Oh lay, oh lay, oh lay, oh lay … feelin’ hot hot hot!
After much anticipation, the cruise was finally here! We woke up and drove straight to the boat with Caribbean music and line dances blaring in the background! We boarded the ship wearing the psychedelic tie-dye shirts that we made in Lake Tahoe… our group in brightly colored shirts singing and dancing was surly a sight to see. All of our excitement worked up our appetites and we headed straight to the Jimmy/Warren (buffet that is) in the Paris Restaurant to devour a full blown feast. After lunch, it was time to explore the beautiful ship. Some of us headed to the pool area, some of us scoped out the teen club, and others chose to relax in the lounges. After a brief muster drill (not mustard like we kept calling it), we showed off our moves at the sail away party. Although we couldn’t convince the DJ to play Party Rock Anthem, Jacob showed off our flashmob choreography to a different song. Eden, Emily B., and Jeremy also boogied down in the front of the Conga line.
Dinner in the Destiny Restaurant was a blast. During the middle of the meal, the waiters started breaking it down to the song Low by Flo Rida. The dining room turned into one huge dance party… napkins being swung in the air, forks and spoons being used as the instruments of choice. Ariel and Ronni jumped up with the waitstaff. Ronni didn’t hesitate to teach them some new moves either! After dinner, we went to the Welcome Aboard show in the theatre and saw the ship’s singers, dancers and stand-up comedians perform.
The next day started with a ferry over to Catalina Island! On the tender to the island, we sang our morning mix and got the entire boat to wish Courtney a happy birthday. After about 8 minutes, the captain politely requested that we don’t quit our day jobs!
We spent the morning browsing the shops and restaurants that lined the street. The best purchase may have been the birthday hat Jason bought Courtney. That afternoon we went kayaking and snorkeling. The snorkelers launched from Lover’s Cove. In the water, they saw a plethora of fish. The kayakers launched from the marina and joined the snorkelers at Lover’s Cove. Although everyone thought it would be a peaceful ride, Rachael and Sam H. were the victims of Jared’s splash war! When we got back on the boat, we took advantage of the ship’s amenities – swimming, gym facilities, and more. Matt L., Ethan, and Danielle took the time to use the gym and had phenomenal workouts!
That evening was formal night. We took some group pictures and rushed into the dining room with one thing on our mind… LOBSTERS! Grant and Noah exclaimed that they had the best lobster of their lives (and requested that exact sentence go into the scribe!), and Emily K. shared that seeing her friends in fancy clothes was the highlight of her day. We sang Happy Birthday to Courtney just before our servers sang and danced to Hot Hot Hot!! The theme of tonight’s show was country rock, with Sarah singing along to most of the hits.
Hola from Mexico! It was incredible that we were in Mexico, our 3rd country since the start of our adventure! We spent the morning exploring Ensenada. Allie and Joli bought handmade bracelets from local vendors. Courtney and Emily K. also bought bracelets to add to their collection (they have one from every city AmVoy #2 has visited thus far!). Sam R. and Jordan tried on gigantic sombreros and even took pictures of themselves wearing them in Mexican cardboard cut-outs. Instead of trying on sombreros, Jeff picked out a wacky Spider Man mask (who knew what we’d find in Ensenada!) Erika and Ariel got their hair braided. Some of us also practiced our Spanish. Paco (Andrew) and Esteban (Steven) tried to converse with the locals. When we asked Matt M. to join in on the fun, he replied in Chinese!
That evening we partied under the stars. The Caribbean band got our whole group jiving. Once again, Hot, Hot, Hot and the Dollar Dance were big hits. Emily K. and Aja even put their reputations on the line and learned the Wobble. Sam D. joined in on the fun, participating in the ship-wide hula hoop contest. Being the group of dancers we are, we kept the party going as we said Adios to Mexico and got ready for our fun day at sea.
Our day at sea began with a sleep-in which was welcome by all. Breakfast could not have been sweeter! Parked just off the Mexican coastline, it was an opportune time to take in the hot Mexican sun (just ask Lexi) while sitting by the pool. The sombreros that we tried on in Ensenada would have been handy! Aja escaped the heat by riding the water slide for the first time and boy did she enjoy it, in fact, she rode it more than once, each time hoping for a bigger thrill! Ethan meanwhile, went to the gym to work out while a few trip members opted for a different, more exclusive sort of fun: exotic drinks! Jamie walked around the boat in search of the perfect strawberry smoothie, which she found with Gabi (who was able to drink hers out of a fishbowl cup). At the end of the afternoon, Eden and Danielle gave Erika an early birthday present: a bracelet. It was such a thoughtful gesture and I am sure this will be a birthday that Erika will never forget!
The evening farewell show was superbly done, with singers and dancers performing hit songs and dances while wearing funky, dated costumes. Aja and Sam H. thought it appropriate to perform the “front-crawl” when Surfing USA came on (something that they wouldn’t ever be caught doing to any “modern” music!).
We are now back on the mainland look forward to San Diego! Cannot wait for the zoo and surfing.
Jared & the AmVoy #2 Team
The Westcoast Blogger
