Our Tiny Floating Home!

“In the end, you are going to want to be surrounded by the people you love, doing the things you enjoy, and on a life journey that makes you smile when you think about the places you went and things you did." 
~ from Tiny House Living by Ryan Mitchell

When we signed up for this cruise last May, we chose to book a "reserve" cabin because we saved a significant amount by giving up the right to pick our own stateroom. We were, however, able to specify a category we knew we'd be content with, in this case, a BF balcony. You may remember I had a brief scare a few weeks ago when it was suggested we might get bumped if the cruise was oversold. As it turned out, I was upset over nothing.

Instead of getting bumped, we ended up with a cabin in the next higher category. A BF balcony would be on Deck 6 above the theater where I'm told the ships' singers and dancers practice at all hours of the night. We're going to be in a BE balcony on Deck 7, with no public areas either above or below us. Should be much quieter. 

We've been assigned cabin 7009, located on the forward starboard side. 

Time for a little ship lingo: 

• Starboard--the right side as you look toward the bow.
• Bow--the forward part of the ship
• Port--the left side as you look toward the bow
• Stern--or Aft, the rear of the ship 

Now my inner historical author raises her hand and urges me to tell you the apocryphal story of  how the word "posh" came into the English language. According to rumor, POSH is an acronym for "Port Out, Starboard Home." Supposedly, the port side was preferred for the eastward journey from England to India because there would be less sun, hence no declasse tanning to mar one's alabaster complexion. Ditto for the starboard side on a westward voyage back to England. POSH accommodations were more desirable, therefore more expensive.

The  problem with this tale is that the steamers in those days didn't have balcony cabins. No one got any sun unless they took a turn on the deck. Which just goes to show you shouldn't believe everything you hear and only half of what you see.

Anyway, I'm expecting our cabin to be "posh" in the luxurious sense because the Pacific Princess got a bit of a face lift in 2017--new beds, linens and carpets. 

But our space will be small. Here's what the Princess.com says about it:

• Approx. 214 to 222 sq. ft., including balcony
• Balcony with 2 chairs and table
• Floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors
• Comfortable queen bed
• Refrigerator.
• Flat-panel television
• Private bathroom with shower
• 100% cotton, high-thread count linens

• Complimentary 24-hour room service†
• Spacious closet
• Desk
• Hair dryer & fine bathroom amenities
• Digital security safe

I have to chuckle at the "spacious" descriptor for the closet, but then I've seen my suitcases and Princess hasn't. Here's the floor plan of our tiny floating home:
I see one challenge right away. My DH has often accused me of being "a passenger in the luxury car of life," Probably because he always sleeps on the "driver's side." I use a bipap machine at night, and depending on how far away the plugs are in the desk area, it may be an issue to keep to our usual configuration. I've heard there's a hidden outlet behind the TV. The distance may be shorter from that side of the bed to the TV for a plug. We'll have to see...

We'll also have to see how many of our clothes will fit into that "spacious" closet. Behind one door, there are 3 or 4 drawers under a hanging rod for shirts. The other two doors hide a double closet where long items can hang. We  plan to use the shelves above the closets for our storage bins and have a hanging shelf system we can use to divide the double closet. If we have room, of course. However it all shakes out, I'm thinking that unpacking may be just as daunting a process as packing is. 

But this will be our tiny home for 94 glorious days! We plan to savor every bit of it!

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