JillMelancon Travel

Friday, June 2:

So far, so good.  Of course, the days leading up to today were full of anxiety, but so far, things have gone well.  Taylor took me to the airport…only about 30 minutes to get through security.  Plane took off and landed on time, and the hotel shuttle picked me up without incident (although my driver Jose went on a tangent about trans people)—and I even got to check into my room early. 

Needed to figure out a plan—movies, food, then relax in my room. Shuttle to ship doesn’t come until 1030am tomorrow, so I can relax (for now).

Wound up going to see Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse, which was very good—and did my old-school hotdog and popcorn for lunch.  Afterward, I got some parmesan-garlic boneless wings and some water/Coke Zero/donuts and walked back to my hotel (I was staying right across the street from a mall-type area). It’s been a good, relaxing day—I barely remember the flight from this morning!

Saturday, June 3:

Got up after a long night of on-and-off sleep (not sure why I didn’t sleep well the night before), laid around, then got ready, had a bagel, finished packing, and headed out to the lobby to meet the shuttle. Met a nice couple while waiting—Karen and Alan—and talked a bit about our cruising experiences. 

Shuttle took off after picking up at a few motels in the area and we were at the terminal at 1215.  Walked right through and onto the ship (I’m going to start picking later boarding times—no standing around!).  Checked in at my muster station (the theatre again) and went by the box office, but they don’t pre-book Headliners on this ship.  Also found out that I won’t need to book a tender for tomorrow at Great Stirrup Cay because I didn’t plan to go ashore until lunch time.

Went to Taste for lunch and was seated with a mom/daughter named Pat and Melissa who talked a lot about themselves so I didn’t have to do too much.

By 2 pm my room was still not ready so headed up to the spa to enter the drawing, see what the thermal spa is like, and then head out to the Waterfront to kill some time—so much less stressful than my last cruise!

I sat out on the deck until I couldn’t take sweating anymore!  Met a nice couple from SC (originally KY) and chatted a bit—she was a retired teacher!

Finally got into my room—no mattress pad again or a TV remote, so I met my steward Marvin when he brought them to me.  The Studio Lounge on Getaway is MUCH smaller than the one on Escape—but it has a bar with bartender for a couple of hours each day.  Sat in the upper area for a bit listening to the bozos downstairs prattle on and on.

In general—so much less stressful since I knew what to expect and where to go.  Hopefully, the rest of the cruise will go as well! We shall see…

Didn’t win any spa raffle stuff, so I walked to the top deck for sailaway, then to Shanghai’s Noodle House for dinner—pretty good.

Went by the theatre to see the comedy show—two guys who weren’t very funny, unfortunately.  Then back to room—there were no cookies or anything in the lounge, so I got some tea, unpacked, and planned for the next day.

Sunday, June 4:

Headed out for breakfast—Taste/Savor had lines, so I sent to O’Sheehan’s—not very good pancakes. Went to the atrium and joined up with three other folks—solo Roger, and another couple, and did a crossword and played some trivia. 

Changed and went to the thermal spa, which was quite full since it was raining out and not many people wanted to go ashore—at one point they even stopped doing tenders.  I tried the hot tub, waterfall, salt room—okay, but too many people.  Couldn’t get one of the heated stone loungers.  The sun finally started to look like it might come back out, so I considered heading to the island for lunch…but finally wound up going to O’Sheehan’s since the buffet was packed. 

This is the first cruise where they asked me whenever I arrived at a restaurant if I minded sitting with someone else or if I wanted to be alone—I think everyone is a bit overwhelmed since this cruise is sold out.  Lots of international passengers this time—I hear many different languages—something I didn’t hear last time.

Sat out on the Waterfront for a couple of hours and talked to a woman—Amy—who was sketching Great Stirrup Cay (very well).  Thunder and lightning started up as we were leaving—apparently this storm will follow us across the ocean for the next several days. 

Back in my room, planned for my first of six straight sea days.  I’m really dreading this meet and greet I planned.  There were a couple of (of course older white males) who started giving me a lot of crap about how I was doing things on the Facebook group and so I had asked another woman in the group if she wanted to run the thing.

Went to Tropicana for dinner—sat with 5 others and we had a good convo about all our travels—some okay spring rolls and Pad Thai that didn’t taste like Pad Thai.  Chocolate mint mousse for dessert.

Sea Days—Monday, June 5-Saturday, June 10

Monday, had breakfast at Savor—bagel w/ cream cheese, tomato/onion/capers and some bacon—good! Headed to the atrium to get the daily crossword, and ran into Roger again and we played trivia again. 

Headed to my meet and greet at 11—it was mediocre.  About 75 folks showed up, and 7 crew members…but thankfully, it is over.  The woman who was going to run it did an okay job, but it seemed forced.  She had told me she got me a small present, so I brought her a small candle…and she had nothing for me.  By the end, she left without even saying goodbye and I never heard from her again.  I almost feel like she just wanted to run it and take credit…and not actually because she wanted to help me out. 

But it is finally over.

