Must be de-ja-vu, but it seems like we have been here in Ft. Lauderdale not so long ago. And, of course, that would be correct, since we began our journey around the world from here 113 days ago. The last day of a long voyage, and the first day of a back-to-back cruise has to be one of the most stressful for everyone involved. Just the massive number of luggage and boxes that had to be taken off was daunting. And that is one reason, we always chose to stay on for the re-positioning cruise back to the west coast. We did not have to deal with the headache…..at least not for a few more weeks.
This morning, we got up early, and went to breakfast around 7am, and we did sit at our regular table. As expected, we did have a new waiter, but also, Feri was back as assistant. He may be re-assigned tomorrow, but we sure hope not. Then eventually, Ian came on the PA and began announcing the debarking luggage tags by color and number. This was followed by a request NOT to line up unless you had that color and number ONLY. This message would be repeated over and over, because people usually do not listen. The expected time for the zero clearance was supposed to be around 10am, but we are certain that did not happen as planned.
To complicate matters, it began to rain heavily by 9am, and the luggage being removed from the ship had to be stopped. It was the same for the growing piles of supplies that needed to be taken onboard. We left the ship before 10am, with our passports in hand, our room key, and a transit card we had been given a few days ago. Passing by the very long line of folks waiting for porters, we were led to a different line for in-transit guests, where the customs and immigrations officer scanned our passports, and that was that. We were free to go. No customs forms to fill out anymore for anyone.
Lucky for us, the worst of the storm had passed by, and even though the streets were wet, we were not. Of course, we packed umbrellas, which one of us used briefly. We did discover that Pier 21 was very close to Pier 26, our usual slip. Along the roadside, we noticed a sign saying that the Carnival Magic was coming to Pier 26 soon. And now we know why the Amsterdam had been switched to Pier 21.
Having walked to 17th Street from here before, we took our time and got there sometime around 11am. There is a Walgreen’s on the corner, and the Renaissance Hotel across the highway. Turning right, if you go across the bridge, the Pier 66 Hotel is located there. This is where we stayed in January before the grand cruise. It is closed for
1 ½ years for renovations, we heard.
Anyway, we headed up the boulevard to Duffy’s, a sports bar with good food. We ordered 2 for 1 beers, a bacon cheeseburger, and a side salad. Sharing a fried cheesecake for dessert with ice cream finished our meal on a sweet note. Sure was nice relaxing for that hour, but we had some shopping to do, and since all onboard time was 3pm, we needed to move on.
A Publix was located in this shopping center, and we found everything we needed there. Even something new we have not seen before…….dill pickle potato chips. Bet they are good. One stop at Walgreens and we were ready to go.
Hiking back, we had to stop at the Port Everglades checkpoint, and show our room keys and intransit cards to the officer there. Security is very thorough here.
By the time we got back to the ship around 2:30pm, the sun was beginning to peek out, and it was actually warm, but humid. Never would have believed the day would improve so much. We had noticed that there were a dozen semis waiting alongside Pier 26, and assumed these were deliveries for the Carnival Magic. Asking a porter, he said all of the trucks were for the Amsterdam. Wow, these deliveries had been going on since early this morning, so we can assume the world cruise folks wiped out most everything onboard during the eight day Atlantic crossing. He added that with so much to load, which included luggage of the new passengers, we would not be leaving at 4pm as planned.
When we arrived to our room, we had a bunch of gifts. There was a bottle of champagne, Nicolas Feuilatte, and it was on ice….compliments of Orlando Ashford. Two rectangular plates of fruit and chocolate candies were sitting on our coffee table, as well as an addition round plate of the same chocolates from the new hotel director, Norbert. A few years back, Norbert had taken over for Henk M, and treated us just fine. In fact, he hosted a special dinner in the Pinnacle Grill for the remaining President’s Club members that had sailed onward like us. It was every bit as good as the King’s Room dinner with Seattle’s top group. We also had a complimentary dinner at the Pinnacle Grill for being Collectors’ Voyage Guests. And in order to fill out the online survey, we were given two voucher codes to use for 30 minutes of internet.
Our travel agency sent us a complimentary Canaletto dinner for two, and also gifted us with two $25 beverage cards. When it rains, it pours.
By the way, the Captain on the Amsterdam now is Fred Eversen, and the Cruise Director is Bruce Allen Scudder, a name most familiar to us, since he was our CD for the majority of our word cruises over the years. Other than Norbert, the Hotel Director, we do not have the list of the staff, since it is never listed on this cruise. Maybe we need to check on the HAL Navigator on our computer.
The most important activity of the day happened at 3:15pm with the mandatory muster drill. All of us that have done this drill numerous times, know you still have to listen. One lady, who had been on the world cruise too, spent most of the drill talking about being on the world cruise. We had to chuckle when a young officer came by, and told her to pay attention and stop talking. Even the lady (a stranger) next to her told her the same thing, but not in a nice way. At least this will be our last drill on this journey to Seattle.
As expected, the sailaway was delayed until 5pm, but in actuality, it happened at 5:35pm. The Seaview Pool deck was loaded with happy new guests, who were indulging in the cocktail of the day…something green-tinted in a tall plastic glass. This had to be the most attended sailaway we have seen so far. Of course, many more young people have boarded, and the Caribbean-style music helped the mood immensely. Sailing past the tall apartment buildings at the exit, the horn went off from one of the condos. Never fails to happen no matter what time we sail through.
Polishing off the entire bottle of champagne, we worked on photos until dinnertime. This would have been the night to skip dinner, but we did want to see who our waiters would be. It had been a long day with at least 8 or 9 miles of walking, but we were pleasantly surprised to find our favorite waiters, Slam and Marco, assigned to our section. Slam has a lot of seniority, so we think it was his idea, and it was OK’d. Also, one of our nicest head waiters was back… Pandi. He has been on other ships for three years now, and we welcomed him home to the Amsterdam. Another nice fellow.
But the best was yet to come with friends Ellen and Aart boarding today. We have not seen them for almost two years (due to illness), so being able to reconnect for 18 days will be wonderful. They sit two tables away from us on the railing, and looked so happy to be here. Also best friends of Barb’s, they were disappointed not to have seen her today, but with them arriving, while Barb, Greg, and Heo were leaving for the airport, it just was not feasible. The good news is that Ellen and Aart are planning on coming next year’s world cruise, and all of us will be together with plenty of time to visit.
The dinner menu was stream-lined with fewer choices, but more familiar ones. Slam and Marco continued to spoil us with our crudité plate, and chocolate biscotti cookies for an extra dessert. Almost the entire fixed seating at 8pm in the upper dining room was full. That’s pretty good on the first night, when most folks are plain exhausted after a long travel day. Not this group, as the lounges, casino, and shops were full of people dancing, gambling, and shopping. There was no live show in the Mainstage, but they did show a big screen movie, Aquaman, at 8pm only.
After dinner, we checked the shops to see if the 2019 GWV logo clothing was on sale. But we found that ALL of it was gone…only the regular undated items were on the shelves. In addition, there was no buy one, get one for $2 drink special in any lounge today. Perhaps it will return tomorrow.
We now have two days at sea, and hope for sunny skies and smooth seas.
Bill & Mary Ann
Friday, May 17, 2019
Report #118 Ft. Lauderdale, Florida May 16, 2019 Thursday Scattered showers & 83 degrees
