are usually very good and tonight they didn’t disappoint. The show was introduced by the Cruise Director. She reminded us that masks are required everywhere on the ship. She made this announcement without a mask on. Sound familiar?

The show was called the “Instruments of the Orchestra” and the group put on a great show.

We played the dice game Farkle with Tim and Kelley after the show. Fun game. Strange name. The mask police were in full force. If you buy a drink, they leave you alone.…

Tuesday, August 24Tuesday, August 24

Today we planned on visiting the Acropolis. The structures found here date back to 3rd and 2nd century BC.

Breakfast and then we grabbed some water. Very hot again today. The walk was a few miles from the ship. Lots of people out in the city.

I labeled the photos. Hold the cursor over them or click to enlarge. Lots of history in this area outside of the walled in city. Wikipedia has a lot of interesting info on this area. We enjoyed a walk back to the ship along the coast and headed up to the Lido for a late lunch.

The “Dive In” is a restaurant in the swimming pool area. Cooked to order burgers and Nathan’s hot dogs. We ordered up some food and commented on the attire of some of the guests in and out of the pool. We both agreed that there is a certain age when one does not wear a speedo or a bikini. Some didn’t get the memo on this. No photos included. Not sure the censors would allow them anyway. I concentrated on the burger and that helped.

I met up with Tim for table tennis tournament. We warmed up with a few singles games and then played doubles when the tournament began.

We had fun losing 2 sets to 1.

Formal night in the dining room. Tim and Kelley joined us.

I happened to find a shop that had some nice cuban cigars. We enjoyed those and a few hands of euchre before the evening entertainment.

Mainstage entertainment was an illusionist and mime. Ruben Camprui. There was no problem getting a seat with so few passengers aboard. We all ended up dozing off. To be fair, it is hard to give an act an evaluation of an act when you are asleep.

I’m guessing with the bands I have heard and this act, COVID has really taken a toll on the entertainment. Musicians and other entertainers haven’t been performing and need to get back into the groove. Some are unwilling to get out into the public. Some do not want to work because the government is paying them to stay home. If I am having an extremely difficult time getting a plumber or an electrician to do work for me, HAL and others are having the same issue with entertainers.…

Saturday August 21 and Sunday August 22Saturday August 21 and Sunday August 22

Today is the day we leave. Our neighbor Courtney, who usually drives us to the airport, was unable to take us this time. Knowing this, I booked an airport shuttle last week. Uber doesn’t seem to like “hire ahead” anymore and was unable to use that. Normally I would use Uber for a trip like this but was unsure about the route to Grosse Ile. The Wayne County bridge is still closed and all of the traffic comes across the toll bridge. Not a problem until the bridge swings open and causes a huge backup.

I confirmed the shuttle on Friday. Warned them about the bridge closure. “Yes sir. No problem sir.” Wouldn’t you know they cancelled by email Saturday morning? Thankfully I rise quite early in the morning and was able to book another shuttle.

The driver arrived and there was no issue. We arrived well ahead, sat at the Margaritaville bar and had a nice lunch. There was a guy playing the steel drums along with a soundtrack. The heads of the pieces he chose were alright. His solos were not very well thought out. More melodic interest and less speed would be my advice. I gave him a 4 out of 10.

Our flight to Dulles was an hour and our connection started boarding an hour after we landed. We flew United. My few United trips always surprised me with the extra room each seat has front to back. It was the same on the domestic and international flight.

Masks were required in the airport and on the plane. We had to show our vaccine cards as well. In Dulles, out tickets were stamped after we showed that we did the PLF that Greece required. Constant reminders about keeping masks on at all times, including between bites of food and sips of a drink. One of the flight attendants woke me up in the middle of the night because my mask was down.

Some people went way beyond what was required. Maybe the woman in front of me should have stayed home? Hat, foam along brim, mask material hanging all of the way around, sunglasses, mask with slit for mouth, and face shield.

If were that concerned and couldn’t stay home, I would want at least an N95 mask.

In my case, I am neither concerned or staying home.

The people in the airport had various ways they wore the masks. Many employees had them around the chin. Many folks had them just under their noses. Mandating masks just does not work as this proves.

