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We awoke before dawn to watch the Voyager of the Seas do it's $600 million dollar parallel parking job. Apparently, dock space in Miami is rented in millimeters. There was no room to spare! More packing, and one more memory-laden tour of the Royal Suite. Our last breakfast in the Windjammer Cafe, including a video walk thru of the available food choices. The Miami skyline looks beautiful in the morning.

Nothing so much to do with Royal Caribbean Cruise lines other than these clay creations were made in the Royal Suite of the Voyager of the Seas. Another "Daddy's so proud" moment, and a delightful way to start our last day at sea! Next stop: eating. Again. So much eating.

This is the rest of our Bridge tour of the Voyager of the Seas, the flagship of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. In this segment, we all get to try out the $10,000 Captain's chair. Very comfortable, very confident, very commanding. Some good views of the scooter that the construction crew gave the Captain. You really have to want to watch a bridge tour to sit through both halves of this video slideshow, but as the "First Mate" (?) tourguide points out, "apparently only special people can have bridge tours." Well, of course we are special, but the difference between us and the 3,000 other people on board: we asked for a bridge tour...

This is the beginning of our tour of the bridge, and what a magnificent bridge the Voyager of the Seas has! The bridge is so vast that the construction crew gave the Captain a scooter to get from one end to the other. In this segment, we learn about emergency preparations for on-board disasters. The "black box" of the ship, computers that control individual systems, bulkhead door controls and so much more was presented. Not as high tech as the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, but just as intense.

Royal Caribbean put on a wonderful show every night, and tonight's Tribute to the Temptations was no exception. This is the last few minutes of the show, and the performers had the entire theater on their feet and clapping. The little digital camera had a hard time with the lighting as the performers entered the audience, but you get the mood.

Royal Caribbean took care of the children's night life as well as the adults. In this selection, we see the kiddie disco, a time when "child friendly" music was offered in an adult dance environment. (Haven't heard the Bee Gees in a LONG while!) Then we stroll thru the casino, where you really have to hold your breath if you're not a smoker.

Midnight buffet slideshow. Lots of wonderful creations created by the best chefs that Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines has to offer.

We arrive on the beach at Labadee. What a wonderful concept: Royal Caribbean simply purchased a beautiful peninsula. Exploring, building sand castles, the wave runners are intense � all best experienced in person! As usual, there was too much to do in the short time we had on shore.

After our adventures in shore, the kids still have enough energy to play in the pool. Then we have dinner, complete with fine-china "Musical Glasses."

The Voyager of the Seas glides into Labadee, Haiti. This peninsula is a private retreat for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, full of days of fun activities and exploration which you need to pack in to a few precious hours. Or you can just relax. Either way, you win.

A montage of our trip to Virginia Beach

Sandbridge Beach is 20 minutes due south of the famous Boardwalk at Virginia Beach. Sandbridge Beach may as well be 20 light years away from the hotels and tourist traps of the Virginia Beach Boardwalk. It is peaceful and serene, and never gets as crowded as the Virginia Beach Boardwalk. The houses pictured are all ocean front, and they are as good as they look: first class all the way. The most amazing thing is that these large, beautiful houses are meant to comfortably support a family reunion, or a bunch of friends pooling resources. Check out www.siebert-realty.com

Our home away from home. As mentioned in another section on this site, it's impossible to get a feel for the place with still photos. Here's a loving attempt anyway. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

This is one of our favorite homes away from home. It is the only place we have returned to five times! It is also impossible to adequately record this amazing house in still photographs, and it proved very difficult to record the feeling of the house in video. So, here it is presented the second of two tours of the house. This second tour is more complete but lacks some warmth because it was obtained as we were leaving. Sandbridge Beach is 20 minutes and a world away from the commercialism of Virginia Beach. If you would like specific rental availability information on the Sand Dollar at Sandbridge Beach, visit Siebert Realty.