Went to lunch at Shanghai’s—their menu never changes, apparently.  Headed to the thermal spa…and I won’t be buying the package again.  It was okay for this cruise because I had so many sea days and not much to do…but all the salt in the air really made my eyes hurt…I didn’t really use any of the “specialty rooms” (salt, sauna, steam) weren’t for me…and the chairs aren’t very comfortable if you are trying to read. 

Had dinner at Le Bistro—the French place.  It was good…but when they bring your food out they do a thing making a production out of taking the lid off the tray…and when my waiter did it he discovered that my food wasn’t on the tray yet.  Weird.

Then went to see Burn the Floor—a show mainly consisting of dancing strung together loosely (and I use THAT word loosely) with not much structure or story.  It was okay, I guess.

Tuesday, we sprang forward an hour (this will happen several times as we cross the Atlantic).  Slept okay, woke up and had room service for breakfast and lounged since it was still raining and you couldn’t really go outside.

Went to a cruising tips and tricks seminar—but not much I didn’t already know. Buffet for lunch—very good Indian food—then out to Waterfront for a beer then a margarita tasting seminar.  Patrick from Kenya is the lead mixologist on board who ran it—he was very nice and funny (maybe I had a crush on him?).  I almost didn’t go, but glad I did—got to try six different types of margaritas and learned about three different types of tequila and 1 mezcal. 

Went to dinner at Savor after reading on the Waterfront for awhile—okay…but the food has been somewhat lackluster on this cruise—then back outside.

Went to see Broadway Unplugged tonight which featured folks from the Million Dollar Quartet show who took a bunch of show tunes and perform them in different styles—it was pretty good.  Particularly liked the singer/piano player who was right in front of me.

Wednesday, I got up slowly and went to the lounge for tea/ pastries (much less choice than on Escape).  Then headed outside after picking up the daily crossword.  Lunch at Savor (finally a tasty one with Caesar salad and risotto primavera with pesto sauce).  Went to a talk about the Titanic (by the guy who plays Johnny Cash in Million Dollar Quartet and is also in Broadway Unplugged)—which seems a bit ironic—and saw Roger there.  He invited me to one of his free dinners which was very kind, but I don’t really want to go

Dinner at the buffet (which I’m starting to go to more frequently—I barely went on my last cruise), then went to Spice H20 and watched a bit of Star Wars on the big screen. I tried to find the mini golf, but I’m not sure it exists anymore!  I spent about three hours at the thermal spa today—2 of which I slept because I closed my eyes against the salt!

Thursday, had another slow morning with buffet breakfast, then went to the bar to get my Coke Zero and took that and the daily crossword out to the Waterfront.  As I was going through the lobby I ran into Roger again and he seems so lonely.  He told me that most people he meets aren’t interesting enough to get to know—guess that makes me interesting! He invited me to dinner again, but I actually had plans already for both times he had reserved. 

Went to see a presentation about Thomas Kincaide—for some reason I didn’t think his art work looked like it does.  Went back outside for more reading, then a beer tasting with Patrick after buffet lunch. 

Learned 90% of beer is water, which is why you have to pee so much. You heat the ingredients which creates 100% ethanol—add water for vodka, add juniper berries for gin, age in a barrel and get bourbon—keep in barrel for at least 10 years for scotch. Bottom fermentation gives you a lager, and top fermentation gives you ale.  Toast the grains for a stout—gives it the dark color.

Tequila goes well with fruit, so wheat beers are good followed by margaritas.  Bourbon does not go with wheat or IPA—it needs stouts.  Irish whiskey uses used barrels (US uses fresh ones).  We had Blue Moon (wheat) with Patron silver, Guiness (stout) with Jameson, Goose Island IPA, and Hoegaarden (wheat).  STILL not tipsy.

Sat outside again until dinner at Moderno, a Brazilian steakhouse with a large buffet.  Had bacon-wrapped chicken, pork loin, and at the end, grilled pineapple seasoned with brown sugar/cinnamon—SO good.

Went by SkyyBar and made a reservation to visit the ice bar.  Arthur (from Brazil!) gave us gloves and a thin parka (some folks were only wearing shorts and flip flops underneath!) because everything is made of ice and kept at 12 degrees.  They melt it down twice a year and redo it.  Had my two drinks (okay), but if you stay the full 30 minutes they give you all the drinks you want.

I met a couple from Atlanta and a guy who went to Emory while I was there.  We had an impromptu dance party to try and warm up.

Friday, I kept changing my alarm and didn’t get up until about 10am.  Went to a basic Portuguese language seminar, got my Coke Zero and went out on deck—no rain today, but super windy so I headed to lunch in the buffet.

Dinner at Taste…so I watched some movies to kill time because it was still too windy outside.  Grabbed a beer and went to see Ocean Music Fest—some of the entertainers (not in the big shows) on board performing party songs together—pretty good.

Saturday, lolled around most of the morning again, napping on and off.  Finally got up and went to lunch at the buffet, then to the spa for a bit.  Headed back to room to get dressed, then out to the Waterfront. 

Went to Tropicana for dinner, then to the Waterfront—wifi has been quite spotty out here on the ocean which is somewhat annoying when there is nothing else to do. 

How do small birds get way out here in the middle of the ocean?

Had dinner with a woman named Eileen and had a good conversation with her.