the ocean is vast, the world is tiny...first day at sea

We walked from our hotel and boarded the ship yesterday afternoon.  It was smooth and effortless. The amount of people hired to ensure non-chaos was stunning.  The lines for waiting were minimal, and because we'd checked in online there was no paperwork.  A quick walk through a metal detector, a glance at our papers and passports (Paper, papers, please!) were given our cruiseship card, had a security quick picture snapped and we were aboard.  Rooms weren't ready, so we did what Jeannie suggested, made our way to the top of the ship then walked through all ten decks learning where things were.  The ship inlcuding our room,  is decorated with a teal-colored theme, a teal never seen in wilderness and certainly not since the 90s.

things I like: lots of open decks, a large gym, a comfy spongy running track - 3 1/2 times around for a mile.
The buffet restaurant is forward, with floor to ceiling windows - Can see where you are going. I love our cabin!  It has much more space than we expected, our stuff fits in drawers and closets with room left over.  We have this HUGE window, this amazing window that takes up the whole of the back wall.  We are about 30-35 feet above the water, I've spent a signficant amount of time looking out the window at ships, sometimes land, always waves and clouds and sun. I don't need much else than that.

Things I don't like so much: hard to get away from the smokers, even though it's considered a non-smoking ship. There's a great lot of broad, polyester-swathed bottoms, slow moving and trailing clouds of perfume and cologne.  People are on this ship going amazing places, and yet can be found in the windowless casino at 9 am with a drink and a cigarette.  Other than that, the service is amazingly friendly and overwhelmingly nice and competant, the food is varied, vast and unending and quite tasty.

Steve and Sheila from Indiana tell us that it's their sixth cruise and the fewest people  from the States they've seen on a ship. They also tell us the important fact they've never had a bottle of wine confiscated that they've smuggled on board from a port. (filed for future reference.)  There's a couple just down the hall from us from Reedsport.  Yes, Reedsport, Oregon.  He owns  that little chainsaw carving gallery on Highway 101, she
works for Lane County.  They were easily recognizable with their silly orange Beaver gear. Gail from Ohio lives a few miles  from my sister in Cincinatti.

I told you all - seriously bad hair.  :)

Had lunch next to a hilarious couple in their late 70s from Scotland, Len and Patty.  He was a boisterous retired Longshoreman,(aye,lassie yes! of course I was union!)  and she was a cheeky lass.  They go on many cruises and usually never leave the ship.  They've been all over the world, and have decided that the cruise ship offers them everything they want and need on a vacation.  We saw them laterdancing a very saucy rhumba in the main area of the ship.  They were having a ball.

Our best times, though have been with the people working on the ship.  Paolo and Carlos from Brazil, Millica from Serbia, Aril from Indonesia., Pablo from Dominica, and the crazy girl from the Phillipines.

Today we had room service breakfast delivered, lounged about and watched the waves, then went to the gym.  I ran three miles, but slowly, because I am on vacation after all.  Roger lifted his weights, and we returned to the cabin, read some books, watched some more waves, and wandered up for lunch.  We listened to a little talk on Amsterdam and Copenhagen, then walked around the windy decks.  Then we read some more, walked a bit, watched the waves...

It's astonishing to be on a big ship moving very fast through deep, cold waters.