Caribbean Cruise – Day 2
Check-in at the cruise ship was a breeze compared to the one William and I went on (Norwegian Spirit). From the time we were dropped off until we were on board took about 40 minutes. I was really surprised! We couldn’t go to our staterooms until 1pm, so we strolled the deck for a few before heading to the Windjammer Cafe for some lunch (burgers and fries). After lunch, we killed time on the promenade which had shops, eateries, and prize drawings. Shortly after, we had our muster for the mandatory life vest/emergency drill. It took longer for everyone to get to their designated stations than the briefing itself…mainly because some people didn’t pay attention to the time or thought they could get out of it.
After the drill, we spent a few minutes in the casino playing slots (I played the penny ones). We also popped in to a club called The Crypt that was really nicely done and would have been a big hit with my goth friends. One evening, we’ll have to stay up late and really check it out since they don’t play music and get hopping until 11pm.
Before we knew it, it was time for dinner. The dining room was way better than the one on the Norwegian cruise! Norwegian had cafeteria style dining with specialty restaurants that cost more money. The food was similar to what you would get at a Country Buffet. On Royal Caribbean, the dining was assigned time & seating in a beautiful room that was a total of three deck levels. A cello was being played for mood music and we were given menus. I had some prime rib, which was one of the best I’ve eaten…very little fat and cook exactly like I wanted it. It came with a baked potato and steamed vegetables. My desert was a sugar-free chocolate pot au creme.
When we were through with dinner, we stopped back in the casino to play slots a bit more, while Karyn had her cigarette. After blowing through $20, I convinced Karyn to quit, too, and go to the hot tub.
The hot tubs extend out over the sides of the ship, so you can look down and see the ocean below. A few minutes after we entered the hot tub, some teens joined us. We thought “ut oh,” but they were really nice kids (two high school seniors and one college freshman). We stayed there while the sun set.
Karyn was worn out and opted to read a few pages before literally passing out in her bed. I headed back down to the promenade to get some sun glasses (mine had gotten scratched pretty bad) and water sox (I couldn’t find mine when I was packing and it wasn’t until I was on the ship that I remembered that they were in the trunk of my car).
Can’t believe it’s 11:30pm already…guess I’ll get a shower and head to bed myself.
