from Orlando to the ship

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We took a shuttle from Orlando to Port Canaveral (which is pretty much straight east of Orlando).

It was raining right down, so my out-the-moving-vehicle pics are worse than usual.

Hmmmm.







Port Canaveral and Cocoa Beach are on barrier islands.





Here is where you present your cruise documents and show them your passport before you can get on the ship. I like the tropical touches -- the carpet, and can you see that the support columns are "palm trees"?





The top of one of the columns.





Cruise ships work all the time. A ship-full of people got off that Friday morning just before we started getting on.

Our rooms were not ready, so we schlepped the luggage up to the cafeteria. One nice thing about traveling in a group is that people can take turns watching the luggage and getting food.....

Many of our group were seriously into this sort of indulgence. It is possible to spend more on alcohol than on the cruise itself, if one is dedicated. (Drinks are *expensive*!!! -- almost $10 for a mixed drink!)




Most of us tried not to venture too far into this sort of indulgence. (I had one of these. It was pleasantly strawberry-y.)





I didn't have one of these, but aren't they pretty?





After lunch (and sitting around chatting), our rooms were ready. We went off to find our room and deposit our luggage.





Now we can walk around unencumbered and explore the ship.

This is a serious tonnage of vessel. It takes a lot to hold it still, or to get it going. These ropes are about 5" in diameter.





Looking down from on high. The cream-colored building near the top, on the right, is the one with the palm-tree columns seen above.





Moving luggage around is serious business. People who signed up with the cruise line to shuttle to the ship from the airport can let the cruise line pick up their baggage at the airport and deliver it right to their rooms.

After our experience in Alaska with most of our bags arriving 24 hours after we did (because we were late getting into Minneapolis, and we [just barely] made the connecting flight but our luggage did not!), we preferred not to check anything.





A closeup of the embellished parking structure you can see top right above.





From the end of the ship, the port building.



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