Bit of a blog – Navigator of the Seas – E Caribbean – 8 nights – 26th November 2011

Hi everyone,

Off on my travels again, this time as a solo. Hopefully I will be able to post an entry daily and, connection permitting, upload pics.

We’ve had a wonderful roll call with 190 signed up for a 'Meet & Mingle' and tonight a bunch of us met at Mango’s on Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale for a bite to eat and a drink. That’s me in the dark pink boa, pic taken earlier in the day at Shooter's by stop 1 on the Water Taxi route.... can highly recommend this 'attraction'; producing the ticket at various outlets enables a discount.

We’re either members or prospective members of the Pink Boa Society which was created for the inaugural cruise of Freedom of the Seas so that roll call members could easily recognise one another. A condition of membership is to wear the boa on boarding, sailaway, and formal nights. This whole boa thing is very new for me and it certainly attracts attention! The official colour is a baby pink…. Did not find that out until after I’d purchased my bright pink one… ho hum!

Here is our itinerary.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida (26 Nov d1730); Philipsburg, St. Maarten (29 Nov 0800-1800); Basseterre, St. Kitts (30 Nov 0700-1700); San Juan, Puerto Rico (01 Dec 0700-1400); Labadee, Haiti (02 Dec 0900-1700); Fort Lauderdale, Florida (04 Dec a0530)

Please feel free to ask questions about the ship, itinerary, ports of call etc and I will do my best to reply. We will be on the helipad for sailaway at 530pm. If it’s light enough and you can grab a screenshot of us from the Port Everglades webcam that would be wonderful. There could be quite a crowd! We also have a Port Everglades webcam banner to help us be easily identified :)

Have a gerat cruise! I'll be checking back regularly! :D

Awesome! We'll be on the next 8 day cruise (12/10) so am very interested in your report. Some friends, Scott and Lori, are on board. BTW, my boa is dark pink also, lol. ;)

Thanks Linda for putting this blog together for our cruise. I am so excited to finally get to meet you. I was entranced with your name and have read your comments for quite a while. Let's get this party started and have a great week.

See you tomorrow at 3 by the pool. Our boas are dark pink as well so pink is pink.

Julia and Carl

Thanks Linda for putting this blog together for our cruise. I am so excited to finally get to meet you. I was entranced with your name and have read your comments for quite a while. Let's get this party started and have a great week.

See you tomorrow at 3 by the pool. Our boas are dark pink as well so pink is pink.

Julia and Carl

So looking forward to meeting you too! Am up watching the webcam.

In 2008 I lost my sister; my Uncle Norbert, who lives in California, subsequently came over to pay his condolences and then take a cruise. I joined him and started an obsession!

 

In 2008 I lost my sister; my Uncle Norbert, who lives in California, subsequently came over to pay his condolences and then take a cruise. I joined him and started an obsession!

Now I understand the name lol - never asked you back in 2010 on Adventure....enjoy the cruise Linda looks like you got a fab bunch of people!!

Huw and Berni

Will be following this one . . . we are on the Navigator for Christmas so am interested in the ship in general. Take good care of her and have a fabulous trip.

One of our roll call just posted this info on our Facebook page:

We might be part of a world record today. Port Everglades expects to have over 55,000 cruise passengers pass through its port TODAY, beating its current world record of 53,000! 8 different ships are arriving and leaving today. That also means it will be very packed.

I just grabbed this screenshot of the port layout today:

Have a wonderful cruise! We're leaving on Navigator on the 10th-two weeks from today. So excited! I'll be checking your blog. :)

we are going on Navigator of the seas on Feb 18th - also 8 days we have interest in the kids club ( 3-5 age group, and or 6-8 age group)if any of the 190 in meet and mingle crowd are using that service wed be especially interested in that

have a great time--looking forward to your posts

Also leaving on the 10th...can't wait to read all about it...have fun!

Have a great trip! We're leaving in 7 weeks and I cant get enough of NOS posts. Keep em coming :)

Looking forward to hearing all about your cruise. We're on the same itinerary 31st March '12! Have a great time:)

Have a great cruise. I will be going on the Navigator as you are coming off on December 4th

Have a great cruise!!

