Middle Aged Drama Queen's Eastern Med Review: Serenade, Pics, Surprises & Fun!

[boat nurse]

Sherri, Better make a pot of coffee or open up an energy drink! Don't stop now! We are all waiting to hear about Paul McCartney! :D

[rubrrick]

Rick, THANK YOU for commenting on my review. An accomplished cruiser as yourself - this is a true honor! And for the record...the street up to the bordello in Ephesus was BLOCKED!!! But...don't worry...we'll get to visit one in Pompeii - story to follow soon!

 

Yes. Pick me to join you on the Jewel. I would SO have fun with you all, and I would blog my little heart out. :D:D

 

And what a small world...one of my first jobs (when I was a teenager) was working for House of Lloyd...the owner was the guy who developed Loch Lloyd. His name was Harry Lloyd, and he was my immediate boss for many years (I worked there all through college....)

 

Again - thanks for visiting me!

 

Yes, his name was Harry Lloyd, and so you know the whole story of his divorce, and the house across the lake for his ex wife....while he loved to show off in his castle.

 

And when it comes to beef........there is nothing that beats KC........except a very small BBQ place in Dallas, that puts out burnt ends.......just to my liking. Obviously.........the best of the best of other BBQ.

 

And I have been to the best of the best in KC...........and all of it is incredible, and I'm sure that I'm alone when I talk about Dallas!! Also, I'm talking about this hole in the wall that existed, for me, in the 1980s. It's a place that has right handed school house seats, as in the style that existed in the 1950's, but for the life of me, I cannot think of the name. Every one that worked there.........was there from the beginning.......except for those that had died off!

 

I can drive to it, but I don't remember the street name, or the name of the restaurant. Just the awesome food.

 

So, just get ready to shrink........so we can stow you away for our upcoming trip, and hope that, because of your new size........you don't drop your camera!

 

Honestly............some of the best writing going on this blog!!:);)

 

Thanks,

 

Rick

 

PS......yes, in Pompei........the brothers that ran the merchant shop..........well, it was not a bordello..........just a room for fun!!

Edited July 31, 2012 by rubrrick

[KansCocoa]

 

So…here’s Hubby Mike…glaring at me…refusing to stand in a line of perhaps 35 people.

 

And here’s me…the Drama Queen…staring at HIM…refusing to walk down 588 steps in the hot sun, dodging the donkey droppings.

 

Where are the Klingons, you wonder? Well…they had missed the first part of the Showdown at the OK Corral…they had been window-shopping, and had walked up to the line…but were separated now from us by a young man, who was by himself, standing between the ‘rents…and the Klingons. Trying to get our group all together again, I graciously tell the young man, “Please…go on ahead.” He smiles and steps in front of me…probably trying to get as far, far away from the Showdown as possible.

 

I turn back to Hubby Mike…ready to continue the battle.

 

Hubby Mike says, “I HATE lines. I want to walk the stairs.”

 

I reply, in my best calm voice that is normally used to reason with unruly Klingons, but can sometimes be whipped out to reason with unruly husbands – and has been to known to have a bit of sarcasm dripping from it: “Oh, you think you’re the ONLY one here who hates lines???? I’m sure that, other than YOU, everyone here just LOVES standing in lines.”

 

And I’ll be darned if the young man in front of us turns around, and says in a very clipped British accent, “I DO actually love standing in lines, myself.”

 

Hubby Mike and I are so flabbergasted by his comment, that we both just stare at the guy…and then we immediately crack up, breaking the tension that had permeated the air.

 

We begin talking to the young man, asking if he’s heading back to the ship, as well. He replies that yes, he is, but he’s not really a passenger…he’s part of the entertainment crew.

 

“Oh – the entertainment? Are you with the band?” That’s my brilliant question. I guess I asked that because the guy’s hair was a bit long…and of course, guys with long hair will be with the band. Right?

 

“Well,” he says…”Not exactly. I’m not with the ship’s band. I’m in my own band.”

