A long embarkation Jan 26 2013

FINALLY SHIP BOARDING DAY SATURDAY JANUARY 26, 2013

After a good night sleep, a quick check of the internet for emails etc I walk a short distance to a Denny's for breakfast – after that it's back to the hotel to finish packing, reserve a time for the shuttle – I get a 12 noon time slot, check out of the room and await the ride to the port – the entrance to the cruise port is actually almost across the street but with 8 ships in port we are scheduled at the furthest away – Princess has three ships in Port today – besides the Grand, both the Emerald and Caribbean Princess are here – we were at one time scheduled for Berth 2 – the preferred one as it is right at the entrance to the Port – then changed to Berth 21 and finally at Berth 29 – while Princess will likely say the Port caused the changes I don't by it – as it was only their three ships that changed berths.

After a brief wait for the shuttle I am off – we stop at two other berths before reaching Berth 29 – this is where things start to go astray – first off the Porters won't accept your bags unless you give them their tip first which they proudly yell at everyone dropping off their bags.

By now it is almost 1PM and the lineup to get into the terminal stretches forever and isn't moving much at all – according to many in line this is very unusual for Port Everglades which is used to handling many ships in port at one time – it is the largest cruise ship port in the world.

We finally start to snake our way towards the terminal but not before tempers start to flare including one where an aggressive woman was determined to enter/re-enter the terminal by blowing over an elderly Princess rep trying to keep queue jumpers in place.

It was around this time that someone in line mentioned that their had been a bomb scare at the port earlier and they closed the port for about two hours. This was never confirmed – even Princess employees knew or wouldn't say if such an incident occurred.

Finally inside the terminal and in line for the security and luggage screen – this went fairly well but only 3 of the 5 scanners where in place.

Then in line for our cruise cards – this went smoothly and by 3PM I was on board the ship – proceeded to my cabin – dropped my bags, cameras etc and headed to the buffet for lunch.

By now it it been announced that muster drill was pushed back to 4:30PM and we should sail around 5 PM – WRONG!

While muster drill did take place on time we didn't sail until 6:30 PM but at last I am underway.

In talking to some on-board who were on the previous cruise some of the blame can be put squarely on the shoulders of the Department of Homeland Security WHO ASSIGNED ONLY TWO AGENTS TO CLEAR A SHIP WITH 2600 OR SO PEOPLE ON BOARD. Also apparently the local authorities wanted to do a thorough inspection as the ship is leaving the east coast and moving to a new home port in San Francisco.

As the Captain explained with all the extra luggage and supplies needed to be loaded that delayed our sail-away – it won't affect our arrival in St Thomas.

Next: Two days at sea.

A day in Ft Lauderdale Jan 25 2013

FORT LAUDERDALE JAN 25, 2013

After getting off the train, grabbing the taxi and getting settled into my room I head across the street to a Walgreen’s – this one is a 24 hour one – and grab some snack food, pop and a dozen beer – some local brand was $3.50 a 6 pack – with comped wi-fi for the stay in my room I get caught up on world events, emails etc. The first 4 beer went down very well – turned in and got a fairly good night sleep.

The plan for tomorrow is to see as much of the town as I can – haven't stayed overnight here before and my research indicates I should be able to see a great many of the local attractions using any combination of walking, free trolley or a water taxi.

In the evening there is a pre-cruise meet and greet planned.

I head out the door of the hotel in search of a place to grab a bite to eat and figure since the New River is right behind the Hotel I should be able to follow it into town. WRONG! It is mostly private property – after about 45 minutes of wandering around I finally spot a) a McDonald's for breakfast and the proper road to take me to the Riverwalk – I do have a map with me – once on the Riverwalk I start taking lots of pictures – after a mile or so I cross over to the other side and explore Old Fort Lauderdale and then start back along Las Olas Blvd – lot's of neat little shops – here I decide to start walking to the Atlantic Ocean – if I get tried I can grab the Sun Trolley which is free and serves as a hop on hop off service – I stop and pick up some Diet Pepsi and continue on my way to the beach – Fort Lauderdale is somewhat like Venice with lots of canals and very expensive homes – my now both my feet and stomach are sending my brain a message – SLOW DOWN AND TAKE IT EASY!

