Greetings from somewhere in the Carribean. We sailed from Fort Lauderdale last evening a couple of hours late - the ship was late arriving in Fort Lauderdale yesterday morning due to a medical emergency. It takes a few hours to resupply the ship with all the provisions necessary to keep 1800 or so folks fat, dumb, and happy for 21 days. Finally around 6:30 PM we nosed out into the Atlantic, pointed the bow south and sailed into the sunset. The skyline of Miami and environs was quite dramatic against the setting sun.
During the night we went through the Straits of Florida and this morning we're now headed west towards our first port, Vera Cruz, Mexico. The TV is telling me that we've sailed 246 nautical miles from Ft. Lauderdale, are experiencing moderate (7-12 foot) seas (the ship is steady as a rock), and have 746 miles remaining until we dock in Vera Cruz.
I signed up for internet service...it's expensive; but seems to be working just fine. I will likely post daily.
A few notes about my traveling companions. First, they're old. I would put the median age somewhere around 70. Lots of wheelchairs and motorized conveyances on board.
Second, a majority are U.S. Citizens; but there is a very sizable contingent of our Canadian friends. In one sense the cruise is like a mass deportation...or perhaps more accurately, a mass repatriation, of Canadians from their winter grounds in Florida back to the Great White North. Just like geese. Geese that like beer.
Third, most of my companions are married couples. Last night there was a HAL sponsored opportunity for singles to mingle. I poked my head into the lounge where the event was being held and then ran like a rabbit. The median age of the singles present looked to be about 80. If there are any single women or gay men under 60 on board, they were all prudently drinking alone in their staterooms during the singles event.
Still, a day on a modern cruisehip is truly amazing. And I will have no trouble amusing myself. I'm going to go get some breakfast and then have a workout. The gym is great...has all the same equipment I use in Juneau. All the cardio equipment faces the bow with floor to ceiling windows and a view of the sunny sea. I will take- in the presentacions on available shore excursions later this afternoon. And the food is great, of course.
More later gang.
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