Update From the Cruise

Just a quick update from Deck 5 on our cruise ship.  We're docked in Portland, Maine, and I'm using wi-fi from a nearby hotel.  This will likely be the only update while on our cruise as Internet access on the ship is slow and expensive.


Cruise: Day 1 (Thursday)

This was our departure day. We woke up in our hotel to a very strong thunderstorm that rolled through the Baltimore area. Fortunately, it had no effect on our cruise plans. We went to the cruise terminal about noon. The process went quite smoothly, but we did quickly discover one problem. We were supposed to be scheduled for the early dinner seating (5:30) but the cards we were issued had us at the late dinner seating (8:00). That is SO not us. However, we were able to get it changed, so it all worked out.

We went to our cabin and waited for our luggage to arrive so we could unpack. As is the case on cruise ships (unless you can afford the really expensive cabins), the cabin is small but is adequate. The biggest challenge is the small bathroom, especially the really small shower. But that’s part of being on a cruise.
After unpacking and changing clothes, we went to dinner (at 5:30…not 8:00!). We are at a table with three other couples, two from Virginia and one from Toronto. All very nice people, and we really enjoyed their company.

Our ship, Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas, has a very nice theatre that has entertainment each evening. On this night, it was a comedian named Carl Banks. He’s been in a number of sitcoms, though mostly in smaller roles. We enjoyed him.

Cruise: Day 2 (Friday the 13th!)

This was a day at sea as we made our way toward our first stop in Portland, Maine. We’re trying to keep up our exercise routine, so we started the day in the fitness center. And we’ve spent quite a bit of time outside on Deck 5, where you can walk almost the entire circumference of the ship. It was a beautiful, sunny day, though quite windy for walking outside. And the winds made for a somewhat bumpy ride.


The evening entertainment was a pianist/singer named (I think) Glenn Smith. I guess he’s done a lot of performing in Las Vegas. We were a little skeptical about this one, so we found seats that would make for an easy exit. As it turned out, I wish we would have been closer to the stage, because the guy put on a great show.

Cruise: Day 3 (Saturday)

The winds had died down by the time we arrived in Portland about 10:00 this morning. We watched from an outside deck as the ship docked. It’s amazing how slow it goes. It is literally inching along as it gets into the right position along the dock.
It is a beautiful, sunny day. The humidity is low and the temperature is around 80 degrees, which is a welcome relief for us. None of the excursions sounded interesting to us, so we decided to just walk around downtown. It was a very short walk from where the ship was docked. Portland has a very interesting downtown with lots of very nice shops.

That's it for now.  We're going to do some walking a get ready for the evening.  Tomorrow, we'll be in Bar Harbor, Maine.  We'll have a further report and more photos at the end of the cruise.