We're back....cont'd.

Where to start.....I have a few minutes before leaving for the famous Ft. Lauderdale Chinese buffet so I figured I'll start typing what I'm sure will end up being a massive blog when its all done and over with.

Saturday we got up at the crack ass of dawn and headed down to BWI for our flight to Ft. Lauderdale. Everything went well there. We ended up being the super early dorks sitting in line to get on the ship about three hours before we even were allowed to. We were #2 and #3 getting aboard around 11am. A guy we nicknamed "New York" who travel solo and wore dark heavy jeans, black sneaks, a muscle shirt (w/o muscles) and a set of headphones that looked like he should be operating a jackhammer or something beat us into the #1 position. I think we could have tripped him or something to get that spot on the way up the ramp, but really I guess it was unnecessary. We wandered around and people watched --- lots of people watching and nickname giving was had on this trip. I'll try to get into that later.

Eventually we got to our stateroom, which was a little more than a cave. I can't complain, really. It was dark and cool and made for a great nights sleep. Well, except for the part where they forgot to put our beds together....then around midnight when we were ready to go to sleep the half-a$$ed it (we didn't realize that til the last night) so we had a gap between us for the whole trip. We should have just kept the beds apart because we slept no where near each other. The bathroom....oh the bathroom. Very, very tiny. I don't know how some people get in the shower. It was like 3 ft by 3 ft hexagon. The water pressure was surprisingly great---except that doesn't feel good when you have a sunburn. That was my first experience with suction toilets. That first flush really catches you off guard. After the muster drill Brian and I went for a couples hot stone massage. He has wanted a couples massage forever and I wanted a hot stone massage so we decided to combine it and start our trip off right. I was pissed that I got the little bitty girl thinking she wasn't going to give me a good massage. I don't know if she got a step ladder to get up there and start rubbing but Holy Hell, there were times I thought I was going to cry. It was wonderful. I suggest hot stones to everyone. It was fantastic. Anyway, we finally made it to our first "dinner." It was good. I don't remember what we had but it was good overall. We had two couples at our table. Conveniently, there were 3 birthdays being celebrated on the 20th, formal night. At first we thought we were really going to hit it off with the one couple from Florida but that kinda fizzled out halfway through the trip when we didn't drink/party quite as much as them. They were still nice, but not like I thought it was going to be. The couple from Nashville (oh how excited was I....the husband was originally from New Zealand.....accents everywhere!!) were nice but kinda quiet and subdued.

Day two we ended up at the pool. I even tried to go workout. I shouldn't say tried, I actually did go workout. But it wasn't easy. Apparently everyone else was trying to as well and it was a pain in the butt. There just wasn't enough equipment or room for that matter. I ended up back out at the pool to lay out and go figure I got a sunburn. And it wasn't an all over sunburn it was a "Sarah doesn't know how to put spray sunscreen" sunburn. It was a cute strip, like a Miss America sash, that went from my left shoulder to my right thigh. It hit all the wonderful, painful creases in between. I was miserable. Good decision on scheduling the hot stone massage the night before. That night was formal night. The food was again good and the birthday people got some slices of cake and a song.

Day three we went to Grand Cayman. We slept in so we didn't do any excursions. The last tender back to the ship was at 330pm, so that didn't leave a lot of time. We ate some food and walked around but came back to lay out at the pool before all the seats were gone. I think that night was the most fun....they had a pool party at night and that was what I thought a cruise was going to be like. Up till that point I was a little disappointed, I guess. There wasn't a lot of entertainment, at least the stuff we want. I thought there were more contests and stuff---stuff to get people involved, but it didn't seem like it. While I'm on the topic of complaining for a lack of better words, we weren't overly impressed with the staff. People went on and on about how great it was supposed to be, and it was just okay. I expected to be showered with hellos and how are yous and can I get you anythings and it seemed at times we had to pull teeth just to get a little help. Once we got someones attention they were fine, but no one was really outgoing. Our waitress, Armie, and our assistant waiter, Sven were awesome. Armie was from the Phillipines and Sven was from Belgium. Sven was a cross between Danon and Kerper (for those of you who know them). Dinner got to be very entertaining. We found a great bartender, Casanova (who definitely lives up to his name with the ladies). Anyone going on Enchantment of the Seas, find him and tip him and he'll be your friend for the duration. :)

OK, where was I? Oh, the pool party. So our friend Casanova must have forgotten to wash his hands or something because by the next day Brian wasn't feeling well. Must have caught a bug from the vodka he poured. Ha. Whatever dude. While I was dressed up and ready to go, Brian wasn't doing so hot. Our trip to Cozumel was pretty uneventful but a nice relief to get off the boat. He finally was feeling better around 3pm but there was really not much to do on the ship. We weren't real happy with that. By the end of the night we were in the room watching the 2nd National Treasure movie (good by the way) and made it an early night.

By the last day we had enough. We were ready for home. Although the food was good and we ate way too much of it (bad WW) we were ready for a home cooked meal. I was craving a diet Pepsi but couldn't bring myself to spend as much as they were charging for a soda. I did have two at 1/2 Senor Frogs (Brian's illness didn't make it very worthwhile to trek over to Carlos N Charles). I did have a Sex on the Beach shot there which I didn't realize you get a free massage there with it...(photos to follow...maybe tomorrow or Saturday). I was glad to feel it wasn't just me. Everyone at our table at dinner was very happy to leave. I miss my bed and I miss Bastard cat. I really miss my bed though.

Overall it was a nice getaway. I don't know that I'd rush to do another cruise in the near future. I do know that I know have pretty strict criteria for the next one, even if it means spending more upfront money. I think "relaxing" to me is napping in the afternoon with the breeze blowing and quiet, not a bunch of screaming kids. I do think a cruise is good while having kids aboard, because really, there are only so many places they could go. I've only been to one resort, St. Lucia and that was for 11 days. Just like anything else, it has its pluses and minuses. I don't know if I have an ideal tropical vacation, but I'm willing to try other stuff. I think I want Hawaii. That would be nice. Expensive, though, I'm sure. I still really enjoy a city trip. If there was a city trip with a warm pool and a view that would be even better.

Now we are relaxing at Bri's grandparents which really is a nice change. Tomorrow life is back to normal. I never thought I'd want that, especially a week ago. Just goes to show how structured our lives can get. And if I bitch about my job, I have to remember what its like to work on a cruise ship. Ten hour days, seven days a week, six months straight for tips. No wonder they weren't all overly friendly. They're probably tired.

OK, off for Chinese deliciousness. Tomorrow starts WW, which surprisingly I'm looking forward to. I definitely gained, although I'm not sure I want to know how much. I also learned how important it is to be comfortable on these trips. Cotton and stretch is my friend. Oh, so WW....yeppers, starts tomorrow. I can't wait to cook again. And I decided on getting a personal trainer. I'm looking at a new gym, since I hate Bally's. Maybe Merritt in Canton or Towson or there is a good looking one in Bel Air that seems like we can get the kids into as well.

That's all for now. I'll have my people watching story and pictures soon.

Good to be back......