 

I must have looked confused, because he adds, “I’m with the group, BeatleManiacs – and we’re going to be performing later this week on the ship.”

 

“Oh – like, you’re a cover band of the Beatles?” Yup. I am oh-so-clever; no getting anything past me.

 

Now…what’s interesting about this conversation, is that while we’re having it, we’re shuffling along – IN THE ‘DREADED’ LINE – and we’re getting ever closer to the cable car ticket window. And Hubby Mike hasn’t even noticed, because he’s been so engrossed in the conversation.

 

I WIN THE SHOWDOWN!!! We are not doing the stairs!!! I have to laugh, albeit sneakily, as I realize that this little argument goes to ME. <doing the secret invisible victory dance>

 

“Yes,” the kid says. “There’s four of us, and we’re the Beatles.”

 

Of course, the Klingons think this is the coolest thing ever, having been raised on a steady diet of The Beatles as long as they can remember.

 

“Which one ARE you?” they ask.

 

The kid takes off his sunglasses, and taking one look into his soulful brown eyes, I say, with conviction, “You’re Paul.”

 

And he says, “Correct. Sir Paul at your service.”

 

Well. This was fascinating. Getting to meet one of The Beatles – oops, BeatleManiacs – while standing in a line in Santorini. As we wait to buy our tickets, we’re peppering Sir Paul with a million questions, such as, “Where are you from?” “How’d you get this job?” and “What’s it like, performing on a cruise ship?”

 

Sir Paul is very patient with us, and has a razor-sharp wit, which is intriguing. Even Brainy Brad is impressed by this guy’s intelligence, and has to give the guy props for his witticisms.

 

I have to mention my OWN connection with Sir Paul…”Did you know, Sir Paul, that you and I share a birthday? We were BOTH born on June 18th.” Hey. It’s my only connection – but it’s a big one. Sir Paul is a crazy Gemini, like me.

 

Soon, they’re loading up the cable cars (see – I KNEW the line would go fast!), and Sir Paul says, “I’ll ride down with you, if you don’t mind. They prefer six to a car – I’ll be your sixth.”

 

When he notices Too-Tall Taylor’s pale face (remember? Taylor is petrified of this cable car), Sir Paul says, “Sit with your back to the steep side…and I’ll keep you distracted on the way down.”

 

Of course, Sir Paul then begins cracking jokes such as, “Oh – does it look like the wind is whipping the cable cars exceptionally fast today???!” and…”I know of a REALLY fast way we can get down…just snap the cable.”

 

Taylor, for some reason, doesn’t find this funny.

 

On the way down, Sir Paul explains that the band just flew in the day before – arriving in Ephesus. However…their luggage didn’t arrive with them. This, normally, would not be a problem – but in THEIR case, their luggage contains all of their costumes, make-up, and instruments. They’re supposed to perform in two more evenings…surely their luggage will catch up to them by then???

 

I say, “Heck. If you’d seen some of the entertainment we’ve had on board…you could go out in your swimming trunks, sing some Beatles songs, and the crowd would go wild.” Really.

 

Soon, we are at the bottom, and we make our way over to the line for the tender. Although, as Sir Paul says, “It’s not really a line. People in Europe don’t know how to do lines. They do clumps. Let’s just clump together here with everyone else and wait for the tender.”

 

And he’s right. There’s no line – just a mass of people – and the poor RCI employees were doing their best, without much success, trying to get everyone into a proper line.

 

After joining the clump, a very large tender soon pulls up. We figure that this will be the last that we’ll see of Sir Paul, so we start to wish him a goodbye. However, before we know it, he’s sitting with us on the tender, so we can continue our conversation on the way over to the ship.

 

Perhaps he recognized a crazy family when he saw it…perhaps he was being secretly entertained by our wackiness…but for whatever reason…we were tickled that he chose to stay with our group. We talked and talked and talked, and before we knew it, we were back at the Serenade, and it truly WAS time to say goodbye to Sir Paul.

 

The Klingons said, “When you sing…will you give a shout-out to the crazy family from Kansas City?!”

