"We're on A Ship"

March 5-6, 2011
Today's title acknowledges a brilliant parody of a hip-hop song by a group called the Lonely Island, which includes a Saturday Night Live cast member. The song and video contrast the experiences of some guys on a ship with their friends who are at home "flipping burgers." It's a bit rude, but Josh has it on his i-phone and he has been playing it all morning en route to our ship. It is very catchy and now I can't get it out of my head. This year it is only three of us, as Elliott is in Boston filming a documentary on his high-school teammate who now plays for the Golden State Warriors.
We're on the Norwegian Epic, sailing in its inaugural year. It is a mega-ship, weighing in at 153,000 tons! It has 19 stories and looks like a floating building. At full capacity it carries 4,100 passengers and 1,730 crew members. We are fortunate in that there are only 3,200 passengers aboard this week.
John and I are in a small, skinny rectangular cabin that requires a carefully orchestrated ballet for us to shower and dress for dinner. Josh is in a section of the ship called "The Studios" for passengers traveling alone. It looks very futuristic (see lowest photo).
The photos show our departure from the Port of Miami, complete with Coast Guard gunners accompanying us! There is a parade of cruise ships and people line the canal and wave. It is all very festive!