To continue the review....


Day 5. Belize.


Music of the Day: "Birthday" by Paul McCartney from the Tripping the Live Fantastic album.

Gee, is someone having a birthday today?

I wake to Sir Paul singing about my special day. Room service for breakfast, then to the Ivanhoe to get our tender tickets.


Musical background: "Boat in Belize" by Kelly McGuire.

We tendered to the port area for our River Wallace/Altun Ha excursion. Our tour was set up to cruise the river first, then visit the ruins after lunch. Other groups see the ruins first, then cruise the river back to port. It's a small boat, and we had to wear life jackets while on the bay -- but not on the river.


the manatees was camera shy, we saw the tips of their noses but that was about it. Once on the river, though, we saw crocodiles, iguanas, even howler monkeys -- one actually howled at us. We also saw lots of people practicing for the national canoe race, which takes place in March.



Lunch was at a rustic resort called the Black Orchid resort. Black orchids are the national flower of Belize. We dined on baked chicken, rice and red beans. the only other alternative would have been hamburgers.



Then it was on to Altun Ha. this was the best, and worst, part of the excursion. Our shipped arrived late, and then we had a very long wait for the bus while at the Black Orchid. So by the time we got to the archeological site, our tour guide kept telling us "we don't have a lot of time!" We got a thorough and well-informed tour, but it felt rushed. And we didn't have time to explore the site on our own.


We learned that the Mayans got their name when Columbus asked who they were. They said “maya”, which meant “we don’t understand”, but the "name" stuck.


It was amazing to stand among ruins that date back to 600 AD . I didn't climb any of the structures, however, it just looked a bit too scary.



Musical cue: "Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing.


Appropriate song choice for two reasons. the first, of course, is because it's my birthday and I am having a wonderful time.


But also...


It's our second formal night. Everyone dress up for my birthday, you hear?


The show tonight is a salute to the 80’s. We loved the dancing and singing – Madonna, "Thriller", Flashdance…break dancers ... the memories.


On to dinner. I ordered a pasta dish and prosecco. The pirate king ordered a birthday cake --- yellow cake white frosting and strawberry filling. sophisticated, not overly sweet. the waiters sang "Happy Birthday" to me. And for a few minutes, i really really really missed my daughters.


Our late night entertainment included a show in the Eagle Lounge, "Liar's club" starring Big Tex and two other members of his staff. Very funny.



Day 6. "Mexico" by Jimmy Buffett


We arrived in Cozemel looking for the sun, but found only a cloudy day.

the port area has a lovely shopping plaza, we browsed for awhile before meeting up with our tour. The pirate king made the mistake of calling home on his cell – we heard all about the s-n-o-w.


Our tour today is Isla Pasion by Twister. The Twister is a speed boat – you must wear a life jacket and you must be strapped in. It’s a 20 minute ride to the lagoon at Isla Pasion, when you get to the lagoon you do the twists and spins. You WILL get wet.



Song: "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles" " Ain’t No Sunshine" by Bill Withers



Isla Pasion is a lovely beach... but there’s no sun! The weather has not cooperated all week. The white sands, the blue waters, it’s very inviting and I did go for a short swim. Then we ate lunch, drank some rum punch and did some serious shopping – silver bracelets for the kids and a tanzanite and opal ring for me. Don’t be afraid to bargain with the sellers, they will give you a much better price. Then back on the boats, more spins in the lagoon before returning to the pier.



We did A LOT of shopping at the pier in Cozumel. Bought a ton of souvenirs.


Tonight's entertainment is a comedian. Dinner is seafood Newberg and champagne. I was so tired by that point, I decided to make it an early evening. the pirate king decided to go exploring, however, and went to the deck party for the Mexican buffett. He tells me he was not impressed with the food...first time either of us were disappointed with food on the ship.






Day 7.


Background music: "Sea Cruise" by Frankie Ford.


Our day started with breakfast on the Lido deck. I am really getting used to this. It’s our last sea day.


Next up is the Behind the Fun Tour. It involves lots of walking and several sets of steep stairs, but it's a great tour – back stage at the theater, crew quarters, galleys, garbage disposal facilities, engine control room, laundry room, bridge. Security accompanies us to the secure areas of the ship, such as the engine control room and the bridge, Do you know that the bridge is on deck 8, right near passenger cabins? We picked up a stowaway as we walked through the deck, someone followed us onto the bridge. security quickly escorted him out.


the captain told us that the previous week the Valor had a real-live rescue at sea! One night one of the officers spotted a flash of light in the dark that turned out to be a man in a small sailboat.the boat was taking on water. the man was pleased to see the Valor, but upset that they could not save his boat.

