Cruise- Nassau Arrival

I was up early on our first land day, in Nassau. Actually, I was up early every day, but I was up and out on the deck in time to see our landing in Nassau. I don't think the thermometer ever got over 88 degrees, but man, it was the hottest 88 degrees of my life. The air is very very thick and wet, and that sun blazes.

We watched Nassau on our approach, but as we got closer, we could see how beautiful the city is.

I think this is a resort complex.

The Atlantic is cobalt blue, but the Caribbean is turquoise. Beautiful, beautiful turquoise.

The cruise ships were guided in and parallel parked in slips.

Little tugs led each ship in.

There were several cruise ships docked on our land day. We were far from the biggest. Cruisers found each other endlessly fascinating.

The seagulls have black heads in Nassau.

But they haunt the decks for stray food, just like any other seagull.

 DeeAnn and I- selfie-ing in the heat. We were very glad to have brought our hats. Throughout the day, we elbowed each other often, still amazed that we were actually doing this thing, walking around in a foreign country. Up until that morning, my only ventures out of the US had been a couple of day trips into Canada, back when you didn't need passports. It was a pretty heady notion.

On the dock, people lined up for planned (and paid) excursions. Taxi drivers constantly asked if we wanted rides. We maybe should have taken them up on that (about which, more later). We decided well before we left, not to do any of the excursions. We wanted just to wander and shop, and to leave the option of going back to the ship early because of the heat. That was wise.

Photographers were stationed outside the boat too- this one is a picture of a picture. I didn't know, until I got home, what a Junkanoo was. Now I know. 

Next up- what we did in Nassau.

Oops, I forgot that I took a video as we came in to port.

Cruise- Wild and Wacky Murals

On each floor, opposite the glass elevator in the open lobby of the ship, running from the Empress Deck, up to the Verandah (the Atlantic Deck, The Promenade, and The Lido), were a pair of huge tile murals. Each was beautifully done. Each was different. And not a single one of them made a lick of sense.

I present them to you, without further commentary (except apologies for the fuzzy pics).

Cruise- The reason I was there in the first place

It's a pretty good gig when you land a job that gets you on a cruise ship to The Bahamas, but that's just what happened. The work-portion involved, as always, enthusiastic, genius students who put up with my babbling and mistakes. There was lots of laughter and a whole lot of fun.

The first night of the cruise had a Meet & Greet, where we got our Goodie Bags.

I had met a few of the other Knitterly Folk at other venues (primarily SAFF), but I met, and became fast friends with many others. We gathered in a lounge that was decorated with large replicas of cat food cans, tobacco tins, and a large aluminum tea pot and spoon. I have no idea why any of those were chosen, but they were fun.

 

Our Goodie Bags were stuffed with, well, goodies. In addition to a Friends and Fiberworks  (the wonderful yarn store that organized and hosted the cruise) tee shirt, bag, pen, name tag, and needle gauge, we all got a drawstring net bag with two (!) balls of Rowan Kidsilk Haze with sequins and a Rowan instruction book, some other yarn (I got Brown Sheep superwash- enough for a pair of socks), and a shawl pattern written by Vithard, one of our teachers. We also got a few other goodies in the bags.

We all also got a big skein of this wonderful jumbo yarn, perfect for a soft hat.

There were also free drinks, and noshes. This marvelous plate of nibbles was amazing! My favorite was the shrimp in the canteloupe cup.

The next day was our first full day at sea, which was also our first day of classes.

My afternoon class had no takers, but the wonderful Mary, Ellen, and Doris joined me in the morning for Beaded Lace Mittens, during which we learned how to put beads into our knitting with wire, and how to read a lace chart. I learn as much from my students as they do from me, and we had a great time. (Note: this is not my photo- I borrowed it). And in case you wondered- the ocean was smooth as glass for most of the trip, and there were only small swells on our last day at sea- being on the water had absolutely no effect on the classes (except to make them feel more exotic).


The pictures I took of my second day of classes (the second full day at sea) didn't turn out, but trust me, Lisa, Mindy, and Cathy all steeked their doll-size sweaters beautifully!

One evening, inside on the Lido Deck, Ellen and Doris (from my class- THAT Ellen and Doris... hee)
 hosted a pajama party. I chickened out and did not wear my pjs (they're too shabby for public viewing), but many did. We knitted and spun and laughed and told stories about ourselves and each other. It was an absolute hoot. There were prizes, and if we got hungry, the bottomless ice cream machine was nearby. (Note: this is also not my photo, I borrowed it).

