After the restaurant finally opened up for dinner we took off to once again stand in line for a table in the dining room. Tonight we were sat with two couples from England. They were really a funny bunch of people who all traveled quite a bit and told us about where they’ve been and what they’ve done. They had some good suggestions for future vacation ideas, like other cruises in Europe and even China, and dinner moved pretty smooth. We left early enough from dinner to catch a show at their theater called “Ever After.”
The ship has a decent sized theater for a ship. The production was short by Broadway standards but excellent for a cruise ship. It lasted about an hour which was just enough time for us to stay entertained but short enough we could move on to other events. Overall, we thought the show was fun but it was geared more toward kids because it was about a series of nursery rhymes updated with current music to explain the story lines. Kind of like what Baz Lurman did with Moulin Rouge.
Once the show was over we headed over to the casino so Mike could play craps. I lost another depressing $40, Mike won enough to cover what I lost. We planned to stay to watch a late night comedian show at 12:15 so we had quite a bit of time to kill. We ended up having a drink (I stuck with ginger ale since I still wasn’t feeling 100%) at this place called The Catacomb. It’s a bar/dance club on the ship with an old castle theme. It a super cool place we wish was local so we could bring our friends to see it! We did dance a bit but it wasn’t long before we had to get our seats for the comedy show.
The comedian was hilarious. He only did a half hour show but he really packed it with funny jokes about the annoying things about the ship (slow elevators, anxious staff to take away our plates at every meal, etc). We thoroughly enjoyed the show. By this time it was about 1 a.m. but Mike was still going. He wanted to go back to casino to show me roulette, certain that would improve my bad luck with slots. We played some roulette together and I managed to make some money but then I lost it again. Mike went down and then up and finally made enough we broke even with a little bit of profit. We left roulette so Mike could try craps again and he did well enough we won back the money we came with plus some.
By this time, however, my husband had had far more alcohol than I realized. I didn’t suspect at first because he managed to get drinks from any waiter who just happened to pass by. Before I knew it, he had too many and I realized we needed to call it night. After he told me seven times that he thought the comedian was funny (as if it were a new thought and experience each time he told me) and repeated the same joke he liked best, I started pointing us toward the room.
Luckily Mike is an agreeable drunk so he didn’t question things too much. He said he was thirty (most likely because he was dehydrated!) so we stopped for some non-alcoholic drinks on our way to the room. Poor Mike offered the waiter his card about four times after we paid before the man said, “I’ve seen all I need to see, Mon.” As in, stop giving me your card =) I managed to get Mike into the room and into bed without too many problems. He did insist on putting his own clothes away and meticulously put his nice clothes away before I talked him into sleeping.
Vacation Day 4 – September 8th –
This morning Mike swore off vanilla white Russians and alcohol for some time. Luckily we took Excedrin with us so he was able to take some strong medication to help him through the morning. Today we had a horseback riding/water swimming experience. The boat docked in Jamaica around 9:30 and we stood in another ridiculously long line (5th floor the line ended, we needed to be on the 1st floor). Eventually we made it the through the rat race to the area we needed to be for the horseback riding.
After a short drive we made it the ranch. I was very impressed with the farm and the stables. The area was very clean, spacious and the horses were healthy and well cared for compared to other stables I’ve been to on vacation. Our tour guides did a great job telling everyone how to ride well and we took off shortly after we arrived.
After a thirty minute ride we arrived at the ocean location where we would ride through the water on horseback. It was a very, very cool experience. They literally swam the horses for some time in circles and we were completely over our heads (if not on horseback) several times. The horses ran fast and furious as if that was their favorite thing to do doing the day. With the heat we rode through, I wasn’t surprised they were happy to be completely immersed in the cooler water.
After our swimming event we rode back to the ranch and took off for the pier. We stopped at a small local restaurant (with exurbanite prices!) for some jerk chicken and rice. I couldn’t eat half my meal. It was delicious but so incredibly spicy I couldn’t take it. Mike did better and managed to tread through his meal by washing it down with Red Strip and my diet coke. The cook himself came out and tried to sell us a bottle of the spices but with our mouths on fire, we politely declined.
By this time we were both exhausted. We made our way back to the ship and stood through yet another long line to get back on the ship. We came back to the room and took a nap because we’re on vacation and we were tired. We just got up a bit ago and we’re getting ready for our night at one of the boat’s specialty restaurants. Tonight it’s Italian. I think I would be more excited if I could have my favorite fettuccine Alfredo made traditionally and by a real Italian chef. Alas, I will stick with another bland dish of tomato sauce and pasta…
The restaurant was very nice and as I expected, it was difficult for me to find something Italian to eat that didn't contain cheese! We had a really nice waiter and he was very accommodating. I told him I was allergic to milk (easier to explain it that way) so he changed some things on the menu for me so I could eat everything he brought. Overall the food was great. When it was time for dessert I was disappointed they only had very creamy desserts. I started out by refusing dessert when the waiter came back for our order but when he asked why, I couldn't lie. He told me to give him one minute and he came back with an entire tray full of dark-chocolate covered strawberries! I'm not sure where the heck he found those because I swear they are not anywhere I have been on the ship. Regardless, it was a perfect end to the evening. I made sure Mike tipped the man well =)
The rest of the night we spent in the casino where we lost all our profits from yesterday. Oh well... I guess you win some and you lose some gambling!
Tomorrow we're in Cozumel, Mexico and we're going snorkeling.
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