Welcome to Nguyendows

Surprise Birthday Cruise to the Bahamas!!!

January 2010

My wonderful wife surprised me this year with a birthday cruise! She kept the cruise a secret for 6 months and didn't tell me about it until just 3 days before we sailed. She told my office, my family, friends, and even some of my clients at work in order to get schedules arranged properly without me knowing. I was extremely surprised. She designed an elaborate plan to tell me about the cruise, which included a big box wrapped in a bow, with balloons and ribbons that popped out. Once she told me that we were leaving in 2 days, I realized that I had exactly ZERO work-days to prepare for leaving. She told me on the 30th, and we sailed out on Saturday, January 2nd. I'll admit, I was happy about the idea of cruising again, but the stress of disappearing for 10 days without preparation, after just having taken a vacation, was a little overwhelming. I got a little sick just thinking about it.

Anyway, all went well and we got on the boat. Here we go!

Day 1 - Getting on the boat

The Celebrity Mercury from the cruise terminal

Erica's all bundled up and excited as we drop off our bags at the port

Celebrity hands out champagne and hot chocolate as you board the ship

One of the many staircases during the day

Walking through the computer lounge

The Cova Cafe sitting area

"MEER" is the word for "sea" or "lake" in several other languages. I didn't know that until writing this caption.

Watermelons that make you feel validated

My first meal on the ship was a fresh salad!

Another nice "Welcome Onboard" edible item

My lunch from the buffet

Celebrity's "drink of the day" in a souvenir glass (not plastic)

The Buffet line

On Lido deck aft, there's an indoor pool (heated) with retractable glass ceiling. There's also a pizza and pasta bar nearby.

There's no shortage of alcohol on the boat, even early in the morning on the first day

The elevators are mirrored, giving me the opportunity to include myself in the photo-documentary

There I am, again!

Our room was special. Room 8004 is one of two forward facing corner rooms, making the room larger than normal and the window faces the bow, just under the bridge

I like straight hallways. It gives you a better idea of where you are on a ship when looking for your room.

This was our deck sign

I'm on a boat

The decor was interesting. These photos went all around the stairwell on deck 9 forward

As we found out later, the Navigator Lounge was our favorite night spot

Erica checks in with Mom and Dad and the girls before we ship out

I entertain myself as Erica waits for me to entertain myself

Lido Deck, afternoon, thirty-something degrees

It's cold, but the light is good

Whoa, this boat is moving fast!

The Pavilion Night Club was always empty. We saw a maximum of 4 people at once in this place during the cruise (2 of the people were us)

Erica talks to Mom and Dad and the girls again as we walk around the ship

The Art Gallery was nice. The paintings changed almost every day

Lido Deck, evening, still thirty-something degrees

Tan finds a drink, an elevator, AND a camera

The elevator doors were kept very clean

My lovely wife at dinner the first night

The first night's menu in the dining room. The menu changed every night

Erica tries a glass of zinfandel and we end up ordering a bottle

Erica gets the shrimp cocktail

I get a crab salad over avocado and greens

This is my mozzarella over greens with a vinaigrette dressing

Our assistant waiter was Iskandar. He reminded us of Putu from the last cruise

Jaeston was our head waiter from Honduras. He liked to do brain-teasers after dinner

Erica's prime rib entree

I had the marinated lamb shank over couscous

I enjoyed my usual cappuccino after dinner. Celebrity charges for the specialty coffees... Carnival doesn't =(

Erica's Mango Cheesecake

My dessert was their assorted cheeses and crackers

Stairwell at night...

I force Erica to have an "I dream of Genie" moment

Mirrors over an escalator. I'm not sure where the escalator goes, though

Mirrors inside the elevator!

Erica's getting tired of the pictures.

This is the view from our room at night. It's like I'm the captain!

Just before 1AM, we pass the Carnival Pride in the Bay. She's all lit up like a cheap garden tool

Day 2 - Day at Sea

Morning elevator picture

Erica's morning tea

Tan's breakfast

Erica's breakfast

Good morning Mr. Atlantic Ocean!

I drag Erica to the Cruise Connection gathering in the Navigator Lounge. I know, it's a terrible picture.

