The Crystal Bar!

After dinner and a drink back at the suite to continue what the lunchtime sangria started, Gemma wanted to go explore the ship. I was feeling social and adventurous because of the wine, and since it's started to warm up around here, I tagged along. Clara was already asleep, and nobody else was around at that moment, so we set off by ourselves.

Gemma was honestly exploring, and I was honestly looking for a bar (sorry, Gemma- I was only humoring you about wanting to see the ship's shops and stuff), so eventually we ended up at the Crystal Bar. When we got there, most of the passengers were on their way out, off to end the evening with sleep or snuggles, but I announced that I really was rather too sober at this point and that I must fix the problem! I didn't mean to say that too loudly, and I honestly don't think a lot of people heard despite whatever Gemma said later, but whatever I said was loud enough to draw Jessica's attention. She was at a table and waved us over (but I ordered a round first).

Jessica had been enjoying some downtime (Connor fell asleep earlier, and she said that she'd needed to unwind a little bit by herself), which I was all too happy to interrupt (ok, ok, she actually invited us to stay, but polite, good natured friendships aren't nearly as interesting to write about) with a wave of nonsense and gin. Jessica agreed to have a couple of drinks with me and Gemma, then call it a night.

Three gin and tonics later for me, a bottle of red for Gemma and a bottle of white for Jessica later, I was feeling a little musical.

Yep. Musical.

We got a little loud.

A little rambunctious.

A little drunk.

By this time most of the passengers in the bar had left for the night, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. After a few rounds of stating what we would do with a drunken sailor early in the morning, I was trying to teach Gemma and Jessica the lyrics to “Panic in Detroit” (and, um, trying to remember the lyrics in the first place) when a couple of guys joined us. They were far more coherent than I felt, and actually remembered the lyrics, which amazed me and won my everlasting love. Unfortunately for me, the guys preferred each other to me.

We got to know each other over the last round of the evening, then took another walk round the ship once the Crystal Bar kicked us out for the night. Jessica was the first to feel the rain, and joined forces with the guys to convince Gemma and myself that a late night dip in the pool was NOT, in fact, a good idea. I was a little sullen until one of them (Gary? Garrett?) cracked a joke. It was more the accent than the joke that gave me the giggles, but it looked like the evening was finally over.

Gemma was a little starry eyed on the way back to the suite, and Jessica was more than tired. The guys (the one must be Garrett, I think, and the other had a name that began with an “M”) walked with us part of the way to be sure that we were capable of making it all the way back on own, then bid us good night. I slept like the dead until about 2 o'clock this afternoon.

I've been nursing a headache ever since waking up, but last night was really worth it. I can't wait to see our new friends again, and hope that their friendliness wasn't part of my drunken joy of the evening. ;-)