MS Maasdam FTL to Rio, January 23-February 15, 2015

Well, I've printed out my boarding passes so by this time tomorrow I should be in Fort Lauderdale waiting for the Maasdam's arrival. As I usually do I will post updates to this thread, and the same information, along with photos and documents to a companion blog:

https://aroundamericabitbybit.wordpress.com/

My preference on this thread will be to post selected photos as links to click on if interested rather than as embedded images. I hope that will work for people.

Sadly, it's snowing right now, but it isn't supposed to amount to much. The weather has been pretty good since I returned home from the Ryndam, I hope I'm not jinxed by bad weather on flight days.

Roy

Well, I've printed out my boarding passes so by this time tomorrow I should be in Fort Lauderdale waiting for the Maasdam's arrival. As I usually do I will post updates to this thread, and the same information, along with photos and documents to a companion blog:

 

https://aroundamericabitbybit.wordpress.com/

 

My preference on this thread will be to post selected photos as links to click on if interested rather than as embedded images. I hope that will work for people.

 

Sadly, it's snowing right now, but it isn't supposed to amount to much. The weather has been pretty good since I returned home from the Ryndam, I hope I'm not jinxed by bad weather on flight days.

 

Roy

Looking forward to your reports Roy. Your links work just fine for me :D

Crossing my fingers for you that there are no weather issues with your flight.

Enjoy! My heavens, do you ever stay home? LOL. I'm just jealous

Bon Voyage, fair winds and smooth seas. I will be following your cruise as we are doing the same one next year. Looking forward to reading all about it.

Allan & Marlane

Looking forward to your "Live" report.

Bon Voyage!!

Hope you have a wonderful cruise. Thanks for doing a live report, so I can go along too.:D

Looking forward to hearing all about it. Thanks, Roy, and happy sailing!

PS. Have you requested a wave?

Great, reading your blog will get me pumped for when we join you in Rio! Hope you have a great trip.

A different blog address now. I had used "Traveling locally and the world" for quite a while, I think. Wish you were going on the full world cruise of the Queen Victoria next year as it'd be fun to meet you after reading so many of your adventures. You get off in FLL and we board in SFO.

Roy, hope you have a terrific time! Thanks for all the effort you put into your blogs and updates here. Be well, friend! :)

Will be interested to hear all about your trip on the Maasdam. Have a great trip!

Have a great voyage on MADM to Rio and back, Roy! We'll check out your departure tomorrow. Be sure to visit Devil's Island/French Guyana

A different blog address now. I had used "Traveling locally and the world" for quite a while, I think. Wish you were going on the full world cruise of the Queen Victoria next year as it'd be fun to meet you after reading so many of your adventures. You get off in FLL and we board in SFO.

Have a great voyage on MADM to Rio and back, Roy! We'll check out your departure tomorrow. Be sure to visit Devil's Island/French Guyana

Thank you everybody. Oahucruiser, I used to use a different blog for each trip but it got unwieldy. Now "Traveling locally and the world" is my regular blog but there are some trips that just demand special treatment, like my world cruise series last year.. This is a bit different, it's a special for a series of trips. For the next 3 years I'll go back and forth between the 2 blogs. I'm sorry we won't meet next year.

Copper, I visited Devils Island about 15 months ago and look forward to returning, along with several new ports.

The airport shuttle will be here in about a half hour, and my flight still shows "on time".

Roy

Have a safe flight.

Bon Voyage, Roy! Always enjoy following your blog. Be well and travel safe.:)

WOW, Roy. Another DAM cruise, I am so jealous. I hope you have a safe and wonderful time on the Maasdam. Would love to know your comments about that DAM ship after your voyage.

David

Thanks, all. David, once on ships internet I probably won't be seeing your threads often, but will still be aware that the Prinsendam is headed for a meeting with the Prinsendam in Rio.

The airport shuttle was to pick me up at 6:40. About that time I got a call that it was running late and it arrived at 6:55. The trip to BWI airport was uneventful and I was still in plenty of time. We had a wet snowfall Wednesday and freezing temperatures overnight, but the roads were fine this morning.

