Glory Days Redux

My excursion to Half Moon Cay ended around 2:30. The ship was to head out to sea again at 5:00 so there really wasn’t time to do much other than sit on the beach so I returned to the ship for lunch. In hindsight, I could’ve stayed ashore for the beach BBQ but I kind of forgot about it until I was back on the boat. Oh well. I had another burger and then planned to go to the casino. That plan fell apart when I realized that the casino only operates while the ship is at sea. Sigh.

I skipped dinner in the dining room on Day Two for no particular reason other than I was sitting at the bar watching the football game and it was a good game. And I’m more of a buffet guy than a dining room guy.

Later in the evening, I met up with friends that I met at dinner the previous night and once again headed to the comedy club. Once again, the show had its moments but it wasn’t particularly memorable. The highlight of the night came after we left the comedy club and stopped in at the piano bar featuring “Ed Rrocks” (no, that’s not a typo). The piano bar was definitely a highlight of the cruise and several hours were spent there over the course of the week.

One of the most memorable parts of the piano bar is the schtick Ed uses to welcome people into the bar. When he notices someone approaching the door, he calls out, “Hey everybody, look who’s here!” Everyone then turns to look and says, “Holy ship! C’mon in!” Ed follows this up with, “Go ahead and ask them …” In unison, the crowd calls out, “Where’re you from?” and then everyone goes silent awaiting the answer. And then cheers when the answer comes. Very entertaining.

The rest of the night included chocolate ice cream, late night pizza (so good), and more rough seas – walking in a straight line was a challenge (and not because of any alcoholic beverages). I called it a night around 2:30 at which time I discovered another amusing element of the day (and week). Each night the staff would prepare everyone’s room with an itinerary for the next day, two “Sweet Dreams” chocolates, and an animal shaped towel – origami style. One day it was a dog, the next an elephant, and there was also a rabbit, and even a monkey swinging from the ceiling. The monkey was particularly amusing.

The following day was our first “Fun Day at Sea” as we made our way towards San Juan, Puerto Rico. Activities of the day included shooting some hoops on the half-court basketball court. Basketball is particularly challenging when the wind has its way with ball. The rest of the day was filled with eating, lounging, wandering around the ship, another trip to the comedy club and piano bar. Remarkably, when I finally called it a night it was 4:00.

Despite the late night, I still managed to get myself out of bed only a few hours later at which time I was ready to explore San Juan, Puerto Rico. I didn’t book any official excursions so I was left to explore on my own. I had considered going on the rainforest tour but, by the time I decided to do so, it was sold out.

I think it’s been established that I’m not much of a shopper so I wasn’t looking to spend the day going into the various shops. Instead, my plan was to spend the day exploring two forts – Castillo San Cristóbal and Castillo San Felipe del Morro. Both of which were within walking distance of the ship and both were very cool. I’ll let the photo gallery summarize them.

Still more to come, including St. Thomas, and two more “Fun Days at Sea”. Stay tuned.