Our Caribbean cruise from Barbados

I was woken up by a phone call just before 1 am. A TC employee informed me that our flight from Hamburg to Munich had been cancelled due to the strike.

She told us that we must be at Terminal Tango parking lot no later than 4:45 am. From there, we will be driven by bus to Hanover and then fly from there to Munich in order to catch the connecting flight to Barbados on time.

Ok, and what about our luggage that has already been checked in? Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done. Due to the strike, we can't access it anymore. She said it would be sent to the next port in Guadeloupe. She advised us to pack some more things in our carry-on luggage. Hmm, I asked how that would be possible with only 6 kg of baggage allowance? She said we could check in our hand luggage now, so it can weigh more. But what about the return flight? Then we would have too much weight. The lady became very snippy and said that would be our problem. And if we didn't like it, we could also organize our own travel. That was really rude. Why did we even book the expensive TC package for arrival and departure? If we're treated like this. It's really unacceptable. But at that moment we didn't have any other choice, so I took note of the most important data.

After that, I woke up my husband to inform him. He didn't seem very enthusiastic. Since it was still very early, he wanted to sleep a little longer. Sleeping was out of the question for me. I was wondering what to unpack and what clothing to pack. Most things were already in our suitcases, which we couldn't access anymore. There wasn't much left to find.

Then my brother drove us to the airport on time, so we arrived there shortly after 4:30 am. Some people were already there waiting. More people joined us later. It was quite cold, but we didn't want to carry heavy winter jackets to the Caribbean. So we had to endure the cold for a while. At 4:45 am, the tour bus finally arrived. After we all boarded, they called out all the names on their list. 8 people were missing. The driver made a short phone call, but then we departed for Hanover.

The bus wasn't really warm either, so we tried to close our eyes for a while. When we arrived in Hanover, we were dropped off at a parking lot opposite the terminal. We were told to wait there, someone from TUI would come and take us to the check-in counter. After 20 minutes and still no sign of anyone, the bus driver told us to go on our own. Finally, out of the cold. The airport in Hanover is not really big and very easy to navigate. We immediately found the check-in counters. However, we spent more time there than we would have liked. The staff didn't really know what to do with us. But since they hardly spoke to us, we also didn't know what the problem was. Eventually, we got our boarding passes and went through security. There wasn't much time left until the departure.

On the plane to Munich, we were all scattered in the remaining available seats. My husband sat in the row behind me. Next to me was a man who told me that he and his wife also used the early check-in and were now traveling without luggage. We had already met two women in Hamburg who were in the same situation. In total, there were 6 of us without luggage. Time passed quickly, and we were even served a drink and a cereal bar.

When we arrived in Munich, we decided to go to the departure gate first. Which turned out to be the right decision. The Munich airport is like a maze and poorly signposted. If you ask the employees there, they will give you wrong directions. We went up and down an escalator repeatedly because we weren't sure if that was the right place, as there was a train platform below. After some time, we saw a sign pointing in the direction we needed to go once the train had left. Great job. There was quite a crowd on the platform. But luckily, we managed to get on the next train. Too soon, the train didn't start due to a technical defect. Great, we were now trapped in this train with hardly any air to breathe. Fortunately, after some time, it finally started. When we arrived at the other area, we walked through the entire terminal until we eventually found a downward escalator to a bus gate. Hmm... it couldn't get any more complicated. The bus left every 15 minutes for the other terminal. We took the next bus. There were stairs up and down again. Then there was an automated passport control. Finally, we were where we needed to be. Time was running out, so no time for a leisurely breakfast.

In Munich, there was chaos due to heavy snowfall in the days before. All domestic flights had been cancelled. Our flight had a one-hour delay. Just before boarding, some passengers were called to come to the front counter. We were also asked to come forward, so we fought our way through the crowds to the counter. There, they told me that we had not yet checked in for the flight. Uh, I didn't understand anymore... but well... I was already exhausted, so I didn't really care. One good thing about the whole situation was that we were at the front when boarding started.

