Underway

There was no need for an early start to our day. The bus transferring us from the hotel to the ship left at 11:15. 

As we drove along, after realizing that all the people waving at it were not just being friendly, the bus stopped so that the driver could get off and close one of the luggage compartment doors. Everyone was looking back up the street to see if their bag had fallen out. None have. 

(Pam and I had remained calm because we knew from the tracker in each suitcase that our bags were still aboard.) 

After slogging through heavy traffic, we arrived at the terminal, where checking in and boarding were quick and straightforward. Our stateroom was ready. The bag we had shipped from Marion arrived soon after we did, so we had much of our unpacking done before the ship sailed at 3:50 PM.

We were fourth in line to depart. One of the ships ahead of us was NIEUW AMSTERDAM, which is the sister ship of the one we are on - EURODAM.

When it was our turn, we backed away from the pier. Once in the turning basin, the captain pointed the bow towards the channel. Accompanied on both sides by a Coast Guard boat sporting a manned fifty-caliber machine gun in the bow, we cleared the breakwall into the open ocean.

We finished unpacking, had a pleasant dinner in the main dining room, and wandered the ship for a while before returning to our stateroom for the night.

By midnight, we were wiggling our way between Bahamian islands.