MITSUGIRLYS EPIC CRUISE--2nd time around-1st from Port Canaveral
Day 3: Sea Day
DAY 2 on the ship-NOVEMBER 13, SUNDAY: SEA DAY
It is day 1 of our first sea day, which means I get to sleep in. No alarm, no worries right? WRONG! I was WIDE AWAKE and bushy tailed at 7:15am! What.the.heck? That one day that I don't have to worry about getting up at a certain time to get ready to race off the ship and into a port and I can't sleep? Geesh.
So, I decided I wouldn't spoil the rest of the families sleep and got dressed and headed out with my camera.
I would wander around the ship and take pictures. Where is everyone? The ship seemed abandoned. Did everyone go overboard and because we didn't have a safety drill I'm left to man the ship? Like seriously....where is everyone? They must have stayed out all night using up their free beverage package on the first night and are sleeping in this morning...as I should be, but nooooooo.
I was out for a little over 2 hours taking pictures when I got a text from Courtney asking if we had breakfast yet. I guess that meant that the family was starting to wake up and it was time for me to head back to the cabin.
When I returned, I found my munchkin sitting on her bed and drawing...like always. She's so good at entertaining herself. Daddy was still sleeping but nothing a little cabin door slam and flushing of the atomic bomb toilet wouldn't take care of. When that doesn't work, jump on the bed and smoother them with kisses and that's sure to make anyone wake up.
Sakari was finishing her dinosaur picture that she had started the night before after watching "The Good Dinosaur", but this one didn't look anything like the Good Dinosaur. Hmmm.
We decided to head down to Courtney and Kolins room and get them moving for breakfast. Kolin likes his sleep, so he's hard to wake up. A house could explode beside him and he'd never know. This is a REAL vacation for him. He gets up every morning at 3:30am for work and anything past this time is like heaven....and it was 9:30am.
Out we went....AFTER Courtney left her key card in the light holder and shut the door. Oops. Then the "I thought you had it" "no, I thought you had it" bickering started. The hubby told them they were not aloud to argue for one week exactly and it was a challenge. Meanwhile, I walked off to find the room steward to open the door, grabbed the key card, and off we went, giving them the "it's as simple as this and no need to argue over why it happened, just correct the situation" look.
On sea days, I like to try to eat somewhere other than the buffet if I can. I decided I wanted O'Sheehans and down we went.
We were quickly seated and handed the menus.
I always like to order Country Platter and why would I give up this tradition now? I absolutely LOVE the mushrooms they have with this platter. I have no idea what type they are, but they are the darker ones and they are always so yummy!
Sakari likes her breakfast as well and got 2 plates: one with several scrambled eggs and the other with french toast.
Several bloopers happened at Breakfast.
*I wasn't given any silverware and I waited for quite some time, with my food staring at me, before the waiter came back so that I could ask for something to eat with other than my fingers.
*My hubby NEEDS (not wants) his coffee in the morning and the waiter never once came back to fill his cup after the first one.
*I had ask for orange juice to start out with. After that was gone, I moved on to my favorite drink with caffeine...pop (or at least I attempted to). I flagged down the waiter at one point and ask for a diet Pepsi and tried to hand him my card and he pointed at the bar. Um...seriously? You want me to go stand at the bar and get my own drink when we are actually sitting down and eating? Because at this point, I actually had obtained silverware and was eating and not just killing time anymore. That was super weird to me and I have never had any of them tell me that in the past.
*Also, the waiter never did bring my toast out with my meal.
*The service was pretty slow to non-existent.
We finished what we did have, stopped at the bar for "one to go" and headed out. Our bellies were satisfied, but my mind was still in shock at the service (or lack of).
Since we were already at O'Sheehans, the kids decided they wanted to play air hockey.
Sakari is pretty darn good at this game and she was leading 6-0 at one point. Then she would get too excited and make the puck go in her own slot and give Kolin the point. Oops.
Courtney decided to give it a try as well.
We all headed upstairs to check out the weather and the pools.
It was a little warmer out than the day before and the kids wanted to go swimming. I showed Sakari the "kids area" and she loved it.
If I was going to have to endure swimming in those tiny little bath tubs, then I decided I needed to get my drink on...starting NOW.
