First Day of the Cruise

June 7, 2009

Cruise day! Dean and I, of course, had moved out of our apartment prior to our receiving the cruise tickets in the mail. That morning, we mentally prepared ourselves for a tough time explaining the situation and begging our way on board the ship in a different language, if necessary. But actually the boarding process went very smoothly. I attribute this mainly to Dean’s decision of getting a stateroom suite with a balcony. I have to give it to the man, he vacations correctly. While we were whisked off to a separate area to check in so as not to have to wait in line with the “commoners,” I realized why caste systems are still in place. They seem like a really good idea when you’re at the top.

We were ushered onto the ship and quickly found our room, which was wonderful. Located on the highest deck, it’s got a king-sized bed, a couch, a full bath, a flat screen TV, and our own balcony. We spent some time poking around the room, very pleased with ourselves, and then went about exploring the ship for awhile.

I expect ship living is very much like living in an old-folks home. So I rather think I will be well suited to being old, because I very much like the little activities the cruise plans for us. We came across a trivia game that I love. They have different categories, like mythological creatures, historical figures, etc. We quickly teamed up with another couple that, like us, was way too competitive for a trivia game without a prize. Fast forward a half hour, we were all high-five-ing each other for winning. Go us!

Dean made reservations at one of the specialty restaurants for that evening for French food. For my part, I donned a pretty dress and went about telling the waiters it was our honeymoon, then accepted the fawning most graciously. We had a wonderful meal by the ship’s window and watched Spain get smaller and smaller.

After dinner, Dean went to find the casino and I finished up my book on the balcony. (Monster, by Kellerman. I agree very much with Laurie’s review--“It’s okay.”) Dean’s evening was more productive than mine, as he came back with $310 in poker winnings.

We stuck a doortag on the room door with our breakfast-in-bed requests for the next morning and let the slight rocking of the boat lull us to sleep.