willdra

Love how you finessed them to click your husband too for the muster! We loved that Lido life! Being so close to everything is highly underrated! 😜

Whoa that looks delicious! Please report back and let us know how it was! 😍😍

That extra storage or extra pillows is always so very welcome. 🤗

Lume has me in a chokehold. I'm still trying to figure out what I did before. Was I musty and didn't know it? Did I smell like I just crawled out of the bins? One thing for sure tho, I smell so fresh and so clean clean now! 😭😂🤣

What?????? Disney just went gangsta with it!! Now I need that in my life. 🫣

LOL thank you! 🥰🥰

I will try to post more Friday night, but if not I will post my next installation on Saturday. We are traveling to Daytona Beach in the morning to hang out with T and K at their house in Latitude, so we will be turning up for sure the next few nights! 🎉🎉 TTFN 👋🏾

We ate what we could, paid, then went to catch the comedy show. The show started at 10. We got there around 9:25 and the line was already pretty long. The limelight lounge holds a lot of people tho, so we knew we were good to get a decent seat. At about 9:46 they let us in. The comedian was Jorge Solano. When we sat down the lady in the chair next to mine kept bumping my chair. I hated to be “that lady”, but I had to get up and scoot my chair over. When she saw me do it she apologized profusely, but it wasn’t her fault, and I wasn't upset. The chairs were pushed very close together. The comedian went on and he was alright. That show didn't really contain prepared material. He wanted to work with the crowd. This is not my favorite type of comedy especially if it doesn’t work out. There was a guy that didn’t really want to be involved or a part of the "show", but the comedian wasn’t having it. He was basically bullying the guy off and on. He would move on to another topic, then go right back to calling the guy out. It ended with the guy low key threatening the comedian, which (if you could imagine), made it exponentially worse. The comedian wouldn’t (couldn't?) let it go. He commented on it a few more times after that. Unprofessional. I wanted to tell him to just put them Ha Ha's on us and end the rah rah rah and back and forth, but I'm sure that advice would've fallen on deaf, and possibly missing ears. I could tell audience guy was upset too, cuz he kept randomly talking loud to his friends and was not respecting the comedian or his show. Lady Luck was on the comedian's side too, that guy looked like he was about that action. It reminded me of the Dave Chappell episode "When keeping it real goes wrong". This went horribly wrong. It was also bland. I was fading fast, and I liked it. Sleep was calling my name, and I picked up on the first ring. When it was over, I went and got hot water for my "turn in" tea. W went to a bar for a nightcap. Our Diamond Brunch Invitations were in the cabin along with our Diamond VIFP gifts. We were supposed to get them on the Horizon, but they ran out. This was the luggage tags and passport covers that W was ranting about on the Horizon. We'd received an email before the cruise telling us that we would receive them on this cruise. W really wanted them so I’m glad they came thru. I went to bed shortly after returning to the cabin. Before I fell asleep, I said a prayer thanking God for Lume deodorant. That stuff is some sort of voodoo magic. I also prayed that it doesn’t cause any negative side effects that have yet to be discovered. I'm gonna be peeved if I'm watching TV and a commercial starts with "If you or your loved one used Lume deodorant products, and now suffer from big hot dog fingers and baked bologna breath, you may be entitled to compensation". Block it God.

Once we were done with that it was time to start getting ready for dinner. Our reservation was at 8, but we would go a few minutes early. I showered first then W. We were feeling a little ick from that day. And rightfully so. We left the cabin around 7:47. We checked in and were shown to our table right away. The main server told us her name but I wasn’t listening yet, so I missed it. The thing about me is, if I'm listening I got you. If someone starts speaking to me and I’m still hearing my internal monologue, I prolly won’t hear what was said. Unfortunately she caught me when I wasn’t listening yet. Until she asked about my birthday. That I heard. I told her my birthday wasn’t until Friday but she insisted that we celebrate all week. OK. You don't have to tell me twice to celebrate me. We just glanced at the menu, cuz we knew what we wanted already. I ordered the Tuna Tartare, Filet Mignon, Baked Potato, Mac and Cheese, and the Apple Tarte. The couples next to us were talking loudly to each other, but I didn't mind too much. Surprisingly, it didn’t annoy me. One of the servers came by and tried to get us to buy the half priced wine, but we were like nope, bring us the free one. She mentioned having Moscato more than once at 50% off which kinda made me think she was directing that at me, like maybe I would only know and identify with Moscato. It was awkward, and for her information, I know enough about Moscato to know that I could cop that $4 bottle of Winking Owl Moscato from Aldi and be thrilled with it. However, I digress. I politely declined several times. We chose the Merlot again. It’s a little dry, but it’s not terrible. Especially after the first sip. Something about the first sip for me, that takes the edge off. The food was as good as we remembered. The servers insisted on singing Happy Birthday to me so they did that when they brought out the dessert. The only thing that disappointed was the Apple Tart thingy. The ice cream on top was good. The rest was trash. The apples weren’t sweet either, which I think would’ve made it better. Them apples were struggling way too hard for apples. They tasted like fear, terror, and trauma.

