On the ship!

It’s a beautiful day on the Baltic Sea – a welcome change from the occasional deluges of Copenhagen. Our ship – the Crown Princess – is handsome and huge, with a capacity for more than 3,100.

We are 12 Miamians sailing. Today is our single day at sea. Some have been energetically stretching and taking pilates classes; some have napped. One is sick, now under quarantine for possible norovirus. Let’s hope not.

Our ship features outdoor movies, multiple pools and hot tubs, bars and lounges galore (we haven’t begun to explore them all). There’s an abundance of restaurants, but given the size of our group we’ll stick mostly with the traditional dining room and the casual Lido-style café / buffet.

Already, we’re finding that the cruise allows the kind of flexibility we’d hoped for; by day, we each go our own way, by night we’ll convene for dinner.

The day’s highlight has been something that’s often a snore: The shipboard lectures. Author John Lawrence has regaled us with tales of Faberge eggs, philandering czars and the vision and energy of Peter I … a primer in advance of our two-day visit to St. Petersburg.

Internet access is slower than slower than slow…which means I won’t be posting many photos on this trip! We’ll do our best.