The Departed

I have not seen the movie yet. I am however, a big fan of Martin's as well as the ensemble cast that assembled for the film. It is not often that you get a group with chops like this together and get them to perform at this level. I had also forgotten how often Martin and Leo had worked together in the past: Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, and the upcoming movie on Teddy Roosevelt.

It is usually like a bunch of NBA all starts competing together. There just is not enough ball to go around for these guys so it turns into a big one upsmanship contest dripping in ego.

I just purchased the wide screen edition and am looking forward to a screening this weekend. I briefly toyed with the idea of trying to view most of the nominated films before the Oscars and wasn't sure if I would even like them. I tend to prefer movies to films, getting my intellectual candy from print rather than cinema.

Still Cruising

I like cruising. I confessed my rookie status earlier and after 10 days of mastering a routine at sea, feel more like a seasoned sea traveler. It is very different than the trips most of us take because most of us take trips not vacations. These are most definitely vacations where teams of dedicated staff fawn on your every need.

The formal component I enjoyed more than expected. I thought playing dress up would be a hassle and pretentious. It wasn't and I actually looked forward to it. Also the fact that I was one of the younger cats on the promenade deck makes it a bit less painful.

There is another cruise on the horizon. In April Ale and I will be joining some workmates from a client on another RC to Key West and Cozumel. It is only a 4 nighter, but I will be very interested in the patrons this time around. The Panama cruise was 10 days and if you have kids or committments like most people, you are limited to retired folks as your travel companions; not that there is anthing wrong with that! With 4 nights spanning a weekend, I would expect to see more people raised during the Reagan years rather than one of FDR many terms in office.

Dining at Table 527

Dining on a ship is a real crap shoot. You are assigned a table with guests you don't know that can either make for a very long voyage or a lot of dining experiences at other culinary venues besides you assigned table. We were lucky. We were seated with a family that was seasoned in the ways of cruising and were on trip number 7 together at the very least.

It was an annual event for them, which they have clearly mastered, because I am sure most families give up on this after 3 years.

Daughters Cindy and Renee are shown here with their husbands Ron, Mark, and their parents Ed and Barb.

They had good taste in wine and I am still curious how younger brother Kevin fared with the dog sitting and the remodel of the bathroom.

Dive Pictures from Aruba and Cayman

I still have to post about my dive in the Caymans. That will be forthcoming later tonight. I did get my pictures developed which is a term I have not used for about 10 years because that is the last time I used film. I used one of those disposable underwater cameras and although it was of midland quality, they turned out better than I expected.

More on the dive later.

Final night

Well it is the final night and we are heading into Miami in the morning. With a long layover ti won't be until late when we arrive in the Twin Cities.

We had a great final night with our table mates and enjoyed a lazy day at sea as we prepared for arrival.

I still need an entry on dive number 2 in the Caymans. It was spectacular.

Thanks all for listening.

Andrea's day at Stingray City - Caymans

The excursion today was mixed. The transportation organization and their timing was not good but each individual event was good. The botanical garden was very pretty. Though it was not the height of blooming things looked very lush compared to our winter standards. They had a lot of damage from hurricane Ivan in 2002. They have worked hard to bring the garden back and though it is not as full as it was before the hurricane, it is still stunning.

The swim with the sting rays was great. Many of the group stayed on the boat and did not get in the water. Those that did enter the water seemed quite nervous. I think I fed more of them than any of the others. The captain was having me hold one, he wanted to show me and the others it's mouth, he lifted the stingray up to expose the mouth to me and the sting ray blew a bunch water in my face. It was pretty funny and very surprising. The captain apologized and said that was not what was supposed to happen. They are amazing creatures to watch. The under bellies are very soft and the top is like sand paper.

The swim with the sting rays was the highlight of the day!

Andrea H. Michaelsen

Formal Night

Well, it is a lot like prom I suppose except you are related. You get to see how everyone cleans up after seeing them in sweaty beach attire.

