As it begins…

As the cruise begins, you are naturally near the shore. I really enjoy being on deck at this time since there is so much to see. There is of course the coast line with all that is there, but there are also many other ships around hustling and bustling about their business. I saw many from China, Russia and tons of other countries. While near the shore you can also see fish and sometimes even dolphins! One thing that we saw a lot of while we were leaving is jellyfish. From the high decks you can see deep into the water and it looks like there are faint white blobs all over the place. That would be the jelly fish. I am not sure why they congregate around the ship channel, but as we left there were fewer and fewer. I wonder if it was jus the season for them… Well, we will have to see.

After an hour or two, you will not be able to see the shore at all and the closest dirt to you is several thousand feet below the water. As the first night comes near, there are fewer and fewer ships, except the Rhapsody and one other. There is a Carnival ship that has almost the same itinerary, except that instead of Ocho Rios, it stops in Montego Bay and this ship is visible on the horizon for most of the cruise. The first night though, there are many oil drilling platforms and weather platforms visible from the ship. It looks almost like passing a tiny town as you go by in the night. They are more visible in the night because of their lights, and I was quite surprised at how many how far out they were.

The second and third days are all at sea. There is very little to see, but staring out at the water is very peaceful. We occasionally saw some fish and quite often saw large patches of sea weed sometimes spanning several acres. These quiet days always make me think of sailors and pirates of the past. Their ships were so small and rickety compared to the mammoth Rhapsody, yet they sailed and lived for weeks on the sea, bravely crossing the great expanses.

That is so cool.

I am totally stoked. I am leaving for Houston on Saturday to stay with some friends, and then the cruise starts on Sunday after church. That is awesome.