St. Thomas

Breakfast in the main dining room, where another passenger recognized us and joked with us about last night's trivia game.

And then it was time to head to shore.  Our adventure today began with a ferry ride to St. John.   What's interesting about the Virgin Islands is how close most of the islands are to each other, while we were headed to St. John, another group from our ship was headed to Tortola, a part of the British Virgin Islands, which we could see from our boat.

We also saw celebrity homes -- Michael Jordan, Alan Alda, Kenny Chesney and Madonna all vacation in the Virgin Islands.    And the owner of the White Castle chain has a home here -- a white castle.  Go figure.

And, of course, there's Pillsbury Bay, where the Carribean Sea meets the Atlantiv Ocean.

Music: a reprise of "La Isla Bonita". 

2/3 of St. John is pristine parkland owned by the National Park Service.  The rest appears to be modern luxury resorts.  We took a safari bus ride up the mountain, stopping frequently at lookout points for views of white sand beaches, blue waters and distant islands. 

Interestingly, although this is an American protectorate, they drive on the left side of the road -- the islands used to be British. 

Our tour guide told us you need a passport to travel to the British islands.

The highlight of the tour was the ruins of a sugar plantation.  I've seen many old forts and churches and etc., but this was my first sugar plantation.

And as I was walking back to the bus I saw a mongoose!  The sugar cane planters imported mongoose from India into the islands of the Eastern Caribbean, hoping the mongoose would control the rat population in the cane fields.  The mongoose have made themselves at home in these islands.

Now, I'm sure I've seen a mongoose in the zoo, but to encounter one on the road . . .and this one gave me a look, as if to say "This is my home, but what are you doing here?"

Before long it was time to ferry back to St. Thomas, where we headed for the shopping mall.

Music:  "Mermaid", by Train

There's a lovely sculpture in Denmark, it sits in the harbor in Copenhagen.  It's Hans Christian Anderson's Little Mermaid. 

In the shopping mall in St. Thomas there's a fountain with a scaled-down replica of the famous statue.  It's pretty.  But it's the only sculpture in the mall and I don't know why they chose it. 

A word about security, customs and travelling to other countries.  Before the ship sailed from Miami each passenger had to provide Carnival with a passport or birth certificate, and those over 16 had to produce photo i. d. That was apparently sufficient for the governments of Grand Turk and St. Maarten, all you needed to show was your ship i.d. card to return to the ship.

But Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are different.   You need to show your photo i. d.  As we returned to the ship we saw a whole group of people who'd forgotten to bring their photo i.d., and were having a difficult time of it.

Music:  "Grapefruit, Juicy Fruit" by Jimmy Buffett

The evening's entertainment was a magician named Bob, who did 45 minutes of sleight of hand laced with comedy.   When he asked for a volunteer, the pirate king's hand went up.  He had to give a $20 bill to another audience member, who placed it in a sealed envelope, which she held for the duration of the show.  In exchange, the pirate king was given a grapefruit.  Periodically Bob would ask "Who's got the grapefruit?" and the king woukd stand up and reply "I've got the grapefruit!"  At the end of the show, the $20 wound up inside the grapefruit.

I expect  to hear grapefruit jokes from fellow passengers tomorrow.

Dinner in the main dining room, as usual.  Could barely keep my eyes open -- until the waitstaff danced to "Moves Like Jagger".  That certainly woke me up.

But we did call it a night right after dinner . . .

The voyage home

Music:  "It's Been a Lovely Cruise", Jimmy Buffett

Debarkation went very smoothly.  One of my complaints during our Valor cruise was that we spent far too much time in the lobby, waiting yo get off the ship.  Way different getting off the Breeze.

Public service announcement:  pay attention to your zone number.  Pirate king spent 20 minutes at the wrong luggage carrousel before I found our luggage.

Thank goodness the ride to the airport was short, the bus driver had to turn off the a/c to keep water from a broken pipe dripping on the seats.  And we had a bad moment at the airport when the TSA agent told the pirate king his carry on bag was too big and had to be checked. . .until another agent took a second look at the matter.  Took the Sky Train to our gate and settled in . . .got there before noon for a 4:00 flight.

