Back from the cruise

I'm going to make an attempt to complete the entries for our trip as best I can. The slow internet on the ship was making it very difficult to keep up.

Day 3 -Thursday March 13, 2014

Today was an early wake up…05:00. I feel better when I get a little less sleep. I use the time early in the morning to take pictures around the ship, while most people are still asleep. The only people around are a few other ‘old’ guys, around my age, sitting around having coffee too.

Being another ‘sea day’ there really isn’t much to write about. We spent most of our time trying to find thing to do. Barbara went to the health spa and put in some time on the bike and treadmill. Then she topped it off with a nice long soak in the hot tub. I went down to the bike storage and completed a more permanent repair to the shift linkage. I feel confident that it will last for the rest of the trip.

After lunch we went to the ice show ‘Spirit of the Seasons’. It was pretty good. It’s amazing how fast the skaters can go on that little ice rink. After that, we took a walk over to the photo studio to take a look at the photos we had taken on the formal night. That was a bust since the pictures did not exist. We’ll try again on the next formal night at the end of the trip.

Dinner was pretty sedate and afterwards we went to the 50’s – 60’s dance party. We were pretty tired, since it was late, so we called it a night and went back to the cabin.

Day 2 -Wednesday March 12, 2014

I was surprised at how late I slept in. I had my alarm wake me at 06:00. That’s late for me. When I’m on the cruise I like to get up early and walk around while most other people are sleeping. It’s a good time to take pictures. I went to the internet lounge to set up the on-line account so that I can use the wireless. There’s a hot spot in the Promenade Café where I get coffee so I’ll be working in there from now on in the mornings. While I was on line I ordered a new shift linkage for the bike. It should be waiting for me when I get home.

The weather today is a bit sporty. The winds are howling around 55mph, giving the seas a little kick and slowing the ship a bit. Barbara and I wanted to go up and check out the jogging / walking track but that deck is closed because of the high winds. It’s supposed to get a bit sportier before it lets up. _­­­

There wasn’t a whole lot to do today. We went to breakfast around 09:30 which lasted for a while. It’s nice not having anywhere to go sometimes. We walked around, checked out some things in the shops and poked our heads into the health club. Lunch was at Johnny Rockets where we were entertained by our waiter. He spoke poor English but did some pretty good but simple magic tricks. After that we wandered around a bit more then took a nap. I hopped down to the casino for a bit and threw away a few more dollars. I really should stay away from the slots and play blackjack instead. Before dinner we walked around a bit more to wake up and stretch our legs. Having the upper outside deck closed really makes you feel caged. When we returned to the room we started getting ready for dinner. Its formal night so we had to make sure things were just so.

Dinner was great. We have a really good table. Six of us have been on this cruise together before, at the same table and the other couple that has joined us is younger but really good people.

Since it was formal night we had someone take pictures of the table. Even that turned out to be fun. Again, we were just about the last table to leave the dining room, a sure sign that we were having a good time. We moved from the dining room to the Maharaja Lounge for Karaoke. The ETA road captains were going to do some singing, which turned out to be pretty good. We didn’t hang around there long as it was getting really late so it was good night.

Day 1 – Tuesday March 11, 2014

What a way to start the trip.

 

Finally, departure day. I’ve been counting the days for the approach of this vacation and it arrived so fast. But, it’s here.

We spent the night at David and Annette’s house so that we would be close to the cruise port this morning.

 

The ride to the cruise port started out fine. It was a bit cool but not horrid. I usually won’t ride below 40 degrees and it was almost 45 so the temps were good. The skies were a bit overcast but I like that…no sun glare. David and I left first on the bikes, with Barbara and Annette following us in the car with all of the luggage. We made our way through the back streets of South Plainfield and the surrounding towns to Rt. 78, the major highway that would take us to Bayonne. There were a lot of pot holes and the roads were covered with massive amounts of sand and salt leftover from the harsh winter that we had had. We hit 78 and were finally able to open it up and make some time…not! We were cruising along at 70 mph through heavy rush hour traffic when we hit the first obstacle. There was a lane merge, two into one. That slowed things down and challenged us to stay together as the drivers in this area don’t give a crap about much, especially bikes. We worked our way past the merge and took off again only to have a small disaster hit. As we were working our way through heavy traffic my shift linkage decided to let loose.

A biker’s biggest fear is having something, anything, go wrong with a bike while you’re zipping along at highway speeds. We were trying to slow down a bit and as I tried to shift my foot shifter just flopped around. At first I thought the securing hardware for the shifter had loosed up but when I looked down I saw that the shifter linkage was flopping around. I’m blessed with the ability to keep my head when the ‘shit hits the fan’, the worse the problem the cooler I stay…sometime too cool. Anyway, I tried flagging David down to stop but he didn’t see me so I hit the gas, accelerated to about 90 and caught up with him to signal that I had to stop. Here we are on a very busy multi-lane, NY area highway pulling onto the median with two bikes and a car.  I surveyed the issue and decided that I could secure the shifter linkage with the right materials. The ball joint on the end of the linkage decided it just didn’t want to hold on any longer so I needed a way to keep the socket on the ball but remain flexible. I dug around in my Tour-Pak and found a few small wire tires. I looped the wire ties around the linkage head together and with a length of Barbara’s yarn, secured the fix in place. Done…one of my better optional engineering fixes if I do say so myself.

We got back on the backs, back into the car and forced our way back into traffic…another harrowing feat on its own. We didn’t get far before the traffic slowed again. This time the set of lanes to our right was stopped. We crawled along until we made it to the hold up. There was a care on fire in the lanes to our right. Fortunately they didn’t stop our set of lanes and soon we were past that obstacle and on our way to the ship. The rest of the ride was without incident except for the asshole maneuvers being pulled by the drivers around us and the terrible condition of the road.