We got refreshments along the way – coffee in the library, water and juice in officer’s mess, cookies in the Lincoln dining rom, champagne in Scarlett’s, and cookies and chocolate covered strawberries in our room. We also got photos, lanyards, pom bags and caps, all bearing the Carnival "Behind the Fun" logo.



After the tour we stopped at the gift shop to buy a few last-minute souvenirs. then it was back to the room to pack.
Then up to the Prometheus pool (because it has retractable roof) for some swim time. There’d been sun in the AM but by the time we were ready to swim it was cool and cloudy. The water in the pool was cold but the swim felt good. Hot tub felt even better.

We went up to the deck to watch the sun set. We could see the Florida Keys in the distance. I turned to the pirate king and said "welcome back to Florida", and he replied "Why must you say such evil and horrible things?"


It was actually very lovely on the deck, a bit breezy, but we could see the moon and stars in the night sky.



Our last dinner aboard ship ---prime rib. Our last show from the waiters –singing "Leavin’ on a Jet Plane." It was nice, but not nearly as good as their dance to "Low" earlier in the week ("apple bottom jeans...boots with the fur...")

We went to the Ivanhoe for the raffle drawing, hoping to win a cruise. No such luck. We had no interest is watching the "Legends" show, so we headed back to our cabin and went to bed -- we had an early departure from the ship because of the time of our flight home.



Day 8. Debarkation day.


Song interlude: "Good riddance:Time of Your Life" by Green Day


The weather is gorgeous! too bad we have to go home today. We had breakfast in the room. Getting off the ship easy, we collected our luggage in the terminal -- and got on the line for customs. Now I knew we were home.



It was a picture perfect day, I almost wanted to cry. We had an easy bus ride to Fort Lauderdale airport (I prefer it to Miami, much better layout.) and an uneventful flight home.


Next I will post some photos from the cruise.

day 4 Roatan








By now I've stopped counting days according to the calendar. It's day 4 of the cruise, who cares what the calendar says?



We arrived in the late morning, watched the coastline for awhile before docking at Mahogany Bay. From our ship we can see two wrecks…both look very rusty.



We opted for breakfast in the main dining room. The king had eggs benedict and I had a cheese omelet. Asked for a ham and cheese omelet, but ...anyhow, the food was delicious..







Then it was time to walk down the gangway and meet our tour – Discover Roatan. The first part of the tour is a ride in a dinghy out to the wrecks – it rained a little, but it wasn’t too bad. The wrecks can’t be moved -- tthe coral reef might be harmed. We got to see one of the wrecks up close, took lots of photos of the rust.







Then we boarded the bus. the tour guide talked quite a bit about how poor the island is and how tourism is their only industry. Every stop on the tour involves shopping and I felt I have to contribute to the local economy. We saw scenic bluffs, a performance by the Garifuna people –Africans who came to Honduras and Belize to get away from the English –as well as a park honoring the local Garifuna heroes, and we got to taste local foods including yucca bread and some sort of fish stew. then it was back to the pier and shopping. (gee, do you sense a theme here?)







Back on the ship, we ordered room service. He had pastrami and I had shrimp salad. We spent some time reading and relaxing, then dressed for dinner.











We ate at Scarlett’s. It was truly an amazing experience. He had lobster bisque, iceberg salad, surf n turf with Yukon gold mashies with wasabi. I had shrimp cocktail, casear salad and surf n turf w/ Yukon (no wasabi), and then we had dessert – vanilla ice cream for him, cheesecake for me. While we ate we watched the rain fall on deck and felt the movement of the ship on choppy seas. No trip outside this evening.

2/16.




Our first port of call, the Cayman Islands.



We awoke to the sound of room service bringing our breakfast. In the pre-dawn distance I could see the lights of George Town, Grand Cayman. By 7:30 we were dressed and on our way to the tender. The water was a bit choppy, but that couldcn’t stop us.