When W was done, he let me know the cabin was ready, then he went to get a drink. I took my time unpacking since I knew he would be gone a while. I got done with everything right as W came back tho. He said he was going to iron his elegant evening shirts, so I grabbed the 2 dresses that needed a little heat, and went with him. The laundry/ironing room was on Deck 9, which was convenient. Only W and I were there so we alternated ironing our pieces so we would get done at the same time. When I got to my second piece, suddenly I had to leave and run back to the cabin. I should’ve emptied my bladder before ironing, but like a kid, I didn’t have to go when it was convenient. Now it was an emergency! I ran up quickly then went back down afterwards. When I returned, W was ironing his last shirt. I jumped in after him and ironed my dress.

The Cat In the Hat and Things 1 & 2 came out first and danced with the crowd. Right at 4:45 the Cruise Director came out. I needed to look up his name cuz I didn’t hear or see it yet. The first activity was the dance competition. The first guy won hands down. He knew what he was doing. After the competition, they played all of the favorites, and ended with the Wobble. I’ve never sailed with this CD that I can recall, so we will have to see what he’s about. So far, he was mid. After all, I didn't even remember his name. The party was extremely short and lackluster. It only lasted 20 minutes or so. At the end of The Wobble, W and I ducked out and walked down the one flight of stairs to Deck 10. I'm already loving the Lido life. Our luggage was in the cabin when we got back. I went out on the balcony to catch up talking to y’all and respond to messages. I also had to approve my team's timesheets which was always an exercise in futility. How people leave their paychecks in question is still, and will always be, an absolute mystery to me. Welp it was above me at that point. I told them I would not have access after Sunday. I was not purchasing internet to babysit adults.

When my eyes were partially rested, I went to go find a seat for the Sail Away party on Deck 11. There was a vacant couch in the corner. I got it and settled in. There was still about an hour or so until the party. W came up shortly after. He was antsy so he went to the Blue Iguana Rum Bar. He already knew what I wanted so he didn’t even ask. He brought me back a Rum Punch (Funship Special) right on time. When he got back I’d moved to the chairs close to where I was before. This was a better viewing position.

When we got there, I took clean cabin pics first then hung out waiting for luggage and stuff. Then W unpacked the drinks from the carryon, while I rested my eyes.

After she got our info and left, we started chewing and I caught up on my notes. W was fading fast after he ate. He was still worn out from Disney. Go figure. In order to stay awake, he went to activate his Bottomless Bubbles Package. We went out on deck when he got back and took pictures. Then he wanted to go to Serenity. As soon as he sat down, he was knocked out cold. Down for the count. An announcement was made at 2:15 that cabins were ready. I waited until about 2:40 to wake W up. He did not hear the announcement.

The sign on the door leading to the cabins said they would be ready at 2:30. That was late. Our cabin was 10239, and it was on the Lido. I was interested to see how that Lido life hits. We popped in and dropped off W’s bag first, then walked out to eat. There was no line at GBJ at all. I couldn’t believe it. I think peeps were still stuck trying to get into port in that traffic. I got my food quick, dropped a few condiments on the plate, then went to find W. He was easy to find since it wasn’t crowded on the Lido. Unusual. Uh oh, here comes a PSA. It’s not necessary to stand at the toppings station at GBJ squirting that slow moving ketchup into those little tins. There are whole bottles of ketchup and mustard in different stations on the Lido. Just get one and take it to your table. Use as much as you want. Thank me later. When I sat down, W said “There’s a lady trying to sign people up for the Steakhouse tonight. I told her to ask you”. To this I said “👀“. I hadn’t really looked at the new MDR menu yet, and I wanted to do that before committing to the steakhouse. Not 6 seconds after W said that, she popped up at our table. “Hi ma’am your husband said to ask you about reserving the Steakhouse”. Me: “👀” “ Umm. Ok. What times do you have for tonight?” Her: “Yes tonight you get free wine” “We have all the times.” Me: “Do you have 8pm?” Her: “Yes! I will sign you up”. Still me “👀”. I guess we are going to the Steakhouse tonight. W totes set me up.

