Honeymoon Journal II: Thoughts on starting Day 1

Saturday was a great day. Four months of Bibiana's planning yielded an excellent event with much assistance from Clara, her sister. Clara was the maid of honour, wedding coordinator, and mistress of ceremony at the banquet. I am very grateful for Clara's help. My best man, Stephen, gave up most of the weekend for me. He decorated the car with my brother-in-law, Geoffrey. Stephen was the chauffeur, keeper of the wedding rings and private photographer with my camera; in addition, he waited on me thoughout my wedding day. Thank you, Stephen. Sunday was a continuation of a previously busy wedding day. Bibiana and I caught some sleep in the flight to Ft. Lauderdale. Seventeen dollars later, the cab took us to Port Everglades. At 951 feet in length, "Star Princess" has a gross tonnage of 109 000 and 17 floors. Our stateroom is situated conveniently close to elevators, stairs and the laudromat. My favourite is a stateroom with a balcony. Even with a reported cold spell in the Atlantic coast of Florida, we left the balcony door open and let the breeze in. The balcony is of a fair size with enough room for four chairs and two tables. When we checked in and looked out, a pod of four manatees swam by. We napped after lunch at 15:30 and slept through the ship's departure with horns screaming. Dinner took place in an anytime dining room around 20:30. Service was excellent. My dinner was mediocre--the medium rare prime rib came medium--while Bibiana's dinner was good. The self-exploration of the ship around 23:00 was opportune because most guests were inside watching shows or in their staterooms. There was no crowds which made photography easier. We found the cinema which was playing "Must Love Dogs." I have always enjoyed the actor John Cusack and this romantic comedy did not disappoint. Other places of interest were the moonscape with bright stars, the wedding chapel, the gym, the snorkeling pool (they give lessons here) and the art auction pieces on display. It's Monday morning now, another cruising day. We are crossing the Caribbean Sea at 15 knots. I shall report on Monday's activities next time. Tuesday morning we shall arrive at Cozumel, Mexico. Cheers!