We made it to the airport and have an hour + to kill before we board, so I can catch up.
The alarm went off @ 6:30 and I snoozed once. Despite that, both Beast & I were showered & totally pack[ed] before 7:15. Our last breakfast in the Windjammer (technically, the Island Grill). More porridge & they had biscuits & gravy today - woot! We sat & ate watching the people on the Celebrity ship docked behind us. Or maybe they were watching us eat breakfast.
Back to the room for final load up and then down to our mustering location, Studio B, a.k.a. the ice rink (why not, on a cruise ship in the Caribbean, right?).
Only sat there maybe 10 minutes before they called our group number and we climbed the atrium steps (?) to level 4 (with luggage-wtf) and wound around behind and through the strbd elevators ... and stopped. For half an hour. Apparently Customs & Immigration [was] slow, and the place was full. At least we were inside in A/C though. Eventually, they opened the line back up & we traipsed into the hanger & Beast went for a our bag while I got in line. Once I got in the right line - I was in the Super Special one to start - it took maybe 15 minute to get to Passport Control & through.
Beast was concerned when he realized this morning that he had packed our passports in the big suitcase last night in the back pocket of his dinner slacks. Found 'em right away while we were in the indoor line though. And then he called Millie, his angel from last week who was waiting in her cab to take us to the airport. She's a pistol! Beast gave her the gift we bought her and she gave me a big hug, and her business card.
The airport was the usual mayhem, airport style. Before getting in the airline checkin line, we had to find the USDA check. Even with my open bag of cashews [purchased in the airport before I left] we zipped through that & went & stood in the priority checkin line to get our bag on the plane. Because Beast has TSA pre-check, they let me go through with him, but then we got hung up at Security while they checked his bipap bag & our Nooks & my shoes (which I didn't even have to [take] off in the first place--found that out after they we[re] already in a bin). No clue.
Stop[ped] in the concourse for lunch @ a tapas español place. Expensive and not all that fab, but enough to get us home.
Found our gate, where the previous flight was prepping to board so there were loads of chairs. Each of us has hit the restroom, so now we sit & wait for the incoming plane, due in 10 minutes. Then emptying those passengers & cleaning -- we should start boarding in less than 45 minutes. In theory.
April 16, 2016
April 15, 2016
Eventually we went to the meeting and dinner. At some point--after dinner?--I left my phone in the chair where we'd been sitting outside the Library. I went looking there, Beast went to check the Windjammer where we'd eaten. I found it & went to catch Beast to let him know --- and caught him for real with a bottle of Bud Light in his hand.
The guys at the meetings have been giving Beast a hard time in the sense of calling him on his B.S. He's getting pissed and shutting down and from watching him this week, he's just totally unwilling to be honest with himself & hold himself accountable.
To my credit, I didn't say anything about the beer last night but I did shake m[y] head. He threw it out--not sure how much he had.
Oh, he went to see "Spectre" yesterday @ noon. I stayed in the room & read, etc. Met him after the movie at the Café Promenade & wandered the shops. We finally found snacks in the General Store, because Beast ran out of cough drops & has developed a bit of a sore throat/runny nose. This sort of stuff is sort of hidden - from the front door [of the General Store] all you can see is booze & cigs.
Beast's kind of bumming about the trip ending. He says. I think there is something else going on, but I'm doing my best to stay out of it.
I think that's most of yesterday. After dinner we sat on our balcony for a bit, watching the dark water pass us.
Beast had checked the pool decks while he was out & said they'd already started to jam up. We took another look after breakfast ... NOPE!
Back to the room & to the Library to read while Dwayn tidied our room. Beast went to get info on the process of leaving. Turns out it was all sitting on our bed when we came back to our room: luggage tags, our assigned time (9 I think) & an envelope for tips. lol
We're to have our bag packed and in the hall by 11 tonight so all of them can be collected & sorted overnight. Tomorrow we have to -- everyone has to -- be out of our rooms by 9 & in our departure muster locations.
Beast worked on getting our boarding passes in the PC center. I sat on the porch with my legs in the sun & watching the water. Peaceful, hot, perfect! I got a little pink on my shins but nothing awful.
Beast joined me for awhile after he'd done his/our United checkin, but he got very warm very fast.
(I should explain, perhaps, that because of our port-side location on board, most mornings were our sunny porch time while we headed south. Now that we're cruising northwest, the sun was on us all afternoon.)
Anyway, when he went inside he started packing & filling out our customs forms. I came in around 4 I think & cooled off and made dinner reservations before we headed to the meeting. It was a good one, on gratitude.
Stopped in the Promenade afterwards to snag 2 T-shirts (2/$20--can't beat that!), so we had to change our Customs declaration when we got back to the room. Oops.
Finished packing. I had planned to wear the dress I bought to dinner but after putting it on, realized I needed a safety pin for the top. Having none, I changed into a clean shirt & the same olive pants I've been wearing all day.
I sat down inside to read, Beast watched the sunset and then asked if I wanted to sit in Economy Plus for an extra $55 [on the flight home]. Sure! So he started working on that. By the time we had to head to dinner @ 8 (with Rony), he still hadn't gotten the seats switched; the Internet was being stupid.
We ate with the same Irish couple as our first dining room evening and 2 (unrelated) couples from Connecticut. One of those guys is a big Trump fan which got the Irish guy going on that ... Oy.
The food was good--I had lamp preceded by a Caesar salad. Beast had onion soup & chicken. Key lime pie for me for afters & some kind of strawberry mousse thing for Beast.
Back to the room -- I forgot to say that last night Dwayn left us another towel creature, hanging from the ceiling. I think it's a monkey. Cute. Packing is all but done. Beast's still working on boarding passes. Since I've already put on my PJ's he will have to go get some water for us for pills now & in the a.m.
Then zip up the bag, stick it in the hall & to bed & sleep. We're setting an alarm for the first time this trip!
The guys at the meetings have been giving Beast a hard time in the sense of calling him on his B.S. He's getting pissed and shutting down and from watching him this week, he's just totally unwilling to be honest with himself & hold himself accountable.
To my credit, I didn't say anything about the beer last night but I did shake m[y] head. He threw it out--not sure how much he had.
Oh, he went to see "Spectre" yesterday @ noon. I stayed in the room & read, etc. Met him after the movie at the Café Promenade & wandered the shops. We finally found snacks in the General Store, because Beast ran out of cough drops & has developed a bit of a sore throat/runny nose. This sort of stuff is sort of hidden - from the front door [of the General Store] all you can see is booze & cigs.
Beast's kind of bumming about the trip ending. He says. I think there is something else going on, but I'm doing my best to stay out of it.
I think that's most of yesterday. After dinner we sat on our balcony for a bit, watching the dark water pass us.
* * *
Today was/has been REALLY boring, in a good way (for me). I rolled over @ about 8 to find Beast gone. He texted me to say he was wandering. I took a shower (finally! 2 days of ick) and dressed & when he got back we went up to the Windjammer for our usual breakfast. I'm going to miss the cornmeal porridge! :( We shared a tabe with a very untalkative (to us) German couple.Beast had checked the pool decks while he was out & said they'd already started to jam up. We took another look after breakfast ... NOPE!
Back to the room & to the Library to read while Dwayn tidied our room. Beast went to get info on the process of leaving. Turns out it was all sitting on our bed when we came back to our room: luggage tags, our assigned time (9 I think) & an envelope for tips. lol
We're to have our bag packed and in the hall by 11 tonight so all of them can be collected & sorted overnight. Tomorrow we have to -- everyone has to -- be out of our rooms by 9 & in our departure muster locations.
Beast worked on getting our boarding passes in the PC center. I sat on the porch with my legs in the sun & watching the water. Peaceful, hot, perfect! I got a little pink on my shins but nothing awful.
Beast joined me for awhile after he'd done his/our United checkin, but he got very warm very fast.
(I should explain, perhaps, that because of our port-side location on board, most mornings were our sunny porch time while we headed south. Now that we're cruising northwest, the sun was on us all afternoon.)
