Friday, December 16, 2011

Boarded the MSC Poesia

December 16th - Ft Lauderdale Embarkation day.
We stayed at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Ft Lauderdale just off of 17th and had a very pleasant night. The suites was wonderful, on the 11th floor overlooking the port where the ships dock. We woke up to see our ship docked, and a few other ships including the Pacific Princess, the Seven Seas Mariner and the Zuiderdam. Embarkation process was simple and the process was only about 20 minutes. Soon we were crossing the gangway and boarding the MSC Poesia. Our stateroom was a little smaller than I expected, but the room, although compact, has everything we need to make it our home for the week. Onboard the MSC Poesia was familiar because I visited the ship about a year ago, so it wasn't difficult navigating the various lounges and restaurants. I'm traveling with my ten-year-old son, and he wanted to get plugged-in to the kids programs which started around 8pm. We had dinner first seating at 6pm, just after boat drill. Regarding the boat drill, I noticed that many passengers didn't take the drill seriously or follow directions. From my perspective, the crew manning our boat station didn't enforce too much structure, and many passengers in my area just stood around talking, or didn't bring their life jacket. Perhaps it was because many of the instruction over the PA system were in multiple languages. Back to dinner. I'm looking forward to experiencing the dining because of the strong Italian heritage of this family-owned cruise line. I love Italian cuisine, and after my first evening at dinner, I was not disappointed. My son and I were on deck as the ship left Ft Lauderdale. Maybe it was because we departed late at about 8pm, but I didn't hear the hoopla from the condominiums as we passed them on our way out to sea. Usually there are horns and whistles, but this time very little activity. As much as I wanted to see the production show tonight, I was too tired. My son had fun at his first kids meeting with games and dancing, I picked him up at 10pm, then time to wind-down in our stateroom. Tomorrow we are in Key West.

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