Steaming to Cayman

We left Puerto Limon last night about 7:00. I was having my usual Heineken with Mom (red wine) and Andrea (Cliquot) at the Champagne bar before dinner at the Chop House.

You begin to look forward to these days at sea where obligations are few and you can just dive into a book.

We will arrive in Cayman in the morning at 7AM. I have a 2-tank dive scheduled in the morning that should take me to mid day then hopefully a bit of walking on 7 mile beach.

Tonight is formal night at dinner so it is back into the black suit. There are usually 2 of these per trip, the first being the captain’s dinner then the final formal while at sea at the end of the cruise. I won’t be wearing my village people get up that night.

Anna Nicole dead at 39 and the astronaut love triangle are the big new stories around here. Forget the Wolves and the Wild, this stuff is juicy.

Costa Rica: volcano and sunset

Costa Rica: Canopy ride on the zip line

The zip line platform. More narrative to follow.

A Canopy tour is a great way to see a rain forest. You are up high in the trees where both birds and monkeys are in abundance. What a zip line tour enables you to do is move over a wide geographic area on tree platforms going from station to station.

I did this once before in CR when visiting in 2002 on coffee business a couple of hours outside San Jose. This time we were on the Caribbean side and only had to travel about 45 minutes with our tour guide Freddie to make it into a nature preserve operated by jungle breeze. Freddie was full of fun facts about CR and knew more about flowers than any straight man should have.

Zip tours are usually measured by platforms and distance. This was a 13 platform circuit that was a little over a mile that was tree to tree only. My previous excursion in 2002 was a 24 platform circuit that included 10 tower to tower lines about the height of a fire station in the West.

Most of my group of 15 was again older folks of varying levels of conditioning. One lady wore pink slippers and another designer Capri’s. Most professed a fear of heights which made there even being there the more absurd.

We harnessed up, put on our helmets, and listened to our tree boss tell us all that was going to be happening in the next hour. The clanking of the carabineers on our harnesses was enough to get their attention as we climbed a short hill to the first platform. I made my way to the front of the line since most of my companions were clutching the handrail complaining about the climb and that they shouldn’t have to walk.

Since I had done it before I volunteered to go first climbing onto the platform and hooking up. The first 3 legs were all designed to be shorter so you could become accustomed to the sensation. The ideal form was to lean back placing your legs out and then crossing them. Hopping off the platform I rode the cable to platform 2 and headed into the forest preserve.

I began to slow down about 10 before the next tree, so you flip around on the cable backwards and monkey climb hand over hand to the platform. This is very common and reviewed extensively at the beginning of the orientation. You clip your safety strap onto the tree as you take a few minutes to enjoy the view then zip to the next platform.

The guides were very nice, each time asking your name and how you were doing. I think it had something to do with the tip jar back at the harness hut at the end. I moved along pretty quickly through the circuit as they progressively got longer and higher. On two of the zips I shuttled water to the next platform to the dehydrated staff member. That was kind of fun and gave you an excuse to 1 hand your way around.

The views were spectacular because you looked over rain forest to the ocean beyond. Our ship was one bay over so the ships in sight were mostly Dole company freighters.

There were a few others that did not fare as well. Three of the ladies got off after the initial three platforms. You could tell something was up because there were some sizable time gaps as people were coming in on their final run. One guy thought he may have soiled himself. Why you would ever confess that to a group amazes me.

All in all it was a good trip. The rides were fun however not extreme and meant for more pedestrian consumption. Freddie our master of ceremonies was loaded with personality, a winning smile, and great stories about his country. He recognized the importance of “the guest experience” for his country.

Costa Rica

Today we are in dock in the Costa Rican town of Puerto Limon. I have never been here but rather am usually in the central or Pacific side of the country. It appears to be another big shipping port town with a modern facility and guest amenities.

