Chapter 30: Grace and Lew’s First Week on a Cruise

Late on Sunday afternoon, the taxi, with Grace on board, picked me up to take us to the Hoek Van Holland harbor to catch the 10 pm overnight ferry to Harwich in the UK. Sunday traffic was light, so we arrived well in time for check-in. Two hours before departure we were allowed to board the ferry and find our cabin. As we would have all the luxury we wanted on the cruise ship, we had booked a low-cost inside cabin for the short crossing: if we were lucky all we would be able to do there was get a few hours of shut-eye. Arrival in Harwich was planned for 6:30am, well in time to check in and board the cruise liner. After dropping our stuff in the cabin we went for dinner in the nice self-service restaurant on board the ferry.

The next morning we had a quick breakfast in the same place; that would have to keep us going until lunch on board The Brilliance of the Seas, which we saw docked right next to the ferry. Grace had warned me that the cruise was going to be one big eat fest and to be prepared to disembark two weeks later a few pounds heavier.

It was quickly clear we were not the only passengers from the ferry waiting to board the cruise ship: the little ferry terminal in Harwich was jampacked with people with their huge suitcases. This proved Grace right: I wouldn’t be the only one with a big suitcase.

At 10 the check-in counters opened, and we were directed to a special fast lane for pinnacle or suite guests. With all check-in requirements fulfilled, we got our boarding pass and could move to a far larger lounge than the one from the ferry and relax a bit with drinks and some cookies. Finally, a little after 1 pm they started boarding. As we were suite guests were among the lucky ones to be in the first boarding wave.

“Let’s find our cabin and then hurry to the Windjammer café on deck 11 to grab a bite to eat,” Grace said taking the lead. There was absolutely no doubt she was a seasoned cruiser. I tried to stay close as I didn’t want to get lost on this huge ship.

“This is a big ship!” I said to Grace.

“This is one of the smaller ones,” she replied. “The Oasis or The Anthem of the Seas, those are the biggest I’ve been on, over 6000 passengers with an onboard garden with real trees, one of the two even sports bumper cars and a big glass ball that takes you high above the ship or the port with superb views. But even on this smaller one, you’ll have a great time.”

“I’m sure, and if the ship turns out to be disappointing, I’ll always have you to keep me company and entertain me.”

“Oh I thought it was supposed to be the other way around, you entertaining me,” Grace said with a chuckle.

“OK, I’ll take that as a hint then?”

“You better take it more as a standing requirement, let’s get some food.”

Thanks to Grace, we walked into the Windjammer self-service restaurant in less than 2 minutes. If it had been up to me to find it, it would have been more like 20 minutes. Grace explained it was only the deck above the one with our suite. The choice of food was phenomenal, at least it was in my eyes with even all kinds of non-alcoholic drinks included, I immediately fell in love with the iced tea they served. After lunch, Grace took me on a tour of the ship.

It was even far bigger than I had imagined. When she explained what was available on the gigantic ones she mentioned earlier, I was happy that this one wasn’t so big, much better for my very first cruise experience. At least I might not get lost so many times on this one. Back in the cabin, our luggage had arrived and our butler was already waiting for us to unpack everything. I looked at Grace when we arrived, mouthing, “What the fuck?”

“My name is Antoine and I will be your butler for this cruise. Any time you need something, don’t hesitate to call me; I will come around every day at 3:30 pm with “hors d’oeuvres” and drinks for you. We will turn down the beds and change towels if required, while you’re at dinner. I will gladly unpack your suitcases and store everything away in the cupboards. If you have laundry or need something pressed, I can pick that up at your convenience, laundry will take half a day, and pressing can be done in half an hour. I hope you will enjoy your stay on board with us.”

“How long do you think you will need to unpack?” Grace asked, clearly used to this kind of service on board.

“I can be done in less than half an hour madam, the weather is still nice but may I nevertheless suggest a rest at the indoor pool?”

“Yes of course, when is the safety drill planned?”

“That would be at 5 pm madam, you’ll find the information concerning your muster station on the inside of your door.”

