SweetPea

I'm exhausted and iDK what we're doing tonight so let me do a photodump of the bridge tour and then MAYBE think about a shower. Maybe. This is our free-for-all night with no dinner plans, which i was convinced would buy me wife points. Batman told me not to pat myself on the back because it's 1 night out of 11, and my % wasn't looking good. He said that my numbers suck, even in baseball. Captain Merak, as mentioned, does the bridge tour himself. I asked him about Pilots. They are required by the port, but he is still responsible for operations. In the Caribbean, they board and go to their own station. I asked which station is that? He pointed to the coffee station. He said the pilots in Alaska are among the best, and provide all sorts of helpful info like windspeed, wildlife activity, etc. We also talked about Panama Canal crossings, and the pilot pretty much lines up the ship to get it started in the locks, which they traverse with about a foot's clearance on either side and then they immediately hand the controls back to the Captain. But, he also said that Odyssey doesn't do very many PC crossings.

See, i knew someone would know that reference! WTG, @OCSC Mike This Pic doesn't capture how pretty my view is right now. I thought I'd sneak a catnap (i never nap) But the Beyond is pulling out now and this is the view from bed.

We are back from our tour, which was only maybe 2 hours or so. Which is fine for us because we've been to Antigua several times and honestly it's not my fave. If it's your first visit to Antigua, maybe try the lobster lunch catamaran instead to see more of the island and its beaches. We've done that before and it's not bad. Not Great. Just better for a first time visitor. Our tour was informative. You got a history and cultural lesson, primarily, i think, to give them time to prepare lunch. Honestly, i didn't read the reviews. I saw an excursion after 12 noon with Rum. Say no more. I didn't know we were getting lunch and i asked Rafa if i could have BLTs waiting for us after our tour since i figured i would be doing a Rum tasting on an empty stomach. Again, my ADHD got the better of me. Allow me to regale you with pics of Antigua currency, #FunWithFlags, other stuff i took pics of because i didn't feel like reading the info at the time. The rum tasting was like every other Rum tasting I've been to, with the exception of Goslings, which is the gold standard. Start you off with a healthy pour of rum punch, a smaller shot of 2 year old rum, a tiny shot of 5 year old rum. Whatevs. I don't even really like rum because if I'm going to drink a 15 year old rum, i might as well drink a bourbon. Two of my former coworkers are both named Leon and both are from Guyana where El Dorado is king. Love them both and on occasion they'd bring me back El Dorado 15 year old rum when they'd visit home. Once i helped one Leon with something and he brought me back 25 yo El Dorado as a thanks. I was always so touched by that, so really, rum has a sentimental value to me. This rum tasting was fine for amateurs. Was it worth $80 pp? Questionable. There was a funny sign at the bar which i failed to capture a pic. It said If you need credit, go to Helen Wait. We heard more than once that whether you pronounce it as An-ti-ga (English) or An-ti-gwa (Spanish) they don't care. It was said more than once. That's why i remember it. I got lost on the flag meaning so THANK GOD i was handed the flyer. Really, i was more interested in bad toupee guy who was also on the rour, and i spent more time wondering if he takes it off at night to sleep and how often he washes it.

Amen

We are waiting on our Rum tasting tour in Antigua. Batman is on the balcony. I'm upstairs putting on sunscreen when this happens Since he came inside and threw the coozy upstairs to me while never leaving the downstairs, I'm guessing the answer is yes.

I think if you walked, yes, you'd be coming from the other direction. @asquared17, you and J walk to HH, right? I mean their sections on the beach are all right in a row, so it's only NuLove which should be No Love that separates HH from Big Bs.

Yes! Blue Bitch is after Holland House (Big Bastards is before) from the Water Taxi. I'm sorry, i do think you can walk, but if you take the Water Taxi, it's literally RIGHT there. I hope you get to try it!

I have actual notes on The Book, but cannot do it justice ATM, if YWIM. I'll just say in my notes, i confused Ethel Murman with Esther Williams in my frantic analysis and leave you with that for now.

