Day 1: UnderwayFeb 27, 2012
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Day 1
The drive from home to Ft. Lauderdale was uneventful – a little rain but on the whole a nice run. The directions to the parking area were terrible! Fortunately we had allowed extra time so there was no problem. The two guys at the parking were from Peru and Colombia! The van brought us over to the ship. Of course you don’t just walk onto the ship. You have several lines to go through but everything moved smoothly so we boarded before 1pm.
Our verandah is on the navigation deck, #8. Above us is the lido deck which has the pools and the dining area. We walked the ship, literally from bow to stern, fortifying ourselves with ice cream. Exploring the ship, we came upon the Exploration Café. Who could resist an offer of Irish coffee? Not me, certainly; Ralph had the Americano coffee. As we enjoyed that libation, we met Dianna, the librarian. Yes, this ship has everything!
The sea drill was held at 4pm by which time we had unpacked and organized our room. These drills have taken on new meaning in view of the fiasco in the Med.
After that we moved to the stern to watch the ship back out from the dock and enter the channel. Three ships in a row left. It’s amazing to see how easily these huge ships can be turned. The coast guard had to move a couple of small boats out of the ship’s path. I enjoyed a bloody Mary (Ralph had iced tea) as we talked with fellow passengers and watched the ships.
Food has been available ever since we boarded. This afternoon we had salads for lunch. Then at the Lido pool tonight they had a barbeque buffet…. Beef, chicken, salmon, corn on the cob, salads, fruit, breads, etc. More food that you can shake a stick at! Plus they had a band playing while we ate.
We came back to the room after eating and we’re now sitting on our balcony, watching the sun set over the ocean. The water is beautiful! Tonight there’s entertainment so we’ll be heading back for that. Tomorrow we spend the day at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. Not sure what we’ll do there.
We definitely got some walking in today – walking the length of the ship several times and going up and down stairs. Tomorrow we’re walking the deck and hitting the fitness center. Breakfast will be delivered to our room about 7am. Talk about getting spoiled! I do love having someone else do the cooking!
The entertainment was enjoyable. The singers and dancers were entertaining and the cruise director was funny. They played some silly games but it was a good beginning and a nice way to have us meet other passengers. The couple in front of us was from Nova Scotia and they were pleased to hear how we had enjoyed our visit there.
Walking through the Lido café back to our room, we were assailed by pizza. That area has food of some kind available until midnight every night. That’s really not fair. We succumbed to the call and had some of the best pizza I’ve ever eaten; the crusts were light and delicious (and I don’t normally like the crusts!). We then engaged in one of our favorite pastimes – people watching. A cup of hot tea for me and a glass of iced tea for Ralph as we watched people walk by, grab a cookie, or procure a table for their midnight snacks.
Kindles came out in our room and we read till midnight. Good night, all.
