DON AND GERALYNN’S 2004 ADVENTURE  -  TRANSATLANTIC CRUISE

MAY 14, 2004

It is that time of year again!  We are setting out on another international adventure.  This year we have a little different plan for our travels.  We are starting out with a transatlantic cruise, stopping in 4 Caribbean ports, then crossing the Atlantic Ocean, stopping in Funchal, Madeira and on to Malaga, Spain.  When we debark in Malaga we will rent a car and tour the state of Andalusia, Spain for a week before meeting our exchange partner, Francesco Toscana, and getting the keys to his beach house in La Antilla.  After two weeks enjoying the beach resort and touring southern Spain and Portugal we will fly to Dublin, Ireland for the rest of the trip.

We took the red-eye from San Jose to Ft. Lauderdale, changing planes in Atlanta.  While in Atlanta we met up with Pauline and Jerry, Geralynn’s parents, who are joining us on the cruise.  We all made it to the ship and received our courtesy cards for paying while on board.  Then we went to our cabins and settled in.

Our cabin is nice, with a big window.  We are on the Spumoni Deck.  Oh no, that’s not right!  It is the Albinoni deck.  This is an Italian cruise line.  We have many different nationalities on board—German, French, Spanish, Australian, Italian, Japanese, Canadian, and American.  The announcements are made 4 or 5 different languages.  Most of the crew speak at least two languages. 

The ship has two swimming pools, several dining rooms, several lounges, a casino, an Internet café, a library, and a theater.  Pauline is in heaven because the décor is all gold and mirrors and aqua and rose.  She feels right at home.  We are quite satisfied with everything so far.  Well, except the cups, which are capacious enough to hold one ice cube and 15 drops of water.  We plan to buy some big cups at the first store in the first port.

After just a few days on board we have developed a routine.  In the morning we go to the gym, where Ilona whips us into shape.  Geralynn takes the aerobics classes and sometimes rides the Exercycle and Don rides the Exercycle a couple of times a day.  Then we meet P&J for breakfast and we are off to some activity—dance lessons, Italian lessons, cooking demonstrations, or games.  Next it is time for lunch.  In the afternoon we do more activities, play cards, see a presentation about the next port or a movie.  Dinner is at 6pm and during dinner we swap reports on our activities with our tablemates, Barbara and Gene.  After dinner there is usually a show, and then various performers in the several lounges.  At night we are rocked to sleep by the ocean waves.

The seas have been a bit rough as we travel south, past the Turk Islands, the Dominican Republic, Cuba.  Don has his GPS out to be sure that the Captain is steering the boat in the right direction.  We are due to make port in Puerto Rico around 8:30pm.  We are a bit later than scheduled because the ship had to wait for a planeload of Germans whose flight was delayed.