For 3 Sundays we enjoyed not having to pack up and leave the ship with the other passengers. It was fun to watch them all struggling with their bags while we relaxed. All too soon, however, we found ourselves bidding farewell to Freedom of the Seas. Those 4 weeks sure seemed to go by quickly!
For some reason, everything didn’t fit back into our luggage as well as it did when we packed the first time. At least we don’t have to worry about airline weight restrictions yet. Still, we decided to ship about 30 pounds of our stuff (mostly clothes) back to Texas, to lighten the load a bit for the next leg of our trip. We get free laundry service on Emerald Princess, so we really don’t need as much clothing.
On our last night aboard Freedom of the Seas we were all kinda sad – the ship had really begun to feel like home. We tried to say goodbye to all the staff & crew we’d gotten to know over the last 4 weeks. I know the kids will really miss the counselors of the children’s program, and I think the counselors will miss them, too!
On departure morning, (after getting up much earlier than we’re used to) we said our last goodbyes: First to the nice couple from Scotland we met at the Staff Captain’s Table, obviously not looking forward to their long flight home “back to the rain”. Next, we saw the Hotel Director, in civilian clothes and looking almost giddy as he started his journey home to his family after 6 months at sea. (We saw a few other staff members who were also “signing off”, and they all had a certain bounce in their step.) Finally, we got to say goodbye one more time to two of the kids’ favorite Adventure Ocean counselors, Keely & Nicole, who were herding the last of the passengers (and us) off the ship.
Overall, the debarkation process wasn’t too bad. It’s just like getting off a plane: you walk down the hall to the baggage carousel and wait for your bags to come down the conveyor belt. Except this plane has over 4,000 passengers, so it’s a bit harder to find them. At least the line for customs wasn’t long.
We finally got out of the terminal with our bags by 10am, and made our way with all our stuff to Ft. Lauderdale, where we spent 2 nights at the Extended Stay America Hotel near the Port Everglades Cruise terminal, where our next ship would depart. We chose that hotel not only for its location (and price), but because it had a small kitchen, on-site laundry & free high-speed internet, plus there was a supermarket within walking distance where we could get some supplies. It was nothing special, but after living for a month in a cruise ship cabin, the hotel room seemed enormous! We found out the “high-speed internet” was just as slow as on the ship, but at least it was free! (almost)
Two nights and 8 loads of laundry later, we were on our way to Emerald Princess for what will be the longest cruise of our adventure – 40 days in the Southern & Eastern Caribbean.
We’ll see how it compares to Freedom of the Seas – that ship will be hard to top!
{ 4 comments }
Quickly for you maybe. The girls look adorable.
Wow. What an adventure! The girls look like they are enjoying the experience.
Have enjoyed your reports. Especially like the towel story. We miss you. Richard
We have enjoy reading about your adventures. Our favorite was the towel story. Our oldest son, Morgan, loves making towel animals for us as we travel. We can certainly relate to the packing and repacking. Nothing ever repacks the same. Enjoy the rest of your trip.
Comments on this entry are closed.