What's good about Miami Airport -- because the terminal is so large, you have lots of choices for a quick bite.  Pirate king got hot dogs from Nathan's and I wound up with food-court Chinese.  We were both able to charge our cell phones at the Verizon charging station at our gate.

What's not so good?  They charge for wifi.  Not an issue for me, I have a data plan on my tablet . . .but after a week of paying for wifi on the Breeze and using my minutes sparingly . . .it would have been a major disappointment . . .

"Interesting" encounter as we were about to board the plane. 

During our sea days on the Breeze we spent a lot of time in the Tides pool.  Remember, the pool is very small and very shallow, and gets very crowded. On our second day in the pool we encountered so really rude behavior from a couple in their 20's.  I will call them Rude Couple.  The first time we noticed them was when Rude Guy cannonballed into the pool.   Really, I think everyone in the pool noticed him.  There was a lot of horseplay after that, including Rude Girl climbing onto Rude Guy's back so that he could drag her across the pool, shouting "piggyback rides 5 cents" over and over again.  He bumped into several people, never apologized.

The two hot tubs by the Tides pool are elevated, you have to climb a flight of steps to enter the hot tub.  And there's a bench under each hot tub where you can sit with your feet in the pool.  When Rude Couple bought drinks from the bar, he decided to sit on that bench. . .  But there were children playing in that hot tub.  They'd taken some cups from the beverage station and were using them in the hot tub to splash water on each other.  The water came out of the hot tub and over the partition . . . Rude Guy wound up with salt water from the hot tub in his pina colada.  He drank it anyway!

Anyhow, at the airport, it's time to board the plane, and who should be standing next to me but Rude Girl!  Rude Guy is behind me.  As the crowd moves forward, she moves in front of me.  Then she reaches behind her and takes his hand, and tries to pull him forward.  Only problem is, I'm standing where she wants him to stand.  If he'd said "excuse me", I  would have let him step in front of me, but I have a bit of a stubborn streak when someone tries to push me out of the way, so I didn't move. Some words were exchanged -- he told me I was being rude, I told him I didn't appreciate being pushed,  and she told me she could feel my bad breath on the back of her neck . . . wasn't worth escalating . . . He got off the line and walked around everyone else and met up with her at the door where you habd your boarding pass to the airline employee.

We got onto the plane, and guess who was sitting directly in front of me and the pirate king?  We could have made their flight pure misery . . .but we're adults. 

So it was an uneventful flight home.  And I am already depressed, because today is Monday and I have to go to work.

Sea Day . . .

So we called it a night right after dinner.  Or, rather, I did.  This morning I found evidence of the pirate king's midnight pizza run.

This morning we went to the Punchliner brunch.  Honest impression?  Not so good.  I mean, the food was good, the menu very different from the usual offerings in the main dining room.  I had a bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese, he had steak and eggs.  But the comedy?   They do a five minute routine every hour on the half hour.  The comic we heard as we were being seated was Valerie Storm, very funny and I'd love to see her show.  Scooty K, the comic who went on just before we left . .  . bombed.  Partially because he didn't bring his best stuff, partially because a huge dining room is not the best place to interact with your audience.

Music: "The Tide Is High" by Blondie

Next up, the Tides pool.  (You knew I'd have to put on a bathing suit sooner or later!)  We chose the Tides pool rather than the Beach pool because it is quieter and less hectic.   If you think you're actually going to be able to swim in this pool, think again.  It's only about 4 1/2 feet deep and very crowded.   There's nothing like floating in warm salt water.  But bring shoes, the deck area is too hot to walk on!

We sat on lounge chairs for awhile, reading our books and watching the ship's wake.

Lesson of the day:  sunscreen doesn't work if you leave it in the cabin.  Good thing lobster wasn't on tonight's menu, else I'd be afraid someone would mistake me for tonight's dinner.

