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Fun at sea!

Trilla 1 Comment

The sun is shining, the sea is calm and the Mariner of the Seas is bustling with activity. At 1:30 p.m. today, “The Hobbit” was showing on the giant screen poolside – what better way to relax and enjoy the show?
Speaking of shows, during the first two weeks of this cruise, the headliners have certainly been some of the best! Today we were given a unique opportunity to meet four of the entertainers in an informal setting, followed by a Q&A session.
What do an Olympic gymnast, a singer/impersonator, a world-class violinist/personality and a magician/comedian have in common? They are headliners on cruise ships around the world!
I was curious about their backgrounds and how they found their way into the cruise entertainment world.
Gold medal Olympian and world champion gymnast Lance Ringnald amazed the crowd with his athletic abilities at age 42. Although the ship has no uneven bars or pummel horses, Lance has managed to put together an exciting routine that includes silks, juggling, piano and singing, all woven together with his easy-going manner and a lot of humor that wraps the audience around his little finger. He was once asked to sub for a fellow gymnast on a cruise ship and has never looked back! Lance was born in 1970 in Des Moines, Iowa, and trained in gymnastics since age 10. Not knowing what to expect before his show, I came away simply amazed!
Hannah Starosta is a personality that lights up the stage! She is a world-class violinist who can keep the audience laughing with an ease that rivals the best of comedians, while performing the world’s most loved music! She is of Polish and French ancestry, with dual citizenship in Great Britain and Poland. Hannah has been playing violin since age four, and is amazing. Her charismatic energy and talent is incomparable!
Paul Tanner is a talented singer/impersonator who impressed everyone with voices that included Neil Diamond, Tom Jones, Elvis, Johnny Cash and many others. He’s a fellow Texan from Killeen who now lives with his family in Florida. He has been a voice impersonator all his life. Paul’s ability to impersonate voices is unrivaled…Great job, Paul!
Nick Lewin gave the audience good laughs and remarkable talent! Without giving away his secrets, he amazed one and all with mesmerizing magic. Nick, who is from England, said all he ever wanted to do was perform magic, which he has been doing since age seven. His performance left us wanting more!
On the night of Day 10, John Bressler took the stage – piano and all! John’s musicality and comedic presence was astounding! His performance made me wonder why his name is not one we hear more often…this is talent, including his piano performance, singing and comic relief! Loved it!
Rumor has it that these talented headliners will leave the ship in Funchal/Madeira on Thursday, May 2. We assume this means that more talented artists will join the Mariner of the Seas at that time.
Headlining on cruise ships is the best kept secret in the entertainment world!
Yesterday was our 10th day at sea on this 41-day journey on The Mariner of the Seas from Galveston to Singapore. Our journey has taken us more than 3,900 nautical miles from the Port of Galveston. Tomorrow, May 2nd, we will see land again for the first time in eight nights and seven days – that’s how long it takes to cross the Atlantic Ocean!
Hope you’ll come back soon for another update! Find my link on http://www.ourtribune.com.

Entertainers on the first leg of our 6-week cruise: Paul Tanner, Hannah Starosta, Nick Lewin and Lance Ringnald

Entertainers on the first leg of our 6-week cruise: Paul Tanner, Hannah Starosta, Nick Lewin and Lance Ringnald

Day 10 – Another exciting day at sea

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This day started out like all the others, in addition, there was unexpected excitement in the air.
Captain Flemming came on the intercom to announce that there had been a chemical spill in the laundry area of the ship. He said he would keep everyone informed and that the crew was handling it.
I was thinking it could be serious, but chances were, it was not. So we didn’t know for a time just how bad it was; was anyone injured; could it be contained?
A while later the captain announced that it was a minor spill, and that the spill was cleaned up and the crew was healthy. Disaster averted!
This afternoon we heard another intriguing announcement from the captain. This time he said what looked like an orange life raft had been spotted floating nearby on the port side of the ship. He said the ship was slowing down to investigate. Sure enough we slowed down to seven knots, give or take, and made a wide swing in the direction of the orange object.
Soon we saw a small boat with the rescue team onboard speeding toward the floating orange object. We watched as the small boat approached, then circled, the orange object. We were anticipating a rescue about to happen. The small boat then immediately headed back toward the ship…no one needed rescued this day! Thankfully!
Very quickly, the captain reported that the object was not a life raft, but a containment buoy like those used to contain oil spills. Excitement over!
Ten days down and 31 more to go before we get to Singapore! There will be many stops and excursions along the way, so stay tuned…

I’m posting this on the 11th because we didn’t have Wi-Fi last night!