Anyway, when he went inside he started packing & filling out our customs forms. I came in around 4 I think & cooled off and made dinner reservations before we headed to the meeting. It was a good one, on gratitude.
Stopped in the Promenade afterwards to snag 2 T-shirts (2/$20--can't beat that!), so we had to change our Customs declaration when we got back to the room. Oops.
Finished packing. I had planned to wear the dress I bought to dinner but after putting it on, realized I needed a safety pin for the top. Having none, I changed into a clean shirt & the same olive pants I've been wearing all day.
I sat down inside to read, Beast watched the sunset and then asked if I wanted to sit in Economy Plus for an extra $55 [on the flight home]. Sure! So he started working on that. By the time we had to head to dinner @ 8 (with Rony), he still hadn't gotten the seats switched; the Internet was being stupid.
We ate with the same Irish couple as our first dining room evening and 2 (unrelated) couples from Connecticut. One of those guys is a big Trump fan which got the Irish guy going on that ... Oy.
The food was good--I had lamp preceded by a Caesar salad. Beast had onion soup & chicken. Key lime pie for me for afters & some kind of strawberry mousse thing for Beast.
Back to the room -- I forgot to say that last night Dwayn left us another towel creature, hanging from the ceiling. I think it's a monkey. Cute. Packing is all but done. Beast's still working on boarding passes. Since I've already put on my PJ's he will have to go get some water for us for pills now & in the a.m.
Then zip up the bag, stick it in the hall & to bed & sleep. We're setting an alarm for the first time this trip!
April 14, 2016
Beast slept thru the meeting. I went though. It was good. Came back to the room & found him awake - the laundry had been delivered & woke him. He realized that part of his problem might have been that he never took his meds in the a.m. So he did that.
We showered & came to the Library/PC area (one above the other on 7 & 8) so Beast could access his [work] email. He'd been having connection issues all day. I read & did x-words until it was time to go to dinner. All of Rony's tables were full so we were seated alone (2 top) somewhere else. We did see Rony & I apologized for ditching him.
Dinner was good: I had a Caesar salad + sole & potatoes. Beast had fried cheddar & chicken (a LOT of chicken!) & the waiter brought us the shrimp-noodle Asian dish to share. Not sure why. He did the same for another table near us. It was all good. I had the butterscotch pecan tart for dessert; Beast had about have his cappuccino layer cake which was yummy. Mine was ok--basically pecan pie.
Then we walked around the pool deck for a few minutes. Back to our room & into comfy clothes. I sat on the balcony for about an hour--it was much cooler and lovely listening to the water splash around as we sped along to Barbados. Beast found the video of the 70s night festivities [a couple of nights earlier] on the TV and that was truly strange to watch. Thank God we missed the real thing.
And then Beast went for a stroll around Deck 12 and I climbed in bed. AND crashed. My texts to him were pretty hilarious.
Neither of us had a totally restful night--I read for a couple of hours (2-3:30?) and woke up for good @ about 8:30. Woke Beast up & off we went for breakfast. He did admit he'd had at least one drink this week, but not last night. But he hasn't had enough to make him blotto, which is good.
Anyway, same old breakfast--filling & tasty. Back to the room. Beast had stepped out on the balcony before we'd gone to eat and said, "Nope - I can already feel the way I felt yesterday coming [on]." So. I may head to the port shopping area & some point but Beast is staying here.
We're back in the Library today. Beast's got his work laptop charging & I've just caught up again here.
The Library isn't much, but they do leave a Daily Trivia sheet out every day. I'm considering repurposing that idea somehow for work. It's a single sheet with trivia & puzzles* on one side & answers on the back. Will ponder a bit and talk to Beth & Nick when I'm more caught up @ work.
So now more ... Rose.
___________
*sudoku & word search
We showered & came to the Library/PC area (one above the other on 7 & 8) so Beast could access his [work] email. He'd been having connection issues all day. I read & did x-words until it was time to go to dinner. All of Rony's tables were full so we were seated alone (2 top) somewhere else. We did see Rony & I apologized for ditching him.
Dinner was good: I had a Caesar salad + sole & potatoes. Beast had fried cheddar & chicken (a LOT of chicken!) & the waiter brought us the shrimp-noodle Asian dish to share. Not sure why. He did the same for another table near us. It was all good. I had the butterscotch pecan tart for dessert; Beast had about have his cappuccino layer cake which was yummy. Mine was ok--basically pecan pie.
Then we walked around the pool deck for a few minutes. Back to our room & into comfy clothes. I sat on the balcony for about an hour--it was much cooler and lovely listening to the water splash around as we sped along to Barbados. Beast found the video of the 70s night festivities [a couple of nights earlier] on the TV and that was truly strange to watch. Thank God we missed the real thing.
And then Beast went for a stroll around Deck 12 and I climbed in bed. AND crashed. My texts to him were pretty hilarious.
"I'm rapidly fading"He says he was back in the room by 12:30. I was O-U-T & didn't hear a thing.
"OX rashing"
"Eri crashing. ... b"
"Hope you're ok."
zzzzz
Neither of us had a totally restful night--I read for a couple of hours (2-3:30?) and woke up for good @ about 8:30. Woke Beast up & off we went for breakfast. He did admit he'd had at least one drink this week, but not last night. But he hasn't had enough to make him blotto, which is good.
Anyway, same old breakfast--filling & tasty. Back to the room. Beast had stepped out on the balcony before we'd gone to eat and said, "Nope - I can already feel the way I felt yesterday coming [on]." So. I may head to the port shopping area & some point but Beast is staying here.
We're back in the Library today. Beast's got his work laptop charging & I've just caught up again here.
The Library isn't much, but they do leave a Daily Trivia sheet out every day. I'm considering repurposing that idea somehow for work. It's a single sheet with trivia & puzzles* on one side & answers on the back. Will ponder a bit and talk to Beth & Nick when I'm more caught up @ work.
So now more ... Rose.
___________
*sudoku & word search
April 13, 2016
We stayed in the adult pool area till the sun came around to where our loungers were. Beast hopped in the hot tub a couple of times, & then we returned our towels & came back to the room to cool off. Beast went off to see "Concussion" at the theater. I stayed here and read, did crosswords, took a nap.
Couldn't use the balcony as it was damp from WRONG DAY!
Kind of a slow meeting, though. I took copious notes--in my 12-step notebook, not here. Afterwards we pretty much went straight to sinner--we may have come to our room, but very briefly. We had the same waiter as the previous night & ended up sitting alone at the 8-top next to where we ate last night. I had a crab-cake appetizer and pasta (oreicc...?). It was "Basil" night [the nights are themed around a spice/herb/taste]. Beast hada Chicken Cordon Bleu, Neither of us were wild about our entrées but the crab cake was good; Beast had some sort of duck with salad as an appetizer & he thought it was ok too. Desserts: we individually chose both of the lo-sugar options. mine was strawberry & almond mousse/cheesecake. Beast's was strawberry ? in custard.
The waiter asked if we could ask for him all week--he gets to know us & vice versa--and [that] helps him help us.
I think we pretty much came back to the room then. Beast was waffling, but ended up going to see "The Force Awakens" at 8:30. I stayed in the room and worked on The Name of the Rose and came close to zonking out before Beast was back.
I forgot to mention that just as people were coming back onto the ship another rain shower came through. Lots of damp people. But the temperature was great & the humidity seemed lower.
TODAY
I woke up as we pulled into port in Martinique. It's far more modern, at least from here, compared to the other stops. Big towers of hotels & apartments around the harbor.
We hit breakfast--same-old, same-old--and then packed up for a planned-to-be short visit. Holy shit it was hot! We walked about 5 blocks inland to see the Bibliothèque, but it's closed due to a strike. It took us longer to get back to the ship - some shopping, some photos, and Beast was wiping out due to the heat. We'd bought 2 bottles of water near the Biblio., and he eventually agreed to finish mine about halfway up the dock coming back. We got on board just in time, too: the power went out & all the scanners & security stuff went dead. People behind us were lined up down the gangway [and in the sun on the pier].