We arrived at the port and were directed to an area right next to the ship to meet up with the rest of the bikes. We were met by Steve, the leader of ETA. Steve is quite a character, a larger than life kind of guy. Unfortunately he has been plagued with horrible medical issues but still remains extremely upbeat and cheerful. Since this was our second cruise with this group the procedures were known. First we parked the bikes side-by-side while we had a pow-wow. While that was going on a drug sniffing dog inspected the bikes. If the dog sits by your bike you are done. There’s always a lot of nervous shifting going on during this. Next we hopped on our bikes and side by side we moved over to a gate to await clearance into the area next to the ship. We were given access and single file, rode onto the dock right next to the ship. Here we opened our gas tanks so they could make sure we had less that ¼ tank of gas and to shoot some nitrogen gas in to displace the fumes.

Now it was time to load the boat. One by one we went up a ramp and into the ship, making sure to shut down the engines before going inside. Once inside we stored the bikes in a hallway, to be moved and secured later.

We move the bikes inside by having the operator stay on the bike while another operator push the bike. It’s a great system, especially when everyone works together.

With that done we went back outside of the ship and re-joined Barbara and Annette at the cruise terminal. They had already checked the luggage so all we had to do was to go through security and check in. They let all of the bikers enter through the ‘Diamond Member’ entrance to speed things up. Check in was a breeze. We got our passes, had our picture taken and waited for a shuttle to take us to the ship. Once on the ship we passed through another security check point and headed up to the Windjammer Café for lunch. Of course everyone else headed up to the Windjammer o it was quite a task finding a table but Barbara came through and it wasn’t long before we were sitting, enjoying our first meal aboard. When we finished eating it was about 14:00 so we headed up to the room to check things out and to see if our luggage had arrive.

There were no bags yet but we were glad to finally be in the room anyway.

We decided to take a walk around and to get my unlimited soda cup filled. The ship looked the same as our last trip but it was still exciting. At 15:30 a mandatory emergency drill was held. That was fun, yawn. After the drill we wandered around until I had to go to the first bike operators meeting at 17:00. Here we were given a briefing by Steve and the security staff of the ship. We were also issued our ‘crew’ ID badges. Because of our bikes being stored in non-public areas we needed access to crew areas so we are issued cred IDs. The meeting consisted of a lot of information and a lot of good natured ribbing. We waited for the ships staff to finish clearing the storage area for the bikes then moved back to the hallway where the bikes were stored.

Working together, we moved the bikes into the storage area, chocked the wheels and put the bikes to bed for the next few days. I will be going back down today to work my shift linkage. Better to do it today than on our first ride day.

I returned to the room to meet up with Barbara who was emptying our first suitcase. The other two had not yet arrived. In the meantime our room attendant came by to introduce himself…Byron.

Next was the ETA welcome aboard party. ETA is the travel agency that runs the bike cruise. It was an open bar and Steve entertained us with some fantastic piano playing.

 

 

We also paid our cash $325 bike fee which is used to take care of ‘business’ on the islands, allowing us to ride there. Steve spoke again, giving us a lot of information and giving some of the operators a bunch of good natured crap.

After the part we went back to the room to find that our luggage had arrived and Byron had moved it into the room for us. We quickly unpacked the suitcases then went to dinner. Dress was casual so everyone pretty much stayed in their biker clothes. A nice surprise was that there was a couple on the trip that was on our last trip and we were at the same table for dinner. There are eight of us at the table for dinner which is nice. Last time I think there were 11. Dinner was good but service was lacking. I only had one drink during dinner. I wasn’t asked and getting that one wasn’t easy. After dinner we walked through the casino, lost $10 the n turned in for the night.

3 short days - Saturday March 8th, 2014

I started off the day by taking my Grandson David to Aqua-Tots at the Burlington County College pool. That took up a good portion of my morning. Once we got home I started in on several other projects. I finally finished painting the mirror for the Sentra. I'll get that installed tomorrow. I also got the trash collected and made a dump run.
Next I started in on cleaning the bike. The ground was really wet so I had to throw down a ground pad which didn't help much. I pretty much finished up the cleaning and waxing although I would have liked to cleaned a little deeper. I will definitely be revisiting the rims and the engine. While reinstalling the side panels I found that one of the rubber grommets was missing. I added a visit to the Harley dealer to the list of errands I would have to run next.
I gathered up my cleaning supplies, put on my riding clothes and took off to run my errands. First I went to the bank to turn in my coins for vacation. I think the Penny Arcade ripped me off (Chris swears it always does) so I will be calling them today to lodge a complaint. Next it was off to the Harley dealer. I tried to purchase the rubber grommet but they were all out. It's an inexpensive, common part. I ordered two. This is why I like Brian's HD better. I rode back to Browns Mills to pick up a prescription for Barbara then made a required stop at Rita's to visit with Fred and have a Blendini. I finished my ride by taking the long way home.
Once home I put the bike back in the trailer, finished cleaning up outside and moved inside to complete more projects. Since my lazy daughter didn't complete any of the work she was supposed to it put me behind.
Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day!

4 days away...where's the time going?

I feel like I still have so much to do and not enough time to do it. I had all day and only got two things out of 16 done on my list. It didn't help that little David kept me busy all afternoon...but that's ok. Tonight I hope to catch up after I return from the doctors. I do have to run a few errands on the way home but that shouldn't slow me down too much. I have to pick up wire hangers. Where do you get wire hangers? They are the only ones that fit in the hanging luggage. At least I have 90% of my clothes together. The hard part that's left will be picking out ties. I usually bring twice as many as I need just so I can change my mind. You sure need alot of clothes on an 11 day cruise.

5 days left and lots to do

I'm not really going to be able to make any progress with the bike or trailer until the weekend, when the temps warm up. My focus right now is getting my clothes and other stuff together so that I can get packed before the last minute.

