Last night it was “Elegant Night” onboard the Carnival Pride. I guess Carnival opted to change the terminology from “formal” to “elegant”. Clearly “elegant” has more leeway in terms of what a person considers to be their fanciest frocks. I didn’t see a lot of sparkle, but I did see some leather duds.

Dinner was terrific and again I had a perfectly prepared Maine lobster. I don’t know what Carnival does, but they are one of the few cruise lines that knows how to prepare a crustacean. Other cruise lines seem to have a knack for turning their lobsters into rubber thingys. Overall it was a lovely evening of dining and entertaining moments. The “Wonderful World” show was outstanding and the two singers were dead ringers for Seal and Heidi Klum.

I am amazed at my teen daughters and their ability to pack in more food than a linebacker. At 106 and 80 pounds respectively their quest for chocolate, pasta, pizza, and chicken strips is unending. Cruising is clearly saving me a fortune in groceries this week.

This afternoon was the infamous Carnival “Hairy Chest Contest” and it came down to two wild and crazy guys from my home state of Pennsylvania. There was Rangwal the Indian doctor from the Philadelphia area and Oscar the African American businessman from Scranton. It’s hard to describe the antics these two went through, but I have a video that I will upload next week. Suffice it to say it was insane and Oscar ended up taking home the prize even though Rangwal was clearly the hairiest guy of the bunch. Lots of laughs and one heck of a conga line followed the festivities. Carnival certainly does live up to its “Fun Ship” reputation.

Tonight we dine in David’s Steakhouse one of Carnival’s amazing supper clubs. Tomorrow is our first port of call.