DeeAnn and I checked a different dining option when we registered (any time, rather than a specific time), so we ended up eating in a different dining room than the rest, but we all ran into each other constantly, on land and on the ship- if we didn't recognize each other on sight, the knitting needles were a sure giveaway.

One evening, we all gathered on the marble stairway in the lobby (on the Empress Deck) for a group photo. What an amazing and wonderful bunch of fibery women and men. I'm so lucky to have been a part of this adventure! The other people gathered at the railings are not watching us (though certainly some of them may have been)- they were in line, waiting for the dining room to open.

And guess what? There's going to be another adventure in March. I don't know yet if I'll be going, but here is the info. This first cruise was such a success, I am certain that the next one (on an even bigger ship, and longer at sea, visiting more tropical paradises) will be even better (if that is possible).

I want to go! And trust me, you do too!

Cruise- Towel Origami

Every evening, while we ate supper, our beds were turned down, chocolates were left on our pillows, itineraries were placed in the room, the ice bucket was filled, opened pop and bottled waters were replaced, and a new Towel Creation was left on one of the beds.

DeeAnn put each one on our windowsill (a tricky operation because they weren't sewn or pinned, they were just folded towels, apt to become unfolded if not moved very carefully), but they were never left for more than a day or so. The old ones were whisked away, and replaced with new ones. During the cruise, there was a Towel Animal seminar, and an instruction book available (and probably the little stickum eyes as well), but neither of us went to it. I'm happy to let their construction be a marvelous sea journey mystery.

It was such fun to be greeted by these whimseys.

Cruise- Sea Day 1

I've already realized that I can't fit an entire day into a single post. I'll save all of the Fibery things for a single post-so much wonderful stuff (and the reason I was on the ship in the first place) and around forty wonderful Fiber Folks along for the fun. It was amazing, but all of that deserves a dedicated post.

So, every evening, the staff turns down your bed and leaves chocolates on your pillow, and makes a towel animal (which will get a dedicated post too). They also leave a flyer explaining the next day's activities.

 The front cover shows the date, and the destination (in this case, a full day at sea), plus the sunrise and sunset times.

On the back, lots of interesting info.

 On the inside, enough activities to keep everyone busy all day. I taught on our sea days, so I wasn't able to join any of the activities, but the ship was a hoppin', all the time.

I meant to go to the play one evening, but never made it. I hear it was good (both versions, The British Invasion, and the Motown Version). I did manage some shopping, and I had a free afternoon after being on shore, so I ventured up to the Spa for a manicure (pictures later).

 A timeline of everything happening.

And the times for the various dining rooms. I ate breakfast in the Windows on the Sea buffet every morning (except once- the main dining room didn't open early enough for me to eat there on teaching days). DeeAnn and I opted for the early dining in the Celebration Room, and were generally there promptly at 5:45. We didn't realize that the rest of the Fibery Folk had opted for the other dining room, so we weren't able to eat with any of them. I hear they were a wonderfully wild crowd.

I'm an early riser, and it was kind of nice, being in the Windows on the Sea early in the morning, I had the place mostly to myself. But the buffet was huge- all kinds of foods (plus eggs and omelettes made to order), plus a dozen kinds of breads and rolls, cereal, yogurt, fruit, and breakfast meats, plus coffee, milk, juice, etc. There was always lots and lots of food, in unlimited quantities. At lunch, there was a whole table of just desserts. And an ice cream machine. Again, unlimited.

Early morning, out on the deck, looking up at a lifeboat. It was always hot and thick- even at night. There were no cool breezes, though it wasn't too hot in the mornings (it got plenty hot later).

Sunrise on the Atlantic- not as many colors as sunrise on the prairie (though Red Sky at Morning is not a good sign at sea). Those are clouds on the horizon, not land and trees. BTW- this was my first ocean sunrise. I was, previously, a Pacific Only Girl, which features sunsets (at least from our vantage point- I'm sure they see both in Hawaii).

Sunrise, video version.

Beautiful cobalt blue Atlantic. Our wake, from the aft deck.

The first At Sea Day was also Elegant Dining Day. DeeAnn and I came prepared with dresses.

And if I say so myself, we look mighty fine. And Sassy.

