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Today was a day "at sea." That basically meant that I got to sleep late and then lounge by the pool for the entire day.
Beth was good enough to get up early and get us some prime lounge chairs in the shade on the pool deck. The ship has over 4200 people and 2700 deck chairs. The only problem is that a lot of people take two deck chairs each; yes, they put stuff on two chairs, one in the sun and one in the shade. They leave their stuff on the chairs all day even if they are only in the actual chair for an hour. It really sucks. If people would just put their stuff on a chair when they were actually using it there would be enough for everyone but, it's not gonna happen. We've been on over a dozen cruises over the past 20 years and it's the same on each one. I actually feel bad for people who we see just walking around looking for a place to park themselves when I know that I could pick out 10 chairs around me that haven't had a person in them for hours.
It was a beautiful day. About 75 - 80 degrees, a nice breeze and the Mediteranean Sea is as calm as could be. You can barely feel the ship moving (which is also because it is so huge.) I put a huge dent in my book and even take a little nap (what a shock!)
We decide to hit the Casino for a while before dinner. I decide to play Roulette and after about 45 minutes have burned through a few bucks. Beth on the other hand has decided to play Blackjack. She sits at a $5 table with $40. It would drive me crazy; I'd rather play for higher stakes and either make some money or lose it quicker. I notice across the room that after about 10 minutes she got up and I think she lost her money. It's only later (after I've lost) that I find out that the guy next to her split a pair of queens and she almost lost her mind. After all these years she is a smart enough gambler to realize that other people can do whatever stupid stuff they want but, she needs to get out of there once their stupid stuff has the potential to impact her (like at a blackjack table.) It ends up being a good move for her. She hits the 3 card poker table; another game that I really can't stand. Almost immediately after I go to sit with her (and not play) she hits a Straight Flush (A, K, Q) for a 40 - 1 payout. She just paid for all of those stupid meal 'up charges' the ship hits us for and tomorrows excursion to Florence.
We had dinner at Cagney's Steakhouse. The food was really good and even worth the $25 per person "up charge" to eat there. After dinner we watched the ship version of the Dating Game. It's always good for a few laughs. Afterwards we saw The Blue Man Group; yes, they are one of the entertainers on the ship. I haven't seen them before but, Beth has taken Jack to see them twice. I can see why Jack likes them so much; it's 12 year old boy humor to the max; paint all over the place, making music out of PVC pipes, squirting the insides of Twinkies all over the place (they actually give the first few rows plastic poncho's to wear), etc.
Tomorrow we are in Livorno, Italy which is about 1 1/2 hours from Florence. We are taking a bus there and then will have 5 hours on our own to explore the city. We are meeting up with our friends Monica and Pankaj for lunch and to walk around a little. They are spending 4 weeks there with their two kids (Shiv, who is one of Jack's best friends and Meena, who is 2 years older.) The kids are in some type of music immersion program and Monica/Pankaj decided to spend the time in the Country with them. They are two of our favorite people and best friends. We can't wait to see them for a few hours and catch up.
I'll write again tomorrow and let you know how the day goes.
Mark
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