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February 15, 2016 - 12:45 a.m.
"carnival magic: debarkation - the trip home"

Hey Journal!

Well, we're back and our vacation is officially over! I can't believe it, but after a long day of travelling and waiting to travel, it's nice to be back home. It's a little colder than I would have liked, so that's the biggest shock to being home.

Of course, I still feel like we're on the boat. I feel that phantom rocking and probably will for a few days!

Hard to believe it was just this morning that we woke up on the ship. I had heard from one of the Cruise Director's announcements that we had to be out of our rooms by 8:15am! That's crazy early. We didn't get to bed last night until after 2am so that was pretty rough. We set a wake-up call for 7:45 and got up when it went off.

We got dressed and finished packing up some last minute stuff. Then we went to the Lido Marketplace to have breakfast around 8:00. It was pretty busy up there and most people had all of their bags and stuff with them, ready to go. I had some cereal, french toast, and a sausage for breakfast.

We finished eating around 8:20 and made our way back to the room. I know we were a little tardy but it's not really a big deal. We got everything together and we were out by 8:30. We said farewell to our Stateroom Steward and then went down to Deck 4 to wait in the theater.

We had decided to do the self-assist debarkation which meant that we kept our luggage with us. It wasn't our turn to get off the ship yet, and we were scheduled for around 9:15. One of the entertainment staff guys came over to us and told us that we could leave if we were ready.

So, we said our last goodbyes to the ship. It's funny -- you get on the ship in the beginning of the week so excited and not knowing where anything is. Throughout the week you get to know the ship like the back of your hand and then, just when you have it all figured out, it's time to go.

In the beginning of the week, you don't even want to think about getting off and going home, and even the last day is sad... if only the trip were a little longer, but then once you're up on debarkation day and you're dragging your luggage around there's nothing you want more than to just get off and be on your way. It's sad, but I guess it has to come to an end sometime.

We got off and made our way into the customs area. There was a long line but it moved fairly quickly. We were in lane 7. The guy was really fast and easy. He just looked at our passports and sent us on our way.

Outside, we boarded our Carnival transfers to the airport. The bus wa waiting for us and soon after we got on it departed.

It took about an hour and a half to get to the airport and my back was KILLING me. I had woken up with this terrible pain in my next. It was kinda like what I had last week only this time it was even worse.

Our flight was originally scheduled for 4:55pm but we were able to switch to one that was at 3:55 instead. It wasn't a huge difference but it was nice to shave an hour off!

We were there around 11:00 and so we had a lot of waiting to do. We went through security and then made our way to the gate. It was FAR! We were at gate E15 and it was a really really long walk. It felt like we were never going to get there! There weren't many people waiting when we arrived and so we had our pick of seats. We staked out an charging station and we were set! Bam.

While we waited we watch this week's episode of The Middle! It was good to get a head start on our TV shows.

A little ways down the row, there was this big fat guy waiting and he had his feet up on the next row of seats and he was snoring like crazy. It was unbelievably loud and it sounded exactly like the sound when the dentist puts that water sucker thing in your mouth. It was really repulsive and he did this for about 3 hours.

Sidenote: He did this on the plane, too. He was travelling alone and when we got up to go to the bathroom during the flight he was sitting next to someone else doing it! Poor man. If I had been in that seat I would have HAD to be moved.

Speaking of seat moving, Dan and I lucked out. When we switched to the earlier flight, they didn't have any seats open next to eachother. As the flight time approached, Dan went up to the gate agent and asked if they had anything together. She looked and gave us a "courtesy upgrade" to one of the "premium economy" seats which has more legroom, power outlets, and usually costs $59 more!

When it came time to board, we were in Group 4. I don't really know why anyone cares about getting on the plane first. The only good thing is that you have more open space in the overhead compartments but since you have assigned seats it also only means that you'll be sitting on the plane that much longer than you have to.

Anyway, the flight was good, we left on time and landed about 20 minutes early. We landed at LGA at 8:00 instead of 8:19. Usually they don't give any snacks on United but today, perhaps because it was Valentine's Day, they gave out a packet of "Chocolate Cheesecake Tart." It was actually very enjoyable although I ate it quickly and then regretted it. I felt like my stomach wasn't happy about that.

They make you pay for TV, so I didn't watch anything but I did sleep. I put on my eye cover thing and just relaxed. The only thing that made it a little difficult for me was that we were in an exit row so the seat didn't recline AND with the extra leg room, I wasn't as close to the seat in front of me and I couldn't put my knees up to get into a good position!

When we landed we went to collect our luggage. Apparently, you need to show your luggage tag to leave with your bag. It's weird...why is LGA the ONLY airport that does this?

We called my mom to let her know we had arrived and she was very upset because she had made a wrong turn and crossed over the Throgs Neck Bridge. Oh boy. It couldn't be easier to get to LGA. Expressway to the exit immediately after the World's Fair. Follow signs for LGA. It's right there.

But, she got all confused, didn't know what was going on and couldn't figure out how to get back. It was ridiculous.

Eventually she made it to the airport and Dan drove us home! We made it back after a long day at about 10:00, I think.

As much stress as it was to get the house cleaned up before we left, it was really nice to come home to no mess at all and just relax. We took our dirty laundry to the basement, sorted it out, and then I did my first load of laundry.

We were really tired after a long long day! We showered up and then watched a little TV. We have so many shows to catch up on. We watched Shark Tank while we had some dinner and then watched American Crime!

Now we're just getting ready for bed. I'm very happy not to have to get up early for work. It worked out really well!

Until tomorrow...

Goodnight. :)