Not a life raft -- just a floating containment buoy!

Rescue excitement! Not a life raft — just a floating containment buoy!

Grand opening of Casino Royale on Day nine

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Today was an exciting and much anticipated day for those passengers awaiting the grand opening of the newly refurbished Casino Royale! A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on the Promenade at 6 p.m. and free champagne was served! (I’ll post photos later when they are downloaded from my iPhone. The ship’s Wi-Fi works best when I use my laptop, so photos from my iPhone will have to wait.)
As with any grand opening, there were a few hiccups in the new casino. Machines didn’t seem to want to print out tickets, so at one point every machine in our row was blinking “call attendant!” However, things are sure to smooth out nicely along the way, we hope! Everyone was very excited and one slot player had already hit a $7,000-plus jackpot!
I don’t think I’ve mentioned that about 80-90% of the passengers on board are what you would call “Senior Citizens,” or retirees. Of course, there are a few young folks, and some even have small children.
At our dinner table, all are retirees! One couple is from Illinois and they are traveling with their 18-year-old granddaughter. They found out about the cruise when their Texas cousin sent a gift that was wrapped up in The Tribune newspaper with an ad by Kingwood Travel. Funny how fate works sometimes!
The rest of the diners at our table are either from Kingwood, Texas, or they used to live there. The table next to us is also filled with retirees from Kingwood. These two tables make up most of the group that booked this cruise through Kingwood Travel. A very nice bunch of people!
Since my last update, we’ve enjoyed excellent stage presentations in the evenings in the Savoy Theatre, with acts such as Hannah Starosta performing world class music on her violin on Saturday. Sunday night we were entertained by two-time gold medal gymnast, Lance Ringnald. I had a chat and took a photo of Lance, and I hope to talk with Hannah soon. Look for more talk and information about some of our entertainers in upcoming posts.
Today we decided to spend the afternoon enjoying the movie “Jack Reacher” on the big screen in the Savoy Theatre. Our friends Janet and Steve decided to take in “The Hobbit” poolside tonight. Of course, we had to check out the casino for a while – sadly, with no big jackpot to report!
It’s always our choice to make as to whether to stay busy with ship activities or just relax, read a book by the pool, take a class or take in a lecture, go to the spa, walk on the jogging track, play golf, climb a rock wall, play basketball or in-line skate. There is no end to the activities – the hard part is making up your mind. However, this morning was my time to catch up on lost sleep, after setting our watches up one hour each day, including today! Does anybody really know what time it is?
Until next time…

Golf in the middle of the Atlantic anyone?

Golf in the middle of the Atlantic anyone?

Day nine at sea on The Mariner of the Seas – we’re half way across the Atlantic!

Trilla 1 Comment

Ahoy, there! As Day 9 comes to an end, it seems we are at the half-way mark in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, as we continue on this journey to the other side of the world. We will see land again in four more days, when we dock in Funchal, Madeira near Portugal. An excursion called “A Taste of Madeira” is planned for us, and we hope to see some awesome sights and sample a few local wines that are made there.
I last updated my blog on Friday, April 26. Since that time, we’ve been making our way to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. On the map, we can see the Azores in the far distance. Other than that, we are pretty much in the middle of nowhere! The captain said we are as far away from anywhere as we can possible get! It’s a really weird feeling…but nice!
Let’s talk about getting our bearings. As I write this blog the time is 8:50 p.m., and the sun is shining so bright it looks like mid-afternoon. Sunset today will be at 10:07 p.m. We are traveling at a speed of 17.9-18.2 kts. Sea depth is 11,150 ft., and we have now cruised a distance of 3,283 nautical miles from Galveston. Sunrise tomorrow, Tuesday, will be at 8:39 a.m. We are loving this cruise and all the good servers and attendants who try to make our journey as enjoyable as possible.
Mariner of the Seas Captain Flemming has assured us that the worst of the wave action is behind us. Truthfully, we expected to endure a lot worse turbulence than this, so we have no complaints!
We haven’t seen anyone experiencing seasickness, thankfully.
Come back soon for another update!

A gorgeous sunset on day 9 at 10:05 p.m.

A gorgeous sunset on day 9 at 10:05 p.m.

