mk-ultra

1PM. Just got the general announcement that cabins are all available now.

Oh thank god. This sounds stupid as hell, but I left my wide-brimmed hat in my hotel room. It’s a ratty, beige, cotton and utterly boring boonie hat. Worn to shit. It’s also been on my head for every hike and vacation I’ve taken in the last 30+ years. If that hat could speak, it could tell some fantastic tales. Called the W. They sent someone up to my room, found it on the couch where I’d left it, and security will hold it for me (staying with them again next Sunday at the end of this cruise). Sorry, hat. You’ve stuck with me. This shouldn’t have happened. Sorry you’re at the hotel instead of on the ship with me.

Had planned on doing lunch in CK today, but while I was moseying around with a mojito on the pool deck, I accidentally ate lunch in the very uncrowded Solarium. Roast beef, corn on the cob, sautéed cauliflower and paella. I’ll spare everyone the photo of my plate carnage.

Onboard at 10:42AM. That’s a record! Glass of Prosecco in the suites lounge at 10:52AM. WOOHOO!

Trip to the cruise terminal was totally painless. Jumped in an Uber at 10AM. 15 minute no-traffic trip. 26 minutes total from the W Hotel to my seat in the suites seating area. No special amenities for any loyalty status or cabin category (unlike Miami and Canaveral). Boo hoo. ? Fast and painless process though. ?

Holy crap. Lorenzo turned into a category 5 hurricane that far East and looks set on hitting the Azores? That's, frankly, crazy. Hope this thing peters out and leaves those islands alone.

The weather gods have smiled upon us.

Breakkies watching another beautiful sunrise. ? It’s go day!

Final thoughts about the W Hotel before I wheel my stuff out tomorrow morning: 10/10. They knocked it out of the park. I'm a low maintenance guest and they still managed to impress me. I've got one more night with them on the return-side of this cruise and I'm looking forward to it.

Just got my two emails (sniffle) letting me know my RoyalUp bids on a Star Loft and 2BR Aqua Suite didn't nab anything. I'll muddle through, y'all. Your thoughts and prayers are always welcome during this trying time in my life.

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Ordered lunch poolside. Simple order. Cheeseburger, fries, Mexican mule blender drink. It took ~30 minutes to arrive (which I thought was totally acceptable as busy as the pool was — I certainly didn’t complain or ask about it). They apologized profusely, comped my meal and brought me double drinks (also comped). Wow. Gonna leave a stratospheric tip. Cheeseburger, fries and blender drinks were great. I have no idea why they thought they messed up.

I stopped back by the room and did something I never do. I just laid back down in bed and thought, maybe this is what napping is about? And then crashed hard for two hours. I don’t nap. I’ve never napped. I wish napping was in my repertoire... I’ve always been jealous of folks that can grab one. It was glorious. It’s like I got a quick free battery recharge. Back poolside now for lunch and it’s busy, but there are corners where you can get some space in the shade. DJ is playing a really good Latin mix. A+.

LOL. So, those day beds go for $150 a day, and the couch I camped out at goes for $500 a day. But, but, it’s got a TV (not pictured). Self-proclaimed models/social influencers also started posing around the pool and walked around narrating video selfies. Gonna go check out the pool in the West tower and see if it’s a little less douchebaggy.

Exploring the pools at the W. There are two (one each in the East and West towers). This is the East tower on the 5th floor. Shady day beds and couches if you want to enjoy the breeze while not being baked too harshly. Bar and DJ start at 11AM.

Definitely not a looker, but wow it was tasty. Tortillas were deep fried (crispy like chilaquiles). Salsa actually had some heat to it. Queso fresco & fresh guac. Not afraid of cilantro. Burp. Very nice.

Finished my initial sandals-on-ground morning recon. There are 3 other really nice hotel properties here. All directly across from pristine beaches. Conrad, Westin and Ritz-Carlton. Win for location goes to the Ritz. It's about 5 minutes walking time south of me, and it's right next to the strip of shops and restaurants on A1A you're likely to explore on foot. There's also a CVS immediately adjacent to it with a very decent selection of wines and champagnes to fill your 2x750ml allotment. There are also apparently WaveRunners for rent, though they aren't open for business this early. I'm gonna go back around 11AM and see if I can hurt myself on one.

