Stacey's Semi-Solo Caribbean Conquest!!!

[mickev99]

Have fun painting, LOL.

 

You and "M" (I won't call her out her either) crack me up about your sodas and water. I used to drink sodas all the time, but my brother told me once that he lost 4 inches on his waist because he stopped drinking sodas. I was in college at the time, so I immediately went cold turkey and started drinking only water (well, it was college, so beer too of course). Didn't lose the inches and later realized that he neglected to mention that since he was in a struggling rock band and on the road, they were poor and couldn't afford to eat much either. Well, of course, he lost inches but it was because he wasn't eating. I didn't stop eating, lol, so I didn't lose the inches. Anyway, just got into a habit and I love water. I drink maybe one soda a month if I am driving long distances and need the caffeine. However, I do like my wine....

 

Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

[evandbob]

You have the most beautiful eyes!!!

 

Can CC turn into harmony or match? LOL great review and pics.

[mykindaparty]

Thanks girlie, I will see how it goes.

[Buckeyes22]

Yes, I am an Ohioan!! I live in Columbus and went to Ohio State!! I didn't realize you were in Ohio too! We didn't meet on the ship, but I remember watching the drink contest and seeing you down there :)

[sunbird21]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sunbird21]

Monday May 2-Grand Turk

 

 

 

 

I set my alarm for 6am due to the 7am arrival time. I got ready quickly and went to the buffet for a quick breakfast, finishing just as we were pulling up to the island.

 

 

 

I called C once I got to my cabin, as she said she wanted to be up early to get everyone ready, which she was. She said that they were about an hour away from being ready, as were V and M. I told them that I was going ahead onto the island, and we tentatively arranged to meet on the beach in front of Margaritaville. Since Grand Turk is basically just a giant beach, I figured it wouldn't be too difficult for us to meet up later.

 

 

 

I had been to GT previously, as had V, so we had each had our excursion experiences here. I will say, for first timers, if you are into snorkeling, this is a fantastic island to partake in a snorkeling excursion, whether through the overpriced ship, or cheaper private options. I did a snorkel tour when I came here on the Destiny, and I was strongly considering doing another one this time. However, I decided that with the short port time (7-2) that I would just do a basic beach day, with Margaritaville thrown in.

 

 

 

 

FYI, there's little else to do besides snorkeling or beach activities. there are some "island tour" opportunities, but considering that you can see the entire island from the Lido deck, it's not a major attraction.

 

 

 

 

The "open gangway" call came quickly, and I found out the advantage of being on the Riviera deck-beating 90% of the line of people rushing to get onto terra firma. As I was in the line to exit the ship, I ran into a couple of couples from the roll call, so we walked off the ship and down the pier together. They were all heading to Jack's Shack at the far end of the beach on the left of the pier, and invited me to tag along.

 

 

 

At first, I declined, since I wanted to stay closer to the pier to be easily spotted by my friends. I changed my mind as we reached the beach, figuring that it would be awhile before they came ashore, and the beach wasn't THAT long that I couldn't made the occasional walk to check for them.

 

 

 

 

I did underestimate the distance as we walked…in between the beach in front of Margaritaville and Jack's Shack were a few other clusters of loungers owned by different companies, including one that actually gave the loungers away for free. The beach also seemed to have a slight incline that made the walk a little bit more of a workout, and the sun was quite warm at that hour.

 

 

 

We all reached Jack's Shack after about a ten minute walk, and it was pretty empty-we were amongst the first few people to arrive, so we had our choice of loungers, which were free, but the umbrellas were $10, I believe. One couple settled at a table near the bar and the other headed for the ocean.

 

 

I tried to hold out until 9am to drink (for some reason I decided this was an acceptable vacation time to drink, though I had no issue with others drinking earlier LOL). I didn't want to get too inebriated too early in the sun….

 

 

 

 

Our group alternated between the loungers and tables for the next couple of hours, chatting and just relaxing. We were joined by the roll call organizer and some of her group(I think they were having a mini family reunion cruise). I broke down after my first swim and ordered a drink-can't recall I made the 9am cutoff or not!

