Not your father's cruise ship

OK, so everybody uses that line these days. And really, not many cruise ships are sedate anymore. Certainly not those from Royal Caribbean, Carnival or NCL.

But if you still think cruising is boring, you should have been on the interior promenade that runs down along the center of the Freedom of the Seas tonight for the Party Around the World parade. It wasn't just the elaborate costumes (Indians, ETs, Mandarins, a Buffalo Bill guys on stilts riding a stuffed buffalo), or the rock music, or even the confetti. It was the leather-clad rocker playing his red electric guitar suspended from the ceiling that truly and finally erased any idea that cruising is has to be staid.

Not that everyone saw it. A healthy crowd -- teens to grandmas -- were cheering and singing and laughing it up in On Air, the karaoake room, which has the distinct advantage of being in a room that's more open than most lounges, so you can actually stumble on the action.

Not all the modern conveniences work perfectly. The onboard cell service, for instance, gives a strong signal and I could hear just fine. But the guy on the other end -- a coworker trying to help me fix a computer problem -- couldn't hear a word I said.

Which is why no pix at the moment, I'm sorry to say.

Tomorrow: A day at sea.

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