Return From The Allure Of The Seas
Let’s start today’s post with a question.
Where does one go to:
- Eat his or her own weight in food?
- Drift over Haitian beach water, sprawled upon a communal, microorganism-rich floatie mat?
- Witness slightly pudgy performers in sparkling polyester pants belt out show tunes?
- Shell out 65 cents a minute for Internet access?
The monstrous Allure of the Seas. I’m happy to report it floats.
If you guessed a cruise ship, then I have a lovely, rubbery, likely-made-in-China, Royal Caribbean key chain for you. In fact, I’ve got two of them. I also have a Royal Caribbean pen, highlighter, wallet, and miniature fanny pack. How did I collect such priceless booty? Apparently, my brain houses a valuable collection of music and movie trivia facts. Too bad those same neurons don’t summon a recently introduced name or the image of what I walked into a room to get.
So, yes, I’m back. Over-stimulated. Overfed. Over-tired. Over-peopled. And over-cheesed.
What? You didn’t know Mr. Rubin was a Mayan warrior?
But cheesy or not, I loves me a cruise. And this time I savored the tacky not just with immediate family, but with extended family as well. And for those of you who’ve traveled with a large group of people, no further words are necessary. But it was all good. Sharing a vacation with my family was a dream come true, and I’ve got a past life of bug-infested apartments, empty cupboards, and endless waitressing and restaurant-cleaning shifts to prove it.
But now I must get back to work. I have line edits to finish. I have book covers to confirm. I have copyright registration to explore. I have blogs to visit. I have e-mail to catch up on. I have Twitter to reconnect with. I have…
Okay, now I just have a headache. But once the pain subsides, I’ll re-infiltrate your blogs. Like mold in your wall, I’m tough to eradicate.
And sorry—I’ve decided not to share my Royal Caribbean key chains after all.
Pointless junk is so hard to find.
A sampling of my Royal Caribbean trivia wins. Nothing says cool like a tiny backpack fanny pack.
108 Responses to “Return From The Allure Of The Seas”
Sounds like a perfectly timed trip! Now you can leap into the fray and tackle those tasks for your book.
I am officially caught up now.
Welcome back
I’m so glad you had a great overfed time. What else are endless buffets for than to over indulge.
I want me a cruise now.
Thank you! It was a great time, and surprisingly, there are a lot of healthy eating choices on cruises as well. Of course, that doesn’t include the cupcake shop. Oh, those big cakes were yummy.
A cupcake shop on board? Sign me now.
And they were so moist and good!
[...] expose Mr. Rubin to a few nasty viruses just to see what would happen. Other than turning into a Mayan warrior, he was [...]
Sorry to be so late to comment, it’s been a crazy week! Looks like you had a blast and I think it’s super-cool that Mr. Rubin is a Mayan Warrior. He’d be awesome in a bar fight. Just sayin’.
Hmmm, I wonder who would prevail in a bar fight? The real Mr. Rubin who has about 9 inches on the Mayan warrior or the Mayan warrior with the spear? I suppose spear trumps height every time.
Sorry your week’s been so crazy. Seems like the whole summer’s been like that. At least around here, and I’m sure for you, too. Enjoy what remains of it.
Thanks! Kids are all back in school by next Thurs, so we’re rushing to hit every water and theme park in town…. =)
Ooh, watch out for the microbes. They’re rampant at those places.
Sorry, Carrie: I’ve come really late to this one! Good to have you back though I admit I’m somewhat surprised at you – here was I thinking you were all in favour of healthy diets and worthy abstinence and what do I find? A cruise! A week of cream cakes and alcohol? For shame, Carrie! And Mayan warriors too? BTB, did you find out what his day job was?
Hmmm, I suspect his day job is just that. Dressing up as a Mayan warrior, war paint and all, and posing for pictures with sweaty tourists for a measly couple dollar tip. Perhaps at night he’s an investment banker? Or maybe a neurosurgeon.