 

[sunbird21]

Jack's Shack had an interesting menu of cocktails…

 

 

 

We all had read about the infamous canine mascot of Jack's Shack, and tried to identify Topher from the various pooches sunning around the bar.

 

 

Finally, we found one that we unanimously agreed was Topher:

 

 

 

 

 

At one point, I made a trip back to the other end of the beach to see if I could find any of my crew. By the time I reached the end, I realized it was futile-not only had most of the ship disembarked,so had passengers on the Splendor, which was also in port.

 

 

 

 

I gave up searching and instead placed a message on whatsApp and Facebook in hopes that someone would turn their wifi on and find it. I figured in a worst case scenario, if we didn't all find each other, it wasn't the worst place to have a separate day.

 

 

 

Once I returned to Jack's Shack, I settled in with another inappropriate drink LOL

 

 

Around 11, we all decided to work our way down to Margaritaville. On our way down the beach, who do we run into but M and V? They said that C and her family at Margaritaville, and they would return after checking out Jack's.

 

 

 

By this time the beach was pretty crowded, as was Margaritaville. The loungers around the main pool were packed, as was the pool, and the line for drinks was endless.

[sunbird21]

One of the women in our group found some empty loungers in the way back, where the sun was strongest, and we stored our belongings on a few of them. I decided to brave the adult soup in the pool with the Cleveland couple, and head for the swim up bar to secure drinks.

 

 

 

 

Because I was in the water, AWAY from my iPhone and camera, pictures of this part of the day are sadly nonexistent.

 

 

 

 

The line at the swim up bar wasn't very big(pretty much just people crowded around the bar), and there were four or five bartenders working. One would think that the service would be somewhat average with these conditions.

 

 

 

 

The Clevelanders had the Margaritaville blenders from a previous trip, and were trying to secure refills, and I was trying just to look at the menu and various souvenir drinks offered. I had my eye on this giant clock shaped cup on a lanyard that you could just wear in the pool.

 

 

 

Even though we were right up against the bar, the two bartenders flat out ignored us,circling around to people that came up on the side AFTER we arrived. When one finally took their blenders, I inquired about what kinds of drinks one could get in the clock. She threw a menu at me and bounced to the guy at the other side of the bar.

 

 

 

(I should note that when she took my companion's blenders, she only communicated with the guy).

 

 

 

The other couple came up behind us and joined in the wait.

 

 

 

About 10 minutes later, the bartender returned, but when I tried to ask AGAIN about the drink, she just pointed at the menu again. As she tried to get away, I called out to her that i was ready to order(just about ANYthing at this point) but she kept going. So, I had to resort to some tactics that I regret which I will not spell out here…but let's just say I managed to get an alternate bartender over, and had my drink, along with the others, placed within a few minutes.

 

 

 

 

Once I had my drink, aptly named "5 O'Clock Somewhere," it was time to really relax in the pool. M, V, and C had come over and were poolside, so I introduced the various members of my traveling companions with the roll call peeps(those who hadn't yet met). We all had fun drinking, laughing and just hanging out.

 

 

 

 

While we were there, we all met one woman, who's name I can't even recall to initial her, so I'll just call her Splendor, since she was on that ship. She was avoiding HER travel companion, her boyfriend, whom she brought on a cruise for a romantic getaway that was anything but.

 

 

Apparently, he was one of the Grumpy Gusses found on here that like to complain about EVERYTHING. The food wasn't five star, the beds weren't soft enough, the entertainment sucked, the wind was too strong when they went for an evening stroll, the music at the nightclub gave him a headache. Her vacation was pretty much ruined, so Splendor had ditched him to relax. We happily adopted her for the next hour before she had to return to her ship.

 

 

 

Also during this time, I was sadly caught by M holding my giant drink in my right hand….another BUFFALO was called. I tried to reason with him that this beverage was way disproportionate for such a game. He was unforgiving.

 

 

 

 

I tried to chug as much of the drink as I could to no avail. As he saw that the level was barely shrinking,despite several gulps, he gave me a one time mercy pass.

