Day 2 – Key West and my 40th Birthday!
I awoke at 6 am this morning and took off for a stroll around deck 10 followed by a stroll around deck 4. There was an absolutely beautiful sunrise this morning and I took tons of pictures. I was peaceful and happy and kept saying to myself, “ This is your birthday. Look where you are! This is the best birthday EVER!”
Last night upon returning to our room we found that we had been “tagged.” How fun. So, this morning I grabbed one of our FE gifts and the “Tag, You’re It” magnet and delivered them to one of the rooms that I passed on my walk.
I had checked my Navigator and saw that there was Yoga on the secret deck on deck 7. Yoga is not actually my favorite form of exercise, but it is relaxing (in a painful sort of way…I’m not very flexible). In my mind’s eye I couldn’t imagine anything more perfect than an exercise class in the open air on a cruise ship AS the sun was rising. So I joined in. It was still quite early, but what a wonderful start to the day!
Our servers let us know last night that this morning was our character breakfast…at 8 am. I left yoga about 10 minutes early and went to Parrot Cay. There was a line up outside and I looked for my family. You see, I had ordered a wake up call for 7:15 am and again at 7:30 am so I was SURE they would be there. Alas, they could not be found. So, I went to one of the courtesy phones and called the room. A very testy DH answered. I asked him where they were and get a very loud earful of what an awful time he was having getting them up. I told him that he should not force them to get up and have fun. If they did not want to go, then they shouldn’t have to come. I was going to relax and not sweat stuff like that. It was my birthday and I was going to enjoy the character breakfast whether they joined us or not. There was crying in the background. It did not sound like a happy time and I was really glad I was not there.
I headed back to Parrot Cay, fully expecting to eat alone. I ordered a very light breakfast knowing that I was going to be having appetizers at dinner, birthday cake AND Palo for dinner. I remember GolfnPirate asking me where the family was. I’m not sure what my response was, but I was still on my birthday morning super sunrise, great yoga class high so I think I responded with kind words about them. I hope. Actually, I REALLY was not upset that they weren’t there. I was upset that they were waking up so miserably, but not that they were missing out. I was sure there would be plenty of other character opportunities. After all, this was only our first full day onboard.
The characters came out and I enjoyed a few meet and greets with them. I was really happy that their handlers were so kind as to snap pictures of little ol’ lone me and the characters. Around 8:20, the rest of my brood strolls in. DD2 had a perpetual scowl on her face. I tried to film it…she is definitely NOT a morning person. DD1 was also quite out of sorts…but in a quiet sort of way. I did get several great character/kid pictures.
After breakfast I went back to the stateroom to grab my tote bag and a few things I would need for the morning. I headed to the spa for my alone time treatment. The treatment was for 10:30 am. I added the rainforest room to my package and went to lounge there first. I melted onto one of the loungers around 10 am. At 10:25 one of the CMs showed someone through the rainforest and I asked her if they would come get me from the rainforest. She assured me that they would. 10:30 came. Then it was 10:40. Finally at 10:45 I went to the desk and asked if they maybe forgot about me or couldn’t find me. One of the technicians quickly came around and escorted me to the villa. She was very nice. She was from the Phillipines, but I can’t remember her name. When we arrived at the villa there was a small moment of pandemonium as the hose in the hot tub had come out and had sprayed water all over the verandah. She had to quickly go and clean that up.
For the first part of the treatment I was seated on the treatment table while she performed a foot ritual – cleansing/exfoliating. I am a bit of a foot person – maybe you’d say I have a foot fetish. (I’m not sure if that’s what it would be called.) Any time you touch my feet I’m in paradise. This was no exception. It was wonderful! Next, she took me out to the verandah for my first alone time. The verandah was enclosed but she opened the windows a little to let in some of the sea breeze. Ahhhhhh. She then added some bubble bath to the water along with some aroma therapy. If I should ever do this again, I will ask for no bubbles. While the idea was nice, have you ever seen what a Jacuzzi does to bubble bath? I had to pat the water down every so often to lessen the bubbles so I was not swallowed up by them. I also wanted to be able to see out.
I wound up getting into the Jacuzzi, which I should begin referring to it as because it was nowhere near hot, (I asked her a few times to make it hotter.) just as we were arriving at Key West. It was really nice to watch the ship come into port from the comfort of my personal Jacuzzi. I need to mention here that, because I was celebrating my birthday, she brought me champagne…this is not something normally included. More pixie dust. So, I lounged it the Jacuzzi, sipping my birthday champagne watching the beautiful sites of the Key West shoreline go by. Could it get any better than this? You betcha! About ten minutes into my alone time she returns with a plate of fruit shish kebobs. Okay, now I’m reclining in a Jacuzzi, sipping champagne (the lightweight that I am was also getting tipsy), and eating fruit from a skewer. This was absolutely perfect! I actually got misty eyed on several occasions and thanked God for such a tremendous blessing.