This picture shows the "sea smoke" we sailed through. The water temperature was in the 70's, but the air was only in the 30's, creating a steam effect like a bowl of soup. Very rare, very cool

For lunch, I had some sweets and greens...

and then some spicy and yummy (curry from the India counter at the buffet)

As the sun went down, it created some really dramatic colors

and a few minutes after the last one

Peekaboo!

Our hardest decision of the day is "where do we go next?", followed by "what do I drink next?"

Big mirror

One of the lounges around deck 7. This ship has "dance hosts" in case any ladies want to dance, but don't have a [willing] partner

A couple chairs in the lounge area

Stairwell to deck 5 aft, going to dinner

The gallery had a painting of a Celebrity ship. If only it were possible for a boat to be narcissistic

The Casino was clean, bright, and smoke-free. It was very nice not having to avoid the casino just to get from forward to aft

Lots of slots

Of course, there's a bar in the casino

I found this giant mirrored bowl on the wall... and made Erica stand by it

and make faces in it.

The grand atrium on Mercury was much smaller than other ships, but still very nice and elegant

This jewelry shop had about 20 halogen lights per cubic foot of display case. It was VERY warm in this shop

The sign on the right is there as a backup in case the lighted sign malfunctions

whatever...

Erica challenged me to do "something different" with my elevator pictures

It's formal night! and we're going to dinner

Erica stops to look at some art work on the walls

We're early for dinner, so we stop off at the Martini Bar to get a cocktail

I get a Pomegranate Martini, and Erica had the Peartini

They had a special martini-buffet thing where you could get several mini-martinis

My gosh, she's so beautiful... and she's all mine. Possibly one of the best photos of Erica that I've taken yet

Erica takes the camera from me and attempts to show me how annoying it is to have a camera in your face all the time

The small bar tender that reminds me of Diesel (from Bruno) offered to take a picture of Erica and Me

Erica's paper-thin filet mignon with parmesan cheese and salad stuff

I also had the frog legs... they taste like chicken, they really do.

My escargot

Erica finds out how difficult it is to drink the last ounce from these odd martini glasses. The base is hollow and you have to tip the glass almost vertical to get it out, which leads to inevitable spillage

Erica gets the "red meat special" with potatoes

I got a very disappointing steak. I'm not a complainer, but I sent this back and got something else. I've had better steak at Denny's

For dessert, I had the Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake Framboise

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake Framboise

Erica sits outside the dining room after dinner on my request

Erica humors me again, posing on the staircase by the Martini Bar

At the mid-ship lounge, we sit and watch the cute older couples dance and have fun. Hearing aides beeping each time the music gets too loud

Erica stops to notice more art

We opt out of the formal night photo studio and take our own

We head down to the theatre to see that evening's show

Our room steward turns down our bed, and (incorrectly) guesses which books we read before bedtime. My book is still sitting on my nightstand

"Uuuuuuh"

I spend most of my birthday money ($20) feeding a quarter-pushy-slidy machine

Erica walking across Lido deck to the Navigator Lounge. Keep in mind, it's still almost freezing outside

The Navigator Lounge had Martini Night, with an ice sculpture. You pour the martini in the top and you hold the glass at the bottom.

There was no shortage of vodkas and liquors. They even had Vincent Van Gogh (at least 6 flavors). Vincent happens to be my favorite Vodka.

Erica and I collect our prize at the bottom of the sculpture. I had the Flirtini, which is the only one that uses Vincent's Raspberry Vodka

I pretend for a second that I'm actually able to dance

Day 3 - Charleston, SC

One elevator shot before breakfast, to get my metabolism going

While in port, some of the crew were re-finishing the rails and painting some exterior fixtures. It's about 45 degrees.

I saw this and thought of Harris. It colloquially translates to "mah brutha's face"

My breakfast. Their croissants were sooo good; fresh every morning

Erica's breakfast

Not sure what this was, but this foamy stuff was all around the boat while in port. I'm not sure if it was coming from our ship, or it just followed us home.

