Barbados > Flight to Barbados

At a quarter to five, the alarm goes off. Despite the early hour, I’ve slept well. I take a quick shower. In the hotel room, we have some coffee and eat a sandwich. Around 5:45 AM, we leave the hotel and drive toward Ratingen, a suburb on the other side of Düsseldorf. Because it rained during the night, driving on the dark roads is tricky. I focus on the cars in front of me and follow them.Just under half an hour later, we arrive at the parking area. According to the instructions, someone is supposed to point out a spot. It looks dark and deserted. Then a van from the organization pulls up and signals me to follow. As we’re transferring the luggage, the driver says he had just left but turned back when he recognized our license plate. That’s thoughtful of him. Normally, the shuttle runs every half hour, so this saves us some waiting.Thanks to the smooth process, we arrive at the airport more than three hours before departure. Check-in, customs, and security all go quickly. At a small café, we order cappuccinos. It’s still dark outside. At gate C36, the Condor Airlines plane is already waiting. It’s painted in striking green and white stripes. Boarding begins around 9:15. It’s funny to realize that all the passengers will also be on the cruise — everyone’s heading for the same trip.By the time the meal is served, I’ve worked up an appetite. I expected breakfast but get pasta with sauce instead.

Barbados - Arrival at Barbados International Airport

Along with a sandwich filled with herbed cheese, it’s actually quite satisfying. Toward the end of the flight, we’re also given a small pizza bread.In Barbados, it’s five hours earlier. This means we land around 2:00 PM local time. At the airport, we have to wait on the plane for quite a while. An announcement is made saying the reception area isn’t ready yet. After about twenty minutes, we’re allowed to disembark via stairs. Dozens of buses are waiting. Everyone is directed into the buses. The ride takes about half an hour directly from the tarmac to the ship docked in the port of Bridgetown. Apparently, no customs procedures are necessary. We’re told our luggage will be delivered directly to the ship. It should be waiting outside our cabin door this evening.We check in for the cruise in the cruise terminal. The process is smooth. Our information is checked against our passports, and we receive our cruise card — used to pay on board, open our cabin, and scan in and out of the ship. Apart from this card, we really don’t need anything else.Our cabin is on deck nine and has a balcony — a perfect place to spend the next two weeks. In the cabin, we watch the mandatory safety instructions. Our luggage hasn’t arrived yet. We don’t wait for it and decide to explore the ship. On the upper deck is the pool area — part of it outside, part covered.

Barbados - Arrival at the cruise ship in the harbor of Barbados

In the center of the ship on decks six, seven, and eight is the theater. We order a drink at the bar — we’ve earned it.When we want to go to the reserved restaurant at six o’clock, the luggage still hasn’t been delivered. So we go in our flight clothes. At the Casa Nova restaurant, we can choose a three-course menu from the à la carte selection. It’s a very good restaurant. The wine takes a bit of getting used to. The AIDA house wine isn’t particularly tasty. I try a different red wine, which is much better.We’re also having trouble logging in to the AIDA app. Or rather, it sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. Through it, we receive a message that tomorrow’s excursion is canceled due to too few participants. However, we can’t book an alternative. At the excursion desk, we find out the suggested alternative is fully booked. We can choose a different excursion, but it’s nearly twice the price. After some hesitation — it feels like an unwelcome, forced decision — we decide to go for it anyway. The excursion is booked.Then we head to reception to fix the app login. They configure the app on the phone for us. At nine o’clock, there’s a show in the theater. It turns out to be more of a commercial for AIDA and the upcoming excursion options. Some songs are performed during the presentation, which gives it a bit of a show feeling.Afterward, we return to our cabin. It’s been a long day, and we’re tired. The luggage is neatly waiting for us outside our cabin.