We arrived in Fort Lauderdale at 10 a.m., parked the car, took a shuttle to the ship, and waited while the disembarking passengers disembarked. It was almost noon before we got on the ship.
As a guest speaker, our stateroom number is not revealed before we board. I guess they figure if we are down near the engine room, or close to a bilge pump, we’ll abandon ship before we are actually on the ship. Strange arrangement, but it’s their way. Onboard Princess we have twice been in crew quarters, once on Deck 4 and once on Deck 7. The cabin on Deck 7 was an officer’s cabin and not bad at all.
There were 7 cruises ships in Port Everglades today. On December 21, 2003, there were 15 cruise ships in port – a record unequaled by any port in the world. On March 20, 2010, there 52,000 cruise passengers in Port Everglades, also a world record.
This time we are on the Aloha Deck. There is only one passenger cabin deck above us. I think in the way of things, the higher up you go, the more the cabin’s cost. But, regardless, this is a very nice room. It is currently set up with the beds separated, but our Cabin Steward, Henry, is on his way to make the sleeping arrangements into a full-size bed. Nice desk and work area, huge closet, and a nicely furnished personal needs room.
Ours is an inside stateroom, which means when the lights are out, it is darker than Dick’s hat band, darker than midnight in a thousand cypress swamps. Twas the dark of the moon on the 6th of June in a Kenworth full of logs, a cab-over Pete with a reefer on, and a Jimmy haulin’ hogs. We was heading for bear on I 1-0, and I said, “Pig Pen, this here’s the Rubber Duck, and I’m about to put the hammer down” (thank you C.W. McCall).
Makes for good sleeping – as my traveling companion is doing right now, even though all of the lights are on.
We lunched at the Trident Grill on hamburgers for her, and bratwurst for me. They also had knockwurst. I chose the best of the wurst. Did I hear a moan? Do you want me to repeat the Hub Cap Joke in these pages? I thought not!
I have yet to meet with ship’s personnel, but I have tried. Instructions left at our stateroom told me to contact Christ, the assistant cruise director. However the phone system is “recycling” and that number is “not valid.” We have an emergency stations meeting at 3:30, so hopefully he’ll be there.
Well in the 8 hours since I wrote that last paragraph, I finally met with Chris, a jolly good chap from Merry Olde England. We ate supper with 3 other couples in the Michaelangelo dining room, went to the welcome on board show, met cruise director Lisa (also a British subject), got a Diet Coke, and are now barely awake, ready to sleep the sleep of the just.
It has been a good day. TTFN!
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