Cruise Surprises

What I'm reading: Blindman's Bluff, by Faye Kellerman

Since today is another holiday, I thought I'd share some more cruise pictures. Besides, I'm bleary-eyed after dealing with edits all weekend.

First - In Nassau, we met these restroom signs. If someone hadn't added labels, would you know which way to go?



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And here's an 'arty' picture hubby took. He way lying on his back on the floor of the ship's central rotunda, shooting upward.



Our waiter entertained us with some magic -- can you balance two forks on a toothpick on a wine bottle?



And then there were the fuzzy surprises our stateroom steward left at night.





Tomorrow, author Mona Risk is going to share her hints on making sure the manuscript you turn in is the best it can be. You might recall my storyboard tracking system. Well, for those who'd like to see another approach, be sure to come back tomorrow. And later, I'll share how to deal with edits after your manuscript is accepted.

And More Cruising

Day 3. Nassau



Nassau. The ship sails at night, so we arrive in port early in the morning. Nassau is a major cruise ship destination, and you can walk right off the gangway. At which point you once again face a cruise photographer.



Our intentions were to walk down to the old water tower. Rain happened. Doesn't usually rain in the morning, but these were deluge drops. Ankle deep water. We took refuge under the awning outside the Harley store (the jewelry store was across the street), and eventually went inside. I bought a cap, since we'd left our rain gear on the ship (note above: it doesn't usually rain in the morning!), which kept some of the rain off. I don't wear caps, but this one will be a gift for a friend, only used once.

Since there were no indications the rain was going to let up, we slogged back to the ship, where we were met by very efficient air-conditioning and staff handing out large beach towels. So much for wandering around Nassau. However, we did manage to find ways to fill the time. And since my parents and kids read this blog, that's enough about that.

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Instead I'll chat a bit about the food. There's a lot of it. Most of it's included in the price. You can have breakfast in your room (although it was a very limited menu on this ship), on Deck 11 for the buffet, or in one of the two dining rooms on the lower decks.

Lunch was on the island the first day, and on the ship the other two. Huge buffet offerings. Or, limited menu room service. And there was a Ben & Jerry's.

Dinner. We stuck with our assigned seating and time, but the ship permitted you to make reservations and eat on your own schedule. There was also a sushi restaurant (extra cost). And the buffet. And one night, an additional midnight buffet. (Slept through that one). Nobody checked, so if you wanted to eat in the dining room and then go up to the buffet, you could.

I kept forgetting my camera. I finally remembered to bring it to dinner.











But sometimes, I'd be so eager to dig into the food that I'd forget to take a picture. I did get a few shots of dinner fare.



I didn't count the bars and lounges, but they seemed to be everywhere.

More another time about some of the furry surprises.

Tomorrow, it's Homicide Hussey again. I do hope you'll drop by.

More Cruising

What I'm reading: Stalking Susan, by Julie Kramer.

First, welcome to my new followers. Next, I got a notice that "Terry's Place" was selected as one of both the top 100 mystery and romance blogs by The Daily Reviewer. I'm not sure how the selection procedure went, but I'm delighted with the recognition. I notice some familiar names on their site. And I get to display a couple more badges in my sidebar.

Back to cruise notes.

Day Two: The Royal Caribbean's private island, Coco Cay.



We arrived at Coco Cay, although not actually at the island. Rather, we were anchored a short distance away. We decided that we'd go over relatively early, stay through lunch, and then head back for the ship before it was either unbearably hot, or raining.

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Passengers were tendered out, so there was yet another line. You had to show your sea pass to get off the ship and onto the tender. Once on the island, we staked out a couple of lounges and then proceeded onto the Nature Trail,

where hubby even found a couple of species of mushrooms. Lots and lots of hermit crabs, some generously sized iguanas, and birds (which, of course he could identify—little green herons, flycatchers, ground doves, laughing gulls, frigate birds, etc., etc.).





The trail was shaded, which was very nice. It was also uneven, with lots of limestone so we were constantly going up and down, and even though it wasn't really climbing—it was still an up-and-down walk, and we definitely felt it the next day.



