Another nice day in Ft. Lauderdale, we spent it enjoying French toast and an omelet at our favorite little café at Harbor Shops. A nice touch is that their coffee is free from 6:30 to 9am weekdays, and we had our fill of it. We followed up with some grocery store shopping at Publix, finding a few room snacks as well as a couple of items we forgot. We searched for a pocket-sized hand sanitizer, but all of it was sold out. We do have at least 10 of them at home, but we forgot all but one. We would search for that item later in the afternoon.
Today was the meeting day with our travel agency folks and our most wonderful travel agent. Some tables had been set up outside one of the ballrooms where excess luggage could be stored. Chatting with the head honcho and his three top agents, we also greeted our hosts, Luisa and Gene. They have hosted the world voyage for several years now, and have gotten to know us all quite well. Medium-sized back packs were handed out complete with logo windbreakers inside. Personalized diaries were available to take along with some flyers from the agency. We were pleased to see our photo from last year in one of them along with some of the other longtime customers. Printed directions for tomorrow were included, so we are all on the same page. We will need to bring our one piece of luggage down to the ballroom, and it will be brought over to the ship. The next time we see the duffel, it will be in our room. Two buses will take us and our hand carrys to the cruise terminal with an arrival time of 11am. Easy peasy…..
Today the weather was mostly cloudy, but by the afternoon, the sun did come out. Lunch was light and at Duffy's. From there we did take another walk to the Dollar Tree, finding several cruisers we knew shopping there. We searched for the hand sanitizer and came up zero, but did find a few bargains with thank you notes, a spiral binder, a notepad, and a pen holder. Our friend Ginni was shopping for Valentine's and St. Patrick's Day dinner table gifts. Never thought of that, but being a seasoned cruiser, she and friend Leslie (wish you and dh were both here) have become professional worldwide shoppers.
Back at the hotel, other guests were gathering to leave to join the Disney ship. There may have been another cruise ship in port, because we saw it leaving out of Port Everglades when we left for lunch. Checking out the pool area from our window, we saw several lounges empty. So we went down for some relaxation in the warm sun, which was shared with one very young green iguana. Spending an hour there, we realized the clouds had returned as did some wind, and it actually got chilly. Oh well, time to get ready for dinner.
Our group met in the lobby at 5:15pm sharp, then we were led to the nearby Boatyard Restaurant, built right on the waterway. Known for their seafood, there were more choices tonight. We went directly to the back room where tables for six were set for our group only. Somehow we always seem to come in towards the end of the line, so we took chairs at Tom and Deann's table…same as last year. A nice couple from South Carolina joined us. Perfect. What we liked most about this format was that we bypassed the usual cocktail and canapy table and waiting at a bar to get drinks. Seated at the tables, we were served a platter of crispy fried calamari and zucchini slices. Those who love calamari loved it, but there was also a platter with sweet tomatoes and mozzarella salad with sourdough bread croutons drizzled with a balsamic dressing. While we were getting started with the food, Tom invited all of us to order a cocktail, wine or soda. A double Jack and a diet Coke were our choices.
The second course was a chilled Caesar salad, followed by our choice of oak grilled flat iron steak, Greek roasted chicken, or pan roasted Scottish salmon – all served with veggies, potatoes or rice. We chose the steak cooked medium and it was delicious. We did save room for a slice of their famous creamy Key Lime pie with berries on the side, or an apple crostada with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. Full to the brim, we all left the restaurant by 7:30pm, thanking our hosts on the way out. Great job guys.
Expecting a busy day tomorrow, we headed to bed earlier than usual. We still are not accustomed to Eastern time, which will take a few more days. And perhaps the mystery of going to Brazil or not, will be solved tomorrow. The drama continues……
Bill & Mary Ann
