We drove from our home near Allentown, PA a day early so we could spend some time in Norfolk. I especially wanted to see the USS Wisconsin exhibit. Against my better judgement, I booked a hotel through Priceline.com and got just what I deserved. The hotel was supposed to be a Ramada on the beach but turned out to be a freshly painted "flop-house". At least we didn't see any roaches and it was only for a night.

-Embarkation Embarkation at Nautilus in Norfolk was fairly easy. We decided on a parking area the day before and had our game-plan in place. I was able to drop off my family and our luggage in the "circle" and parked in the garage a block away ($14.00 per day). By the time I met up with my family, the luggage was already headed for the ship.

We started the boarding process around 11:30. It was a little strange walking through the cattle chutes within a plastic igloo, but it worked fine and was quick. The computers were working fine and we all got onboard shortly after Noon. Read more