Exploration of Military History Fun with Simulators

Our would have been two day stay in Punta Gorda was shortened to a single day since we had to stay in Key West an extra night. As a result, ACL and our shore excursion manager onboard did their best to squeeze every excursion into this single day. If we had stuck to our original plan of doing two excursions in this port, we would have had to do the museum in the morning and with less than an hour in between get back onboard, change into swimwear, and get back out to the buses for our afternoon Sunseeker Resort Pool Experience excursion. With this being a tender port and a bit cooler than typical weather, we opted out of the afternoon excursion. The Sunseeker Resort Pool Experience lasts 4.5 hours and would have cost $50 per person if we didn't have the Premium level excursions included. 

The museum excursion we did attend in the morning was called An Exploration of Military History - Military Heritage Museum. This two hour excursion was complimentary for everyone. ACL was well organized with the tender process calling groups to line up based on their excursion. There were still people who tried to line up to get off for independent plans but ACL did a great job with keeping them in a separate line and letting them get on the next tender only if there was enough room left after the excursion participants were loaded. There was multiple ACL staff on hand to help passengers step into the tender along with the use of a portable set of steps with a handle. Several passengers with canes used the tender but I did not see anyone with scooters or wheelchairs.

The museum itself was located a few blocks from the tender boat dock so you had the option of walking there and back on your own if you so desired. The buses stuck to a schedule, especially now that several of the excursions were happening at the same time, so if you wanted to stay longer than the two hours, you would have to either walk back or call for your own transportation. Our bus ride to the museum was treated like a public bus with stops announced for various people to get off for their different tours. As soon as we unloaded fully, the bus driver had to loop back and get the next excursions' worth of passengers.

There were elevators for use inside but I don't recall seeing such an option for avoiding these steps to enter the building.

Admission into the museum was included for ACL passengers. Those wishing to visit on their own can purchase tickets at $18 per persons aged 15 and older with a reduced price of $14 if you're a military veteran. If you are currently Military Active Duty, the admission fee is completely waived. 

When we arrived, we all lined up to get wristbands and were offered times to sign up for the flight simulators and the Virtual Reality Room. Dad's time for the flight simulator was for around 25 minutes after our arrival so we used the time to explore the artifacts and exhibits starting on the first floor. 

The flight simulator room had 4-5 different setups so they worked through the line pretty quickly. Each setup had a veteran volunteer to guide you through your choice of a F-16 Fighting Falcon or a P-51 Mustang. You also got to choose a type of terrain. You do get to sit in a realistic pilot's seat but your seat will not be rocked or jolted like a 4-D IMAX theater. Each simulator experience lasts about 20-30 minutes but you're welcome to go back and sign up for another time if there is any available. 

Dad was in his element trying out the flight simulator and had a blast!

Afterwards, Dad went into the Virtual Reality Room and tried out using the virtual reality goggles to visualize a Special Forces Parachute Jump. He could have also chosen a spacewalk outside the International Space Station or experience the evolution of flight from the Wright Brothers to modern times among other programs. This too was available as many times as you wanted.

After taking the time to browse the remaining exhibits, we spent a good while chatting with a veteran volunteer about their own personal military history. He and Dad had an enthusiastic conversation about military aircraft and weaponry. While Dad had more interest in this museum excursion than I did initially, we both left there feeling like this was one of the best excursions of the trip!

Menus and food onboard the American Pioneer (Part 3)

 After all that exploring it's time to resume our favorite cruise activity - dining!

Caesar Salad with anchovies - they may look like chicken in this picture but they don't taste like it!

Braised Beef Pot Roast with Bourbon Demi-Glace

Chocolate Iced Banana Cake

Another day's breakfast menu trading an Eggs Benedict Feature of the Day for a Surf and Turf option

Surf and Turf Breakfast

Leige Waffles - or technically one waffle

Apologies for the less than stellar shot of this day's dinner menu!

Steakhouse Iceberg Wedge Salad (reminder, this cruise was taken at the end of January before salads became potentially hazardous to our health)

And some very thin corn chowder

Pork Chop with Bourbon Glaze - Beeler's Farms pork chop in a bourbon glaze, served with whipped sweet potatoes and sauteed broccoli rabe.

