cruise-ship

Despite having unwillingly skipped most of our intended shore excursions, Ponzi and I have rather enjoyed our time aboard this Regent cruise ship. It’s been a relatively smooth ride, in some part due to the fantastic structure beneath our feet:

Read more on Cruise Ship Engineering…

We had a flightseeing tour over Guatemala scheduled for the day – but early this morning, Ponzi’s body forced us to change our plans. She slept her way through most of the morning hours while I watched Pirates of the Carribean (Dead Man’s Chest) for the first time. No pirates in these Carribean waters now (that I can find)! Today’s excursion would have taken us to Tikal:

Read more on Guatemala Coffee and Shopping…

Initially, we planned on kayaking in Honduras this afternoon. Tour tickets for this port of call were secured earlier this week, but this morning we found ourselves wanting to take a leisurely approach to the day. We lay by the top deck pool for an hour in between breakfast and lunch (without actually swimming). I sucked down an icy, rum-based beverage – par for the course. “Chris P” started to get crispy, so we knew it was time to head indoors. From there, we decided to take a tender ashore for a short while – if only to take a few photographs and make a few memories. Maybe I’ve become fully Seattlized, but I’m already sunned out for the week!

Read more on Rotan Island in Honduras…

Well, so much for free WiFi. Our travel agent from Vacations to Go told us that there would be free access available from the ship’s library, but it’s apparently closer to 35 cents a minute (ouch). I’ll just give Pluggd another plug for having kept us plugged in on our Alaskan adventure a few months back. The climate is certainly warmer in southern Florida!

Read more on Our Honeymoon Cruise Begins…

We made it! The honeymoon has begun! Break out the champagne! Where’s the Tylenol!?

We flew from Seattle to Atlanta, and then from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale – leaving home at 9 AM (PST) and hitting the hotel pillow somewhere around Midnight (EST). It was a long day, but in retrospect – it “flew” (so to speak). The first, and substantially longer, flight was on one of Delta’s newer 757s – with LCD monitors sewn into the back of each seat’s head rest. I watched “Little Miss Sunshine” on demand, a few minutes before Ponzi started to watch the same movie. I laughed, I cried.

Read more on Fart Lauderdale…

Alas, this week is winding down. We’re on our way to Victoria, British Columbia – that’s in Canada, for all of you who aren’t familiar with the name or territory. I’ve only been on the outskirts of Victoria, spending most of my BC time in Vancouver. I hear they have wonderful gardens in Victoria, actually – but I’m not sure if we’re scheduled to see any of ‘em. Ponzi’s signed us up for some kind of tour and “high tea.” Guess that means we’ll be riding around in a bus with our pinkis extended? I wouldn’t mind traipsing through Victoria’s gardens, actually – it must be a shutterbug’s paradise. There’s not a cloud in the sky this morning – nothing but ocean outside our stateroom window. We have a western view for the moment, and that scenery won’t likely change until the evening hours when we roll into port.

Read more on Victoria, Victoria…

I can’t remember falling asleep last night. It’s not like we had a very active day (though I did crash early the night before after another round of fine cigars and cognac). Ponzi was up late, ordering chocolate cake and a club sandwich from room service after Midnight. I woke up to the sound of the ship’s activities director, telling us that we had finally arrived at Sitka. I didn’t want to get out of bed – it was too comfortable. What’s there to do in Sitka? Not much, as we would come to discover.

Read more on Sitting in Sitka…

The world could be ending right now and I wouldn’t know it. Sure, we have satellite television on board – but the time we’ve spent in our suite has been minimal. Internet access is a premium, so I haven’t spent much of my time catching up with the news online. I’m largely unplugged this week (ironic, as Pluggd is keeping me connected to the Internet for the duration of this voyage). Yes, this week wouldn’t be half as much fun if I wasn’t able to log on and post updates near real-time. And as far as I’m concerned, a couple of times a day is just about as close to “immediate” as you get on the high seas. We haven’t been boarded by pirates yet, though.

Read more on The Alaskan Adventure Continues…

Despite weathering a relatively restless night, I feel refreshed. The bed was comfortable enough, with two twin mattresses akimbo, 250 count sheets, and soft pillows. However, my sense of balance kept me from enjoying a peaceful sleep. I think I’m finally getting my sea legs, though. At least, I hope! It’s most difficult to manage when I can’t see the horizon. The temperature outside? Chilly, but certainly tolerable with thicker clothing. Despite the cool climate, We opted to dine on the verandah for breakfast this morning – the view was oceanic and the company kept us warm. Ponzi and I have a private space just outside our stateroom. Despite the weak coffee, they did bring us heavy cream (per our written request). We’re now getting ready to enjoy our day on board, with Ponzi hot to attend a couple of classes (even though some of them are designed to teach you how to buy more junk that you don’t really need).

Read more on A Morning on the Cruise…

We’re finally aboard the Holland America cruise liner! Yes, right now – on a wireless Internet connection. Thanks again to Pluggd for providing the ability for us to get online and post updates. I’ve only been aboard for a couple of hours, but… I’m beyond impressed. Our room is absolutely amazing – and we’ll be able to eat breakfast every morning on our “private” verandah. We’ve got cocktails with the ship’s captain right before dinner – so the fun hasn’t even begun. No, seriously – Holland America is teh shiz. Puts Royal Carribean to shame! Oh man, everything’s so clean. I think this is the first vacation I’ve ever taken when I didn’t want to leave the room.

Read more on Alaska, Ho!…

As noted in my cruise ship report, we have a general schedule for our Holland America [ms Oosterdam] cruise:

• Sat: Arrive at terminal at 1:00pm
• Sat: Depart from terminal at 4:00pm

Read more on Our Alaska Cruise Schedule…