Ibette Bravo - at Sea

Several years back, my best friends and I embarked on a memorable cruise upon the Royal Carribean - Adventures of the Sea. This was the second cruise for Ibette and myself but the very first for our friend Jackie. We take our vacationing time very seriously as three hard working women who know that these vacation days and the travel costs are muy-expensive. We made a slew of new friends with the staff and had a great time dragging each other through our selections of excursions (we each got to pick two that the others had to do no matter what it was). This system has always worked out in the past (on prior mentioned cruise I chose kayaking and snorkeling with stingrays while Ibette chose a tour through Old San Juan and a more important tour through the Bacardi Factory). We were having such a splendid time that I have to admit we were not prepared for what came next.

Well they say it was not food poisoning, but rather someonebroughtontheshipthestomachflu-breathe-RoyalCarribeanwasnotresponsiblefortheillness. Well, in truth I guess no one is ever ready for this. But alas, Jackie was the one that got hit hard. She had felt uncomfortable the entire day, as we were traipsing through the islands and when we got back to the ship we had heard the news of how there was something aboard. Being the doting friends we were, Ibette and I made a big stink of how they HAD to take care our friend-no expense spared. That was until we (or me rather) found out that whomever was ill was to be quarantined. ALONG WITH THEIR ROOMMATES. I was devastated. I did not come on a fantastic boat, to some gorgeous islands, to be on lock down in case we got ill. I had just made an entire case of why we all shouldn't have to be on lock down in a friggin 2 x 2 room*, all the while keeping an eye on Jackie mind you, when I felt a big gust of wind fly by me. I turned around to see what the sudden wash color was that had gone by and there was Ibette sprinting up the stairs (the stairs she who claimed gave her Charlie's horse on the first day) nearly pushing people aside to get to our room. While Jackie and I calmly settled into what was a final edict - 48 hours/no chance for parole - we came to the room only to see Ibette half way changed into her Rainbow Brite - like pajamas (it was 4 in the afternoon)

and looking through the room service menu. I was morosely looking around our prison with no bars when I heard Ibette exclaim with full gusto "This vacation is GREAT! Something for everyone. We all got to do exactly what we wanted and now we even get to go on total lock down! No 'touring/walking miles' through cities. No working out in the mornings. No making me burn calories by walking up and down the stairs, like idiots, instead of taking the elevators, like normal people. No nothing but the movie channel and room service. What do you guys want to order???"

....And that is one of the better ways to introduce you to my best friend Ibette Bravo, whose birthday we celebrated today and with whom anyone would be lucky to be on lock down with at sea..........

* size mentioned is is merely an approximation