As for the cruise food–believe it or not, there are many healthy options. I suppose the giant cupcake I ate doesn’t fall into that category, nor the chocolate chip ice cream, but the leafy green salads I made from the buffet line cancelled those items out. At least that’s what I tell myself…
Good to hear your annual cheesing went swimmingly. Hope that head is feeling better soon.
Thank you, and yes, the headache is better. I have adjusted back to reality with no problem. Thanks for stopping by.
I have never been on a cruise, although I always say I will try one out. Sounds and looks like you had a wonderful time. Glad you’re back in blogging world!
Thanks! And yes, everyone should experience the cruise cheese at least once.
As they say, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Good to hear you are embracing both work and play!
Oh, yes. I do like my play time.
Welcome back! Glad you had a good time! Good luck with the continued work on the book, and enjoy some blogs, emails, etc. Headache cure – gum, water, sleep (in no particular order).
Oh, I do love my sleep. It’s a good cure for many things, that’s for sure. Get enough sleep, eat well, and exercise. Just think of how many fewer medications would be prescribed if everyone followed that simple advice. Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now, but I suspect as a fitness trainer, you feel the same way.
Glad you had fun and didn’t become a statistic! (it freaks me out all the stories of the newly married disappearing on cruises…)
Yes, my husband thinks jokes about me falling over the ship’s railing are hilarious. He never fails to make a crack about it whenever we go on a cruise. But then I remind him that if something happened to me, he’d be stuck with the kids. That stops his laughing quickly.
haahahahahaha
I love the pic of your husband as Warrior. The location of the target thingummy is interesting…
I’m guessing you know that isn’t really my hubby. I prefer my men with a little less makeup.
Home again, home again, jiggedy jig … Glad you had a good time, great that you’re back fit and well x
Thank you. I did return home well, which is no small feat considering the high possibility of contracting Norovirus on a cruise ship. Or in other words, the pukes and the poops.
i’ll have be on the lookout for a Mayan Warrior Canoe in the Gulf of Maine
Good idea, because I think that’s where my little warrior friend said he was headed next…
Glad to have you back and I’m glad you had a good time. I want that fanny pack. What if I send you some pointless junk I own in trade?
Hmmm, well I never won a pocket protector. Or a hanky. So I guess if you’ve got one of those super cool items, then we might have something to trade…
Good for you for having a fab time and then getting back into the swing of things – I’ve been procrastinating far too long!!
Ahh, yes, I see it’s been a little while since your last post, too. Oh well, breaks are always needed. And it was liberating to get away from the computer for awhile. Plus, I didn’t want to pay that much for Internet access.
Sounds like you discovered your inner warrior on the cruise, just in time to tackle that seriously extensive to-do list. Your trivea skills are also impressive and so very useful – you may never have to buy another pen again. Welcome back
.
Thanks! And it’s a good thing those trivia games weren’t on history or other important subjects. Then I would have failed miserably.
What a cute looking husband. He’s all dressed up for the book celebration party.
Yes, he can hardly contain himself.
I’m glad you enjoyed your cruise. I went on one a few years ago, and it was not only the worst vacation of my life, it was the worst 8 days of my life. The ship was filthy, filled with obnoxious passengers and worthless crew members. The food was pathetic, and we were 50 miles out to sea – with nowhere to turn for help, refunds or complaints. If I live to be 250 years old, I’ll never set foot on one of those again. I ended up writing a strongly worded 6 page, single spaced letter to the cruise line giving very specific examples of unacceptable quality/behavior/service and after 6 months, they wrote me back and offered my wife and me $50 off our next cruise with them!!! As if…
But…enough about me…I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.
Whew! Glad I didn’t take that cruise! I’m happy to report my experience was much more pleasant. And clean.
I won’t go on and on (already did), but I just get a visceral response every time the subject of cruises comes up. As I said, I’m glad you enjoyed it.
