Today is our first “at sea” day. These are the days you are supposed to spend lazing on the deck by the pool, sipping an iced drink, and getting a sunburn. It is about 15 ºC, and raining lightly. Happy that it isn't snowing, we get deck towels to use as blankets, and spend some time on deck.
Rhys, our room attendant, fixed our bed problem the first day by simply fastening the two single beds together to produce something that looks queen sized, and put new sheets and blankets on. It is surprisingly comfortable, although there is a noticeable ridge in the middle. At least we are not in hammocks or bunk beds, as some shipboard clichés expect.
Today is the first formal evening of the cruise, which introduces the one thing that everyone says about a cruise ship: there is a lot of food. Room service is available 24 hours a day. Early breakfast starts at 6:30am, and there is food available at all hours in various locations on board until midnight, with an inexplicable gap between 11:30 and noon. All food, as well as water, coffee, tea, iced tea and juice are included in the fare. Alcoholic and carbonated drinks are extra. Beer and mixed drinks are between $5 and $7, wine ranges from $8 per glass for cheap to $(I don't want to know) per bottle for good wine. There is an extensive wine cellar on board.
The food ranges from passable to really good. The pizza and pasta bar is half-decent (specifically, the pasta is decent). The burgers, hot dogs and chicken wings by the pool are not bad. The food at the real restaurant for the evening dinners has been quite good. The breakfast and lunch buffets are as good as buffets can be expected to be. Room service provided a tasty sandwich, cheese and fruit platter. Although there is food available almost anywhere and at all times, the portions are reasonably small. This is good, because since you are eating all the time, you don't want each meal to be big. And if you're really hungry, there's nothing wrong with getting a second or more helping.
As I prepared for this first formal evening of the cruise, my electric razor finally died. I had to shave with a cheap disposable razor that I had in the bottom of my toiletry case for just such an emergency, and normal hand soap instead of shaving cream. I looked like an extra from a horror movie. Eventually I got the bleeding to stop and didn't get any bloodstains on my shirt, but I probably didn't make a good impression on the other guests. Or maybe they didn't even notice.
As part of the shipboard entertainment, there was a naturalist (the kind that studies nature, not the kind that wanders around au natural) who gave a lecture today. It was interesting, showing us some of the wildlife we might see, talking about the oceanic geography etc. One of the species of birds we are likely to see is the booby, so I've been on the lookout for boobies ever since. I expect to see more once the weather warms up a bit.
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