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The first day of our Caribbean Vacation started, somewhat oddly, by heading north. Since our ship was sailing from the Brooklyn Cruise Ship Terminal, we decided to fly up the day before our ship sailed in order to make absolutely sure we were there in time. So, we were out of the house at 6:15 AM in order to make the most of our day in the Big Apple. Amelia stayed in D.C. under the loving care of her two grandmothers; Geitra’s mom would head back to Ohio after the first week to be backfilled by Neil’s dad for week two.

Of course, a plane trip wouldn’t be complete without a luggage hassle, and this one was no different. In an effort to wring every last penny out of their customers, United has decided to start gouging charging their passengers that have more than one checked bag an extra $25. They have also gotten really strict on weight limits, charging $100 for any bag over 50 pounds. And both of our bags were over the weight limit, by a combined total of 30 pounds. So after a quick trip to a nearby newsstand to buy yet another duffel bag, and a bunch of packing and unpacking in the middle of the airport, our two three bags were checked and we were off through security and on to the plane.

The flight was nice and uneventful, all our luggage showed up on time, the cab ride to our Manhattan hotel wasn’t in rush hour, and we were able to check in to our room about five hours early. This was a nice way to start vacation. We got settled in a bit, then Geitra was off to get a massage appointment booked because her back was killing her from packing and lugging stuff around. In the meantime, Neil walked about 15 blocks to Times Square hoping to score some cheap theater tickets—but alas, the booth was closed, so he hoofed it back to meet Geitra at the spa. We had a very trendy French-inspired lunch at Brassiere, then headed back to the hotel for a nap. Afterwards, we walked down to Times Square again for a bit of shopping, and then had a lovely dinner at Mr. K’s, a five-star Chinese restaurant across from our hotel. With that, we retired for the evening, excited about our cruise departure the following day.