Red Roses

Good morning,

Red Roses from the On Board Florist. 

What more is there to say except that I just LOVE flowers and am so appreciative when we receive them. 

Enjoy,

Lois

Veggie and Butter Art - Freedom of the Seas

Good morning,

The artwork on board Freedom of the Seas isn't just on the walls.  All around the ship you'll also find vegetable, butter, and ice artwork made by the Culinary Department. 

The table above was being prepared for the Crown and Anchor Society Party. 

Return cruisers are automatically members of the Royal Caribbean Crown and Anchor Society so are invited to a special party in their honor.  It's fun evening to learn more about the ships and itineraries as well as talk with other cruisers.

There is always something fun going on at sea.  :)

Best,
Lois

Where Am I?

Good morning,

Any ideas about where I took this picture?

Yes, I am looking straight up in a glass elevator aboard Freedom of the Seas.

I take one or two walks around the ship every day and always with a camera in hand.  This place is a photographer's paradise.  I hope you enjoy the images I am collecting.

All the best,
Lois

Glass Artwork in Boleros - Freedom of the Seas

 Good morning,

I've been wandering around Freedom of the Seas with my camera again revisiting some of the artwork that is so impressive.  There is gorgeous art work everywhere on board.  This is Boleros Lounge on deck 4 where you get a drink, dance to live music, and enjoy gloriously beautiful glass artwork.  The image above puts the size of the glass artwork on the walls into perspective.

There are several of these hugs glass bouquets in the lounge.

More images of on board artwork to come.

Best,
Lois

Sea Days

Good morning,

I love sea days on a cruise ship.  I love being able to watch the colors of the water and sky while the ship gently slides through the water.

 

Not all sea days are sunny and smooth, though.  This image was taken the day after the first image on a day when the skies were overcast and the sea a little rocky.  I happen to like these days.  You feel a little more motion in the ocean and there is no doubt where you are.  I like to walk the outside decks, smell the sea air, and watch the waves.

This is the aft part of deck 4.  See those stripes on that pole?  Those are to give a heads up to joggers who might be distracted by looking at the beautiful views instead of where they are going.

It's very beautiful out here.  :)

All the best,
Lois

Royal Promenade - Freedom of the Seas

Good morning,

It is good to be back aboard Freedom of the Seas.  The image above is of the Royal Promenade, the "main street" of the ship.

Long time readers have seen some of these shots before.  The Royal Promenade is where you can not only shop and eat, but where events such as the Dreamworks Parade, Captain's Party, and dance parties happen.  Those are cabins overlooking the Royal Promenade that you see on the right and left sides of the image.

Something I enjoy doing on the Royal Promenade is just watching the world go by.  You can meet at the pub, enjoy a brew with a friend and watch the activity of the ship.

I've been asked about what clothing to pack for a cruise.  Each itinerary and your choice of activities will dictate what items you will want to take along.  You'll find lists of suggested clothing provided by most cruise companies on their web sites.  Generally, though, you'll want to pack two outfits per day:  one casual for during the day;  one a little dressier for the evening.  There is excellent laundry and dry cleaning service on board so you don't have to take all of those dirty clothes home.

If you plan to go to the pool or the beach each day, bring two swim suits so you can wear one while the other is drying.  Don't forget a beach cover-up.

There are two formal nights during a week long cruise aboard Freedom of the Seas.  Click here for one of my previous posts about formal night fashions.  Some items are available in the stores on board if you forget something.  Men can bring their own tuxedo or a tuxedo can be rented on board.

Enjoy!

All the best,
Lois

Tennessee Run Away Truck Ramp and Welcome to the Carolinas

Good morning,

One of the highway signs we don't see near our home is "Runaway Truck Ramp."  We have seen them in several states in the Mountains and by looking at the tire tracks in the sand it appears they are used.  The sign above is in Eastern Tennessee.

Just down the hill is the ramp filled with white sand.

We stopped at a rest stop in North Carolina, then got back on the road...

...passed under the Blue Ridge Parkway...

...and were greeted by the "Hampton Inn Greeter" in Columbia, South Carolina.  He is a regular here.

 This time he had some friends with him.

We are aboard Freedom of the Seas.  Hopefully, tomorrow I will have a connection with enough band width to upload some images from the ship and ports.  :)

Enjoy,
Lois

Scenic View Overlook in Eastern Tennessee

Good morning,

We stopped at this scenic view overlook in Eastern Tennessee on our way to Florida.  There is that handsome man who appears in so many of my posts up there.  ;)

The weather on this trip was so varied often in the same day that we feel lucky to have had blue skies for this stop.

The lot is quite large, but only four cars were here now.

If you look carefully toward the right side of the above image you will see three people on the other side of the wall.  They had computers and seemed to be trying to connect with far away places.