Dinner in the main dining room again.  Finally tried the fried chicken I'd seen on the menu all week . . .meh.  But the warm chocolate melting cake . . .heaven.

Music:  "Vogue" by Madonna

Tonight's show was "Divas", featuring music by Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Madonna, etc.  I have to admit I wasn't familiar with a lot of the songs.  Chief complaint, as always, is that the show was too short.

Then we raced from the Ovation to the Limelight to catch the comedy show.  It was Scotty K, who bombed so miserably during brunch.  He was much better in a more appropriate venue.  I liked his show, actually.  His "adult" material isn't pornographic or laced with expletives.  It's more political and social commentary.

We were so disappointed when we got back to the room.  For the first time all cruise, there was no towel animal on the bed.

Turns out the towel animal was . . .elsewhere.  I was a bit startled when I opened the bathroom door . . .

St. Maarten/St. Martin

Our arrival at this island was very early in the morning, and our tour (such as it was) started almost immediately upon arrival.  So we opted to skip breakfast in the dining room.  We ordered muffins and etc.  from room service.  Meh.

Music:  "Volcano" by Jimmy Buffett

What you first notice about this island is that the mountains come all the way down to the sea.  St. Maarten was formed by volcanic activity.

We arrived on the Dutch side of the island and boarded a bus for our excursion.  Our journey took us through an international border crossing to the French side of the island.  Easiest border crossing in the world -- if you didn't see the flags along the side of the road as the bus passed through, you'd never know you entered a different country.

Since the glass bottom boat was out of commission, we spent our time in Marigot.  Shopping.  It was ok, but not terribly exciting.Frankly, without the boat ride. . .it just wasn't worth the trek across the island.

Music:  "Cheeseburger in Paradise" by Jimmy Buffett

Back in Phillipsburg, we had lunch at the Greenhouse, an open air bar and grill.  Frozen drinks.  Conch fritters (first time I tried them.  They're ok but conch is a bit chewy.)  And, of course, cheeseburgers.  Nice restaurant.

Major shopping in Phillipsburg.  I bought jewelry.  The pirate king bought a very expensive lens for his very expensive camera.  And, of course, he could not resist the tee shirt that proclaims he is a member of pirates local number 5.

From the ridiculous to the sublime.  Took the water taxi back to the ship. . . Small boat vs. big ship. . .

Music:  "My Generation" by The Who

Dinner in the main dining room, then on to the British Invasion show.  One of the assistant cruise directors is British, so she did a pre-show trivia contest -- she'd play a British Invasion song and you'd have to finish the lyric.  The pirate king  and I each  answered a question correctly.  No prizes, but it was a lot of fun.

The show itself?  It's a combination of live action and animation -- Peter Max style artwork and scenes right out of those old Beatles cartoons. The show relies too heavily on the animation and not enough on the talents of the performers, and it's way too short.  But it's a fun show.

Next up, our last port -- St. Thomas.

Puerto Rico!

Breakfast in the main dining room.   Food is much better here than on the Lido.  I had pabcakes, he had piached eggs.  Place was very busy and service was a bit slow, but overall a satisfactory experience.

Music:  "La Isla Bonita" by Madonna.

We arrived in Puerto Rico around midmorning.  If you like old forts, be on the port side of the ship when you arrive.  Our balcony was the perfect place for the photo opportunity.  The retaining wall extends way past the fort, and it's weird to see the modern city behind ancient walls.

We cleared US customs fairly quickly.  And then it was time to start our Puerto Rican adventure.  We spent a few minutes expliring the streets of Old San Juan.  Narrow streets, lots of traffic, restaurants, artsy shops, Starbucks, signs in English and Spanish.  Just like lower Manhattan, but with palm trees.

Then it was time for our tour.  We boarded a bus and headed for el Yunque.  On the eastern tip of the island, high in the mountains, our national park service has preserved a rainforest. 

