Aug 29 2008

First day on the ship and I feel like it’s the first day of freshman year. Everyone is very awkward and doing the whole “name game” for all the different colleges. Had to initially get on the ship by myself and unpack all alone. Parents were not allowed on the ship until 130 so Mom, Al. and Paul got on around 215 and then had to leave around 3. At 330 we had a Emergency drill and had to get on our big orange lifejackets and long sleeved pants/shirts and closed toed shoes. The captain came by to approve of each muster and the ship did pass inspection. Met my roommate Lauren, she is from the West Palm area and I think we are going to get along great. We both have our Vera Bradley computer cases, Jack Roger sandals, and share a love for Capt. Jack Sparrow. Our cabin is one of the larger on the ship, with 2 twin beds, bathroom, closet and shelves, a tiny sofa and table, a big mirror area, all with a water view. Tonight was full of meetings and tomorrow is a entirely full day of orientation. Currently we are running from the most current hurricane (Hanna I think) and are going NW of the Bahamas towards San Juan/Florida and we are supposed to be heading down to Salvador, Brazil; should be an interesting ride. It is a bit rocky and there is a ton of lightning on the water, very cool. No sea sickness yet ;) The MS Explorer is actually one of the fastest and safest ships in the world so don’t worry I will be safe. We are currently at a solid 21.5 knots.