I will post some pictures of the cruise in a day or so when I have time to upload them. For now here is the blog.
January 29, 2011
All I can say is WOW, what a ship this is. It is huge and a bit overwhelming. We have explored the ship so are starting to get a sense of where things are, but there is just so much to see. At first, I was not sure that I would like the cruise because it was so big and there were so many people and everything was so different form an all-inclusive, but as the evening wore on and we got the hang of things it got better,
The food is to die for and I see how one has to pace themselves in order to keep standing by the end of the day. There is lots of walking on the ship so we are definitely getting our exercise. I am sure we walk miles in a day.
The entertainment we saw tonight was phenomenal, the blue man group performed and it was hilarious and the drumming was amazing. Following that we went to a comedy bar and saw Howl at the Moon which was duelling pianos and singing along with a comedy act all twined in. My sides hurt when we left I laughed so hard. The later it gets the funnier it gets, but after 11 it is adults only for a reason. We were on the way back to our cabin when we passed a Jazz club so we popped in there as well. We did not stay long as it was getting very late, but we will certainly go back there another night as it was great music.
It has been a full day with packing, getting to the ship, embarking and learning the ropes of cruising, not to mention the late night activities. A whole new experience for us so we will see what tomorrow brings as we spend our first full day at sea.
Oh, and by the way I am not seasick. Roger had a harder time adjusting to the movement than I did. Go figure. No one sick though and all is well.
January 30th, 2011 *
The 1stnd day of cruising complete with a full day of activity right through until a late night bedtime. We slept well and neither of us awoke to any rocking of the ship. We can definitely feel movement at times, but seem to be managing it well. We slept in and it was heavenly. It was lovely and quiet here and we were certainly tired from the night before. The night life is pretty good and although we are not usually night hawks when we travel I can see how this could change
After a light breakfast we wandered the ship taking in all it has to offer. We watched a Japanese cooking demo which was very fun, interesting and informative. We gathered a lot of tips for Asian cooking like what you need to add and what is okay to leave out. Can’t wait to try it. The information on the port stops ended up being more advertisement for the shops than anything so we did not stay but moved on to the martini making demo. That too was great with lots of good tips to take home about different types of martinis. Tomorrow is beer tasting, which I think Roger is talking about going to. We spent some time out on the sundecks although it was very gusty up there even though it was very warm. By late afternoon I needed nap if I was going to make out for the evening. Roger went to find a place to read and I settled down for a good hour rest.
Our supper was delicious as all the food seems to be. They have some of the best East Indian food I have ever tasted. Yes, another late night we had on the high seas.
We turn the clocks ahead tonight so will lose an hour sleep that is unless we sleep in!
January 31st.
We slept in until 9:30 this morning and would still be sleeping if there was not a knock on the door rom the cabin steward. Lesson learned; turn the knob to do not disturb before bed.
Our 3rd day aboard the ship and starting to feel tired and a bit hemmed in. It does not seem to bother Roger, but I need a bit more quiet than he does. The mass of people and the noise is kind of getting on my nerves. Perhaps I just need more sleep with earlier bedtimes. I am enjoying what the cruise has to offer, but I think if I did another cruise it would be on a ship with less people. I like smaller resorts so I guess it stands to reason I would like a more intimate ship. That said we are having a great time.
After lunch we went to view an art auction which was very interesting. We were not bidders, but it was still fun to watch. It is put on by Park West auction house of England and the art was quite diverse. They included large pieces of photography by famous photographers, although I did not know them. They did a fair bit of history behind the artist and the type works they did which I found very fascinating. They had a few Picasso pieces that went for very large sums of money. They also sold Picasso copper plate drawings which are quite different than a normal Picasso. The art show display today was Peter Max. Very colourful and very sixties. They show cased a sculptor named Nano Lopez who worked with different mediums. So cool, I loved his stuff. Tomorrow they are changing the artist in the gallery and it will be must see on my list.
Later this afternoon we went to a beer sampling and after 5 glasses of different beer I could not remember the first one. I do remember that I did not like Guinness.
We hit the Jazz club after supper and really enjoyed the band there. We could see the lights of Puerto Rico from the upper deck tonight and tomorrow we dock at St Maarten. Early to bed for us tonight.
Feb. 1st, 2010
We did not sleep well last night and I am not sure why as it was calm at sea. We had a wakeup call so we could be up early and ready to leave the boat in good time. I could hardly wait to hit the beach of beautiful St. Maarten. We even had room service breakfast this morning so we would have time to pack up our bag. The view was stunning as we stepped off the boat and the heat hit like a blast.
