one sleep

We only have one sleep until we are off on our next adventure. That seems unreal. Usually we have a lot of planning and prepping for a trip but this time is different.

This cruise is all about enjoying the ms Koningsdam as we sail across the Atlantic. I loved the ship last spring when we joined the inaugural sailing. You can read my thoughts about the ship here.

We did a transatlantic in 2015 and it was perfect so we are hoping for the same - sunshine and a calm ocean.

We've made our dinner reservations at all the specialty restaurants. We are going to have to commit to working out and walking on the ship with all the eating we have planned. And of course the stairs. We have a "no elevators allowed" rule when we cruise...unless it's an emergency (like we forgot something in the room and are late). We are on deck 5 this time - last time we were on deck 11. We liked deck 11 because we were close to an outdoor deck and only 1 flight of stairs to Happy Hour in the Crow's Nest.

We don't have many port stops but we know what we are doing at each stop

Here's our itinerary:
Sat. - Fly to Fort Lauderdale
Sun. - Join the ms Koningdam in Fort Lauderdale
Sail for 6 days - eat, read, relax
Ponta Delgada, Azores - Our plan is to walk around the town. We toured the island in 2015, saw the highlights, had a traditional Portuguese lunch and were amazed by all the really healthy looking cows.
Sail 2 more days
Malaga, Spain - We are taking a trip to Cordoba with Spain Day Tours.
Alicante, Spain - We have signed up for a free walking tour and then plan to enjoy some sangria and tapas...or paella.
One more day at sea
Sat. Rome - We have our transfer booked with Rome Cabs and our hotel is close to the Vatican. In the evening we are signed up for a food tour of Testaccio with Eating Italy.
We did the Trastevre tour with them last spring and loved it!
Easter Sunday Rome - We are just going to take it all in and experience Easter in Rome. We might wander over to the Vatican.
Mon. - We fly home.

Our amazing dog sitter will be at the house with the dogs while we are away. The dogs have been sticking pretty close to us the past few days so I imagine they suspect something is up. They are probably hoping for a road trip. Next time...

Today we wrap up things at work, finish packing and clean the house.

It's supposed to be +30C in Fort Lauderdale this weekend. Bring on the sunshine!

See you soon, Koningsdam!