DAY NINE: Woke up once at 5:00 AM, but managed to get back to sleep. Woke up again around 7:00, but no luck then at getting back to sleep. I ordered some coffee through room service (waking Terry up in the process), drank a couple of cups while waking up and getting ready to face the day, then off to breakfast we went.
We went to the Windjammer. The difference between Carnival and Royal Caribbean were show again here. The selection was quite larger than Elation's, and it was broken up in to more different areas. I headed to the buffet line, while Terry went to the omelet station. The food was quite good, and we headed out to the pool afterwards to smoke and have a final cup of coffee.
The sea was much rougher than the previous days. According to the noon position report, the captain said that we had 6 to 9 foot seas. Hard to tell that from our balcony with no references available, but we can sure feel it.
I have to digress here for a moment. I'm a cruise fan, so I try to talk as many people into taking cruises as I can. The one big question that I keep getting asked is: "What about getting sea sick?" I've been fortunate that I've never gotten sea sick (as opposed to alcohol-induced sickness - had that LOTS of times). I think it has a lot to do with my past aviation experience, since seasickness, airsickness, and carsickness all fall under the blanket category of "motion sickness". I've always told people that it shouldn't be a problem for them. First, there's medications to take. Second, after a few days, you get your "sea legs" and it doesn't become a problem. Lastly, and most importantly, modern ships have stabilizers that take a lot of the rolling motion out. With apologies to the people that I've spoken with, I HAVE felt movement on these last two cruises. I haven't seen anyone look ill from the motion, but some of our dining tablemates on the Elation were absent due to feeling sick. On the Rhapsody, walking a straight line is difficult because the ship keeps moving on you. So, I have to amend my statement on sea sickness: Yes, you can feel the ship move, but no, with medication and perseverance, you can overcome any sickness that you may feel.
Anyway, back to the cruise. After breakfast and our post-food cigarette, we wandered up to the Viking Crown Lounge at the top of the ship. The view is tremendous, and the lounge itself is quite comfortable. Unfortunately, the bar wasn't open, so we didn't stay there long. Went down to the poolside bar to get a drink and people watch (quite a few people to watch, in fact), and then went back to the room to relax and read. The room is REALLY nice (except for the #$#* flies), but we can't sit still for too long.
Terry got a kick out of the vacuum cleaners, and the one on our floor that was marked "Henry". Don't know if it was the brand or they named each one, but it was still cute.
We went to the Shall We Dance Lounge, and played bingo. One set of cards was $35, but we didn't win squat. Still, it was a nice diversion. Ate lunch at the Windjammer.
Around 6:00, we went over to the casino. I didn't win for crap on the slots, but Terry did. On the nickel slots, I lost my $10, but she won $20. We moved over to blackjack, and I brought our total winnings up to $50. Then, we went over to the quarter slots, where Terry put $10 in and hit a little jackpot of 600 quarters, while the machine slowly ate my $10. We argued a bit about staying longer, but Terry thought we should take our winnings and walk. So, we walked, about $140 richer.
Spent the rest of the evening watching the waves, then back to the room and crashed.