Cruisin Life - the Good, Bad & Glorious

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The Good Stuff

Sunrise - Unless I were a poet (or even an exceptional writer), I could probably describe my feelings when watching the sunrise from the Atlantic Ocean each morning, my pictures will have to show the incredible colors, grandeur and sheer beauty of the mornings at sea. My father used to lovingly chide me for my love of sunsets. He would say, "What really counts is seeing the new day in the light of sunrise" and I finally get it.

Most of the time I spent watching the sunrise solo, from the back fantail on Deck 11. People couldn't access this popular spot easily until after the dining room opened at 0730 (7:30am). I simply walked to the top deck (12) then slipped down a stairway onto 11, and was by myself until early morning crew members appeared to set up.

There were 2 other old farts who were always up no matter when I arrived. They would camp out in the porch (my third favorite spot on ship) and greet everyone as they arrived. No matter the time change, they were there first. Us early risers would help ourselves to fresh coffee or tea and wait until the snack bar in the Solarium opened with fresh muffins, fruit and nibbles to tide us over until the feasting began all over again.

Sunset - We had a lot of weather on our journey. This usually meant wind and rain which of course start with clouds so the sunsets weren't numerous but the days where we were able to see our magnificent glowing yellow dwarf star disappearing over the horizon. They say you can only see about 3nm (nautical miles) before the earth curves away but at sea, it seems like a whole lot farther.

We are making the most of the activities and amenities offered us, eating 3 meals a day, often sitting in the dining room, being waited on by experienced servers and a few first-timers. The cafeteria dinning room is huge with at least 8 staffed banquet stations serving apples to zucchini and every vegetable in between. They also have an unlimited amount of melon, oranges, pineapples and assorted other fruits. Proteins consist mainly of meats (lamb in abundance), fish, legumes and nuts. We can always enjoy pasta, rice & potatoes in a variety of delicious forms and desserts entice after every meal - even breakfast! For those of us who get up early, the snack bar is open serving muffins and fruit and endless cups of coffee or tea. Peter bought an extra coffee card so he has fun trying to find the best baristas on the boat.



Activities range too but mostly we could be found on the top deck playing putt putt, shuffleboard, using spin bikes or just lounging on the ubiquitous recliner chairs. The movies are okay, most we have seen but we catch a few at night in our room. I enjoy the saltwater pools everyday and sometimes there's room for one more in the hot tubs. I dropped in or sat rapt in several lectures on Murder, Magic and Medicine in Ancient Cultures; Agatha Christie’s poisons, Basic Spanish and some entertaining Astronomy presentations.



The best activities for us are the deep conversations with our friends. We eat breakfast and dinner together usually and catch each other on the spin bikes, at lectures or classes and usually get at least a few games of Yahtzee.



We love our stateroom attendant, Jose (Peter calls him Moses-long story). Each night we find some kind of creature awaiting us when we return to our room. Tonight's was just hanging around to see us. I never thought I'd see towel origami!





The bad stuff - The big shows are usually too Vegas-style for us but we checked out and liked a comic-magician, ballet performers and jazz guitarist. The famous violinist was a bit frenetic and the singers, minus one, still need practice.



We were excited by the choices in the cafeteria on the first day, but of course, by day 10, it seems like the same thing. I really want something salty or crunchy for snacks but I guess the humidity is too high and they serve nothing remotely close to it. Of course, we wish the drinks didn't cost so much and anything extra incurs an extra fee. Peter wishes the wifi worked faster too!



What's especially strange for Peter & I is the feeling that we're not individuals anymore and we have no control. But we are all in this together, at the same time, in the same place, sometimes feeling herded together, sometimes gloriously alone on the bow watching out for wildlife, stars or sunrises.

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