We walked up [stairs] to the Promenade & got some cold drinks & Beast finally got his feet back under him. He told me [later] he didn't even remember most of the walk from land to ship, nothing from the exit gate ashore until the lights went out on the ship. Yikes.
We sat at the Promenade Café for maybe 45 minutes, came back to the room to unload, rested a bit & then Beast said he thought some lunch might settle him down, so we hit the Windjammer (first time for lunch) and then came back to our room again. I grabbed our cups & went back up to the pool deck for water for oth of us. By the time I got back Beast was snoring. Got him awake enough to get his [bipap] mask on & he's been asleep since then.
I made our dinner reserv. before he crapped out -- asked for Rory and an 8:00 seating. So we have nothing except the 5:00 meeting for the rest of the day [except dinner]. Not sure if Beast's planning to go to the meeting; I am.
I think right now though I'm going to do some more reading & maybe nap. Will set my alarm for 4 or so.
More later.
Kind of a slow meeting, though. I took copious notes--in my 12-step notebook, not here. Afterwards we pretty much went straight to sinner--we may have come to our room, but very briefly. We had the same waiter as the previous night & ended up sitting alone at the 8-top next to where we ate last night. I had a crab-cake appetizer and pasta (oreicc...?). It was "Basil" night [the nights are themed around a spice/herb/taste]. Beast hada Chicken Cordon Bleu, Neither of us were wild about our entrées but the crab cake was good; Beast had some sort of duck with salad as an appetizer & he thought it was ok too. Desserts: we individually chose both of the lo-sugar options. mine was strawberry & almond mousse/cheesecake. Beast's was strawberry ? in custard.
The waiter asked if we could ask for him all week--he gets to know us & vice versa--and [that] helps him help us.
I think we pretty much came back to the room then. Beast was waffling, but ended up going to see "The Force Awakens" at 8:30. I stayed in the room and worked on The Name of the Rose and came close to zonking out before Beast was back.
I forgot to mention that just as people were coming back onto the ship another rain shower came through. Lots of damp people. But the temperature was great & the humidity seemed lower.
* * *
TODAY
I woke up as we pulled into port in Martinique. It's far more modern, at least from here, compared to the other stops. Big towers of hotels & apartments around the harbor.
We hit breakfast--same-old, same-old--and then packed up for a planned-to-be short visit. Holy shit it was hot! We walked about 5 blocks inland to see the Bibliothèque, but it's closed due to a strike. It took us longer to get back to the ship - some shopping, some photos, and Beast was wiping out due to the heat. We'd bought 2 bottles of water near the Biblio., and he eventually agreed to finish mine about halfway up the dock coming back. We got on board just in time, too: the power went out & all the scanners & security stuff went dead. People behind us were lined up down the gangway [and in the sun on the pier].
We walked up [stairs] to the Promenade & got some cold drinks & Beast finally got his feet back under him. He told me [later] he didn't even remember most of the walk from land to ship, nothing from the exit gate ashore until the lights went out on the ship. Yikes.
We sat at the Promenade Café for maybe 45 minutes, came back to the room to unload, rested a bit & then Beast said he thought some lunch might settle him down, so we hit the Windjammer (first time for lunch) and then came back to our room again. I grabbed our cups & went back up to the pool deck for water for oth of us. By the time I got back Beast was snoring. Got him awake enough to get his [bipap] mask on & he's been asleep since then.
I made our dinner reserv. before he crapped out -- asked for Rory and an 8:00 seating. So we have nothing except the 5:00 meeting for the rest of the day [except dinner]. Not sure if Beast's planning to go to the meeting; I am.
I think right now though I'm going to do some more reading & maybe nap. Will set my alarm for 4 or so.
More later.
April 12, 2016
It was a late night last night, so I'm up talking about yesterday first thing again. Just an intro this time since we're both awake & probably headed for breakfast shortly.
Yesterday's breakfast in the Windjammer was yummy again. We ended up @ a larger table & by the time we were finishing up a couple from Georgia joined us, so we sat & chatted with them. I tried cornmeal porridge which was a lot like eating raw cornbread [batter] ... a.k.a delish!
Came back down to the room to change for the island & put on sunscreen & bug spray. The pier seemed a little shorter to walk to town where there was a little Caribbean group playing music in the covered plaza. The square outside (behind) that is just pretty, very large and picturesque with 5 streets leading off it. We saw the Harley Davidson store & Beast wanted another T-shirt. (I think I forgot to say we'd stopped @ the one in SJ which is just around the corner from the SJ Sheraton. Beast got a T-shirt, I bought poker chips.) I got a shirt in St. Kitts & Beast got a shirt + a new hat. The woman in the store was quite chatty.
After HD we meandered to the Old Treasury House and toured the 3-room museum @ $3/person. Beast left a $20 in the contribution box. The staff has done a good job, but it's all very basic stuff so far. Then again, they've only been a country [with Nevis] since 1983! People here are much more subdued and quiet-spoken compared with SJ or even St. Croix. The lady @ the HD said there are "several" universities on the islands which, hello racism, I was surprised to hear.
After seeing the museum, we ventured into Frederiksted proper: cars, street vendors, local workers, etc. Granted we only ventured across that first main square to a place called Ballyhoo's. Upstairs above shops (?) it's a little bar/restaurant. We just wanted some water & a place to sit out of the sun, but we also got some "spicy calamari" to share which turned to be perfectly cooked (except some of the smaller pieces). That was essentially lunch. There was a nice mixture of locals & tourists in the place so that was fun. We drank water that apparently came out of a tap. So far, we haven't noticed any ill effects. On the way back toward the dock, we stopped at a color-changing T-shirt shop & got a couple more shirts, and nail polish that changes in sunlight too. And then to the Dutyfree shop for perfume for me & for Beast's S.J. taxi lady, Milly.
Then back to the ship and our room to cool off a bit. Beast wanted to see "The Big Short" at the ship theatre @ 3 so off he went to that while I sat around reading, napping, doing X-words, and eating Haribo purchased @ the Dutyfree shop. No snacks on baord--Beast went looking for pretzels the night before and found none. Also no popcorn @ the movie. First serious #fail of RCI. :)
Anyway, our deck (i.e. balcony) was getting cleaned yesterday, so the guy rolled past our balcony multiple times, and it remained damp most of the afternoon (too humid to dry fast). I zonked for about an hour, woke when the alarm went off, brushed my hair & gathered my wits. Oh, forgot to say that before Beast left for the movie, we called to make a dinner reservation for 6:45 in the dining room. First time!
OK, I gathered my Al-Anon notebook & diet Coke & headed to the Board Room. Mostly the same folks as last time. Good meeting. Beast was actually the one who mentioned going, rather than me dragging him aong. YAY!
Geez, also forgot that we'd run into Heather from the previous night's meeting @ breakfast with her mom. She was back at the meeting last night too.
Afterwards we "raced" back to our room to shower & change for dinner in the Mozart dining room. When we arrived we were seated at an 8-top with one other couple already there. They were from Ireland. Another couple--two rather inebriated men--joined us shortly & then a 4th couple. The latter were from No. Sconnie by way of Vegas, the guys were from "near Fresno" the middle of nowhere. OMG they were hilarious: first words out of their mouths were "Hi. We're pretty smashed." This marks the first time [for me that] pubic hair was a (brief) topic of conversation @ the dinner table among strangers. :)
I had garlic soup--very good--and tiger garlic shrimp. No vampires for me last night! And tiramisu for dessert. While we were eating two more people who were sitting with me, Lost Passport Lady, the other day came past. I got up & gave them hugs. So then while I was talking to them, Beast told everyone @ the table the whole story. Fresno guy got up to leave & passed me while winking & saying, "Keep hold of that passport, k?"
So after dinner we pretty much went straight to the other end of the ship to see L.A.Vation "the world's greatest U2 cover band" (their publicity). They were actually pretty good, though it was only a 40-minute show. One of the guys from the AA meeting found us & sat by me. He reminds me a lot of [my brother] in some of his comments. He's kinda taken Beast under his wing. Also we found seats right behind the sound/light board so Beast watched that too. We could see the playlist, which was fun.
