We woke up at 6:00 am because Paul requested breakfast then, although Paul thought he requested it at 8:00 am. We quickly ate and spent two hours on the balcony drinking coffee and watching the rain squalls pass by. While having breakfast, we were alerted that our pictures from last night were ready!
I am so lucky to be married to such an angel.
Dang! What can I say, except she is even prettier on the inside.
From last night.
The sea was calm, and we could see 15 miles to the horizon, hoping not to get too close to the edge and fall off!
A shipload of blue paint crashed into a shipload of red paint. The crews were marooned.
Rain in the distance.
A knock was heard at the door at 6:00 am, and Mary jumped under the covers leaving me to greet to poor little lady with the food. I opened the door, and she screamed with the shock of facing double ugly this morning. I assured her I did not bite. After regaining her composure and calling security, we set the order down on the table and scampered back to the safety of the hallway.
The order had plates from floor to ceiling, and we dined all morning.
Mary no longer allows me to order room service
Did You Know? The nautical term bridge originated from the narrow, raised platform “bridging” the two sides of the first steam-powered vessels that typically had paddle wheels on either side of the ship.
It should be illegal to look this good at 6:00 am!
Breakfast is served.
We stayed in the room until 10:00 am when it was time to visit the bridge as a guest of the Captain. Security checked us and went up a slight incline at the end of your hallway. More security doors opened into a large room spanning the entire ship’s width, plus 30 feet on either side.
The Captain greets us on his bridge.
Computers were everywhere! So much information is available to the Captain and his bridge officers. Click the picture to see all the info on just one of the screens.
We looked for the steering where today’s ships are steered using a joystick. No giant wheel, just a tiny little stick.
Computers have changed the sailing world.
The bridge appeared surprisingly tidy, except for the multiple CRTs exhibiting vital data. It was roomy and allowed the staff to move about freely. Five people are always on duty, and the Captain’s quarters are directly downstairs. Two officers driving the ship and two able seamen watch out ahead and to the sides.
The Master Of The Ship knew everything!
The officers on duty never play cards? Why, you ask? Because the Captain was standing on the deck.
He passed control over to Mary, knowing she was an expert at anything. He looked worried when she began to say, “Dive dive, periscope depth!”. I think she learned that from a movie.
Mary was given the helm.
When coming into a harbor, each side of the bridge has an area that juts out 30 feet over the ocean to the Captain can see the stern of the ship! This allows the Captain to see everything when navigating in small areas.
The bridge is uncluttered and quite roomy.
After the tour, we went to lunch at the DaVinci dining room. They had another special pasta which I devoured.
Dang. I married a mermaid!!
We returned to our room from lunch to prepare for the Hulu lesson! I was loosened up by then and did the hula once or twice.
Hula time. The hokie-Lau was Mary’s favorite.
Look at this girl go!
I tried, but hula is not my best dance.
After our Hula class, we went to line dancing and then returned to our cabin to prepare for dinner at the Grille. Although the Captain stood us up, we understand that his duty to the safety of over 5,000 people comes first!
Flowers for M’Lady!
We opened a bottle of champagne and shared it with two other passengers. They reciprocated by sending us a glass of Johnnie Walker Blue Label!
Johnnie Walker Blue Label is a notoriously expensive bottle due to simple market economics: It is a scarce blend. The scotches that form the Blue Label blend are rare, and only one in every 10,000 casks is considered sufficient to deserve the label.
We opened the Dom Perignon and shared it with a young couple.
We had a delightful dinner, and by 8:30 pm, we were on our way to the dance floor, where we danced for a couple of hours; we even got out and did some serious two-stepping.
Dinner was delightful!
On the way out, Mary met another lover of animal prints.
Mary met another animal print fan as we departed the dining room
Bring on the music; we are ready to tear up the dance floor. We two-stepped back and forth and even got applause from those more inhibited than us.
What’s the mystery writer’s favorite dance? The twist.
We went to one of the lounges and danced for about two hours to various forms of music.
Finally, at 10:00 pm, we went up to Skywalkers and danced a few before crawling back home for the evening. We were home by midnight!
What is a dance that begins at 10 pm called? Attendance.
