Nola/Mexico Cruise Adventure Part 5
Tuesday 1/30/18 11:00am
Gulf of Mexico, Aft Deck, Carnival Triumph
It is loud on the enclosed aft deck pool area with the splashes and shrieks from a few kids. It is not very packed however. The sun peeks through the clouds now and then, but it is mostly overcast. It’s warm when the sun is out, but it’s chilly when it is not.
While writing, my friends messaged me to join them for brunch in the Paris Dining hall. I stopped writing and joined them. Kylie had eggs, bacon, and blueberry pancakes. McKenzie had honey nut Cherrio encrusted French toast. I had an onion and peppers omelet and bacon.
Back to catching up: After exploring for a bit on Monday (1/29), I met up with my friends at 1:30pm and we went to see if our room was ready. It was, but our luggage had not arrived. My friends wanted to nap and I realized that I was tired, too. So we lounged around for a couple hours when an announcement came on directing us to attend the muster drill. It was mostly painless and when it was over, we went to the Lido Deck for the Sail Away Party.
Kylie and McKenzie didn’t dance, but I sure did (because, I can dance if I want to. I can leave my friends behind…).
After dancing, we went up higher on the ship to find a good vantage point and watch the landscape as we cruised along the Mississippi. I was expecting the river to seem wider than it was. It was certainly very wide, but I expected it to be, like, freakishly wide.
We found ourselves on the miniature golf course and, when it became less crowded, we grabbed some clubs and balls and played. The deal was that the loser had to buy the winner a drink. I won by one point and Kylie and McKenzie tied, so I got two drinks out of the game. The first was a pina colada. We had our drinks in the lobby/atrium (Kylie’s was a virgin drink).
At 6pm, we went to the London Dining Room for dinner. We were seated around 6:20pm. I had a grilled chicken dinner with veggies. Kylie had a chicken dinner. I forget what McKenzie had. For dessert, Kylie and McKenzie had the chocolate melting cake. I had a Nutella tiramisu. It was rich and I had a sugar rush after three bites.
From there, we went to the Mardi Gras Party in the lobby/atrium. It was crowded and was over in fifteen minutes, so we went to the casino. My second victory drink was a Bacardi and ginger ale. In the midst of that drink, I needed to use the bathroom. So I left it with my friends and went searching. Somehow, I managed to stop at the Alchemy Bar, which was sparsely occupied, and was drawn to pick up a menu, which looked cool simply because it was lit up. The bartender (alchemist?) struck up a conversation and I happened to ask him about the Island Old Fashioned, which was another rum drink. I don’t even remember ordering the drink, but found that the bartender was making it none-the-less. The Alchemy Bar is pretty cool because the bartenders don’t just mix your drink, they sort of put on a show as if the drink is a science experiment (thus the name alchemy).
Suddenly, I heard shouting and turned to find my friends yelling at me for leaving them with my drink (oops). Apparently, a half an hour had gone by, although, it didn’t seem that long. Maybe drunk time is different from sober time?
My friends said they were calling it a night and I returned to my drinks (I hadn’t finished the new one and my friends returned the one that I had left with them). At that point, it was only myself and one other person at the bar, so I left.
I found karaoke at the Venezia Lounge. I sat down at a table for two off to the side with my two drinks. The Island Old Fashioned was better than the Bacardi and ginger ale, so I set the latter on the ground next to a pillar that was near my table. At some point, at young woman came over and leaned against the pillar to watch karaoke. She turned and knocked the Bacardi and ginger ale over. The young woman and I looked down at the same instant and, before I could apologize for putting my drink there, she said, “what idiot would put a drink there?” And I said, “I know, right? Some people...” We got to talking. At some point, she commented on my sitting alone. I explained that I was on the cruise with some friends who called it an early night and that I had signed up to sing. She invited me to join her and her friends. She introduced herself as Amber and her best friend since second grade as Raven, who commented on my firm handshake. I explained that it’s probably because I play guitar. They said they are originally from California but moved to Virginia. Amber said that she is “practically married” and Raven has a baby. They introduced me to a couple of guys who were with them, Josh and Michael, and two other women, whose names I’ve forgotten. My song came up, so I went up and sang “What’s Up” by Four Non Blondes. I started by explaining to the crowd that I was quite drunk from several rum drinks and that I would likely sing off key. By the end of the song, I had the whole crowd singing along and waving their arms in the air. I received a nice round of applause and I was transported back to my open mic days.
