Archive for the year 2018
Day 4: Grand Cayman Day
Posted on May 5, 2018 by Ching under Travel, Zumba.
Not as many people were up for the early morning classes on the fourth day. I suspect the free all-you-can-drink tequila “tastings” in Costa Maya had a lot to do with it. LOL.
I took a photo of Richard’s Aqua Zumba class on my way to start my morning with Benjamin, Rodrigo, and Marcie.
It was the best class ever! I even got to dance on the stage with Marcie!
Ran into Betsy and Henry as they were headed to their session.
I had some time after my Zumba class so Brian and I did some exploring while we were waiting for our massage appointment.
Ran into Erick Santana. He was among those waiting to board a tender to shore.
This is the Cosmopolitan during the day, when people are off ship.
Here’s the view of the stage and main pool deck from the Cosmopolitan.
We found the chapel.
We decided to play a round of miniature golf while everyone else was off the cruise ship. We had the course (and pretty much the rest of the ship) all to ourselves.
We decided to do some more exploring after our excursion to the spa and we really did have the ship to ourselves. There really wasn’t a soul in sight.
It was a beautiful day in Grand Cayman and it made me kind of wish that we didn’t decide to stay on the ship. Brian didn’t want to deal with the whole tendering mess.
There two other cruise ships anchored in Grand Cayman that day.
Brian and I found the helipad and took some fun pictures with the nearby cruise ships in the background. The one closest to us is the Carnival Paradise, which happens to be the same cruise ship that we were on during our honeymoon.
We couldn’t resist taking a selfie with the cruise ship. We couldn’t believe the ship was still in service and sailing the same route considering our honeymoon was almost sixteen years ago.
Later that day, we ran into DJ Francis while I was waiting for my Aqua Zumba class with Richard Gormley to start.
Also ran into Lisa Marie.
After Aqua Zumba class, I had to rush to change to make it to Ricardo and Lindsey’s class. And then after that, I had to rush to change to make it to dinner.
We went straight to the party after dinner. I think we missed the first act, but we got there in time for Jenn Morel’s performance.
It was super windy at our favorite spot that evening.
That pretty much sums up day four. Check back next time for day five of the most amazing cruise ever!
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Day 3: Costa Maya Day
Posted on May 2, 2018 by Ching under Travel, Zumba.
This was the day that we ported in Costa Maya. We didn’t really have any interest in going off ship so Brian and I started our day with a nice, leisurely breakfast in the dining room. I posted pics of our breakfast below.
Can you guess who had what?
We did some exploring on the ship after — mainly because I wanted to find the Solarium Pool for Aqua Zumba with Richard Gormley later that day. That’s where we ran into these two cuties: Nick and his wife Kim.
We did find the Solarium Pool. It was disappointingly tiny!
I was a little bit worried about how we were all going to fit in the tiny pool for Aqua Zumba class. Supposedly, they were able to fit 30 people in it in a previous session. I made a mental note to get there at least 30 minutes before class to get a good spot.
Here’s a selfie of me and Brian while waiting for drinks at the pool bar. It’s never too early to start drinking when you’re on vacation. LOL.
I had a little break from Zumba classes while everyone was off on excursions. Brian and I decided to hang out at the Solarium Pool where there was a nice breeze. We actually got food from the Windjammer buffet and brought it out on the deck because it was so nice.
Before that, we tried to schedule a couples massage but the only availability they had was for three in the afternoon and it coincided with Richard Gormley’s Aqua Zumba class that I really wanted to take. We ended up scheduling our massages for ten thirty the next morning instead.
This is as close as we got to Costa Maya. LOL.
We were at the perfect spot for Zeleb sightings. For instance, when Ricardo Marmitte walked by, we snagged him for a quick photo.
Here’s a photo of him with Natasha.
Here’s one of me and Natasha with Jhon Gonzalez, one of my favorite Zumba Jammers of all time.
Here’s a picture of me with Richard Gormley that we took while I was waiting for his Aqua Zumba class to start. The class ended up being canceled because the pool’s water level was too deep. They needed to drain some of the water out but couldn’t do it in time for class. I guess Brian and I could have gotten our couples massage after all. We didn’t know class would be canceled until right then, though.
