This week, our guest host Egidio asked us how we refresh, or as he put it, recharge our batteries. He writes, “What is your go-to activity (or activities) that allows you to recharge your batteries? Is it in nature or in the city, alone or with friends and family, reading a book?” You can read his entire challenge post on his site Through Brazilian Eyes here.

It is probably no secret to this blogger’s regular readers that my wonderful wife, Lynn, and I are avid fans of ocean cruising. The image above was taken on October 24, 2021, on the occasion of our 51st wedding anniversary. On that day, we celebrated a return to cruising after the cruising hiatus due to COVID-19. We boarded the Norwegian Bliss for a sail on the Mexican Riviera out of Los Angeles.

We enjoy the stability and many functions and features of the larger cruise ships from the shows and musicians to the quiet time in the various venues offered in these large cities on the water.

On two of our cruises, we enjoyed the nightly music and vocal talent of Jim (whose last name escapes me) at the piano bar on the Norwegian Pearl. His mix of humor and musical talent was so much a source of relaxation and recharging.

I am an early riser and find it the best time for me to work on my writing projects. On the other hand, Lynn prefers to sleep in. I usually head for a ship’s restaurant or buffet area, grab a cup of coffee, and work on my latest project using my laptop. I’m often early enough that there are very few people around to disturb me. When she is ready, Lynn joins me for breakfast and I put the laptop away for the day.

Sometimes, instead of writing, I use the early morning hours to just walk around the upper decks and enjoy the day’s beginning, maybe taking a photo or two. There are times when these large ships seem crowded, but they are big, and unless you feel the need to be with a crowd for a specific venue, you can choose to find a quiet space to refresh and reflect.

In the evenings, the atrium on the ships we’ve been on have live music for dancing or just plain listening. We used to spend lots of time listening to music and dancing, but these days, we enjoy the peace and quiet of our balcony or other quiet place on the ship.

Towel animals have been a regular fixture on cruise ships for years. Upon the second visit of the cabin steward, a towel animal would be found, maybe on the bed, on a window ledge, or even hanging from the ceiling. The second daily visit is a casualty of the pandemic. As cruise companies are dealing with the mountain of debt created by the maintenance of ships during an 18-month cruising hiatus, staff reductions have led most cruise companies to eliminate the evening “turn-down” where the cabin steward would clean up any last-minute dishes or trash and leave a towel animal.

I understand that people can request a towel animal be left, but that would be after the single morning visit by the cabin steward. From our perspective, it’s a minor loss, but one that delineated cruising from other types of vacations.

Well, one of them, anyway. One of our favorite places to hang is no longer named the 5 o’Clock Somewhere bar, but on our latest cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line, the bar has simply been renamed. Though one might think it’s related to a Jimmy Buffet reference, (as well it could be), the name disappeared long before Jimmy’s recent passing on.

It is with a tinge of disappointment that all cruises must end, but we have completed all packing, set aside our departure clothing, and await the call to disembark the ship. Refreshed and recharged, we look forward to our next cruise.

Lynn and I started cruising to visit new places and destinations, but in recent years, we’ve found ourselves taking fewer and shorter shore excursions to enjoy the relatively open spaces on the ship while everyone else is in port. We have two cruises in the upcoming calendar, one in November, and another in February. Our November cruise will be our third trip through the Panama Canal and in February, we sail out of New Orleans toward the Caribbean islands.

Thanks to Egidio for guest hosting and for his challenge topic this week. Don’t forget to tag your post in your own response and link to his post (noted above) to participate. Thanks also to Donna for last week’s challenge, and next week Tina will host the challenge at noon Eastern time on Saturday. If you’d like to join in, but aren’t quite sure how to get started, check here.

John Steiner