One Spring Break, My sister and I rode down to the Bahamas with the Milton Brickhouse family. Mom paid for my sister and I to go. I think it was about $500.00 each, so yes 'Our Mom is more awesome than yours!" LOL.
The Brickhouse family met at my house. They had the camper and Lee (I was dating him) drove his car down. The plan was to spend 4 days and 3 nights on the cruise and then Karen and Milton Brickhouse and daughter Lisa (sweetheart), would come back home. We would drive across Alligator Alley to the West Coast of Florida and go to see college friends.
The people going:
*Milton & Karen Brickhouse
*Lee Brickhouse
*Lisa Brickhouse
*Charlotte Varnell
*Paula Varnell
*Mary Jo Murrill
*Traci Stong
We started down to Florida and Mary Jo had pulled out the tomato juice for bloody Mary's before we got 2 miles down West Mount Drive (headed for I-95). Mary Jo is one of my friends from Canton Station. We worked together for years. Tracy Stong also worked at Canton Station. We had been hanging out for a while. Mary Jo has the best sense of humor. She had a fan (a picture on a paddle like used in olden days), and on the fan was the words "IT BE HOT". Very southern. LOL
Both Lee and Milton Brickhouse drove all night and we arrived at Miami very early in the morning. I had transferred over to the camper at some point and Lee woke me up, laughing at me...as my face was against the window and I'm sure my big mouth was open - snoring. After I got over that, we got out and started gathering up our luggage to board the ship. We'd brushed our hair, but after driving all night, we were less than fresh. I laugh now to think about all those people getting boarding the ship...with their finest shorts outfits, and their matching luggage, just strolling up the ramp. We walked up looking like a hot mess. LOL.
SS Emerald Seas - The Ship
Ship Logistics:
Milton, Lee, Lisa and Karen were staying in a room a hall above us. We four girls had a room downstairs. We weren't under water, as our room had a small round window, but it was kind of high up, so there was no view. There were 4 beds in the room. 1 of the beds was a pullout from the wall with a ladder. Guess who took that one. I called shotgun on the top bunk bed. My sister was in the lower bunk. Tracey in the 'middle' bed and 'Mary Jo' near the window. In the picture below, I'm not really drinking the bourbon. The top is on. It was a fun picture to take.
Our Room:
Charlotte still tired:
One of the first things Paula and I did was put our clothes in the small closet. Then we dropped our shoes on the closet floor. I think Paula and I carried 20 pairs of shoes between the two of us. Really? One whole suit case of shoes. LOL.
You had to buy the alcohol there on the ship, but we managed to carry some flasks. That way we were able to get our drink on cheaply.
The first day/night there we were traveling to Nassau. We went out and hung around, checked out the ship. There was a casino. There was a duty free shop where you could buy stuff without paying taxes. It was fun. Main thing was eating dinner. I think we had the 8pm dinner. At midnight, there was a buffet of everything that was left from the 1st and 2nd sitting. LOL. I made it there once (midnight) and ate like 3 olives. That was all I had room for. When we started drinking, we had to remember , we had to remember to step up to go from compartment to compartment. I do remember walking down the stairs outside with nothing but the rail between me and the blackness of the ocean. I was kind of freaked out by the time I got downstairs.
Did we sleep through the drill??
We had heard the warning on the 1st afternoon there, that there would be a lifeboat walk through on the next morning. We could hear the speaker in the hallway and it sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher. (wuh wuh wuh wuh wuh wuh). HA HA. We must have collectively decided to sleep in. Tracy was spazed out and was running around saying "Come on guys, we've got to go to the Lifeboat practice", "Wake Up"... Let's go. Finally with a huff, she stomped to the door and said "Well I'm going if you're not!", opened the door....and i lie not, the person on the speaker said "Thank you for participating in the LifeBoat Safety practice". I had to get up and go to the bathroom, I was laughing so hard I thought I'd pee my pants" (not really). It was hilarious. We were all awake then.
Taking a shower was a trip. The ship leaned to the side and while washing my hair, I found that the entire top of my body would be leaning out of the shower by the motion of the ship. LOL
I had a picture made of me sitting on my bed (it's where I sat, not a lot of room to sit other than the beds in our room)
Charlotte on the top bunk:
Traci and her music:
Paula, Lisa, Mary Jo
Bed Spins (nah)
Nassau.
