Live from the Divina May 7, 2016

[#55worktoplay]

This is already starting out to be great. I have already had many chuckles and this is just the beginning, can't wait for more.

 

Can you do me a favour and snap a picture of the person checking you in when you tell them who the TBD is...hilarious!

 

Marriott Biscayne is attached to the Doubletree and they have a little mall in between the two with restaurants and a little grocery mart. I can tell you we ate in one of the restaurants in this mall but I think it was Italian. They have a shuttle that will take you to South Beach and Bayside Marketplace and I think it is something like 4.00 per way, could me more by now as it has been a while since I have been there. If you go to Bayside you can cross the road and walk a little ways South and there is a Walgreens very near which would likely be better pricing then anywhere else. You could always walk to Bayside along the water but I have never done it so I don't know how long it takes.

 

Have a great cruise eh!

[A&L_Ont]

Maureen safe travels. Lucy waves hello to Nutmeg. If Nutmeg stayed with us you'd have a hardened feline when you returned. Maybe next time. We need another cat on the farm to finish off the left overs, of things she takes out. I've seen enough half mouses for now, and no pics of that need to be posted.

 

 

 

 

 

High Five Maureen!!!

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

Edited May 6, 2016 by A&L_Ont

[Love2Cruz2015]

Awwww, I have a grey and white kitty too..

 

Luigi says "Bon Voyage Maureen"

 

 

[maureencruiser]

Tthere is a Walgreens very near

 

:mad::mad:Blasphemy! You have summoned the demon, now! That is the drugstore that dares not speak its name! :mad::mad: Those 5 weeks of vacation sure are sweet, though.:D:D

[Mikesa1721]

:mad::mad:Blasphemy! You have summoned the demon, now! That is the drugstore that dares not speak its name! :mad::mad: Those 5 weeks of vacation sure are sweet, though.:D:D

 

Maureen,,,I'll be watching the POM web cam tomorrow,,,you better wave!!!

[maureencruiser]

Greetings from Miami! :) How in the world did this become a cat filled review? I leave you people alone for a few hours and this is what you do! You know there are not supposed to be any pictures of cats on the internet!

 

 

So, I made it to the airport without incident and scoped out the massive, unruly throng waiting for the flight.

 

 

 

Finally, they opened the gates and the TSA started doing their thing. Pay no attention to the man picking his nose, some folks just don't know how to act!

 

 

Wait, what's that red line on the board? :confused: They said everything is on time?

 

 

Now, if the flight from Charlotte is delayed and not arriving till 2:21, how in the devil are we on time, leaving at 2:23? Lies, pure lies!

[maureencruiser]

Maureen,,,I'll be watching the POM web cam tomorrow,,,you better wave!!!

 

Deck 10, smack in the middle of the wake! Although, our roll call has started to rally and now there is talk of meeting at 6pm at the Garden Bar.

[Mikesa1721]

Deck 10, smack in the middle of the wake! Although, our roll call has started to rally and now there is talk of meeting at 6pm at the Garden Bar.

 

You should have made a huge CC banner to hang off of your balcony so the PTZtv cam could zoom in and take a pic!!!! :eek:

[maureencruiser]

So, while everyone else lined up for their cavity search, I hightailed it back to the check in counter to talk to the sweet man who checked me in. Our flight was supposed to leave at 2:23, getting into CLT at 3:25, then I had to sprint from Terminal E to Terminal B for a flight that started boarding at 3:55 for a 4:25 departure. For those of you unfamiliar with CLT, you literally can't be any further apart than Terminal B and E.

 

 

Our flight was arriving at E12 and the MIA flight was leaving out of B8. Now, I know you all probably imagine me to be like a sleek panther, effortlessly gliding from one terminal to another, but, it just ain't so! I always say my legs are as big around as they are long! :eek:

 

So, with our flight being delayed, how could i possibly make it? After much discussion with the whole AA team, THEY (emphasis THEY) decided I'd be just fine. They said there was one seat on the 6:30 flight to MIA, if I wanted to go ahead and change now, but they were convinced I'd be fine. Nervously, I went ahead and submitted to my cavity search.

 

Finally, the flight from CLT arrived, a half hour behind schedule. And, I'm telling you, those fools sure took their time getting off the plane! There were people on crutches, people in wheelchairs, people with one arm, one leg, one eye, you name it! It was like a pirate convention!