So, here it is presented the first of two tours of the house. This one is a slightly incomplete tour (tape ran out) while the house is occupied, full of warmth and our mess. This is one of our favorite homes away from home. It is the only place we have returned to five times! It is also impossible to adequately record this amazing house in still photographs, and it proved very difficult to record the feeling of the house in video. So, here it is presented two tours of the house. The first is a slightly incomplete tour (tape ran out) while the house is occupied, full of warmth and our mess. The second tour is more complete but lacks warmth because it was obtained as we were leaving. Sandbridge Beach is 20 minutes and a world away from the commercialism of Virginia Beach. If you would like specific rental availability information on the Sand Dollar at Sandbridge Beach, visit Siebert Realty.

This was a 45 minute bus tour of the Naval Station at Norfolk. In this post-9/11 world, we were not allowed to see anything interesting. The guide did ok with the material he had, but this is one of those things that makes you think "Well, they can't all be winners." Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

Besides Captain George's, we enjoy the Sea Crest restaurant in Pongo, and Jakes BBQ on General Booth Blvd. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

Crab legs. Hot, steaming, fresh, wonderful crab legs. All you can eat crab legs. Plus a bazillion other items - but did I mention the crab legs? The kids would recount the desert bar as favorably as adults recall the crab legs. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

This is what the kids call the "Virginia Beach Aquarium". They love our annual pilgrimage to the aquarium. The interactive exhibits, the knowledgeable volunteer staff, and "petting the rays" are always a highlight. The special exhibits rotate every year and are always fascinating, and the IMAX film has been in stunning 3-D for the past several years. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

The most gorgeous sunrise ever, presented in real time and unedited for your serene viewing pleasure. It was going to be difficult to top yesterday's sunrise segment, and yet here we have it! Grab another cup of your favorite morning beverage and start your day off right. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

Peaceful, tranquil morning. Grab a cup of your favorite morning beverage and relax to this fiery sunrise. It's the next best thing to being there. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

An early morning walk on the beach. It just doesn't get any better than this! The only footprints seen are the photographers and the seagulls. The sea salt spray on the lens gives a real "you are there" quality. Set this footage as your screen saver! Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

This is always great fun, running around with a flashlight in your bare feet, never knowing what you're walking on. The big crabs were "the size of Texas", and we're having fun with our catch-scream-and-release game. Long tracking shots provided by the Poor Man's Steady Cam. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

This is always great fun, running around with a flashlight in your bar feet on th sand, never knowing what you're walking on. The big crabs were "the size of Texas", and we're having fun with our catch-scream-and-release game. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

Twilight, Hollywood's 'magic hour' for film. Here you can see why. It almost doesn't matter what's happening on screen, the light and the colors just make the subject matter so pretty to look at. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

Kids must have a biological barrier to sand in their cracks, which proves intolerable to most adults. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

Left over french fries bring out Alfred Hitchcock-style BIRDS in just seconds. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

Sometimes after a big, incoming-tide wave from the ocean, the water doesn't get absorbed immediately. This creates a standing pool of opportunity for tons of fun. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

For hours of fun, all you really need at the beach is a pail, a shovel, some sand and the ocean. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

Dolls need vacations too. Here we see them sunning themselves, playing catch with each other, building a sand castle and being taken for a ride on a boogie board. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

It's inevitable that the tide will win, but it sure is fun trying to delay the inevitable. It feels so good when you hold off the tide, even for just a short time. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

A montage of our trip to Scotland.

A happy puppy on the beach! A great low-angle tracking shot, again brought to you using the Poor Man's Steady Cam. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

No sand in those sandwiches and no backwash in the drinks please. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

Really just a continuation of our walk on the beach, but the timing was impeccable. NAS Oceana (Naval Air Station) is just a quick jump away from Sandbridge beach, if you're a navy jet pilot. Even hundreds of feet in the air by the time the jets are over our heads, the noise is fierce and awesome. There's even a bumper sticker that says "I love jet noise!" As you can see from the footage, we became pretty oblivious to the jet noise, but the juxtaposition between the action and the soundtrack is excellent. You also get a good, casual, unscripted view of several of the beach houses on Sandbridge beach, 20 minutes south and a world away from the commercialism of the Virginia Beach boardwalk. We have always had great results using Siebert Realty. Visit www.siebert-realty.com for lots more information and helpful, friendly staff. Book early! The best houses rent quickly!

