Background music is The Love Boat
Took a cruise. It was a birthday present, not telling you how old, from Bill. We went on the Monarch of the Seas which is the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. We had a blast.
We left for the airport at 2:30 in the morning to catch our 5:30 flight. It was 4° that morning. The flight from Kansas City to Dallas was delayed about thirty minutes as the plane had to be de-iced. Arrived in Dallas just in time to hurry to our next flight which was scheduled to leave in twenty minutes. Fortunately it was in the same terminal just at opposite ends. Go figure. We hurry onto the plane, take our seats and then wait almost two hours to take off. Dallas had been hit with a snow storm a few days before and there was muck everywhere. Once again the plane had to be de-iced so we waited for our turn.
Finally get to Fort Lauderdale at about 11:30 AM and we are starving. Haven't eaten all day as nothing at either airport was open since we were flying so early in the morning. We stayed overnight with our friends, Mike and Jack. They deny it but they are true retired Floridians.
Mike and Jack took us to the pier to get on the boat and we got settled in our cabin and started exploring the ship. It looked huge from the pier but once you're inside it didn't seem big at all. You could go from one end to the other in a matter of minutes. The room however was a different story. It looked so big in the brochure. It wasn't. There was barely enough closet space for our fabulous cruise clothes!
The staff on the boat were incredible. Everyone, with the exception of "Shopping Guy", was extremely courteous and friendly. They all seemed to have a knack for remembering your name. It was impressive. The first full day on the boat we were walking around and an employee walked by Bill and said "Good morning Mr. William, how are you today?" Bill said great and as we're walking on he turns to me and says "Who was that?" I had to remind him that it was the guy who served us a drink in the disco the night before.
The food was absolutely incredible. We had been warned to take several sizes of clothing and to wear the smaller ones first. Everywhere you go there is something to eat. I'm pleased to say we didn't go overboard, pardon the pun, so neither of us gained any weight on the trip. Our dining companions on the cruise were a very nice group of people, particularly Ruth and Judd from Atlanta, Georgia. Bill sat next to Ruth and on the first night of the cruise said something about her husband. Ruth informed him that they weren't married. Bill told Ruth she was a "little devil" to which she responded "Listen honey, at our age you just don't give a damn!" Turns out Ruth is 84 and Judd is 88.
Ruth and Judd were early risers like we are so every morning when we'd go get coffee at the cafe they would be there. We'd join them for coffee and a visit. We never would have guessed it they were so full of life. In fact when they got back to Atlanta they were starting rehearsals for the play they were both in.
We're ready to plan our cruise for next year and hope to be able to go with a group of our friends. If you're interested in joining us, let us know. We'll be glad to keep you posted on when and where, which are both open at this point.
And now for the pictures. You knew they were coming. Click the link below.
