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!

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.

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.

Do dolphins play a lot of Marco Polo on Marco Island?

Our first port stop was to Marco Island, Florida where we stayed in port from 7:00AM until 5:30PM. Most of today's excursion choices had a morning and an afternoon option. Only the two complimentary tours, Naples Botanical Garden and Downtown Naples Shopping, were held once. The Naples Botanical Garden excursion was held in the morning and the shuttle for Downtown Naples Shopping was offered for the afternoon. The most popular choice was the two sessions of Everglades and 10,000 Islands Exploration. This 3.75 hours tour cost $65 per person with a low activity level and was ADA accessible. We did an Everglades airboat tour the first time we came to Fort Lauderdale for a pre-cruise stay. Certainly worth doing once if you've never been to Fort Lauderdale. 

The remaining ship sponsored excursion, Dolphin Exploration and Shelling Cruise, was also held once in the morning and once in the afternoon. This 3.25 hours excursion is listed at a moderate activity level and is unfortunately not ADA accessible. The price for this excursion is $75 per person. The nice thing about American Cruise Line's loyalty program is that after your third cruise taken with them, all of the Premium level excursions you choose to take from that 4th cruise on, are now just as free to you as the complimentary excursions are to everyone. This was my 4th cruise on this line and Dad's 5th. Unfortunately, there is still some disconnect within the company because I was billed for all of my Premium level excursions after returning home. I questioned the charge with customer service over the phone and only after the rep double checked my account to confirm it was the 4th cruise, did she put in for a refund. She explained that they usually double check for discrepancies like that and must have missed mine. Why they never seem to mistakenly charge Dad's account, the universe may never know. 

Looking back at the portable steps with handrail that we used to reach the height of the boat's entry with its own handrails.

Looking toward the back of our catamaran you can see the metal fixed benches, the covered ceiling, open sides, and extra waist high canvas barrier so you and/or your kids by your side could sit facing forward, facing sideways, or kneeling on the benches. 

Our ferry style catamaran, the Dolphin Explorer, used in this excursion was docked just a short walk down the pier from where the American Pioneer was docked. If you would like to book this activity on your own, as did a family with young children who came along during our tour, you can visit the company's site here. Adult tickets cost $79 and Seniors (60+) tickets cost $69. Pretty rare that booking direct versus through the cruise ship doesn't come out cheaper. There was a small bathroom on the boat. We were encouraged to help ourselves to bottled water from a cooler as much as desired. The front section of the boat was open to the sun while the rest of the boat was covered so you could choose sun and/or shade. Depending on the water conditions and the boat speed, you may get a refreshing spray from the water splashing up over the open sides but never more than a refreshing spritz. 

Our two person crew consisted of Bob McConville, a Florida Master Naturalist, and Captain Eddie Farr, a certified Coast Guard Captain with a Masters of Science Education degree as well as a PhD in Cetacean Biology. These two crew members on our tour not only made the experience educational but also enlightening, entertaining, and fun. The kids onboard got to enjoy filling out a checklist on all the marine life spotted during the ride. 

Photo filled binders were passed around onboard with photos of each known dolphin in the area. We were all encouraged to browse the photos and see if we could identify the ones we were seeing. Bob took many if not all of the photos compiled in these binders and was a wealth of knowledge remembering which one was related to which other dolphin. Dolphin activity was high as we traveled through the marina and Bob would call out each by name. We saw dolphins jumping in the boat's wake and others just popping up nearby. Sometimes we'd stop and sit for a few minutes to watch the activity or especially if a dolphin was close before moving on. Captain Eddie was always careful to keep a distance between other boats in the area so both people and the wild dolphins were safe. The main rule asked of us while onboard was to not move around while the boat was in motion. Otherwise there was no assigned seating and we were free to check out a new viewing spot during the times when the boat was stopped. 

I didn't take many photos of the dolphins we saw. You soon realize that you miss out on seeing the moment with your own eyes because you can't be fast enough with the camera.

I did get some side eye from the pelicans that were hanging out nearby when we stopped the boat momentarily.

After a comfortable ride with tons of dolphin sightings, we pulled up to a small sandy island. Bob stepped off first and then helped each person that chose to do the shelling portion with their steps down the stairs. We were provided mesh bags with the Dolphin Explorer logo to collect as many shells as we wanted. We were encouraged to walk as far along the edge of the island as we desired as long as we were all back onboard within around a 25 minute time limit. 

Our included mesh bag also got in on the pun game:

A look back at our boat showing the wide but steep steps to climb up and down from the beach.

