Cruisin for a Boozin

This past weekend we went on our very first cruise - our Christmas gift from the in-laws. 3 days, 3 nights to Nassau on the Carnival Sensation. Pictures of 80s-era Kathy Lee peeking out from every brochure and booklet. After the initial shock of extensive chow lines and overexposure to the kinds of people you would usually only see in a mall, we had a great time. I can attribute this, at least in part, to being able to run every day; in addition to the awkward outdoor "track" around the mini-golf course (a whopping 1/12 of a mile long), the bay of treadmills in the fitness center fit the bill nicely.

It did not start off well, however. The first day was a bit rocky, but I guess it was our fault for seeking out a run almost as soon as we got on the boat. I had already run 3 miles that morning at our pre-cruise hotel, but now my husband was ready to go a few miles and I wasn't going to be left alone this early into the fantastic voyage. Turns out, 4 o-clock was also the perfect time for everyone else on-board to wander around the mini-golf course track (after I actually ran into someone on lap 22, we called it quits) and for the crew to hold a promotional giveaway IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GYM - wtf??? It's reeeeally hard to run when there are people using the treadmills as recliners.

We almost bailed again, but waited long enough to hop on as soon as the crowd dispersed. By this time, we had officially embarked (i.e. the boat was moving), which made the treadmills a little tipsy to say the least. I guess the constant re-balancing was good for my core, but hubby did not appreciate it one bit. I ended the day with a total of 6 miles under my belt, which did make me feel better about getting into a swimsuit the next day.

The rest of the trip went mostly like this: wake up earlier than is reasonable, run 2 miles on the track then 3-4 on the treadmill, wait in buffet line for breakfast, start drinking, lounge in the sun on the over-21-only deck, drink more, shower, drink, hang out in the room for awhile, wait in line for dinner, eat dinner, drink more, gamble, drink enough to make a fool of oneself dancing in 'da club', go to bed, wake up and do it all over again. We also, of course, ate dinner with the fam each night, saw the rest of our large group every now and then (mostly at the bar or buffet), and spent a good 4 hours of Saturday walking around Nassau popping in to random bars and snapping lots of photos.

Overall, it was a great trip - relaxing and amusing. A free trip is such a nice gift. Having never before been trapped on a boat for days, I really did not know what to expect. But this means that I had very few expectations. Would I go on a cruise again? Sure. Would I be surprised by the past-its-prime-Vegas-casino feel of the ship or the preponderance of bad wigs and Jersey-licious/trailer park fashions? Definitely not.

......maybe a springtime Mediterranean cruise? As long as there are treadmills.