6 days...6days..it's coming up too fast ;)

I can't believe the cruise is less than a week away. Time to get the Jeep and trailer ready. The trailer has a light out; the right side fender clearance light. It's under warranty until the beginning of May but I don't have the time to drive it down to the dealer right now. I'm going to see if it's a simple fix like a loose connection. It's a double LED light and they're both out so I'm sure it's just a connection problem. Otherwise the trailer is ready to go. I just have to relocate it so that I can hook it up. I can move it by hand when the bike's not in it.
The Jeep is another story. There's a nail in the back left tire, close to the edge of the tread which means it may not be repairable...which means a new tire. The right front also has a slow leak which means it too may have a nail in it somewhere. Actually it means a new set of tires since they're all way past replacement anyway. I also have to do an oil change...a 15 minute job.
The weather outlook for Saturday keeps improving, with the forecast being 54 and sunny. I should be able to go for a ride, install the horn and finish cleaning the bike. For the final cleaning I'll spray it down with S-100, wash it off with the hose and blow it dry with the leaf blower. The S-100 should be able to help clean and de-grease the hard to reach parts and the hose will spray it out...the leaf blower will blow it dry leaving no water marks. Then it will be into the trailer and secure it for the trip.

7 days...a week away

It's super cold this morning. I'm really looking forward to some of that tropical weather.
It looks like it's going to be Plan B for getting to the ship. There's a Dunkin' Donuts close to the port. We're going to trailer the bikes there and unload them. The girls will stay at the Dunkin' Donuts and watch the bikes while Dave and I take the trucks and trailers back to the house and get the car full of the luggage. We'll go back to the Dunlin' Donuts where the girls will take the car to the port and Dave and I will ride the bikes there; a short ride.

I still have a little work to do to the bike. Friday and Saturday might be just warm enough to finish up
without freezing my fingers off. I did bring the saddlebags and side panel inside to clean and wax but there's more. The biggest and hardest job left is to clean and polish the rear wheel. It's really dirty and needs a good polishing. I'd like to try to remove some of the rust from the front rotors too. The dashboard and inside of the fairing needs a good going over too. Then it's time to revisit the engine and transmission to try to finish as much of the hard to reach places as possible. If there's time I hope to get the new horn installed.

8 Days To Go

I'm starting to get nervous. Only eight days to go until the cruise; seven if you consider that we're leaving the night before to stay with David & Annette. The long range weather doesn't look good for riding to the ship. I don't mind the sub-zero wind chills that we would have to endure for the short ride to the port but David doesn't like the thought at all. That and the awful condition of the roads. Today I'll call David and we'll work on plan B.

9 Days To Go...we're into the single digits

I spent almost two hours out in the cold yesterday, cleaning the bike. My fingertips are split from the drying effect of the cleaning compounds. It's definately not coming as clean as I'd like but it will have to do. I guess I've covered about 90% of the bike, except for the saddlebags and a side cover. I brought these inside to clean...where it's warm. One of the few areas left is the rear wheel. It's a real bitch to get at but the rim really, really needs to be cleaned. I hope to get to it today, before the weather turns. We're supposed to get about 8" of snow tomorrow. I watch the weather alot these days, especially the long range forecast. As of rright now, our departure day, Tuesday March 11th, is predicted to be 43 degrees and sunny. What that means it's good enough to ride from the Lissy's house to the ship. If we can ride to the ship we don't have to pay for parking for the trucks and trailers!!! Lately that's the best news I've had. Of course the day before is supposed to be 38 degrees with snow. That means there may be a chance of some black ice and some slop left on the roads to dirty up our nice clean bikes. I'm packing a cleaning kit for shipboard use...some plexus, a damp cloth or two and a few polishing cloths.

13 days...less than two weeks

I'm starting to get that nervous feeling I get before a trip. It's coming up so fast and I'm worried that I won't get everything done that I need to do.
I have quite a list but I can accomplish it if I use my time effectively...even watching little David.
I was looking over some cruise paperwork and I think we're entitled to an on-board credit of  $150. We reserved this cruise while still on the last cruise and we're supposed to get a credit equal to the deposit. It sure would be nice. It would cover the internet use. Internet may seem like a luxury but we need to stay in touch with home and it's the best way.

17 days to go

It's coming up fast. Supposed to be in the upper 50's today so I should be able to complete the remaining projects and go for a ride.
So far today I've installed the heat shields, saddlebag security hardware and discovered that the bike is filthy. I started cleaning a few spots. It didn't really matter where I started as the whole thing needs to be done. I think the part I hate the most is cleaning the alum. wheels. They're tough, you have to keep turning them and after ten years they don't come as clean and stain free as I'd like. There are also lots and lots of tight little spots. I purchased a set of Pimp Stixx to help clean. Today I'm going to start at the front and start moving back.

21 Days To Go...Three Weeks

Only 21 days until the cruise. Three Weeks! It's almost approaching too fast. There's still a bunch of stuff to do to the bike but luckily we're supposed to have a few 'warm' days soon. Today is sunny and about 45 degrees but I need to stay inside to watch little David. Friday is calling for 60 and chance of rain and Saturday partly cloudy and 50...ride days!

30 Days And Counting....It's Approaching Fast

30 Days...it's creeping up fast....basically a month away. Looking at the weather right now I hope we can ride to the ship and don't have to use trailers. I'm good anywhere above 35 degrees as long as it's dry. Wet and cold SUCKS!

There are two scenarios for using the trailers. The first is to trailer the bikes to the port, leave them, go back home with the trailers and return in the car. The second is to park the trailers near the port ($$$).

I still have a bunch of things to do to the bike. I installed the new battery and I have to install the battery maintainer today since we have 10 degree temperatures coming and it would be stupid to freeze a new battery. Update...done!

The two big things that are left are the horn and the heat shields. I expect the horn wiring kit to arrive in the next few days. It shouldn't be too bad a job to complete, if it warms up a little. The heat shields are another story. It has to be at least 50 degrees for the adhesive to stick.

Clothes are going to be an issue. I have to really watch what I eat for the next 30 days...try to lose whatever weight I can. Alot of the clothes that I planned on wearing won't fit. Oink!

