Day 3: Cruise Day/Cinco de Mayo

Talk about waking up with anticipation...how do you contain your joy of waiting 20+ years to do a cruise alone with your spouse? Something you've dreamed about for decades? It's not easy. When we woke up around 7:30 or so, we knew the paperwork said we couldn't board before 1:30 PM, but waiting around all morning was going to be very difficult. We couldn't wait to get on the ship! We decided to leave our room before noon, figuring we'd get close, then eat lunch nearby. The GPS talked us straight into the parking area, and once there, we couldn't really leave port and there wasn't any restaurants or shops around. We were there by noon...now what would we do?
We talked to one of the Carnival employees helping direct people to the right places. He told us that even though it was very early, they were allowing people to board and had a nice lunch buffet already prepared on board for us. We quickly got our suitcases checked and headed through security to board. I remember walking up the gangway thinking, "This could go either way. Either we'll argue over something and have a miserable time, or else we'll find out just how much we love each other and it'll be the best thing to happen to our marriage in a very long time. I left determined not to argue about anything, as far as it was up to me. Tim has been under so much pressure for the past 5 months, I just wasn't sure where he was at. Would all the recent pressure cause him to compare this to some great cruise from his past and he'll complain the whole time, or will I get to see a side of him I've waited years to see, the wonderful husband I believed him to be."

As we entered the ship, we were told the rooms wouldn't be released for another hour or so, and we should go enjoy the buffet by the pool. That's what we did. The atrium where we entered was just like I remember the pictures and videos from when this group of ships was new, about 20 years ago. I remember thinking back then what it would be like to stand in a multi-level atrium, all lit up, with the smoky glass elevator, and grandiose furnishings all around. It was everything I hoped it would be, and that was just the beginning. We rode the elevator up 3 decks to the pool area and buffet. Sliding brass and glass doors opened automatically to reveal the Lido Deck. It was just like the pictures! I know it sounds strange that I was surprised at this, but after staying in dozens and dozens of hotels that weren't quite as nice as their photos made it seem, this was amazing! I also remember being among a mostly un-American staff. Everyone is from another country, bringing with them their wonderful accents. For people like me who love to listen to accents, it was so much fun!
We walked over to the lunch buffet and found burgers, coleslaw, potato salad, french fries, chicken nuggets, and more. We both knew we were returning from this vacation and starting our 8 week CORE weight loss program, so individually, we'd both decided to not worry about calories and to just enjoy the experience. I did do pretty well at choosing healthier options and avoiding the choices that were absolute junk food, though. The food was good, but it was the atmosphere that really got me excited. We were sailing to Catalina Island, Ensenada, Mexico, and spending a day at sea before returning on Friday morning. It was Cinco de Mayo as we left for a Mexican cruise. There was a party atmosphere right from the start, but it sort of eased its way in, allowing plenty of quiet time to soak in the surroundings.
After getting to our room, we got changed to head back to the pool area. I'm very claustrophobic so I was happy that our inside stateroom had a fake window for me. It's an indentation to look like a window with a curtain closed in it. It resembles a real window with closed curtains so I never felt like I was in a box (until nighttime when it was pitch dark and you couldn't tell if it was day or night outside that room). The queen sized bed was pretty comfortable and there was a desk, and a chair, and the bathroom wasn't as tiny as I expected. It was a great value. By the way, did I mention we only had to pay $685 total for this cruise?! That's for BOTH of us, all charges & fees. You can't even stay in a regular hotel and eat for 4 or 5 days for that little amount. Anyway, back to the pool we went.

