LAND! GLORIOUS LAND!!!

While indeed I am steeped in the culture of the sea, there was nothing more exciting than seeing land on our third day.

Land. Sweet, beautiful land. Woke up early, dawned my swimming gear in hopes to dive into the pool that was sure to be open now that the waters were calm, and hopped up to the Lido deck. The first thing I saw when windows reached my view was the tree lined landscape of the great North West.

Trees. Soooo many sky reaching evergreens. After the seas we'd been enduring, I was extremely grateful to see terra firma once more.

We girls were so excited to see something other than the white and blue chop. It was glorious. With eyes wide we watched the hills and coast roll by. The pool was FINALLY open, so Maggie went for a swim and I eventually hopped into the warmish Jacuzzi. It wasn't quite as warm as a hot tub should be, but it was the principle of being on a vacation getting in the Jacuzzi on my vacation. 

I may have enjoyed three rounds of breakfast that day, made my fellow Hobbits proud. 

Once all of our breakfasts were consumed, Carolyn and I strolled the great out doors.

Canadian Pilot!

The sea was calm, so we were able to go outside, which was also glorious. We went to the bow on the 10th floor platform and watched the Canadian Pilot boat lead us to our dock. Felt giddy to watch the Canadian Pilot with my connections to San Diego's 101 year old Pilot boat (that's an entirely different story.) 

While we watched our cruise boat dock, Carolyn and I spoke with a charming couple who lived in Victoria, our first port of call. They told us of their adventures and they gave us tips on things to do in Victoria. 

Once we were docked we went back to our rooms to gather our excursion gear. We met at "our table" on the Lido deck (yes, we had staked territory) to graze on lunch prior to leaving the ship. We packed sandwiches for the day, so that we wouldn't have to purchase lunch out and about.

Then it was we were land bound. The captain gave the okay for us to disembark, so we and 2,000 of our closest friends headed off into Victoria. Felicia and I felt compelled to kiss the ground after our trip up when we touched foot on the black asphalt, but we managed to resist the temptation. 

Maggie and I went off on our own adventure while Carolyn and Felicia hopped on a bus to go view the famous gardens. Throughout the day we saw our fellow cruisers, which was rather entertaining. You wouldn't think 2,000 strangers would become familiar, but we were all coupled up together for so long, maybe it shouldn't have been so surprising. 

If you aren't aware, let me tell you - Victoria is beautiful. It was like something out of a fairy tale. Maggie and I walked through the neighborhood suburb to the downtown area. The Parliament building was breathtaking. It looked too European to be on the American Continent, even in Canada. I was really impressed.

There were horse drawn carriages (of course).

A house boat village, and slips galore with a variety of schooners and clippers. To quote Felicia, "I could do this."

Maggie and Me

I imagine when cruise ships aren't in that Victoria is rather quiet, which would suit me just fine. (You know, I'm currently in the market for a house and the US dollar is worth more than the Canadian dollar...hmm....)

Anyway, Maggie and I went to the British Columbia Royal Museum. They put to shame almost every indoor museum I have yet seen. They have an ENORMOUS in depth Native Peoples exhibit and I spent a TON of time in that area. Did you know that British Columbia has the most languages of Natives in the World? I didn't know that. It was fantastic to learn of the efforts from the Natives to preserve their language. I must have read almost every plaque in the Native area and the Natural History exhibits.

The museum had a full size cannery, a gold mine, a dock and a SHIP on exhibit, INSIDE!!!!!! It was incredibly impressive.

There was one room that was particularly striking - it was like being inside a research submarine much like Captain Nemo's Nautilus. The port holes looked out to living kelp. There were all sorts of nautical 1800s artifacts, which were a lot of fun.

At the helm!

My favorite exhibit was of Native masks that told different stories from the Native Peoples. I am fascinated by cultural legends and tales. Be they Japanese, Irish, Russian, American, they are the stories that spark imagination, tradition and faith.

After we saw all there was to see in the museum, Maggie and I regrouped and crossed the street to look at the Empress, a famous Victorian hotel.

Unfortunately, she was undergoing MASSIVE renovations, so we were unable to enjoy her full grandeur. Carolyn told us later that the empress was originally built without bathrooms. Kinda nuts to think that a hotel that impressive would be lacking toilet amenities (yes, there are toilets now). But talk about a trivia topic!

