Getting Ready

I hope you all like the new design layout, I thought a change would be nice. I've been busy getting ready for the cruise. I will be flying out to meet the ship in Dublin, Ireland on Tuesday, June 22 along with several hundred cadets, crew and faculty who will be replacing many on board the ship. As I said in an earlier post, the cruise will be split into 2 separate parts this year with the 2nd and 3rd class cadets split into two cohorts. The 1st class cadets have to do the whole 3 months of the cruise.

The first cohort has already been to Spain and Greece and, according to my predecessor Joe's blog, has had a fabulous time. The sites at both ports have been spectacular. The Mediterranean portion of the cruise has kept them in sight of land most of the time which is definitely a treat compared to seeing nothing but huge expanses of sea for days on end.

Joe has learned much about the pleasures and pitfalls of life on a ship and while adapting well, seems to be eager to return home. The biggest problem he has had is that he had to vacate his cabin due to a pipe leak in the ceiling and had to move from the quieter Cabin Deck to more utilitarian quarters on the busier Main Deck. Since I was supposed to inherit his cabin, I am hoping that the repairs are completed by the time I arrive so I can return to my original quarters.

I still have to do my final packing. Luckily, I was able to place the bulk of my luggage aboard the Empire State VI before it left. I discovered afterward that only carry-on luggage will be allowed aboard my flight. It is difficult to fit six weeks worth of clothing and supplies into a carry-on bag.

Since my last post, I found out that the ports we will be travelling to on the second cohort are Malta and Brest, France While Malta looks beautiful(see above left), I have learned that, due to destruction from bombing in WWII, Brest is is a very modern, industrial looking city with little old world charm(see above right). I hope they have some good tours planned there out to the more scenic and historical regions.

I'll see you all next week from Dublin.