We're Aboard!

We are now officially aboard ship! I have taken quite a few cruises ( Caribbean, Mediterranean,  Alaskan, South America,  Antarctica etc.) but I have always been aboard the Mega Liners that hold anything from 2,500 -5,500 people. Most of these ships are like floating cities and  have  a mini Las Vegas feel to them. You can climb rock walls, shoehorn yourself into various pools with a hundred other merry makers, use the 30 ft. water slide, watch a Broadway type stage production or gamble every night. There is plenty to do at all times, usually a line to do it and often in a wild, partylike atmosphere. Many people seem to feel that since they only have seven days, they must do, see and drink everything available as soon and as much as possible. While that might be fun for a week –  for months aboard we were looking for something a little different. We opted for a small ship that only carries 680 passengers. The first difference we noted was there were no lines – not to check in, not to eat, not to do the activities. At the buffet you walk right up, fill your plate and there are plenty of empty tables by the windows. . The food, so far seems wonderful – check back when we have eaten it for a month or two. I had an “everything” omelet and about ¾ of a pound of bacon for breakfast today. I could almost hear my arteries clogging but it tasted so good. I do believe one could get used to having all your meals cooked and served to you while a steward comes to clean and tidy up your place .  At this very moment there is one man in the spa and no one in the pool! There are may be a dozen people at pool side. I will concede that this is only day one and half the guests may still be in their stateroom trying to find drawer space for their undies and swimwear.   Now my kids would probably find this deadly dull but for us, this relaxed atmosphere is great. I have already figured out that I will be living on the balcony. I can read, work on the laptop and just watch the waves roll by. Jim, being more social, walked the track then went to a “meet and greet” and is now off to a singing group he joined.  I would guess the average age aboard would be in the 60’s You would kind of expect that with the length of this cruise and the destinations.  I have seen a handful of people in their 20’s and 30’s but not one child so far. There are lots of people from Canada. For one couple, this is their seventh world cruise – I think they should have just bought their own yacht.  I would guess maybe a quarter of the people aboard are doing the whole world cruise. Some are just doing the Panama Canal segment – some join the cruise in Singapore etc. The staterooms are your typical staterooms. The unpacking went better than  I could have ever hoped for, but that was because Jim only claimed about 25% of the closet and drawer space – yet another benefit of being with a man who travels light. The extension cord with 8 outlets I can tell already is going to be the best thing we brought. I already have everything from my laptop to my Kindle plugged into it. We are now sailing just off the coast of Cuba so the weather is perfect.  Okay we can use this first day report as a base line and see if everything still looks so darn rosy after 50 or 100 days at sea!  They just made an announcement that there were riots and drug related shootings that had basically shut down Santa Marta. (Our next stop after Aruba.)They said for  “ safety and security” reasons we would have to skip that port. I think we are now stopping in Cartagena, somewhere on the Columbian Coast . All that is left today is to find out who are our table mates for the duration of the trip. Keep your fingers crossed – or we may be eating a lot more of our meals at the buffet.  I guess that’s the news from day one.