Tag: disembarkation

Disembarkation and Traveling Home

Tuesday, April 22 & Wednesday, April 23, 2025

A decorative illustration featuring the phrase 'Home Sweet Home' surrounded by flowers and foliage.

We arrived back to Vancouver with no delay, so we were up early. We needed to be ready to depart by 8:00 as that is when we would have to catch the HAL excursion Vancouver Highlights and Airport Transfer.

We started off with breakfast in a very crowded Lido. I got cereal and fruit. Chuck got eggs and sausage and fruit. He said that his breakfast was luke-warm/cool tasting. Have never experienced that on HAL before.

Once back in the room, we gathered up our backpacks and one carry-on and went to the Rolling Stone Lounge to wait for our number to be called. The Cruise Director called it promptly at 8:00.

Everything was going smoothly until one of the port employees stopped us and said the luggage for our group was not ready yet. I could see luggage lined up under our color and number, so I told her it was there. She said “no – I have not been notified so it is not there.”

Other people were pointing at it too, but she wouldn’t budge until another worker came up to her and said the luggage was ready. Sad that you are so rigid you can’t believe your own eyes.

Once we retrieved our other three pieces of luggage, we found that people were having issues going through Canadian customs. We had to wait for a couple in front of us to explain to the Customs officer why they brought back a whole fresh mango from Hawaii and where they purchased it – store, farm, roadside stand. I didn’t have as much trouble bringing my boxes of macadamia nut cookies since the boxes were sealed.

Once we were past all of the security, we found the tour guide for our excursion today. He led us to a different part of the port to wait for our bus to arrive. Took a while. But, the bus was nice and roomy, and they loaded all our luggage on it for us. We kept our backpacks with us.

He provided a nice narration as we drove through Vancouver.

A large mural featuring a flower design and hands on the side of a building against a clear blue sky.
A modern architectural structure with large glass windows and a rounded facade, set against a clear blue sky in Vancouver. Flags are visible in front of the building.
Public Librar y
Exterior view of BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, featuring event calendar and promotional banners.
View of the Concord Pacific building with a large spherical structure in Vancouver, surrounded by modern urban architecture and blue sky.
Colorful street graffiti featuring the text 'SMOKEY' alongside cartoonish character art.
A historic steam clock in Gastown, Vancouver, with steam billowing out and a decorative clock face showing the time.
A Steam Clock
A carved stone figure of a woman reading, positioned on the exterior of a modern building with glass windows.
A close-up view of an artistic mural depicting stylized deer with bold black and red colors on a utility box.

We only made one stop – Stanley Park. It was beautiful. If we ever have more than one day in Vancouver, I would like to explore more of the park.

View of Vancouver's skyline with modern skyscrapers and a harbor, featuring the Chevron building and a cruise ship in the foreground.
View from the park. Our ship is at the far left.
A colorful totem pole featuring intricate designs and a figure holding a circular object, surrounded by trees and natural greenery.
Two totem poles carved with intricate designs and colorful patterns, surrounded by greenery in Stanley Park.
A beautiful flower garden featuring vibrant orange tulips, yellow daffodils, and delicate blue flowers surrounding a textured stone.
A bronze statue of a mermaid sitting on a rock in the water with a scenic backdrop.
A vibrant flowerbed featuring red tulips and blue flowers under a leafy tree in a park.
A large, modern outdoor sculpture featuring a red circular element and a triangular base, surrounded by lush green trees and shrubs in a park setting.

We arrived at the airport at a little after twelve o’clock. Our flight was not until 11:00 pm (yes, 11:00) so we were not going directly into the airport.

I had booked us a dayroom at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport In-Terminal Hotel using DayUse.com. They only give you set times that you can book during the day, and I chose 11:00 – 7:00 pm. I wish they had offered a noon – 8:00 pm choice since we didn’t get there until noon.

We walked down the sidewalk and went into the hotel. We were greeted by a hotel representative who looked at our registration and then pushed the button to open the elevator. We walked down another hallway to the reception desk to check-in.

Once inside the room, we were able to get the suitcases situated for the flight, take a hot shower, nap, and get a late lunch/early dinner from the Wendy’s at the airport food court. All too soon, it was time to check-out and take the elevator down to the airport. However, the room was great, and I wouldn’t hesitate to book it again.

We checked our luggage, went through US Immigration, and were at the gate in less than an hour. The really weird part was that we weren’t allowed in the sitting area of our gate. It was enclosed in glass and locked. There was a sign saying something about not being allowed to open until 30 minutes prior to the flight in the in-transit area. Why would they have all that nice seating and vending machines if you can’t use it?

We were able to get 2 seats outside of the area. Chuck ended up giving up his seat to a woman and he went to sit in another section. I made a couple of laps through the duty -free stores on my way to the restroom. I only bought some bottled water. The airport shops started shutting down at 10:00. At 10:30, we were allowed into the waiting room and at 11:00 we were airborne.

Why did we not get an earlier flight? We prefer direct flights on Delta, and this was the only choice. We could have gotten one-stop flights, but we would have arrived late at night. I even looked at staying one more night in Vancouver to see if a different direct flight would be available. Nope. 11:00 pm was it.

Another disappointment with this flight was that, even though I booked directly with Delta, it was actually a WestJet flight, which is a partner with Delta. There was no in-flight entertainment or WIFI. Chuck put his neck pillow against the window and tried to doze. I read my Kindle. I was glad I had my lightweight jacket as the plane was cold. They did serve some snacks, and I got some ginger ale and a cookie. Chuck was asleep. I was glad we ate a big Wendy’s meal. I did have some extra snacks in my backpack in case Chuck woke up.

We arrived a little after 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday. We didn’t have to go through Immigration again since we did it in Canada. But once we picked up our luggage, we had to take the bus over from the International Terminal to the Domestic Terminal to catch our shuttle home. That is a pain. I hope they extend the underground train over there eventually.

There is a lot of construction going on at the airport and today it was affecting the shuttle area. Normally, the hotel shuttles use one lane and the regional shuttles use the other. This morning, they were both having to use the regional lane.

The shuttles were backed up around the corner. The airport personnel were doing the best they could to keep the shuttles moving and helping people find their correct shuttle. Fortunately, they completed the work prior to 7:00 and the hotel lane re-opened.

Our shuttle arrived on time, and we were the only passengers. We were able to stretch out with the bench seats all to ourselves. Our driver was a very chatty woman but that didn’t stop me from putting my neck pillow on the window and snoozing until we reached the shuttle office.

On our way home from the shuttle office, we stopped by Walmart to pick up a few essentials. We then collected all the held mail and then braced ourselves for the scolding we would be getting from Pumpkin.

And scold he did. Loudly and All..Day..Long. Home Sweet Home.

“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” – Confucius

Disembarkation & Traveling Home

Saturday, November 9, 2024

The ship moved the clocks back last night so we would match Boston’s eastern standard time. I woke up at 6:00 before the alarm. I felt the ship moving and realized that wasn’t right. We should have already been docked. I went out on the balcony and could see we were getting close, but we were definitely going to be delayed disembarking even with the extra hour we had gained.

Chuck and I went to the Lido for breakfast. It was very busy as expected. The Cruise Director came on the intercom to tell us what we already knew – high winds had slowed down our approach to the pier but, unlike a cargo ship in front of us, we would be docking soon. That cargo ship had to turn back and would have to wait for the winds to die down.

We finally did dock but then had to wait for the Customs and Border Patrol to come on board to clear the ship. The Cruise Director kept having to come on the intercom and ask people not to crowd the gangway area but to wait either in the staterooms or a public area like the Rolling Stone Lounge. Then, she started calling for guests who had to go have a face-to-face meeting with the CBP.

Finally, about 8:30 (an hour later than normal), she announced that CBP had finished their inspection, and the ship was cleared to start the disembarkation process beginning with those guests who needed no help with their luggage nor needed wheel-chair assistance. Those guests are called “self-assist group.”

We were scheduled to be called at 8:30 but I knew it would be at least 45 minutes after the self-assist people were called before we would be. The port has to get the luggage out and set up by the color and number codes in order for passengers to retrieve them.

