Vacation on Cruise-Day 2

From the theme of Gilligan's Island

Sit right back and hear a tale

A tale of a fateful trip

That started from this tropic port

Aboard this tiny ship…. 

Sadly I did not have to look up the words to the song; also we were not on a tiny ship. It was a very large ship with more people than just Mr. and Mrs. Howell, though most of the people were their age or older. We got to the port to start our cruise. The people watching had begun. As we looked around the waiting area we were noticing that we may be the only normal people getting on this boat. Most of these people looked like they just rolled out of bed and maybe took a shower before showing up. The other people getting on board were newlyweds. You could tell because they would stare at each other, smile and laugh. Then the minute one turned away the other would have a look of horror on their face, wondering what had they just done. Then you had the cheap people. You have to pay for drinks while on the boat, except for water and lemon-aid. But, the cruise will let you carry on your own sodas. So I saw husbands, fiancés, and boyfriends carry around bulks of soda they just bought at Sam's club. 

So it was time to board the ship. You were able to relax on deck until it was time for lunch. I was shock at the number of people on this boat, and what was also shocking was that some of them were already in their bathing suits, lying out in the sun within minutes of getting on. Unfortunately I had to see all these people in their bathing suits throughout the week. I definitely was not cruising with Mary Ann and Ginger. They were mostly a bunch of Skippers and very large Islanders.

Then it was lunch time. Like a herd of cows everyone rushed toward the feeding trough. This was serious business and it was every man, woman, and child for themselves. People were pushing and cutting in lines like it was their last meal. It's all you can eat; I thought they were going to eat it all that day. More about the food at gabbin-bout-grub. 

So after lunch we stood out on the back of the deck and watched the shore line as we sailed away. We worked our away to the front of the boat to watch one of many sunsets that week. If you ever get to leave the Tampa port, be sure to get to the highest point of the boat as you possibly can. The boats have to go under one of the longest bridges in the south, and there is only a 10 foot clearance from the top of the ship to the bottom of the bridge. If you are up there watching it, it looks like it is going to crash into each other. Once under the bridge you are in foreign water and it's time to turn off the cell phone. Or else you will get a very high roaming charge on your bill. During this time we met a very nice couple and ended up in someone’s wedding photos. Not by accident, we were asked to be a part of it. The photographer asked us to look at the couple with our hands in the air in celebration. That was a little weird and this couple will be looking at their album later on in life wondering who these crazy people were at their wedding.

The rest of the evening we explored the boat until dinner. We saw a bar, another bar, a casino, and then another bar. We did find one of best spots on the boat. The all you can eat ice cream bar. The other spot was the 24 hour pizza buffet. Really it was a very nice ship, with plenty to look at and do. When in doubt you just find a spot by the pool and relax, which we did until dinner. To be continued at www.gabbin-bout-grub.blogspot.com