After stashing my extra layers of clothing (a rain jacket and sweater) I headed to the Southwest Counter and checked my 2 bags. I have the same luggage I had at Christmas, but it seems to be less crammed this time. All the heavy stuff is in my wheeled checked luggage (49.4 pounds) and it’s mostly extra clothing in my backpack. I headed for security at 8:00 and was out at 8:05 (love TSA precheck).

I’ve checked the departures board and my flight is listed as on time, and what looks like the flight (from Little Rock) is listed as “early”. As I write this it’s 8:40 and my boarding is 9:15. So far things are off to a good start.

Roy

Looking forward to you reports, have a wonderful cruise. We have some friends doing the same cruise, so it will feel like we join them.

Roy,

I've bookmarked your blog and will be following along - I want to do a South American cruise some time.

BTW, the Cunard transfer to MIA was $35. Considering their transfer to FLL was $25, it sounds like a good deal.

Kathi

Looking forward to hearing all about it. Thanks, Roy, and happy sailing!

 

PS. Have you requested a wave?

Roy,

 

I've bookmarked your blog and will be following along - I want to do a South American cruise some time.

 

BTW, the Cunard transfer to MIA was $35. Considering their transfer to FLL was $25, it sounds like a good deal.

 

Kathi

Thanks all, and thanks for that information, Kathi. Victoriann, I have not requested a wave. I'm having trouble deciding what to think of my roll call. I proposed a wave on the roll call and it got no response; I didn't want to request a wave by myself. I'm really having trouble understanding the roll call, some of the members are talking about one of the ports (Boca de Valeia) on the return half of the journey, they seemed REALLY offended when I suggested they post those comments on the February 15 roll call that does go there. As far as I can tell, nobody has mentioned Boca on that roll call since August.

Roy

My flight left the gate about 5 minutes early but held at the end of the runway while “Iceman 4 did it’s magic on the wings and took off just about on time. The flight uneventful flight took off just about on time and arrived at the gate 10 minutes ahead of schedule. My Fort Lauderdale area is quite compact, I could see the funnels of Queen Elizabeth and Liberty of the Seas across the corrdor from my gate. There were a couple of hitches in connecting with my hotel’s shuttle (among other things I could hear almost nothing on my cell phone outside the airport. I went to my room in the Comfort Suites just after 1:30, probably about the same time a room became ready for me.

Much of the afternoon was spent dealing with a maturing CD, withdrawing the funds in one direction and depositing them in a bank in the opposite direction, with a lunch stop at Panera in between. A final excursion took me to Publix to pick up some last minute supplies. As I was entering I could hear one of the ships in the nearby port blowing it’s horn to demonstrate the emergency alarm. My final return to the hotel came about 5PM, and I spent the evening watching TV after watching Queen Elizabeth sail away on the Fort Lauderdale webcam. I have some friends on that ship.

I watched the Maadam’s arrival on the Port Everglades webcam early Friday morning.

https://aroundamericabitbybit.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/maasftl.jpg

Today’s parting shot recognizes the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. It will be interesting to see what, if any, changes new leadership will bring.

Roy

Have a great cruise.

Roy, have a wonderful cruise on the Maasdam! I enjoyed this ship to Canada/New England a few years back and hope you have an incredible time on her. Like kazu, my question is do you ever stay home? The green eyes of jealousy are speaking there!

Debbie

Bon Voyage - I'm looking forward to your posts.

Smooth Sailing ! :) :) :)

Roy, have a wonderful cruise on the Maasdam! I enjoyed this ship to Canada/New England a few years back and hope you have an incredible time on her. Like kazu, my question is do you ever stay home? The green eyes of jealousy are speaking there!

 

Debbie

Thanks, all. I do stay home occasionally but am totally addicted. I hope there's no cure. I am actually something of a cheap skate so my next post will likely be from either Starbucks of McDonalds in Key West.

Roy

Roy:

Have a great cruise!