Of Bubbly, Hand Sanitizer, and the Pearly Gates: February 28, 2009

We walked out of our hotel to look for a taxi and immediately got whisked into a shuttle and taken to the Port of Miami. There we checked in and signed a paper that said we had not had diarrhea or thrown up in the past 24 hours. They took my word for it. They handed us our tickets for the ticketed shows, our cruise cards (for swiping when you want to buy something). Then, we were aboard the Norwegian Dawn.

When we got on board they gave us a hand sanitizer spray and a glass of champagne. Nothing like free sanitizer and bubbly to make you feel like you're really on vacation.

We got the lay of the land and walked around the ship. The extra-special restaurants (the ones that charge on top of your cruise ticket) had samplers out. I tried some Nigiri sake salmon. It was pretty good, but not worth an extra ten spot. We grabbed a bite at the buffet, where the spinach leaves were hard to reach, and even harder to grasp with the awkward tongs provided.

At 2:30 we got to check into our stateroom. We have some room, since it's just the two of us. John, the ship's cruise director is from Australia. We have been on the boat just two hours and he's already said "crackerjack" four times over the P.A.

At 3:30 it was time for a mandatory lifeboat drill. We carried our lifejackets to the Stardust theater and heard a talk about how to wear our lifejackets, and how there is more capacity on the lifeboats than passengers on board. Good to hear. John Hiatt was right next to me as we put on our lifejackets. I told him I was looking forward to his shows this week. He shook my hand and asked where I was from. He was awfully nice.

As Miami faded into the hazy horizon we headed out to sea. We got to hear Roddie Romero and the Hub City All-Stars, a zydeco band from Lafayette, LA. They played some originals and some zydeco standards, like Buckwheat Zydeco and Professor Longhair. Roddie referred to Eric Adcock, the band's piano player as "Professor Lawn Chair,” a first-time moniker, we learned later at a bar where we met them. Prof. Lawn Chair played a few songs on the piano in the bar. It was a blast.


All over the ship there are stations where you can get hand sanitizer. They also have a staffer at each restaurant entrance with a spray bottle, ready to spray your hands before you eat. It’s a preventative measure, so we don't all get sick. Well, the whole business upset the woman who sat down at the table next to us at dinner She went into full-scale freak out mode. "Have you ever been to a restaurant where they sprayed your hands with hand sanitizer? I am terrified. I'll go without eating. I am afraid of eating ANYTHING on this ship." Her dining companion was trying to calm her down, but ultimately didn't succeed. They left to go someplace else, probably to cower in their stateroom.

In the Spinnaker Lounge we saw Kathleen Edwards play an hour set, which is frankly way too short for my taste. She played a quiet set for the most part, accompanied by her husband. They both played guitar, acoustic and electric, depending on the arrangement. At one point Kathleen paused after trying out a few chords on her electric guitar and said, "I know you're on vacation, but I still have to tune." Then she tuned her guitar. It was a nice moment.

She also said, "I like Bushmills Ten Year if you happen to be going to the bar." After a few more songs no one had bought the poor woman a drink so she said, "Thanks for the whisky, by the way." We all laughed and by the time the next song was done she had three Bushmills, one of which Polly delivered to her husband. She thanked us after the show when we chatted her up.

We saw Marc Broussard play in the evening. He played acoustic, as did his father, who accompanied him. We love his show. He writes country-tinged tunes about family and stuff. It was a nice intimate set. We befriended two funny women from New Orleans, Lee and Rebecca.

As we walked across the atrium on our way to the Pearly Gates (our name for the Pearly Kings, a pub on board) we stopped to hear the band playing in the atrium. My jaw was completely agape as I listened to this woman's voice. Her name was Vienna Teng, and she was remarkable. She had an unbelievably perfect voice. She sounded like a cross between Allison Krauss and Sarah McLachlin. Her accompanist, Alex Wong, played the drums, piano, and the bells. The latter he played while playing the drums at the same time. During one song, "The Last Snowfall," I had tears in my eyes it was so beautiful. It was an incredible performance. I hope to catch her again at one of her other shows.

We could not stay up for Shawn Mullins. We'll catch him on another show, hopefully.

People like to perpetuate the myth that you can’t feel the waves on a big cruise ship. I am here to say you can feel the motion of the ocean. In the middle of the night we woke up to a very creaky room. The wind and the waves had gotten higher in the night. There's a channel on the TV where you can track the location of the ship, the temperature of the pools, and the size of the waves. They were moderate, around 4-7 feet high. Drifting off to sleep, we wondered how big that rogue wave was that capsized the S.S. Poseidon.