Last Night on Virgin's Valiant Lady

This is our last night on Virgin's Valiant Lady and I must say, it has been a game changer! Things that you have to pay for on other lines are included in the cost of the cruise here. There are no a la carte restaurants! All dining is included! Even sodas, tea, and coffee is free. (Specialty coffee and red bull type drinks cost). There is no buffet! Big game changer. You go into the Galley, find a seat, use your phone to scan the QR code for the menu. Once you decide what you want, raide the flag on the table and someone will come take your order and deliver the food to you. This whole cruise was a learning experience. Virgin Voyages has disrupted the industry. I believe there are going to be a lot of people who crave an adult-only experience while on a cruise. And while I did not attend some of the shows and entertainment because of my personal preferences, I did enjoy the experience and would sail again with more insight and wisdom on what to do better. This hammock on the balcony of our room has me wanting to get one when I return home. All I will need is a loop of the ocean water splashing so I can close my eyes and revisit this experience. While I would have loved to have a photographer on-board, I brought my own. I would have loved a little bigger bathroom and would have enjoyed being able to book restaurant reservations a little better.  I will know how to improve next time. Maybe a group of couples would like to go with me. I'm taking names. Just let me know.

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.

Pre-anniversary Shenanigans-part 2

Today we went from Savannah, GA to Port Canaveral, FL. Before leaving Savannah, we stopped to eat at Perkins and made a quick trip to Walmart. That is one thing about us, we will find a Walmart for those last few things we left at home. So, we got to our last destination before getting on a big ship tomorrow. Tonight we are staying at Radisson Resort at the Port. It is not exactly a resort, in my opinion, but they do have a restaurant on site as well as plenty of parking in the back and nice sized rooms. They also allow you to park and they will transport you to and from the cruise terminal. It is very convenient and for that reason, we like to stay here when we are going on a cruise.