33BA - Day 5 - NKOTB Cruise, Day at Sea, Red Carpet

We had set the alarm for 8:45, which would give us enough time to leisurely get dressed and have breakfast before our photo op at 10:30. We actually took the time to do our hair, and even with eating slow, we got to the line around 8:45. We had originally agreed to be in a group with a girl we met last year but we hadn’t run into her the entire time we had been on the boat, so when we got asked to join someone else’s group, we did. I had my first choice of Joe, and L picked Jordan. The line moved pretty fast, and we were in the 20^th group, so even with all the waiting we were done just after 11:00.

We didn’t want to eat lunch too early (then we would be STARVING by dinner) so we headed to the photo gallery to look at our pictures. Most of them were pretty awful, but I liked our picture from 80s night, so I bought that one. We also checked out the NKOTB store but everything was super expensive and nothing available in smaller sizes. We also went into the regular Carnival shops but the only thing I was interested in was not on sale (of course) so I didn’t get anything. Still needing to kill more time, we went back to the Casino for a bit. Still just before noon, and we don’t want to eat yet, so we went back to the room.

Our room is a DISASTER. I decided that since this is our last day on the boat, I should try to organize my stuff and start packing. We have an open afternoon, but once dinner time hits I’m not going to be in the room. It’s unbelievable how much of a mess I managed to make. I at least separated and bagged all my dirty clothes, but I can’t really finish packing until the morning because of all the stuff I will need for tonight’s them (Royal Carpet) and in the morning.

We headed up to get lunch just after 12:30. The line for the photo ops was so long that it stretched the entire length of the boat AND up 12 flights of stairs. I’m certainly glad that WE didn’t have to wait that long. Get to the restaurant and of course the line for the buffet is really long. I get a salad and a bit of bread, fruit, and the tiniest slice of chocolate cheesecake in the world. Really looking forward to dinner.

We finish lunch then decide to head back to the room to rest for a bit until we hit up the gym. Watching the newest “Harry Potter” movie is a bit confusing when you haven’t seen all the others leading up to it. Resting again meant a nap. We woke up and then headed to the gym to get a workout in. Ran over 6 miles, it was another really good run!

We showered and then headed out to the deck to watch the end of “Yoga with Jordan.” It was unreal how many people were crammed on the deck to do this. Even in the hallways. Chaos. We actually couldn’t even get across the deck to the dining hall, so we had to go down a level to head back up.

Decided to get the salad from the buffet again. There was also a tempting Key Lime cake that we decided to split a slice of before heading down for “real” dinner. This time we actually got seating at our own table. NKOTBingo was happening so the dining wasn’t as crowded. We each had chicken and veggies again, then got the warm chocolate melting cake again. Bon voyage…

We had a little bit of time to kill before our next event so we walked around, checking out the shops again. We spent a bit more time in the casino then we had to change for our last theme night “Red Carpet.”

Before the deck party there was “Acoustic with Danny” – which was Danny playing guitar and singing both original songs he writes and a few cover songs. After that was “The Joe Mac Show.” Joe is pretty hilarious and he did a Broadway themed story about how he got into music. Ended with a pretty awesome rendition of “Tomorrow” from “Annie.”

Acuostic Danny

Joe in a cage

We still had a bit of time before the deck party so we went back to our room and tried to do a bit more packing. I also decided that tonight I was actually going to “party.” Meaning, I was going to celebrate my birthday a few days early and actually drink some beers. Around 10:30 we headed back upstairs and I got my first beer of the night. Yum. We headed out to the deck so that we could get a good visual of the stage.

It was cooler and windy again on the deck. We had a pretty decent spot centered in front of the stage. Then around 11:00 the wind started to really pick up, and about ten minutes later the rain started. It was a downpour bad enough that we had to run for shelter. The super crazy people who were right in front of the stage stayed out there anyway and got drenched.

The DJ had to turn off the music to keep the equipment from getting soaked. We stayed under the overhang and found a few chairs, deciding to sit this one out instead of risking getting wet. I kept getting beers and time kept passing and the band didn’t come out. They finally came out over an hour late, but by then I’ll admit that I was pretty buzzed and had lost count of the number of beers I had. I even got L to drink ONE fruity drink with me… truly a miracle, she didn’t have a single one the last cruise. As a result of the bad weather and the crappy seats we got after it cleared up, I really didn't get any pictures of the band in their tuxedos. And apparently had too much to drink to care about getting one of myself in my fancy dress.

It was cold and we were tired and we couldn’t get a good view of the stage. We knew that we had to get up early in the morning to get off the boat, so around 2:30 we headed back to the room. I obviously had too much to drink as I don’t really remember the end of the night, but I do know that it ended with me puking. That means I had a TON to drink. I haven’t been sick from drinking in years. Clearly I can no longer party like it’s 1999 (when I was 21, ironically).