40 Days and Counting

It turns out that the Explorer of the Seas had to return to NJ two days early because so many passengers became sick...700+. I don't know if the bikers lost a ride because of it but  I know that I wouldn't be happy if it happened to me.
We're still making preparations for the trip. I brought the suitcases down from the attic, ordered packing cubes, found the travel iron and even purchased a case to hold all of my cables and tech odds and ends. Things are moving forward.

44 Days and Counting - blahhhhhhhh

There was an article this morning on CNN about the ship we'll be taking in March. Apparently there was an outbreak of what officials think was novoviruses on the cruise ship Explorer of the Seas. They're cleaning the ship with disinfectants but this ain't good. It's the second Royal Caribbean ship with this problem in the last month or so. It would really suck getting sick after paying all of that money, especially for the motorcycle cruise.

On a lighter note...the packing cubes I ordered for Barbara arrived yesterday and I ordered the storage case for our 'Radio Shack' items today.

48 Days and Counting - January 22nd, 2014

Day -48

There's almost a foot of snow outside and the temps are down in the single digits. It's hard to think about a Caribbean cruise vacation right now but maybe this is just the right time.

The new battery for the bike is indoors and I just put it on the Battery Tender to keep the charge topped up before I install it in the bike.
Once done, I'll keep the charger on it.

50 Days and Counting - January 20th, 2014

Day -50 Monday January 20^th, 2014

We’re 50 days out from the cruise and preparations are taking place. I’ve pretty much completed my packing list and Barbara has informed me that she has already collected most of the clothes she’s taking. I’m thinking that I might take the two main suitcases down from the attic so that we can start putting stuff in them as we gather it up. I’ve also ordered a set of packing cubes to keep things neat. It may seem a little premature but the 50 days is going to pass quickly.

So far the trip is paid for (on a credit card), the soda package is paid for and by the end of the week the $325 bike fee will be put away. There are still plenty of other expenses associated with this trip. There’s parking at the cruise terminal, the tip for cruise personnel, casino, shopping, internet, our share of the wine package, shore excursions and lunches.

The bike is in the ‘deep freeze’, sitting in the trailer, waiting for 12-16” of snow expected Tuesday night. There’s a handful of things to do there. I have to install the new battery and attach the battery tender. I have new iridium spark plugs and wires to install. I need to install the Dragon Wing vents and saddle heat shields. It has to be at least 50 degrees to install the heat shields. Lastly I need to do a complete, deep cleaning. 

Day 10 - Saturday April 21st, 2012

Day 10 – 04/21/12

Back to Land

We woke up to a heavy fog. I woke at 03:00; I couldn’t sleep. We had pretty much packed everything the night before and put our luggage in the hall by 23:30. We had to be down at the bikes by 07:15 so we met for breakfast at 06:15. After breakfast we met at the usual spot outside of the movie theatre on Deck 2 forward. This time everyone had all of their carry-on luggage. We were going to be waiting for a while so most people found a seat in the theatre.

We were called to move the bikes at around 08:00. They had to be moved off of the boat to a place where customs could run the dogs by them. We walked back to the boat to wait with everyone else. While we were waiting bunches of other passengers kept wandering through our group looking for a way out.

They finally called for us to leave the boat and board a bus to take us to the terminal where the luggage was. It was a very short ride. Our luggage was easy to spot. We shared a porter with Dave and Annette and were at the customs desk in minutes. There we were passed through without delay and were free to go; no hassle at all.

We went and got the car, loaded it up and then went back for the bikes. With everything loaded we headed out through the streets of Bayonne to the turnpike and the rough ride home. 

Day 9 - Friday April 20th, 2012

Day 9– 04/20/12

Sea Day – Barbara’s Birthday

 Today was another late wake-up, no more rides. Sea Days are lazy days. There really wasn’t much to do. We bummed around the ship most of the day or packed.

At 10:15 we met on Deck 2 forward to reposition the bikes. The room where we normally store them was needed for luggage so we moved them back into the hallways. We finished the job in 17 minutes; super crew of guys. Next we met at 11:25 to have a group picture taken with all of the ETA crowd and the senior officers of the ship. We didn’t buy one of these since we won’t see these people again. We did buy a few photos of us.

Dinner was really nice. Everyone bought a bottle of champagne and shared. Walt and Bonnie weren’t there. It was Barbara’s birthday so they put a candle on a little piece of cake and sang happy birthday for her. It was fun.  

Day 8 - Thursday April 19th, 2012

Day 8– 04/19/12

Sea Day

 Today was a late wake-up, no more rides. Sea Days are lazy days. We went to breakfast in the grand dining room instead of the Windjammer, for a change. We weren’t impressed. We then went down to the photo studio to check out the photos we had taken the evening before. They turned out pretty good. The biker garb with the white background made a nice contrast. Next we made our way down to the main showroom for a session of ‘Ask the Captain’. It was a session of Q&A with the ship’s captain and his main officers. It was quite informative. This ship uses one gallon of fuel for every 46 feet it moves.

After the talk we went back to the photo studio to check out the pictures some more. We’re probably going to buy some so we want to be sure. They aren’t cheap. Most are $20. We finished at the photo studio and headed up to the Windjammer for a little lunch. We were all still pretty full from last night’s dinner so lunch was light. The need for a nap hit me like a truck so after lunch I hit the bed while Barb went up to the hot tubs in the Solarium. After I woke up I joined her in the Solarium. It felt great to just lie in the sun with nothing to do. The sun was slowing shifting away and it was cooling a bit so we returned to our room to get ready for the show. It was formal night so we had to dress accordingly.

The show wasn’t bad. It was an almost winner of America’s Got Talent. He sang with two backup singers. His Motown was the best. Next was dinner. Tonight was lobster…how grand. Most everyone was dressed up for the final formal dinner. Annette took pictures of everyone at the table.

