Caribbean Cruise & Hollywood, Fl Jan/Feb 2017 Part 2

1/30/17 12:30pm

Key Lime Pie Company, Just off Duval St, Key West, Florida

I slept fairly well despite loud thumping music coming from the lounge one floor below me. When booking this room, I was aware of the lounge and possible noise issue, but the lounge on my last cruise was lame and the parties died down by 10pm each night if they even lasted that long. On this ship, there are comedy shows in the lounge and for some reason they require thumping music.

I awoke just before 8am and I turned over to go back to sleep. However, the cruise director came on the loud speaker and said that we have docked and are ready for Key West, which excited me.

I laid in bed for about twenty minutes (I’m a 
slow waker) and then started my morning
routine. I put on long pants and a long sleeve
shirt and packed shorts in my man bag. I wore
sandals and went to the Lido Buffet for 
breakfast.

I ate on the enclosed aft deck (I think that’s what
they are calling it). Then I walked to the top 
deck to check out the view of Key West. It was 
chilly.

I took an elevator down to 0 deck and exited the ship. I walked down the cement pier and stopped for a couple quick pics. 

Then, I made my way to Duval Street. I stopped at various shops and open markets along the way.

The Mad Hatter!

Hard Rock Selfie Count: 1

I found the Hard Rock Café and took a selfie. I went inside and bought two pins. They did not have the pin I was looking for, which means I’ll have to come back at some point, I suppose. I used the bathroom to change into my shorts and I was going to get a drink, but decided I would just keep on walking around and grab a drink later.

There are roosters everywhere!

It was much warmer down on the streets than up on the ship. I was glad to change into shorts. I walked the length of Duval Street, stopping in more shops and markets along the way. There were a few hat shops and I tried on several hats, but I did not buy any.

At the end of Duval Street, I found a cement jetty. I walked out on the jetty and basked in the sun and turquoise water. I sat down on the jetty and took some pictures and rested for a bit.

This bird photo bombed me!

I walked around the block to the Southernmost Point Marker, which is a complete lie (visit Wikipedia for an explanation). I took some pictures there and then headed down the street parallel to Duval Street.

I stopped at Hemmingway House. It was $16 to get in and I didn’t really care about the six toed cats, so I just took this picture outside and moved on.

I grabbed a burrito for lunch at a place of which I cannot recall the name and then started back toward the ship. I stopped off at the Key Lime Pie Company for the obligatory key lime pie and relaxed in the store for a bit to write. There are multiple Key Lime Pie Company stores here and there throughout Key West.

Tonight is the first of two “cruise elegant” nights. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do as far as that goes yet. I have some formalish attires, but nothing that constitutes as “elegant.” I should fix that for the future.

This sign...

I’m going to go back to the ship (it’s almost 1:15pm) and try to find a sunny spot by the pool to catch some sun.

 Smallest Bar.

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1/30/17 7:45pm

Caribbean Ocean, Carnival Conquest, Renoir Dining Room

I returned to the ship and went up to the top deck and found that it was very cold, despite it being very warm down on the streets. So I went back to my state room and dropped some things off, changed into my swimming trunks, and went back to the lido deck to try and find a somewhat warmish spot to hang out at.

I got a pina colada and found a spot that was warm when the sun was not behind the clouds, which was not often enough. I watched pretty much everyone put on shirts every time the sun disappeared and then take them off again when the sun came back out. I did the same. 

There was a DJ playing the usual party tunes. Some people danced and I almost joined them when the Cupid Shuffle came on, but the DJ cut it short and mixed something else in, so I declined.

The ship pulled away later than planned (I found out why a little later on – two first time cruisers were late getting back to the ship and the ship captain had to go out and look for them!). The sun stayed out longer and longer until it went behind a big cloud and stayed there. So I went back to my stateroom again and changed into long pants. I wandered around the ship a bit and ended up on the aft deck by the enclosed pool area where I sat down and read a chapter.

I ran into Joel (who I had met at the muster drill) and we talked about how cold it has been and about hanging out later. Then I went back to my stateroom, grabbed my nice pants and shirts, and went to the laundry room to iron them. 

There, I met a woman who said it was her first cruise and she and her friend were late getting back to the ship. Oops.

I returned to my room, showered, shaved, and got dressed for elegant night. I couldn’t tie my bow tie after several attempts (I usually follow a tutorial online, but I don’t have an internet plan on the ship) and just gave up. As such, I’m much less elegant without the bow tie than I had intended to be.

