Port Canaveral, FL

We woke to beautiful sunny skies, although chilly. LJ had an 8:30 conference call so he went downstairs for coffee, breakfast and his call and I got up and showered and got ready for breakfast. We went downstairs around 9:15 and I had breakfast and took care of a few more work items that needed to be completed before getting back on the road. Destination: Port Canaveral.

We have sailed out of Port Canaveral two previous times and on both occasions stopped at Daytona and went to Friendly’s. Of course, the main motivation is ice cream but given the time and the fact that we hadn’t had lunch, we did decide to preface it with real food. It’s Bike Week in Daytona, it has been since last weekend but our server explained that this weekend is “The” weekend for those that can’t make it for an entire week and also for more of the local crowd that may travel around from nearby Florida cities. Lots of bikes and great people-watching opportunities. I always seem to notice motorcycles more now that Barry and Eric both ride. And of course, I always look for someone that reminds me of my 77-year-old mother who dearly loves to ride and was my brother’s first ‘passenger’ after he got his bike. We didn’t spot a “Numie” but definitely saw plenty of people that made me think of Barry and Eric; the biggest issue I have with Bike Week is the constant reminder that there is no helmet laws here and worrying about accidents. Back to ice cream, following my Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Sundae (substituting chocolate ice cream for vanilla) I was full and happy and we made the rest of our journey to Port Canaveral.

This is the third time we’ve stayed at the Radisson at the Port, which offers an amazing breakfast, free parking and a shuttle to/from the cruise port. We arrived at the hotel, got checked in and didn’t even take time to unpack the car, we just went to bed and took a nap. I’ve been sick since last Saturday and hope that I’m finally recovering but LJ is showing signs of being sick so we’re trying to combat it with as much rest as possible. After a good nap, we had to tackle a final piece of paperwork before going to dinner. Our cruise package had a “super saver early booking” clause that if the price dropped at all, we could get the difference in the price drop as an on-board credit. LJ watches the prices very closely and noticed last Thursday that the price was down $55 per person, equally an $110 on-board credit for our trip. He submitted this price drop twice on-line but had issues with the site and after talking to Carnival, they sent him a form for us to complete and return via fax to receive the credit. After a struggle to find a working computer in the Business Center, we were able to print the form we needed to complete and faxed it to Carnival, then headed out.

We were in a bit of ‘movie withdrawal’ between me being sick and our busy schedule, we hadn’t been for about two weeks so we decided to have movie popcorn for dinner and went to the movie theatre at the mall in Cocoa Beach to see “Brooklyn’s Finest”. Of course, the big draw this weekend is “Alice in Wonderland” so we didn’t have any trouble finding seats or getting into the theatre. The movie was… intense, definitely not a feel-good movie but it was interesting. Next stop Wal-Mart, CVS and of course, Ron Jon Surf Shop for a few last minute purchases, then back to the hotel and hopefully, a good night’s rest.