The Rhythm (and Reality) of Ship Life Right Now

Ship life lately has been… kind of uneventful. Not in a bad way, just not the dreamy, activity-packed version people probably imagine when they think about cruising full-time.

The reality is Justin’s working long graveyard hours. I’ve been trying to adjust my schedule for solidarity, to help him get some kind of consistent routine. We lucked out with a 5pm early dining slot in the MDR, but our table was situated in the back of the Chic dining room on Quantum, between an obnoxiously loud and nosy dining neighbor and the bench seat continuously vibrating from ship mechanics which didn’t do my sciatica any favors after an hour long dining service. The 2 dinners we had there were much better than the previous month when onboard. For the remainder of the week we opted for the Windjammer buffet or Sorentos pizza.
Most days, were in bed by 7p. I’ll quietly play games on my phone if the WiFi cooperates, or read if my peri brain will oblige. I’ve already finished the 1 book I brought along and donated it to the ship library. Which, by the way, desperately needs help. The selection looked like someone cleared out an estate sale and called it a day. I’m seriously considering bringing a stack of decent fiction next time just to balance things out.
I also made the mistake of not bringing any kind of craft project, and for whatever reason I’m stubbornly avoiding my iPad. No doodling, no doom-scrolling. I try not to touch the WiFi much anyway while he’s working since he needs every bit of bandwidth for his video calls (which seem to be happening more and more lately).

Trying to line up ship schedules, dining times, events, and his work hours across constantly changing time zones feels borderline impossible. Cruising the Pacific coast is definitely the toughest for him.

So yeah. Ship life right now isn’t glamorous or exciting—it’s just kind of steady, a little repetitive, and honestly a bit boring at times. But we’re figuring it out as we go, like we always do.Read more