Live, Laugh, Liberty, Pt 2

This has been a long time coming, so if you have been waiting, I'm so sorry. I'm writing this on my lunch break at work, so I'm doing it strictly from memory and not from my journal I wrote. I might have to come back and put names and such back in, so patience.

June 19th, 2010:

We wake up slowly b/c our shuttle doesn't come until 10:15 (or :30, I think). We get up and get dressed, then head down with our voucher for breakfast that came with the hotel purchase. It was a good breakfast. You can have them make you an omelet and they have fresh hot foods like: hasbrowns, sausage, scrambled eggs. They have donuts, all shorts of bread (a toaster oven thingy), several juices, milk, coffee, teas. etc.

We went back up to the room and finished getting ready and re-packing (again).

We called a few people to say we would be on the ship soon, sat back and tried to relax then just decided to head downstairs anyway.

Now, the hotel arranged and pre-paid the shuttle for us. They use a contracted company, so make sure you get your pre-paid ticket. The guy arrived on time and I double checked he was to the ports and not the airport. Mom had ran off to walk around (her nerves) and I had to run her down with a luggage cart full. We got on the shuttle and one stop at the other hotel and we were off. The other people on the shuttle were going on the same cruise, so we got to chatting. They were going to arrange with the shuttle guy to pick them back up to get back to the hotel at $14pp. Mom thought this was a great idea vs. my cab ride of $25 total. Trying to give mom peace of mind we talked to the guy. We told him we were on the same ship as the other people and he let us pre-pay $24. It really didn't hit me to later that there was a mis-communication. He was assuming he was picking all 6 of the same people back up and that's why it was $14pp. We however, we not planning on meeting back up with these people and riding together. This def. caused a little bit of a problem later on. But I'll wait to get to that.

I wish I had taken more pictures at the port, but with carrying luggage and such it was too hard to get my camera and such out. But I will try and explain the set up b/c I know I would like to visualize things before I go.

The porters were nice, not really overly friendly, but they did their jobs.

The building is mostly glass and we entered from the left side if you are facing the very front. The line, at 11am, wasn't too bad, but it really wasn't moving. I went to get around the serpentine and I have to say this, if not only for people just to realize their actions. A gentlemen was standing right on the corner of the entrance to the serpentine, I had my roller carry-on and a tote bag, so I had to pull and hold something on my shoulder. This gentlemen was chatting with some other people right were one of those serpentine stands are. I waited a moment for him to move forward a bit, I mean he could obviously see me. He didn't. So, in this situation I just had to use my wide Texas size hips and push on through, I think my roller wheel caught his foot..........mmmmmmm. I know its chaos, but please try to be observant of people around you.

We got into security line and it took longer then I would have expected with only a few people in front of us. Then we hit the x-ray. Like mother like daughter........lol. Mom dropped her passport through the roller things that move the bins and then I got my tote tangled in my necklace trying to get it off, lol. Breath, take your time, people behind you will appreciate you not holding the line up further b/c you are trying too hurry too much, lol.

They sent us up a set of escalators to the second location. Here is where I wish they would have done a little better job. Not that controlling 3,000 people is easy.

We got to the top and it was open space. No signs pointing you in the right direction, but a lady approached the front of our little group of people and said a few things, that I couldn't hear b/c she was too far away and there was too much noise. Mom caught enough for me to translate to go over and fill out the "sickenss" forms. There is a stand with pencils and the forms (No signs). We finished and again, no one or no signs pointed us to the line we needed to go to. We just walked to a serpentine. The lady sent us through so we figured we were okay. That line leads you through the Kiosk where you electronically check in. That was a pain. I know technology is suppose to make things better, but trying to hold all my stuff, make sure I had the right card, making sure mom had her stuff........thank goodness for the lady who stepped in and just did it for me. I mean I 26, computer stuff isn't that new to me, but when you feel rushed and you are juggling 20 things its not that easy, to me.

Then we were sent to another line to get our cards made. That was mainly simple, but when I asked the lady what to do next, she didn't know. They had just been calling numbers, but there were people piled up at the escalators. Mom went to ask another person what to do by the time she came back we were ready to go up the next level. That level put us in another line..........(I'm beginning to hate lines at this point). This was the picture line, nope, not the ID picture, the Welcome Aboard picture. I mean, why hold up passengers who may not want that picture? I know its money in their pockets, but it was annoying. Plus I had to take all my luggage back off and I was sweaty and nasty from all the chaos. We waited in the hall for a moment and then they let us walk across the walkway. There was a line out there too. Why? B/c they were taking your ID photo there. For God sake, don't have sunglasses on top of your head b/c that could totally change how you look and make you unidentifiable.

I took mom upstairs to the food at this point. Crowded as usual, but that is expected. Mom and I found a seat though. We took turns getting food, so our stuff was not left alone. Okay, finally some pictures again, lol.

BTW, if I seem a little more negative than usual.....it might be the steriods I'm on. I had a nasty sinus infection and they had to give me Predisone for the inflammation in my sinus.

After eating we had some time to kill so we walked around the ship and snapped a few pictures while waiting for the 1:30pm room time.

It was finally time for the rooms to be ready, so we headed down to Deck 8 and found what I knew was going to be an typical inside stateroom. But as long as I'm on the ship, who cares.

We actually waited for our suitcases. Like normal, they came, but in pieces. Mom got all hers first then, Finally, I got all mine, lol. We decided to unpack as much as possible before Muster and sail away. We got most everything done and then off to muster we went. Boy, it was hot! They did it in about 20 mins I think and then we had a secret exist. We were right in front of the cigar bar in the back where the internet hub is, so we simply slipped through that door and avoided the crowds.

We then found our way back to the room to grab our cameras, up to the deck to get a sail away drink and watch us take off.

I think we went back to the room after this and finished unpacking and the showered and got ready for our 8:15 dinner. We did stop by for some sushi on the way though. Mom's first try.

We went to the MDR and we found that we were seated in the back, in the silver dining room, with a two seater. I was kind of disappointed, I wanted mom to get to socialize. And after spending all day together what would we have to say to each other?

This is about all the food pictures I took. I got tired of having the camera with me. I did write down all the foods in my journal though. I have to go back and re-post.

Up next.........FUN DAY AT SEA, I think, lol.