Well here we are, back where we began…..in Ft. Lauderdale. Breakfast was early from 6:30 to 8:30am in the dining room and Club Orange. The Lido service was from 6 to 9am, and there was no room service. The entire population of the ship had to be cleared through the US Customs and Border Protection, which is called a "zero" clearance. This process began with the passengers after 8am, and needed to be completed by 9:15am.
We needed to take our passports, our room key, and In-Transit cards, as well as wearing our masks. We had already decided that we wanted to leave the ship, and not return until the early afternoon. For those that were In-Transit like us, that did not want to leave the ship, this group had to proceed together to be cleared by Customs. Then they would have to wait in the terminal for about 90 minutes to re-board after 11am. These folks would not be allowed to leave the ship again if they chose this option. In addition, once all of the In-Transit guests came back onboard, none of us had to visit our muster station again, since we had done that a week ago. Now that we have gotten this down pat, we will repeat the process over and over.
We had three things to do in mind this morning while in town. One was to take a long walk, do some shopping, and possibly go out to lunch, something we have not done yet. The weather was cooperating with mostly blue skies, temps in the mid 70's, and a nice breeze blowing. A good recipe for taking some photos. Access to town from Pier 4 was so much easier than walking from Pier 26. This pier was located directly behind the Convention Center, which is being remodeled at the moment. Getting directions from the terminal crew, we easily found our way to Eisenhower Blvd which led to the Walgreens on the corner of 17th and SR A1A.
From here we turned right and walked over the draw bridge towards the beach area. The sidewalks here were busier than we remembered, but most of the locals were not wearing masks. Creatures of habit, we felt more comfortable leaving ours on. Eventually we reached the Ft. Lauderdale Beach, which is opened to the public. There is a lot of parking here, but there is also a charge. Bikes were here to rent also. Within an hour, most all of the parking spots were gone.
We continued our hike, but stopped short of the Las Olas area, which we can walk the next time we come here. One of us was being most careful of going too far, just in case it may be difficult to walk back. So far, all is good as long as we take it slowly. From here, we back-tracked, and continued up 17th to the Harbor Shops, and Duffy's, a fun sports bar. We had already decided that if it was crowded, we would not go inside. However, even with a football game in progress, the high top tables near the back were all empty. This would work OK. We ordered draft beers, a house salad and a bacon cheeseburger to share. The ice cold beer hit the spot and the burger was excellent.
In this same mall, we went to Publix and found a few items we needed. At the far end was an Ace Hardware Store where we bought a large wall clock (battery powered) for our room. It fit perfectly over the big screen TV.
Back at the ship by 2pm, we relaxed in our room until sail away around 4:15pm. Welcoming us, were a new vase of red roses and one dozen Cokes. On the desk, were two plates, one with bruschetta and the other with truffles. The best was another bottle of champagne on ice with two champagne flutes. We shared this while enjoying the boisterous sail out of Port Everglades. Captain Noel, once again, had fun with the ship's horn. We happened to be the first of the six ships in port to leave. We noticed that many of the onlookers ashore came out to wave at us again. During the sailing out, a Coast Guard speed boat, complete with a gunner in the front, kept all of the fishing boats and jet skis away from the big cruise ships. A couple of police boats were also nearby for back-up. We watched for the dolphins, but there were none to be seen. Only one frigate bird soared above the ship briefly. So here we go again on another 7 day trip, this one a New Year's sailing.
There was a big difference with service in the main dining room this evening. With more guests onboard, the service seemed much slower. Even the head waiter was running food and clearing tables. We did notice our waiter was using a larger tablet to take our order, so don't know if that was a problem. Some of our food was warm, not hot, except for the onion soup, which was boiling.
We knew that friends Susie and Woody would be boarding today with some of their family members, who are joining them for 7 days. Turned out they had a table for eight near the back of the room. The Hotel Manager and one of his assistants stopped by our table to inform us that they were here. Then Presty stopped by for a chat, and we sent him there to greet them. Presty also told us that under 1600 were on this cruise, but there were also 300 kids under 18 here for the holiday sailing. We expect this to be a lively crowd. And like we did last week, we will dine in each specialty restaurant at least once in the next 7 days.
Back in the room, we had two more $50 spa offers and a $200 credit for an Effy product. Also back was the laundry we sent in this morning. Wow.
Tomorrow, we will be in Half Moon Cay, another day in paradise!
Bill & Mary Ann
Monday, December 27, 2021
Report #9 Fort Lauderdale, Florida December 26, 2021 Sunday Sunny & 75 degrees
