Cruisin'

The next morning we got up and made our way to the front desk for check-out. Up and down the damn steps schlepping our luggage. What a pain. But we got aboard our shuttle to the Miami port. We breezed right in because we had a check-in time of 10 – 10:30. Made it up to the place where you get your room keys and we were directed to an ancient man that moved at a speed of such slowness, I can say without exaggerating that the check-in person to my right processed 9 people before we were finished. UGH UGH and UGH. But then we got on the ship and started to feel better immediately.

After we had some lunch on the Lido deck, we made our way to the Serenity area (which was unknown to most people) and spent a few hours chill-axing on comfy cushioned loungers enjoying a few adult beverages. The sun felt incredible. But knowing I am the queen of pale, I applied 50 SPF before I got comfy. Apparently, the wind or something made me miss several crucial areas. I now have a lovely burn above and below my eyebrows and an interesting spot near my inner eye. In addition, I missed the center of my chest and in addition to the burn, you can also see the imprint of my necklace.  So pretty!

We settled into our Ocean View stateroom and it’s quite comfortable for 2 people.  Plenty of storage, and a decent sized bathroom.  Spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking and getting familiar with the layout of the ship. For dinner, we were signed up for anytime dining. I introduced my nephew to a more formal dining experience than he had ever experienced!!! He liked it! I think the food is good on this cruise line. The wait staff was impressive as always. After dinner, we went to the shops, listened to the guitar player in the atrium lobby and then sat for a few songs in the Piano Bar.

We arrived in Key West at 7:30am. Our excursion wasn’t scheduled until 9 something. As we were docked at the naval base, we couldn’t easily walk downtown. So we slept in a bit and then made our way to the lounge for our tour. We rode the trolley looking busses to the downtown area and then walked to the Fury Catamaran for our snorkel trip. A beautiful boat and a great crew. We ride out to the snorkel site & along the way we were given some basic instructions and provided water, lemonade and soda. 

We reached the reef and the stairs were lowered into the water. This was a full set of steps, not a ladder. Key West had some violent thunderstorms the previous night and that resulted in a lot of chop. You were asked to sit on your butt to go down the steps. Talk about a ride. Sheesh. It was violent down there. Once you got off the ladder it wasn’t much better. Waves were breaking over your head & the water was so churned up, you couldn’t see anything and the current was very strong. After battling the sea for a while and swallowing more sea water than I wanted to, I made my way back to those treacherous steps and made my way aboard. After you were finished snorkeling, beer and wine were available for the trip back. Personally, I think they should have cancelled the trip. Kind of a bust. We did have time to do a bit of looking around before it was time to board the Conch train for the ride back to the ship.

The ride back was made interesting as the train contained a large amount of hugely drunk people. This one guy kept standing up. The tram would stop and the guy would tell him to sit down. This continued every few minutes until the other passengers were screaming for him to sit the F down.  Then we got to the checkpoint and everyone had to show the military person a ship’s card and a photo ID. Now, it’s not as if they would let you off the ship without showing you had both…. But people are stupid! They were not complying and it took forever to get through the checkpoint. UGH. Once we got back to the ship, there were HUGE lines of people trying to get aboard. And of course, the ‘young drunk punks’ that thought they were special just waltzed past the line and moved to the front. People were screaming at them to get to the back of the line and they just ignored them. Now, what really made me angry was that there were security people there that did absolutely nothing.

Back on board, we showered and napped. LOL Life is tough. We went to a very late dinner and then to the comedy club. That was a good time. Both comedians were pretty funny.  

Back in the cabin, sleeping came so easy. Between the beds and the motion of the ship, I sleep so well. The mattresses are so perfect and the duvet is the perfect weight on your body. Ahhhhhhh. Another day in paradise!