At Sea: Life Aboard a Cruise Ship

“The goal of each civilization, all religious thought, all that sort of thing, is simply to have a good time. But man gets so solemn over the process that he forgets the end.”  Don Marquis

The point (at least for me) of a lengthy sea voyage is visiting a multitude of places without having to deal with logistics. But it can take some time to get to those places.  As in crossing an ocean: starting a 102-day voyage to Asia from the U.S. means four straight days at sea in the Pacific Ocean without land in sight.  Then a couple of island stops, and then a few more days at sea.

I have been asked, "Doesn’t all that time aboard a ship get boring? “

Well, yes.  Sort of.

The other thing about a cruise ship is that, on those days at sea, an army of people work to ensure that you have plenty to do.  Exercise classes.  Classes on a multitude of skills (knitting, writing, photography, computers, etc.). Lectures. Movies. Shows.  Or poolside seats with a book.

OK, that last one hasn’t worked out so well so far. The waters have been rough, meaning the pool is closed, and the temperatures chilly.  So make that sitting in the observation deck with a book.

And today starts a new twist:  the “World Cruise Games.”  The opening ceremonies were last night, and an "eternal flame” was "lit."  Said flame being a ripped sheet with underlighting and a fan keeping it blowing--open flames are forbidden on a ship for obvious reasons.  The "flame" is surrounded by the flags of the countries represented on the ship. 

The games run the gamut: golf, paddle tennis, shuffleboard (yeah, you’d have been disappointed if that weren’t in there, wouldn’t you?).  Not to mention team trivia, scrabble, bridge, and other non-physical games. 

These games will run thoughout this segment, which ends in Sydney.  It’s a nice way to keep things interesting.

So, all that being said, why did I say “yes, sort of” to the question of boring?  What is good about sea time is that, when on a long voyage with lots of exploring in every port, you need a vacation from your vacation.  And sea days offer that.  But when you start your voyage with sea days, you are (or perhaps more accurately, I am) ready to start the exploring, but have nothing but the ship itself to explore. This is where I am happy with the choice to have added another cruise just prior to the official world cruise.  I already started the exploring, and so am not as antsy as I might otherwise have been.  And thus have been able to enjoy the ship’s activities on their own terms.

But I am more than ready to step on land again. And just in time: we arrive in Honolulu tomorrow.