Sarasota News Leader
November 23, 2012
"Lord"; that made me completely awesome to the new friends we met on board).
Our room was in the Suite section, which of- fers the best value for sure. That is because you get the following:
• A butler who makes up your room twice a day and brings you just about anything you want, day or night.
• A daily pillow menu to choose the exact firmness of your pillow.
• "A-damn-dorable" animals made from tow- els every day.
• This is very important: early debarkation at ports. With 3,000 people trying to get off a boat at one time, it is nice to know you go first.
• Priority for spa treatments.
• Our very own restaurant called Blu, which specializes in "clean cuisine." Unlike the main dining room (to which you also have access), Blu allows you to dine at any time you would like and the food is marketed as more healthful.
• Here's the complete list of everything included in the suites.
Living on a ship is wildly ro- mantic. In fact, it is downright Titanic-esque. You do not have a cell phone, so you cannot communicate with anyone un- less he or she is standing in front of you. By default, you have a microcosm of people looking at and talking to you, but not texting.
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You dress up for dinner (which I actually re- ally liked), and you are accessible only by being present at one of the eight restaurants, 11 bars, casino, three pools, spa, rooftop gar- den, movie theater, shops, gym or theater. It is just you, your traveling partner and 3,000 awesome new people you meet along the way.
There is something about traveling that re- sults in the creation of new friends. And I am not talking about namby-pamby friendships you can find only on land. NO! We met "we- are-stuck-on-a-giant-floating-playground-for- adults-so-let's-play-with-no-responsibilities" kind of friends.
Our days together began with a quick work- out in the killer gym (Who am I kidding; I was hardly there), fresh coffee made by Sladja- na Ivanovic (we're totally Facebook friends now) and a fresh crêpe from one of the boat's restaurants. Afterward, we would meet up with other new friends (the ones who actu- ally went to the gym) and explore the given country du jour, then head back to the boat at our leisure.
Once on the boat, we would shower and take a nap on the heated chairs in the Persian Garden (that is right — warm- ing tiled chairs overlooking the water in which to nap; "deck-a- dent") and finally catch a party on the rooftop of the boat.
It is hard to resist the fancy drinks on board. Contribut- ed/Matt Orr
The top of the boat is a tremen- dous, beautiful yard with real grass and no fire ants to bite you. We played bocce ball and croquet or read books as the boat sailed to the next stop.
