Some days announce themselves with a landmark.
Others announce themselves by making it unexpectedly difficult to walk in a straight line.
October 3 was one of those days.
Celebrity Summit was making her way toward Puerto Vallarta, and the Pacific had decided to become an active participant in the itinerary. Large swells rolled beneath the ship, especially noticeable on the higher decks, and ordinary walking took on the look of an unscheduled balance exercise.
The pools were closed. Tropical disturbances in the region were being watched. Puerto Vallarta plans for the following day were still intact, but subject to change.
And through it all, Summit carried on.
From this reporter’s vantage point, one of the most reassuring parts of the day was how little drama there was from the ship and crew.
The Pacific was doing plenty.
Summit did not seem impressed.
She pressed ahead under the captain’s expert guidance, while the crew went about their work with the calm competence that tells passengers, without needing to say a word, that everything is under control.
Jeannie and Skip noticed it.
Their confidence in both the ship and the people caring for her grew as the seas became more energetic.
The photographs do not quite capture the day.
Ocean swells are surprisingly difficult to photograph. A still image shows wake, white water and a restless surface. It does not show the floor shifting beneath your feet or the slight recalculation required every time you change direction.
That may be just as well.
Jeannie was grateful to the Lord that His display of power on His Pacific Ocean did not provide more dramatic photographic opportunities.
Trying to walk a straight line was enough adventure.
An Early Start
The day had begun long before the sea became particularly lively.
Jeannie was up at 4:50 AM ship time.
Her body, thanks to the time-zone change, thought it was 3:50.
She had set an alarm for 6:00 so she could complete strength training in the cabin and get to the gym early enough to claim one of the very popular treadmills.
There was just one flaw in the plan.
Her phone, still in airplane mode, had not changed time zones.
Had she depended on it, she would have “overslept.”
Fortunately, Jeannie’s internal clock appears to be a more dependable piece of travel technology than her iPhone.
While it was still dark outside, and while the seas were at their calmest for the day, she completed her strength training in the cabin.
Then came the climb from Deck 6 to Deck 10 for a brisk 30-minute treadmill walk.
Afterward, she headed down to Deck 5 and Café al Bacio for bottled water, black coffee for herself and a vanilla latte for Skip.
A productive morning.
And excellent timing.
Later, the stairs would become much less appealing.
Summit: The Floating Stair Stepper
Normally, cruise ships provide more stair-climbing opportunities than most people manage at home.
On this day, Summit took the concept to another level.
The ship had become, in effect, a moving stair-stepper.
Unfortunately, moving staircases and rolling seas are not an ideal combination.
Jeannie and Skip quickly decided that fitness goals could yield to common sense.
The elevators were safer.
No exercise point is worth taking an involuntary trip down a staircase.
Advanced Bicep Work
Jeannie did manage one additional form of strength training.
At the Oceanview Café on Deck 10 aft, she practiced bicep curls by lifting an ice cream cone.
A strenuous undertaking.
Strictly therapeutic.
While passengers attempted to navigate the moving ship, the situation changed from dancing to the oldies to the oldies dancing across the deck.
There were people trying to balance.
There were plates to protect.
There were calorie-laden “medicinal” delights at stake.
Heroic efforts were made.
Front-Row Seats to the Pacific
Because moving around the ship required more concentration than usual, Jeannie and Skip spent more time in their cabin.
That turned out to be an excellent place to be.
Their cabin is on Deck 6, midship, where the motion was less pronounced than on the higher decks.
They also have a balcony.
Even better, the angle of the sun kept it shaded.
So while the Pacific continued to roll and surge outside, Jeannie and Skip settled into front-row seats from the comfort of their climate-controlled cabin.
Jeannie sat at the cabin desk, iPad nearby, with the balcony and the restless ocean close at hand with Skip making good use of the cabin chair and small table as he and Jules worked on a project together.
It was not a day for racing from one activity to another.
It was a day for watching.
And there was plenty to watch.
The Pacific was magnificent.
Powerful.
Restless.
Beautiful.
For Jeannie, the grandeur of the ocean naturally pointed beyond itself.
God was present on the water, in the water, above the water and below the water.
And, as she reflected, He chooses to be present in her too.
There are times when creation makes a person feel very small.
Not insignificant.
Just appropriately small.
Something Almost Unheard Of
The early awakening and the steady rocking of Summit eventually accomplished something unusual.
Jeannie took a nap.
Not a brief doze.
More than an hour.
This is noteworthy because Jeannie is not a napper.
At all.
Apparently the Pacific found a loophole.
She woke rested and relaxed, grateful for the pause and trusting that God was taking good care of them and the entire Summit family.
Music While the Ocean Kept Moving
That evening, contemporary violinist Doug Cameron provided the entertainment in the Theatre from deck 4. Here the motion was much less significant and God had begun to calm the seas.
The violinist delivered a versatile mix of music with remarkable skill, and the audience responded with a well-deserved standing ovation.
Jeannie and Skip also continued to encounter Marguerite and Jim, a couple they first met at the hotel before boarding.
Marguerite and Jim live in The Villages in Florida, which immediately provided another connection.
Jeannie and Skip are headed there next month with their Airstream.
The principal reason for that trip is for Skip to race his sailboat in a regatta.
Jeannie’s role appears to be somewhat less strenuous.
The Airstream itself is named ChILL.
Changes In Latitude Likely.
An excellent name for a traveling home.
Contact information has been exchanged, although the higher seas kept everyone a bit more to themselves on this particular day.
Jules Makes a Prediction
Jules, Skip’s AI assistant, had warned that the seas would be clamoring for attention throughout the day and overnight.
The seas were indeed clamoring.
The next day’s Puerto Vallarta arrival time remained uncertain.
Some beach excursions were already being revised or canceled. Jeannie and Skip did not yet know whether their sightseeing bus excursion with lunch would be affected.
The captain and senior officers would determine arrival timing and any necessary changes.
Nobody onboard Jeannie and Skip’s cabin was arguing with that arrangement.
The itinerary could change.
Safety could not.
The Editor in Chief
This was not a day filled with famous landmarks.
There were no dramatic excursions.
There was no need for dozens of photographs.
Instead, the Pacific Ocean provided the setting.
Summit provided the transportation.
Her crew provided competence and reassurance.
And God provided the perspective.
Jeannie and Skip watched the ocean from their shaded balcony and saw more than rough water.
They saw power.
Order.
Beauty.
And provision.
Their technology may help get them there.
God created the there.
And on this particular day, the Editor in Chief decided that majesty was enough.
No additional special effects required.
