Paradise: day 3

I like to think of this as the day I found Jesus.

Like, literally.

The ship docked in Nassau, Bahamas, and I felt the need to at least walk on the pier, maybe even go into town.

Ah, but the sun was so very hot at 10 AM...

still, I made it to the entrance to the city...

then remembered I had no photo ID with me.

Nope, that wouldn't do!

So, back I walked to the Paradise, maybe a little slower, and that pace allowed me to spot the image atop one of the yellow concrete posts on the sidewalk.

What is the message inscribed on that pink sash he wears?

"I AM WITH YOU"

Admittedly, I have not felt alone on this vacation though I travel solo.

Mama's presence has been with me from the start, partly due to the luggage I bought in 2001 with some of her insurance money.

Mostly, though, it's because she always travels in my heart, so there's that.

I know she would have enjoyed this cruise with my first niece and her little girls!

And just where were they on this port day?

They took one of the day trips to go swimming with pigs.

I'm absolutely serious!

I knew the deadline to be back on board was 3:30 PM, so I started hanging out at their door (4024, Deck 4 Fwd) around 3 PM.

Finally, I heard her voice rising from Deck 3 Fwd and went down the hall... and there they were, at last.

The time was 3:41 PM.

It was his fault, though, that they were late, as he broke his dad's walker.

He said he was going backward in it and hit a rough place and bent the wheel.

That'll make the trip easier on him, as the ship is letting him borrow a wheelchair.

I'm glad I decided to forego that side trip!

I'm just as glad to have been viewing Nassau from the windows in Euphoria.

All of those colorful buildings remind me of River Street, as well as Nice, France, which I'd visited in 2002 on that Mediterranean cruise.

Did I say what I did while they were gone?

I hung out in the Euphoria Lounge, up on Deck 8 mid, sipping on a free Frozen Lemonade while I watched Jimmy Buffett sing in a long-ago concert in Memphis!

I was there for Arts & Crafts with Melinda and Kaylee, but that didn't happen, so we chatted instead.

Then I popped up to the Mexican Cutie Cantina for lunch, then back down to Euphoria for "Guess The Flag" Trivia, a la Sheldon's "Fun With Flags".

Guess I should have paid more attention!

After that, I'd stood watch on Dec 4 Fwd until I was assured that Christina had safely returned, then I'd bounced back to Euphoria for "90's TV" Trivia with Mohammed.

I managed to get 15 out of 20 on that!

My score was only 5 of 14 on the flags.

Pete the Parrot came strolling by for a meet and greet, but the family was still getting clean from their swim at a beach with pigs.

High Five to Pete from me!

We all met up again for Fins Dining - we had to, a'ight? - though their appetites were a bit off from a day in the sun.

I started with Caribbean Cauliflower Soup, which was more like potato soup.

The Santa Cruz Fish, however, was fabulous, fresh, and fancy!!!

Want to guess what I ate for dessert?

Of course I had the Key Lime Sponge Cake - it's delish!!!

Christina had the Margarita Bars, but they were too sweet on their own.

So we took it with us to the High Tides Market up on Deck 10, after dropping off Miyah and Chloe at the Parakeet Club on Deck 8.

(Yes, there's a lot of bouncing up and down on elevators! Now, imagine it with a man in a wheelchair and that just adds to the fun! LOL!)

Christina had the Fins Dining dessert with a glass of milk and that made it perfect enough that she had a bit of salad and pasta, too.

That was good, as she'd eaten hardly any dinner and none of them had lunch while they were on the island.

We played some kind of Rummy game with cards until time for my first niece to go fetch her girls.

Then they all had chocolate ice cream and I had Margherita Pizza - ah, yes!

We'd missed the 'clean' show by the comedian at 7:30 because we had been late going to Fins for dinner...

and the girls couldn't go to his 'dirty' later show...

but they were all tired from their day ashore with the broken walker.

 

Time to head back to our rooms and call it a night...

especially as it was already after 11 PM.

And what had my room steward, Mohamed, left there?

