The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves...: Cruise 2013 - Days 5&6

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Cruise 2013 - Days 5&6 - Embarkation and Sea Day

The four of us excitedly headed into Tampa, where we would meet up with John and Julie, before the six of us boarded the Norwegian Dawn for seven days at sea. So began the Day of Chaos(TM). In spite of the clear skies above us, we were informed that the Port of Tampa was closed due to heavy fog, meaning all ship traffic was anchored up outside the Skyway Bridge and four-hour harbour approach. A lengthy delay was the order of the day.

The cruise line decided to bus folks en masse to the Southshore Mall, some distance away from the Port, to kill time in air conditioned retail splendor. This became logistically....questionable, especially the return trips from the mall to the Port. I won't go into all the sordid details. Luckily at least we had checked our luggage at the terminal, so we weren't dragging that around all day.

The folks on the previous cruise were supposed to be off the ship at 8am, but did not finally disembark until 5pm after the fog lifted and Port re-opened. By the time we cleared the Customs and boarding backlog, we were on the ship at 8pm, only eight hours later than planned. Still, we were ON the ship. Apparently we just left in time, shoving away from the dock before the fog moved in to close the Port once again!

The entire following day was spent at sea, travelling due south across the Gulf. With the hammer down to make up lost time, the ride was a little rougher than usual amid wind and significant waves, but nothing a bucket of beer didn't fix. Otherwise we spent the day exploring the ship, celebrating Jane's birthday at the new Brazilian churrascaria, and checking out some of the on-board entertainment. Nothing drives away the skewer-induced meat sweats like a giant can of Foster's and a late night walk on the deck!