Second Day at Sea

When I woke up this morning the seas were very rough and you could feel the rocking back and forth. In the middle of the night my dad even woke up to put shoes on the tracks of the closet because the doors were slamming with the swaying of the ship. I was feeling a little queasy when I woke up but I was motivated and I got ready and then woke up my parents. It was awesome to shower without holding the handle, having a lot of hot water and nice water pressure. But at the same time it was a little difficult with the rocking of the boat. 

Once I was ready I became friends with the bathroom again, boo! :( I waited a little bit after for my parents to get ready but there was another dilemma in the day. My mom was worried that once she got out of bed that she wasn't going to feel good... well she was right. She became friends with the toilet, just like me. She decided that she was not up for leaving the room so my dad and I went up to Raffles on deck 12 for the breakfast buffet. We ate outside and it was a little chilly but it was nice to have some fresh air. I had my peanut butter (FINALLY) and other things that were delicious. On our way back to the room we stopped in the Blue Lagoon and got my mom a box of Cheerios, a muffin and a fruit bowl in case she had the desire to eat later.

We went to the room and gave her the food so she ate some Cheerios but she was still feeling under the weather. I was feeling better because I finally had some food in me but my dad and I both noticed that the boat was more rocky in our room that outside of it. The room felt stuffy.

My dad and I left my mom in the room to rest and we went to a presentation in the Stardust Theatre about the shore excursions on all of the stops or ports that this cruise was going to take us to. We learned a lot but it didn't really help us make any decisions on what we wanted to do. 

After the presentation, I had to make a quick dash to the bathroom, once again for seasickness, and we went to the Garden dining room where there was a Food and Beverage fair. At the fair they had free samples of sushi, smoothies, desserts, and asian food in the wok. They also had some tables set up with the examples of the meat, fish, food products, bread in cool shapes and much much more. 

Once we had gone through all of the stations and looked at everything, my dad and I headed off to the General Trivia in Champagne lounge. Trivia was our thing to do on the cruise because it was interesting and my dad is a huge trivia buff (usually). 

When trivia was over we went back to the room to check on my mom and see how she was doing and she was still in bed resting/half sleeping. We convinced her to get ready and to get out into the open air and back of the boat because it was less swaying up there. On our walk to deck 12 we ran into a worker from the USA who my dad had talked with and told us that green apples and ginger ale help with seasickness. She also told us about Sea-Calm which is a pill that the front desk gives out for free. We went to the desk and got some pills for both my mom and I. We then went up to the Raffles terrace outside and sat at a table. We ordered a ginger ale for my mom and I ate a green apple, in hopes that it would help. We also both took the Sea-Calm pills.

After sitting for a while, my dad got antsy and decided he was ready for lunch. I was letting the apple and snacks from the food sampling sit with me a little bit longer before I decided to eat. He had to sit at a different table because my  mom couldn't even look at food without feeling sick to her stomach. When he was done eating, I ate too. I got a hot dog, with fries, and some rice and other goodies. The main point was being able to eat ketchup and mustard. Ketchup that was not sweet! I went back into the buffet to get my dessert and my parents headed towards Le Bistro for napkin folding, where I was going to meet them. I think that my dessert was a cheesecake, but I cannot remember exactly. 

When I went to Le Bistro on deck 7, I couldn't find my parents anywhere so I started walking towards the Blue Lagoon, where I meet up with them, temporarily. My mom had to make a dash to the bathroom, not good! When she was done, we all went to napkin folding together and sat down. We all got through about 2 or 3 when my mom decided she was going to go back to the room and rest some more while my dad and I finished up napkin folding. 

When napkin folding finished we went back to the room to check on my mom. She was sleeping so we just left her be and my dad and I decided to get out of the room quickly to avoid the stuffiness of the room and swaying. So my dad and I wandered.

The next thing that was on the agenda for the day was a digital scavenger hunt. Me and my dad went to the Cafe to meet on the 7th floor and we were the only team there for a while. Eventually another team of 2 guys showed up, from Scotland, who were also going to play. We had to go around the cruise ship, in only 10 minutes, to find as many things on the list as possible. When we found the item, person, or action  we had to take a picture of it or even make a video for extra points. Technically speaking after the first round my dad and I won but the judge, Hector from Mexico, called it a tie and gave us one more minute to go run around and find things that we missed. After the extra minute we definitely won, but the judge called it a draw and we all got signatures.