We walked to a tea shop called Murchies where we used their WIFI and bought a ton of delightful goodies. We regrouped with Felicia and Carolyn at the little tea shoppe. We stayed there until closing time - 5pm - and walked into the tobacco shop next door to look at the interesting column in the center of the store. This proved to be an unexpected entertaining sideshow, rather, WE became a rather entertaining sideshow. Carolyn had told us that on their bus tour they were told that this tobacco shop had the oldest lighter in the world, so we had to investigate. Sure enough, there was the flames burning from a Mexican white Onyx pillar. The piece is priceless as it so happens as white onyx has been completely depleted.

One of our colleagues was a brand new daddy, so we purchased him a cigar that is difficult to purchase in the U.S. of A. Our adventure within this store was one of no-shame and we had the attendant Alex laughing like crazy right along with us. I had to ask the gentlemen working there if we were the most entertaining customers that had ever strolled through and they all agreed that we were "without doubt." And we ended up going back in a second time, which only further proved that claim.

We wandered in through a few other shops and we supported the First People (Canadian Natives) with our purchases. 

The walk back to the ship was gorgeous, but gusty. Maggie and Felicia were freezing, so they bolted back to the ship. Carolyn and I stopped to admire the flora and fauna along the way while fighting the intense wind that had picked up dramatically. It had been warm throughout the day until the sun began to go down and in came the wind. We all ended up with light wind burns on our cheeks.  

The sun setting behind the cruise boat was beautiful. Took some fun photos prior to going back on board, not before taking the a-typical tourist shots.

Once we were on our floating hotel, we freshened up and ate again. We ended up ordering an extra dessert because on a cruise boat there is no shame. 

After dinner, Maggie led us to the bow where we watched a sweet movie entitled, "Brooklyn." The film was wonderful and I proudly stayed awake through the whole thing. Luckily enough, just after, it was time to go to sleep. We had to get ready for the next day when we would see Seattle. And my Aunties!!!!

It was time for us to return to the sea. 

Speaking of the sea - if you haven't noticed, being on or around the water is a passion of mine. One may even call it a lifestyle. Even though I have light crew experience on tall ships, I've recently signed up for a basic sailing class. I hope to be a captain someday and am well on my way, but sailing is a bit of a mystery that I'd like to better understand. 

If anyone knows what it's like to have a dream of doing what you love, you know how it feels. If you'd like to help sponsor my dream, all you have to do is put down $4.99 towards my book, which you may purchase here or here. Already bought it? Not interested in reading it? E-books make great gifts and it's the same price as a cup of Starbucks. (On second thought, it's less than most drinks at Starbucks.) It may not seem like much, but these clicks add up! 

Thank you for reading as always, my dear Readers, and thank you for helping me pursue my dreams. Until next week when we go together to Seattle!

Your humble author,

S. Faxon

A King's Day at Sea

What vacation looks like on a cruise in 57* Weather

Yet another morning passed where the great Pacific was not so, well, pacific.

I was awoken on my second morning by the sound of the sea banging against our vessel, Nieuw Amsterdam. The shaking wasn't as violent, but hot dang, we were rolling. I dressed and was ready quite quickly, may have set a new record for me. Really was not comfortable being in the tilt-o-game in the room alone. Maggie had left early in the morning to do her exercises. We girls didn't have plans to meet until nine, but I could not stay in the room without getting a look at the seas. 

I went up to the pool deck where the food was near and generally most people end up. However, when I went up there, I was the only person out by the pool who didn't work there. It was not too surprising being that it was about 57* by the pool, possibly cooler. And yes, I was technically inside. Due to the swells outside, the waters in the pool were raging back and forth from the ship's movement. The wakes inside were a nice micro example of what our ship was enduring. Made me think of the brave/courageous/possibly fool-hearty sailors who first made their way up the Pacific Coast in the 1540s (talkin' Juan Cabrillo and his lot). I CANNOT imagine going north bound up the Pacific in anything smaller than a 965' vessel, let alone in a galleon. WE were being tossed around out there.The idea of facing those seas in a small craft chills me to the bone. 

Speaking of chilly, I was glad for my outfit choice - a cardigan and long jeans. It was refreshingly cool. While I sat on my lounge chair with a blankie and a hot cup of coffee, I watched a few gentlemen on crew place a net in the water to keep people out. Guess they have to account for the lowest common denominator as I would think it was obvious to stay out of the pool with the water splashing violently about. It was entertaining and the sounds of the splashing seas calmed me. 

**Be sure to turn on the subtitles so you may hear/understand me over the swishing.

One by one the girls found me out by the pool. I may have enjoyed three rounds of breakfast by the time we left, but I can neither confirm or deny that statement. Today was a TRUE vacation day. Our group of girls took a fun behind the scenes tour of the galley, then Maggie was off. 

