Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve

Fireplace channel, check. A Christmas Story on tv, check. Christmas trees, check. Christmas music, check. There's something different though...I can't quite put my finger on it. Oh yeah! It's the 80 degree weather, clear blue water, and beaches. Well, I haven't actually been to a beach yet...but they're there nonetheless.

Tonight I'm sure what the plans are. however, I'm very excited that tomorrow we're going out for fancy dinner! One of the advantages of knowing passengers on board is that as guests of the passengers, you can go eat places that you wouldn't otherwise. A wonderful example is that tomorrow on Christmas, I'm going to eat in the fancy $25 restaurant. Unless something else comes up, I'm planning on having lobster tails and NY Strip Steak. But, perhaps they'll have something special on the menu as well.

For those not familiar with cruise ship dining, certain restaurants require a cover charge. However, once you're there, you can order whatever you'd like from the menu. 2 types of steak, 3 appetizers, whatever. Thanks to a kind bandmaster, we'll have Christmas off, so I will be enjoying a nice long Christmas dinner.

I haven't had anything exciting to report because it's been a pretty hassle-free cruise so far. I met the accupuncturist on board. I talked with her about my mom and grandma and she thinks that accupuncture could be good for my mom's fibromayalga and even grandma's dizzyness. Unfortunately for dad, accupuncture can't cure funny-looking. But, I really think it could be worth a try for mom.

The company was very thoughtful and passed out free 1 hr phone cards for Christmas. It's little things like that that can make the difference with employees. So far i've just left a message on Sharon's voicemail, but I'd like to call her and my parents and Bridgett.

Assuming nothing gets messed up with the meal (there's a small chance that the restaurant manager will get finicky about us eating tomorrow. Even though there are rules allowing us to eat with guests, some managers like to give you a hard time about it), I'll report on what i ate tomorrow.

I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas.

PS - after I typed this up, the crew were given their real Christmas presents. A 4Gb video mp3 player. Pretty fancy!