I already wasn’t getting sleep between being sick and getting excited for the cruise, but I managed to do some last minute packing and door decorating preparation the day before I left for Miami. Below is a picture of my door decorations and how my roommate and I's door turned out on the ship:
My flight from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport to Miami International left at 8:55 a.m. I had a limo pick me up from my house at 5:30 a.m. I really didn’t want to do the limo thing so I could save money and instead take the train, but I didn’t want anything to go wrong and I’m glad I did it this way because since I was sick, I don’t know if I could have did everything right if I did take the train. The limo was nice and it was a fast drive. I arrived at the airport and had to ask some people what to do. I haven’t been on a plane since 2001 so I was kind of clueless, but still managed to make my way to the plane. First, I had to use a computer to check myself in and pay for the luggage. Then I had to check my luggage and go through security. After that, I found my gate and just had to wait to board. I seen two girls who I remember seeing from Chicago BSB shows, so I knew they were going. I used American Airlines and I thought the take-off was kind of rough, but not so bad. Then I listened to their music using my headphones. I was really nervous about the plane ride, but I quickly adjusted. I sat by an older lady who was also going on a cruise. She was really nice and we chatted a few minutes. I made sure I got a window seat so I wouldn’t feel claustrophobic and that did help. I enjoyed listening to some country and dance music while looking down at the clouds. They showed some NBC shows on the TVs, but I didn’t like them so I just watched the scenery outside the window. I liked how they played music when we landed.
After a three hour plane ride, I arrived at Miami International Airport. I think O’Hare is a nicer airport, but both had fancy stores. It seemed like Miami had more security procedures. I quickly got my luggage and headed to find out how I was going to get to my hotel. I heard about the Super Shuttle, but didn’t make a reservation because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to use them or just a cab. I ended up seeing the Super Shuttle booth right away outside and paid to take it to the hotel, which was the Marriott Biscayne Bay hotel that Rose Tours from the BSB Cruise recommended. There was a discount for BSB cruisers, but I ended up getting a better deal doing a different Internet deal. I decided to go with this hotel because even though I wanted to save money, I didn’t want to stay at a crappy hotel that might be dangerous and the pictures looked nice online. I also liked how this hotel had restaurants connected to it so I didn’t have to walk far to eat. I was trying to look for a good hotel that had free shuttle service to the port, but that was a no go. If a hotel did have free shuttle service, the place looked like crap or had bad reviews online.
I ended up meeting another BSB cruiser waiting for the Super Shuttle. Her name is Ashley from Louisiana and we both were staying at the Marriott. Her favorite is also Nick and she’s the same age as me. We ended up hanging out around the hotel and going to the Bayside outdoor mall. We also ended up eating dinner together that night at the Hard Rock Restaurant by Bayside.
The whole time we were talking about BSB, looking around at the stores connected to the hotel, and just having a fun, laid-back time. It was pretty cool to meet up with a stranger and have a BSB bond right away.
I scoped out the hotel really quick and took pictures. I would have really of liked to utilized their exercise room. They had really good equipment that overlooked a beautiful view of the ocean. Too bad I couldn’t have seen Nick exercising in there, but I have a feeling that the guys stayed at a different hotel or The Grand Hotel, right next to my hotel just because it was even fancier. I also checked out the restaurants, the shops connected to the hotel, and the pool and hot tub. I guess the sauna was by the pool somewhere, but I never did find it. There was a dog salon connected to the hotel and I took some pictures of the dogs in there. I seen so many dogs on the trip that I would like to think that my Jamie, who had to be put down earlier in the year, was along for the wild ride with me. Nick was also her favorite lol. I also took pics of my room. I had a king size bed (you know, in case Nick decided to spend the night lol) and it had a great view of the ocean. The bed was nice and comfortable, but I didn’t spend too much time in the room.
When we took a free shuttle to Bayside (very pleased with this free shuttle), Ashley and I got some Miami souvenirs. I ended up getting some postcards, some magnets, and a t-shirt. We both ended up getting the same tie-dyed t-shirt. They also had live entertainment, which sounded pretty good. It was also nice to eat alongside the ocean at Hard Rock. I ordered fajitas. They were good, but could have been better. We both ordered lemonade and both agreed that it tasted funny. Oh well. I am still glad we picked that place just because of the view. Ashley was waiting for her hotel roommate, Harriet, to show up so we just hung out until then. We were getting ready to leave Bayside around 8 or so at night, and Ashley’s roommate called to tell her that she was coming to Bayside to get something to eat. Ashley wanted to wait for her, but I really wanted to get back to the hotel so I could enjoy some pool and hot tub time. We ended up parting ways. I asked the guy driving the shuttle if it was the right shuttle to take to get back to the hotel and he said he didn’t know but I took the chance. Turns out it wasn’t but I ended up riding around until it went back to the hotel. I guess it was just the long way of getting back, but just as long as I got back I was fine. I felt bad about leaving Ashley, but I really wanted to get back to the hotel. Turns out, she left because she found out her roommate ended up not coming.
Ashley found me by the hot tub at the hotel. I took a quick dip in the pool, but it was so windy and cold that I quickly jumped into the hot tub. That felt really nice. Looking up at the night sky with the palm trees blowing in the wind and the cool air hitting my face while the hot water soothed my body :D felt so good :D . After I seen Ashley by the pool, I got out and she showed me some of her pictures on her ipad. After this, I visited the rec room again and the café, but nothing was opened. I was hungry, but waited until the morning to eat. Couldn’t get that much sleep because of all the excitement.
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