Good morning from the Gulf of Mexico! I was awake around 5:30 a.m so I dressed and checked out what was in the solo lounge. Although the sign said the lounge was staffed starting at 6:00 a.m., pastries had already been put out so I enjoyed an Americano and a chocolate muffin. Then I headed down to O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill which offers a sit down breakfast starting at 6:00 a.m. The ship was quiet as it always is that early in the morning on a sea day. I poked my head out to see the start of sunrise and then went back in to get a table for breakfast.
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| Solo Lounge pastries |
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| Solo Lounge drinks (plus an espresso machine which I shared a photo of the day before) |
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| Sunrise on the Waterfront |
After breakfast, I went back to the Waterfront and snagged a table. In between bird watching, I did get a little blogging done.
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| I pulled out my camera when I spotted a pair of Boobies flying with the ship. Eventually it grew to about three Brown Boobies and a Masked Booby. |
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| Masked Booby |
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| Masked Booby |
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| Masked Booby |
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| Brown Booby |
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| Brown Booby |
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| Brown Booby |
I headed back to my room a little before 8:00 a.m. to change for the Thermal Spa which opened at 8:00 a.m. I had booked a week long pass and hope to really take advantage of this new experience for me. It was nice and quiet as I checked out the Salt Room, Steam Room, Sauna, Sanarium, and Snow Room. And then I tried out the heated ceramic loungers and eventually settled into a padded lounger in a quiet corner facing port side where I knew the seabirds were still soaring.
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| Salt Room |
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| Sauna |
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| Samarium - higher humidity sauna |
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| Fruit and drinks bar |
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| Snow on a cruise ship? Throughout the week, the amount of snow in this room continued to increase to the point, someone started making small snowballs. |
After a couple hours in the Thermal Suite, I returned to my cabin to shower and get ready for a Cruise Critic Meet & Greet and then lunch in the main dining room. The Meet & Great was interesting.
For lunch, I ended up on the "balcony" of Savor which gave me a great people watching view. Service was a little bit slow but I actually preferred that. It allowed me to just sit and watch the sea and enjoy the experience and the glass of Chianti I had ordered.
After lunch, I found a spot at a high table on the Waterfront next to the sustainable bar. It was a great view with a rainbow and good drinks to do some blogging.
On my way back inside, I admired the chandelier from the lower level!
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| The Atrium decorated for Christmas |
I noticed the sick bags came out today. The sea didn't seem quite that rough but maybe they expected more. One of the items I forgot in my hectic packing was my ReliefBand. I haven't needed it for quite a few trips so hopefully, my luck will hold out but I had a moment of concern at seeing these bags in the stairwells.
I went back to my cabin about 4:00 pm and discovered my room steward hadn’t gotten to my cabin yet. I told her I was taking a nap but would be gone for dinner by 6 so she could take care of my cabin while I ate dinner.
I had dinner reservations at Bayamo Ocean Blue, the seafood specialty dining restaurant. The service was only okay and it really rubbed me wrong when at the end the waiter presented a comment card to me with his name and position already filled out. I love giving good feedback about staff that are exceptional but those that deserve the good feedback never have to solicit it, at least not so blatantly.
That said, the food was excellent. I had an ahi tuna and avocado tower, a beet salad, and sea bass with chimichurri sauce. And they had dairy free chocolate ice cream for dessert.
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| They did some Christmas decorating overnight so the ship is starting to feel the seasons! |
After dinner, I had my photo taken with a few of the ship’s photographers and then changed to finish my day in the thermal suite. I left my phone and even my journal in the cabin so I could just be present. I spent about one hour and forty-five minutes up there. I did a nice routine alternating between hot and cold rooms, then the thalassotherapy pool before ending the night on a heated ceramic lounger with a cup of chamomile tea.
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