Day 6 - Roatan

Chris and I were up early since our room has a big vibration while docking but we are early risers so it did not bother us.  The sun was coming up so we took some pretty shots.  It was 8:30 or so ship time but 6:30am in Roatan.  Perfect to see a sunrise later.  It was strange at first not to adjust the clocks but I have to say I enjoy staying on ship time.  This is better than NCL.  

We went to the dining room for breakfast and I had the the best breakfast so far.  It was a masala dosa that was outstanding.  I have a friend who prepares this typical Indian breakfast/brunch dish for me and I was excited to see it on the menu.  If you enjoy Indian food, give it a try.  

Our group decided to go ashore after breakfast to explore the port area.  We have all been to Roatan but not docked here.  It is a very nice port area.  We walked to the beach and thought it would be a nice port for a beach day.  It was really hot for so early in the day.  I was drenched in sweat so Chris and I went back to the ship while our friends went into a shop near the beach.  We went through the nature trail which is not too long and more shaded.  It’s a nice short cut from the beach.  Chris convinced me to see the other shops to make our walk longer.  We ran back into Joe and the teens and found out Ammie went back to the ship.  They kept shopping while we went back to ship to jump in the Havana pool that we figured would be super refreshing.  It did not disappoint and the three of us enjoyed a nice soak.  

Joe met up with us and after relaxing for a bit, the guys went to get some paninis.  The sandwiches were very good and we all enjoyed them.  We went to change our clothes to try some activities.  

The first activity was reverse charades.  Everyone was on teams and one member of the team guessed while the others acted it out silently.  We didn’t win but we had some laughs at ourselves and the other teams.  We stayed and did 90s trivia.  We had a decent score of 16 but someone had a score of 19.  No ship on a stick for us.  

There wasn’t any other activities we wanted to do so we went and played a game we brought, Saboteur.  We taught Joe and Ammie how to play and they enjoyed it.  Time went quickly and it was time to go get ready for the evening.  

We met up at the Alchemy Bar before dinner.  Chris went to grab drinks at the bar and ordered himself a manhattan and me a Negroni.  He watched as the alchemist pawned the order off to a bar server who proceeded to grab one of the syrup bottles at the bar and pour something into the mixing glass to start the drink.  Chris new immediately that the drink would be wrong and when it was served to him he tasted it.  The drink tasted very sweet (not how a Manhattan should taste at all) and he told the bar server that he thought this was an Old Fashioned and not a Manhattan.  The bar server sternly told him, “no, it’s a Manhattan.”  Chris asked him if he used a maple syrup to which he replied, “no, a Manhattan is bourbon, sweet Vermouth and bitters.” Chris agreed as he has made plenty of Manhattans but repeated that this drink was way to sweet to be a Manhattan.  The bar server then said, “well, we don’t have any bourbon so I used Southern Comfort.”  Chris laughed and said, “No, you cannot make a Manhattan with Southern Comfort!”  The bar server then offered to make it with Scotch!  Chris refused and just asked him to take the drink off the tab so he could replace it at another bar.  The bar server refused so Chris just asked for a Negroni.  Chris feels that since this is supposed to be one of the Carnival flagship bars that the bartenders should be the only ones making the drinks and that if one of them had known there was no bourbon at this bar then they should’ve made that clear up front and suggested a solution then and not just guessed at making something else.  Also, the attitude of the bar server was really unacceptable as he should’ve never talked down to a guest the way that he did.  

The guys went to put our name in for a table at Cucina Del Capitano.  This is the specialty Italian restaurant that is included.  If you use the app and have a dining time you cannot register until 8pm which is why they went to ask.  It was only about a 15 minute wait so we did get to eat just a little bit earlier.  We were seated and placed a drink order.  The server who took our order tried to get us to each take a large bottle of water.  I had read these are not included and have seen reports that the servers act as if they are so we passed.  We never saw this server again after that.  A different server took our order.  I had the farro salad and Chris started with the meatball.  The salad was spicier than I thought it would be and Chris thought the meatball was ok.  I tasted it and didn’t care for it.  While we waited, the best part of dinner happened, the table side magician stopped at our table and did some tricks.  He did some decent trick and I really enjoyed his personality.  Our mains arrived after a long wait.  Chris and I both ordered the pistachio pesto and I didn’t care for it at all.  It was more a carbonara with some pistachios sprinkled on top.  With my plant based eating, I”m not huge on creamy sauces so I chose to skip dessert and go get a little bit of sushi.  Joe and Ammie didn’t really care for their dinners either.  Ammie ordered clam pasta which she didn’t find too special.  Joe had the chicken Parmesan and said it wasn’t special and lukewarm.  It also did not come with any pasta so he did order some but it took awhile to appear.  He also ordered a glass of wine that never came to the table.  They stayed for dessert while we went for some sushi for me.

