The last two full days on this cruise were at sea, heading back to Florida from the Virgin Islands. Both days were pretty laid-back, as days at sea are wont to be. Both days started with breakfast followed by some time in the casino. Saying the casino wasn’t kind to me would be an understatement: I lost over $100 both days and got just one measly $40 bonus. Terrible. Should have read more.

I did read some on Day 6. Enough to finish my book (book review to follow). Also, as Day 6 was May 1, I performed my monthly laptop backup. We also played some cards and I unexpectedly won a couple of games. Marlene and I relaxed in the cabin in the afternoon and watched a movie – the only full movie we saw on the cruise. The Parent Trap with Lindsey Lohan. I hadn’t seen that in many years. A fun movie.

Dinner on Day 6 was formal and on Day 7 was informal. We dined with Paul and Carol both nights. The food has been very good. The lobster tail and featured salad on Day 7 were both superb.

We took some photos after the Day 6 dinner and also got a photo of the captain photo.

We saw a second late night show with Manny Oliveira on Day 6 and he was just as funny the second time as the first.

Our first port was supposed to be Grand Turk but got switched to Amber Cove, Dominican Republic, about a week before departure. Don’t know why – no reason was given. But it really didn’t matter to us. Both ports are of the generic “made for cruise ships” variety – lots of shops and not much else. Amber Cove has a very nice pool with a swim-up bar (which we didn’t use). It also has a large restaurant/bar that serves very large drinks. I did use that facility.

We had breakfast on the ship then went ashore and met up with Paul and Carol. Marlene and Carol went off to see what the shops had to offer and Paul and I went off to see what the bar had to offer. Unlike some previous ports where I got stinking drunk (think: Costa Rica), we had just one (fairly large but not humongous) drink, then rejoined the ladies. Carol had found some jewelry and a hat for Paul but Marlene bought nothing.

We considered taking a taxi into town, but it was $20 per person and none of us had any idea what we would find in town. So we passed and returned to the ship. I blogged until the ship left port, then we all had dinner together.

The casino was kind. I am actually AHEAD. But it won’t last.

We danced for a while after dinner. The band, Mocha City, is EXCELLENT. Then we played some cards (Marlene won, as usual). We sampled the fare at the late night buffet and weren’t impressed. Bland and/or soggy. Well, it’s not like we needed the calories.

Day 2 was a sea day. We started the day with breakfast, then all four of us went down to Guest Services to switch keycards for me and Paul. We had booked the two cabins with me and Carol sharing one cabin and Marlene and Paul sharing the other. This was done so that we could get favorable rates for Paul and Carol but, in case you were wondering, we didn’t actually swap spouses, just keycards. This is done frequently on cruises and the guest services person didn’t bat an eye when we requested the keycard swap.

It was a “formal attire” night and Marlene, as always, looked stunning. But we dined without Paul and Carol as Paul apparently enjoys too much tequila on board.

We were first in line for a photo with the captain. We haven’t seen it yet but if and when I get it I will post it here.

We spent time after dinner in the casino and I lost $100. I think Marlene lost most of her $300 Day 1 winnings too. We have noticed that a win in the casino is most likely on Day 1 and that was certainly the case on this cruise.