After a ride to the airport, an hour-and-a-half flight, and a 30 minute bus ride we arrived at the dock where we finally boarded the ship... only about 5 hours before it was to depart. At 4:15 the boat had what they like to call a "compulsory mustering" where everyone has to put on their life-jackets and meet at designated gathering spots for a safety drill. We got Stephen, our stateroom attendant, to take these pictures for us and our friends:
Huge fashion statement, I know: all orange and glowing!
Then, to pass the time before the ship departed, we napped a bit and then went exploring. We found an arcade that Trevor and I didn't know about, even though we sailed on the Mariner of the Seas last time! Here are Dave and Trevor playing air hockey. I think Trev won, but I can't quite remember.
Finally, as the ship started to pull out of LA, I snapped a few interesting shots. This first one is of our view off the 12th floor of the ship looking out over Los Angeles!
This Coast Guard boat escorted us out of the harbor. I couldn't believe the size of the gun on the front so I had to take a picture! I don't know what they'd have to use THAT for... but I'm glad I didn't have to know! :)
Tried to get an artistic shot of the lighthouse and a sailboat passing by.
Here's another attempt at an artistic picture using the reflections off the glass. You can see me straight ahead with my camera and Meg and Cole to the right standing together:
This next picture was taken the first day, but it pretty much sums up what we did on the boat... or at least what the guys did. I played a bit, but for me it was more of a spectator sport! :) Ping pong is also very difficult when it's windy, just in case you were curious.
Day 2: Monday and MY BIRTHDAY! July 20th.That morning I got up and ate breakfast then went to one of the ship's yoga classes for my little birthday treat. It was nice and relaxing and helped me take my mind off the fact that my head was spinning from the motion of the boat. The girls spent most of the day laying on the deck tanning and reading. That night was our first Formal Night and we got all dressed up! I sort of pretended it was for my birthday that everyone was looking so nice :). We got pictures taken professionally, but Dave sneaked behind the photographer to take free pictures for us. I don't think the photographer was too happy about that! Oh well. Here's the end product:
And this picture I stole from Meghan's collection but it was just too good to not post! After dinner, when dessert finally came around, I was starting to feel bummed that they weren't going to do anything for my birthday. Then suddenly about 5 of the waiters (including our waiter Paul and his assistant Georgio) came around with a piece of cheesecake with a candle in it and a small piece of fondant on top that said "Happy Birthday!". They made everyone sing to me and it was really fun! Just the cherry on top of a wonderful 22nd birthday! Thanks, Meghan, for taking the picture:
The first two days were great, but we were at sea! Stay tuned for more posts about our excursions on land in Mexico!! :)
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