Background music: anything Paul McCartney. The pirate king and I were fortunate to see Sir Paul in concert at Citifield last july. Today the king wore his concert t shirt, a real conv ersation starter, everyone asked us if we’d seen the concert. Apparently Sir Paul is revered in the British West Indies.



Background music: a medley of "Yellow Submarine" by the Beatles and "Under the Sea" from Disney's Little Mermaid. We arrived in port and found our shore excursion quickly --- a group of six headed for the Atlantis Submarine. We walked over to the Atlantis offices, and there was a yhellopw submarine on display outside! Usually there are about 40 people on the sub, but we were a v ery small group and it felt like a private tour. Lots of interaction with our tour guide as we tendered out to the sub.



The worst part of the trip wasn’t the choppy waters at the surface, it was climbing the ladder down into the sub (going up after the tour was better). We saw coral reefs, we saw fish, we saw a shipwreck and we even saw a mermaid…well, a statue of one. No stingrays or turtles, alas. but we saw a moray eel!



After the sub ride we walked around the downtown area for awhile. We spotted a small area with a few old cannons and a stone wall. We discoverd that it's the last remnants of Fort George.It's so sad that Fort George was torn down to make way for development, history should be preserved. We also found our way over to the courthouse and a few national monuments. The pirate king teaches high school social studies, and he was interested in the island's history -- slavery was abolished in the Cayman Islands over 30 years before the American Civil War!



Next up: a tour of the best of Grand Cayman. The bus ride was borning—past condos and hotels in various stages of repair --- yes, I realize Hurricane Ivan tore apart the island, and I am glad the island is recovering.

The first stop was a small beach area where we posed for photos. and shopped, of course.



Next was the turtle farm, where we got to hold real live turtles. Guess who turned out to be a turtle whisperer? The turtle I was holding was flapping about and trying to get away from me….until the pirate king rubbed the turtle under its chin. Then it got quiet and allowed me to hold it.

Afterwards we walked across the street to the dolphin swim area – our tour didn’t include a swim, but we got to watch the dolphins for a few minutes before heading ovef to the Tortuga Rum outlet for free samples of rum and rum cake -- I really liked vanilla rum and didn’t like banana rum. A friend of ours makes better rum cake than what’s for sale, but the cakes were good…and we came away with bottles of hot sauce.



Background music: "Bat Out of Hell" by Meat Loaf.



The last stop was the town of Hell. Saw the rocks, posed with the devil, bought a few souvenirs and mailed a few post cards. Now I can say I've been to Hell and back.



On the way back to the port area the tour guide toldus thath 7 ships wereexpected tomorrow, but the weather has changed and the ships have to dock on the other side of the island – and the Carnival ship has therefore cancelled. it's visit to the island.



Back at port, we did a little more shopping. The pirate king bought one last souvenir -- a cross bow (the pirate king likes decorative, non-functioning "antique" weapons), and then it was time to tender back to the ship.



Musical accompanymnet: "Let’s Twist Again" by Chubby Checker



Tired from our day on the island, we headed back to the c abin for awhile, then we grabbed a bite to eat on the Lido deck before tonight’s show – a juggler and a comedian. I had a taste of the islands -- jerk pork loin for dinner. Later we danced to 50’s tunes in the casino lounge -- the pirate king can still do the twist….



Background music: "Southern Cross" by CSN. We ended the evening on the deck. It wasn't as windy tonight, and we could actually see stars. Found myself singing the second verse of the CSN song...."When you see the Southern Cross for the first time..." No, I couldn't see that particular constellation...but I'd never been that far south before...and I have always been something of a stargazer.



Next up: Roatan

2/15. fun day at Sea




Day 2. Fun day at sea.

Background music: "Havana Dayreamin'" by Jimmy Buffett

We got up this morning at headed up to the Lido deck. Found a great table at Rosie’s, a window seat on the port side of the ship. We were able to see Cuba in the distance! About as close as most Americans can ever get to the island of Jose Marti, I suppose. Nice breakfast – the hash browns and bacon were terrific. Then we went to the cruise director’s talk. It’s been a long time since we‘ve been on a cruise and we needed to find out how the shore excursions work.