We were able to get some sleep as we had a row of three seats. Terri took the floor (her choice) and I curled up across the seats.

We landed, grabbed our luggage and met the HAL folks just past customs. 35 min shuttle to the airport. Stop one, the COVID waiting room. Mandatory temperature check. After five minutes here we went to the testing area. Mandatory swab test. Last time I had one of these I could feel the swab down to my toes. Not so much this time.

Another waiting room until our test showed negative. Maybe 15 minutes. We were then able to board the ship. We were received with applause. Crew and staff were so happy we were here and that the cruise line was up and running. This was the second cruise for them this year. 514 days without work.

Hand sanitizer was everywhere. Staff wiping everything down. I wouldn’t be surprised if the negative effect of all of this cleaning is an immune system that has been compromised. Many believe the Polio epidemics in the middle of the 20th century were caused by improved sanitation of waste and drinking water. Polio used to infect everyone when they were very young. They got a little sick and then recovered with antibodies to protect themselves. With improvements in the water, especially in affluent areas, no antibodies were being developed at a young age. When older children were finally exposed, they had devastating effects.

The ship was laid out just like the Amsterdam (world cruise). We had lunch on the Lido deck and then unpacked.

Tim and Kelley arrived right around dinner time and we were able to have dinner together. Afterward we watched the sunset and the moon rise over the Mediterranean.

…

CommentsComments

If you would like to post a comment, you must be a registered user and logged in. This is the only way to control the huge amount of spam.…

Greece begins August 22, 2021Greece begins August 22, 2021

If you are a follower of our blogs, you may remember that our next adventure was Southeast Asia. The trip and side adventures were all planned but the cruise industry was shutdown because of the pandemic. This was originally scheduled for December 20, 2020. Holland America allowed us to book another trip. We decided that a cruise from Barcelona to Rome in September of 2021 sounded exciting! All the side trips were booked (this takes a long time) and we were ready! In June, Holland America cancelled this trip and rebooked us on a trip to Greece. We have never been to any of the stops. We leave August 22, 2021. All of the Mediterranean side trips canceled. All of the Greek Island side trips booked.…

Day 112Day 112

May 14, 2019 – at Sea

Almost home. We are starting to pack. Everyone is starting to say goodbye. We had a great time and glad we did it.

Now it is your turn!

…

Day 111Day 111

May 13, 2019 – at Sea

The gym was full of the regulars and our workout was much easier without the ship rolling.

Warmer weather allowed us to sit outside today. A bit windy so we went to the rear of the ship.

We received our time for leaving the ship Thursday. We are with the first group at 8 am. Luggage goes in the hall the night before and we pick it up off the ship and carry it through customs. Some will go with us, some to fed-ex. We then board a shuttle to Miami airport. Our flight is 1:35 pm. A connection on Charlotte makes our arrival time at 5:35 pm.

We are organizing our clothes deciding what goes where.

There is an app for submitting customs forms. I did download it (3 hrs on our ship network). This may make our exit easier.

…

Day 110Day 110

May 12, 2019 – at Sea

Much calmer seas today. Grey skies all around but we actually were able to see the sun over head. It is starting to get warmer again as we move farther south.

We had breakfast and went to the gym.

Today is the final day to submit laundry to have it returned in time to pack before we leave the ship. We made sure we submitted all we had.

We had lunch in the main dining room where a nice Mother’s Day brunch was served. Each course was a sampler plate of chef specialties. It was a nice touch and we enjoyed it.

We spent the afternoon out on the deck at the rear of the ship. A bit too windy to sit outside of our room. It was nice to get outside again.

We had dinner in the Pinnacle Grill dining room which is normally an up-charge but was covered by the ship as payment for a few problems we had with the room. It was nice and private. It felt like we were back home having dinner out.

When we returned back to the room for the evening we received the following.

…

Day 109Day 109

May 11, 2019 – at Sea

Roughest water on the entire cruise. 20 ft swells made getting around very difficult. Walking through the Lido looked like everyone was at Mystery Hill. The difference was the floor didn’t remain at the same slant very long. This is the first time that things in the room were sliding off of the desk and falling on the floor.