Amber asked if she could wear my hat and I let her and then I asked to take a selfie with my new friends. (Amber and Michael in the pic).
Raven sang “Killing Me Softly” and did a very good job. We all talked about doing a song together, but couldn’t commit. I eventually signed up for “I’m on a Boat” by Lonely Island and swore up a storm. I really screwed up the timing on the lyrics a few times, but I bounced around on stage enough to have a good time. The karaoke guy introduced me as “the sensational J-Fred!” It was a blast. The guys disappeared to smoke a cigarette and Amber disappeared to the comedy club. Raven went to look for her. At that point, it was after 11pm and I decided to call it a night, so that I could get up and do it all again tomorrow.
Gulf of Mexico, Aft Deck, Carnival Triumph
It is loud on the enclosed aft deck pool area with the splashes and shrieks from a few kids. It is not very packed however. The sun peeks through the clouds now and then, but it is mostly overcast. It’s warm when the sun is out, but it’s chilly when it is not.
While writing, my friends messaged me to join them for brunch in the Paris Dining hall. I stopped writing and joined them. Kylie had eggs, bacon, and blueberry pancakes. McKenzie had honey nut Cherrio encrusted French toast. I had an onion and peppers omelet and bacon.
Back to catching up: After exploring for a bit on Monday (1/29), I met up with my friends at 1:30pm and we went to see if our room was ready. It was, but our luggage had not arrived. My friends wanted to nap and I realized that I was tired, too. So we lounged around for a couple hours when an announcement came on directing us to attend the muster drill. It was mostly painless and when it was over, we went to the Lido Deck for the Sail Away Party.
After dancing, we went up higher on the ship to find a good vantage point and watch the landscape as we cruised along the Mississippi. I was expecting the river to seem wider than it was. It was certainly very wide, but I expected it to be, like, freakishly wide.
At 6pm, we went to the London Dining Room for dinner. We were seated around 6:20pm. I had a grilled chicken dinner with veggies. Kylie had a chicken dinner. I forget what McKenzie had. For dessert, Kylie and McKenzie had the chocolate melting cake. I had a Nutella tiramisu. It was rich and I had a sugar rush after three bites.
From there, we went to the Mardi Gras Party in the lobby/atrium. It was crowded and was over in fifteen minutes, so we went to the casino. My second victory drink was a Bacardi and ginger ale. In the midst of that drink, I needed to use the bathroom. So I left it with my friends and went searching. Somehow, I managed to stop at the Alchemy Bar, which was sparsely occupied, and was drawn to pick up a menu, which looked cool simply because it was lit up. The bartender (alchemist?) struck up a conversation and I happened to ask him about the Island Old Fashioned, which was another rum drink. I don’t even remember ordering the drink, but found that the bartender was making it none-the-less. The Alchemy Bar is pretty cool because the bartenders don’t just mix your drink, they sort of put on a show as if the drink is a science experiment (thus the name alchemy).
Suddenly, I heard shouting and turned to find my friends yelling at me for leaving them with my drink (oops). Apparently, a half an hour had gone by, although, it didn’t seem that long. Maybe drunk time is different from sober time?
My friends said they were calling it a night and I returned to my drinks (I hadn’t finished the new one and my friends returned the one that I had left with them). At that point, it was only myself and one other person at the bar, so I left.
 |
| (Amber) |
Amber asked if she could wear my hat and I let her and then I asked to take a selfie with my new friends. (Amber and Michael in the pic).
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| (Raven) |