We got to the end of the trail, which was supposed to be a mile in length, and then took the road back to the beach. I don't know why I'd thought it was going to be a loop. All in all, we walked for a good 90 minutes, maybe more, although there were many stops to photograph the flora and fauna.










Lunch was some very good 'que, and then we headed back to the ship—or at least to the tenders. There, we once again showed our Sea Passes and our backpack was X-rayed, just in case we'd hooked up with one of the people who works on the island who might have been smuggling anything illegal.

Back at the ship, we again had our Sea Passes scanned (please remove caps and sunglasses so we can tell if you're really the same person we photographed when we issued your pass).

The security procedures might come in handy if I decide to set a book or scene on a cruise ship.

Tomorrow, it's Homicide Hussey again, with Part 2 of last Friday's chapter, "Dying Declaration." I'll be getting ready for our New Year holiday dinner, and then next week it'll be more cruising notes (and pictures) and writing posts.

Cruising

What I'm reading: Cutting Edge, by Allison Brennan

After an uneventful drive to Port Canaveral, we found two lines of cars moving very little, if at all. Rather than schlep our luggage from the parking garage, we figured we'd join the line snaking around to the drop off point. Eventually, it was our turn, and a porter took our checked luggage and added it to the growing piles on the carts. When we swung back into the parking line, it had thinned out, so after paying an exorbitant amount of money to leave our car there for the 4 days, we found a slot and schlepped only our carryon luggage into the terminal.

Inside, things were well orchestrated, although the checkpoints were numerous. Typical travel security, and then pre-boarding lines. We were lucky because our kids had gotten us a junior suite, which put us in priority boarding. We still had to provide our payment information and swear that we were healthy enough to sail before getting our on-board sea pass which was our everything card. Room key, ID, and payment card all in one. After that was issued, another station where our photographs were added, so they could make sure it was really us when we got on and off the ship, and then we were actually heading up the gangway. But not before the cruise photographers snagged you for a photo.



Drinks with umbrellas awaited (for a 'small' fee). Luggage would be delivered to our stateroom, but the when was iffy. A lunch buffet was in progress, so we sipped our umbrella-topped drinks and had our first of many on-board meals.

Our stateroom was more than adequate, with its bedroom and sitting areas, and the balcony a definite plus, thanks to our kids giving us the "junior suite." Also had a tub/shower instead of a tiny stall. Every bit of space contained some sort of storage, so we had no trouble putting everything away—and there was even room under the bed for our empty suitcases. But no clock.

For more, and more photos .....

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Ship exploration was next. There were 14 decks, and we climbed a LOT of stairs as we explored most of them. There was also the mandatory lifeboat drill, although life jackets weren't required.






Once that was done, we were ready to set sail. Seas were calm, weather was good, and we were off. We changed for dinner, waited for the dining room to open (apparently 5:45 means 6:00 to the staff), and met our dining companions for the rest of the cruise. All were in our general age-range, which was a plus. We had a table for 11, and although it was a bit on the crowded side, the variety was nice. Nothing like being stuck at a table for 4 with another couple you don't like.

There's definitely enough to do on board. Bars everywhere, casinos, a theater (where we saw the stereotypical cruise-ship comedian perform), and shopping galore. We hit the art gallery for a free gift—an animal print (maybe I'll offer it as a blog prize to a commenter), the liquor sample station (vanilla rum—excellent; mango vodka—so-so), and the tattoo concession.

I now have a green frog on my ankle. No, not permanent. Airbrushed, and it's supposed to last up to a week. What the heck—why not?

We found the bar at the top of the ship. Very quiet, and the Jameson's is very reasonably priced. It became our last stop of the night for the duration.

So much for Day 1. Tomorrow, back to writing craft with my special guest Neil Plakcy, who's going to address "Voice." After that, I'll get back to some more cruise notes. I did a lot of people watching, and gathered all sorts of information should I ever set a book or scene on a cruise ship.