We left dinner any went to Studio B for something called the Quest. This was a blast. They divide the crown into teams, 11 in all. Then they pick four captains for each team. The idea is the MC asks for something and each team has to produce it for points. A great example was to show a tattoo on a woman in a provocative place. Funny stuff. When that was over we went to the Chamber for another silent dance party. This time I got the headphones and was dancing in my seat to some awful music. Fun times.

Day 7 - Wednesday April 18th, 2012

Day 7 – 04/18/12

Puerto Rico

Today was our last ride day. It was another early start. We met at the Promenade Café at 06:15 for a quick breakfast then headed down to Deck 1 to get the bikes ready. This is going to be a short day since we have to have the bikes back on board by 12:00. We were off the boat almost as soon as the boat was docked. I was one of the first bikes off for a change so I had to sit the longest. We were greeted by a group of motorcycle officers; the Governor’s special task force. They were to be our escorts for the day. First we had to get fuel. We pulled into the street and next to a truck. In the back was a drum full of gas with a pump. Each bike was refueled and now we were ready to go.

We took off through the streets of San Juan with the police officers blocking the streets and lights for us. This allowed us to get right onto the freeway where they blocked the on ramps and traffic for us. We raced along as a group at over 60 in the 45 zones, zooming around construction zones and just blowing through traffic lights. The police escort really speeds things up. We turned off the main highway and started up the back roads up into the rainforest. The road was full of curves and was mainly a sharp uphill. It was a fun ride with all of the curves. We stopped at the base of a waterfall for some pictures then turned around and headed back to the city of San Juan.

On the way back to San Juan we really opened up, over 70 in some spots, all with a police escort and blocking. We turned off of the main highway and continued along the oceanfront. Here the roads weren’t so great. We had to continually point out pot holes to following bikes. We entered the city, still with the police escort and rode through old San Juan, down the cobblestone roads. Everywhere we went people were taking photos and waving…much like the parade atmosphere of Bermuda.  We parked in the median strip of the road on the waterfront, as directed by the police, and walked around the shopping district for about an hour before it was time to load the bikes back on the ship. We did the nitrogen thing and the inspection thing one last time then loaded the bikes.

After we finished with the bikes we met in the Promenade Café. There we made plans for the afternoon. We went to Johnny Rocket’s for lunch. It’s a 50-60’s diner that serves great milkshakes and burgers. After that it was time for a nap but first we went to the photo studio to check out the latest photos. While in the studio we came up with an idea. At 17:30 we met at the photo studio in our biker garb. They shot the pictures with a plain white background. We’ll get to see the pictures tomorrow. We went back to the room and changed into our ‘evening clothes’ to go to the big show at 19:15.

The show was pretty good. It was a singing and dancing tribute to singing and dancing movies. We left the show and went right to dinner. Tonight it was John and Carrie and Barb and I. We had a really nice dinner. Good food, good people, good conversation. After dinner we went down to the Grand Promenade for the big dance party. It was a lot of fun. The place was packed, the music was loud and people were dancing everywhere. When that ended we went up to the outdoor solarium for an adult dance party. It was too cool and windy up there so we took a short walk then turned in for the evening.

Day 6 - Tuesday April 17th, 2012

Day 6 – 04/17/12

St. Thomas

I woke up at 04:30 and couldn’t go back to sleep. I was excited to go on another island ride, one that was supposed to be the most technical of the rides. It was also an early start day. We were to meet at Deck 2 forward by 06:45. We had breakfast with Dave and Annette at 06:15 then headed downstairs. Everyone worked together to get the bikes ready to go then we sat. We had to wait for clearance from the US Virgin Islands authorities. We waited for almost an hour to be cleared.

Once we were finally cleared we headed over to the gas station for fuel. I hadn’t used much fuel but they filled me up again. We’re not supposed to have more than a quarter tank at the end of the rides. I had been ending with about a half.

We also met up with our escorts, the local motorcycle club and a police officer. The local club members and the officer would be running interference for us all day; blocking intersections and traffic lights.

We headed out, on the left side of the road. We started out pretty flat but that didn’t last long. Soon we were going up and down hills and around corners. St. Thomas is a very hilly, curvy island. There’s also little to no shoulder. Our first stop was a place called Mountaintop; 2500’ above sea level. It was an overlook above Megan’s Bay.

From Mountaintop we dropped down to Megan’s Bay in less than 5 miles. It was a real screamer for the engines and brakes; especially the switchbacks. Megan’s Bay has a beautiful beach where we hung out for about an hour. We left Megan’s Bay and headed up a steep hill. Near the top I went to downshift and the bike hit neutral. I had to stop to restart in first causing the line to slow. Luckily the bike behind me went around or it could have been a real mess.

We rode for awhile, up, up, up, down, down, down, around and around. We finally ended up at our lunch spot, Iggies. It is supposedly a secret hot spot where famous people like Stevie Wonder and Dave Mason have been known to pop up. It had a nice beach so after lunch we pulled up chairs and napped. It was wonderful.

We left Iggies heading for a hill known as Donkey Hill. It was supposed to be a treacherous, super steep hill where we were instructed to use only first gear and high revs. After we all passed the hill and ended up in the port we were all wondering if that was it. It wasn’t that bad. I think everyone was in second for the hill…we were on the little Honda. 

Back in the port we parked the bikes and went shopping. Great deals on watches and booze. Soon enough it was time to get back on board. We rode to the ship, did the nitrogen thing, were inspected by customs and then pushed the bikes back on. Things were complicated by fresh paint in the storage area but we worked around it.

Back in the room we were lying down when we heard all of this cheering and whistling going on outside of the ship. We were pulling out and all of the noise was coming from a neighboring ship where they were cheering our departure. Still not quite sure why.

The evening was pretty sedate. We dressed nicely for dinner so we decided to have our picture taken by the ship’s photographers. We’ll see how they turn out tomorrow. Otherwise it was business as usual…a great meal then off to bed.

