travelogues: Trans-Atlantic Cruise 2007, going east to west
This was almost the maiden voyage of Norwegian's ship the Gem,
and everything was brand-spanking new.
It sounds bizarre, but How & I were looking forward to the cruise as a "vacation from vacation"! Here we don't have to do anything; if we want to eat, we don't have to figure out the right place, we don't have to go hunting for an English newspaper, and there's a spa!!
There's a lot about cruising that I can't reconcile, however. Probably number one is the negative environmental effects caused by inadequate regulation of cruise lines & half-hearted adhesion by the lines to what regulations exist. Another is the artificial stratification of servant & upper class. For most of us, the servers are peers, and deserve to be treated as such. It's amazing how many are professionals in their native countries but are trying to better provide for their families by reaping the higher (relative only) wages afforded by extended tours on the lines. It reminds me of the famous 60s experiments where college students completely bought into their role-playing as guards & prisoners, resulting in tremendous cruelty & abnormal behavior. Luckily, onboard, you're only likely to see some fat ugly American complaining bossily to one of the staff. But it's still weird.
We were in our only port of call - Funchal - on Day 3. We'd been there on the last cruise & it's quite lovely -- it's where we took the land-toboggan ride. I'd planned on going to see a garden that I didn't have time to explore last time, but we ended up just sitting on the deck in the wonderful sunshine, reading & looking out over the beautiful view of the mountains & city.
The rest of the time we were happily at sea and it was quite a lovely crossing, especially for December on the Atlantic. For the most part it was extraordinarily mild; light slacks & a long sleeved shirt were fine for spending extended time outside. As we approached Boston, it did finally become chilly, and one night we had the roughest seas we've ever experienced - 10' waves but 70 mph winds really pushing us around. I later discovered that after we left the ship in Boston, it snowed, leaving the deck a foot deep in the white stuff!
As before, my time was spent reading (about a book every other day), watching movies, eating, & sitting in the heated soaking pools in the spa! I've made it the short distance there every day, to sit in the steam room, the Jacuzzi, and lie on the heated tile recliners. The ship also has lovely bed-sized loungers on the deck of the ship, and in the forward bar, so you can curl up and snooze while watching the waves go by.
For the first time, we've seen guide dogs on a cruise ship. Supposedly there are two, but unless both are small female golden labs guiding tall old white men, I've only seen one of them, "Belle." Gotta get Shep & Rebel certified as service dogs.
Biggest plus on this cruise? Numerous espresso drink machines that delivered respectable beverages, in both regular AND decaf! Biggest minus? Crappy desserts. But I guess this was really a plus!
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