Our flight was due to start boarding at 11:30 with takeoff at noon. I wasn’t sure how many other ships were in port today. In August, we were in port with several other ships and taxis were hard to come by. I was doing my deep breathing exercises and thinking about a Plan B if we missed the flight.

I was surprised when they announced at 9:00 that our group could disembark. We should have been able to leave the ship and walk right through the terminal to the luggage pick-up area. However, we were stopped in the terminal because all the luggage had not been delivered for our group. I could see the forklifts full of luggage moving back and forth from the terminal to the ship. The port people were not happy that the ship was disembarking people before the assigned luggage areas were ready.

About 9:30, we were allowed to go to our luggage area where we found our three pieces. I saw the taxi line starting to get long so Chuck got us a porter and the porter whisked us through the CBP facial recognition system and out to the cab area. He was able to grab us a taxi quickly (I think the cabbies give priority to the porters) and we were headed to the airport.

The airport is not that far away but there is still a lot of road closures because of construction so it took about 20 minutes.

We checked our two big bags at the outside Delta kiosk and found the TSA pre-check line inside. At security, I got stopped for a random hand-swabbing. Did they really think I may have handled explosives? We found our gate and I had time to buy a bottle of water. I gate-checked one of our carry-ons so we could have more legroom without a bag underneath the seat in front of us.

The flight was full and took off on-time. I watched Deadpool and Wolverine. I thought it was good but not as funny as the first two Deadpool movies. Chuck finished Horizon that he had started on the flight to Boston and was disappointed with the ending. Maybe the next installment of Horizon will be better.

We retrieved our luggage in Atlanta by 3:10. I was shocked to see the 3:00 shuttle was still there when we got to the ground transportation area. We had reservations for the 4:00 shuttle but he had 2 seats left on his shuttle by letting Chuck sit up front in the seat next to the driver.

The traffic was heavy as usual but at least it kept moving and we didn’t have to take any detours like we did the last time coming back from the airport. We were back at the shuttle office by 5:30.

We were back home by 6:30 met, of course, by a displeased Pumpkin who looked like he had gained weight while we were gone. I think he conned our sitter into giving him more of his special snacks than is normally allowed. He is good at acting pitiful.

All in all, I would not call this cruise the “Perfect” Caribbean Escape like it was advertised but it was “Very Good” and I’m glad that we went. It’s time now to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas activities.

Next Up: A 2025 Birthday Cruise

B2B: Disembarkation & Traveling Home

Saturday, September 7, 2024

It’s a travel day so sleeping well the night before was out of the question. My alarm was set for 7:00 but I got up at 6:30.

Since we had Customs inspection in Bar Harbor yesterday, the ship didn’t have any trouble with clearance today. They started calling disembarkation promptly at 7:00 for those considered self-assist (need no assistance whatsoever from HAL getting yourself and your luggage off the ship). We went up to the Lido for breakfast and it was crowded as I expected. I found us two seats and waited for Chuck to come back with his food before I got mine.

We came back to the room to find that the stewards had already done some preliminary work on the room. We could have stayed in the room, but we know how anxious the stewards are to get the room ready for the next guests, so we got our stuff out of the safe and took our two backpacks and our one carry-on up to the Sea View deck to wait for our number to be called.

It was a pleasant morning although a little overcast. We chatted with some other departing guests while we drank coffee. I noticed a gentleman sit down with his coffee and I remarked to Chuck that he looked like Glenn Michaels, the Cruise and Travel Director from our Zaandam cruise; however, this gentleman was very casually dressed so I couldn’t be sure. Chuck went over and asked him.

Yes, it was Glenn. He told Chuck that he would be taking over for the current Zuiderdam Cruise Director while she was on vacation. He said he remembered us, but he may have just been being polite. It was two years ago, and he sees many, many guests.

Glenn Michaels – Sept 2022

Our number was finally called, and we got in line to be processed off the ship one last time. Once we finally made it downstairs to the luggage area in the terminal, it was a madhouse. Chuck finally found our two big pieces of luggage and then we realized we had to get in another long line for the taxis. The line was so long it stretched from outside the terminal building back into the building itself.

