Ship & Shore - Day 14

The ship docked at Southampton early in the morning. It was a bright sunny day in England.

While we waited for clearance for disembarkation, fuel was loaded for the next leg.

Up top, workers were putting protective coverings on the wood railings in preparation for a 12-day dry dock stop in Germany, for some updates to the ship.

We found our bags! (It was all very well organized - easier than an airport...)

Then we got to wait in line for taxis.

After about a 5 minute drive, we were dropped off at the train station.

We enjoyed a nice ride through the Southwest of England. Jessica met us at the train station in Bristol.

And in the afternoon, Ada took us on a walk to the Cadbury Garden Center. It was fun to be with her!

Ship - Days 11 through 13

One morning, some of us actually got up in time for sunrise. Almost.

The seas got a little rougher for a day or so.

The waves made the ship do this (watch the horizon).

And that made one of the swimming pools do this. Pretty fun to watch.

Surprisingly, there was a similar pool on the other side in which the water hardly moved.

Ship riding requires a lot of resting.

Tony and Sylvia, from Manchester, turned out to be enjoyable and kind table-mates. The third couple, from Australia, were much younger and were only able to stand us for one meal. We never saw them again...

As we approached England we began to see other ships.

At dinner on the second to last evening, the entire dining staff gathered to listen to Captain Remo (sounds similar to "Nemo") crack some Norwegian one-liners and tell us he was glad we came along, and then they all serenaded us with - "Hey, Look Me Over".

We enjoyed one final sunset from the ship.

Ship - Days 6 through 10

By this time, we are getting into a 'cruise mentality'. It goes something like:
Sleep. Eat. Rest. Eat. Nap. Goof off. Eat. Sleep. Eat. Sleep. Nap. ...etc.

The ship is Really Big. This is a view down the length of the Royal Promenade. It is about 400 feet long, and 3 stories high, lined with shops and cafe's. The ship is almost 1200 feet long.

This is the Alhambra Theater. It seats 1200 people. We actually saw 3 (count 'em - three) movies here - a cinematic record for us.

This is the sitting area on our deck, overlooking the Promenade.

The most wonderful amenity, though, was the soft-serve machine, operating every day from 9 to 5!

Here are some examples of the amazing 'melon art' that greeted us each day in the buffet dining area.

While walking outside one morning, I noticed someone welding in a workshop next to the deck.  It was Roberto, from the Phillipines, building a scale model Harley Davidson motorcycle. He was using stainless steel nuts, bolts, kitchen spoon handles, and the like. He said he was inspired by a cruise earlier in the year in which Harley Davidson displayed 34 new motorcycles.

Savitri, our cabin attendent, started leaving clever towel sculptures each evening. She often incorporated a pair of my glasses for a personal touch.

By now, we were nearing the Canary Islands, and a large cold front. The seas got a bit rougher, with occasional rain showers. Big fun!

Ship - Day 5

Our last stop before crossing was Phillipsburg on St. Maartens island. The view, and especially the color of the water, was spectacular.

We made a short jaunt ashore, to catch up with email at a local Internet shop.

It was hot, so we headed back to the air-conditioned ship. We toured some of the on-board activities. Rock climbing...

... Flow Rider. Very cool surfing simulation.

While sitting in the 12th deck dining area, we noticed a sailboat hanging in the wind shadow of our ship. Look closely - that little blob at the top of the mast...

...is a guy working on the rigging. He's around 150 feet above the water!

There was an interesting mural on the atrium wall opposite the stairway sitting area on our deck.

It's made entirely of spools of colored thread - about 19,200 of them!

Ship - Day 4

Our second stop was San Juan, Puerto Rico.


What do you do in an exotic sea port city? Go shopping, of course! CVS was first on our list...


This picture is for Mark and Tony.


When we returned to our cabin, we found the final part of our Romance Package. Decorations!


We loved it! Our room had a festive look for the rest of our trip.


Before we left San Juan, we watched some of the activity around us. This is the Disney Fantasia heading out.


A four-masted naval training ship from Argentina was next to us.


The little bumps above the sail are seamen, working on the sail.


The tugs pushed them out into clear air, as they began to set sails.


The jib sails are starting to come up.



Then the mainsheets. It was an impressive sight as she sailed away.

Ship - Day 3

We spent this day at sea. As we were beginning to adjust to an appropriate "laid back" attitude, we spent a good bit of time doing this.
 

In the evening, we went the first of two Ice Shows. This is before it started.