As i learned, when you’re out in the middle of the briny deep, you’re pretty well stuck. We actually considered getting on a plane in the islands and flying home, but it would have cost wayyyy too much. Just a horrible time in every single way.
Well, I’d suggest you try again, but I don’t dare. If you had another foul experience, the blame would be all on me, and that’s far too heavy a cross to bear.
At my age, there only so many vacations left, I couldn’t take the chance.
Welcome back to the home, the edits, and the mounds of laundry, Carrie. I took a cruise a long, long time ago, in a boat that looked like it once belonged to Giligan. Yours appears to be much nicer. Glad you had fun.
Your photo is suitable for framing, by the way, but I want to see the one with You wearing the headdress.
Oh, woops that IS a headdress. I thought you were rocking a cruise-do. Sorry!
Nope. That’s a headdress. One that probably hundreds of people wore before me. And maybe the dogs that were wandering around, too. Now that’s a pleasant thought…
Yes, clearly a headdress. I was too focused on the Mayan warrior’s blue skull. It’s a major distraction.
Oh, my, I’m embarrassed to admit that’s the first time I noticed the blue skull on his headdress. Guess I’d make a lousy detective…
Yes, the laundry isn’t fun. Especially my workout gear that was trapped inside a plastic bag for the journey home. Sorry. That was probably TMI.
And yes, I really should blow up that pic of me and Mayan Man. The sweat stains on my T-shirt are quite impressive. Guess I should have realized the Caribbean would be a bit hot in August…
Thanks for stopping by.
Great to have you back. I missed your gravatar popping in my blog in tray!
I have a confession to make…I love tacky trinkets from overseas holidays. My prize possession is a solar panel operated plastic gondola (with gold plastic trim) which bobs backwards and forwards as if it’s surfing the ‘waves’ of Venice. Marti
Well, now, if Royal Caribbean had given me a “solar panel operated plastic gondola (with gold plastic trim),” I wouldn’t be grumbling. That’s much more exciting than a fanny pack.
Glad to hear that you are back; that Mayan princess thing is working for you
Nikki
Yeah, it’s about as close to a princess as I’ll ever get…
Can’t believe you’re back! Cruise sounds fab. I’ve just been doing a different type of cruising with comedian Matt Yee. His show based on a cruise ship was hilarious here in London…
We had a couple of great comedians on the cruise. Got a great ab work out in the process.
So happy you had a good time! And mazel tov on your hard-earned prizes. My brain retains an astonishing amount of trivia like that too. Which means there’s no room for anything that’s actually relevant.
I hope your transition from vacation mode to real-life mode isn’t too painful. And I hope your headache goes away.
Thanks! And yes, if only our brains would retain the important stuff. Recognizing a quote from “Caddyshack” isn’t exactly going to change the world…
I’m glad you had a great time. Travel (particularly with family or close friends), is to my thinking, just about the best thing you can spend your money on (along with education & lottery tickets). My mom took me a lot of places, mostly just the two of us. It was fun and all, but it wasn’t until I became an adult and even more acutely, after my mom died, that I realized how very much those memories meant to me. I had always taken them for granted, but that was okay–maybe your kids will too, until the time when suddenly you’re unbelievably thankful that you have them.
However, based on the description of Mr. Rubin’s head provided by your son, I call BS on the Mayan warrior. If anything, that guy’s head is phallic!
You are right to call my bluff on the Mayan. If you notice, he’s a little shorter than me. And I’m even crouching a little. So it wouldn’t be a very good union. Yeah, like that’s the only reason…
But I agree, travel is my preferred indulgence. I don’t buy fancy clothes or shoes, and I don’t drive fancy cars (well, unless one considers a 6-year-old Prius fancy), but I love to travel. Unlike the clothes, shoes, and cars, the memories are always there. Well, most of them. My brain isn’t the strongest in that department…
You can re-sell the prizes on eBay, but include the questions and answers, so that the people who buy them can claim THEY won the trivia contest if/when asked/bragging. Can’t put a price on that.
