We decided to try a short cruise first, to see if we even liked it.
I'd always heard about 24-hour buffets and all you can eat benefits of cruises, but I don't think I realized that every night there are gourmet meals! Every night we got to choose an appetizer, salad, meal, dessert - all first rate choices! I even tried escargot (tastes like herb butter). J got strawberry soup and pear soup, but didn't care for the watermelon soup. It's those meals that I missed most of all when it was over.
And I knew they charged for acoholic drinks on cruises, but they also charge for sodas and water! Well, I didn't want to drink the tap water because my Mom got something weird on a cruise and besides it tasted funny. So it came down to drinking the bottled water they had in the rooms, which were small and over $2 each. So it was hard to stay properly hydrated, and was one of the only things I didn't like about the cruise. That and a distinct rolling sensation on the ride back to San Pedro. Couldn't they just drive fast at night when I'm asleep?
Tipping is a big deal on the ships, as I guess no one is paid very much. They actually recommend how much you should pay, and it comes out to around $10 per person per day. Yikes!
I tried to rationalize that J is only 9 and therefore only half an adult and shouldn't cost as much, but when I thought about it, the staff really went out of their way to make her happy. They remembered what she liked and brought her a fancy chocolate-coated glass of milk every night. They were really working those tips!
Once you've paid your tips, though (the last night of the cruise), things really change. They really kick you off that boat but fast! We had to have our bags packed and in the hallway by midnight, and we had to be out of our rooms by 8am! I kept saying that it couldn't be true (I thought people were messing with me!), but it was.
Things have stranges names on ships. We had an emergency drill the first day, and we all had designated spots we were to report to if the siren went off. Those spots are called "Muster Stations."
And when we went to Catalina, we had to go in a ferry, which they called a "Transom." Never heard of that before.
--------------------
Anyway, we had a great time and came home exhausted. The wife of a man I work with arranged the trip for a group from my office, so I already knew some people, which was nice. The first day we went to San Diego, where I took J to Seaworld. We had a great time, but it was not the warmest of days and we got SOAKED in the Shipwreck ride! Cold water, heavy, soaked. I finally had to buy some sweatpants to get through the rest of the day. We saw whales and dolphins and some great pet tricks. I didn't know cats could be trained!
The next day was Catalina, where my shoe broke and I had to buy new shoes! K was so excited to be able to say I blew out my flip flop (like the Jimmy Buffett song.) That night, some friends said they were having Salsa lessons in one of the bars, so we went over there for awhile. They were teaching the Marengo (sp?) and lined up the men on one side and the women on the other. I was looking over at K (he's so cute!). Then I looked a few people down from him, and with a shock I recognized my Uncle Frank!
The strangest things seem to happen to me. What are the odds of seeing a relative who lives in another state on the same cruise? (Actually he's a second cousin, but he seems more like an Uncle.) And it's strange because both our families lived in Germany at the same time, and I used to hang out with his daughters for awhile. Later he became estranged from his wife and daughters, and now has a new wife and lives in Arizona! So I haven't seen him since my Grandpa died in Nov. of 1999. I haven't seen his daughters since High School.
We went to visit his mother last summer, though, on our way back from Colorado. She was my Grandpa's sister. I told him I couldn't wait to call my mother and tell her, and he said he was going to call his mother when he got home too!
BTW K really enjoyed learning this Marenge dance, because it was easy and he got to lead! He had me doing lots of turns and was pretty proud of himself.
The last day we went to Ensenada. We used to go there a lot, so there's very little there to tempt us into buying anymore. I bought a few cute bags and a little painting, but that was it. No blankets or ponchos or ceramic hamburgers. K and I looked for the restaurant we always used to go to there, but all we could remember is that it had a tree inside, and we didn't find it. We found our friends, tho, and so we went to Pappas and Beer for a few shots and a few beers. It felt like old times with new friends.
That was fun, but we should have negotiated our drink prices before we sat down, because when the bill came I had a shock. I think every drink was about $5! So next time, no Pappas and Beer without negotiating first. J decided to buy a stuffed monkey on the way back. It was $12, so I told her, "Ask him if you can have it for $10." The guy kindof looked at me, but then he told her, "Tell you what, I'll give you 10% off." so that was some discount, at least.
Then we went back to the boat and ate a buffet, and J climbed the climbing wall about 8 times. She did it 12 times total, for the trip. She's got a lot of energy, that's for sure! She had fun going to the shows with me. I got to see my Uncle a few more times, then they kicked us off the boat early the next morning.
Welcome home!
No comments:
Post a Comment