 

And Sir Paul diplomatically responded, “I’ll do my best.”

 

With that, he starts to walk away.

 

“Wait!” I cry. “We don’t even know your REAL name!”

 

He smiles, says, “Jeremy. My name is Jeremy. It was nice to meet all of you, Crazy Kansas City family”…and off he went.

 

Did I get a photo of him? Nope. Because I felt it would be too presumptuous to ask for one…so I didn’t. But that’s how we met Paul McCartney on our trip. ☺

 

[sanderson25032]

 

We last left our fully-rested travelers finishing up their second sea day, with dreams of Athens dancing in their heads….

 

 

Although the ship arrived in the port of Piraeus (from here on out, known as “Athens”) at 6:00 am this morning, I didn’t rouse until much later…much to my chagrin. Having overslept a bit, I was in a bit of a rush to get ready, go and get some Jammer Juice (where we sat with our breakfast buddies, Amy & Steve), and then gather up the Klingons to get ready to head ashore.

 

 

A view outside our balcony of the port of Piraeus....

 

 

 

Months ago, after having done some exhaustive research, I had chosen a company called “Athens by Taxi” for our private excursion today. I had been corresponding with the owner, Paul Kalomiris, extensively in the past few months to finalize the details of our tour. He has two vans…one that can seat 16…and a second van that can seat 12…and it didn’t take long for our Roll Call to fill up both vans. We were scheduled to meet Paul at the pier at 7:30 am – and so I had requested that all ‘Greek Gods & Goddesses’ who were touring with us should meet in the Centrum at 7:15 – so we could walk off together.

 

Although I make it down to the Centrum on time, my dear Hubby and Too-Tall Taylor were late…and therefore, we were now THAT FAMILY. You know – THAT FAMILY, the one who’s late getting back to assigned meeting places…the one who’s always the last to arrive, and consequently holds up the group. I had told the Klingons that I never wanted to be THAT FAMILY – and here we were. THAT FAMILY. As we were heading down to Deck 2 to disembark, I whispered to my family, “We have to do better today, kiddos. We will not be THAT FAMILY again.” Ha. Little did I know.

 

We march our group of 28 barbarians through the pier, where we split up into our two respective groups once we meet our driver and guide. Our driver is NOT Paul, to our surprise, as he explains that Paul couldn’t make it today and sent his regrets. Our van’s guide is a beautiful young redhead with the unusual name of Athanasia, although she insists on us calling her “Nancy.” Which was much easier to say than Athanasia, believe me. We load up into a very nice & well-equipped van and begin our invasion of Athens.

 

The 16 of us in Van #1...with our driver & Athanasia...

 

 

 

My initial impressions of Athens were quite favorable, actually. After hearing for months about the political unrest in Athens, due to the floundering Greek economy, I’m not sure what I was expecting to find…but it was well-developed, and other than extensive graffiti everywhere we looked, it was very clean.

 

 

Our destination is the Acropolis…THE preeminent monument in Europe with history and culture in abundance. By going early in the morning, we had two advantages going for us: first, we should beat the heat, and second, we should beat the hordes of barbarians that would be arriving en masse as the day went on. And sure enough – when we arrive at the parking lot of the Acropolis, there’s nary a tour bus in sight. We practically have the rocky outcrop to ourselves – woot!!!

 

 

The Acropolis itself sits up very, very high…and there is some climbing involved. Here’s where the tip of wearing good shoes cannot be stressed enough. The marble & rocks that make up the stepping stones have been worn down & polished over the last few centuries, so it is extremely slick. Let me say that again. It is EXTREMELY slick. And we were there on a DRY day…I couldn’t even imagine doing this climb on a damp day. Wear good shoes with a very good tread…and even then, you may find yourself slipping every so often. Don’t rush up the rocks; take your time; and you’ll be fine.

 

And a side note: Just so you know, the Acropolis is accessible to the physically disabled. There is a lift on the north slope of the Acropolis. If you do research online, you should be able to find more information on this.

