July 30, 2019
Thankfully we didn’t have to rush away from our AirBnB. Emily was a great landlord! She didn’t have tenants arriving today, so she let us check out two hours late. Our Uber arrived and we enjoyed chatting with the driver on the way to the cruiseport. He was a Marine veteran and played arena football for 10 years in Maine, and easily lifted our big suitcases in and out of his SUV. Since I didn’t inherit the packing gene, suffice it to say that we did have suitcases.
Check in and boarding was the smoothest we’ve had! Our cabin was ready and within an hour our luggage was delivered. We did some unpacking and then headed to the Lido for a small bite and some iced tea. As we finished unpacking, our delightful steward, Deden, (from Indonesia) arrived. He took care of the necessary extension cord for the C Pap and ordered the distilled water. He’s a charmer!
The mandatory passenger safety drill was at 4:30 pm. It was still much too warm for my comfort level, so I was thankful for my Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad to help keep me a little bit cooler.
Initially, I couldn’t get the HAL Navigator app to work on my phone. I’d previously downloaded it from the Google Play Store and successfully used it on other cruises. So we stopped by the front office and of course it worked then to get logged on without assistance. The app, that works when you’re onboard, provides daily program information, deck plans, internet information, spa and salon services, dinner menus for the dining room and Lido (buffet), the ability to reserve specialty dining, check your onboard account balance, your itinerary of daily activities that you add, and even a way to message other passengers. And, it’s free! All you need is a smart phone and a twelve year-old to help you. If you want to connect to the internet it’s pricey, but as you move up in Mariner status, there is a discount.
The Lido had a line out the door for dinner, so we headed to the main dining room. We were seated with Warren and Vickie, from Boston. They’re also 5 star cruisers and were a delight to chat with. Warren is eighty-eight and Vicki almost eighty-one. As we meandered back toward the front of the ship, we ran into friends, Tm and Julie! We first met on the 2016 World Cruise, and then again on the 2017 Grand South America. We caught up briefly with them and continued forward. Bonita, whom we also met on the 2016 World Cruise, spotted us and ran over for a hug. We chatted and continued on to relax in our cabin.
Though we were scheduled to depart at eleven pm, the tides must have been favorable and we pulled out about an hour early. From our balcony, we watched the skyline grow smaller as jets took to the air from Boston Logan International Airport and flew directly overhead!
We settled in and relished the familiar gentle rocking of the ship. Ahhhhhhhh . . . time for good night’s sleep!