** SIGNATURES **
Every time you went to an event put on by the assistant cruise directors you got one signature for everyone on your team. If you won the event you could double. At the end of the cruise you can exchange your signatures for prizes

After the digital scavenger hunt we went back to the room to check on my mom who was still not feeling good. She was unable to keep down food. I went to the bathroom, again, to lose my lunch. I decided that I was going to lay down for a bit and rest because I was not feeling so hot after not being able to keep anything down.

When I woke up, my mom was still feeling under the weather but I was feeling up for doing some more activities. My mom said that she felt like catching the next flight to Malaga and meeting us there when the cruise got done because of how sick she was feeling. Me and my dad played it off and tried to tell her things would be better soon but she was not buying it. I got ready for dinner and went to the Garden dining room with my dad. I ordered a caesar salad and my dad had baked french onion soup for an appetizer. For dinner I had wild mushroom ravioli with a three cheese sauce and my dad had a rib eye steak. For dessert I had tiramisu cake and I cannot remember what my dad ordered. 

When we finished dinner we called our mom to see how she was doing and she said that she was still going to stay in the room. So my dad and I went to the evenings show in the Stardust Theatre by ourselves. Tonight the show was called Showtime: Steve Rawlings and it was a comedian and juggler. He was quite entertaining and hilarious. Some of his jokes are as follows:

"Did you know that you can get as drunk on water.... as you can on land?"

"I have two goldfish, one of them I named One and the other I named Two, so  if One dies, I still have Two left!"

Juggling three balls in the hands, and asks if you want to see him juggle 5 balls... starts jumping up and down

There was one more good one that I cannot remember. But he had a good sense of humor. When the show was done we went to Galaxy lounge on deck 12 because there was a game show called 55 to Stay Alive. The concept was the same as A Minute to Win It but only 55 seconds. There are crazy, seemingly easy, challenges to complete in that time period and if you do you move on to the finals. Anastasia, one of the assistant cruise directors from New Zealand convinced me to play because she heard I was sick and knew that if I played I wouldn't focus on the rocking as much. So I signed up and lucky me, I was picked first.

My challenge was to shake, in both hands, two bottles taped together at the openings like an hourglass and get all of the candies into the bottom one in less than 55 seconds. I couldn't do it, not even close. It was really hard! Some other challenges were something similar to beer pong, but you had to bounce the ball first, stacking washers using only a straw and your mouth, flipping spoons into cups and others. In the finale the two contestants had to run from one side of the stage to the other sucking on a straw holding up M&Ms and putting them in a cup. All was fun and games, but soon after the show was over you could find me in the bathroom. 

After that ordeal, my dad and I went to watch the show again, but this time it wasn't as funny. It was still entertaining though! When the show got done we went back up to the Galaxy to watch Karaoke Superstars. There were some good singers and some bad singers, but I give them props for getting up there and singing in front of everyone. We left half way through because it was a little too much rocking up there for me so we went back to the room. On the way though we made a pit stop at the Blue Lagoon so I could have a cookie because I had nothing in my stomach.

When we got back to the room, my mom was still down in the dumps and dreary so we decided to call the front desk to see if there was a nurse that we could take her to. My dad called the desk but he couldn't understand their English accent so he gave the phone to me and I talked to them. From there I was transferred to the nurses station where I explained how my mom was feeling all day and they wanted to see her. I stayed with my mom when my dad ventured off to go and find the nurses station so we weren't dragging my mom around the whole ship. Luckily it was only one floor down from where our room was located.

My dad and I went down to the station first without my mom to see how much everything was going to cost because it was at about 11:45 at night, after hours. We spoke with the nurse and she said that my mom could get an injection and possibly an IV if she was dehydrated and there would be no fee to see the doctor because she would be in the care of the nurse the whole time. So we went back up to the room to get my mom and bring her to the station. When the nurse took her back to take her vitals and talk to her about what happened the whole day. Then she was to get her shot and an IV. 

My dad and I were sitting in a waiting room while all of this is going on and all of a sudden I started to feel dizzy and I started to see black dots. I also got really hot and felt like I was going to pass out. I told my dad and he started to worry. I called to the nurse asking for some water and she didn't hear me but my mom did and told her that I needed some water. The nurse told me to just leave and get away from everything because I was freaking out because of the needles and knowing what was going on in the back.

