Setting Sail

It's midafternoon and Bill and I are getting settled into our little (and it is little) room on the 8th deck of the Navigator of the Sea. We got on early, feeling like smug worldly cruisers because we knew we didn't have to wait until the 2 o'clock check-in time. Sure enough, when we checked in at about noon, there was no line and we got onto the ship in short order.

Let's go grab lunch, we decided, since our room wouldn't be ready until 1 o'clock. Ah ha. We weren't the only worldly cruisers. The Windjammer Cafe was PACKED. Not a table to be had. So we did what needed to be done. We found a table by the pool and ordered a beer.

Let me just point out that the minute we got off the plane at the Miami airport, we knew we weren't in Kansas anymore. You could feel the warmth and humidity even as we walked through the tunnel from the plane to the terminal. As we took the long walk down the terminal to baggage claim, we saw a multitude of extremely thin women with enormous breasts carrying unrealistically small dogs. The wonders of liposuction and breast enhancement (the women, not the dogs).

I love Miami. I love the palm trees, the pretty flowers, the diversity of people you see and languages you hear, the pink, yellow, and turquoise buildings, and the unique downtown skyline. The buildings are seriously beautiful, all interesting shapes and sizes.

We went to the Bayside area for a late lunch, and then took the Metro Mover back to our room to relax before we got ready to meet some new friends at Versailles Restaurant in the Little Havana area of the city.

Bill connected with these new friends on Cruise Critic, an Internet site where people who are cruising can “chat.” He signed us up to join eight or 10 people, all who are on this particular cruise, at this famous Cuban Restaurant, which has been in the same location since the sixties. The food was delicious. Bill had roast pork and I had yummy sticky oxtail stew. We got to know some of the people who are on this cruise. Despite the fact that this ship holds 3,000 or so, it's funny how you do run into people over and over. In fact, I've already run into the lovely couple from Hershey, PA, that we sat next to last night.

Once we had lunch, we began exploring the ship. This is my favorite day of the cruise. I love walking around and seeing the different restaurants and lounges, finding the health club, seeing what shops are available on the Royal Promenade, which we see from our stateroom window. We got signed up for the Internet, we checked out the times that the health club is open, we located the restaurant where we will dine each night, and in fact, found the table where we will sit.

At 4:30, we have our mandatory muster drill, at which we will learn what to do in case the ship begins to sink. I will attend, of course, but I already know what I will do if said ship begins to sink – have a heart attack and die. Still, I love to put the life vests on. I look good in orange. Doesn't everyone?

Tonight we will meet our dinner companions, and see our first show. Let the fun begin!