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| Ernesto making his presence known |
I wasn’t joking when I said the captain was sticking to his plan of keeping the itinerary the same. I think the first two days on the cruise were a tease as we were gliding along the water smoothly, but once nighttime came, we started motoring to Jamaica. It should be no surprise that my husband and son were able to sleep without an issue, but as a light sleeper I could hardly sleep. It felt like we were hitting rough seas and the ship was rocking front to back and left to right. We are on deck 7 so I can’t imagine how anyone on the lower decks were able to handle it, especially new cruisers. It was rough enough that I got up and tried to take some video in the middle of the night and the winds were so strong it nearly ripped my ponytail holder out of my hair!
We ordered room service, which arrived around 7:45 am and I had hoped we would be able to sit out on the balcony to enjoy our coffee, but that was not to happen. Looking over our balcony onto deck 5, they had closed that deck and the whirlpools because of the rocky waves, which is easy to understand why they would do that. When I turned on the TV to see the pool deck, I couldn’t believe someone was actually swimming in the pool and there were people laying out in the bathing suits sunning. The sky is completely grey and overcast so I’m not sure what they are doing.
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| Fill in the Blank Trivia |
With no definitive plan, we walked down to deck five to look around and saw that the crew had put up the lovely white bags near the elevator, yes “barf bags.” Not in the mood to face the winds outside, we stayed inside with a quick visit to the casino and then to the Play It Again lounge on deck 5 for “Fill in the blank trivia.” During the game the captain came on and announced that we would be arriving in Grand Cayman this afternoon due to the fact that we needed to let two passengers off because of a medical emergency. He felt it would be a short stop and we would be back on our way to arriving in Montego Bay on time tomorrow morning. He also said that although we were over 200 nautical miles from Ernesto, we obviously could see the effects of the storm, but he felt that in about four or five hours we would see much better weather.
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| Carne y Huevos at Punchliner Comedy Brunch |
Feeling hungrier at this point since it was now 11:30 am, we headed back for another round of the Punchliner Comedy Brunch. The menu was the same and even the comedy, right down to the same exact jokes, were the same, but this time I skipped the Bloody Mary with the swaying ship and possible consequences. My son chose Carne y Huevos, which came with filet mignon and béarnaise sauce and two fried eggs along with a few sides. My husband even tried the churros, but unfortunately they were really greasy. He did not object because whether a churro or a donut, he’s happy.
The rest of the day consisted of relaxing and enjoying ourselves. The rest of the schedule for the day included several games of trivia, a karaoke party in the Ocean Plaza, the fitness center, and the casino. When it was announced that we would be stopping in Grand Cayman, I don’t think we were the only ones excited to have something to do as it appeared that most of the ship was congregating on the port side of the ship to view the tender arrive. They loaded up the two passengers and their family and soon they were off and we were back to looking for something to do.
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| Baked Herb Polenta with wild mushroom ragout |
Our dinner was in the Northern Lights dining room on deck 3. When we requested Ulla again, Anastasia Kunei, the wonderful hostess who is always smiling and welcoming to all guests, easily accommodated us. Dinner was a much better affair this time around and we I started my meal with a fruit cup and the chilled cucumber soup with dill. My son ordered the French Onion Soup and my husband had a salad. For our entrees, I dared to try the baked herb polenta, the same exact entrée that I had on the Carnival Glory last month that came more as a soup or a dip than actual polenta. Ulla assured me that it would be good and so I went with it and it was great. The ragout of wild mushrooms that was served with it is really what made the entire dish. My son ordered the meatloaf, which came with a small ramekin of mashed potatoes. He did ask Ulla for more and was accommodated with a large serving of mashed potatoes. I just love Ulla! My husband also took a chance by ordering the Indian vegetarian entrée, which was a reasonable option for a vegetarian and an improved entrée over what was served on the Carnival Glory, but more of Americanized middle of the road Indian fare.
After dinner, we stopped by the Showtime Theatre to watch a little of the “Dancing with the Cast” show before returning to our cabin to change into more casual clothing for the evening. Our son was off again to meet up with his new friends and we decided to roam the ship and enjoy the rest of our evening before turning in for the night. We arrive into Montego Bay tomorrow morning around 9 am so we want to be well rested for our full day in port. Until tomorrow!