KittyKatKards: Bahamas Cruise, Day 1

Since we didn't have to be at the cruise ship until around lunch time, we were not in a huge hurry to check out of the hotel. We went downstairs to the restaurant where we had dinner the night before for breakfast. It was a standard breakfast of eggs, sausage, toast, etc. Nothing exciting there. Then it was time to pack our things back up and head out to the Port of Miami to get to the ship.

We shared a van taxi with an older couple. Robyn, who was sitting right behind them, overheard this couple or at least the woman mumbling that she didn't like sharing the van with other people. HUH? We're all going to the same place, what's your problem? Oh well.

Yay, we're on the ship!

The Royal Caribbean onboarding process went really smoothly. It might have helped that the 4 of us had done some pre-boarding paperwork ahead of time so that we wouldn't have to do it at the "gate." Per my boss's advice, we got to the ship around lunch time to save the money/time that we'd be spending on trying to get lunch in Miami. I was already impressed by the efficient onboarding process and that continued when I saw how clean the ship was and how they kept the dining room a) stocked with a variety of food/desserts and b) so clean, considering how many people they were going to feed over the next few days.

After lunch, the four of us went up on the ship's deck to enjoy the view of the port, soak in the sun (with sunscreen, of course), try to tune out the spring breakers that were clearly already in party mode, and wait for Meg's friends from their running club- Megan and Kristen. Page and I were content to hang out by the deck chairs and catch up some more (she was telling me about pharmacy school), while the others went to get drinks and walk around the deck to explore. At some point, we also had to do a safety drill and learn where to congregate in the event of an emergency. Some people came late and this one guy in particular came when the English version of the safety shpeal was done and they were saying it in different languages. "Hey, speak English!" he yelled obnoxiously. Later on, I heard that Page said under her breath, "Well, you would have heard it in English if you came on time..." Mmmyep.

Soon after it was time to change into nicer clothes and go down to the dining room for dinner. We got interior staterooms to save on money and roommates were assigned prior to the trip: Robyn/me, Meg/Page, Kristin/Megan. Initially the two beds were linked side-by-side to create one bed, but Robyn and I decided that it'd be better to have the stateroom attendant separate them into two beds. We also got an extra pop-up table as a result. The bathroom was a little small, but for a short/small person like myself, that didn't pose a problem for me. Robyn, who stands at 5'10"- 5'11", experienced something totally different. #tallpeopleproblems.

Our waiter, Putra, was so friendly. He had a smile that you'd think would make his cheeks sore at the end of the night. I ordered a Sunburst Splash, a caeser salad for a starter and seafood spaghetti (it had scallops, I had to get it!) for my main course. With Meg wearing her birthday girl sash, the waiting staff took the initiative to bring a chocolate dessert called the Chocolate Sensation to the table and sing Happy Birthday. We each got our own desserts too. I went with the Chocolate Sensation because the bite that I had of Meg's birthday portion was so yummy that I wanted some of my own.

After dinner and dessert (2 hours later), Robyn, Page and I tried our hand at the casino. Like my most recent casino experience, I burned through my $10 daily budget for gambling on video game poker and video slot machines. Cry, cry, cry. One moment that I didn't appreciate was when a drunk male spring breaker brushed up against me and grabbed my butt. I gave him the death glare and he slurred "Oh, sorry, baby." I thought, "Oh, you'll be really sorry if you try that again." Anyway, considering how many drunk people were on the ship by now, having only one of those moments wasn't a total shock. After the casino, we went to sit in the bar and have another cocktail. The other three girls showed up and we all went to the dance club where they played music from the 70's and 80's. At some point, a bunch of male staff came out dancing with different costumes: policeman, Native American, sailor, construction worker, etc. Y-M-C-A blasted from the loudspeakers. Shocking, I know.