Carolyn and I did some exploring and found the Silk Room, which was a quiet retreat that overlooked mid-ship on the eleventh floor. The view was fantastic and hardly anyone was there. It was a nice intimate setting, but it was a bit too cold up there for us! (Yes, we were on our way to vacation in Canada, but when it comes right down to it, we're still California girls.)

Somehow we ended up regrouping with Felicia and the three of us visited for HOURS by the pool. I was supposed to join Maggie for lunch with the captain, but I completely missed it. Time means little when you're on vacation. The girls and I eventually started to get hungry around 2, so we wandered into the room behind us and to our dismay the cafeteria was closing. The stewards were polling down the curtains over the buffet stations, but Felicia was not about to swallow that pill - she jumped forward toward the counter and yelled: "NO! Don't do that!" As if we would otherwise starve. 

Thank goodness for her actions, for they did, however reluctantly, serve us, but the booth next over was open, so it really wasn't that big of an issue. The special thing about the food on this day of our cruise was that it was all Dutch themed. You see, it was Koningsdag! KING'S DAY!!!! For those of you loyal readers, you'll remember our very first report of the Dutch and King's Day back in 2014. On our cruise boat, there was cake. LOADS of cake celebrating the birthday of the King of the Netherlands. There was tons of cheese and pea soup, but it was the bottom of the barrel, so it didn't show as well as I'm sure it would have fresh.

We spent a long time in the cafeteria and learned that at the peak of the storm we were cutting through those twenty foot swells. The seas have calmed substantially, but we the vessel was still rocking. 

After while, we wandered to the crow's nest (11th floor) and stayed through Trivia. We did horribly, but it was fun. I did end up getting a few correct, but the people who scored our card cheated us a point! As if it made any difference. 

After Trivia, Carolyn left to freshen up while Felicia and I walked the decks, trying to get in our steps. We did pretty well considering how we had been sitting all day. We had our fun walking and exploring, but tonight was formal dining, so it was time to doll up. We were all hoping to slide by in less than formal attire, however, when we saw a few folks parading about in nice tuxedos and gowns, we decided against comfort for the sake of class.

Back to the room I flew. I quickly showered and changed. Maggie returned to the room and also dawned an elegant gown. We were looking sharp for dinner. There was a half hour wait so we received one of those buzzers and then walked to the nearest sitting area, the piano lounge. We sat in the bar section, but we were positioned where we could watch the glares of the piano listeners, cutting through the fools who dared to speak as they walked by or for those imbeciles who sat like us in the bar section and talked. Talk about hilarious. Even Carolyn and I received death and dagger glares when we walked IN SILENCE to the bar. Felicia and I laughed like children trying to get away with something silly as we sat there and watched all of this happen. It was great when our buzzer rang and we had to walk past this group of Medusas. Daggers. Just daggers. 

At dinner we enjoyed lobster and steak and flour-less chocolate cake.....................it was so good. I could have eaten 10. I may have ordered two desserts, possibly three, it is hard to recall now. 

No guilt. 

Guilt is not allowed on a cruise. It's listed somewhere in that small print contract that you have to sign before you board.

From dinner we walked to the piano bar where we were serenaded by the tunes of the marvelous Sir Elton John and Billy Joel. I sang along with almost all of the Elton songs, but like everyone else, the Billy songs were left to the Piano Man. (I may be jamming out to that song now...and it's nine o'clock on a Monday...) My group was laughing as we observed that the Canadians were much more Elton fans than Billy's, but there were enough of us singing along to make it all an incredible evening. Probably my favorite part of the cruise. 

We snuck out to go to another show. Felicia and Maggie were right near the door, so they slipped out unnoticed, but Carolyn and I had to slip around the piano. The pianist called us out and said, "Ladies, no, don't go! The best part, my break, is yet to come!" So we danced on our way out as he played. The last we heard was him bidding us luck through the sobriety check.

The last show for the evening was called, "Sideshow." Carolyn ended up heading to bed, so Felicia Maggie and I went to the show. Felicia and I lost Maggie for a little while, but we knew where to find her - the front and we were right.

The show was wild. It was an acrobatic musical with mostly contemporary pieces, but they threw in "I put a Spell on You" and "Fever," which I liked a lot. The acrobatics were impressive and I'm glad I saw it, but I the pianist was my favorite by far.

