blog post

Steve Blow, of the Dallas Morning News, had a great column the other day on "pet delights" -- life's little pleasures -- as opposed to life's little annoyances, aka "pet peeves."

So he got me thinking about the pet delights of cruising,  I have so many favorites -- let me share some of them with you, and then I hope you'll indulge me a bit and share some of yours in a comment below.

One reason I'm completely addicted to cruise ships is because they are so much fun to explore -- I just love stepping off an elevator and spotting an amazing work of art, or coming around a corner and discovering a cozy spot to sit and watch the sea.

Buffets can be a source of pleasant surprises -- most recently, on the NCL Sky, I was wandering through and found the most amazing homemade soft pretzel sticks just begging to complement a snack-plate of sliced avocado, artichoke hearts, seasoned tomato wedges, and olives!  Best snack I ever had!  Well, the afternoon cookies on the Dawn Princess were pretty good, too; and afternoon tea on a Holland America ship is quite amazing...

I especially love a ship with lots of musical surprises -- walking along a deck and coming upon a combo playing something catchy, or popping up to the Lido Deck for a Coke and the pool band is setting just the right Calypso mood, or finding out the night's headliner is Eddie Holman (of Lonely Girl fame)!

Sights that you can see from your window or balcony are terrific pet delights -- jumping stingrays in the waters of Cabo San Lucas, the Queen Mary 2 docked right next door, glaciers dipping into the sea, whales and dolphins splashing around, gorgeous beaches, charming towns...

Dining room menus!  Discovering they are serving your favorite thing tonight!  Knowing you can have 2 appetizers and 2 desserts!  There's an excellent selection on the wine list!  There's a new wonder every single day...

The Promenade Deck -- I just love walking a mile or two round and round the ship.

So tell me, tell me -- what are your favorite cruise ship pet delights?