 

 

 

However, by this time, the alcohol was pretty much in control, and the next 30 minutes or so were pretty blurry. I recall that everyone was getting up to leave, as it was almost all aboard time, so I followed and made a final trip to the restroom, where another mishap occurred. Don't worry, nothing graphic…let's just say water soaked tiles and appliances don't mix well with people moving quickly, and I ended up falling from said appliance smack on my left side. Thankfully I was still inside the stall, so no one saw.

[sunbird21]

I made my way towards the pier, where for some reason we had a fascination with this figure:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then it really was time to go, and of course my inebriated brain had forgotten to factor in the huge line of last minute passengers. it was a lengthy line in NO shade.

 

 

 

By the time we made it to the gangway, the sun and alcohol and lack of food…yes, I forgot to get any of that…had delivered its punishment, and I was fading fast. I was told that I placed my bag on the security machine, walked through the scanner, and bolted upstairs to my cabin.

 

 

 

 

V came by shortly after to deliver my goods, took note of my sick, injured body(I had yet to see the giant bruises delivered by my bathroom fall) and forced some of the Gold Club bottled water down my throat. She left me curled up in bed, after thankfully hiding the now hateful clock drink from my sight.

 

 

 

 

C came by the get me a little while later and also forced some water down, and dragged me upstairs to get some food. My short respite had given me little ability to stand upright, but I was hoping that I could hold off the worst if I just ate, so I struggled my way to the Lido deck and Guy's Burgers.

 

 

 

We all grabbed our food and sat inside-no more sun for us, and chowed down happily. I was starting to feel a bit better, so I went for a second one-they are THAT good.

 

 

 

Afterwards, fatigue was starting to hit us all, so shortly after sail away, we all decided it was nap time.

 

 

 

I was feeling ok when I made it back to my cabin and laid down, but I woke up to my alarm set for 6pm to a different story. It was almost as if the initial sickness that hit me getting back on the ship gained extra strength during my nap. Pain, nausea, upset stomach,sunburn, dizziness-you name it, I had it. I sat up and immediately knew two things:

 

1. No more food or drink was entering my system tonight

 

and

 

2.For that matter, I wasn't making it out of my cabin that night, either.

 

 

 

 

I scribbled a tried note on my whiteboard indicating as such, cranked the A/C,crawled back into bed, and ignored my phone when it rang.

 

 

 

That was pretty much it for me on this evening. I slept until about 10 and watched Castle from my sickbed,managing to sip some Coke here and there to settle my stomach. Then it was lights out again.

 

 

 

So the moral of the story is:

 

 

 

Don't play drinking games with novelty cups from Margaritaville.

[sunbird21]

But wait!

 

I know you are all despairing of seeing the menu for the night and food porn. Well, I have one of the two for you:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How did I get the menu when I was holed up in my cabin all night? 'Tis a mystery…stay tuned!!!

[sunbird21]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sunbird21]

Tuesday, May 3-La Romana, Dominican Republic.

 

 

 

 

After my LONG night of sleep, I woke up early, well rested and ready for another day.I got ready and took myself to the dining room for a FULL breakfast today, vowing that my alcohol consumption would be VERY low. Sorry, CHEERS!!

 

 

 

On my way to the dining room, I had to cut across the Promenade deck, so I decided to use another part of Cheers and stopped at the coffee stand. I got a White Mocha Frappucino(hot) and headed for Monet.

 

 

 

 

The dining room was fairly empty, but I still did get a bit of side eye from the hostess when I asked for a solo table. When I have these sit down breakfasts in the morning, I am not in the mood to be social(unless its a planned breakfast), so I prefer to sit alone with my iPad. Especially, this morning, I just wasn't in the mood for social small talk.

 

 

 

 

My breakfast server had a similar name to a server I had on the Dream Serenity deck, so I asked if he had been on the Dream, but it was someone else.

 

 

 

I actually had a two top table by a window, so I had a nice,peaceful breakfast.

 

 

 

I made my way to the Lido deck just as we were docking in DR. Big Sexy came on and announced that temps were going to be in the 90's with 60% humidity. Yippee.