First pic as she's leaving tonight

Night view turned on on webcam

Bye Norberts Niece have a safe voyage and speak when your back :)

Keep it coming Linda! I'll be living vicariously through your blog. chyanmor- fantastic screen grabs!

Hi Linda ~ just found this thread now. Love your pre dinner get together photo. Watched all the sail aways this evening but yours was the high light. Great cam job considering you guys left in the dark.

I found this archive photo of my friends Wendy and Tom and friends on their balcony at sail away. The photo is from http://www.portfever.com where the sail aways are archived.

By the way chyanmor great print screens. Loved them:)

Enjoy your cruise!!!

Keep it coming Linda! I'll be living vicariously through your blog. chyanmor- fantastic screen grabs!

Yes what is your secret? :)

]

 

We’re either members or prospective members of the Pink Boa Society which was created for the inaugural cruise of Freedom of the Seas so that roll call members could easily recognise one another. A condition of membership is to wear the boa on boarding, sailaway, and formal nights. This whole boa thing is very new for me and it certainly attracts attention! The official colour is a baby pink…. Did not find that out until after I’d purchased my bright pink one… ho hum!

That explains the boa society:D...but it still doesnt explain how one day my signature included the " graphic" for the Boa Society when I'm not a member and never copied it or pasted it or had even seen it before.:eek: I had to redo my whole signature to get rid of it. Must have been some bug- Glad to finally know what it was about!

I'm looking forward to your review! Enjoy your cruise!

We'll be on in two weeks... Can't wait! Can you advise what nights are formal nights? I wasn't sure since it's 8 nights instead of 7. Thanks!!

Looking forward to hearing all about your cruise. We're on the same itinerary 31st March '12! Have a great time:)

Come join us on our roll call for the March 31st sailing . . ..

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1405473

We’d arranged to be picked up by a shuttle service (7 of us at the same hotel). Just as well as the hotel shuttle was full of other cruisers at that time.

We were on our way to the port by 1010 and arrived at Pier #29 (?) around 1030.

Chaos. People were disembarking and whilst the traffic moved smoothly there was no signage and we found ourselves driving out of the port. So we rejoined the queue and eventually unloaded very efficiently. Things went downhill from here on.

There was a fair queue waiting to go into the terminal and we tagged ourselves on the end at 1040. Slowly slowly people were allowed into the terminal. Passport and setsail pass checked at door then carryon scanning. No problem. I don’t set off the body scan alarm. Then check in. Again no problem… but just concerned as I can see a great number of people sat on wooden chairs. Hmmm. I’m advised that boarding is delayed due to an annual Customs Inspection or something. I may have the name wrong but inspection was definitely one of the words.

2 hours later….. yeap….2 hours later…. One hot and sticky Linda gets to board. Dehydrated. No refreshments in the shed, no announcements or advice. It’s 78 degrees outside….they’ve stopped allowing people in; where are they? Have the opened another shed? No. They are outside with no shelter.

This pic is the shed…… state of the art eh?

What the queue looked like outside at 1250 as I’m heading aboard….

Oh, forgot to mention…. I would have had my pic taken on boarding by the ‘Pro’ photographer but I was in one hell of a foul mood by then and passed.

I can see Pink Boas in the queue outside.... much frantic waving and we connect :D

I head straight for the Dining Room. My self assigned role was to arranged dining for as many doing My Time Dining as wanted at 630pm for tonight only. I’d emailed the restaurant co-ordinator previously and I was expected. We have 3 tables on Deck 5 Swan Lake. By the window. Perfect. I have brought Christmas Crackers with me in my carry on and left them on the tables. Surprise!

I then headed to my Promenade Room; rooms are still being cleaned (deck 7), there are dirty glasses and plates in the corridor; mine is ready, love the view of the Christmas tree from the window. I drop my carryon there and head for the Windjammer.

Lunch. Finally. Honey stung chicken very moist and yum.

This pic is the queue 145pm taken from Windjammer.