Lessons Learned From the Cruise

There were several things I learned from my Cruise on the Mardi Gras. Some I knew, some I just learned. Let me share some of them with you.

1. When coming on the cruise, be patient. That goes for getting on and off the ship, getting food, shopping and using the bathrooms (Other than your own).

2. Straws may be edible! (This was new to me). I know some companies have gone to papper straws and I thought Carnival had too. Nope, their straws are edible. I have the chocolate and the strawberry. Interesting and tasty.

3. Usually, your Carnival pin is in your room when you get there. Now you have to ask for it at the photo counter! 

4. Your 1.5 liters of water is not in your room either. The ones in the room charge a fee when used. So you have to request your water at any bar. They will scan your card but there is no fee.

5. Bring a light jacket or shawl with you. The room and the dining room can get cool.

6. Bring lots of money for photos if you like pictures. For a 7 night cruise, make sure you get a photo for each port (so you can remember when you went and when). Also get at least one for each formal night. If you don't, you may regret it later! 

7. Don't overpack! That's just more luggage to deal with or more baggage to pay for at the airport.

8. Take a cap. It is always warm in the Caribbean so you will need something to keep you cooler as the sun beats down.

9. In our stateroom, the stool doubled as a tray table! Who knew?

10. Have fun, and don't be afraid to ask questions! That is how we learn.

11. When you are ready, call me! I can make the process easier, more efficient and less stressful. What are you waiting for? Let's Go!!

Day 7 Last Day at Sea on Mardi Gras

This morning started with breakfast in the Palm Restaurant. Seas have been choppy this morning.during breakfast at the Palm Restaurant, there was an announcement made that there would be a stop at Princess Cay for a person on-board who needed medical care. The announcement said it was not COVID related. So we will make a brief stop for the person(s) to disembark and we will continue back on our way to Port Canaveral to arrive tomorrow morning. That is one of the reasons for travel insurance.  You will be able to cover a large part of the cost associated with any medical necessities during your cruise. 

After breakfast, we went to deck 19 so we could see the serenity adult-only deck below on 18 and to see the ultimate playground. While there, we played a fun game of miniature golf. It was so much fun. Vaughn even made a hole-in-one on hole 7! 

The ultimate playground included a water play area, water slides, zip-line, rope ladder, a jogging track, Bolt (the first roller coaster at sea, and a basketball court.

After that excitement, we went to choose our photos for our photo package. We also had professional photos done on the ship and we had to get some of them too. All I will say is, make sure you have money for photos because you will love most, if not all of them. If you can, get a photo package before the cruise to save money. We got the 10 pack and and managed to narrow it down to 11 photos. Our professional photos were very expensive (an expense we had not planned on). We were able to get a few of them too. They were all beautiful!

So, budget for photos and any alcohol you purchase on the ship.

Now it is time to eat and relax on this last day at sea. 

I had to go to my pizzeria one last time.

The weather outside was rainy and gloomy. That was how I felt knowing I would have to get off the ship first thing in the morning. 

But, after every rain storm, there is a reminder of a promise...

Rainbows at sea are beautiful because you see it in its entirety. It is just one reminder of Jehovah God's promises. The oceans boarders are another.

All in all, we enjoyed our cruise and anniversary celebration. It also gave me an opportunity to see how things work on the ship now. I am better prepared to assist clients so they will know what to expect. 

So when you are ready to cruise or vacation or just plan a weekend getaway,  I hope you will give me the opportunity to serve you.

Day 6 Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands

As every island visit begins, we started this day twinning too!

Grand Turk has you go thru the alcohol/perfume store first. After browsing, you can visit the shops in the area. It's just one big circle of them so you can't get lost! To the right is the information about the Friendship 7 and the splashing in 1962.

After seeing that, we went to several of the shops in the area. They even have a Starbucks but were out of what we wanted. So we decided to wait to get something on the ship.

We wandered around for a little while longer and then went back for lunch at the Marketplace on the ship. 

We spent the rest of the evening resting on the balcony, enjoying the sights and sounds of Grand Turk and after sailing away, taking beautiful photos of the setting sun.

Dinner in the Palm dining room. Tonight was lobster night. Vaughn likes them so he had two and I don't eat them. I had the salmon instead. Both were very good. We had fried oysters for appetizers before the main course. I also tried the spaghetti carbonara as an appetizer. Both were very good. For desert he had cream burelee and I had the chocolate melting cake. Both were delicious.

After dinner, we took in a show called Broadway Beats, iconic New York show tunes. The cast was full of energy and talented. 

Now it's time to wind down and relax. Vaughn went off to watch some football on the big screen while I did some chatting with some of the grands via the  facebook app feature.

Tomorrow is a day at sea before getting back to Port Canaveral on Saturday morning. 

What an adventure we have had. More sights and sounds tomorrow on our day at sea. 

