Sea Day

Seeing as how today is a sea day, I wanted to give a bit of insight into what life is like aboard the ship. In a word, it's heaven! Each day, we wake up, and the first thing I do is draw the curtains so that we can look out on the balcony and see the sun rise. We are usually awake by 5:30 am or 6 at the latest, which we think is due to jet lag and just general excitement over the fact that we are... well, in Southeast Asia!

Every morning, we go up to the Lido Deck on the 8th floor where there is a buffet for breakfast. There is everything you can think of... there is an omelette station, a pancake/waffle station, a fruit station, and everything else. We eat up there looking out over the ocean each morning. Or, if we want to avoid being around other passengers, we just order breakfast to our room. It costs nothing, and you can order whatever you want. Each morning, we get a “newspaper” delivered to our room. It is an abbreviated version of the New York Times. People from other countries get a similar paper from their countries. There are many Canadians, British, Irish, Aussies, Germans, and many others on board. It was thanks to this newspaper that we learned about the huge protest in Bangkok the day after we left!

After breakfast, there are always different activities on the ship. For example, they have guest speakers who talk about the history of the different ports of call, or competitions and games. Each day, they have a trivia/quiz, and the movie theatre shows a new movie each day. There is a culinary arts center where they show you how to make different dishes. They even have an entire wall full of travel guides for the countries we will visit.

There is also a library/internet cafe where you can check email and read magazines/newspapers/books. If you prefer to stay in your room, there are many channels, including world news, movies, and sit-coms. You can also rent DVDs and watch them in the stateroom. We sometimes just sit on the balcony and read, or go up by the pool where there is live music. We also sometimes go to the gym to workout, and it is nice to run or walk on the treadmill while looking out over the ocean. For lunch, we try not to eat too much, because the food on the cruise is so abundant that it's easy to overindulge. So, we usually have something light for lunch.

When it's time for dinner, this is the really incredible part. It's like fine dining every night. Everyone has to dress up, even on “smart casual” nights, and on formal nights, men wear tuxedos or suits, and women wear formal dresses. Once you are seated, a wine steward comes over to take your order. They remember which wine you order from one day to another, so they may say, “Will you have your normal Merlot, Mr. Kelly?” Then, they given you a new menu every day with many options. They really do have gourmet dishes, including chilled soups, wild game, pasta... there is something for everyone. They even have a full vegetarian menu. The desserts are incredible too. And, you don't pay a penny... all meals are fully included in the price of the cruise. There is also a grill near the pool where they always have burgers and pizza, and grilled shrimp. They also have desserts and ice cream all day long, and you can get coffee or tea anytime.

After dinner each night, they have live shows – comedians, music groups, etc. They also have a string quartet that plays during dinner. And, they have a piano bar on the ship where someone plays piano and they have singalongs. They also have a bar that looks out over the ocean, where you can have cocktails – two for the price of one – during happy hour. A waiter brings appetizers for you while you have your drinks. When you get back to your room each night, they have cleaned up the room, placed new towels in the bathroom, and they put fresh fruit in a bowl and chocolates on the pillows. They even have stationery here that is printed with our name and stateroom number. The attention to detail is amazing!

Of course, the ship is mostly full of older passengers. There are a few young couples, but most couples are in their 60s, 70s, or 80s. In fact, we had dinner one night with a man who was 92, and traveled all the way from Florida to Singapore by himself! He had a hearing aid, but aside from that, he seemed to be in great form.

There is never any shortage of things to do on the ship, and we really enjoy the days at sea to relax. In fact, it is hard to believe we have less than a week to go now on the ship. On Saturday, when we arrive in Hong Kong, we will have to pack our bags and we will be on land from there on out in China. We'll miss being on the ship! But, everyone tells us that we are going to love China. Just a couple more stops in the Philippines on our way to Hong Kong.

By the way, I may have forgotten to mention that the ship has a photographer that takes professional photos of you while at sea and at some ports of call. Here are a couple of pics I took of those photos. We will scan them when we get home. And, we have so many pictures to share from all the ports! We are just sharing the highlights here. Anyway, enjoy these pictures of our pictures! We'll be writing again soon from Puerto Princesa, Philippines!