Disembarkation and Flight Home

16 November, 2024

The port in Bayonne may not be much to look at, but it is one of the best ports we've sailed in and out of. We were up, dressed, and in line for the dining room by 7:30. A significant number of dining room staff were scheduled to rotate off and return home for their between-contract break, so staffing was a bit thin in some areas. I rolled the dice on one final order of Eggs Benedict, and hit a winner.

Our driver sent a text at 8:00 indicating he was on his way, and at 8:30 he was at the port. By 8:45 we were in line to disembark, and by 9:00 we were waiting by the curb with our luggage. Our driver arrived just a few minutes afterwards, which was somewhat miraculous based on the number of people waiting for rides. We loaded up and headed to LaGuardia. Traffic was nearly non-existent on a Sunday morning, so we made it across Manhattan to Queens in record time and were checked in for our flight and on the way through security by 10:15. Other than a small glitch when my belt was swept out of the bin in the x-ray machine our transit through the TSA checkpoint was perfectly seamless.

We strolled across the walkway over the ramp and arrived at the American Airlines Admiral's Club only to be turned away because our First Class tickets were for a domestic flight. Given that American doesn't operate any international flights from LaGuardia this stipulation is just an excuse to pry $85 per person out of travelers for use of the lounge. Perhaps one day the airlines will focus their attention on customer service again, but apparently that isn't a concern for them today. Oh well, just another reason to look at other carriers for our air travel needs. Why bother with loyalty when it gets you nothing?

Next year we'll likely take advantage of one of the direct flights to Newark for our New Year's cruise, which puts American out of consideration, anyway.

We found a convenient spot to hang out for the two or so hours before our flight was scheduled to board and have no complaints other than the lady down the way who insisted on blaring a streaming church service at full volume. My noise-cancelling headphones muted her public broadcast quite well, so I passed the time in peace. Our incoming flight was slightly delayed, but an efficient cabin crew made up a bit of time on the turnaround and our arrival home was only a few minutes later than originally scheduled. All in all a smooth trip from door-to-door.