 

 

 

So, as they're straggling and scraggling off, a man starts making announcements about gate checking our bags. No, sir! AA rules say I can bring one carryon bag for the overhead compartment and one personal item to fit under the seat in front of me and that is what I have. My MSC backpack for under the seat and a child's carryon with my laptop in it for the overhead. I don't want to check my bag for 3 reasons. 1 -it's my laptop and I want to keep it with me. 2- I don't have time to wait for them to unload the bags, I have to go, go, go. And 3, a long story that I might tell you later, if I have a slow day on the cruise. I'll give you a hint, though, it involves cremains. :eek::eek:

[maureencruiser]

You should have made a huge CC banner to hang off of your balcony so the PTZtv cam could zoom in and take a pic!!!! :eek:

 

I actually at one time was going to take a big banner on a different cruise, but, that is another story and believe it or not, it involves the cremains, as well. I don't think the MIA portcam zooms in like the FLL one does. :confused:

[Mikesa1721]

I actually at one time was going to take a big banner on a different cruise, but, that is another story and believe it or not, it involves the cremains, as well. I don't think the MIA portcam zooms in like the FLL one does. :confused:

 

It most certainly does Maureen!!! I've seen them zoom in to deck 15,,I had a nice look at the water slide and what I could make out of the big screen on deck 14!!! :p

[maureencruiser]

So, he and I have a very nice discussion that ends with him telling me that I can gate check the bag or I can leave it in Lynchburg.

 

 

I'm telling you, he was trying to get my Irish up, but I resisted. I wasn't gonna let Boston come out, not yet, not over this. I said worse case, I miss the flight, the 6:30 seat is taken by somebody else and I don't get into MIA until around midnight. That's OK, I won't miss the cruise and I'll have a good story to tell here on CC about it. Writing these reviews has taught me that some of the most frustrating things are the funniest things, when you look back on them. I just kept repeating, I'm too blessed to be stressed over and over again. ;)

 

So, finally, we take off and we eventually arrive in CLT at 4pm, for my 4:25 flight, and they close the doors 10 minutes before departure. Hold onto your bladders because there will be no time to go to the bathroom between flights. Which reminds me, there is a bathroom attendant in CLT who announces, Welcome to Heaven on Earth when you step into her bathroom. :D She is so sweet! But, I didn't get to visit with her today.

 

I want to take a minute out from my review to say there is a bridge going past my hotel and there are motorcycles racing over it. They are going twice as fast as the cars and weaving in and out. It is terrible, I really don't want to watch someone die today. :(

[maureencruiser]

It most certainly does Maureen!!! I've seen them zoom in to deck 15,,I had a nice look at the water slide and what I could make out of the big screen on deck 14!!! :p

 

Oh, then I'll try to wave, I don't know where I'm waving at, though.

[maureencruiser]

Usually when I land in CLT, there is so much taxiing to do that it feels like we are going halfway back to LYH. :rolleyes: Today, by some miracle, we landed and we were at the gate. I was in Row 3, so, quickly out the door, where i waited (:mad:) for my bag then I was off to the races!

 

Fat, little legs pumping, red face puffing, I was hustling through that airport like the devil himself was chasing me. I didn't even have time to check the TVs that list the gates, I was praying we were still going out of B8, I knew it would be B, even if they moved us to another gate.

[maureencruiser]

Oops, I hit post too early! I was distracted by a Facebook message from my cat sitter who sent me pictures of Nutmeg and said she let her play with her and brush her.

 

I also wanted to add I watched people get on that plane with two items, some had a carryon and a pocketbook, or a hat and a pillow, carryons that were much bigger than the size they allow. JERK!

 

Anyway, so I'm racing through CLT to B terminal and I see gate 8 and all I see are empty chairs. Then, as I huff and puff around the corner, I see the attendant and she's making an announcement, Last call for Miller for flight 379. I summon my last bit of strength to lift my arm and wave my boarding pass at her. She gestures me to hurry (:eek:) and as I hand her my boarding pass, I'm just able to croak out, I'm not Miller, but, I'm on this flight.

 

Well, who are you, she says, all annoyed. I tell her, she pokes around on the computer a bit then tells me I have a new seat assignment. I had booked a window seat in an exit row, but, that had apparently been usurped. Goodbye 15A, Hello 30F. That was fine, I was just thankful to be on the flight.

 

As I'm going down the jetway with my 2 carryons, a flight attendant meets me and tells me I have to check my bag. Come on, this is a much bigger plane than the little puddle jumper I was on earlier. Fine! So, I say to her, I'll pick it up by the plane in MIA? and, she says No, you'll get it in baggage claim. Baggage claim!? My little unlocked bag with my laptop was going to be tossed around in baggage claim? I knew it was futile to resist, so, I resigned myself to having to buy a new laptop in MIA. While I'm waiting in the jetway for her to bring me my claim ticket, a woman comes down the jetway and I ask her if she's Miller. How did you know that, she asked. You know, it never even occurred to me to wonder why they paged her and not me. Maybe when they took away my exit row seat, they marked me as missing the flight.