That is a concept that I have had a hard time conditioning myself to – finally I see the A1A highway sign and I knew the beach, shopping and restaurants were at hand – five minutes later I reach the beach – while there are many people tanning not to many are in the water – it is a cool time and also pretty good wave surge.

Finally spot a Sonic burger place where I have lunch, and relax for a while.

Then I continue along the boardwalk until you reach more private property and have to follow the road back – I finally start to see the Hotel so I knew it was just a walk across the causeway bridge where you can see the ships in port.

I am not finished walking – so I head out again as there are a few last minute items I want to pick up – pop for one – there is a dollar store, Ross – like Winner's and a Winnie Dixie – where I pick up some pop for the cruise – on the way back I check out the Publix and Total Wine stores.

Now it back to the hotel for a brief breather and then onto to the pre-cruise Cruise Critic meet and greet at Bimini's pub which is next door to the hotel – there is a large turnout – I stay about an hour – I am very tired and walk half a block to Shula's restaurant – yes it is named after Don Shula – have a chicken breast burger and fries but have trouble eating the burger as my dentures are bothering me.

Return to the hotel – enquire about a shuttle to the port – it's $6.00 – runs every 20 minutes – just sign up after 10AM tomorrow.

Then it's a quick check on the internet and the uploading and editing of some more pictures and saving them to a flash drive.

Hit the sack and asleep almost instantly.

Estimated I probably walked in total about 10 miles or 16 Kilos.

Next: The embarkation mess and finally aboard the ship.

Part 4 Washington DC to Ft Lauderdale

Amtrak Part Four: Washington DC to Fort Lauderdale

It is kinda hard for a train to arrive on time at it's scheduled terminus when it leaves it departure station an hour late – add in scheduled track work and a freight train that had a broken coupling and took up to an hour to fix it is a matter of some pride that we arrived in Fort Lauderdale only 2.5 hours late.

At times it seems like we were never going to get there – our departure was delayed at least an hour because the train left NYC late.

When we finally did board it was straight to the dining car – I did sleep well that night – we are now in view liner cars which unlike the super liners have no upper deck but do come with a small toilet.

As Thursday wore on and after another disappointing breakfast but a good lunch of meatloaf and mashed potatoes we get stuck on the main track some where in Georgia behind a freight train that had one of the couplings that hold the cars together break – fortunately this is not an uncommon occurrence and the freight crew carry extras and can repair them themselves – on the other trains we were getting regular updates from the conductor but no so on this train so I asked our steward Leo – a 25 year employee – about that and he answered that he disabled it in our car because many people don't want to be disturbed but anything important he would verbally tell us.

Finally underway and with no hope of an on time arrival we are further delayed south of Jacksonville – they are building a commuter line and track work and speed reductions slow us up some more – finally after Kissimee we start to make up some time.

Around this time they announced that we would get a supper but it would be a limited menu – chicken, pasta or lamb shank – since I had two of those already I choose the pasta.

Finally around 8:30 PM we arrive at the Fort Lauderdale station and the end of my trip but there was one other challenge that I knew I would face – collecting of my checked luggage – I couldn't find my baggage check – pretty should I wasn't given one in Seattle – well after showing some ID and my itinerary I got my bag – hailed a taxi and $20.00 with tip later arrived at my hotel – the Marriott Renaissance Cruise Port and settled in for a two night stay – hotel was pre-paid through hotels.com and the agent was nice enough to comp my internet for the stay.

I will let you make your own judgement of what you think of Amtrak and it's performance.

Next: My Fort Lauderdale stay.

Part 3 Chicago to Washington DC

Part Three – Chicago to Washington

This the only one of the three main legs that arrived basically on time.

It was while I was having lunch in the dining car that an other older couple overheard me talking about my cruise and piped up that they too were on the Grand Princess but had never heard of Cruise Critic.

When you go to eat on the trains unless you are a foursome they will seat you at the first available space at a table – with one exception I had great table mates and made early friends with Doug – a retired family doctor now living in the Seattle area who was in the sleeper across from me – first time for him on a train for many many years – he found it some what to his liking – the small confined space of our sleepers he overcame by spending much of his time in the lounge car – he also spent time reading books on his e-reader – he finally detrained at Orlando where his daughter met him and who then go to Sarasota.