We headed back to the rooms for a quick change of clothes and back up we went to meet the others.
The first thing I heard was "mamaw" and there was B in the pool already. Well now I know what Kendra had been up to all morning since we hadn't seen or heard from her yet. She did admit that they were just now getting up and had missed breakfast and decided to come swimming instead...all while she was carrying a plate from the buffet to eat pool-side.
Sakari was excited and ran over to me and said "The water is really warm and it's not salt water mommy!" I ask "How do you know?" She said "I put my foot in it" so of course I had to ask "You put your foot in the water and then tasted your foot?" :D I think I got a blank stare from her after that and then she ran and jumped in the pool with B while squeeling "ewwwww".
That was one thing I do remember well about the Epic, was the "regular" water in the pools. I think it's the only ship like that. Not even the Getaway or Breakaway has a filtration system that takes the salt out of it like the Epic. You honestly can't taste any salt in it and it's like swimming in a regular pool. LOVE IT!
Anyone notice Kolins hand? HE DISCOVERED ANGRY ORCHARD was on the ship! Oh boy. Life (and this cruise) would never be the same again. He was like a kid in a candy store and so excited about finding out they had Angry Orchard...that would be all he had for the rest of the cruise....until they ran out.
For some reason, I needed to go back to the room. I honestly can't remember why. But once I got there, I found mail waiting for me at the door.
Did you all just read that letter. I'm required to attend the safety drill at 1:30 TOMORROW...mind you they put this on my door some time AFTER noon when we had went back to change into bathing suits and before I found it at about 1pm. Short notice eh? So, what would have happened had I NOT went back to my room at that time? They gave about a hour notice. WTH?
Since they did not "have a record" of me attending the drill the day before, I wondered if they also had the record that I wasn't even on the ship until after the drill was over thanks to the crazy embarkation process every had to endure. :rolleyes:
Once I returned to the pool, I showed Kolin and Kendra the note and told them that we would need to leave to go to the safety drill around 1:20pm. They both wondered the same thing I did...had I not went back to my room, we would have never known about it...then what? They were trying real hard to pretend that they knew nothing about it and didn't want to go...but me being the honest-straight-and-narrow person that I am told them "We're going because we are required and I can't and won't lie and say we didn't know!" They know this about me so I don't know why they even try...
They had started an ice carving demonstration on the pool deck while I was gone. I came after he had started and we were hoping that he would finish before we had to go.
They had all the kids trying to guess what he was making.
A dolphin
1:20pm came and I summoned the kids "let's go" and they hung their heads low and followed as if they had been scolded.
It was being held in the theater and I promise you, the theater was VERY FULL by the time the drill started. Yea, it was apparent that all these people were standing outside in line with me during embarkation.
The good thing was, once the drill started, it was over in about 10 minutes. The guy running it was a "white-suit" guy and he was HILARIOUS! When he explained who was supposed to go where, according to their card, he told those that was to report to "Moderno Cucka...whatever that name is that no one can pronounce"....
Even though we had ate later in the morning, everyone was hungry again. I guess swimming disintegrates your food (and obviously turns them into fat calories to forever be stuck on your hips and belly) and empties the belly quickly. Must.Have.Food according to the kids.
I have no idea why, but we decided to head back to O'Sheehans again for more abuse and lack of service.
When we approached the sign in desk and ask for a table for 8, they told us that it would be a 45 minute wait. Ok, so then make that a table for 4 people and 4 people. They handed us a beeper and told us to hang out. Off to the bar we went and I actually decided to head to the casino and play $5. HA!
When I returned, we were being seated and I walked in as if I had been standing with them the entire time. The hubby, Billy and the kids went for the booth and the rest of us went for the table. HA again! We were without the kids and especially without a certain little monster (B) that is not too well behaved. I was definitely getting the evil eye from the hubby for that one.
This time around I ask for pop and they got it for me. No telling me to get it myself. Whataya know.
We ordered our meals first. Then our other "booth" table ordered theirs.
Kolin & I ended up getting 6 wings and the chicken fajita.