Music: "Africa" by Toto

Our tour guide explained that the rainforest formed as a result of weather conditions in Africa and on the Atlantic.  Dust from the Sahara gets blown across the ocean, and when it hits the mountains of Puerto Rico . . .rain.

You drive up narrow roads to the visitor's center, where you can learn all about the ecology.  (And where I bought yummy tostones -- fried plantain patties.)  We continued our drive through the forest, passed a beautiful waterfall and up to the observation tower.  There are incredible views here, and if you actually climb to the top (as Drew did) you can see where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean.  On our way back down the mountain, we stopped at the waterfall to take pictures.  In the pouring rain, of course.  What do you expect, it's the rainforest.

Then it was on to Castillo de San Cristobal, the fort we'd seen as we arrived in San Juan this morning.  The fort was built by the Spanish to control not only Puerto Rico, but also the Caribbean and South America.  The English tried to take it several times, without success.  The Americans succeeded in taking the fort, and the island, in 1898, during the Spanish-American War.  The visitor's center, a modern facility at the base of the fort, was built when this place was known as  Fort Brooke during WW II.

An interesting tidbit.  San Juan was a walled city until late in the 18th century, and no one was allowed to live outside the walls.  Tearing down the walks to allow the city to expand was apparently a major controversy.

Back on the ship, and all I wanted was a hot shower.  Just before I turned on the water. . . There was an announcement from our cruise director.  No hot water!  Don't worry, it was fixed before 8:00 that evening.  You just have to roll with it, I guess.

Dinner in the steakhouse is an experience not to be missed.    I loved the shrimp cocktail, so much better than the version in the main dining room.  The pirate king loved the lobster bisque.  Hearts of iceberg salad was boring.  I loved the brioche and he loved the foccacia.  We both chose surf and turf -- petite fillet mignon and lobster tail.  The Yukon gold mashed potatoes are incredibly creamy -- the chef said he strains them three times before adding a ton of butter and cream.  Easily the best meal we had aboard ship.  Too full for dessert, we took it with us for later.  I have to say, it was a bit of a disappointment.  We are used to a thick, dense, creamy New York cheesecake, and this was light and airy -- like they used ricotta instead of cream cheese.

The evening's entertainment was a juggler named Edge.  He incorporates a lot of humor into his act.  He's an expert at Chinese yo yo.  He performed for a full hour and he was very entertaining.

Back up to the cabin . . .and messages from Guest Services.  First, we were informed that the balconies would be cleaned starting at 9:00 - no big deal, since our shore excursion was scheduled for 8:00.

But about that shore excursion . . .no, not cancelled.  Not entirely.  We'd still get ti see the island.  But no ride in the glass bottom boat!  Mechanical difficulties.  If we'd known that, we would have taken a similar excursion in Grand Turk.  So disappointing.

Grand Turk

Music:  "Margaritaville", Jimmy Buffett.

When we woke up this morning the beautiful island of Grand Turk was just outside our window.    Beaches, boats and palm trees, and the largest Margaritavillle in the chain  (I'm still a bit annoyed -- as soon as we picked this week to cruise; I knew that when Jimmy announced his touring schedule he'd be playing Jones Beach while we were away.)

Breakfast in the main dining room.  Much more civilized than on the Lido deck, and the food is better, too.  I started with cantalope, had a small apple danish and french toast -- very thick slices of bread that were sweet but not cloying.  The pirate king had his favorite eggs benedict, something he'd never prepare for himself at home.

Background music:"Rocket Man" by Elton John

Although the Turks and Caicos are part of the British West Indies, in the past the United States maintained an Air Force base and a naval base on Grand Turk.   When John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth, he cane here after splashdown.  There are monuments to that occasion in the cruise center and in front of the international airport.

Our adventure today was called "Coast to Coast Grand Turk Safari."  We rode in an open-air safari bus and got a brief tour of the island.  We learned that the island has no source of fresh water except rain.  Vegetation is not lush, I even saw cactus growing!   The historic district is in Cockburn Town, built by Burmudians during the salt-raking era.    Would have liked to explore some of the old homes.  Later, at the lighthouse, in addition to seeing an incredible view, we learned that Columbus' first landfall in the New World may have been at Grand Turk.