This afternoon I will be going on a Zip line rain forest canopy tour. This is the sport where you clip onto a steel cable that is suspended between either trees or towers and you “zip” down the line to the next station. When going between the towers you can reach speeds of 60 miles per hour. I have done this before when visiting CR (Costa Rica) in 2002 and it is a lot of fun.

My sister is going to go into town and shop. Mom is taking a train to a banana plantation.

Panama City

Panama City was a surprise to me. You always hear about the banana republic comments, Noriega the pock faced strong man, and the money moving from the Bahamas in the Vince Flynn novels.

Having spent time in San Jose, Costa Rica I expected about the same. It was not. With the well groomed cause ways, the city parks, and yachts it felt and looked much closer to San Diego than a Central American city. Located on the Caribbean coast it has a modern skyline with new building of commercial and residential happening all the time. There is money here and a lot of it.

They are friendly to Americans and are very aware of the legacy of US infrastructure construction and the many Navy and command bases that were here.

The Canal

The announcements on the PA began at 5:30 in a variety of languages alerting us that we would soon be in the canal. We were on approach to the first of a series of 3 locks at Gatun on the Caribbean side of the canal. I listened for a while watching off my balcony, then headed for the bow to get a better look at our approach. The bow areas were full of people with cups of coffee in their hands staring at the eighth wonder a few hundred yards away. This enthusiasm made sense since this was the featured entrée of the trip and nobody wanted to miss the big entrance.

Since most of the folks were standing watching the approach unfold, I knew that all I had to do was wait until someone was tuckered out and had to retreat to the comfort of a chair. Trying to capture a time elapse night photo on a moving vessel proved futile no matter how clever I thought I was being with the digital camera settings, so I gave up and waited until sunrise when we were on final approach to gate 1.

There are a series of lit red buoys that from a distance looks like the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. All the various ships wait their turn for entry and this goes on for 24 hours a day. Before the first lock there is a neon sign with an arrow pointing you as to which lock you were supposed to glide into. When I saw the sign, all I could think of was the movie “Porky’s” as it flashed and wondered why there wasn’t something more high tech to point you there.

The Locks are 1,000 feet long and 110 feet wide. All this was built during Teddy Roosevelt’s time at the turn of the century by the US after the French millions of dollars and thousands of bodies screwing it up. It is hard to believe what was accomplished nearly 100 years ago. There was so much to organize with comparatively primitive technology and no ipods for the workers.

After going through the three locks at Gatun, you arrive at a big lake roughly in the middle of the country. From the ship deck it resembles Lake Minnetonka only deeper and loaded with freighters just sitting waiting their turn. The lake is much larger than I expected but it was strange having it populated with dozens of ships.

It was hot and in the 90’s and I had a ferry to catch that was going to take us to the Pacific side. Mom decided not to go at the last minute because of the heat. The intension of our cruise was not to pass to the Pacific side, but rather to head for the lake, circle around, then return through the Gatun locks and dock near Panama City. My ferry tour took us through to the Pacific side, where we caught a bus and returned to the mother ship.

Each lock moves about 26 million gallons of fresh water and moves you up or down 27 feet. You are charged by the ton, so a typical freighter would probably be in the range of 100k to 200k to pass through. Not cheap, but far better than cruising around the horn.

The definitive book on the Panama Canal is “Path between the seas” by David McCullough. He goes through is great detail about the construction and politics of what it took to put this project together. Worth a look if considering a trip.

Panama Canal Photos

Diving in Aruba

Aruba is not a well known diving destination and is considered at best a C-. This is because it is a sandy bottom island without much in the way of coral reefs to attract the kind of interesting critters that divers usually enjoy viewing.

As is common on a boat dive this was what was called a 2 tank dive. I was not sure what to expect given the age group on board in the way of dive companions. To the dive shops credit, they wanted to see your dive log book, be sure that you had been diving in the last 2 years, and were of good health.

As the group gathered, I was at first very surprised to see how many people were gathering at the pier for the off-shore water dive because some of them did not look fit enough for what was coming up. After we filled out all the paperwork I noticed some had a white form and some a pink form. Only the divers had the white form, which meant that only 25% of the folks were divers totaling about 12.

