Our next adventure had us boarding a ship to Europe from Florida. We figured we would try an alternative to flying by taking a transatlantic voyage. But before every long trip, or at the change of seasons, we pop into the Bay Area. We always visit friends, do some shopping, and replenish our stores. This visit also included a quick drive to LA and two nights in Fort Lauderdale where we made good use of our time and visited with friends in Little Havana and watched an airshow with the Air Force Thunderbirds.
A Quick Visit to the Bay Area
As is our habit a couple of times a year, we stopped in the Bay Area to see family and accomplish some chores. We usually have to pick up some meds and replace some worn clothes. This visit was no different.
We did manage to catch a ball game in San Francisco. Just after the baseball strike ended, I noticed an ad for $5 seats for the Giants. I couldn’t resist. It was a nice, if slightly chilly, night in The City. We had some fun AND the Giants won!
We also celebrated our wedding anniversary at Madera, a Michelin One Star restaurant in Menlo Park. The food and setting were superb, even if the service was a little confused (we had to send back a plate that arrived at the wrong time).
Getting to Los Angeles and Then to Florida
We had to return the car to LA and fly on from there. Even so, I managed to complicate things a bit by booking a solo flight on Alaska Airlines from San Jose to LAX. Why? To achieve a new level of airline status, of course. It was only $45.
This meant Diana had to drive to LA alone and pick me up at LAX. She didn’t mind much, she did this a lot to see friends when she was younger.
A Brief but Busy Stop in Florida
The next day, we flew to Florida so we could pick up a transatlantic cruise to Europe. This was a “repositioning” cruise, where the ship is moved from its winter home in the Caribbean to Europe for the summer. We’ve wanted to try this for some time as an alternative to flying. Such cruises can be an inexpensive way to get to/from Europe in comfort. We upgraded our experience a bit, so the cost was a bit of a wash.
We spent a busy day in Fort Lauderdale prior to boarding. First, we met up with another nomad couple that we first met in October. Coincidently, jet fighters were flying close by both times. Last time, they hosted us to watch the Navy Blue Angels. This time, the Air Force Thunderbirds were practicing for a weekend show. While it was kinda cool, we actually had trouble hearing each other as the jets flew overhead. It makes me wonder where the next airshow meetup will be. I’ve been interested in the Reno Air Races and the Farnborough Airshow for a while…
That evening we dined with Diana’s friend Jane from the language/ski school she attended in the French Alps years ago. Jane took us to Café La Trova, a venerable Cuban joint in Little Havana in Miami. We had some great food and enjoyed a fun band that night. And we weren’t alone, the place was packed with people ready to party.
Heading to the Ship
The next day, it was time to board our ship, the Celebrity Apex. We had rented a car so we could visit the aforementioned friends, so we had to return it to the airport and catch a ride to the ship. Much to my surprise, as we were turning in our Hertz rental car, a guy came up and asked us what airline we were taking. We said we were headed to catch our cruise. He said, “no problem, leave the bags in the car, I’ll take you.”
Whaaaat? You’ll take us to the cruise terminal ten minutes away? It was obvious that everyone at Hertz knew what was going on, they were allowing this to happen. So I figured, OK, let’s give it a try. And… everything worked fine. The lady at the rental car check-out gate waved him through, he knew exactly where to take us and how to pass the cruise port entry security. He dropped us off, we tipped him $10 and we never had to lug our bags or find and wait for an Uber, who may not have known how to get past security at the port!
Boarding the Ship
Even though Diana had arranged a specific boarding time for our ship, I was envisioning a crush of people jostling for position to claim their transatlantic passage. You know, with palettes of bags, pets, maybe some birds in cages, monkeys on leashes, and Kate Winslet winsomely looking for someone to befriend her.
Nope. No commotion by this ocean. There was more staff available to help than guests. We presented our credentials and were speeding along until one little hitch. They confiscated the nine-inch kitchen knife we travel with. We also had to answer some questions about why we would be taking a cruise with such a knife. We tried to explain that we were nomads and AirBnBs usually had crappy knives. But they just shook their heads and gave us a claim check and told us we could pick it up when we disembarked. No worries, julienning some veggies wasn’t on our agenda for the next couple of weeks.
Figuring Out Fore from Aft
Once aboard, we dropped our bags in our stateroom and set out. We headed to the stern of the ship, grabbed a couple of drinks, and watched the Thunderbirds finish their show. Then we set about finding out where everything was. We were excited to be embarking on our next adventure, even if our minds weren’t on a new romance (that’s a different cruise line).
What airshow do you recommend we see next?