From there it was off to bed. We were due in to land for the next day, so it was time to rest. 

Until we wake up next week on our fourth day!

Your humble author,

S. Faxon

PS - I challenge you to not sing along with this: 

Day 1 At Sea

It's amazing how distracted one can become when easily entertained. Sorry about the delay in posting our vacation together folks! Without further adieu, here is our description of Day 1 at Sea.

Vacationing on a cruise boat is a full body workout, even when you're sleeping. It was 7:14am when I started writing this post and the boat was still rocking violently. There was one long fall in the night where Maggie appropriately said, "Oh, crap." Pretty well summed up our first night of trying to sleep through twenty foot swells. Somehow, I did manage to sleep amid the rocking and blows of the great Pacific. At one point I wondered if I could use the phone in the room to call the helmsman and say, "Turn INTO the wakes!" (Otherwise you're being broadsided, which is really, really, really, really not fun.) But I don't think that we had much choice in the matter as we were in nothing but confused seas. (Wakes from opposing directions coming together usually right where your boat is...also not fun.)

When I took a shower on this first morning, I was grateful for the bars in the shower stall. Leaning on my sail crew training, I had a hand for myself and a hand for the ship. In other words, I was holding on for dear life. 

After my shower, I quickly made my way to the cafeteria. It was a long walk and were it not for my ginger candy, I probably would have lost my dinner from the night before. I remembered the advice I received from one of the waitresses the night before - when you're feeling like you're going to lose your lunch, eat a green apple. I swung into the cafeteria, grabbed my apple and somehow found Maggie. We enjoyed breakfast together and would you believe it? The apple helped tremendously and there were gluten free options!

Coffee, bacon, waffles smothered in strawberries and whipped cream - what more could one want? 

With waffles and coffee in my belly, we ran into Carolyn and Felicia before going to see a lecture on California Missions. Here's some trivia for you - what modern family name made its name in the Alaskan Gold Rush? (Answer will be in the end of this post.) The presentation was a little less than I would have expected, but I did learn a little.

After the presentation, Maggie and I split ways. I wandered around trying to find a place to write. I started up at level 11, but it was rocking so much, had to continue my exploration, but not before having fun with the crew.

Up on the top deck, wondering how the people in the background could read with the ship moving so much.

Being unable to handle the constant and sometimes violent rocking, it was time to continue my explorations. Throughout most of the ship all of the doors to the outer world were closed. It was like they didn't trust mostly drunk landlubbers out on high seas or something. (For the record, I didn't drink a drop on the cruise 'cause that's how I roll.)

My tummy began to growl, so I headed to the Lido deck where the food was kept. Much to my absolute delight, I felt the wonderful kiss of a fresh, outside breeze! The aft patio was open, so I walked around, soaked in the sunlight, and found a nice table where I could write. It was positively delightful. Being cooped up with 2,000 of your new best friends is great and all, but I was glad to be outside. I spend too far much time in a cave-like environment. (Don't get me wrong, I love my office, but natural light is good.) (I may have one of those "we-live-in-a-land-where-the-sun-does-not-shine happy environment lights on my desk, but I will neither confirm or deny that.) I'm a Southern Californian, what do you expect??

Many minutes passed as my pen scrolled out a whole new chapter in a sequel I've been working on for a while ere my stomach less than gently reminded me, "Hey you, up there," my growling tummy protested, "Get up! It's tiempo to eat!" Yes, my stomach is bilingual, but mostly it speaks in the tongue of Hungry.

I did a lap around the dining hall and left with an incredible burger and fries (for those of you who may be keeping track, there was no bun on this burger and thus it was gluten free). The table outside called to me still, so back out into the world I went to eat and to write. It was lovely. I sat at the bar and sipped a Coke from South Africa, which was specifically for Maritime consumption, so thank goodness my trip fell within that category! It was interesting that we had to pay for soft drinks. I imagine that cruises would lose a TON of money otherwise, but just FYI in case you're looking for a pop while out on the seas. Coffee, teas, and water are free and available at all times, which was heaven for a caffeine addict like me.

With a full belly I headed back to the room for a 15 minute nap. The ship was still rocking, but it was much better than the morning. It didn't take but a minute before I drifted into dreams.

At 2pm, there was an Indonesian Crew show, which I was quite excited to see. I love learning about different cultures. I knew that the girls were hoping to watch this as well, but I couldn't find them, so I sat in the balcony overlooking the stage on the port side. About five minutes into the show, an ENORMOUS wake hit hour bow and the entire ship rattled and thudded. Even the crew was caught off guard by the bombastic slap of the ocean.

