BON VOYAGE

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BON VOYAGE

After crossing Alligator Alley which runs from Naples, Florida to Ft Lauderdale we pulled into Port Everglades where we caught sight of the Voyager’s smoke stack with the Regent logo. We drove right up to the luggage containers and dropped off our bags and drove to the airport to return our car rental. There was an airport shuttle which delivered us right back to the port. What a smooth operation! The boarding process took just a few minutes and then quick as a flash we were being welcomed aboard by the ship’s staff. After months of anticipation and preparation, packing and driving, we were finally here on the ship--beginning our world cruise.

Regent had prepared a special luncheon in the Compass Rose for the embarking world cruisers with many of the top brass of the company in attendance. Lunch was also being served around the pool and in LaVeranda Restaurant. The ship was functioning at full tilt in spite of the fact that this was a major turnaround day disembarking hundreds of passengers just several hours prior to our arrival. How they manage to do this is truly remarkable. The pier was covered with tons of luggage and a huge amount of ships stores—all of which had to be loaded on to the ship prior to departure.

After the mandatory emergency drill, we went up top for a sailaway party. As we were cruising out of Port Everglades at sunset, I looked back at the pier and realized that the next time we are docked here, we will have circled the globe, experiencing untold adventures, making new friends, seeing exotic sights and experiencing a myriad of different cultures. We will have passed through all of the world’s time zones, crossed the equator twice and the dateline once, enjoyed three of the four seasons—winter, summer, winter again and spring and, hopefully, learned a lot about this great, big beautiful world of ours.

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