On my way to dinner, I stopped off to watch the sun sink slowly into the sea. I've seen better sunsets over the ocean, but there is no such thing as a bad sunset over the ocean.

Giddeyup, Towel Dino! Giddeyup!

I walked along the promenade past the bars and the casino. Many folks were dressed up; some could actually have been classified as “elegant.” Most were just dressed nicely or somewhat nicely at best.

I went to the Renoir main dining room, which is where I have been assigned to dine at “my time.” I was surprised to be taken right to a seat.

I am writing as I am sitting here by myself and it is awkward as f***, as the kids say. The servers are being so professional and are making the dining experience high class and I’m thinking to myself, “Please just get this over with.” I’m going to eat at the buffet for the rest of the cruise. The Main Dining Room solo is too weird.

I ordered a chicken dish with cabbage and broccoli. It was fantastic. The serving size was perfect (which is to say it was on the small side – which works for me). The Caesar salad I had before the entrée was fishy and I didn’t like it.

Desert was a vanilla crème bruile even though I had no idea what that was when I ordered it. 

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1/30/17 9:15pm 

Outside Deck, Main Level, Carnival Conquest, Caribbean Ocean

As I was getting up to the leave the main dining room, the guy that was seated at the table next to  mine with his wife looked me right in the eye. His lips moved and I heard the words “You have a good night.” To which I replied, “Oh. Thank you. You too.” And then I noticed a bus boy behind me who may have actually been the one who spoke to me, which would have made more sense than a random stranger sitting at a table next to me who I hadn’t talked to. I left as quickly as I could and couldn’t get to my room fast enough where I proceeded to have a fairly intense anxiety ridden panic attack.

As such, I missed out on the 80s music played by Disbanned and the 70s music trivia, both of which I had intended on attending. I caught the end of trivia and felt very much like an awkward alien/android that wants so badly to be human and participate in human activities, but just can’t assimilate into their social circles.

So I came out here to watch the ocean and the night time. It is cold, though. And I’m going to go back inside.  

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1/31/17 12:15am 

Stateroom 6440, Carnival Conquest, Caribbean Ocean

I went back inside and sat down in the lobby lounge. I started to notice some sway-age of the ship. This is the first time I have felt the ship move at all since being on this cruise, which is quite different from past cruises. Am I getting used to being on ships with this being my third cruise? Am I a "cruiser" now? 

Guys with violins and a viola set up in the atrium and played along to backing tracks. Some songs were familiar (that Coldplay song with the violins in it seemed like an obligatory selection that stood out). An older couple got up and cut one hell of a rug. The gentleman had such an air of confidence and the lady followed his lead as if they had been doing it for many years.

  

I ordered  a martini and she made it with Bombay Saphire – yuk. It wasn’t too  bad though. It was only after I had drank half of it that I noticed the bottle of Hendrick’s behind the bar.

A woman complemented my hat (Compliment Count: 2) and gave me an additional approval when the martini arrived. (Compliment Count: 3)

A moment later, Joel landed in the seat next to me. He told me that he is a travel agent part time just so that he can get free vacations. He lives in Las Vegas and is definitely a social butterfly. 

Joel chatted with the bartenders and had instant rapport. The saxophonist from Disbanned’s horn section recognized me from the first night and struck up a conversation with Joel and I while Disbanned set up.

The band played 80s songs, which I thought would be awesome, but it was most definitely not a party. People just lounged in their seats and only a few tried to get a party going. They failed.

Joel wanted to go to the comedy club, and since people weren't dancing, I went along. The comedian was pretty fun. I laughed out loud a few times and smiled a few others.

Afterwards, we wandered by the dance club to see if there was a party going on. There was not a party going on, so I said “good night” to Joel and headed back to my stateroom and climbed in bed, which is where I am as I write.

There are two things that I have not yet mentioned that kinda suck:

1.           My room is freezing. Despite my thermostat being turned all the way up on the heat side, the air conditioning does not seem to relent. I talked to my room steward about it earlier today and he said he would notify someone. It is still very cold.
2.       My allergies are killing me. I’m sneezing and my sinuses keep filling up and my sinuses just flat out hurt. I took an extra Allegra tonight before climbing in bed and I’m hopeful that it will help. Right now, my allergies are still very bad.

Wow. I can feel the ship moving A LOT now (or is it the martini?). I swear it did not feel like being on a ship until tonight over the last few hours.