Preparing to Step All Up Out of My Comfort Zones

My First Non-working Vacation Ever - Part 1

So… last Monday, the 10th, my son agreed to drive me to the train station to begin my journey to the JAXPORT dock in Jacksonville, Florida. He was then shocked and appalled to learn that I was going to the Amtrak terminal at Chicago’s Union Station… in downtown Chicago… and hour away. We took my car that had half a tank of gas. His phone was at 13% and he didn’t have his charger… and he refused to turn it off cuz he needed GPS to get to the station. MY phone was fully charged and MY GPS could have easily guided us. When I told him this twice he said “Mom, I got it!” We got to the station at about 5:15pm and drove around and around looking for an entrance. We finally found a place to stop and he let me and my luggage out. As cars were behind him honking, we only waved goodbye.

The Floridian

Inside the station, I checked my luggage at about 5:30 and went to the special waiting room for those who need boarding assistance. I got on the train at just after 6:00 and we departed the station on time at exactly 6:29pm. At 8:15-8:30ish, my son called. More than 3 hours after dropping me off, he was finally home. It seems his phone died and being chargerless, he drove in one direction looking for an expressway. He eventually found a Walmart where he bought and returned chargers and adapters until he had the correct combo so he could charge his phone and use his GPS and find out he was 40 minutes from home. When he got home, my car was on E. I didn’t say I told you so.

On the train, I had 2 seats to myself, and I spread out comfortably. I declined to pay the coach passenger price of $45 for dinner in the dining car, and had a pretty nice cheese tray and Chardonnay from the cafe car before turning in for the night. I pulled up my hood and strapped on my micro-cPap machine and spent a contortive and fitful night riding in coach. In Washington DC, I got a seatmate and it was about 20 minutes before I could move my trash from her tray table. She was very polite, but I didn’t put my cPap mask on that second night on the train. We pulled into Jacksonville at 7:00 am. Yes… 36 hours on the train. No, I’d rather crawl than fly. I’d rather be dragged by my hair on my naked ass all the way to Jacksonville than get on a plane… so… 36 hours +expenses is the price I pay to travel.

Hello Jacksonville!

Met at the train by my dear cousin Kimberly, I was confused. Why was it COLD in Florida? We loaded my luggage into her car and then had breakfast at Orange Blossoms. It was ok. They’d made significant changes to the menu and Kim was quite disappointed. We got to her house at about 8:30 and I took a nap in her guest room ‘til 11 or so. It was the best sleep I’d had in 2 days. I raided her closet for fancy cruisewear. We then went for a bite at a local dockside restaurant. The fish was delicious. After lunch, we cruised around for parking near the beach, and since I had on shoes and compression socks, we walked over a short bridge to a beach where I walked on the sand (with shoes on) and saw the ocean for the first time. I wasn’t prepared for the amount of blue.

Kim and Me and the Ocean!

Goodnight Noah

Before dark, Kim dropped me at the hotel closest to the dock for me to meet up with my aunt Debby and Cousin Miranda and her husband and 2 large teenaged boys. The 6 of us shared 1 good-sized hotel room and spent at least 20 minutes lying in the dark saying goodnight Waltons style. No matter how many goodnights we said, CJ and Noah couldn’t stop laughing… which set everyone else to laughing… and if you’ve ever tried to laugh while wearing a cPap mask, you know I did a lotta choking.

The morning of the 13th, we enjoyed a delightful hotel breakfast (the eggs tasted like real eggs) and hopped aboard the shuttle to the port. We’re a large family with a lotta luggage so it took 2 trips. We all had matching cruise t-shirts, however Aunt Debby took scissors to hers and mine and created a fashionable fringe design. We looked fabulous!

Destiny’s Grandmas (Me, Miranda, Aunt Debby) getting cute

At the port terminal, it took maybe 20 minutes to board and another hour or so before our rooms were ready. While we waited, we found seats on the deck outside of Tiffany’s buffet, where a clever server named Kyle got 3 of the adults to purchase $20 cocktails in souvenir glasses. I was not one of them.

Miranda and Aunt Debby & Me looking fabulous in our fringes. Aunt Debby and Kyle the server.

When our rooms were ready, we wandered about for a bit, then found R185 on deck 4 down a long hallway labeled 0-D-D. Opening the door, I was honestly shocked. All of my cruise fantasies involve a large room with a balcony or veranda (I have no idea what the difference is), kinda like the rooms on The Love Boat with comfy robes and plush carpets, and a room steward, and all the bells and whistles. This room looked exactly like the TV show, except in miniature… beautiful interior design and artwork, a surprisingly large bathroom, ample USB ports, and 1 electrical outlet in the whole room. This meant I didn’t get the bed by the window cuz I needed the single outlet to plug in my cPap machine. Our clothes and suitcases fit in the closets with plenty of hangers; the bathroom vanity was small, but it held all our toiletries; and there was a refrigerator and a safe for our valuables. The tiny twin bed was comfortable, and the picture window flooded the room with sunlight. I hardly missed the balcony/veranda. By the third day, we’d pretty much learned our way around the ship, and I saw a sign pointing to a hallway labeled EVEN. That’s when I realized that our hallway wasn’t labeled 0-D-D, it was the word ODD in all caps!

To be continued…