Well yeah you could.
Now, there’s an idea! Surely someone, somewhere desires a mini backpack fanny pack…
Welcome back! I think I was on that same boat a few years ago. Looks like you had lots of fun!
I’m betting you had more fun than this family gal. Or at least, a different kind of fun.
My wife wants to go on a cruise sometime, and I’m slowly running out of excuses, although I do have a grace period until our son gets older / we have a “more than a night” reliable baby sitter. Doing that with extended family as well, I could easily be lost at sea.
Anyhoo, glad you had an enjoyable break, and welcome back to the world of staring at the screen.
Well, now, you know you can take a Disney Cruise and bring the little guy with you. They expect kids there and make every accomodation to appease them. But it’s also fun for adults, too, and they have a great child care area. Believe me, Disney does not want to lose any children. We loved our Disney cruise.
There. Now I’ve taken away your last excuse.
Carrie, you are too kind
Funny, that’s just what my husband says. Almost never…
Sounds like you had fun! Well, minus the mat, of course.
My husband really wants to go on one of those cruises — though he might change his mind if I tell him about the cost of internet. The man likes to be uber-connected
We’ve always had a great time on cruises, and there are some that are very reasonably priced. But yes, it’s not a time for web surfing, that’s for sure. I got online just to check my email every couple days so I wouldn’t come home to 2,000 messages. And even that adds up!
It sounds like you had a lot of fun!
We did. A trip like that won’t happen again for a long time, so I soaked up every minute.
Yeah! Carrie’s back! Carrie’s back!
Dibs on the keychain. No. Dibs on the Mayan warrior.
Well, considering I was crouching a bit and still taller than the guy, he’s all yours.
Face paint gets me every time.
You’re so easy.
A cruise, what fun! (but not for me, I’d hate to be stuck on a ship for a week). And look, you didn’t even get food poisoning and your ship didn’t sink or catch on fire. It’s all good.
Welcome back to reality!
Thanks! Yes, this cruise went a little smoother than the one I dreamed you and I went on.
And no food poisoning; no skin infections from the floatie mat; and no sinking. Life is good.
Glad to see you back—we really did all miss you!
It’s good that you’re busy with being an author and not trying to be a cruise marketer because the slimy floaties imagery ain’t making me want to try one!
I love the cheesy photo with the Maya warrior, though. Do you think your press would let you use that as your head shot? What, they don’t think people could take you seriously as the author of a medical thriller?
Take some time to catch up on your book duties! Those should come before blogging, I’m afraid….
Ha ha–you’re right, I better not market for the cruise line! And I also think you might be right about using that image as my headshot, though it certainly might get some attention. The sweat soaking the front of my shirt is also very appealing. Guess I should have figured the Caribbean would be hot in August…
It’s good to be back. Thanks for missing me. Then again, that’s probably a nicer thing to say then, “What? You’re back already? Can’t you take another week off?”
We did the Bahamas one August. I thought the Mid-Atlantic was really humid before that trip…. Not by a long shot! At least we were there between hurricanes.
I’ll be taking a short break shortly (oh, weak construction!), and I’m torn between putting up some older posts or not posting at all. I’m afraid if I don’t post at all, I will have 0 site views for the week…. I’m not sure I could stomach that. :/
But we’ll all come back if you don’t post at all. Even though my blogging absence was forced by my vacation’s high Internet costs, it was kind of nice to drop everything for a week. It does a brain good, and now I have a renewed energy to get back online.
That’s the way I should go. I even have the post drafted saying I’ll be back on a certain date. I should bite the bullet and stick with it.
I say go for it. You’ll feel liberated.
Glad you had fun! I’m afraid if I ever cruised, I would eat twice my body weight (just because I could…and would want to try everything available). That’s why I’ve stayed away…that and the fact that I’m not a dress up formal type of gal, and everyone always talks about dressing up to eat. That would just look silly as I carried 3 plates away from the feast.
