Tales From The Open Roads & Salty Seas Thanksgiving 2008 - Eastern Caribbean Sail Away

At Sea - A Look at Our Ship Nov 25, 2008

Today was a relaxing day at sea, cruising along the Gulf of Mexico; we could see land in the distance as we sailed past Cuba. We began with a buffet breakfast in the Windjammer Café. This will likely be the venue for our breakfasts and lunches while we’re on the ship. They put on a fabulous buffet and we can easily control what we eat. We find the meals in the formal dining room to be too copious and calorie-laden for us. I have vowed I will not gain weight on this cruise but that’s going to be quite a challenge; although we are happy to see there are healthy alternatives on every menu…they call them ‘vitality’ selections.

We went to the deck to walk off breakfast and the Captain was correct in his weather forecast; it was partly cloudy, about 79 F, and a really strong wind. We not only got exercise from the walking but it was doubly effective with the wind resistance.

Then, it was time to explore the ship. This is RC’s Grandeur of the Seas and it’s one of the mega liners, more like a floating resort hotel. By today’s standards, it’s an old ship; made its maiden voyage in 1996. It has a passenger capacity of over 2,400 and we think they’re all on board…..lots of Europeans, probably thanks to a weak dollar when they booked their passage. The ship weighs 74,000 gross tons and is 916 feet long, These ships have an aura all their own and this one could best be described as “grand” with a calm and serene feel. The décor is pleasing and not terribly over-the-top gaudy or glitzy. Our stateroom is on the 8th floor, a junior suite with a balcony so we feel we have breathing room; it’s a lot wider than our living space in the motor home but, of course, not quite as long.

The amenities aboard are just infinite; how about?….8 themed bars and lounges, outdoor and indoor pools, spa and fitness center, the obligatory casino, a rock-climbing wall (won’t catch our butts on that), a two-story formal dining room, shopping, shopping, shopping, all surrounded by a Centrum, which is an open multi-story atrium area….oh, and conference facilities in case anyone would want an impromptu meeting.

So, what’s there to do aboard ship on a day at sea? Well, from the time you open your eyes to the time your head hits the pillow, there’s non-stop activity. There’s something to appeal to young and old alike and we get a daily planner aptly named “Cruise Compass” to keep us oriented. The passenger load on our voyage is predominantly older people; in fact, we feel young beside them….but, there are a few families with young children and there’s lots to entertain them too. A sampling of activities include: gambling in the casino, karaoke, art class and auction, bingo and trivia games, line dance classes, all kinds of spa and health benefit treatments and classes, but the highlight of the day was the ‘belly flop’ contest; amazing what some people will do for a small prize.

There’s a ‘drink of the day' and today’s feature is a Bahama Mama, a concoction loaded with rum and other fattening things. We’ll pass on those in favor of lunch of a more healthy variety. Joe spent some time at the pool but, since I’m not a sun worshipper, I did a tour of the ship on my own. We met up again for a cold drink in the late afternoon.

Tonight was the first of two formal dress nights with the Captain’s Cocktail Party and dinner. We are not too terribly enamored with the formal dress (had to do that all too much when we worked); we prefer a more casual lifestyle now…but, as they say, when in Rome, etc…………so, we donned our dress clothes for the evening. Dinner was good; Joe had roast duck and I had eggplant. On formal night, the photographers are everywhere snapping pictures. Following dinner, we headed back to the cabin to change into casual clothes to be comfortable at the evening show; you can tell we are not wild about the formal nights; we’re more the jeans and t-shirt type, I guess and the one thing we find is they are going to feed us no matter what we wear.

The evening’s entertainment show was Production Showtime starring the RC Singers & Dancers, entitled "My Romance". The songs and dance numbers were based on the great romantic era. It was a wonderful production, well choreographed and the costumes were colorful and unique.

And that brought our first full day at sea to a close. We stood on the balcony for a while watching the lights of Cuba float by until it got so cold we were shivering; so we decided to call it a night.