Kendra ordered 6 wings and tried to order a salad with chicken and the waiter told her she couldn't order the type of salad she wanted WITH the chicken and that the "other" salad came with the chicken (she didn't like that kind of lettuce). He first tried to explain that if she wanted one salad but with the chicken, she would have to order both and take the chicken from the other. Geesh really? They talked back and forth for awhile and finally the waiter said "I'll just order the salad you want and you want me to put chicken in it?" Really? Isn't that what she was saying the entire time???
Courtney played it safe and simple and just ordered 12 wings.
We waited 45 minutes and noticed that our other table already had their food. Um ok. I summoned the waiter asking about our food and told him we had ordered before the other table (and got the same thing) and they were already eating. We waited about another 15 minutes before our food came out. They brought the wings and that was it. Um...where's the rest? The waiter said "it's coming right out, they are working on it"...but it didn't. So 1 hour before we got 1/2 of our order. Then we waited and waited.
Another family that had 4 kids sat in the booth right behind the guys and had arrived 20 minutes after we all did. They already had all their food (including Fajitas) and their entire table was so full of food there was no way they could eat all that. Of course I complained....the service here was terrible and normally I'm not a complainer but for a family to come in 20 minutes AFTER we did and be served with food that we had ordered and was told that they were working on it=unacceptable.
FINALLY our fajitas came and they were AMAZING!!! Dare I say "worth-the-wait"? No, I wouldn't say that, but they were good!
We were there over 2 hours and that was just crazy. We seriously had our food gone in about 15 minutes, so 1 hour and 45 minutes of that was just waiting on food. I guess I'm glad we decided to "eat" when we did because by the time we actually got our food, I was hungry!
After finishing, we walked over to the guys table and they were just sitting there. We ask if they were ready to leave...then they told us that they were STILL waiting on the rest of their food. Seriously? They were also waiting on fajitas...even though the table behind them had some...and arrived 20 minutes later...just saying AGAIN. Once again, I complained. This is just unacceptable. They had the same waiter too!
After a frustrating breakfast and lunch at O'Sheehans, the kids needed some excitement. They wanted to do rock climbing. We headed back to the room to get pants and socks and back up to the deck for some action sports...for the kids of course.
They said they were closing at 5pm and we would be the last they would take.
Everyone getting geared up.
Do you like Kendra's fashion statement? (Look at the
It was pretty windy out and I was actually shocked that they were allowing people to rock climb today. However, since it faces the back of the ship, there's not as much wind once you are on the other side of the wall.
Sakari was up first. She picked the wall furthest to the right. They ONLY had the smallest walls open. The walls on the left side you have to go upstairs and that's where they start, therefore making the climb only 1 story. On the right side, it's all the way from the deck up to 2 decks. It was closed.
This would be as far as Sakari made it before she gave up. She was disappointed and said it was hard and wanted to come down. (Even though she did this and made it to the top on either Breakaway or Getaway...can't remember which).
They lowered her down and ask for the next person.
Next up was Brayden. They TOLD HIM that the wall to the left was the "easiest" wall and that's what he decided on. WHY DIDN'T THEY TELL SAKARI THIS??? So up he went to the very top.
Courtney was up next and picked the middle section...the 2nd hardest...and made it to the top.
Then came Kendra and she also picked the middle section and made it to the top.
Last but not least was Kolin. He decided on the hardest wall and scaled that rock like he was running. He was fast.
DING! ♪ ♫
By the time he made it to the bottom, I looked over and Sakari was in tears, but trying hard to hold it back and not let anyone see her. When I ask what was wrong, the flood wall broke down and she was upset that everyone made it to the top and she was the only one that didn't. I felt bad for her but explained that she picked the hardest wall and that was the reason why she didn't make it and it was not her fault. I promised her that she would be able to do it again later in the week and she could pick the easier wall and make it to the top. That seemed to help a little bit, but her feelings were still crushed. She gets very competitive at times.
We then decided to head up to the sports deck and let the kids play on the bouncy trampoline and the spider climbing slide.
Once we made it up there, everything was closed. There was a worker sitting there, but he was only telling everyone that it was closed due to the wind...which was apparent by the signs that said "closed".
So time to play some basketball I guess.
