And off into the Caribbean, Day 1

Grand Foyer of Celebrity Reflection
North Atlantic Ocean
September 20, 2025

Our cruise departed Fort Lauderdale yesterday dodging rainstorms and 4 foot swells. Fortunately it is a big ship, not the biggest, but far bigger than the 23 foot boat I use from my boat club. Being massive, the waves hardly affect it but the winds cause a perpetual rocking motion.

It is the kind of motion that will either make you sick or rock you to sleep. It rocked me to sleep, but only slightly. I can report that the swells moderated overnight and are much more tame today. 

I stood out on my veranda at about 10 PM last night and looked at the stars in the very black sky. I do not see such a black sky devoid of ground light very often. I saw stars that I had forgotten existed between the clouds and the smoke from the Reflection's engines. We were traveling at about 18 knots--a solid speed for a cruise ship facing two sea days and needing to be somewhere in less than 48 hours. 

I remembered how small we are in the universe and that what happens on our rock called Earth matters only to us and in the larger scope of the universe we are insignificant.  A speck. 

Yet, we are all that we have and we can't seem to get along. 

We need to do better. 

-- Bob Doan, North Atlantic Ocean