Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction concocted entirely within my imagination. None of this actually happened. If you feel particularly protective of certain celebrity chefs, you may not want to read it. You have been warned.
My friends are lame and because of this, they missed out while I had the trip of a lifetime. We'd been out of college for several years but, when I suggested a two-day cruise out of Manhattan on a family-friendly cruise line, they were not interested. I had heard that this particular cruise line provided a very high level of service but they were worried about it being overrun by children. They said they would reconsider a similar cruise on a cruise line known more for excessive booze and general rowdiness but I wasn't interested in that scene at all. So I booked myself a stateroom and looked forward to enjoying myself, but didn't bother mentioning it to them again.
I figured the two-day cruise would be a good opportunity to find out if everything I'd heard about this cruise line was true but not long enough for me to feel awkward about going by myself. I also figured that I wouldn't be the only single person around my age on the ship. I really went into it expecting to have a great time and I absolutely was not let down. Of course I also had no idea that there were going to be a few Food Network personalities onboard. I didn't consider myself a foodie but I watched enough Food Network to know a number of the regulars on the network and that most of their restaurants and, of course the network studios, were in New York. When the big day finally arrived and I was onboard, exploring the ship, it was the small camera crews that caught my attention. Only when I went to investigate further did I realize that a Food Network special was being shot during the cruise. I didn't expect this to really impact me, other than perhaps provide something else to entertain me occasionally.
The cruise left on Friday evening, so I'd taken the entire day off and had ventured onboard as early as I was allowed. I'd have Friday night and all day Saturday onboard then we'd be debarking early on Sunday morning. I had enough time to explore the ship prior to the mandatory evacuation drill and, once that was complete, the Sail-Away Party started and we headed out to sea. I situated myself where I could see all the activity and performances going on during the Sail-Away Party, while also scoping out potential singles or other people in general around my age as well as the passing scenery. There were a lot of families at the party but I suspect that there would have been a lot more for a Caribbean cruise on this cruise line. I did spot Jeff Mauro with his wife and son as well as Melissa D'Arabian with her family dancing and having fun. Katie Lee was also more toward the fringes of the crowd, it looked like with maybe a sister and their mom and, presumably, her sister's child. On Deck 10 looking down, much as I was, I also spotted Amanda Freitag with what looked like a handful of friends but no children. I didn't notice anyone else that I recognized from Food Network but I thought it was pretty cool that the ones I did see were able to just get out there in the middle of everything with their friends and family. Even though there was presumably a work aspect to this trip, at least it wasn't all work.
I had the late seating for dinner so, after the Sail-Away Party wound down, I went to see the show for that evening then went to dinner. I was seated at a large table with a several people of various ages including a small family, a bunch of friends traveling together and a young couple. It didn't take long before we were getting to know each other while enjoying an unbelievable meal. It was pretty late by the time we finished the last course and were ready to leave the dining room but I knew there was still a lot to do. There was another deck party going on, which I attended for a bit, but I soon headed to one of the adults-only nightclub-type venues and found more of what I was looking for. There was a band playing and a lot of people dancing, many of them around my age. I dove right in and started dancing myself.
As much as I enjoyed dancing, I was definitely also on the prowl. I had a stateroom all to myself so, even if I met a young lady traveling with her family, there was someplace we could go. I was kind of getting the feeling that there might be a few potentials, especially this one with some really nice curves and big boobs. I was still trying to assess whether she was just interested in dancing or something more when I was surprised to find that I was dancing with Katie Lee. I'm not sure where she'd come from; suddenly she was just there, dancing right in front of me. Of course, how often do you get the opportunity to dance with a TV personality, so I went all in, though keeping a respectable distance so as not to scare her off. I don't know if she'd been drinking or if it was just her personality but she grabbed my hand and put her hands on my shoulders a couple of times. It definitely crossed my mind that it would be incredibly cool to hook up with her, though the curvy girl with the big boobs was not forgotten.
Dancing with one Food Network celebrity was already going to be a hell of a story but, when Amanda Freitag showed up and joined us and I was dancing with both of them, my mind was nearly blown. Her friends joined us out there, as well, and Katie's sister was also in the mix nearby so it wasn't even remotely intimate. It was a fairly small dance floor with a lot of people so, technically, I could say that there were a lot of other women I was dancing with, too, but that wasn't how I expected to tell the story when we were back in New York. When the band finally took a break and pre-recorded music started playing through the sound system, I decided to take a break along with a lot of other people. I was pleasantly surprised when Amanda waved me over to where she and her friends were sitting with Katie and her sister.
I introduced myself around and ordered a cold beer but it was a bit difficult to make too much small talk with the music still playing. I ended up only talking to the people closest to me, who just happened to be Amanda and Katie. I was relishing the attention and the opportunity but at that point I wasn't getting any sort of vibe that it was anything more than just all of us having a good time. When the band returned, we all headed back to the dance floor but it was obvious that a fair number of people had left as the dance floor was less crowded. The curvy chick with the big boobs was nowhere to be seen. Fortunately, though I lamented that potential missed opportunity, I was still getting attention from Katie and Amanda, along with a few other remaining ladies. I wasn't the only guy out there who found the odds in his favor, however, since there were just a few of us who weren't part of a couple.
While the band continued to play, the crowd thinned out even more as people were clearly getting worn out. The die-hards, however, stuck it out and, by the time things wound down, we were a much more intimate crowd. When the band called it a night, rather than stick around for the return of the pre-recorded music, a group of us decided to head up to the bar near the adults-only pool. Katie's sister called it a night at this point because their mom had been with her son for several hours already. Katie and Amanda remained, along with Amanda's friends and several others we were becoming fast friends with. It was definitely quieter and more laid back up there, at least until we arrived. We weren't rowdy but it did take some time to wind down from the pumping music and dancing. Eventually, though, I think the fatigue started setting in. Some people only stuck around for a single drink then called it a night.
I didn't keep track of everyone as they left, mainly because I'd ended up on a couch between Amanda and Katie. They clearly knew each other pretty well and I spent some of the time just listening to their conversation, but they also took advantage of the quieter environment to learn more about me and share more about themselves. Amanda had invited her closest friends to join her and they had two adjoining rooms. Likewise, Katie and her family had adjoining rooms, which were both shared. I mentioned that I had a stateroom all to myself so they probed me for more information about how I'd ended up traveling alone. They weren't surprised by my friends' perceptions of the cruise line and, in fact, some of Amanda's friends had required convincing, as well.
"Well we're certainly glad that you decide to come after all," Katie said, "and now you're definitely not alone."
"Except when I'm sleeping," I replied.
