DAY THREE: OUR SOCIAL LIFE? -- Another day at sea, coasting slowly south along (but out of sight of) Baja California. These two days have been good for us, affording an opportunity to explore the ship and settle into its routine. But first of all, let’s dispose of Tropical Storm “Paul”, which petered out (pun intended) just below Cabo San Lucas, and won’t be a factor in our trip. Close call!

Two events today deserve special mention. One is the Captain’s Reception and Dinner, wherein everyone, all 1,200 us, dons their grandest duds, stands in painfully long lines to be photographed two separate times, then has the privilege of approaching the Ship’s Master for a brief (very brief) welcome greeting, another smiling photo op with said Captain, then firmly ushered away and into a champagne reception. I was tempted to tell him his fly was open, just to test if he was really listening, but lost my nerve.

The Captain has already made it clear, in an earlier announcement, that he would not be shaking hands with everyone. Germs, you know. (I wanted to tell him that for many a year I shook several hundred hands every Sunday morning, but once again lost my nerve.) In his welcoming comments at the reception he went into a painfully detailed set of instructions on how we are to wash our hands, not unlike the lessons we gave to children in the St. James Day School. It was kind of embarrassing, but in his defense it must also be noted that this ship, on its last voyage, was hit by some sort of GI bug, and many, both guests and staff, became briefly but uncomfortably sick.

At any rate, folks really do dress up for this event, and (as the invitation said) tuxedos were “welcome”. I seem to have left my tux at home, but never fear - they rent them on board! Well, I wore my ordinary gray Sunday suit but, in a moment of rebellion, no socks. Tuxedos of all styles and colors abounded however, many replete with lapel military medals (memo to self: get Good Conduct Medal out of storage), and one fine Scotsman wore his kilt. The ladies, whose plumage always outshines ours, were stunning and beautiful. So it was a glorious evening, apparently continuing one of the grand old traditions of the sea.

The other thing I wanted to mention is the incredible variety of activities that go on aboard a cruise ship. I guess I knew there were some, but never did I suspect such a menu: a seminar on Detox For Weight Loss, Dice Gaming lesson, Watch Seminar (I assume that’s a wristwatch sales seminar), champagne art auction, bridge tournament, Tanzanite Seminar, AA meeting, Slot Machine tournament, Magic Makeover session, Blackjack tournament, and the usual religious services, various games, talks on shore excursions, special group luncheons, and many more. And that’s just today’s list.

I suppose a person might get bored here if they didn’t like any of the above, and wasn’t interested in sitting in comfy deck chairs to read, watch dolphin, or snooze, and didn’t need anything to eat at one of the restaurants that’s always open, and didn’t want to play any of the machines or tables in the Casino. I suppose there might be such a person, but I’d not want to have them at our dinner table!