cruise
Friday morning, April 4th, arrived without great fanfare and this is normal – no fans to make fanfare. This was the day we were to leave to make connections for our cruise. We finished the packing that we had started the night before. We loaded up the car and headed to the church to meet our very good friend couple we were riding with. We met and packed our luggage in their SUV.
We left our car and one of theirs in the parking lot, with permission of course, and headed south. Our destination was the Doubletree Hotel in Cocoa Beach, FL. We had a couple of pit stops along the way, one of which was to get a bite to eat. We stopped at a triple hitter restaurant that included KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut – something for all tastes and all under one roof and behind one counter.
As we got back on the interstate highway I noticed the wild flowers that were blooming along the shoulders of the on ramp. These were multi-colored and beautiful; they were waving a bit and seemed to be smiling at us as we passed by. I felt this natural sight was something God had prepared for me to enjoy. The journey seemed to fly by as we laughed and talked all the way.
It was after dark when we got to the area of the hotel and none of us had been to that location before but as we got close, we called ahead by cell phone and they directed us in. We got checked in and went up the street to the Waffle House to get a small bite to eat. More talking and laughing saw us through the meal and back to the hotel and we crashed for the night.
Our hotel was on the beach and next morning, April 5th, we got a great view as we waited for time to depart, but we had no time to enjoy it fully. We had made arrangements for a shuttle to the boat, so we ate b’fast at the hotel, checked out and got all our baggage outside. The hotel allowed us to leave the SUV in their parking lot so we loaded up in the shuttle van and headed for the ship.
Palm trees and other Florida vegetation were all along the road to Port Canaveral – our departure point. As we got closer, the cruise liner got larger and larger – it is the Carnival Glory by name and one of their larger ships. We pulled into the directed area, left our large bags with a porter and headed for the security section. We breezed through that and went on to the check-in counter. Many people were doing this but it went smoothly because we had all the proper documents.
We got on the ship and wandered around until we found our cabin for the voyage. We left our carry-on bags and went up to the buffet area where they were serving the passengers. Cruise ships are usually known for good food and plenty of it and this one was no different – I knew I was going to have to be careful. We then had a mandatory lifeboat drill before we left the dock.
The Spice went back to the cabin and I went topside to see the liner leave the dock. It was amazing to me to see something that large leave out so smoothly. The ship seemed absolutely huge until we got out in the ocean and we were dwarfed by the enormity of that. God’s handiwork is awesome! ec
We left our car and one of theirs in the parking lot, with permission of course, and headed south. Our destination was the Doubletree Hotel in Cocoa Beach, FL. We had a couple of pit stops along the way, one of which was to get a bite to eat. We stopped at a triple hitter restaurant that included KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut – something for all tastes and all under one roof and behind one counter.
As we got back on the interstate highway I noticed the wild flowers that were blooming along the shoulders of the on ramp. These were multi-colored and beautiful; they were waving a bit and seemed to be smiling at us as we passed by. I felt this natural sight was something God had prepared for me to enjoy. The journey seemed to fly by as we laughed and talked all the way.
It was after dark when we got to the area of the hotel and none of us had been to that location before but as we got close, we called ahead by cell phone and they directed us in. We got checked in and went up the street to the Waffle House to get a small bite to eat. More talking and laughing saw us through the meal and back to the hotel and we crashed for the night.
Our hotel was on the beach and next morning, April 5th, we got a great view as we waited for time to depart, but we had no time to enjoy it fully. We had made arrangements for a shuttle to the boat, so we ate b’fast at the hotel, checked out and got all our baggage outside. The hotel allowed us to leave the SUV in their parking lot so we loaded up in the shuttle van and headed for the ship.
Palm trees and other Florida vegetation were all along the road to Port Canaveral – our departure point. As we got closer, the cruise liner got larger and larger – it is the Carnival Glory by name and one of their larger ships. We pulled into the directed area, left our large bags with a porter and headed for the security section. We breezed through that and went on to the check-in counter. Many people were doing this but it went smoothly because we had all the proper documents.
We got on the ship and wandered around until we found our cabin for the voyage. We left our carry-on bags and went up to the buffet area where they were serving the passengers. Cruise ships are usually known for good food and plenty of it and this one was no different – I knew I was going to have to be careful. We then had a mandatory lifeboat drill before we left the dock.
The Spice went back to the cabin and I went topside to see the liner leave the dock. It was amazing to me to see something that large leave out so smoothly. The ship seemed absolutely huge until we got out in the ocean and we were dwarfed by the enormity of that. God’s handiwork is awesome! ec
posted by mreddie | 11:38 PM
5 Comments:
I look forward to hearing more about your cruise.
I'm going to really enjoy hearing all about your cruise. It's the closest I'll ever come to one cause I panic if I'm in a boat and can't see the shore.
SSN - I enjoyed the cruise and am reliving it by the writing of it.
brenda - You would definitely have panicked then because we saw much more water than land. Nonetheless it was a great time of getting away with the Spice. ec
Sounds great so far... I decided to start at the first post about the cruise.. I'm a little late getting here.. but I'm getting caught up...
ancient one - The beginning is a good place to start - the Bible even does that. :) ec
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