 

 

 

 

I took some pictures of the countryside from the railing and noted that the port village was as reported on the messages boards….very compact.

 

 

 

 

In my research on this port, there was quite little. Basically, the port is a large building with the usual brands found in every port (and on the ship) with a small row of kiosk tents behind it with locals selling their wares, with a few food stands scattered here and there.

 

 

 

For beaches, options are pretty much limited to excursions-whether private or ship sponsored. There is an AI called Dreams that a lot of people from the roll call were going to, I believe its about a half an hour (and expensive cab ride) from port. I think the going rate was about $55 or $60 pp(plus the expensive cab ride).

 

 

 

 

There is an island, Saona Island, that looks to have a decent beach-both ship sponsored and private excursions can be found here, but is also a distance away from port.

 

 

 

The ship has the usual excursions of snorkeling, horseback riding, zip lining,etc. All are the typical ship prices(expect to drop at least $60-$200) but since most activities are far from port or in Punta Cana, the next tourist city located near port(about 90 minutes away) the "we don't miss the ship guarantee" might actually be useful here if you want to do an activity outside the AI.

 

 

 

 

There did seem to be an independent tour company, Seavis Tours, that did jungle river cruises and trips to Saona Island, prices were about $75pp. I believe they provided transportation to/from the port, but double check. It was cheaper than Carnival's similar excursions.

 

 

 

There were also some independent companies that did zip lining-Wild Ranch and Zipline Adventures, prices were $70 and $90, respectively, but did NOT provide transportation.

 

 

 

For animal based adventures, a place called Monkeyland seemed to provide various animal encounters for $70-$75, ship has it at $80.

 

 

 

Finally, there is a tourist village called Altos de Chavon that Carnival sells as part of a few different excursions(i.e., town tour plus Dominican village) that is probably the closest attraction to the the port, 15 minutes away. However, taxis will go there for about $20 and there is a shuttle from the port selling RT tickets for $8pp.

[sunbird21]

To be honest, this was my most difficult port to make a decision on. I kind of wanted to do zip lining, in which case I would have gone with Carnival because of the distance and time factor.However, I wasn't feeling super strongly about it, since I never booked it.

 

 

I did have a stronger desire to just have a ship day, and was leaning towards a quick wander through the port village.

 

 

 

But M and P are both Dominican, and were super stoked to be "in the motherland" as they called it, and eat authentic Dominican food. I felt a little bad saying that I didn't want to explore the island, so I figured I would see how in depth their explorations were to get and decided how I felt about tagging along. So I went downstairs, and found this on C and P's whiteboard:

 

 

With that, I relaxed in my room for a few minutes until they came by, ready to go ashore for breakfast.

 

I snuck this pic as we got off the ship:

 

 

 

Once outside, the heat seemed to amplify.We strolled through the main building , enjoyed the brief A/C, but it was waiting on the other side.

 

C had opted out of taking the stroller and instead carried O in some sort of contraption on her back. Between being corralled and the heat, he was thrilled.

 

 

We made our way to the taxi stand at the back of the row of kiosks, where the guys tried to negotiate a deal with the local drivers for a taxi to a local area for breakfast. unfortunately, they were sticking to the main prices of $20 to the Altos de Chavon or $45 to take us all "downtown."

 

 

 

I'm not sure how the decision was made, as C, V, and I were all desperately trying to keep cool, but we decided to take the cheaper shuttle to Altos de Chavon, eat there, and potentially take a cheaper taxi to the downtown area from there.

 

 

 

 

As we stood in line to purchase the shuttle tickets, my next mishap occurred as my iPhone decided that it was too hot in the sun and dove for shade…literally.

 

 

 

I followed my group onto the unairconditioned shuttle, mourning my iPhone. Remember the iPhone 4s that I gave to C in Ft. Lauderdale? Well, she hadn't programmed it yet, since P's smartphone started working mysteriously, so she graciously owned it back to me for the duration of the trip so that I would have a smartphone.

 

 

 

Besides the seven of us, there was another couple(no one we knew), and room for a few more people. Apparently, the driver decided to wait forever to fill those other seats, so we sat and sweated.