Major desert warfare is possible with green army guys or blue or red or orange guys. Also, almost any time period in history is possible. Just add sand and imagination. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

Daisy the funny bulldog. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

A whole lot of barnacles had attached themselves to pieces of processed driftwood. Very interesting creatures with subtle and beautiful colors. Towards the end of the segment, you can really see the creatures popping in and out of their shells. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

Daisy the bulldog takes us for a walk. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

The world's biggest jacuzzi to a child, and to the inner child in all of us. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

Hurricane Ernesto had recently happened, so the surf was quite impressive. The kids had lots of fun. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

Technically, two sunrises. Two glorious sunrises. Enjoy. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. Sandbridge Beach, the "outer banks" of VA. Ocean front, semi oceanfront and bay view home & condo rentals & sales at Siebert-Realty.com.

Scotland travel: William Wallace Monument, a short drive from Castle Campbell, Stirling Castle, and several other landmarks. This monument is a prominent site from many areas in the valley. This is the same William Wallace who Mel Gibson used as inspiration for the movie "Braveheart". The William Wallace Monument is about an hour drive from where we stayed at Dalhousie Castle, and about two hours from Culzean Castle. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. UK and France travel with von Essen Hotels, www.vonessenhotels.com and with Celtic Castles, www.CelticCastles.com.

Scotland travel: A walk up Dollar Glen from Castle Campbell. Beautiful little water falls reminiscent of Upstate New York geography, other than the fantastic castles present in Scotland! Castle Campbell is about an hour drive from where we stayed at Dalhousie Castle, and about two hours from Culzean Castle. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. UK and France travel with von Essen Hotels, www.vonessenhotels.com and with Celtic Castles, www.CelticCastles.com.

Scotland travel: Castle Campbell gardens, and views of the valley below. This must have been the very embodiment of the "Castle Laird" (Lord) lifestyle. Castle Campbell is about an hour drive from where we stayed at Dalhousie Castle, and about two hours from Culzean Castle. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. UK and France travel with von Essen Hotels, www.vonessenhotels.com and with Celtic Castles, www.CelticCastles.com.

Scotland travel: A view from the roof of Castle Campbell. Fantastic views, although very windy. The walking trails literally go over the hills from one town to another. We later walked to the gate with the sign visible at the end of this segment. Castle Campbell is about an hour drive from where we stayed at Dalhousie Castle, and about two hours from Culzean Castle. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. UK and France travel with von Essen Hotels, www.vonessenhotels.com and with Celtic Castles, www.CelticCastles.com.

Scotland travel: Castle Campbell at the head of Dollar Glen. Entrance to the main courtyard and into Castle Campbell, up to the chapel and the prisoner's hole. A bird found it's way into an inner chamber and flew around confused for a moment, but did eventually find it's way out. Castle Campbell is about an hour drive from where we stayed at Dalhousie Castle, and about two hours from Culzean Castle. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. UK and France travel with von Essen Hotels, www.vonessenhotels.com and with Celtic Castles, www.CelticCastles.com.

Scotland travel: A smaller walk-in fireplace and to the roof of Doune Castle. Finally, the water well. Perhaps you can hear the "ker-plunk" of the stones as they hit the water. Doune Castle is about an hour drive from where we stayed at Dalhousie Castle, and about two hours from Culzean Castle. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. UK and France travel with von Essen Hotels, www.vonessenhotels.com and with Celtic Castles, www.CelticCastles.com.

Scotland travel: Exploration of Doune Castle, including the great hall. Doune Castle is about an hour drive from where we stayed at Dalhousie Castle, and about two hours from Culzean Castle. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. UK and France travel with von Essen Hotels, www.vonessenhotels.com and with Celtic Castles, www.CelticCastles.com.

Scotland travel: Doune Castle, famous for it's use in the movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." Remember the scene where John Cleese plays the taunting French Guard? ("I'll fart in your general direction!") That was filmed here, and there are Monty Python reunions here every year. Plus, the biggest walk in fireplace of our trip! Doune Castle is about an hour drive from where we stayed at Dalhousie Castle, and about two hours from Culzean Castle. Real People having Real Fun! You can view this video & other travel videos in full screen near-DVD quality, slideshows & more, all with NO ADS, at jpmeyer.com. UK and France travel with von Essen Hotels, www.vonessenhotels.com and with Celtic Castles, www.CelticCastles.com.