Lines of people in unusual places

The price of gas is going down so I went out to fill the tank. Since we have a Sam's card, I decided to get gas there.  Good choice, the price was lower than I've seen in years. 

And there was no line at the pumps, which was great!  I decided since I was already at Sam's, I'd get a few groceries so I wouldn't have to go out again for week or so. And there at the store door was the line that I'd missed at the gas pumps!

It was a long line, almost to the end of the building. Everyone was staying about 6 feet apart (except for couples together). I couldn't understand why there was a line so I asked the employee who was guarding the door (thinking maybe the store had switched to later hours and wasn't open yet). She said the store was open but they were limiting the number of people inside. When someone came out, someone else could go in. And it was easy to see from the carts coming out what was being bought - toilet paper, paper towels, and water! I didn't want to drive out again later so I waited it out. Inside they were limiting people to 2 packages of toilet paper and 2 packages of water. Sounds reasonable to me because Sam's packages have 45 rolls of toilet paper in them; if you need more than 90 rolls of TP, you have serious problems!

Royal Caribbean Cruise - Day 8

Homeward bound today! We had breakfast in the Windjammer, then all waited in the Royal Theater until our tag numbers were called (Rosina had arranged for us to all be in the same group), then went through customs, which was practically non-existent. We showed our passports and that was it. No questions, no declarations, nothing. I'm not complaining! We were still early enough that we had to wait a bit for the bus to show up. Most of us bundled back into those jackets we hadn't worn since last week. Soon our Yankee Trails bus driver collected us and got us safely back home. 

And there we found a nice surprise - an alligator, snoozing peacefully in our backyard! So good to be home!

Royal Caribbean Cruise - Day 7

Randy and I went to the Windjammer for breakfast today, getting a seat with a great view of the ship and the ocean.

Afterwards we went to the photo store and bought one of the many photos we've had taken here. I think I could have done a better job at posing people, but I may be biased. We walked around the ship a bit; in the Boardwalk area they were setting up for the "last day" sale and people were packed, waiting for the sale to start. I didn't want anything enough to fight through that mob so we went on deck and admired the amazing sea. 

Since we will leave tomorrow, we spent time today packing our suitcases. And wouldn't you know it, by then it was time for lunch! We went back to the Windjammer, which offers a nice variety of things to choose from. This time that included a whole suckling pig (which wasn't as good as it should have been) and a huge apple pie (which was tasty).

By 2:30 it was time for our last show, Grease. The cast did a great job; this is a really enjoyable show!

We spent some time in the Schooner's Bar before heading back to our rooms to get ready for dinner. Tonight Randy had salmon tartar, pork soft tacos, and roasted rack of lamb. I had cheese rolls with brie (I like this as much as most of the group liked the escargot), spaghetti bolognese, and cheesecake. Randy's dessert - Royal chocolate cake - came with a candle and a birthday sing-along from our our waiters and all 4 tables of our traveling group. 

Next our waiter Ijero came over to express how much he appreciated us. We appreciated him right back. He has been an excellent waiter, a personable dinner companion, and he took special care to be sure Linda was well informed about non-diary options. We all want to take him home with us!

Then he joined the rest of the dining crew in singing Sweet Caroline. Not sure why they picked that song, but it worked out well because we all knew the lyrics and joined in. We missed the "Gangnam Style" dance exhibition on the restaurant's lower deck, but that's OK. We were headed to the robot bartender on Broadway, where Linda bought Randy a birthday drink. 

That clever little robot made a pretty good Long Island Iced Tea!

Afterwards we all lined up on the upper rail and watched the Holiday parade again, followed by a quick parade of the ship's officers.  Then back to the cabins - time to get those bags outside the cabin rooms for pickup!

Royal Caribbean Cruise - Day 6

We started the day with breakfast with the Allisons and Dukes on the a la carte side of the restaurant, with French toast, eggs, bacon, hash browns (not very crispy), omelettes, and a big selection of breads. For some reason they often put half of a grilled tomato on the plate. After breakfast we all headed out to see Cozumel. With seven big ships in port at the same time, they are docked pretty close to each other! 

We hadn't been here in several years and were hoping that jewelry, alcohol, and clothing stores hadn't taken over the place but it looked like they had. There was a lot of nice stuff here but we like visiting other countries to see .... well, other countries. 

But when in Rome (or Cozumel), do as the tourists do. So we visited several stores, saw the sights, and tried some alcohol samples. I liked Larry's laid-back attitude about the whole thing!

