I don't know why, but I have that song stuck in my head. Anyway, yesterday we returned from our cruise with R & P. To say we had fun would be an understatement. It was so great to spend time away from everything, hanging out and laughing with friends.
Departure
Galveston
Thursday morning, we woke early to get on the road by 7:00 am. After a stop in Giddings to see the house the guys are working on and to get a breakfast taco, we were on our way. If you've ever been on a cruise before, then you know how hectic the departure process can be. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad. We were on the ship and eating lunch by 1:00 or so. The ship was really rocky that day, but it calmed down for the rest of the trip. At dinner that night, we found out we were at a table for 11, so our hopes of just eating by ourselves went down the drain. Two families that knew each other would be our dinnermates, and after several attempts at holding a conversation with them, we knew we had little in common. Dinner was so awkward that we considered trying to switch tables, but decided to give it another chance. After dinner, we went to see the show that they put on each night. The dance routine was disappointing, but the comedian was hilarious. She would be doing another routine the next night, so we made plans to see her again.
Formal Night
Friday was spent hanging around on the ship. We laid out, P and I read books, we all played Bingo, the guys played basketball, shuffleboard, putt putt, and ping pong. I think P and I were so thankful that the guys had each other so we could relax. Watching the guys play basketball was really funny- the wind and the rocking of the ship would mess their shots up. Dinner that night would be our formal night, but the UT baseball team was also playing in the College World Series. We all really wanted to see the game, but the ship either didn't have ESPN2 or weren't showing the game that night. The guys were disappointed, but we knew we could look it up online after dinner. Dinner that night went much better. There weren't as many awkward silences, so it was much more enjoyable. After dinner, we changed clothes and checked the game online, only to see that it had been delayed because of the weather. We arrived early to the lounge where the comedian would be performing and caught the last part of the karaoke show. This ended up being one of my favorite things to go see- not because the singers were that great, but the guy running the show was hilarious. Here are some one-liners from him:
"Stop being so white and dance!"
"If you are not clapping, you are ugly."
"Good job, karaoke stage mother!"
Wow. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time.
Cozumel
Playa Mia Beach Club
Saturday is our port day. We would be arriving in Cozumel in the morning and our group is taking a taxi to a beach club to spend the day in the water. The water was beautiful. The weather was hot! But we got to have all the drinks we wanted. We spent time in the water and laying out, reading or sleeping. The buffet lunch we were promised was disappointing, but it held us over until we got back on the ship. D had fun climbing a floating rock wall and then sliding down the other side. R paddled around in a kayak. P and I got floating rafts and relaxed in the water on those. Afterward, we took a taxi back to the town and did some shopping. I bought two maracas for my kindergarten class when we learn about Mexico next year. P got a pair of earrings and R bargained with a merchant and bought a picture frame. As we were walking toward the ship after we had passed the first security check point, we saw a crowd around the side of the sidewalk. Several girls had jumped off the pier and into the water... right by the sign that says no diving. They were then climbing a ladder back onto the pier. Members of the Mexican police saw this and came running over. We really thought they might get a ticket or taken to jail, but it didn't seem like anything happened. One of the moms had the nerve to say, "But we paid for this!" Oh, Americans.
On the pier
Saturday dinner was just the four of us. The other families spent the day swimming with the dolphins and didn't come to dinner that night. It was nice to have the table to ourselves. The show that night included a ventriloquist, so we went and watched and laughed. He would be doing a stand-up routine the next night. Later that night, the ship had a Mexican buffet. We went, but P was the only one willing to wait in line to try the food. I don't think it was as good as our local Mexican restaurants.
Enjoying an afternoon snack
Our last dinner
Sunday was another lazy day for us. We slept in, ate a late breakfast, read books, and pretty much did nothing. Later that afternoon, we played couple against couple in putt putt. I was reading a really good book and didn't want to put it down, so I read for most of the day. The guys made trips to the casino, I found postcards to send to my kindergarten class (now big 1st graders), and we watched the Newlywed/Married show. After dinner, we went to see the comedian do his stand-up routine. It was really funny. P had to get on to an inebriated lady that was being so loud, we couldn't hear the comedian. She used her 6th grade teacher voice and said, "Hush!" after another lady behind us had basically said the same thing to the lady, to no avail. I thought for a second we might have a skirmish on our hands, but realized the lady was in no condition to even figure out who had asked her to be quiet. We thought it was funny all the same though, because P said it so loud that the comedian was kinda startled by it and paused in his routine.
All in all, the trip was so much fun. We did decide that next time, we would probably go on a Royal Caribbean cruise. I'm not hating on Carnival, but the people were having too much fun on the FunShip for us. It was really embarassing to see the lack of self-control displayed on the cruise. It was also sad to see how the economy has affected the cruise industry- there was no midnight chocolate buffet ( our waiter told us they have had to cut back), our waiters were taking care of more tables than I remember from our last cruise so we didn't get to know them as well, and even the quality of the food was affected. That didn't stop D from ordering two or even three different desserts!
Happy 5th Anniversary D!
Happy 5th Anniversary D!
