Well, it’s not the Disney Cruise. We had to keep reminding ourselves to quit comparing this cruise with the Disney Cruise. After so many Disney Cruises, I think we are spoiled!
We slept in a bit this morning, ordered breakfast in the room, and then starting packing for the next leg of our journey: A 12-Day Baltic Cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas. We boarded the bus at 10:45 and left Cambridge behind. It was about a 2 ½ hour ride to Harwich, England where we were to board the ship. We stopped halfway for lunch at MacDonald’s. It was interesting to see the different menu items available in the UK. They have a whole “Taste of America” menu with items like the Miami Burger. The ketchup was sweet and the shakes tasted strange. I think next time, I would stop in a local pub instead.
We got to the cruise terminal about 12:45 and I must say that everything went very smoothly. By 1:30, we were checked in and onboard the ship. We soon found our stateroom and the kids played video games while Michele & I got everything unpacked. We took a walk around the top deck, checked out the rock-climbing wall, and played some mini-golf. At 4:30, it was time for the lifeboat drill, so we donned our life jackets and headed out to the muster station. Somehow, Michele’s allergies started going crazy during the drill and she had itchy, watering eyes, and a runny nose. Maybe it was someone’s cologne?
At 5:00, the ship left port. Michele stayed in the room to recover from her allergy attack while I took the boys to Kent’s room to hang out on the balcony and watch the scenery drift by. It was a beautiful, cool, afternoon and there were many sailboats out. It was a very relaxing time.
We have the main dinner seating at 6pm, so it was soon time to head to the dining room. We were a little disappointed when we had to stand around in a huge crowd and they didn’t open the dining room until 6:15pm. Why tell us to arrive at 6? We won’t make that mistake again tomorrow.
We had a nice time at dinner. We have 2 tables, so we were a little spread out. Kent & Pi sat with Michele & I and our boys, while Nana & Pop-pop sat with all the girls. Kent ordered some good red wine and soon my irritation at the dinner line was a distant memory. Cameron passed out in his chair and Brandon & Justin enjoyed swapping jokes with Kent & I toward the end of the meal.
After dinner, we tried to see the show, but the theater was full. Again, something that Disney does better. They have 2 shows: One at 6 for the late dinner crowd and one at 8 for the early diners. I took Justin & Cameron back to the room to rest while Michele & Brandon stuck around to try to find some seats. It’s OK, because I am kind of tired anyway and will probably turn in early. Unlike Disney, there is no internet in the rooms, so I will go out one more time tonight to the wi-fi hotspot to update the blog.
Tomorrow is a day at sea, so I foresee a lot of swimming & lounging by the pool. Our first port of call will be Copenhagen, Denmark on Monday.
We slept in a bit this morning, ordered breakfast in the room, and then starting packing for the next leg of our journey: A 12-Day Baltic Cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas. We boarded the bus at 10:45 and left Cambridge behind. It was about a 2 ½ hour ride to Harwich, England where we were to board the ship. We stopped halfway for lunch at MacDonald’s. It was interesting to see the different menu items available in the UK. They have a whole “Taste of America” menu with items like the Miami Burger. The ketchup was sweet and the shakes tasted strange. I think next time, I would stop in a local pub instead.
We got to the cruise terminal about 12:45 and I must say that everything went very smoothly. By 1:30, we were checked in and onboard the ship. We soon found our stateroom and the kids played video games while Michele & I got everything unpacked. We took a walk around the top deck, checked out the rock-climbing wall, and played some mini-golf. At 4:30, it was time for the lifeboat drill, so we donned our life jackets and headed out to the muster station. Somehow, Michele’s allergies started going crazy during the drill and she had itchy, watering eyes, and a runny nose. Maybe it was someone’s cologne?
At 5:00, the ship left port. Michele stayed in the room to recover from her allergy attack while I took the boys to Kent’s room to hang out on the balcony and watch the scenery drift by. It was a beautiful, cool, afternoon and there were many sailboats out. It was a very relaxing time.
We have the main dinner seating at 6pm, so it was soon time to head to the dining room. We were a little disappointed when we had to stand around in a huge crowd and they didn’t open the dining room until 6:15pm. Why tell us to arrive at 6? We won’t make that mistake again tomorrow.
We had a nice time at dinner. We have 2 tables, so we were a little spread out. Kent & Pi sat with Michele & I and our boys, while Nana & Pop-pop sat with all the girls. Kent ordered some good red wine and soon my irritation at the dinner line was a distant memory. Cameron passed out in his chair and Brandon & Justin enjoyed swapping jokes with Kent & I toward the end of the meal.
After dinner, we tried to see the show, but the theater was full. Again, something that Disney does better. They have 2 shows: One at 6 for the late dinner crowd and one at 8 for the early diners. I took Justin & Cameron back to the room to rest while Michele & Brandon stuck around to try to find some seats. It’s OK, because I am kind of tired anyway and will probably turn in early. Unlike Disney, there is no internet in the rooms, so I will go out one more time tonight to the wi-fi hotspot to update the blog.
Tomorrow is a day at sea, so I foresee a lot of swimming & lounging by the pool. Our first port of call will be Copenhagen, Denmark on Monday.
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