Next was a round of super trivia in the Winston Cigar Bar. (I am not a smoker, i dislike the smell of smoke. During the day the cigar bar smelled faintly of smoke. In the evening, the smell was overwhelming -- one musician playing in the bar actually wore a face mask to filter the air.) the pirate king and I love trivia games, and our firends never let us play on the same team. but this time....I knew a lot of the answers – to other people’s questions. Ah, well. Wanted to stay for Scattergories, but no one else showed up to play.



song of the day: "Macho Man" by the Village People.



Did some more exploring, and then made our way to the Lido deck for the hairy chest contest. The pirate king participated, and I have the blackmail photos to prove it! Carnival videotaped the event, of course, and reran in on thipboard TV ad nauseum. Throughout the cruise the pirate king was recongnized and we chatted with lots of nice people because of it.



Got our lunch from the deli -- corned beef and pastrami sandwiches -- and ate it while sitting on deck chairs on the veranda. This is what “doing nothing” feels like. It was too cold to swim, though, so we had to find other ways to amuse ourselves. Went to the art auction next, loved the paintings but chose not to stay very long. Walked around some more, wound up listening to a guitar player named George in one of the lounges. Then back to the room to prepafre for elegant night.





Background music: "Copacabana" by Barry Manilow.



Tonight’s show was Nightclub Express, a singng and dancing extravaganza featuring the Carnival dancers and a Disneyesque talking sofa. Then it was on to dinner. Our travel agent sent us a bottle of spumante and we drank it with our lobster tails. Lesson for the day…it’s scary on the sun deck on a windy, starless night, especially after you’ve had half a bottle of spumante and you’fre wearing 3 inch heels….but as I am here to tell the tale, obviously my fears came to nothing.

cruise review day one

Background music: "Boat Drinks" bu Jimmy Buffett




This trip has its origins last winter, as I was shivering through another winter and longing for palm trees, sunny skies and warm sandy beaches. My birthday is February 18, and I have always celebrated it while wearing a heavy winter coat.



No, that’s not entirely true. I spent my 40th in Disneyworld with my kids, then ages 9 and 7. Loved it so much, I went back for my 41st. that’s when the pirate king and I were not on speaking terms, so where else would a single mother go with young children? If you’d told me 10 years ago that the king and I would get back together I would have told you that you are crazy.



So it’s October and we’re trying to decide on a trip. Just the two of us, leaving the kids at home. We briefly considered Disney – I‘ve been there so many times I could plan a trip there in my sleep. It would be a fun trip, but not particularly romantic. We briefly considered cancun, Acapulco or some Caribbean island. Then the king’s friend (a travel agent) suggested a cruise.



So we were off and running. Or rather, planning. We booked the Carnival valor, booked the fly aweigh program and booked shore excursions through carnival. THEN I signed up for cruise critic’s message boards, and realized all the things I could have done differently. Oh well.



Background music: "Changes in Lattitudues, Changes in Attitudes" by Jimmy Buffett



so it's Sunday, February 14. Valentine's Day.



All our bags packed, we headed out to JFK. Carnival has booked us on American Airlines to Miami. Curbside check in, we checked our bags and headed to the security gate. The AA terminal at JFK is huge, and our gate is the furthest from the entrance….by the time we get there we feel as though we’ve walked all the way to Newark. Little did we know.



Our flight was oversold….if I weren’t going on a cruise I would have taken the offer to be bumped to a later flight – the offer was $400. But no way are we going to miss our cruise!!!!

Aboard the flight to Miami I’ve got Jimmy Buffett on the ipod and a cold diet coke in my hands and I start to feel winter melting away. I AM ON VACATION and it feels so right.even spilling the diet coke doesn’t phase me.



If I thought the walk through JFK was interminable…OMG Miami airport is a killer. After a major hike – it felt like we walked all the way to ft Lauderdale – we collected our luggage and found the Carnival rep. Another long hike to the bus…and finally we were on our way.

so we're on a bus, driving through Miami, and the pirate king starts singing Allan sherman's "Streets of Miami" under his breath ("I'm going to the Fontainebleau, Partner, it's mod'ner") (did I mention the pirate king has a warped sense of humor?) while I am singing "Vacation" by the Go-Gos.



So finally we arrive in the Port of Miami. And we see not less than four cruise ships berthed there. and the pirate king, who has not seen a cruise ship up close and personal in 20 years, cannot believe the size of these ships.



Background music: "Under Pressure" by Queen



so here's where things get not-so-pretty.