Mariner of the Seas – Atlantic Crossing

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April 26 – Day 6
Cruising across the Atlantic Ocean on The Mariner of the Seas is like living on a resort! Meals are served, rooms are kept clean and entertainment is provided all day and most of the night! On the ship you can be as active or as laid back as you want to be – it is up to you. Activities are available every day and every evening/night. Sometimes it’s nice to just chill!
Now for some sailing statistics for all you sailors! When we left the Port of Nassau on Wednesday, April 24, on day 4 of this 41-day cruise, the time of departure was approximately 5:30 p.m. The ship’s log is displayed on its own TV channel continuously, so we can see the stats anytime. Temperatures were in the 80’s on day 4, and we had traveled 1,132 nautical miles (nm). Our ship’s speed was 18.5 kts, and the sea depth was 10,180 ft.
By Thursday, April 25 – day 5, we had covered a total distance of 1,522 nm, sea depth of 17,870 ft., and it was exciting to see the color of the ocean waters change from Caribbean blue to a deep, dark navy blue, when the ocean floor dropped deeper below us. Temperatures had dropped into the 70’s with gusting winds, making it seem much cooler.
Today is Friday, April 26 – day 6. At 4:40 p.m. we have covered a total distance of 1,924 nm, and the sea depth is 16,240 ft. This morning the sea depth was 16,990, so you can see that it fluctuates. We were nearing Bermuda, and at one point at 8:20 this morning the sea depth was displayed on the TV screen as 215,010 ft. We thought that couldn’t be right, but just figured that anything is possible in the Bermuda Triangle!
The temperature is still cool tonight and expected to become even cooler as we cruise NE toward Funchal/ Madeira.
After dinner last night we took in the stage production that was performed by the Royal Caribbean production team, which was an absolutely sensational Broadway-style show.
Tonight Paul Tanner, an impersonator/singer from Killeen, Texas, wowed the audience while impersonating Neil Diamond, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Elvis, to name a few. We just left a 70’s party that is in full swing at The Promenade…so fun!
Something that I forgot to mention, which makes an enormous impact on our day-to-day life on the ship, is the time change as we are on this journey on The Mariner of the Seas from Galveston to Singapore. As we sailed out of the Gulf into the eastern Caribbean in line with the tip of Florida at 11:30 a.m. on day 3, the ship’s captain asked that everyone set their watches forward one hour. After that, we have been asked to set our time forward one hour at 11:30 a.m. on several days. As of today, we have moved the time forward three or four hours – nobody can remember exactly. So we are sort of out of kilter, not knowing what time it truly is – we only know the ship’s time now.
The first leg of this six-week cruise will end in Barcelona on May 6, and we have two more ports of call before we dock there. I’ll report on our stops at Funchal/Madeira, Portugal, and Alicante, Spain, next week followed by the last stop on this leg of the cruise – Barcelona!
Come back soon for more updates at sea! (I’m at the mercy of the ships WiFi.)

Saying goodbye to The Bahamas!

Saying goodbye to The Bahamas!


Everyone loves The Promenade in the center of The Mariner of the Seas!

Everyone loves The Promenade in the center of The Mariner of the Seas!


Towel elephant takes charge!

Towel elephant takes charge!

Snapshots in The Bahamas

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Steve and Janet Wallace take in Atlantis!

Steve and Janet Wallace take in Atlantis!

The Mariner of the Seas

Sitting pretty at the Port of Nassau!

A place that has it all - Atlantis!

A place that has it all – Atlantis!

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Sitting pretty in Nassau!

Sitting pretty in Nassau!

Relaxing in Atlantis before starting our trans-Atlantic journey

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Hi!

Hi!

