Howdy from Insignia again!

Whew! As yall already know, travel is fun but can sometimes be exhausting as well. I'm happy to report that after a very long and tiring day of travel yesterday, we are now settled in on board the Insignia again. We decided rather than leaving our car in Houston it would be much easier just to take the Ground Shuttle from College Station. The Ground Shuttle runs multiple times a day to both IAH (Houston Int'l) and AUS (Austin-Bergstrom) airports. It's a comfortable ride and it always runs on time. And it costs no more than leaving our car in long-term parking at the airport.

 

our comfy ride

Our driver dropped us off at the door of our hotel (Houston IAH Marriott). It was a good call to go on to Houston Thursday night (vs driving over at 2:30 am Friday morning). Without a car, for dinner Ronnie just walked downstairs and got pizza and a salad which we ate in our room. On Friday morning we were up at 3 am and an hour later we literally walked from our hotel to the train that dropped us off inside the airport without ever having to get outside the building (thank the Lord for wheels on luggage!) We managed to get through security without a hitch and our flight actually left on time. Thanks to those who prayed for us, because travel delays could have meant literally missing the boat!

3.5 hours later we landed safely at Newark Liberty Int'l Airport. We had purchased Oceania's transfers which made it super easy. Ship representatives met us at Baggage Claim and immediately took our luggage. Along with maybe a half dozen others, we climbed into an air conditioned bus for a 30-40 minute ride to Pier 88 at New York's cruise port. Having booked an inside cabin this time, we had quite a long wait at the cruise terminal to get checked in, while those with suites breezed right past us in a different line. ha! We chose to keep our carry ons, Ronnie's computer bag and my computer back pack with us because they contained our medications and other items we really didn't want to lose sight of. So the hour or so wait wasn't particularly fun but we did chat with a nice couple from Michigan and another couple from New Zealand while we waited for check in. Once we finally made it through the check in process, we breezed right through boarding by simply showing our room cards as we entered the ship around 2 pm.

 

NYC skyline from the bus window

Not having eaten breakfast, we were both starving so we went straight to the buffet for lunch. By the time we finished eating, our room was ready and our big luggage had been delivered. Insignia had just returned from a world cruise yesterday morning. Can you imagine the logistics involved in getting 670 passengers off the ship, changing out many of the ship's personnel, getting every room cleaned and serviced, doing any necessary ship maintenance, refueling, restocking the necessary supplies along with food and beverage pantries and who-knows-what-all else, all while a new ship-load of passengers is boarding?

 

passengers await departure with view of NY skyline

It was after 5 pm when we finally set sail. We waited on the top deck until it began to sprinkle, then I went to the lounge so I could snap some photos of Lady Liberty as we passed by.

 

Statue of Liberty

note the kayaks below her for scale

 

We returned to our cabin, finished unpacking and then went for a quick dinner (again, buffet style) in hopes of hitting the sack a little early. We both slept well until I was awakened this morning with a really bad leg cramp. I enjoyed a room service breakfast while Ronnie went to the Terrace Cafe for his. It's a bit of a surprise that we've already seen a number of people on the ship who were on the world cruise with us. We already have dinner plans with one couple tonight. I would say we've already seen at least a dozen folks from our previous cruise, plus a few of the workers who remember us from before.

I must admit that we spoiled ourselves with the room we booked for our world cruise. We justified that decision because 6 months is a long time to be on a ship! We felt we needed the extra space and the balcony, and it was indeed a good decision. But this time, since it was shorter we decided to book an inside cabin (no window, no balcony) to save money. Let's just say the inside cabin is much more compact! The bathroom is tiny and our room only has 2 twin beds, a love seat, and a desk with chair. But each time I'm tempted to question our decision, I just remember that we're saving money for another trip! 😉 And our tiny cabin will probably mean spending more time outside the room, which is ok too. 

Ronnie is attending a lecture on 10 Myths of the Titanic as I write this. We will dock in Boston, Massachusetts around noon and sail again at 8 pm tonight. I think we'll most likely stay on the ship today. For one thing, it's raining and also we've hit some of the high spots in Boston in the past (although many years ago). Tonight we sail for Bar Harbor, Maine.

For now, we're just happy to be on the ship and relaxing.