Even with all of the turmoil yesterday evening, we managed to sleep pretty well. The only problem was the time change, which is three hours ahead of California. Normally, we try to spend around three nights in Ft. Lauderdale to get used to the change. Due to having the required Covid test two days prior to sailing, our only option for this pre-stay was one night.
We figured it has been four years since we stayed here before a world cruise. Not a fan of hotel restaurants (breakfast buffet), we discovered years ago that by walking up the street a few blocks, there was a nice local shopping mall with a family-style café. So much for sleeping in later, we got up early enough to re-pack the bags to have them ready for pick-up at 9am. Then we headed off for Kristof's Kafe. There was a 50% chance of rain, but we ignored it since the sun was shining through the clouds. Yeah, right.
Being a Sunday morning, the café was almost full, but still enough room for us. The food very was good as was the service. Have to mention here that the restaurant staff did wear masks, although there was no mask mandate posted for guests at the café. There was none last night at Bokampers either. Since the local news is slammed with Covid spread in this state, we made it a point to wear our masks like we do at home. Also no one asks for your Covid vaccine card here. Thinking positive, we really wished this virus scare would be winding down by now. Guess not.
Remember the 50% chance of rain? Well while we were eating the skies opened up. Really? Naturally the umbrellas we brought with us were packed in the luggage. Duh, we know better. Waiting it out by finishing our last cup of coffee, the rain let up, and we decided to walk back and take our chances. Turned out, it was a huge passing cloud, and we stayed dry. When the sun started coming out, the roads and landscaping seem to steam, adding to the humidity. Better get used to it from here on out.
We had until 11:15am to be in the lobby for our transfer to the pier. Our 2 pieces of luggage had been picked , so that was good. Going online, we discovered that HAL had sent 9 emails about changes, but nothing to click on. If they involve the health questionnaire, we will just have to deal with it at the pier, as we were advise by them a few days ago. Should have gotten this in writing. No sense worrying about it now, but you would think HAL could fix this bug in their system. Our patience with them is beginning to wear thin at this point. It reflects an uncomfortable incompetence with their process….something we have never experienced before now.
In the lobby of the hotel, we checked to make sure our bags were there, and they were in the pile. There were about 22 of us waiting for the big green bus to take us to the pier. We were told by our buddies that the ship was delayed with guests that were late in showing up for the zero count, and we would have to wait a bit longer before we left. This has occurred on other cruises as well and can be very frustrating for the folks that need to get to the airport. Perhaps one day a fine will be imposed on those inconsiderate guests who cannot follow directions.
The bus ride was less than ½ hour, and we were taken to Pier 4, a new berth for us. On the billboard entering Port Everglades were six ships sailing today. That's a good indication the cruise industry is bouncing back. Right before we entered the building, we spotted an agent holding a sign that had six names on it. Right in the middle were our names. We should mention here, for those who do not know us, we reached the President's Club level in 2015. That is after attaining 1400 pure sea days of sailing with HAL. Anyway, the friendly agent led us into a different line to present our boarding passes, negative Covid tests, our Covid vaccination cards, and finally our passports. Instead of a paper health questionnaire, they had a tablet with five questions about feeling ill. Of course, we both truthfully said "no" to all of the symptoms, thank goodness. Then we were off to pass through security. With the alarm bell going off, I was asked if I had a hip or knee replacement. Saying yes, I did, she was satisfied and let me go. Then the agent led us to the counter where our passports were scanned. No photos or a credit card were needed, as we were already in the system. Easy……
A few staff members came to escort us to the ship's kiosk, where we logged in with a slip of paper. Our keys would be in the mail slot onboard. We were greeted by more crew members when we entered the ship. The room was ready, so we went directly there to drop off our hand carrys. We will go into more detail on the size of this veranda room (VC) in future reports, but we noticed it was a bit wider than our previous aft balcony room on the Nieuw Amsterdam. With a few tricks up our sleeves, there should be enough space for the contents of the four pieces of luggage we brought. Did we mention that we shipped two bags (65# each) through Luggage Free? Yes, it was a bit pricey, but it saved our backs trying to haul them. We are so used to getting four bags or duffels, in our case, with no weight restrictions sailing on the Grand Voyages, that we really appreciate how much that is worth now.
In our room, we had a lovely bouquet of roses and a bottle of Veuve Clicqout champagne on ice. On the desk were two trays of snacks, as well as a case of Diet Coke. We had a welcome letter from Gus Antorcha, the new president of HAL, outlining some of the shipboard credit gifted to us. So it appears they will be treating this batch of cruises as a Collector's Cruise, and combining all of the credits from the beginning. That will save us the trouble of doing this with every 7 to 11 day cruise. Of course, we will have to check this out later at the front desk to make sure, but not for a few days. One other letter described Covid restrictions, and one of them was no smoking in the Casino. We did find a pile of masks in our room, which are not the cloth masks we got on the N. Amsterdam. Those did not fit well anyway, but were washable.
