ROCKET LAUNCH AT CAPE CANAVERAL--SPACEX ZUMA LIFTS OFF!

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Board Carnival Sunshine

Leave Port Canaveral 6 p.m.

60F, Sunny

I knew we were in trouble this morning when the shuttle to the ship was filled with old people.  That is when I also found out that the Sunshine  was really the refurbished, renamed ship Destiny.  Oh my! I remembered a couple years ago we had completed two cruises and were watching TV with Tim’s brother, Tom, at his home near Fort Myers.  A Carnival ship was floundering in the Gulf of Mexico for days and the passengers and crew were enduring harsh conditions, lack of water, bathrooms, food, and more. That is our ship today.

Well, we are onboard and the ship is refurbished, so I am hoping for the best. I guess TK forgot to tell me that detail.  We boarded the ship and found our stateroom, #7308, by noon. The balcony room is very small, but we will make the best of it for 13 days. We explored some of the ship and found Guy’s Burgers, part of the Guy Fieri franchise—now that is a good thing on board! Back in the room we unpacked and organized our closets and drawers.  There was enough room for everything. Generally the rooms on this ship do not have a refrigerator, but we have one for our Diet Pepsi!

The most spectacular gift today was the launch of a rocket out of Cape Canaveral at 8 p.m. About 100 passengers gathered on the deck to watch, including Tim, Donna, Lawrence, and me. Despite the wind and a little chill, we were warmed by the amazing lift off and after burn that we witnessed. According to CNN Money, "SpaceX kicked off the new year with a mystery-shrouded mission to deliver a government spacecraft, called Zuma, into orbit. After more than a month of delays, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket vaulted toward the skies at 8 p.m. ET Sunday with the secretive payload. It launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force. Just over two minutes after liftoff Sunday, the first-stage booster separated from the second stage and fired up its engines. The blaze allowed the rocket to safely cut back through the Earth's atmosphere and land on a pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.



For Donna: For an observer on the ground with eye level at about 5 ft 7 inches, the horizon is at a distance of 2.9 miles.. For an observer standing on a hill or tower 100 feet  in height, the horizon is at a distance of 12.2 miles.

Seeing the rocket launch today made me think of that beautiful summer day in 1985 with my sons and Tim when we traveled to Florida to see the Space Shuttle Discovery launched. An Erie East HS graduate worked for NASA and gave us VIP passes to see the launch. We were as close to the liftoff as observers can be and it was an awesome site, very historical.  I will always appreciate science and technology.

Donna's Take: There were not many people observing such an amazing sight as the rocket launch (it was announced on the ship).

Monday, January 08, 2018

Carnival Sunshine

At Sea

60sF, Cloudy, even Foggy-rough seas, Winds at 51 knots

We tried to sit at the “Beach,” but after 3 hours, I decided it was just too cool and windy. To warm up, we had lunch-handtossed pizza for me, burrito for TK. Donna and Lawrence  joined us, and now the three of them are in a Slots Tournament. TK paid $20 for the tournament and won $18 back, not bad for an afternoon’s entertainment.

We attended the Veterans Meet Up together and sat with a U.S. Army veteran Gene and his wife Becky who happened to be from Pittsburgh. Serving cucumber tea sandwiches just seemed odd for a group of veterans, but it was a nice gathering.

Formal night tonight meant lobster and prime rib. We met up with Donna and Lawrence for our delicious dinner. Afterwards, we strolled the decks and ended up in the atrium listening to Motown music. The ships’ show dancers were encouraging guests to dance. By 10:30 we decided to call it a night.

And while I was trying to figure out how to connect to the Internet this cruise, I made an astounding discovery! Carnival no longer charges by the minute!!!!