I had been waiting on a response to my PhD comment. Sounds about right.

Funny you should say that. And I'll leave it at that.

This is directly related to your meager/suboptimal D+ voucher use. Clearly.

For the past 2 nights, we've been in CK. Two nights ago, there was a man who looked like the husband of the Tram Trespassers couple from Oasis. Now a lot of white-haired balding, medium-built guys with glasses can be pretty nondescript, so we were trying to figure out if it was him. His wife was not well and had dinner in their room so, without her, we were struggling. If you recall, we did get a pic of them in CK with us on Oasis and if only you could've seen us 1) trying to find that Pic 2) finding it and then trying to analyze similarities, noting that we could really use some facial recognition software 3) moving on to this Pic Because Batman insisted it is Natalie Portman, and i argued it wasn't, which led to google imaging Natalie Portman's lips. After a spirited debate, i think we settled on it not being Natalie Portman. These were food pics from the first night. Batman is really tiring of food porn pics so you can guess what is happening when i try to take them after this night. I love the bread dipping spreads at CK. The French onion soup was amazing but the cheese was so thick, i had to stop. When you need a knife to eat soup, maybe don't eat that soup. Batman's go to Batman said he could cut his chicken with a fork. The lamb loin was excellent. But I've never understood mint jelly with lamb. And yes, i stole Batman's asparagus. He offered me his broccoli too. The following night, we took no food pics. However, we saw the suspect Tram husband again. But this time, his wife was there. Frustratingly, from where we were both seated, we could not see her. She was the deciding factor! But then Batman realized he could faintly see her reflection in the window from where he was seated. This again involved us pulling up that picture and Batman doing another stare and compare, saying he wasn't sure but didn't think that was her. Try harder, i said! I finally couldn't take it anymore, and got up to see if i could get in a position to see. Definitely not her, but Batman offered his opinion that maybe Tram husband got remarried. Why are you even READING this? Like seriously, what if it WERE the Tram Trespassing couple after all? The outcome wouldn't change.

Ok re: Stage 5 Clinger drama. You know we met that odd couple on embarkation day at Playmakers? The ones who had Batman as Russell Crowe and me as Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally? Both comparisons obviously #BSC. We saw them again at Chops the first night? Not since. We'd prefer them at this point. I honestly don't want to sound ridic, but .... I'll just say we're dealing with a mildly uncomfortable sitch we'd prefer to avoid. I get the impression they may be upside-down people (maybe don't tell my husband to give your wife a hug? Maybe, IDK, don't give me an uncomfortable side hug and plant a hard kiss on my cheek?). Maybe it's nothing, but when Batman gets a Spidey sense something seems off .

Truth!

Thank you for backing me on this nightmare!

I can't even. Listen, i get it. You have a favorite song you think you can sing, and you have the opportunity to do it. The problem is, you're in a pub with regulars at this point of the cruise, and after 10pm, no one (and i do mean NO ONE) wants to hear in THIS particular venue 1) a 12 year old girl attempt to belt out Coldplay (key word: attempt) 2) a post-menopausal woman sing The Wind Beneath My Wings 3) A white hair vintage singing My Way. We saw our favorite bartender and asked: karaoke? HERE? He just said sorry, i know, like he didn't have a choice. We left. @asquared17 knows. I'm not exaggerating #GITCC

It WAS, in fact, a LIVING HELL

Let's hope so, because i literally died and went to hell

My God, i need Batman to pass out tonight so i can catch up. When he dies of Cirrhosis, it's on you, loyal readers. But first, here is the front and back of the business card. So you're in the know, his name is Stephen (i asked, it's 'ph' not 'v'). Great guy! I'm rushing, but I'm sure Ali is right. Stephen encouraged me to mention his name, and use the QR code so .... i will get to the other stuff, i promise Because this is my worst nightmare: Don't commandeer my Pub for Karaoke Also, we're on our way to The Book. I'm sure you're all waiting with bated breath for THAT review .....