It was an eclectic group with varying dive experience. I have been diving a long time, but have done so sporadically usually when visiting the tropics. Since Minnesota is not a dive destination, it does limit your opportunities unless you like going up north to the mines.

The first guy I met was a retired Air Force Colonel named Dave (thank God I did not bump into him at a dinner with one of my military stories). He lived in Florida on the panhandle and was full of stories at my behest about the Air Force and what he had done. I figured I could use them at a later date when I assumed my Air Force Colonel role. He flew F-101 Voodoos fighters and an assortment of other gun-ships that mostly cleared out known trails in Vietnam that enemy troop traveled on. In his squadron he lost 6 of 12 aircraft to enemy fire all of which had 16 man crews. Most crews that were shot down were lost staying with their aircraft. Those few that did bail out were actually picked up in a similar manner to the movie Bat 21. Dave told me one airman that was picked up and had to spend a night in the jungle had his hair turn completed white with a week of his rescue.

I digress. As we went around sharing our dive experiences here was the make up of the group.

• Air Force Dave had 450 dives.
• Tattoo dude (about 27 years old) was doing his first open water. He was quiet and kept to himself most of the time.
• Bud and Cathy from Delaware had about 75. They had most of their own gear and knew what they were doing.
• Older Iwo Jima Japanese man had 1,600. He didn’t really talk to anyone but was a very good diver.
• Royal Navy (Irishman) Oil rig diver had 2,600. This guy was an exceptional diver who had done cold water diving to inspect and certify welding on oil rigs. He also had done a lot of wreck diving in Scapa Flow Scotland which is very cold and requires and dry suit.
• Linda the photographer: 10 dives and most light recreational.
• The quiet couple: around 100. Very competent.
• South Carolina man (about 25 years old): 5 dives, had fun and burned a lot of air.
• One legged Bob that looked like the guitar player from ZZ Top had about 50. Very capable and knew his limitations.
• And me with about 30 with my last dive being in Sierpe, Costa Rica with buddy Jim Cameron at Cano Island in September 2005.

The first dive was a deeper dive to 60 feet to view an old German freighter that was deliberately sunk during WW2. Here is the History. Aruba, being a Dutch colony, was on very friendly terms with the varying European merchants sitting in the harbor. When Germany invaded Holland, the Dutch government ordered the local PM’s of all Dutch colonies to seize everything German from money to property. The local military commander motored to the German ship anchored in the harbor and informed “Hans” the Captain what happening and that he needed to surrender his boat. He understood and requested that he be allowed to address his men, inform them of what was happening, and ferry them ashore as requested by the Dutch. He sent most of his men ashore as instructed, but stayed aboard with his ranking 2 officers and scuttled the ship by blowing it up. Bloodied and alive, he presented himself to the Dutch commander who immediately put him in the brig. The only problem was that they did not have much of a brig. It was more like a room, so they shipped him to Bonaire where he had a Papillion experience of hanging out in huts on the beach with nowhere to go until the end of the war. Being a man of vision, after the war he purchased the huts where he stayed and created the first “resort” of its kind in the Caribbean. He spent the next decade building them up and is now a local Hospitality legend.

Back to the dive. With all that said we began to buddy up and check our equipment. This was a little different than some dives I have been on because they don’t baby-sit you and assumed you knew what you were doing with the equipment. Fortunately most everyone knew what they were doing and jumped in at about 10:30 and made their way to the freighter.

I was paired with Colonel Dave and 1-legged Bob who got along deceptively well. Air temp was around 90 and water temp was bout 80, so it was perfect dive conditions. Soon after we were feet wet, we did a very poor job of staying with our buddies and violated every safety rule there was at this depth. I was at 60 feet with Dave beside me and Bob trailing about 10 feet up. Soon we lost Dave, as he veered in another direction leaving me with Bob. I kept rolling to spot him and be sure he was there and all was fine for about 10 minutes, then he disappeared and it was just me. Usually in this situation you stop what you are doing, locate your buddy, and then proceed. A spend about 7 minutes looking around for my boys, noticed Bob had headed for the surface and decided to make my way back to dive boat via the freighter.