Breakfast al fresco (at El Vez, the W’s Mexican restaurant). Yes, I’m eating here again even though last night’s mahi mahi tacos were underwhelming. All the other food looked and smelled so good, I think they deserve another shot. Their Huevos Rancheros are ridiculously good. Mean Bloody Mary too. Must not get borracho too early. ?

It just keeps getting prettier. Did I mention how nice it is to be in shorts and sandals outdoors at 0700 without freezing your butt off? Sigh. I could spend my life watching sunrises like this one.

As predicted, I'm up early. Not nearly as early as I imagined though. Slept in until 6AM local, which is 9AM by my CA body clock. This place has a great bed. The plus side of waking up early on the right coast is being able to catch a pretty sunrise. ?

You are correct. W Hotel is Marriott / SPG / Bonvoy (whatever they're calling themselves this morning). I totally agree that some of the W's are indeed too funky. The ones in San Francisco and Honolulu give you a tiny (though nicely modern looking) room. I'm not sure what category room I got upgraded to, but it's large, has power outlets and USB charging ports everywhere, and (OMG) a real tub you could conceivably drown in. Most W's just have a shower. Big balcony with a couch, chair, table and an ocean view. Bed was so good I slept-in until 9AM Pacific time (yesterday's time zone).

Tasted exactly as good as it looked. The ciabatta roll itself was very nice. Crusty, hot, fluffy inside. Those grainy egg whites and whatever they'd mixed in with them were gag-worthy. Fruit and yogurt made up for it.

Doors open at 0500. The fruit, coffee and pastries were out right away, but the hot food matched your experience. Came out at 0530. It was really good. This lounge can be packed later in the day, and was starting to fill up when I left for my gate at 0620. It was blissfully empty this early.

Happy to report: completely uneventful flight. Did the terminal E to terminal C hustle at IAH in about 15 minutes. IAH-FLL flight was held at the gate briefly so a passenger on a late connecting flight could make it. This is a recent United policy, and it's a good one. Pilots were able to make up the time en route by shoveling a little more money into the engines. Pilot Flying absolutely plastered it onto the runway on landing. Much shrieking. I thought it was funny; others not so much. I'm easily entertained. Lead flight attendant started his post-landing announcement with, "You may have noticed we've arrived in Fort Lauderdale..." High-five to him. Cockpit door remained shut during deplaning. Yeah, door of shame. Stand in the galley and take your ribbing, coward. Taxi ride to the W Hotel on the beach in Fort Lauderdale was, um, interesting. It was totally a breeze until we hit A1A for the last couple of miles. Construction has necked-down a segment from 2 lanes to 1, so we spent the last mile watching pedestrians outpace us. No skin off my nose. I got a better chance to ogle what I may want to explore on foot tomorrow. Note if you're taking a taxi from FLL airport to anything close to it: Flag drop at the airport is $13 minimum with an additional $3 fee for whatever. So, $16 to move 100 yards if that's how far you want to go. Once you've used $13 worth of mileage/time, the meter starts ticking up like normal. FLL to the W was ~$25 for the 6.5 mile trip. This particular W has a pretty stellar reputation for the property, service, rooms, location and food. I'm digging it so far. Super smooth check-in. Met by their "Welcome Manager" Brian while I was being checked in. Very nice comp room upgrade. This is one of those places that does Amex "Fine Hotels & Resorts" bookings perfectly. Late check-out. Free breakfasts. $100 credit to spend on-property (to which the W added a surprise additional $50). Amex is also running a bonus right know that will knock another $100 off of my bill for spending 2 nights. [I'm not trying to pimp Amex, but if you travel a lot -- that Plat card pays for itself many times over.] Ate at El Vez tonight, the Mexican restaurant in the W. Excellent service. Great Margaritas. The mahi mahi fish tacos though. Erm. No. I saw tons of excellent looking food on other tables. I think I just ordered a dud. Prices are surprisingly non-extortionate for a hotel restaurant. Plan for tomorrow: wake up at an ungodly hour and lament still being on West Coast time. I wake up at 0530 in CA. That's 0230 here. It's gonna be a loooooong morning. Once the sun is up it'll be a walk across the street to the beach, then a saunter south to the cool looking venues on A1A facing the beach in search of brekkies.

I don’t know who at United concocted this awful egg white breakfast sandwich thingy, but I’d like to hunt them down and make them eat six of them. If this wasn’t breakfast #2, I’d be feeling stabby. ?