My dad and I left the room, as I could barely walk, so he practically carried me, and I sat on the steps. Eventually I got enough strength to leave the stairs and go to my room, especially fast because I was feeling sick again. I didn't end up losing anything, the only thing left to lose was my cookie, but I was afraid I was going to pass out on my bathroom floor. (My dad had left to go back to the nurses station to be with my mom). Eventually I made my way to the bed and started to fall asleep when my dad walked in, without my mom, because they sent him away to be with me while she was sitting there with her IV. The next thing I know it, my mom and dad walk in and she said she is feeling a little better but she needed to rest and see how things went in the morning. I got ready for bed and crawled up into my bunk hoping for a good night's rest without any interruptions in the middle of the night.

It was a day of seasickness, but I was a trooper and I got through it!

Day At Sea

Today was a ship day, a day at sea. We would be traveling along the coast of Spain and going through the Strait of Gibraltar towards the end of the day.

We started the day by eating breakfast in the buffet setting, Raffles Court on the 12th floor, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It is a lot better than eating cereal every day. I had a half of a bagel with cream cheese, one thing on my list that I was craving! I also stocked up on the bacon, fresh pineapple, french toast and hash browns. I'm sure I ate more than that but because I am writing this AFTER the cruise (today is really the 30th of March) I cannot remember exactly what I all had.

After breakfast we went down to deck 11 and played some ping pong. There was also a couple of women of Asian descent who were down there playing as well. Eventually one of the women decided she didn't want to play anymore and she convinced my dad to play against her. Little did he know, this lady definitely knew how to play! She was intense too and even held the paddle the correct way (the same way they do in the Olympics). After playing for a while another man showed up and was watching and I offered him my paddle so he could play against my mom. He was a pro too! (Not technically, but figuratively.) My mom was in for it! Eventually we got the lady to play against the man and that was interesting to watch!

When we were done playing ping pong we wandered around the ship a little bit and went back to the room to hang out. Eventually it was time for lunch and there was a Spanish food buffet on the deck of Raffles court so we decided to check it out. There was a lot of dishes that I had never heard of but there was paella and barbecue ribs and they even had tacos, even though they aren't a Spanish dish, but rather Mexican.

After lunch we wandered the ship some more, still orientating ourselves to where everything is. I caught on a lot faster than my parents did but they were finding their way. We were exhausted so we went back to the room and took a nice little nap. 

When we woke up from our nap we went up to the game room on deck 12 and we played card games. I taught my parents how to play Golf and a refresher on how to play Speed. We also tried to play other games but we weren't too entertained by them. We ventured off to the casino to check out what was going on down there and we watched some Blackjack and Roulette. We also stopped at the 24 hour cafe called Blue Lagoon and we had some cookies, breads (banana and pound cake) and water. 

Later in the day we went to Progressive Trivia Round #1 in Champagne lounge and we did not do so hot. We realized very quickly that the trivia questions were more European education based than American. 

There was a pool table (billiards) set up in the Galaxy lounge, well technically just behind in, that we went and played a game. You had to pay a small fee to play, so it wasn't included in the fare of the cruise, so we only played one game. It was fun, my parents versus me, but I lost. I had an unfair advantage because my dad had a pool table in his house when he was growing up so he has a lot more practice than I do!

After pool we went and ate in Raffles food court for dinner (the buffet) because nothing on the menu at Windows or Garden Room (same menu, different dining halls and atmosphere) interested us. We ate an array of food and I am pretty sure that I had a burger that night. If not, I stocked up on my meat because that is what I miss the most in Spain.

When we finished eating we went to the show of the evening, Rockin' Soul Nights. It was a show with 4 singers, 2 males and 2 females, and some dancers. Most of the cast was from England or America and they sang songs in English. They sang and danced to songs from the era of my parents and it was similar to a modern day show choir. It was very interesting and entertaining.

Immediately following the show we went to an event held in the Galaxy lounge called Finish the Lyrics Game Show. There were 4 contestants, one male and one female from America and one male and one female from England, by coincidence of who wanted to participate. The show concept was simple, finish the song lyrics of the song you picked between 2 options. You were given the name of the song and and the artist and a good chunk of the beginning of the songs. 

When the show finished, we were going through the Strait of Gibraltar and my dad and I went on deck 12, by the pool, to take pictures of both Morocco and the Strait. Granted it was about 9:30 at night so it is hard to make out what everything was.

