Eating and costs of cruise

There is a cafe with hot cookies and pizza available all the time. We get coffee or water and cookies often...or cheese pizza Slice with salt many days. I have been craving salt....they must cook for people with high blood pressure..salt free food.

Erik is our waiter from the Philipines..and Swen from Germany. We are told to tip $3.75 a day each for waiter, $2.15 day for assistant waiter, and $5.00 a day for stateroom attendant who folds towels into animals for us. The drinks add 15% automatically ... A lot of people will be surprised at their expensive bar bill. Hal and I have been drinking smuggled on board sangria , brandy and almond liquor. We refuse to pay $8 for a glass of wine or $37 for a bottle in a package deal.


This cruise cost us less than $1900 total including 2 tours.... $44 each and $29 each covered by our $150 shipboard credit provided by agency crucon. This was a good deal minus the work we will need to do to get rid of the weight we gained. It would be more fun if we traveled with a group of people we knew. Maybe you can join us next time?
This is our last of 9 sea days. We have been away from home too long. Looking forward to Thanksgiving!
Picture blog at http://travelingyoungs.blogspot.com

Ship shows...ice skating and parade down mall

We saw ice show twice...up front and pretty professional while sailing in the Carribean . The sis entertainment is the best we have experienced....pretty professional and best thing we take advantage of while sailing. We have gone to ALL shows each night.

Glass bottom boat in Nassau

Our $150 ship board credit paid for this tour..$29 each. We went out past the Atlantis big resort, Oprah's house, and fancy homes on Paradise island. Drank 3 rum punches, and saw fish in the coral without getting into the water and needing to deal with snorkel mask, etc.

Spiritual sea days

I really liked the attitude of the acupuncture lady....mild, not pushy, talking about life style changes combined with western medicine that treats symptoms rather than causes.

Hal and I like the private , non noisy part of deck 4 close to the waves. We read, played spider, talked and walked from front of ship to back of ship. I meditated a few times in the chapel...on the top deck.

Sports at sea

Hal and I worked out at the gym or used the steam room everyday we did not go to shore. Judy beat the par at the miniature golf...helped by the rocking of the ship. We chose NOT to climb the rock wall or go ice skating.... Not wanting to get hurt.

Nov 16, Another sea day between Florida keys and Cuba

Twenty four hours after my fall in Nassau, I can walk...instead of hobble very, very slowly. I think that is good news. I took an anti inflammatory prescription.... Indocin , that helps the twisted calf and hip tendons feel not so angry. I had feared a hip fracture, but am pretty sure that did not happen. Again, I use this incident as a lesson on how quickly an accident can change your life. So so glad my back is not involved.

I was on a rough uneven street with traffic on the reverse side like in England. We had taken a glass bottom boat tour in the morning with 3 rum punches each... Might have contributed to my fall? As I tripped up a curb in slow motion action I twisted around and felt my calf muscle stretch real bad and fell on my left hip and palm. In shock I payed on my left side with many people rushing up and asking "Are you okay?" . A man bend down next to me and said , "I am a doctor, how are you?". Heavy jet black women reached down to pull me up, Hal too, but I needed to regroup. I think it is muscle and tendon trauma and did not want the ship's doctor to put my ass in a sling. It was rough getting back to the ship.....now we take elevators instead of 4 flights of stairs to each activity....sit down meals instead of buffet....and Hal going to fetch me afternoon ice cream and morning coffee.

We have 2 sea days now....today's program
Eat.( eggs Benedict )..sit on deck to write this and watch ocean....eat.... Ice show performance o n the Caribbean.... Spa for steam room and sauna to treat hip.... Dress for formal dinner tonight.... "Royalpallooza" parade to entertain guests on promenade deck.... Headliner show in theater with Las Vegas entertainer ... Eat ( Italian focus..always 4 courses) at 8:30 late seating... Karaoke superstar finals. This is not a normal life and yes we are gaining weight, but not too bad.

There are many,Many other tacky activities to choose from... Trivia competition, bridge lessons, miniature golf competition, gambling tournament , arts and crafts..(embossed reindeer card today), movie in theater, cooking demonstration, acupuncture lectures, poolside dance lessons, art auctions, library open with sodoku competition, daily drink packages , 4 different kind of music venues, world's sexiest man competition at pool, church services in chapel for Jews and Catholics, nightclub dancing..etc. If you like these things, then sea days are for you.

We get into Galveston in 2 days... Between 9:30 and 10 am... If my hip continues to improve, I should be able to handle my luggage. We did not buy much.

Nov 12 rough sea day

First picture was day before, then it rained and the ship started rolling.....but we are not getting sick! No need for seasick patch. Swells and whitecaps. We went from class to class...shopping, acupuncture....found out the high blood pressure medicine with beta blocker causes bone spurs in fingers and painful joints. Change meds. Had afternoon entertainment with piano man, then Hal had me go to dumb movie... PIrates of the Carribean , dead man's chest that lasted 2.5 hours so no time for gym. That's okay, but time for me to focus on inner work..... Tomorrow.