Tampa, FL - The End of the VoyageDec 4, 2008
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Getting over 2,000 people off a cruise ship in an organized fashion is a herculean task, to say the least.
In preparation for the adventure, we were issued colored baggage tags; we had brown. We were advised to affix these to our luggage and put our bags outside our stateroom door before 11 p.m. It seemed rather funny at the time, but the staff warned us not to pack the clothes we planned to wear off the ship. I guess they’ve had this happen and the guests departed clad only in the ship’s towels….or maybe that’s just a Cruise Director’s joke.
Anyway, then we were informed to assemble in a public area; our assigned area was the Palladium Theater, the same place where we saw the shows every night. We were given approximate times by which we might be called to leave the ship. Our assigned time was 9:30 a.m. Being veteran travelers, we were sure this time was pretty fluid and the odds of us walking off the ship anywhere close to 9:30 were likely pretty remote. So, we didn’t hurry, had a nice breakfast, and tidied up the last items for our carry-on baggage.
Sure enough, 9:30 came and went……and, at about 10:20, they finally called our color (brown). We made our way through Immigration, retrieved our bags in the Customs Hall, cleared Customs, grabbed a taxi, and we were home in the motor home by 11:40 a.m.
We just dropped our bags and sped up the highway to the kennel to collect Foxy before the kennel closed at noon. Wow, was she ever happy to see us?? She seemed none the worse for her confinement and they told us she had been really good for them. I think they took very good care of her and she had just had a bath….so, she smells good; that’ll last a day or so until she starts rolling in the dirt again.
So, we are back to reality, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking at home, making our own bed, etc. No more 24/7 pampering; well, at least not for 2 weeks. Stay tuned as we’ll be going to the Panama Canal for Christmas.
