Our alarm was set for 7am on disembarkation morning, and we were out of our cabin at 8am. We went to the World Fresh Marketplace with our large suitcases and just parked them against our table in the back. We hung out there until it closed at 9am and then sat in Club Fusion until the last and final call about 9:45am and at 10am were in an Uber to the Long Beach Airport ($34.34).
And once there we waited for hours, but what a pleasant airport to wait in. We now know to go to the car rental building with easy access to comfortable seating and plug ins and clean bathrooms and quiet. Blissful quiet. No boarding announcements, no standby announcements, just quiet. That’s a very welcome thing after being on a cruise ship for 52 days.
We arrived home just after 9pm, and, yes, there was a skiff of snow falling for the first time in weeks, but it was light and short lived. We reached 73° today, and so have none of that East Coast nonsense here!
Saturday was pajamas, grocery delivery and laundry day (while watching three college basketball games). Sunday was grocery pickup and mail day and I had three appointments on Monday (yesterday). I finally today cleaned out toiletry travel bottles, refilled them and re-packed everything for our April cruise. It was easier than putting away Saturday’s laundry, especially since I won’t be needing any of those clothes before we cruise again.
Tomorrow is surgery day, because what would post-cruise life be without a surgery? Luckily, it’s just oral surgery. The crown that came off and was re-cemented in San Pedro on a Royal Princess turnaround day in December (did I mention that?) was a temporary fix. When I saw my dentist Christmas week, she said it was time for a root canal but I opted for an extraction and implant instead. That tooth has bothered me every time I have a sinus infection for nearly ten years. I was (and am) ready for it to be gone. I was taking a risk cruising for 52 days, especially with all the sea days, but I couldn’t start the process during those few days I was home because of the holidays. My dentist sent antibiotics with me in case it blew up in the middle of five days at sea to/from Hawaii, but I never needed them. Some days were worse than others but it never kept me from eating!
I picked up four prescriptions today, one of them for two pills of Valium. The oral surgeon prescribed one for tonight and one for tomorrow morning. I asked if I really need them and they said I didn’t have to take them but it would help me sleep better tonight. I’ve not slept well since we returned home (too much on my mind) so for that reason more so than nerves I took one about 30 minutes ago. Things are feeling pretty mellow.
I cancelled my flights and hotel to see McGee run in the indoor track conference championship this weekend, and will have to be content to watch online. I’ll be going to Stanford in early April for an outdoor meet and then cruising again in April (hence the re-packing). Our schedule is full between now and then; we just need to get tomorrow behind us.
We thoroughly enjoyed the first 36 days on the Emerald Princess. The crew was just as special as I remember them being, the food was decent to good, the weather was amazing and the entertainment top notch. But, oh my, that last 16 day cruise to Hawaii quickly became an endurance contest. I’ve been in rougher seas before (the Tasman Sea and the North Atlantic in December on the little Pacific Princess) but I have never been in seas that rough for that many consecutive days. Even the nights between the Hawaiian islands were bouncy. The second of five sea days back to Ensenada broke me. I could feel my cruising spirit leave my body. I just wanted to reach port.
We each actually had a couple days of mal de débarquement after we returned home, but that has thankfully passed. But, in the end, we are re-considering our plans for next winter. I was very happy with the Hawaiian Ambassador and Naturalist programs on the Emerald Princess, and absolutely loved learning how to play the ukulele, but G commented (many, many times) on the poor condition of the Emerald Princess (especially the public bathrooms) and the ship is not going to be any newer next winter. Neither of us wants a repeat of that last cruise. And that from someone with nearly 2000 days at sea. I felt so badly for our first time cruisers, the Hawaii virgins and anyone who traveled from the UK, Australia or New Zealand. Heck, I was actually feeling kind of sorry for all of us. The only happy note (and it was a very happy note) was that the harbor pilot was quickly plucked, uninjured, from the sea outside the port of Nawiliwili. In the end, that puts everything into perspective.
A problem we face is that we are running out of winter cruising options. G does not want to fly to/from Australia again and, after four trips to South America, we’re really not that interested in returning there either. First world problems, for sure. I’m studying our cruise options every evening while we sit in the family room, and nothing better than what we have booked is jumping out at me. Is it time for an extended land stay in a warm destination? Possibly.
But, in the interim, we’ll be back at it again in April for a new experience and I will be blogging once again. The BlogTouch Pro app was finally updated and worked really well for me this cruise, which is why I faithfully blogged (after struggling with publishing posts from Alaska in June and the transatlantic in October, and giving it up altogether in December). So, if you’re interested in reading more, check back mid-April. And thanks so much for being here now. I’ve appreciated your emails and support!
Source: Instagram tbrealtormarc
