This is our last port for week 1 and in a way, our first port for week 2. Those who aren't staying on for week 2 had the option of choosing a complimentary Charleston Airport Transfer at 8AM or asking for them to arrange a taxi for you when filling out the excursion choices on day 1. We had originally been told by Ali on that first day that if you're staying onboard, just leave the "tour" choices for day 2 blank unless you really want the shuttle option which runs from 9AM to 12PM and is also complimentary. We did just that and got the excursion paper left in our cabin mid week with a note insisting that we "turn in your transportation to the office!" We asked Ali about it and she said it's more of a count issue and to just put down the shuttle choice even if you don't use it.
Since either way, the ship is in Charleston overnight, everyone had a full day onboard still to enjoy. We didn't arrive in Charleston until noon so no one was in a rush this morning. From 7:30AM until 8:30AM, Hotel Manager Cheree set up a small table in the 2nd deck lounge to meet with people who needed to settle their bills. There was one final art session with Mary giving cruisers a chance to finish any previous projects or start a new one before the art show during cocktail hour. During one of the art sessions, Mary spotted how a cruiser's cookie had the perfect chocolate chip placement to look like a smiley face so she declared that it was too pretty to eat and begged to take it from the gentleman. She ended up shellacking it and it became the star of the art show. Not sure whether I was in the puzzle zone or off in my own world but I completely forgot to bring my completed art projects back down to put in the show.
Tried out a cheese and mushroom omelet today:
Rachel gave a talk about Charleston just before we arrived in port. I'm guessing we opted out of having lunch today because I don't have a picture of it! Here's the menu for it at least:
There were 3 options for tours today and they all overlapped each other. The first is the complimentary Charleston Shop 'N Stroll Shuttle which ran from 1:30PM to 5:30PM with a promise of running every 15-20 minutes from the center of town. As expected, this was listed as a 4 hour excursion, a level 1 in activity, and cameras permitted. No mention of whether it was wheelchair/scooter friendly.
The second tour option, called Fort Sumter Exploration, ran for the same time frame and costs $35 per person. This tour is scooter/wheelchair friendly, level 2 in activity, restrooms available, cameras permitted, and shows a 1 hour in the tour length icon. I'm assuming that pertains to 1 hour of time actually at the site because it required a shuttle bus ride to the visitor center followed by a ferry ride to get to the fort only to have to do both in opposite order to return to the ship. The tour description mentions a narrated ferry cruise to Fort Sumter followed by information from National Park Service Rangers on the history of Fort Sumter and its pivotal role in the American Civil War.
The third option which ran from 2PM-5PM, the Charleston Experience, cost $50 per person. It is wheelchair and scooter accessible, 1 1/2 hours, activity level 2, cameras permitted, and restrooms available. This seems to be more of a basic bus tour. It is described as "Travel through narrow streets lined with townhouses of colonial planters. See where generations of patriots lived, worked and worshipped in some of America's oldest religious buildings" according to today's schedule. The initial tour description also mentioned a stop at the Battery Waterfront and a tour of the interior of the Joseph Manigault House. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that those passengers who booked this tour never got to go inside the house.
The dock at Charleston is windy and long as there is about 20 rows of personal watercraft docks between where Independence docks and the parking lot. The crew borrowed the use of a golf cart to shuttle passengers back and forth as well as personally pushing individuals in the wheelchairs kept on board for this purpose. We chose to go on the Fort Sumter tour and there were two shuttle buses for us plus the shuttle taking passengers into town waiting at the end of the dock. We did have to wait a bit sitting in the bus as it took a while to run passengers needing assistance in shifts and then watched Ali run back and forth between the buses making sure everyone was where they should be. The other shuttle driver for our tour got very impatient and came over to complain to our driver about the route and the time it was taking. Our driver told him to just follow him on the road, the guy agreed and headed back to his shuttle. Next thing we see is the other shuttle driver peels around our shuttle and drives off. We later learned from passengers on that shuttle that he drove very aggressively and recklessly scaring them.
We had a much calmer drive to Fort Sumter and our driver dropped us off right in front of the visitor center before driving off to park.
