After we boarded the ship, we found an attendant to direct us toward our stateroom. After finding the elevator that would take us where we needed to go, we arrived on Floor 6. Room 6288. Our home for the next 9 days.
I was actually surprised at the size of the room. I expected it to be much smaller. It was a nice surprise.
We got settled in and dropped our carry-on bags in the room. Our room was at the aft of the ship, a couple of staterooms over from the kids' club area. We took photos looking out from the deck, and then, headed off to mandatory safety briefing. I learned how to properly put on my life vest, just in case. :)
After the not so fun, but completely necessary briefing, we went back and grabbed cameras to attend the Sail-away Party on deck. We sat in deckchairs and watched as we left NYC. I got my last few minutes of Facebook time and waved goodbye to the good ole US of A! Honestly, I could not have asked for a more meaningful place to leave from. All the history, recent and not-so of New York, really stirred memories of my beloved country. If I don't step foot on the soil of my country for the next couple of years, it was a wonderful place to leave from, seeing the skyscrapers, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Statue of Liberty become smaller and smaller, and eventually disappear from all sight, and not long after, only see ocean. I also thought of all those before, who came into New York, leaving their families behind to start a new life, though, I was leaving NYC, to do the same. It was hard to leave J, as we had only been reunited for about a week, before we were separated again, but at least this time it was a shorter time and we would be living together, again! It was actually very emotional. It was a bit overwhelming, trying to imagine would living in another country, not speaking the native language would be like. Those thoughts were quickly replaced by the upbeat tunes of the ship's band, Vibes. They were so fun!
Myself, on deck at sail-away.
Sister, on deck at sail-away.
After enjoying the band and relaxation on the deck chairs, we decided we would get up and check out the ship a bit more. We browsed the shops, found our restaurant we would be dining for the duration, and then, found the wooden deck chairs on the starboard side of the ship and planted ourselves there for an hour or so, before getting ready for dinner.
We arrived at our restaurant a little after 8, and were seated. We had our own table, but had people sitting at the table next to us. We lucked out with our seats! We were second floor, and the only thing that separated us from the window looking out toward the ocean, were the four people on the other side of us. We still had a pretty great view, though!
For my first ever meal on a ship, I ordered an arugula, Parmesan and roasted tomato salad. My entree was a honey balsamic chicken breast. And, for dessert, a delicious linzer cake! I really enjoyed everything.
After dinner, we changed, showered and relaxed on the deck, again. I couldn't get over the view of the ocean! It was absolutely breathtaking!
No comments:
Post a Comment