willdra

After dinner there was a Comedy Showcase at 9:30, then Quest was at 10:30. We went down to Deck 5 around 9. There was already a line for the show. They opened the doors around 9:06. We filed into the Liquid Lounge and sat upstairs so we could leave at 10 to go to Quest. Quest was going to be in the Limelight Lounge which was unusual. These should’ve been reversed in our opinion. Quest usually takes up a lot of space, and it is very loud. IYKYK. During the comedy showcase, there was a couple upstairs by us who talked the entire time. We had to strain to hear the comedian. Don’t be that couple. They were acting like they drank the water at Camp Lejeune. Inappropriate.

At about 6:30, the steward brought our wine. W threw the bottles in the suitcase, and we were done. We had nothing left to do after that, but shower and check in for dinner. So that's what we did. There was no wait time again for dinner. We got down to the dining room at 7:20. I ordered the Parched Pig Ale and Cheddar Soup, Braised Beef Brisket, and Warm Chocolate Melting Cake with Butter Pecan Ice Cream. W got the same soup, but he got the Coffee Glazed Roast Duck. My meal was good and W’s duck was spectacular. It was very tender and juicy with a good sauce. I made a note to get it the next time. Now whether or not I will remember to read that note, is another story entirely. Don't judge me.

It didn’t take long for us to get organized. I left my clothes (except my dresses) in my packing cubes, so I just had to zip them up, and toss them in the suitcase. We had lots of room in our bags when we embarked, we hadn't purchased a lot of stuff, so we knew we would be ok. W and I packed everything that we could, to minimize having to carry stuff the next day. We keep a medium sized suitcase with us for all of the stuff that we will still need for the next 12 or so hours. This helps a lot, and it minimizes the risk of us having to wear 2 or 3 layers of clothes off the ship cuz we didn't have enough room in a small bag. Hobos we are not. Most of the time.

When we got back on the ship, we had to check in the wine that we bought, and the two free bottles that were given to us. For real? There wasn't another sea day after this. We were literally almost back in the U.S. We asked why, and we were told “Your cabin steward will bring it to you this evening.” Seriously? You’re gonna keep my little baby wine bottles for 2 hours? Alright then. Whatevs. So W checked it all in, and we pressed the button for an elevator. Next we dropped off our bags then went to the deli on Lido. That was one venue we hadn’t visited on this cruise. The ladies working the deli were very fast. They had a good system going to keep the line moving. It worked. No complaints. The food was very good. Those workers in the deli were cooking cooking. We ate quick then went back to start packing. This is where it hit me. This wonderful journey was coming to an end. To that, I say "Boooooooo". 6 days is not enough. Even with the Disneyland Day added in.

Inside the store, there were lots and lots of herbs. Some were pre-packaged, some were in Ziplock type sandwich bags, and some were in bunches. I snapped a few pics and sent them to my team to tell me what some of the items were used for. I had questions. Their replies to me were hilarious, and told me exactly what I needed to know. You're done. W and I quickly tasted the wine, bought a couple of things from the store, then dipped out. After everyone got back on the bus, we rode back to port around 3. Chris gave us more info on the ride back. How sway? There were more words to be said about this area? Ok den. It was a great tour overall. I would absolutely do it again. They could also cut out the second portion, and it would still be a nice excursion.

As we walked in, they gave us all a wine flight with 4 wines. Since this wasn't a "formal" tasting, they had the wine bottles lined up on the counter, so we could see which ones we had. We were basically on our own. Solo dolo. They gave us chips, salsa, guacamole, bread, and pizza. It was giving “everybody’s so creative”. We weren't really told much about the wine or "winery" at all. In my most humble opinion, the second winery should’ve been first. We would’ve had no (or very low) expectations of L.A. Cetto, had we visited them last. They would've blown us away after visiting La Casa de Dona Lupe, and it wouldn't have been hard. There was no competition between the two places.

I completed my purchase then W and I got back on the bus. After everyone boarded, we left to go to the next spot. The second location, La Casa de Dona Lupe, was about 5 minutes away from the first. This was also a vastly different experience. We walked off of the bus and went inside a large store/tasting room.

We got instructions on everything, even down to how to hold the wine glass. If you did it wrong, they called you out on it. Shame. No games were played at this winery. They stood on business. Periodt. The staff took pride in teaching visitors the correct way to enjoy their wine. At the end of the tasting, we were each given a small bottle of wine. Next, we went inside to purchase wine and other souvenirs. I got a bottle of Chenin Blanc. It was $8. I was mad that I didn’t realize how inexpensive it was until she rang it up. I would’ve gotten 2 bottles and some olive oil, had I known. The prices were in pesos. My bad. The line behind me was long, and I didn’t think I would have time to go back for more wine, then get in line again. We were cutting it too close to the time that we were supposed to get back on the bus. Sometimes being responsible sucks.