Mint chocolate chip ice cream

Our second tour that wasn't worth it & some later fun

The second tour that we regretted booking was held in St. Petersburg on our last full day of the cruise. This two hour tour is called the St. Petersburg Historical Trolley Exploration and cost $55 per person. This was classified as a Premium Excursion and thus included for both of us. The activity level was listed as low and was deemed partially accessible. A couple people on our tour had walkers so their walkers got stowed in the back of the trolley.

Having had many trolley rides in our travels and no specific desire of what to see and do in St. Petersburg, we thought this excursion would be a light easy way to see the town. And for those people who got to sit in the actual forward facing trolley seats, it probably was a nice tour. However, they filled our trolley so full that about 10 of us were stuck sitting in the back of the trolley on sideways benches. Our only view was the faces of the people across from us. We could see nothing that was being pointed out by our guide. Our section was separated from the forward facing seats by a cloudy vinyl partition so only by the fact that our guide used a microphone did we at least get to listen to the explanation of what everyone else was seeing. 

For the entire ride, it was either stare like a voyeur at the people across the trolley or stare at the reflection of the people down my row in the vinyl. Only to realize about 3/4ths into the ride that it wasn't a reflection but the actual poor gentleman in the last row of seats before the partition who started staring back at me. We were so packed in shoulder to shoulder on these back benches that the gentleman next to me literally had his arm wrapped around my shoulders in order to sit comfortably. Each time he'd try to reposition his arm, I'd get smacked in the back. I also learned that I make a very good pillow because the gentleman on my opposite side fell asleep leaning against my arm. And yes, he snored but thankfully wasn't a drooler. Sorry no pictures from this tour as I couldn't move my arms. The one place we stopped was some outdoor park/plaza and were given just enough time to walk across to the bathrooms and back. I'd say that was the most expensive trip to the bathroom I've ever had!

On a more positive note, one of the fun experiences we've enjoyed on American Cruise Lines is the fact that they include a scheduled opportunity for anyone, in small group sessions during designated times, to come see the bridge or as it's known on a river cruise, the Pilothouse. We've had the privilege of being invited to tour the bridge on many ocean cruises so it's very cool to see how the two compare. I would also like to commend our Captain who was routinely visible around the ship and happy to stop for a chat.

And simply because I'm a nerd who loves finding typos - 

And because I'm also a nerd who likes to admire the other ships in port - I was amazed to spot a Celebrity Cruises ship so close to shore as it passed by the Pilothouse's front windows.

Two important storage drawers in the Pilothouse

Some ACL ships have the latter drawer marked as the candy drawer but the American Pioneer opted for the rhyming label of The Snack Pack.

Menus and food we had onboard American Pioneer (Part 2)

 Let's continue on our tour of all the food we tried onboard:

Free-Range Chicken Avocado & Applewood Smoked Bacon Panini - Served on Cuban bread, with provolone cheese, baby arugula, vine-ripened tomato, chipotle mayonnaise, and a Mediterranean pasta salad. I asked to leave off the chipotle mayonnaise. 

Rum Spiced Baked Bananas

Key Lime pie offered in the lounge during our port visit to Key West:

Floridian Tomato Salad with Bourbon Vinaigrette - Cherry tomatoes, pineapple, Cross Valley Farms mixed greens, Glenview Farms goat cheese and fresh mint.

Hearty Beef and Barley Soup - nice to see a decent bowl size without having to specially ask for it. Much improved over the espresso sized mugs of soup we used to get served. In those days it was like you got either a piece of chicken or a noodle in your chicken noodle soup. 

I couldn't decide between the Blue-Crab Crusted Farm Raised Beef Tenderloin and the Pan-Seared Atlantic Sea Scallops so I asked if it was possible to do a half portion of each. What was brought to the table was a beautifully paired sample of both entree proteins that created a wonderful surf and turf dish that tasted like it was always meant to be served together.

Dad went with the Veal Piccatta - served with blistered grape tomatoes atop a bed of angel hair pasta, paired with a white wine, lemon, and caper sauce.

