Day At Sea

Monday, March 10th was our first full day at sea. We'd set sail the night before around 9 p.m. It was incredible to cruise by the old fortress walls of Old San Juan and see the city lit up at night. This morning, there wasn't any sign of cities or land. All that surrounded the ship was water.

My friend Harvey and I walked through the passageways to the glass lined elevators. We went up to deck 11 where the Windjammer Cafe is located. The Windjammer offers a continental breakfast for early risers and a full breakfast afterwards. There was a wide choice of fruit, cereal, ham, bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, pastries and juices. We found a table near the windows which gave great views of the ocean surrounding the ship. The views hammered home we were at sea.

After breakfast, we had to decide what to do. The ship Adventure of the Seas doesn't lack for options. You can rock climb, roller blade, play miniature golf, play basketball, swim, read a book in the library, surf the web on their computer terminals for a fee, work out in the fitness center (treadmills, aerobicycles, weights), do yoga, relax in the sauna or whirlpool, go to the spa, shop in the ship's 5 shops, see a show in the ship's theater, gamble in the casino, walk or jog around the jogging track, rest in one of the lawn chairs, ice skate or take ice skating lessons, sip champagne at the champagne bar, take a scuba diving course, play shuffleboard, play various board games, pray at the ship's chapel on the 15th deck, watch the ship's officers run the ship at the bridge via the peekaboo bridge, play bingo, play trivia, play sudoku, learn where the best shopping will be in Aruba (our first port call), book optional tours, book a future cruise, take a nutrition course or just explore the ship. The ship is so big that it can you days to get your bearings. You learn where certain things are the like the shops on deck 5 or the Lyric Theater on decks 3 and 4. Harvey and I decided to explore the ship first and then get some exercise. I'd heard a joke that people came on board the ship as passengers and left as cargo. I was determined to avoid blimping out.

I was amazed that the ship had a block long street on shops inside of it. You could buy discounted liquor, jewelry, cameras, t-shirts as well as more mundane items like sunscreen and finger nail clippers. Interestingly, you pay for all these items with your SeaPass. Your SeaPass was a combination credit card, room key and pass that allowed you to get off and on the ship. It is the most important card you'll have during the cruise.

Another important item passengers would receive on the ship was the daily Cruise Compass paper. The paper told you what the temperature was going to be, what the hours were for the various shops, restaurants and bars, what special activities were going to happen that day as well as their time and place, any special sales and any special procedures ex. when we were getting close to the end of the cruise, the paper told you where you had to go to wait till your group was called to disembark the ship. It was very useful and every evening your cabin steward would put the next day's issue in your cabin.

After exploring the ship and doing an hour on the aerobicycle, Harvey and I had lunch at the Windjammer. It would be another nice meal though it felt weird not paying for it. In order to get my unlimited sodas, I had to show my SeaPass which had a sticker on it showing I'd paid for the unlimited sodas.

After lunch, I checked in with the SeaTrek dive shop on board. I had to show them one of my certification cards and sign a liability form. I would do my first dive trip on the cruise tomorrow in Aruba. Also, I found out what I'd have to do to get my dive knives back and where to meet for the dive trip.

Tonight was the first of two nights where passengers had to dress up for dinner in the formal dining rooms. Men had to wear suits and ties or tuxes while women had to wear dresses. I wasn't impressed enough with dining or the company at our table to want to go through all the hassle of dressing up. I found out I could skip eating at the Strauss (or Vivaldi or Mozart dining rooms), they could eat dinner in the Windjammer or it's connecting cafe (I forget what it's called). I had another problem with eating at the Strauss dining room. It was so late. The second seating didn't begin until 8:30 p.m. You wouldn't finish dinner till past 10:30. The later I stay up, the less sleep I get so I don't like staying up late. I decided to not eat at the Strauss anymore. Instead, I ate at the Windjammer or it's sister cafe. By doing that, I was able to finish by 9 p.m. and be in bed by 9:30. So, I had a decent dinner at the Windjammer and crashed afterwards. I had an interesting day ahead. I would do my first cruise diving trip and see Aruba for the first time. Stay tune.