Cruising off the California Coast…

We are now into day three of our cruise.  Our departure from San Pedro, California was a late start but we enjoyed the settling in period.    Our daughter Wendy delivered us right to the Departure Area Drop-off Station and we were all checked in and having lunch by 2 pm.  One hitch was the bottle of wine that Dave had…yep…they charged him a $15. Corkage fee for the $5. Bottle but we still have our cocktail drink before dinner in their cabin thanks to Dave’s planning ahead.   Suitcases were unpacked and stored for the duration.  Shari’s large suitcase didn’t arrive until nearly 6 pm…we were all a bit worried as all of her clothes and projects were in that suitcase! 

We explored the ship after the mandatory lifeboat drill and found that our location is perfect for us.  We’re on the 7^th of 12 decks and towards the bow of the ship…just a few steps from the atrium with the elevators and steps… so we don’t have to walk too far to get where we want to go.

Germs are a necessary evil of cruise ships and they have stations everywhere for automatically dispensing Purell and when you enter any food area there is a staff member with a spray bottle saying “washie, washie” as she sprays your hands with Purell.  We feel very safe about the “germ” issue!

Our stateroom is an inside but very comfortable and definitely easy for sleeping as it’s pitch black at night.  Dave and Shari have a beautiful window above their bed so we go to their room to enjoy the view each evening before dinner.  We’ve located the walking deck…level six has a broad walkway, one side for joggers and the other for walkers and all going in the same direction.  Three and half turns around equals one mile in the fresh ocean air.

We’ve been enjoying our dinners in one of the main dining rooms, the Four Seasons, but tonight we’re dressing up and have reservations for the French dining room called Le Bistro.  Jim has found duck on the menu!   Our breakfast and lunches have been in the Garden Café which is on deck 11; just past the pool area.

Yesterday I was walking to the Chapel on deck 12 and thought I recognized a familiar face; I turned around as she was getting up….it was my real estate buddy Faye Hedrick.  We started in the business together with the same broker and when I opened my office, she came with us and was our first “agent” that we hired.  What fun we had reminiscing.  She’d received my email about the blog beginning again and thought that I just might be on the same ship that she was schedule to go on.  So, she’d been looking for me but it was a complete surprise to see her for me.  We haven’t seen each other for years as she moved to Nevada to live near her son.  She’s on the cruise with a friend who lives in Irvine.  We’ll get together for dinner one of these nights. 

The Wine Tasting event was yesterday and while Jim and Shari napped in their rooms, Dave and I enjoyed tasting six different wines paired with cheeses and fruits.  Lots of fun and definitely put a buzz on because as most of you know…I finished each glass.  We passed on our cocktail before dinner last night. 

An early dinner at 5 pm and then enjoyed the 6 pm early show.  The comedian Troy Thirdgill kept us in stiches for an hour with his clean and very funny routine.  The casino is on our floor so we walk through it regularly but haven’t dropped a nickel yet.  Actually, it never really seems that busy. 

As we head south along the California and now the Mexican coasts, the water is smooth and we only feel a gentle roll now and then.  The weather continues to get warmer and warmer.  Early this morning….we woke at 6:30 am as opposed to Sunday morning when we slept in until 9 am.  Went upstairs to The Garden Grill and found coffee and chocolate.  Enjoyed the balmy weather in the still dark sky before bringing our drinks back to our room so that I could type on my Blog.

I will not be posting slideshows until we reach Florida but plan to put some photos in each time.  The Internet is okay but not speedy and at forty cents a minute, because I purchased a package or it would be seventy-five cents, time flies and it get’s expensive!

Thanks for checking to see how we’re enjoying our cruise. We will visit Puerto Vallarta in Mexico tomorrow..Tuesday…plan to stay in the port area, as we’ve been there before.  

Here, finally, is the long promised slideshow...hope you enjoy.