The first job was to program the safe which takes up a narrow shelf in a closet. However, no matter how we tried, we could not get it to work. Calling the front desk, one of the girls came to our room and discovered the battery was very low and was defaulting. Once she fixed that, it worked fine. In this same closet is the small refrigerator, which really takes up a lot of space.
The luggage we brought with us arrived, and at that time we met our room steward Koko. He said he remembered us from the Amsterdam. We had a few questions for him, and he did everything we asked within the hour, even though we told him "no hurry". We added that we would like to have nightly turndown service, but no towel animals. He was fine with that, saying no problem. Later in the afternoon, we met Faishal, our room assistant. The job of setting up house began for an hour or so, until it was announced we needed to go to the muster stations inside, not outside, and have our cards scanned. It was mandatory to watch the muster video on the TV too. Really easy compared to the old way.
We could have gone for the Mariner Society lunch in the dining room, but by the time we remembered, it was after 1pm. When the next two pieces of luggage arrived, we stayed and continued to put it away. So far, it looks like the space will be sufficient. Although, to make more room in the two closets in the hallway, we asked for plenty of wire hangars, as they take up less space. Of course, we did bring much less with us, knowing the storage space was limited.
Our next problem was not being able to log onto their website to buy an internet package. The front desk gal did try to assist us, but it appeared the signal was not great in our room. She suggested to go to the front desk area, and ask for the IT manager, which we did next. He was most helpful, taking over the computer and making it work. Since we will be onboard for 108 days, and we have President Club shipboard credit to buy a plan (Premium), he said he would figure it out. That will also save us the time of doing this every cruise.
And since we were so close to the Grand Dutch Café, we decided it was time to have a beer, and check out their menu. We had been reading about the almond cookies on Cruise Critic, so we had to have one. That led to sharing a grilled ham and cheese sandwich, and another monster-size chocolate chip cookie. A perfect lunch after all. This venue will be dangerous, but oh so nice. And we were close to the dining reservation area, so we stopped and made dates for two weeks of Pinnacle Grill, Tamarind, and Canaletto. Many of the spots had been taken before this sailing, but he promised us to save us a table. Once again, being members of the President's Club really sets the scene for utmost attention. And the head staff all seem to know our names when we talk to them. Really nice.
There was an invite to a 4 & 5 star mariner reception, so we went to the Billboard On Board to check it out. Greeted again by the assistant Hotel Director and his crew, we stayed chatting with them and enjoyed some Mimosas. Although the sail away was planned at 4pm, Captain Noel O'Driscoll announced we would be leaving around 5pm, due to the number of ships in port. Once the ship began to move, we went back to the room, and stayed on our veranda until we were out of the harbor. Never before have we heard the ship's horns being blasted very long and numerous times. Someone was sure having fun on the bridge. On the waterfront side of homes, we spotted some folks holding a large HAL flag, while waving at the guests. Residents of the condos were blowing their horns also. On the way out, several fishing vessels passed by, and so did a pod of dolphins in the distance. One of the best send-offs yet. This time we did not hear the festivities from the Seaview pool deck, because we are located more forward on the port side.
So two suitcases fit under the bed, one with extra toiletries, and the other for more clothes storage if needed. The other two will be stored elsewhere according to our room steward. We have to mention that we had several visits by the head of housekeeping, front desk ladies, and the head room supervisor, all letting us know we can contact them for anything we needed. We are happy campers now that we have the room mostly in order.
Leaving early before dinner, we walked through the two levels of shops onboard. The managers were more than friendly, inviting us to check out their stuff. They don't know it yet, but they will see a lot of us for the next 108 days. The upper dining room (fixed seating) was opened by 7:45pm. As we expected, it was only ½ full, downstairs was also half empty. But today was a busy day, and most folks probably ate early, then crashed. We were told there are about 1400 passenger this trip. Anyway, dinner was excellent as was our waiter, Surya. We ordered roasted chicken breast, jerk pork tenderloin, and one order of lasagna we shared. Ended up with desserts of hot fudge sundae. Another good start.
There were more gift cards in our room….a $50 spa service for both of us and a $200 credit towards Effy products. There will be a wine tasting tomorrow at 1:45pm, and we were invited. The When & Where brochure was on the bed along with two HAL chocolates. We also received a Club Orange tote bag, which reminds me, we did locate the dedicated Orange Club Restaurant, and spoke to the manager. He was happy to meet us, and promised to save us a table for two at the hallway window for tomorrow morning. We believe the restaurant is reserved for Orange Club members, suite guests, and President's Club members, another nice perk.
Time to close, but will be back tomorrow with more news. A day at sea is what we really need.
Bill & Mary Ann
Monday, December 20, 2021
Report # 2 Embarkation Day December 19, 2021 Sunday Rain showers & 80 degrees
