Baltic Cruise 2019, Part 3: I'm on a Boat!! (Days 1 and 2)

This being my first cruise, I was pretty excited to see what ship life was all about. Our cruise left Copenhagen on July 4th, and Dad and I boarded early enough that I had plenty of time to look around.

We took a taxi from our hotel, and arrived at the Regal Princess just as boarding was to start. 

I have, of course, seen cruise ships before, in San Francisco and Seattle, so I knew how large she would be. But there's nothing like standing right next to her, and boarding her. It was awesome.

The Sea Walk was both awesome and terrifying. 

Once we were boarded, we received a complimentary glass of champagne to welcome us aboard.

Our bags were still going through the system and waiting to be delivered to us, so I set off to explore.

One thing about the whole Baltic region--there are a lot
of wind turbines. 

The Lido deck.

It turns out that the ship used for The Love Boat, that ode to 80s ship-going cheesiness, was a Princess ship. And there is still a connection, and they love to show it. I haven't had that theme song stuck in my head so much since I was a child.

The Sea Walk, not over open water, but rather, a busy
cruise ship port.

This was the adult-only pool area. 

At each port, the ship would fly the flag of the country
we were visiting. So here I am with the Danish flag.

The Sports Deck, home to a running track, a basketball
court, and a little putting green area.

The ship has a very well-outfitted gym, which I was glad
to find because yes, I did take workout gear with me.

At 4:30, the ship alarms sounded and we were all asked to report to our assigned Muster Stations for the safety drill. Here, they played a "safety drill" song to the tune of the theme to The Love Boat, gave us the safety procedures, and reminded everyone that sickness can spread fast on board, so wash your hands often. 

Dad and I ate in the cafeteria that night, as it was a formal dress evening and we didn't feel like dressing up. But we did take some time to hang out in the piazza, and, once the shops were open (they are always closed when we are docked), we looked there, too.

My first look at the Piazza, a three-level area with bars, a
gelato shop, cafes, shops, and entertainment. 

It was sweet that they acknowledged the holiday, and they also
wished Canadian travelers a happy belated Canada Day.

I had no idea there was a mascot, but yes, there is.

Outside the shop for Matryoska dolls and Russian lacquer boxes
was a sign advertising a talk for the next day about the history
of these items (free gift for coming!). 

Hand-painted Russian ornaments by an artist who was on the
ship with us.

Finally, it was time to set sail. I went back to the Lido deck to watch as we pushed out from the dock and made a 360 turn on the boat's axis to head out to sea.

I was pretty exhausted, so I didn't do much that evening but settle into the stateroom, unpack, and go to bed early. I had grand plans for the first full day--a day at sea.

Summer in the Baltic and Scandinavia means long days. Longer than I was even prepared for. The sun would rise somewhere in the 4:00 hour, depending on where we were, and it was usually still light enough outside at 10:00 pm that "Movies Under the Stars" were not really a thing on board. More like Movies Under the Setting Sun.

Combine that with massive jet lag, and Dad and I were both awake in the wee hours of Friday morning, and hungry. I doled out the Kind bars I'd brought along and that sated us enough 'til breakfast, then decided I'd like to use that lovely gym.

"Sunrise" (it was raining) on the treadmill at 4:30 in the
morning.

I was always able to get a full workout in when I wanted one.

We had a nice cafeteria breakfast, a leisurely morning, and then I set off to do some activities I was interested in.

First, I had been invited to a First Time Cruiser event, and they promised drawings for free stuff, so I went. There, the cruise director introduced us to some of the crew in charge of Food Services, Hotel Services, Guest Services, etc. 

Right after that, in the same room (which was also, incidentally, my assigned Muster Station) there was a Shopping Event with the promise of more giveaways and some on-board discounts, so I stayed for that. 

The shopping presentation just showed us all the fabulous and expensive things we could buy on board, and had a small fashion show, complete with Stanley the Bear.

This is how I came to own a pair of sapphire starfish earrings by Effy. 

(If you want to keep track, this was Insane Purchase #1.) 

But you know what? They are beautiful and whimsical, and I am beautiful and whimsical, too. 

After purchasing these beauties, it was right back to the Princess Live! room for a third time--this time for the lecture on lacquer boxes and Matryoshka dolls. This one also promised a free gift, but I attended largely because I was interested. 

After the lecture, they took us back to the shop to give us our gifts and show us a particularly amazing doll they have. There are thirty dolls in total, and the smallest one is pictured next to the largest. 

Can you see it?

Can you see it now?? Like the larger counterpart, it is hand-painted.

These dolls are all hand-painted by the onboard artist, and they
are lovely.

At some point that day, I saw the artist in action in the Piazza.

The free gift was a little Russian doll keychain, which is now hanging on my Travel Board in my 2nd bedroom, along with little things from other places I've visited. 

I lunched at a small cafe in the Piazza, and wandered around some more. At one point, I stopped outside the jewelry store to wait for a drawing I was in, and the young man who had sold me my earrings saw me.

"How about a selfie with the man who sold you your beautiful earrings?"

We were well into the Baltic now, and I spent the afternoon relaxing. 

Having a balcony was awesome.

My half of the stateroom. That's a sofa that flips into a bed, and
while it's not *my* bed, I was perfectly comfortable the
whole trip. 

At 4:45, I had an appointment for a massage and facial, and after a lovely, relaxing experience, made Insane Purchase #2--a bunch of facial washes and moisturizers and creams. The lady told me to start using them right away but I put it off 'til I got home this week. My skin does feel pretty awesome, though. 

We had an early dinner and I flopped into bed pretty early, still jet-lagged and definitely tired from a full day of ship life. I wanted my beauty rest, because the next day would bring our first stop: Sweden.