Sunday, December 17, 2017

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Tonight's picture was taken on December 5, 2002. I mentioned in last night's blog that it was the first snow fall of the season and with that, we were inspired to take photos of Mattie. He brought him outside in a cute Santa onesie and hat. He was sitting in his entertainment saucer and literally I was jumping around in the background trying to get him to smile while Peter was snapping photos. This was NOT the photo that made it to the front of our family Christmas card, but it is priceless nonetheless. Mattie was laughing and getting a kick out of my antics. 


Quote of the day: My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that? ~ Bob Hope

We woke up this morning to this glorious sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean. We captured this right from our hotel room. I feel that this was a Mattie sign. 

This is our first experience taking a Viking Ocean Cruise. Peter and I have been on 14 cruises prior to this one, most of which were with Princess Cruises. 

Viking has a totally different flavor from most commercial cruise lines. First of all, you have to be 16 and older to board the ship. This eliminates a lot of noise, activity, partying and the list goes on. There are NO organized kid activities what so ever. 

This is what our cabin looks like. Viking was very kind to give up a free upgrade to a junior suite. We did not ask for it, but it feels like a Christmas gift. I am convinced we received this upgrade after I spoke to a representative on the phone a few days ago. I told him about my previous cruising experiences, and my hope that this would be better. I think he heard what I was saying and wanted to help immediately with making this a positive experience for us. A spacious cabin with a ton of amenities makes a huge difference. 

This was a luggage mat that was placed on our bed, so we could unpack. I loved the quote on the mat..... "Only one who wanders finds new paths."

In the atrium or lobby area of the ship, there is an amazing gingerbread house display. In fact, the fragrance of gingerbread is incredible! Mattie would have loved the toy train going around on the track!

What you can't see is in front of the gingerbread houses is a grand piano. A pianist was entertaining all of us, so we had a total sight and sound experience.  

This was basically the vantage point the pianist had. She was located in the center of the atrium.

We went up the steps and looked down at the pianist. I think you get a good feeling for the huge and expansive atrium space.

What I notice right away on a Viking Cruise is there aren't massive hoards of people, there isn't loud music playing, announcements and marketing material being pushed on you, and all of that is welcomed. 

Yet it isn't exactly as promised either. Getting on the ship was NOT an expedited process like promised. In fact, they really do not regulate who shows up to go through the registration process. So in theory any passenger on the ship can show up early, go through the check in process, and then wait in the registration area until their cabin level is allowed on the ship. This isn't exactly a lovely experience because instead of staggered registrations, everyone crowds onto the registration lines at one time. 

This afternoon, we experienced our first buffet on the Viking. In comparison to a Princess Cruise, the variety of foods is smaller, and the Viking controls how much food you have access to, because they serve you (even from a buffet). Yet the food is very fresh and good, and all the servers are lovely. We met the manager of the ship's restaurants and we asked him a ton of questions because we do not understand the logistics of this any time dining. So tonight should be revealing! He did admit that YES there are lines of people on a Viking Cruise who cue up for dinner. Which of course was something NOT revealed by the sales and marketing people on shore. We knew it had to be the case with 900 passengers. 

This was our sail away from Miami. It actually was a very lovely and picturesque departure! 

Another perk on Viking is they give you free Wifi. Totally different from a Princess Cruise. So for a person like myself who is glued to my phone, it is wonderful to have access to email and the internet at all times. My phone became my safety blanket when Mattie was diagnosed with cancer. 

Good bye Miami! We are headed to Key West, FL!