If we had wanted to take an Uber, I heard a dock person tell someone that they had to turn right out of the building and walk down the sidewalk to Dock Street. That was where the Uber pick-up was. If you were taking a HAL transfer, you turned to your left and someone directed you to the correct bus.

What we should have done was have a porter help us with our luggage inside the terminal. Seemed as if you had a porter, you followed him/her and by-passed the taxi line and got into the first available taxi. One of the personnel said that the wait for taxis was longer than normal because three big ships were disembarking/embarking today.

Even though our flight was not until 2:00, I was starting to get nervous because, with three ships in port, I didn’t know how crazy the airport would be once we got there. Also, for some reason, Chuck’s TSA pre-check symbol did not show up on his boarding pass so I knew we would be going through the longer regular airport security line. Then, there was the “always fun” road construction issues.

We finally did make it to the airport about 10:45 at a cost of $25. We checked our big bags outside. Inside, we went to the CLEAR line which was at least a little shorter than the regular line. The person checking me in said “you’ve got pre-check.” (which meant she didn’t know why I wasn’t in the expedited line). I know but his didn’t show up and we’re not getting separated.

Then she took us to the Security line, and the officer looked at my boarding pass and said “you’ve got pre-check” (why aren’t you in the expedited line?). I know but his didn’t show up so we’re not getting separated. He kind of rolled his eyes, stamped my boarding pass so the officers at the security line would let me keep my shoes on. I also didn’t have to go through the full body scan machine – just the metal detector.

Chuck’s backpack went down the naughty line again and was reviewed and sent back through the x-ray. But once we were both through, I realized they didn’t make him go through the full body scan or take his shoes off either. You just never know.

I knew though when I got back home, I was going to double-check all our existing reservations to ensure that we both have our Known Traveler Number entered on the reservations.

We split a turkey sub sandwich and chips and each had a diet Coke at the airport Jimmy John’s. $20. Sigh

I took my camera bag out of the carry-on and gate-checked the carry-on, so we could have more foot room on the plane. We could each put our backpacks in the overhead. The plane was on-time, but we were delayed boarding for about 10 minutes because they were still cleaning. I couldn’t find a movie I liked so I watched three episodes of the CBS series Elsbeth. It was okay.

The flight was uneventful (except for all the coughing). We touched down a little earlier than expected so I was hoping we might make an earlier shuttle. Our gate-checked bag came off first and then Chuck’s big bag came off. Took a while, but my bag finally showed up.

We got to the shuttle pick-up area and saw the shuttle. I told the driver that we had reservations for the 6:00 shuttle but if he had room on this 5:00 one, we’d love to ride it. He checked with dispatch and then let us on.

We did not have to make any stops between the airport and the shuttle office. However, there were signs about delayed traffic because of an accident near our destination. He exited before we got to the delay and took the backroads to the office (didn’t seem to be his first time having to do that). We were only a few minutes later than normal. No telling how long it would have been if he hadn’t taken the earlier exit.

Wasted no time getting the luggage in the car and heading home (with a quick stop at Krystal’s for a to-go order).

Pumpkin greeted us with many yowls of displeasure and immediately wanted to go out. Then he wanted to come back in and yowl some more. Then he wanted to go back out. No, wait, he wanted to stay in and yowl. I was in for a long night.

It was good to be home.

Tomorrow: Laundry and grocery shopping 😒

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustav Flaubert

Disembarkation and Traveling Home

Sunday, October 22, 2023

We had our bags out of the room by 10:00 last night.

I woke up at 6:00 and we were already docked at Port Everglades. We ate breakfast in the Lido.

Everything was going smoothly until we tried to open our safe to remove all our stuff. Chuck tried the combo a couple of times, and then the safe started beeping and would not open. Heart stopped.

We found our room stewards cleaning some rooms that had already been vacated. They said that only Guest Services could deal with the safes. I headed for Guest Services but, on the way, found a couple of officers in one of the halls. They came to look at it and said that it was counting down and once it was finished, we could try again or they would be back and use their code. Once the time elapsed, the officers were back and the safe opened with their code. We got our stuff and went to the Lounge on Deck 2 to wait for our number to be called.

