The Love Boat

Tonight, Sam goes on a cruise! Again! And it’s longer than a weekend!

The sun rises on Fort Lauderdale and Sam takes pictures of the Carnival Freedom. We meet Sam’s mom as they board the ship. That…is a nice ship. Mom loves the room and they enjoy the view. We meet Sam’s friend Liz and her husband. Hey, will we ever see Sam’s husband? Liz and Hubby start off the cruise with alcohol. I can tell why she and Sam are friends. Pete and K are playing on the deck, leaving Sam alone. She finds her mother and alcohol. The ship leaves the dock as they find Liz and Hubby. Her other friends are dancing. There are ships that sail out of Bayonne, NJ. I see them every so often sailing under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge while I ride the bus home from work.

Sam starts her next day with a work out before joining the girls for breakfast. Liz said her hubby was surprised to wake up to water. He and Pete are playing…Bingo. Seriously? But the men are having fun. Unfortunately, they don’t get Bingo.

Sam and her mother hit the Beauty Salon to get ready for Elegant Night, to meet the captain. That is a great view to see during beautification. Liz and Hubby get dance lessons, specifically to learn the Cha-Cha. Sam’s movement is limited to changing the settings on the massage chair.

The gang hits Elegant Night and starts with pictures. My family chronicles our life with our Disney picture, our friends do it with their cruise pictures. They finish and go to meet the officers. The captain looks confused at the gang. They get to dine with him. Sam warns him about K. She asks if she can guide the ship, thinking it is driven by a wheel. The captain gets a laugh. Sam and the gang dance with the officers after dinner as Liz and Hubby impress them with their Cha-Cha.

The next day, they go on a sky ride to view all of St. Thomas. Sam finds artists at work on the top, including one who lives on a sail boat in the harbor. Mom goes to hang out with the birds. They try more alcohol. K is able to go up and stir a ship. She and Pete have signed up to ride submersible scooters—scooting on the harbor’s floor. Those helmets are hysterical. Meanwhile, Sam tries to get Hubby to buy something for Liz, claiming it’s his tenth anniversary. Liz reminds Sam she was at their tenth anniversary party. Sam laughs. Pete and K hit the town to see some sites.

They all meet up on the ship for drinks.

At the marriage game, we realize Sam was really off about Liz and Hubby’s anniversary. They’ve been married for 14 years. Sam gets to help with the game as Liz and Hubby play. It also allows her to tease her friends. Each couple though gets champagne and a trophy.

They disembark in Antigua. Sam and Pete head for the center of the island. Sam gives Pete a little history on Antigua before they get their ATVs. After donning their helmets, they take off for a tour of the island. Liz, K and Hubby go to visit Antigua’s rain forests. They ride a zip line. Liz looses steam halfway through and has to pull herself along. Sam and Pete spot windmills. The two try to leave but Sam’s run out of juice. K, Liz and Hubby are surprised to come across a zip line 200 feet up and 325 feet down. Liz screams all the way down. K screams “I’m king of the world” on her ride down. They all meet up to go on a tour of the rum distillery. Hey, where’s Mom? They even get to try some aged rums. Pete chugs his.

Mom’s onboard, watching the sunrise.

The gang plays games where losers must go down the killer water slide. Seriously, it’s the type of slide I close my eyes to go up so my fear of heights doesn’t stop me to ride. After Ping-Pong, they hit mini-golf. My family and I love to mini golf. Hubby, Sam and K lose and must go down the slide. What a terrible price. (End sarcasm). Sam enjoys her plunge to the bottom. Sam then takes Mom out for afternoon tea. Mom is just glad to be out of snowy New Hampshire. Sam and Liz play “Where’s Waldo?” with their Elegant Night pictures. Mom though heads for the jewelry.

That night—more games! Though, this is casino night. They wager 50 bucks as a start. Sam wins big at the craps table. K follows suit at blackjack. She goes all in—including her jewelry. Meanwhile, the guys are at Roulette. Hubby’s pile is bigger than Pete’s. Sam shows off hers as Liz and Mom hit the slots. Liz wins. Sam and Pete finish up the night with a game of basketball. I could join in that game—I can’t get the ball in the hoop either! Sam gets on Pete’s shoulders in order to do so.

Their next stop is the British Virgin Islands. Sam, K and Mom go to the smallest island for a hike. They keep stopping so K could take pictures. They find the beach which is absolutely beautiful. Sam goes to find the baths. She wants some alone time. Mom reads on the beaches while K plays in the surf. Liz and Hubby go for some couple time on the beach on the main island. They go to meet and play with dolphins.

They pick up Pete for a mile walk to raise money for breast cancer. They meet a survivor who is walking around. Breast cancer is a cause close to my heart as a few members in my family have had it and I know I can get it. After walking for a cause, Sam goes for a cooking lesson. She helps to make tiramisu.

They finish on Nassau. CARNIVAL! They visit a center, where we learn this Carnival is not held on Shrove Tuesday but after Christmas. Sam tries on a Carnival costume. They hold a mini Carnival with noise makers and a line dance. Liz and Hubby want fritters so they go to find some with Sam and Mom. K and Pete go on a carriage ride around the island. They go down the Queen’s Steps before returning to the boat.

For the last night, they go to the ship’s fanciest restaurant for dinner. They toast their vacation. Sam leaves to go make their dessert. It’s a sampler and Mom is impressed. The gang decides to go dancing and raid their closet for the most 70’s items they have. Pete even has an afro wig. They boogie the night away.

Quote of the Episode:

“The bald guy needs a hair net?” Sam at the distillery.