As always happens, I was too keyed up to fall right to sleep, and even when I finally did, I slept fitfully all night. Fitfully but until a little after 10am! Yes, that's right. I wonder if all the Breeza Marinas I had at the MTP party might be part of the reason? Might could be.
G was already off the ship, using the free wifi available in the terminal at Pointe Seraphine on St. Lucia. He left me a walkie talkie placed prominently on the vanity in lieu of a note. I took just enough time to shower, gathered up an armload of pool towels and headed up to the Calypso Pool, the one under the MUTS screen. It was misting rain, and any loungers under the overhang of the deck above were already reserved. I found space for two more, and dragged two wet loungers out of the rain to under the overhang...and contacted G to tell him to get back ASAP to permanently place his bottom in a chair. I didn't dare even leave for food or fluids until he arrived.
G showed up just before Prego's Pizzeria right next to pool opened, and I got two slices and called it brunch. G got me a beer from the cabin and I settled in. There were several features on the big screen before the first game started at 2pm: first a Charlie Chan movie, then that underwater video and finally a sort of video trivia that revolved around TV and movie trivia. The time passed quickly, and before we knew it, the game was starting. Those passengers who arrived at 1:45pm seeking chairs for the game were way out of luck...I was lucky to get something at 10:45am!
Light, misting rainshowers came and went...our location just under the overhang was a good one. We would get lightly damp when it rained, but never had to move. I guess we'll need to sit there next weekend too! :-) :-) :-)
And after that, it was just a matter of endurance, first lightly cheering on the 49ers, then going absolutely nuts for the Broncos. I never got off the ship (not even free wifi could make me risk losing my chair), and we canceled our table for dinner and munched all day on pizza, chips and salsa, ice cream and popcorn. Healthy living, this was not. Happy living? Most definitely.
During commercial breaks, we were treated to the usual international sports ads: the 2013 Nagico Super 50 Trinidad and Tobago cricket tournament; the 2014 Australian Open; ESPN FC (soccer...er, that other kind of football); the England Premier League Aston v. Arsenal (ditto); and Bundesliga (and again). It definitely makes the point that, as big as the NFL playoffs are to us, most of the world could not care less. Imagine that!
The first three quarters of the Broncos v. Chargers game were fairly unexciting but hugely entertaining. The fourth quarter was unentertaining but hugely exciting. In the end, they got it done, and it turned out to be a beautiful evening for football with not a drop of rain. After 10 hours and 15 minutes, I returned to our cabin for the first time since I'd left this morning.
Also noteworthy, and shockingly not sports-related, the first Crab Shack was held tonight on the Emerald Princess. It takes place in Cafe Caribe, which used to be used for dinner every evening except German night. This winter, it's not been used in the evenings until tonight; regular dinners are served in the Horizon Court Buffet. The Crab Shack is $20 per person; I'll keep you posted on how often it's held.