The self-assist people were already leaving the ship with their luggage. We also saw many of the crew leaving too for their well-earned vacations. It looked like the entire BB King Lounge band was departing. A whole new band would be embarking that day and probably performing by that night.

Our number was supposed to be called at 7:45 but the Cruise Director said that the luggage was not yet in the port luggage holding area, so we had to wait. Last time we were in Ft. Lauderdale, I had booked a 2:00 flight and we got off the ship so quick, I decided to book a noon flight today. Wouldn’t you know today we would have issues. Finally, at 8:15, our number was called.

We found all of our pieces quickly and then lined up for Customs. Since this trip began in Europe, we had to meet with the Custom agents face-to-face. The last time, our cruise started and ended in Ft. Lauderdale, so we were able to use the facial recognition system they have in place. Luckily, the line moved fairly quickly. With a quick look at the passport and a “Welcome Back,” we were out the door to the taxi stand line.

Quick taxi ride to the airport and we were able to drop our luggage at the outside Delta check-in. The attendant said we could check all of our luggage for free if we wanted to do so. Chuck checked both of his but I had to hold on to my bag because my carry-on had my camera with its batteries.

Once inside we found the CLEAR line so we were able to get to the front of the Security line. In Ft. Lauderdale, you can keep all your electronics in your bag but you still have to remove your shoes, etc. (non-TSA pre-check). Our gate was just right around the corner from Security so no long walk.

We could have made the 10:40 a.m. flight if we had done self-assist this morning. We need to consider it for next time.

The flight was uneventful and we were picked up on time by the shuttle company. I was glad that I remembered where I had parked the car and that it started after all those days just sitting in the lot.

Once we got home, Pumpkin usually greets us like long lost loved ones. This time, he just glanced at us on his way out the door. The difference – he had live-in staff, instead of drop-in, this entire time so our presence didn’t really matter. Oh well, we were glad to be home. Time to think about getting ready for the upcoming holidays.

Wait! What about Copenhagen, Latvia, Ponta Delgado, and Half Moon Cay? Why didn’t I talk about those ports? As I mentioned, Ponta Delgado was missed because of high winds and waves.

At Copenhagen, I had researched what dock we were going to berth, and it was going to be very near the city center. Because of that research, we booked a private tour. Then, I discovered that we were not going to go there but at a dock much farther away from the city center and our tour operator. Because our day there was very short, I just was not comfortable being so far away from the ship and having to rely on taxis or the shuttle service. We just ended up cancelling and staying on the ship. I should have just booked a ship’s tour on such a short day with the possibility of so many different docks. Lesson learned.

At Latvia, we also had a private tour planned. We docked at the correct dock. Unfortunately, I had started feeling bad the night before a sea day. I went to the ship’s doctor hoping for a steroid shot and some prescription-strength cough medicine. Instead, I got a COVID test (negative) and a flu test (positive – even though I had gotten a flu shot 2 weeks before the cruise). I was given a Tamiflu prescription and a small bottle of knock-off Robitussin. I was also quarantined to my room for 48 hours. The quarantine would have been longer if I had been running a fever but since I was fever free, I was released after 48 hours. So, I missed the sea day and the day in Latvia. Chuck could have gone on the tour but he chose to stay on the ship with me. He had a flu test and it was negative, so he was not quarantined.

Half Moon Cay, the private island owned by the Carnival Corporation (HAL’s parent corporation), was the last port before we arrived in Fort Lauderdale. We have been to the island several times on both Holland America ships and Carnival ships. We just decided to stay on the ship, pack up, and enjoy the balcony one last day.

All in all, we did enjoy this cruise despite the rough weather at times, difficult walks, and my illness. I appreciated all the beauty and history that each city or town had to offer. I especially liked only having one long over-night flight to endure and the relaxing sea days back. Looking forward to the next one.

Until next time –

“Wherever you go, go with all your heart.” – Confucius

SA: Traveling Home

Thursday & Friday, February 2 & 3, 2023

The representatives started setting up about 4:30 and put out the signs for Priority and General boarding. A number of people jumped up and got in line. We should have. Two big independent tour groups showed up and got in line before we did. The line moved very slowly.

