Continuing on with our disastrous trip that is, believe it or not, sprinkled with a few fun moments here and there. So upon embarking, I was exhausted, overheated and feeling like shit. Even so, they had to blast the shit out of the emergency alarms and make us attend that mandatory drill they always do first thing. They warned parents not to let their brats run around in most areas, yet they do anyway.

At this time we met the couple to our left and the ones next to them as we were all seated at the same round table in the dining room. Loved the incredibly huge and gorgeous crystal chandelier in there, but like I said, I felt awful and being ordered to attend drills as if I were a kid wasn’t fun at all, even if it’s understandably necessary.

By the end of the drill, I just wanted to collapse onto the bed. I felt too shitty to crash without eating first, though, and we had a hell of a time getting room service to deliver our boring burgers with their nearly burnt buns. We couldn’t even find a place to fill our soda cups (we paid $9 a day just to have soda), and so we had to pay for some since the dumbshits couldn’t tell us where to go. It was ridiculous. They just can’t get anything right on this damn ship. We asked for plain burgers and didn’t get them, but were too hungry to make them take it back.

Also, upon arriving at our stateroom, we found our beds hadn’t been set up properly and had to call Dede, our housekeeper, and have him take care of that.

Deciding to go to sleep early since we were beat, we turned off the lights and slid into bed. However, I was too wound up to sleep right away as tired as I was.

Finally, I felt those subtle little movements and heard the slight drone of the engine (not as audible on the 6th deck as it was on the 4th deck of the Westerdam), sat up and parted the drapes. Sure enough, we were moving. Lighted buildings slowly drifted by as we headed for Mexico.

So much for the anticipated excitement of being awake (though tired), on the balcony, and ready to wave goodbye to those on land. We took off over 3 hours later than planned and that was why it was dark by then and no one was out and about that late in which to wave to.

The people upstairs do a lot of banging in the evening. Trying to sleep to that and Tom’s snoring hasn’t been easy. His jaw sling we got for that is worthless.

Got up at 6am on the second day and still felt yucky. I hoped breakfast and a shower would perk me up, but the eggs were the absolute worst things we ever tasted that I ran and spit mine out in the toilet. They didn’t even taste like eggs. Today he had the eggbeaters and said they were a little better. I had some bacon, juice and rolls, so it’s not like I starved.

We spent the first day at sea and didn’t do much mainly due to me feeling so rundown, having not fully recovered from the heatstroke.

When it was discovered that we also forgot the laptop’s power supply, along with my hat, we went down to the Promenade, which looks like a mall, in search of the power supply Tom “guaranteed” me they had.

But they didn’t.

They didn’t even have the ibuprofen I wanted, after reading the rash warning on the Tylenol bottle. I doubt I’d get one, but I still have a medication phobia on me, thanks to the levothyroxine nightmare.

After having an upset stomach and continuing to feel shitty, Tom called for the room service they said was 24 hours only to be told they were closed at that time. Tom went and got us something from the Windjammer, which is like the Westerdam’s Lido Deck, only this place has better food.

At first they tried to refuse, saying they didn’t do trays, but Tom told them, “Yes, you do. My wife is sick.”

Then we tried to get the Internet service we paid for and couldn’t even get that much. Finally fed up, Tom said he was going to customer service to let them have it. But the damn line was so long that he didn’t bother. He’s definitely going to contact Costco and try to get as much of a refund as possible because so many things went wrong and because they damn near killed me (and others) by forcing me into the hot sun for so long. I’m just not used to that having not lived in a place like Arizona for so long. I’m also fatter and I’m going through menopause, unlike before. The Hawaiian sun was a lot easier on me because it was drier there, and my hormonal nightmare had yet to begin.

There are a few things I like better about this ship than the Westerdam. For one, this room is nicer and I like the layout better. I like how the bed is by the balcony, but I don’t like the sliding door as much as the one you pulled open because it doesn’t slide very easily. I’m surprised it’s not watertight either. You can tell by how easily you can hear sounds from outside as opposed to the other ship.

There are basically 5 different levels of rooms. There are the inside rooms with no windows at all. These crappy quarters are basically reserved for the crew. Then there are the ones overlooking the Promenade. Then the ocean view rooms, which just have a little round window in them. Then there are the balcony suites like we’re in. And lastly, there are the deluxe suites. We’re sorry we didn’t get a deluxe suite, but that’s what we get for booking too late.

I forgot if it was the first or the second day, but we got room service later on and I tried their fried honey-stung chicken and found it rather good. He got a pizza. I had a little of it and it wasn’t bad.

I’m surprised they don’t provide robes for us. Also, the beds aren’t quite as comfortable as in the hotel because they’re a little firmer, and the comforters suck. They weigh a ton. Reminds me of those things they put over a woman to protect her female parts when doing X-rays.

I’m surprised there are no stairs or elevators at the very ends of the ship (other than for emergencies). It is a very long walk from the elevator down to the room. It’s a good thing I don’t mind walking, and besides, the point in picking this room was so that there wouldn’t be as many people walking by. We’re at the back of the port end.

We keep the speaker off most of the time because of the way the crew makes these random announcements, mostly to babble about stuff that’s obvious. Most of the crew, like on the other ship, are Asian, though I’ve seen other nationalities as well.

On the first day when we peered down into the Promenade from our deck, a man was sitting with his wife and he offered to take our picture for us with the Promenade stretching out behind us. Again, the other passengers are more helpful than the crew. They’re still friendly and polite and they smile when they walk by, but they sure do a good job of messing things up.

I later met the guy next to us on the right. He was standing at the railing in a shirt and just his underwear, though I didn’t care because there was a frosted divider between us, and well, it’s not like I haven’t seen people in their underwear before. He and his wife are Hungarian.