I’d like to say that I slept well and awoke rested but I didn’t. This was probably due to the novelty of sleeping alone, or at least that is what I am telling Helen. I remember all the years we took the overnight ferry to France how it was noisy and, occasionally, rough making sleep a distant possibility. A cruise ship is as different as a Mini is to a Jaguar. While you can hear the ship’s engines they aren’t intrusive and other than one occasion it’s been incredibly smooth. I’m sure once I am used to it there won’t be any sleeping issues.
The first day on all cruises we have been on is spent at sea. This apparently gives you “time to explore the facilities of the ship” so while Helen is currently in the wellness centre having a massage I am in the cabin watching “Live Free or Die Hard”! There is plenty to do on board, albeit mainly eating and drinking and some never leave when the boat docks preferring to stay on board. For us the boat is just a means to an end – to get to some interesting destinations, so being stuck on board all day can be challenging.
What we also considered challenging was how we were going to manage to get our daily 10,000 steps. As it happened that proved rather easier than we had envisioned. Four circuits of the promenade deck is, we’re told, one mile so twenty laps would be sufficient. We didn’t need that much in the end with trips to the buffet helping, although that somewhat negated the benefits of the walking. Our pace was blistering compared to many who were also choosing to burn some calories and there was an odd contrast between the two sides of the boat, as you can see from below.
This is our third cruise, the first being some 15 years ago. I remember being struck by the age of the passengers all those years ago, we were definitely one of the youngest couples there. It’s probably fair to say that the average age of the passengers hasn’t changed that much over the years but our age has come a lot closer to it! In my mind I still see myself as being in my twenties! This age difference is very obvious when there are large groups of passengers together, such as for the Captain’s Gala Dinner, an event that requires me to bring my suit just for a couple of hours use in a two week holiday.
What I said about the smoothness of the cruise ship above proved to be a mistake because as the evening arrived so did rougher weather. At one point hitting the boat hard enough to send glasses tumbling including one of icy water over Helen. I’ll be glad when we can get back onto dry land tomorrow.