Always Want To Go

A previous post described how we set about proving Murphy’s Law is real. It is with credible amazement that I continue that story now! No, we were not quite finished with the challenges of this fantastic 14-day transatlantic cruise, and this was not exactly a perfect cruise.

Watch where you are walking!

Yes, I am of that advanced age where my doctor’s office visits begin with the question, “Have you fallen recently?” So far, I have not been asked if I “can remember falling,” but I am sure that is on my near horizon. When did I become a potential fall risk?

Technically not a “fall.”

Five or six days into our cruise, I walked across our cabin without noticing Steve sitting on the bed’s end with his feet extended. Yes, I carelessly tripped over his feet. I fell flat on the ground – hard, broke my fall with my right hand, and hit my left knee solidly.

Steve quickly got an ice pack, and I sat with it elevated and iced for a while, but it continued to swell. The fall was so spectacular that I decided to go to the infirmary. Let’s keep this to ourselves, please. I do not want to become labeled a fall risk, especially since I did not fall; I tripped.

Very efficiently run infirmary.

A pleasant staff member brought a wheelchair to our cabin and wheeled me down to the infirmary on deck one. Not surprisingly, the infirmary is similar to a doctor’s office, only in a small space. I never thought I’d be in the infirmary on a cruise ship in a hundred years, but that is what happened.

The medic x-rayed and poked my knee, finally declaring I had no broken bones. It was a different experience, but not one I wish to repeat. I didn’t have my hand looked at, which was probably a mistake.

My knee is doing perfectly fine, but my hand is still a problem—a fix for a later date. Discovering the knee was not broken made it easier for me to attempt to walk on it, and fortunately, I could walk acceptably by the next day. Thank goodness I no longer need a wheelchair.

We had one other somewhat major issue, but I will discuss that later. Other than that major issue, I am pleased to say the remainder of our cruise was terrific, and we enjoyed our time at sea tremendously.

The Vision of the Seas

Steve and I sailed on Royal Caribbean‘s Vision of the Seas once before. That cruise was very similar to this one, a transatlantic crossing to Barcelona, although the first cruise sailed from Galveston instead of Fort Lauderdale as this one did.

We enjoy sailing on the smaller ships more than the larger ones. On a smaller ship, we encounter familiar faces after a day, both fellow travelers and the staff, and the cruise has more of a small-town vibe than a big-city vibe.

So far, we have never been on one of the enormous cruise ships, so that opinion may change one day. We are booked on a somewhat larger ship, Carnival Splendor, for another transoceanic cruise in September and look forward to discovering that ship on our 23-day sailing.

Despite our continued challenges, we had an excellent time on most of the cruise. We met amazing people, had delicious food in substantial quantities, and enjoyed great entertainment. We also spent a lot of time relaxing, doing absolutely nothing.

Fellow Guests

One of the most enjoyable aspects of our travel, particularly on cruises, is meeting and getting to know our fellow travelers, even for a brief time.

One of the most interesting and engaging people we encountered was Douglas. Douglas explained that he is a member of a Steampunk Naval Expedition group, which is comprised of individuals who enjoy cruise travel and dress in Victorian-era science fiction attire.

We spotted Douglas as we were waiting to board the ship. He wore a pink seersucker suit, bowtie, and straw hat, sporting a magnificent handlebar mustache. It was as if we had just stepped back into the 19th century!

I first talked to Douglas on the ship a day later when he wore this magnificent suit, complete with an animated dragon on his shoulder! What an interesting fellow! He graciously accepted my intrusion and briefly explained his clothing choices and the Steampunk group.

Douglas is a gentleman who truly enjoys his life to its fullest. I expect eccentric or strange might cross your mind, but Steve and I found him wizardly intelligent and a fantastic storyteller with incredible stories. Incidentally, Douglas is also a professional Santa Claus!

Main dining

One of the highlights of our cruise is always meals in the elegant main dining room, and on this cruise, our main dining experience was delightful. We chose the 5:30 pm dining time and were seated at a table for six right at the very door of the restaurant.

The food, service, and ambiance were great, but we did not enjoy our doorway location, where every guest walked past us to their tables. The maitre d’ moved Kathy and Steve, our new dinner companions, and us to a table for ten in a perfect central location.

Two other couples were already seated at our new and improved dining location, making us a table of eight strangers dining together for fourteen days! What a terrific experience.

Each couple—Kathy and Steve from Idaho, Cathy and Ken from Florida, and Roberta and Steve from Las Vegas—is younger. Still, they are all seasoned travelers with terrific stories and valuable travel suggestions, hints, and experiences to share.

At the end of the cruise, each couple plans a fantastic adventure in various locations throughout Europe. For example, Cathy and Ken are experienced hikers and plan to hike Spain’s famous Camino de Santiago trail. The hike is several hundred miles long, and it makes my feet hurt to write about it!

Each couple has similarly unique and exciting adventures planned post-cruise. Steve and I were both fascinated to hear about their plans and life experiences through travel. It was great to spend time with people who enjoy travel as much as we do and with different modes and styles of travel.

You don’t need all that stuff.

The most important takeaway from our evening dining conversations is that we grossly overpacked for our trip. Each of these couples managed to pack very lightly with minimal luggage. They either took advantage of the ship’s laundry service or handwashed in their cabins.

Cathy and Steve are traveling for over a month on an adventure with only one backpack each—NO SUITCASES! I am in absolute awe of how immaculately and stylishly they were dressed each time we saw each other.

Cathy wore almost exclusively black clothing, but never once did she appear to me to be wearing the same outfit! How did they do that? We chose to bring an entire large extra suitcase to pack cruise clothes in and then an additional suitcase each for our Ireland portion of the trip. Sheesh, it’s so unnecessary.

They hand wash clothing each day in their cabin, but the clothing they choose for travel is very high-quality specific travel clothing that washes and dries easily and quickly. So smart!

Steve and I may never be able to travel as efficiently as these guys, but we will forever be grateful for the travel packing lessons we learned from them.

Sights around the ship

Activities of all kinds happened all around the ship, something for everyone.