10 minutes later if found the wreck and it was much bigger than I expected. I had a sense it was near when the area went from no fish activity except for the occasional red snapper to huge schools of them gathering together. Looming large like the Titanic movie, it appeared very suddenly through the haze. It was very eerie and foreboding at first, because it was so big and there was nobody around. I started at the stern and made my way to the bow. It was broken in half, so the super structure was visible first. The cargo hold areas were broken open and the mastheads jetted out towards the ocean surface. Fish were everywhere and were as much fun to play with as exploring the freighter. Since the ship was in relatively shallow water, under 75 feet, it was easy to swim the sides as well as poke around through the top.

Since I spent too much time earlier in the dive trying to locate my buddy team, I was trying to be mindful of my air supply and was not able to be at the wreck as long as I would have liked, so when I hit 700 pounds I made my way back to the safety line hung out for a compression stop at 15 feet for 10 minutes.

I should probably mention for comparative context that you start with 3,000 pounds of mix in the tank and it lasts anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on how deep you dive and how skilled you are at breathing.

I was last on the boat and found most had gotten to see the freighter but a few did not. In retrospect the dive master should have gotten everyone there and then let them explore on their own as they wanted. It would have given everyone more bottom time and made for a better experience.

Back on the boat we took the recommended 1 hour break between dives to let the Nitrogen work its way through our system then readied ourselves for the next dive called the “Archway” dive. More on the name later.

Aruba is a sandy bottom profile that makes it very tough to navigate because everything looks the same making it very easy to get lost and get turned around. The next dive did not have a dominant landmark so we all stuck together in 2 large groups and played a loose game of follow the leader with the dive master. One-legged Bob and the first time tattoo guy sat out the second dive. Tattoo guy looked completely freaked out about being in the open water at depth and Bob was just tired. I was impressed that Bob did this in the first place and with a level of skill and confidence.

We visited 4 wrecks of a smaller magnitude that had a lot of fish activity. This was a much shallower dive at 25-30, so the light was better for photography and seeing the aquamarine colors. There was more sea life on the ocean floor than Dive 1, so there was more of a mix of wreck viewing and critter viewing. There was mostly fish of color and crabs running along the bottom, but none of the big boys that can make it excited such as Morays, sharks, barracudas, and sting rays. Those guys were in abundance in Costa Rica but now so here.

The arch was from a ship and was much smaller than I expected. Made of metal it had a lot of sea growth on it which made it popular with the local fish community.

Skilled diving is about your management of breathing and buoyancy. As you get more accomplished, you breathe less air thus allowing you more time to be in the water. Effective control of your breathing also helps to manage your depth rather than use your BCD (buoyancy control device). If you are able to maintain a consistent altitude, it makes for a better dive and more bottom time. There is always a comparison at the end of each dive between divers to see how much air you have left in your tank. The more air the better. You never want to be the guy with only a little amount of air left.

The next dive will be in Grand Cayman. Most of the group will be going again and Cayman is a very different dive experience than Aruba.

All in all a great success and met some nice people along the way.

Aruba: The Country

Being a part of the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao) the country motto is “One Happy Island.” The ship docks near lot’s of shops that look like one of the factory outlets you see when you are heading north on interstate 94. The focus is jewelry and knick-knacks and there is plenty to choose from.

After the dive I spent most of the afternoon by myself doing the self guided walking tour. It was hot in the upper 90’s and you could tell this was really geared to the cruise ships. Most of the stores look more like Rodeo drive than Tijuana which was not what I expected.

The Island is about 20 miles long and 6 miles wide, angling downward towards Curacao, and just off the northern coast of Venezuela. It is warm and windy all the time and seems to miss the Hurricanes that are more common in the north.

