Yesterday afternoon we pick up the rental car. It is the best option for a 3 week trip leaving from Port Everglades by ship and returning to Tampa by air.
The suitcase is packed with more than usual. It is in the high 80's in Florida amd we expect temperatures may be in the 40's in Northern Europe. This time of year the probabilty of rain is significant.
It was after we booked this trip that we learned it will be tulip festival time in Amsterdam. Tiny Tim I am not, but the tulip fields should be colorful.
We are underway before 8 AM. Traffic is average for a Saturday morning. The rising sun in our eyes is the only irritation.
We make our usual stop in Ft Pierce for a restroom break and a quick breakfast at McDonalds. The restrooms have been remodeled, a desparately needed upgade. McDonalds is well, McDonalds. Not nearly as bad as on some previous trips, but not great.
The security check at the port entrance is backed up, and it takes about 30 minutes to pass. Lynn drops me and the luggage at the terminal and takes the rental car to the airport to return it.
Boarding is quck and easy. Certainly disappointing but I witness 2 couples being denied boarding because they do not have the required visa for England. I get it, this is a relatively new requirement, but the cruise line has reminded us about this numerous times.
The cabins are ready so I put away the contents of my carryon.
Lynn arrives 30 or 40 minutes later, having returned the rental and taking a cab to the pier. Cabs have a separate lane and don't encounter the security check delay that private vehicles do.
I can be slow at catching on sometimes, but this must be a universal cruise line thing. My confirmations clearly stated that we had early dining, exactly as I had requested. Once on the ship, the reservation had been erased.
The best they could do was tell me to show up in the standby line.
We explored the ship and unpacked the luggage. A week or so ago I was able to upgrade our cabin to a "large family oceanview". 2 baths and sleeping accomadations for 5. The cabin is a little larger, but I would never want to be with 4 others in it.
Dining works out just fine, we share a table with 4 others at the aft of the dining room at a window.
I never learn why, but our 5:00 pm departure is delayed until almost 8:30. So is life at sea. As we leave Port Everglades the seas are under 2 meters. Winds will be basically behind us for the majority of the crossing
The next 2 days will be sea days with our first stop in Bermuda on Tuesday April 8.