An elephant in my room!!!

Hahahaha!

Paradise: day 2

What's better than a day at sea for a veteran sailor?

A day of pomp and circumstance, of course!

But first, breakfast with my peeps at the High Tide Market after a few minutes enjoying this view in my cabin!

Today I dined on Belgian waffles with orange marmalade, as well as pancakes with sliced ham - just what I needed to get some energy!

I was the first one up and I managed to snag a table for 6 for our party of 5 - perfect!

My next stop was the Euphoria (Deck 8-mid) for a game of "Name That Tune" with Cruise Director Terry Ann Barrett!

The first thing she did was ask me where her "friend Chloe was, and her sister, Miyah" - how about that!

They made quite an impression when they hugged her last night after the variety show!

Part of that was their closeness in age to her daughter, who is 8, and is living at home in Jamaica while her mom works on the Paradise for 3 months.

I had to tell her they were still at breakfast, but they joined us before the game was done, so that was good!

As for the photo, the folks as dancing to "Cotton Eyed Joe" while the contestant who guessed the song is singing it for an extra point.

Very much a lot of fun to watch!!!

Christina and family went down after that to change into swimwear.

 

Not me!

The "Salute To The Heroes" was coming up in the Euphoria, again with Terry.

Recognize that setup, with that little table and empty chair?

That's familiar to everyone in the American Legion, regardless of which branch of the service, as the spot for the MIA service member.

I'm going to have to share that with Post 36 and Post 500 at home!

 

Then came the big part of the celebration: the parade of the flags that represent each branch, as well as a brief narrative of their mission.

They even included the Coast Guard, the Emergency Responders, and, as I recall, the National Park Rangers.

That was very nice!

Plus, I was given a free Margarita to commemorate my service!

I turned down the first one, saying that I couldn't drink...

but when they came around again, I accepted that $15 gift.

As my first alcoholic drink since I was diagnosed with A-fib, I can state this for certain: either that was a strong drink, or I'm a lightweight now!

I suspect a bit of both was true.

 

After just a couple of sips, I decided that food was needed to offset that dose of tequila, so up to Deck 10-mid I went.

I headed straight for Mexican Cutie Cantina, as it's Taco Tuesday! 

Yes, that was a very good way to get back to me again!

My next plate was from the High Tide Market, fetching some Jamaican fish, Pollo adobo, and pork loin with lemon.

I sat with a trio from Panama, of all places, and we talked - kinda sorta - about life there in Colon and Panama City.

See, only Isabel spoke any English, and that was sparse.

Glad I had a chance to pull out my high school Spanish from Mrs. Gary!

Then I bopped back down to the Euphoria for "Charades With The Fins Up Crew" and found Christina and Anthony there!

She'd dropped off the girls at the Parakeet Club, so it was just us adults.

She and I each took a turn trying to get the other to guess -

me trying to be "Minions", her contorting as an "Elf", with no help from Anthony either as a guesser or a charade artist -

and didn't win a free margarita at this game, but still had fun.

 

Then she had to collect the girls and I went off to the "Love & Marriage" Game Show at the Stars On The Water Theatre (Deck 8 Fwd).

That was only for 18+, so they went off to the "Family Parrot Quest" with Pete The Parrot over at Keys On The Water Lounge, at the opposite end of the ship (Deck 9 Aft). 

Cruise Director Terry hosted the game show, eventually getting four couples on stage with varying amounts of time together: 51 years, 34 years, 28 years, and 3 days.

Such newlyweds they were!

His answers tended to be the raciest, so it was good the children weren't there and were off chasing parrots!

At game's end, they were all announced to be winners and each won a free future cruise with Margaritaville At Sea - woohoo!!!

 

I managed to beat feet back over to the Euphoria Lounge just in time for the 5:30 PM "Captain's Margarita Toast"!

All of the ship's officers were introduced and lined up in formation behind Captain Dimitrios Papatsatsis...

and all of the spectators of age were given -

that's right! -

a free margarita to drink with him!