Once we got to the first station, we had tell the representative when we entered Argentina and where did we visit. We actually entered Argentina when we got to Ushuaia but everyone was giving the date of when we got to Buenos Aires so that is the date we gave. I’m glad she didn’t make us list everywhere we went in Buenos Aires. We just said we took a city tour and a canal boat ride.

We were then allowed to go to the desk to check our luggage. We noticed that the luggage conveyor belt was not running. The clerk said it was not working but not to worry, our luggage would get on the plane. Sigh.

We then went to a room that had several immigration officers. You had to wait until a number flashed on the screen to let you know which officer you could see. Not all of the cubicles were even staffed. We waited and waited to be assigned an officer. Finally realized that the computers were re-booting. They had experienced a system failure. First a conveyor belt and now this. Ugh.

We then had to go through security. You didn’t have to take off your shoes or take your computer out of your bag.

We were finally able to go to the gate. We had time to get a beer at the cafe.

However, it wasn’t long before it was time to board. They did not have the overhead screens. There were people holding up signs: Delta One, Priority, Main 1, etc, and you lined up in front of them. Then, you had to put your carry-ons on tables as people rifled through them and wanted to see your passport again. Since you had to send your carry-ons through the security x-ray and we showed our passports multiple times, I’m not sure why this extra step.

When Chuck stepped up to the table, he discovered he had been selected for a random detailed screening. Oh, yay! He had to take his shoes off. He had his hands and pockets swabbed. He was then allowed to get on the plane.

I was really surprised that with all the lines, waiting, and extra screening that the plane actually took off on time.

We had two seats together on this flight. We were served dinner not long after take-off. I had the pasta dish and Chuck had the chicken dish. We watched a couple of movies. We slept off and on but of course it was not a restful sleep.

We were given a breakfast sandwich about an hour before we landed. Once we landed, we had a brief stop in customs where our passports were checked, and we were asked if we brought alcohol or cigarettes. We got our luggage quickly, got our jackets out of the carry-ons since we came from 85 degrees to 35 degrees, and caught the airport shuttle to the domestic terminal.

I had already gotten a text that our shuttle ride to home would not be there at 7:15 but would arrive at 8:15. I got us some coffee at the airport Dunkin Donut, and we waited at the pick-up point. We talked with a couple who had been on the cruise and the flight. They were waiting for their shuttle to Auburn. Learned they had signed up for the 2024 World Cruise. Exciting.

The shuttle was on time, so we were home by noon. I was glad the car started okay since it had been sitting out in the cold for all this time.

We were happy that all was well with our cat and our house. The laundry and the grocery shopping could wait until later.

So, the voyage may be at an end, but the memories are forever.

Until next time –

“Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.” ~ Jennifer Lee

SA: Buenos Aires – Day 2 – Disembarkation

Thursday, February 2, 2023

By the time dinner rolled around, we were still so full from the huge lunch, we had some fruit and cheese at the Lido. We enjoyed the warm weather out on the Sea View, said good-bye to some of our favorite waiters and staff, listened to some of the Dueling Piano players set (Rolling Stone Lounge band had the night off), and then called it a night.

Our instructions for tomorrow had been left on the bed. We put the two large suitcases and one of the carry-ons in the hallway. The directions said we would see them again at the airport. I hoped so.

We were up at 6:00 and at the Lido for breakfast by 6:30. Since the ship had arrived yesterday, the local authorities had already cleared it for disembarkation, so the disembarkation announcements began promptly at 7:00.

Our number was called at 8:30 and we proceeded to the gangway. We showed our ship card one last time and we were out the door. Again, we had to take a shuttle bus to our tour buses outside of the industrial port. Pretty crowded with people trying to juggle luggage and stuff on those shuttles.

We were taking the HAL tour “Spirit of Buenos Aires Waterways with Airport Transfer.” The tour description stated ” This option is available to guests who are disembarking the ship.

The Tigre Delta with its rivers, streams and green islands is one of Argentina’s most attractive areas to explore. For more than 100 years, channels of Tigre Delta have been a favorite summer gateway to porteños — the name describing the inhabitants of Buenos Aires. The Delta Islands are formed by the continuous sediment of the Paraná River, which gives the river and estuary a peculiar brownish-red color. Take a leisurely, one-hour ride on a comfortable riverboat along the waterways.