The Indonesians put on a fun show, which highlighted different aspects of their cultural heritages. At first the crowd was slow to warm up to these performers, but after while, everyone was appreciating the work our crew put into seeing through our every need and our entertainment. We had the most fantastic crew and I was grateful for each and every one of them. Cannot begin to imagine the hard work that goes into being crew on a cruise ship.

The show let out at 3:00pm and then, the race was on.

It was tea time.

And everyone knew it.

Prior to the show, I had strategically positioned myself at the top row so that I could get across the entire vessel before everyone else. For those of you who are thinking, what's the big deal? It's just tea time on a cruise boat filled with mostly retired folk. Well, think of it this way - I'm an old soul who likes caffeine and I was on a ship full of British Canadians...there ya go.

Alas for me, my strategy failed.

HUNDREDS of people over the age of 70 whisked past me. Can't make this up. The people aboard may look feeble, but hot dang, they proved that they could move.

Once we all made it through to the main dining hall, we were given seats assigned by the order in which we arrived. I sat with a lovely pair of sisters, a young lady who was traveling alone, and an older family of native San Diegans. The sisters were in their 80s and they were hilarious. The sisters reminisced oF a cruise they once took when their vessel picked up Cuban refugees in a life boat  in the middle of the night. They spoke as if it was no big deal, just another adventure on a cruise.

At the end of tea time I circled the room. It was the biggest event of the day, so I knew that the odds of finding the girls were good and sure enough I found them.

Well, I found Maggie and Felicia, but Carolyn was still MIA. We talked for a little while before we went off in search for our companion. It didn't take us long. We visited in the hall for a while, then Maggie left to freshen up for dinner. Carolyn, Felicia and I went up to their room where we relaxed a long while. We stood out on their terrace and enjoyed the feeling of the wind on our faces.

Before we knew it, it was dinner time. We made our way down to the Manhattan Room, the main dining area, to see Maggie in line. We enjoyed a fantastic meal. I ended up not doing my second reservation at the fancy restaurant, which worked out for the best. It was far more fun dining with the girls.

Up to this point, we were all under the impression that we did not have cell service; I tried to pull up my published books for Carolyn to see, but remembering that I was on airplane mode, I said, "I'm sorry, we don't have service." No sooner did I finish saying that, Maggie pulled out her phone, which was ringing, and said in it, "Hello?" her cousin had somehow made a phone call through to her.

The look that Felicia and I gave each other was priceless. We could not believe the coincidence.

We ate until we were stuffed. I had to wrap up dinner around 8pm because I had an appointment - there was a massage awaiting me. My plan had been to run to the room after dinner, change into my pajamas and then proceed straight from my massage into my bed, but alas, I ran out of time.

Preparing for the massage was a neat experience. You go into the relaxation room, which was nothing but windows looking out over the sea. It smelled of lavender and was dimly lit. I was already ready to pass out in sleep. (Doesn't take much for me.) After getting changed, I was led to the little massage room to meet my massage therapist named Lydia. She was very nice and gave me THE best massage I've ever had. However, I told the girls that if you haven't had a professional massage before, a cruise is not the place to start. If you have, then it'd probably be one of the best you'd ever have.

After the massage, I floated back to the room, visited with Maggie, then fell blissfully into sleep, rocked by the ever calming arms of the Pacific.

Step Count: 10,477.

Until next week, dear readers, when at sea we will be able to enjoy the Dutchie's Return of the King,

Your humble author,
S. Faxon

ANSWER TO TRIVIA QUESTION: If you guessed Nordstom, you'd be correct!!!! If you guessed Macy's, you'd be close, but wrong.

Boarding, Party of 4

"Who wants to go on a cruise?"

The sentence that hooked me. I had never before been on a cruise. Never thought of it, not seriously. Living in a major tourist destination and working near a cruise terminal brings the Dam ships near my front door frequently. No, I did not curse. That is what they are called - at least, that's what the Amsterdam line is called. That would be the one that called my name. 

My colleague, Maggie, stuck her head in my office one morning and said, "Hey, Sarah, want to go on a cruise?"

I considered it for one small moment and said, "Sure." Gave her my budget and Maggie was off. 

Every few days I'd receive updates on prices and dates until one day - it happened. We found the north bound cruise to Canada on the Nieuw Amsterdam that had our names on it. One of our good friends at work was also in need of a cruise, so we did everything we could until the stars were aligned - we recruited our friend, Carolyn and her friend Felicia, to come along. 

