General Thoughts

We crossed the Equator last night. That means we are getting close to home. 1000 miles left to go. Puerto Vallarta is in just three days. Having been so far, Mexico almost seems like home. I have mixed feeling about getting off the ship. Of course I want to see my home and family and I want to go somewhere to get over this cold but otherwise, I could do this for a lot longer time. Jack seems to be ready to get home. You guess he is looking forward to doing our taxes? I wish I could be home for Keller's birthday. At the end of our cruise we will have sailed 16,146 miles.

The trip has been amazing. The only complaints I have are the length of time it took for embarkation in Fort Lauderdale, not enough movies for in room viewing and running out of cold medications. My favorite part of the trip has been visiting the ports, even the museums. My favorite port was Puerto Montt and the Chilean horses. Next I liked the penguins in Puerto Madryn.

Some of the entertainment on board is outstanding. The best we have experienced on any cruise.
* The singers and dancers are superb and very energetic.
* The Elite Band is OUTSTANDING. I love it when they play in the lobby.
* Comedians, jugglers, singers and ventriloquist are the normal average sort. Some really bad and others good.
* The entertainment in the bars and lounges is good too. Goose has been creative by bringing some of the house acts into the showroom for performances. We especially enjoyed a piano concert.
* The naturalist Dirk is fun, approachable and interesting. The ports would never have been as much fun without having first listened to his talks. He loves birds and so do I. He has been a highlight.
* There are drawing lessons, picture taking and Photoshop seminars and crafts classes. They even give you all the materials for the crafts. Lots of people are working on needlepoint/crossstitch. Even the men.
* We went to Spanish and Portuguese classes. They were entry level but we always learned something.
* Jack likes to go to the Writer's Workshop where they share their writing and coach each other.
* Bridge lessons and Duplicate Bridge sessions have been well attended.
* They have been creative in order to keep us entertained. All of this in addition to the usual cruise activities like trivia, art auctions, Bingo (about once a week... not everyday.), games and of course the Casino.
* Mickey Live gives photography and computer lessons. He is a passenger just like me but has volunteered his skills. Carnival would be smart to add an act like his to the fleet. We are learning a lot and enjoying it.
* Unfortunately there hasn't been enough variety to the movies on board. We have been watching the same ones over and over. Goose says these are all he was given. He has finally gotten more but US TV is back and it doesn't much matter any more.
* We went to the library and liked reading the blog and put a piece in the puzzle but there weren't many books and it is small so we don't go often.
* They made the Piano Bar non-smoking but the player in the piano bar has carpal tunnel.
* People say the casino takes and NEVER gives. What else would they expect?
* We see the cruise director, Goose, on the morning show on TV each sea day. He and his staff tell us about all the events scheduled for the day and answer questions for us. Some people don't like him. "They" say he does not speak when you happen to walk past him. We have never interacted with a CD on any previous cruises so I couldn't say. I don't understand wanting a personal relationship with the entertainment manager. The entertainment has been outstanding and the entertainment staff delightful. I would have liked more movies onboard though.

We are three sea days to our next port. I hope to sit on the balcony and finish my book. Sometimes concentrating on the pages is difficult.I like sitting out there and just looking at the sea. You have to look closely but once your eyes adjust you can see all sorts of sea life.
* Birds of all kinds are flying, floating and diving.
* There are whale's spouts and whales breaching.
* The dolphins travel in groups and look like a cluster of white caps at first.
* The sea lions swim along under water and then lift their heads to look around.
* The fish mostly stay under water but some move across the top of the water by propelling themselves with their fins.
* When we see kelp floating, we know other wild life is close by.
* We can sit out there for hours just watching the water go by.

The sun rising and setting has been another treat. I will never forget how brilliant the orange in the sky as the sun set as we were leaving Puerto Madyrn and Arica. Or the way the sun burst out over the horizon arriving in Ecuador.

Our dinner table is delightful and interesting. The same eight of us will have spent 49 days together at the end. Our four couples could have broken up but chose to sit together the entire time.
* Bob and Jane live in Laramie WY where he is a semi retired professor. He has been at The U of W for over 30 years. Jane is a retired nurse.
* Freddy and Gordie live in Fl now. He is a retired teacher too. He taught at U of Maryland and was a contract teacher for the US Army. She has done lots of things..... dental hygienist and running a pre-school for handicapped children being the ones she talks about the most.
* Bill and Sue Ann live in Calif. He is a retired dentist who spent some time as an investment counselor. She seems to have been in real estate and raised her children. She now helps her husband in property speculation. They spent most of their life in New York.
They all like Jack but not me as much. I have been sick and really not up to conversation.

I think the staff on the ship must have been hand picked. They are way above expectations in efficiency, friendliness and willingness to serve. Our wait staff has been the same through out. Bianca and Gil have learned each person's individual tastes. They really anticipate our needs. Our cabin steward from the first leg stopped us in the hall this morning to ask how our trip had been. You see that same attitude in all areas... not just waiters and cabin stewards but even the purser's desk and Infirmary!!

Anyway it will be a sad day when we disembark in San Francisco om March 21.