Day 20- If You Wake Up Early Enough, 9AM Happy Hour Doesn't Feel Like 9AM

The previous night Colleen had decided that we would be up bright and early to make it to the poolside bar for Happy Hour (2-for-1 cocktails) that ran from 9am until noon.  Never being one to turn down a bargain, the challenge was accepted and the wheels were set in motion.  Hell, we even made it out of bed in time to go down to the dining room for breakfast, a feat we had yet to accomplish in our almost two weeks onboard the Equinox.  Presumably they offered half price cocktails at this time because for most of the folks on board our ship by 10am they had already been awake for six hours and were heading back to bed soon, so it was therefore the perfect time to indulge in some adult beverages.  At least that was my reasoning.  Not that I needed any justification to get inebriated during the breakfast hour.  While we were hanging out on our chaise lounges overlooking the sunny Atlantic, Colleen said (I did not see) that a man a few chairs over randomly flipped her the bird.  Why he would do this, I do not know, although we spent the rest of the morning staring awkwardly at this guy waiting for him to do it again.  By the time 11am rolled around, Colleen and I had  slowly consumed downed over 11 large cocktails between the two of us.  Just what Brent needed; another excuse to take a mid-day nap!

That evening was the last of our three formal dinners for the cruise, and luckily the knot in my tie was still intact from the week before.  After dining on such things as Chateaubriand and lobster, it was safe to say that the food on the ship was top-notch all the way.  In addition to the amazing food, the service from our wait staff was exceptional throughout the cruise and I would highly recommend Celebrity Cruises to anyone.  The one thing I will say though is check the weather forecast before you go and make sure you have the proper medications or tools to deal with a rocky ocean if you might be encountering such a thing or have a weak stomach like myself. 

After dinner we took in the nightly show which was the most elaborate of all the onboard productions to date.  it was a Cirque Du Soleil-style show, complete with acrobats, jugglers, contortionists, and a full cast of singers and dancers.  Again, much like the food and service staff personnel, I have only the highest praise for Celebrity's entertainment on the ship.  With an excellent selection of daily activities, speakers/presenters, live entertainment shows, tons of live music, in-room on demand new release movies and satellite TV, and tons of other stuff I won't even list, it is safe  to say that there was always something to do if you were willing to get out there and do it.

On a less positive note, Colleen and I decided to head back to the casino for one last chance at redemption for my wallet.  Never being one to swing the chains of fortune in my favor, I proceeded to play 11 hands of blackjack at $10 each.  Of those 11 hands, I lost 10 and pushed (tied) one, and just like that I made $100 disappear in under five minutes.  A real life magic trick.  Like I said in previous posts, cruising can be an affordable holiday if you avoid the pitfalls of the casino.  With that in mind, I decided to go and drown my sorrows with some of that sweet golden-hued nectar the Dutch people call Heineken.  Yup, it was definitely not going to be a budget holiday for me!

~Brentski~