Having
traveled the world since 1978, one might immediately jump to the conclusion
that my ‘bucket list’ had been emptied. Think
again. For no apparent reason the
Falkland Islands, Tierra del Fuego, Patagonia, Ushuaia and Cape Horn proved continually
illusive. That is, until February 2,
2019.
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| Photo: Public Domain |
My
latest adventure began on January 31st with an Alaska
Airlines flight to Los Angeles International Airport. It was a beautiful afternoon for flying and without
delays my arrival into LAX was 7:20pm.
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| Photo: Public Domain |
Once
luggage was retrieved I placed a call to the Comfort Inn Cockatoo Hotel, my
home for one night. I had been
instructed by the hotel to make my way to the center island and stand under the
red HOTEL AND PARKING LOT SHUTTLE sign.
I noted the time was 8:00pm as I took my position under the sign.
The
property is located a distance of 3-4 miles from the airport but the shuttle
van arrived in less than one minute. The
staff was very accommodating, allowing me to leave my large checked bag at the
registration desk. I was assigned room #222 and was settled in by
8:20pm. The room was sizeable with a king
bed and the rate included free wi-fi and airport shuttle service. Breakfast service begins at 6:30am and I
found it to be substantial, consisting of Belgium waffles, scrambled eggs, link
and patty sausage, juices, muffins, fruit, toast, cold cereal, yogurt and
coffee.
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| Comfort Inn Cockatoo Hotel LAX. Photo: Public Domain |
The
following day my flight from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale was a non-stop
Alaska Airlines flight scheduled for 10:40am.
To take advantage of the free shuttle service back to the airport I had
to exit the hotel, turn right and walk about ½ block. The hotel was very accommodating, allowing me to take a luggage carrier to the shuttle stop.
You will see a SHUTTLE sign on the left-hand
side of the street. This is a central
pickup point for four hotels located within two blocks. My van left at 7:30am and arrived at the
terminal within 15 minutes. Luggage was checked in, TSA was cleared and I
was sitting at the departure gate - the time was 8:10am.
This
flight was also on time and touchdown in Fort Lauderdale was 6:40pm. After collecting my luggage, I walked outside,
turned right and followed the BLUE signs for the HOTEL and PARKING
SHUTTLE.
The
complimentary shuttle for the Days Inn Fort Lauderdale Airport Cruise Port was white with a maroon colored swish on the
side and WELCOME on the front.
Check-in
was quick and easy. I was inside room
#119 by 7:30pm. The rooms were definitely
dated and small but it did have two double beds and a coffee maker, along with
free wi-fi and complimentary continental breakfast the following morning
beginning at 7:30am.
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| 2 double beds |
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| Beakfast area |
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| Breakfast area |
Breakfast proved to be anything but good. I did
find hot cereal along with two types of cold cereal - frosted flakes and corn
flakes. They did not have yogurt, eggs
or much of anything else. There were a
few muffins along with white and dark bread for toast. Coffee and juice were also available.
It
was finally time to head to the port and board the Royal Princess for my much anticipated
adventure. The vans to the cruise
terminal charge $10 per person and you will need to make a reservation with the
front desk as soon as you check-in. My shuttle
departure was scheduled for 11am.
I
boarded the Royal Princess at 12:02pm. The 49-night South American Adventure
would stop at 22 ports, visit 13 countries and log an astonishing 17,818
nautical miles before disembarkation on March 23rd at the Port ofLos Angeles World Cruise Center in San Pedro.
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| Photo: Public Domain |
