Vision of the Seas

January 14, 2013


Sail away!

We are about 30 minutes out from Fort Lauderdale heading for Antigua.  Two talks then 6 ports, then 3 talks, including the Sunday morning worship service.  This is going to be a great cruise.  Trying to get a note out, and then a blog on Wednesday.

Later!

January 15, 2013

Okay, so no note out.  I could still text 45 minutes out from Fort Lauderdale, but 4G was gone.  And before all of you who have gone to the darkside, using Apple products, holler, “Ghetto phone,” let me tell you something funny.  I went to a class today on how to take better pictures with iPhone and iPad – I figured anything I could learn about taking better pictures would be cool, no matter what the device.

Well, we settle in the room and the hired Apple talker is huddled with the Royal Caribbean technician and they are trying to get her Mac to talk to his projector.  Nothing doing.  They switched cables, using official Mac cables, and nothing happened.  She admitted, “This happens frequently.” Not, I thought if you use a PC.  Ghetto products!   

When we sailed out, I went to meet Jennifer Williams, the Cruise Program Administrator, my contact in the Entertainment Department.  She gave me my schedule – 5 talks, plus the Sunday morning worship service.  While we were doing that, Bonnie was out on deck watching the sailaway.  A private vessel cruised past our ship, heading into Port Everglades, and as she drew along side the “Vision of the Seas,” a man walked to the rail, dropped his pants, and the “Vision” was mooned.  Bonnie said the smaller ship was too far away to notice any significant details.

My first talk, “St. Lucia: The Helen of the West,” was attended by 150 hearty souls, Bonnie said.  As part of my introduction, I told them all to wish her “Happy Birthday” tomorrow, and then gave them the short version of the story.  Raise your hand if you’ve heard it.

After the talk, there was one question from the audience, and a number of people came up afterwards to talk.  One man asked about our attendance at Frostburg College and told me he graduated from Northern Garrett County Junior-Senior High School in 1962.  I graduated from Southern High in 1965.  Mark that one down in the “small world” department.

Tonight is our first formal night on this voyage, and our first port of call is Antigua on Wednesday.  Hopefully some good photographs will be forth coming.

And hopefully our table will be better represented tonight.  Last night at a table for 10, we were the only guests in attendance and had the full and undivided attention of Jose and Nik.

Tonight is the Captain’s champagne reception.  We'll toast the Master of our ship with fruit juice.

TTFN!