WARNING! BORING POSTCARD!Welcome to Levitra!
The first news of the day is day I was incorrect in my e-mail postcard yesterday.
I know, I know; it had to happen sometime! I thought we arrived in Genoa this morning, because of all the tour junk they had left on my bed yesterday morning. I forgot that the deadline for signing up for cruises is always the day before you get to the city. So, when I got back to my room after dinner, I picked up the daily newspaper off of my bed and without my cheaters on I thought it said that today we would be in Levitra. Well, of course that would be a rather silly name for a city on Italy. Once I got my cheaters out of the case I realized that we would actually be arriving in Livorno, Italy. And that is where we rather loudly docked at 7:00 this morning.
I did not get up to watch us arrive in Livorno. In fact, I just got out of bed after sleeping (or staying in bed) for thirteen hours. I went back to my room right after dinner, read for a little while, and then decided that I wasn’t feeling very well. So, I turned out the light and fell asleep until about 2:00 a.m. when I woke up with terrible stomach craps. After spending far too long in and out of the miniature bathroom for several hours, I finally fell asleep again at around seven. At eight the alarm went off but I quickly fell back to sleep. Finally at 11:00 I dragged my aching body out of bed, into the shower, into some clothes, and upstairs to send this little postcard.
It appears to be another beautiful day in November. The sun is shining, and there is no fog. I think I will have some soup and some juice and then probably go back to bed. If I have to feel sick and stay in my cabin onboard ship, I at least have a very nice one to be cooped up. The bed is wonderful. I have a queen size bed with lots of pillows, and a heavenly comforter to cuddle under. It can of course become two twin beds, but so far, it has stayed together quite well.
After several days, I can now say that I really like this ship. The other day when we were in port, one of Costa Cruise Lines mega-ships berthed next to us. Looking at fourteen or fifteen deck monster, it was an impressive site, but I realized that our ship, in comparison looked more like a sleek yacht, rather than a mega-ship. Actually, I don’t know of many yachts that are six hundred feet long but you get the idea.
Most of the ships I have sailed on before were huge. You usually arrived in the giant atrium that could be anywhere from three to six decks high, but on Insignia you enter into this beautifully appointed room with a large staircase going up one deck to the shops above. Maybe not as grand as some of the other ships, but still very comfortable for what is basically a hotel lobby. There are two sets of elevators and two large staircases, one in the forward section of the ship, and one aft. With only a little over six hundred passengers, the elevators are almost always available.
The most incredible thing about the Insignia is the crew. I have never been on a ship or in a hotel that has such a caring staff. Lely, who makes up my room twice a day, immediately started calling me Mr. Tom. She is an absolute sweetheart, always willing to do anything for me. Also, the staffs in of the different restaurants onboard are all very attentive. Several of them call me Mr. Thomas or Mr. Tom, and those that don’t know my name still remember what type of juice I drink in the morning, and they are always right there to carry your plate back to your table, if you have gone to the buffet, or they are at your table asking if you want more coffee or more juice. The nice thing is that they aren’t battling to get tips from you, since Oceania has done away with giving out tip envelopes, and instead take one set amount out of ship account each day of the cruise. You can if you like, increase or decrease the amount they take, but why would you want to decrease it? These hard working souls never seem to have a bad day, and it all seems to be generally about making you feel pampered.
Well, my head is spinning; so I think I will go have some soup and juice and then maybe stretch out by the pool.
Sorry this is so boring, but I really feel terrible.
