Thursday, August 3, 2017

Breezing Through Summer- Disembarkation

Giving the Breeze "The Boot"
Galveston, TX
Sunday, July 23, 2017

See you in 60 days!

It truly was the cruise of the lifetime and the memories made were PRICELESS but it was time to go home! Chris's was having surgery on his foot in the next 72 hours... nothing like closing one chapter and immediately reading the next!

Morning
We woke up to an alarm, BOO, and got up and dressed by 7:30AM. We made our way to the Lido where it was packed with people and LUGGAGE! We finally found a table at the very back and enjoyed our last meal on board. It was advised that all passengers be out of their staterooms by 8:30AM but due to Chris's condition we waited in our room until nearly 9:30AM before a housing steward asked us to leave. We expected to go down to deck 3 and wait in the Theater but due to Chris's condition we were separated and I was carrying 1 suitcase, the knee scooter, 2 large bags and Luke's blow-up cruise ship down 3 flights of stairs. An officer saw me and helped me carry it all  down the stairs as the elevators were crowded and full and then he put us in line to disembark. Chris found us and before you knew it we were scanning our cards and disembarking the ship. We got off the ship at 9:48AM and were in the terminal by 9:55AM.

We did traditional check-out which meant we had to put out all of our luggage outside our stateroom by 10PM the last evening at sea. This also meant a ZONE number given to each stateroom from Guest Services. We got Zone 29 and disembarkation was tentatively scheduled for 10:30AM. We usually do self assist, which means we carry off our own luggage but it also means we get to disembark the ship early, usually around 7:30AM. By the time we left our room on this cruise at 9:30AM on other cruises we were already AT HOME in The Woodlands/ North Houston. If this tells you something about the speed of our disembarkation history!

We made our way to the terminal and found a line of over 1,000+ people deep waiting in the customs line. I knew we had to find our luggage so I told Chris to wait aside since he was on his knee scooter and in pain. I found a worker from the Port of Galveston and told her that we may need help with all 5 of our suitcases since Chris was on a knee scooter. She told me to find our luggage and then follow her. We did and she placed us in the ACTUAL customs lines and we bypassed ALL of the others in line, saving us at least an hour. Then a separate worker from the Port of Galveston came and took us to the FRONT of the customs line bypassing ANOTHER 100+ people. This workers' name was Priscilla and she asked us if we needed help getting to the shuttle area. We explained that I planned on getting the car and coming to pick up Chris and the kids and she offered to walk with us 2 blocks away WITH our luggage to avoid all of that. We took her up on that offer and we were at our car at EZ Cruise Park by 10:45AM. We gave her a VERY generous tip and I will never forget the hospitality that was given to us by not only the Port of Galveston but also CCL during the entire cruise.

Goodbye Breeze... It's been FUN! 

We made our way home via Buc-ee's and were unpacking and doing laundry by 1PM, which is a good 3 hours past our normal time when cruising from Galveston. We will NEVER do traditional ZONED debarkation again, Lord willing! Tip- Plan your life and cruise accordingly and try not to over pack so you can use the self-assist option! It will pay off in the long run!

It was a very SPECIAL cruise indeed and one we will surely never forget! Memories were made that will last a lifetime! The kids are already asking when we will cruise again:

Natalie and I sail out on the Carnival Valor for our Girls Birthday cruise in late September and cannot wait. Chris and I will be sailing on the NCL Pearl in March 2018 for our 12th anniversary and a party cruise for Chris's 40th birthday! We have 3 other cruises on the horizon and are awaiting final details to book-
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- June 2018
(Gotta get on her before she leaves Galveston- there IS gossip)
Carnival Fantasy or Carnival Freedom- November 2018
(Tentatively planned with the kids)
Royal Caribbean Oasis Class- March 2019
(Bucket list ship/s)

This was the cruise of a lifetime spent WITH our kids on the biggest Carnival ship we have ever sailed. Despite the scooter/ wheelchair and condition of Chris's foot we still had the time of our lives and cannot wait to go back! We are very blessed to be able to take these frequent and extravagant cruises but are incredibly grateful for this opportunity! We owe it all to God!

Thank you once again for following along! This blog would not be all it is today without your following and support! I LOVE cruising and I LOVE blogging! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

Thank you all for following along but it is not over yet... We still have a FOOD BLOG, Carnival Breeze pictorial review and the FunTimes scans! Be sure to check back for those!

God is good... ALL the time!

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Our Cruise Ship Experiences 2006-present


Carnival Dream- 2017


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