I think it’s about time to tell you about the Viking Sea. It is our home at the moment for two weeks or so.

It is 745 feet long and has a beam (width) of 94.5 feet. She weighs 47,800 tons. That is correct. Her cruising speed is 20 knots. She carries 930 passengers and a crew of 470 people.

She has three restaurants, two lounges for entertainment and a large auditorium for the big shows. The entertainment has been very good by the way.

There are many quiet places to sneak away to to read in on this ship. That is important to us. That is a nice touch. This is an adult ship by the way. No one under 16 allowed on board, I believe. It is quiet. We have seen only one young person around that age. They must be dying from boredom with us around.

The ship is nicely decorated and seems to be well maintained. We rode in the life boats to a tour yesterday and they are clean and seem to operate as they should.

There are many pieces of art displayed on board and a very good supply of books if you finish yours or forgot it in the hurry to leave home.

This is not the most expensive cruise you can take, but it is very nice. We have traveled on other more expensive lines and the difference is very subtle. This is the perfect size of ship for us. It feels like a large family traveling together. Sadly we won’t meet everyone, but I have tried.

I was a self employed contractor most of my working life. I have some insight as to how I think a business should be run in order to be successful and more importantly perhaps, how to treat your customers.

As far as the airlines go, charge me a little more for my ticket and let me think that my luggage is going for free. This seldom applies to us as we travel light, but come on guys. Think a little. Do you want to make your customers feel cheated and unappreciated at the beginning of our relationship?

Obviously, nothing is without cost, but the way something is paid for can make or break a customers loyalty and pleasure in traveling.

Don’t make me feel like you think I’m going to steal something from you. Charge me a little more and make me feel like an honored guest and not a thief.

We travel knowing full well that some things are beyond anyone’s control. That is one of the things that makes traveling even more interesting for me. How are my travel companions going to react under difficult or at least unexpected surprises? How will the staff handle things that happen out of the ordinary?

Misadventures can lead to interesting conversations and new ways of doing things. I was still learning new things and new ways of doing my job after 48 years.

The adventure of learning never ends.