Again, I took a couple of dainty sips, then put it down.

 

Christina, her girls, and her boyfriend were there, too for the occasion!

Then she and Miyah and Chloe headed over to "Strike A Pose" for the free photo shoot, that had no strings attached.

Just look at them vogueing it up there! 

 

Then we all headed over to Fins Dining  - not to be confused as the 'Fine Dining', lol! - for some elegant fare! 

The good news was it was right beside Euphoria Lounge, so no need for elevators or traipsing off to another end of the ship!

I started off my four-course dinner with the Trinidadian Vegetable Curry, which followed the bread lead-off.

Then, for my entree, I chose the Antigua Shrimp - ah, fond memories of a much earlier cruise in the Caribbean that visited that lovely isle!

(I think that was in 2006? Or was it 2004?) 

I finished up tonight as I had last night with the Key Lime Sponge Cake.

Jimmy Buffett is right - sponge cake is quite delicious! 

Then it was time to work off that meal and take a hike.

I'm not kidding!

We went from Deck 8 mid, to Deck 9 Aft, to the Keys On The Water Lounge, where they had been for the Parrot search.

That meant going through the casino, which is huge!

At least we had a sunset waiting for us at the Lounge.

 

Then it was time for "Lip Service Family Karaoke"!!!

First up for our group were Chloe and Miyah.

It was originally going to just be Chloe singing "Party In The USA", with Miyah as her back-up dancer.

However, the emcee encouraged Miyah to take the microphone...

and off they went, singing and dancing and never once looking at the screen for the words of the song!

Hahahaha!

Christina and Anthony went next, and guess what she chose?

"Barbie Girl" - hahahaha!!!

Honestly, every time I see anyone do that song, my mind flashes back to Sam Johnson singing it at his birthday fundraiser! 

Good times, good times, so long ago.

More good times were to be had tonight, though!

 

No time for me to sing a song as we needed to go back through the casino, catch an elevator to Deck 8, then bop over to Stars On The Water Theatre (Deck 8 Fwd) for the entertainment!

"Showtime Radio Margaritaville Live At Sea" was set to begin at 9:30 PM.

This time we had second row seats, in the reserved section, courtesy of Cruise Director "Auntie" Terry, who was serving as the D J tonight.

All music was provided by the Fusion Groove Band for all the song and dance routines up there on the stage.

My favorite was the skit for "A Pirate Looks At Forty", one of my favorite Buffett tunes, especially as I've gotten older.

 

All too soon - at least for me! - the 45-minute show was over!

We hung around for the girls to greet Terry when she came out of the D J Booth and guess what? 

As well as hugs, she had gift bags for them!!!

Then she and the girls had a photo session in the D J Booth and even invited Christina up there for the fun!

How very nice for sweet dreams!

Christina and family headed back to 4024 (Deck 4 Fwd), but I said I was going to change into my Spring Dress and go dance!

The "White Hot Neon Nights" shindig had started at 10:30 PM at Keys On The Water Lounge and I was excited when I'd heard about it on fb before the trip.

However, now that it was 'go' time...

and knowing how far off that lounge was...

and my right leg letting me know it was too tired for shenanigans...

I opted to give it due consideration before I set off.

 

Then I opened my cabin door and saw this towel critter waiting!

What a sweet and funny crab!!!

The schedule of events for tomorrow was waiting with it, tempting me to sit a minute and glance at my options for Wednesday.

After all, I'd have the day to myself, as they were going onshore to swim with pigs at some beach.

Seriously.

So, I sat... and before I knew it, I was asleep!

Sweet dreams of pirates and key lime sponge cake!

Paradise: day 1

"That looks like a cruise ship!"

So it does! That's because it's Paradise, one of the Margaritaville At Sea vessels, and it was our destination there at the Port of Palm Beach, Florida. That was my first view of it, from the jump seat in Christina's van. Anthony had driven us the seven hours down yesterday, to West Palm Beach, then she drove us to the port this morning for our noon-1 PM boarding time.

