Embarkation day! We are up early – walking to the seaside promenade at 6:45 am. Oh My Gosh! The people! Thousands of people out there on the promenade walking, jogging, bicycling. It is just amazing! You would think it’s the middle of the day – not a little before 7 on a Monday morning! And we thought Honolulu had fitness nuts – ha! They’ve got nothing compared to this. Plus – it’s already 80 degrees out. It’s going to be another scorcher, that’s for sure.
Breakfast after showers. Excellent buffet at the hotel, scrambled eggs, sausage, creeps, cheese bread, empanadas (called something else) fresh fruits and cheese as well as cereal and fab rolls (plain an stuffed with banana!). We’re in carb hell – and Cathy simply doesn’t care at this point in time!
Had plenty of time before heading out, so we checked the Internet for email, hit the phone, then packed, organized and were ready to walk out the door at 10 am.
The hotel called a cab for us – we loaded up and got in. The cabbie wanted to charge 1 price, but we insisted on the meter (Eduardo had told us to always use the meter. He said he would get out of cabs if they wouldn’t turn the meter on, so we figured he was the expert and followed his advice.) Well, here we go with the International incident again – mind you – we’re packed in the cab with all our luggage and he’s not really happy we want him to turn on the meter. He even backs up and talks to the hotel doorman – but finally does turn the meter on and off we go.
Don’t know what he would have charged us, but the fare to the port was only 25 Reals, including a tip. Total trip took 20minutes – and we were at the port. No traffic to speak of – so we were quite pleased. (Hint: For all you future Rio embarkation folks, most cabbies drop you at the entrance to a small mall at the port. There are no porters, no nothing, just steps up to the entrance. The port is on the other end of the mall. If the cab continues past the main entrance to the port, there is another entrance about 500 yards away in the front of the building where the buses drop you off and you can drop your luggage. If you can direct the taxi there – you’ll be in good shape. Otherwise – you’ll have to hoot if with your bags around the side of the mall to the porters – as we did! It’s not a bad little walk, but you can avoid it with some quick prep work.)
Since it was such a quick trip, we were inside the boarding area at 10:30. Boarding wasn’t scheduled until 11:00; so we queued up where the port folks told us and waited. People started arriving, and the area started getting crowded, with everyone trying to jockey for better position in the boarding line. Ugh – here we go! 11:00 comes, 11:00 goes. People start grumbling. The restlessness continues, until 11:30 when the boarding process begins for those in wheelchairs and who need assistance boarding (very nice! Take them first!). Except the people around us didn’t think it was nice and the grumbling continued. Finally, everyone else got to get in line and we managed to board unscathed!
Once onboard, the stellar service Oceania is known for began. A light lunch served all day in the buffet, water and tea refills at your table, smiling faces everywhere. Ed and Cathy ran through their strategy – 1) onboard, 2) directly to the pursers for laundry tokens (15 days, 80/90 degree temps, Galapagos exploring/you figure it out!); 3) try to get to laundry (cabin floors locked until 1, drats!) 4) go to 10th floor to reserve our nights in the specialty dining rooms (got all 4 nights as requested plus the first night in Toscana!); 5) hit the library (right across the hall from the restaurant reservations) to score the good books. Phew! Mission accomplished! Now for a quick lunch and our wine and beer for a reward.
After lunch – tried the cabins once more – still no go. Finally at 1, the announcement made, we hurried to the cabin – drats! The key doesn’t’ work. 15 minutes later in the cabin (after running back and forth to the pursers desk). Cathy runs to the laundry – they’re all already taken by the back-to-back folks. So she waits for the washers to become available (had to move somebody’s undies to the dryer – Hate to do that!) But, got both loads going and it’s still only a little after 1! Yippee! Clean clothes at last!
Ran outside to make phone calls – Happy Birthday to Stephanie, Cathy’s now 11 year old niece – then back aboard to wait for sailing. Bags arrived, unpacked, boat drill! Announcement made that we’ll be sailing at 5:30, instead of 3 – ok – no biggie –wanted to see Rio as we sailed, but that’s ok – it should still be light. A little bit later J.R., our cruise director, announced we’d be further delayed because we were waiting for important provisions (he joked it was a sack of potatoes), but the sail away party would continue! That’s the spirit! Party band played, nice breeze on the pool deck, we all wandered around on deck watching the traffic (which was horrendous) and wondering what we were really missing!
Ed and Cathy went to exercise, with J.R occasionally announcing that we were still delayed and they didn’t know how long it would be before we sailed. He said he’d apprise us as soon as they had more information. 8:30 – and still no “provisions”, 6 dock workers and lots of crew including the executive Chef are on the dock – uh oh! We were thinking that maybe we were waiting for a part or something for the refurb that will occur in dry dock after our cruise, hmmmm….maybe it really is the food!
On to a fantastic dinner in Toscana – the awesome bread with roasted garlic and your choice of olive oil (watch our for the spicy stuff – it is really spicy!); appetizers are great as usual – rolled eggplant stuffed with a beef mixture and toped with cheese; caprese salad; minestrone soup that Ed just loves; special off the menu Tilapia with a Brazilian sauce for Cathy (gasp – fish!) and Osso Bucco for Ed. Excellent!
While relaxing after their filling meal, and munching on the biscotti that now comes before dessert, the Toscana chef, Roberto, came by to check on the guests. Ed and Cathy got to talking with him and he told them it was indeed the food –ALL the food for the entire cruise – that was missing. They had been on standby since 2 pm! Since it was a 15 day cruise to Europe, we couldn’t leave without it, we would run out of everything!! Uh oh! Can you imagine those phone calls between the home office and the ship? Where’s the food? We shipped the food? We don’t have the food? I’m looking at the bill of lading right here? Well I’m looking at empty storage bins…….Must have been a fun afternoon and evening!
After rolling out of the dining room, Ed and Cathy went up on deck to watch the proceedings. Six to 10 staff and crew outside; dock workers, all waiting. The Captain comes out, hands on hips, points to his watch! Not a happy man! We decided we should sail – the heck with the food. It could be a spa cruise. We would all lose weight and be fabulously healthy by the end. We might have to ration food, but that’s ok. Lady – 1 french fry for you – no more! You don’t need no more food anyway! Oh – can you even imagine?
Ended up we didn’t need to worry about rationing, finally, around 10:15, here come 3 container trucks! Our provisions have arrived! And now it has to be off loaded.
One of the staff is walking around with a light strapped to his head, so we, and all our new best friends up on deck watching this little escapade, have now dubbed him Miner-guy! Miner-guy inspects the locks and the back of the trucks, then takes pictures of the locks before letting the workers start to unload. It took until 1:00 or 1:30 in the morning to finish! Little fork lifts beep beeping away all night long – and crew hauling and stacking and moving all that food and provisions into the hold at record speed.
We gave up the ghost around 12:30 or so, preferring to retire to the cabin and sleep while our food was stocked below us. Cathy slept that is, Ed stayed up on the balcony and watched until the end of the stocking operation, then fell into a deep sleep in that great Oceania bed!
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