Guadeloupe > Farewell to the Costa Fortuna

We are back in Guadeloupe, the port where we began our cruise two weeks ago. We check the cabinets and drawers in our cabin one last time to make sure we haven’t forgotten anything. With our carry-on luggage, we head to the breakfast room. Regie is already waving that he has found a nice table for us. I have one more croissant with cheese. Meanwhile, Regie arranges cappuccinos for us. After breakfast, we go to the Grand Bar on deck five. Here we can order a little something and wait until it’s time to disembark. We have a time slot at ten o’clock. At this time, our luggage will be ready on the quay. This prevents everyone from looking for their bags all at once. Checking out goes easier than expected. We scan the special Costa card as we leave the ship and everything is settled. This also settles the payment for all excursions and the drinks package via the linked credit card. We still have to wait a bit for the taxi. We sit on a bench in the shade. It’s oppressively warm in Point-à-Pitre and I’m already wearing my long pants. At quarter past eleven, we meet Jessy, the taxi driver, again. He drives us to the airport. We have a flight with two stopovers. First, we fly to Fort-de-France on Martinique to transfer there to the flight to Paris Orly. When we arrive at Orly tomorrow, we still need to transfer to Charles de Gaulle Airport—a short train ride. Jessy drops us off at Terminal 2. From here, flights to Martinique depart, he says. Inside, this turns out not to be the case for our flight. We walk a short distance to Terminal 1. It’s very quiet in the departure hall.

Guadeloupe - The cruise ship at sunset

No counters are open. We are gestured that Air France boarding is at the beginning of the hall and only starts two hours before departure. When we can board, we first have to check in at a kiosk. We probably look confused, because an employee guides us through the whole process. The baggage drop-off is also automated, and we get help there too. We are well on time for the flight. At 14:25, flight AF406 takes off toward Martinique. A flight of just over half an hour. After Martinique, the plane continues to Cayenne. Only passengers for Martinique disembark. We look for the connecting flight to Paris. The stairs to transfers are closed off. A customs officer signals for us to keep walking. We arrive at the baggage carousels. Is this right? When we ask again, it turns out we need to go to the departure hall for the transfer and there pass customs and hand luggage control along with new passengers. In front of us is a large school class from Martinique. They are going to Paris. Because of this, it takes a while before we get through customs. At the gate, there is little space due to construction work. Fortunately, we find two free seats. Boarding is chaotic. There is hardly any room to wait and the passage is blocked for other travelers. Nobody seems to mind. Eventually, everyone ends up on the same plane. Around quarter to six, we board. Once all passengers are on board, the Air France plane takes off toward Paris. In Paris, it is five hours later. Through the window, I take a last look at Martinique.