“Excellent, we’ll be back in 45 minutes.”

“Thank you, madam.”

“Let’s go sit at the pool, maybe you’d better bring a book.”

“I’ll take my tablet. I stopped reading paper-based books years ago, this is so much more convenient, a whole library in your back pocket.”

“Very wise, I do the same, where do you get your books?”

“I download them from different sites, like WLP, in e-pub format if available, otherwise in Word and then I convert them. I don’t always have an internet connection where I am; I guess that would be a problem on board as well once we set sail?”

“Yes, internet connections on ships are always a problem, unless you want to spend a small fortune buying satellite time.

“I had no idea you had such an interest in erotic literature and in English to boot?”

“Has probably to do with the fact that I worked most of my life for an American company, call it a professional deformity.”

“Understandable, shall we go?”

“OK!”

At the pool, we found a couple of comfy deckchairs offering a view of Harwich harbor. An hour later we returned to the cabin where we found everything efficiently stored away. The lifejackets we were supposed to take to the safety drill were laid out on the bed.

“Can you take your lifejacket so we can head to our muster station: I always prefer to go a bit earlier, as when they call it’s always extremely busy on the stairs and you might not get a seat there either.”

“You’re the expert here.”

We headed down the stairs to the lounge that was indicated as our muster station on the back of our cabin door. A few people were already there, clearly all seasoned cruisers, Grace even greeted some of them she had presumably met on previous cruises. The drill took about half an hour and then we were released.

“Let’s go up on deck for the departure,” Grace said, “that’s always a highlight, especially if you depart from a British port. She was right: when we got outside I could already hear some music - a band was playing some classics on the dockside.

“Is it always like this?” I asked.

“Sometimes it’s even more spectacular, I once sailed from Hamburg on the Queen Victoria from Cunard, there were hundreds of people on the banks waving at us and in the water hundreds of small boats accompanying the ship for several miles, at one point, balloons were even released on the shore, that was truly a unique experience. Later I heard they do it every time that particular ship sails from Hamburg.”

“You really have been cruising a lot, haven’t you?”

“Yes, always with Nancy as my companion, this is the first time I’m sort of on my own, present company excepted of course. I’m curious what it’s going to be like, cruising as a couple. There are all sorts of things I will be able to do or do differently from when Nancy was with me.”

“Oh yeah, what could that be?”

“We can go dancing, and there will be some bedgames I hope?”

“The first I can relate to, the second I’m not so sure.”

“Shall I tell you a little cruising secret?”

“Seeing this is my very first cruise I guess you have a lot of cruising secrets you could share with me.”

“Sure, but this one is special, and I was never really able to test it before.”

“Now you’re really making me curious.”

“The legend goes that women get very horny onboard cruise ships or any ship in general, it has to do with the vibration it seems.”

“Serious? And I guess you hope that I’ll do something about that then?”

“Well for the outside world, we are a couple Lew, and couples do tend to have sex on cruises, lots of sex!”

“You may have a point, let me give that some thought, this is totally unexpected as you can imagine,” I said barely able to keep a straight face.

“Stop teasing me and give me a cruise departure kiss you big teddy bear.”

What could I do, when she asked so nicely? I did keep it decent though, after all, we were in the company of half the cruise ship’s passengers. I must admit it gave a special feeling, as the ship slowly slid away from the quay, seeing several people waving from the quayside as if we were emigrating as they would have done so many years ago onboard one of the many Red Star liners sailing from Antwerp to the Americas. We returned to our cabin, and once inside, I took Grace in my arms and gave her a proper kiss, while I squeezed her butt with both my hands.

“Is this better madam?”

“Oh yes, I could get used to that.”

“All part of the service, would madam like me to do this every day at 6 pm, or would madam prefer this several times during the day?”

“I think I’ll go for the latter James, I definitely want one before I retire for the night and maybe one when I wake up in the morning.”

“Your wish is my command,” I said with a chuckle.

“OK wise guy, let’s get ready for dinner; it’s strictly casual tonight, you don’t have to wear a tie, just slacks, and a shirt will do.”

