Baltimore boarding and our days at sea

We arrived in Catonsville to visit the kids and our new grandson

for just about an hour, then on to the Best Western O'Donnell for our park and cruise package.  It was a perfectly good hotel, the reception told us everything we needed to know AND they had an onsite restaurant.  Life was good.  We had a very decent dinner - they had a huge menu, a buffet to choose from, and a special menu for restaurant week.  We opted for a crab cake (me - it was very good), and chicken marsala for Bill which he pronounced good.  The hotel room was OK, the walls a bit thin and we heard a lot of doors closing loudly at night, but it was OK.  The shuttle service was very good.  They had contacted me about a week before and told us we were to leave at 10:15.  At checkin we were told to check in with the service at 10.  We of course were there early, signed in, and got underway early.

Boarding day!

Checkin at the port was amazingly quick, and we were on the ship at 10:45!  This is a photo of the Centrum, kind of the heart of the ship where we parked ourselves for a bit.

 We got some lunch in the solarium at the Park Cafe because we didn't want to deal with the Windjammer buffet.  Just before 1 we got the OK to go to our staterooms and unpacked our carry ons.  Our stateroom was on the lowest deck we have ever stayed on - 2 - and was an ocean view.   It was perfectly fine.  We had a drink at the Schooner Bar

before braving the cold (did I say a snow storm was coming in this day?) and going to the outside deck forward to watch the ship go under the Key Bridge.  It was amazing to see, and it seemed it would just make it!

On to the welcome aboard show where the cruise director told some jokes, the singers and dancers did their thing, and the band (VERY good) played.  One of the things we enjoy about cruising is the music to be found throughout the ship.  Let me say here that we have met SO many kind people on the ship so far.  And one of the folks we met while listening to classical guitar and a violin was "Elbow".  He's 88, had lost his second wife 1 1/2 years ago, and was originally from Argentina.  He has lived and worked in the states for many years, and LOVES NYC.  I told Bill as we left there that he had done his good deed for the day by conversing with him at such length.  We have engaged many other cruisers in conversation, which almost always starts with where are you from?

Dinner is My Time Dining, where you can go when you want.  We had no wait to be seated and were seated at a table for 2 which was nice.  We had a very nice meal and then one more martini in the Schooner Lounge while listening to a piano player  (a lemon drop for both of us) before bed.

Day 2 - at sea

Sleep was easy, and we awakened and planned our day.  First stop - breakfast.  The Windjammer was moderately packed, so we found a table and got our food and were on our way.  Then to the cruise critic gathering where the cruise director, activities director, and hotel director spoke.  It was well attended.  Then a slot pull we had signed up for via cruise critic.  You each pay $15, all the money is pooled and put into one machine.  We drew chips for when our turn was and when it was done any money won is split between the participants.  It was a $3 machine so we each got 5 pulls (or pushes on the button as it is).  Both Bill and I won $15 each for the pot.

 In the end, each participant got $9 so we were happy.  I don't think I'd do this again, as the casino is SOOO smokey.  I'd like to hold my breath and go play slots once on our cruise but I dunno.  By this time the prediction by the captain that things were going to get a bit rough with higher seas for the next day.  As we went to lunch we saw LOTS of barf bags out, and walking was getting a bit more challenging. Between seabands and Bonine, Bill and I were OK but others weren't so lucky.

 Lunch was followed by us splitting up and Bill going to a spy type movie (his thing not mine) at the theater, and I waited to participate in a learn the Thriller dance class (YES - on a rolling ship - aren't I brave?)  I guess we are supposed to perform at the end of the cruise.  The teacher had not taught this, there were plenty of participants, and there were 3 small kids who weaved in and out of the group so.... day 1 was semi-successful.  We'll see how day 2 goes.  No matter what, I moved my body a bit and had fun.

We went to the early show again which was a very fun Beatles tribute band.  They got the crowd involved and it was fun.  Then off to dinner.

This was "formal night" so I wore a nicer pair of pants and a top and dressed it up with a bigger than normal necklace for me.  Bill wore slacks and a collared shirt with a tie.  A compromise between going fancy big time and skipping the dining room altogether to be casual.  After dinner we stopped in the centrum and got a nightcap while watching some very talented cruisers cut a rug to some really good live music.

We came to bed and found this fella waiting for us.....

Day 3 - at sea

We awoke to much calmer - and bluer! waters today.  The weather is quickly improving and by this afternoon all the pool loungers on the pool level were taken, as were all the loungers in the Solarium (an indoor adult pool).  Breakfast and then I joined a dance fitness class and it was fun!  Some reading till I went to Thriller dance class 2, where they threw more moves at us, and then on to lunch.    We then attended a  2 pm talk by the comedienne we saw the first night on the value of laughter in navigating difficult times.  It was very good!  A nap sounded good at this point and we are going to mix it up and go to dinner BEFORE the show.  What freedom the my time dining gives us!

The show tonight was El Goucho - a guy from Argentina who is both a comic and a performance artist.  He uses wooden balls on the end of ropes and it's amazing what he can do with them!  He also did a bit of magic.

We were both beat, so we just headed to bed after the show - no nightcap tonight.   But I grabbed a pic of the happy vacuums they use on the ship because they make me smile!

Day 4 - at sea

We returned last night to see forms for disembarkation times to be requested.  Really???  Isn't this cruise just beginning?  We also found a fill the bag for $29 laundry thing.  What they will take is limited but we managed to fill it up to extend our clothing.  Tough to pack for a 12 day cruise when you need both warm and cold clothing.  Speaking of warm, today is warm and windy!  We decided to have breakfast in the main dining room instead of the buffet for a more civil experience (and my beloved eggs benedict).  We were seated at a table with 7 others and they were wonderful folks all and we thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast.  Next - to walk off some breakfast!  We went to the 10th deck - which has a measured lap course - and walked 2 miles.  The wind was blowing but the sun was also shining and the water was lovely!

The pool deck below was getting a lot of action though there were still loungers available.  We had been feeling sorry for the poor lifeguard out there guarding an empty pool - now he at least had something to guard!

I attended the learn the Thriller class dance #3 and the guy teaching said "now all you have to do is memorize this".  Is that all?  Honestly, he has never taught this before and he himself forgets some of the moves and starts over so this will be interesting.... opinion on whether to participate in the performance is still out.

Up to get some coffee drinks and read and while sitting there a father and daughter came by asking what the dress code for dinner was.  I told them, and they thanked me saying they were doing a scavenger hunt.  Then as they walked away I heard the Dad say they needed a stuffed animal - I have one!  So I told them and we ran (ok walked fast) down 4 decks to our stateroom and I gave it to them.  As we continued our reading they returned it.  They hadn't won but they had had fun!  And that's all that counts!

On to the show of the night - a show of Rock and Roll numbers (a lot of Motown actually) by the singers and dancers on ship.  Nice show.  Then dinner, a couple of dances while listening to the band in the Centrum (observation: those folks who are GREAT at orchestrated dancing suck when trying to just dance) then bed!  It's gonna be our first island day tomorrow and we need to get up early!  And of course this guy was swimming in our bed wearing Bill's sunglasses.