Tricia’s Travelogue

Sorry about no post yesterday! After returning from Paradise Beach after lunch, a nap was essential.  Paradise Beach was excellent, as always, in terms of service, food, and drinks. We did have some showers early in the day that had us huddling under our umbrella to try to stay dry, but otherwise it was very pleasant.  I managed to avoid any sunburn, thanks to lots of sunblock, and Charlie just had a little on one arm. If you go, the pitcher of sangria is recommended! By the way, we were clearly the oldest people there. But the people-watching is always entertaining.  Our view at Paradise Beach Post-nap, we spent time in the Diamond Lounge before dinner, which was back at Jamie’s Italian.  It’s currently our favorite restaurant, as the menu seems to have more variety.  I had the excellent side salad with avocado and radishes, then the sticky short rib over Parmesan mashed potatoes (my fave).   We had a lazy morning today, skipping the gym. Charlie went to t...

Yesterday afternoon we enjoyed sitting on our balcony as the ship sailed away from Galveston, seeing many dolphins playing alongside the ship. We’re on the starboard side this time, close to the stern. We’re on deck 7 and are definitely feeling vibrations from the engines (I assume). For dinner, we went to Chops Grille, where we know the menu like the back of our hands. I tried the mushroom soup to start and enjoyed it. Charlie got his usual crab cake plus the shrimp cocktail. I had the petit filet and mashed potatoes, and he got the branzino served over sautéed spinach. No photos, alas, but you can check posts from previous cruises, if you like! This morning we dutifully went to the gym, then after getting ready for the day, went to the Diamond Lounge so our attendant could clean our room. They still had out a few breakfast items, but soon brought out cookies, which we tried to resist, but….  Charlie went to the casino for a bit, and I worked on Duolingo, etc.   We’re just ba...

And we’re off again!     This is a short cruise, just from Galveston to Cozumel and back.     It’s one of the “free” cruises Charlie qualified for, but he upgraded us to a balcony cabin. We ought to try an interior room sometime, I suppose.   I really packed lightly this time, wearing the only pair of pants I’m taking onto the ship. I packed one RipSkirt, a skort, and two sundresses (to wear to dinner), plus three tops, PJs, and exercise wear.  As always, we’re looking forward to not having to cook or clean for a few days!   We drove to Galveston and parked near the terminal, then handed off our small rolling bags to the luggage guys. Check-in was a breeze, with no line there or at Security. We waited about 15 minutes before they called for Diamond members to board. After boarding, we grabbed drinks at the Solarium bar and settled in to wait for lunchtime.  Lunch today was at Jamie’s Italian. We both ordered the “meat plank,” a mini charcuter...