Life on a Cruise Ship

We left Vancouver on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 10. Not a bad Mother's Day treat, if you ask me! The MS Oosterdam is a beautiful ship.

Ship's Three-story Atrium

I always enjoy getting to know our stewards. Their job is not easy and they work away from home for months at a time. Our room steward on this ship has been doing this for 10 years and has 1 young child and another one on the way. He will be on board when the baby is born. I have fun identifying the Towel Animals left on our bed at night. Eduardo always seemed tickled when we knew just what it was. I'd see him at the end of the hall. "Eduardo," I called! "Octopus?" He'd give me a big grin and a thumbs up and wave.

Octopus

Already I've discovered a few similarities to life in an RV. Most noticeably, as soon as your luggage arrives at your room you can unpack everything; therefore, no living out of a suitcase! As we unpacked, Larry observed, "There's no way I'm ever going to get all this stuff back in the way I had it." (in other words....it fit like a glove before. Good luck repeating that!)

However, not everything is the same as living in an RV. For Instance:

• An all you can eat breakfast is waiting for us every morning and I have several hours to claim it.
• When I get back from stuffing myself at breakfast, my bed is made and my bathroom has been cleaned.
• I can sit outside on my verandah and watch the world go by while someone else does the driving.
• The verandah is much more relaxing than the Co-Pilot seat in an RV. On an Alaskan cruise it is also a lot colder.

Here are a few other observations about life on a cruise ship.

Working out comes naturally.
I've found that getting my 10,000 steps in daily isn't too hard. Our room is on the 5th floor at the front of the ship. The dining area is on the 9th floor at the back of the ship. The entertainment is mostly in the front of the ship at night. The activities tend to be in the middle or towards the rear. So once I put my walking shoes on, the steps just keep adding up! And if I want to set my goal higher, I can hit the stairs and skip the elevator... I've hit 10K every day...except the first one. Of course, for the determined workout fan, there is a gym and fitness classes located near the spa. Many of the classes have fees involved, but not all. In fact, if I were really determined, I would be up each morning for the free 7 AM stretch and ab workout. I haven't made it there yet. Maybe tomorrow?

"If it's Skagway it must be....?"
Don't know what day it is? Check the elevator. The rug always knows the day!

Food!
Everyone knows you can eat all you want on a cruise ship and the food is pretty good. You can approach eating in two ways. Either you see everyday as a day to gorge yourself like there's no tomorrow, or you can pace yourself. I choose to pace myself, and make every meal a little different.
Eggs Benedict, Omelet, French Toast, Cereal... I've got plenty of time to eat it all. And trust me, I'm working on it!

The Library? Yep. The Library!

There is one area of the MS Oosterdam that is a real surprise. It is the library, and for many people it is the place to be. I even have a note left for me, by my non-reading husband that I will keep forever. It says "I went up to the library at 2:45." I don't remember ever hearing him say those words!

The Library is at the top of the ship and has a 180 degree view of the surrounding scenery. There is a large lending library that includes all types of fiction, non-fiction, as well as best sellers plus several computer stations for those who have paid to have Internet access.

Besides the normal expectations of a library, there is a coffee and pastry bar,

 AND a real bar. 

 (Now, I've worked in several libraries, but I've never worked in one with a real bar!)

People lounge in comfy chairs reading, or sipping and chatting, or sit at tables playing chess or one of the many games stashed in one area, all the while with a full view of the world outside. It is a cool place to hang out. And it is usually full.

So far we are digging life on a cruise ship. But we knew we would. This isn't our first rodeo, but it is our first one heading into Alaska. Stay tuned for tales from Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway.