THE GREAT WORLD CRUISE ADVENTURE - 2010

DAY 1 - EMBARKATION - JANUARY 27, 2010

THE DAY STARTED OUT AS ANY USUAL DAY HOWEVER THERE WAS A CERTAIN ANXIETY IN THE AIR. GEORGIA AND I WERE BOTH UP AND OUT OF BED AROUND NINE. SEVERAL ITEMS HAD TO BE TAKEN CARE OF IN ORDER TO BE COMPLETELY READY FOR OUR JOURNEY TO PORT EVERGLADES, SOME 35 MILES SOUTH OF COLETTE’S HOME.

THE FEW CLOTHING ITEMS I REMOVED FROM THE CAR WHEN WE ARRIVED AT COLETTE’S WERE GATHERED, TAKEN TO THE CAR AND REPACKED IN THEIR PROPER PLACE. I ALSO MANAGED TO PLACE THE LUGGAGE TAGS ON EACH OF THE SUITCASES. I PRINTED 8 TAGS OFF THE INTERNET, ASSUMING I WOULD HAVE PLENTY TO SPARE, BUT AS THINGS PROGRESSED I REALIZED I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE JUST THE CORRECT NUMBER.

GEORGIA ALSO GATHERED HER ITEMS AND BEFORE LONG WE WERE READY FOR THE 35 MILE TRIP TO THE PORT. IN AS MUCH NEITHER OF US HAD EATEN BREAKFAST WE TWISTED EACH OTHERS ARMS TO TAKE THE ROUTE PASSED THE DUNKIN DONUT SHOP FOR A #1 SPECIAL...2 DONUTS OF OUR CHOICE AND A MEDIUM COFFE. THE COMICAL THING ABOUT STOP WAS THE RECOGNITION GEORGIA RECEIVED FROM THE LADY BEHIND THE COUNTER. SEVERAL DAYS EARLIER WE STOPPED AND ONLY GOT COFFEE. THE LADY WAS IN FACT QUITE SHOCKED THAT WE HADN’T ORDERED DONUTS. SHE ASK SEVERAL TIMES AS TO WHETHER WE WERE REALLY SURE IT WAS ONLY COFFEE AND NOTHING ELSE.

AS SHE CLOSED THE CASH REGISTER SHE LOOKED UP AT GEORGIA, POINTED HER FINGER AND SAID, ”MEDIUM COFFEE, LOTS OF CREAM AND NO DONUTS, RIGHT”.

GEORGIA REPLIED, “IT’S A #1 TODAY”. SHE SEEMED VERY PLEASED AND WE ALL HAD A GOOD LAUGH. COLETTE, GEORGIA AND I FINISHED OUR TREAT AND WERE SOON HEADING SOUTH ON I-95 AND PORT EVERGLADES.

IT WAS ROUGHLY 2 PM WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE GATE TO THE PIERS. WE PRESENTED OUR IDENTIFICATION TO THE GAURD AND PROCEEDED TO PIER 2. GREETED BY A PORTER WHEN WE DROVE UP TO THE TERMINAL THE VAN WAS QUICKLY UNLOADED, COLETTE WAS ON HER WAY BACK HOME, AND WE HEADED TO THE SECURITY AREA AND THE REGISTRATION DESK.

WHILE STANDING IN LINE WE COMPLETED OUR HEALTH FORMS AND SOON AFTER, WITH CABIN KEY IN HAND WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO THE SHIP. WE HAD OUR PICTURE TAKEN JUST BEFORE BOARDING THE SHIP. THE LAST ITEM OF BUSINESS RESULTED IN ONE MORE PICTURE TAKING AS OUR KEY CARD WAS FEAD INTO THE MACHINE THAT LOGS YOUR ENTRY AND EXITING THE SHIP.

ON TO THE LIFT, ELEVATOR IN AMERICAN TERMS, TO THE 8TH DECK AND UP THE NARROW HALLWAY TO OUR CABIN, 8031. ALTHOUGH SMALL IT WAS MUCH MORE SPACIOUS THAN MOST OF THE CABINS WE HAVE OCCUPIED IN THE PAST. KNOWING THAT OUR LUGGAGE WOULDN’T ARRIVE AT THE CABIN UNTIL LATER WE WERE VERY SURPRISE TO SEE ALL OF OUR SHORE EXCURSION TICKETS IN AN ENVELOPE ON THE DESK. WE QUICKLY COMPARED THE TICKETS TO THE LIST I HAD IN THE BOOK BAG. I HAD FORGOTTEN TO LIST ONE TOUR IN EGYPT ON MY LIST BUT THE DISAPPOINTMENT CAME WHEN WE DIDN’T SEE TICKETS FOR THE TAJ MAHAL.

AS WITH ALL THINGS IN LIFE THERE IS A STORY ABOUT THIS EXCURSION. BEFORE MAKING OUR FINAL COMMITMENT FOR THIS CRUISE, GEORGIA AND I BEGAN TO BROWSE THE PRINCESS WEBSITE FOR ALL THE PORT STOPS. BOMBAY, MUMBAI, THE TAJ TRIP CAUGHT OUR EYES IMMEDIATELY, YET WHEN THE “OFFICIAL LIST” FOR THE CRUISE WAS RELEASE THE TAJ WAS NOT LISTED. I MADE AN INQUIRY AND WAS TOLD THAT THE GENERAL LIST OF TOURS CONTAINS ANY AND ALL TOURS EVERY OFFERED AT EACH OF THE PORTS AND THE OFFICIAL LIST ON THE “MY PRINCESS” SITE REPRESENTED ONLY THOSE TOURS FOR THE CRUISE IN QUESTION.