Day 5 - Monday April 16th, 2012

Day 5 – 04/16/12

St. Maarten

Here it is, 05:30, and I can’t sleep again. I’m really excited about riding around St. Maarten. Barb and I spent our honeymoon there 27 years ago. I doubt we’ll recognize much although I did look through our old pictures. I went for a walk and found out where everyone is first thing in the morning…they’re walking round the running track.

It’s VERY windy today. It’s supposed to be in the low 80’s. No jackets today.

We didn’t have to meet until 11:30 so we had time for a nice breakfast. After breakfast it was meeting time in the Deck 2 Forward conference area. A couple of people were late…targets for ridicule.  We had the bikes ready to go before the ship was docked. We’re always the first people off of the ship. The regular passengers have to wait for formalities and go through a check-out. We just mount up and disembark. We rode down the gangway into the sunny heat of St. Maarten. We were in a canyon between two large cruise ships and were told to keep the revving down. Those Harley riders love to rev their engines. We met up with the local motorcycle club, the Caribbean Eagles and headed out.

St. Maarten doesn’t look anything like I remember. First off, I don’t remember it being so hilly. It’s also very built up and dirty. We headed over to the gas stop to get our ration of fuel. Since my little Honda uses less fuel than the big bikes I had more fuel left over from the previous ride so they almost filled me up. We left the gas station and went to the Harley Dealership. It’s a Harley thing. You have to visit the local dealerships for shirts, patches, etc. After the dealership it was time to ride. The roads in St. Maarten (Dutch side) and St. Martin (French side) leave a lot to be desired. There are speed bumps everywhere. It is officially the isle of speed bumps.

We rode by the airport and stopped on the road at the end of the runway. The area was full of people. Here’s the deal. Whenever a plane lands it comes in so low you could almost hit it with a baseball. Well one was coming in while we sat there, right over Barb and I. The people wait around to feel the jet blast as the jets pass. At takeoff it’s much stronger. People actually get blown over and pushed around by the jet blast when they take off. Nutty folks.

We continued our ride around the island to the French side. The roads had lots of speed bumps and pot holes and curves which kept our speeds down…and traffic. Lots of traffic, especially in any populated area. We had a lot of trouble keeping the group together. The local motorcycle club ran interference for us by blocking traffic where they could so that we wouldn’t be cut off by cars.

We ended up at Waikiki Beach. It was a nice beach with a restaurant and beach chairs. The weather was crappy…way too windy and mostly cloudy…so we didn’t change into our bathing suits. We had a little lunch and relaxed. It was a nice break. The road into Waikiki had two big speed bumps at the entrance. Even I bottomed out on the way out. (My bike has a little more clearance that the big Harleys). Someone even had their guardian bell knocked off. Bad karma.

The road back to the Dutch side was more of the same…curves, potholes and speed bumps. We ended up on the waterfront street called the Boardwalk. We parked the bikes for about 1 ½ hours and walked around the shopping district. The girls found a chocolate shop, hit up a jewelry store and I got my customary Hard Rock Café pin.

We moved on to the cruise ship dock for a little duty free shopping. The girls went ahead and boarded the ship while we waited around for the time to load the bikes. We moved the bikes back onto the dock where security inspected our bikes and Steve did the nitrogen thing to our fuel tanks again. We loaded the bikes and had them chocked in 12 minutes. That’s what we were told. I think it took a little longer.

It was back to the cabin for a shower then off to a casual dinner in the dining room. Our assistant waiter was super attentive since Dave had said something to the head waiter the meal before. I was given my diet cokes before asking and coffee came as soon as I started falling asleep right at the table. It was a long day and everyone turned in as soon as the meal was over.

Day 4 - Sunday April 15th, 2012

Day 4 – 04/15/12

Second Sea Day

Today we slept in a bit. I’m starting to acclimate to the new times but we’ll be turning the clocks back again tonight so that’ll screw me up a bit. I went for a walk to take a few pics while most of the boat was still asleep. The place is empty at 06:30.

We met Dave and Annette in the Windjammer for breakfast at 09:00. That ran until about 10:30. It’s great when you don’t have anywhere to be. After breakfast we changed into our swimsuits and headed for the hot tub. It was crowded and deck chairs were hard to find. On a sea day everyone has the same idea. We found four chairs on an upper, upper deck and put our stuff on them. We went into the hot tub for a while then returned to the chairs. It was getting cloudy which made it cool for lying out so we gave up and returned to our rooms. More relaxing and hanging out.

Next it was lunch before the big Ice Show. Yes, there’s a skating rink on the ship. It’s not huge but it’s big enough for an ice show. The show was actually pretty good. It was called the Seasons on the Explorer of the Seas. After the show it was off to the casino to lose a few more dollars to the machines.

Dinner was at Portofinos. It’s the high end restaurant on board. It costs an extra $20 and is by reservation only. The whole ETA group decided to go, 52 of us, so it made for a fun evening. Great food, great conversation, great evening. The Captain and his staff also attended.

We ended up in the Chamber where they were having the silent dance party. Everyone gets a pair of wireless headphones that can be switched to either of two DJ’s playing different music. It’s really funky. Everyone is dancing, quietly. That is until they start singing. Before long Barb and Annette were singing aloud, along with a lot of other folks. So much for the silent part.  I fell asleep in the chairs so we decided it was time to call it a night.

Day 3 - Saturday April 14th, 2012

Day 3 – 4/14/12

First Day of Riding

We started the day at 06:15 with a wake-up call. I went outside on the balcony to find that it was mostly cloudy, windy and still a bit cool. Not a good first impression of the day. Barb and I got ready to go and headed down to the Promenade café for a quick breakfast with Dave and Annette. We met them along with Steve, the tour leader, and had a little bit to eat and coffee. Not enough coffee for me but it would have to do. The ship runs by the clock we had had places to be and things to do…on time. We met up with everyone down on Deck 2 where we said goodbye to the girls, for now. The bike operators all headed down to Deck 1 to get our bikes.

