Celebrating the New Year on the Jewel of the Seas—Day 1

I have to start by saying that I cannot believe we actually made it to the cruise.  We left Florida on December 16^th and drove to Virginia to visit with the children and grandchildren for the holidays.  December 26^th we left Virginia and spent 14 ½ hours on the road making detours along the way to avoid snowy and icy conditions to get to Alabama to visit another daughter, Kara and granddaughters Fiona and Lauren.

After our visit in Alabama we spent another 12 ½ hours finally arriving home on Saturday, December 29^th around 7:30pm.  We had just one day at home, just enough time to empty the suitcases, open the mail, pay the bills, repack and head out on Monday, December 31^st to board the Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas for a New Year’s Eve cruise to Grand Cayman and Cozumel.

First stop on the ship was the Windjammer lounge for a quick and refreshing lunch of mixed greens, vegetables and lemonade.  It was time for us to take our customary walk around the ship to get our bearings.  The ship is beautiful!

I was so excited to see that the ship was still decorated with a beautiful Christmas tree in the Centrum and garlands draped on the bannisters.  I made a mental note that I wanted to get a picture of Randy and I in front of the tree on our way to dinner.  We also noticed that way up hanging from the ceiling were two very large nets bulging with silver and black balloons. We surmised that they would be released at the stroke of midnight.

It was New Year’s Eve so the dress code for the evening was semi-formal.  We entered the dining room and spied black top hats, feathery tiara’s, a silver beaded necklace and noise makers on each table.  As we approached the table a touch of sadness swept over me as I saw the two empty chairs at the table.   Our dear friends John and Lorraine were to accompany us on this trip but had to cancel a few weeks before the cruise because Lorraine needed surgery for a bad rotator cuff.  A few moments after we sat we were joined by a lovely couple, Jim and Erin. We learned that James and Erin live in Mt. Dora which is only about a 45 minute drive from our home.  It really is a small world!

There was also a special menu for the evening.  There were so many wonderful choices but I finally chose the Double Beef consommé to start, Seasonal Winter Greens with toasted walnuts, shaved fennel and Champagne vinaigrette for my salad choice.  For the main dish I chose the Slow Roasted Beef Tenderloin with a Leek, tomato and blue cheese quiche and vegetables in a port wine reduction.  To end this perfect dinner I chose the Harlequin Soufflé with Bailey’s Irish Cream and coffee sauce.  Every bite was heavenly.

A very nice touch at the end of the meal was watching the entire dining room staff gather on the staircase Old Lang Syne and taking turns saying, “Happy New Year” in their respective languages.  Very nice, very nice!

After dinner we walked around a bit looking through the shops and made our way to the theatre where we caught the last few minutes of the “Welcome Aboard” show.  Unfortunately, Randy had developed a very bad headache and sore throat and was feeling quite miserable.  I convinced him into going back to the cabin, taking some medication and going to bed.  I assured him that I would stay up until the balloon drop and take pictures.

Now here is where it all went awry.  I had taken off my dress clothing and put on a robe and sat on the bed to watch television.  My next move did me in: I got a bit chilly and put my legs under the covers.  It was all over for me.   I fell asleep and did not wake until 7am the next day.

While a little disappointed we both had to laugh.  And, I must say there was a little part of my heart that sang as I thought that we could go again next year.  You see, this trip was actually Lorraine’s idea.  Celebrating New Year’s Eve on a cruise ship was a dream of Lorraines and an item on her ’bucket list’.   So, we will make plans to go again next year and this time stay awake, see the balloon drop and watch the count-down clock usher in the New Year of 2014!!!!

Enjoy,

Mary

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