 

 

 

 

 

The kids were getting a bit antsy,understandably.

 

Finally, P decided to ask the driver what was up and threaten to leave for a cab, and he returned with the driver,grumbling but started driving.

 

 

 

The breeze along the drive helped a bit, as did the sprinkling rain once we arrived.

 

 

 

The village wasn't very big, there was a garden that led to a large, outdoor restaurant. On the other side was a courtyard and some older stone buildings, people selling crafts, a little souvenir store, all on a cliffside overlooking a river.

[sunbird21]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sunbird21]

We walked around and took some pictures before settling in the main restaurant.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The guys negotiated with the staff to make them some local dish that wasn't on the menu called Mangu.

 

 

 

 

Since I had had breakfast, I wasn't hungry, but I decided to try the local yuca balls, as it is something that I get from an empanada stand near me in the city.

 

 

 

 

 

After we all ordered, we waited and relaxed, until the skies completely opened up. Being in an open air restaurant, we had about a quarter of the table covered by an awning that we all quickly dove under.

 

 

 

 

 

The rain stopped, and we continued to wait. Then it restarted, this time with the wind forcing the rain sideways. Still we waited.

 

(For some reason, Phtobucket is not wanting to rotate my photos right now, but its still funny)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our server brought out food for O, and the rest of us waited.

 

 

 

 

On the next dry stretch, the mangu was served, but my yuca and L's meatballs were nowhere in sight.

 

 

 

 

I was about ready to cancel my order at this time-we had been sitting there for going on TWO HOURS. I was never so glad that I had breakfast earlier.

[sunbird21]

 

 

 

Finally,our food appeared.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After we ate, it was another lengthy wait for our bill, which was in the local currency. My yuca balls and Coke were less than $10 USD, so not a bad deal price wise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While they waited for the bill, L and I decided to walk in the courtyard with O. There was a guy strolling around with a donkey that I took the boys to see. L asked if he could pet it, and before he could get the words out, the guy had lifted him onto the donkey and was leading him around the courtyard.

 

 

 

 

I was a bit frantic. I didn't have any cash on me, and had no idea what this guy was going to charge for a donkey ride. I tried to waved to C at the restaurant, but she didn't see/hear me. I just grabbed O and we chased the donkey around with L on it, who looked even more startled.

 

 

 

 

The guy led the donkey to a halt, and I tried to explain that I didn't have any money, and tried to indicate that L's mother would be by shortly. The guy merely smiled, tipped his sombrero and walked away.

 

 

 

 

Once the others came by, we split up to look around some more. Because of the lengthy restaurant time, we only had 30 minutes before the last shuttle back to the port.

[sunbird21]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sunbird21]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sunbird21]

The downtown idea was pretty much squashed by that time, so we made our way to the shuttle.

 

 

O was a bit fussy once we got onto the shuttle, and a couple of women were throwing us some dirty looks. I don't have kids yet, but even I know that you can't control a child's emotions, especially around nap time. I also don't think it's anyone's place to throw judgement on how a parent is handling their child, as long as the child isn't being beaten, as they have enough to handle without worrying about someone else complaining.

 

 

 

 

 

So even though I was giving the women some looks of my own back, C and P were desperately trying to soothe O. I don't know how it happened, but he saw my bottle of Coke, and started calling it "juice." He had never had soda before,obviously, but C asked if he could have a sip in hopes of calming him.

 

 

 

I handed it over, and he happily gulped it down. Now we were getting the looks because he was drinking Coke.

 

 

 

Oddly enough, once he had his sip, he passed out cold on C's lap. Naptime had commenced.

 

 

 

Upon our arrival back to the port, we still had 90 minutes before we had to be back on the ship.We split up, did some quick shopping, and C decided to try a fish pedicure.

 

 

 

 

 

I had had enough of the heat, so I decided to head back to the ship. L was ready for pool time, so he headed back with me.

 

 

 

 

It seemed like a large portion of people had either opted to stay on the ship or return early, and the Lido deck was crowded once we made our way up there. I found a couple of empty loungers on one of the higher tiers and gave permission for L to go on the slide endlessly as long as he let me know when he wanted/needed to go to a different area.