Once everyone had taken their seats and the plane was de-iced, we finally took off towards Barbados. The seating comfort was quite cramped in the plane. To my surprise, the man in front of me suddenly reclined his seat without warning. Very considerate. No one else did that, only him. I had to position my legs diagonally, so that my feet were slightly in the aisle. When the man got up, he even stepped on my foot twice. I looked at him speechless. He told me to move my feet away. What a jerk! I had never experienced anything like that before!

On board, we were served two meals. Lunch shortly after reaching cruising altitude and a cold snack shortly before landing. They were okay in terms of taste and portion size. But we were already really hungry. We hadn't eaten anything except the cereal bar. Non-alcoholic drinks were also distributed a few times.

For onboard entertainment, there were 2 free movies and audio, i.e. music. If you wanted more movies to choose from, you could buy a code for €9 to unlock them. We didn't need headphones as we brought our own from our phones. It worked perfectly.

Finally, at around 6 pm local time, we finally landed in Barbados. We were able to make up for the half-hour delay during the flight. After disembarking, we were immediately divided into transfer buses on the apron. They looked a bit adventurous. After about 40 minutes, we arrived at the port terminal. Our bus was the last one, but we were welcomed with Caribbean music and a chilled drink. The queue wasn't too long anymore, and it moved quickly. They were already dismantling behind us.

Then it was our turn and we were assigned to a free counter. The young man, however, seemed unmotivated. He tore our boarding voucher out of the booklet, causing it to fall apart completely. Then he took the photos for the boarding passes. Afterwards, he silently disappeared to the back. After some time, a very nice lady from the onboard staff approached us and greeted us. She already knew about the missing luggage. She said we had received an information letter in our cabin.

Afterwards, a welcome photo was taken by the onboard photographers. We were completely exhausted, but whatever. Then we finally went onboard. There is also a boarding pass control and a security check onboard. We went to our cabin first.

When we arrived at the cabin, we were pleasantly surprised at how large it was. It didn't seem that way in the pictures and videos. Unfortunately, we didn't need to unpack much. We changed into something more comfortable. On the desk, we found the information letter about our luggage. The flight connection was already listed on it. It was supposed to be sent from Hamburg via Paris to Guadeloupe tomorrow. Well, that sounded good already. The letter also stated that we could use the free laundry service temporarily and that a credit of €100 per person had already been added to our onboard account for emergency purchases. We also each received an emergency kit. There were different kits for men and women. Each kit contained a T-shirt, underwear, toothbrush, comb, small tube of toothpaste, and a small deodorant. The men's kit also included some thicker socks and a disposable razor. The women's kit included a pair of nylon stockings and two sanitary pads. In addition, we received a box of chocolates, which were delicious, and a voucher for breakfast at Schmankerl, one of the specialty restaurants, for the next sea day. We thought it was great. We also thought we would receive our luggage the day after tomorrow.

In addition, the two vouchers for Surf & Turf and an envelope with the tickets for our booked shore excursions were also on the desk.

We went out to grab a bite to eat. We ended up at the Atlantic restaurant. My husband immediately got scolded because his pants were only knee-length. But what could he do, after the long flight, he just wanted to change and that was the only option left. Well, there were hardly any guests there anyway. Since it was already late, we were allowed to choose a 3-course menu, otherwise it would be 5 courses. But it was totally sufficient.

Afterwards, we had to go to our muster station, which in our case was the theater, for the safety drill. This is mandatory for all newly arrived passengers. Fortunately, the procedure didn't take too long, I was already falling asleep. I had been awake for over 24 hours by then.

But we really wanted to experience the first sail away. So we went up to the pool deck where a welcome party was being held for the newly arrived guests. There was a large table with champagne glasses in front of the pool. I got a Kir Royal, a champagne cocktail. It tasted very delicious, but it's not included in the all-inclusive offering.

We found a comfortable spot by the pool and watched the show. The cruise director introduced part of the crew and then there was a musical performance by the theater singers. And then it finally happened. 10 pm. Cast off. The speaker played "Große Freiheit" by Der Graf. We simply enjoyed the warm summer night. We were in good spirits and then we went to our cabin and fell asleep in bed, completely exhausted.

In the next post, I will write about the first sea day.