Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
I knew that Mary watching all those Viking TV series while she was recovering would be a problem!
Joe picked us up and took us to the port using the van. We zipped right along, arriving right on time, 11:45 am. We got our bags checked in and walked to the boarding area. We bought “The Key,” which gave us priority boarding and muster check-in, so we were in the special luncheon facilities for Key members by 12:30!
It was a cool but beautiful day; the rain storms were gone.
We passed by the Iowa, and although it looked dangerous, it was pretty small compared to the Navigator of the Seas.
This battleship is a fantastic piece of 1940s technology!
Lunch was provided for us in the dining room, and of course, we started the day with filet mignon… and a glass of vino. I opted for a gin martini to get into the mood, and it worked. Before lunch, I was already battening down the hatches and suggesting that certain people walk the plank. All I needed was an eye patch.
We have arrived.
First things first, lunch!! It was nice to sit down in a quiet area and plan the rest of the day!! 
Eat heartily, mateys! We have a special dinner, and a comedian is performing in the theater. Deck the hulls with waves of laughter.
We were dressed for the day; we got the memo about wearing red. Mary got many comments about her outfit as we strolled around the ship! I thought she was a standout for sure.
We got the memo about wearing red. We are Sailing through life, one wave at a time.
We went to see our room, and it was quite lovely. We did not have a grand piano this time, but I brought the iPhone and a Boom Box to cover all bases.
We were patient and watched TV.
We explored the room, which was pretty nice. The bowling alley was a little short, but we could get used to it!
The TV rotates; you can also see it from the bed! It turns 180 degrees!
As we sat in the Suite Lounge on the 12th floor, the ship began moving precisely at the predicted 4:00 p.m. departure time. The adventure really began! To the amazement of Mary, Jon, and Sarah, I jumped up and started singing “Yo Ho, Yo Ho—It’s A Sailor’s Life For Me” at the top of my lungs.
The reaction of the ship’s security team was interesting. Did I mention that the brig has padded cells?
We headed to our room, hoping the bags would have arrived. We did have all but one, and we now know why! Mary took her heating pad, and it was a no-no. They kept searching for more contraband, delaying that bag’s arrival for almost an hour.
At 5:36 p.m., the sun set over Catalina. You could almost hear the hissing of the boiling water!
Down it goes; see you tomorrow!
At 6:00 p.m., if you look carefully along the bottom, about 40% from the left-hand side, you can see the lights of the city of Avalon!
Good night Catalina, see you in a week!
For all my friends my age, I expanded the view!
Avalon says, “Hello.”
We had a Valentine’s Day Special Dinner at the steakhouse. Mary, Jon, and I ordered the lamb chops, which were terrific.
We are ready to eat!!
Done to perfection! I thought to myself (always dangerous to do) that “Mary HAD a little lamb”; she really did!
Oh boy!
The desserts were quite tempting; I had two. The key lime pie was quite interesting. I thought of Jeff, but it would not keep for a week. Sorry, Jeff!
The meringue was fabulous.
We will depart for the theater; one last gaze into her eyes! We sipped champagne all through dinner and didn’t even order a drink.
Everyone loved my jacket!
The Valentine’s Day cake was huge! We could not eat another bite, but Mary took a flower from the top and chewed on it until I mentioned it was plastic.
Oh my… it could be used as a lifeboat!
Jon and Sarah took the pictures we had taken to their room and were going to meet us at the theater. We did not see them, so they probably crashed. We went to the last of the comedians’ shows, which was pretty good. I was advised not to perform my “naked comedian” act as a follow-up to the show, so I stayed clothed, which was a good idea since it was cold outside.
We looked for some live music to dance to, but we apparently hit them at shift change, and the bands were on a break. We went to our room instead, where, to our surprise, two geese were making whoopies on our bed! I pointed out to Mary that they were NOT real.
She shared her roses with the geese while we got ready for bed.
Romance is in the air!
We watched TV for about 2.3 minutes before crashing. It was a good day!