We found two chairs beside each other, kicked off our shoes, and just soaked up the sun, enjoying the cool sea breeze, the sounds of the music starting to pick up around the area, the murmur of passengers making their way to the buffet, and the seagulls flying around. It was an afternoon filled with joy and peace. Knowing we had nowhere to be, no one to be responsible for, no one to answer to but each other, and we were in charge of our day...something we've never been able to both experience together before. We also didn't have to worry about looking at prices on the menu, considering cover or ticket charges for the entertainment, or worry about drinking and driving. All our cares melted away as we experienced what it was like to be "on vacation".
A little while later the captain announced we were making changes to the itinerary. There was a hurricane and bad weather in the southwest area around Mexico that was causing high winds and rough sees, so we were going to avoid it. Instead of Catalina Island, then Mexico, then the day at sea, we would do our day at sea first, then the island, then Mexico, then book it from there for home the next morning. We didn't care either way, but we did have pretty rough sees all that first day. You could really feel it on every part of the boat. By the end of the second night, everyone felt a little off, but we got through it. It was still better than sitting home watching television.
We showed up to the dining room for the early seating, around 6 PM. We were travelling alone, so we had no idea what to expect from our soon-to-be dinner friends at our assigned table. The first couple to show up was Christopher and Kerry. They were a very nice couple, about 10 years younger than me, with similar likes/dislikes. We got along great with them. Then the women showed up. We had the absolute privilege of dining with 6 beautiful ladies. Sally was the head of their group, she was born in China but moved to the states for college and opportunity. She's a smart, successful business woman. She was so much fun, had a great sense of humor, and appreciated everything in her life, taking nothing for granted as we Americans often do. She was traveling with her mother and 4 cousins, I think (unless she said one was her aunt, hard to tell, they all look so much younger!). Her mother and 2 of the cousins came from China for the cruise, the others live in the states. Oddly enough, the one sitting next to Tim lives literally the next town over from us. What are the odds? I enjoyed our first dinner on the cruise very much and was very happy we had who we did at our table. I felt very blessed.
When dinner came, we were taken care of by Tuty, Imarte, and another guy I can't remember his name. They were of Asian descent. I ordered the Spring Rolls with a Vietnam sauce for my appetizer. The special appetizer of the day was Alligator. Tim ordered that, along with most everyone at our table. Not me. Sorry, but I was not going to blow the vacation of a lifetime by taking chances eating strange foods that might make me sick. I ordered the steak with roasted garlic and mashed potatoes for my entree. When it came, the roasted garlic clove was the size of a tennis ball. I'd never had a roasted bulb of garlic before. I wasn't sure what to expect, nor what to do with it. I poked it with my knife to see it was soft like a spread. Ooohhh, that opened up LOTS of new possibilities in my world of cooking! I took out a clove and spread it on my steak. It was like a soft butter. It tasted like nothing else I'd ever had before. The steak was okay, flavored well, but it was the garlic bulb I was most excited over. I put some into my mashed potatoes too and it melted almost instantly into them. Kerry, who I had only known about 20 minutes, asked if she could try it. Being my usual self, I said, "Sure, just go ahead and take what you want." Only after she reached onto my plate with her knife did it occur to me that this should feel weird, letting a stranger eat something off my plate, but it didn't. It was like we were old friends, cruising together, enjoying an adventure. Dessert was a bit hard for me since I'm not a fan of chocolate. I don't eat chocolate ice cream, or chocolate cake, and I don't like chocolate milk. The only time I may eat it is in a choc. chip brownie, in choc. chip ice cream, on top of a Boston Cream Cake or eclair, and maybe a brownie or two a year. Everything on the menu seemed to either have chocolate or artificial sweetener in their "healthy low sugar choice". I chose a Fig Pudding with Passion Fruit Custard with Pumpkin Seed Crunch. How's that for healthy? It was a baked/steamed pudding like a sponge cake, with a thin, liquid-y spread Tuty poured over it for me. The "Crunch" was a single baked chip of sorts made from pumpkin seeds and probably sugar to hold it together. It also came with a cute, petite scoop of Rum Raisin ice cream. It was the healthiest choice, and it was actually pretty good. Glad I'd made the choice to get it.

After dinner, we roamed the ship to see what there was to do. The casino was jumping, but Tim works hard for his money and gambling isn't something we enjoy doing. We don't give others a hard time about the enjoyment of casinos, it's just not for us. We found the tail end of a party in the atrium area. They had an employee directing some line dancing to music that wasn't country. It looked fun, but as I said, it was the tail end of it when we got out of dinner. We did find the Violin Bar, where we ended up spending most of our evening time during the cruise. The actual bar is on one side, there's a small stage across the open-concept walk through area, and lots of tables and chairs along the side. We heard a cover band playing called The Sea Ninjas. It was their first set of their first cruise gig ever. The first night they were doing songs of Motown from the 1960s and 1970s. We knew almost all of them, the band was good, so we stayed there but went back to the room to retire early.

We returned to our room to see the dog on our bed made from rolled towels. Housekeeping had gotten our room picked up and ready for us to get some sleep. Although the seas were rough, lying down, it wasn't so bad - except for not knowing when it was morning from the darkness of our room.