Jackie Sheckler Finch
Walking into a ship cabin that will be my cruise home is quite exciting. I was not disappointed when I opened the cabin door aboard the M/V Corinthian.
My cabin is larger than expected and quite comfortable. I thought the 95-passenger M/V Corinthian might have smaller rooms but this is plenty roomy for two. Since I am traveling alone, I feel a bit pampered with the extra space.
My cabin is on Deck 2. The ship has six decks. The dining room is also on Deck 2 so that will be handy walking to meals. My cabin has three portholes instead of a balcony or windows.
The dining room also has only portholes. I’m a window person. My kitchen at home has six windows which pleases me just fine. Will miss the open ocean views.
A good thing I have discovered about being on Deck 2 is that I am so close to the sea that it almost feels as though I can reach out and touch the waves.
Cabin walls are a beautiful teak. Carpet is dark blue. Cabin and the whole ship are gleamingly clean. Twice a day, cabin attendant Ragu will tend to the room, including a turndown, towel art and pillow chocolate at night.
A min-fridge is a wonderful feature in my cabin. I really like having that, plus the ship provides unlimited complimentary big bottles of water which I put in the fridge.
My bed is two twin beds that can be joined or not. Mine, of course, are joined. On each side of the bed is a nightstand with storage space and adjustable lights.
The wall behind my bed and the wall opposite the bed are both paneled with mirrors which make the room seem even larger. A long dresser across from the bed has a flat-screen TV, telephone, plug for electronics, small refrigerator and an open-up storage space like a desk.
When it is open, the storage area has an electric plug and a big mirror on the fold-up top so I imagine it would be a handy place to sit in the comfy chair and dry your hair. A hair dryer is in one of the desk drawers. But I don’t dry my hair. I just wash it and go.
I also have a good-sized sitting area with a sofa, chair, coffee table and end table with a vase of fresh flowers. A closet in the sitting area has a safe and storage for life jackets.
Across from the sitting area is the good-sized bathroom with a walk-in shower, commode and sink with a shelf underneath. Grand Circle has its own line of toiletries arranged in a bathroom basket.
The shower also has a dispenser for shampoo and body wash. I like that because there is less waste. I don’t know how many bars of soap or opened bottles of shampoo and body wash I have discarded when heading home from a trip.
Next to the bathroom is something I certainly didn’t expect – a large walk-in, wood-paneled closet, almost the size of a bedroom on some ships. The lighted closet has plenty of hangers, a chest of drawers, extra blankets and enough room to store a whole bunch of suitcases. My little suitcase seems sort of lost in all that space.
Free WiFi is available throughout the ship. Again, that is something passengers requested and Grand Circle made happen. Think I see a definite pattern here: Passengers ask and Grand Circle listens.
My program director Charley has already warned us that we will receive a long survey to complete when we get home. The feedback is valuable for future cruises and is definitely worth the time to fill out, she said.
Can’t write more now because it’s time to join the group for cocktail hour and the port talk on our stop for tomorrow – Aberdeen, Scotland. That is another thing I really appreciate about Grand Circle cruises. Each evening we get a short preview of our port for the next day and what we might see there.
For evening entertainment after dinner, Saul the talented singer, guitarist and pianist will be entertaining in the ship’s bar on Deck 4. I’ve already heard Saul and he is quite good so I hope to stay up long enough to listen to a few of his songs. But that bed looks mighty good, too.
