Hey...It's a PARTY!!!

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At Sea

We have been dropped in the midst of a full-fledged FRAT party. What happened? No, seriously….WHAT HAPPENED!!

A mere 24 hours into this new adventure and it feels like a completely different cruise, ship and experience. And it ain’t pretty. Joining us on this cruise are: more College Alumni – USC included, A Financial Group of some kind and a MILLION children of various ages who are BORED to tears. PEOPLE…this is NOT a family cruise line – there are no entertainments for them.

While on the pool deck just after lunch the hot tub looked like any other hot tub on frat row….a stew of amped boys and girls in the throes of hormone overload. Be afraid, be VERY afraid. The volume of EVERYTHING has been turned up to eleven. At lunch, sitting next to Christopher, who I’ll admit is often soft spoken, had to SHOUT over the din to be heard by me. Why? What caused the atmosphere to change so? There were no youngsters within the confines of the eatery…it was people of our age (perhaps their hearing damaged by years of concertgoing, football games or advanced age). I can’t.

Went to work out. Had to stand in line to get a machine – not on the previous sailing!! Clearly a more health conscious gang of cruisers (perhaps not) – perhaps it is merely the first day and it happens to be a sea day and everyone is AMPED! Trying everything out.

Clearly there are a lot of first times on board – either that or there are a LOT of confused individuals. Remember this: Entertainment at the front, food at the back. That should help. Christopher observed a woman requesting a “coffee with cream” at Baristas….which is an Espresso Bar – confusion understood – but go to ANY restaurant on board or you can go to: Horizons with their very own coffee station and get your coffee and cream. The poor person behind the counter was trying to help….do you want the milk hot? No I want CREAM. Do you want an Americano? NO. I. WANT. COFFEE. See where this is going? Poor lady, probably lives in the ONLY town in America without a Starbucks!

Yesterday upon arrival a woman was INCENSED that she did not have a reservation when she wanted because all “the good times” were taken and it wasn’t fair and she is Concierge level and she tried to make the reservation on line and it isn’t fair and she paid all this money and it isn’t fair…she went on ENDLESSLY circling back to the same (flawed) argument. Reservations are given by travel class level. Sorry. There are at LEAST 3, if not 4 levels above you. Honey…we’re Penthouse, and didn’t get what we wanted either. Suck it up buttercup. Life isn’t always fair, and you can’t always get what you want. AND….driving the ONE person who can help you CRAZY is NOT doing yourself any favors. Just saying. Perhaps there is a better way to run reservations…perhaps the pro’s know what they are doing? I don’t have any answers that might help.

So, it got cold. And Grey. Christopher overheard someone say rain in the forecast for tomorrow – NO. I refuse to believe this. It shall NOT rain while we are in Edinburgh!! I decree NO RAIN. So, now rain is guaranteed. Damn.

So – just heard…one of the groups of people on board represent 150 passengers (with kids) and they ALL travel together each year. Who does that? I mean travelling with a group of friends is great – but 150 people? That’s INSANE! Frat Party atmosphere explained. Hmmm…note to self….no more cruises in summer when children are off school, or on school break, or on holiday. Now that we are retired…POSSIBLE!

Why does every cookie on board this tub have nuts in them? Asking for a friend. At least I’m not tempted.

The Captain’s Cocktail party is tonight. This should be interesting. I’m sure they’ve already sold more alcohol since opening this morning that any single day the previous cruise. One server refused to serve a man in the hot tub his beer…in a glass…on a ship….on the ocean (what could POSSIBLY go wrong?) SO…what does the man do? He gets out of the tub, retrieves his beer then goes to the other side of the ship and gets in the OTHER hot tub. He got his beer his way. Hope he feels good about that. What he doesn’t realize is that he entered the tub previously occupied by a dozen pubescent youth (I can ONLY imagine the stew). The ONLY hot tub for me will be on the Spa Deck. Perhaps any deck time shall be spent there. A little less hectic…I HOPE!

So at 5:45 tonight the free drinks flew…I. MEAN. FLEW! The Grand Bar was PACKED with people. PACKED! No way to move. We arrived early, ”to get a table” we were smart. We met Betty & Dick who also got on board in Oslo. They also noted the “difference” in the ship from the previous cruise. They also heard about the 150 person group and felt much the same that things have escalated in terms of volume etc. It is dynamic…to say the least.

We chatted with Dick and Betty for a good long time. They met in high school (in Michigan) and have been married for 43 years! SO SWEET! They now live in Florida – Ft. Lauderdale and live a very nice life. Not retired as yet – only 2 or 3 years older than me. They are celebrating their anniversary by taking a 40 day holiday. They are staying on after this leg ending in Stockholm. Three cruises…back to back – In a Vista Suite. YOU GO BETTY & DICK!!!!! They are doing it right. We each had a Whisky Sour…twice. Perhaps we could have been a little more restrained. NAH!

So, for dinner we went to the Grand Dining Room and ate too much. We HAVE to remember to share a main. The sides were great. We both had the Prime Rib, I stared with a Cheese Mousse, Christopher had the Caviar Bomb (my name for it); sides: red cabbage (SO. GOOD)- Franck Mashed potato – ok – don’t ever need to get them again. Cabbage…ABSOLUTELY!

After dinner our usual…Horizons. TOO. MANY. PEOPLE! Still lingering after the free booze. This group likes to party. We stayed up for a while and saw off in the distance a HUGE Oil Derrick….biggest one yet. HUGE. Decided after a whileto head back to the room and get ourselves a good night’s rest to prepare for tomorrow. Evidently it is supposed to POUR RAIN tomorrow. UGH!

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Comments

[Nora]

Red cabbage?
I LOVE red cabbage; at least the way my mom made it (I have the recipe!). How does O make theirs? :-)