Next day, Saturday the day had finally arrive for me to board the cruise. but not before a bit of drama.
My B&B host was away for the day so I was just to lock the place up and pop the keys through the barred kitchen window of her adjacent house. I locked the deadlock of the front door inside during the night but when I went to open it in the morning the key just spun round without disengaging the lock. It was broken and that would be a real problem because all the windows were barred. I could be trapped!
Fortunately, there was an escape route via a door from the bedroom to the outside which had a bench across it, but that was easily moved, the door undone and I was out. Whew.
Taxi to the cruise port and unfortunately I was given a bum steer by the taxi driver who pointed where I should go to clear immigration. A puzzled official there directed me to go outside and into another entrance to the building. Equally puzzled official was there wondered what I was looking for immigration for and told me to go back out, retrace my steps in a bit more and I would see the SilverSea people. The place was incredibly crowded with passengers from three cruise ships including the monster Ovation of the Seas manoeuvring their luggage behind them in the heat.
Went through several stages of Shaw side checking in when my luggage was taken care of, in a fashion.
Then directed to a bus where we sat with no Aircon in the heat for about 10 minutes and then choofed off to the actual boat.
Then on board, directed around a few corners to the theatre where official boarding registration was done photo taken etc. And something strange. I was asked for my ESTA. No ESTA I said, which produced a surprised look. However I said I do have a B1 B2 Visa for the USA but why do they ask? I’m getting off the cruise in Columbia. I think it was basically a mistake, but they didn’t say so. They talked about the cruise ending in Miami ‘and US visas are required because of that’
I made a strong point that I was never informed that I should have an ESTA for the USA even though I’m leaving the cruise Columbia. And wasn’t it lucky that I did in fact have a Visa?
Onto the standard Veranda suite which was almost the same as my Antarctica cruise last year but in fact probably a little bit laid out
I think there’s a refurb a year or so ago and the bathroom certainly has a modern fit out.
Bottle of champagne in the suite which last year was left unopened but it was such a hot day with such a lot of hassle, I treated myself.
