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Something funny happend while we were docked in Cozumel. I had thouroughly exhausted my legs the day before in GC, so I decided to spend the time at Coz aboard the ship. My wife would go ashore with her mother and sister. During breakfast that morning, my wife went into panic mode because she couldn't find her cabin key. So before she left the ship, we returned to the cabin so she could look for it. After opening the door, I forgot to remove my key from the lock. My sister knocked on the door, to show us my key in the door, just as my wife found her key in the bottom of her purse.
My sister removed the key from the door and handed it to my wife to hand to me.
Without thinking, and without me noticing, my wife put both keys into her purse. Just then, her sister and mother showed up. And off they went to explore Coz.
It took 5 minutes for me to realize I was keyless. Staying aboard ship was my plan, but not staying in the cabin. I grabbed my wheelchair and rowed my way through the elevators and decks to get to deck 3, trying to catch up with them before they left the ship. The debarkation lines were quite long, so I waited for several minutes before concluding that they had already left. So I spent the day locked out of the cabin.
No problem that, since I knew where to find food, drink, and necessary rooms. I decided to go to the pool area to have a few hotdogs. I ran into my niece and nephew there and told them about my lockout. We all had a good laugh about it. They had reservations for a horseback ride, and shortly after, left to catch their bus. They would tell my wife if they ran into her.
So what's a Seahunks shipbound and alone, in a wheelchair, to do? Rum and Coke!
I spent most of the rest of the day at the pool bar drinking r/c and chatting with Lee from Phoenix and Steve and Edna from NC. I had a blast the rest of the afternoon. The four of us solved all the problems of the world!
Eventually I went back to the afterdeck and watched divers and other workmen building an extension on the pier. Fascinating activity. I went down to the dining room at dinner time, hoping to find my wife there. Instead I found my mother-in-law who had found nothing of interest during her excursion. So she had left my wife and SIL somewhere amid the shops and street hawkers to return to the ship. Since I was wearing shorts, I went to the pizza parlor and ate some goatcheese pizza and and drank some punch. My niece and nephew returned form their "trail" ride and joined me as I went out, once more, to the afterdeck, my favorite spot on the ship.
My wife finally returned to the ship about 7:30PM, having left at 9:00AM. She had discovered both keys in her purse about 3 PM, and knew enough that I would know what to do with myself while locked out of the cabin. But she was abjectly apologgetic.
She and my SIL had grabbed some roast beef as they had come through the Seaview, on their way to look for me in my favorite part of the ship. She and my SIL, joined the other 3 of us at our table. She lay down her plate and table setting next to me on the table. Noticing how I salivated at the sight of her roast beef and green beans, still abjectly apologetic, she offered to get get me a plate of it. I said, "Sure, I'd like some. Thank you."
She left her SS card and both room keys on top of her napkin. It was windy there on the afterdeck. As she went to the buffet for me, she asked me to make sure they didn't blow off.
As soon as she went throgh the automatic doors, I picked the cards up from the table.
I showed them to my SIL, niece and nephew as I placed the cards in my pocket, telling them, "Watch this!"
Chris returned from the buffet with my plate and we both began eating. It was every bit as tasty as it looked. About 10 minutes passed before a gust of wind blew up, which sent my SIL's napkin flying down the adjacent stairway to the deck below. The event provoked Chris to look down at her napkin, where she had placed the SS card and room keys.
"Where are the cards?" she blurted.
"What?" I asked, in mock shock.
"I left my Sign and Sail card and room keys right here!" The look on her face was utterly golden!
If you have seen Jean Shepard's "Christmas Story," think of the scene. The lugnuts are in the hubcap. Suddenly they're silhouetted against the streetlights as they scatter over the snow. And Ralphie mutters the word for which a mouthful of Lifebuoy is the reward.
The next word out of the mouth of my angelic, God fearing, Christian wife was the same word that Ralphie said. That word came out of the same mouth that constanly nags me to watch my language! She said it out loud! And neither was it, "Fudge."
At that instant, my revenge had gone far enough. I pulled the cards out of my pocket and showed them to my wife. Then I started laughing. Once I started I couldn't stop. My laughter was quicklly joined by that of everyone else at the table, including my wife. Soon we were joined by others on the deck. Fortunately there were no children present, or puritans, apparently. It took me 10 minutes to stop laughing. I still occasionally chuckle about it, 10 days later.
That is among my most cherished memories of Cozumel.
Location: Greater Tampa Bay area (south of the BIG BRIDGE!)
Posts: 2,825
Re: A Cruise Story or Seahunks' Revenge
Great, FUNNY story, Steve......but what really makes it hysterical is the fact that it apparently never occured to you or anyone with whom you came in contact throughout the day that all you had to do was go to Guest Relations and request another sail and sign card!
Actually, I knew about going to the Pursar, or finding the room steward, or whatever authority applies. But I really had no need to do go to my room anyway. I was having too good of a time:-)
Love that story Seahunks, especially the comparison to Ralphie and the Lifebuoy soap! (A Christmas Story is one of my favourite movies). Thanks for sharing.
Ok Seahunks...inquiring minds want to know. Did the Lifebouy make an apearance later in the cabin? heehee Be careful....I hear that stuff can cause blindness. :-)
Littlegiles, It wasn't Lifebuoy, but Palmolive. I tend to have harsh reactions to hotel soaps, not that the hives will stop me from using whatever is available. So, we packed some Palmolive, just in case the Carnival soap proved too harsh. Although the ship's soap gave me a slight rash, the Palmolive stayed wrapped until Chris and I were snowed in at the Marietta, Oh Hotel. It was never used as a "dirty mouth" cleanser-- Mercifully, since she and I already wear glasses. Coincidentally, Ralphie's favorite soaps happen to be the same ones that are friendliest to my skin. When I'm out of one, I stock up on the other.
By the way, rollerdonna, did you know that Jean Shepard, besides narrating "A Christmas Story" also appeared in the movie? He was the guy who pointed out where the end of line to see Santa Claus was. I just found that out last year.
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A Cruise Story or Seahunks' Revenge
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