Home Sweet Home

Austin and I arrived home at 3:30 a.m. We had a lot of fun, but we are glad to be back. I am finally feeling better and somehow Austin managed to escape the illness altogether. I should probably listen to him when he is talking about his vitamin regimen all the time.

I am out for the summer, but Austin will return to work tomorrow. We slept in, then we shopped at Piggly Wiggly and did a pickup order at Walmart. On our way home, I got an iced coffee at my favorite place. While the cruise coffee was good, it wasn't Bliss Bistro. I am always transported to heaven with the first sip. I am still enjoying it as I write this.

Because we slept late, we missed church this morning. But, after we put away groceries, we sat on the back porch, read our bibles and devotionals, and prayed together, which is our morning routine. I am listening to praise tunes now, but nothing replaces the oasis in our life that is church. I miss our sweet church family and cannot wait until next Sunday.

I plan on doing laundry and tidying up for the rest of the afternoon, while Austin plans on mowing the lawn and working in the garden. My papaw has been tending to our garden in our absence. I don't know what we would do without Mamaw and Papaw.

This evening, Mama and Daddy will be bringing Trigger and Darcy back home. I can't wait for some warm snuggles with my fur babies. We will be eating at Cedar Landing, which is Daddy's and Austin's favorite place, for dinner. I will hopefully get in bed early. I will have an early morning driving Mama and Daddy to Birmingham for Daddy's oncologist checkup.

A Fun Day at Sea

I woke up feeling much better this morning. I still slept through breakfast, because I was dreading the crowd on the lower decks. We headed down around 10:30 a.m. I grabbed a latte at JavaBlue. Jae, the barista, was so nice. She used to work on a Disney cruise line, and she asked me if she could do Toy Story latte art for me. It was perfect and delicious!

We sat on the deck for a couple hours and loved the view. Our new couple friends texted us and joined us at noon. Then, the four of us enjoyed a delicious lunch at Pizza Pirate.

After lunch, we all headed over to the casino, where we enjoyed some drinks and slots. 

After the casino, we had a fun time filled with laughter at The Punchliner Comedy Club, before we laid out on the deck for a couple more hours this evening.

After we returned to the cabin, I packed up and tidied up everything, since we will be offboarding tomorrow at noon. Now, we are binging on Friday Night Lights before bed.

A Day at St. Thomas

When we woke up this morning, we were in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. I rolled back over and slept until 2:00 p.m. Austin woke up a couple hours sooner and explored a bit.

Austin captured a few pictures and dipped his toes in the water while I was fast asleep. While the fever, body aches, and sniffles subsided, the exhaustion is stronger than ever.

We ate dinner at Lido Marketplace Buffet. The ribs were delicious. All of the food is far better quality than I would typically expect from a buffet-style restaurant.

After dinner, we went to Wheel of Fortune, and it was very entertaining. I am a sucker for game shows, so I am biased, but I have loved all three live game shows on the cruise.

We are now back in the cabin binging on Friday Night Lights and eating salted caramel popcorn. We talked to my parents earlier; they are finally on the mend from the flu.

San Juan and the Flu

When we woke up this morning, we were in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I was still feeling sick, so I called down to the medical center. They informed me that no appointment could be scheduled, that services are first come; first serve, and the clinic was open 8:00-10:00 a.m. and 4:00-6:00 p.m. It was already almost 10, so we decided to start exploring San Juan, and I would go to the clinic this afternoon.

We decided to have breakfast at Café Pierre in San Juan. The food was delicious, and I was most impressed with how friendly and eager their staff was. Our waiter was Josue, and he told us that he had lived in Birmingham for four years to attend college. It was delightful talking to him. Talking about Alabama somehow made me feel less homesick.

After breakfast, we explored San Juan for most of the afternoon. We visited several shops. We bought a couple souvenirs and some Puerto Rican snacks to enjoy later.

At 1:30 p.m., I headed back to the ship to get ready for the doctor's appointment. I wanted to be there early, in hopes that it wouldn't take so long. Austin enjoyed the beach, then joined me at Big Chicken for lunch, before going with me to the clinic.

There were only two people ahead of me, so the nurse called us all back at once, after we filled out papers providing our personal information, medical history, and symptoms. 

The nurse offered to recommend over-the-counter medicine that I could purchase through the clinic, so I would not have to pay a doctor's bill (the clinic will not bill insurance companies, but you can attempt for reimbursement through your insurer later). But I explained to her that I had already had a televisit with a doctor before leaving Miami, and the medicine he had prescribed did not seem to be working. We decided it would be best for me to be evaluated by the doctor, to test for the flu.