My breakfast choice as I mentioned early was French toast and that was on the menu on this train – why Amtrak can't have the same basic choices on all of their trains I have never understood.

While on the Empire Builder we had a great crew on this train they weren't as nearly friendly or talkative.

As it was a noon time arrival I didn't get lunch on board so I decided to eat at one of the restaurants in Washington D.C. Union station which is as much a shopping and eatery as it is a train station – choose to eat at McDonald's. How is it that McDonald's advertises the $ menu and there aren't any of those at this one.

I have checked into the Club Acela lounge which is what the first class lounge is called here – stow my luggage, quickly check my emails – this time the wi-fi was actually working. While I know it will be cold outside I decide to head out and get some fresh air – I was originally going to head for the National Mall but with a bitter wind in my face I ended up checking out the area to the left of the station as you exit – it is called the Capitol Hill heritage district – lots of old homes – everyone of which seems to belong to some never heard of before lobby or special interest groups judging by the small nameplates on the front door – contrast that with the huge banner that hung from the International Union of Teamsters building lauding the Obama/Biden team as great friends of working Americans.

Came across St Joseph's Catholic Church which dates back to the 1800 and which had the late Senator Robert f Kennedy as both a church goer and participant in parish activities – picked up a copy of the church bulletin to give to my godmother Rosie who is a lot more Catholic than i am these days.

So after coming in from the cold I return to the lounge and await the departure of the Silver Meteor for the final leg of the trip to Fort Lauderdale – and we waited and waited and waited – finally announced that boarding was delayed at least 45 minutes – my now I am in need of some food – while they will serve us supper on the train since we don't know when we will leave I opt to grab a quick small bite to eat in the food court.

We finally get the word that boarding will start around 8:15 PM – some 45 minutes late and we will then proceed directly to the diner and our supper.

Next Part Four: the final leg Washington to Fort Lauderdale.

Cheers!

Underway

Will get the remainder of the Amtrak story, the hellish embarkation in Ft Lauderdale and a review of the first two days of the cruise in the next day or two.

The cruise is going fine.

PLEASE NOTE IT WON'T LIKELY BE POSTING ANY PHOTOS WHILE USING THE SHIPS INTERNET - IT'S 0.30 PER MINUTE AND PHOTOS TAKE A WHILE TO LOAD.

Cheers!

D.

Amtrak Part 2 Seattle to Chicago

Part 2 – Amtrak Empire Builder Seattle to Chicago – Sunday Jan 20 to Tuesday Jan 22, 2013

After picking myself up off the ground and with no apparent injuries I returned to the station and waited to board the Empire Builder – before heading for lunch I checked my smaller bags at the baggage check – my big bag weighed in at 44.5 lbs which is below the 50 lb max – I brought a luggage scale at the $$ store before the trip and when I weighed it at home it matches what the digital weigh scale came up with.

I thought something was familiar with our car steward – his name is Steve and when we got to talking about questions for tomorrow's wine and cheese and trivia contest opened only to those in the sleepers I remember I had him last year when I was returning from my Panama Canal cruise – this will be the last time I will see him as he is retiring at the end of February 2013 after more than 35 years with the company.

After getting settled in and given my small compo bottle of bubbly I am asked by the dining room guru which dinner time I would like – took the first one available – I choose the herb chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and veggie medley and had a chocolate brownie creation for dessert which I found to hard to chew with the dentures – I did attempt to eat the salad but the lettuce sticks to the dentures so didn't have salad the remainder of the trip. The chicken was alright – I have had it before – always find it a little dry but in comparison to some of the chicken dishes I cook at home and which leave a lot to be desired.

A couple on the train from Langley BC are doing a 50 some day cruise on the Pacific Princess from Fort Lauder dale to Sydney Australia – we would be joined by a number of other cruises to various destinations as I made my way east and south.

I always like the Empire Builder – it is the most profitable long inter-city route in the system and it's on-time record is good.

While we made good time the first day as we headed into the cold northern tier states – North Dakota and Minnesota we started falling further and further behind schedule – while some can be attributed to track work being done why we continued to lose time I can't answer.

I didn't sleep well the first night but was much better the second night.

Monday and Tuesday's brekkie's were a bust – while I am not a big egg eater you aren't given many choices – my favorite is French Toast but apparently it is now only offered on the west bound trains.