The island is very rustic -- hard to believe it is the capital -- but there are sattelite dishes EVERYWHERE.  And no, I'm not just referring to the airport and the former naval base.  Every house, even the poorest looking shacks, seems to have a dish.  Tour guide said something about a hurricane a few years ago -- the island lost electricity for two months, and television was out for 7 months.

There are no traffic lights on the island.  Seems many people opt to travel by horse or donkey.  The animals are allowed to wander, untethered.  Occasionally during the tour we had to stop to let horses or donkeys get out of the road.

And about riding in an open-air vehicle:  I fought the wind, and the wind won.    I had my hair pulled back in a headband, and it was so windy the headband blew out of my hair.  I'm glad the ship's photographers take pictures before you leave the ship, not after.

We briefly visited Margaritaville, but didn't stay long.  Very commercial.  Jimmy is busy selling the rest of us a phony adventure so that he can go on real ones.

Lunch on the Lido.  With "all aboard" at 2:30 and sailaway at 3, everyone came back from the various shore excursions and headed to the Lido for lunch.  We had deli sandwiches and pizza.  Pizza is excellent, but small slices of thin crust puzza will not fill you up.  The deli sandwiches are NOT New York style and the meat is a bit too fatty, but the sandwiches are good.  Mini cupcakes were a bit dry and not sweet enough.

So far the best food on the Lido has been Guy's burgers, pizza and the Mongolian Wok.
 

Lazy afternoon on the balcony for me while the pirate king explored the ship, and came back with some jellybeans from Cherry on Top.

Our before-dinner entertainment was the Hasbro Game Show.   Our cruise director Butch pretends to be a game show host.  He selects members of the audience to come up on stage to play the games.  There's Connect Four, where contestants throw basketballs  and try to get four of the same color in a row.  Simon, where participants wear light up cubes and have to get themselves  in the right order.  The pirate king says it reminds him of that old tv show, "Beat the Clock."  Very family-friendly entertainment, but I will say there are adults on this cruise who take this game far too seriously -- especially when you realize the "grand prize" is a few Hasbro games.

Background music: "Tequila Sunrise"

Did a little more exploring  before dinner.  The pirate king's very expensive camera decided to pay a visit to guest services when we left it in the theater, so the king had to retrieve it. (I blame that mishap on the tequila sunrise he drank in the theater.  Mostly tequila, very little "sunrise".)

Dinner in the main dining room.  Service was excellent, as usual.  The waiters danced tonight, to "Low", the same song our staff on the Valor danced to 3 years ago.  The food, however, was disappointing.  I really didn't care for my appetizer or entree.  But we loved the cheesecake dessert.

After dinner we wandered over to the Limelight Lounge and got on line for the comedy show.  We got there 1/2 an hour before show time and were at the back of the line.  They warn you, several times before the show starts, that this is an adults-only show (they do family-friendly shows earlier in the evening).  So we laughed our way through half an hour of filthy but very funny stand-up.

Deck party on the Lido interfered with our stargazing, so we decided to call it a night.

Ahhh, spa

The schedule says Sunday is a fun day at sea.

Our personal schedule reads "SPA"

So, after a quick solo breakfast on the Lido deck, that's where I went.

We'd visited the Cloud Nine Spa yesterday, but today we became clients.  The spa is on Deck 12, at the bow of the ship, and the "relaxation room" (a fancy term for "waiting room") has beautiful windows with an "I'm the king of the world" view.  Color scheme is blue and white, very cloudlike.  Soothing.

My first treatment was a massage/foot massage and facial.  So relaxing.  Then I had a cup of tea in the relaxation room, just around the time the pirate king arrived for his hot stones massage.  Then I went to the salon for a manicure/ pedicure.  I succumbed to the hard sell and bought a few of their overpriced products. The lavendar-scented oil is amazing.