[Setting sail for fun]

Yea! I will be following along. Hope you made your flight to Miami!

 

Safe travels.

 

Loved all of the kitty pics!

[maureencruiser]

So, finally, I'm on the plane to MIA! I head for seat 30F, thankful that I'm still in a window seat. I look longingly at 15A as I pass. Just as I feared, row 30 is the last row on the plane and when I get there, who is sitting in 30F? Miller! :eek:

 

So, now, all the flight attendants are gathering, we're all pulling out our boarding passes, people are being shifted around and still I have no seat. One flight attendant got on the phone and I heard him say, One of you needs to come on the plane and take one of them off, it's not my job. You sent them both, you need to take one off. :eek:

 

At this point, I'm thinking, should I just volunteer to get off? They'll give me a free flight if I do. But, I'm also thinking, I was here before Miller, she was the last one to check in, kick her off.

 

Finally, the FA says, follow me, Ma'am. Where are we going? Just follow me. I said, Oh shoot, he's kicking me off! It crossed my mind to start carrying on the whole way back up the plane. These people all just saw me come on , why not leave in spectacular fashion? :D

 

But, he ended up putting me in an aisle seat with a very large man in the middle. His shoulders were so broad, they were pushing me out into the aisle the whole time. And, I was thankful! ;)

 

Finally, an hour late, we arrived in MIA!

[plucasana]

Onboard for the fabulous review! IT is like reading a good book, well done and thank you very much!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[pamwinn]

Bon Voyage! Have a wonderful cruise! :D:D:D

[Yorkvillain]

Wow! The Maureen adventures are off to a blazing start.

 

Something tells me Miller is going to steal your pool chair or beat you in a trivia tiebreaker or something. :)

[sandpiper35]

So, he and I have a very nice discussion that ends with him telling me that I can gate check the bag or I can leave it in Lynchburg.

 

 

I'm telling you, he was trying to get my Irish up, but I resisted. I wasn't gonna let Boston come out, not yet, not over this. I said worse case, I miss the flight, the 6:30 seat is taken by somebody else and I don't get into MIA until around midnight. That's OK, I won't miss the cruise and I'll have a good story to tell here on CC about it. Writing these reviews has taught me that some of the most frustrating things are the funniest things, when you look back on them. I just kept repeating, I'm too blessed to be stressed over and over again. ;)

 

So, finally, we take off and we eventually arrive in CLT at 4pm, for my 4:25 flight, and they close the doors 10 minutes before departure. Hold onto your bladders because there will be no time to go to the bathroom between flights. Which reminds me, there is a bathroom attendant in CLT who announces, Welcome to Heaven on Earth when you step into her bathroom. :D She is so sweet! But, I didn't get to visit with her today.

 

I want to take a minute out from my review to say there is a bridge going past my hotel and there are motorcycles racing over it. They are going twice as fast as the cars and weaving in and out. It is terrible, I really don't want to watch someone die today. :(

 

 

Good for you Mauree, "We are too blessed to be stressed" is soooooo right.

 

Welcome to Miami.

 

Armando & Maria

Miami, FL.

[Essiesmom]

Ahhh Maureen! We most certainly do have to meet. We also travel with stowaways. Essie has been traveling with me since 2003. Here we are overlooking Geiranger in 2008:

 

 

She also has a substance abuse problem, beer in particular, but will drink anything that is free:

 

 

We also have a singular cat, Harry. Have to load some pictures of him...EM

[A&L_Ont]

Wow! The Maureen adventures are off to a blazing start.

 

Something tells me Miller is going to steal your pool chair or beat you in a trivia tiebreaker or something. :)

 

Yorkvillain, you might be onto something. When we cruise with Maureen lets remind each other not to book the same flight as her. :)

 

 

In the meantime lets undo that bad juju. Maureen, for all you do, this one is for you!

 

 

 

 

[maureencruiser]

 

 

:D:D Oh, Glory be! I needed that. So funny! When the three of us cruise, maybe we should just have one big review where we each post, instead of three separate ones! :D:D

[maureencruiser]

So, I arrived in MIA, by some miracle, all my luggage made it, including my laptop and I grabbed a cab to the Marriott Biscayne Bay. If you remember, I had requested a room with a view of the port and they did not disappoint. I'm way up here on the 28th floor with a fabulous view of the Sydney Opera House.

 

 

 

Oops, I mean the Port of Miami, I always confuse those two.

 

 

Yes! And, there's the Divina, arriving a day early because she was so excited to see me again! No?

 

The sun was setting as I arrived, so, I abandoned any plans of going out and decided to eat at the hotel.

 

 

The restaurant here is Catch Grill and Bar.

 

 

Is it just me or did they steal their logo from Norwegian?