During the coach drive back to Buenos Aires, you’ll pass through residential areas of Argentina’s capital with some free time to stroll around San Isidro — one of the few remaining areas where style and romanticism are still proudly on display.

Your tour ends at Ezeiza International Airport in time for your flight.

Notes: This tour is available only to guests whose cruise ends in Buenos Aires with flights after 5pm.

Our guide had some of the same information that yesterday’s guide did but she did dwell more on the sorry state of Argentina’s economy. Yet, she would get distracted too – she’d start a dark tale of the dictatorship and then “look – a tree!”

We didn’t exactly follow the itinerary of the description. We headed first to the San Isidro area. We traveled down the street Ave del Libertador for a long way. At first, we went through neighborhoods that all the houses had razor wire and spiked windows. The streets were narrow too. Once, the bus driver had to get a patrolperson to go tell the owner of a car that it had to be moved so he could get the bus down the road.

Eventually, the road came to more upscale neighborhoods that had lots of restaurants and Mercedes and Peugeot dealerships. Didn’t see any more razor wire but a bigger police presence. Lots of dog walkers too. One person I counted had 10 dogs he was walking.

Stopped at a Cathedral. We were told we could go inside but they were having some sort of service, so we stayed outside. It began to rain lightly. We were able to walk over to the square and admire the statues.

Eventually, we arrived at the canal port. The tour boat was comfortable, had air conditioning, a working toilet, and sold drinks and snacks. It reminded me of the ones in Amsterdam. Once we left the dock area, you were free to move about and even go on the outside deck.

The ride was pleasant. We passed some rowers and the rowing club. This area the guide said was mostly for vacationers from the City who wanted to spend time in nature. However, some people were year-round residents. We waved at children who were out of their docks. It was a pleasant way to spend an hour. Some of the places were very nice. Others not so much.

Once we got back from the boat tour, we had 25 minutes to get something to eat at the little shopping area at the dock. We made the mistake of ordering at a bar & grill. It took a while for it to cook so we had to take it with us on the bus. Just around a corner was a McDonald’s that we could have gone to, but we hadn’t seen it. I have to say though that the hamburger from the grill was better than McDonald’s.

Once we were back on the bus, we headed straight to the airport on the interstate. The skies opened up and we had a downpour. I thought it might slow the traffic down but that was not the case. We arrived at the airport at 2:00.

Our luggage was all in a covered area outside of Terminal A. Of course, Delta flyers were going out of Terminal C. Once we found our three pieces amidst all of the luggage, we could have gotten one of those carts and pushed our luggage to the Terminal across the airport. However, a nice young man with the porter company offered to load it on the cart and push it for us. He didn’t speak much English, but he recognized Chuck’s Georgia shirt as “Number 1 American Football.” He walked us all the way to the correct gate in the terminal. He accepted US money as a tip and seemed pleased.

It was quite a long walk from Terminal A to Terminal C. I didn’t see anyone assisting with wheelchairs so I’m not sure what the passengers who may have needed one did.

It was now going on 3:00, there were some of our fellow Delta flyers already seated. Some of us were on the 9:15 flight to Atlanta. Others were on the 11:00 flight to JFK (although they got a notice that it would be 1:00 a.m. before they left). However, right now, the gate area was closed to all, and nobody could tell us exactly when it would open. This did not bode well.

Carnival B2B: The Real Disembarkation and Traveling Home

The next 5 days passed quickly and the next letters we received were our disembarkation instructions. ☹

We chose the option for the cruise line to take our big luggage pieces and have them available for pick-up in the port area. We could have managed to take them off ourselves, but we didn’t need to leave as early as 7:00.

Once we finished the Sea Day brunch, our room steward had our room cleaned up. We could then start the packing process. Once we picked out what we were going to wear the next day, the packing really didn’t take long. Much of it just involved smooshing the dirty clothes bags into the suitcases. We were free to then enjoy the last day’s activities.

