willdra

When we finished eating we just went out and looked in a few shops. I found my second duck outside of the casino. I have been duck lucky on this cruise, and I love every one of them! I saw a couple of shirts that I liked in the shops, but I didn’t get them. I would go back later. That was another good thing about Sea Days. The shops stayed open all day until late. After our short window shopping trip, I sat on Deck 4 and waited for W to go down to the cabin to get our cups for the Diamond Platinum Party. It was only noon but people were lining up, cuz that's what people do. We got in line too(when in Rome) and they let us in at 12:27.

When we got back to the front, they assigned us another table right away. This time it was 409. Earth returned to its proper axis as we sat down. All order and decorum was restored. We figured the tables must've gotten switched around during dinner or some other time. Either way, I’ve learned to speak up when I don’t want to do something. I used to just go with the flow even when it was uncomfortable, unnecessary, and aggravating. I still go with the flow, but I’m not paying these inflated cruise prices for discomfort. I can get that for free. For brunch I ordered the Skillet Cake with Bacon and Cheese Grits. We also ordered our free brunch drinks. I got a Blue Margarita and W got a Rum Punch. It was all very appetizing. Even tho I couldn’t see the cheese in the grits, they tasted very cheesy. Win win. For the remainder of brunch, we ate slow and talked about our trip thus far. We had successfully accomplished lots of things, and for that we were extremely grateful. For us, cruising is a privilege, not a right. God is good. Eventually we started talking about how good the catfish was the night before, and yes it deserved another mention. Carnival really put their foot in that one! W said his Shrimp Cocktail was like eating crunchy water tho (but isn't that ice?), and I’m sorry to the tables around us for the hee that I hawed. I laughed so hard, I almost choked. He said it was frozen solid and the cocktail sauce didn’t help it at all. Mine was perfect, so he just got a bad batch. Which he continued to eat. Choices.

2nd Sea Day We took our time getting up. It was around 10 when we were officially of this world. The VIFP Party was at 12:30 that day so we would just eat and hang out until it was time. This would be our last shot for Sea Day brunch so that was the move. When I was almost ready, W checked us in. There was no wait. Hmmm. We were assigned Table 393. I double checked it after W said it cuz y’all know he will say it wrong for no reason. It was in fact 393. He got it right. Color me impressed. For now. We walked down to the dining room and told the hostess our table number. W even showed it to her. No problem. Until, oh what do we have here? A problem. We walked around looking for that table for longer than I was comfortable with. The hostess even had someone else look with us. There was no Table 393. Anywhere. So the hostess gets tired of looking, then suddenly stops at a random table full of people, and was like “You can just sit here”. Pardon? Everyone at the table had their food already, and they froze with forks midair when she said that. All talking ceased and all eyes were on us. Uh uh. No ma’am Pam. We were not sitting there. I managed a “No thank you. We would like a table for 2” as politely as possible. She agreed, but with a tone of sadness, and a hint of confusion, then took us back to the hostess station. Cousins. We're family, so I know that I can be honest with y'all here. There was no tea no shade no pink lemonade. At all. I didn’t have any issues with the people at the table, the location, the placement of the fake sugar, the one lady's brown bird nest-ish hairdo, or the table itself. It just would’ve been strange for us to sit there after they were all almost done. I could picture us sitting down and saying "Oh I know y'all have all introduced yourselves, and are firmly planted in conversation, but will you kindly start over from the beginning and fill us in on everything we missed?" Ew. Nein, danke. The Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast was earlier that morning. I think it has to be reserved ahead of time, but I'm not 100% sure.

If anyone is interested in reading about my past indiscretions 😉, all of my reviews are linked in my signature below. ⬇️

LOL! 😂 This has me smiling at my desk like a mental patient! 😜 If I could do a cartwheel without breaking something that I need, I would!! 🤸🏾‍♀️🤸🏾‍♀️🤸🏾‍♀️🤸🏾‍♀️

Whoa 🤯 Thank you so much!!! I appreciate the ♥️♥️♥️!! 😃😃😃

After I was all caught up for the day, I watched a little more TV, read my book, then turned in. Sometime later W stopped by to dip into his gambling cash cuz he blew thru the free play that we got. Not a good sign. Before I fell asleep I said a prayer thanking God that I read and followed the directions that Resort For A Day sent with the reservation. That was not just an afterthought or suggestion. It was mandatory. We had to use the printout a couple of times before we even got there. Failing to follow those instructions would've left us stuck like Chuck with no bucks. Aw shucks.

W and I went back to the cabin after the party. I changed clothes while he got ready to go to the casino. He asked me to go with him, but I was in for the night. Plus we’d been together all day long. Not that I mind it, but this would be some 'me" time that I was looking forward to. When W left, I turned on the TV and my dude Jeff Corwin was on, so I was golden. I love watching his adventures while I'm on a cruise. You couldn’t pay me to watch something like that at home, but when I’m on a cruise I don’t feel right until I watch his show and Vacation Creation(the ones with Tommy Davidson). I finished up my notes from the day since I was very behind. I try to balance taking notes with having fun and hanging with W. I’m not always the best at it, but I think I’m getting better at enjoying the journey and being in the moment, while also remembering key points of the day to write about. I also use my pictures and time stamps as reminders, which helps a lot.