The Ship

From left to right: Felicia, me, Carolyn, and Maggie from atop the ship

Our adventure began on a Monday afternoon. When we ladies met at Anthony's Fish Grotto, we laughed at the amount luggage we each had and pinned on the flours I had brought for each of us. It was Maggie's birthday, so we gave her a birthday sash, had a few laughs, then headed to the terminal. 

We went through the rigmarole of pre-boarding check-in in the enormous B Street Pier. Before we boarded, a photographer pulled us over and took all of our photos. We laughed and posed, all proudly wearing our lovely flowers, which we wore all day, even to dinner.

Second balcony up, us waving to my folks.

My folks came down to the dock to watch us depart. From the balcony of Carolyn and Felicia's room, we waved good bye to them and to the Maritime Museum of San Diego's 101 year old Pilot boat, which floated on by.

The Maritime Museum Pilot Boat on her bay cruise.

Once our boat began to move, we explored the ship. We found the cafe in the Crow's Nest up on the top floor. It was an incredible viewing area. I took some fantastic photos of our city and gave an abbreviated small tour about San Diego to the Canadians and Zonies (what we call people from Arizona) who were listening. All was well until...

I knew ahead of time that gale strength winds awaited us out on the Pacific, but I had no idea how intense it would be. Once we cleared the 400 foot peninsula of Point Loma, the wind broad sided us and the ship began to sway. Being high up on top, we were quite aware of the extra movement, so we booked it out of there and headed back to our rooms to get ready for dinner. 

Made this observation on my way down: a cruise is like a beehive. It seems like chaos at first, but there is order and direction. Every bee has his or her own itinerary and the hive is subject to the whims of nature. Just like those beehives, our boat rocked. Literally and a lot. 

The little TVs said that we were experiencing eight mile per hour winds. The fifteen to twenty foot swells assailing us said otherwise. Let me put that in perspective; in San Diego bay, when we have 12 - 15 knot winds, we see white caps, which are basically the result of one-ish foot swells and it makes for an interesting boat ride, but still comfortable....TWENTY foot swells are the height of two story buildings, and hot-dang do they crash against your 964 foot boat with a BANG. The waves were pounding against our boat. And yes, it was a little nerve wracking. BUT we were all boat people, so surely we would be fine! (I was prepared to the max - I had ginger candies and acupressure bracelets on because I hadn't yet been out on the high seas, so I had no idea how I would do.) 

On my way to my room, I was ping-ponging against the walls from the boat moving. Eventually, I developed better sea legs, but the boat was slamming around so much that the walls were shaking heavily.

Regardless, we all had plans to meet. I had reservations at the Pinnacle Grille, one of the fancy restaurants. I didn't realize at the time how early my reservation was, so when I made it to the room, I flash changed and ran in flip flops in a pitching ship to the restaurant where I changed into heels. The restaurant was lovely and the food was fantastic. I enjoyed a pumpkin sauce scallop, Caesar salad, crab legs, asparagus, and Baked Alaska with Cherry Jerry ice cream. SOOOO good. However, I didn't eat as much as I normally would; the boat was moving so violently that I was going green around the gills. My waitress Anca from South Africa was very kind and helped to keep me distracted. Although it was tough to be distracted when at one point, one lady who had the view of the sea said, "Oh, that's a good one." And then BOOM! A powerful wake struck.

Good times.

The entertainment hall.

After dinner, I went to find the girls and as fate would have it, they were no more than ten feet away in the first hall I searched. We went to find the entertainment for the evening and watched the comedian on board whose name was Russ. He was hilarious. It helped that we had a good crowd of people who were interacting with him. The show room was enormous. The cruise had well over 1,000 passengers, so it's not surprising that the entertainment hall would have the space to accommodate all of us. 

Once the comedy show was over, we went to watch the B.B. King jazz band. The two singers had lovely and incredible voices. We listened to them for some time, then Maggie adjourned from the activities. Carolyn, Felicia and I walked around a bit before also calling it a day. 

The main lobby.

Walking around on a pitching cruise boat was a lot of effort and it was time to rest!

Prior to boarding, we had vowed together to take the stairs and only the glass elevators on occasion, so that we could eat what we wanted guilt free...mostly. I have a Garmin step counter, so I told the girls I'd keep track of our walking adventures. For day one, we reached 11,606 steps.

Until next time when you get to hear about our first full day aboard trapped inside at sea!

Your humble author,

S. Faxon