Between the two of us, we spent an obscene amount of money at the spa.  But I came away from it feeling pampered and relaxed. 

We finished up at the spa around noon, then headed to Ocean Plaza for trivia.  We watched a game that was already in progress, then played a game based on tv theme songs.

Next up: lunch on the Lido.  He had Mongolian Wok (again), I had a variety from the buffet.  He had the better deal.

Afternoon on the balcony.  It's hot and sunny by the Lido pool, but cool and shady on our balcony.

I am really loving our balcony.

Musical cue:  "Putting On The Ritz", Fred Astaire

It's elegant night.  We're all dressed up, of course.

We had our photo taken with our captain and cruise director, then had a drink at the bar before dinner.

Our dining room staff entertained us with "Finiculi finicula" and "Amore".  Our waitors danced with each other . . .

Music:  "Rockin' Robin".  Tonight's show was a Motown salute called "The Motor City."   Eight singer/dancers entertain us for 30 minutes.  The sets are not elaborate, the show relies heavily on lighting effects.   Very good show, but very short. . .the shows were better three years ago.

I should mention two things . . .

Although we have been enjoying warm, sunny days, it's also been very windy.  You might not notice so much by the Lido pools, but on the upper decks, especially at night. . .My hair looks like I styled it with an egg beater.

And we definitely feel the motion of the ship.  More so at night that during the day.  I feel it in the dining room and the theater, and I really feel it in our cabin late at night. 

Next up: Grand Turk.

Day two - Miami

Background music: "Come Sail Away" by Styx

Up bright and early, we had a light breakfast at the hotel, then boarded the 11:00  shuttle to the Port of Miami.  Two ships in port, the Carnival Breeze and the Carnival Liberty.  The size of these ships never fails to impress.

We had Faster to the Fun, so we were able to bypass all the lines and board the ship fairly quickly.  We were in our cabin before noon.

Background music:  "There's Something About a Boat", Jimmy Buffett

Our cabin is on deck 8,, midship, port. A balcony cabin, our first balcony.  I'm in love.

We dropped off our carry on bags, took a quick look at the Fun Times, then headed up to the spa.  Scheduled  our appointments, then headed to the Lido for lunch.   

Music:  "Celebrate"  by K. C. and the Sunshine Band.  The party was already getting started around here.  We tried some fruity concoction from the bar -- I love drinks with an unbrella in them. I tried Guy's burgers -- a nice little burger with a good variety of toppings -- and chicken tacos -- very good but they do kick back.  The pirate king got a burger and a dish from the Mongolian Wok.  Both were excellent, but the line for the Wok is very long.

Took a tour of the spa after lunch -- they demonstrate several of their massage techniques, describe all the treatments, and encourage you to book. 

Then it was back to the cabin to begin unpacking. 

Music: "Safety Dance"

Muster Drill on the Valor 3 years ago was a royal PITA.  We had to report our our lifeboat station, stand there until everyone arrived, and stand during the safety briefing.

On the Breeze the muster stations are in the main dining rooms and the theater.  You can sit comfortably while you imagine scenes from Titanic and The Poseidon Adventure.

Background music:  "Sailing" by Christopher Cross"

Went back to the cabin to finish unpacking.  The pirate king took his camera up to the Lido deck to watch Sail Away.  I watched from the balcony.

At 5:00 we went back to the spa for the raffle -- didn't win. Ignored the hard sell.  Then back to the cabin, where I wound up taking a nap on the balcony.

I am already in love with the balcony.

Explored the ship a little before dinner.   There's live music in the lounge areas.  Shops look interesting -- the pirate king was impressed with the liquor shop.

We're in the Saffire Dining Room, upper level.  Table for six, but one of the couples didn't show.  Tablemates are a lovely couple from Mississippi, in a town that's considered suburban Memphis.  She was drinking a tiramisu martini that looked so decadent I had to try one too.

Dinner.  Pirate king ordered Caesar salad and a steak.  I tried the tropical fruits and something called " Sweet and Sour Shrimp", fried shrimp served over a bed of Asian rice noodles, with a sweet sauce for dipping.

