We caught a cab to the cruiseport. Luggage check in was pretty messy, after a time we were lead to a VIP area to check in with our cruise documents and passports. This was very quick and efficient and the NCL representative was very cheerful. In the VIP boarding area there were snacks and drinks, which by this time were a welcome treat.
Our butler Maurice came to meet us and and took us to our suite (Family Suite) 9076. He showed us the features of our suite, and asked if we had any special requests. I did notice that the bar set up that I had ordered was wrong; the bottle of Absolute was there, but no tomato juice, olives, celery, or cranberry juice. He rectified this quickly while we ate lunch in LaCucina (which was amazing).
It's very hot and humid in Tampa today. We were late in leaving port; we left around 6:00PM, not 4:00PM as scheduled. On the pool deck was the sailaway party and cookout, I love the big grills they put out and a great "snack." After the party we went back to the room and unpacked; settling in nicely. This is our 3rd time in this suite so unpacking was a breeze as we knew where to put everything.
It started raining hard in the channel and for some reason we stopped; Holland America "Ryndam" followed us out of port. We noticed a foul odor; a sewer-like smell, and someone was sent up to check on this for us. After showers we ran up to the Garden Cafe (affectionately known as the "Hogtrough" in our family) for a quick bite to eat. I went to have a cigarette and the smoking area on deck 11 was small, there were dirty dishes and dirty ashtrays lying around and I hoped that this was not the "norm" for this area.
I needed something from the onboard shops; a shower "poof" but they didn't carry those. I went for a play in the casino and played a friendly game of Texas Hold 'Em and a little three card poker. After returning to my room, a had a screwdriver nightcap. I put the room service card out for breakfast the next morning; wanting breakfast in the suite on the first full sea day. It was windy on the balcony this night and cooler, felt very nice!
Here is a link to the video that I made of us getting there and boarding ship.
Flying And Boarding
Here are shots of suite 9076.
