Florida-Bahamas Cruise - Day 1 - Embarkation - 12/09/23
Today was a day where I had to get my act in gear and get out of the house in time to make a 9:37 train - and I almost didn’t make it.
But first….
Last night, I finally got everything packed (and maybe over-packed at the same time). But I didn’t get to sleep until 3:00 am, so I knew that I’d need to nap a little as soon as I was able to board the cruise ship.
This morning, I awoke very early (around 6:00 am), and I knew that it was the Adrenalin (or some other stress related hormone) that caused me to wake up. Instead of rushing to burn off that energy, I tried to relax for a while until the clock told me that I had to get up and get ready to go.
Around 9:00 am, I called the local taxi service to bring me to Croton-Harmon station, and the cab was a little late. Then, it had to pick up an elderly passenger going to the same place at the same time. So I barely made it in time to buy my ticket and get on the train - this time with all my bags intact. (The memories of my Chicago trip are still fresh in my mind.)
Arriving in Manhattan around 10:45, I had a decision to make: Do I take the subway to South Ferry and try to make it to Pier 11 in time for an 11:30 ferry? Or, do I take a cab to the pier? The cab won out, as it would be a more direct, but expensive trip. And this was a wise choice, as I made it to Pier 11 with 20 minutes to spare.
Now that I knew I’d make it to the Cruise Terminal in time, I could start thinking about what would come next. Arriving at the Cruise Terminal a little before noon, I dropped off my big bag and started carrying both my CPAP bag and my weekender bag along the path through the terminal, then onto the ship, and finally to my cabin. (Next time, I’ll use my rolling carry-on bag for this task. Without a bag to rest the weekender bag on, I was very uncomfortable.)
Reaching my cabin was an effort. I had chosen a cabin at the far aft of the ship, and the rear elevators are best described as mid-ship elevators. So I will likely be getting a fair amount of walking in on this cruise, as I’ve already put in 2.6 miles before 6:00 pm. But I digress. Once on the ship, I had to associate my room key with a credit card, so that onboard charges could be made. And this was a minor headache, as the process wasn’t as clear as it could have been.
When I finally made it to my cabin, I found that it was designed for two uses, both of them imperfectly. The first was for a solo cabin, the way it was laid out when I arrived. The closet doors wouldn’t open completely because the sofa bed was made up to be a bed for two, instead of for one, and I had to shift the bed a little so that I could hang my dresses in the closet. The second was for an attached cabin, where one of the connecting doors would be opened so that people in the same party could pass through a doorway separating the two cabins.
Unlike cabins I once inhabited on NCL ships, this tiny cabin on MSC is noisy, as loud neighbors were disturbing my rest on the first night. Luckily, I was able to take a nap after the muster process. But even the muster process was a mess. First, I had to ask where the muster station was, then hoof it to the back of the ship on another floor then back to my room (requiring me to walk the length of the ship twice). Then the crew member scanning my cruise card/key had problems with his reader. And after that, once I returned to my room, I had to make a call to register that I completed the muster process. Finally, after all of this, I was able to take my nap.
While relaxing in my room, I turned on the TV. Like the other cruise lines I’ve been on, they have a few live channels and some on-demand movies. One problem - the connection to CNN, TCM, and other satellite channels can be flaky, and I missed the better part of a movie because of this.
As I believed that I was scheduled for late dining, I made my way to the assigned restaurant 15 minutes before seating time. There, I found out that I had been scheduled for early dining. AARGH! Luckily, this wasn’t a problem, and the Maitre’D fixed my reservation slot. Then I was told to wait on line. Late dining starts between 8:45 pm and 9:00 pm. But the doors to the restaurant didn’t open until 9:35 pm. Dinner came even later. If one likes “wedding mill” dining, this place wasn’t too bad. But they couldn’t get my drink order right. Again, I was lucky to have purchases the “Easy Plus” drink plan, as I got bottled water, a bottomless glass of Merlot, and a bottle of softly sparkling water when they couldn’t bring me either a Club Soda with Lemon (they brought a can of Sprite), or bring me a Diet Coke with some ice cubes in the glass. Am I fussy? Far from it. But, like wedding mills, the waiters and bus staff do not have the ability to give specialized service. Here is where I will give both NCL and Princess a strong edge over MSC - they know how to make people feel like they are in a restaurant instead of a catering hall.
Once done with dinner, it was time to go to bed. It was a long day, and I want to be able to get up early enough for breakfast in the morning.
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