i can't see me lovin' nobody but you: Day 2

February 20, 2022

Day 2 - Come Sail Away

Libby wanted to get up early and see the sunrise at the beach before we headed for the cruise port. My stomach, possibly due to the food from the night before, did not allow us to leave early enough to see the sunrise. After my stomach calmed a bit Libby and I headed to a nearby park with beach access, leaving everyone else still sleeping.

Libby found the cute park with bay access but alas, I could not find a public bathroom, and my stomach was not happy. We jaywalked across the bridge entrance to a neighboring park, which also lacked a bathroom. None of the stores or gas stations had bathrooms either. What is wrong with you, Miami!? I did make it back to the hotel, but it was almost ugly.

We got back to find something had eaten Ethan during the night and he was miserable. He had a lines of bug bites up both arms, from his pinkies to his shoulder and they had swollen into red angry dots. We were not traveling well.

We also learned I had to redo my COVID test to get on the ship. Everyone else was negative, but I needed another test. It was not a great first morning of our vacation.

We dumped Benadryl down Ethan's gullet, grabbed our bags and headed for the cruise terminal via two more Lyfts, praying I could get tested and on the ship. Once again our Lyft driver gave us his life story, the run down of the best cruises, and even his cold remedy. The boys driver did not speak.

We arrived at the port and stood in a hot, humid cruise terminal while we waited for the rapid (half an hour) test results, costing just another $115. It was a long half hour, knowing if I did have COVID (no symptoms, no reason to suspect I had it) then our vacation was about to be canceled.

I think I added another eight wrinkles while I waited for the results.

We could only gaze longingly at the ship as we stood in a smelly, humid parking garage, with our clothes sticking to our backs.

The email finally came and I was COVID free! We were free to find our way through the embarkation process and finally board the ship! We were on our way.

The first moment we stepped on the boat, I wondered if we had made a terrible, terrible mistake. There was LOUD live music, bright glittering signs, over-designed everything, and packed with people. It was my personal version of torment. Once we got sorted and left the main level on the ship "The Promenade," things got much better. I made it a point to avoid "The Promenade" as much as possible for the rest of the trip.