Caribbean Cruise Travel Diary — Day 1

Date: 2018-05-09

Caribbean Cruise Diary — Days 1 and 2

The Caribbean had been on our wish list for years. The high season there coincides with winter here in the UK, making it the perfect escape from the cold, dark months — but with a flight time of over 10 hours each way from London, we kept putting it off. Then, finally, the opportunity arrived. A woman we greatly admire, Anita Moorjani, had organised a cruise with a seminar series on board, and that gave us the motivation to commit. Anita is the author of "Dying to Be Me" — an Indian-born woman who came back from the brink of death after a terminal cancer diagnosis and lived to tell a remarkable story. If you have not read it, we highly recommend it. The full itinerary ran from 7 March to 18 March 2018 — 11 nights, 12 days.

Day 1 — An Evening at the Hotel Next to London Gatwick Airport

We stayed the night before departure at a hotel near London Gatwick Airport. We set off around 11am, packed lunch in hand, loading the car with our suitcases and driving from our home in north London via the M4 and M25. We arrived at the Courtyard by Marriott London Gatwick Airport, near the South Terminal, just after 4pm. A king-size room for one night came to around £70 (approximately 10,000 yen at the rate of £1 = 150 yen at the time), booked through an online reservation site. We also arranged to leave the car at this hotel while we were in the Caribbean — 11 days' parking for £70 (roughly 10,000 yen).

We settled into the room and around 5pm ate our packed lunch: tamagoyaki egg rolls, spinach ohitashi, German-style sausage fried with ketchup, potato salad, a mix of three-colour quinoa and white rice topped with salted kombu and pickled daikon. We had brought miso soup too, and enjoyed every bite. "Tamagoyaki is absolutely essential in a bento box, isn't it." Then we headed to the bar downstairs for a beer and a shandy (half lager, half lemonade) with some peanuts. Surprisingly busy for a Wednesday — full of families and young people.

Our flight was after 9am the following morning, so we worked out we should catch the airport shuttle bus just after 6am. The shuttle runs every 20 minutes and costs £3 per person each way, paid in cash directly to the driver. Pre-flight days are always a bit hectic, but staying the night beforehand makes such a difference to how tired you feel. We ran a deep bath, soaked in it, and went to bed early. The hotel linen felt lovely. Even at this slightly more budget-friendly end of the Marriott range, the original Marriott bedding is still used. Good night.

Day 2, Part 1 — On Board the British Airways Flight

Today we fly from London Gatwick to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Good morning. Up at 4:30am to rain outside. We showered, had a light breakfast of banana, oat biscuits and hummus with whatever was available in the room, checked out at 6am and caught the terminal bus. Two or three minutes later we were inside. We went straight to the British Airways check-in counter. Today's flight: BA2169, departing at 09:05 for Fort Lauderdale International Airport, Terminal 4, Florida. We relaxed in the lounge over coffee until the gate was announced about an hour before departure. Today's gate: 34. Quite a distance — it took about 10 minutes to reach. As we arrived at the gate, the skies had cleared to blue. Today's aircraft: a Boeing 777.

Boarding started with passengers needing assistance. We had checked in online in advance and seen the flight was not full, so we had booked the two window-end seats of a three-seat middle row — giving us two seats to ourselves effectively. On long-haul flights, we much prefer aisle or near-aisle seats over window seats, for easy access to the loo. We ended up in row 19, just behind the premium economy section and near the front of economy. The back of the plane had plenty of empty seats, and some people were stretched across three seats to sleep.

The airport was busy at 9am as usual, and we queued on the tarmac for a while before taking off. The captain announced we would be delayed departing but should arrive roughly on time. Today's flight: approximately 10 hours, flying over Ireland, across the Atlantic, and down past New York and Washington DC to Florida. Shorter than Tokyo but still a long haul. Cruising speed around 800+ km/h, altitude approximately 11,000 metres, outside temperature minus 50 degrees.

The first meal service offered chicken casserole or vegetarian pasta. After the lights went down, there was an ice cream bar as a snack about three hours before landing, then a pre-landing "afternoon tea": a chicken mayo and lettuce sandwich with a flapjack (oat and raisin biscuit, a British classic). We made a point of walking around the cabin and drinking plenty of water to stay healthy. This time we had brought sheet face masks, which we used along with extra moisturiser to combat the extreme dryness. A touch-up of make-up about three hours before landing — much better than usual. The old aircraft had cold air conditioning, so we wore ultra-light down jackets throughout. We watched a film, read Anita's book, and dozed for about an hour. We landed at Fort Lauderdale just before 2pm as scheduled, but the airport was being renovated and we waited a while before reaching the gate.

First up: ESTA machines (the pre-approved US visitor visa, applied for online in advance at a cost of $14). We entered our photo and fingerprints. Then a long queue at the border control booth to register all ten fingerprints before being admitted. The whole process took an hour. All those fingerprints — it really does feel like they want to make absolutely sure you cannot get away with anything on American soil!

Day 2, Part 2 — Staying at the Sheraton Suites Fort Lauderdale at Cypress Creek

A taxi from the airport took around 20 minutes along a six-to-eight-lane motorway. The sheer scale of the trucks confirmed we were in America. Total cost including tip: $45. The driver spoke almost no English — Spanish was his language. Fort Lauderdale clearly has a large Spanish-speaking population.

Our hotel for the next two nights: the Sheraton Suites Fort Lauderdale at Cypress Creek — the Sheraton's holiday-oriented property, part of the SPG chain. A large apartment-style building with an open atrium in the centre.

As SPG Gold members, we were automatically upgraded to the top floor — the 8th — on the SPG members-only floor. The room was a one-bedroom flat-style suite: living room with basic kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. A TV in both the bedroom and the living room. Not luxurious, but spacious and clean. The hotel grounds include a heated outdoor pool and Jacuzzi, plus an indoor gym, restaurant and bar. The central atrium has a water feature running through it — lovely atmosphere. As SPG members, we had access to the club room, which is open 24 hours with complimentary drinks and light snacks in the morning and evening — very convenient. (We will write separately about how to become an SPG Gold member easily.)

After a light snack in the club room and a shower, jet lag kicked in and we started to feel sleepy. We held on until just after 9pm watching NBA basketball, then gave up and climbed into bed around 9:30. The bed was very high — almost had to climb up to get in. Is that an American thing? This morning we were in London. Good night.

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