Cruise Chronicles Day Three: A Day Asea

March 13, 2011

Oh sleep, there’s just something about you that can absolutely not be underestimated.  My alarm, set for 8:30, went off at the appropriate time, but, being very intelligent, I decided to keep it on the bedside table.  This, of course, led to the inevitable turning off of said alarm, followed by four more hours of un-planned sleep.  Luckily, there were only several thousand square feet I could access all day on Sunday, so the extra sleep was not a loss at all.

After a shower, I took my talents, which the day previous, had been very near South Beach, to the Lido deck.  Poolside, I enjoyed a cheeseburger and the on-ship band Charlie and the Hal-Cats.  The Hal-Cats played some classic tunes, with the wonderful Caribbean twist of a steel drum player.  After my lunch, I made my procession to the Crow’s nest for Team Trivia Challenge.  The Challenge was hosted by cruise director Jason, and I came across a bit of a connection to home.  Two of my team members in this day’s challenge are freshmen at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.  Our team name was the Vols, as another member of our team was once a UT student, and because of my ties to the state.  The mighty Vols were a jaw, Monica, and Luxembourg away from winning the challenge and the much-coveted Holland America keychains.  Despite our loss, we did finish in third place, as a part of a series of three teams, right next to each other, finishing in the top three.

The rest of the afternoon I spent idling around the ship (this had already seemed to have become a favorite pastime) until it was time to come up to the room to prepare for formal night number one.  The attire for yours truly included a grey suit, complete with a blue oxford shirt and a black and red tie bought at Sears in Chattanooga the week previous.  There was a bit of a wardrobe mix-up, as the suit I was supposed to wear remained next door, and had holes all in the pants.  After a quick switch-a-roo with the paternal, we were each in the correct pants and jacket for our first set of formal pictures and then dinner.

A shrimp cocktail and Caesar salad started the entire family (except possibly Christopher, who I think might’ve been determined to be as different as possible from all of us, though he might have gotten at least the cocktail).  A surf and turf option was the entrée for the three oldest family members, a juicy fillet mignon matched with two prawns and a serving of whipped potatoes and assorted vegetables.  In the midst of dinner, we witnessed a magnificent sunset, and I had to excuse myself from the dining room for a time, so as to get some pictures from the Promenade deck’s walking track.  After a chocolate sundae for dessert, I accompanied the family for more formal portraits, followed by the Captain’s toast and the showcase performance for the 14-member stage cast of the ship.  The show was a nice revue of dance club varieties from the past, and the costuming, sets, and choreography were spectacular.  Lastly, we settled into the piano bar for stage and screen music trivia; once again I finished near the top, but the family did not win.  The parents traveled back to the stateroom, while I spent some more time at the piano bar and then did some last ship roaming for the night.  A rocking ship proved oddly difficult to fall asleep on that night, but once I was out, it was an incredibly peaceful sleep.