Yes we did!! I wondered what that restaurant was called, but I forgot to look it up. It looked like a great spot to eat and watch the boats floating by. 😃

Eventually we were able to shake them for good. Thank you sweet baby Jesus! We walked onboard and went straight to muster. Ours was in the Liquid Lounge. It was a for real muster. They brought this back??? When? When we checked in, the guy said “have a seat”, and I almost choked and fainted. Say what? “Yes we are waiting for more passengers”. My heart actually skipped some beats. This is what we are doing now? Moving backwards through time?? For why?? Remembering that we were still in port, and I could be thrown off the ship for having a hissy fit, I shut up and sat down. Hands would not be thrown at the muster drill. We were there only 16 minutes. I took a few pics while we waited, so it wasn’t a total waste of time. I really missed the “Have you ever seen a life jacket before? Yes? Ok you’re good” muster drills from our last few cruises. Needless to say we almost broke a pinky toe trying to get out of there when they released us.

Here we picked the wrong line, and we didn’t have an option to switch. We got behind a large party with strollers, boxes, bags, a pet gerbil, and a woodchuck. I instantly regretted and loathed this line. After they broke down all of their stuff and went thru the scanner, the Security Agent grabbed their bottle of obvious port wine. Since I had to listen to this exchange, I'm sharing the love with y'all. Sharing is caring. So here it is. Security said “I’m sorry but we don’t allow this type of wine onboard. You can take it to your car or leave it here”. Coco Felon: “What?!?!! Why?”. Security: “The alcohol content of this is too high. See on the wine it’s 14%, but this bottle is almost 30% alcohol”. Coco Felon: “When did this change?” Security: (clearly making this up)“I don’t know maybe last month. What do you want to do?” Coco Felon: “Uhh” then looks around at fellow clue deficient passengers. Starting to get annoyed and over it, Security Agent: “Sir would you like to take this to your car?” Coco Felon: Pats pockets “I don’t have a car here”. Security: “Ok I have to take it”. Coco: “—“ “—“. As soon as he met up with the other members of his group, Coco Felon says “Can you believe they took the port wine?” Fellow clue deficient passengers: “Whattt?!?! The port wine? Why?”. Coco: “I don’t know. They said the rule changed last month”. FCDP: “Last month?” Coco Felon: “Can you believe it? Last month”. Trying our best to get as far away from them as possible, we went over to get in the boarding line. They were right behind us, but one of the ladies with an empty stroller wouldn’t back up with the rest of their group. She kept bumping into W. W had to say “excuse me” a few times to get her to move. We were about to go up heart attack hill, and we needed our space to breathe and maybe die a couple of times before we made it to the top. That can't possibly be too much to ask. Can it? When we got separated from them in the Smile and Go line, I wanted to celebrate. I looked back and they were stopped trying to get one of their kids to stop kissing the floor. Kissing.The.Floor. Y'all. I don’t know much, but maybe they should figure out how to sanitize that kid's fresh from the floor lips, or better yet, prevent him from orally coming into contact with every germ known to man, before complaining about having to leave that port wine. Jeepers. Creepers.