 

 

So…our first stop was the beautiful Propylaea, or the “gateway,” to the Acropolis. This allowed the ancient Greeks to control access to the city, keeping the unclean, runaway slaves, and other miscreants out.

 

 

 

 

And yes…although you’re seeing barbarians in this picture…this is nothing, I mean NOTHING, compared to the hordes that will be here later. I’ve included this photo on purpose so you can get an idea of the slippery steps that must be climbed in order to view the rest of the city ruins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below us was the impressive Theatre of Dionysus…dedicated to Dionysus, the god of wine and the patron of drama. The Greek government recently announced they would be partially restoring the theater, to the tune of $9 million, with a completion date scheduled for 2015.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the east side of the Acropolis, there is a Greek flag waving proudly in the wind. Oh wait! The wind! Let me interject here and say that it was EXTREMELY windy the morning we visited. I don’t know if this is typical – or atypical – but be forewarned, in case you’re wearing an old lady hat (like me). We did see quite a few hats blowin’ in the wind – and probably blowing on over to Turkey. And be forewarned in case you’re wearing a dress…ahem. You may be inadvertently mimicking Marilyn Monroe. Thankfully, I had on white capris…so no Marilyn Monroe moments for me.

 

 

Anyway – back to the Greek flag…when the Germans occupied Athens during WWII, they had the Greek flag removed and raised the infamous flag with the swastika. Two 18-year old Greeks snuck up to the Acropolis on the night of May 30, 1941, and took down the offensive flag – inspiring the Greeks and giving rise to the resistance.

 

 

 

 

And since I’m limited to six photos per post…you’ll just have to wait for the next post…or two…to see pictures of the famed Parthenon…but stay tuned...because something unbelievable...and truly tragic...was about to happen at the Acropolis....

 

 

 

 

 

Loving this trip report but please stop referring to all other tourists as "Barbarians", not all of us can afford private limo tours you know.

[sstepson]

Loving this trip report but please stop referring to all other tourists as "Barbarians", not all of us can afford private limo tours you know.

 

It's just a light-hearted way of describing the huge masses of people at the touristy places...nothing to get offended about...

 

Also, if you price out some of the "private limo tours", you'll find that per person, they're MUCH cheaper than the ship's tours.

 

One might say that what RCL charges for tours in Europe is...barbaric???

 

:D

[MotherofAurora]

Thank you so much for sharing your trip. I am eagerly waiting each new post. We are def doing this cruise next year, and I will be using your report as advise when I'm planning. Also looking forward too FOS report as we are going on her in September. Thanks again!!

 

Kari

[cruzinlady1947]

Sherri, did you notice the number of hits on this thread. Over 90,000. :eek: That is really something for a thread in this short a time. You are a celebrity. :cool:

 

Gwen :)

[Just The 3 Of Us]

YAY, you're back - missed you!!! ;)

[marci22]

I have been enjoying your review. When you post your list of tour links at the end, would it be possible to also post an approximate cost for each tour? I am going to save it for future reference in my old Med cruise binder.

 

Binder power! :p

[KansCocoa]

Loving this trip report but please stop referring to all other tourists as "Barbarians", not all of us can afford private limo tours you know.

 

Hey - I refer to my own family as barbarians, if you go back and read...it's a humorous way of referring to any groups of tourists invading a particular spot. No offense meant. :D

[Steppy08]

Loving this trip report but please stop referring to all other tourists as "Barbarians", not all of us can afford private limo tours you know.

 

We referred to ourselves as barbarians too, especially on our one ships tour.

 

Our all-day guided Athens tour with Sherri and co. cost a mere 43€. RCI's tours could not even come close to that price, most were well over $100 for the same thing.

[cftgyhujik]

We referred to ourselves as barbarians too, especially on our one ships tour.

 

Our all-day guided Athens tour with Sherri and co. cost a mere 43€. RCI's tours could not even come close to that price, most were well over $100 for the same thing.

