Leading up to an informative muster on embarkation day, we spent the last two days in California, packing three additional suitcases, attending the Gala (it was!) and getting to the pier on time, thanks to our family.
All of the luggage arrived from different places: our carry-ons, the porter at the pier who helped us with one large suitcase and from Luggage Forward, who impressively delivered three large suitcases to our suite. With all our bags in the room, we had but one purpose for the next few hours....unpacking it all! Knowing that Angel, our stewardess, would be preparing our room for evening turndown, we felt the pressure to complete the task before dinner.
Mission accomplished. The closet is very full! Unpacking was a whirlwind of activity, so today, the first of our five consecutive seas days, will be spent organizing the closet, drawers and our room, in general. Last night, with the empty suitcases stored under the bed, we drifted off to sleep being rocked by the Mariner.
Mission accomplished. The closet is very full! Unpacking was a whirlwind of activity, so today, the first of our five consecutive seas days, will be spent organizing the closet, drawers and our room, in general. Last night, with the empty suitcases stored under the bed, we drifted off to sleep being rocked by the Mariner.
After boarding, we met friends for lunch in the Compass Rose where the chef prepared special selections for the world cruisers. It was a delightful reunion and a delicious meal. Lunch was followed by a tour of the ship, fresh to our eyes, because the Mariner looks very different from our last voyage on this ship. There are two or three spots that will probably become favorites. One is the Coffee Connection!! It's a very large space with many beverage options, light morsels for nibbling and plenty of tables for visiting with friends, relaxing, playing board games and in my case, creating art. Regent has done a stellar job of providing this wonderful space.
The ship is beautiful. The crew are gracious and welcoming. This is our first full day on board, and while the seas are a bit rough, we're able to get around without any issues. The wifi works intermittently, but I will attribute that to all of the guests who are probably online, just like I am!
I'm feeling very Hawaiian after making a lei this morning. I'm wearing a gorgeous string of orchids that will still be fresh when we dock in Honolulu on January 30th. Already an island girl!
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| Meet "Slinky" top of the ice bucket. He's a gift from our grandsons and will travel the world with us! |
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| Gorgeous orchids make a lush, beautiful lei |
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| The fog is rolling in and later, it draped itself over the Golden Gate Bridge before sail away |
Hi M!
ReplyDeleteAt last you arrived inside the floating paradise-the Mariner!
The lei is beautiful. I always ponder how the Hawaiian islands manage to grow so many orchids to meet the demand so all the tourists get a lei to wear when they enter the island (?) I must assume they are grown in greenhouses farms all year around so they have plenty of orchids for all the tourists. Indeed a very unique gesture from Hawaii.
What an adorable thought of your grandsons to give you "Slinky" to travel w/u :) Bet the boys are going to enjoy reading about "Slinky travails"and seeing "him" on pictures too :)
Enjoy each day!!!
cj