Begins with coffee, ends with vodka

 

November 15 2024

NCL Spirit, Incheon Korea

I am on a ship, and I think it is the correct ship. At least after all he hoops they let me on board.

I am currently sitting at my usual place at the usual bar. Now if it was only called “Ricky’s” and Sam was on the piano.

Woke up around 6am and opened the curtains and dozed while watching the sky lighten. Around 8 I got bored with that and got on yesterday’s clothes to saunter down to the lobby to visit the Starbucks wannabe that was there. I refuse to be held for ransom at the overpriced and under performing breakfast buffet. What do my wandering eyes appear, but a sign that says they aren’t open until 10am, which coincides to be the exact same time that the breakfast buffet ends. Funny how that worked out.

Back to the room, kill time, that I am sure that on my deathbed was able to trade in for a few more hours. At quarter to 11, I loaded up my wagon and headed south, well downstairs. On the elevator I met Tom and Walt from Fort Meyers and I think North Carolina. He (Tom, the Top in the duo) was raving how great the breakfast buffet was. I got the feeling it was included in the price of their room, because he was oblivious to my $25 complaint.

I did make it to the Starbuckesque place and got a great cup of coffee and a very heavy, non-French croussant. I do have to admit the French know their pastry. The coffee was even served in a beautiful china cup.

Taxi called and taxi arrived. On the way the driver’s phone rang and he apologized three ways from Sunday (don’t ask me what that means) for taking the call. Then groveled a couple more times after it ended. In New York the driver would have told me to shut the F up cuz he was on a call.

At the terminal was where the wheels fell off the bus, and it was completely my fault. When I was home I did the online check in and it asked for my credit card number, which was in a different room and I was cozy under a blanket watching Jeopardy with a parrot on my knee and blew it off. Once I got to Incheon, I logged back on to finish and was told that if it was less than 72 hours until departure that I was S.O.L. At least I had my room number.

Some young lady asked my room number, threw a sticker on my red bag and motioned to hit the escalator. I was handed a tag with the number 4 on it and waited for that number to come up in the BINGO machine. In pretty short order it popped up and I noticed that everyone in line had their passports and a paper printout to get past the gates to Mordor. I lacked the paper. I pointed this out to a passing yellow vest and she freaked out, after a futile 10 minutes she said go back down. Which was more difficult than it should have been, since it was a One Way Escalator. A woman dressed for a gay 90’s (1890’s) cosplay outfit was on the elevator with me, and I told her I loved her, Fascinator hat. She explained that she was a local and that the port was opened in the late 1800’s and the port liked to remind visitors of that heritage. I wish I had taken her picture.

A guy told me to go away, he was bag check only. A woman saw my perplexed expression and asked my room number. She flipped through a ream of paper found my name and said go back upstairs and tell them I was on the list. Back up and I hop in line to get through, but my old 4 is not the current 4, it has been recycled and we are on the new 2, working in our way to the new 4. I get to the This Shall Not Pass guy and try to explain the up, down, up and he sighs and waves me through.

A counter, room number, photo, credit card and …….. wait. The scribe needs to chisel my name and likeness onto a plastic card that is my key to the kingdom for the next 11 days. After longer than I hoped it came and it was still covered in the dust from the inscription.

A rat’s maze of corridors and ramps and a scan of the freshly made card and I was on the ship. Along the way a woman going the other way said she knew me, she was the photographer on my previous trip on this ship.

Once on the ship First stop is the Sinking Ship station, where we kick Jack off the raft. Through a doorway two crew yelled “Theresa !! Welcome back!!” and gave me a big hug. Shit ! I don’t even hug my close friends. God that was welcoming.

Lifeboat station done, dinner reservations done, hit the bar and got a Vodka Tonic and decided it was a good time to get this written while the rooms were getting a change over from the previous trip to this trip.