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First visible contact with security. At this point I believe we were being followed by a destroyer, but Queen Mary 2 is so large that I did not notice.

Alan, Jane, Charles ... in cell range ? Charles here is nervous, waiting for his nationwide television appearance.

Plumes of red and blue, here in dawn's early light pastel version.

The Queen's bridge front suffers the inevitable consequence of the fireboats' salute with blue and red water.

At this point the air is thrumming with what was later tallied to be 18 helicopters circling around us.

Port Everglades is one of the oldest passenger ports in Miami, and has seen cruise ships since the earliest days, but she has never greeted a ship like QM2.

Barely visible here, another throng is out early to see us.

As we enter the port we see Discovery Sun is preparing to sail in a couple of hours on her daily milk and rum run to the Bahamas. Regal Empress, to the right, will head to Nassau late in the afternoon.

Lirica of the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) is docked near our berth.

Closer views of Discovery Sun and Regal Empress.

Lirica and the Queen's bell.

In our continuing study of aft deck reduction in the modern cruise ship, Lirica provides a fine example.

A handsome ship inside, Lirica offers a milk-carton profile. Click here for Bart de Boer's excellent photo survey of MSC Lirica on Passenger Ship Parade.

A proud company name.

Lirica's bow appears to offer the bare minimum to overcome resistance of wind and wave.

Passengers offer a proud reminder of our vessel's heritage, if not her financing and construction.

Closer, closer ... Jon sets the shot.

Jane, Alan, Charles, Janine. Charles here is quite relaxed and cool as he awaits the call of the cameras.

The Queen at dock for the first time in North America.

Cunard publicists' anticipation of disembarkation blues was on the mark.

On the Deck 11 Observation Deck wing Good Morning America set up their final shot after five days of segements broadcast from Queen Mary 2. Here Lara Spencer interviews American Idol Ruben Studdard.

The take complete, Charles, Lara and others get ready for airtime.

Charles, it turns out, is dentist for GMA host Charlie Gibson; when the show's producer learned of this he got the idea for Charles to come on as a "mystery guest", concealed behind bubble wrap (it was National Bubble Wrap Week or Month or Day), while Lara Spencer offered clues to his identity for Gibson to guess. In the brief segment Charles remained a mystery until being unveiled, even though one of the clues Lara offered was "he has seen you drool."

Camping out on the promenade with our bags, waiting to get off.

A floating barrier is towed into place to surround the ship.

Alan evokes the shade of Douglas Fairbanks from a long-ago publicity shot.

Crew at work getting the blue stuff off the hull.

Our bags begin to come off. Disembarkation, like our sailing, was slowed down -- it was said -- by the sheer volume of luggage.

As we waited to leave, replacement crew queued up to board.

Passengers cluster around the exit, gazing out over the Grand Lobby one final time, in that neither-here-nor-thereness of the voyage's end.

The privileges of the trip having expired, we await our passage through that bright square near the center of this scene, the voyage a memory, our return to Queen Mary 2 a hope for the future.