 

ALso loving the report. I suspect what the person meant with regard to some people not being able to afford a private limo was not in comparison to ship's tours. Some people love to take a cruise, as they are often very inexpensive, but can only afford to do that if they do all sightseeing without taking any tour at all -- i.e., just walking, bussing, etc. on their own to a site. I believe that person may have mistakenly thought you meant the "barbarians" were those not on any organized tour.

[BajaBeachBabe]

If any others of Sherri's fans reading her fabulous tales, might be on the Serenade's 9/2 cruise, and interested in sharing tours of specifically Cinque Terre, Athens or Santorini with 2 adventurous and fun ladies, please let me know!

[mrsfecura]

 

Before we go on & discuss the rest of our afternoon in Ephesus, it dawned on me that I'd been neglectful lately....I hadn't been posting pictures of the ports as taken by my Klingons.

 

Well. Let me rephrase that. The two younger Klingons had pretty much abandoned their cameras after the first day (and why did Santa bring them cameras for Christmas???!!!)...so this leaves only Brainy Brad.

 

And we all know what Brainy Brad likes to take pictures of.

 

But wait! In Ephesus, he surprised me...there were NO pigeon pictures to speak of! None. Nada.

 

Yes...there ARE glimmers of hope yet. Perhaps he sees the beauty of the Turkish hills all around him...the stunning architecture in the ancient ruins...let's see what he's got....

 

So...I now present:

 

IMAGES OF EPHESUS, AS TAKEN BY BRAINY BRAD:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cat #1....

 

 

 

Cat #2....

 

 

 

Cat #3....

 

 

 

Cat #4....

 

 

 

 

 

I give up.

 

 

Oh, oh, oh. I love these photos! Hahaha! I know it drives you crazy but I'm not even a klingon anymore and I take photos of cats wherever I see them when I'm on vacation!

[CruiseWookiee]

If any others of Sherri's fans reading her fabulous tales, might be on the Serenade's 9/2 cruise, and interested in sharing tours of specifically Cinque Terre, Athens or Santorini with 2 adventurous and fun ladies, please let me know!

 

Come on over to our ROLL CALL and see if you can find someone to share a tour.

[flyingtocruise]

Thanks Sherri for all the hard work to entertain us. Great job.

When and if you have time you might want to look on that site that has videos and check out Sean O'Shea. I found his video very entertaining.

[sailorJo]

Sherri, don’t you have another cruise to go on for the next 10 days or so? Mine is leaving in two days and while I’m away I don’t want to miss out on reading all about Naples, Pompeii and all of the fun stuff you guys did :eek: ……not to talk about (gulp) missing out on reading all about your Freedom Cruise :eek::eek:!! Am I going to have to use up all my OBC in the EOS internet room just to catch up? :(

[KansCocoa]

Sherri, don’t you have another cruise to go on for the next 10 days or so? Mine is leaving in two days and while I’m away I don’t want to miss out on reading all about Naples, Pompeii and all of the fun stuff you guys did :eek: ……not to talk about (gulp) missing out on reading all about your Freedom Cruise :eek::eek:!! Am I going to have to use up all my OBC in the EOS internet room just to catch up? :(

 

Hee hee - I WISH! I will be traveling, though - I'm flying back to KC on Saturday - so I won't be posting that day....don't worry, though; it will all be here when you get back! Have fun - bon voyage!

[sanderson25032]

Actually we did this exact cruise about two years ago and it was a nightmare, Brilliance of the Seas, Oct 2010. The cruise was delayed a day, ship was damaged, only made it to four of the ports, angry passengers, uncaring RCCI staff, class action lawsuits etc, we will never cruise with them again!

[KansCocoa]

 

We last left our travelers as they were bidding a fond farewell to Jeremy, otherwise known as “Sir Paul”, from the BeatleManiacs…and heading back onto the ship.

 

As it was only about 4:15 pm at this time (see – it didn’t take long at all to ride the cable car down and hop on the tender), we decided to continue our tradition – of one day, mind you – of hopping into the pool. It was a beautiful setting – what with the red cliffs of Santorini all around us – and the water was once again, absolutely divine.

