Vacation - Day One - Getting Onboard

If I ever go on another cruise, I'll remember to write down my cabin number before I show up at the terminal. The way embarkation works is you either check your bags curbside or carry and hang on to everything until you get to your cabin, which isn't until 1:30. I ended up spending half an hour sitting on the boat deck with my luggage. I got to the terminal around 12, which is the start of the rush hour. Imagine trying to check 2,000 guests into a hotel all at the same time, and you'll get an idea of the problems. Since the cruise ship is only in port one or two days a week, most of the shoreside folks are part-timers, apparently retirees looking for a little pin money. But the process overall was reasonably professional and efficient.

Before we left Tampa, we had to do a lifeboat drill, which was taken surprisingly seriously. Everybody had to come to their muster station, don a life jacket, and sit quietly. Actual boat assignments were not handed out, which I guess makes sense, as in the event of a real emergency some boats may be out of service. By the time I got back to my cabin from the drill, we were underway.

One of the things I've been told is that you overeat on a cruise. This may be so, but it's not because of large portions. My first night's dinner was a smallish steak with reasonable portions of side dishes. Now, I could have ordered two or three entrees, and I did order an appetizer and a salad, neither of which was that large, but still, it's not portions that get you but feeding times.

Casino report = $15 down ($5 blackjack 4 decks on auto-shuffle)