Cruise log - Part 3

Wow! So I guess I kinda lost my momentum there. And by now my memory is starting to fade. But I will try to give you at least a brief idea of that the rest of the cruise was like.

Being at sea was a mixed sort of experience. You had to get used to the constant rocking of the ship. You have heard the term "sea legs", eh? Well, you gotta get them. Your legs, inner ear, and all other mechanisms involved in balancing your body have to adapt. I kinda felt on the edge of reality most of the time. Of course, that had to do with more than just the rocking. I am not accustomed to being around hundreds of people constantly, nor am I accustomed to being waited on hand and foot, nor am I accustomed to such opulent surroundings.

As I said in my earlier post, the ship was awesome in its appointments. Polished brass, glass, crystal, mosaics, tile, rich carpeting, lovely artwork all over this 12 story floating city. It was not just a floating hotel- there were so many restaurants and bars, and shops! It was definitely more like a small city. I found myself feeling a bit guilty about living in such luxury. This is not who I am in my everyday life. But I will go into that more later, or maybe I will save it for another post.

There was so much to do on board, that boredom was simply not an option. Rather, over-stimulus, was more likely. Especially if you tend to be a bit of a hermit, like myself. The first day on the ship, while we were at sea, we did a lot of exploring. We walked every accessible inch of that ship with our jaws hanging open. I am sure we looked like a couple of excited kids much of that day. "OOOH! Look at that!" "Aahhh! So beautiful!" All day long. We were not the only ones looking like that. But there were a surprising number of women on that ship who appeared to be right at home with all this elegance. I never met so many wealthy lesbians in my life! It was quite an eye-opening experience for both Jen and me.

The first of the theme nights for the week was formal night. Now- on a lesbian cruise the rules are not the same as they are on a hetero cruise. We saw everything from ball gowns and tuxes to jeans and t-shirts. The vast majority chose to do something other than jeans and shirts. I never saw so many varieties of tuxedos and suits in my life, actually. It was fun. We all like to play dress up in one way or other, right? I love my tux. I have only gotten to wear it one other time. That was at a gay prom 15 year ago. So, needless to say, I was out there struttin' my stuff! LOL (Cheri, Deb, get a close look there- I made my studs. Oh yes I did.)

Everyone and everything on the ship was decked out extra special for formal night! The waiters wore white gloves that night. They put white jackets on the chairs in the dining room. It was like being at Cinderella's ball for lesbians! And we wore our fomral attire for the entire evening- to the shows and the clubs, etc. The shows that night included Kate Clinton & karaoke. I was pretty impressed by the karaoke. Heckuva lot of talented women on that shop. FUN, FUN, FUN!

Stay tuned. I promise to finish this up, this week. Part 4 will have a run down of the ports of call and Part 5 will be my overall reflections on this hedonistic, adventurous vacation of Spring 2009.

Cruise log part 2- Travelling

The flight to Ft. Lauderdale didn't leave until 6 pm Central Time. There was a connection in Memphis which was delayed on the runway for 1 hour for de-iceing as it was snowing.

I hate to fly, am a very anxious flier, and sitting in a plane on the runway for an hour only serves to heighten my anxiety. "Shoulda filled up the Rum Runners", I whispered to Jen. "Woulda been a good idea", she whispered back.

Rum Runners are these incredibly compact, flexible little plastic bottles/bags you can fill with your favorite beverage and slip easily into a pocket, completely undetectable by metal detectors. Don't ask me why we didn't fill them up. I guess, I was a little scared of being kicked off the plane or something. I do tend to like to remain clear headed when I travel to minimize any lost carry ons and stuff like that. Jen is a little spacey when travelling and I often have to remind her to pick up a bag or something.

The flight finally got under way and was pretty bumpy due to the weather, but I didn't have a heart attack. We arrived in Ft. Lauderale at approximately 1 am. Eastern Time. After collecting our luggage we went outside to wait for Jen's sister to come pick us up. Two phone calls of "where are you?" later, the car pulled up at the curb, driven by Fran's (Jen's sis) girlfriend. Seems Fran was a bit under the weather from a little too much beer. And she was owly and growly to boot. She and her girlfriend bickered the whole way back to Fran's place.