IT LOOKED AS THOUGH THE TAJ WOULD NOT BE CROSSED OFF THE BUCKET LIST ON THIS CRUISE. A SHORT TIME LATER I WENT BACK TO THE GENERAL LISTINGS AND SAW THE PRICE FOR THE TOUR HAD GONE UP BY $500. I CALLED AGAIN TO INQURY, ALONG WITH A FEW OTHER ITEMS, AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE TOUR WAS BEING OFFERED, EVEN THOUGH IT WASN’T LISTED ON THE “MY PRINCESS” SITE. “WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO ADD THIS TO YOUR EXCURSIONS, SIR?” NEEDLESS TO SAY I JUMPED AT THE CHANCE BUT ALL THE TIME THINKING IN THE BACK OF MY HEAD, SHE’S WRONG, I KNOW SHE’S WRONG.

WHEN WE DIDN’T SEE THE TICKET I KNEN I WAS RIGHT AND SHE WAS WRONG. NOT SEEING THE TICKETS CONFIRMED MY THOUGHTS. AS WE WALKED AROUND THE SHIP WE STOPPED AT THE PURSERS DESK TO CONFIRM THAT THE NOTICE OF EACH OF US RECEIVING AN ONBOARD SHIP CREDIT OF $1123.50 WAS IN FACT THE COST OF THE GRATUITY CHARGE OF $10.50 PER DAY FOR THE ENTIRE CRUISE. THE BROCHURE WAS CORRECT, WE SAVED OVER $2200. SO THEREFORE I GUESS WE WERE BATTING 1 OUT OF 2.

AS WE TURNED TO WALK AWAY FROM THE DESK WE COULDN’T HELP BUT NOTICE THE EXCURSION DESK WAS OPEN AND ONLY 2 PEOPLE WERE IN LINE. IN NO TIME AT ALL WE WERE TALKING TO THE ATTENDANT AND HE INFORMED US THERE WAS A “GLICH” IN THE PRINT PROGRAM AND OUR TICKETS WOULD BE DELIVERED TO THE ROOM LATER N THE DAY. LATER IN THE DAY TURN OUT TO BE RIGHT THEIR, WE WALKED BACK TO OUR ROOM GLOWING FROM EAR TO EAR. THE GIRL WAS RIGHT, I WAS WRONG.

THE FIRST NIGHT FOR DINNER NEVER REQUIRES ANY SORT OF DRESSING CASUAL IN AS MUCH AS MOST PEOPLE ARE TRIED AND GRUBBY FROM TRAVELING ALL DAY TO GET TO THE BOAT. DINNER THE FIRST NIGHT IS BASICALLY, COME AS YOU ARE, AND WE DID.

AS YOU ENTER THE DINING AERA ON NIGHT ONE IT IS CUSTOMARY TO BE ESCORTED TO YOUR TABLE. OUR TABLE IS #42. IT IS A ROUND TABLE FOR SIX. ONE COUPLE WAS ALREADY SEATED WHEN WE ARRIVED AND IN TIME WE WERE CHATTING WHEN THE 3RD COUPLE APPROACHED THE TABLE HAVING A LENGTHY DISCUSSION WITH THE WAITER. I LOOKED AT GEORGIA AND SAID WE KNOW THEM. THAT IS RAMESH AND HIS WIFE, FROM THE SOUTH PACIFIC CRIUSE SEVERAL YEARS AGO.

THEY WERE SEATED AND BEGAN TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES. WHEN HE SAID MY NAME IS RAMESH, I SAID MY NAME IS BILL AND WE SAILED TO THE SOUTH PACIFIC WITH YOU GUYS. NEEDLESS TO SAY WE WERE ALL SHOCKED AT THIS MEETING. WE HAD A GREAT TIME TALKING ABOUT ALL THE PLACES EACH OF HAS TRAVELED; SHARING NOTES, ADVENTURES AND MISHAPS ALONG THE WAY. SO NOW WE HAS RAMESH AND LOLITA, RICK AND CINDY AND MUM AND I. WE ARE ALL ON THE TRIP FOR THE 107 DAYS.

AFTER DINNER WE RETURNED TO OUR CABIN TO FIND THAT ALL OF OUR LUGGAGE ARRIVED AND THE TASK OF PUTTING IT AWAY WAS TO BEGIN. 3 HOURS LATER, 11 PM, WE STOPPED AND PREPARED FOR SLEEP.

AS A SIDE NOTE, LOLITA IS INDIAN AND A VEGETARIAN. ON OUR CRUISE TO THE SOUTH PACIFIC THEY MADE HER SPECIAL MEALS EVERY NIGHT. THEY MADE SO MUCH FOOD FOR HER THAT EVERYONE SHARED IN HER MEALS. ALL INDIAN, ALL SPICEY. ALL GOOD.