The bus made two stops – first at the Glory then at the Valor. We unload the luggage, go through the check-in procedure, endure yet another long hike up the gangway. We board the ship just a few minutes before muster drill, so it’s a race to find our cabin (1397, ocean view, starboard and aft on the Riviera deck) and dump our carry-ons before reporting to our station. You will not find a “welcome aboard” photo of us in the gallery, the photographer stopped taking photos just before we boarded. After the drill we headed ove to the shore excursion desk to book the Behind the Fun tour (thank you Cruise Critic for letting me know that one exists!) Then songbird almost had meltdown – all I’d eaten that day was a bagel at JFK and I was so hungry I was ready to cry. We headed up to the Lido deck, and a couple of slices of pizza and some crazy umbrella drink later, and my mellow mood has been restored.

Background music:

"Come Sail Away" by Styx.



We found a spot on the veranda deck, port and aft, for sailaway. Got some great photos of Miami and Miami Beach (the pirate king pointed out a building that is feautred in a lot of background shots on CSI), but it was COLD out there. Had to come in to warm up.



Headed back to the cabin to nap and unpack. I liked our cabin -- it was large and comfortable, though the bathroom was understandably cramped. We did feel the motion of the ship at times, but not as much as we did on upper decks. there was noise below frequently, but it wasn't particularly intrusive -- you hear more noise in the average city apartment.

We watched the light from the ship reflect on the waves, we watched another cruise ship in the distance. Before long it was time for dinner. Our assignment is late seating, lower levelof the Washington dining room. We are seated at a table for 4 with another couple, also from NY. The pirate king loves shrimp, he ordered a shrimp cocktail and the sweet and sour shrimp. I asked for hearts of iceberg lettuce salad with thousand island dressing and the sweet and sour shrimp. The entrée turned out to be panko-breaded shrimp with a spicy dipping sauce, accompanied by rice noodles . Great food! Dessert was some decadent chocolate concoction, shaped like a heart in honor of Valentine’s day. The dining room staff serenaded us with “Let me call you sweetheart,” the first of many amusing performances.



The evening’s entertainment included a show in the Ivanhoe Theater featuring the Carnival singers and dancers, our cruise director Big Tex and the comedy of Happy Coleman. Great evening!

adventure and romance on the high seas: a review of the Valor 2/14-21

Also known as "songbird and the pirate king take on the Caribbean", this is a musical review.




Cast of characters:

Yours truly, known in cyberspace as songbird, though my musical talents are best performed in the shower or behind the wheel of my car. Mother of two girls, ages 17 and 19, and desperately in need of a king-sized margarita or a straightjacket, not sure which one.



The pirate king, so named because he will shortly appear in the chorus of a community theater production of The Pirates of Penzance dressed as a swashbuckler. Also known as my former husband and current boyfriend – it’s a long story though not as good as a Meryl Streep movie.



Background music: "Lovely Cruise" by Jimmy Buffett.



First, some overall impressions. Later I will provide more details.



The weather did not cooperate. It was cold the day we left Miami. It was cloudy and overcast, with occasional periods of rain, throughout our cruise. The only really nice day, weatherwise, was debarkation day. We worked around the weather and managed to have a really nice time.



Our trip was not "perfect". There were a few glitches and bumps in the road, but for the most part Carnival tried to make things right whenever that happened. The get an A+ for effort.



Our cabin steward introduced himself the first day. And we never saw him again. But our cabin was always clean, towels replenished when appropriate, maintenance issues resolved promptly. No complaints.



the dining room staff was exemplary. and we loved the nightly dining room entertainment. the food was very good. our favorite meal, though was in the steak house. worth the extra money and then some.

the shows were great, too. in fact, the only performer we felt was lacking was Larry the piano player. heard him play once, and avoided him the rest of the cruise. loved our cruise director, Big Tex, and all three comedians we saw.



the ship was most definitely at capacity, 3400 guests, almost 1000 of them children. while we were never truly alone, we didn't feel "overcrowded" either.

I would have liked to have seen more shipboard activities. we had fun in the pool and hot tub, we enjoyed some of the games (like super trivia) and we were never bored. but the pirate king would have enjoyed a rock climbing wall and I would have enjoyed a cooking demonstration or something like that.



can't tell you about the casino, we're not big gamblers. thought we might play the slots, but never got around to it.



