Cruise 2009

Cruise Day 1
After spending a fun weekend with Jill and Nathan, Nathan drove us to Long Beach to board the Mariner of the Seas. Before saying goodbye, we had a wonderful brunch of Spinach Strudel, Blueberry Crepes and Goulash at a cute Hungarian bakery near the dock.

Checking in was painless and we were on board within 15 minutes of arriving. That left us several hours to acquaint ourselves with the ship before sailing. Our cabin is on deck 8 Aft. We have a very large balcony on the back of the ship. The cabins are the usual size. Because of the aft location of the cabin, we’ll get plenty of walking during our vacation.

The 4th deck has a walkway all the way around the ship and my best guess puts it at close to ½ mile per lap. Near the front one has to climb to the 5th deck to get to the front. Great view from there.

My bag didn’t arrive in the stateroom in a reasonable amount of time, although Pat got his and our golf club arrived. So, I checked with Guest Relations and mine was being kept for a security breach. Yes, I unknowingly took contraband on board. A travel iron, which was confiscated prior to my being allowed to have my bags. How embarrassing.

During our tour of the vessel, we found several places we think we’ll hang out. The Royal Promenade is an ingenious addition to a cruise ship. It seems like a village street with shops, bars, coffee shop, bakery, ice cream parlor, and more. Fun place to sit and watch people. There’s also a nice lounge on the 14th deck with comfy chairs and a view of the pool.

At dinner, we met two couples who share our table. They seem nice. Sadly, one of the couples lost all their luggage on their way from Texas. They’re hoping it catches up with them in Cabo. Dinner was good, then we wandered around a bit and headed to bed.

Day 2 – At Sea
Not much to say. Coffee & Muffin, long walk, workout, breakfast, hang on the pool deck all day and read, lunch. 3 naps & 3 ice cream cones. Formal dinner. More to come on that tomorrow.