We always have so much fun playing basketball on cruises. I get some of my best laughs during this time with the kids. Everything gets blamed on the wind, except when I play, then it really is the wind. Just saying... hehe
We had both basketballs and volleyballs. Everything was fair game to shoot. I decided we needed to play a game of horse, out, pig or whatever other animal name they wanted and we let the little kids go first. Rules were if they made it, we had to also. If they followed one of us and didn't make it, it wouldn't count. I was completely convinced at this point that my kids can't spell at all because I could have sworn that Kendra was at H-O-R-S and somehow she ended back up at H-O and the same with Kolin. Cheaters!
We were in the middle of our third game or so, after starting over multiple times because no one could remember what letter they were on, when all of a sudden Sakari got hit on the side of the head really hard. Like crying hard. Oh mercy. It was all Kolins fault and man did he feel bad, but an older brother that just slammed you with a ball in the head was not comforting and someone was now pissed and convinced it was on purpose...just because it's Kolin.
A big group of people were gathering outside the net and we over heard them talking about a basketball tournament. I guess that was our cue to leave. Between the court being taken over and a hurt dinosaur-mermaid on my hands, life was over according to Sakari.
The sun was setting and I stopped for a moment to try out a few different settings on my camera.
Somehow the guys (the hubs and Billy) never did come up on deck or find us during this entire time. Is it possible that they are still waiting on their fajitas? Of course not. They decided to head to the casino, since they were kid free and all, and it would have been a smarter move to find us instead because rumor had it that Billy had just lost 1k at the tables. Oops. Kendra no likey and now I had a second daughter upset. Geesh. Can this day just go nicely?
Since we found the boys in the casino, that meant O'Sheehans was next door and the kids needed to stop and play air hockey once more before we headed back to the room.
We were heading back to the rooms to get ready for our first show only to discover, after Courtney checked with the theater, that tonight was actually NOT the night we had scheduled.
Ok, I have done enough "kid time" and it was time to take Sakari to the kids club to hang out with some of her own kind and off she went.
We headed to the casino, where we would be plowed over by a lady that was really super small and appeared to be about 15 years old according the her looks...which were deceiving obviously. You could tell she was pissed about something.
I sat at a chair and started playing slots and about an hour later she was walking with her "kids" and family and all of a sudden passed out. About a half hour later we were at the tables and a guy fell out of his wheelchair. It seemed it was not a good night for anyone.
We had worked up an appetite again and decided we would NOT go to O'Sheehans...unanimous vote this time around. The hubs and I and Courtney and Kolin headed to the free Asian restaurant.
It was exactly how I had remembered it the last time we were here. As we passed the seats the hubs and I sat in the last time, I pointed and said "Remember that seat? That's the seat we sat in and you took pictures of your new black diamond ring I bought you with our jackpot casino winnings that day and I was taking pictures of my broken, swollen, black and can't tell I have knuckles anymore, hand from falling that day at Maho Beach in St Maarten." Yep, a memory I will never forget. I could barely curl my hand up enough to hold my fork and eat that night.
They ended up sitting us on that same bench seat against the wall, but down at the opposite end.
The menus:
After ordering, the boys were desperately trying to figure out how to use chop sticks. It was quite hilarious to watch.
Our food arrived and it definitely didn't take very long. At least the service here was better.
My ?salad? And my dinner...
Up we go to deck 7..................wee
At the aft of the ship, you have 2 restaurants that enter in the same place, then split off to each side.
MODERNO CHURRASCARIA (or whatever that word is)
and CAGNEYS STEAKHOUSE.
Hopefully I didn't get these two mixed up. I believe this is Moderno:
Then a photographer came around and took our pictures.
We went to pick up Sakari from Splash and it was her turn to eat now. Up to the outside buffet she went and stuffed her belly fully of pizza and cookies. Oh the life.
Then we hung out awhile by the pool deck bar and had a few drinks while talking, laughing, and enjoying each others company. Kolin was on a mission to get his fill of Angry Orchard of course and Sakari had a strawberry smoothie.
Sakari always manages to talk the bar tenders on each ship into giving her a stick of cherries.
I always love the way the pool deck looks at night with all the lights. It's always so pretty lit up.
We headed back to the room to shower and relax. I decided I had already had enough of my braids I had done before the cruise and it was time to take them out.
We received a notice that there was a time change tonight and we would be setting our clocks up an hour. Less sleep for us I guess but thank goodness tomorrow was another sea day, which meant no alarm and no schedule.
