Coffee Break?

We were in Nassau until around ten that night then took off for Freeport, arriving early next morning.  We'd hemmed and hawed as to whether or not we wanted to go ashore and decided not.  There didn't seem much of interest there for us.  Not real shoppers, don't do beaches and we were to be there only until around one or shortly after since we sailed at 2pm for home.  We also assumed it would be a replica...or close enough...to Nassau.  So after we slept in (a little!), had a leisurely breakfast, we went topside to walk around the deck, check over the rail.  That was when we heard the steel band and noticed a little shopping area right there on the quay-side.  I should mention that the area for the shopping excursion was eleven miles away.  Hmmm...this looks like a really nice little area...maybe we should go check it out...and off we ran.  Glad we did!  Freeport...at least the very small part we saw of it...was quite different from the other island.  In a sense, more modern.  The variety of pretty pastel coloured buildings reminded me of homes on Guam only these were not homes but venders.  And so clean with walkways dotted with palm trees, hibiscus and other shrubs.   Got some really nice pics as we walked around checking the wares and talking to the vendors themselves.  Almost lunchtime we pulled a Jimmy Buffet "Five o'clock somewhere" and toddled over to the little Seaside Sports Bar.  KW...of course!...had a Bahama Mama, I opted for a Bloody Mary.  We sat at the bar talking to the lovely young lady tending and Walter, a super friendly, chatty local.  He filled us in on the usual requirements...lay and geography of the island, the people, industry.  He did forget to tell us, though, that Freeport itself is a very young city.  I did suggest to KW that she had to at least try one Bahamian beer...which she did and Walter insisted she had to have the premium beverage...Kalik Gold.  The bad news was...as he told her...they go down very well but have a tendency to "sneak up on you and kick you in the ***...."  The good news was she only had one so I didn't have to drag her back to the ship.  LOL!   An hour or so and a few pics later...and after she had peeled off the beer labels to save...we bade adieu and made our way across the quay to our temporary home.  Oh...the steel band?  Something of a disappointment as, soon as we hit the quay we spotted the source...a stereo set up under a gazebo.  Not to worry, though...the music was still happy listening.  There were a few refreshment stands as we neared the ship so I had to try a small order of conch fritters.  Pretty good...but I liked the alligator tail more.   

So we did the ports of call, excursions etc. now to the cruise itself.  Let me first of all say this...if you've never done a cruise before, DO.  We never had and while it was our first, won't be our last...no idea when we will take another one, of course, but the seed was planted and now thriving.  Only one thing we would do differently...next time it will be a balcony stateroom instead of an inside cabin.  We thought about it the last week or so...well, actually, when we made our final payment for the trip but we assumed that since we didn't expect to be in our cabin much...for other than sleep, shower, dress...it didn't matter and why spring for the extra $100 or so?    I'll tell you why...we very quickly realised we missed seeing daylight...or even dark!  No matter the time of day, when we were in our stateroom we had no idea of whether it was daylight, dark, sunny or not so that was a tad strange...and basically we had either go two decks up or five-six down to find a window and determine those facts.  Additionally, having a balcony cabin we could have tied or jammed the french door open, or at least ajar, for fresh air.  Not that there was a thing wrong with the air in the cabin...there wasn't...but we'd have enjoyed listening to the waves and wind.  Otherwise, the cabins are really very nice...perhaps a shade smaller than a normal hotel room but you still have all the amenties...very nice bathroom with shower, lots of storage between three closets and a bank of drawers;  tv, safe, mini-bar.  And the bed!  Obviously can't speak for anyone else but we found the bed to be one of the most comfortable besides our own...and KW loved the pillows!  Room service is available and it was very good, very prompt.  We only used it once for the Continental Breakfast but it was most enjoyable with quite a good selection to suit most tastes.  Mine was smoked salmon (with lettuce, capers, tomato, onion) and a toasted bagel with cream cheese, yoghurt,  juice and a pot of coffee.  KW had cereal with milk, yoghurt, juice and shared the coffee.  You could get the same...and more...in the dining room except for the pot of coffee.  Not IHOP..lolol.  Some mornings we ate there, others we went to the breakfast buffet topside where they had just about anything one would wish for, for b'fast.  We realised the last day we had never eaten lunch in the dining room...we either skipped lunch or had something from one of the many buffets topside.  KW happened to really love their hot dogs..lol.  The dessert buffet was decadent...an yummy as was the fruit bar.  Those vacationing with kids...particularly the adoloscent and teen boys...those children must surely have been in hog heaven for they could have pizza and  ice-cream  into the wee sma' hours of the morning.   Alcoholic beverages you pay for...they are not included as the food is.  Same with soft drinks.  KW being a soft drink fan, we got her a seperate card for those which would provide unlimited soft fizzy drinks for the duration of the cruise.  With the drinks costing $1.75 a whack we figured it would be in our best interests.  Wrong...we probably wasted around thirty bucks given the soft drinks card is around $42...lol!  She might have had a Coke a day, much less than we thought...and I don't drink soft fizzy drinks.  Bottled water you buy, too.  But there is lemonade, juices, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and iced tea 24/7 that are not 'extras'. 

