Monday, day two of my cruise, was an at-sea day. I love a good mixture of at-sea and in-port days and this cruise only had one at-sea day. I prefer two on five- and six-day cruises, but it is what it is! Days at sea will obviously vary for different types of people. It can be as busy or as peaceful as you want it to be and for Mom and me, we wanted it to be relaxing, quiet, and calm.
Monday, May 5
7:45am: Up and attem!
I am a notoriously bad sleeper, especially on days when I have the potential to sleep as late as I want to. I seriously thought it was at least 9:30 when I woke up, though, and felt fairly well-rested and refreshed. There is nothing like sleeping on a cruise ship. Soooo relaxing!
8:30am: Breakfast
Another great upgrade to the “2.0” ships is the addition of brunch on at-sea days. I order a big breakfast of eggs, sausage, hash browns, and chocolate chip pancakes. We also order mimosas, which are delicious!
9:15am: Relaxing on Serenity
Now, my friends, this is how a Monday morning should be spent: reading, listening to music, people-watching, and napping in a hammock. It was so perfect and I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day, warm and sunny and breezy.
12:15pm: Scattegories & a workout
After three hours in the sun, Mom and I decide to go back to our room. We weren’t hungry for lunch yet, so we play a few rounds of Scattegories and then do a workout. While the ship does have a nice gym, we just do a workout in the room. This is what I did: 50 jumping jacks, 50 arm circles, 50 squats, 50 push-ups, and 50 tricep bridges. Then I repeated that circuit a second time, this time doing 40 reps of each. After that, we ran up nine flights of stairs and then back down. All in all, about 30 minutes of cardio so I was happy with that.
1:45pm: Lunchtime
We were hungry after our workout, so we went to the top deck of the ship for another burger from Guy’s. We had a pretty nice view for lunch! (Better than my usual weekday lunch view… which is my work computer.)
After lunch, we went to the casino to play the slots for 15-20 minutes before heading back to our room to play another few rounds of Scattegories.
3:30pm: Serenity & mango swirls
We decide to spend some time on the Serenity deck and it’s pretty much deserted at this time. We are able to snag a hammock and order frozen drinks to cool us off – mango swirls! I discovered this drink on my very first cruise and it’s my go-to for deck drinking. It’s a mixture of a mango daiquiri and pina colada and it’s seriously yummy. Mmm, mmm, mmm!
4:45pm: Before dinner naptime!
We didn’t spend too much time on the deck because it was really, really hot outside with very little breeze. So we went back to our room, where I read for a bit before taking a short before-dinner nap. The best.
7:00pm: Get ready for dinner
Time to get ready for dinner, and it’s elegant night so Mom and I get all dressed up! It’s fun to get dressed up!
8:15pm: Dinner time!
I have to say, I wasn’t totally impressed with the dinner offerings on this ship. I’m not a very adventurous eater, nor a very “fancy eater” so most of the offerings didn’t appeal to me. This night, I asked for things off the menu (something I don’t normally do) because nothing sounded good. (I know I should probably use my cruises to step out of my comfort zone and try new foods, but it’s really hard when I’m so picky!) Tonight, I order a Caesar salad, steak and a baked potato, and warm chocolate melting cake for dessert.
9:30pm: Casino time!
The entertainment tonight was a little lame (I watch way too many professional dance competitions to watch cruise dancing without a critical eye!), so we decided to spend some time in the casino. Honestly, I don’t love being in the casino because I find gambling to be stupid and a bit pointless. (And my dad has/had a gambling addiction that ruined his marriage, relationships with his family and kids, etc., so perhaps I have a bias against gambling.)
10:30pm: Winding down!
After spending some time in the casino, we head back to the room to settle down for the night, play a few rounds of Scattegories, and then read before going to bed. Tomorrow, we will be in our first port of call: Key West!
Are you an adventurous eater? What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever eaten? (For me, probably the alligator fritters I had on my first night of this cruise! I also tried squid once, during a seventh-grade science class. Not too bad!)
Sounds like a fun day at sea. I love hammocks so could have spent hours in one reading!
I would say that I am a pretty adventurous eater. I will try most things but I am very limited by my gluten intolerance. I think the craziest thing I’ve ever eaten was bone marrow in Lyon, France. It was served on an actually bone that had been cut in half. Other people love bone marrow, I did not care for it as it tasted so greasy and gross to me.
Those hammocks look divine! I am trying to decide how many/which books to bring with me. I love that you fit in a workout! I’m planning on taking advantage of the running deck on my ship and also a couple Pilates and yoga classes. We have 2 full sea days and 3 port days, plus the 2 days that we leave and return to Port Canaveral. Not sure which I’ll enjoy more!
I am not really an adventurous eater. I don’t eat meat and I can’t have soy or gluten, so it limits my options considerably. Prior to giving up meat I tried quail and venison and those are probably the most adventurous things I’ve eaten. I still eat seafood though, so I hope I’ll get to try something new on my cruise! Although seafood sometimes creeps me out 🙂
I think I’d consider myself an adventurous eater! I like to try something at least once if it’s offered to me, and being half-Chinese and going to big family dinners has certainly helped in the weird food department!
Some of the weirdest ones I’ve tried are sea cucumber, Bird’s Nest soup (Google it!), and shark fin soup. (I knooooow …. the poor sharks, but it really is delicious!) My rule is to not ask what I’m eating before trying it, but I think I’d draw the line at any kind of chocolate-covered bug!
Love your mom’s and your dresses before dinner!
I’ve had bugs and pig’s intestines and pig’s blood and bone marrow. Duck fetus…. list can go on and on.
this sounds like THE BEST day. seriously so relaxing and I love your dresses, the anchored one and the animal print, so cute!
Melting chocolate cake? Yes, please.
That looks AMAZING.
I’ve never been a fan of gambling. Would rather just burn my money since that’s what it seems to be like when I do play slots or anything like that.
I am adventurous sometimes, but not always, when it comes to my food. Part of it is because of my crazy food allergies so I’m always afraid I’ll have a reaction.
I love your cruise posts! I went on a Carnival cruise in May 2011 (Port Canaveral and the Bahamas) and I am dying to take another one. Looking forward to more updates!
Your dress with the anchors on it is perfect for cruising!
The craziest thing I’ve ever eaten is probably jellyfish. Surprisingly crunchy!
Dinner was always my least favorite on the ship. I had a few issues with the food too, and I am quite an adventurous eater- so don’t feel too bad! The chocolate melting cake is soooo good though.
Second comment in a row about food? I’m on a roll!