We left port at 1:00 AM last night and are now steaming to Panama to go through the canal.

Aruba Photos

Cool Atrium Shot

Day 2 at Sea

There is a lot of chop and wind today. It made it tough to get excited to get poolside for some sun so I camped out with my new Crichton book: Next. It has the science of Jurassic Park, with some lawyer boardroom twists, and Jack Bauer action.

As I grabbed my Seattle’s best coffee latte, I noticed their commitment to liquid coffee throughout the ship. At all stations was the coffee on demand system of reconstituted yuck in a cup. Although I understand the need for this from a practical sense, they need more fresh brewed options for those of us in need of a morning fix of Frank Sumatra.

Tonight is 70’s disco night at 11:00. I cannot believe this will be a big draw as a post Super Bowl event. (In Spanish by the way.)

Cruise Ships: interesting facts to tell your friends

This is becoming a very competitive industry and it shows with how many ships are under construction to put into service.

Our ship is about 90k tons and considered at the high end of the middle in terms of size. RC (Royal Caribbean) currently has a ship under construction that will be 150k tons.

By the numbers:

Passengers: 2501

Americans: 1600

Repeat RC passengers: 800

Staff: 859

The ship was built in Germany and from what I understand almost all of them are now being built there. Many of the components are made all over the world, but the construction is done in Deutschland. This surprised me because I assumed with so much heavy manufacturing moving to the Pacific Rim this would include cruise ship building. Not so, I am told. The Asians are strong in the freighter market taking it from Ireland among others; and the Americans are strong with naval shipbuilding.

They are re-fitted every 2 years and are built with an eye to the modular so all parts connected over the super structure can be swapped out quickly for updating. The wear and tear is tremendous and with an international clientele most of the décor is done with a world touch rather than Americanized.

The Captains Dinner

It is Saturday and Captains night, which is the reason you bring a suit and formal wear. A prom for older folks, which suites this group much better than the speedos that grace poolside during the day.

The routine is like a traditional reception line. You get to go through the line, shake hands with the Captain, and smile for the staged photo with obligatory handshake. Very fun. His name is Arnolf Remo and he had that imposing look and bearing you would expect from a Sea Captain. He seemed to enjoy mingling with the guests, which I understand is not always the case with these guys. I understand many of them do the handshake then make a dash to the bridge.

We had dinner with the same family from Day 1. Conversation was easy and again it was clear they were very experienced with all the nuances of a cruise. I didn’t get to be an astronaut or advertising executive tonight since my Army commander cover was already blown but am working on my next alias.

After dinner, Andrea and Mom headed off to the Casino to play the slots. Mom was on some “I dream of Jeannie” machine while Andrea mixed it up on 1 arm Betty row. I have never liked the slots and casinos in general (likely because I stink at it), so I headed to the Cigar lounge aft and hung out for while.

The Cruise Path

The path the ship takes is due south out of Miami and directly towards Cuba. When they get to the Island it traverses the north side Eastward then turns south in the opening between Cuba and Haiti. You could see Cuba, but it was just peaking over the horizon.

Sunday was all day and night steaming south to Aruba. We will dock at 7AM then leave the next day for the Panama Canal. We will overnight there before heading to Costa Rica.

The Ship Shape Gym

The fitness center is comparable to a mini-Northwest club in style of equipment and offerings. Located on the bow you can burn a few on the elliptic machine while watching the ship cut through the sea. A great view while enjoying Ratt and Eddie Van Halen on my Ipod shuffle. Overall the facility is great. I have noticed the seniors are usually on the morning shift and anyone under the age of 50 usually works out in the afternoon. I have been taking the 4:30 tour.

SuperBowl

My Pick: Colts over Bears by 10.

There are multiple locations where the game is being broadcast on board. Will be fun.

More later. Time to get outside for some sun. Recap will follow.