These extras (unless you spring for the unlimited soft drinks card) are paid for with your Sail and Sign card.  Now when you embark...or prior to it...you can provide them with your credit card number and everything extra is charged to it...bar drinks, soft drinks, items in the gift shops , Bingo cards and anything else where there is a fee.  However, you can go to Guest Services on board and give them cash for your Sail and Sign.  I assume with the credit card they just keep charging as you go.  Paying cash, they do likewise...same as a debit card...then when you approach whatever limit you gave them on the first day they do let you know so you might add to it.  On your last morning you get your statement delivered to your stateroom.  If you haven't spent whatever you deposited there is a cheque attached to the end of your statement.  Should you have exceeded the amount you gave them, your bill is attached for payment as soon as possible.  About the only place I know...or saw...cash being used was in the casino but, at the same time, you can transfer money from your Sail and Sign account for their slots.  Personally, we preferred doing the Sail and Sign with cash.  Two reasons...one, you can keep better track of spending when it's done in increments and, two...less people having my credit card number.  I just don't like it floating around anywhere.  And here is a suggestion for you...something we didn't do or even think about doing and, fortunately, it did not affect us but there were a number of people having problems with their credit card on the islands etc. because they did not notify their bank(s) they were going out of the country (I understand, though, that this happens with many banks even if only going out of State).  I mean it's a good thing for deterring identity theft etc. but it was also frustrating for those whose banks froze their cards.  This was something of which neither of us were aware...didn't even think about it.  Fortunately, ours didn't subscribe to this measure. 

There is always something going on aboard a cruise ship.  Seemed like every half hour to an hour a different activity, show, games and they make it very easy to keep track of things you might want to do with their "Carnival Capers" daily, delivered to the staterooms every evening for the following day.  There is absolutely no reason for anyone to complain of boredom on a cruise.  From the time we left Port Canaveral, too, we had excellent weather...suddenly going from heavy leather jackers and scarves to shorts and tees or tanks....many in swimsuits...and instead of marching up and down the outer decks to keep warm we'd opt for a chaise and bask like a couple of seals..lol.  We each had our Kindles and MP3 players although 'someone' snoozed most times we planted ourselves on the chaises...and it wasn't I!  True to my speculation, soon as we left Freeport we went like the clappers up the east coast and then it happened.  Ship going 24kn while the wind was coming from the north at 25, often a smidge more and the Pride rocked, rolled, pitched back and forth.  I think all of us got some sun colour on our winter white cheeks, arms and legs but by Saturday morning so many of the cheeks had an eery green tinge.  Stairways were closed off, part of the topside deck cordoned, considered dangerous.  We sat huddled in our heavy hoodies sipping on a cuppa, smoking a cigarette and watching the horizon r-i-i-s-e and then f-a-l-l...steeply at times.  KW felt no ill-effects.  Me...stomach was fine, just my equilibrium off a tad.  I kept asking KW if she was certain it was the swells and the boat...just to be assured I wasn't stroking out or something but once convinced I was fine...if a bit wobbly.  I've had a couple of bouts of vertigo...this was really no different.  Well, actually it was for the vertigo I had no logical reason...this I knew from whence it came so not worrisome.  And it worked well for me.  Just before dinner the last evening they held a farewell cocktail party in the ship's theatre...free cocktails to boot.  As a friend observed, the following day they would be stocking pantries and bars for the next trip so this was likely their way of dumping half full bottles of liqueur and spirits!   Now, neither one of us drink much at all and I rarely do.  Maybe four or five times a year I'll have a small Scotch, nursing it all evening.  That night KW and I had a Screwdriver.  When the wait staff made a second round there was only one Screwdriver on her tray and, knowing KW enjoys them, I let her have it while I...daring soul...had some melon concoction.  Pretty good...so on the third pass of the bar staff, she had another Screwdriver and I opted for another melon something.  And then my nose began to numb up...a sure sign that I've gone over my limit and something which has maybe happened about five times total in this long life.  I told KW...she started to laugh...and laugh...and laugh (as I also did) saying "Aww, geez!"  But what a revelation!  "Hey...at least with the ship pitching as it is, nobody else will ever know or guess...hahahahahaha".  You see, now we had to walk the entire length of the ship...to get to the dining room and it so happened that particular night I wasn't so hungry and for myself didn't care about dinner but it was Prime Rib night...one of KW's favourite meals.  So off we went...now it is fair to say that around that time the swells were very heavy...stage lighting was swinging like an chimps in a Jane Goodall documentary, decks rising up to greet each footfall and I found myself being pitched into a wall.  Blame it on the rough seas...I did but I turned to see where KW was in the throng accompanying our walk to the dining room and there she is, bent double laughing like a fool at her usually tee-total companion.   Even the stewards and cruise director commented on how rough the waters were, some of the stewards not having quite found their sea-legs yet.  My little friend in the casino, he was having a little difficulty so I took off my PSI bands and gave them to him.  Just a word about that, here...a number of people wore little trans-dermal patches for any rough sea or weather.  We opted for PSI bands which are an updated version of Sea-bands and I honestly couldn't tell you if they worked as well or not.  All I know is KW didn't wear hers at all, I wore mine for two days...just in case...but even without them I've never suffered from motion sickness.  Perhaps they did keep me from the sickness and I was left with ony the spacey head feeling...guess we'll never know...but they are worth having and you cannot buy them on board ship.   And, if you can help it, DON'T lie down...keep moving if you can.