 

Interesting.  A science project?

 I can't stop hearing "She'll be comin' 'round the mountain" in my head....

 

 ...and, that's "goin' 'round the mountain" in the other direction.

I am guessing all the grey paint on the walls in the area is covering graffiti.  That is definitely not the original color of the concrete.  If that paint does cover graffiti, I hope the culprits were caught, had to buy the paint and had to paint the walls, too.  I hate to think those are our tax dollars at work covering graffiti.

 Standing next to the wall, I looked over the side and saw some lovely wild flowers.

 One more look off into the distance and we got on our way again.

We love road trips.  :)

Enjoy,
Lois

Water Towers

Good morning,

Yes, we are still at sea, but I've finally had some time to go through some of the other pictures I took on our way down here.

Those of us who take pictures usually find ourselves collecting different subjects for our images:  flowers, animals, buildings, ships, ports, birds....  OK, I've moved on to water towers, too.  ;)  There are so many different kinds of water towers and the messages painted on them often advertise the communities where they are located.

The water tower above should be painted to look like a gold ball on a tee for the Jolly Green Giant. ;)

OK, this isn't a water tower, but it is a very important tower to me (and probably you, too).  :)  Without it, I don't have my connection for my telephone and air card while I am out driving and sailing around.

A smashed golf ball at Georgetown, KY?  Note it is a dual purpose tower with communication dishes on top, too.

Towers in the neighborhood with other towers.

Still another shape.  More like a marshmallow on stilts?

 Still another golf ball...

 This one looks to me like a blue space ship on stilts in Palm Coast, Florida.

 And, finally, somewhere between Ft. Lauderdale and Melbourne, Florida, this water tower is all dressed up with nowhere to go.

 Digital cameras are so much fun, aren't they!  ;)  Back in the old days of film, I probably would have been much too sensible to spend money on film and developing pictures of water towers.  This is so much fun!

Enjoy,
Lois

Medical Center at Sea

Good morning,

One of the questions I am often asked about cruise ships is, "What happens if I get sick or hurt while I am on a cruise?" 

Freedom of the Seas has a very complete medical center where sickness and injuries can be treated until guests can be transferred to a hospital on shore.

There is a staff of two physicians and two nurses and another support staff.  They do a super job of making sure guests are well cared for while at sea.

All the best,
Lois

Roses and Continuing Professional Education

Good morning,

These lovely flowers were a gift from friends of ours from Texas.

I took these pictures when we received them some time ago, but haven't shared this bouquet here yet.  They are just so pretty, aren't they!  But, life isn't all roses on board...

...I also stay current on my Continuing Professional Education requirements for my CPA license. 

Ah, yes, accounting at sea.  ;) 

Not to worry, though, it's a great place to be doing continuing education.  I have gotten it finished and am ready to enjoy the high seas now.  :)

Best,
Lois

Sailing Away From Labadee

Good morning,

One afternoon I took my afternoon walk on Deck 4 aboard Freedom of the Seas as we were sailing away from Labadee, Haiti.

In the center of this image you can see the two domes of the area where seaside weddings are held.

Good bye for today, Labadee.  We have all enjoyed another day in paradise here today.

I walked across the ship to the port side to take this picture of the sun on the water as we sailed out of Labadee.

So very pretty.

Enjoy,
Lois

That's Entertainment

Good morning,

The last time we were here I took quite a few pictures of the Captain's introduction of officers from the Sky Bridge over the Royal Promenade aboard Freedom of the Seas.  The image above is of singers entertaining the crowds below.

Throughout each week-long cruise there is entertainment on the bridge.  Depending on the time of day and theme of the day, there is a wide variety of musicians, vocalists, and dancers.

Life is never boring out here! 

Enjoy,
Lois

Happy Father's Day and Boarding Freedom of the Seas in Port Canaveral

Good morning,

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there especially My Honey and our two sons.

In real time this is a very busy day for us.  We are boarding Freedom of the Seas in Port Canaveral, Florida, and will be here for ten weeks.

You can see the ship on the Port Canaveral Web cam from 5:00 AM to 4:30 PM EDT (-5 GMT) on Sundays.  If you would like to watch us depart this afternoon you can do so on the web cam beginning about 4:30 PM.  I have added a link to the web cam in the right side bar.

Regular readers of this blog know that my posts continue daily while we are at sea, but the images will lag a few days.  I only upload images and visit other blogs on days we are in US ports where I have a connection with enough bandwidth to avoid timing out.  Of course, we do have email 24/7 while at sea.

Those pretty flowers up there on the top of this post were given to us by a friend on board the last time we were here in April.  Jeff, we are thinking of you and will miss seeing you aboard Freedom this time.

All the best,
Lois