A few years ago we actually cruised for five straight days to Hawaii , then stopped off at five of the islands--one per day, before cruising five more days back to LA. That trip will separate the cruisers from the non-cruisers quicker than you can imagine. A few days into the voyage, we were seated at a large table for dinner--no one knew anyone else--and the cheerful older gentleman on my left couldn't stop talking about how much he loved this cruise...he had read five books already...he had never felt better...he was totally relaxed...and, seemingly, completely unaware that his much younger wife, a lovely woman whose well manicured hands were clenched around the stem of her third glass of wine was mouthing "It's awful" and "I hate it!" to anyone whose eyes happened to meet hers.
Thus, cruise ships, knowing that not everyone is comfortable in a confined space, does a wonderful job of scheduling their cruising days tightly...in our case providing 65 different programs/activities between 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m, plus four showings of "The Avengers." So...one could stretch at 7:00, attend Mass at 8:00, enjoy the Signature Shops Sidewalk Sale at 9:00, and be introduced to Acupuncture at 10:00. The list goes on--highlighted by "Body Sculpt Bootcamp," "The Art of Flower Arranging," "Champagne Art Auction," "Learn the Tango", and "The Basketball Shootout With Lifestylist Lance". Considering the age of most of the passengers, I'm guessing that last activity might have been a bit anti-climactic for Lance. Actually, I'm kind of sorry we missed it.
Since we were quite happy sleeping in (so easy to do in a windowless Standard Interior Cabin), that is indeed what we did. After breakfast we explored the ship figuring out what was where on our tiny ship's map. Soon, it was time for lunch followed by a few trips around the deck to walk off the excess calories that accompany most buffets.
Finally, we dropped into the surprisingly well attended lecture on "The Legend of Ernest Hemingway" given by Travel Guide Ian. We learned about Ernest, his life, his books, his travels, his homes, his wives and his unfortunate end. Totally inspired by that lecture, we climbed nine flights of stairs to visit the library (playfully called Explorations Cafe for the pseudo Starbucks atmosphere), to find a Hemingway book or two to read. We had just settled into a comfy cozy couch when a waiter appeared at our side asking if we'd like to order a drink for it was now Happy Hour in the adjoining Crows Nest Lounge. Well, we replied, yes we would. Who knew one could purchase two glasses of wine on any cruise ship for a total of $6.00. A tremendous bargain. Even more tremendous when we got goodies to go with. Before the evening was over, we found ourselves chatting with a couple from Kansas, and meeting two couples from Sun City Grand (practically neighbors) we'd never laid eyes on.
Yes, BC, life is good.
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