 

A panoramic of Santorini...

 

 

It was while we were sitting on the little wooden deck that surrounds the pool that we recognized the couple sitting beside us…Elizabeth & “B00by Bill” – one of the three couples from The Love & Marriage Game Show earlier in the week. Hubby Mike, wanting to initiate conversation, leaned over and said to Bill, “I’m surprised you’re comfortable showing your face.”

 

Bill, turning a beet red, said, “Well…we can only hide in our room for so long. We have to come out SOME time!”

 

And thus began a great afternoon, with Hubby Mike and Bill having a conversation, while Elizabeth and I became great friends. She has a great sense of humor – obviously – so we had so much fun discussing motherhood, children, and cruising. They’ve promised to come and visit us in the Royal Suite later, so they can take a peek.

 

Eventually, it was time to clean up and head to the Concierge for my grape-juice. Breaking tradition, all of the Klingons decided they wanted to join us – because, being Klingons, they were somewhat curious at this point as to what exactly goes on behind the closed doors of the Concierge Lounge. We introduce them to Ratu, the bartender, who looks at the Klingons like they’ve truly come from another planet… and then says, “Where have you BEEN this entire cruise? Did you just get on the ship???!!”

 

Tonight is our Mystery Dinner in Portofino (at 8:00 pm), and so Hubby Mike and I have time to explore. Somehow, we ended up in the jewelry shop onboard, where we met the delightful Giovanni. I’m wearing my new choker from Athens, and his face lights up when he sees it…he decides it would be fun to drape jewelry over me, and when I look in the mirror, I look like a cross between Cleopatra and something from the Jersey Shore. He says, “It’s nice, yes?” Between my hiccups of laughter, I finally say, “Giovanni – really? Where would I wear all this bling? While I run a vacuum???”

 

Wanting to check on the kids, we head back to the Royal Suite, where we find a Post-It note:

 

“Jumped overboard. Love, Taylor.”

 

 

Well. That took care of one Klingon. One down and two to go. But wait – there’s another Post-It, right beside the first one:

 

“Taylor threw me off with him! Love you! Mickey”

 

Awesome. Down to only one Klingon – life is getting better by the moment.

 

It’s time to head to the Safari Club for the pre-dinner drinks for the Murder Mystery Dinner. When you check in, they assign you to a table…and we were taken to Table 5. There, we meet MaryAnn – who looks to be about my age – or younger…and Jordan, who’s 17. Assuming they were Mother/Son, I made a comment about doing a Mother/Son trip – and I see an amused look pass between them. I ask, “Okay – I saw that. Are you not mother and son?” Oh, horrors – what if she was Jordan’s SISTER??!!! However, to my astonishment, MaryAnn says, “Actually, I’m his grandmother.” NO WAY! I signal the bartender over and say, “I’ll have what SHE’S having, please.”

 

Soon, the actors come in and the pre-show begins. The show is entitled “Ba Da Bing Ba Da Boom” – and it’s a mystery with mobs, molls, dolls and mayhem. Soon, we head into Portofino for a delicious dinner, while the show was performed around us while we dined.

 

The food was absolutely delicious – I think it was better than when we had dined at Portofino on our own. Everything was cooked to perfection – my filet, the mashed potatoes, the soup, the antipasta…it was succulent and flavorful. However…dining any time after 8:00 pm is rather late for me…and my body just couldn’t stay awake. I seriously at one point considered propping my eyelids up with toothpicks – I was THAT sleepy. So…when it came time to put the clues together and figure out “who done it” – I was like, “What clues? There were clues??? I MISSED them!” Everyone wrote down on a piece of paper who their guess was, and then – from all the correct guesses – a winner was drawn. Needless to say – it wasn’t me.

 

The headliner show tonight was Gary Lovini, a violinist. There was only one show – at 7:45 pm – and our Murder Mystery Dinner conflicted. We heard later he received a standing ovation – so that tells me he was good.

