Evenings on the Navi

Evenings are pretty predictable: dinner, then the casino plus a margarita or two, then bed. No shows, no trivia. There are only so many art auctions and bracelet giveaways a person can sit through before tapping out. We’ve done some sun time, peeked into the ice rink (didn’t skate—no pants, no entry), hidden some ducks around the ship, and spent a lot of time planning future cruises. We’re booked out through February 2027 now… which still feels a little wild to say out loud.

Lately I’ve also been feeling a little restless. I think part of it is not being able to do the things I want to do like studying, writing, or really digging into projects because doing all of that on a phone just doesn’t cut it. I refuse to travel with a heavy laptop. I already regret selling my MacBook Air… pretty sure I’ll be fixing that when we’re home this summer.

Fridays are their own kind of chaos. I basically lose a full day (sometimes two) packing, then doing the whole back-to-back cruise shuffle—disembarkation, consecutive cruiser meetup, customs, out of the terminal, back through security, re-boarding, and then waiting until 1pm to get back into the room and unpack everything again. It’s a system at this point, but still exhausting.

Socially, I’m trying. Talking more to familiar faces in the casino and dining room, keeping up where I can. I definitely miss casually texting my friends whenever I want, but I do still get my weekly FaceTime calls in with my mom and stepmom, which helps more than I probably say out loud.

The rest of my time gets filled with editing clips, working on room tours, making random photo collages of all the little pieces of content that eventually come together. And somewhere in the back of my mind is that CGRC exam I’m supposed to be studying for in July. I know I need to focus on it, I just… haven’t had it in me. My brain feels like mush most days.Read more