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. 

Fort Lauderdale and the Island Princess

 First off, while the air travel was frustrating and worrisome at times, I will say that the cruise itself was one of the best I've been on. The full transit Panama Canal has been on my list of must-dos for some time now and I was not disappointed.

Even after the late arrival in Fort Lauderdale, I was awake by 8 a.m. - excited to be there and looking forward to boarding the ship. I wandered down to the breakfast room and enjoyed a toasted bagel with cream cheese along with a very strong (and much needed) cup of coffee. Back in my room I did some stretching exercises and did a rapid antigen test. Since I was only on the ship for 14 days, it wasn't necessary as it was for the world cruisers (on for 111 days), but the way things change I had decided I would do it, just in case. It was, as I expected, negative.

I'd arranged for the shuttle pick-up to the ship for 11:30. There was a couple from Washington State waiting there as well - she stayed indoors while I chatted with the husband outside. I did run into them a couple of times on the ship, but neither were particularly friendly. The shuttle arrived around 11:45 after picking up two other couples at another hotel. 

At the port, I dropped my suitcase with the porters and headed inside the terminal with my carry-on (it holds my camera, chargers, e-reader, toiletries and a change of clothes. Once through security - basically just a scan of the carry-on and walk through the metal detector, I picked up my Medallion and was on board the ship about 15 minutes later . The Medallion is an electronic device that acts as a key card - it also has a locator which permits your travel companions (if any) and the ship crew to locate you. That might sound a bit creepy, but it has real benefits. There is a corresponding app, that allows passengers to order food and drinks, and the wait staff brings the order using that locator. It also came in handy later in the trip in another way that I'll share later.

Since I had my carry-on and knew that my cabin wouldn't be ready until for for another 15-30 minutes I decided to do what so many others were doing and hit the buffet line! I found a table outside on the pool deck and enjoyed a quick bite to eat, while people watching. 

Then it was off to my cabin, to unpack the carry-on. I knew my suitcase wouldn't be delivered for another hour or two so off I went with the camera. I started on the top deck (Deck 15) and worked my way down to Deck 5 (there is no deck 13) making note of the various venues; dining rooms, specialty restaurants, bars, Internet Cafe, and library, etc. When I first started cruising, one received a paper map of the ship - these days there is a permanent map affixed to the wall next the elevator bank on each deck. I like my way of learning about the ship, though I will admit I didn't learn it all on the first day.

Now, I mentioned that I started my exploration on Deck 15 - which was the last floor available in the mid-ship elevator. In fact, there was a Deck 16, both aft and forward, but both areas were accessible only up a flight of stairs. At the aft of the ship was this splash pool (not open on that first day)- something I've not seen on other ships. This area was very quiet, and the pool was a lovely spot to sit with one's feet in the water and read as I did a couple of afternoons. 

Forward were the pickleball courts, and a massive chess set. (this photo was taken early one morning later in the cruise). This area also overlooked the "Sanctuary" - an exclusive area for those willing to pay the price of admission. It provides plush loungers or cabanas, a bar and snack venue on site. I heard, though did not confirm, that the cost of a lounger for the day we went through the Panama Canal was $1500 USD. I've never bothered trying to book the Sanctuary and likely never will, though the price is much lower most of the time. 

I didn't take a lot of photos around the ship, as there wasn't a lot different from other Princess ships I've sailed on. The Island is smaller than the others - holding about 2200 passengers, through I think we were closer to 1700 leaving Fort Lauderdale. A ship is much like a small town, with shops, restaurants, bars, a library, as well as a gym, pools, a casino and a spa.

Mid-ship on Princess ships is an area referred to as the Piazza. In this case it comprised four stories (from Deck 5-8). At the top is this mirrored ceiling - I'm the goof ball lying on the stairs in the top right quadrant to get this shot. The left and right sides of the space ship looking piece are two glass elevators that allow passengers to view the open areas of the floors as they ride. There is entertainment in the Piazza every day - and on the last day at sea, about 30-40 passengers took part in the Princess Pop choir. They practiced together every sea day, and put on a lovely show. 

I dropped by the cabin about 3 p.m. to check on my luggage - it was there so I took the time to unpack before heading up to Deck 15 for sail-away. I found a place under the Island Princess sign as D and Eli were going to watch the port webcam. I thought they might spot me there. They didn't, but I tried. :)

The rest of the photos were taken before and during sail-away.

Further in land this bridge was opened to allow a larger/taller ship through. I was fascinated by the raising and lowering of the portions of the bridge and took a series of photos. I won't bore you with them.

Across the channel from the ship are a number of large homes. Two of them were undergoing renovations on this trip and it looks like both were gutted. 

This is one of the largest ones, not under renovation - and very pretty with the lush vegetation. Look at all the balconies and areas to sit and watch the traffic on the water go by. I would be in heaven.

If one of those properties aren't for you, perhaps this private yacht would suit. I wasn't able to locate a name on it, but she's a beauty!

I never tire of this view from the ship, with its tantalizing glimpse of the Atlantic ocean.

The Holland America ship sailed ahead of us, out the channel and into the open ocean. While they were doing the full-transit of the Panama Canal, we didn't see them again over the two weeks. They obviously had a different itinerary.

Our turn to head out to sea! In March 2019, I stayed an extra day after a cruise to watch the cruise ships sail-away. I recall it was a cool and windy day, but I still made my way down the beach to watch with the sand swirling and battering me as I walked.  

Farewell to Fort Lauderdale! 

After sail-away I headed back to my cabin to clean up and change for the evening activities. First up, I went to an event that is held every evening for the Platinum and Elite guests - it's basically a cocktail party with some appetizers. I only went the first two nights and found that people weren't mingling. As a solo traveller, I'm not really interested in sitting on my own, and as it turned out found a really wonderful group to spend time with. 

The next event was the singles and solos get together at the Wheelhouse Bar. There were between 15 and 20 people at this event, which is a good number. We introduced ourselves and after some conversation, a group of six of us, headed for the main dining room for dinner. I had a reservation for 6:20 p.m., the others had not reserved, but in any event there were no sharing tables available so we headed to the another bar for a quick drink before returning just after 7 and we were seated within 10 minutes of arrival.

At the table, much hilarity ensued as we shared stories of cruising and got to know one another. No politics were discussed though we had an interesting discussion about the state of healthcare both in Canada and the USA. We all agree, no matter where one lives, improvement is needed. One of our party is a doctor and was able to provide some interesting insight. 

We didn't finish dinner until 9 p.m. and by then I was feeling the lack of sleep from the previous two nights. I decided to head to the cabin to read or watch television before crawling into my bed while the others went to see a comedian perform in the theater. 

It was a wonderful afternoon and evening - a lovely way to start the cruise.

Next up - Cartagena, Columbia