DandDM

Thanks for the suggestion and glad you are still at! Always enjoyed running stories.

Went to the suite deck, will post some photos below. Have had a chance to stretch and work on sore muscles and feeling better. But an old pain that I sometimes get in my upper left thigh is flaring up, so will definitely take today off to rest that. Have a run planned in St Thomas for tomorrow. Entrance from deck 16 Bar area (Symphony has a hot tub here, but not on oasis). front area facing pool deck. back side with four cabana (first come first serve) overlooking Solarium and stern of ship. Starboard side. Very pleasant out with nice breeze. Current situation:

A fancy valentine’s cake outside of Windjammer! But someone ate half a piece then left the rest in front of my door…how rude! Beautiful sea today. I love that deep blue!

We are headed to St Thomas and clocks moved forward an hour last night. So when I woke up at 8am, it was 9 ship time. And I was sore! I think the long run catching up with me. Decided not to run this morning (afternoon run a possibility…maybe), so turned the TV on and laid back down - ended up sleeping for another hour. Dreamt that I was at a bar in port with the guy I was talking to last night in Vintages, and a friend of mine that he reminded me of was also there. When I was getting ready to leave, realized I’d missed the ship. anyway, lazy morning then to CK for lunch. Scallop ceviche, not what I expected but good. Spinach salad. This was my favorite salad so far. And a very well seasoned swordfish. Full now and may go lay out for a bit and maybe take another nap!

Yesterday in Labadee. Third stop here for me…first time went straight to a beach to meet some people then went for a sail and swim. Second time didn’t get off the ship. This time, made sure to check out as much as I could. It was hot with little wind. I took this later, when I left the ship, it said 86. Big change from last week. Was welcomed to shore. climbed some steps and around some trails. ended up at hideaway beach for a couple hours, ate, got in the water and laid out for a bit. Didn’t take any photos. Notable item at the buffet was a shrimp sandwich roll. I saw it after I’d already had some other stuff and so didn’t try (it looked good!) Some other photos from my exploring to follow. I did walk through the craft area and a few vendors approach me, but gave up quickly when I said I wasn’t shopping or had no money. My initial thought is that I prefer Labedee over Coco Cay because of the paved trails and more ‘natural’ feel.

I want to say this wasn’t a ‘f - it’ meal in response to my weigh in today…but you can decide. Venue is chops. bread…. First dish:bacon slab. I thought it was more fatty than usual, but very tasty. wild mushroom soup as I love mushrooms. This was the worst course of the night (still very good), as the flavors was so-so and a bit salty. Lamb more main course with asparagus and baked potato. I mentioned earlier in the thread that I’m not that big into steak, and found the lamb with its sauce to be very good. Hot lave cake (or whatever they call it on RC), this is the first dessert I’ve finished this cruise. cheers,

Now that I think about that, I guess it makes sense as there is that escalator on that side…. Labadee was starboard again.

About to head to Labedee, definitely making it this week. Had a pretty mellow evening yesterday so was up early. Had an interesting run; before I started, the Captain announced a staff only drill. When I started running, there were a few white jumpsuited engineers fiddling around the lifeboats. As time went on, more and more staff showed up, quickly realized they were doing a muster drill. Eventually there were probably over a hundred folks lining the track, felt like it was a spectator event! I think because they were there I ran faster than usual, ended up doing 10 laps (4.2 miles) in 43 minutes. Happy with that run as I was a bit sore from yesterday, this was run eight. After my run did something I shouldn’t have…found a scale. Backing up: yesterday I put on some shorts that I hadn’t worn since early in the cruise. I thought they felt tight, then I could help but check my belly out in the mirror. The weigh in was right after my run, and I was wearing my sweaty clothes and shoes, plus I don’t have a comparison on that scale…but it said I’ve GAINED FIVE POUNDS!! Disappointing for sure. I guess I’ve had large portions, and the food has been rich. I’ve also drank much more than I usually do. But was really hoping I’d at least hold steady. Oh well, I bet this is weight I can lose quickly when I get back to regular life. Also got me thinking about where I would be if I treated this like a regular cruise!

Just seems random when I get stuff! Today I got a print out of celebrity cruises from next cruise….

Will do! Considering doing a short trip report on the race on a site called Vegas message board, but leaning against since other than the run, won’t be a very exciting trip. Either way, will post here. cheers,

Almost forgot- didn’t get a compass yesterday, but got one tonight which reminded me to stop by the SL to snap a photo. below is day 2 & 3

Dinner tonight at Giovanni’s. It was my favorite last week so pleased to return. Started with Minestrone soup. I always enjoy Minestrone but end up ordering something else. Tonight I’m glad I got it, was very good and a nice solid start to the meal. pasta was …. Surprise … the mushroom risotto. Third time I’ve had it this trip and it never disappoints. For main dish, went with the Fillet. I’ve had this one and the chops fillet on consecutive nights in the past, and I prefer the Giovanni one. It also blew the one in CK away. Tiramisu for dessert. This wasn’t that great, pretty mild flavor. The biscotti was my favorite part.