We were back in our room by 10:30 or so, watching the ocean roll past.
Oh, one of the things we did before the movie was go back up to spy on the bridge, which was on view during the day. Nobody there @ the time because we were docked. Even the captain has to sleep sometime, I guess. :)
I crashed by 11:15. So did Beast. Slept like the dead. We'd decided because of the weird layout of the port in St. Maarten we'd stay on the ship today. The port is backed by a sort of lagoon or bay, and the fastest way to get to town is by water taxi [across it once you clear the ship's dock]. Complicated and I don't need to shop anymore.
TODAY!
Up at 9:30 @ breakfast by 10 or so. We took a look off the balcony today & found ourselves looking @ another cruise ship on the other side of the pier. Then it started to rain. Before we left for breakfast, it had already stopped again.
Ate breakfast facing aft & watching a medium-sized container ship leaving port. I had my usual OJ + water, with that cornmeal porridge & cooked mushrooms and corned beef hash. A couple of rolls. Should be set now till dinner. Then rain kind of confirmed our plan to stay aboard, though most of the rain clouds seem to have drifted away at this point.
After breakfast, back to our room to grab books & "stuff to do" and we have been ensconced in the "adult pool" deck area near the windows for an hour now. Beast is catching up on work emails while I write this. We [are] sitting on the side of the ship that overlooks the working port in Phillipsburg and it is quite busy but very organized, tidy and clean. Another smaller container ship just pulled out. There's a ginormous one still docked. I can't tell if they're loading or unloading it.
Today is restock day for the ship too. We watched a forklift doing its thing from our balcony before breakfast.
A-ha! Caught up! Time to wander to find a toilet and then I get back to to The Name of the Rose.
Yesterday's breakfast in the Windjammer was yummy again. We ended up @ a larger table & by the time we were finishing up a couple from Georgia joined us, so we sat & chatted with them. I tried cornmeal porridge which was a lot like eating raw cornbread [batter] ... a.k.a delish!
Came back down to the room to change for the island & put on sunscreen & bug spray. The pier seemed a little shorter to walk to town where there was a little Caribbean group playing music in the covered plaza. The square outside (behind) that is just pretty, very large and picturesque with 5 streets leading off it. We saw the Harley Davidson store & Beast wanted another T-shirt. (I think I forgot to say we'd stopped @ the one in SJ which is just around the corner from the SJ Sheraton. Beast got a T-shirt, I bought poker chips.) I got a shirt in St. Kitts & Beast got a shirt + a new hat. The woman in the store was quite chatty.
After HD we meandered to the Old Treasury House and toured the 3-room museum @ $3/person. Beast left a $20 in the contribution box. The staff has done a good job, but it's all very basic stuff so far. Then again, they've only been a country [with Nevis] since 1983! People here are much more subdued and quiet-spoken compared with SJ or even St. Croix. The lady @ the HD said there are "several" universities on the islands which, hello racism, I was surprised to hear.
After seeing the museum, we ventured into Frederiksted proper: cars, street vendors, local workers, etc. Granted we only ventured across that first main square to a place called Ballyhoo's. Upstairs above shops (?) it's a little bar/restaurant. We just wanted some water & a place to sit out of the sun, but we also got some "spicy calamari" to share which turned to be perfectly cooked (except some of the smaller pieces). That was essentially lunch. There was a nice mixture of locals & tourists in the place so that was fun. We drank water that apparently came out of a tap. So far, we haven't noticed any ill effects. On the way back toward the dock, we stopped at a color-changing T-shirt shop & got a couple more shirts, and nail polish that changes in sunlight too. And then to the Dutyfree shop for perfume for me & for Beast's S.J. taxi lady, Milly.
Then back to the ship and our room to cool off a bit. Beast wanted to see "The Big Short" at the ship theatre @ 3 so off he went to that while I sat around reading, napping, doing X-words, and eating Haribo purchased @ the Dutyfree shop. No snacks on baord--Beast went looking for pretzels the night before and found none. Also no popcorn @ the movie. First serious #fail of RCI. :)
Anyway, our deck (i.e. balcony) was getting cleaned yesterday, so the guy rolled past our balcony multiple times, and it remained damp most of the afternoon (too humid to dry fast). I zonked for about an hour, woke when the alarm went off, brushed my hair & gathered my wits. Oh, forgot to say that before Beast left for the movie, we called to make a dinner reservation for 6:45 in the dining room. First time!
OK, I gathered my Al-Anon notebook & diet Coke & headed to the Board Room. Mostly the same folks as last time. Good meeting. Beast was actually the one who mentioned going, rather than me dragging him aong. YAY!
Geez, also forgot that we'd run into Heather from the previous night's meeting @ breakfast with her mom. She was back at the meeting last night too.
Afterwards we "raced" back to our room to shower & change for dinner in the Mozart dining room. When we arrived we were seated at an 8-top with one other couple already there. They were from Ireland. Another couple--two rather inebriated men--joined us shortly & then a 4th couple. The latter were from No. Sconnie by way of Vegas, the guys were from "near Fresno" the middle of nowhere. OMG they were hilarious: first words out of their mouths were "Hi. We're pretty smashed." This marks the first time [for me that] pubic hair was a (brief) topic of conversation @ the dinner table among strangers. :)
I had garlic soup--very good--and tiger garlic shrimp. No vampires for me last night! And tiramisu for dessert. While we were eating two more people who were sitting with me, Lost Passport Lady, the other day came past. I got up & gave them hugs. So then while I was talking to them, Beast told everyone @ the table the whole story. Fresno guy got up to leave & passed me while winking & saying, "Keep hold of that passport, k?"
So after dinner we pretty much went straight to the other end of the ship to see L.A.Vation "the world's greatest U2 cover band" (their publicity). They were actually pretty good, though it was only a 40-minute show. One of the guys from the AA meeting found us & sat by me. He reminds me a lot of [my brother] in some of his comments. He's kinda taken Beast under his wing. Also we found seats right behind the sound/light board so Beast watched that too. We could see the playlist, which was fun.
We were back in our room by 10:30 or so, watching the ocean roll past.
Oh, one of the things we did before the movie was go back up to spy on the bridge, which was on view during the day. Nobody there @ the time because we were docked. Even the captain has to sleep sometime, I guess. :)
I crashed by 11:15. So did Beast. Slept like the dead. We'd decided because of the weird layout of the port in St. Maarten we'd stay on the ship today. The port is backed by a sort of lagoon or bay, and the fastest way to get to town is by water taxi [across it once you clear the ship's dock]. Complicated and I don't need to shop anymore.
* * *
TODAY!
Up at 9:30 @ breakfast by 10 or so. We took a look off the balcony today & found ourselves looking @ another cruise ship on the other side of the pier. Then it started to rain. Before we left for breakfast, it had already stopped again.
Ate breakfast facing aft & watching a medium-sized container ship leaving port. I had my usual OJ + water, with that cornmeal porridge & cooked mushrooms and corned beef hash. A couple of rolls. Should be set now till dinner. Then rain kind of confirmed our plan to stay aboard, though most of the rain clouds seem to have drifted away at this point.
After breakfast, back to our room to grab books & "stuff to do" and we have been ensconced in the "adult pool" deck area near the windows for an hour now. Beast is catching up on work emails while I write this. We [are] sitting on the side of the ship that overlooks the working port in Phillipsburg and it is quite busy but very organized, tidy and clean. Another smaller container ship just pulled out. There's a ginormous one still docked. I can't tell if they're loading or unloading it.
Today is restock day for the ship too. We watched a forklift doing its thing from our balcony before breakfast.
A-ha! Caught up! Time to wander to find a toilet and then I get back to to The Name of the Rose.
April 11, 2016
Beast's still asleep this morning, but it's 9:20 and I'm done.
Yesterday we were awake by 8:30 or so. Decided to forego a shower till afternoon. Went & ate breakfast in the Windjammer with pretty much the ENTIRE SHIP. It was packed. Good food. Ran into Cleveland & Knoxville. Introduced Beast. Talked for a long while with Rita, one of the waiter-managers. She is also from India, but on the east side closer to Thailand. Funny lady. Likes to alk, which gave us time to let breakfast settle.
