We awaken naturally at 8am and I witness the latest sea conditions from our cabin window. The waves rise to horrific heights, reaching far up into the sky, tormenting the dark clouds overhead, then, with a ferocity never seen by my eyes, return to the ocean, forcing spray and sea foam to pummel our boat and testing the best engineering offered by man against Mother Nature's strength, already well proven over time.That's the story I gave Karen while tryin...

This was the the day I promised to catch up on all the blogs and submit them for your review. Nope. First, we needed to get up early, say 7. Instead, we both woke up at 10am. I needed the morning to load pictures, check grammar and send out the blogs for 3 days. We were going on a kitchen tour at 10:30am. None of this happened. All night the ship was rocking and rolling. This morning is no exception. Our captain blames El Niño. The weather is cloudy, cool...

It's early Friday morning, just before 7am, when, in my sleep, I subconsciously detect a change in motion of our ship. Gone is the ever so slow heaving and falling of the bow of the vessel as we had made our way down the California coast overnight. That motion had put me to sleep and its absence now awakens me in the early dawn. Looking out the window, I see we're entering the harbor and preparing to dock.San Diego is a city on the Pacific coast of Cal...

While we have no excursions planned for today, we still have a lot of things to get done before we arrive in San Diego tomorrow. With two-thirds of the passengers booked on this cruise boarding tomorrow, this is the day to do anything without facing any crowds. Today, the pools and spas are almost empty, restaurants and lounges offer the best seating with views and no one is shopping. For one day only, we have the ship to ourselves. Well, almost. There's...

It's finally here. The first day of a vacation we've planned for over a year. We are going to the South Pacific. For 47 days. Warm, clear water and 80 F temperatures. White sandy beaches stretching for miles and clear ocean water with 150' visibility. Who hasn't read "Robinson Crusoe" or "Mutiny on the Bounty"? Visions of pirates and island natives come to mind, brought to life from my childhood imagination. Now it becomes reality. Of cours...