At the Spa Relaxation Area, Blogging.

Full Day on the Ship

Sometime after going to bed we finally made it out of the Mississippi River and into the open water. It's a much rougher journey than I anticipated - it's a mostly sunny but windy day on the water, with plenty of white caps and the ship loading back and forth. I feel like I'm drunk, even though I only had one Bloody Mary before lunch.

You will have to forgive my unoriginal blog post... I realize a good blog is more than a run-down of events, but this is about the best I could come up with today.

Barry began his day with a yoga class, while I spent time in the hydro spa, checking out the sauna, stream rooms, and hot tubs. I discovered that being in a hot tub is very strange, with the water sloshing back and forth in the pool.

We left the spa area for a brief lecture on the history of the Mayan city states, in anticipation of being in the Yucatan. Next Barry and I grabbed a drink before going to a seminar in the gym about Detox. (Ironic?) Following the seminar we met Gywen and Benny for lunch.

For enjoying a leisurely day on the ship, at this point we were worn out. We took a quick nap and then we're back at it: Barry enjoyed an acupuncture session while I ironed clothes (what fun!) and then took a jog on the deck ouside. Running was an interesting challenge, considering the wind, the narrow winding path, the rocking of the boat, and the other people on deck.

Barry and I enjoyed another quick visit to the hot tub and sauna before going back to our room to change for dinner. We decided to dress up this evening and had pictures taken before dinner. Then we caught the beginning of tonight's show ("high-energy" 70's pop tunes) in the theater before having a detox assessment. The cruise staff never misses an opportunity to see more stuff.

We ended the evening with another LGBT gathering in the Star Bar. It was fun getting to know a few people better.

So much for sitting in the sun and reading all day!

Headed to Sea

Day 1:

Our voyage is underway!

We are travelling with Barry's mother Gywen and her friend Benny, a retired music teacher and the director of the Monroe County Music Makers women's chorus in Bloomington.

The first day of our cruise began with a beautiful morning in New Orleans. We took a trolley from our hotel in the Garden District to the French Quarter for breakfast and discovered that our chosen restaurant was closed for renovations. We found another place nearby which was very good, then walked about a mile back to the hotel to pack up and check out.

We took a wild cab ride to the port and went in, where we stood in line to get into a second line to check in. It was crowded and a little chaotic, and Gywen nearly four back in the first line after we checked in.

The next several hours were packed. We found our rooms, visited the concierge to ask a question, filled out some waiver forms at the excursion desk, grabbed some champagne at the bar, and went to sign up for services and classes at the spa and gym just in time to muster for the safety training. Then Barry and I went for our first massages. They lasted about an hour and a half, and the ship set sail during the massage. I've never paid so much for a massage in my life, but at least it was a very good one.

Following the massage we immediately met up with Gywen and Benny and went to dinner. We ate at the Venetian, which was large, ornately decorated, very busy, and noisy. Gywen asked how I was enjoying the cruise, and I had to say that so far it was a bit overwhelming. The entrées at the Venetian were very good, so we had a nice dinner, but the desserts were boring.

After dinner we rushed to the opposite end of the ship to catch the very end of the variety show.  After the show we had time to go back to our rooms and unpack, since our bags had arrived during the massages. We ended the night with an LGBT reception in one of the bars. We meet some nice people there, specifically two retired women from Ashville who play old-time bluegrass music. One of them had a PhD in history from IU!

On Board, Ready to Sail.

Cruising

It's now less than three weeks until our first-ever cruise. This weekend we finalize our shore excursions; now all that's left to do is pack and decide how we will spend our time on the ship. Plenty of options there - but I'm sure a trip to the spa will be in the mix.

Our shore excursions will include a little beach time, snorkeling, Snuba, and a Mexican cuisine cooking lesson. We will be spending Christmas Day visiting the Chacchoben MayanRuins in the Quintana Roo province of Mexico. 

Temple at Chacchoben. Photo credit: https://www.chacchobenruins.com/

Unfortunately, due to limited and very expensive internet access on the ship, we won't be bloggin much during this vacation. We will plan to post the highlights following the trip.