I kind of went off script on Tuesday. I had stickers for Nathalia Ferreira’s STRONG by Zumba (SBZ) master class and Beto’s class in the evening. However, I didn’t think I would be able to handle SBZ after taking six Zumba classes the previous day so I gave my stickers away and readjusted my schedule.
Instead of those two classes, I went to Cat Chiemelu’s master class in the Aerobics Room and Loretta Bates’ master class with Benjamin Richard and Rodrigo Angello. That was a really good decision.
I caught the tail end of Madalene Aponte’s SBZ class while waiting for Cat’s class to start. This woman is a beast!
Speaking of amazing women, here’s a selfie of me and Cat.
Her class was super fun. I’m really glad that I deviated from my original schedule and checked her out.
The Benjamin, Rodrigo, and Loretta master class was another detour that I’m glad I did. The class was at sunset and, though it was very windy, the weather was great and it was beautiful out on the deck.
I snapped a few pics as I was leaving to return to our cabin and get ready for dinner. Okay, so I took more than a few photos. I just couldn’t help it. I was right there at the front and the three of them just looked so awesome together. I just wanted to capture the moment.
The only regret I have is walking away as we were cooling down because, had I stayed in my spot, I would have been in this video.
I rushed to get ready for dinner because we didn’t want to eat too late and miss the White Party. In hindsight, I should have stayed until the end. It was just me and Brian for dinner that night so it wasn’t like we were trying to stick to a schedule to meet people. And the White Party was just okay.
I think I wasn’t too concerned about missing part of the cool down because I knew I had Benjamin and Rodrigo again the next morning. This time with Marcie. Anyhow, here’s a pic from the White Party.
Check back in a couple of days for a continuation of the cruise recap with Day 4.
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Day 2: Six Zumba Classes in One Day
Posted on May 1, 2018 by Ching under Travel, Zumba.
Day 2 is the day I took six Zumba classes in one day. Even so, my Apple Watch still logged me under 40,000 steps for the day. I don’t know how people were getting upwards of 50K. Wow! I think this was my best day all week.
I originally planned to take four classes that day (the two that I registered for and the two that I registered Brian for) but, after looking at the schedule, I figured that I could squeeze in two more classes and so I did. LOL.
My first class of the day was Henry Cedeno’s Queen Bey Experience. I had to take a picture of the sticker because it matched my outfit perfectly!
My second class was with Kass Martin and Steve Boedt. I had two amazing classes in a row and was off to a great start!
I ran into the fabulous Chuany Kouloukas, who Brian and I first met on the Zumba cruise a couple of years ago.
My next class was with Ricardo Marmitte and Marcie Benavides where I met these two cuties — Keston Ross and Cody Olafson. They were promoting Keston’s new song that Cody choreographed a routine to. Keston performed the song (and danced too) while Cody led the routine.
Here’s a video that Natasha captured.
By the way, this is the Natasha – the person responsible for that awesome video you just watched. Thank you, Natasha!
My next class was Lindsey Taylor’s Pitbull Party in Star Lounge. It wasn’t part of the original plan for Day 2 but I knew I could fit it in and so I did. I got there early to get a good spot and caught the tail end of Ricardo Carbalho’s class.
I ran into these two Wichita cuties, Tammy and Rina. Every time I saw these two, they were wearing matching outfits. It was so cute!
Here’s a selfie of me with Lindsey. I’m so glad that I found the time to take that class because it was beyond amazing. Star Lounge is probably the crappiest class venue on the ship because you can’t see anything and there’s only a small dance floor and the rest is carpet. Lindsey used that room so well, though. I tried to avoid Star Lounge as much as possible because I get really frustrated when I can’t see what’s going on but I didn’t have that problem at all during Lindsey’s class. She taught from the front, the back, the middle, and the sides. She was everywhere! She used the room more effectively than anyone else who had to teach in there.
My next class after was with Nick Logrea and Steve Boedt. This was another class that wasn’t part of my original schedule for the day but I found the time to squeeze in. I met Nick for the first time on the cruise a couple of years ago and was very impressed so I didn’t want to miss him. And, of course, Steve is always so fabulous.