I’m not sure how long I sat in the Jacuzzi drinking champagne, watching the scenery, eating fruit and patting down bubbles before she returned. It was now time for my one hour massage. She told me she was going to make me feel like a mashed potato. That she did. It was wonderful. Remember my foot fetish? Well, I was treated to the fact that she was one of the spas reflexologists and what she did to my feet, and how it made me feel, is probably outlawed in many states.
I mentioned earlier that I am somewhat of a spa aficionado. On one trip to Las Vegas I actually visited four different spas. I toured two of them and had treatments at two others. I have also visited several spas here at home. While I have still never found a spa whose facilities rival those of the Spa at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, the villa on the Magic was something really unique and I am so totally happy that I upgraded. While a very pricey thing, I decided I’d rather do that than purchase a lot of souvenirs.
When the massage was finished, she escorted me out to the verandah to sit on this big double-wide lounge chair with comfy pillows. She then proceeded to do a tea ritual. When it was over she gave me some more alone time, but not without asking if I wanted another glass of champagne. Of course! It was my birthday after all.
So, I finished this wonderful time out there lounging on the recliner, champagne in hand, sea breeze in my hair, watching the sights of Key West. We were now docked at Key West and I had a great view of some of the resorts. Ahhh….I could live like this!
All too soon she returned and collected me and my magical time was over. I will have to do that again. Maybe I will suggest that DH do it too, if we ever go back. Maybe we can do the couples villa…that might be nice.
Because of my delayed start and the fact that I think I actually got about a 15 minute bonus, I was not finished until about 1:10. I had told DD1 that I would grab her from Ocean Quest at 1:00. DH and DD2 were already in Key West and were going to meet us at that Key Lime Pie on a Stick place at 2:30. I quickly showered in the spa and determined that I would definitely utilize another tip I had read on the DIS boards….shower in the spa. The shower is MUCH nicer than in the stateroom. The only complaint I have, is that the amenities in the shower…i.e. shampoo, shower gel and conditioner, were really watery. You would think that they would provide good products in the shower in an attempt to get you to buy them. The opposite was true. The amenities in the shower colored my opinion of their whole product line. The shampoo/conditioner left my hair feeling awful and I wound up taking my own with me to the spa every other time I went.
Once showered and dressed, I collected DD1 and we grabbed a quick lunch from Goofy’s Galley before heading into Key West. We didn’t get off the boat until around 2 pm and headed straight for the Key Lime Pie place that Guest Services told me had the pie on a stick. They didn’t know the name. I don’t know the name (although it may show up in the pictures.) but it is down a little from the first Blond Giraffe that you come to. DD1 and I got our Key Lime Pie on a Stick and sat in the chairs right outside the store. We sat and listened while an employee, a rather bohemian looking guy, called out to all the passers by: “It's high time for key lime pie. We've got everything Key Lime. We got your key lime pie, your key lime this, your key lime that. Come and get your key lime pie on.” We listened to various versions of this chant and watched many people turn their heads to ignore him and walk on. It was actually kind of humorous. I wish I had captured it on film. But, I was content to sit and enjoy our frozen key lime pie on a stick. Finally DH and DD2 showed up. DH got a key lime pie on a stick and DD2 got key lime ice cream and joined us in the chairs outside. DD2 was dumbfounded by the employee’s diatribe and told him point blank that people weren’t going to stop because they thought he was weird. If only I could forecast what was going to come out of her mouth in advance. It is often difficult to pedal our way out of some of these “astute” 8 year-old, way too truthful observations. Oh well.
While we sat there Lynne, Len and Shaunie walked by. “Hey Lynne.” I called out. “LYNNE!” “Lynne from Scotland!” Finally she turned. I think she had been actively trying to ignore Mr. Bohemian, so anything she heard from our direction was tuned out. They stopped for a few minutes and chatted with us before heading back to the ship.
Up next: Please…no more bread and “You can’t call dibs on MY chocolate birthday ship!”
I don't know why, but I just can't put our luggage in to it if it's not clean. I need to go check out your site to see what it says about me, but I'm pretty certain I may have the same diagnosis as you. 
yes and they flowers are amazing!!
What am i like?