At the conclusion of the Comedy Show we ran upstairs to get to the Mega Deck Halloween Party. The pre-party started at 10:15. It was fun to watch the costumes start coming out. I loved those two sharks. They were adorbs. I was sad they didn’t make it in the competition. Some of the costumes that made it were very well done. Some were ????? The contest was a little rigged, cuz there was a group of pre teens in the front who pretty much determined the winners. They yelled the loudest for all of their friends/family. All in all it was fun to watch, and I applaud everyone who has the courage to get out there. That takes a courage that I do not possess, and it does not possess me.

We ate as fast as we could cuz we wanted to go to the Comedy Show at 9. We got down there at 8:30. The line from the Limelight Lounge was all the way back to the casino. Yes that far. We were slightly concerned that maybe we wouldn’t get in. We know the Limelight holds a lot of people, we just didn’t know where the cutoff point was. When they let us in, we got good seats and there were still lots of seats open. Now we know if we are in line all the way down to the casino, we will be good to go. The comedian that night was Lenny Schmidt. He was very funny and we laughed a good bit. Go see him.

We got up at 6:30 and got ready for dinner. W checked us in and there was a 10 minute wait. I didn’t know what I wanted to eat yet. I had to peruse the new menu some more. I finally decided on Shrimp Cocktail, Ceviche Crudo, Fried Mississippi Catfish, and Tiramisu. The Ceviche was good but that Catfish was everything! It was hot and fresh. This had to be what that fish tasted like when Jesus fed the multitude with 5 loaves and 2 fish. Those 2 fish had to be this fish's ancestors. W got it also and both of us raved about it. Well played Carnival. Well played.

We were hungry again by that time. I got GBJ, and W got some miscellaneous buffet items. My burger was excellent. That cheese was cheesing, and the burger was burgering. If my cholesterol is high at my next exam, please don’t tell my doctor I ate that burger. Trust me, she will not be amused. After we ate, there wasn’t anything that we wanted to do. But take a nap. This time I set my alarm so I wouldn't oversleep. Fool me once..... We snatched those curtains closed, and climbed in. W told me later that I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. I was out like a light (in my Drake voice). It wasn't a mystery tho, I was still sleepy from Disneyland. We did A LOT in a little bit of time. I wouldn’t change a thing. It was a great day, and so far a magnificent cruise. No regrets.

I was glad that we gave ourselves an hour and a half to get back to the ship. It took almost 30 minutes to get to the pier. Traffic was longer than the last hour of work on a Friday. The instructions from Resort For A Day said to leave 2 hours early. I was good with 90 minutes tho. We got right on a tender boat as soon as we walked up. Perfect timing. We sat there waiting for the boat to fill up. After we pushed off, it took a few minutes to get back to the ship. On the way, a lady on the boat said that they spent the night in a hotel instead of going back to the ship. She also said that they were charged a fee by Carnival for staying in port overnight. I remember seeing something on the innanets about that. It was not advisable to stay off on this overnight port cuz the ship leaves, then comes back the next day, weather permitting. If the ship doesn't come back to Cabo, you have to get yourself to the next port. No bueno. If any of my cruise cousins are considering spending the night in Cabo, please research it first, so there are no surprises. Govern yourselves accordingly.

My first alarm was set for 1:45 and it sounded way too soon. We could’ve eaten again, but we were full from breakfast. After we got out of the pool, W turned in our towels to get the cards back. We had to turn the cards in and let them cut off our wristbands at the front desk before we left. We went there, checked out, and they also got a taxi for us to go back to the ship. For us the price was very worth it, and we would go back in a heartbeat. It would’ve been nice to have more time there, but that was out of our control.

After we were 2 stuffed turkeys, we went to find a spot for the day out back. There are several large pools back there. We found some shade and I took a few pics. Next I caught up on my notes, then went to get in the pool with W. We had to leave at 2, so I wanted to make the most of my time there. Before W and I decided to cruise exclusively, we stayed at several RIU All Inclusive properties in the Caribbean. One thing that we remembered (not so fondly) was the drinks. The bar tenders are very generous with their alcohol pours, however the drinks don’t really taste good. I had a Strawberry Daiquiri, a Rum Punch, and a Margarita. The first two tasted like they used sugar free mix. They had a weird aftertaste. That's when I switched to the Margarita. Welp, all I could taste in the Margarita was tequila. The mix that they used had to be fighting for its life(and losing) in that cup. I wasn’t mad about it, by that time my taste buds had clocked out. It felt like I went to the pool bar to have a few drinks, but those drinks ended up having me. Between the breakfast mimosas and the pool drinks we had plenty of alcohol. Our cup runneth ova. We chose to chill in the infinity pool for the remainder of our time, cuz it had stools and benches in it. It was a good place to park it for the day. We had a sweet view of the Panorama and the Navigator of the Seas that pulled up a little later. It was very beautiful and picturesque out there.