Ship's Atrium

Poolside on Deck 12

Steaming South

Day 1 out of Miami

The ship was scheduled to depart at 5:00 and it was a tight connection. We landed in Miami at 3:15 amidst Bears and Colts fans gathering for the Super Bowl and were greeted by the Royal Caribbean welcome wagon. It was all very organized and there were a number of others in the same time crunch situation, so I became much less concerned about our fate.

As we gathered for the bus ride to the Port terminal I got my first indicator as to the age group that would be on the cruise. It was a small sample set but telling, as I found myself not just a little younger but a lot younger than the rest of my riding companions. Assisting with luggage was clearly going to be in my future, all I was missing was the name tag. It was refreshing being referred to as “that nice young man” of which I am sure I am neither.

The ship sailed all of 15 minutes after I cleared the gang plank. 10 more minutes and the ship would have been moving and I would have needed a running start to board. I made my way to my 9^th floor cabin conveniently located near the elevators. This I like, because it makes it easy to navigate the floors and the various activity centers. I am also one of the only people to take the stairs rather than the elevators so I had a clear path as I began my self guided tour.

The state room looks exactly like the pictures on the web site; small and comfortable with lots of little drawers and cupboards to store goodies like my cigars. The balcony is a must, because it functionally adds a room and you can enjoy the sounds and smells of the sea as the ship moves through the water.

Conversations on the balcony are not a private affair. My neighbors are loud talkers and a little hard of hearing who are at this moment discussing real estate buying strategies in great detail. If they get too annoying, I figure lighting a good cigar and some strategic direction of the smoke might chase them inside.

Dinner for us was a 9-top: Us and a traveling family of 6 from Winona, Chicago, and Appleton. Very nice people who are now on their 7^th family cruise in as many years. When introductions were handed out my sister was the retired Karate instructor and my mother was retired royalty from Scotland. Rather than bore folks with the coffee business, as fascinating as it is, I took on the role of newly retired Army Colonel whose specialty was armored tanks. I always wanted to play that role and felt a George Castansa delivery might be fun. Reading military stories does enable you to assume these roles with a straight face, at least until you actually run into someone that served in the unit you are pretending to have been in. I eventually shared my real identity and will be interested to see if they have already put in their request for a table change.

I explored the ship bow to stern last night. That’s ship talk. Most places were dark since people, weary from travel, were unpacking and crashing early in their state rooms. There was one location that was booming and that was the Casino. It looked pretty much like what you would expect in Hinkley on the reservation except with an abundance of cocktails.

From there I peeked in on the karaoke crowd. Not enough Scotch on board to get me up there for that little show. I left when a 60 year old woman started singing “Dancing Queen” by Abba. It was too painful.

Staff is very friendly and outgoing as are the passengers. There is not a country that is not represented on the payroll and they have great attitudes and are eager to please. They understand hospitality and the guest experience.

Departing Miami a view from the Balcony

Happy Hour in the state room

The Panama Canal Ports of Call

Depart Miami:

• Sail 2 days at sea (poolside, booze and a Michael Crichton book)
• Aruba 2 days (2 scuba dives planned)
• Panama canal (2 days tour the locks by ferry)
• Costa Rica (Zip lines in the rainforest)
• 1 day at sea
• Grand Cayman (2 scuba dives planned)
• 1 day at sea
• Return to Miami

Cigars at every stop beginning with a Fuente robusto

The Stateroom

The name of the Ship is Brilliance of the Seas and it is part of the Royal Carribean line. It is an impressive lineup of ships but the names don't do much for me.

You usually expect the staterooms on these ships to be about square feet or about the same size as my daughters Guinea pig cage without the exercise wheel. This set up looks pretty outstanding. The photo is facing the entrance with the balcony behind.

It is the night before and connections are tight. We fly into Miami arriving at 3:00 with the Ship leaving at 5:00. Not much time to make it aboard and with the Super Bowl in Miami this week all the flights are very booked up. Fingers and toes are crossed, so if we do miss the connection, then it is straight to Aruba to meet the ship.