Day One: Boarding RCL Wonder of the Seas, January 2023
January 7, 2023
After we got off the GoPort shuttle and surrendered our luggage, we got into a huge line that snaked around like a Disney-line. When we got in the building, however, there was a separate line for Key Members and we were on the ship very quickly with no waiting anywhere
We quickly found the Main Dining room for our Key Lunch
I had the caesar salad, filet mignon and cheesecake, with coffee, of course.
Tom checked out the menu then copied my choices
The walls of the Main Dining room has an interesting texture
Even though our cabin was ready, we decided to go to the AquaTheater in the Boardwalk Neighborhood to do our muster drill. This one was the fastest, ever.
Next stop was our cabin 14332. I couldn’t get an aft cabin because of the AquaTheater (above) but I got pretty close!
First photos of our cabin:
There was NO coffee maker in the cabin. BOO and the steward didn’t bring ice after I asked. Tom had to ask again later. He finally remembered it most of the time.
It seemed fairly cold, so we turned the thermostat up and up.
First views from the balcony
Tom had a meeting in MDR at 3:30 so I may have taken a nap
Dinner at 9 in the MDR was tomato soup, prime rib and key lime pie. This was our last dinner in the MDR.
We walked around – listened to a big band playing on the Deck 5 Promenade and a guitarist in the Central Park Neighborhood,
Sunset, the first day. This was from the Solarium, starboard side. The portside was already dark
Travel to RCL Wonder of the Seas, January 2023
Thursday, January 5, 2023.
After a hectic week of work and trying to get as many things done early for work – so I wouldn’t have to do as much on the cruise – I finally got packed for this trip.
Somehow, I wasn’t thinking, and typed the wrong street number for the Uber. I realized when I saw him pull in 5 houses up the street. Oops!
Other than that, the ride to National Airport (technically Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport) was smooth. JetBlue check-in was pretty smooth, security a PITA, the hike to the terminal endless. We had thought we were way early but it ended up not being that much.
Throughout the airport, they were still playing Christmas music. I guess it was ok since Epiphany isn’t until January 6.
The flight to Orlando was uneventful except that I started a movie I want to finish at home – “Why Didn’t They Ask Evans”
In Hugh Laurie’s clever adaptation of Agatha Christie’s beloved novel, the mysterious death of a stranger prompts amateur detectives Bobby Jones and Frankie Derwent to set out to find the meaning behind the dead man’s final words: “Why didn’t they ask Evans?” Starring Will Poulter and Lucy Boynton.
I have been a huge fan of Hugh Laurie since House, Blackadder and Jeeves and Wooster.
Anyway, we arrived at Orlando Airport and they were also playing Christmas music and had some decorations up. I wonder if there’s a code of some kind which dictates when airports will decorate for holidays and for how long.
After locating our checked bags, we called the GoPort Shuttle. I can’t say enough about this service. They seem to be only in Orlando – they picked us up at the airport, dropped us off at out hotel (Holiday Inn Orlando-International Airport). On Saturday, they picked us up and delivered us to the cruise. When the cruise was over, got us back to the airport.
While we were on the shuttle, someone called from a different terminal bo be picked up, so we circled back – no rush.
This hotel was pretty nice and the room bigger than I thought. There was a refrigerator (I could have brought my Growth Hormone!). There was also a nice pool, hot tub, gym. We never used any of those – but we could have.
The bed must have been really comfortable and/or I was exhausted because I slept 7:13 – unheard of these days.
Friday, January 7, 2023.
We had gone to Florida early so we could do some sightseeing. Um, no.After breakfast at the hotel, Tom was trying to find his back brace. No such luck so he called CVS. It took a long time to get someone to find one and they set it aside for us.
We Ubered with Timothy (from Maine) to CVS. I was stunned that CVS in Orlando, FL, home of Disney, Universal, nearby Cape Canaveral had no t-shirts or sweatshirts! I was a tourist and I needed this stuff. I did get some new earrings so all wasn’t lost.
Tom found a couple possible back braces and took them to the counter where one was set aside for him. That was the one he chose.
After ubering back to the hotel, I immediately lost the back to one of the new earrings. And Tom, of course, found the original back brace so he now has 2.
I took a nap while Tom did laundry.
We walked the street to look at gift shop (still looking for cheesy Orlando t-shirts). There are no sidewalks here. Everything seems to be a ride away. None of their souvenirs were acceptable at a price I would pay so no new clothes from here.
In the hotel before the cruise – I couldn’t figure out what airline they were with but there were more headed to the elevators and some sitting. The tags around the luggage say Azul on them. I haven’t seen stewardesses (cabin attendants?) with hats for a long time.
Saturday, January 7, 2023
Unfortunately, I work up too early not about the excitement of getting on the ship but my knee is killing me. I keep telling myself it would be awful at home, too, but it’s not quite working. LOL
After breakfast, we followed instructions (Imagine that!) and got into the lobby for the GoPort shuttle. they were running 5 busses for 200 people at 5 different ships – all from our hotel. It seemed like we waited for our bus for quite a while, so I was checking Uber availability when our shuttle arrived – and we were off!