Our visit included a guided vineyard tour and lots of information. Roberto was our guide on the property. He told us that Don Angelo Cetto started the winery in 1928, and L. A. Cetto is the largest winery in Mexico. During the tour, we went inside to see some of the grape processing. It was loud in there so we didn’t stay long. We also went to see some of the barrels, and we even walked out into the vineyard. The last part was the wine tasting, and it was also organized.

The ride to the first winery, L. A. Cetto was about an hour. Chris was the tour guide on the bus. He talked almost the whole drive up there. There were way too many words.

We boarded the bus which was large, comfortable, and cool. When we drove out of the port, I could really see that we made the right choice by not walking out of the port. There was nothing out there until we made it all the way outside of the port area. The only spots that I saw out there was a liquor store, and a Carl's Jr. Um nope. The Ensenada govt. must not allow shops in the port or sum. Unattractive.

There was still plenty of time left to meet our excursion after breakfast. W forgot something in the cabin, so we went back there before disembarking. I took that time to pop an antacid. We were doing the Wine Country Tour that day, and all of that red wine would remand me to heartburn hades if I didn’t take anything to fight it. Hopefully the old "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" theory would apply. We walked down to exit the vessel around 10:45. The plan was to go and check out the port before meeting our excursion. We looked out of a window before we officially exited the ship tho. Uh uh. There really wasn’t anything out there. It looked like we would have to walk all the way out of the port to find anything interesting. Hard pass. When we got off of the ship, we sat down on a bench and took a few pics. It was time to line up at 11:15.

W was STILL in line when I got there, and I saw why. The servers were individually making the huevos rancheros, and it was an exercise in inefficiency. Peeps were getting 3 or 4 at a time with different combinations of ingredients. This is why Jesus wept. That line was a disaster. When it was my turn, I got my standard order sans the egg, then I got out of that foolishness expeditiously. I already knew W would be in the omelet line. I went there next to find out where we were sitting. He'd picked out a table in the middle. I got coffee then went to the table to wait for W to bring my omelet. While I was waiting, I turned off airplane mode on my phone and it lit up with all kinds of birthday notifications. I truly felt the love from lots of people. My life matters.

Ensenada Day I jumped up at 9am. I suddenly remembered that Blue Iguana closed at 10. This was prolly my last chance for arepas and huevos rancheros on this voyage, so it was imperative that I didn't miss it. Oh yeah it was also my birthday! Whoop whoop! I glanced out of the balcony windows, and t was very very foggy. There was zero visibility, and it was chilly. I’d left my options open on my attire for the day, cuz I didn’t know what the weather was gonna do. Finally, I decided to go with long pants and closed toe shoes. I hoped that I didn't regret it. West coast weather can be a tricky tricky temptress. Soon enough we would see if she put me in the okie doke or not. W had my gifts laid out for me as usual, so after I got partially ready, I opened them up. Both of us knew it would take me longer to get ready after that. W was so gracious, he went to Blue Iguana for me so that I could finish up. Shortly after he left, he sent me a message telling me the lines were crazy. A few minutes later when he text me and asked what meat I wanted, I thought “Houston. We have a problem”. There’s no meat choice for the huevos rancheros, and there better not be one for the arepas. I quickly sent a reply telling him he should be on the other side, not the burrito line. His reply confirmed that he was in fact in the burrito line. He said the other line was longer. Huh? For why? I finished getting ready. Then I did a fit check and the fit was fresh, so I left to join him at 9:40.

Before I fell asleep I said a prayer thanking God that I have never been attacked by a honey badger. The name honey badger doesn’t even sound bad. That name sounds like a honey badger would just fight honey, on sight. However, I watched a video recently of a honey badger (allegedly) giving a man the business. It looked like nasty work that I wanted zero parts of. Honey badgers fight like hood rats, and I am so blessed that I’ve never met one in person. My God don’t play about me. Amen.

