DFR Travels: It's a new day today...

Friday January 3. Sunny, 19C, winds from the North at 26 kph, therefore coolish.

Yesterday was a killer, and I can completely understand why older folks give up travel!

Yesterday was yesterday and we woke up to bright sunshine and gusty winds blowing from the North where there is a killer cold spell several hundred miles up the coast. We slept well and very long, it appears we were a bit sleep deprived.

After a hearty breakfast we went for a long walk to get the cobwebs blown out and then back to the hotel where I conked out for another three hours of undisturbed slumber, while Fellette relaxed in her own way, reading. The rest of the day dribbled away with another walk, napping and some computer work for me. It is very nice to have this time when there is absolutely no pressure at all. We think Moe is doing the same in another hotel and we will not see her until we board tomorrow. We hear from her via the iPad that she carries when she connects in the lobby with free internet.

Fort Lauderdale is like Southampton, England, with palm trees. This is a starting point for many ship cruises, from short jaunts to world cruises. It is also a stopping place and hang out for yachts and also beach lovers, an odd mix but then, this is America, right?

Today may seem like a bit of a waste, but we booked two days here to have exactly what are now doing, rest and relax before boarding, and even boarding day can be a bit of a challenge in itself. That happens tomorrow around 11:30 am and who knows how that will go. Embarking is more fun than disembarking though, one of the shocks on disembarking is that when you are dropped at the airport you instantly find yourself completely in charge of your own destiny: there is no 'Holland America' to look out for you after four months of having every detail looked after. Also, all of a sudden you start paying for everything, and things always seem to be very expensive after having not to pay for anything for four months!

There is much a great deal of activity in the hotels around here and a challenge for the Holland America Shore Staff right now: there are two ships due in tomorrow morning around 7:00 that will disembark their passengers [1350 approx., each]and take on a new load. Both ships have to change and clean all the staterooms, take off thousands of pieces of luggage, re-provision the ships, and in the case of Amsterdam that means taking on enough food, etc., for 37 days before they will get a chance to do the same in Sydney, Australia. HAL, [Holland America Lines], generally uses USA origin foods, certainly beef and poultry, so it is flown in and taken on board around the world in larger ports that are 'reliable'.

Chaos will reign tomorrow folks, but it is all a great thing to participate in it. As I write this at 5:15 Friday night, the last of the ships in our port is sailing out, Royal Caribbean Legend of the Seas. It is sailing for a 10 day southern Caribbean Cruise.

Ocean cruising may not be for everybody but at the moment it looks pretty darn inviting to me. It's amazing what a good night's sleep will do for you!