Back to the room, SeaPass & passport in hand we found our way to the gangway on deck 1 & strolled up the pier in the sun. Yes, we'd dosed with sunscreen & bug spray--I already have 2 mosquito bites, so it may be too late--but as hot and humid as St. Croix was at 11 a.m. we probably sweated it off in 20 minutes.
Anyway, we snagged a couple of maps from some ladies at the info booth and found a market stall selling hats where I found one that might keep my neck out of most of the sun. 20 bucks.
From there we wandered up the beach a ways to a place we could sit in shade & people-watch/look @ the view. I walked down to the water & stuck my feet in & waded around for a bit. Once my feet dried a little and I could brush of most of the sand--much finer than sandbox sand, and much whiter--we put our shoes back on to walk the street back to the main part of town. Stopped & bought a couple of souvenir shawls (one for me, one for Cindy D.) and then wandered back to a waterfront plaza to sit down & try to cool off. We scared a rooster out of his hiding place where we sat.
Oh, we'd passed a KFC while walking & Beast mentioned that there were quite a lot of Subways all over the island. Ugh. Needless to say we didn't go inside. :)
After we'd sat for a bit, Beast said he was pretty much done, feeling sunburned and overheated. So we walked back to the pier and reboarded the boat. We had to do a simple security check to get on board. Then back to our room to water up. No wait, we hit Ben & Jerry's in the Promenade for ice cream AND water. Beast's very red skin gradually resolved into sun-pink, not burned. He really was overheated.
THEN we came back to the room where Dwayn was cleaning up after us. We grabbed some books & parked in the Library for awhile till we figured Dwayn would be done. Talked a little about "strategy"--get up early & see the island of the day prior to the worst of the heat.
After we'd gotten back in our room, we decided to heat in different directions. I went to the Promenade again in hopes of buying a lanyard for my SeaPass--stores were still shut and I asked @ Guest Services who said that while we were docked anywhere the shops are closed. They'd open again @ 6. Then I scoped out the Board Room. I seen a sign just after boarding near Guest Services that Friends of Bill W. met at 5 dailly there. Also in the area is the movie theater.
While I was doing that stuff Beast went up to the pool deck to sit & people-watch & read (and not drink, I hope). Maybe doze.
The other place I stopped was @ the dining room to figure out details on that. Last night was Formal Attire, so I wanted a fix on what that meant for un non-formal-wearing ppl. Also, do we need a reservation. Not required, but suggested. And we didn't HAVE to dress formally ... but ...
So we planned to eat @ Windjammer again for dinner. I had a power nap before Beast came back & then we just sort of hung about till 5 when we hit the AA meeting, which I thought was perfect. Beast was quite honest about his struggle, but I'm not sure anyone got thru to him completely
After that we wandered till the Windjammer opened & we found seats overlooking the wake as we pulled out of St. Croix. Pretty good food--not excellent, but good. My mac-and-cheese is better. :)
We watched and ate til it was totally dark outside and all we could ee were the lights from Frederiksted & then Christiansted as we came around the island. [I'm pretty sure I have this confused with a different night....oops]
Then we wandered around people-watching some more. People were having pictures taken with the Captain or in front of various backgrounds in their formalwear. Lots of music. Beast too me up by the bridge where he'd walked earlier, but they had shades down so we couldn't see in. It was VERY windy on decks 11 & 12 forward. And we were moving pretty fast so it wasn't easy to walk properly @ all. We found the running track too, so if I want to walk that, I can.
Back to our room. Beast got a hankering for pretzels, me for cheetos & he sets off to see if he could find any. No dice. Then he went & refilled our "official" cups.
I read most of the book about Puerto Rico I'd bought @ El Morro. We looked over the Compass for Day 3. There's a U2 tribute show tonight. We're at St. Kitt's today. What we'll do, who knows. Beast was wiped out, so he hit horizontal in bed & was pretty much out before the lights went out.
I read some more & then I was done as well.
I forgot to mention that when we came back after dinner we found our bed prepped for sleep, the Compass for Day 3 on the bed along with an adorable towel puppy--made of one of our bath towels.
O[h] and went [when] Beast came back with water, he also brought a couple of rolls from the buffet for a bedtime snack.
I'm sure I've left stuff out, but at least now I am completely caught up.
Beast just woke up so we're off to a quick breakfast as soon as we get dressed. Then back here for sunscreen & island prep. More about all of that later.
Yesterday we were awake by 8:30 or so. Decided to forego a shower till afternoon. Went & ate breakfast in the Windjammer with pretty much the ENTIRE SHIP. It was packed. Good food. Ran into Cleveland & Knoxville. Introduced Beast. Talked for a long while with Rita, one of the waiter-managers. She is also from India, but on the east side closer to Thailand. Funny lady. Likes to alk, which gave us time to let breakfast settle.
Back to the room, SeaPass & passport in hand we found our way to the gangway on deck 1 & strolled up the pier in the sun. Yes, we'd dosed with sunscreen & bug spray--I already have 2 mosquito bites, so it may be too late--but as hot and humid as St. Croix was at 11 a.m. we probably sweated it off in 20 minutes.
Anyway, we snagged a couple of maps from some ladies at the info booth and found a market stall selling hats where I found one that might keep my neck out of most of the sun. 20 bucks.
From there we wandered up the beach a ways to a place we could sit in shade & people-watch/look @ the view. I walked down to the water & stuck my feet in & waded around for a bit. Once my feet dried a little and I could brush of most of the sand--much finer than sandbox sand, and much whiter--we put our shoes back on to walk the street back to the main part of town. Stopped & bought a couple of souvenir shawls (one for me, one for Cindy D.) and then wandered back to a waterfront plaza to sit down & try to cool off. We scared a rooster out of his hiding place where we sat.
Oh, we'd passed a KFC while walking & Beast mentioned that there were quite a lot of Subways all over the island. Ugh. Needless to say we didn't go inside. :)
After we'd sat for a bit, Beast said he was pretty much done, feeling sunburned and overheated. So we walked back to the pier and reboarded the boat. We had to do a simple security check to get on board. Then back to our room to water up. No wait, we hit Ben & Jerry's in the Promenade for ice cream AND water. Beast's very red skin gradually resolved into sun-pink, not burned. He really was overheated.
THEN we came back to the room where Dwayn was cleaning up after us. We grabbed some books & parked in the Library for awhile till we figured Dwayn would be done. Talked a little about "strategy"--get up early & see the island of the day prior to the worst of the heat.
After we'd gotten back in our room, we decided to heat in different directions. I went to the Promenade again in hopes of buying a lanyard for my SeaPass--stores were still shut and I asked @ Guest Services who said that while we were docked anywhere the shops are closed. They'd open again @ 6. Then I scoped out the Board Room. I seen a sign just after boarding near Guest Services that Friends of Bill W. met at 5 dailly there. Also in the area is the movie theater.
While I was doing that stuff Beast went up to the pool deck to sit & people-watch & read (and not drink, I hope). Maybe doze.
The other place I stopped was @ the dining room to figure out details on that. Last night was Formal Attire, so I wanted a fix on what that meant for un non-formal-wearing ppl. Also, do we need a reservation. Not required, but suggested. And we didn't HAVE to dress formally ... but ...
So we planned to eat @ Windjammer again for dinner. I had a power nap before Beast came back & then we just sort of hung about till 5 when we hit the AA meeting, which I thought was perfect. Beast was quite honest about his struggle, but I'm not sure anyone got thru to him completely
After that we wandered till the Windjammer opened & we found seats overlooking the wake as we pulled out of St. Croix. Pretty good food--not excellent, but good. My mac-and-cheese is better. :)
We watched and ate til it was totally dark outside and all we could ee were the lights from Frederiksted & then Christiansted as we came around the island. [I'm pretty sure I have this confused with a different night....oops]
Then we wandered around people-watching some more. People were having pictures taken with the Captain or in front of various backgrounds in their formalwear. Lots of music. Beast too me up by the bridge where he'd walked earlier, but they had shades down so we couldn't see in. It was VERY windy on decks 11 & 12 forward. And we were moving pretty fast so it wasn't easy to walk properly @ all. We found the running track too, so if I want to walk that, I can.