The meals in the dining room were wonderful...we had most b'fasts there and all but one dinner.  And the only reason we chose to do that singular buffet dinner was because we hadn't done so and figured we should, at least once.  The stewards...both wait staff, housekeeping, bar staff...everyone was so friendly and while I do realise that this is their living, you could swear they were having as much fun as their passengers were.  We went with a good size group...over 100 I believe...but until we were on the ship we knew we only knew two people...that was Mike and Beth Butts.  Mike is the morning DJ at Cool 101.9.  He and his lovely wife are very nice people and were kept busy the entire trip...seemed more of a working vacation for them but they did a fantastic job of making our trip the success it was.  I sort of figured that we'd find KW would know more people going on the cruise than she even considered and, sure enough, she probably knew a third to half of the group and they knew her..."The pet lady!!!" from a few, by name from most others.   But in the dining room we were seated with five women we had never met before...a finer group of ladies we couldn't have hoped to meet or with whom to share the breaking of bread.  Esther from Milton, Nadine from Bridgeville, Tina from Gumboro (I think), Juanita and Sandy from Dover.  We thoroughly enjoyed their company, their wit, their friendship. 

There was just one snafu...there had to be at least one, don'tcha think?  One evening KW really didn't want dinner...she had spotted someone taking a meal back to their stateroom on our deck and the meal was....grilled ham and cheese sandwich.  Her favourite.  "Ooh...that looked really good. I'd like one of those..."  Okay, so let's go get her one...and we did....around 5pm so of course she wasn't hungry for a proper dinner.  No matter...she said she would come to the dining room with me.  I assured her it wasn't necessary...to go do something else and I'd catch up with her when dinner was over.  She kept asking me if I was sure, would I be okay etc. and then she said "Well...if you're sure.  I mean the girls will be there so...are you sure?"  Yes, I'm sure...sure, the girls will be there and it will be fine.  HAH!  Guess who didn't show up for dinner that night?  ALL of them!  And there I was sitting at a large round table all by my lonesome.  Our steward was concerned, the people at the table behind us were concerned.  I did get some funny looks from a few others.  But I sat there and had my full dinner.  I was NOT about to miss it...rack of New Zealand Lamb?  Not on your life!   Dinner over I went in search of KW...actually walked right past her for she had taken the opportunity to go shower and change clothes...lol.  First thing she asked..."How are the girls?  What did they do today?"  Me..."Dunno...couldn't say..."  The look on her face was priceless..."What do you mean you don't know?  They were there, right?"  Me..."Nope..."  Poor thing...I was having entirely too much fun with her with this for I knew as soon as the girls didn't show for dinner what KW's reaction would be when she found out.  So I just stood there...hair shirt in one extended hand, whip in the other...LOLOLOL!    Oooh, she felt so badly but I finally convinced her to stop...I really had no problem for, you know...sometimes it's nice to eat alone.  It was a chance for me to mull, ponder, enjoy my meal solo.  Of course...had I chosen to dine at one of the buffets I'd have taken my Kindle and read.  But they weren't serving rack of lamb.

Really...if you can ever take a cruise, do it.  The same radio station are doing another cruise next January...this time to Grand Cayman, Jamaica and...can't remember the other port...and for around the same price for seven days.  We'd love to go but Auntie D...who cares for our menagerie and does the best of anyone we know...well, she probably would rather put us under house arrest first...that soon.  Joking aside...we know just how fortunate we are to have friend/family like her and don't want to push our luck.  Losing the best pet sitter we know would be bad enough...losing a friend would be worse!  Nah...think we need to give her a couple of years to get over this trip.  Maybe it's like childbirth...the pain flies from the memory as soon as it's over so in a couple of years she won't remember having done this week.  Besides, the next trip anywhere in the near future will be to Scotland.  Maybe we could find a freighter going east..........................    

Tags: Carnival Cruise, Freeport Bahamas, Kalik, Kindle, Port Canaveral, PSI bands, Seaside Sports Bar Freeport, Steel Band