Welcome and thank you. I will say it's often a challenge if he's not onboard with the blog sitch! But it does entertain me, at least! We've not sailed Disney since 2017, so I'm sorry I'm not much help there! Edited: meant to say, whichever way you go, of COURSE you should blog!

Our bathing suits are soaking wet as well, but I'm failing to find any clothesline in this room? Maybe it's just me? Checked both showers. Negative. I was so excited to see these snacks today though, since our service was so bad at NuLove. Need to hide the cupcakes for later. Oh there was a fruit plate and berries too.

So a few things today, and then at some point I'll backtrack to yesterday. 1) As I've mentioned, Holland House was sold out. So .... i booked next door at Nu Love. 1/10 stars. Do NOT recommend. Terrible mistake. Service was TERRIBLE. Chairs ratty, falling apart, uncomfortable. You had to ask for a seat cushion (much like asking for an egg crate on your bed on older ships), which we didn't figure out till later. To be fair, when we went in August to Holland House, while the chairs were comfy, the bathrooms were nice, and you could shower, the service was also slow and spotty. ... and that was low season. We were seated right next to this place and i had an extensive chat with the owner. I really wish i knew about this place beforehand because you seriously get a dedicated server, depending on the package you book. We were extremely jealous because our service was zero/nonexistent, much like the Shoreside Genie Gong Show as @Jax calls it. Next time, zero hesitation, we're booking here instead. SOooooooooooooooooooo much our speed. The owner gave me his card, but i have to dig it out from my bag where Batman is downstairs and I'm upstairs posting. If there is interest, i can post that. They do close for a portion of August/September, but if they are closed and/or don't have availability, they have a partnership with Holland and they will personally rebook you there. They have much cheaper packages, but as an example: $79.99/couple: 2 chairs, one umbrella, unlimited drinks (frozen drinks, water, beer, etc), dedicated server. They had a ton of servers and they were omnipresent. They have menus at each umbrella and your dedicated server is always around should you be hungry (but they're not intrusive). Service was fast, prompt, friendly, and attentive. We were so ticked we didn't know about them before today. 2) Sorry Royal, you SUCK welcoming guests back on board. Period. I always forget just exactly how badly they SUCK at it and i will die on that hill. Suckety, suck, suck, SUCK. I always forget, but this time i will remember ... #GITCC. Norwegian, for all guests ... this is not a suite snob thing at all.... Tents, chairs under the tents to wait if the line is long on a hot day, ice cold water and juice, cold washclothes, tons of staff to help you, hand sanitizers, and of course, towel return. Usually a dance party. Obviously, you don't have to dance and you can certainly avoid that if that's not your thing. But you definitely feel welcomed to be back aboard. They make returning as pleasant as possible for everyone. If you're Haven, a dedicated security line with a dedicated elevator to get you quick and escorted access directly back to the Haven. Royal? gee, thanks for the towel return. High class right there. Disappointing. We are docked next to the Ascent, and Celebrity, not surprisingly, was as pathetic as Royal. They can both do better.

From my description, i hope you can tell you missed out on a Tony Award Winning production.

Yes, it's packed! So let's talk people watching 1) A vintage lady who thinks it's OK to wear a bikini top that's a scoop neck/halter contraption that has zero support, and her girls are hanging free and clear and dancing below her belly button. I thought it was a questionable decision when dry. Wet? We're firmly in nightmare territory. 2) A boy of about 3, buck naked, strutting the beach like he owns the place. No idea where his parents were. 3) A fully clothed woman in the water, who managed to bring a kitchen strainer and is hunting for shells in the water and putting them in her fanny pack. Her fanny pack is full. (The whole front is see through plastic.) Can you even bring that many shells back onto the ship? I was in the water when i saw all these, so sadly, you're going to have to use your imagination ...

Good morning from St Maarten where the only annoying part is the barrage of beach vendors. No, Batman does not need his hair braided, thank you. Pro tip: Do not buy your water taxi tickets at the yellow hut right as you come off the ship. You'll be waiting in a line in the heat Head straight to the water taxi because you'll find several more places that sell them on the way without a line.