Sunday - All aboard!

I couldn't face another huge breakfast that left me feeling full all day so we traipsed over to Subway for a breakfast sandwich. I wasn't impressed but it did the trick.

We repacked our rather chaotic suitcases and killed some time on facebook before heading downstairs at 10:45 to catch a shuttle to the cruise port. It was just a quick hop skip and jump and we were walking in the doors. The empty hall was like a cavern, devoid of a crowd so we breezed through the process with barely a wait anywhere. By 11:15 we were in our room, stashing our carryon bags - it was time to explore the Coral.

She is a beautiful ship with many public areas... bars abound... and entertainment areas are everywhere. We found the International Cafe, a good spot for picking up a quick salad or sandwich.

Crooners is not far from the stairs to deck 7 (2 decks below us). The Wheelhouse bar is right at the bottom of the stairs - we stopped in there for a glass of wine before bed. Oh the luxury.

Ok, back to earlier in the day. After we explored we came back to the room to check for our suitcases... mine was there but no sign of the other one. Of course it was lunchtime by then ;-)  so we knocked on Andy & Edna's room to arrange a meet up at the dining room. A sit down lunch with linen tablecloths and napkins is the perfect way to start a vacation... accompanied by a glass of proseco.

We ditzed around for an hour or two until it was time for muster - a safety drill. We went right up to the top deck after that to get sail away drinks and watch us sail out to see - past huge container yards, the USS Iowa, our hotel. Did I mention that it was sunny, but cool. In fact it was downright cold up top.

We had a bit of a rest and then it was time to eat again... we are only 4 days into our vacation and I feel eaten out. Gosh, how could I choke down another bite? Well, it seems that I could, and not just one bite, but a whole prime rib dinner (sans yorkshire pudding). The meat was tender and perfectly cooked.

We sat with two brothers and their wives from California. They had just sold their peach, cherry, etc. farm to a huge conglomerate - like many small farmers they couldn't compete with the mega farms. They were a lovely group and we had so much fun.

The show had already started by the time we pushed away from the table, but lucky for us some people left their seats so we could sneak in. The entertainer was a singer from Montreal.

The evening was still slightly young (8:45), so we stopped into the Wheelhouse to watch the band for a little while.

My head hit the pillow with a bang by the time we got back to our room at 9:15. Whew, I don't know if I can keep up this pace for long!