Day 2 – Monday, May 23A Day at Sea
Monday was a day at sea. We set sail for a 24-hour journey encircling the entire country of Cuba. We would find ourselves docked at our port of call by sunrise. So that left nothing to do but party, all day long. The waters were somewhat rough and choppy. The ship rocked back and forth, side-to-side, making it somewhat difficult to walk a straight line. Although many passengers were drunk, or on their way, some of us who where not drunk, looked as though we were from our unsteady gait. Some were sea sick and were MIA (probably in their rooms) for most part of the day.
Our initial thought was that we were going to the Bahamas but that was not the case. The cruise ship’s destination under normal conditions is Labadee, Haiti but due to the unrest in that country, alternative plans for the Bahamas were made. Later in the evening, it was announced that it was now safe to travel to Haiti. We would be the second cruise tourists to arrive since given the green light.
As the day rolled on, we perused the ship and all of its fabulous amenities. Everywhere we went, we were sure to find a skater doing something, somewhere. The ship had a shopping mall on Deck 5, the Promenade Deck, where we could purchase clothing (formal or casual) diamonds, gold, watches, cologne, perfume, cosmetics, liquor, souvenirs, and more. All duty and tax free. Some decided to hang out at the pub and play card games while others indulged in the free self-serve ice cream (can you say "Brain Freeze"!) and the entertainment that was on deck.
Time to Roll
Eleven O’clock rolled around and we headed to Studio B – Center Ice to get our roll on. The ship’s ice rink had been converted to a roller rink. A pseudo wooden floor was laid over a sheet of insulation to create a roller skating environment.
It took some getting use to but the floor was a bit slippery for most. Especially for those wearing Fomac wheels which are slick under normal conditions. Some people even had a few spills. The wheels that seemed to test out fine in this situation were the Beatkeeper wheels. I slid twice going
around the corners but the majority of the evening was without incident.
It was a historical moment. This was the first time that a coordinated effort had been made to take roller skating to a new level in this manner. The one hundred skaters that made the decision to go on this trip, were the first to host and partake in a freestyle roller skating party, on board a luxury cruise ship outside of the United States in International waters! It is a lasting memory that none of us will ever forget. We sincerely thank the Detroit Rhythmic Rollers and PM Travel Services for their vision and the hard work it took to pull this off and make it the success that it was.
The Party was Not Over
After skating, many headed to the club to dance the rest of the night away. The DJ was off the chain, mixing old school with new school. No one wanted to leave the club. As a matter of fact, the skaters shut the place down that night. The bar was closed, the lights were on high beam and the clean up crew was doing its job and skaters were still out on the dance floor getting their groove on.
The Party Still was Not Over
They finally got the hint it was time to vacate the premises so what’s next? Even at 4:00 a.m. the night was still young. Tired and aching legs from skating and dancing, made their way up the stairs to the Promenade deck for free pizza, sandwiches and a variety of cheesecakes and cookies. When the restaurant servers saw everyone coming, they panicked. They never expected they would have to prepare food on the spot for such a large number of people at that time of morning.
Finally, everyone went to bed.
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