Debarkation
Time to go home….already, PCD has set in. (post-cruise depression). We had set all of our luggage (with the exception of a carry-on bag) out in the hallway at midnight. We were given Orange 5 tags to place on our luggage, and have been instructed to head to Chops Grill to wait for our color to be called. Our scheduled Departure Time is listed at 8:00 am.
We head down to Chops Grill about 6:45 am – and there is just some Danish and coffee set up. This will never do for Hubby, so he heads to the Windjammer for one final breakfast, while I sit and read in Chops Grill. The Windjammer has breakfast from 6:00 am until 8:00 am this morning. Upon entering the Grill, there was a crew member at the door, checking off names to make sure you were allowed to enter Chops. Chops itself is pretty empty – there are plenty of tables and chairs set up, but perhaps only 4-5 other passengers at this point.
Hubby decides to take one last picture - so this is me, in Chops - looking a little sad that we're going home.
At about 8:20 am, the crew member walks over to us (Hubby is back from breakfast at this point) and tells us that we are free to go.
We walk down one level to Deck 5 and head through an exit near the Pacifica Theater. There, we wait on the deck to go through an Exit, where we will punch out our Seapass card one last time. The line moves slowly – perhaps others are reluctant to leave, as well.
As we leave, we are handed a piece of paper from the Medical Staff of the Brilliance. The letter states that a guest onboard had developed a respiratory illness known as legionellosis, a type of pneumonia that is not contagious from person to person. The letter went on to state that although there is no evidence that the source of the illness was associated with the ship, they wanted us to be aware of the situation. If we were to experience any flu-like symptoms or respiratory illnesses that persisted more than a few days, we should consult our personal physician. Good to know.
We finally punch out one last time and head across the gangway, down a long hall, and then down the escalator to baggage carousels. Our luggage has been sorted by color, and is easy to spot – all of the Orange tagged-luggage is on its own carousel.
We grab our luggage and head out the door, where our pre-arranged taxi is waiting for us. We hop in and then it’s off to the airport, awaiting our 11:30 am flight.
And just like that - it's over.
Wonderful posts! Do you really have 7 children? I am doing this cruise this June with my DH and 2 children ,and parents. Its exciting to read about yours! Thanks for all the great pictures.
ReplyDeleteSparklePony: Yes, we really have 7 kids - but it's a "blended" family - a his, hers and ours. I hate using the word "blended", though - because as far as I'm concerned, they're all my kids - I've had to raise them, love them, discipline them, support them - everything a mom would do! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment - I'm glad you enjoyed the postings and and the pictures. You will have an amazing time on this cruise - it was truly a trip of a lifetime!
Best advice: line up your shore excursions early and take lots of memory cards - so you can take lots of photos. And then sit back and relax and have fun and soak it all in - and keep a journal - like this - so you can process it all and relive it all later. :)
Hello Drama Queen,
ReplyDeleteYou should write for a living. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about your amazing trip. My wife and I are doing this trip in Sept 2010. I have a question you did all private tours why didn't you do any tours the ship offered? Thank-you.
Hi, Dave! Thanks for stopping by and commenting - I appreciate the feedback. And thanks for the compliment - I REALLY appreciate that!
ReplyDeleteI am envious of you and your wife - can I come along in your carry-on?!
We did private tours for several reasons:
1. When the ship offers tours, they have a tendency to put you on large buses - with lots and lots of other people. I have found that I have a hard time hearing the tour guide when they're talking in front of 50 people as opposed to 8 people. Plus, Europe is not designed to handle large buses - so, if you are ON one of those buses, you will be parked further away from things and doing more walking. We liked the ease of the small car.
2. Cost. By splitting the cost among 4 couples, we found it a better deal to do private tours rather than large buses.
3. Time. In large buses, you have to wait until ALL people are back on the bus before moving on to your next stop - and sometimes that takes awhile, because you always have stragglers who hold everyone up. We liked having only 8 of us so we could get to more things and see more things.
