This was a day at sea and somehow we didn't quite expect that there would be waves with white water breaking while sailing along the Inside Passage. But there you go, on our first day of dashing up the coast we could not see land or islands, just endless whitecaps. The sea bands worked perfectly (thanks @Mindy) and Mac has been perfect to date although we are a little wobbly up and down the hallways as the Norwegian Sun rocks and rolls.

This was a true day of exploration and I tried to join the Crew Walking Activity at 9 but after a few little wrong turns I made it a 9 .06 and had missed the group, so I did my 4 laps (2 kms) of the walking track at my own pace. It was cold and windy out on Deck 6 but there were lots of intrepid walkers and joggers and I liked it because it was a completely even surface and I could look out into the ocean in my constant search for a whale.

I had left Mac in the cabin to have his shower and to have his normal "Daisy Hill" breakfast....an apple. The plan was to meet in The Stardust Room for a lecture on glaciers. All the logistics worked perfectly, except, when Mac arrived, his bottom lip was bigger than the terminus of a glacier and he looked like a member of those tribes that have the big plates in their lips. We think he had some reaction to the skin of the apple (maybe licked the side of the shower?!?!)We applied the good old Papaw Ointment in the hope of a miracle. It took about two hours for the swelling to go down and for the feeling to his lip to return.

Lunch was in the Seven Seas Dining Room and we shared a table with an American couple Phil and Ellen . The menu was the same as the day before but all delivered with attentive service and accompanied by good conversation. We talked so much over lunch I missed my 2 pm appointment in the gym to learn about "Walking without pain."

After lunch it seemed as if the sea had calmed a little but the wind was so strong that the outer decks were closed.

We looked for something to do inside and thought maybe a game of bingo might be the go so we made our way to Dazzlers. It was $39 to play the three games of the afternoon. Not even Eddie's cajoling and promise of "I've got to give away all this money and a free cruise" could entice me to join in. I was thinking more of the $1 a game I-can-play-all-afternoon version....but that doesn't exist on board....maybe I am just out of touch with the bingo circles.

Our alternate....a great view of the ocean, sunshine through glass windows, some kettle chips and the cocktail of the day in The Sportsman's Bar on Deck 11 .

The show tonight was a Tribute Show featuring the entertainment troupe. Wow, they can sing and dance. The band was fabulous. And we were amazed at how many Australians were in the group. Of course there was a tap routine that featured "just the Aussies" and we did think of @Peter!

Dinner was at 8.15 in the Cagney Room - another specialist steakhouse. Mac had 18 ozs of rib on the bone and I stuck with the seafood theme and had lobster and shrimp. This was a four course dinner and everything comes jumbo sized. After squeezing in the desert Mac could not move, in fact he proclaimed it was just too hard to breath!

The night was rounded out with a visit to the Casino. I lost $20 on the poker machines (Zeus and Wolverine) and Mac invested $8 in the ship raffle. We'll find out tomorrow if the investment paid off and we won the $100 000. There is a Texas Holdem table going but so far only a handful of players have taken a seat...and Mac has not been one of them....yet. There is even a tournament on later in the week with the grand final being played out on a Caribbean Cruise.

We headed home after a 15 hour day to be surprised by Daryl's towel origami. Who would have thought .... a dog on the bed.

Fat lip, rocking boat, howling winds. Not a great confidence booster for a full day at sea. But the eating did make up for it and I think we are settling in to this cruising thing.


Tuesday
Temperature: 16
Pedometer: 7 476
Bear Sightings = 0

Total Bear Sightings = 12


Things @AuntyGail and @Paul forgot to tell us about cruising:

1. Don't bend over in the shower.

2. Always follow the fish to go forward.

3. If they say it's free....they're lying.

4. Include an afternoon nap in your itinerary.

5. Never ask for more than one dessert on the menu.

6. If you are in a hurry, always take the stairs cause the lifts are very slow.

7. Everybody gets to see your silly poses in the photos taken by the cruise photographer.

8. There are WAVES on the ocean even in The Inside Passage (oops, sorry Mac.)

9. The boat rocks and rolls when you are walking, sitting and sleeping. It NEVER stops (oops, sorry Mac.)