The Captain said that by midnight things would calm down a bit and that tomorrow it would be very calm.

We tried working out in the morning but it was too dangerous. The swells were very unpredictable.

We spent the day watching movies. Laying in bed felt like swinging in a hammock. Nice. Walking around could give you an ill feeling. Yuck.

We planned to have dinner with Bob and Brenda in the dining room. When we arrived, only Bob was there. Seas were making Brenda ill and she passed.

The evening entertainment was pianist Judy Carmichael. She was accompanied by house drummer Graham. It was obvious that that did little rehearsing together as she was speaking to him as she played. He played very well. Her playing couldn’t be questioned but the show was a bit less than exciting. She spoke too much about things the audience had little interest in. The show was early 20C jazz and when she was playing I enjoyed it. She traded 2’s and 4’s with Graham on a few numbers. He was on brushes the entire show. I enjoyed the back and forth solos. Very talented just needs to rethink the show in my opinion.

Tonight we go back to eastern time. We will finish the last of our 25 hour days. Going to miss those. We had 18 of them.…

Day 108Day 108

May 10, 2019 – at Sea

Another day at the gym has convinced me that all of the extra pounds that guests have put on are going with them when they get off the ship. Gym seems to be just as busy as usual.

The Captain announced to today that we are heading into a huge tropical depression. It is so large that we can’t go around it but we are changing course where we hope it will be less severe. This is the worst we have seen. So rough that the life boats above our deck are banging against the ship at times.

Today we were invited to a lunch in the dining room honoring the “mariners”. This is the reward system that Holland America uses. All guests started the cruise with us are at least 3 star mariners. Many are 4 and 5 star mariners. More gifts from HAL and we are wondering what we can actually pack to take with us.

We spent the afternoon watching a movie in our room. It was difficult to do much else with the rough seas.

We had dinner with Bill. We learned that he has done 5 tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and he finished as a Lt. Colonel last working in the pentagon. He has already booked another cruise for next year.

The evening entertainment was the Amsterdam singers and dancers. They did a show featuring tunes done by Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra among others. Great show once again.…

Day 107Day 107

May 9, 2019 – at Sea

We expected more people at the gym before we arrive in Florida trying to work off the extra pounds but I don’t think that has happened. We did hear about one guest who brought 3 different sets of trousers in increasing waist size. Thinking ahead!

We have pulled out all of the suitcases from under our bed and have started to pack. We have 2 suitcases to check, 2 to carry on, 2 backpacks, 2 suitcases to ship and 2 containers to ship. The consumable items have been replaced with gifts we have received and purchases we have made.

Not many are showing up for team trivia. Not sure why this is. Doolin did the trivia today. He has more reasonable questions than Hamish does. One of the questions had to with a musical that contained the song Mr. Cellophane. I recognized the name of the tune but couldn’t match it to the name of the musical.

We have made dinner plans with the guests that we enjoy being with for the final nights of the cruise. Many of the guests we have dined with have already made deposits on another cruise.…

Day 106Day 106

May 8, 2019 – at Sea

The complete map. All heads in place.

Last night we experienced very rough seas as expected. We did breakfast and then hit the gym. A few minutes after we arrived, a member of the security showed us a photo of a woman and asked if we had seen her recently. We didn’t recognize her. She proceeded to ask everyone in the gym. I told Terri that there are only two places she could be. In someone else’s room or in the ocean.

Soon we heard security asking the missing woman to call guest services. A little while later, the same message. The captain then announced that a guest was missing and we were turning around to retrace our route. There is not chance that we left her in Ireland because ID cards are scanned when each person gets on and off. This meant she went overboard but that was never mentioned. Where and when was a mystery.

It was 9:50 am when we turned around. The sky was beginning to clear and now the sun was on the starboard side of the ship. We were heading back into the storm and to rougher water.

We did group trivia but the mood was less than jovial. Fred and Debbie couldn’t make trivia and Brian and Janet were not there. The two of started and another stray member joined us and Janet did show up by question 4. When Hamish struggles to pronounce words we know that the question is going to be very difficult. How long did it take to build 1 meter of the train tunnel in Flam? How many head hair sprouts is a human baby born with? We managed to answer only 4 correctly.

