5 On the go again! Charleston and Port Canaveral

We are looking forward to another Easter cruise week on NCL. This year, we will sail on the Norwegian Sun, the same ship we sailed around the southern coast of South America in 2009. On our way to Florida, we stopped by Charleston, SC for a visit with Ruth. She had arranged for me to get in to visit the First Baptist Church of Charleston, known as the oldest Baptist Church in the South. It was founded by William Screven in 1696, after he and a group of "Baptist dissenters" had been hounded out of the Puritan-dominated village of Kittery, Maine. His group traveled to Charleston, found a group of Baptists and formed the First Baptist Church of Charleston. Since I am currently teaching a Leland Seminary course on Baptist Belief and History, the visit has been most timely. I'll share pictures of the church with my class when we return to Virginia. It has a beautiful sanctuary, with a similar interior architecture to that used in the FBC of Providence, Rhode Island. The Providence church has the distinction of being the oldest Baptist church in America, founded by Roger Williams. After the Charleston visit, we drove south toward Florida, stopping for an overnight just outside Savannah, GA. The next day, we continued our drive to Orlando, where we stayed for a few days in the resort area around Disney. We enjoyed some time in the Disney Village, but stayed away from the amusement parks this time. What a nice recollection it was to remember last summer's visit with all the family to enjoy Walt Disney World and see the grandchildren beginning their Disney tradition. Following the Orlando stay, we drove over to the Cocoa Beach area for our last night before the NCL cruise. We had booked the Port Canaveral package at the hotel, that included parking for the week and transportation to and from the ship at the cruise terminal. We checked into the hotel early enough to go onto the beach and enjoy some beach time before returning to the hotel for dinner. The beach was very crowded, as the Ron Jon Surfing Festival was underway. After all, it is Spring Break time in Florida. Next stop, Norwegian Sun tomorrow morning!