Across The Ocean

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This is the third large pool (along with Lotus and Dolphin), and it was fully enclosed. Real popular when it got cold. This area had lots of dining tables along the sides, but it is next door to the 24/7 buffet and is a very popular eating area. good luck getting a table!	Pineapple carvings and towel foldings were popular with the crew. In our cabin, we were afraid to use the amazing towel works of art to dry ourselves.
You could harddly call this "surfing". At 75 cents a minute, dial-up speeds, 5 minutes to get to Gmail, and many dropped connections, it got very expensive very fast. We called it "gouging."	In the buffet area, finding a table for two was difficult. The food was surprisingly good and they even did made-to-order, but here we opted for a waiter-served meal. The only thing that kept us from exploding was having to walk a mile for supper.
Most of the time, we ate at the 24/7 buffet. However, Jacquie and Jas wanted us to take pictures of some of the meals we had in the regular resturants. This is Deb's Filet Mignon "butterfly cut" so it would not be red in the middle. The food and service matched any upscale resturant we have visited on land.	We got up the first morning at sea to go catch a sunrise event. It was cloudy and mostly pretty, but we had more days at sea. We were positive our luck would change.
This is the Lotus Pool & Spa area. Very pretty and Oriental in appearance. There were also massage and seaweed wraps here. Yes, I got both!	This was our second sunrise. Unfortunately, the Sun had to rise above 10,000 feet of cloud cover to get here. Still, I did like the picture.
This is the outdoor pool area, known as the Dolphin Pool. This was a very popular area, until it got cold and windy.	Yes, that is water running back IN the pool. As the ship rolled from side to side, water would slosh out and all over the deck area.
Notice the parallel symmetry? Oddly enough, the ice cream was one of the very few food items you had to pay extra for, unless you hit the buffet at the right time.	Deb is checking our schedules for the tours we booked in advance. On the ship, the tours filled very fast.
This is the Midship Atrium. Three decks connected by sweeping grand staircases and lighted elevators.	More Atrium and a better view of the staircases. This whole section with many sitting areas oozed luxury.
You had three floors of view from these lighted elevators. Above these decks, and at the highest elevator level, you would be looking out at the Dolphin Pool.	The first three days at sea, we got up at 5:00 AM to try to catch a sunrise on the sea. All three days we got no sunrise and these goofy tourists in the picture. This was the last day Deb got up early.
Private tables on a cruise ship are rare. Los Angles, England, Scotland, and Tampa Bay are all represented at this dining table.	On a ship, this is called the AFT. This one had the biggest aft I ever saw.
Here are two more pools, or giant hot tubs if you prefer. There is another one over the back end, out of sight.	The T-shirt says it. I live it.
I always thought "Deep Blue Ocean" was just a phrase. I never realized it really was THIS blue.	Now I know where the ideas for spiritual paintings originate.