May 23 - Fort Lauderdale and finally home

This post is brought to you by my memory, which isn't the best, because I neglected to make any notes. As you'll find out, the day was pretty darn memorable and not necessarily for entirely good reasons.

I don't recall exactly when I left the ship, but it was around 8:30 or 9 a.m. First up was finding my suitcase among the multitude of bags. My bag is a bright teal blue, and my ticket was red. Hmmm....no red signs that I could see. I finally asked a worker and was pointed toward a sign that looked pink in my estimation where I quickly found my luggage. A cursory review at the US customs desk and I was heading for my bus for my morning tour in the waterways. 

My flight wasn't scheduled until 4:15 p.m., so it made sense to book the excursion as my luggage would remain in storage on the bus until drop-off at the airport at 12:30 p.m. It was
a wet, cool day, but I quite enjoyed the excursion. We were delayed along the way as the Vice-President was visiting the city, and several blocks were blocked off by the police. Our destination was the Carrie B, a paddlewheeler. 

The boat is well equipped with restrooms and a small concession stand providing drinks and snacks. On the enclosed lower level are several tables for passengers to gather. The upper level is partially covered, but I did spend much of my time out on the deck taking photos. It rained off and on, and I had to keep ducking in under cover to stay only moderately wet. Here are some of my favorites:

I had done a similar tour on the Jungle Queen, another paddleboat, several years ago, which took us past some of these houses on our way to a nature preserve. I remember this one, because the tower is supposed gilded with gold.

At this point, we were turning around to return. The clouds were low, but we were out of the rain for the moment.

While it appears these people were getting wet, they are actually statues!

On our way back to the wharf we passed the Ruby Princess. 

At that point, the majority of the passengers would have disembarked and the eager guests for the afternoon sailing were likely queuing up in the terminal.

We also passed this play structure. Wouldn't Eli (or any other youngster) have fun in/on that? I don't even want to hazard a guess at the cost. 

Shortly after docking, we were back on the bus and off to the airport. This is when things went a little sideways.

After waiting to drop my bags, I learned my flight out of Fort Lauderdale was delayed until 6:30 p.m., meaning I would likely miss my connecting flight in Toronto for home. After a conversation with the rep, Air Canada provided a voucher for a cab to send me to the Miami airport (about 35-45 minutes away) as they had an earlier flight to Toronto scheduled. Ha! 

When I arrived at the Miami airport just after 2 p.m., I wasn't able to print my luggage tags at the kiosks as the printers were down. That meant standing in a long line to reach the counter.

By the time I got through that line-up it was about 2:45, and the line for security was even longer. This photo was taken after I'd stood in the line for nearly 20-30 minutes. I was starting to think I wouldn't make it to my gate in time to board! The sign indicates another 20-24 minutes to security.

Eventually, I made it through security and made a run for my gate, as the plane ought to have loading by this time. Ha again! The board indicated the flight was delayed until 5:05 p.m. This gave me some time to grab a (not so) quick bite to eat, though the two restaurants nearby declined to accept the meal voucher the Air Canada rep had given me. I wasn't too fussed about it, as I had intended to eat at the airport anyway.

The flight was further delayed until shortly after 6 p.m. I guess I ought to have stayed at Fort Lauderdale! I was concerned about my connection as my flight to Regina was scheduled to board at 9:15 p.m. For those not familiar with the Toronto Airport, the international gates are, what seems to me, miles away from the domestic gates and I had to get through customs first.

Finally onboard, I settled down for a nap. If I don't have to drive, I can sleep and I did for much of the flight. After arrival in Toronto, I was quickly through customs, hooray, and started the dash to the domestic side. On the way, there were two Air Canada reps standing inside the area with new boarding passes for anyone who might have missed their connection. I stopped briefly and learned that my flight was delayed. Phew, no more attempts at running!

I don't recall the exact time, but I know I was in the gate area for at least 30-45 minutes. I finally got up and went to the restroom, where I finally heard the pre-boarding announcement. Again, once on board, I napped for a good portion of the flight. Two flights arrived into Regina at about the same time, which for a small regional airport generally means chaos at the carousel and that night was no exception. I was thrilled when I finally picked up my luggage and got in a taxi for home. In the door at about 1:30 a.m., I dropped off my bags just inside the door, and headed down to my bedroom. It was a very long day.

I've said this before, air travel is not for the faint of heart these days. One of the couples I'd met in line in Miami, had been scheduled to fly out the afternoon prior, and had waited until 2:30 a.m. before they were informed the flight to Toronto had been cancelled. They weren't hopeful we'd get out that evening either, but of course, we did. She was quite upset because she had planned her sister's 30th birthday party that evening and knew she wouldn't be able to attend. 

While I have no more cruises booked, I have decided that it makes more sense to overnight and take the earliest flight home. Those flights generally originate from the departure city and are less likely to be delayed, except of course, due to weather or mechanical issues. It's worth the cost to ease the stress, I think.

Final thoughts, overall, it was a wonderful cruise, and I had some great excursions and met some awesome people. My favorite port on this adventure was Aruba, with Bonaire a close second. My friends, S and P, actually have a time share on Aruba and have been extending an invitation for me to visit with them over the past several years. I've been in touch with S and told her I'll be taking them up on their offer sometime in the future. 

Thanks for following along with my sporadic posts. It's been fun reliving of my memories of the cruise, or at least most of them.