First we un-chocked them from their stands then we had to wait for customs to come through and inspect our saddlebags. I guess they didn’t want us taking anything funny onto the island.  When we were cleared by customs we pushed the bikes down half the length of the boat to the gangway exit. Finally, off of the boat and on the dock. On the dock the Bermudian inspectors checked names and license plates then did a safety check “brakes…ok”. While this was going on the girls came down and met us. Now it was time to go! We all loaded up, hopped on our bikes and headed out. We went about a mile to another parking lot where we met up with the local cycle club…The Bermuda Long Riders. They were joining us for the day’s ride. They’re only allowed to have bikes up to 250cc so it was interesting to see what they were riding. In the parking lot we received ride instructions from the police and ride leaders. We would have a police escort and blocking wherever we went.

We departed from the parking lot to head over to the fuel station where we each took on 8 litres of gas. This would be more than enough for the day’s ride. Now we were finally ready to go riding. We took off on our first leg and headed out. Driving in Bermuda is a trip. Traffic drives on the left and they have a lot of circles. This is also the first time this group has ridden together. The roads are tight and curvy and there was a lot of traffic for a little island but traffic was of little concern to us. With the police escort we didn’t have to stop for lights or intersections.

Bermuda is a beautiful island. Everything is so clean. The water is clear and blue and the houses are painted all shades of pastel colors. The thing that was most striking was how friendly the people were. Everywhere we went the people would line the streets waving and cheering as we went by. It was like being in a parade. The bikes were beeping their horns and the riders were waving back. This went on all day, everywhere we went.

Our first stop was at one of the lighthouses. There are two on the island. The ride up was nerve wracking because the bikes all came to a stop on the steep uphill. I hate stopping on steep uphills. I guess I should consider it practice for the upcoming islands; especially St. Thomas. The view from the lighthouse was great. We didn’t go up because of the cost and time but from the base we could see most of the island. We left the lighthouse and headed out to our next stop which was a little beach. It was a little slice of clean sand cut into the rocky shoreline. We were met by some of the Long Riders who brought us some wonderful homemade gingerbread cake. What a nice gesture. We only stayed here for a short time since it was too cold to even go wading.

We rode on to the town of St. George. It’s at the opposite end of Bermuda from where the boat was. It’s a nice little town. Again, everyone was out waving and shouting. Cars were beeping their horns too and no one seemed to mind that traffic was being held up for us. In St. George we parked the bikes and walked around for a while. We found a café where we were able to get some hot coffee and a hot mocha for Barb. We returned to the bikes where the Mayor of St. George presented our group with a certificate of recognition. I’m still not sure what for. Then it was on to the main event… a skit put on by the town where there is a woman that had been found guilty of being a ‘gossip and nag’. Punishment is dunking in the harbor. She puts up a fight but in the end is dunked quite a few times until she repents. The crowd loved it.

We left St. George and rode a short distance to a ‘club’ near Clearwater Beach. We could see the other lighthouse from here. Here we stopped for a lunch buffet put on by the Long Riders. It was a nice spread of BBQ, fish, etc. It was cold in the shade so after we ate we went out and sat in the sun, out of the wind, where Barb got a bit of a sunburn. The sun is hot when it’s out here. It was a nice, relaxing time.

After lunch we got back on the bikes and headed back to the boat, without stopping. Again, it was like a parade. We’ve been told not to expect the same reception on the other islands, especially St. Maarten. The ride back was great. The group was riding well together, everyone was used to the roads and we were moving a bit faster. Most of the riding was 25-35mph…2^nd gear, 3^rd gear, 2^nd gear….

When we returned to the ship there was a loooong line of people waiting to re-board. We went around them and stopped the bikes. Here our riders (passengers) left and were allowed to re-board at the front of the line! The bike operators had to do the nitrogen gas in the fuel tank thing and then be inspected by customs again. Once that was done it was back on the boat…up the gangway, shut off the engines and push to the storage area. This also got us on board ahead of the long line. After the bikes were safely chocked a bunch of us met in the ‘Café Promenade’ for much needed hydration. The wind really sucked the moisture out of you and we didn’t have water at most of the stops except for those of us that brought water.

We returned to our cabin to get ready for the evening’s show and dinner. It was casual so a quick shower then hop into a change of clothes. We had a little time before the show so we went to the casino to let the penny slots suck away some of our money. The show wasn’t too bad. I’m not even sure who we saw. It was the guy that sang the ‘Happy Days’ show theme song. He sure did work hard. We left before the encore to go to dinner.

On the way to dinner we stopped to check out the photos that had been taken of us. There weren’t any that we really liked so we passed on buying any and went to dinner.  Dinner was nice, as always. I had a delicious salmon steak. I really need to skip the desserts though.

After dinner the four of us went to Studio B to check out the 50’s-60’s dance party that ended quickly then we went to a few of the bars to check out the action. The only place that was hopping was The Chamber’, a two story dance club. The music was loud and pulsating. Great club for dancing, not for talking. We ended the evening sitting outside the Schooner Bar.

Day 2 - Friday April 13th, 2012

Day 2 –04/13/12

First full day at sea

I woke up about 07:00 and couldn’t get back to sleep. You can’t even tell we’re on a ship except for the very small vibration that is ever present. I’m used to being a lot closer to the water when I’m on the Conch Pearl. I go out on the balcony here and I’m four stories above the water. It’s still quite cool outside but I’m going with shorts anyway. We won’t be outside unless we head to the hot tubs.

We had breakfast with Dave and Annette at 09:00 in the Windjammer Café. We weren’t sure if they would make it. We moved the clocks ahead one hour so that’s one less hour of sleep. It was a long, relaxing breakfast. Again, food, food, food.