 

Our unofficial "White Night" ensemble...

 

 

Tonight was our unofficial “White Night” – being that we’d been in Santorini. Instead of White Night, though, the Cruise Compass officially declared it “Toga Night” – and there was a 10:00 pm Toga party on the pool deck. We didn’t finish up our Murder Mystery until 10:45 – so, no Toga Party for us. The only sheets we wrapped ourselves in that night were the ones in our nice, comfy bed….

 

Another panoramic of Santorini...taken by Brainy Brad. I guess he CAN take photos of things other than pigeons and kittens....

 

 

[KansCocoa]

Actually we did this exact cruise about two years ago and it was a nightmare, Brilliance of the Seas, Oct 2010. The cruise was delayed a day, ship was damaged, only made it to four of the ports, angry passengers, uncaring RCCI staff, class action lawsuits etc, we will never cruise with them again!

 

Oh, how awful for you! I cruised on the Brilliance in 2009, and it was a dream. Isn't it funny how things can be so different? We all have to find the cruise line that works best for us - that's why it's good that there are choices!

[Steppy08]

I see Brad was non-conformist again with the post-its. Or was he just happy to be "rid" of his siblings?

[sanderson25032]

ALso loving the report. I suspect what the person meant with regard to some people not being able to afford a private limo was not in comparison to ship's tours. Some people love to take a cruise, as they are often very inexpensive, but can only afford to do that if they do all sightseeing without taking any tour at all -- i.e., just walking, bussing, etc. on their own to a site. I believe that person may have mistakenly thought you meant the "barbarians" were those not on any organized tour.

 

Correct! We did this cruise a couple of years ago, see above, we usually did the tour bus thing and in my opinion the term "sheep" is more applicable than "barbarians" ;-) I am enjoying reading about all the sights we were unable to see thanks to Royal Caribbean

[rascalious]

If any others of Sherri's fans reading her fabulous tales, might be on the Serenade's 9/2 cruise, and interested in sharing tours of specifically Cinque Terre, Athens or Santorini with 2 adventurous and fun ladies, please let me know!

We already have a well-established roll call for you cruise here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1394757

 

And, not to burst your bubble, the Cinque Terre region is in disrepair.

[KansCocoa]

 

We are now up to Day #10 of the 12-night cruise; and it’s Sunday, July 1st. A sea day. Yay! I love sea days!

 

 

We got to set our clocks back an hour at 2:00 am this morning, so that extra hour of sleep was a welcome relief. Yeah – I was up at 6:45 am instead of 5:45 am. Woo hoo.

 

 

I decided that I needed to work off last night’s dinner (Portofino’s courses are huge – and delicious)…and if I was going to suffer, I wasn’t suffering alone. I woke up Hubby Mike to join me, and we shuffled up to the running track and joined the other fools obviously suffering from insomnia, as well. While slogging along, it became very evident that someone had weighted down my jogging shoes with lead. Either that, or the high altitude we were at was affecting my running…because I was pretty much keeping pace with a snail.

 

It wasn’t even 8:00 am, and the land grab going on near the pool was quite funny. Chair hogs were out in force, as it was promising to be another hot, sunny day in the beautiful Mediterranean. Well…always one to join the herd, I quickly secured a couple of chairs for Hubby Mike and I near the pool, because today was the all-important International Belly Flop Contest. Didn’t want to miss that, no sirree.

 

After peeling off my sweaty running clothes, I quickly change into my suit and go claim our chairs. And that’s pretty much where I sat. For most of the day. I was totally in the Sloth Zone and pretty much wasn’t distracted at all by the activity around me – such as the BBQ buffet that was being set up on the pool deck.

 

The Belly Flop contest was pretty much what it was hyped up to be – a big flop. Apparently, five out of the six contenders had no idea what a “belly flop” entailed; one guy actually did a cannonball, and was quickly boo’d by the brutal crowd. Saudi Arabia placed 3rd; England placed 2nd; and a kid from Connecticut executed a perfect belly flop and took home the gold.

