TR: Norwegian Pearl Pt. 5: Doing Nothing is Awesome (1/5-1/8/2012)

On Feb 12, 3:44*pm, "Alan Conceicao" wrote:

What I did feel? Relaxed. Refreshed. Full?

The boat as floating resort comes with a great many pitfalls, but this was
the first time we went on a cruise were time on the ship was as much an
attraction for us as time on shore. It wasn't so bad. We're still driven
primarily to cruise because of the destinations, but sometimes, you just
have to do nothing. And this was one of those times. I can also say that
objectively, this felt like the longest trip we had been on together, even
if that wasn't true. The lack of activity had the effect of seemingly
slowing time. And we liked it.

Thanks, Alan for the nice TRs!

We just returned from a week from San Diego to points slightly further
south & slightly more Latino -- the Mexican Riviera.

It was my first cruise, and I must say that the lack of any kind of
deadline other than showering for an 8:15 dinner was just what I
needed. 11:30 comedy show, you say? I'll be long since in REMs by that
time, kind sir.

I loaded my iPad with enough novels to teach a community-college class
on pop culture, but would only get through most of the Jobs bio (900
pages, still. 1800 if I held the iPad in landscape

Initially, we had grandiose plans of snorkeling & parasailing, but
after one afternoon in Cabo (No Gracias! No Gracias!), it was decided
by our committee of two that time would be better spent in a cabana on
the Snot-Free Deck at the aft of the ship.

I will say that the food was much better than expected -- I was
thinking Golden Corral or something, but freshly baked breads & nice
cuts of meat really shocked me. Our upcharge meal the last night was
easily Morton's-esque, with sweetbreads, escargot, and an 18 oz bone-
in ribeye that TSA would have banned as a weapon.

I did have two other firsts on this trip -- in my 41 years on this
planet, nobody has ever offered to sell me drugs (cigar salesmen in
Cabo), and I've never had the pleasure of being offered a "Happy
Ending" during a massage -- 3 feet away from my wife during our
couple's massage, no less. I did have to decline. This was in a nice
upscale place in Cabo, not on the ship btw. Still, a $60 80/min
massage has to have some add-on's to make it profitable, I'm guessing.

But, doing nothing was just what the doctor ordered for me after 4
years of interrupted sleep with two occasionally neurotic kiddos.

/mike