I found an alley that led to behind the stores. I asked the friendly officer there if we could go through and he said sure, it just led to town. So we unhooked the small chain across the alley and went through. The wall along side of the alley had a roll of barbed wire on top so the Dukes and Allisons decided they would be more comfortable in the shopping area. Randy and I decided we wanted to go on, and I'm so glad we did! It turned out the be a great area to walk around in, with a nice mix of tourists and locals.

There were a lot of stores here, of course (this is tourist country) but they were smaller mom-and-pop stores, with just little China stuff mixed in with the local stuff. And the people were so nice, even if they didn't speak English as fluently as their big-store counterparts.

In one area we found a small Mayan museum, built to mimic the larger, authentic sites. 

Inside was cool and clean, with some artifacts and their descriptions. Eagle warriors were the fighting elites, and the only upper echelon that was not restricted to the nobility. If you were really good, you were in. 

The "Woman giving birth" figurine was interesting. The informational plaque told of a support system that included midwives and steam baths. I know she's wearing a headdress but it looks like rabbit ears. 

I didn't find information about the biggest piece, but it was beautiful. 

Back outside we walked through a small strip mall, where I gladly paid some guy $5 to get a photo with his parrots. What a tourist - pink visor, sunburned, vacation t-shirt, even got a bottle of Coke Lite in my pocket! But I could not stop smiling!

One of the stores here was a small grocery store, occupied almost exclusively by locals. Lots of canned meats and hot sauces. 

Along the street we passed an open-air restaurant with some tourists having a great time with the biggest drinks ever! 

We kept walking, heading along the main street  The area got quieter, with less stores and less tourists. We passed a gorgeous old tree that completely dominates the sidewalk. As I stopped to take a photo, I apologized to a local guy for taking up the sidewalk. He smiled and said he loved the tree, too, and was so glad it had not been cut down. Me too.

This area was a mix of older buildings being refurbished and some really nice places, like the Grand Park Royal Resort. 

We decide the next town area was too far to walk to today so we turned back. Along the way we discovered that there are a few small places along the rocky shore where we could have gotten to the water fairly easily. If we'd known, we would have brought our snorkel stuff. 

Oh well, we enjoyed the view, and the iguanas who where sunning along the shore.

Eventually we got back to port where the big ships were lined up in a row, bringing back with us a lovey conch shell, silver earrings, leather shoes, a dive jacket, and (my favorite) a little carved whale shark necklace. 

We had a late lunch at the Windjammer of salad (it's about time I ate something healthy), chicken, hot dogs, and miscellaneous desserts, including dulce du leche. There was time for another nap, then on to dinner! Tonight was the second formal dinner. Prior to going into the restaurant, our group had a photo taken. I thought the guy did a really good job of getting so many people looking good at the same time!

Tonight's menu featured lobster tails so most folks had that. I ordered a second lobster for Randy (to go with his prime rib) but my dinner was the Vildalia onion tart, gnocchi in bolognese sauce (the best part of the meal in my opinion), followed by baked Alaska. 

Royal Caribbean Cruise - Day 5

This morning started with breakfast on Deck 3, as usual. We ordered a la carte today, but for some reason everyone's eggs Benedict were hard-boiled. Oh, well, we ate it all anyway.

Today we got off the boat to see Routan, Honduras. We hoped there would be lots of walking around a local town but we quickly discovered the area was mostly a few standard jewelry and souvenir stores. From the ship we could see a small town behind the stores, but it was blocked off. The only other section open to the cruise ship passengers was the area to catch a bus for an excursion. 

Ok, we'll investigate what we can. 

We found one little kiosk that sold handmade items made from recycled materials, such as soda can pop-tops. I'd rather support a local artist than get stuff sent over from China, so I now own a pair of red soda pop-top earrings. 
The bathroom on the second level of the big store did not have paper or soap, but it was clean. Their second story was where we found a couple more local craftsmen, including a chocolatier and an older gentleman slowly rolling cigars. 

Back on the street we passed (and tipped) a couple of dudes making music for the crowds. 

We decided not to eat on shore, since there was a cruise ship full of food waiting for us. But I liked the use of natural materials in one restaurant. 

I did ask Randy for some chips and soda, to snack on as we walked around. We bumped into Gary and Erin, and when I admired the bracelet Erin had on, she directed me to the right vendor so I could get one, too. 