Rachel was the representative with our group so she informed everyone that if bathrooms were needed, they had a little bit of time now to use them or to look around the visitor center. Otherwise, we should wait right by the stairs leading up to the visitor center (there is elevators around the corner).
She headed into the visitor center to pick up everyone's ferry tickets. It was windy and chilly so the bulk of us headed around the corner to sit on the benches under the covered pavilion space. The vantage point gave us an unexpected glimpse of the USS Yorktown. This battleship is also available to tour but wasn't part of our tour today.
As we sat, we watched the ferry come back, unload its current passengers, and watched as the line for our ferry grew.
I kept peeking back around at the stairs wondering why Rachel wasn't back yet. Several of our group decided to get in line anyway and I was concerned when the ferry started to load with still no sign of Rachel. Finally we decided to just get in line prepared to tell the ticket taker that we were part of the group and see what happens. Once we got close enough to see the ramp to board the ferry, we were able to spot Rachel standing there having come down from the back side of the building. We were the last in line and she laughed as she told the ticket takers that we were with her. At this point I was not in a laughing mood and called her out for telling us to wait back by the stairs when she was here. Her response was that she also gave the option for going into the visitor center. How that negates what I was saying still has me scratching my head. So it's our fault for choosing option B instead of option A? When I still tried to make my point, she replied "Well you're here now, you made it on the ferry." Made me think back to the old retort "Well yeah but you didn't die right?"
It really put a sour start to our ferry ride but we tried to put it out of our minds. We started out the ferry ride sitting on the top open deck but it soon became too cold and windy to stay up there. There are a few tables with chairs and several rows of chairs lined up on the enclosed bottom level. There is an elevator and bathrooms on the ferry. There is a snack bar on the ferry and Dad got us a bottle of water to share and some M&Ms. Remember his philosophy - chocolate candy cures all. A ranger on board started out the ferry ride introducing himself and then ran through a safety briefing and timeline about how this was the last run of the day and what time we needed to be back on board. That was the extent of our "narrated" ferry tour.
While there was several park rangers on site when we walked into the actual fort, we were just directed to wander around with the option of observing the flag lowering ceremony around 3:30PM. There are several cannons and tools and remnants to observe on the grounds with plaques full of information.
We wound our way around the bottom of the fort reading each plaque before climbing the stairs to the very small gift shop. It was mostly full of toys, books, magnets, pins, and ornaments so we chose not to bother purchasing anything. Especially since it was crowded with only a few people and we were close to having to return to the ferry. We stepped out of the gift shop to find that most of the crowd was on the top level watching t
While on that 2nd level, we noticed the small group of limited mobility visitors who were waiting on benches by the entrance. I later heard that the rangers had given them the informational talk since they couldn't walk around.
As we finished the loop on the lower level back to the entrance, I noticed the low opening in the wall below each cannon and wondered whether it was for a soldier to lie on his belly and shoot out. We asked a ranger standing nearby and it turns out that they were simply openings for drainage when it rained. Makes total sense when we thought back to our shuttle bus ride over here and passed a couple spots of standing water. Rachel asked our driver if they had just gotten a lot of rain and he said "Nope, this is low country and we get flooding every time it rains."
It had been cloudy for most of the day and it made for some pretty views as the sun started to set.
We were able to get seats at a table by the window for the ferry ride back and I desperately scanned the water the whole ride in hopes of seeing the dolphins the ranger said they routinely see. No such luck. Back with our kind shuttle driver and a nice drive back to the ship where he pointed out things as we went along.
The third option which ran from 2PM-5PM, the Charleston Experience, cost $50 per person. It is wheelchair and scooter accessible, 1 1/2 hours, activity level 2, cameras permitted, and restrooms available. This seems to be more of a basic bus tour. It is described as "Travel through narrow streets lined with townhouses of colonial planters. See where generations of patriots lived, worked and worshipped in some of America's oldest religious buildings" according to today's schedule. The initial tour description also mentioned a stop at the Battery Waterfront and a tour of the interior of the Joseph Manigault House. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that those passengers who booked this tour never got to go inside the house.
