Ft. Lauderdale, FL → Marion, MA

Ft Lauderdale: fast ferry to the Bahamas

The ship was docked by 7:00 a.m. We were one of six cruise ships, including Nieuw Amsterdam, taking a cruise in 2026. 

We were scheduled to disembark the ship from 8:30 to 8:45 a.m. 

At 9:25, I said, "Well, that was easy!" When I estimated we would be en route, we sat in a lounge at the airport.

They announced our disembarkation group early. We had no delay in getting off the ship. We immediately found our bags. We went through customs and immigration nonstop. Right at the terminal entrance was the LuggageForward representative waiting to ship our bag home. 

Continuing our good luck, as we queued up for a transfer bus to the airport, a van driver contracted by Holland America told us to come with him. Eight of us got in the van, and away we went. Traffic was congested (and the line outside Southwest Airlines was insane), but the van driver was a pro. Next, we cruised through security when we got to the Delta terminal.

We should have bought lottery tickets today because we were on a roll.

A round of applause for Pam. I had read that the deal between AMEX and Delta on accessing Delta lounges expired on March 1. What I had read offered exemptions. Pam forged ahead anyway, and our cards got us in.

We were now so far ahead of schedule and surrounded by amenities we had not expected to enjoy that we had to mentally regroup. This was a welcome necessity.

Being merely on time, the rest of the trip home was uneventful.

Arriving there, we immediately went to work, procrastinating about dealing with luggage, mail, and anything else that smacked of getting back to reality.