After breakfast we went down to meet with the ETA folks to pay for our lunches on the island rides. On the way back we stopped for coffee in the Promenade Café then headed outside for a look at the ship’s bridge. There are observation windows that look down into the bridge area, giving you a bird’s eye view of all of the controls. It’s quite a streamlined operation; very automated, very electronic. We continued walking around the decks, visited the sky bar then around to the back of the ship. Here there is a rock wall, basketball courts, in-line skate track and a miniature golf course. We stayed around and played nine holes of golf. When we finished with the golf we continued on to the Nineteenth Hole bar then up to check out the chapel. It’s in the highest part of the ship.

Since this was a sea day there wasn’t much going on. Everyone was relaxing. It was a bit cool to do the pool thing so Barb and I went to the movies in the afternoon. We saw Zookeeper. Actually Barb saw Zookeeper…I slept. No surprise there. After the movie we went back to the room to get ready for the ‘formal’ dinner. We got a little dressed up and met with Dave and Annette.

They had photographers everywhere with backrounds set up for professional shoots. We had our pictures taken a few times. Then it was off to dinner. There were a lot of tuxedos and I felt akward in just a jacket and tie but it was nice dressing up. Dinner was fantastic as always. After dinner there was a big production show but there was no way we were going to stay up for that so we returned to our cabin where neither of of us really remembers going to bed.

Day 1 - Thursday April 12th, 2012

Day  1 – 04/12/12

Departure Day

It’s 5:30am and I can’t sleep. I’m very excited about the trip. There are still a few things to take care of before we go…luggage issues but they’re just a few minor details of rearrangement. We went out to dinner last night, Chinese, and discussed a lot of what to expect on the trip. It included a demonstration of risqué napkin folding by Dave.

Later…we left about 09:00. The drive to the port was cold. Thinking about a Caribbean Cruise we forgot about the NJ Spring. The drive didn’t take too long. Dave likes to get out and go on his Harley. We arrived at the cruise port and were flagged into a lot with the other bikes. The luggage was dropped off and the car was parked. The girls joined us for a while, standing out in the cold wind until they smartened up and headed into the cruise port building where we would be checking in later. Dave and I stayed with the bikes to go through pre-boarding and boarding. First we waited for all of the bikes to arrive. Steve, the group leader, wants everything to be punctual. Everything on the ship runs by the clock and the bike operations were no exception. As I like to say “early is on time, on time is late”. Once all of the bikes had arrived we moved over next to the ship. Here the Customs Service ran a drug sniffing dog past all of the bikes. Everybody cleared customs, although there were a few nervous looks from some of the bikers. Next it was time to get the bikes on board. First Steve went around and squirted nitrogen gas into gas tanks to stabilize the gas fumes. One at a time the bikes rode up the gangway and shut off their engines at the top where they coasted forward. Now we took turns pushing each other down the hallway to a temporary parking spot for the bikes. Here they will sit until 17:00 when we will return to move them to their permanent locations.

Now it was time for us to board and check-in. The process was fairly painless and went quickly. Something like boarding an airplane but less stressful. After we checked-in a bus took us to the boat where we boarded and headed for the Windjammer Café; where everyone else that just boarded the boat was going. We met up with Dave and Annette, found a table and had a great lunch. I can tell that food is going to be a problem…not quality but quantity…I’m going to eat way too much!

We finished lunch at about 13:30 and the room was ready. Our luggage had not arrived so we went for a walk about the ship for a quick look-see. It was too cold to spend any time outside but the pool area looks great. There were two brave young girls in one of the hot tubs but everyone else was walking around in jackets. The inside areas are really nice. The casino looks a little small for the number of people on board but then again, they’ll probably be filling the numerous bars on the ship. There is an area called the Promenade where there are a bunch of small shops that look rather expensive. When we returned to the room our luggage had been delivered. We unpacked everything and managed to stow it all somewhere. We really brought too many clothes.

At 17:00 I went down to the bike operators meeting in the Deck 2 Forward Conference Room. Here we went through an information Q&A session and then moved down to Deck 1 to secure the bikes. This is a fun bunch of guys that work well together so far. I’m the only operator with a metric so of course there was a joke about Honda’s being so quiet. Not too mean. It could get worse. I’m alone in a land of Harleys…someday. After the bikes were secured I went back to the room to get ready for the evening.

At 19:00 we went to the ETA welcome reception. Open bar and more good natured ribbing amongst the bikers. Next it was off to dinner. We’re seated at 20:30; late for me but I’m adjusting. More great food and service. We were seated with Dave & Annette, John and Carrie (and JJ) and Walter and his wife. Dinner went on for a long time by the time we had dessert. It was great relaxing and talking with adults. The dining room was getting empty so we moved on to the casino to check things out. Blackjack was $10 a hand so I passed for now and moved on to the $.02 slots, more my speed. I popped in $5.00, ran it up to $12 and finally ended with $.11. That was enough for me. Time for bed.

Bikes At Sea...a travel blog

'Bikes At Sea' is a blog about our travels with our motorcycles on cruise ships. These specialty cruises are arranged by ETA Cruises, www.cruise-eta.com, and are aboard Royal Caribbean's Explorer of the Seas.

Explorer of the Seas

It all started when we found out about the cruises from Barbara's Cousin David and his wife Annette. They are our riding and cruise partners. They're on a beautiful purple Electra Glide Ultra Classic. They've done 8 or 9 of these cruises.

David and Annette Lissy

We did our first motorcycle cruise April 12th - 21st, 2012. At that time our bike was a Honda Shadow Aero 750. At first we had reservations because we knew most if not all of the other bikes on the cruise would be Harley-Davidsons.

Our Honda Shadow Aero 750

It turns out it didn't really matter that we were on a Honda and the 750 did just fine 'two-up' on all the hills.  

Our next motorcycle cruise is scheduled for March 11th - 21st, 2014 aboard the same ship. This time we'll be on our Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Classic.

Our Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Classic

We should fit in much better with the big bike. We're really looking forward to doing the rides on this bike...especially Barbara as she will be much more comfortable back on her 'throne' instead of the little seat on the Honda. 

Following are the blog entries from our first cruise. They're also posted, with pictures, on my blog 'Two Wheels Down'.