Day 24: The Party Boat
Daybreak over Fort Lauderdale and The Sun Princess had made it to port.
I had a final breakfast, then disembarked into the next leg of my journey, the U.S.A. But before that, I would be retracing my steps back to the hopefully calm and sunny waters of the Bahamas.
It was raining in Fort Lauderdale when I got through immigration, what's that song "Everywhere you go, always take the weather with you". It was raining in Southampton when I left, and in Fort Lauderdale when I arrived, although in Fort Lauderdale it was much more humid.
It took a while to get through immigration as the machine didn't like my fingerprints. I opted to get a taxi to my next cruise ship, as it was on the other side of the port. The taxi driver was furious that I was going such a short distance (he had his eye on airport transfers) and even more upset that I was paying by card, it was cash only. Well he didn't have to pick me up! So we found an ATM and his behaviour gave me a good reason not to tip him.
This cruise terminal was very different from an airport terminal. There were no shops, cafes, bars, or restaurants, it was just a big warehouse with communal seats in spiral shapes.
As I got on board my next ship the Celebrity Reflection it was raining so hard. The guy in front of me slipped and fell, the deck was so wet. Loud dance music was booming from the mid-ship area. This was a very different ship to the Sun Princess.
Although smaller (and 11 years older), it still held over 3000 passengers. However while most of the passengers on the Sun Princess had been retirees, the demographic on the Celebrity Reflection was much younger. This was the party boat.
Announcements were made in English and Spanish on the ship marking a more local clientele. 19% of Floridians speak Spanish. I couldn't decide if the decor was really grand, or really tacky. Maybe a bit of both. The theatre was certainly impressive (picture below). There is also a casino and a glass lift. And art everywhere for sale.
My room has a window, which is an improvement on the Sun Princess, although the room feels much older, and is right on the waterline. Just as well I don't get sea sick. There is also an indoor pool, and a much bigger gym.
As I leave my room to watch the departure, the music is booming again. I must be getting old. I can't stand loud music now! The ship's whistle is even louder than Sun Princess, but not a TV theme.
As we depart, we pass right by the Sun Princess. It's weird watching it disappear into the distance. It was my home for almost three weeks, and kept us safe from the hurricane. But now I'm no longer on 'The Love Boat' but the party boat! And it's chasing the sun.