I loved our shore excursions, thought they were well planned. though I must say, every excusrion seems to bring you back to a place to shop. sometimes the sales approach can be a bit aggressive. but a firm "no thanks" usually solves that problem.



details and photos to follow.

a few complaints/comments

overall it was a great cruise, and I will post a detailed review later this week. I did want to point out several issues, though, where I thought Carnival could/should do better.




most of our issues involve "Fly Aweigh". our TA suggested that this was the best way to book airfare. we did save money, but....I will NOT do "Fly Aweigh" again. In the future I will book my own air and ground transportation



1. booking "Fly Aweigh" meant that Carnival chose our flights, including the airline and departure/arrival times. I started reading this board AFTER we booked our cruise and flights, and everyone here seems to think it's better to fly to your departure port a day before you sail. when I tried to change our booking to fly down to Miami the day before our cruise, Carnival was inflexible.



2. Our arrival in Miami International Airport was NOT FUN. Carnival booked us on American Airlines. Once the plane lands, it's a good 20 minute walk from the AA gate area to the baggage claim area. After we met the Carnival representative and collected our luggage, it was another lengthy walk from the baggage claim area to the Cabana Coach bus booked for us by Carnival. I could not help but notice that other cruise lines had their buses closer to the baggage claim area.



3. Our arrival at our ship was NOT FUN either. We sailed on the Valor. We shared a bus with passengers bound for the Glory, which is berthed next to the Valor. The bus stopped at the Glory first to discharge passengers before continuing on to the Valor. By the time we actually boarded the ship, the photographers taking the "Welcome Aboard" photos had closed up shop and the crew was announcing "muster drill in five minutes". I felt pressured to race to our cabin and drop off our carry-ons and then race to our muster station. This was NOT how I pictured my arrival on the ship!



4. We also had trouble with the flight home. Not with the flight itself (I love Jet Blue). No, our problem stemmed from a lack of information. When we got our cruise documents, a month or so before we sailed, our flight information was included -- American Airlines JFK to Miami, Jet Blue from Ft. Lauderdale to JFK with a stop in Raleigh. We were given a "record locator" for American Airlines so that we could print out our tickets and boarding passes. All we were given for Jet Blue was a flight number for each leg of our trip. we never received any confirmation from jet Blue that we were actually booked on the flight. when our TA called Carnival to get a "record locator" (so that I could print out our boarding passes on the ship), she was given an incorrect number! I am not willing to simply show up at the airport and hope my name is on some manifest, I really like to have proof that I am a ticketed passenger before I get to the airport. In fact, on the website, Carnival tells you that:





Quote:

Fly Aweigh® guests must check all documentation prior to sailing to ensure tickets correspond with the correct ship and sailing date. Guests or travel agents should request advance seat assignments and boarding passes directly with the ticketed air carrier(s) after airline tickets or your airline e-ticket confirmation have been received. Guests should reconfirm flight numbers and times within 48 hours of departure directly with the assigned carrier.



It took several phone calls to Carnival and Jet Blue -- while we were on the ship -- to get the correct information. And then it took almost 45 minutes for the gentleman in the internet cafe to actually print out the boarding passes for us -- he was quite frustrated by the time he finished the job. The situation was frustrating and time consuming and did not set a good tone for the cruise as a whole.



5. we also had a problem with one of our shore excursions. we booked the River Wallace-Altun Ha tour in Belize. the overall experience was a positive one, but it was not without its frustrations. the ship arrived late in Belize, and we did not board a tender for our excursion until some 15-20 minutes after the time stated on our tickets. the river tour was very interesting -- we saw manatees and crocodiles and iguanas and howler monkeys. but our 30 minute lunch break turned into a 45 minute break because the buses were late to arrive. once we arrived at the archeological site, our tour guide repeatedly reminded us that "time is short, we have to hurry" through the site. her tour presentation was excellent, but we had no time to wander about the site ourselves and no time to shop at the site. my signifcant other is a high school social studies teacher, and the visit to the ruins was supposed to be the more important aspect of the excursion, so to be rushed through the site was disappointing. to complicate matters further, the bus ride back from the site to the pier took at least 30 minutes longer than we were told, leaving us no time to shop or explore the pier area before we had to tender back to the ship.



