PreCruise in Fort Lauderdale: Day 1

Saturday, 4 December

For the past several years, we’ve taken advantage of the relatively quiet travel season between Thanksgiving and Christmas to go on a Caribbean cruise.  This is our compromise vacation … Mui gets to snorkel and frolic in warm waters; I get to enjoy quiet time on the veranda of our cabin (and yes, I join him on the beach, too).  As most of our travels revolve around exploring new places, a “do nothing but relax” Caribbean cruise helps us recharge our batteries each year.

So, as the temperature in the metropolitan DC area fell precipitously and winter made its presence known, we packed our bags and headed to Florida to embark the Grand Princess.  But the story of our cruise is for later.  First, a few days in Fort Lauderdale (Ft L).

The taxi we had pre-ordered picked us up at 5:00a and took us to Dulles International (IAD) for our 7:49a JetBlue flight.  Having already checked in online, all we had to do was drop off our bags at the counter (JetBlue allows each passenger one free checked bag) before going through security.

[images courtesy of the TSA website]

This was our first time flying since the controversial “backscatter” imagers were installed at IAD.  I know that for many these new scanners are an invasion of privacy and whatnot.  But honestly, we don’t get what all the hoopla is about.  And that’s all I’m going to say on that topic!  We went through without mishap, collected our carry-on bags on the other side, and were soon on the people mover to Terminal B.

The people mover is much more convenient than the mobile lounges
that once transported passengers between terminals.

Rather than plant ourselves at our departure gate until boarding was announced, we wandered up and down the nearly-deserted terminal, stopping to pick up a couple of bagels for breakfast from The Great American Bagel Bakery.

Dulles is decorated for Christmas.

I like the creativity of this ad.

Flight 305 pushed back from the gate at 8:00a and was in the air 10 minutes later.  The 2+ hour flight was uneventful and we entertained ourselves watching the in-flight satellite TV programming.  Before we knew it, we were landing at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.  As one might expect on a 6-ship turnaround day, the airport was crowded, but we managed to get our bags and grab the shuttle to the car rental center in a reasonable amount of time.

We had bid for a compact car for $20/day through Priceline.  We ended up with a Chrysler Town & Country minivan instead.  Hey, we’ll take a free upgrade anytime!  (Thank you, Alamo!)  By 11:15a we were on our way out of the airport.

The airport, hotel, and port are conveniently close to each other.

Bidding for hotels is not everyone’s cup of tea.  Priceline has never failed us, however, so that’s how we booked the hotel for our pre-cruise stay in Ft L.  Our $100/night bid netted us the W Fort Lauderdale, overlooking Fort Lauderdale Beach.

Welcome to the W.

Left: The W fort Lauderdale
Right: Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort

Great location, and a fun, funky property.  Mui even managed to sweet-talk the front desk into giving us a room with a balcony so that we could better enjoy the ocean views.  Admittedly, the ultra-modern hotel isn’t for everyone.  For one thing, the clear-glass enclosed shower may be more than some can handle.  We didn't mind!

Room 802

The lavatory is behind the frosted glass slider on the left;
the shower serves as a room divider on the right.

After dropping off our bags and removing a few of our winter layers in deference to the sunshine and warm temperature, we headed out to grab a bite to eat.  We ended up at H20, a few blocks down the street from the W.  As we had dinner plans with friends, we kept lunch light, ordering a shrimp and avocado salad for Mui, and a spinach salad for me.  His was the better choice.

Cheers to sunshine, blue skies, and warm winter temperatures!

After lunch, we returned to the hotel, changed into beach attire, and headed to the wide strip of long, gold sand beach that fronts Fort Lauderdale Boulevard (aka Route A1A).  The sun was shining bright, with the temperature in the 80F range (27C).  The light breeze and lack of humidity made for a very pleasant and comfortable afternoon.

Street names serve as references to beach entrance points.

Doesn’t seem like it’s winter, does it?

One of these days, I’m going to give parasailing a shot … but not today.

I’m not much of a beach person.  I prefer a walk on the beach and a quiet, shaded corner where I can read over frolicking in the water.  Not so Mui.  Soon, he was taking a dip in the Atlantic, deeming it refreshing on a hot winter afternoon.  Afterwards, we went for a long walk on the beach, letting the surf that was gently crashing ashore wash over our feet.

Not the Caribbean, but warm enough to take a dip.

We spent the remaining few hours before our dinner engagement in the room, enjoying the views from the balcony.  As dusk fell and the day’s contingent of cruise ships sailed out of Port Everglades, we wished those aboard a silent bon voyage, keeping our fingers crossed for good weather for our own sailaway on Monday.

Canal views on one side; ocean views on the other side.

In 2007, we went on a small-ship expedition voyage to Antarctica (by way of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Island).  Little did I know when I later wrote trip reviews for CruiseCritic and Fodor’s that they would lead to an unexpected friendship.  I met MZ when she commented on my report.  I then returned the comment with some note about the Galapagos trip the Zs had taken (which we want to do someday).  That led to an exchange of DVDs, and the rest is history.  We’ve been internet buddies for three years.  Over the years we’ve made plans to meet, but something always got in the way until today.

We joined the Zs (traveling with the Senior Zs) for champagne in their suite at the Hilton (next door to the W).  The camaraderie was immediate and conversation flowed freely.  None of that stilted, we’re getting to know each other stuff that often plagues first meetings.  Later, we all went to dinner at the Southport Raw Bar, a casual, on-the-water eatery with tasty seafood.  We created our own tapas experience and ordered several dishes to share, topping off our meal with yummy key lime pie.

No camera I’m afraid;
a collage of images from the website will have to do.

Though our plans to cruise with the Zs have thus far fallen through, we have something else to look forward to in the years to come … road adventures with our twin Phaetons!  If tonight’s get together is anything to go by, we’re in for some fun times together.

And thus our day in Ft L came to a close.  Our plans for tomorrow remain fluid; we’ll see what the day brings.  One thing’s for sure … it’s going to be a relaxing one.  For now, goodnight from our balcony at the W.

Next Up … PreCruise in Fort Lauderdale: Day 2