I hope this info helps - do whatever you are most comfortable with. I know sometimes people are worried that you can possibly miss the ship if the private tour company is late getting you back to the ship - I have never really heard of this happening. If there's an accident on the road, that stops traffic and ties up your private tour - chances are VERY good that that same accident has tied up the ship's bus and they're going to be late, too - and so the ship will wait. We're all driving on the same roads, so to speak!
Have a WONDERFUL trip! And be sure to eat some gelato for me.....!
Hello Drama Queen,
ReplyDeleteYou would be more than welcome to stow away with us but the only stipulation would be that you would have to coordinate the sight seeing tours. We are going to fly into Barcelona 3 days before the cruise. I figured to take full advantage of being able to see all the sights at our leisure. If I have any other questions may I write to you and ask?
Thank-you
Dave
Just a quick note a posted the link to your blog on Cruise Critic's Royal Carribean Meet and Mingle for the Brillance of the Seas for our sailing on Sept 12th. Your going to be famous because everyone one is complementing you on how well it was written. Check it out. I decided to team up with other couples to do Rome in Limo Tours for Italy.
ReplyDeleteI checked it out - how awesome! I hope I have been helpful - in any way - and I can always answer questions!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're doing Rome in Limo - I really did enjoy them. I enjoyed all of my tour guides - with the exception of the company we used in Venice. That was not the best, for sure. Very disappointing.
Have a great time! Be sure to do a pre-Meet'n Mingle party on the boat - like at Sailaway - have everyone wear some Mardi Gras beads so you can identify each other...we had an awesome CC group on board that became very close!
And by all means - ask away. I'm more than happy to help!
Sherri
Sherri,
ReplyDeleteI love your blog! We are going on the Brillance in November, 2010 and reading your log has helped me more than any thing else I have read! One question, our returning flight leaves at 10am. We purchased transportation from the ship to the airport hoping it might get us there in time. What are your thoughts?
Thanks again for all your help!
gwen
Gwen - You shouldn't have any problems at all...I recommend getting to the airport, early, though - there was a very, very long line to check in.
ReplyDeleteHave a great time - and I'm glad my blog helped!
Sherri
Sherri, I just finished reading your entire 2009 Med cruise blog and I was enchanted! DH and I have reserved a suite on Liberty of the Seas, May 2011, for their 7-day Med cruise. This will be only our 2nd cruise, my 1st trip to Europe. I have been mind-planning for the past month. Fortunately we have other trips/vaca planned before then, but I'm so excited about this trip! I was intrigued to read that you went to Cinque Terre rather than to Florence, as I was thinking of doing the same -- also w/RomeinLimo (plus Rome & Pompeii/Sorrento). My question...are you the one who did all the planning & reservation-making for your group? I'm a born organizer & planner and I can see myself doing that. How was it for you? Any tips/gotcha's?
ReplyDeleteThanks again for the great write-up; I totally enjoyed every moment! Cynthia (imynda9@gmail.com)
Cynthia - thanks for the note! I've sent you an email - hope this answers your questions....
ReplyDeleteSherri
Sherri,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog. Brings it all to life, we go on this cruise on 19th August 2010. Thanks for posting this link on our message board with CC. You should take up writing for a living!!!!!
Drama Queen,
ReplyDeleteI took the time to read the entire blog. We're doing the same cruise on Brilliance leaving Barcelona on June 12,2011 (only difference is no stop in Greece and first stop is Nice, not Cannes). It's our first trip to Europe, and chose this one because of the stop in Venice. You noted a couple of times that you had difficulty using your credit card. Is there a currency exchange on the ship? How does the credit card company do the exchange?
Dear Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteHow exciting for you - to be going on (almost) the same cruise! I'm so cruise-envious!
I think what gave us trouble the most with our credit card was the vendors' refusal to accept it...not so much the credit card not working. But, yes - there IS a currency exchange on the ship - at Guest Services - although the line there can get very long.
There are also numerous ATM's located all across Europe that will dispense Euros (or whatever the currency is in that country), as well.
We took our Euros over with us as we got a better exchange rate here in the US at our own bank.
The credit card - if you use it - will now take on a percentage transaction fee - which is a rip-off, in my opinion...so I would suggest taking as much Euros BEFOREHAND if you can and pay cash for everything!