The view from onboard when it came time to get down those steps - definitely best to climb down backwards like a ladder. Dad chose to stay on the boat both for concern of handling the stairs and his lack of interest in collecting shells.

After each person stepped off the boat, Bob had us pose with our bags so he could take our picture. During the ride back, he used a photo printer onboard the boat to give each of us a copy of our photos and one photo he'd previously taken of one of the dolphins. I did end up with a few broken shells after the plane ride home. Maybe one of these days I'll do something crafty with the pieces. 

The ride back to the pier also provided a great opportunity to grab a photo of the American Pioneer:

Do I recommend doing this excursion? Absolutely! I loved not only the amount of dolphin activity we experienced but also how comfortable being on the boat was and how having such great guides added to the experience.

Visiting Ponta Delgada on a private tour

The first thing we learned on our first ever port visit to Ponta Delgada in the Azores, is that there's many ways of pronouncing the name of this Portuguese archipelago. Americans typically pronounce it as A-zores while Europeans would say Ah sor ehs. When we researched pre-cruise for what to do in this port, we decided we wanted a simple city highlights tour that was a few hours long. None of the ship sponsored excursions interested us so we looked into private options. 

The tour we chose to do was booked through Viator (or Vivitar as my dad keeps thinking it's called) and was called Private Half-Day Tour in Furnas Sao Miguel Island. This private four hour tour for two adults cost us $297.76. The tour included the use of our own car and driver/guide. By booking online with Viator, I was able to earn some cash back and later receive just over $14 in Viator credit for reviewing the tour when we returned. 

At this port, there are benches in an enclosed building once off the ship and through security where you can meet or wait for your private guide to arrive. Our guide arrived right on time and led us to his car parked nearby.

The nice thing about booking a private tour is that while various stops were on our itinerary, we completely played it by ear as to what we wanted to see. Our driver ended up being a relative of the tour company's owner. The owner would give him some tours to do when they had a lot of bookings. Our small group was perfect for getting to know each other. We traveled through the country learning about the area from him while he asked us just as many questions about life in America. 

While we stopped at many viewpoints and overlooks, the main part of the tour was spent at the Lagoa Das Furnas. Our guide helped us get a discounted admission into the site. We arrived at the perfect time to watch locals burying pots of stew into the ground so that it uses the geothermal energy to cook all day. Think of it like an electricity free slow cooker meets buried pig at a luau. 

After the locals have paid to bury their pot, they are given a numbered stick to place in the top of the mound so they can remember where their pot was buried.

Perhaps this is where the term pot luck came from?

The guide was above and beyond courteous and patient with Dad catering to his walking needs. What was most impressive to me was seeing how our guide took the time to give Dad the support of his arm and together they slowly walked over the rugged terrain to get down to a viewpoint. 

This place even had a gift shop but it had more ducks than people for customers.

The lake view that our guide helped Dad slowly climb down to see.

The steam even rises up over the lake.

Ducks weren't the only cute creatures wandering the area:

One of the high overlooks that gave us a great view of the town we'd just visited. Our guide pointed out all the places we'd just left and answered a bunch of questions about daily life for those residents.

We briefly rode through a small area with many figurines and sculptures. The area was packed with a crowded ship tour that would have made walking around very frustrating. Our small car was able to loop through the area like a drive through sculpture version of a light show and get back on the road leaving the crowds behind. It was so nice to be able to make our own decision about what was worth stopping to get out and explore rather than a planned itinerary that shared a tiny space with 200 other passengers. 

As we drove, our guide kept suggesting the landmark spots noted in the tour description but we had no interest. We routinely reassured him that we had no need to visit all the touristy spots. Instead we drove from one end of the island to the other enjoying the views, the stories, and the chill company. Soon the four hours flew by and our guide dropped us off right by the terminal entrance. After learning all about his life and recent hardships, we gave him the remainder of foreign currency that we would no longer need after this port stop. He confirmed that there was a place on the island to exchange it all. We felt the extra tip was well deserved. 

Thank you for reading any or all of another trip report. I hope you enjoyed hearing about the Sky Princess/Sky Suite, visiting European ports, and the experience of a transatlantic sailing. If I missed answering any of your questions or you want to know more about what I covered, please drop a comment here or message me on any of my social media listed on the site. 

What's coming up next in my trip reports? Still to come is the story of how we stuck closer to home on another river cruise. Two more repeat itineraries with a new twist are also on the books for later this year. And yes, Prince S will be making a return appearance at one of them since he thinks he's the real Star of this blog, wink, wink. Keep coming back as there's more new content on the way!