Paradise Island:
Formerly called Hog Island, the tourist hub of Paradise Island is home to the massive Atlantis resort as well as numerous other hotels, private homes, and a golf course. This long cay, running parallel to the northern edge of New Providence Island, is connected to the mainland by two bridges and forms the harbor at Nassau. Hog Island Lighthouse, at the western tip of the island, was constructed in 1817 and marks the entrance to the harbor. Besides the waterpark at Atlantis, prime attractions here include Marina Village, with its shops, restaurants, and mega yachts, and the considerably more peaceful Versailles Gardens and French Cloister, extending from the exclusive One&Only Ocean Club resort. Entrance to the gardens is free.
Port George Wharf
Breakfast on the Deck:
We met and ate breakfast on the deck - it was free/part of the cost of the trip. All food was part of the cruise cost as long as you ate on the ship.
Sunning on the deck:
We went out to the deck when we arrived at Nassau. I was good for a few rays of sun, but I'm more of a tacky tourist person. I like to go do the fun things instead of just lying around. I gave it my best, but shortly afterwards, I was ready to go.
Mary Jo and the beer guy
Paula
Playing games - don't know the guy
Lee and I left to go do the 'tourist thing' leaving Mary Jo, Traci and Paula on board to lie on the deck soaking up the sun and drinking beer. We went out to the deck and visited with them for a while.
As we walked off the ship at port, there were a ton of kids standing there selling cheap necklaces made out of coffee beans or something like that. I paid 2 dollars for one and I'm pretty sure others paid a quarter or fifty cent for theirs.
Lee and I walked through the residential area headed toward the tower at Fort Charlotte. Some guy yelled out to us from his house. Lee yelled back - "No We don't need anything".....I looked at Lee and said WHAT did he say? He said "He wanted to sell us drugs". I was like...OH CRAP! We didn't do drugs and I don't want anyone selling me any. We went somewhere else together and the exact same thing happened. We look less like druggies than anyone I know.
Fort Charlotte, Nassau, Bahamas
Located on a hill overlooking the far west end of Nassau’s harbor, Fort Charlotte is a British-colonial era fort that was constructed in the late 18th century. Built in 1788 by British colonial governor Lord Dunmore after the American Revolutionary War, the fort was named after King George III’s wife, Queen Sahara Charlotte, but it never played a role in battle. Spanning 100 acres, the fort features a moat, myriad underground passageways, tunnels, and dungeons, and 42 unfired cannons.
Visitors to the fort can enjoy guided tours led by expert historians who will share the history of the fort and the role it has played in Nassau since its construction. Staff in period costumes display basket weaving techniques and are on hand to answer any questions, and there is a cannon-firing ceremony every day at noon.
When we finally made it to Fort Charlotte, got there we went up this rickety elevator and as it opened up there was a young boy who was there and he spit out this speech about the history of Fort Charlotte...in his charming Caribbean accent. As he finished, he said 'This is a recording". Of course, he was expecting a tip. We paid it.
View of the Cruise Ships in the harbor near Paradise Island - from Fort Charlotte:
Lee and I then walked back around the island and we walked through this natural area, off the beaten path, and I'll never forget it. As we walked through, a million geckos were disturbed that we were there, and took off running. We then picked up our pace.
The Queen's Staircase
Commonly referred to as the 66 steps, is a major landmark that is located in the Fort Fincastle Historic Complex in Nassau. It was hewn out of solid limestone rock by slaves between 1793 and 1794 and it is said that it provided a direct route from Fort Fincastle to Nassau City. These steps were later named in honor of Queen Victoria, who reigned in Britain for 64 years from 1837 to 1901.
There are only 65 steps visible because the pathway that leads to the steps was paved and the bottom step is buried under the asphalt. Great photo opportunity.
National Straw Market
After the decline of the sponging industry in the mid 1940s, Bahamian women began braiding and weaving the leaves of palm trees and sisal plants into baskets and fishing traps as a way to boost their income. Today this tradition continues at the Straw Market in Nassau. Shoppers can buy woven items such as hats, mats, and baskets, as well as fine wooden carvings, colorful fabrics, and many other souvenirs. The historic market building was destroyed by fire in September 2001, but the market continues
Free admission - open every day.
