Tuesday May 13th:
Funky Nassau was the port of call today and although Richard and I had no intention of getting off the Wonder, Sophie had a plan to try on as many gigantic gemstone rings as her diminuitive digits could deal with!!! She munched her room service Eggs Benedict, showered and set off on her mission. Richard's Stone Massage was booked for mid-morning so I planned a relaxing whirlpool bath while I had the suite to myself... I really enjoyed the bath - it seemed quite a compact whirlpool and quickly filled up (tho' it made an incredible noise and I wondered if it could be heard in the stateroom below!) Eventually, I emerged clean, clothed, coiffured and keen to face the day - but the suite was still empty so I snuggled up with Lee Child on the balcony and waited for my family to show up...
Sophie returned first - not especially laden with trinkets but unexpectedly delivering the Drink of the Day to this grateful gal! Today's offering was Planters Punch which reminded me of the fab Bajan beverage we always enjoy in Barbados - and I've been known to sink a fair few those! Not today, however! I was saving myself for a spot of wine-tasting later that afternoon... Richard returned looking chillaxed to the max and suggested we head up for a bite at the Beach Blanket Buffet - which we did! Having been cloistered in the cabin for most of yesterday, I was eager to stretch my legs so we strolled along the deck and soaked up the sunshine. And yes, we may have enjoyed a Bahama Mama by the adult pool before returning to the suite for a quick freshen up en route to Palo's and the wine-tasting...
This is the third time I've attended a
DCL wine tasting and I'm happy to say we've tasted different wines at each session. Actually I'd probably be happy if we sampled the same specimens as long as wine was involved! But hey, that's just me... This was a fun session as Dick and I disagreed on whether or not we liked many of the tasters. TBH I always enjoy a spot of spousal sparring - I think it's key to a happy and prosperous partnership...
All too soon the tasting was over and we decided to drop by the Promenade Lounge for a 'mid-afternooncap' - my variation on the more traditional 'nightcap'... Sophie however had somewhere to be as she'd booked a special port day hair and scalp treatment at the Spa... Richard and I returned to the room and decided to re-enact our Scrabble Challenge of the 2007 cruise. So we whiled away an hour, hunched over the coffee table playing with those little wooden tiles! I emerged victorious and, for once, behaved graciously towards the loser - I only sang "Eye Of The Tiger" once...
Sophie returned from the Spa with luxuriant locks and it was soon time for us to attend the Concierge Cocktail Reception on the deck outside of the Beach Blanket Buffet! We each sipped another Planters Punch and chatted with Jerome and Tawanda on topics as diverse as working onboard a cruise ship and Premiership football!!! The weather was beautiful so we sat back in the sunshine and enjoyed the sensational view of the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island...
We had a great holiday there back in 2002 and my youngest DS is very keen to return at some point - apparently he has a yen to stay in this funny 'bridge' part of the resort! Dream on, Samuel...
We suddenly noticed that the Deck 7 below us was decorated ready for a wedding/vow renewal...
...and this brought back some very Magical memories for DH and myself! Remember this couple from 2007..?
The ceremony started shortly afterwards and we all cheered the bride and groom as they became man and wife. The reception started to wind down so the three of us drifted down the other end of Deck 9 as DH had carelessly kept his locker key from his earlier Spa session. Key duly dropped off, Sophie then returned to relax in the Roy as we decided to take a leisurely look at the Art Auction before getting ready for dinner and Pirates In The Caribbean Party...
Dressed in our most piratical attire and the trio hurried to Triton's. Sophie was particularly nervous about meeting our tablemates as she was still haunted by our "Dining with the Newly Weds" experience of 2005! I was less troubled - our wonderful DIS tablemates on the Magic last September had dispelled many of those demons! Richard had no such anxieties - as long as there's plentiful food and free-flowing wine, he'll talk to/at anyone... So we approached the Head Server and asked him where our table was located. He welcomed us warmly and directed a hovering server to take us to the table. I steeled myself for an hour or so of small talk and small mouthfuls but, wait a minute - no need!!! We were ecstatic to discover we were sitting at a table set for three!!!
Now I had requested this via the concierge contact email but really hadn't expected it to be possible! It made Sophie's evening as we were able to just relax and be ourselves - large talk and even larger mouthfuls were on our menu...
We put on the bandanas that lay a-waiting and began perusing the menu. Our servers Wayan and Rewat were lovely. They couldn't have been more helpful, bringing additional tasters of every course for us to try. I swiftly chose a bottle of Valpolicella and we enjoyed a fab meal.
Sophie's Choices: Black Beard's Jumbo Crab Cakes; Jerk Chicken Salad; The Black Pearl's Oven Roasted Beef Tenderloin; Floating Island of Tropical Treasures...
Kaz's Choices: Black Beard's Jumbo Crab Cakes; Caribbean-Style Spicy Vegetable Gumbo Soup; The Black Pearl's Oven Roasted Beef Tenderloin; Walk The Triple Layered Chocolate Gangplank Cake...
Dick's Choices: Pearls of the Caribbean; Chilled-to-the-bone Honeydew Melon & Mango Soup; Captain Hook's Macadamia Dusted Mahi Mahi; Shiver-me-Timbers White Choc Cheesecake...
Soon it was time for us to head towards Deck 9 for the Pirate Party and the all-important fireworks! We decided to move up to Deck 10 and had a great view of the event. We danced, sang and whooped it up like kids! I attempted to photograph the proceedings but to no avail - seems my new camera just didn't cut it in the firework photo department so I was disappointed with the output. This is the best of a bad lot...
After the fireworks, we stopped by Cadillac Lounge for a nightcap. The rather smooth Kenne was performing a tribute to Ray Charles so we sat down to enjoy the sounds. Sophie and Richard ordered a couple of Martinis whilst I had the usual - or so I thought! Actually what I got was a Kir Royale Martini!!! How does that even work???? It was waaay too hardcore for me so Richard returned it and I rapidly received the real deal - phew! Crisis averted...We listened to the piano man plink plonk away some more before deciding we were too tired for a second drink. Time to climb those stairs to Deck 8 and head for bed... Cocktail Count = 15!!!