Back to our room. Beast got a hankering for pretzels, me for cheetos & he sets off to see if he could find any. No dice. Then he went & refilled our "official" cups.
I read most of the book about Puerto Rico I'd bought @ El Morro. We looked over the Compass for Day 3. There's a U2 tribute show tonight. We're at St. Kitt's today. What we'll do, who knows. Beast was wiped out, so he hit horizontal in bed & was pretty much out before the lights went out.
I read some more & then I was done as well.
I forgot to mention that when we came back after dinner we found our bed prepped for sleep, the Compass for Day 3 on the bed along with an adorable towel puppy--made of one of our bath towels.
O[h] and went [when] Beast came back with water, he also brought a couple of rolls from the buffet for a bedtime snack.
I'm sure I've left stuff out, but at least now I am completely caught up.
Beast just woke up so we're off to a quick breakfast as soon as we get dressed. Then back here for sunscreen & island prep. More about all of that later.
April 10, 2016
Having a hard time catching up. Several long days in a row.
So up yesterday about 8 and to breakfast in the hotel buffet. Pretty good. Nice waiter, who called us "Sir" and "Lady." hah Then we went back up and repacked for the cruise, showered, checked out, etc. I said goodbye & thank you to Gladys, we checked our bags [at the hotel] & ran a couple of errands (CVS, ice cream). Our dock is on the other side of the bay from the hotel so we walked along the pier to make sure we had picked out the right ship. Along the plaza, an older (60ish?) fellow stopped us & told us that he'd been mugged & his father-in-law was at the police station having already gotten stitches at the hospital. They'd lost their wallets & camera and the guy had no money for the ferry. Anyway, we gave hi $10 and he gave us his email addy so he could reimburse us. He's from Milwaukee, has lived on the sout' side his whole life apparently & he had the right accent.
Back to the hotel. Sat up in some out of the way area on the 2nd foor to kill some time. Once it hit about 1:30 we asked for our luggage back & a cab to the dock. Took the ride around the bay, unloaded our bags & got in line to check luggage whereupon I discovered my passport wasn't in my back pocket where I'd put it that morning. Commence frenzied searching of pockets, bags, zipper compartments ... to no avail. Beast caught a cab BACK to our hotel while I sat & waited and asked "what if" questions of the staff. They said if someone @ home could find my birth certificate & fax or email [a copy of] it to me, that would work. So I called Cindy D__ & asked her to go through my safe & look. She called Beast for other places to look; he was retracing our path from the morning. No luck. Two hours pass. our options are limited. Others are waiting with me, in the same boat--a couple from Knoxville waiting with a couple from Cleveland. They get their b. certs. sorted & board.
Beast cabs back having found a kind cab service owner who is combing all her company cabs for him, and boosted his spirits. He's also filled out a police report in hopes that will cut some ice with RCI ... no, it doesn't. We are well & truly screwed.
I decided to do one last check of the big suitcase. Hadn't looked before because that was the checked bag & why in the hell would I put my passport there. ... Well, because when I showered at the hotel, I changed pangs and FORGOT TO MOVED THE PASSPORT FROM THE MORNING PANTS TO THE CLEAN ONES I had on! OMG. Yes, I'd had the damn passport all along, but because I didn't want to get my underwear out & look under it ... OMG OMG OMG A whole wasted afternoon of worry & frustration... Thank God - no, seriously, THANK YOU GOD! - Beast didn't berate me.
We got everything repacked, pulled ourselves together, got in the (much shorter) line for bag checking and then went into the Port Building to finish paperwork, get our IDs for the ship and - - - - - at last, boarded the ship.
After some serious confusion on board (which way is aft?? are the numbers counting higher or lower along [this corridor]?) we found our room & met our attendant (Dwayn). Gorgeous, good-sized room, huge closet, lots of drawers & cupboards, better-than-expected bathroom, balcony, TV, mini-fridge. We are about 7 or 8 suites [edit: upon later exploration, more like 12-15] from the back on deck 10. Restaurants are either up one flight or down 5.
We arrived just in time to catch our breath & then do the mandatory safety drill. Once again we found that God took pity on us: our muster location is the main dining room on deck 3, so we could sit inside in the A/C while we waiting and got "trained." Our muster point is not, however, "our" dining room. Our assigned meal location is Mozart. I think we muster in Strauss.
We haven't actually eaten in the dining room yet. Maybe tomorrow--tonight is formal attire so we're eating at the buffet (Windjammer) again.
Anyway, I had made reservations at Giovanni's for last night. We stopped to confirm the time (good thing, too! I was wrong about what I remembered) and then did some basic wandering. It was pretty jammed everywhere post-muster, so we ended up back here in our suite till heading up to dinner.
Which was AMAZEBALLS! Good, seriously Italian dishes served by Ali (from India - Gowa). We shared [orders of] gnocchi & risotto as pasta, but started with meat & cheese plates which were so good. The gnocchi was good too, the risotto tasty but not overly attractive -- kinda oatmeal or old brain on a plate. And then Beast had a chicken dish & I had some sort of stuffed veal with black truffles and other yummy things. We didn't even TRY to finish it all. He (Ali) brought the dessert cart over & I caved on tiramisu, but he gave us a lemon custard/fruit thing that was just perfect. I keep saying "amazing" but really it was one of the best meals ever.
While we were finishing up, the ship left port, so after dessert we went up to the pool deck & watched SJ fade away into the dark. Gorgeous. Then we walked around some more getting our bearings. Found the Library & Internet stations and asked a few questions at Guest Services. The Promenade was less crowded, so we could see more of what the shops were about, but (I think) they were closed up again so we only looked.
Then back to our room where Beast unwrapped our "official cruise cups" & went upstairs -- to the pool bar? -- and got us some diet Coke. We'd eat had close to a quart of ice water with our dinner, so thirsty! The night wound down from there a we perused the Compass for Day 2 and [prepared for] our arrival in St. Croix in the a.m.
So. It's now 9:15 p.m. on Day 2 and I'm just starting to think about writing up what we did on the day we did it--shock, horror. However, I've also got writer's cramp & I'm pretty tired and vaguely sunburned. I'll just say that I know my way around better now, Beast has explored more as well and we're probably going to bed fairly soon so we can get off the ship earlier tomorrow before it gets into the heat of the day. To be brief, today was fun and tomorrow looks equally entertaining. :)
So up yesterday about 8 and to breakfast in the hotel buffet. Pretty good. Nice waiter, who called us "Sir" and "Lady." hah Then we went back up and repacked for the cruise, showered, checked out, etc. I said goodbye & thank you to Gladys, we checked our bags [at the hotel] & ran a couple of errands (CVS, ice cream). Our dock is on the other side of the bay from the hotel so we walked along the pier to make sure we had picked out the right ship. Along the plaza, an older (60ish?) fellow stopped us & told us that he'd been mugged & his father-in-law was at the police station having already gotten stitches at the hospital. They'd lost their wallets & camera and the guy had no money for the ferry. Anyway, we gave hi $10 and he gave us his email addy so he could reimburse us. He's from Milwaukee, has lived on the sout' side his whole life apparently & he had the right accent.
Back to the hotel. Sat up in some out of the way area on the 2nd foor to kill some time. Once it hit about 1:30 we asked for our luggage back & a cab to the dock. Took the ride around the bay, unloaded our bags & got in line to check luggage whereupon I discovered my passport wasn't in my back pocket where I'd put it that morning. Commence frenzied searching of pockets, bags, zipper compartments ... to no avail. Beast caught a cab BACK to our hotel while I sat & waited and asked "what if" questions of the staff. They said if someone @ home could find my birth certificate & fax or email [a copy of] it to me, that would work. So I called Cindy D__ & asked her to go through my safe & look. She called Beast for other places to look; he was retracing our path from the morning. No luck. Two hours pass. our options are limited. Others are waiting with me, in the same boat--a couple from Knoxville waiting with a couple from Cleveland. They get their b. certs. sorted & board.
