I'm planning my next trips. 2026 (so far) will include Amman Jordan, Paphos Cyprus and a Transatlantic cruise from Barcelona to Miami.
I took a break from looking at flights to Amman to consider where I've already been. Still so many places I want to visit. Here's a map:
I am incredibly grateful to have a life where I love my home life as much as I love vacation life. There are pros and cons to both. But first, a quick review of the disembarkation process from the Resilient Lady.
Virgin seems to assume you know how disembarkation works. I got a text on my Virgin app on Saturday afternoon, letting me know if I wanted assistance with my luggage, I should set it outside my cabin door by 10 p.m. So, I did.
It also told me to reserve a disembarkation time. I was very happy that while the 8:00 a.m. (earliest available time) times were taken, I was in the 8:15 group. Which was a joke. I headed to deck 7 at 8:05 to join my group. I couldn't get there because there were lines of people already stretching to the Dock House (back of the ship). There were hundreds of people already lined up. I saw one staff member near the front of the line, directing people. I'd guess more than half the passengers opted to save time and haul their own luggage off, which added to the mayhem.
The line moved fairly quickly and within 30 minutes, I was off the ship. I grabbed a guy who helped me find my two bags. He was ready to wait in line with me all the way to Customs and Border Patrol but I tipped him and turned him loose.
Normally, you go through Customs separately, but that was not the case. There was one line whether you had Global Entry or not. It was another 30 minutes in line for CBP and since I had my Global Entry card, getting through was fast.
I was helped by two friendly agents. One was ready for a break and asked her partner to peek around the corner to see how long the line was. She quickly reported that she couldn't see the end of the line. I broke the news that the line extended all the way through the ship.
Once I hit the door and felt the hot, humid air, I stepped aside to call Uber. I chose one 9 minutes away. I asked a young man which line to get in for Uber pick up. He was the only rude person I encountered. He was annoyed that I couldn't hear him say "Behind the trees". I finally figured out he was referring to the other side of the street.
If you have mobility issues, there are no accommodations. Count on an hour of standing/walking. Virgin, it would be helpful to have benches occasionally, for people to rest during the long lines.
The Uber line was a cluster. There were about 100 people in a small area. I'd just crossed the street and was trying to get to a place where I could see the area where the cars were arriving when my phone rang. It was an angel in an Uber who, literally 90 seconds after I ordered Uber, was at the front of the line, waiting for me, and yelling "Over here, Mami!" Ah, I'm home! Where Puerto Rican Floridians call me "Mami" as a sign of respect/affection. If you're an old guy, you're Papi.
15 minutes later, she dropped me at the Miami Brightline station. What a contrast to the port. Clean, quiet with people but no crowds. I was second in line to check in and was able to change my ticket from 12:15 to 10 a.m. I spent five minutes in the Premium Lounge then headed to the train.
It was an easy, comfortable 3.5 hour trip to Orlando. Another 15 minutes to get luggage, then I ordered Uber. It took an hour to get an Uber. I cancelled the first two because after waiting, watching them get closer, they each took a turn and headed in the opposite direction. By the time my guy arrived, it was pouring. I got soaked getting my luggage out of the back (I told the driver to just back up to my garage door and I'd get the luggage - no sense in both of us getting wet) but was home.
10 minutes later, the rain stopped when I pulled up to get Buddy. He and his pal Remy both lost their minds when I arrived, which was fun.
I spent Monday unpacking and getting settled. By the end of the day, I'd gotten the house back to normal, stocked up on groceries and made some picadillo for dinner. Sad I had to cook and make my own bed but happy to be home.
BTW, the drawing is today for Roland's lottery ticket. If Virgin really does listen and respond, he'll win today. Think about it, Virgin - if you have the power to do this, it will go viral. All that free marketing! If you can't magically arrange the ticket to win, Zelle is still an option. $25,000,000 is nothing to Branson, especially since it's Canadian!
Photos!
