Saturday, October 5 - Barcelona
At exactly nine o’clock, Ben knocked on Rob’s door. The door swung open immediately, as if Rob was standing right there, waiting. “Good morning!”
Ben leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Good morning, Rob. Are you ready?”
“Yeah, let me just grab my phone.”
“How did you sleep?” Ben asked, as they headed downstairs.
“Extremely well. I fell asleep with a smile on my face and woke up exactly the same way. I thinkyoumay have had something to do with that.”
“That’s funny,” Ben grinned. “I went to sleep smiling as well. And I’m pretty sure I was in the same condition when my alarm sounded this morning. You’re obviously having a good effect on me.”
Getting off the elevator Rob turned to Ben, “Oh, by the way, I called the car service I used to get to the hotel from the airport and requested a car to take us to the cruise terminal. I wanted to make sure we’d have enough room, since we both have luggage. Those taxis we rode in yesterday were tiny. A car will be here at eleven.”
“That’s a great idea. Thanks.”
For breakfast that morning, Rob opted for some whole grain toast with butter and jam, along with his yogurt and fresh fruit. Almost as an afterthought, he also grabbed a couple of slices of bacon. “I didn’t see the bacon yesterday,” he said.
“I didn’t either, so I’ll take extra today,” Ben agreed with a wink. He proceeded to grab several slices of bacon along with some fruit, a roll, and a spoonful of jam.
“Did you finish packing yet?” Rob asked. “Remember to put anything you might need right away in your carry-on. It may take a few hours before your luggage arrives in your cabin. Also, if you can get to it easily, put on your OceanAccess wristband before we leave. It will help speed up check-in.”
“Thanks for the reminder. I’m almost done packing. I just have to add my shaving kit to my suitcase and put my Kindle in my backpack. By the way, would it be okay if we exchanged numbers?” Ben asked as he held up his phone.
“Of course.” Rob unlocked his phone and handed it to Ben. Ben did the same and they added in their info. Rob was happy to see that Ben used an iPhone just like he did. Perhaps some FaceTime would be in their future?
* * *
A little while later, they had both checked out of their rooms and were sitting in the lobby with the luggage when Rob’s phone chimed. He checked the screen, then turned to Ben, “The car’s outside.”
They walked out of the hotel, happily seeing a Mercedes SUV with plenty of room for them and their luggage.
Fifteen minutes later, they were standing at the terminal, handing over their luggage to a stevedore who then directed them to the building entrance. As they neared the door, they saw a cruise line representative checking passenger boarding passes. They both pulled out their copies and presented them to the rep.
Seeing the ‘suite’ designation on the passes she said, “Take a left as you enter and look for the signs that say Suite Check In. It’s not too busy yet, so you’ll most likely be able to board pretty quickly.”
There was no line at the suite check-in area, so they were taken care of immediately. After presenting their passports, their OceanAccess bands were scanned, and their photos were taken. Then they were handed a ship’s map along with their OceanSail cards.
Walking onto the ship, Ben asked, “Why do I need this card if I have the band?”
“Some folks don’t like the band,” Rob explained. “They think it means that someone knows where they are every minute and that feels intrusive. There are folks who don’t even get the band for that very reason. I, on the other hand, love it. I think technology is great!”
As they reached the entrance to the ship, they took turns as their wrist bands were scanned and they were welcomed aboard. The security personnel that scanned them in waved over a staff member who approached them and said, “May I show you to your suite?”
“We’re actually in two different suites,” Rob replied.
“No problem,” the staff member replied. She called over a colleague and said, “Ingrid and I can take care of both of you.”
The four of them boarded an elevator and one of the staff pressed two floor numbers. When they reached the Caribe Deck, where Ben’s cabin was located, he and Ingrid stepped off.
Ben turned to Rob and said, “I'll call you in a little while.” Rob nodded as the elevator doors shut.
The other staff member, Marya, said “Is this your first time on theOcean Wanderer, sir?”
“Yes, it is, although I’ve sailed with Ocean Cruises before. I was on theOcean Travelera few years ago.”
“Welcome back to Ocean Cruises, and welcome aboard theWanderer. I hope you enjoy your time with us.”
