Here we are on our first sea day traveling to Grand Cayman, the largest of the three Cayman Islands, just south of Cuba. The seas were a little rough and after breakfast and exercise (four times around the deck = 1 mile), we headed off to the first lecture, but we both felt woozy and could not stop sweating. We ended up taking a pill and a nap and were fine by lunch. During sea days, there are various lectures and activities onboard. Luckily, all of the ones we really wanted to see were after lunch. There is a demonstration kitchen on board hosted by America’s Test Kitchen. Our on-ship chef/presenter was Samantha (Sam). The presentation was entitled “Blue Ribbon Breakfasts” and was a combination of video-recorded segments by America’s Test Kitchen staff and live presentations by Sam. Ron recorded the recipes so we can try those recipes later at home for fluffy omelets and blueberry pancakes. Sam was very personable and fun to watch, but since she only boarded the ship yesterday (the same as we did), she was still getting to know the kitchen and the equipment. She did a great job.

We went to a lecture about our next two ports of call and then I went to my first watercolor class. It was a big class and we practiced some basic skills of shading and drawing. Jack, our instructor, has a lively attitude and this looks to be a wonderful class. The dinner was our first Gala Dinner, so we had to dress up for dinner. The food was wonderful (escargot and rack of lamb and breast of duck). Sorry… no pictures (too busy eating). There was a captain’s toast in the theater before the show, but I could not keep my eyes open during the toast, so we did not stay for the comedian.

When we returned to the room, we found a few gifts on our beds. We received a great little travel journal, a small bag to keep our passport and other goodies safe around our necks, and a messenger bag. On Ron’s bed, we got our first towel animal… a manta ray. Tomorrow is our first port and first excursion.