Now for the cruise. You are probably curious about the post title? Nope, I didn't hurt myself physically (well, except for punishing by body to excessive eating and sugary pool-side drinks).
 |
| cheers! |
I just bruised my ego and pocket book.
Those cruise ships are genius! By the time you have paid for your cruise, which includes lodging, all your wonderful meals, snacks, desserts, coffee, tea and water, and lots of entertainment, you forget about the $800 you spent already and you spend another $500!
To soak up the free-ness, we used the free pool chairs and towels, ate everything possible, enjoyed live music at the pool, live music at the piano bar and went to a couple shows at the cruise theater. But because you are confined to the ship, and the ship only (except for our stop in Mexico) you get curious...
...about the gambling, the art auction, the really-not-free alcoholic drinks, the mini fridge with $4 bottles of Evian water, a $13 yoga class, a $15 pool-side massage and bingo...ect.
I shouldn't complain. We got great prices on our plane tickets, the price of the actual cruise was average AND we had a free place to stay and free food for 6 days in Oldsmar, FL. Also, we kept track of our spending on the cruise (you pay for everything with your cruise ship card and can check total spending on our room tv!). Don't get me wrong. We had fun and have no regrets. (I'm just being dramatic as usual.)
Our overall spending strategy was: let's not get too crazy, but let's have fun.
Between gambling and bingo we lost a total of $32. Not too bad.
And even though the pretty drink menu was tempting, we mostly ordered off-menu and saved about $4 a drink. Also, we opted into a wine package on the first night after we realized how much we would save if we wanted wine with our dinners. The advertising claimed with the package we would save 25%, but I think it was more. Even better, we got to be thesnobby cool couple at dinner that had a bottle of wine delivered to our table that we shared with our assigned table-mates.
My ego was bruised because there were SO many fit super humans in the age range of 40-60. It didn't help that on most days our sun bathing chairs were placed strategically along the jogging track so that we couldstare try not to stare in envy of the crazies motivated people running on a moving ship in 80+ degree heat.
I went on vacation feeling OK about my bathing-suit-body. I've been trying to lose that "love chub" I have gained since the wedding, (sort of). As this vacation got closer, (like a couple weeks before), I put myself on a strict 1400 calorie diet (well, except for pulled pork) and made an effort to work out a little more (twice a week?). I lost some pounds.
Those cruise ships are genius! By the time you have paid for your cruise, which includes lodging, all your wonderful meals, snacks, desserts, coffee, tea and water, and lots of entertainment, you forget about the $800 you spent already and you spend another $500!
To soak up the free-ness, we used the free pool chairs and towels, ate everything possible, enjoyed live music at the pool, live music at the piano bar and went to a couple shows at the cruise theater. But because you are confined to the ship, and the ship only (except for our stop in Mexico) you get curious...
...about the gambling, the art auction, the really-not-free alcoholic drinks, the mini fridge with $4 bottles of Evian water, a $13 yoga class, a $15 pool-side massage and bingo...ect.
I shouldn't complain. We got great prices on our plane tickets, the price of the actual cruise was average AND we had a free place to stay and free food for 6 days in Oldsmar, FL. Also, we kept track of our spending on the cruise (you pay for everything with your cruise ship card and can check total spending on our room tv!). Don't get me wrong. We had fun and have no regrets. (I'm just being dramatic as usual.)
Our overall spending strategy was: let's not get too crazy, but let's have fun.
Between gambling and bingo we lost a total of $32. Not too bad.
 |
| no bingo win for us :( |
And even though the pretty drink menu was tempting, we mostly ordered off-menu and saved about $4 a drink. Also, we opted into a wine package on the first night after we realized how much we would save if we wanted wine with our dinners. The advertising claimed with the package we would save 25%, but I think it was more. Even better, we got to be the
 |
| hi, Ian! there you are! |
My ego was bruised because there were SO many fit super humans in the age range of 40-60. It didn't help that on most days our sun bathing chairs were placed strategically along the jogging track so that we could
I went on vacation feeling OK about my bathing-suit-body. I've been trying to lose that "love chub" I have gained since the wedding, (sort of). As this vacation got closer, (like a couple weeks before), I put myself on a strict 1400 calorie diet (well, except for pulled pork) and made an effort to work out a little more (twice a week?). I lost some pounds.
In effort to keep bathing-suit-body, er, fit? I decided to try yoga at the cruise fitness center the morning after our first night on the ship. I had to pay $13, which in comparison to the the $10 drinks didn't seem too insane bad.
Note to readers and my future self about yoga on a cruise ship: yoga which encompasses balancing, on a moving ship, is actually very difficult. Especially at 8am, when you are hungover slightly dehydrated and sea sick from a night of serious waves that kept me awake because I realized that our room was on the bottom of the ship and we would die first if for some reason the pattern of cruise ships sinking happened close to the anniversary of the Titanic sinking. Was that a run-on? :)
After day one yoga, and realizing my counterparts (super-human-obsessive compulsive-must be starving - greek gods) weren't even breaking a sweat, the only rational thing to do at this point was to relax and keep doing what we are good at...
The pictures below will help to explain.
Enjoy and stay tuned for part 3, Mexico! XO
The pictures below will help to explain.
Enjoy and stay tuned for part 3, Mexico! XO
 |
| drinking a bucket of beer |
 |
| eating key lime pie & lots of desserts |
 |
| laying out (w/SPF 30 of course) |
 |
| & drinking more sugary drinks |
 |
| listening to live music |
Oh Savanna! This brought back many memories of our honeymoon cruise 9 years ago!! Thanks for jogging my memory! Such a great time.
ReplyDeleteI have a piece of art hanging in my dining room from the art auction.... :), and every time I hear steel drums I go back to that lounge chair wearing a bikini I could never fit in again, by the pool, sipping some kind of drink that would now give me heartburn! -Kate
Hi Kate! That is awesome that you got a piece of art from the auction! We stopped by one of the smaller auctions for a glass of champagne (bonus!) and took a look around, but no purchase for us. My only real take home was a traditional mexican blanket (and these photos of course)! :P haha. Anyways, glad you could reminisce and you totally reminded me of MY heartburn! The last day on the cruise I had terrible heartburn. Just a friendly reminder from my body that I'm getting older! :)
ReplyDelete