The best part is Kass was there and so I managed to get a selfie with her. It made Brian slightly jealous. He’d been trying to get a selfie with her for years!
My final class for the day was with Jhon Gonzalez and Anna Marchenko out in the Sports Court. I didn’t like dancing in the Sports Court that much because the floor is kind of grippy and I didn’t feel as comfortable twisting and turning. I felt like I really had to pick up my feet each time. Anyway, that was class number six and, even though, I changed sneakers halfway through the day, the insoles of my shoes were pretty beat down and my feet were killing me. So I left the class with 15 minutes left to spare. I hated doing that but my feet were on fire. I actually questioned how I was going to get through three more days of Zumba.
We had dinner in the fancy dining room with Natasha and, our new Australian friend, Kaveri that night and then went to the party but we didn’t stay late. My feet were killing me and I was honestly worried about how they would feel the next morning. I just wanted to return to the room and put my feet up.
That pretty much sums up Day 2. It was a full day of doing Zumba from morning until night. Check back soon for Day 3!
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Cruise Food
Posted on April 29, 2018 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.
I know I promised this post several days ago but it has been super busy. I’m only now getting a break and finally have the opportunity to catch you up.
We managed to round almost everyone up for dinner that first night. From the bottom left: Laurie, Brynden, Ty, Danielle, Natasha, Amanda, Todd, and Melissa.
Here are some pictures of the delicious food we enjoyed that first night.
Dinner on night two was with a smaller group. Just me, Brian, Natasha, our new Australian friend Kaveri, and Colleen and Hannah (a mom and daughter duo from upstate New York). We missed taking a group photo but I remembered to take pictures of all our food.
They gave me extra rice.
Everyone else had a different schedule on day three so Brian and I had a nice romantic dinner, just the two of us.
We got most of the group together for dinner on day four.
Tami and Rina were able to join us but we were missing Missy and Todd and Natasha. Natasha had other things going on. Missy and Todd decided to have dinner earlier that night.
Here are pictures from our final dinner on the ship.
I didn’t take pictures of the food buffet at Windjammer but those were delicious also. Each day was a different theme and there was something for everyone. They also had some nice displays up there with fruit carvings and all.
We always went to dinner in the Sapphire Dining Room, though, so we missed all of the dinner upstairs. It would have been far quicker to eat at the buffet but the food in the dining room is tons better.
Anyway, that’s all for now. I won’t promise when the new post will be up because it might be another busy week for me. Until next time!
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Day 1: Boarding Day
Posted on April 23, 2018 by Ching under Travel, Zumba.
Sunday, boarding day, was a little overcast but it didn’t keep us from seeing our cruise ship from our hotel window. The emails we received were a bit confusing. One email said boarding would start at 11:00 AM, while another email said we couldn’t board until 2:30 PM. Since we didn’t expect to be able to board the ship until 11 at the earliest, Brian and I decided to have a leisurely breakfast at the hotel restaurant. We were just lollygagging after breakfast and walked around, enjoying the view, and taking a bunch of pictures.
The sun finally started to come out and I got this nice panoramic of the marina.
We had so much to kill after breakfast that Brian actually had time to lounge around and watch TV. It wasn’t until we started seeing posts about people waiting in line to board and getting on the ship that we decided it was probably time to head on over to the port. Some people were posting about the boarding and others were asking how long the lines were, etc.
Brian thought it would be funny to reply back that we can see the line from our hotel. We had a good chuckle but didn’t actually do it.
We weren’t sure what kind of view we would have next time so we took one last selfie with our amazing view before taking off.
Our hotel is super close to the Port of Miami so we were there in no time flat. As luck would have it, we ran into some friends (Natasha and Amanda) at the check in.
Here’s a pic of the four of us in the waiting area.
Danielle and Ty were ahead of us. We probably could have joined them but we didn’t want to cut in front of everyone. Also, I don’t think there was enough room for all four of us to slide in. I figured it was only a matter of time before we were all together aboard the ship anyway.
Just for grins, I took a selfie with the port employee who was in charge of making sure the boarding process was organized and safe. She was doing a great job.
Here’s a selfie of me and a Filipina friend I made at ZINCON a couple of years back. She goes by Missy Belle on Facebook. She went on the cruise this year too.
