It’s been
three weeks since we’ve embarked the Pacific Princess and we feel right at home
aboard this lovely ship. Obviously,
Michael is enjoying not having to clean and I’m enjoying not having to cook or
do laundry. We’re happy not having to
make our bed in the morning or driving here or there.
On our last
cruise to Canada, we met a very bright and funny gal, Cheryl, who, like myself,
had been a legal secretary, and who has become what I would call my “email
buddy.” We had talked about what it was about cruising that we liked so
much. I was never able to articulate
what it was that I enjoyed so much until I met Cheryl. It is truly the sights and sounds that are unique
to cruising.
For me, it’s
the beautiful symmetrical designs of the carpeting in our very long
hallways. Every time I reach our deck
and start walking down the hall to our cabin, I either want to channel Ginger
Rogers and imagine dancing down the hallway in a flowing gown and high heels or
imagine doing cartwheels all the way to our door.
I really
love the sound of the door sealing us in our cabin. The step up that needs to be taken when going
into the bathroom and how easily one adapts to that step up even at 4 in the
morning. I love the heavy feel of the
balcony door and how it closes. Sitting
on the balcony and seeing nothing but the ocean – but, maybe, like today, a few
birds that follow behind us hoping the propeller of the ship will churn up some
plankton and small fish to eat.
I love being
in port and, no matter where we are in the world, being able to wave to people
on a nearby cruise ship, a smaller boat, or others on the dock watching us
arrive or depart and always getting a wave back. What a universal connection!
For us, we
love organized excursions. I know that a
lot of people go off on their own and have a great time. Sometimes I will talk with someone who took a
taxi ride here or there and they saw this or that – always somewhere we haven’t
been or haven’t seen and I say to Michael, “maybe we should do something like
that next time.” He will gently remind
me that I don’t like having to plan these things. Early in our marriage, I made all the plans
for our travel and then spent most of time worrying whether Michael will enjoy
himself. I like being told what time and
where I should show up and leave all the planning to someone else. If I hear about something we didn’t see, I
say, “I’ll watch the DVD.”
Michael’s Thoughts: Michael loves the fact that there are no distractions. Being on a cruise ship, you have to work at
being distracted. There is no need to
leave the tv on all day. There is no
need to sit in front of a computer (although I do manage to accumulate several
items per day that I have to “google” like who wrote the Bob Marley song, “No
Woman, No Cry” – I promised our singing duo I would find the answer
today). We get to spend even more time
together talking about things we normally don’t talk about – like books I’ve
read, observations about the ocean, science, biology, people and their
behavior, gratitude, and meeting some interesting, and not so interesting,
people. Michael also enjoys the waves,
sitting on the balcony and contemplating the world and how very lucky we
are.
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