The doctor ordered a CBC and influenza test. The test confirmed that I have Flu A. He prescribed Tamiflu and told me to rotate Advil and Tylenol for body aches and fever. In addition, he prescribed Austin a round of Tamiflu, in case he develops the flu too. The total cost for the visit was $175, which was a small price to pay for relief from the flu.

Thankfully, we have been social distancing. I also picked up a couple masks at the gift shop when I picked up Advil and Tylenol. I have seen a lot of people wearing a mask in the ship, so I won't be alone. I'm hoping to be well enough to visit St. John tomorrow.

After the doctor's office and gift shop/pharmacy, we made another stop at Alchemy, to enjoy a cocktail. It was just what I needed to wind down from my doctor's visit anxiety.

We walked around the ship for a while, then stopped in at Big Chicken once again. We grabbed some food from the take-out line, because our earlier meal was delicious and why waste a free day pass? We took it back to the cabin and enjoyed it on the balcony.

Now that we've finished our meal and readied ourselves for bed, we're watching Austin's favorite show, The Golden Girls, because I need to laugh. Later, we will call my parents, then my in-laws, to check-in with them before they turn in for the night. After that, we may enjoy some candy or Puerto Rican snacks while we read on the balcony for a while.

A Day at Amber Cove

When we woke up, we were at Amber Cove. Austin and I had an early breakfast at the marketplace buffet again, before heading out to explore the first stop of the cruise.

We explored a few retail shops, then spent a few hours relaxing on the beach, as we alternated between people watching and reading our books.

Then, we had lunch at the Crazy Lobster, which had delicious food and amazing views of farmland on one side and the ocean on the other. Did I mention the food was delicious?

After lunch, I decided to return to the ship, because I still felt under the weather. Austin joined a guided excursion on four-wheeler, and he had a lot of fun (and got pretty dirty).

He returned to the cabin around 3:30 p.m., and brought takeout from Guy's Burger Joint, because I was once again craving a burger. We ate them on the balcony while enjoying a beautiful view of the ocean, then we cleaned up to head downstairs for the evening.

Some entertainment options tonight were two of my favorite game shows: Deal or No Deal and Family Feud. We stayed for both shows. A hilarious drag queen hosted Deal or No Deal. Our Cruise Director, Lee, hosted Family Feud. They both did a wonderful job!

After the shows, we noticed that Swirls was serving strawberry soft serve ice cream, so I had to stop by. Austin had a chocolate. They were like Wendy's Frosties, but even better.

We are back in the cabin now and exhausted. I needed something funnier than Friday Night Lights tonight, so we're watching Mama's Family on FreeVee. Even though I have had a lot of fun, I am still feeling under the weather. I've been fever-free for 24 hours, but the body aches are bad. My dad went to the doctor today and was diagnosed with the flu. If I am not better by morning, I will likely visit the medical center downstairs.

Memorial Day at Sea

Today is Memorial Day. Austin and I took time this morning to remember all of the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy as Americans. My gratitude cannot be expressed in words. My prayers are with their families and friends.

We had breakfast at Lido Marketplace Buffet. They had a large variety of food, and a smiling staff. We figured we'd be early enough to beat the crowd, but we were wrong.

It was crowded, and for good reason. The food was delicious, and the cost was included. Austin managed to locate a table with a beautiful view, where we enjoyed our meal.

Then, we sat on the deck for a couple hours. It was chilly to me, but I am running a low-grade fever from the sickness (don't panic; I'm social distancing, as you can see below).

I went back to take a nap in the cabin, while Austin went exploring once again. Then, he came back to get me, and we enjoyed a late lunch at Guy's Burger Joint, because it is an American holiday and what says American holiday like a juicy, delicious burger and fries?

After we spent a couple more hours on deck, we went to the live show Ringmaster's Rhapsody, which featured music from The Greatest Showman.

We arrived early and enjoyed cocktails before the show started. We ran into a couple that we had met during onboarding, and they asked us to sit by them during the show.

Neither Austin and I nor our couple friend participated in elegant night, but we all enjoyed some sushi at Bonsai Sushi after the show. It was very spicy, but delicious.

We ended the night at the piano bar, and it was the most fun I have had so far. The entertainer, Keith Retson-Spalding, is a hoot. He kept me and Austin rolling. He also covered Taylor Swift, which was so unexpected for a piano bar. I plan on going back.

We have been having such a fun time so far. Tomorrow, we will stop at Amber Cove. I hear it is breathtaking. I will be posting pictures of our adventures tomorrow evening. 

Our Cozy Cabin

I have spent more time in the cabin than I planned on, because of the sinus infection or whatever illness I have come down with. Thankfully, it is cozy and has a nice view. I am also glad we went all out and got the premium wi-fi package for four devices.

Here is a look inside the cabin yesterday, our boarding day:

The towel elephants were an immediate reminder of home: Roll Tide from the blue sea!