And oh, the food in the dining room. The staff waits on you, hand and foot. I can't say that I ever wished for someone to place a napkin on my lap, but that happened every evening. And once again, there were unlimited quantities of amazing foods- warm breads, appetizers, entrees, and desserts. A list of available-every-day things, and then new items each day. It was often hard to choose, and many did not- they had several of each. We were good, and limited ourselves to one of each, but man... it was all so delicous. One evening, I had alligator fritters for my appetizer (I'll do a separate food post too).

In the evenings, we usually just went back to our room and read, but there were many many evening activities for those who didn't poop out right at sundown. We slept each night to the gentle rocking of the ship (smooth seas all but the very last day at sea, and even that one wasn't bad, maybe 5' swells). I had no trouble with motion sickness, thank goodness.

So tomorrow (or later today, if I get ambitious), Fibery Fun!

Cruise- Day 1 & 2

I'm back, and I still don't have my land-legs (I'm not exactly dizzy, but the earth seems to gently roll back and forth a bit). I'm leaving again, next Friday, for the Michigan Fiber Festival, but at least there, I'll have internet access.

So, there's no time to dilly dally- here, mostly in pictures, are the first two days of this amazing journey.

 At the Aberdeen Regional Airport, waiting to board the first flight of the day, to Minneapolis. From there, I went to LaGuardia. I have no idea why I was routed through LaGuardia, but I caught glimpses of the Statue of Liberty, the new World Trade Center, Central Park, Manhattan, and many cool bridges before we landed.

I had plenty of time to become disenchanted with LaGuardia itself (not enough chairs, and not a single charging station or outlet anywhere that I could see), because we were on the plane, and then off the plane, and then back on the plane, and then taxi-ing for an hour, due to GPS woes. I arrived in Charleston 3 hours late.

Luckily, my high school friend DeeAnn, waited for me at the airport (for 4 full hours... above and beyond the call). We drove to the Airport Radisson in Charleston for the night.

No matter where you go, no matter where you stay, every motel room has one of these. The staff and food at the Radisson were all great, as was the shuttle service and the free parking, so it seems churlish to complain that the room was a bit shabby (and on my return stay, it was downright sad, with a broken toilet seat and no plug in the sink, etc). But we slept well, and they got us to the port safely, and on time.

 Our luggage in the lobby, waiting to be transported to the ship. It got there before we did, and was delivered to our room later in the afternoon.

 Standing in line, the first of several times we had to show our passport and boarding passes. It was very hot and sticky.

 First sight of the ship. It's a Big Boat.

  Closer. We weren't allowed to take any pictures during customs/arrival, but we got our Sign and Sail Cards, which doubled as ID (except when we needed Passports), room key, and credit card for all on-board purchases. I have a feeling that many people were very surprised at the total at the end of the cruise.

 I didn't realize how fuzzy this shot was until I got it on the computer. Here's the big glass elevator in the central lobby. We're talking sensory overload, here.

 This is the Lido Deck, where the pool and hot tub is. It was very hot on the Lido deck and I did not spend any more time there than necessary. I wasn't about to get in the pool with 2,000 screaming teenagers, and had no desire to get in a hot tub when the air temp was over 100 (up on the Lido deck, anyway, which was open to the full sun and yet sheltered from any breeze at all) and the humidity matching. Many people did enjoy all of those things though. The interior of the ship was nicely air conditioned, so we didn't have to be any hotter than we liked. Except during the safety drill, which took place on the Lido Deck... I almost didn't make it.

Our room was bigger than I expected, and nicely appointed. It was small, but there was plenty enough room for us. Every morning someone made the bed, and every evening, someone turned the bed down, left chocolates, an itinerary of the next day's ship (or land) activities, and a towel animal. I'll do a post of the assorted towel beasties in a day or so. We had a window (did not open), which was lovely (and cost an extra $100@- worth it).

At sea around 5:00pm on the first day, passing Fort Sumpter.

Me, on the deck, already with the Humidity Hair (soon to become a Cruise Theme).

We conked out early that first night (well, every night), but we spent most of the first afternoon just exploring, and getting kind of lost (though all Cruise Employees were very helpful).

Official photo of the ship.

Us, on our first day on the ship (they take your picture everywhere, all the time- you'd go broke trying to buy them all). This is a photo of a photo, not a scan, so it's not totally clear.

I don't know how clear this will be, even if you click on it, but here's the ship layout and some helpful colored dots.

Tomorrow- first day at sea and classes.