Rambling in Japan and Cruising Across the Pacific 2005

Cruisin'

Ship life changes when there are no ports for six days in a row. Some passengers say it's their favourite part of the cruise experience. I suspect they are the same people who can spend a week in a resort hotel without need of escape. I can stomach a day at sea between ports but the looming stretch of interminable sea days is not welcomed - in fact it's dreaded. I am attempting to use positive thoughts to fend off the stress. To compound the psychological effect, we will be crossing the date line and have two May 2nds. I can't help thinking 'what a waste of travelling time this is'. Even though I abhor plane travel, it's like the dentist - at least it's over quickly.

This is ridiculous - look at all those merry folk, dabbling in trivia challenges, 'idol' competitions, board games and tournaments. I think I'll see what is here that I can enjoy and will help pass the time. Let's start at the top of the ship:

OK - this is good! There's a walking / jogging track. Ten times around is a mile. It's at the front of the ship and the 360 degree panorama of the surrounding ocean is spectacular. So, it's decided - we'll do twenty laps (2 miles) every morning before breakfast to help fend off some of the anticipated weight gain and another couple of miles later in the day. Track encircles a couple of tennis courts but I'm not any good at tennis so I'll give it a miss - same goes for the golf.

At the back of the ship (I suppose I should be using nautical terms by now - so the 'stern'), they've laid aside a huge area for the 'spa'; dozens of treatment rooms where they do such thing as wrap you up in seaweed or massage any of your body parts - well maybe they skip a few. There's a teeth whitening procedure and a non-surgical facelift (can't imagine that having any long term effect). It's a very tranquil environment but my blood pressure went sky-high when I saw the costs of these procedures at $100 and up - and up. So I guess i'm going to keep my graying teeth and sagging jowls. You can buy a $15 one day pass for the fancy steamroom and sauna or you can use the free facilities outside the spa - not so exotic, but they do the same thing. Anyway I enjoyed the tour but I'll save the money.

There's a really nice night club / bar behind the funnel that juts out past each side of the ship, where you have a wonderful high perch view. Nice spot for a drink on a blustery day - hmmm, a martini in the afternoon might quell my angst! and if that works, maybe a martini in the morning.

The ship is huge - 116,000 tons and 290 metres long. The Sun Deck is one swimming pool after another - stem to stern. When the ship rolls, it's fun to watch the water splash about wildly. Outside the spa is a small Roman-themed one that appears to part of the spa. I suppose you could sauna, steam and jump into the pool after to cool off. The children's area is a the stern and they have their own little pool - I''ll avoid that spot. In between these two, is a large outdoor one with numerous hot tubs scattered around. And if hungry, here's the freshly made pizza stand and the barbecue where they do hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. Towards the stern is a lovely pool with a retractible roof. The lounge chairs here are thickly padded, separated by a multitude of exotic plants giving it a jungle-y feel and or course - more hot tubs.

What can I say about the buffet restaurant that's perched high up in the stern - it's guaranteed to make you fat? The platter they hand you would hold a 25 lb turkey. So if I'm really bored, I could come for a nibble any time 24 hours a day. The extreme concern from the cruise staff with regards to the Norwalk virus had us all completing questionnaires on embarkation and if we answered that we'd had a digestive upset, we would be quarantined for 48 hours....I should think a lot of people lie about it. The buffet has a large bottle of bacterial cleanser as you enter and a steward watches to make sure you comply.

To be continued.......................

posted by O'Leary @ 3:47 PM