I've never been so happy to be sea-sick!
DAY THREE!
I am elated to be on this 3000 passenger boat. ELATED.
I think I am still experiencing a bit of shock after the Santiago incident and I've been on high alert for 72 hours. Last night, I had to stay at a separate hotel from the grandparents because they booked their hotel a year out and 8,000 people were waiting to board ships today and everything was fully booked. I found a last minute cancellation last month at a tiny local hotel with 3 rooms. 4.78 rating on Trip Advisor. $45/night. Sold. Only 4 blocks from their hotel.
Turns out, 4 blocks meant the difference between being at a Hilton and being told by my host I couldn't walk around alone even in daylight.
I was very proud of myself, though, because I had an entire conversation in Spanish with my hotel host. She was extremely sweet and carried my 55 pound suitcase up a flight of stairs and upgraded me to a room with a King bed because they had a no show. I proceeded to ask if I could order a taxi for noon the next day AND asked whether it was safe to walk to a grocery store to get snacks AND asked whether or not she had an outlet for my laptop. My Spanish sucked, but when she first heard me speaking terrible Spanish, she lit up and gave me a hug and kissed me on the cheeks and said, "OH! You know a very little amount of Spanish!" She said that in Spanish, obviously. And sure enough, my Spanish must have passed because my taxi driver showed up at 11:30am and was exactly the price she told me it was and she ended up walking with me to the grocery store to help me buy some goods. I wasn't sure how much money to bring and she told me to only bring enough cash that I'd need, which I assumed was for safety. I brought $10 and got nervous as we meandered through the store with security guards holding machine guns and automatic weapons if I had enough money. I ended up buying a pack of strawberry yogurt, apple juice, rice cakes, Doritos, fresh baguettes, a wedge of cheese, a chocolate bar, and a granola bar. The cost? $3.70.
I got back to my hotel room by 6pm and fell asleep by 8pm. I woke up around 3am unable to fall back to sleep until 5am and finished my Doritos and watched Riverdale on my phone until I fell back to sleep. I woke up again at 10 and showered and TAAA DUHHH! I made it! My taxi driver arrived at 11:30 and drove me to my ship.
The check in process was very easy. I found my room quickly and everyone talks about how tiny cruise ship rooms are, but I was extremely surprised to find a HUGE port window in my room looking out over the ocean, a 40" LG tv, a mini-fridge, a desk, a large closet, and two end tables. I've definitely slept in worse hotel rooms in Idaho.
I met up with the grandparents on the top deck and we all lounged in the sun for a few hours. I napped. We utilized our drink cards. There is a free pizza bar open 24/7 and an ice cream bar that's also open 24/7. We also saw a mediocre Irish comedian and then feasted at the "formal" dining room. I couldn't believe it but when I was having a hard time deciding on dessert, my server told me I could technically order all 17 desserts if I wanted for free. I didn't order 17, but I did order cheesecake, flourless chocolate cake, and a scoop of ice cream and had a couple bits of each!
I am so happy to be on the boat and far away from the horrifying experience of being in the riot 3 nights ago. I guess I'm still not over it, but I'm still trying to convince myself I am. Honestly I can't wait to do nothing on this cruise ship but eat and lay by the pool and read.
I don't have any photos today because I kept my phone mostly in my room!! YAY FOR UNPLUGGED.
I am elated to be on this 3000 passenger boat. ELATED.
I think I am still experiencing a bit of shock after the Santiago incident and I've been on high alert for 72 hours. Last night, I had to stay at a separate hotel from the grandparents because they booked their hotel a year out and 8,000 people were waiting to board ships today and everything was fully booked. I found a last minute cancellation last month at a tiny local hotel with 3 rooms. 4.78 rating on Trip Advisor. $45/night. Sold. Only 4 blocks from their hotel.
Turns out, 4 blocks meant the difference between being at a Hilton and being told by my host I couldn't walk around alone even in daylight.
I was very proud of myself, though, because I had an entire conversation in Spanish with my hotel host. She was extremely sweet and carried my 55 pound suitcase up a flight of stairs and upgraded me to a room with a King bed because they had a no show. I proceeded to ask if I could order a taxi for noon the next day AND asked whether it was safe to walk to a grocery store to get snacks AND asked whether or not she had an outlet for my laptop. My Spanish sucked, but when she first heard me speaking terrible Spanish, she lit up and gave me a hug and kissed me on the cheeks and said, "OH! You know a very little amount of Spanish!" She said that in Spanish, obviously. And sure enough, my Spanish must have passed because my taxi driver showed up at 11:30am and was exactly the price she told me it was and she ended up walking with me to the grocery store to help me buy some goods. I wasn't sure how much money to bring and she told me to only bring enough cash that I'd need, which I assumed was for safety. I brought $10 and got nervous as we meandered through the store with security guards holding machine guns and automatic weapons if I had enough money. I ended up buying a pack of strawberry yogurt, apple juice, rice cakes, Doritos, fresh baguettes, a wedge of cheese, a chocolate bar, and a granola bar. The cost? $3.70.
I got back to my hotel room by 6pm and fell asleep by 8pm. I woke up around 3am unable to fall back to sleep until 5am and finished my Doritos and watched Riverdale on my phone until I fell back to sleep. I woke up again at 10 and showered and TAAA DUHHH! I made it! My taxi driver arrived at 11:30 and drove me to my ship.
The check in process was very easy. I found my room quickly and everyone talks about how tiny cruise ship rooms are, but I was extremely surprised to find a HUGE port window in my room looking out over the ocean, a 40" LG tv, a mini-fridge, a desk, a large closet, and two end tables. I've definitely slept in worse hotel rooms in Idaho.
I met up with the grandparents on the top deck and we all lounged in the sun for a few hours. I napped. We utilized our drink cards. There is a free pizza bar open 24/7 and an ice cream bar that's also open 24/7. We also saw a mediocre Irish comedian and then feasted at the "formal" dining room. I couldn't believe it but when I was having a hard time deciding on dessert, my server told me I could technically order all 17 desserts if I wanted for free. I didn't order 17, but I did order cheesecake, flourless chocolate cake, and a scoop of ice cream and had a couple bits of each!
I am so happy to be on the boat and far away from the horrifying experience of being in the riot 3 nights ago. I guess I'm still not over it, but I'm still trying to convince myself I am. Honestly I can't wait to do nothing on this cruise ship but eat and lay by the pool and read.
I don't have any photos today because I kept my phone mostly in my room!! YAY FOR UNPLUGGED.
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