The expectation is for the vendors and customers to barter for everything being sold on the streets. bought a hat from one of the vendors, but when she first threw out the price, I was put off and started to walk away. She explained to me that I was to barter with her. I never liked that. I'm too American I guess. Reminds me of buying a car.... Something I hate to do. I ended up buying a straw hat. I also bought a conch shell. I wish I'd had money to buy paintings, as the paintings are all the beautiful colors of the Caribbean ocean.
By this time, we decided to go back to the ship and see if the rest of the young folks wanted to go to the island. They were ready to go. As we disembarked, there were some more street urchins selling the necklaces. It was then I realized they would have taken a dime for the necklaces. LOL. Tacky little necklaces and I paid 2 dollars for them. We went down with very limited funds and I had my credit card. So, I didn't spend much.
We went back through the Queens stairs and to the Straw Market. Then we went through the downtown area.
Downtown Nassau
Government House
Built in 1801 and renovated after the 1929 hurricane, this magnificent conch-pink mansion on top of Mount Fitzwilliam is the official residence of the Governor General of the Bahamas. Constructed of stone and supported by ionic columns, the structure is an impressive example of Georgian Colonial architecture. A statue of Christopher Columbus, dating from 1830, stands at the entrance. Today, visitors can stroll around the complex and enjoy beautiful views of the bay and Paradise Island. Children will enjoy watching the changing of the guard ceremony, which takes place at Government House twice a month.
Address: Duke St, Nassau
National Art Gallery of the Bahamas
Housed in the lovingly restored Villa Doyle, a large historic Neoclassical mansion, the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas is the most important art institution in the country. The oldest section, looking toward the harbor to the north, was built in the 1860s by William Henry Doyle, Chief Justice of the Bahamas. The southern wing was added in the 1920s by Sir Walter K. Moore. The impressive collection includes paintings, sculpture, ceramics, photography, and textiles from Bahamian artists, spanning the early 20th century to the present day.
Address: Villa Doyle, West and West Hill Street, Nassau
Official site: www.nagb.org.bs
Posing at a beautiful house/balcony
Left to Right: Lee, Lisa, Paula, Traci, Charlotte
Here's my Sign....
Lee...waiting on me....again
Which way do we go?
So this is the dining room:
L to R: Charlotte, Lee, Paula, Traci, Lisa, Karen, Milton, Mary Jo
Mary Jo, Paula and Lisa
Victor, Traci, and Jesus
These guys were super. Victor was our Scandinavian handsome professional server. He took orders of food. It was delivered by Victor and Jesus. I'm not sure what Jesus title was, but he would bring out food and refill drinks etc. He didn't talk much.
Story #1 - Jesus would fill our drinks, he would say bloop bloop bloop bloop, (pouring sounds) under his breath. It was hilarious. He reminded me of Peter Sellers in the pink Panther films. LOL
Story #2 - Mary Jo was asked to taste the wine before Jesus could pour a glass. She said 'Ugh" and with great exaggeration swirled the wine in her glass, tasted it, rolled her eyes and approved the wine. Mary Jo is very much from the south and has a great drawl when talking. Very slow and deliberate. When asked what she wanted as a side she said 'Greeen Beaaan ALl-man-deeeeeeen.
Story #3 - We would eat dinner and then come back to the midnight buffet.
Story #4 - I gained 10 pounds during that that trip. I could only eat 3 olives when we came back that 1st night. After eating at 8pm, I was stuffed. We would eat and then push ourselves away from the table and say I can't do anything else.
Story #5 - Breakfast the last day - I was late getting to the dining room. We'd gone to look at all the professional pictures taken on the ship and I was the last one (of our group) to leave. I paid for my pictures and met up with our group at the dining area. When Victor asked what I wanted, I stated boiled eggs and toast. I spoke too softly and he asked twice. I ended up with poached eggs on toast. the poached eggs looked like balls, so we called it scrotum eggs on toast. BAHAHAHAHA.
The Captains Dance:
Paula and Charlotte:
Milton, Karen, Lisa, Lee
Charlotte and Lee
Little Stirrup Cay.
This was a private island where we were able to spend the day (with our flasks), catching some rays, laying in the hammocks. We girls and Lee were there all day.