We were still looking for something to do when Randy found place with a special massage promotional offer - 2 for $50.  The business was pretty new - they had been open 3 days - and we decided that would be a nice thing to do. Good decision! We both got a great massage of neck, arms, hands, legs and feet. When we left there we were so relaxed that we decided to get a drink and just sit down awhile. The bar guy mixed me a Pineapple Colada, and something called a Monkey Lala for Randy. Excellent!

Out in the harbor people kept lining up to get in. There were 4 big cruise ships in port today and not enough docks, so some folks had to be tendered in. Wow, there are a lot of people streaming through this tiny port!

Back on board our ship we leaned over the side to admire the crystal clear water below. I don't know how deep this was, but it was deep enough to handle our ship, and yet the bottom was clearly visible. 

We went to the Boardwalk Dog House onboard and ordered the Coney Island Dog. Turns out they have no idea what a Coney Island Dog is, because they served us an ordinary hot dog on a bun. Poo.

We managed to fit in a quick nap before dinner tonight. Randy had crab cakes, pork loin, and a lovely Grand Marnier soufflé. I had spaghetti Bolognese, apple pie a la mode, and 3 cheese muffins with brie. 

Shortly after dinner we all met in the Royal Theater to watch "Columbus, the Musical". There are some talented singers here, although so far I like the water show best. 

Royal Caribbean Cruise - Day 4

Quiet day today. Randy wasn't feeling his best - no real symptoms, he just didn't feel good. It's probably just too much food - neither one of us is used to this! I had breakfast with Frank and Rosita, which was a good thing because Frank had the perfect solution for Randy - a nice hot toddy. Frank supplied a teaspoon of honey and about three fingers of Gentleman Jack. I added that to some hot tea, Randy drank it right down, and napped all day. And that was OK because soon it was announced that due to rough waters, the ship would not dock, so all excursions were cancelled. About this time we got a phone call from Aaron that we didn't want to get. But there is nothing we can do from the ship except pray, so we did lots of that.

While Randy napped, I grabbed a hot dog for lunch, then watched Jumanji 2 in the Royal Theater at the front of the ship. By dinnertime Randy was still more tired than hungry so I just got him some ice cream. For myself, well, I'd been eating too much so I skipped most of dinner but still had a cheese roll with butter and brie. I was pretty tired too so we were both in bed by 6:30. Not used to this rich life.

Royal Caribbean cruise - Day 3

Today we started with room-service coffee - how nice! I think we'll do this from now on. When we'd gotten a good start on the day, we headed to level 3 for breakfast. The buffet side again, where I found good hash, mushrooms, and oh joy, chocolate croissants!

I also tried lychee, which was OK but I'm not likely to feast on it often. After breakfast our friends joined us in an effort to walk a little of it off, through Central Park, Boardwalk, and a turn around the walking path, which runs all the way around the ship. 

Next up for us was the Kitchen Tour. While waiting we met Jimmy and Donna Driscoll, members of a Corvette club. Gary would have enjoyed swapping tales with them! Our tour guide introduced herself as the only Brazilian in the restaurant staff, which was unusual. She led us up some narrow, steep stairs into the kitchen area, where she explained some of the logistics. I don't remember most of it, but she said that the staff must use one door if they have dirty dishes, and another door with clean dishes, to avoid them ever coming in contact with each other.  

It is obviously in the cruise lines' financial interest to waste as little as possible but of course it does happen. Unconsumed food is separated, pulverized, and released into the sea at approved locations to serve as fish food. Non-food items like paper and plastic are incinerated, and recyclable items like broken glass and plates are off-loaded at approved recycling centers in various locations. 

The fruit station operates 24 hours a day; now they were setting up fruit plates. 

This was also the location of fruit carving and, today, chocolate centerpieces for a special display. This was reminiscent of the old days when there was a midnight buffet every night!

The neck scarves indicate the status of the chef, identifying new hires, sou chefs, and executive chefs.  A red scarf indicates a chef in charge of one area, with sou chefs under him. 

Before each meal a sample of every item on the menu is plated and set out for the sou chef of that area to evaluate on taste and appearance. There are 30 dessert chefs for the whole ship. They have an allergy chef and an allergy kitchen, where nothing else is allowed to be prepared. I asked how they handle things like over-easy eggs. Our guide said everything is "a la minute", ie cooked on demand. Pretty amazing, considering the volume of eggs served. Randy stopped to talk to a couple of the chefs about how they prepare some of the dishes.

