Hearts in Hawai'i
Our Caribbean Cruise (2011)--Day 2
4/18/2011
Setting Sail!
It was a 2:45 a.m. wake-up call for Patty, forty-five minutes later for me. They already had some food items out in the breakfast room, so we were able to grab a quick bite to eat before our shuttle ride to the airport. Security lines this early in the morning were very short and we arrived at our gate with plenty of time to spare. We were on a Boeing 757, which has a 3-3 seating configuration. As usual, I was in the window seat, with Patty next to me. On this flight, the lady seated next to Patty said very little, immersed in her book. A passenger three rows ahead of us had some type of physical problem--no idea what the specific problem was--so when we landed at Atlanta Hartsfield we had to stay seated while EMT's boarded the plane and checked her out. Thankfully it was nothing serious and she was able to leave the plane with a little assistance.
Hartsfield is huge--bigger then MSP, but we managed to find our departure gate after a couple misdirections. The flight to Ft. Lauderdale was a short one of under two hours. Once landed in Ft. Lauderdale, we walked downstairs to the baggage carousel where reps from various cruise lines were waiting for passengers. We found our RCCL rep easily enough and it was off to Port Everglades via van
The Jewel of the Seas was docked next to the Navigator of the Seas which is one class-size larger than JOS. Check-in was simple, security equally so. We got our Seapass cards and walked onto the ship!
Finding our stateroom was easy as it was in the same basic location as the room we had in 2006, only one deck up. Spent some time unpacking and figuring out where to stow everything from our bags. This room is supposedly a bit larger than the room we had during our first cruise, but a "bit larger" than tiny is still very small at just over 200 square feet. Due to the layout of the ship, this balcony is actually smaller than in 2006--that balcony had an added "tuck under" space to hold an extra lawn chair to go along with the table and two chairs already there. Overall, it is very nice and you can't beat being able to sit outside at night watching and listening to the sea while the ship slips through the waters of the Atlantic and Caribbean.
After heading downstairs to the Windjammer for a quick meal, we returned to our room. Patty decided to take a quick nap, so I grabbed my camcorder and went up to Deck 12 where a large crowd was gathering at the railings in anticipation or our departure. At 5 p.m. sharp, we were underway!
Patty woke up about an hour after departure and took off for the Fitness Center while I walked around the top deck. I was hoping to get shots of a nice sunset and tonight's didn't disappoint, sinking below the Miami skyline in a big orange ball. This Canon S90 takes great sunset pictures using a dedicated sunset mode. The quality is equal to, if not better than, what I've been able to manage with my Nikon D90. The fast lens on the S90 plays a big part in its ability to take crisp, clear sunset pics, no doubt.
After sunset, we spent the remainder of the evening in our room other than when I ran down to the Seaview Cafe for a late night snack of a burger and onion rings. Not impressive, and it's the only time I went to the Seaview during our cruise. Off to bed at 10 p.m.--it's been a long day!
Departing Port Everglades in Florida (this and the next three pics)
Our stateroom
Most nights, Ronnie, our Stateroom attendant, would fold a washcloth into one of these animal forms..cute!
Previous: 4/17/2011--Our Caribbean Cruise (2011)--Day 1
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