A relaxed lunch on Deck 9

Our stateroom hosts are in the Suite when we return from the beach, finishing up their morning cleaning. The beds are made – with a few of our stuffed friends placed sitting together on the master bed – and the boys’ folded away. In the dining room, the dirty breakfast dishes and the tablecloth are nowhere to be seen.

We also have the necessary (but unwelcome!) forms that we need for the end of our cruise – luggage tags, customs declaration forms, and our cruise survey. They’ve left us eight luggage tags for the six of us – I ask for three more, since we’ll have them carry 11 bags off the ship for us.

After we freshen up a bit, we leave the Suite for Deck 9. I take the etiquette book with me, the one I found on the bookshelves here. I hope that’s not a no-no – I will return it, after all. We climb the stairs to Deck 9 and claim a table next to the port walkway, midship, near the Goofy pool. Benjamin goes straight for the pool, which only has a couple of other people in it.

I walk down to the drink station and get sodas for Becky and me. After delivering them to the table, I walk across to the starboard side of Deck 9 and take some pictures of the island, the unfinished side of the Flying Dutchman, and the clear blue water below. It has turned into a gorgeous day.

I then cross around to Pluto’s Dog House, which is at the base of the aft funnel facing the Mickey Pool. I’m in the mood for something pretty basic here, so I order a hot dog and some fries. Once I get back to the table, Becky hops up to find her lunch.

While she’s gone, I suddenly spot Brandon walking by. Hmm. I thought he would still be on the island, but apparently he didn’t stay for much longer after we left.

Becky returns with her plate, very satisfied with what she was able to find, a chicken salad wrap and lots of fresh fruit. She says she got it at Pluto’s Dog House, too. Hmm, I didn’t even notice those options. No big deal, though – I still probably would have gotten a hot dog.

Our cruise director, Christiaan, walks by and gives us a friendly greeting. He’s a nice guy. I’ve been impressed with all three cruise directors we’ve had – all have been friendly and enthusiastic – but Christiaan might just be my favorite. He not only has a bit of a mischievous streak, which I always admire, he also just seems to be having a total blast at his job. It’s a very genuine energy he possesses. I know I could never maintain it for any length of time.

There’s a “virtual bridge tour” scheduled to show on the big screen above the pool beginning at 12:15. It starts on time, but there’s no sound playing. I debate going to tell someone, but I shrug it off. I’ve got my book to read.

After my hot dog is gone, I go sample the pizza from Pinocchio’s. Once I have a refill on my drink, I’m settled in for a nice, quiet relaxing time on deck.