We had a lot of luggage, which had to be hauled into Fran's little mobile home, as Fran was afraid it might get stolen from the car. It's amazing how much stuff you have to pack to go on a cruise for a week. They have theme nights, most nights, so you need costumes and s*&@ like that. They don't have a drug store on board, so they suggest you pack everything you might possibly need in the way of over the counter meds. Being a nurse, I think quite literally on this score, so there was a whole little cosmetic bag full of things like Dramamine, Imodium, Benadryl, Ibuprofen, Zantac, plus my allergy meds, anti-depressants, and asthma inhaler. Along with the meds, I packed a little First Aid kit. You never know, right? I think I am also part Boy Scout.

Got the luggage hauled in. I wanted to go to bed, Fran wanted to go to bed. Jen was excited to see her sis and wanted to stay up and talk. Which I didn't think was such a great idea as Fran was pretty owly. So, I got ready for bed, as did everyone else. But Jen had her suitcase open and kept dragging stuff out to show her sister. She becomes about 8 years old when she gets around Fran. It's cute and kind of endearing but not at 2 a.m. I went to bed. Fran kept heading for her room but got way-laid each time by "Sissy, look at this!" Finally, after about 30 minutes of this, Jen settled down and was ready to go to bed.

I fell asleep pretty quickly and was awakened quite early by neighbors talking, quite loudly outside, and birds. Not something one is accustomed to hearing on March 1st in Nebraska, as the windows are usually closed.

We didn't have to board our ship until 3 p.m. and I knew Jen really wanted to visit with her sis, so we hung out at her place until about 1 or so. Then we loaded all the luggage back into Fran's car and started for Port Everglades, which is about 25 miles from Pompano Beach where Fran lives. Again, we were treated to the bickering of Fran and her girlfriend about the weather, where to turn, the traffic, etc.,etc. all the way to the port. I have not been so glad to get out of someone's company in a long while.

Boarding procedures can be quite complicated from what I have heard. But these folks had everything organized very well and we were through the check in area in less than 20 minutes. We made our way to our room and our luggage followed very shortly afterwards. So we went ahead and unpacked.I don't normally unpack while on vacation but a ships cabin isn't made for living out of your suitcases for a week. Fortunately, there is plenty of closet and drawer space which makes it quite easy to access everything. Suitcases are stored under your bed.

There was a mandatory lifeboat drill at 4:15 p.m. It was rather a comforting ritual, as each person was accounted for on deck by a crew member. It's a very organized affair. And if you miss it, the captain sees to it that a make-up drill is scheduled. On one cruise the make up drill was at 3 a.m., says one repeat passenger.

After unpacking we explored the ship and went to dinner. The MS Westerdam, of the Holland America Line is a very opulent vessel. It has 10 decks with 5 restaurants, a 3 level auditorium, 2 swimming pools, a spa, jacouzzis, about 5 bars, a night club, a casino, and a movie theater, plus shops and an infirmary. These are the passenger decks. Below the water are 2 more decks where passengers are not allowed. The crew and staff quarters are here, along with 2 more restaurants and bars and a hair salon. There is luxury and comfort everywhere you look on board. The elevator doors are covered in embossed brass, all the halls and lobbies are carpeted, the bars are beautiful, the dining rooms are fit for a queen. There is one dining room we didn't even go to because you have to have reservations, and there is a $20.00 per person surcharge. It was extremely elegant!

The food at our first meal was exquisite! Truly 5 star dining. I had salmon which was the freshest I have ever had- and I grew up in Massachusetts. I don't remember what Jen ate. But each meal in the dining room is served from a menu and there are 5 courses. If I had eaten all 5 courses at each meal I would have gained 45 pounds. Seriously! So, I chose wisely and ended up gaining only 4 pounds for the week.

We set sail at 10 p.m. with a big bash on the Lido deck by the pool. There was a DJ and dancing and drinking and a comedienne (Vicki Shaw). We left the party around midnight and it was going for some time after that, from what we heard the next day. It was a bit chilly for me, but I heard that a few of the revellers went skinny dipping in the wee hours. BRRR!