Captain Mercer did not do his usual location and meteorological data announcement at 12:20 pm. Hamish did do his usual announcement about what is happening on the ship. No other info shared.

Captain Mercer made an announcement a bit after 1 pm and said that we were about 4 hours away from the last location of the missing guest. She was last on the ship on 1:25 am and the ship authorities were notified that she was missing at 7:50 am. He was also keeping track of timing back to Ft. Lauderdale and the amount of fuel on board. He was working with the Maritime authorities in Ireland, and the UK.

The seas continued to get rougher as we traveled back to the northeast. A few hours passed and the Captain announced that we had been released by the maritime authorities and that he was turning the ship back toward Florida. He did say that by the time we arrived to the search area it would be getting dark, weather is bad, and it would be dangerous for his crew to go out on a fast rescue boat to search.

We received this after dinner.

Many assumptions have to be made since a lot is missing from this letter. One has to assume that she went into the ocean. Since the ship’s crew knew the location and time it must have been on camera. No extra safety warnings were given to guests about staying off balconies or decks during bad weather. Not all guests have balconies but we know that she was on the 7th floor and all of those rooms do. I did a bit of research on people going overboard on cruise ships. It is not as uncommon as I might have thought. Since the staff gave the guests no indication of foul play and the lack of increased safety warnings, one has to assume this was an intentional act.

The evening entertainment was a performance of The Runaway Kids. Lead, rhythm, bass guitars with drummer. They all sang hits from the 50s and 60s. They weren’t bad but just lacked a bit of experience. This was their first performance on the Amsterdam. I’m sure they will be back as the crowd enjoyed them. The lead guitarist was the star and had the most talent.

I hope you have enjoyed following this blog. I may continue to write until we get home but there are no other stops planned until we arrive in Florida.…

Day 105Day 105

May 7, 2019 – Bantry, Ireland

We arrived at 8 am and were in no hurry to get tender tickets as we had to meet customs for the VAT refund. We learned that the front desk would take care of the stamp for us and we left on the next tender. We arrived in Bantry about 10 am and headed right for the Sheepshead trail.

Ladders to get over barbed wire.

Rain was threatening and the grass was very wet already. We decided to stick to the road when we could.

We walked out on the trail 4.5 miles and decided not to push our luck with the weather and we turned around.

Bantry was a typical little village in Ireland.

We had a drink at Lucey’s Pub and enjoyed our 42nd and final stop.

Captain Mercer announced after everyone was on board that we were heading for Ft. Lauderdale, 3600 miles away. A storm was moving in from the west and we will be moving southeast. “3 to 4 meter swells, nothing we haven’t seen before on this trip”. He also said we should be through it in 24 hrs or so.…

Day 104Day 104

May 6, 2019 – Cork, Ireland

Cork is another city we have visited on another trip. Ian did another morning of sail in commentary.

Our port was in Cobh and we had shuttles busses to Cork.

We left the ship at 10 am and were dropped off in front of city hall.

Today we would walk around and see some of the sights we missed our first time here. It was about 12 years ago and we stayed at a bed and breakfast. Location not available in the memory bank.

Interesting name.

St. Anne’s Church in the Shandon district.

We passed on visiting the Butter Museum

St. Peter and Paul’s Church. Mid 18C

Holy Trinity

A pub on every block.

St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral

The Church was closed when we arrived but would open in 45 minutes. We decided to hang around and wait. The online guide I was using said that the views from the top are spectacular. 5€ each when it did open.

We learned after we entered that the tower was not open for visitors. I wanted a refund.

We stopped in an old pub across the street. It was formerly a pharmacy. Bottles and other paraphernalia from the former business line the walls.

We headed back to the shuttle at 4 pm or so and headed back to the ship.

Information about our last stop was in the “Where and When” after dinner. Bantry is a tender port. We arrive at 8 am. VAT refunds take place at 9:30 am on board. Last tender is at 4 pm. We had planned to do a major hike on the Sheepshead trail but our time now is very limited.

…