Today we boarded the Holland America's "Statendam" for our 15 day Panama Canal cruise. We departed from Fort Lauderdale at 4 PM with beautiful weather. We had the evening to explore the ship and settle in for the next couple of weeks. The Statendam had 1200 passengers.

We moved onto Hobe Sound Florida to visit Steve and Donna for a couple of days. It allowed us to have a great visit and explore southeast Florida. Checked out the beach here and the local restaurants and shops.

We began our winter get away visiting Randy's sister and brother in law in Florida. We enjoyed a week at their beautiful home. They have lots of activities available in their 55+community. We enjoyed a wonderful concert at their club house. Our niece and her family visited at the same time so had lots of fun with a trip to the zoo for zip lining for the kids.

We spent the last day at sea returning to our port. It was a fun day with lots of activities on the boat. There was a very fun evening in the Promenade with our crazy cruise director leading the entertainers with a back to the 60's show. Lots of energy and everyone was into the music and had a great time. So today we're back to Florida and Jo and Barry welcomed us back to their home. It was a fun cruise and now we know what cruising is all about!!

Today we left on our 1st cruise on Freedom Of The Seas for the Western Caribbean. The ship is currently the 4th largest cruise ship with a capacity of 4375 passengers and 1360 crew. 1112 ft long and 185 ft wide. Built in Finland in 2006. We were truly in awe of the size and beauty of this ship. We had an ocean view stateroom with a large window and we felt very comfortable and not cramped. The staff are extremely accommodating and there to meet all needs.