The scrambled eggs tasted like they came from a powdery mix and the potatoes were cold most mornings.

The weather was fine - cold but dry as we climbed over Maries Pass in Glacier National Park – I did get some pictures from the train but the quality is always impaired because you are taking them through the window.

After lunch on the second day the Empire Builder puts on a wine and cheese session – a chance to promote local US west coast wines – we only had 12 people p participate as the train isn't very busy – not uncommon during the winter months although we did have a fair number either get off or on at Whitefish Montana as most were going skiing in the region.

How the wine tasting works – they pour a wine and then play trivia – asked question and if you get the answer right you get the remains of the bottle – well with only 12 of us they were only giving out full bottles – one of the questions was geared for the Pacific Northwest people among us – Steve is from Seattle and his question was does any one know the name of the incident that almost caused war to break out between Canada/Britain and the US in the Pacific Northwest – I shout out the Battle of the Pig – that was the correct answer and that relates to an incident when a Britisher killed an American pig on San Juan Island – at that time the boundary through the Gulf and San Juan Islands hadn't been determined and both countries had troops on the island – i believe it was the Spanish King who mediated a settlement and the boundaries that exist today were drawn.

Finally made it into Chicago with 40 minutes to spare for the catching the Capitol Limited to D.C. - didn't even have time to catch a quick break in the lounge at Chicago's Union Station – they had us go straight to the train so they could make our dinner reservations.

We also got delayed because we had to follow a commute train into the Chicago station.

I haven't mentioned that it was cold – actually frigid at many of the stops so I didn't waste a lot of time getting on and off the train at some of the stops.

Up next Part 3 – Chicago to Washington D.C.

The Amtrak story - Part 1 - Vancouver to Seattle Jan 20, 2013

Well after 4 days on the train I finally arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday evening Jan 25, 2013 – also known as Robbie Burns day for those of Scottish heritage – the train was three hours late – I must confess of all the Amtrak trips I have taken across the country over the past half dozen years this one was probably the most unenjoyable one.

There were four stages to this train trip and here in as short of form as I can write are some of my thoughts, concerns etc.

Leg 1 – Vancouver to Seattle on board the Amtrak Cascades – this is the first time for me on taking it to Seattle and it is not hard to see why this trip is so popular and regularly sells out in the summertime – it was the only one of my trips to arrive early – check in at Vancouver was a breeze – you clear the first stage of US Immigration at the station – your ID and luggage is scanned –  I had a regular coach seat – business class is available but at this time of year I didn’t feel I needed it – we left right on time and arrive at the border where the Border agents and their dogs rechecked our ID and in my case because of the length of time I was to be gone wanted to know how much US $$$ I was traveling with – they didn’t question my answer.

After about a 10 minute stop at the border we are on our way – with free wi-fi on the train I spend some time getting caught up with the happenings around the world as we wound our way along the shore of Bellingham Bay and later Puget Sound. I arrived in Seattle early so took the opportunity to walk around the station area to await my lunch time meeting with the spouse of my late friend Don Cameron – Unbeknownst to me Hazel also arrived early and was searching for me – well I returned to the station to use the washrooms and that is when I spotted her and we were off for a walk through Pioneer Square and along the waterfront to Ivar’s restaurant – I have always enjoyed their fish and chips – we both had the three piece of fish and chips and pop – it was my treat – we spent close to two hours discussing our lives and what her brother’s in laws are up to.

We then walked back to the bus stop at International Station which is next door to Amtrak’s King street station.

It was after I left Hazel that an incident happened that could have caused me to have to cancel the trip – I was walking along one of the streets and the next thing I know I am starting to fall to the concrete sidewalk – I use my arms to try and break the fall – I missed a grate in the sidewalk and that is what caused me to fall – after picking myself up off the ground I checked myself for any obvious injuries – there was no blood but I did scrape both knee caps and my left wrist was hurting – while sore for a couple of days the stiffness has subsided and I am now 100% okay.

Just a note – the long process of upgrading the Amtrak King St station is expected to be finished by last spring/early summer – for what is opened it looks like it will be a nice reno job.

Part 2 – Seattle to Chicago – to be posted shortly.

Cheers

Dennis