Life at Sea

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Whew! I am exhausted. These last two days on the boat have been chock full of meetings and drills and introductions that I have barely had time to unpack. To recap on the last few days, I made it safely to the Bahamas by myself where I was immediately regretting my outfit choice of jeans and sweater when I was assaulted by the heat and humidity of the area. I shared a taxi ride to my hotel with another girl and her dad(I think they took pity on me since I was alone) for the low, low price of $60. The Atlantis resort was huge to say the least, but very gorgeous considering its price tag. The first half of the day was not exactly what I was hoping for. It was hard to decipher who was with SAS so I spent most of the time wandering around the hotel and market area outside alone. Then it started sprinkling so I was unable to utilize all the amazing facilities the place offered. I was able to check out the observation aquarium of the hotel lagoon and watched part of a movie in the free theater. I tried to find a decent priced place to get a meal in the area but everything in Nassau if 500% more expensive than the states. I got some jamba juice near the Atlantis since it was one of the few places I could get something for under 5$.

By the time evening came, more SAS kids started pouring in to the lobby till there were about what seemed like all 700 of us. It was an overwhelming experience to meet so many new people and carry on a million different versions of the same conversation. Slowly the crowd departed into separate activities: some went to bars, some went back to their pools, and I was part of the group that wanted to hang out at the beach. I came back late to my room to find Lauren, the girl I was sharing the room with and her friend, and stayed up till about 2am talking about our excitement and concerns about the next day’s departure.

I was scheduled to board the ship from 8-10. I got there at about 8:45 and there was a line a mile long to check in and it was still about 100 degrees outside. I waited in line for a bout a half hour before I got to the front where they searched all my bags for illegal items(alcohol, curling irons..)until I was finally able to step onto the MV Explorer. The ship was bigger and more beautiful than I imagined in everyway. My room is a very decent size for a cabin and had a fridge and a TV(which plays 3 channels). After unloading all my stuff I went back to explore Nassau a little more with a friend and walked around the flea markets and little shops one last time.

Then it was time for lunch and our first meal on the boat. The dining area in unbelievable! Its so classy looking and the food is 5 star all the way. Its buffet style for every meal and they offer a wide range of options to please everyone. The help here are very friendly and take your plates away for you. Along with them there are also stewards who make your bed and vacuum your room for you which is so ridiculous.

When the parents were allowed on the ship, I hung with a group of 5 other people who cam by themselves like me, and I have pretty much spent the majority of my time with them since. For the most part everyone here is very friendly and eager to meet new people as well so its easy finding someone to sit with at meals or next to at any of the millions of meetings we’ve been to. My roommate Karren (pronounced Car-wren) is from Wisconsin and seems extremely sweet and easy to live with, if not a little quiet. Our room is on the second floor which is the lowest and has the least amount of people living there, so it is referred to as “The Dungeon.” It doesn’t seem so bad, even if there are less neighbors to meet, and I know 2 people who are staying in triple rooms in the bigger halls. The only downside is that I have more stairs to walk, since I am walking up and down stairs it seems everywhere I go. I guess I’ll have strong legs by the end of the semester. The ship is so big its easy to get lost or feel disoriented. I haven’t felt seasick yet, thanks in part to my medication, but the rocking of the ship can be pretty noticeable at times and it is a challenge to walk in a straight line(and we are apparently on calm waters still!)

I am most surprised that I don’t miss TV or internet or soda as much I thought I would. It does feel like its been forever since I’ve been home though, and its only been a few days. I better end this now and get some sleep since we lose an hour tonight and I have our first class at 8 am tomorrow. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes later.

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Comments

[Janelle Ball]

Cruises are the best
I was just reading your blog and agree with you on so many things. I've been on four cruises and I love them!!! I've also been to the Atlantis Hotel and I thought it was incredible. It's so huge, and like you said, very expensive. I never really noticed any movement on the ship until my last cruise. I guess the waters were really rough for a few days because it was really bad. They actually closed the pool down a few times because the rocking of the boat made waves in the pool and water went everywhere. It was pretty amusing to swim in though, you'd be on one side of the pool and then the ship would rock and the wave of the pool would thrust you to the other side. But I just wanted to leave you a comment. Feel free to check out my blog if you would like, it's all about traveling and includes a blog about cruises and Nassau. http://janelletravels.blogspot.com/ I enjoyed reading your blog!