6. a brief mention of a problem on Roatan. we booked the Discover Roatan tour. I enjoyed the tour, found it to be interesting and entertaining. I would have enjoyed the tour a bit more if I didn't have an issue with the bus transportation. the aisles of the bus are EXTREMELY narrow. so narrow, in fact, that anyone larger than a 10 year old child will have difficulty maneuvering down the aisle to their seat in the bus. a larger person, or someone with mobility issues, will find the aisle almost impossible to travel.



as I said earlier, our overall experience with Carnival was positive, and we will likely cruise Carnival again. but next time we will book our own flight and ground transportation, since that aspect was very frustrating. I will book other excursions direclty with Carnival, but I really think they need to discuss some issues with the tour companies.

__________________

welcome home

trip report will be posted shortly.  I am soooo tired.

bon voyage

we leave for the airport in a little while....

now this is a movie to watch before a cruise

ahhhh....

Vacation

you can find the original video here.

Waiting for the Weekend

nothing like a snow day

to serve as motivation to pack your bags for a cruise.

had to dig my car out of the snow at 6:30 this morning so I could get to work today, after taking off yesterday because of the blizzard.

more snow is due Monday.

but who cares? I will be in the Caribbean!

huzzah for the pirate king!

the Beatles said it best

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,


and I say it's all right



Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter

Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun

and I say it's all right



Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces

Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun

and I say it's all right



Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...



Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting

Little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear

Here comes the sun, here comes the sun,

and I say it's all right

It's all right

this time next week...

I will be at sea.


can you tell I am excited?

LOL

some more humor

too funny!!!

oh my!

another carnival accident, this time on the Ecstasy.

Cruise ship damages gangway

By Laura Elder
The Daily News
Published February 2, 2010

GALVESTON — The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating an incident last week in which Carnival Cruise Line’s Ecstasy struck the passenger gangway at the Texas Cruise Ship Terminal at Pier 25, knocking the $1.8 million structure out of commission, possibly for weeks.

No one was injured in the collision, which occurred about 8 a.m. Thursday as the ship’s captain was attempting to turn the 855-foot Ecstasy around in the channel, port officials said.

“While turning around in the channel, the rear of the ship nudged the gangway and pushed it about 15 feet along the wharf and about 3 feet toward the terminal — but not into the terminal,” Port Director Steve Cernak said.

Cernak referred questions about the cause of the incident to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard has ruled out drug and alcohol use as the cause of the crash, Lt. Timothy Tilghman said. But it had not completed its investigation nor determined the cause, Tilghman said.

Such investigations are standard in vessel accidents, Tilghman said.

Two members of the 15-member Galveston-Texas City Pilots Association were aboard the Ecstasy when it struck the gangway.

Ship pilots guide vessels in and out of local harbors, relying on their local expertise to alert captains of local obstructions.

Capt. Wally Hogan, president of the association, said pilots performed their duties and were not responsible for the accident.

Ecstasy’s captain was in control of the vessel, Hogan said.

One pilot was in the wheelhouse and another on the stern when the vessel struck the gangway.

The pilot on the stern advised the pilot in the wheelhouse that the ship was about to hit the structure, Hogan said.

Carnival Cruise Lines could not be reached for comment Monday.

Relations between ship pilots and cruise-ship operators have been tense for months.

In September, Carnival Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruises and the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association in September sued the Board of Pilot Commissioners, which regulates ship pilot pay, to uphold an agreement that would stop the requirement of two ship pilots on each cruise ship.

Cruise ship operators said one pilot is sufficient and two is expensive. Pilots said the two-pilot rule is about safety.

But Judge Susan Criss of the 212th District Court in Galveston last month dismissed the case on jurisdictional grounds.

Port officials still are assessing damage of the gangway to determine whether the frame was damaged, Cernak said.

The port is directing cruise ship passengers to an alternate gangway typically used by staff, Cernak said.

The port has ordered parts to repair the gangway. Delivery of the parts and the repairs could take at least 30 days, Cernak said.

Carnival Cruise Lines is a port tenant.

The port and the Florida-based company have not yet agreed whose insurance would cover gangway repair costs, Cernak said.

Information about damage to the Ecstasy, which offers four- and five-day cruises to the Mexican coast and the Western Caribbean, was not available Monday.


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it's finally starting to feel real

13 days until we cruise...I've printed out the cruise documents and luggage tags, i'm checking the weather...won't do the airline stuff just yet, but soon...