Background music:  "Southern Cross", by Crosby, Stills and Nash. 

Our cruise tradition of sorts is to go to the Lido deck after dinner and find a spot to stargaze.  We saw only a few stars last night, but the moon was bright and there was a heat lightning storm a few miles away.

Back at the cabin, our shore excursion tickets have arrived.  Priblem --our Grand Turk excursion has been cancelled.  The king headed over to Guest Services to book another excursion.  More on that later.

Music:  "I Am The Walrus" by the Beatles.

Bet you can't guess what last night's towel animal was.

Sea Day redux

Music:  "Off To See The Lizard" by Jimmy Buffett

(I'm hearing Jimmy's voice in my head, repeating the chorus . . .deja, deja, deja vu. . . )

Another sea day. We start with brunch and Scotty K -- he's better today than yesterday.

Back at the cabin, there's a towel heart on the bed, along with our debarkation information.  But I don't want to go home!  Sigh.  Did some packing . . .

Frustration time.  We've been having issues with sattelite tv since yesterday, and today I can't get my tablet to connect to the internet.  So it was off to the Funhub to use one of the ship's computer terminals.  I was able to get into my online banking and gmail account, but the connection was so slow that aol kept timing out.   Took a quick peek at facebook.

Music: "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves

And back to the Tides pool.  Well, I did bring two bathing suits after all!  And today I remembered the sunscreen.

And here's the "what would you have done?" moment of the day.

I wear prescription glasses. I'm very, very nearsighted.  I'm nearly helpless without my glasses.  Consequently I always have a backup pair of glasses when I travel, just in case . . . And did I mention that my prescription tends to be expensive to replace?

So my towel, coverup and prescription sunglasses are on a lounge chair near the  pool. The deck is very hot to walk on, as I mentioned before.  Some kid, he must have been around 14, is barefoot, so he's walking on the lounge chairs.  And I see him step on my chair and my expensive prescription sunglasses.

Yeah, I got out of the pool and yelled at him.  He's lucky the glasses didn't break or his parents' cruise would have gotten a bit more expensive . . .

Music: "Leaving On A Jet Plane" by Peter, Paul and Mary

We missed our dining staff's rendition of this song.  Instead, for our last dinner aboard ship, we went to Cucina de Capitano.  The location of the restaurant is a little unusual  -- the entrance is on the Lido deck, an out of the way corner where you would never expect to find a specialty restaurant.  You climb a flight of stairs to deck 11.  It's a very pretty, cozy space.  Took awhile to be seated -- a very self-absorbed Diamond cruiser was monopolizing the hostess' time with plans for a group dinner on her next cruise.  She should have come BEFORE the dinner hour!  One of the waiters had to seat us!

Dinner?  The menu is somewhat limited.  Nonna's meatballs were excellent.  Fried calamari could have been crisper, but at least it wasn't chewy.  He had spaghetti carbonara, I had chicken parmigiana with spaghetti.  Overall, the food was better than Olive Garden but not as good as the Italian restaurants we have in New York. 

Dessert was disappointing.  We ordered cannoli.  Very elegant and authentic Italian.  But I prefer the Americanized version, much sweeter.

Music:  "Proud Mary" by Ike and Tina Turner

Instead of a show, tonight the Ovation Theater hosts a concert.  One of the bands that's been playing in a lounge all week now takes the main stage.    They're joined by some of the singers from the shows.  They perform for about half an hour.

Then we raced over to the Limelight Lounge for the comedy of Valerie Storm.  Very entertaining.

No stargazing tonight, we have to take care of the final details for debarkation.

Sigh.  I don't want to go home!

Day one

Background music:  "Under Pressure", Queen

The pirate king is a little bit organized.  He packs three days before the trip, prints out tickets and itineraries, checks details multiple times.

I'm not so organized.  As in, I was still packing at 4:00 this morning.  Caught a few hours' sleep, and stopped at the drugstore for a few last-minute items before heading to the pirate king's house.

