First Day of Cruise

by Lise - an avid cruiser

(Somewhere in the Caribbean Sea)

November 11, 2008

This is our first day at sea. We are sailing from Fort Lauderdale along side Cuba which is a very big island.

It was cloudy when we got up but as we were admiring the view from our balcony we saw some dolphins playing along the side of the ship. What a sight first thing in the morning...wouldn't mind waking up every morning this way.

After breakfast we spent some quiet time reading on our balcony. As we went for lunch the weather cleared and we had blue sky and sun for the rest of the day. We decided to join the rest of the ship population and found 2 chairs on the very top deck. Very windy but that's the only way I can sit in the sun long enough to get a tan.

Around 3:30, as I was looking for a bathroom, I discovered they were showing a live show of Josh Groben on the big outdoor screen. So had to sit and watched for about 30 minutes. Met some nice people who also told me they serve free ice cream and warm cookies every day in the buffet restaurant. So of course had to try it! What a way to spend the day!

Today was also the first formal dinner and we decided to get all dressed up (after all we had packed all the necessary clothes) and go for dinner.

We had chosen the option of "Anytime Dining" as opposed to assigned seating so we can go to dinner any time we want. We could ask for a table for 2 or we could ask to share with others. At this time, we decided to be alone. We didn't have to wait long, maybe 10 minutes.

As we sat down, the couple sitting at the next table was speaking French (like us) and we started to talk. It happens that they live aobut an hour from us...small world.

The food was good but nothing extra like we are used to. I must say that so far the food, especially at the buffet, was much better on Carnival and there was a lot more choices.

Next we'll be Cruising the Caribbean Sea