Beast cabs back having found a kind cab service owner who is combing all her company cabs for him, and boosted his spirits. He's also filled out a police report in hopes that will cut some ice with RCI ... no, it doesn't. We are well & truly screwed.
I decided to do one last check of the big suitcase. Hadn't looked before because that was the checked bag & why in the hell would I put my passport there. ... Well, because when I showered at the hotel, I changed pangs and FORGOT TO MOVED THE PASSPORT FROM THE MORNING PANTS TO THE CLEAN ONES I had on! OMG. Yes, I'd had the damn passport all along, but because I didn't want to get my underwear out & look under it ... OMG OMG OMG A whole wasted afternoon of worry & frustration... Thank God - no, seriously, THANK YOU GOD! - Beast didn't berate me.
We got everything repacked, pulled ourselves together, got in the (much shorter) line for bag checking and then went into the Port Building to finish paperwork, get our IDs for the ship and - - - - - at last, boarded the ship.
After some serious confusion on board (which way is aft?? are the numbers counting higher or lower along [this corridor]?) we found our room & met our attendant (Dwayn). Gorgeous, good-sized room, huge closet, lots of drawers & cupboards, better-than-expected bathroom, balcony, TV, mini-fridge. We are about 7 or 8 suites [edit: upon later exploration, more like 12-15] from the back on deck 10. Restaurants are either up one flight or down 5.
We arrived just in time to catch our breath & then do the mandatory safety drill. Once again we found that God took pity on us: our muster location is the main dining room on deck 3, so we could sit inside in the A/C while we waiting and got "trained." Our muster point is not, however, "our" dining room. Our assigned meal location is Mozart. I think we muster in Strauss.
We haven't actually eaten in the dining room yet. Maybe tomorrow--tonight is formal attire so we're eating at the buffet (Windjammer) again.
Anyway, I had made reservations at Giovanni's for last night. We stopped to confirm the time (good thing, too! I was wrong about what I remembered) and then did some basic wandering. It was pretty jammed everywhere post-muster, so we ended up back here in our suite till heading up to dinner.
Which was AMAZEBALLS! Good, seriously Italian dishes served by Ali (from India - Gowa). We shared [orders of] gnocchi & risotto as pasta, but started with meat & cheese plates which were so good. The gnocchi was good too, the risotto tasty but not overly attractive -- kinda oatmeal or old brain on a plate. And then Beast had a chicken dish & I had some sort of stuffed veal with black truffles and other yummy things. We didn't even TRY to finish it all. He (Ali) brought the dessert cart over & I caved on tiramisu, but he gave us a lemon custard/fruit thing that was just perfect. I keep saying "amazing" but really it was one of the best meals ever.
While we were finishing up, the ship left port, so after dessert we went up to the pool deck & watched SJ fade away into the dark. Gorgeous. Then we walked around some more getting our bearings. Found the Library & Internet stations and asked a few questions at Guest Services. The Promenade was less crowded, so we could see more of what the shops were about, but (I think) they were closed up again so we only looked.
Then back to our room where Beast unwrapped our "official cruise cups" & went upstairs -- to the pool bar? -- and got us some diet Coke. We'd eat had close to a quart of ice water with our dinner, so thirsty! The night wound down from there a we perused the Compass for Day 2 and [prepared for] our arrival in St. Croix in the a.m.
* * *
So. It's now 9:15 p.m. on Day 2 and I'm just starting to think about writing up what we did on the day we did it--shock, horror. However, I've also got writer's cramp & I'm pretty tired and vaguely sunburned. I'll just say that I know my way around better now, Beast has explored more as well and we're probably going to bed fairly soon so we can get off the ship earlier tomorrow before it gets into the heat of the day. To be brief, today was fun and tomorrow looks equally entertaining. :)
April 9, 2016
I'm writing this [on Saturday morning] after breakfast at the hotel buffet and a walk around the corner to CVS for dramamine for Beast. However, I'm going to try to backtrack to Thurs. a.m. when I left IL and fill in the past 48 hours. I packed this notebook in the (big) bag Beast brought down on Monday, and just found it while rearranging everything in preparation for boarding the cruise ship.
So Thursday [4/7]
Up @4 a.m. to do final packing & cleanup, etc. The car from GNT arrived @ about 4:45 and I was on the road at 5:10. The driver talked nonstop--so much for a nap in the car--about Italian cheese & the house he's building in AL, and people he knows, and on and on. To be fair I didn't really have to add that much to the conversation. Got to O'Hare & thru security with minimum fuss and hit up McDonald's & a snack place for breakfast + water & snacks. The gate my flight left from was next to McD's and people were already lined up to board so I dumped in my diet Coke before getting on the plane & then ate the breakfast burrito & some cashews while everyone else got on.
Texted Beast & we were on the way right at 7:30. There was some confusion about seating the woman next to me, but it wasn't her issue--she was fine. I slept (dozed) pretty well for a couple of hours. Did some x-words. Read. The airline snack was a surprisingly tasty waffle cookie with caramel & honey. Yum. Took the obligatory walk to the lav just as we started descent. Some bumps at the beginning of the flight & a few more as we came through the clouds over San Juan. We landed with a THUD that caused everyone to gasp & then giggle. Even the head steward was thrown off his schtick. Instead of "Welcome to San Juan..." he started with "Thank you for San Juan..." and then laughed and started over. Quick trip to the gate. I texted Beast, got the msgs he sent while I was airborne ... and got off the plane, peed & headed for the taxis. No message from Beast. Got to the van for my trip across S.J. to the hotel in Old Town (Sheraton) -- still nothing from Beat. Arrive at the hotel. No Beast in the lobby, he doesn't answer when the front desk calls. So I sit & wait, call Dan K. [Beast's coworker who was at the meetings Beast was in S.J. for earlier in the week] to see if maybe they're somewhere together. VM. Text Sparky & ask him to call Dad. No answer. I, of course, have been doing that -- both phones -- as well. The hotel manager checks my ID & sends security to check his room. Eventually, she says he's been located & will be right down. Fifteen minutes later ... no Beast. I end up in the manager's office, security has to almost break in the room...by now I know he's passed-out drunk. After another 10-15 minutes, Gladys (the manager) has gotten some orange slices for me to eat because I landed @ about noon & it's nearly 2 now. Anyway, Beast finally came down, the worse for wear, Gladys gave me a hug & essentially told me I'm not alone & blessed me. Great person. Beast was a bit wobbly down the hall to our room and was insisting we go "around the corner" for lunch but he literally fell asleep in the middle of the discussion. I couldn't find the power cable for his BiPap so he couldn't wear the mask.
Oh- one of the calls I made to him before he came down but after he'd been awakened he answered my "Hi! I'm in the lobby" with "Yeah. Yeah. I'm coming, just trying to get packed..." "What?! No! Just come get me! We're not checking out!" So as part of that abortive packing he started taking the machine apart & put away/hid/lost the cable.
So I called room service & ordered a chicken caesar salad which I could hardly eat because I was so upset & wound up -- even though I was so hungry I was shaking.
By 4, I gave up & decided to nap till Beast woke up. In the process of looking for the cable I found an empty Stoli bottle under the bed, so I don't know why I thought Beast would wake up that night.... My brain was in free-fall: are we still cruising? Should I just go back to the airport & wait for a flight home? What if... What if...
I did call my sponsor(s) & messaged them for support, & they reminded me to look for meetings on the ship. Or in SJ that day.
Anyway, instead, I crawled under the covers for a nap. Eventually, I got up & ate some more salad, read some more, and hanged into pj's & just slept, after leaving a note for Beast to wake me up when he woke, whenever that was. At some point, he got up to pee & found the rest of his power cord so he could put his mask on.