After taking our photos we met back up with my mom and went down to the Blue Lagoon for some hot wings, spinach and artichoke dip and a hamburger. We all shared everything and I enjoyed it all thoroughly! 

When we finished eating we went to the casino to check out what it was all about. There was food there too! But we didn't eat anything because we were too full but it was still cool to see everything. After the casino we back to the room and got ready for bed. There was a towel animal waiting for us, a dog!

Soon after arriving to the room it hit me, seasickness. The bathroom and I became friends for a little bit and I lost any food that was in my stomach from  earlier in the evening. 

I ended up sleeping in my parents bed so I would have easy access to the bathroom instead of being on the bunk bed. Of course, my mom slept on the bunk bed because we all wouldn't fit on their bed. 

Lucky for me I made it through the night with no more problems! What a success!

Barcelona & First Day of Cruise

I did not sleep good, at all, last night. My dad was snoring up a storm and I couldn't sleep through it. Let alone I was excited to be with them and for the cruise that was the next day, sleep was the last thing on my mind.

When my parents finally woke up from their deep slumber, we got ready, packed up everything and went to find a bakery that we could eat breakfast at. We got napolitanas with chocolate and something that was long (about a foot long) that was filled with cream; it was pretty good, something to try, but I don't think I would get it again if I had another choice.

After breakfast we walked to the hop on hop off location and bought our tickets and boarded the bus. There was a statue of Christopher Columbus right by the bus and this was our landmark that we used to know where the hotel is.

On the hop on hop off tour we got to see a lot of historical places and even the Olympic Stadium where they held swimming and diving events and the opening and closing ceremonies. We also could see the cruise ship from the bus!

We continued on our tour and stopped at tons of other places (see Facebook photo album for all the pictures) and the next highlight of the tour was the Sagrada Familia.

When the tour was done we went back to La Rambla and to the market again. This time we bought some fresh fruit juice, I had mango and coconut and my mom had strawberry and kiwi. We also bought a bowl of fresh fruit. We were being true tourists and going to the local markets.

We decided not to eat lunch in Barcelona because we were about to board a ship of all you can eat food for 24 hours a day! We returned to the hotel to grab our luggage and headed over to catch the bus to bring us to port.

When we got to the port we had to wait in line for security and then we checked in. We took our picture, unwillingly, and then headed up the gangway to enter the ship!

When we got to the end of the gangway and entered the ship, the first thing that we had to do was "washy washy" which was washing your hands with the hand sanitizer that they sprayed for you. We then slid our key card into the hole and we were officially checked into the ship! 

The first real event that we had to accomplish on the ship was our safety drill of going over what to do in case of emergency. The drill was announced in about 5 different languages and that is when I realized I was in for a treat with a lot of different Europeans.

We wandered around a little bit and then ventured our way to find our room. Our room was 5520 on the fifth floor, close to the front of the ship. Here are some pictures of the room and bathroom.

We also got some chocolate covered strawberries from Jackie Vernon, Rachael Vernon's mom and also the cruise planner that we went through to book the cruise. THANK YOU!

Our housekeepers name was Joenar and he was from the Philippines  We guessed that he was probably only about 23 ish years old, but very friendly.

After seeing the room we went to dinner, seeing both the buffet and sit down menu and chose to eat in the Windows dining room. The appetizer that my mom and I both had was cream of mushroom soup and it was probably the best cream of anything soup that I have ever had!! SO GOOD! My dad had a raw seasoned salmon type of appetizer. For dinner my dad and I had the lobster tail and New York strip steak. We even ordered a second plate to share amongst the 2 of us. My mom had salmon for dinner. For dessert I had cheesecake and my mom had key lime pie. My dad had a warm bread pudding (not worth taking a picture of) and we even ordered a fourth dessert to share, similar to chocolate flan.

During dinner we left the port in Barcelona, and we were seated at the back of the dining room (back of the ship) so we got to see us leaving. After dinner we walked around for a little bit and got to see the sky in a pink state.

After admiring the sky we went to the evening's show in the Stardust Theatre (floors 7 and 8), Flamenco dancers from Madrid. The show was decent, the one I saw in Granada was a lot better, but it was nice that my parents got to the see the dancers perform. 

When the show was over we went to the Galaxy Lounge on the 12 floor to go to the Welcome Aboard Party. The party was very low key and not much was happening. 

When we felt it was time to go, we left the party and went to bed. It had been a very long day of touring Barcelona and boarding the ship and we were exhausted!