Things that happened:
>We forgot to get snorkels, so we weren't able to snorkel, but I did go into the Ocean and hang out. I didn't like a lot of that as there was a ton of vegetation in the ocean that you couldn't see, and Lord knows what was down there. When I go back, I will wear shower shoes or something like that.
*Traci stepped on a sea urchin and had like 25 spines stuck in her foot. She was a baby the rest of the trip. She wouldn't let anyone touch the spines and just wore a sock and put her weight on her other foot.
*Traci (before stepping on the sea urchin (or sea urpin as we called it), was taking pictures with her very nice camera (film - before digital). She even got a picture of Victor or Dinner Server in his speedo. WOW! He was a big boy. That's all I'm going to say about that. I took a picture of Victor and a friend from behind Traci - and she's in the picture. When she got back to the room; she found out she'd taken pictures all day long with no film in the camera.
Charlotte the Photographer - I miss that camera (flooded during Floyd)
The bar is open
Hammocks and Beach
*there's a great picture of Lee and me on the hammock. What one doesn't see is how we struggled to not throw ME out of the hammock. Lee is 6 foot 4 inches tall and I'm 5 foot 6. We made it until 1985, and then broke up. I love his family today just as I loved them then. A 2nd set of parents. I have a 3rd with the Beck family. Milton passed away in 2015. Miss him
Leaving the Ship
Charlotte as 'Tacky Tourist"
Leaving the ship was a blast (not). we stood in line for what seemed like hours with our belongings in hand. Traci managed to take pillows from the ship. I wasn't that brave. It probably worked out for her so she had pillows to use for sleeping in the car. Lee's parents and Lisa, left to go back home.
Florida, Alligator Alley, New Port Richey and the ride home
Lee, Mary Jo, Paula, Traci and I left to go visit Chuck, a friend from NC Wesleyan College. He lived in New Port Richey, Fla. To get there, we had to go across Alligator Alley. No restrooms, just a road across the bottom of Florida. Getting out of the car is not advised. I went to the rest room (which is highly advertised as last relief for next 3 hours), and managed to bring out a roll of toilet paper. It's good I did. Mary Jo and I made it about an hour before we had to go. We stopped on the side of the road and Mary Jo and I went to find a suitable place (not visible from car, but not completely out in the wilderness...who were we kidding?). I managed to find the only place in that field that had a rock on it and Mary Jo was laughing and said "Day-um, how did you find the only rock to pee on?"
We got back into the car, no panthers, no alligators thank GOD! Another hour later, and Lee had to stop. He ran around behind a bush and in a few minutes, Mary Jo yells out the window..."OH MY GOD, Would you look at the size of that thing". We all die laughing.... And, Lee comes out from behind the bushes....with a broken wheelbarrow that had no wheels. I thought we would split a gut laughing. How random to find a wheelbarrow on the side of the road there. We managed to make the last hour without having to stop again.
We drove for hours on Florida's west coast. Each time we stopped, Lee's car was having issues. We'd have to push start it. Me and another person in the car would push the car and Lee would pop the clutch. Once he forgot to take the car out of gear or something. I thought we'd die before we'd get that car started.
At one point, we stopped at a store and Mary Jo was trying to get the store clerk to understand what she wanted. He refused. I walked outside and go in the car. She came out fussing about this guy and he came out of the store... 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I understand, I can help you". She had been talking smack about this guy, and he caught her.
By the time we got to Chuck's house, we were all filthy and stinky. I was so ready to go the extra 30 minutes to get to the hotel where we were meeting with Becky...so we could all get cleaned up. I'm walking around Chuck's house and waiting for the visit, when Lee comes out clean from a shower. He couldn't wait for us. I'd been drinking and got upset. So, by the time we got in the car, Lee knew I was upset. I was crying (stupid girl)
When we got to the hotel, I showed Becky our cruise pictures. Then I took my drunk self out to the hotel pool and jumped in (in my bathing suit). When I got under I realized just how drunk I was. Lee came out for me. I got out and apologized and went inside to wait my turn for a shower.
The next day we spent some more time with Chuck and Becky. That night we all went out to eat. Unfortunately some of us had no money left. I used my credit card and bought for us all. I think we bought a lot of appetizers. We went back to the hotel and stayed there another night and started home the next day.