We wanted to do the comedy show after dinner but we missed it, since dinner was a little lengthy. There was another show at 10, but it directly competed with the White Hot Party in the atrium lobby at 10:30. We opted to do the White Hot Party even tho we were not in White nor Hot attire. I packed my white dress but W forgot to pack his white clothes. Nobody was shocked. Before the party, Gerry with a G (SN: maybe don't call him that to his face. It's a nickname I made up so that I could remember him) came out and the cast did the Celestial Strings After Party Show. They are so good. I highly recommend that show. We didn’t go see it this time but I was sad about it when the cast came out. They are so talented. We enjoyed shaking our groove thang at the party. The music was comprised of random songs picked out by the Cruise Director. It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed the nostalgic atmosphere. Gerry chose some bangers. After it was over we went back to the cabin to get situated for one more port day.

It was still too early for dinner when we returned to the cabin, so we read our books until we started getting ready around 6:30. Since it was getting late fast, I told W I could finish everything in an hour. I was 10 minutes over. Fight me. When I called time, he checked us in and it was yet again, less than a 10 minute wait. That has been lovely. I could for real get used to these short YTD Wait Times. Especially on Elegant Evenings. For some reason, I wasn’t feeling my normal 100% tiptop chipper self. I was at around 85%. Idk what it was, I just felt "off". Before we left the cabin, I popped a Dramamine just in case that was it. As soon as we sat down, I was so thirsty, I drank as much water as I could. I drank all of my water and all of W’s water after they refilled it about 3 times. I started to feel much better after that. Must've been some powerful water. I went light(ish) for dinner. I ordered Calamari and Lobster Tail no dessert. The ship was rocking and rolling something fierce. El Capitano was piloting that ship like somebody was chasing him. This is behavior that I generally condone, cuz we got places to be, but please let us know when we need to sit down, before down sits us. Thanks. Of course my favorite pic of us that night was taken in front of the amazing background of our cabin door. Le sigh.

Ok enough of that. W went to get us salads from the Serenity Fresh Creations Bar after we were out there awhile. Mine was delicious. W pretended not to know what I like, cuz he secretly didn't want to make my salad, but as usual he got it right. Y'all already know W has 99 problems, but food a'int one. We ate, and sat out, but it kept getting colder and colder. The wind was blowing hard all day, like it had something to prove or some sort of vendetta against our comfort. Relax wind. We don't want those problems with you. Our only available option was to move to one of the clamshells in the forward area behind those glass partitions. We hoped that would shield us from some of the wind. It was ok at first, but soon it got cold up there too. Now the cold is stalking us? We called it quits around 5. Using 4 towels as blankets defeated the purpose of being outside. That cold arctic wind folded our clothes, with us still in them. Victory was not an option, especially in that thin resort wear that we were sporting. Incidentally, this is the same experience that we had on our last West Coast cruise. I seem to remember it was too cold to go to Serenity on the return trip then as well. It would’ve been fine if it wasn’t so windy. It's partly our fault too, for being remedial, very slow learners. How did both of us forget this important detail? It takes a village I guess. Does anyone have a spare village that W and I can borrow?

When they were done with the official presentation part, W and I skedaddled. It was breezy and cold on our balcony earlier, so we were curious to see what that weather was doing in Serenity. First we went back to the cabin to drop off all of those drinks. Then we went up. We found a clamshell right away. That couldn't possibly be a good sign. It was in a windy spot but we turned the clamshell around, and it was bearable. Just. Barely. Bearable. I agreed to stay out there and give it a chance, so W went to get his back pack. When he returned, I went. I took my time going back to Serenity, cuz it was nice and cozy in the cabin. When I returned to Antarctica, we sat out and talked about our time in California, which was 1994-1998. We were living on W's small Army salary back then, but we made the most of it, and we have some wonderful memories that are priceless. Cali will always hold a special place in our hearts. Now that walk down memory lane was much needed, and it helped us remember from whence we came. Started from the bottom, now we're here. Or however the song goes. Roarie and his new pal Pup Pup didn't want me to go back to Serenity either.

As soon as they opened the doors, we filed into the Liquid Lounge and started collecting drinks. We took our cups with us, so we could fill those up first. Then we would drink 1 or 2 there. When W starts tipping the servers, they come back regularly. We found a friendly server we liked and she took great care of us. Soon we had more drinks than we could carry. Once I started “feeling” the alcohol, I cut myself off. I know my limits, which is such an underrated skill. The party was fun. Gerry with a G brought the good energy. I liked how adaptable to the crowd he was. He isn’t rigid and stuck in his ways yet. He’s good now as a new CD, and he will only get better. At the Diamond Brunch, he told us that he really loves interacting with people, and I can totes see that. I would love to sail with him again in a year or so to see how he's transitioned and transformed.