The aft deck on Lido, facing the bridge in Charleston

A tribute to my daughters' ballet dancing, since I miss them so much

Erica joins in the fun

The ship as we're heading into Charleston

The U.S. Customs house of Charleston

We stopped into a local flea market to pick up gifts for family and friends

We walked by Bubba Gump Shrimp Company

Commission of Public Works, Water Meter, Charleston

We came across the Circular Church. Very interesting design, and very old, circa 1681

We also toured the cemetery, which is the city's oldest with stones dating back to 1685.

Look! Who's that?

After we were almost frozen solid, we stopped into Bubba Gump's for a quick lunch to warm up

We got their 3/4lb steamed shrimp and some strawberry lemonade

We immediately went back to the ship for our daily "sushi hour" in the buffet. All you can eat rolls and nigiri

Yum!

Gots my Sapporo with my sushi

Erica picks up another drink as we head back to our room

Just because it's been a while since I've taken one...

Since it's my birthday, I get in the heated pool before dinner. The water was about 80 degrees, the air was about 50.

Erica trying to decide which red meat entree she wants

I liked this antipasti dish so much, I got it a few times during this cruise

I almost burst with joy when I saw the seafood paella dish on the menu. I don't remember exactly what it was called, but it was good.

Erica had the steak

Erica and I shared a cheesecake for dessert

We spent some time with this nice couple that Erica met on the Cruise Critic roll call

Tan tries to sneak up on himself with a "stealth shot"

Dinner tends to make me sluggish, so a Red Bull and Vodka helps perk me up. The bartenders would fill the glass with my favorite vodka, then add 2 ice cubes, and hand me the Red Bull. It was so full that I basically had to take a shot of vodka to make room for the Red Bull.

This is the view from stool that I sat on each night. The dance floor just on the other side of the liquor wall.

It was one of our waiter's birthday, and he was making the best of it. His name was I Made (i-mod-ay), and he turned 37 on this night.

We also made friends with a couple of girlfriends from Philly. Allan was one of our regular bartenders (from Jamaica).

We stayed up so late at the Navigator Lounge, we were hungry again. So we ordered room service at around 3AM.

Day 4 - Day at Sea

Erica snaps a picture of me as I'm trying to figure out where we are on my GPS

"Welcome to Stir Fry Station"

For lunch, I ordered a custom pasta dish from the super-pasta station

This dead thing used to be a pig. It looks like a lamb, now... but it was a pig... and now it's called lunch.

They had a box of chef hats. I've never seen a box of chef hats before. I didn't know they came in bulk.

These guys were taking down the ice sculpture after the lunch buffet. They're apparently heavy.

You could find scenes like this all over the cruise. Books, sleeping, towels, and chairs.

This ship even had V.I.P parking spots in all of the dining areas.

We were actually waiting for this elevator, not just using it for its doors.

Mirror shot disguised as a slot machine shot

I came across the big mirror bowl again.

So I made Erica join me in the festivities.

"Price Match Guarantee" on the Celebrity branded clothing. We're on a ship in the ocean, with Celebrity branded clothing... who's price are they going to match?

As we approach Florida, the weather warms up enough to go out on deck for a while.

Classic picture of a couple on a boat with waves and life boats in the background.

I try my hardest to look like I belong on a big ship with life boats.

I take one last picture of us before I have to go inside because it's too cold

One of the many fruit/vegetable carvings in the buffet area.

My daily sushi life-boat

Erica's really tired of me taking pictures of her while she's eating

Another amazing sunset on the ocean

While people are talking about what to do and where to go, I notice my elevator friend!

One of the appetizers was a Thai egg roll with a sweet dipping sauce. It was good, but not as good as the Vietnamese egg rolls.

I think this was a braised short rib entree that Erica ordered.

I had a pasta and seafood linguini dish. Good stuff.

This was Erica's Passion fruit Cheesecake

Our whole table had a discussion about this dessert with our waiter. The description in the menu said blueberry, but it was actually raspberry.

Bar Stools At Night

Inside the fitness center, there was a egg capsule thing that looked funny. I never saw anyone in it, though.

This band "Fusion" was pretty good, but often played to an empty room after 10PM. Perhaps it was past everyone's bedtime, or their hearing aid batteries died.

Erica's martini in the Pavilion Night club