#94 on the cruise ship

Cruise ships are big. When we pulled into the cruise ship terminal in Santo Domingo, the ship was so big it just looked like a building. If we hadn't seen it from the other side of the road, we probably would have thought it was a building. The boarding process was very smooth. I think it was because we came in on our own instead of being picked up at the airport with a bus load or two of other cruisers, so no one was checking in at the same time we were. It's fun to have your photo taken as you board. It's fun to get your Sea Pass card and be welcomed aboard. It's fun to find your stateroom and see how small it is. It's fun to walk around the ship and figure out where everything is.

The muster station drill is not fun. It's mandatory. The muster station drill is where you put on your life jackets and go to your muster station - where you're life boat is. We were assigned to muster station 4. Unfortunately for us, it was on the sunny side of the ship and it was very warm, so we stood there for 30 plus minutes in our life vests, sweating and shielding our eyes from the sun. I'm sure that if there were an emergency, I would be glad to know this information, but it's not fun.

After that, though, it's all good. I really enjoy being on the top deck when the ship pulls out of the port. In Santo Domingo there were people down on the dock waving at the ship, just like in the movies! I sipped my pina colada and waved happily. The ship blares it's horn and slowly makes it way to the sea. It's awesome in any port. One of my "traditions" is to have a drink when we sail out and toast the port where we spent the day. MT didn't really do that with me very much on this trip, but I did it and it was good!

On both of our cruises we chose to have the late dinner seating, mostly because of my love of being out on deck when we leave. The first dinner seating is at 6:00 or 6:30, and when you get back on the ship by 5:00, it is too quick to shower and change and get to dinner that early. We had the 8:30 seating on this ship. We sat with a small family from Wales: David, Kim and their daughter Courtney, and a couple from England: Chris and Lorraine. We were served by our waiter, Victor from Portugal, and the assistant waiter was from Bosnia or somewhere. I can't even tell you his name. Miodrag or something. I'll just refer to him as Hot Hot Bread Guy. He was very cute.

Cruise ships are awesome for MT because he loves to talk to people. It was fun to talk to our dining companions because they had those great accents! Kim is originally from South Africa and she told stories about growing up there, like having monkeys stealing bananas from their house. All of them have traveled quite a bit, on cruises and safaris and to the U.S. We thought we had been around, but not compared to these guys. There was a lot of conversation about politics and gun control and royalty and other stuff. I mostly talked to the kids. Sometimes not paying much attention to the news is detrimental to good conversation, and none of those people really watch much American sports. We did talk a little about Tiger Woods, though.

Our typical day on the ship was that we'd get up around 7:00, have a bite of breakfast and go ashore on our excursions. We'd get back to the ship for lunch. After lunch, around 2:00, T would go to the Adventure Ocean kid's club, and MT and I would go ashore to shop at the terminal areas for an hour or so. MT would then go to the room for a nap and I'd put on my bathing suit and head up to the pool deck to read and catch the sun until 5:00 when it was time to pick T up. We'd get an ice cream or a snack or a drink, the ship would leave the port, and we'd be on our way back out to sea.

We'd always shower before dinner. Sometimes T would eat in the dining room with us; sometimes we took him to the Windjammer buffet to eat and then take him to Adventure Ocean where he would play and have fun until it was time for dessert in the dining room. Then he and Courtney would join us for "pudding" and that would be the end of our day. Sometimes after dinner, David and MT would take the kids up to play shuffleboard or miniature golf. That would give me a few minutes of quiet time to read or write and get ready for bed. It was a nice way to end the day.

There are lots of entertainment options on the ship. Each night there is a big show in the main theatre, usually two shows to accomodate both dinner seatings. We didn't go to any of the shows this time. There's also a casino. I know where it was, but I never went to it. There are bars and places to dance, but again, I didn't go there. Well, I went to the bar a couple of times!

It was inevitable that MT and I would compare the Legend of the Seas to the Empress of the Seas, the ship we sailed on last time. We thought the Empress was a prettier ship. MT said it had "better lines" whatever that means. The Empress was a little bit smaller overall. Our room on the Empress was definitely smaller. I thought the bar staff on the Empress was better. They were a lot more visible and friendly and I guess more pushy. The bar service staff on the Legend walked around quietly saying, "Bar service." We had conversations with the bar service guys on the Empress, and they recognized us and remembered what we liked. It was just more fun that way.

The Legend was a nice ship. It was very clean and easy to get around. I liked the miniature golf course, although I never played. There were two pools, one for adults only and I thought that was nice. I never got in either of the pools. I just liked to lounge and read.

Every night our stateroom attendant, Christina, would turn down our beds, put chocolates on our pillows and leave us with a towel critter. I miss that. It was nice to be pampered a little!

The food on the ship is very tasty and abundant. The service is wonderful. The Adventure Ocean kid's club was great. T loved going there and it was nice to have a few hours to ourselves and know that T was safe and having fun.

Well, I think that about wraps up my vacation words. I'm sure that I'll remember and think about random things that I'll write about in the future, but I think I've covered all the main topics. Oh, I just remembered our last excursion in old Santo Domingo. I'll save that for another time, though!

I really love to go on vacation. I love the Caribbean. It is just beautiful there. I love the warm weather, the warm water and the lovely people. I've already had several people ask where we are going next year. We have a few ideas: Cozumel, or a cruise down the Pacific coast of Mexico, or a cruise in Europe (!), or a cruise to the Bahamas and that area. Since our vacation this year was pretty expensive, next year we'd like to spend a bit less but still have lots of fun.

Notes on pics: 1) That's me enjoying a pina colada! 2) T and Hot Hot Bread Guy. I'm a sucker for those puppy-dog eyes. 3) MT lounging on the pool deck. 4) Our stateroom. T's murphy bed is folded up on the wall on the right.