on_board

Sea Days on Board the Regal Princess

Fridge and shelf space opposite the mirror.	This trip has lots of sea days. The ship is quite different in feel from prior ships we've sailed on. It was built in 1991 and has been reoutfitted a couple times. Still it is wierdly laid out, which makes it awkward to get around. We do get our exercise walking from one end of the ship to the other. The rooms are small - like on the Royal Princess. As you enter you turn immediately right for the rest room - toilet, with towels above, sink with medicine cabinets and 1 shelf, and shower; which is surprisingly comfortable. Also back along the hall to the bath is the closet, a chest of drawers and the cabinet with safe. Be careful, if you open the bathroom door you will hit the person hanging up their clothes. It is a choreographed dance. The best part, is that this time we have a balcony. A small one, but big enough for us both to sit out there. The Regal has around 1600 passengers and this is a full up cruise.
	The bed is 2 twins put together. They put a blanket across and under the sheet to help the divide, but you still tend to roll to the center of each twin. Small desk, but big enough for the laptop. At least there are lamps for each bedside this time. The usual day at sea has lots of activities. We decided this time to try for more relaxation. We tend to eat in the dining room for breakfast as it has better food. We have the first sitting for dinner at 6 pm for Robin. A typical day looks something like the following:
	up around 8:30 am - down to breakfast by 9 am relax for about an hour -- sure, how about do the webpage bit or something similar Will goes to the gym and Robin off to putter around or read a book 12 noon - Robin to lunch in the dining room - then off to ceramics class 2-4 pm - painting not throwing (if we had thought ahead I would have brought designs and stencils) Will has lunch upstairs around 1:30. Relax for a bit or go to afternoon tea at 3:30 or go to the wine tasting or or or Dress for dinner - 3 formal nights and the rest "smart casual" - dinner 6 - 7:30 ish Some nights off to see the show or check email or just curl up with a book. Robin has been bad - she has done no needlework so far.
	Early to bed most nights - what with the clock moving forward a hour, then another, gaining an hour, losing it again, and then losing another hour - the physical time clock is way off. Perhaps it is good that there are few clocks on board the ship - unless you need to be someplace and a particular time, you can just forget about time, or even what day of the week it is. It does make for relaxation. Our dinner companions are interesting and we have fun talking and laughing. Our waiters take good care of us - spoiling us for when we have other waiters at breakfast and lunch. Of course we eat too much, but then you have to take at least a taste of everything, don't you? Adieu!

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Rights to all pictures and text reserved by Robin Berry and Will Ringer Oct 2006.