Up early. In Kansas City, it is 16 degrees, heading for a high of 33 under partly cloudy skies with snow showers late. In Miami, it is 78 degrees, heading for a high of 81. The sun is brilliant and rejuvenating to feel on my skin. I remind myself that I must remember to stop at the CVS and buy sunscreen prior to departing for the Norwegian Pearl later today.

Out the Courtyard front door at 8:15, it is about a half mile East to the water and another mile to the Port of Miami. I decided to walk that way, through the marinas, bars and restaurants of Bayfront Park, up the waterfront and back to the Port Boulevard Bridge to Dodge Island where the cruise ships are. Over the bridge to the Port, there is a sea of people all of whom are disembarking from their cruises which have arrived here between 7:00 and 8:00 this morning.

In port today are the Carnival Victory, Carnival Ecstasy, Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas, Norwegian Sun, Norwegian Sky, Norwegian Pearl and, across the way, the Regent Seven Seas Navigator. Four are scheduled to sail at 4:00, one at 4:30 and the other two at 5:00. It should be interesting. I walked past the Pearl. She is 965 feet long (nearly three football fields),15 decks high, can cruise at 25 knots and holds 2,394 passengers taken care of by 1,099 crew. There are 16 dining options, 13 bars and lounges, six outdoor hot tubs, a very large fitness center and, of course, a casino.

I made it back to the hotel at 10:15 with eight miles under my belt. I asked when the last free shuttle left the hotel for the Port and was told 1:00pm. My request for a late checkout was graciously granted and I returned to room 601 which is a suite of enormous size for a Courtyard--or any other Marriott for that matter. I don't need all this room but am happy to occupy it nonetheless.

As an interesting aside, I just got an email from American Express Concierge service. Cianan asked me if I could help him get some impossibly difficult dinner reservations when he an Alex are in Tokyo. Check out the documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" on Netflix or wherever. Watch the two minute movie trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1UDS2kgqY8

They will be dining with Jiro on March 24 through the good graces and market power of AMEX. I am green (card) with envy. How cool.

Discovery! It turns out that this sailing aboard the Norwegian Pearl is a BLUEGRASS SAILING! Yes, Bluegrass friends, onboard we have: The Steep Canyon Rangers, Town Mountain, Della Mae, The Kruger Brothers, Trampled By Turtles, The David Grisman Folk Jazz Trio, Henhouse Prowlers, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Shannon Whitworth and Tim Hurst! There are "Petting Zoos" and "Scrambles" and Q&As with the artists. Passing though one empty bar I found three people jamming on their fiddles. The only thing missing was a serpent to handle.

There is much stompin' and hollerin' and other stuff that I cannot identify. Sources tell me that this cruise normally sells out with Bluegrass Fans but this time it did not. Perhaps that explains the low price at the last minute discovered by yours truly. In any event, there are lots of people from places called “ville” on the end (Fayetteville, Asheville, Louisville, Villeville and more). There are banjos galore, fiddles (not violins) and many, many string basses to accompany the guitars and keyboards and vocalists who twang rather than sing. It is wonderful.

I shall spend plenty of time in the Bliss Lounge on Deck 7 Aft where Piano Man Michael will be performing his Billy Joel & Elton John tributes to an empty house. Only those who paid extra are admitted to the Stardust Theatre Headliner Shows featuring the Rangers, Grisman, Krugers and Drops. I suspect there are a lot of Kruger Cougers aboard; at least the signs point in that direction.

All of the Bluegrass Festival guests have special badges and, according to one to whom I spoke, they paid plenty for the privilege of sailing with their musical heroes. For example, Suzanne and Michelle (both KGs, I think) were aghast that I didn’t know who The Steep Canyon Rangers are. They were so off put by my ignorance that they stood speechless for an extra beat until Susanne’s phone rang with the good news that her friend from home (Asheville) who was recently diagnosed with epilepsy had received a treatment plan. We all had a drink to that. Michelle suggested that I could buy her a cocktail later but that she had to get moving so as not to miss the Rangers’ opening concert.

These folks are a fun bunch. They stomp and bob and sway to the music and are particularly appreciative of fiddlers and banjo solos. Me? I don’t get it but it sure is fun to watch. My initiation was poolside at sail-away as I wondered what the Rangers were good at. I shall be excluded henceforth because I didn’t pay for the privilege. Not woe is me.

To my delight, there is a jogging track on Deck 13 where 5.5 laps equals 1 mile. There is a wonderful fantail bar on Deck 12 called the Great Outdoors Bar. And, OMG, there are four, count 'em, four bowling lanes flanking the Bliss Ultra Lounge on Deck 7 Aft.

Tonight at 8:30 there is the Singles Social Champagne Toast for all single and solo cruisers. The Cruise Staff will host (unusual because normally this is un-hosted so it doesn’t work very well). “Meet your fellow single and solo cruisers for a night to remember with a bubbly; meet new friends and have a vacation of a lifetime!” Count me in. When that doesn’t work out very well, which I suspect will be the case, yours truly will head solo for Michael’s piano stylings in Bar City on Six.

The strangest thing for me is that there is no 8:30 dining room seating to go to. This is “Free-Style.” I dine when I please with whomever I run into. That may or may not be a good thing. There may be a tendency to just grab some chicken or brats or burgers with corn on the cob at The Grill on Deck 12 next to the pool from their three gigantic Weber grills. The Garden Café buffet, also on Deck 12, is open from 5:00 to 9:30 and offers everything from American Meatloaf to Chili Dogs to Thai Specialties.

If one wants to pay extra, there is Cagney’s Steakhouse ($30), La Cucina Italian ($15), Le Bistro French ($20), Lotus Garden Asian Fusion ($15), Moderno Churrascaria ($20), Shabu-Shabu Mongolian ($15), The Sushi Bar (a la carte) and Teppanyaki Japanese Steak House ($25). Food can be had for no extra charge at the Great Outdoors and I suspect I will be there a lot.

This appears as though it will be fun. I am saying that because I believe it to be true and because, as I write this, I have consumed two Bud Light Platinum bottles and one Beringer Cabernet in rapid succession.

I will discuss my first inside cabin in a future entry.

Bon Voyage; or, as my bluegrass friends are saying: This is f**ckin’ cool!