When you are ready for your next adventure, call BMac Travel. What are you waiting for? Let's Go!

Day 5 Amber Cove, Dominican Republic

After we had our breakfast at the Marketplace, it started raining. But, by the time we got to deck 3 to get off the ship, the rain had stopped, for the moment. We got off and explored the circular shops there.

We did get our passports stamped, which was an added treat. After some shopping, we went to Coco Cana to get a taste of how meals are prepared in the DR. 

We ordered a sample platter of coconut shrimp, calamari, chicken thighs and ham croquettes served with yucca sticks. 

They also gave us three dipping sauces to try. The staff was friendly and the food was good. I hadn't tried yucca or ham croquet so it was good to taste some new flavors.

While we were eating the "bottom fell out" again. For those who don't know, that means it started raining hard. So we ate more slowly to see if the rain would stop so we could head back to the boat. 

When we finished, the rain had stopped and we headed back to the ship. 

When we got back, we headed to the room to drop off purchases and regroup for what was next.

Vaughn went off to another trivia while I stayed in and rested my back. It was interesting that there was a pharmacy on the island that sold some items we need to have a prescription for as over the counter items (Tylenol 3 with codeine, flexoril, 800 MG Tylenol and other drugs). 

As I write this post, I am on the balcony and it is raining yet again. There are extended balconies below me that would get rained on if they were sitting out. So I am thankful to be located where we are. I am looking out at balconies of a Holland America ship. I spoke to a lady that was sailing and she said it was her absolute favorite line to sail on and she had tried them all! Since I haven't sailed on them, I will have to check them out and see if I like them.

There are some things I do not like about this ship. Making dinner reservations is one of them. But as Vaughn and I discussed, when you have 6,000 people on a ship, you have to do things differently. It's just different from other cruises I have taken. 

Another thing I do not like, and this is not the first time this has been a Carnival design, if you are on the deck near the casino and need to get to something on the other side, you have to walk thru the casino. For one who does not like cigarette smoke, I was not happy to have to do that. Maybe they should have the casino on the side, with its own door, so you won't have to go thru it or can walk around another way to get to your destination. 

So, here on the balcony, the rain has stopped, oh wait, it just started again! And harder this time. Hopefully it will be better weather tomorrow in Grand Turk. If not, I brought rain gear for just-in-case. Looks like that was a good call.

Day 4 At Sea

Since we had another day at sea, we slept late and instead of waiting to eat at the Palm Restaurant, we went to The Marketplace which is a buffet. After enjoying breakfast, we went to the informative presentation on the last two ports, Amber Cove and Grand Turk. There, we received information about how to get around the island, where to shop and things like that. 

Of course, we were twinning today too.

After that, Vaughn was off to another adventure while I choose to go back to the room and sit on our balcony. There is something so relaxing about watching the waves and feeling the ocean breeze. 

This is our first post-pandemic cruise and I, for one, am getting as much rest as possible! 

Day 3 Nassau, Bahamas

Today was our first stop in Nassau. Others started getting off the ship early, like 7:15am, we got up, had a leisurely breakfast and then went off the ship. I went to several stores looking for an after dinner drink called Nassau Royale. To my extreme disappointment, it was no longer being made. So, we walked around, I bought a hat and we ended up back at the boat. We were also twinning today so we had some nice conversations, both off and on the ship.

It was funny because we received compliments on the island too. One lady yelled a compliment out of the window from her car! We had a great time exploring and trying, in vain, to find some Nassau Royale liquor. We found out it is no longer made and I was disappointed because that was my main reasons for coming to Nassau. 

We have been so many times, this time we did not purchase much. I did get a hat because I left mine on the ship. We just had fun looking and talking with some of the locals.

We went back to the ship and had lunch at the marketplace.

After lunch we went back to the room for a needed break. Before long it was time for dinner. We went back to the Palm Restaurant. We had to make a reservation as we do every night we want to eat there. This was a new concept for me because we never had to do that before this sailing. But a lot of pre-COVID things are different post-COVID. 

The food was cooked just right and Vaughn enjoyed a steak while I had baked tilapia that was very good. 

It was cooked just right! And the veggies with it were very tasty too. I had a salad first, then the fish and then desserts, strawberry cheesecake and assorted fruit. I did not think I would finish it all but I did. 

Hubby said his steak was good. For his appetizer, he had escargot and the chocolate melting cake for dessert.

We went to see the show "Lovin' Vegas." It was high-flying acrobatics with singing and dancing. It was a high-energy show and the talent was awesome. 

We later ended our night on the balcony drinking hot chocolate/coffee.

Tomorrow is a sea day for us to explore the ship and participate in some of the on-board activities. 

Are you ready for your next vacation? It can be land or sea! Just go! Call me to assist with the arrangements! My number is 704-294-9150. Let's Go!