JillMelancon Travel

7-9 April 2023

Sooooo…I booked a cruise. Then I booked two more. Not sure what is happening. I never wanted to cruise before–felt like it would be mostly old people and I didn’t want to have to get dressed up for dinner and eat with the same people each night, etc. etc. I sorta took a cruise back in the 90s around Greece, but it wasn’t on a major line and was with a larger tour and group.

But then I found Norwegian, and they cater to solo travelers more than most–they even have a section of the ship with just solo cabins. They don’t make you dress up, and you can eat where and when you want.

So here I am, driving to Ocala FL to stay overnight the night before my cruise, which leaves from Port Canavaral, near Orlando, after the usual goodbye blues with Bert. Stopped at Buc-ee’s on the way down, and got in about 330. Airbnb is nice–has its own pool and puppy (Buster) 🙂

Getting nervous and weirded-out for the cruise part. All photos of the people in the Facebook group for my cruise look annoying, lol.

Met up with an old friend from 99X, Patty, who now lives in Ocala. We met at a local brewery called Hiatus Brewing and grabbed something to eat as well. Talked about the old days, politics, and new stuff– it was good to see her.

Back at the Airbnb, I headed out to the pool to stick my feet in the water and get a few admin things done. Cute house–lots of tiny lizards outside that go scurrying every time I go out to my car. The owner came out and talked my ear off–good conversation though, and she also made me tea. I really just wanted to be alone, but it was a nice place and I’ll definitely stay here in the future if I can.

Next day up at 530am and back on the road. realized my flat iron was not heating well, so found a Target to pick up a few items, then headed to Cruisetime Parking where I am leaving my car and taking a shuttle to the pier.

Got to port a little after 10am and on the way in the shuttle I met a woman named Pat –a former philosophy professor–who is retired and cruises a lot. She helped me get all checked in. From arrival to getting on board, it took about one hour–not bad!

As we got on, many people recognized Pat and welcomed her back–she must do this a lot! We did our muster station duties, then I went to the Box Office to get a reservation for Headliners, the comedy venue. The boat was already PACKED…so I headed to O’Sheehan’s for some lunch–chili and Caesar salad. The chili was awful, but the salad was okay–not off to a great start…took forever to get a Coke Zero.

Finally got my drink, then headed downstairs to get a ship map and wait for rooms to be ready. Sitting in the lobby, I’m a bit overwhelmed. Apparently, the cruise sold out, so there are about 6000 people on board. I met a nice family while sitting here and that calmed me down a bit. They told me that it is always crazy during embarkation, but that it would settle down soon.

Whenever I do something new like this, I feel like I made a mistake. Got all my admin done except for visiting CruiseNext which I will probably do tomorrow when things calm down and I’m not feeling so overwhelmed.

A bit after three I’m finally able to get in my room. They had not put the mattress pad on yet, so I called about that (bed is pretty firm)–and they brought me egg crates that made my bed lumpy. Fun. Still no luggage yet.

Headed to the top deck–20–for sailaway. Very windy, but fun to watch. The pool deck below was PACKED. I will be avoiding these decks for the rest of the cruise.

Dinner was good at Taste–chicken piccata, garlic spinach, cheesy pasta, cauliflower soup, and a chocolate/caramel tart for dessert. The mojito I had pre-dinner, however, was not great.

Walked the Waterfront–an area all the way around deck 8 with outdoor seating that is nice and quiet and usually not crowded. I can already tell I’ll be hanging out here a lot. My plan is to play dumb whenever anyone talks to me.

Next day, I was up at 9am and headed to Savor for breakfast. Ordered biscuits and gravy…and got a hard biscuit on a schmear of gravy. Weird. Headed to the meet and greet for our Facebook group at Brewhouse…a good place—they have strawberry lager!  Lots of officers showed up  including Will, the cruise director.  No one talked to me.

Sat on the Waterfront and read for awhile, on this, the first full day at sea. Ordered a special drink that again…wasn’t very special. Went to a Spanish class that was too easy and a port info discussion that wasn’t helpful. Went to ask someone how to get off the ship tomorrow (first port) and also how to get a tender for Great Stirrup Cay so I can make my “Swimming with Pigs” excursion.

Went to the buffet for the first time for lunch–nothing very exciting. Had several types of salads and a roll. Meh. Went to the pool deck QUICKLY to grab a beach towel for later. Also walked through the Spice H2O area (for adults only–has a nice grotto area), but sun was very hot. The ocean is beautiful…but what are those orange things floating by (turns out…it’s a type of seaweed)?

I’m fairly sure NO ONE has serviced my room since I moved in–and the steward never came to introduce himself like I heard they would. Weird. Tomorrow, I finally get off the ship in Puerto Plata to do an Airbnb experience I booked, and to do some sightseeing. Sorta debating another cruise…they are offering some really good deals, but I’m still not sure I like them yet.

Fell asleep for a couple of hours, then got up for dinner at the Manhattan Room—the largest main dining room.  They had a special  Easter menu, most of which I don’t eat—so I had French onion soup/salad/cannelloni with ricotta and leeks. 

Headed back out to the Waterfront for a bit, then as I walked back in, I hear a guy yelling.  At first I thought he was joking…but realized that he was yelling at an employee.  He kept screaming about how much money he had spent on this cruise (the total kept changing) and getting in the guy’s face—who stayed amazingly calm.  What an asshole (and shitty taste in clothes)!  His outfit made him hard to take seriously.

Now back in my room, prepping for tomorrow.  FINALLY room has been cleaned!