 In one section they were braising the tenderloins for tonight's dinner. 

And nearby were escargot plates, ready to be filled. Good thing there is a lot of these, they are one of the most popular items!

After the tour we were treated to another brunch, where I tried cranberry champaign - not bad. 

A little later I met Linda and went to the Broadway area see the parade, which celebrated several holidays. When it was over, the "floating bar" came back into service so we hopped on. It's a bar that moves up and down one deck level, and it moves very, very  s l o w l y. Linda had a couple of cookies and the bartender told us that wasn't allowed. We just smiled and he decided we could stay; he turned the menu away from the other tables and put the cookies behind it. We got a good giggle out of the whole thing. 

Afterwards we went shopping. Linda told me that Erin had found a lovely purse for a good price so I checked out the same vendor and found one I like. Good, now I have a purse for formal night!

We met up with our guys and went on deck, to watch Cuba on the horizon. The trip to Cuba was our last cruise. 

Time to eat! It's formal night tonight. For dinner Randy had salmon, while I had the pork shank and carrot cake. Later we all went to the Line Line water show. This was my favorite! The flooring is divided into sections which raise and lower through the water. The raised sections are where dancers perform, and there are synchronized swimmers in the lowered sections. There were even overhead performers, lowered and raised on rigging. They kept things moving and I it was wonderful.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Day 2 - Cococay

This morning we headed straight to breakfast in the dining room on Deck 3, where one side of the room is set up buffet-style and the other side is à-la-carte. We chose the buffet today. We didn't find the Dukes or Allisons but when Rosina and Frank came in, we moved to a larger table so they could join us. They are the couple who set up this cruise, so they have some good info about what's going on. 

The ship docked at Cococay early, so as soon as breakfast was over we disembarked. As we walked over to the island we got a great view of our ship. It really is beautiful!

And the island is beautiful, too.

It's divided into 2 sides: one side has a water park which looks fun, but it costs $ to go there and it looks like everything there is also available on the ship, so why pay?  The other side has lots of beach chairs and personal cabanas set up on the beach. 

We opted for chairs, where I sat while Randy explored the water. The water temp was about 76 degrees so not many people were swimming. Randy gave it a shot but there isn't any coral or sea life here so soon he came back out. 

We walked through the straw market of colorful huts and found most of the wares were standard: t-shirts, hats, jewelry all made in China. Don't need that. The sound of a rooster crowing made me look around, and I found the source - a small rooster, strutting around under the bushes. I guess they just roam free around here. 

Back at the chairs Randy relaxed with a rum drink - what a good idea!

I bought a disposable underwater camera, since I'd forgotten to bring one. In other ports I expect to be snorkeling and I hope to get some photos. Then we sat on the chairs under the umbrella shade, watching gulls soar overhead like kites. Soon it was time for lunch: a fairly nice buffet was set up under shady pavilions with piped-in music  The food included pork, hot dogs, fries, pizza and fresh fruit. Randy tried the fried chicken and found it pretty gristly - maybe the free-range rooster is part of a flock culled for the table! We headed back to the chairs to nap awhile before going back on-board. On the upper decks we soaked in a hot tub, before Randy climbed the stairs to ride the water slide. There are two, and he chose the one with a long dark tunnel; next time he'll choose the other one! We walked around the ship a bit, snacking at the Windjammer and looking over the rails.  The water here is amazing - all different colors of blue, and so clear!

Time for another nap, this time in our cabin. Afterwards we met several of our group in Bollerro on deck 5, for drinks and conversation.

And then it was time for dinner again! Even before we ordered, Ijero started us with rolls and a couple of cheese plates. The escargot were slightly warmer tonight, and good enough that Gary had 3 orders!

 Erin started with French Onion Soup, which was good and very, very cheesy.

Randy had the escargot plus the seafood cake appetizer; I opted for another roll with butter and brie. Randy ordered chicken cordon blue, followed by lemon sugar-free panna cotta. My dinner was lasagna (very good), and for dessert I got the the chocolate cookie though, which turned out to be a brownie under a dark chocolate sauce, with a small side of ice cream. Despite how it sounds, I didn't enjoy it. 

After dinner we six walked the 5th deck, where a lot of the shops are. Later Randy and I went out on deck, where the it was very windy and sky was black. And when we got back to our cabin, there was a little towel doggie waiting for us!