Speaking of Missy, I ran into my friend Missy at the lunch buffet at Windjammer. We were so lucky that we even ran into each other. The lunch buffet was so crowded (because people were hungry and our staterooms wouldn’t be ready until 1:30 PM so there was nowhere else to go) and there was hardly any place to sit.
It was either hang out at Windjammer or hang out at one of the bars which, incidentally, is where we found the rest of our crew.
Missy and Todd (and almost everyone else) wore their matching shirts. These two looked so cute, I just had to take a picture of them!
But you know what’s even cuter? These guys — (from left) Rony, Rodrigo, and Benjamin. I took multiple sessions from these guys throughout the week so this is just a bit of foreshadowing of things to come.
Brian and I took a quick selfie with Miami as the backdrop before we sailed away. Not really the best picture since we took it from Windjammer instead of from one of the upper/viewing decks.
Here’s a selfie with the other half of our group. I love that so many people from Wichita went on the cruise this year.
It took a while but we were finally able to get into our room. This picture depicts the view from our room. We decided to go up a category and get a cabin overlooking the promenade instead of just getting a regular interior cabin. Ours is still considered an interior cabin but it seemed to offer a bit more space because of the window seat. It’s not that much more space, though.
We got to check out Natasha and Amanda’s (they were roomies this year) balcony cabin and it was definitely more spacious. Brian and I have decided that, next year, it’s going to be balcony or bust. Plus, if we all get side-by-side balcony rooms next year, we can remove the partitions and we can have one extended balcony which will be super fun. Party time!
This is a picture of all our stickers. I wised up and signed Brian up for different sessions than me so I could use both of our stickers and get into double the classes.
Each day I would take a picture of the “Cruise Compass” so I knew exactly what was happening without having to carry around the daily newsletter with me. The highlight of the evening was the “Sail Away” party at the main pool with FUSE ODG, Armando & Heidy, DJ Precise, and DJ Francis.
I also took a picture of the Zumba schedules each day for the same reason. All of the classes on the first day were first come, first served.
I ran into Amanda again on my way to my first session.
I called Missy to see what class she was hitting first and we actually both picked Marcie’s class. Brynden, Natasha, and Amada decided to take the same first class also. Except, I was the nerdiest of the bunch and got their first but that meant I got us all in the front row.
We had such a great time in Marcie’s class. I even met someone with an October birthday (it was kind of an ice breaker that Marcie had us do) and she happened to be wearing leggings that matched my shirt.
Marcie’s class was fabulous but they were having problems with the sound system. The fuse kept blowing for some reason. We were interrupted several times. Also, when it was our turn to rotate to the back, it wasn’t as fun for me because I couldn’t see anything. We initially thought we would stay in Star Lounge for the next session which was Steve Boedt’s masterclass but then decided we didn’t want to put up with the sound issues and lack of visibility so we went to Studio B (the ice rink) to dance with Rony and Cat instead.
By the time we got there, the floor was already full so we were relegated to the sides. Tammy and Rina got decent spots on the dance floor though.
The nice thing about Studio B is that you’re not out in the sun and the stage is elevated so it’s easier to see what’s going on. It’s definitely one of my favorite class venues on the ship. You still want to get there early to get a good spot on the floor, though. Because even though I could see well from the sidelines, we were dancing on carpet and there wasn’t much room to dance. We had to really improvise.
I’m not sure how we managed to do it but we were actually able to get almost everyone together for dinner that first night. We were only missing Tammy and Rina. Already, the trip was off to a great start!
Here’s a picture of the fabulous “Sail Away Party” from our favorite viewing area. Brian and I were enjoying the concert by ourselves (and I think a couple of others) when Danielle, Ty, Brynden, and Laurie showed up. They had no idea we were up there but had the same idea as us about going to the tallest vantage point.
Great minds think alike!
Brian and I were too tired to hit the late night disco (from 11 PM to 3 AM) at the Cosmopolitan. We hung out with the group and did a bit of exploring after the party but then we turned in. I had an early start the next morning.
BTW, I took a ton of food pictures so check back tomorrow for a post that talks about all the eating we did. I did a lot of Zumba but definitely did not miss any meals. Until next time!
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