Leaving Miami

This is going backwards, but what to do?  The online internet is not only slow, but also unpredictable.  I feel that I have stepped back 5 years on internet technology.


This ia a photo of Miami as we left.  Our stateroom is aft, which means the end of the ship.  So I can look out and see where we have been.

The ship, called the Norwegian Dawn is enormous, holding on this trip more than 2000 people.  I can't even imagine how difficult it is to feed that number, keep them occupied, and keep the ship clean. But most of the staff is from the Philippines. A few are from Bangladesh and other developing countries, but no one is from the West. What  was this about exporting jobs?   Probably they can't afford western pay scales and their pensions. 

Caribbean Cruise: Day One

 Going through registration and running through  security was quick and easy. Then the fun started.Gather in a restaurant and meet your concierge, ours is Virginia. She has nine butlers, which were called valets when we signed up online. I  don't think I would have taken a butler. Aren't they always the murderer in the mysteries? Then there are a myriad of rules and regulations to be read off, which no one paid any attention to.  


We met a couple from Canada. This is their 10^th cruise and the 2^nd one this year. A cruise groupie.

Finally the rooms were ready and we toddled off to view ours. It’s very nice. A small  balcony with two chaise lounges, a big double bed, that is much more comfortable than ours at home and I don’t need to have a step ladder to get into it. A big TV with many news channels and a couple of movie channels. A large bathroom and plenty of cupboard space. There is a sitting area and a table with four chairs. Very nice. Of course, flowers and fruit greeted us and the steward, by the name of Mo, was already angling for a tip. He was sad, weeping about being overworked and telling us the tale of his family.

We decided to take a look around the ship before dinner. What a mistake!! At the pool there was a band screaming music and everybody jumping up and down. Forced merriment. I thought that if the whole ship is like this I am over the side.

The first night at the common dining room, the Venetian, steak was on the menu. It wasn’t bad.  Actually it was quite good.