A very nice gentleman checked us in, took our payment for the balance of the reservation, gave us wristbands, and 2 cards for towels. We were also given instructions and info on the property. We had access to all of the bars, food, and amenities. They were still serving breakfast when we arrived, so we went there first. The buffet was ginormous! There was almost every kind of breakfast food that one could imagine. There was even a mimosa bar. Between that and all of the open bars that we passed, they were dranking dranking over there at the RIU. It was impressive. If I ever go back to Cabo on an all inclusive, I would absolutely stay there. The only negative was the heat. They had the windows open, but that heat was standing on business. It would not be ignored. W and I loaded up our plates then we sat down to eat. Everything on my plate was delicious. Especially the donut with Nutella(manna from heaven).

The Resort For A Day instructions stated that we had to print out our pass beforehand, which I did. We walked all the way out of the port area where there were taxis waiting. They asked where we were going, and I told them RIU Palace. They said they would take us, and it was $17. It was a short ride over. 12 minutes tops. At the entrance to the hotel zone, the driver stopped and a security guard popped his head in and asked to see our reservations. I showed him my printout and he let us go in. When we got to the hotel we went through the Guest Services line. A very nice gentleman checked us in, took our payment for the balance of the reservation, gave us wristbands, and 2 cards for towels. We were also given instructions and info on the property. We had access to all of the bars, food, and amenities.

First, since we were cutting it so close, I went into the Guest Services line to make sure we weren’t too late. There were 2 ladies who looked like they babysat Captain Kangaroo in front of me speaking with the rep. They were telling her that they paid for an Ocean View Cabin but they received an Interior Cabin. They gave her their confirmation and boarding passes. The Guest Services Rep said “It says on here that you booked an Interior”. Somebody's Nana: “Yes but we thought it was a mistake because we specifically asked for an Ocean View and that’s what we paid for”. Rep: “You confirmed the booking online for an Interior Cabin” Nana: “Yes but we thought it would change. Should we talk to the person who booked us?”. Rep: Smiles in “I can’t believe this”. Then says: “Yes we aren’t able to change that now”. 2 twirls and a drop it low go to the rep for her cool, calm, and collected demeanor. I know she wanted to say “It’s now Wednesday. You’ve been on this ship since Sunday. Why are you just now realizing you have the wrong cabin? Why didn’t you sort it out before the cruise? Why did you confirm it? Who booked you? What were you hoping would occur? You better lean on the promises of God, cuz I don’t have anything for you. Now sashay away” Jiminy Cricket. People are really peopling this morning. When it was my turn I asked if we missed the window to be taken off of the ship with the group. I was told to just wait in the lobby and they would collect us. We did that, but by 9:11 we were still there. I know we were there on time cuz I took my first picture at 8:59 and that was after I waited in the Guest Services line behind Lucy and Ethel. While we were sitting there, a Crew Member came and got a couple of people then left. She came back a few minutes later and got somebody else, so we asked if she was supposed to take us also. She said "Oh you had to be here by 9". We said: "We were". Then she said “Did you tell GS that you were waiting?” "Yep. Did that too. Now what?". “Oh ok then you can go down now". All she did was push the button for the elevator, and sent us all down to Deck 0 unescorted. We could’ve done that ourselves. When we got down there, we walked right onto the tender. And left.

Cabo San Lucas Day 2 This is the reason that we booked this cruise. The last time we sailed on the Panorama we fell in love with Cabo. It is so beautiful, we wanted to spend more time there. When I saw that this sailing does 2 Cabo days, I jumped on it. Before the cruise, I read that sometimes the ship isn’t able to return the 2nd day due to the weather or seas, so I petitioned the man upstairs to calm the seas please. Welp it must’ve worked cuz we were docked on the coast of Cabo again when we got up at 8:20am. Blessed. For this Cabo day, I purchased day passes at RIU Palace on Resort For A Day. I thought we were going to breakfast then getting off at our leisure. As I was getting myself together, W suggested that we get off with the Diamond/Platinum group, and just eat at the resort since it was all-inclusive. The Diamond/Platinum groups were meeting by Guest Services between 8-9. W said he didn’t want to have to deal with getting a tender ticket. I could see the benefit of that plan, so I went along with it. However, that only gave us 15 minutes to get down there. I hurriedly finished trying to make sure my breath didn’t smell like a haunted house. When I was almost sure that it didn’t, we went downstairs around 8:55.

The gasoline underpants line is one of my personal favorites. It’s so versatile, it can be applied to a multitude of situations! 😂😂🔥🔥

Wow 🤩 you’re good! I didn’t even realize which ship it was until you posted this! 😆

Welcome back! Glad that you’re here! 😍😍