After an airplane trip that took two full days, we finally arrived in Miami, got on a transfer bus, and made it to the cruise ship. It is an incredible sight to behold, with 12 decks and every possible thing you could ever need. It is like a floating city! We spent the first hours on board exploring, eating a delicious buffet lunch, checking out the Miami skyline, and marveling at the feeling of being outside and not needing a jacket! In fact, often it is more comfortable for us outside due to air conditioning inside.
We met our table mates at the dining room the first night; our waitress’ name is Martina, and she is from Trinidad. Almost every person who works on this ship is from another country; it’s like a little miniature “world” on here! Everyone always loves it when we say we are from AK; it’s like we are from Mars or something! The food was very good, and the company very pleasant. Kirk had a bottle of wine, and they cork it for him, and bring it out to the next night’s dinner, until it is gone.
We just can’t get over the level of service that is everywhere. If you want something, it is taken care of. Everything is sparking and clean, because there are tons of people working everywhere at all times. There is a full doctor’s clinic, which is helpful for that injury Martina has, and they have been keeping it on the road to recovery. So far, in the past 36 hours, we’ve: played shuffleboard, worked out (Kirk twice in one day,) laid in the sun, had some tropical drinks, walked over just about every inch of the ship; played slot machines in the casino, (Martina has won small amounts a few times,) watched an NCAA playoff game, got a haircut (Martina,) eaten at Portofino, the fancy Italian restaurant, ordered free room service, watched cooking demonstrations and art auctions, walked and walked some more, watched movies and the karaoke event at a late night bar, and just generally relaxed and had a ton of fun.
Portofino was a wonderful gourmet experience, as you can see in the pictures. Martina had a delicious seafood skewer that included lobster, shrimp, scallops, and salmon. The dessert was a sampler plate with all of their desserts in small portions…so yummy. And check out the after-dinner, thanks-for-dining-here “mint;” it was a tower with cookies and chocolate covered strawberries! A very decadent evening, for sure!
Tomorrow there are a million more things planned, including church services, a ping pong tournament (which Kirk can win, for sure!), more workout time and several fitness classes, a scrapbooking class, volleyball, and so many more things we can’t name them all!
We are amazed, relaxed, pampered, and a bit in shock that we still have about 9 more days of this! We am enclosing some pictures of all the fun we are having…
Katie: What are you doing at home these days? Please answer the blog and tell me what you are doing. Martin can type it for you. The pictures you made for us are right on our mirror in our cabin!
Jake: Have Martin take a picture of your cool shoes to post on the blog. We want to see them. Please be helpful and kind to grandma and Katie, and get along with your brother, ‘kay?!
Martin: How was skiing on Friday? Did the weather improve enough to make it worth your while? What else will you be up to this week? We hope you have a great break; be sure and call some friends and make some arrangements to have some fun together!
Aruba is a desert, and the cacti were everywhere. We found a herd of wild goats, hung out at the beach, and enjoyed the warm but windy weather.
The pictures above are at a famous local hangout called Charlie's. It was started many years ago and the grandson of the founder now runs it. The inside of the bar is covered with souvenirs; walls and ceilings are not visible. We had awesome giant shrimp and locally brewed beer, and enjoyed the stories of a local fellow who'd been around for years and years.