We called it an evening about 10:00. We put last minute items into the suitcases, took the embarkation tags off, tagged them with the provided luggage tags, and rolled them into the hallway. At some point during the night, they were whisked away.

Embarkation Luggage Tag – Yay!
Disembarkation Luggage Tag – Bah Humbug!

If you do choose to let the cruise line take your suitcases, it is important to remember to keep out anything that you will need for the next morning – pills, toothbrush, hairbrush, clothes, etc. I have heard tales of people who had to disembark in their pajamas, or worse – a ship’s robe (au naturel sleepers), because they packed and sent out the luggage without remembering that they would not have access to their clothes until they actually disembarked the ship.

We were up at 6:00 a.m. and had a quick continental breakfast in the Lido. Once we were back in the room, we emptied the safe (very important step) and threw what remaining items we had into our backpacks. At a little before 8:00, we made our way to the Normandie Lounge (the main showroom) to wait for our number to be called. We were group 2.

When our group was called at 8:15 a.m., we were escorted to the gangway where the Cruise Director and other staff were saying good-bye and wishing us safe travels. They scanned our cards for the last time, and we made our way to the port area.

The first stop was the luggage area. They had it neatly organized into areas that matched your group number. We found our two pieces pretty quickly and got in line for Customs. If you needed help with your luggage, there were plenty of porters willing to help.

While you are in line waiting your turn at Customs, the officials are constantly reminding you to have your passport out, open to your picture page, and ready to show. I wish people would listen. Really bogs down the line when people are fumbling for their paperwork when they get to the official.

The Customs official gave our passports a perfunctory glance and said welcome back. We went through a set of doors and were outside the port. We followed the signs to the taxi area. I never did see a rideshare area.

The taxi ride to the airport was $35. It was very heavy traffic since we were caught up in morning rush hour on a Thursday morning, so I was a little apprehensive about the time. I was glad it was not raining which snarls traffic everywhere. However, we kept moving and he soon dropped us off at the Delta arrival area.

Delta does not have an outside bag check area at the Tampa airport. Delta and other airlines partner with a private company to check bags outside. We get free checked bags with Delta, but the company charged $3 a bag for their service. Fine. I did not want to deal with the crowds inside.

Instead of the security checkpoint being the gateway to all the gates, at the Tampa airport, we didn’t arrive at a security checkpoint until we entered the Gate area. Our Gate was E. But, you could not get to your assigned Gate number section until you went through security. I assume that design is meant to keep the main area from being so crowded.

Tampa also does not use CLEAR for expedited security, so I was glad that the regular line for security was not too long. However, just as we had placed our bags on the conveyor belt and were ready to go through the scanner, security brought a man in a wheelchair to go in front of us. The man had a brace on his leg.

Typically, I am certainly okay with anyone needing assistance to go in front. However, we recognized this particular person from the ship. He had worn his brace all week – walking everywhere and standing at the craps table. Now he needs a wheelchair? Hmmm.

So our backpacks had gone through the scanner, but we were still standing there waiting to go through the body scanner. The man had not emptied his pockets like instructed so they had to wand him also. I was hoping that all my belongings would still be at the end of the conveyor belt. I was relieved to find everything okay when we were allowed to go through the scanner and retrieve our backpacks.

When we got to the gate, I was surprised to see that it was only 9:30 a.m. It felt like it should have been later, but I guess everything went smoother than I fully realized. We bought a breakfast sandwich as the 6:00 a.m. fruit and pastry was long gone, and then we waited and read our books.

Our flight left Tampa at 12:23 p.m. and we were picking up our luggage in Atlanta at 2:20. Our shuttle was due to arrive at 3:15 but at 3:30 we got a text that said due to heavy traffic our shuttle was delayed. Sigh. Luckily, it arrived at 3:45.

I was happy that the traffic flowed smoothly all the way back, so we arrived at almost 6:00. We made it back home by 7:00. All was well.

As usual, Pumpkin gave us an earful. He looked healthy and well taken care of by the sitter as always. He was just mad that we hadn’t been here at his beck and call 24/7 as is his due as ruling household feline. 🙄

Time now to finish up Christmas shopping and count down to our next cruise. Happy Holidays to all!