Sunday, January 29, 2023.
The Hollingsworth home.
Up early with time to spare.
Hair washing,
last-minute packing,
luggage tags on suitcases.
Amanda even took me to my much-loved Cuban bakery to get coffee and a vigilante stick.
We loaded the van and left at 11:30 for a 1:30 check-in at the ship.
The day before Carnival Cruise Line had sent out an e-mail...
"There will be a marathon run in the vicinity of the cruise port.
Traffic could be heavy.
Consider this in your arrival time planning."
We rolled along I 95 headed for the port of Miami
happily chatting about cruises we had been on before.
The traffic warning was far from our minds...
until we came to a dead stop.
We were very close to the port but no vehicle was making any progress.
Our idyllic morning turned into chaos.
What if the ship leaves without us?
Mark skillfully manipulated some turns and maybe a few illegal maneuvers.
Finally,
we rounded a corner and there in sight was the "Celebration."
Our ship was still tethered to the dock.
Mark drove as close as he could possibly get.
We jumped out of the car,
unloaded our suitcases,
and took off walking fast dragging our belongings behind us.
Miraculously,
the check-in process which we had been dreading went smoothly.
No long lines.
We made it in plenty of time.
The "Celebration" was almost two hours late leaving.
"She" waited for every soul that was stuck in the traffic snarl.
As the sun was setting behind us,
Amanda and I made our way up to the top deck.
We found lounge chairs front and center.
As we exited out into the Atlantic Ocean we breathed a sigh of relief.
Seven glorious days ahead to relax and enjoy.
Off to paradise!
🚢
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