 

 

 

 

It now seemed like an optimal time for a beverage, so I got a Miami Vice from a server when he walked by.

 

 

 

 

I was pretty content in my spot, and L was happy on the slide, and very respectful about checking in. When he wanted to go to the main pool, I moved to the RedFrog to be in better sight of him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I saw ViJay, one of the bartenders at RF who had been friendly thus far. Since it wasn't too crowded, I asked if he would be willing to concoct an unknown drink. I write down the following ingredients on the back of a napkin:

 

 

 

Cream of Coconut

Half and Half

Kahlua

Baileys

Malibu

vodka

 

Blend and pour into a chocolate lined glass.

 

 

 

 

 

(Can anyone guess the drink???)

 

 

 

Vijay studied the list and willingly made the drink, to which I rewarded him with a healthy tip. It was DELICIOUS-and exactly like the original drink (found in what port now???)

 

 

 

I ran into one of the roll call couples by the pool and chatted with them a bit. In the meantime, my friends had returned and were also in need of both external and internal hydration.

 

 

 

Yes, it was time for Fireball....

 

[sunbird21]

We also noticed a sign advertising my drink:

 

 

Photo credit T. Burdette

 

 

 

So of course my friends wanted to take a "She's a Star" photo

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sunbird21]

Once again, it was times for burgers from Guys as we watched the sail away. Vijay had offered to repeat my previous drink order, which I accepted.

 

 

 

Around 5, I decided it was nap time if I wanted to stay awake late tonight, so I returned to my (clean- did i mention I had an awesome steward?) cabin.

 

 

 

I met up with V and M at Alchemy around 7:30. I was hesitant after the poor service the night before, but this time we had Kat, who made us some fruity concoction (off-menu, I might add). It was pretty good. Meanwhile, M wanted some drink that consisted of crushed olive juice and something else, which they had. He tried to get me to taste it, but Kat thankfully advised against it, saying that I I didn't like olives (I don't) there was no way I would like this drink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At dinner that night, we were surprised to find the Mangu on the menu.Of course, the guys had that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wasn't really feeling too hungry, and nothing that night looked appealing, so I skipped the appetizer and went for the flat iron steak. I was banking on them overcooking it, so I went for a medium rare cook. Sadly, I think the cow was still breathing when it arrived at the table. I neglected to get photos, sorry! If you really want an image, open a package of hamburger and squeeze some tomato juice in the middle, and you've got the idea.

 

 

 

 

We all skipped dessert, and I went with M and V to catch the Liars Club show while P and C finished up with Dragana.

[sunbird21]

 

 

We missed the first part of the show but still found some seats in the middle. It wasn't quite what I was expecting.

 

 

 

Basically, three people were given a strange word, and each gave a long ,drawn out description as to what the word meant. One description was usually sexually themed, another was scientific, and the third fell somewhere in between. At the end of each description, the crowd had to guess who was "telling the truth."

 

 

 

The word choices varied in category, and it was ok, but not hysterically funny. In other words, if you have a late dinner, don't rush to see it.

 

 

 

 

Once it was done, we ran into C and P, who had dropped the boys off at Camp Ocean again, this time with instructions for the staff to attempt to soothe or distract O if he started to fuss (i.e., do your job and give the parents a chance for some adult time).

 

 

 

We all walked around for a bit and ended up at the lobby bar, where we met Pari, a bartender that we met on Day 1. She remembered our names, and that we had had martinis from that night. I had had a tiramisu martini the first evening, and she suggested an espresso martini tonight. The others got chocolate martinis.

 

 

 

Pari made a great show of decorating the cups and stacking them precariously before pouring all three at once,all into our individual glasses.

 

 

 

 

 

We gave her much applause for her talent, and enjoyed the sumptuous martinis,listening to the music in the lobby.

 

 

 

 

M,V and I decided to head to the show in the theater, a variety show called Edge. C and P decided to go check out the music on the Promenade and enjoy their time alone before having to collect the boys. There was an 80's party later on the deck, and we were all in our white for that.