Oh, believe me, the dressing up part seems to be a thing of the past. Yes, they still have formal nights, but most people don’t conform. I stick with capri pants and a nice top. Seems to work fine, which is good, because I, too, am not a fan of dressing up.
Maybe I’ll go someday now that I know that.
Of course, there is still an occasional man in speedos hanging around…
Love the photo! (you are just too cute) I’m glad you enjoyed your vacation – it sounded fun! 65 cents a min for Internet….wow!
Thanks! And yes, the 65 cents a minute explains why I only conducted every other day email dumps. And of course, the Internet on the ship is painfully slow, thus edging up the charges. Is a good system they got going there…
Welcome Back! Sounds like lots of fun. Ewww I just read” no skin infections from that slimy floatie mat.” YUCK!
I hope you get a couple of days to rest and have a break from people. I know for myself being around lots of people for an extended time it can take me a day or two of resting and being quiet to feel like myself again. Glad your back. :+)
I know just what you’re talking about. A couple days of quiet recuperation is definitely on the menu.
I think that was one of the huge things I learned from reading your posts about being an introvert. Being around people needing the down time. Now I just expect to be wiped out and allowing for some down time and making time for it :+) It’s really made a big difference in my life. ( Look at you not only funny but also able to change people lives in a possitve way.) I’m willing to be around large social gathering more because I understand that for me it is tough and I will need some time afterwards to re-group and rest. Thanks again for that post. I know I know I still need to get the book you talked about it’s on my book buy list :+)
Thanks for the nice words. And it’s funny, but despite how crowded a cruise ship can be, there’s plenty of space to go off and sit on your own. When I needed a breather, I’d plant myself on a deck chair on the jogging track level. Hardly anyone sat there, and I could just stare out at the ocean and be lulled by the ship’s engine. Very peaceful.
Sounds Wonderful! :+)
Did you take TWO cruises this year? I could have sworn you just got back from one. Did you go see Chichen Itza? I loved that, but boy was it hot in the interior.
Get back to work, girl! I want to read your book!!
No, just one. You might be thinking of the dream I posted about where Perfecting Mother and I went on a dream cruise.
I’ve been to Chichen Itza years ago but not this time. Can be tricky to find a shore excursion that appeals to all age groups. We saw a few sights in Cozumel and wandered around their shopping area.
Cool. Hey, when you went to Chchen Itza were you still able to go on the pyramid? We just went a few years ago and it was no longer allowed. I’m glad you had a good time with family.
Yes, we climbed to the top. It was about 17 years ago or so that my husband and I went there. I heard they no longer let people climb it because of the danger. I can see why. Talk about tiny steps. No way I’d do it now. I’d probably fall and break a hip!
Welcome back, Carrie and you were missed. Pic of you and your hubby is just delightful and I’m glad you had a good time. Good luck with those edits and I hope you rock that fanny pack on future vacays.
I’m sitting here, trying to think what it would take to get me to actually wear a fanny pack. A great deal, I’d imagine. Although chocolate would be a good place to start…
Thanks, Brigitte. It’s good to be home.
Welcome back! Bloggersphere has been lonely!
Thank you! So much to catch up with…
Welcome back Carrie! I missed you! And good luck with all the book details. I’m so impressed you won all that stuff
Thank you! And yes, I bet you’re really jealous of my loot. You know it will sit in a drawer for months until I finally toss the junk out.
What a fun life you have, doing things at your own pace. Welcome back.
My life has become more fun, no doubt, but sadly no less busy. Then again, who’s is?
Thanks for stopping by and for the retweet. Haven’t signed into Twitter yet today.
We’ve missed you, Carrie! I’m glad you didn’t succumb to the micro-organisms or the lure of a Mayan warrior. Sounds like a fun and busy vacation!
It was, and yes, thus far, no nasty skin infections from that slimy floatie mat. But I can’t make any promises on that Mayan warrior…
Is good to be back. Thanks!