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| I took this photo at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov 11. I'm in my fleece Yeti robe because it is 36 and windy in Orlando. Buddy is giving me the daily Butt Snuggle. I missed him a lot. |
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| No ocean but a beautiful sky last night. |
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| I made picadillo, cheesy grits and had leftover KFC coleslaw for dinner. Happily, I like to cook. |
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| On Sunday night Buddy was happy I was home but had trouble settling, wanting scratches and toys and a nap, all at the same time. |
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| The train parallels A1A and provides some nice views. |
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| There are four stops but they are fast. |
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| Snacks on the train. I paid for Premium and it was delightful. I hear Brightline is in financial trouble and may go under. I hope not because it is fabulous. |
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| There's power and free WIFI. |
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| The train was 3/4 full by the time we hit Fort Lauderdale. |
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| This was the only sign for where to find Ubers. It is across the street to the left of the entrance to the Virgin port building. Ignore the hundreds of passengers lined up for transportation to the busses to the airport. Do NOT head to the street where the HOHO bus is. |
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| These guys were in a hurry. I was waiting in line, in a doorway, in the line waiting to get down the escalators. The gentleman on the right accidentally knocked my cane out of my hand as he and his partner shoved ahead in line. Why they thought they were entitled to go ahead of everyone else in line, I have no idea. Happy to report, based on the pass boards they were holding, they are not American. Pro tip - do not book transportation before noon on disembarkation day. Seriously. When you push through the line ahead of all of us trying to get to the same place, people get annoyed and may post your photo on line. |
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| I did not want to fight the crowds on the last morning for food. Room service was not an option. So I got the charcuterie box the night before from the Grab and Go fridge and had a quiet breakfast. |
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| Last view from the balcony. |
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| Every time I wear this blouse I get compliments. It has cartoon cats on it. A lady at the train station Premium lounge loved it. I paid $4 for it a few years ago on Temu. The big news - I lost 70 pounds in 2020-2021 and am determined to keep it off. I LOST TWO POUNDS ON THE CRUISE! My goal was to gain less than 5. After two Michelin meals and 14 days of cruise food, I'm thrilled to be down 2 lbs. |
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| The sea on our last evening was like glass. |
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| I will not miss the crowds in the Galley. |
I woke up at 4:30 a.m. Well, and midnight, 2 a.m., etc. Always when I travel. Annoying but whatever, I'm almost home.
There will be 10 ships in Miami port today. That's a LOT, so I anticipate delays getting off, getting Uber but once I'm on the Brightline train, it should be smooth sailing, so to speak.
I'm scheduled to get off the ship at 8:15 and my train leaves at 12:15, so even if there are delays getting off, I should be good. I'm even (silly me) hopeful that I can get an earlier train. It's a 3.5 hour trip to Orlando. Then a 45 minute Uber to drop my bags then 10 minutes to Buddy.
I'm sad to be getting off but happy to be getting home.
There's only one glitch. Somehow, while sitting in the hammock yesterday morning, my knee popped out of its socket. Took both hands to shove it back to "normal". Painful but mostly surprising. I tried to bend my knee to get up and it wouldn't bend because the joint was out. I walked on it some yesterday but took it easy. Took one of my magical steroid pills (Prednizone) and it was fine for sleeping last night and I can walk on it. And, since I never know when a joint will blow up from arthritis, I brought a cane, so I should be good until I can get home and call the doctor tomorrow. Seriously, I thought I'd gotten past the Barcelona curse - the first time in port there I broke the same leg that has the knee issue now. Second time, I got Covid.
Now, I'm off to shower and make sure I left a set of clothes to wear getting off the ship and didn't put everything in the luggage I set outside my cabin last night.
Thanks for reading along on my most excellent birthday cruise. It's been fun. Now, back to my equally enjoyable life. I've got ceramics on Wednesday and am booked to go fishing in Daytona on Friday. And in-between will be snuggling Buddy and giving him all the treats he missed while I was gone.
I'm home now. Unpacked and happily settled in. I stood in a lot of lines yesterday but Uber in Miami was on my side and I was able to catch the 10:00 a.m. Brightline.
I'm confident Virgin is still reading and wanting to meet my every need. So Mr. Branson/Virgin Execs - my friend R. in Edmonton bought a lottery ticket. Only for $25,000,000 but that would be lovely if you can arrange for his ticket to win. He also takes Zelle. Me, too, for that matter. Thanks, in advance!
