Christmas Cruise - Day 3

Christmas Day... We had left Ensenada during our dinner the night before and would be at sea all day. They told us that about half way back to Los Angeles the Captain would turn off the engines and we would drift at sea for hours. We both were missing family on what's traditionally a family day. It was my first time away from my kids at my own doing. I found myself at the "Internet Center" where I got online and emailed my family, wishing them a very merry Christmas.

The fog was still with us, so not much sea to see, it was really thick fog. We toured around the boat, checking out all it had to offer. There were games and shows to see, and of course, there was always food.

For lunch we decided to go to the formal dining room. Everyone we met was really nice, and most had cruised many times before. Seemed like everyone we met had cruised before. It was interesting to hear just how many people had cruised before. And, not just once before, but many times before. I always thought it was incredibly expensive and cruising would be something I would never afford. I was thrilled to be there.

We checked out the "Love & Marriage" auditions and game, taylored after the "Newly Wed Game." What a hoot! Then, up on the upper deck there was a statue made of layers of glass in one of the lounges. Some of the photos in this entry are copies of photos found online of the things we saw on and around the ship.

Christmas dinner was wonderful. Both my guy and I chose the traditional turkey dinner. Mmmm. Father John and Ed both had something different and offered us tastes. Everything was really good. Towards the end of our dinner, the wait staff did a line dance through the restaurant. They balanced everything from bowls to bottles of condiments on their heads as they danced through the tables. The music and dance was lots of fun.

After dinner we met up with Father John and Ed again for the "Holiday Show" which was a Christmas dance routine the entertainment staff choreographed themselves in the two weeks prior to this cruise. The show was in the Sound of Music theatre.

We were to bed early as we had to be up and ready to leave the ship at 8 a.m. the next morning.

Back in Los Angeles, we went down for breakfast in the formal dining room. We had eaten breakfasts at the buffet on the 11th deck the other mornings. Breakfast was good and it was back to our rooms to finish packing to leave. We were able to stay in our room until our "color" was called for disembarking. Everyone was issued different colored tags, I think depending on which deck your room was on. The lines seemed to move right along. I won't lie, the lines were long, but they weren't bad. Before long, we were through US Customs and back on US ground waiting for our rental car.

It's amazing how big these ships are, and all that entertainment. And, the food! Everyone onboard is happy. The only thing missing on this cruise was sunshine. There are no regrets - we made our own sunshine, the trip was lots of fun, and we are hooked! We joined the "club" and hope to cruise again real soon.