We started back home on Sunday. this is back in the day when there were no ATMS or places to slide your credit card. It was carbon copy charge slips. Nothing was open on Sunday's where I could use a credit card. We had enough gas and a box of dry cereal in the back seat. We stopped at a rest stop in North Carolina and I called mom and asked her to start cooking, that we were broke and starving. We had our last few dollars and pooled them together to buy some chips. There was a blind man who was managing the vending machines at this rest stop. When I asked for change, he asked what denomination I had. It was the hardest thing to tell the truth, but I did. I got 1 dollar for change and bought some chips. Lee found a bag of chips left on top of one of the machines. That was ok. I ate chips and dry cereal. Mom cooked country style steak, collards, potatoes, and all kinds of good stuff. It was more delicious than anything at the cruise or anywhere else.
My Mom is and always has been the best!!!
************************************************************************************************
History of SS Emerald Seas
Copied/Pasted from http://nickscruisecorner.blogspot.com/2012/02/emerald-seas-another-on-of-my-favorite.html
The Emerald Seas - Another of My Favorites
One of my favorite ships of all time is Eastern Steamship Lines (Later Admiral Cruises) S/S Emerald Seas.
Originally built as the troop transport, General W.P. Richardson she was launched on August 6th 1944. She was constructed by Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co, in Kearny, New Jersey.
After serving as a troop transport she was Laid up in March 1948.
Eventually she was chartered by American Export Lines from the US government. The ship was refitted at Ingalls shipyard, Pascagoula, Mississippi at a cost of $5 million. She was renamed LaGuardia and sailed on her maiden voyage on May 27, 1949, from New York to the Mediterranean. She continued sailing from New York the Mediterranean until 1951.
In December 1951, the LaGuardia was returned to the government and laid up in the James River Reserve Fleet.
In 1955 she was sold to the Hawaiian Steam Ship Company, Textron Inc, The LaGuardia received another refit and was renamed Leilani for California to Hawaii Service. Her maiden voyage was from San Francisco to Honolulu on February 5, 1957, and she sailed this route for two years.
The ship was laid up again and eventually taken over by the government.
The Leilani was purchased by American President Lines on July 25, 1960. The ship was sent to Puget Sound Drydock in Seattle for an $8 million refit
Emerging as the President Roosevelt, she sailed from Seattle to San Francisco May 10, 1962, and then from San Francisco to Los Angeles to Yokohama, Japan on May 11, 1962.
After 8 years of sailing for American President Lines, the President Roosevelt was sold to Chandris in 1970 for $1.8 million dollars. The ship underwent a refitted at Perama, Greece for $8.5 million dollars. The entire refit was managed by Chandris' in house refitting team. In June of 1971 the President Roosevelt emerged as the sleek and modern Atlantis. She was immediately deployed to weekly service between New York and Nassau - competing with Home Line's Oceanic on this popular route.
In October 1972 the Atlantis was sold to Eastern Steamship Lines and renamed the Emerald Seas. The ship was very popular on the 3 and 4 day cruise circuit from Miami to the Bahamas. Her fuel hungry engines were somewhat economical on the short cruises which kept her tied to the pier most of the time. Her last cruise as the SS Emerald Seas left Port Everglades on 20th February 1992.
In 1992 the Emerald Seas was purchased by Festival Cruises, sailing between Egypt and Israel as the Sapphire Seas. She was later laid up at Piraeus in October 1994.
She was later sold to Majesty International Cruises of Greece in 1998 and was renamed Ocean Explorer I. She was used as a hotel ship and later found a charter in May 2000, with The World Cruise Company of Canada. She was taken out on service in the middle of one of her world cruises and laid up at Eleusis, Greece on March 25 2000. Again her fuel hungry engines made her un-economical on the long cruises and many days at sea experienced during world cruises.
Sold to Indian breakers in July 2004, the Ocean Explorer I, she left Greece under tow in late November. The Emerald Seas was driven up on the beaches of Alang India on December 11, 2004 for scrapping to commence.
Posted by Cruise-Guru at 12:01 AM Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
Labels: Eastern Steamship Lines, Emerald Seas, Ocean Explorer 1
No comments:
Post a Comment