The day on shore in Nassau and Paradise Island, The Bahamas, was planned as a time to enjoy the beach and all the other exciting features of the Atlantis Resort and the many shops in Nassau. Our excursion included transportation to and from Atlantis, a spot on the beach with towels, chairs and shade.
Our particular beach location was in Cove Beach, where the waters are calmed by breakers and the sound of the surf, along with the aquamarine color of the water, helped to bring peace and calm.
We made the most of our time spent there, including lunch and tropical drinks. No doubt about it, the large marine life enclosures on the grounds were astounding! We saw sharks, stingrays and barracudas. The sheer architectural magnificence of the buildings and their almost surreal surrounds is absolutely breathtaking! We also visited the casino, but no winnings to report!
The tour bus brought us back into town with time to spare for shopping in the many stores of the Diamond District, which proved to be very productive.
The last time we visited The Bahamas, which was about three or four years ago, we toured the city and Paradise Island by car. We also took a leisurely ride on a glass bottom boat to see colorful fish and coral offshore. This time we just wanted to relax and enjoy an island setting that is unique by any standard – Atlantis! In case you’re wondering, the Michael Jackson suite can run $25,000-$36,000 per night! Yikes!
One reason we just wanted to relax and enjoy this island day, is because we were gearing up for an eight-night, seven-day journey across the Atlantic Ocean on The Mariner of the Seas. We left Port Nassau about 5 p.m. tonight (Wednesday, April 24, 2013) on a charted course to Madeira in Portugal.
Unfortunately, we just found out that the ship’s satellite Wi-Fi will encounter dead zones during the trans-Atlantic crossing. So, if we thought Wi-Fi was slow before, it’s going to be practically non-existent for the next few days/week.
If the signal will allow, I’ll post an update before we reach Portugal. If you don’t see and update, I’ll try to catch up whenever possible.
Until next time…

Nassau here we come!

Trilla 2 Comments

The first 24 hours of the cruise was awesome and continues to be! We are now passing through the Straights of Florida, which puts us smack dab between the Florida Keys and Cuba!  We’ll be in Nassau tomorrow morning! In the meantime, we’re enjoying the blue waters, awesome food, sunshine and smooth sailing.
We had a slow start out of port Sunday night, but no further explanation about the six-hour delay was mentioned at Captain Flemming’s Welcome Aboard Reception Monday night.
The first formal evening was last night, and it’s always fun to dress up on this special night! This is the night when everyone poses for photographers in front of the many beautiful, usually tropical backdrops. Who can resist?
The Mariner of the Seas feels open and grand, with staterooms that have more space than we’re used to having on a different cruise line. It’s clean and there is an abundance of storage!
There are nearly 3,000 passengers and another 1200 crew on board, but when we took a stroll to the rear of the ship early Monday morning, it seemed that we had the place to ourselves. Soon the walkers and runners could be seen on the track toward the front– they say this boat is equal to the length of three football fields.
It is surprising to see families with small children on a 41-day cruise. They were seen taking advantage of the miniature golf, ping pong and basketball courts. There’s also a rock-climbing wall, in-line skate track and several pool/spa areas.
The center of this ship holds The Royal Promenade, which is where you’ll find various shops, such as jewelry, watches, liquor, boutiques, etc. Live music is usually heard near the coffee shop and pub. The restaurants, too numerous to mention, have excellent service and food, with a crew from 40-45 different countries.  The entertainment last night was fabulous in the Savoy Lounge — The Vegas Tenors!

Tomorrow morning we will dock in Nassau! Our excursion includes a beach day at Atlantis and some shopping! In eight days, we will arrive at Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, for another excursion…

Hope you’ll join me for another update soon! Sorry, but photos will have to wait for better wifi!

There will be a slight delay

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The captain says our delayed departure from port is due to loading and unloading. No problem here – it means I can still use my phone for blogging.
We were not concerned when the captain made an announcement following our emergency procedures briefing that the ship would be in port until 7 p.m. for loading and unloading. Eyebrows were raised, however, when he announced that departure would not be till 9 p.m. At 9:30 we’re still in port.
We had a nice lunch with our friends Janet and Steve in the Windjammer Cafe after boarding. The Bon Voyage cocktail party in the Dragon’s Lair Disco at 4:30 was certainly premature, since the ship has yet to move, but it was so nice to meet fellow travelers from Kingwood and beyond. The cocktail party was followed by a lovely dinner in the Rhapsody in Blue dining room, where we met our waitstaff and enjoyed their service and a very scrumptious meal. We then spent about an hour in the Savoy Lounge.
It could be that the ship’s Bon voyage party will take place before midnight but I think we’ll just call it a night.
One sad note concerns the casino — it will not be open until day nine of the cruise, due to renovations. And they have promised it will be worth the wait!
Stay tuned for an update on the reluctant cruise tomorrow.

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Muster stations!

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Come along with me to the muster station — it’s required by law. Here we wait until everyone is accounted for, everyone knows where to go in case of emergency, then we are free to go. I didn’t want you to miss this little bit of cruising requirement.

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