 

 

 

 

The three of us got decent seats in the theater for the show. Once it started, I immediately regretted going. Variety shows are not usually my thing,unless the performer is really entertaining, which IMO this guy wasn't. he was more of an obnoxious jokester type that heckled people and did some tricks.

 

 

 

 

Despite my earlier nap, I could feel myself nodding off. Since I wanted to make the 80's party, I figured I would slip out during a break and walk around to wake myself up and keep busy.

 

 

 

 

I thought my opportunity came when he paused and the lights when dark, and he was taking time to set up his next act. After I briefly whispered my plans to V, I slipped out into the aisle I quicklyscampered towards the door.

 

 

 

And THEN….

 

 

 

THE MOST EMBARRASSING THING HAPPENED

 

 

 

I was about 10 feet from the door when the lights seemed be blasted on and I heard the performer screaming, "Lady!! Lady!!"

 

 

 

 

I froze,and tried to discreetly look over my shoulder. I found myself literally in the spotlight with the performer standing well within my personal bubble.

 

 

 

"Why are you leaving?!?!!" he exclaimed, close enough for me to note that he had had something spicy to eat recently.

 

 

 

I wanted to DIE. I mumbled something about "just leaving for a minute" (hey, it could've been true-people do need to excuse themselves).

 

 

 

The guy turned back to the crowd. "Oh, I didn't know that YOU HAD TO GO TO THE BATHROOM. I'm SO SORRY," he shouted.

 

 

 

Then he looks at me. "But, YOU ARE COMING BACK,RIGHT???"

 

 

 

Are you effing kidding me??? Even if I HAD needed a restroom break, there's no way in HELL I was setting foot back in that theater.

 

 

 

I just nodded really quickly, turn, and bolted out of there.

 

 

 

I later learned from V and M that he continued to heckle me after I left, commenting on my attire and being there "without a man."

 

 

 

I'm so glad that I gave him an opportunity to be humorous, since he had been lacking that earlier in his show.

 

 

 

In the meantime, I wandered to the casino, trying to distance myself from the theater.

 

 

 

I am in no way a gambler(guess thats why I didn't receive an invite to the Elite cruise), and the only time I'm usually in a ship's casino is if I'm crossing through it. That being said, there have been a couple of times on cruises when I desperately needed to kill some time between activities and keep myself awake, so I would toss $10 in a slot machine for entertainment purposes.

 

 

 

This was one of those times.

 

 

 

I sat down at a random penny machine, figuring my $10 would go further. I studied the system and set up my cashless account after a couple of tries.

 

 

 

After playing at a couple machines, I spied the Fishing Bob machine that I had read about in other reviews as being especially "friendly."

 

It took me a couple of spins before I started winning small amounts-a few dollars here and there. I still don't quite understand the set up, but even I caught on that when I got a bonus "fishing screen" where I got to select multiple fish, that I must be doing well.

 

 

 

Sure enough, I ended up winning $75!! That was a nice balm to my humiliation from earlier.

 

 

 

 

I'd like to think I'm smarter than a rat in a maze, and I cashed out my card,not wanting to lose my winnings.

 

 

 

 

It was just about time for the 80's party, so I headed to Lido, and found it to be…pretty empty.

 

 

 

I hung around for a bit, and more people showed up, but the party was slow to start. I kept waiting, but didn't find any of my friends, so when it started to sprinkle, I decided to call it a night.

 

 

 

Back in the cabin, I had this fellow waiting to join me…

 

[sunbird21]

OK, that's a wrap for me tonight!!

 

Stacey

[gannk]

I'm loving your review, I can't wait for more!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[DenaInWyo]

What an ass that "comedian" was. I've seen shows like that before. If you have to keep your audience in their seats by heckling them for leaving, you might want to rethink your show. Your friends should have made a big production of standing up and leaving as he continued to (very innappropriately) heckle you. Hey, it wasn't your fault he sucked so bad you had to leave so you wouldn't fall asleep :D

 

Congrats on your casino win! I'm the opposite..I find myself there way too much on cruises.