ALLIGATOR ALLEY DOESN'T DISAPPOINT!

Monday, January 26, 2026
Homewood Suites Airport/Ft. Myers, Florida
82F—down to 65F, sunny

 

Wow! We were off the ship before 8 a.m.  Customs is incredibly easy now, using face recognition.  We looked into a camera and then we were approved with our luggage.  It has been like that for a while, but disembarking a cruise ship is getting easier and easier.

 

A Park n Go shuttle was waiting for us, and we were on the highway before 8:30!

 

I credit TK for flawless planning—all the details he attends to:  finding a cruise we like, studying the ship layout for a stateroom we like, booking it, making advance arrangements for dining, Wi-fi, and beverage package, finding insurance, figuring out where to leave the car, picking all the hotels going south and then north (and using credit card points to pay for all of them).  He plugs all the stop points into the GPS before we leave home too.  I know that I am fortunate that he does all that!

 

I counted seven alligators sunning along Alligator Alley—there is a canal or waterway about 1/3 of a football field away from the highway. I think there was a lot of vegetation along the road this year and I could not spot the alligators lying in the sun next to the water as easily.  Two years ago I counted about 21 or so, but this year all seven were huge!

 

We hit the Miramar Outlet Mall first—some readers may think that all we do is shop.  It was so hot that we had to change clothes in a restroom—we thought it was going to be cold in Fort Lauderdale.  Then, a rainstorm came by and the temperature dropped rapidly. By dinnertime we were cold at 65F. Sorry, Erie, I know you’re REALLY freezing!   

 

There's TK sauntering along at Miramar Mall!

We met friends Mike and Maria at the British Open, an English pub, for dinner. Mike is one of TK’s oldest friends from the “old” east Erie neighborhood. Maria and I love the banter between the two of them, sharing memories from days long gone.

 

We are looking forward to seeing nephew Thomas tomorrow, and then meeting up with sister-in-law Carol, and our two nieces, Carmel and Brenda for dinner

 

TK’s Takes: The fastest we ever got off the ship, and the fastest we ever got on. Nice weather when we got off the ship and now it is cold.