“Can I go like this then?”

“Yes, I guess you’re OK like that, let’s go to our first happy hour.”

“Oh, I like the sound of that, happy hour, lead the way.”

Again I was happy I could just tag along or I would have again been hopelessly lost. When we arrived at a closed door, Grace wiggled her keycard in front of it, after which I heard a click and the door sprung open. There were a few people present in the room all in casual outfits; again Grace greeted some of them as long-time acquaintances and introduced me to them as a friend.

“You can have anything you want from the bar, but as you are a wine lover, I would like to recommend White Zinfandel, it’s a semi-sweet wine from California, and I’m sure you’ll love it. I’m addicted to it on board.”

“OK, I’ll take your word for it.”

She was absolutely right it was very nice, and I immediately fell in love with it myself. After a few drinks, we adjourned to the main restaurant where we were led to our table by one of the many waiters - it was a table for 10. Grace had told me to bring my glass of wine from the lounge, to enjoy during my meal. Very clever of her as I saw later when going over the wine list and looking at the prices they charged.

The choice of food was excellent: it all looked so tempting. While we were trying to figure out what to eat, 8 more people joined our table: and introductions were made. We had a very international group, there was a young couple from Belgium on their honeymoon, a British couple, and 2 American couples returning home. Aside from the newlyweds, the Brits were around our age, with the Americans in their seventies or eighties. All very pleasant people. The restaurant was very full. Grace told me that was usually the case for the first sitting. The second sitting was more populated by French, Spanish, or Italian guests as they always tend to eat much later than we do.

After the meal, we again took a walk around the ship, ending up in the theatre for our first show. It was not bad, but I would say not top acts. Grace told me that was normal, and it showed as the theatre was only half-full. I guess most people were still unpacking, as suitcases for the cheaper cabins were still being wheeled in. After the show, we adjourned to our suite after what I would describe as a whirlwind day. We were both bushed, ready to get some shut-eye. It was a bit weird at first as neither of us had the habit of sleeping with another person, but as we were going to be stuck together for two weeks, we decided that simple spooning would be the best way to start our journey. Grace lay in front of me and I put an arm around her, carefully cupping one of her boobs.

“You love boobs don’t you,” she said with a smile.

“Sorry am I overstepping?”

“No silly, I love it when you touch my boobs, it’s probably the vibration of the ship that makes me like it so much. Oh, have you opened the balcony door a little bit?”

“Yes I have, why do you always sleep with the window open?”

“Not necessarily, but in this case, it will help if you start to snore - it will be drowned out by the sound of the sea outside. I know because Nancy also snores and that’s how we manage to sleep together onboard ships.”

“I see, very clever, well goodnight Grace.”

“Goodnight teddy bear.” Thus ended our first cruise day.

The next morning I woke up as I felt Grace get out of bed; she was an early bird - it was barely 6:30. She disappeared into the big bathroom, maybe I should find out if she would like me to join her. Jumping out of bed the first thing I noticed was my morning wood, bigger and harder than usual, maybe it also had to do with the vibrations of the ship, Grace had mentioned. I had no idea. When I entered the bathroom, what I saw did not help to bring the beast down, Grace in her fully nude glory in the shower. It was a shower, not for two, but easily for five people.

“Mind if I join you, dear?” I said rather loudly because of the noise of the water. It startled her, but she recovered quickly, her eyes immediately drawn to my soldier standing at attention.

“Nice!” she said pointing at it, “I see you’re an early riser,” while she beckoned me in.

“It usually does that when I get up in the morning, and the current view is not helping to bring it down quickly,” I said while I joined her in the shower.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let it go to waste,” she said while she grabbed my cock and started fondling it, bringing it to full mast. I joined in, grabbing one soapy tit with one hand, while the other went in search of her pussy. It was impossible to judge if she was wet from the shower or her juices. Only one way to find out and that was through a thorough oral investigation, so dropping to my knees I started my first onboard pre-breakfast. Her taste was divine, not soapy, not watery, but a rich tangy-sweet womanly taste. I heard her moaning over the noise of the shower. She put one hand behind my now soaking head, and the other replaced the one I’d had to remove from her boob, squeezing it. After a while, I got back up and she automatically turned around and braced herself with both hands against the wall, sticking her enticing butt out towards me like an open invitation to start banging her from behind - which I gladly did. To try and keep a better balance on the slippery floor I grabbed both of her fun bags, mangling them.