Hmmm, maybe not the best idea, but I have two of these in my fridge! I WILL make it to Labedee tomorrow! (That is a message to myself). Went out on deck for awhile, but it is very busy and a bit windy (mostly from the ships speed, I think, as the seas are smooth). So I’m relaxing on my balcony, doing some Vegas research for next week.

Good luck! Seas have been very nice for us today.

After cooling down and cleaning up, time for lunch! Started with tomato soup with little sandwiches that someone told me the other day was his favorite thing on the lunch menu. I agree, the sandwich dipped in the soup was superb! Too bad the sandwiches were so small… Next was the wedge salad. I’d seen this but not tried it. It was tasty and well plated, but really not my thing, I think the amount of dressing turned me off it. For the entree, went back to the salmon, I really liked it last time and it was just as good today. No dessert, but had white wine. As tomorrow is Labedee again, I’m going to take it easy today on the drink so I’m sure not to miss it…see how that goes!

Have a great day going! Sea day today. Woke up early, and other than some heartburn in the middle of the night from the fried food, had a great night’s sleep. Got going slowly, rehydrated, had some coffee and fruit. After a good stretch went for a run on the promenade track. As it was an interesting and good run will go into some detail. Started out strong, but also got a little winded. Checked my timer and calculated that I did the first mile in just under 10 minutes. While I was pleased that I hit that mark, knew that I couldn’t sustain the pace. It was also very busy and part of that pace was me speeding up to go around people, which I knew would wear me out quickly. Photo of an especially busy stretch. After five laps, decided this would be a long run so committed myself to run at least 12 laps and aim for 15. Had my water bottle and stopped every few laps to get a drink. No hydration issues today. However, next to where I stored the bottle, saw this top and bottom of a ladies swim suit…had a few thoughts of how it got there! On lap 7, my brain was elsewhere (maybe still thinking about the disposed clothing) and didn’t notice the slight rise in the track. One of my feet caught and I stumbled and fell - of course in front of people! Luckily I had a pretty soft landing and no injuries or pain. On lap 9 had a shoelace come untied. I bring these things up, because at that point, wasn’t feeling good about the run and started to talk myself into stopping at ten laps…but I’d promised myself at least 12, so powered through. Glad I did as soon got a second wind and had a few good laps, then it was lap 15 and nothing was going to stop me. Finished strong and have now done my first full length training run for the 10k as 15 laps is ten kilometers! Time was 67 minutes, well under a 11 min/mile. Vegas will be a different run with a ton of other racers and 1800 feet of altitude, but I’m pretty confident I’ll get through it now without issues. BTW, race is two weeks from yesterday.

Crowd is going crazy for the halftime show. As noisy as they’ve been all game.

Had the option between two included drinks. Choose this one which is basically a mojito. It’s very refreshing and enjoyable on this muggy evening. Ended up ordering a second one and may have more. We have a dedicated server up here so service has been great.

A few answers: the cheese cake was fantastic and I would/will order it again. I think hideaway will away be windier than other spots based on its location, but on a hot day, that could be nice. Our visit had some extreme weather! I’ll be back this week and will see what’s it’s like (to coco cay, didn’t buy a pass to hideaway this time). all food included , although you go to a window to order instead of a buffet. Haven’t heard any more (other than confirmation from other guests that it was said). Top tier is tomorrow and not sure if I’ll make it…but will report if I’m there!

The whole board walk is full of people. I really think they should be showing the game in more venues. Before I found this, was considering going back to my room! two aqua suite balconies now in use.

The crowd is really into the game. Fans for both teams are well represented, although KC fans making the most noise. The shot of Taylor got the biggest cheer so far (fumble was close second). The broadcast only gets ESPN ads, so missing that. weather is cloudy and have sen a few rain drops - luckily I could move back and get under cover if it gets bad. Surprisingly, don’t see a single person on any aqua suite balcony. Edit - see one guy on a balcony now. here is a picture of the food, unfortunately, the photo I took before I started to eat was blurry… so took this one later. Have fries, wings, slider, and some type of fried roll. More food than I’ll be able to eat.

Super Bowl update! The only public places it’s showing is aqua theater and playmakers (earlier was told it would be on in more bars, but no). I think it’s on the cabin tv, at least the pre game was. Photos to follow, a few seats at playmakers. People were getting excited to see them, only to get turned away by the cost. General seating is very busy with spectators a couple rows back behind the seats. While I probably could have found a single seat in the sea of people, that didn’t seem very fun. Also was hesitant if to share a table at playmakers and watch the game on a small screen. Then overheard someone say they were charging for tables on the rock climbing deck! Same deal as playmakers: seat, platter of food and one drink for $75 (had heard playmakers was $70 so unclear if that was wrong or if this seat more expensive). so I did it, only a few people up here, and great view.

$70 per seat to watch the game here.

Some of the set up for Super Bowl. I walked by over an hour ago, and people already had their seats (3.5 hrs before game). dark clouds on the horizon…hope it doesn’t rain at kickoff! Good year blimp is here! Researched and technically it is here for an NBA game, but if anyone watches that game, let me know if they show photos of me waiving from the ship.