Greek Odyssey Part 3 Getting There
Published Friday, October 8th 2021Have you flown recently? I’m old enough to remember the days when we dressed up to fly; it was an exciting experience, something akin to a great adventure. Well, it’s still an adventure all right, but not at all like the old days.
Our flight to Athens departed Phoenix with a two plus hour connection in Philadelphia. Our passports, vaccination cards and Greek Passenger form with QR code were scrutinized at the checkin counter and the passports checked again at TSA. All throughout the Phoenix concourse were signs asking us to social distance, complete with stickers on the ground showing us what 6 feet apart was supposed to look like. Then we got to the gate. The boarding area was packed with people, the flight was overbooked, and everyone crowded around the boarding lanes. With every seat on the plane taken, the concept of social distancing became a joke, as it has every time I have flown in the last two years. Of course, my friend and I lucked out and got the family of six right behind us, complete with a crying baby. It never fails. There was a paperwork problem (or so they said) at the gate, which caused us a 20 minute delay, then a backup of planes taking off, which caused another 30 minute delay. Our connecting time window had significantly narrowed. Upon arrival in Philadelphia, we had to change terminals and walk a realllly long way to the next gate. We made it with about 15 minutes to spare…so much for trying to grab a bite between flights.
We were in premium economy on the overseas flight; unfortunately business class was a little rich for our blood on this trip. But it was pleasant enough with extra legroom, and wine, so in my estimation, worth every bit of the extra cost.
Immigration went smoothly and luggage came down quickly. Our driver was there waiting for us and whisked us from the airport to our hotel in Piraeus, near the port. The bonus was after checking in to the hotel, we had a great view of the beautiful Azamara Journey right out our window, waiting for us to board the next day.
Our checkin time at the pier was 2 pm, and I think everybody checked in at exactly that time as well. We entered the terminal, had our passports scanned and our vaccination cards checked. We were all given a pcr test tube and asked to enter an adjacent room to have our antigen test taken. Once that was done we waited in a sitting area for the results, which took about 15 minutes. Once your number came up on the screen, which meant a negative test, you were cleared to board. We were each given a sticker and directed to the gangway.
At about this time, the emotions started to kick in for me. I last walked off the gangway of this ship on December 19, 2019, and over the course of the following 22 months (658 days, but who’s counting?), I had 12 cruises cancelled, all on this ship. Every time one was cancelled I booked another one, thinking that surely another few months would make a difference and cruises would be able to sail again. It wasn’t until I actually started walking up that gangway did I actually begin to believe this cruise was really going to happen. I have special ties to Azamara Cruises, and particularly the Journey. My late husband and I discovered them in 2010, just 3 years after the inception of the line, and had remained loyal to them because of the impeccable service, the great destinations and the amazing crew. Many of the crew had become friends over the years, and some of them helped me through the darks days and months after my husband’s death. I hadn’t seen them in almost two years, and even though we had kept in touch through email, Facebook messenger, and phone, it was not the same. Tears started flowing as soon as I caught my first glimpse of the captain, waiting to greet us at the top of the gangway. We walked through the gauntlet of officers, including the hotel director, the cruise director and several others, all heartily welcoming us on board. As we got near the end of the line, they all started clapping, and I cried some more.
The protocols onboard are fairly strict, but manageable. All crew and guests are required to be vaccinated. We are asked to wear masks whenever we are indoors, but do not need to wear them while eating or drinking or when outside. Most people seem happy to comply. The crew is not allowed to socialize with guests much, and while that is hard for me since so many are friends, I certainly understand the reasoning. We are on a 5 day test or shakedown cruise, which is basically a dress rehearsal for the first revenue voyage next week. This is not the time for something to go wrong and impact future sailings, so we are all behaving ourselves. But I have to say, it has not impacted the enjoyment of the cruise by any means. The dining venues are open and people are enjoying. The show went on in the theater last night without a hitch. The nightclub was alive with dancing went on late into the night. And some of the changes in my opinion are good ones. The buffet still exists, but guests are served by crew instead of handling the serving utensils themselves. The dreaded muster drill was a 5 minute demonstration by a crew member, rather than the boring gathering where every cabin had to be checked in before anyone could leave. Those two things alone make the experience onboard better. And even though the crew is wearing masks at all times, you can see the smiles through their eyes. They are truly happy to be back to work, and truly happy to be serving guests again.
I’ve always thought Azamara is a great little cruise line, and nothing in the last 24 hours of this first sailing of the Journey has changed my mind. It’s going to be a great cruise.
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