Banana Cream Tartlets

Breakfast menu stayed pretty much the same. Reading that description of a Southern Eggs Benedict now though is making me hungry. Wish I had chosen to try that!

Sausage and cheese omelet:

A Key West tour that we regretted booking

Of our six American Cruise Lines run shore excursions that we signed up for pre-cruise, there are two of them that we regretted booking. One was because of poor planning on our part and the other was due to how the tour was partially poorly run. 

To kick off our first tour experience, here's the welcome committee of Mama Chicken and her little chicken nuggets that greeted us as we stepped off the ship in Key West.

The first one was the HydroThunder Electric Cars in Key West. This 5.5 hour excursion is listed at a low activity level but is really up to you how active you want to make it. You can also set your own times and turn the car back in at any moment before that 5.5 hours is up should you decide you're done with all you wanted to visit. ACL charges $75 per person for this experience and each car can hold four people. You are personally responsible for any parking fees and entrance fees related to any local establishments you choose to visit. This "tour" is basically the equivalent of getting a cooler than normal car to rent for the day and make your own itinerary. The company did provide a color paper map to help you figure out how to get anywhere. The gentleman checking everyone in also kindly helped answer questions highlighting on the map how to get to the specific places anyone mentioned wanting to visit.

The HydroThunder Electric car company comes to the cruise terminal to pick up everyone booked in shuttle vans. Once dropped off at the shop, we each visited the counter inside to sign up, show our driver's license as ID, and get assigned a numbered car. We then headed out with the instructions to walk around our car taking pictures and filming a video of the car while still in its parking spot. This was to ensure that there was proof of how the car looked before leaving the lot. It also gave us the chance to let the employees know of any issues before we left. As it turns out, our front tires needed more air and that was quickly remedied. 

Now being a lot more familiar with getting around town driving a golf cart, this type of vehicle reminded us of home. It is open on the sides so you'll either get a nice breeze if it's sunny and warm or a nice bath if it's raining. Two nicer features that aren't normally on your standard golf cart - this vehicle had proper crossbody seatbelts and windshield wipers. 

A view showing the entire length of the car and the two same sized seats in the back row. ACL's website lists this excursion as not ADA accessible but I think if you had someone in your party who could with assistance using a cane or collapsible walker slide into the passenger seat, then they could be a passenger. Then it would be up to your group whether you visit a place that might not be ADA accessible. 

The front of the car:

The trunk of the car lockable with the same key so you can store jackets, an umbrella, small backpacks, or store purchases as you make all your planned stops.

So why was this an excursion we regretted choosing? Because we had no plan in mind. We had no list of any landmarks or shops or restaurants we wanted to visit. Others on this tour had a great day because they used their car to transport them to places like the Butterfly Conservatory (one of the complimentary excursion options with free admission stickers for all to use) or the Hemingway House. If you have the loyalty status giving you included Premium excursions and picked up these admission stickers to the Butterfly Conservatory, you could enjoy a free and frugal outing. We drove around through busy streets and lots of construction all while having conversations like this:

Me: "Want to go here?" 

Dad: "Not really." 

Me: "Well how about here? 

Dad: "No, not really." 

Yet at the same time encouraging me to "tell him where to go" as he drove along. I may be good at trivia and puzzles but having an answer for giving him directions to no given location was a bit of logic I couldn't quite figure out. After about an hour and seeing lots of the same streets, we returned the car. 

We made the best of the rest of our morning by taking advantage of ACL giving everyone complimentary Old Town Trolley admission stickers. This was also on the list of excursions to sign up for as a complimentary excursion but you didn't have to have signed up pre-cruise in order to use the admission stickers. There was plenty available for the taking at the information table outside the lounge. Around the corner from the HydroThunder Electric shop was one of the Old Town Trolley office locations. We relaxed on a bench outside talking with a kind local gentleman until the next trolley arrived. 

We ended up on a trolley driven by a charismatic funny gentleman named Chris and chose to ride once through the entire loop. A scenic drive turns out so much better when you have someone driving that knows where they are going. The provided stickers were good for use of the trolley both planned days in Key West so I slipped the sticker still attached to the paper in the back of my provided ACL lanyard. That way I could show it as needed but also not have to worry about it still sticking to my next day's shirt.