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Mon Jan 1st Secaucus: A new year has begun and this day always seems to be the quietest, most peaceful (and in ways loneliest) day of all. Of course, it doesn’t help that it is a Siberian-like 5 degrees outside.
Thu Jan 4th Secaucus: One frigid day after another and today, like the high point in a symphony, a snowstorm – whirling winds included. High drama – streets & roads quickly emptied, schools closed and some 3,000 flights across the country canceled. Among the stranded, several hundred Crystal guests (from the Christmas cruise) landed in Charleston, South Carolina but then unable to get out – “trapped” in local hotels for 5 nights, until next Monday. The airport there closed completely & unable to cope with highly unusual Southern storm. One friend wrote and said he felt fortunate – he was able to get a ticket on Amtrak, northward to Philadelphia, but only after waiting 4 nights at a local Comfort Inn. For us in the NY City metro area, colder still on Fri & then on Sat – remaining in the low single digits with -10 with wind chills.
Fri Jan 5th Secaucas: All sorts of messages & phone calls -- one experienced cruiser raving that his Holiday cruise on the Queen Mary 2 & Cunard have never been better; another but who had her most disappointing trip (after several recent cruises) on Royal Caribbean; and a Cunard friend noting that her post cards sent from Greece last Oct took 2 ˝ months to reach family & friends back in the UK. Had my own luxuries, however – it was “all you could eat” pancakes today (and for $3) at local IHOP. But mostly, cozy & warm at home – and just received the proofs from Handling Cargo, my next book. As usual, The History Press over in England has done a first-class job.
Sat Jan 6th Miami: Early morning flight but happily on time after airport disruption & chaos of the last few days. Alone, 400 flights to & from Newark were canceled on Thu. Even today at 6 in the morning, the airport was quite crowded and later we had 34 standbys trying to board after waiting 1-2 days. But arrived in Miami to almost tropical temperatures & settled-in at the stunning Pullman Airport Hotel: all very Jean Harlow & Cary Grant with Deco chandeliers, Hollywood furniture & furnishings and even sweeping monster statues of well posed, Riviera-like bathing beauties. My room itself is pure Joan Crawford – even including half-sofa for, well, reclining & perhaps receiving guests. Especially wonderful staff, well-trained – all gracious smiles, intelligence, attractive & sincere effort to welcome guests.
Sun Jan 7th Miami: A new adventure begins – my first trip on Viking Cruises.
Midday boarding on the gleaming Viking Sky – 48,000 tons, 745 feet long and carrying a cozy 930 guests (but no one under 18 – pure adult & therefore quiet setting & mood) and looked after by a crew of 550. Overall, the tone: The ship is the glorious retreat, the ports the cultural enrichment. No glitz, no limbo contests, but instead an exquisite Scandinavian soft setting of quiet luxury enhanced not only by glorious artworks, Nordic furs strewn across sofas, a spectacular life-enhancing spa & even a fireplace in the lounge, but what is being praised as “one of the finest staffs ever to put to sea”. More on this later – it is all too new & I am, well, exploring and just getting about. But yes, all very impressive from the beginning.
We cast off at 5 on a two-week jaunt to Central America, the Panama Canal, Colombia and throw-in – like carrots in the stew -- a few Caribbean islands. Altogether, there’s only 4 actual sea days. Dinner tonight with a California couple who tell me that Viking is their “new, most favorite” cruise line.
And what is it about a ship at night and on the first night? That mixture of feelings & moods – the warm security of a home-away-from-home, settling-in, having everything at your fingers tips and the lights of Florida (and the “real world”) gradually fading away, a few hundred stars overhead & the lighted silhouette of a far-off but mysterious ship.