Day 3 - at sea

Early Saturday morning, Meri and I set our alarms for super early and went out on the kid's mini golf deck that has cocoons with pillows and we waited for the sunrise on the ocean.

Unfortunately we picked the wrong deck as this one had a plexiglass screen up all around.  shoot. 

BUT it was comfy and we had some good talks while we waited.

This is the ship from just one deck down from that vantage point.

I had breakfast with Meri and then we went back to the room. Ruth Ann wasn't there, so while Meri got changed, I went to find Ruth Ann.  FOUND her!!!  In the buffet dining room where I had just eaten with Meri.  It's a big place...  

So I had second breakfast with her.

We talked for a LONG time!  And enjoyed the view.

Meri had wanted to go to that Sushi place and I'm just not that into sushi, so we signed her up for a class there to learn how to make it!  She was so excited!  It was a 3 hour class (a 3 hour class) so I was in charge of finding her cousin Alex, with whom she'd made plans to meet him at 11.  whoops!  Couldn't find him.

Ruth Ann, Teresa, Melanie and myself finally got together and attended a tour of the galleys.  It was a 2 hour tour. 

a 2 hour tour.  

Sorry - Gilligan's Island played a large part of the weekend also...

We met up in the grand dining room and the head chef met up with about 15 people who wanted to do the tour.  You'd save $5 per person if you went in pairs.  Speaking of that, I owe Ruth Ann some money...

Anyway, the tour was fascinating!

We thought maybe pictures were not allowed, so we took some discreetly.  Then later more noticeably.

This chef was making bread for the entire ship, all the restaurants on board and then some.  More on that with a future post.  All sorts of bread!  But here he had a huge mound of dough in front of him and he was slicing off portions, weighing it, then tossing it over to rise by these loaves.  Amazing!

Another was just in charge of soups, another in charge of sandwiches, desserts, sides, etc.

They make as much as they can fresh and that day.

There were 4 levels of the galley and each was just amazing.  People work round the clock for 30,000+ meals daily. 

Escargot prep - these are actually pretty good!!!

And here I balk when I remember that I need to feed 5 at dinner... 

MAKE IT YOURSELF!

After the tour, the chef took us up to a fancy schmancy restaurant that has a menu and waiters, 

NOT the formal dining and not the buffets.  

We each got to order off the menu and sample all of their hors d'oeuvres.  PLUS we got as many Mimosas as we wanted.  

We each wanted three.

We found the stowaway pianist as we left the restaurant!

After that, we tried to catch up with others and eventually 3 of us sisters came across the International Men's Belly Flopping contest.  There was Jemma again being as perky as ever as the announcer.

I have no idea when she sleeps...

And here was one of the contestants.

So funny to watch these guys.  

Then we went back to our rooms for a quick shower and got all gussied up for the "self-imposed" formal dinner that evening.  There were lots of others all dressed up too, so we didn't feel TOO out of place.

Us girls being all sassy...

And the whole gang.

Then we all found a spot to sit in one of the pubs and Meri 

and Alex each sang a song for the karaoke show.  

Meri sang a Justin Bieber song and Alex sang Lady Gaga's Poker Face.  I was convinced that the girls sitting at the table next to us were drunk, but I guess they were 16 years old acting like they were.  Those girls LOVED the songs and were the volunteer back up dancers for each of them.  

I recorded all of Meri's and later that evening, was running out of room on my phone, so I deleted some old (or so I thought) videos...  Her's made the cut... whoops!  

No one is kicking me in the behind more than me...

We all changed and Meri, Ruth Ann and I went in searching for everyone again.  I think Royal Caribbean needs to update their phone app and include a messenger system for just passengers so we can link up when we need to.  Or you could be waiting at one elevator and they're waiting at one of the aft elevators...  I'm surprised we ever found each other!  We were hardly ever in the rooms to call each other...

Anyway, we got sidetracked by the newer Men In Black movie showing on the pool deck.  It was SO windy out there!!!  Don't you love Ruth Ann's Bride of Frankenstein hair do? Meri's was crazy too but I was trying to sneak the photo in and didn't center it as I should have.

The ship had to go back to Fort Lauderdale to drop off a passenger who had gotten injured so we were back in the hurricane winds and choppy waters for the evening again.  Yuck.

Most of us eventually met up for one of the shows in the auditorium.  

There is some talent on board, I tell you!!  

And then we were buffeted gently to sleep yet again...  The seas were calmer by morning.