At 11:50 we started moving again. Yep we were parked there for 23 minutes. It was so long, the Lyft app thought we were in peril. I kept getting messages saying “Have you arrived yet?”, “Are you ok?”, “Do you need hep? Call this number if you require assistance”. It was funny, but I truly appreciated their concern, even if it was to reduce their liability. At 11:56 we arrived in the passenger drop area. Safe and sound. There was sheer chaos everywhere. We got out quickly, handed over our luggage to the porters, then walked to the signs. Walking in front of us, was a family with a 12 pack of bottled water. The PORTER said “they’re not going to allow you to bring bottled water onboard. It’s cans or cartons only”. Water bearer: “Huh? I didn’t know that”. Porter: “That’s been a rule for a while now”. Water bearer looks around. Then says ”Well can we find somebody to give it to?” Porter: “Yes, hand it to that guy over there. He's collecting them for the porters to have something to drink”. Cousins. It never fails. I always see at least one poor person carrying a big ole pack of bottled water. Out of breath. Hot. Suffering. Only to be told they could not bring it on the ship. This is where a little reading goes a long way. Those FAQs on Carnival's website are not there cuz they didn't have anything else to put there. Outside of the terminal, there were a couple of long lines of people waiting, but we weren’t about to just wait over there. If we were told to go over there, we would've, but we needed to check first. We walked up to the front, showed our boarding passes, and were waived in. There was another line being let in, but we skipped that and went into the Priority Lane. That brought us to the front of the check in. We were next in line. When it was our turn, check in took 2 minutes. Security was next.

We got in the little Rogue, and W started to drive out of the garage. So I turned to him and I asked where he was going. He didn’t have a single GPS pulled up anywhere. Oh brother. Let’s not wait until we get on the street to figure out where we are going. Listen man, we don’t sell used baby hamsters behind the Home Depot. We are better than this. Pull up the directions BEFORE you start driving. After 3 and a half eye rolls and light meditation, we were on our way. It was a fast drive to Long Beach. Less than 30 minutes. We stopped at a Starbucks and an Arco station before going to the airport to drop off the car. I like Long Beach Airport for the convenience and lack of crowds. At least I thought I did. That day brought more people out than the last time we were there. It wasn’t LAX or ATL crowded, but there were more bodies than normal. Imma need LGB to do a better job of crowd thinning in the future. Do they think this is a public place or something? Be for real. About 3 minutes after we arrived, we unloaded and walked across to the passenger pickup area. Our Lyft driver arrived right on time. He said he’d been going back and forth to the cruise port all morning, and he appreciated the work. He was a great driver. I don’t know about y’all but if the driver doesn’t talk too much AND they got that lead foot, its 5 stars highly recommend and a more generous tip for me. We arrived at the port entrance at 11:27. Traffic was now cold oatmeal thick. The bridge was at a standstill. Usually the traffic flows in slowly but this ain’t that. This was a parking lot. The worst part was that we could see some of the ship. We just couldn’t get to her just yet. From what we could tell, it looked like they stopped letting cars in. We could see the same cars at the front of the line just sitting there. Welp nothing we could do, but wait. While we were waiting, I actually increased our driver's tip. I felt bad that he was losing money in this gridlock. He also kept apologizing to us like it was his fault.

Embarkation Yay it’s cruise day!! Our wake up time was a late 8:40. We desperately needed that rest too. We were able to sleep in cuz before the cruise, Carnival sent a bunch of emails about adhering to the arrival time that we selected. The emails said we would have to kick rocks if we got there too early. Our arrival time was 11:30-12, so we could take our time. Before we could get to the port, we had to go to Long Beach Airport to drop the rental off. I prescheduled the Lyft driver to pick us up from there at 11. Prescheduling Lyft or Uber really helps cut down on the imaginary "surge pricing" that they made up, so I try to preschedule when I can. There was also a real marathon going on in Long Beach that morning. We were told ahead of time to be prepared for long delays as roads would be closed. I prayed all morning that we didn’t get stuck in crazy traffic. After I was mostly ready, W got up and started his process of getting in my way. When I was all the way ready, I asked W if we should do Chick Fil A again, and he agreed. I jumped into the app only to realize that it was Sunday and Chick-Fil-A said “Uh uh, get somebody else to do it”. They were very closed. We didn’t really know what else we wanted, so we decided to get something on the way. W called for the car and we went up (it's still crazy that we had to go up to the lobby) to checkout. This hotel didn’t have the option to checkout on the app. It didn’t take long to complete tho. Maybe 3 minutes. We left the hotel at 9:55. Our goal was to be out no later than 10:15. Valet had the car ready when we got down there. There was actually a lot of activity happening in the motor pool.

Awwww thank you for this!! 😍🥰

Good one!!! 😂😂😂