The dock at Charleston is windy and long as there is about 20 rows of personal watercraft docks between where Independence docks and the parking lot. The crew borrowed the use of a golf cart to shuttle passengers back and forth as well as personally pushing individuals in the wheelchairs kept on board for this purpose. We chose to go on the Fort Sumter tour and there were two shuttle buses for us plus the shuttle taking passengers into town waiting at the end of the dock. We did have to wait a bit sitting in the bus as it took a while to run passengers needing assistance in shifts and then watched Ali run back and forth between the buses making sure everyone was where they should be. The other shuttle driver for our tour got very impatient and came over to complain to our driver about the route and the time it was taking. Our driver told him to just follow him on the road, the guy agreed and headed back to his shuttle. Next thing we see is the other shuttle driver peels around our shuttle and drives off. We later learned from passengers on that shuttle that he drove very aggressively and recklessly scaring them.
We had a much calmer drive to Fort Sumter and our driver dropped us off right in front of the visitor center before driving off to park.
Rachel was the representative with our group so she informed everyone that if bathrooms were needed, they had a little bit of time now to use them or to look around the visitor center. Otherwise, we should wait right by the stairs leading up to the visitor center (there is elevators around the corner).
She headed into the visitor center to pick up everyone's ferry tickets. It was windy and chilly so the bulk of us headed around the corner to sit on the benches under the covered pavilion space. The vantage point gave us an unexpected glimpse of the USS Yorktown. This battleship is also available to tour but wasn't part of our tour today.
I kept peeking back around at the stairs wondering why Rachel wasn't back yet. Several of our group decided to get in line anyway and I was concerned when the ferry started to load with still no sign of Rachel. Finally we decided to just get in line prepared to tell the ticket taker that we were part of the group and see what happens. Once we got close enough to see the ramp to board the ferry, we were able to spot Rachel standing there having come down from the back side of the building. We were the last in line and she laughed as she told the ticket takers that we were with her. At this point I was not in a laughing mood and called her out for telling us to wait back by the stairs when she was here. Her response was that she also gave the option for going into the visitor center. How that negates what I was saying still has me scratching my head. So it's our fault for choosing option B instead of option A? When I still tried to make my point, she replied "Well you're here now, you made it on the ferry." Made me think back to the old retort "Well yeah but you didn't die right?"
It really put a sour start to our ferry ride but we tried to put it out of our minds. We started out the ferry ride sitting on the top open deck but it soon became too cold and windy to stay up there. There are a few tables with chairs and several rows of chairs lined up on the enclosed bottom level. There is an elevator and bathrooms on the ferry. There is a snack bar on the ferry and Dad got us a bottle of water to share and some M&Ms. Remember his philosophy - chocolate candy cures all. A ranger on board started out the ferry ride introducing himself and then ran through a safety briefing and timeline about how this was the last run of the day and what time we needed to be back on board. That was the extent of our "narrated" ferry tour.
While there was several park rangers on site when we walked into the actual fort, we were just directed to wander around with the option of observing the flag lowering ceremony around 3:30PM. There are several cannons and tools and remnants to observe on the grounds with plaques full of information.
The original Angry Birds? It made me wonder how many cannonballs just rolled back down this hill.
Adopt a Road? Adopt a Family? Introducing Adopt a Cannon! For the ultimate souvenir from your trip:
Note the only female name on this list of soldiers guarding the fort during the bombardment.
I found it not only interesting that back then, this fort had an electrically operated minefield but also that someone actually let a typo get printed on this plaque.
While on that 2nd level, we noticed the small group of limited mobility visitors who were waiting on benches by the entrance. I later heard that the rangers had given them the informational talk since they couldn't walk around.
As we finished the loop on the lower level back to the entrance, I noticed the low opening in the wall below each cannon and wondered whether it was for a soldier to lie on his belly and shoot out. We asked a ranger standing nearby and it turns out that they were simply openings for drainage when it rained. Makes total sense when we thought back to our shuttle bus ride over here and passed a couple spots of standing water. Rachel asked our driver if they had just gotten a lot of rain and he said "Nope, this is low country and we get flooding every time it rains."
It had been cloudy for most of the day and it made for some pretty views as the sun started to set.
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