 

I had a 3:15 pm appointment in the Spa, and I managed to REMEMBER it this time and not have to get a reminder phone call. Zoe, a delightful young lady from England, puts all sorts of cool and refreshing gobs of goop on my face…and then drops a lavender eye mask over my eyes. Hmmmm…the room is now dark…she has soft, soothing spa music playing…the ship is gently rocking…and before I know it, I was ZONKED out. Sound asleep. What a fabulous experience.

 

Feeling oh-so-calm and refreshed, I head back to the room, where I find a note from Hubby Mike that he’s in Concierge – as it’s after 5:00 pm. Also waiting for us are not one, but two invitations, for special events tonight:

 

The first is the “Exclusive Top Tier Event” for Platinum and above guests, being held at 7:45 pm in the Safari Club. The second invitation is a Suite Cocktail Reception being held at…wait for it…7:45 pm…in the Hollywood Odyssey.

 

Oh, lovely. Two parties. Same night. Same time. We’d had TEN nights on this cruise so far – you’d think they could have spread these invitations out a bit???!!! Needless to say – we didn’t attend either, as our MTD reservations were at 6:45 pm and we would be at dinner. Which was formal, by the way.

 

 

 

My princess...she wore this dress on Black & White night, as well...

 

 

 

Dinner was a zoo. For a formal night, I was rather surprised to see the dining room so busy. EVERY table in the MTD venue was full, and our poor wait staff were running ragged, meeting the demands of the diners. I almost wanted to get up and help serve, myself, as it was apparent they could have used some extra hands.

 

The boys...looking fly....

 

 

Tonight’s headline show was Vibe*Ology – a “journey through popular music, from Elvis and the Beatles to Cher and Janet Jackson.” Show times were 7:15 and 9:15, which is the one we attended. We enjoyed the show; I thought the costumes and choreography were pretty good. The theater is actually pretty crowded, even though the EuroCup 2012 final game – between Spain and Italy – is being shown in the Safari Club. Tomorrow, we’ll be in Italy…and we’ll be in Spain in a few days – so either way, we’ll be visiting the winning country – AND the losing country – of the EuroCup 2012.

 

Tonight, we decided to engage in the Great Photo Scavenger Hunt in the photo gallery. For 10 days, I had managed to avoid visiting the chaotic scene, but it couldn’t be avoided any longer. We utilized the Klingons in our Scavenger Hunt, and their young, fresh eyes were much better at spotting our photos than ours were. I had pre-purchased the complete photo package online before the trip (saving a bit of $$$), and we were able to put all of our photos in a holding folder at the Photo Desk.

 

Tonight was the Quest game – scheduled to begin at 10:30 pm, but because of the EuroCup 2012 finale, it was pushed back. Sooooooo….we didn’t go. I KNOW – we’re party-poopers! But – tomorrow is Naples…and we have a big, busy day planned.

 

 

 

 

Speaking of zoos....party animals have invaded my room...all of our towel animals are playing Blackjack on the grand piano....

 

 

Speaking of towel animals...when I open the door to our bedroom area later that night...there is a tall, shadowy figure - in the dark - wearing sunglasses. Staring me in the face. HOLY BAD GUY, BATMAN! Now...I am a red belt in Tae Kwon Do (true story)...you should have seen me immediately go into a reverse hook kick.... In high heels. In my formal wear. Granted...it was the worst reverse hook kick ever - which is a good reason why I never advanced beyond a red belt. But - it made me feel better, when I had just had the BEJEEZUS scared out of me by.....this:

 

 

 

 

Who DOES this??!! Who hangs a freakin' towel animal - at eye level - RIGHT by the door, so that when you open it, you're face to face with this...creature - in a DARK room???!!!! Don't.

 

Of course, the Klingons thought it was the funniest thing ever, to have Mom scared half-to-death...emit a blood-curdling scream - and do a karate move in a formal gown. Me? Not so much.

 

It took me an hour to calm down enough to go to sleep.