Here is my first niece, with me, waiting our turn outside the Port terminal. 

"And just where are you? I'm not seeing you in this photo. Is she talking to you?" 

Actually, she is! You can see my reflection in the window, over her left shoulder. That's him in front of her.

"LOL! Are they wearing matching shirts?!?"

You betcha! The girls have on matching outfits, too, though in muted peach tones. Really cute, too, as you'll see later.

That was us, about 11:30 AM. Two hours later, there she comes up the gangplank! You can see him trailing behind her with his dad's walker. 

"Why did it take that long for them to board?"

There was some snafu with their paperwork, so they called her back. I waited for about fifteen or twenty minutes for them to come. I tried to get the girls in the shot, but they moved too quickly! LOL!

The cabins weren't quite ready yet, so everyone was encouraged to go to Deck 10, mid-ship, to have lunch. They didn't have to tell us twice!

"Let me guess. You've got Jimmy Buffett's cheeseburger in Paradise!"

So close! It's actually without the American cheese, but with plenty of pickles. The dining area is called Cheeseburger In Paradise, of course. Great grilled burger!

They all chose other options in the High Tides Market to munch. With six areas there that are included in our ticket, there are so many choices, from pizza to deli sandwiches to international dishes! Plus, of course, ice cream.

"Did you remember to bring Lactaid pills?"

Oh, yeah!

"What's this map for?" 

It's on the wall of every stateroom, showing the ports we can visit. 

Our cruise is the 4-Night Bahamas Duo, as we'll have stops at Nassau and Freeport. My cabin is 4089, on the Coral Reef deck, and is Ocean view. I love it! I'm hoping to see stars outside the porthole very night!

"Oh, that will be lovely!!! But what's with the magnets from your fridge?"

They're for my cabin door, so I can easily find it in that long hallway. There's even a fb group for this cruise and they had nice hints like that one. Christina turned me on to that!

It was 5 PM before I had access to them, as I had to wait for my bag to be delivered. That was fine, as we had the "Sail Away Party" on Deck 11, mid-ship, by the License To Chill Pool, to keep us busy! That's the Fusion Groove band on the stage - they were awesome! Such a large repertoire they had! I even danced to The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights", as I just can't resist that song!!! I even had a woman come up to me after and tell me what a great dancer I was! That is still so nice to hear!

"Wow, good to hear that even with the hitch in your giddy-up you still got it, girl!"

Just a little bit. I knew to stay away from the line dances. Christina joined those, though, and even had the girls come and join her for the Conga line! And when they asked for folks for the "Strong Woman" contest during the party, she jumped to be in it!

She even won a free beer just for holding that stein out there during "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"! 

"And where were Miyah and Chloe during all this dancing and such?"

They were already in their swimsuits, so you know they were in the pool! Christina let them stay for an hour or so, until the party ended. Then they bounced down to Deck 4, Forward, to their cabin to change for dinner.

We went fancy, choosing Fins Dining. Can you believe they've never experienced white-tablecloth restaurants?

"I don't doubt it. Having children doesn't much allow that in the budget."

Hey, wanna hear something funny? We all read the title as "Fine Dining"! That gives us a little inside joke for this family vacation!

I chose Cuban crab cakes to start, then Jerk Chicken, with Key Lime Sponge Cake to finish. Let me just say this: that dessert is at the top of my list for next time! That's toasted marshmallow on its left - yum!

"Oh, that does sound totally delish!!! Tart and sweet, together! I wonder it willl be on the menu again?"

I certainly hope so. Oh, remember I said the girls were dressed in matching outfits? Well, there they are... and them being so cute snagged us front row seats at a reserved table! That's in the Stars On The Water Theatre, on Decks 8 & 9 Forward. We'd come early, hoping for good seats for the "Nassau Nights Variety Show". We couldn't have gotten any better than these! We had songs and dances and even aerial work on silks!!! Wow!!!

"Wow!! What a great ending for your first day!!!"

Magnificent, just magnificent!!! Sweet dreams for all tonight!