Photos!
We're back on Florida time as of 2:00 a.m. Between a six hour time change, plus not just one, but two changes for Daylight Savings Time, I'm glad to be back to EST.
I woke up to my favorite kind of weather. We passed through the squall quickly and I'm now enjoying listening to the thunder.
As I walked through the Galley, in my quest for bacon and toast, I remembered reason #872 for why I love to cruise alone. Three guys were walking, single file. The first two were offering opinions on where to get food. The third said, with great feeling, "FFS, would somebody please just making a f'ing decision??"
A few minutes later I was reminded of reason #457, as a couple blocked an elevator while they argued about whether they wanted to go up and down. They wanted to go to the same place but were arguing about which deck it was on.
I'm all packed. Next year, I'll bring a smaller suitcase and leave the fleece at home. I needed layers but not the coat and winter stuff I brought based on forecasts of 50 degrees high. Instead, it's been in the 70's, most days.
Photos!
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| The morning was overcast with a thunderstorm. |
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| No people at the pool |
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| But there were starting to be breaks in the clouds. |
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| Amen! I like that port cabins are "A" and starboard are "Z", so my cabin # - 13254Z means I'm on deck 13, cabin 254 and starboard. Next year on a similar itinerary I'll be in 13 250Z so I can have the chair closer to the balcony, instead of the bed. |
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| View aft, from The Dock on deck 7. |
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| People ignored the weather. |
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| Just before noon, the clouds lifted. |
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| The Galley, like The Lido on HAL, tends to be crowded. |
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| I brought my ramen and desserts back to enjoy them in quiet, with a view. |
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| Shockingly, I only ate 1/2 the tropical cheesecake. |
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| Blue skies and the first land in eight days. I think we're in the Bahamas but have no idea what island that is. |
I woke up in the wee hours and tried to remember where I was. Which hotel? After years of traveling for work, it was not an unusual sensation. But after a second, I remembered I was cruising and realized there was no movement. All morning, we've had smooth sailing.
I'm enjoying another relaxing day. Walking, eating and reading in the hammock. Heaven.
We've started getting messages about disembarkation. I have very low expectations of a smooth, speedy process, given that handling queuing doesn't seem to be a Virgin strength. Combined with US government agencies during the government shut down. At least I have Global Entry, which should get me in the shortest line. Then a quick Uber ride to Brightline, a 3 hour train ride to the Orlando airport and another Uber ride home.
I don't want the trip to be over but am lucky that I love my "real" life as much as I love vacations. Plus, it's always fun to watch Buddy lose his mind when he sees me. And, we still have tomorrow!
Photos!
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| I'll miss the hammock on the balcony more than anything. |
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| I do miss having a quiet, indoor venue for lunch, with a view and table service and no crowds. After perusing offerings in The Galley and not finding a place to sit, I grabbed a roasted vegetable wrap and headed to my cabin. |
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| Grey skies but warm temps. Perfect hammock weather. |
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| After lounging around much of the day, I headed to a concert by Rock On, four guys who did rock covers. |
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| They started in the audience. |
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| And did a great job. Terrific music, and had the crowd on their feet, singing along. Very fun. |
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| I'm the world's oldest groupie! |
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| Blue is the light theme tonight in the hallways. |
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| I love clouds. |
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| We're getting close. I could happily cruise another week but we'd likely run out of gas and food. |
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| I had a light dinner in Pink Agave, with Michael and Sue, a lovely couple I had dinner with the other night at the Test Kitchen. When they get off on Sunday, they'll get on an RCI ship. After that, they'll do a Celebrity cruise before flying back to London. Sue has done 51 cruises. |
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| I had delicious guacamole. |
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| And a special - shrimp ceviche, which was also excellent. |
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| I also tried the special dessert - pumpkin pie. As our waiter, Alfredo, said- it's not Spanish but very tasty. |
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| Back in my cabin, I headed to the balcony. It's dark out there! Too overcast for any moonlight. |
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| And, there is a light mist falling. Warm and humid, you can tell we're almost to the Bahamas. |