Hot ! Hot! Hot! St. Maarten is unbelievable hot. We skipped the shopping and went directly to the beach. Two lounge chairs with cushions, a beach umbrella and 5 drinks for $20.00. Not bad.
We had a great spot on the sand right off the water, just three steps to the ocean. The water was warm and beautiful for swimming. Oh how I love to swim in the ocean. Roger and I both got a burn today even though we wore sunscreen. Normally I wear and 8 and today I wore a 15, think I needed 50. Roger was under the umbrella the whole time and he is crispy. The sellers walking up and down the beach were a bit annoying although I do understand it is how they make their jewellery to buy if you have the money. Apparently it is a real bargain, but it is still expensive for my budget.
We were glad to get back to the air-conditioning on the ship and get a cool shower to rinse off the sand and salt. Nothing like a little sun to make you tired.
Tonight’s comedy show was great with the second city comedy troupe. The improvisation was remarkable.
Well we had besrt get rested up for St. Thomas tomorrow.
Feb.2, 2011
We left the boat this morning for a day in St Thomas. Man was it hot. 38° C. degrees today and lord knows hot it actually was in the direct sun. All I know was that it was too hot. We strolled the shops and did a small bit of sightseeing and then headed back to the ship for some air-conditioning. We were not alone as there was a steady stream of people back to the boat because of the heat. Even the locals thought it was hot. After quick bite to eat I had to take a nap while Roger went to find a place in the cool to read.
Tonight’s entertainment was Legends in Concert from Las Vegas. It was excellent and the Aretha Franklin Impersonator was unbelievably good. What a set of pipes that girl had, wow. After the show we watched a piano show for a short while and then up to our stateroom. Tomorrow is a sea day and we plan to sleep in. The clocks set back tonight so that will give us back the hour we lost a couple of days ago. I could use that extra hour of sleep. This cruising life keeps you busy.
It should be an interesting sleep tonight because the ocean is rough and the ship is rocky.Feb, 3rd, 2011
Today we spent enjoying what the cruise has to offer. It was a slow morning and we just had coffee and muffins in the atrium watching the fruit carving. Very neat actually. Then it was time for the murder mystery with second city cast. This included a lunch and it was interactive with the cast. It was a lot of fun and the time seemed to pass quickly. They are a very talented group of people that improvised on the spot.
Next up was another art auction, for me, which I enjoyed immensely. Roger was not interested which is strange since he is the artistic one. I enjoyed the commentary on all the artists and what collecting is all about. Believe it or not it is very interesting to hear about the different art mediums the artist use and how to display different styles of art. It was very educational and you can see the passion of the art historians and in particular a young graduate of art history from Leeds University. Roger spent the afternoon walking around and then watching a conversation with the Blueman Group which her said was great as well.
Then came the Martini Clinic. OMG, 5 cocktails in an hour is too much for me, but we sure did enjoy them. Whew, we needed food after that as our heads where spinning. The espresso Martini was to die for. Oh, yum!
The eveing was a quiet one with stopping at few entertainment venues, finishing with the duelling pianos and then off to bed as Nassau tomorrow.
Feb.4th, 2010
Another hot day, this time in Nassau, Bahamas. It was a very busy city with lots of people crowded together. We took a ferry ride over to Paradise Island and looked around a bit. It too was crowded together, but very luxurious. The Atlantis hotel and casino was something out of this world with marble everywhere, huge sculptures and beautiful chandeliers. The yachts in the harbour there were also quite luxurious and it was definitely the place for the rich and famous. The straw market was jam packed with people selling their wares and it is unbelievable how much stuff there is in there. You could hardly move down the rows to see what was there and everyone was at you to make a deal. Too closterphobic for my liking, but neat to see. It got its name, the straw market, from a time when people only sold handmade woven straw baskets. They still sell them, but have added lots of other stuff as well.
The main pier area had a very Caribbean feel with the boats coming and going, buskers, food trucks and small restaurants callings you in. We returned to the boat early as both Roger and I were hot and tired. We thought of going to the beach but both of us were done with the crowds. From what we saw the beaches were beautiful though.
Late this afternoon we packed up our suit cases as tomorrow morning it is off the boat and back to reality. It has been a wonderful cruise with lots of new experiences and has given us new ideas for future vacations. We are excited however to resume our Florida tour and will start by staying in Miami for a couple of days, before exploring the Everglades and then heading to the Keys.
I will be happy to be back in the U.S. so we can be in touch with everyone again.
Arrived in Miami port this morning and off the ship by just after 8 a.m. and heading off to the Everglades.
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