Cruise Day 6: At Sea

Today was another lazy day, since we were at sea and thus had the ship as our destination.

It's hard to believe the vacation is nearly over! This is the first cruise I've been on where our final day was a port day. Usually the cruises I've taken have ended with the last day being a sea day, and the following be disembarkation day.

Breakfast was in the Windjammer again - my family and I have never been ones to do the main dining room for breakfast, not sure why. The buffet always gives a nice variety of offerings to get your day started.  We then made our way to the pool and spend a majority of the day hanging in or by the pool, and this is where I was introduced to one of the bar staff named Lindell, who had his own twist on a Rum Runner drink that had come to be known as the "Lindell Special."

Oh...my...goodness it was delicious.

I asked him what was in it, and he explained it in his very thick Jamaican accent; sadly I didn't catch much of what it was, since I'd already had about 4 of his Specials in me when I asked him. I probably should have written it down, because I know I can't get on another Royal Caribbean ship and ask for a Lindell special, since they'll have no idea who Lindell is and what's in the drink. I tried ordering a Rum Runner from one of the bars at a litmus test, and it tasted kinda close, but not close enough. All I can remember was Mango, Pineapple, Banana, and Rum, but I'm not sure if there was more to it than that. The only solution: Go back on Oasis of the Seas ASAP and try to track down Lindell again! Or, those going on Oasis soon, find him and ask him about his special drink! Trust me, it's very well worth it. It's lighter and more refreshing than a Rum Runner... perfect for those hot days by the pool.

Dinner this evening was in the Main Dining Room, and I have to say compared to past cruises I'd been on with Royal, I wasn't as happy with the service in the dining room this go around. Food wasn't as good, and the waiters seemed like they had far more to do since there were no dedicated bar staff. Our primary and assistant waiter had to also juggle drink orders in addition to our food orders, so it slowed down service time and had us waiting for drinks more often than previously. I heard some talk that this was a decision made by corporate to cut costs, but I'm hoping this is revisited some time because it's certainly detracting from the overall customer experience. Our servers were very nice and pleasant, but the overall experience wasn't the highlight of the trip for me by far.

 After dinner I had another brief visit to the casino, but then decided I'd had my fill since I was up quite a bit from the night before. Always good to quit while still ahead, right?

One of the really fun events on board was called "60 Seconds or Less", which had contestants doing silly things within a 60-second time frame. I'd arrived before my family so I tried to find a seat, and heard someone calling my name off to the side. I looked around and made eye contact with someone who looked vaguely familiar but I couldn't place who it was. He was doing the "I know I know you" look, as was I, and it then hit me: It was a guy named Chris, one of my pals from Berklee, someone I went to college with!  What are the odds???  

We chatted for a few minutes before the event started, and made plans to catch up again tomorrow after setting sail from Nassau - I wish we'd connected earlier in the cruise, but it was so much fun to see a familiar face on the ship. The game show was hilarious, as it ended with Joe (one of the hilarious members of my group) having 41 shoes hanging from/stuffed on his person!Tomorrow's Nassau...the last port day, stay tuned for more fun stuff coming!