Two new ladies take a Bow

I'm sure I'll get a 'stern' rebuke for that pun in the title of this blog entry, but lately I'm enjoying taking pictures of cruise ship "nose art". You'll recall a picture of the Norwegian Pearl in an earlier blog, while we were on Freedom of the Seas in February. This trip, we ventured into virgin territory after eighteen or so cruises on Royal Caribbean, and decided to try Freestyle Cruising, offered by NCL. Freestyle meant no having fixed main dining room seating at either 6 PM or 8:30 PM, and we could choose to eat by ourselves, or with friends. Seeing as how I had to fight for three days during the last weekly cruise on RCCL to get the seating I had on paper, but not in the ship's computer, this was refreshing for a change.

The trip took us from Port Canaveral to Nassau in the Bahamas, then St. Thomas (American Virgins), then San Juan, Puerto Rico, and finished at NCL's private island, Great Stirrup Cay. Elizabeth took her new snorkel gear, and got to use it in three of the four stops, and we did the rain forest and Senor Frogs in San Juan. Lots of pictures of her in pink fins, mask and snorkel, but
we'll respect her privacy and look at the sleek bodies of ships this entry. The waters off Nassau were choppy, and she got run over by a paddle board, and was dodging kayak paddles as well - this is what happens when four different activities are all sharing the same large catamaran - who says there's no greed in tour operators. Sixty five people were doing snorkel, powered snorkel, clear bottomed kayaks, regular kayaks, and paddle boards (standing room only, so to speak). I chose to stay on the boat and read. Water was also choppy in St. Thomas, but this was off a beach - so sunlight was not great which reduced visibility. The only calm water was on Great Stirrup Cay, where the waters were great, and not the least bit "stirred up".

I really enjoyed this ship, and did a few more activities than my wife - two trivia contests where I sat with younger folk and demonstrated my "name that tune" abilities. Went to the art auction, didn't buy a thing while drinking free champagne. Got some actual sun on my face and only gained weight in the single digits. Ate lots of salmon for breakfast, with capers and onions and cheeses, and croissants. Even cut my food and didn't switch hands with my fork, I was feeling so European.
Of course, the downside of eating salty food is water retention. It caused me to remove my wedding band, which I managed to then leave behind on the ship. This was not good - but it was cutting off my circulation (in the finger, not the discotheque). Actually did manage to dance a bit - not that most folk would recognize my gyrations as dancing. Like many white folk, I'm fundamentally rhythm challenged, but I had fun trying. As they say "what happens on the ship, STAYS on the ship" and "you'll never see most of these people ever again". That's certainly a relief to know.