We spent Day 2 of our voyage on RCCL’s Wonder of the Sea sailing on the ocean. Since I’m an early riser, I got my first cup of coffee in the Promenade Café on Deck 5 along with a Dulce de Leche croissant. After watching the sunrise, Ann and I proceeded to the Windjammer Café on Deck 15. Here the Washy Washy crew member sings to passengers to wash their hands at the stations lining the entrance. What a fun job that would be! After complying, we helped ourselves to breakfast at the bountiful buffet. I always use hand sanitizer right before eating since we share serving utensils with other guests.

We relaxed after breakfast on a lounge chair in the Solarium, an adults-only retreat at the forward bow on Deck 15, at the opposite end from the Windjammer. In the middle are several pools, a kiddie splash area, water slides, and more pool fun. The Solarium is a quiet location that has its own Bistro and a gorilla sculpture. It can get hot there in the afternoon. The planters are good places to search for hidden ducks, a popular pastime on cruises. The seas were a bit rocky today. Later the captain told us the swells were 17 footers. I liked the rolling motion and found it soothing.

When we got restless, we headed to the Schooner Bar and picked up Suduko sheets that they had available for a competition. Then we attended the Port Talk. Unfortunately, it was more about the shops on the ship than the ones in port, but we did get maps of each port stop and a tip to buy the almond cookies at Amsterdam Cheese Shop in St. Maarten.

We ate lunch in the Park Café. Central Park is a lovely location on Deck 8. It’s a winding outdoor trail amidst shrubbery and plants with birds twittering in the background. It’s also another good location to hunt for ducks. The lunch fare is mostly panini sandwiches, wraps, and salads.

After a stroll around including peeking in the shops, we joined the Women of Wine Tasking at 2:30. These were wines from women-owned wineries and we tasted seven in all. A cheese plate helped clear our palates between samples.

Number One was a Chandon Brut Sparkling Wine from California. I liked this one. We learned that white wines gain color as they age and red wines lose color as they age. Next was Villa Maria, a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. I’m not fond of this varietal but if you’re a fan, you’d enjoy it. Number three was Lucien Albrecht, a Riesling from France. This was horrible. A deep golden color, this wine smelled like gasoline. It improved with soft goat cheese but I pushed it aside. Not to my taste.

I liked number four a lot better. It was a La Crema Chardonnay, one of my favorite brands back home. Next up was Zolo, a Malbec from Argentina. This was very good. So was Castellum Cite De Carcassonne, a red blend from France, although I liked the Malbec better. Last was a Decoy Cabernet from California, another favorite label of mine from home. All in all, it was a fun and enlightening experience. We all felt jolly by the end, which was a good thing because that night’s Aquatheater show on our schedule was cancelled due to inclement weather. My dinner choice in the Main Dining Room was fillet of sole with rice and broccoli. Tonight, we changed our clocks one hour ahead.

My dessert at dinner

Cocktails after dinner in the Schooner Bar