One of the things I love about a cruise is developing little routines – little favorites from the buffet, special nooks and crannies where it’s fun to sit, tea time at 4pm, etc. This cruise, especially, since we’re not getting off in ports, feels a little like a crossing, which makes it even easier to develop routines because there are no pesky shore excursion or debarkation times to get in the way.

Here is one of the routines I have developed:

• Go to the Fromagerie in the buffet on deck 14 after dinner and get some long skinny crunchy breadsticks to take back to the room for a late night snack.
• Head back to the room, but spend a little time on the way checking out one of the public rooms, like the library or the art gallery.
• Trip over something.
• Either drop my breadsticks or land on them to break my fall.
• Leave breadstick pieces and crumbs all over.

Note from Lis: I can affirm that this is a true representation of Mary’s routine. The scene in the library last night was both alarming and hilarious. Once I had affirmed that she was uninjured, I could not stop laughing at the breadstick pieces strewn all over the place. Tonight I urged her to eat her breadstick before we got to the room as I fear for her safety. She followed my instructions, and did not trip, thus altering the routine, for the better.