The sushi restaurant was not too busy and we were seated right away.  We both wanted to try the kakuni because we watched a video prior to the trip and the man said it was the best thing he’s ever had on a ship.  I ordered a salad and a tempura roll too.  The salad was fine with a nice dressing.  I ordered water though and never got any until I flagged down a server.  They were running around the restaurant and seemed overwhelmed.  We definitely were getting a short staffing vibe tonight.  The kakuni was ok but not something I would get again but YouTube made me do it.  I mean this guy had been on Crystal with a Nobu restaurant and raved this was the best item ever on any ship, how could I not try it?  The sushi was nothing great, in fact it was rather bland.  It also did not have any wasabi.  I eventually saw a server to ask for some after it was two thirds gone.  Tonight was the first big miss of the the cruise with food.  

We wanted to go see the Classic magic show in the atrium area.  Tonight was a Vegas themed night for the shows.  We grabbed two seats in the front and watched the Residency.  Chris and I love Vegas and have seen many shows there.  We enjoy lots of music as well so we thought this would be fun to watch before the magic.  It started out with some Frank Sinatra but it went a little strange after that.  I can’t say they picked the best residencies or the best song choices.  The show really took a big turn during the Prince number, Let’s Go Crazy.  The vocalist was super over the top and awkward to even watch.  It is one of my favorite songs and it was terrible.  Joe equated it to the early days of American Idol when someone thinks they are amazing and Simon tears them apart.  I am not really a fan of this Center Stage for shows.  The sight lines are good from the bleacher type seats so if you are into shows that is the place to sit.  We probably would have left in the middle of the show but we wanted to see Classic Magic.  

The magician again made some odd choices for such a large space.  He started with some magic with a dollar bill changing into a $100 but it was really impossible to see what was happening and we were only about 30 feet from the stage.  He then did some coin magic and more card magic with some volunteers from the office.  A closeup camera was used to project the magic onto a screen, but why not focus on effects more suited for a stage, and not a close-up situation.  There was one box illusion where a dancer was produced and that was really the only effect that would be appropriate for this venue.  For an act to be billed as classic magic, there are so many things he could’ve done that would have fit the theme and played much better in this large space.

We had some time before Liar’s Club so we went to the Piano Bar.  It is a pretty popular venue and rather small.  Joe and Chris sat together and Ammie and I sat at a table.  Chris ordered two Stingers for us but mine had this horrible smell.  It smelled kind of moldy.  I went over to the stools were the guys were sitting and tried Chris’ and thought his was not great either.  I wasn’t too worried about it as I was no where close to hitting the 15 drink mark.  I would just get a drink in the Punchliner’s.  We could see a large queue through the window so when it started to move, we left to get in line.  

The comedy club was crowded but we like the upper booth section in the back.  We nicknamed it the VIP area.  It is not the best sight lines but it’s not that visual of a show.  Chris and I ordered Manhattans to replace our drinks.  The server returned with some pretty anemic looking drinks and I whispered to Chris that I bet these are Old Fashioned.  Chris said no and I will say it wasn’t crazy sweet like some can be.  About ten minutes later, the server returns and says you ordered Manhattans and those were Old Fashioned.  I don’t think he heard me say it but I’m impressed he fixed it when he realized.  The show had Percy, Jim and a member of the Carnival staff.  He was the head of entertainment according to Cookie who hosted.  I feel he was the weakest link of the show.  He had some funny moments and had a persona he created but I thought his bits were way too long and not always funny.  I usually enjoy a Liars Club but this was a pretty weak one in general.  I was truly fighting to stay awake as was Ammie.  We ducked out early through this very covert door near our VIP seats.  VIP has its benefits.  Since we were all tired, we returned to our cabins to rest up with two sea days left to our voyage.