“Yeah fuck me, fuck me hard, it’s been too long since I felt your cock in my pussy, in fact since I felt any cock in my pussy.”

It became instantly clear as if I hadn’t known upfront, this was not only going to be my first cruise but also my first sex cruise with a hot woman. It’s a good thing I had packed my blue pill support system. I kept on pounding her cunt until I felt her breathing getting faster, while her butt pushed harder against my crotch, trying to get my cock deeper into her streaming, hot love canal. I felt she didn’t need much more for her first onboard orgasm to crest: just a bit of clit massage might bring that about I thought, quickly bringing one of my hands to the exact spot I needed to stimulate. Judging by her vocal response, the result was almost instant.

“Yes, yes fuuuuuuck, ooooh god, keep going, keep going, I’m cuuummming, I’M CCUUUUMING!” she shouted while she painted my hand and the wall in front of her with her girly juices, all of which were quickly washed away by the shower. Still, inside, I held her as she became a bit weak in the knees after her orgasm. She quickly recovered, turned around making my cock slip out, and kissed me.

“That was awesome,” she whispered.

I switched the shower off and stepped out while grabbing the two bathrobes, one of which I handed to Grace. She quickly slipped it on.

“I didn’t feel you cum, you want me to give you a blowjob?”

“No, there is no need, I suspect I’ll cum plenty of times in the coming two weeks, so for now I’m OK. Let’s go find this special breakfast room you told me about - I’m starving.”

Grace took me again around the ship, showing me places I hadn’t been to before. She walked around that ship as if she was at home, never getting lost, or even hesitating over which deck she needed to be on or in what direction she needed to go. Backboard or starboard held no secrets for her. When we walked into the special Pinnacle breakfast lounge we were greeted by a nice young lady. “Hello Grace, welcome back, it’s been a while since we last saw you on board, I hope everything is OK?”

“What a nice surprise to see you here Elsie, everything is fine, and yes it’s been a while, but I hope to start cruising again more in the future.”

“Nancy not with you? Do you need to tell me something?” she said while looking curiously in my direction.

“Nancy’s fine, but she had a baby, six months ago and we didn’t think it was a good idea to come on a cruise with such a young child. No, I don’t need to tell you anything, but I’m happy to present a friend of mine who was kind enough to join me. This is Lew, Lew this is Elsie, who I got to know during my many cruises.”

“Nice to make your acquaintance, Elsie.”

“I’m afraid my dear that Lew is not Pinnacle, it’s his first cruise, but I hope you can let him in on my card?”

“Oh a cruise virgin, we love those, we really want to pamper them so they keep coming back to us, so yes Grace, no problem for Lew to join you.”

“Thanks, Elsie, I owe you one.”

As we walked towards an empty table, Grace explained she met Elsie on her very first cruise, when she started to work for the cruise line and then kept on running into her during the many cruises she made, striking up a friendship with the girl.

“Elsie’s almost like a daughter to me. Like Nancy, her boyfriend left her when she was pregnant so you understand I can relate to her very well. She has a little boy, he must be about 8 now, he stays with her mother when she is doing a contract on a cruise ship.”

“That must be a hard life, not being able to see your child for such long periods.”

“Yes it is, but I must say, she seems always cheerful, so I guess she’s learned to live with it.”

The spread in the breakfast room was mouth-watering with different kinds of tropical fruits, and delicious little almond croissants. You could also order eggs any way you wished. The only thing missing was my all-time favorite, baked beans, but Grace assured me they were available in the self-service on deck 11, so we agreed we would have breakfast there the next day.