We are finally on our way!
The alarms started going off at 4:00 am this morning. And when I say alarms, we set three. Haven’t you ever had that dream that you over slept and missed something really important. So we sent the regular alarm clock, but since it was pouring rain all night, Pete also set his wind-up clock. Just in case the power went our and the manual alarm clock failed, I also set my cell phone alarm. It was a little neurotic I know. As it turned out we didn’t even need an alarm and we both woke up to the radio a few minutes early.
We made it to the airport with plenty of
time before our flight, got an overpriced coffee and happily settled down to wait. Time to decompress. Pete smiled and made me promise that I would totally relax once we were on board. You all know how I get. Really, I am trying. I am going to take a deep breath and start relaxing right now. Hmmmm, maybe I should have gotten a decaf instead.
Eureka! We are posting from Orlando!
We are here!
It is hard to believe that we got here exactly as planned without one travel delay. We landed in Orlando twenty minutes early and made our way down to the
transportation area. We actually checked in for the cruise right at the airport and we were literally whisked away on a bus for the port. (seriously, I thought we would have at least a 10 minute wait, so I had gotten out my laptop to post this morning’s blog - the moment I hit publish, they called us for the bus) Less than an hour later the big boat came into sight. The only thing we had to do at the terminal was get our ID picture taken before we got on board. Apparently the computer system that runs the cameras had been down earlier in the day, so we had to wait in a really long line. Truthfully I was so busy people watching that the time in line actually seemed to
pass quickly.
Once aboard we were able to go right up to the buffet at Topsider’s and get some lunch. We found a chef to walk us through the choices. We found a nice table on the deck and relaxed in the sun while we ate our lunch. Our rooms were ready prompty at 1:30 and we were really ready to put down all our heavy carry on bags.
Our room is on deck 8 with a lovely verandah.
Plenty of room for the two of us, but I can see how it would be a little tight for a family of five. Since our luggage hadn’t arrived yet there was no need to unpack so we changed into out bathing suits and headed to the pool. Midafternoon we had the official “muster drill” -
this is where everyone puts on their pretty life jackets and crowds like sardines on the humid deck. It is the crew’s opportunities to teach you not to panic. Pete and I skipped the sail away party and watched our departure from the comfort and privacy of our our balcony. I could get used to this.
By the time we were out to sea, our bags had arrived. We unpacked got changed and went down to the theater for a welcome show. We are assigned to a late dinner seating at 8:15. Since it was our first dinner of our trip, they were not able to prepare any thing specifically gluten free for us. Dinner was okay, a bit plain since the sauces had to be left off. During our dessert, the head waiter brought us the next night’s menu and we were able to order our dinner in advance.
A few more pictures from our day
