Dinner on the ship was at assigned times and tables. My family had our own table. Each night we had a specified type of dress (formal, casual, 50's, etc.) and unique menu. Our waiter's name was Hector and he had a little thing for Melissa. They had a little date towards the end of our trip.
Our cruise began on December 23rd from Miami, Florida. Each night the ship had Bingo and a show of some kind. The Bingo rounds always had a cash prize for the winners. Melissa won one night, but she had to split her prize with another winner. We saw a variety of shows, including a comedian, a play called Sea Legs, and a production of Pirates of Penzance. During one of the Bingo games or pre-shows, the audience was being asked how long the various couples had been married. Grandma and Grandpa had been married the longest (59 years). Grandma stood up and waved just like she was the winner of a beauty pageant. When Grandpa was asked his secret, he said, "Yes, dear." It was all very cute. :-)
Our first stop was Christmas Eve at Key West. We took a trolley tour of the island and saw Robert Frost's winter home, the "Little White House," Ernest Hemingway's home, and the Southernmost Point of the Continental United States. After the tour, Melissa and I walked the entire length of the island, leaving me with a huge blister on the bottom of my foot. We climbed to the top of a lighthouse and saw the island from there. The steps were steep and narrow and scared the crap out of me to go down. We walked to the Southernmost Point and took our pictures there.
On Christmas Day, we were scheduled to stop in Cancun, Mexico. Unfortunately there was a bad storm over there so we couldn't go. The ship instead went to Cozumel earlier than planned. My family decided to go to the beach first. The one we ended up at was more like a lagoon. It was really rocky. There was a division rope in the water to mark off the swimming area. Dad was the only one who actually left the rope. :-) Afterwards we went through some Mayan ruins that had been transported there somehow.
We went to the ship for Christmas dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and then back out into the city. We went to Planet Hollywood, but there wasn't much there to see. The city was decorated with a lot of different lighted nativity scenes. Each one was very cool. We had some snacks and drinks at the Hard Rock Cafe before heading to the ship.
Thursday was a very bumpy day at sea. Melissa threw up early in the day and got mad at the lack of sympathy we gave her. Our little cabin reeked all day, so we avoided it as much as possible. Plus we felt less sick in big, open spaces. We did some tanning on the top of the ship and then went to a show called "The Liars Club."
We flew out of Miami early Friday morning. It was all a very awesome experience. Well, except for the blister. :-) I'm glad I had the chance to share such a special trip with my grandparents.
