The Last 2 Days Of Our NCL Cruise Vacation For 2012

The last 2 days of our 2012 NCL cruise vacation was filled with relaxation up on the top deck of the ship, taking assorted photos and unfortunately packing our luggage for the long trip back home to reality.
On both of these sea days cruising from Dublin, Ireland back to Copenhagen, Denmark we found a couple of comfy lounge chairs on the top deck of the ship, where they were situated in an area protecting us from the cool ocean breezes. The sun was out and warmed us nicely.
Veronica read her books and I played my games on our IPad.
We had lunch on deck where they served us with bar-b-que offerings. It was a nice way to relax and enjoy the final days of our vacation.
At night I took several photos of storms that I was watching in the horizon. The colors and contrast of these storms made for some really nice pictures.
At night I tried my luck at some night time moon photos.
The last day at sea we packed our bags and put them out in the hallway so that they would be in the first group of luggage to be taken off the ship.
We had prepaid for a private driver and vehicle to transfer us to the Copenhagen Airport.
We did this because were weren't sure how long nor how difficult it would be to get off of the ship and we did not want the hassle of trying to take all of our luggage along with backpacks and carry ons, off of the ship on our own, fighting through the crowds and not knowing what the taxi or shuttle bus situation was going to be like.
We had one of the earlier flights out of Copenhagen heading to Dulles and we could not afford to miss that flight. Thus we decided to pay for our own private transfer to the airport.
As it turned out, there were taxis available and we probably would have been ok doing our baggage the way we did and then picking it up once we disembarked off of the ship and grabbing a cab to the airport.
We just weren't sure of the procedures plus there were too many variables involved to take any chances.
we actually got off so early from the ship...probably within the first 2 dozen people and we had a worker assist us greatly in both keeping an eye out for our 4 pieces of luggage and then grabbing them for us after I showed him which ones were ours. Everything went much smoother than we could have ever expected.
We ended up having to wait for our driver to arrive at the pre-determined time, which was 8AM.
Once we arrived, we were whisked away and arrived at the airport within 20 minutes or so.
Our driver helped us get all of our luggage into the terminal and assisted us when the check in kiosk broke down on us. He seemed to know some of the SAS workers that were present and spoke to them to find out which was the quickest kiosk and way to get everything completed. Before we knew it our driver was gone and we had checked everything in.
Due to the fact that we got this private transfer, we were done doing what we had to in the airport before most of the cruise passengers arrived and before any long lines had formed.
The longest chore was going through security but we had plenty of time to get it done and we weren't stressed for time at all.For our needs and situation, along with the early departing flight time, the expense of a private transfer was well worth the money.
Before we knew it, we were on our jet and heading back to the states.
One thing that we found interesting on this flight was the fact that they had a front mounted camera and a down facing camera on the jet. This made interesting viewing when taking off landing and when the visibility was good, looking down at the tundra below.
This was the case when we flew over Greenland.
On this entertainment screen that is built into the back of each seat that is in front of a passenger, by clicking the right buttons, we could see the mountains and snow of Greenland. I decided to take a couple of photos of this unique sight from 35,000 feet up and going over 500 miles per hour.
Our short flight from Dulles back to Norfolk was uneventful and we finally made it home around 10 and 11PM.
It was a very long day and night.
It still amazes me that we were on a cruise ship in Copenhagen in the morning and with multiple time changes involved, we were back at home...half way around the world.
We have a great time on our vacation and cherished each and every moment that we got to spend together. We are truly blessed to have found each other and even more blessed to travel and share these precious moments together making those memories that last a lifetime.
Our journeys have only just begun...fishing in Canada this upcoming year along with a 14 day NCL cruise on the Jade that covers places such as Venice, Milan, and Naples in Italy...the Greek Isles, Slovenia and Croatia.
And then in 2014 we are hoping to do a London, France and beyond independent travel adventure.
And I am so lucky to be able to share all of this with my soul mate, best friend, partner, lover and wife.

Below are various photos of the top deck of the NCL Sun

We found some comfortable lounge chairs on this deck and we were protected from the wind by tall plexiglass window panels


Looking back over the aft of the NCL Sun. The deck below has the outdoor cafe and sitting area









Below is a photo of where they set up for a bar b que buffet








Looking out over the bow of the NCL Sun









The swimming pool had been emptied out during the rather rough seas that were encountered on our way to Scotland

A couple of ships that we passed on our way back to Copenhagen







Storm clouds off in the distance. You can see the rain shaft in several of the photos












Below are several attempts to take night time photos of the moon and moonlight upon the ocean





Below..photos of the entertainment tv screen that are in front of each passenger. Picture is of Greenland and the snow and mountains from the bottom of the jet through the lens of a built in camera. We were about 35,000 feet in the air 



 The worn out world travelers after the end of another fantastic adventure

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