FRIDAY he work me up about 6:30 or 7, though I wasn't that deeply asleep t.b.h. We talked, he double-checked one of his supplements & found he'd taken a sleeping pill by accident instead of a supplement, on top of finishing off the Stoli. I was pretty ticked off still. He felt awful. We showered & went up the hill to find a breakfast place. The first café we went into was JAMMED. We waited 5-10 minutes, realized no one was actually eating yet, so it would be awhile, & decided to move on. Next stop was more successful -- we were the only people eating: eggs, bacon, toast. Yum. Good bacon. I couldn't finish everything. Really hard to eat warm food when it's 85° around the city, & 100% humidity.
The rest of the day we meandered. Caught the tram (free) around the city, sat awhile in Colon Plaza watching people, ate lunch on the waterfront by the dock -- Mexican, which was good but weird to eat in P.R. while listening to Ricky Martin songs. :)
Then we headed back up the hill to see the two forts that bracket the north side of the old part of San Juan. Hotter than blazes, but a nice breeze. We took a break in our hotel room for awhile when it clouded over & rained a bit, then went back out & did the other fort.
Bought some souvenirs. Took the tram back down the hill, found the post office & mailed a postcard to work. At some point we looked over restaurant menus for dinner. Back to the hotel via ice cream near where we ate lunch. Cooled off again. Cleaned up a bit & headed back out to eat @ Raices, where Beast had a pork chop & I had mofongo with mahi-mahi & shrimp. Mofongo is P.R. tradition: mashed plantains lining a cup with the meat in the middle. AMAZING! Super-delicious & filling. Plantains are essentially potatoes. Delish. Glad I tried it!
Back to the room & to bed...
Wait. The restaurant had seating outside & we got there before the rush so we ate next to the street. The waitresses all wear "traditional" outfits. Our waitress -- Dalyanme -- was a bit on the linebacker size and was rather imposing in her white dress & turban-y thing.
Anyway, we hit the sheets pretty hard. Both of us got a little pink around the edges, but lots of good, fresh air.
Other memories: kites flying outside the castle del Morro, reminded me of The Kite Runner. NICE - SUPER-nice - people everywhere. Insane selfie-taking girl behind Beast at lunch. Pigeons everywhere while we ate. Flower petals falling around us a dinner from the tree above Beast. Lots of police everywhere.
So Thursday [4/7]
Up @4 a.m. to do final packing & cleanup, etc. The car from GNT arrived @ about 4:45 and I was on the road at 5:10. The driver talked nonstop--so much for a nap in the car--about Italian cheese & the house he's building in AL, and people he knows, and on and on. To be fair I didn't really have to add that much to the conversation. Got to O'Hare & thru security with minimum fuss and hit up McDonald's & a snack place for breakfast + water & snacks. The gate my flight left from was next to McD's and people were already lined up to board so I dumped in my diet Coke before getting on the plane & then ate the breakfast burrito & some cashews while everyone else got on.
Texted Beast & we were on the way right at 7:30. There was some confusion about seating the woman next to me, but it wasn't her issue--she was fine. I slept (dozed) pretty well for a couple of hours. Did some x-words. Read. The airline snack was a surprisingly tasty waffle cookie with caramel & honey. Yum. Took the obligatory walk to the lav just as we started descent. Some bumps at the beginning of the flight & a few more as we came through the clouds over San Juan. We landed with a THUD that caused everyone to gasp & then giggle. Even the head steward was thrown off his schtick. Instead of "Welcome to San Juan..." he started with "Thank you for San Juan..." and then laughed and started over. Quick trip to the gate. I texted Beast, got the msgs he sent while I was airborne ... and got off the plane, peed & headed for the taxis. No message from Beast. Got to the van for my trip across S.J. to the hotel in Old Town (Sheraton) -- still nothing from Beat. Arrive at the hotel. No Beast in the lobby, he doesn't answer when the front desk calls. So I sit & wait, call Dan K. [Beast's coworker who was at the meetings Beast was in S.J. for earlier in the week] to see if maybe they're somewhere together. VM. Text Sparky & ask him to call Dad. No answer. I, of course, have been doing that -- both phones -- as well. The hotel manager checks my ID & sends security to check his room. Eventually, she says he's been located & will be right down. Fifteen minutes later ... no Beast. I end up in the manager's office, security has to almost break in the room...by now I know he's passed-out drunk. After another 10-15 minutes, Gladys (the manager) has gotten some orange slices for me to eat because I landed @ about noon & it's nearly 2 now. Anyway, Beast finally came down, the worse for wear, Gladys gave me a hug & essentially told me I'm not alone & blessed me. Great person. Beast was a bit wobbly down the hall to our room and was insisting we go "around the corner" for lunch but he literally fell asleep in the middle of the discussion. I couldn't find the power cable for his BiPap so he couldn't wear the mask.
Oh- one of the calls I made to him before he came down but after he'd been awakened he answered my "Hi! I'm in the lobby" with "Yeah. Yeah. I'm coming, just trying to get packed..." "What?! No! Just come get me! We're not checking out!" So as part of that abortive packing he started taking the machine apart & put away/hid/lost the cable.
So I called room service & ordered a chicken caesar salad which I could hardly eat because I was so upset & wound up -- even though I was so hungry I was shaking.
By 4, I gave up & decided to nap till Beast woke up. In the process of looking for the cable I found an empty Stoli bottle under the bed, so I don't know why I thought Beast would wake up that night.... My brain was in free-fall: are we still cruising? Should I just go back to the airport & wait for a flight home? What if... What if...
I did call my sponsor(s) & messaged them for support, & they reminded me to look for meetings on the ship. Or in SJ that day.
Anyway, instead, I crawled under the covers for a nap. Eventually, I got up & ate some more salad, read some more, and hanged into pj's & just slept, after leaving a note for Beast to wake me up when he woke, whenever that was. At some point, he got up to pee & found the rest of his power cord so he could put his mask on.
FRIDAY he work me up about 6:30 or 7, though I wasn't that deeply asleep t.b.h. We talked, he double-checked one of his supplements & found he'd taken a sleeping pill by accident instead of a supplement, on top of finishing off the Stoli. I was pretty ticked off still. He felt awful. We showered & went up the hill to find a breakfast place. The first café we went into was JAMMED. We waited 5-10 minutes, realized no one was actually eating yet, so it would be awhile, & decided to move on. Next stop was more successful -- we were the only people eating: eggs, bacon, toast. Yum. Good bacon. I couldn't finish everything. Really hard to eat warm food when it's 85° around the city, & 100% humidity.
The rest of the day we meandered. Caught the tram (free) around the city, sat awhile in Colon Plaza watching people, ate lunch on the waterfront by the dock -- Mexican, which was good but weird to eat in P.R. while listening to Ricky Martin songs. :)
Then we headed back up the hill to see the two forts that bracket the north side of the old part of San Juan. Hotter than blazes, but a nice breeze. We took a break in our hotel room for awhile when it clouded over & rained a bit, then went back out & did the other fort.
Bought some souvenirs. Took the tram back down the hill, found the post office & mailed a postcard to work. At some point we looked over restaurant menus for dinner. Back to the hotel via ice cream near where we ate lunch. Cooled off again. Cleaned up a bit & headed back out to eat @ Raices, where Beast had a pork chop & I had mofongo with mahi-mahi & shrimp. Mofongo is P.R. tradition: mashed plantains lining a cup with the meat in the middle. AMAZING! Super-delicious & filling. Plantains are essentially potatoes. Delish. Glad I tried it!
Back to the room & to bed...
Wait. The restaurant had seating outside & we got there before the rush so we ate next to the street. The waitresses all wear "traditional" outfits. Our waitress -- Dalyanme -- was a bit on the linebacker size and was rather imposing in her white dress & turban-y thing.
Anyway, we hit the sheets pretty hard. Both of us got a little pink around the edges, but lots of good, fresh air.
Other memories: kites flying outside the castle del Morro, reminded me of The Kite Runner. NICE - SUPER-nice - people everywhere. Insane selfie-taking girl behind Beast at lunch. Pigeons everywhere while we ate. Flower petals falling around us a dinner from the tree above Beast. Lots of police everywhere.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)