Vacation - Day 1 & 2

Documenting this trip for my family, friends and any anonymous blog readers out there (hey, we could have random readers out there, even though we hardly have a compelling story to tell about our lives...) is going to take awhile. I am not even unpacked yet, and I have to repack for Christmas. So I am doing it in segments. Plus, it's like a "to be continued...." on a sitcom, right? You gotta check back, baby! :)

Ok - day 1 started off with Kieran and me rising and hardly shining at the unholy hour of 6-something on a Saturday morning. Yes, I do it during the week and I did it for marathon training, but I think my body goes into "shut down" mode for traveling because I am subconsciously aware of the stress that travel can bring. I am a grump that early in the morning. But I am ok by the time I get my egg mcmuffin at O'Hare....but I just skipped ahead of the BLIZZARD-like conditions that slapped us in the face when we were going to do the economical thing and take the Blue Line to the airport. Yeah...didn't happen. We called for a cab.

What trip isn't complete without a minor complication at the onset, right? So we arrive in Tampa and we get in touch with Dad and he's like, "The hotel shuttle will pick you up and bring you back to the hotel for free." We're like, "Great, but since neither of us printed out the hotel information, can you text us the number so we can call?" Dad: "OK".....well, asking Dad to text a 10-digit phone number was actually like asking ...well, asking anyone who doesn't really know how to text to do it. Love you, Dad. But here was his text: "8 ONE 312746" I thought maybe I wasn't getting it. I show Kieran and he's just as confused. We opt for a cab.

Sarah to cabbie: "Can you take us to the Holiday Inn Express"
Cabbie: "Which one?"
Sarah: "The one near the airport"
Cabbie: "There's 3 Holiday Inn Express near the airport"

Did I mention that Kieran and I did not print out a single piece of paper regarding our one-night stay at the Tampa Holiday Inn Express (mind you, we didn't think there were so many of the same hotel in a 5-mile radius, either).

So I call Dad again and he's like why aren't you taking the shuttle and we're like we're just taking a cab, what's the street, but he's already off exploring and he's not at the hotel anymore. And the cabbie is just standing there, probably hating us as the minutes tick by. Dad finally finds some discernable landmark that I am able to repeat to Mr. Cab Driver and he's like, "oh that Holiday Inn Express".....lesson to self and all blog readers --- there may be more Holiday Inn Expresses than you realize, be prepared.

Turns out, Dad couldn't figure out how to text the number "1" so he just spelled it out. But he still forgot a number so we would have still been lost even if we had deciphered that one (no pun intended - ha!)

Day 2 - We arrive at the port to board the ship. I am stressed. I have never been on a cruise. The only point of reference I have of cruises thus far is the Titanic and we all know how that ended...so I am just stressed out. The lines stress me out. The wheelchairs stress me out. The lady who won't shut up about all the cruises she's been on while she's wearing a members only-esque jacket sporting some Carnival Cruise line's Maiden Voyage 2002 logo and, AND a visor for ANOTHER Carnival vessel is stressing me out. I cannot focus. And so far, I am no fun. And I know it. I need a cocktail and I need to be reassured that this ocean liner is not going down if we happen to hit the Caribbean version of an iceberg. And I really need to give that lady a knuckle sandwich. But I don't.

Did I mention that we hand our luggage over to a "porter" outside on the sidewalk who is actually some guy who ON ANY OTHER STREET CORNER IN AMERICA would look like a grade-A crackhead? Oh, I forgot that part? well, so I am stressed about my clothes not making it on board, too.

Folks, it was all for nothing, since once we got on, I was ALMOST back to normal (we haven't left yet, Titanic fears are still in the back of my mind).....we explored the ship, I was amazed at the size and all that was on it, and when we finally got to see our rooms, I was so happy! We decided to get a balcony room and I am so glad we did.

View from one of the higher decks of downtown (presumably?) Tampa. Note there are no Holiday Inn Expresses in the background. Silly cabbie.

View from our balcony. We are still parked (can ships park?) so this is still Tampa. There are 11 decks total and the highest deck with rooms was deck 8, which is the deck we were on. So we were up pretty high, but I could see the life boats right below us. Comforting.

Our room. Kieran is on the phone looking out onto the balcony. You could go outside and sit, too. There was a king-sized bed, a couch, coffee table, bathroom and 3 closets. It was bigger than we thought it was going to be and much nicer, too!

Days still to come...................