Stay tuned for the next installment: At Sea and The first port of call.

Cruise log Number 1- How to prepare for a cruise

So, we won a cruise! Yuh-huh, yes we did. We won it here: http://www.olivia.com/Travel/default.aspx

I never win anything, ever, not even a stuffed toy at the carnival. SO imagine my surprise and, yes, skepticism, when Jen said to me, very nonchalantly,on Jan 30th:

"Oh by the way, we got an email here that says we won a cruise from Olivia".

Me: "No way!" Jen: "Yes, see, here it is right here. Must be some kind of scam, huh?" Me: "Well, it says, right here to call for details. I will call them on the 5th like it says here. I mean, you never know, right? What can it hurt to call them?" Jen: "Well, nothing, but I am not going to get excited, yet." Me: "Right, no sense getting disappointed."

Feb. 5th Me: "Hello, Olivia? I got an email here, says I won a cruise. What's the catch?" Voice on the other end of the line:(Laughter)"No catch, it's just like it says in the email. You pay your taxes and fees and the rest is on us!" Me:"Really!? I mean they don't want you to sign your life away or anything? You aren't required to buy 10 more cruises?" Voice: (More laughter) "Nope! Nothing like that. Oh- but do you have a passport?" Me:"(Sigh, here it is.) No. I have never had one." Voice:"Well, it isn't hard to get one, but you have to have one for this trip as we are going outside of the country. I just checked and you can get it expedited and have it within 10 days to 2 weeks. I can extend this offer to you until Monday to give you time to apply for your passports and see what they say about how long it will take." Me:"Ok, so if I apply for my passport and call you back by Monday, we can book this cruise under the same conditions?" Voice:"Right."

So, off I go to find out about applying for a passport. Still not excited, still doesn't feel real. But I find out that I can apply for my passport at the local post office, and that for double the cost I can have it expedited. OK- so much for free trips. But- I have gotten my tax refund and we decide to go ahead and apply for the passports and book the cruise.

Next catch: you have to have a birth certificate to apply for your passport. Now, I know I have mine and I am fairly certain about where to find it. I went right to the file box where it is supposed to be, but is not. Then, I spent the next 4 hours- that's right 4 hours- tearing up the house from top to bottom searching, frantically, for both my and Jen's birth certificates. Did I find them, you ask? Why, yes, yes I did, after much agitation, cussing, running up and down the stairs and going through every box of papers (Jen throws NOTHING away) we have and missing an appointment. I found both our birth certificates.

Feb.7th We stood in line for 30 minutes after filling out the long application for a passport. When we got to the clerk, he looked at Jen's birth certificate (the one I spent 4 hours searching for)and says "oh, this is a hospital birth certificate, that won't work. You have to have the one registered with the state." I am about to jump over the counter, now and cram this piece of paper down this guys throat, but Jen says- "wait, I am pretty sure I have the right one at home." Me: "So, shall I wait here and finish my application while you go look for it?" And out the door she went. I stayed in the line and finshed my application and had my photo taken and paid the nice man $200.00 for an expedited passport. Then I went next door and shopped while waiting for Jen to return. She did return, with the correct birth certificate, about an hour later. She finished her application and had her photo taken and I paid the nice man another $200.00 for an expedited passport.

Feb. 9th The minute the offices at Olivia in San Francisco, CA, open for business on Monday morning, I am on the phone. The cruise is booked and I am launched into the world of cruise preparations.

I spent the next 3 weeks filling out forms on the internet, calling credit card companies,arranging tickets to fly to Florida, shopping, making lists, digging out the luggage, filling out more forms on the internet, arranging a dog sitter, shopping, getting Power of Attorney for Health Care and Living Will forms filled out and notarized, getting all my prescriptions from the doctor, shopping, researching the areas we will be travelling to, researching whether or not we need vaccinations, getting prescription sunglasses...oh, and did I mention shopping?

By Feb.28th, all is ready, packed, arranged, filled out. And I am exhausted! I am ready for this cruise, which I believe is going to be restful, relaxing and refreshing.

Stay tuned for Cruise Log #2. Travelling