We’re on day 4 – day 5 since coming on board – of our San Francisco to Hawaii leg of our Queen Victoria cruise. We’ve had two time changes, moving the clock backward, adding an hour to our day. If I have it right, it’s 5 AM Sunday, 10 February, on the ship, 11:30 in the BVI. and 10:30 in Texas.
Cold! For the first two days even the interior of the ship was cold to someone like me, used to the British Virgin Islands! I wore layers of clothes, but still looked forward to warmer waters. This morning, I’m still in a few layers. But yesterday was warm and mostly sunny- shirt sleeve weather again!
The wind and waves have been high, with a few squalls, making the decks slippery and difficult to open some outside doors. Just walking from one end of the ship to another is exercise, going up, down and wandering all over the deck. Our suite is almost exactly in the middle of the ship, so we are probably rocked less than we would be on a higher floor or at either end of the ship. I still had a few moments when I wondered whether I’d be thrown off the bed. Today is supposed to be worse – you should try to learn line dancing or the waltz on a rolling deck!
Larry and I are enjoying our Queen’s Grill Q3 suite, although it’s not that much more spacious than the Q4 suite we had on the Queen Mary 2 last May. There are lots of drawers and cabinets, but the closet space is much smaller. Some of the hanging space isn’t deep enough for Larry’s suit jackets and the designers certainly didn’t consider the length of evening gowns! With the dress code requiring formal dress for five of our 23 nights and “smart dress” the others, I rearranged one of the double hanging spaces for my dresses.
It’s worth it, though for the bathroom, which includes a separate shower and a deep spa tub.
We spend our days reading, going to the spa or gym, eating, sleeping, eating, and people watching. I’m attending the line dancing classes and Larry is kind enough to take the basic ballroom dancing classes with me. At least, it’s a couple of hours of exercise!
We’ve had one “formal night,” with a fancy dress and Larry in a tuxedo. I had my make-up done in the spa, and ended up with 1 inch eyelashes! Kateryna, a young woman from the Ukraine, gave me a facial on Thursday and painted my face on Friday. I probably won’t do the makeup again.
I’ll try to add pictures of life on board, but the Internet isn’t working well enough. We pay by the minute, (about 33 cents per) for satellite Internet, but it’s not the most reliable. Those of you who know me, will understand how frustrating that can be for me!
The pictures will come when we reach Hawaii. I hope.
Just 2 the Horizon 