I'M BACK!!!

I'm finally back and I have to say that I did miss all of you. Hope you missed me too.

I know I left without much notice and I thank all of you who emailed asking me if I was OK.

Yes, I am fine. I had been searching around on the Internet and came across a wonderful deal for a last minute cruise. So, without much notice at all, I made a split decision to go ahead and book it.

Yes that is right, I was on a cruise all last week. I just got home yesterday.

I noticed that Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas had a change in their itinerary. They were going to go to the Mexican Riviera but due to the swine flu, they changed to going up the coast to Oregon, Seattle and then to Victoria BC.

Since many people decided they didn't want to go there they cancelled their cruise and so Royal Caribbean was offering these crazy low specials. I just couldn't pass it up.

Here is just a small amount of food they were loading on as I got to the ship.

This was my home away from home for a week. It was very comfortable.

More then enough room for me. I even had a great balcony view.

I sat outside every day and left the door to the balcony open every night. I loved hearing the sound of the Ocean as I went to sleep.

Come along with me and I show you a little bit of the ship.

This is the pool side bar. Besides swimming, laying out and enjoying the sun, there was live music out here.

Here is a small view of the main pool area.

The entrance to the big show room. They had Broadway type shows, jugglers, comedians and magic shows here.

Silly me, I didn't take any photos once inside. I was to busy enjoying the entertainment.

Here is a little spot you could enjoy a snack of pizza, cakes, sandwiches or cookies. Just one of the many spots along the Promenade.

This is a shot looking down onto the Promenade. There are shops, bars, resturants, music and even parades here.

You can get an inside room that has a window over looking the Promenade if you like.

Another one of the many hang outs is the Schooner's Bar. This is where they held many Trivia type games, sing along with the Piano Man, classes and relaxation.

This is just a tiny part of the entrance to the Casino!

They have a large Casino area on this ship. I've always been one that thought you may as well toss your money overboard because the slots on ships never paid out.

Well, I was shown I was wrong. The first night on board I won $310. I was thrilled.

For those of you who prefer table games to slots, there are several tables for you to play.

Though the tables were not open as early as the slots were. Mostly only at night.

We all know that food is everywhere on a cruise. Here is just one of the places, the Windjammer. You will find just about every type of food here. The food is buffet style.

They also several other resturants on board. Like Johnny Rockets. I fell in love with the onion rings here.

For a more formal dinner you can go to the main dinning room where you will have a three course meal.

But, not to worry. You do not have to gain weight while on your cruise. There is a very large gym on board. Plus you will be walking and walking as this is one very large ship.

I loved this room. It was all a glow with blue lights. It's two stories and the downstairs has a large dance floor.

One of the beautiful stair cases. It's all lite up and is so pretty.

They even have an ice skating rink on this ship. You can ice skate, take lessons or watch one of the wonderful ice skating shows that have.

You can even get married in the small but romantic chapel on board.

Once the horn blew and the music started up, Captain Johnny came on the speakers to announce it was time to leave Los Angeles for a week of fun.

As we pulled away I noticed all the security around us.

The Harbor Police was there.

They even had to go after a sail boat to tell them to get out of the way.

What is the matter with these people? Can't they see a 14 story huge ship coming towards them?

The US Coast Guard also was beside us, making sure nothing happened as we pulled away and out of the Harbor.

Yes those are guns on board there.

The Port Police also protected us as we left.

This was our Pilot boat. I never even knew what a Pilot Boat was until this trip. Do you know? If not, I'll tell you.

As a large ship pulls into or leaves a port the Pilot Boat guides the ship. Often they will even pull over to the ship and get on board to actually take over the controls.

The Pilot boats know the area they are in charge in and knows every place that the ships need to avoid so as to not get into a collision in the shallow waters.

It's a very dangerous job to have. Many men have lost their lives by being in charge of the Pilot Boats.

Well, I guess that's enough for now. I'll write more about the places I saw durning the trip.

For those of you who like hearing about Haunted Places you will enjoy a few of the places I got to visit.

It's good to be home. Now I'm off to play catch up reading what you all have been up to.