Our Cruise Adventure

The 5th of December came faster than I had anticipated it would. Our summer had ended, and we went directly into winter seeing very few days where the temperatures went above 40 degrees. Most of our November saw the thermometer hovered just above freezing. We were focused on getting through this stretch and before we knew it it was December. Linda was telling me that I needed to gather my cruising gear and get ready for our 12-day adventure in the warmer climates.

The two ladies kept a close eye on us as we chatted.

Dale, my brother, picked us up at 12:15 PM on the day of our departure and drove us to the Spokane International Airport. Roads were clear and so were the skies over the Inland Empire.

There had been nasty weather warnings throughout the states for the Thanksgiving holiday and we were on the tail end of these weather events. The Northeastern States were still in the process of getting hit with bad weather, but our flights were not affected. Linda was a bit nervous since she had been planning this vacation for over a year, but after we landed in Seattle, waited for our redeye flight and got in the air heading for Miami, she calmed down.

We landed in Miami at 5:00 AM local DADE County time and caught a shuttle to our Hotel. We were extremely tired, to say the least, but we had our hardest most stressful leg of our journey behind us. We arrived at the Hyatt House Hotel and checked in. Our rooms were not ready so early so we checked in our luggage and accepted the invitation of the front desk to eat at the hotel's free breakfast. It was delicious. We waited until 8:00 AM to call Caroline and Don Samuelson's room to let them know we had arrived safely. They had flown in the day before and were settled in their room waiting for the entire group to gather together. As soon as they heard from us they invited us into their room where we could sit and rest while waiting for our lodging to become available.

Our first group picture on the Riviera. 

10:00 AM came and the room was available. We quickly moved in. Jacquie and Grant were on their way from Penticton, B.C. and they moved into our combined room at about 2:00 PM.

Linda, Caroline and I went out to the pool and talked about the upcoming events. While we were relaxing two peahens came to the fence around the pool. I dug out my phone and found a You-Tube video with the call of the peacock on it and I played it loudly.  Within minutes the two fowls were honking and searching for the source of the calls. We laughed about this exchange until they both flew over the fence and joined us at the poolside. I stopped my calling and they lost interest after a bit, but it sure gave us something to talk about that evening at dinner.

I found my spot for the week.

It was great to have everyone together again! We all cleaned up for the evening and then rendezvous-ed back out at the pool for the first of many happy hours. We decided to make things easy on everyone and have dinner at the poolside. We enjoyed two pizzas that we had delivered by the local Papa Johns. We talked and laughed, catching up, before we disembarked on our cruise.

Our shuttle was to arrive at 11:00 AM the next morning. We were cruising with Oceania and would pull away from the dock on the Riviera, our ship, at 6:00 PM.

Morning came way too fast and before we knew it we were loaded into the transfer van and headed to the cruise port to meet our ship the Riviera.

The night skyline as we left Miami!

Boarding was a breeze. We dropped our luggage outside the ship and within minutes were walking the decks of our home for the next ten nights, exploring where everything was. The crew was busy loading baggage and taking it to the various assigned rooms. When all the baggage had arrived for our section of rooms, there was an announcement stating that we could proceed to our room and get settled in.  Our space was ready at about 2:15 PM and an hour later we had unpacked and organized our little home.

Our first evening on board we ate up in the Terrace Cafe. This area would be our restaurant for meals whenever we were not scheduled to dine at one of the four specialty restaurants.

By 10:00 PM we were ready for bed, we would check the ship out more thoroughly over the upcoming days.

Our First Days - Finally

View from our rooms balcony.

We arrived in Miami very early in the morning; I think we were in our rooms by about 2:00 am. We slept and then got up and ready to explore a bit of Miami.

Steve, Jodi, Linda and I went down to the main level of the hotel and found a little coffee shop that served breakfast and had a great meal.

Then we walked down to a tourist shopping area they call Bayside and did some shopping. Linda and I mostly looked around; it was fun to see everything and to watch the people. Back at the hotel we got together with Don and Caroline and ordered pizza delivered to our room. We ate pizza and offered toasts on our upcoming adventure.  After a satisfying meal, we said goodnight and went to bed our 21-day journey awaits us the following day.

The following morning we checked out of the hotel and hailed a taxi. Our driver took us right to our embarking pier and we walked onto the vessel that would be our home for the next 21 days. The entry transition was flawlessly smooth. We were greeted and given our access cards, a glass of Champaign and a smiling greeting. We were on board and all was good.

Miami Graffiti.

The information that we received concerning our entry onto the ship said that our rooms would be ready by 3:00 pm. Within an hour of boarding and before we had much time to explore we were told that our room was ready and our luggage was waiting at the door. We arrived at our room and opened the door with expectations based on our previous cruise experience, you know, kind of cramped with a porthole for a window. The room was wonderful. It was spacious, bright and had more than enough storage for our belongings. Linda was ecstatic!  Our balcony seats two with a small table to boot!

Hotel delivery pizza!

The room is just something else. You can have two additional people visit you without anyone sitting in the bathroom. Speaking of the bathroom the shower is probably the best shower I have ever used. It has great water flow and enough space to bend and move, without hitting your head or butt.

Yes, we finally made it.

The bed is spacious enough for Linda and I to sleep without disturbing each other and our steward has provided us with pillows that fit our nightly needs.

We were able to get all our clothes packed or hung up with room to spare.  Linda’s little organizer things have worked out exceptionally well so she is a very happy camper!

The Explorer lounge.

The ship is a beautiful new vessel; I walked around the decks this morning getting some needed exercise. As I walked, I didn’t see a single bit of rust or even scrapes, there is nothing old about the Viking Sun.

Linds posing on her new boat.

One of the things that were touched on and time again by the Cruise Director, Heather Clancy, was the difference between tourists and travelers.  A traveler is flexible and takes things in stride. They recognize that life in other countries is going to be different and they take things as they come because plans may be forced to change. A tourist is not flexible and believes everything should fit their expectations rather than to adapt to the situation at hand.

The further we traveled the more we saw examples of both. We tried hard to be good travelers.

There are so many places to eat on board and the food is fantastic. Last night I had prime rib and several other items. All I had to do was walk up and they presented me with more of anything I desired. I have fallen in Love with Sushi and eat a couple pieces as hors’devours with each meal. It is actually really hard to not overeat. In fact, I spent much of my time trying very hard to not pick up too much wonderful food. It didn’t work very well.

The day we settled into our room I found the hamburger grill. My first meal was a bacon cheeseburger. It made my entire day and started our cruise out perfectly.

Now we are settling into boat life. The crew is exceptionally nice and go beyond expectations to help us. Our steward, Liselle, has been amazing! She remembers our names and has provided everything we have asked for. At this point, I can only foresee one major problem. Linda may come to expect room service at 7:30 am daily once we are back home in Post Falls.

You can see by the photos that we are on a very beautiful cruise ship.

Our cabin.

The bathroom & my shower.

The infinity pool on the stern deck.

The pool area where Linda spent most of her time.

Sailing out of the Port looking at Miami.

Night falls on the first night of our cruise, looking at Miami.