The plan was to drive to our friend Donna's house, so that Donna could drive us to the airport.  Since the king didn't want to leave his brand-new, picked-up-from-the-dealer-last-week minivan on the street by Donna's house, we decided to take my car. 

Which meant I actually had to clean all of the junk out of my car.  I think I found the lost treasure of the Incas in there.

So the idea was to get to the airport by 1:00 for a 2:55 flight.  Got to La Guardia and to the curbside checkout.

And that's when Mr. Organized realized that he left both his passport and driver's license at home!

So I checked two suitcases and got my boarding pass, and took the rest of the lugguage to the food court, got some lunch and found a table.  And waited for Donna abd the king to race back to his house and then back to the airport.

The only reason we made the plane is because boarding was delayed until 3:15.  First time I've ever been happy for a flight delay.

Mostly slept on the plane.  Not well, though.  We were in the very last row of the plane, right near the restrooms, and EVERYONE used the restrooms.

Background music:  "Changes in Lattitude, Changes in Attitude"

There's always something magical about arriving in Florida, more so in winter when there's snow back home.  But palm trees scream that you aren't home anymore.  Love it.

But didn't love the Baatan Death March from the plane to baggage claim.  Thought about taking the Sky Train, but the escalators up to the platform were out of order.

So we wound up at the La Quinta, too tired and frazzled to do much more than order room service (Cuban sandwiches, rice and beans), watch tv and go to bed.

 This will be my first post in my Cruise Critic trip report:


Music cue:  Come Sail Away by Styx

First a bit about us.  I'm known as "songbird" because of my love for music.  Too bad my singing voice is suited only for the shower.  In gentler times I'd be referred to as "a woman of a certain age".  Let's put it this way -- my daughters are 22 and 21, so I'm just a tad bit older than that.

My traveling companion is referred to in this trip report as "the pirate king" (after the character in Pirates of Penzance) and/or "Jack Sparrow", for what girl wouldn't love to sail the Caribbean with a dashing pirate?  but he's also got a bit of the Pirate Captain from that animated movie -- The Pirates! Band of Misfits -- he can make me laugh.


A bit of backstory.  The pirate king and I married, produced two beautiful children, divorced and eventually found each other again.  Our first cruise was in 1987,  on Premier's Oceanic. The Big Red Boat was Disney's official cruise line then, offering a cruise to the Bahamas combined with a Disneyworld vacation.  We sailed on Monday, visited Nassau and Premier's private island Salt Cay, and returned to Port Canaveral on Friday for the Disney portion of our vacation.


Our second cruise was in February 2010.  The Carnival Valor.  A seven day cruise, Western Caribbean, stopping at Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize and Cozumel.
 
Music cue:  Sea Cruise by Frankie Ford

So the idea for this cruise came to us in March 2012.  We're friends with another couple, who proposed that we take a cruise together. The idea was to cruise during President's week, February 2013, when schools on Long Island close for a week.  Jack Sparrow's secret identity is " high school teacher", and our friends planned to bring their son, a high school student. So we booked the Carnival Liberty, a seven day cruise with an Eastern Caribbean itinerary.  And began to plan -- dinner at the steakhouse, an excursion to the Bacardi distillery in Puerto Rico . . .

Music cue.  Oh Sandy by John Travolta

October 29, 2012.  Superstorm Sandy devastated the tri-state area.  The coastal communities of Long Island, especially those on the South Shore, took the brunt of it.  Homes severely damaged or destroyed.  A year later the residents are still struggling with the storm's aftermath.  Those of us who live further inland had to deal with downed trees, days without electricity and long lines at the gas station.  Major inconvenience, but life went back to normal eventually.

One problem, though.  Schools cancelled February break to make up for time lost as a result of the storm. Our friends decided to pull their son out of school and go on the cruise anyhow.  But the pirate king . . . he'd been scheduled for surgery on 10/29,  finally had the surgery in the middle of November, and used up all his sick days recovering from the surgery.   He couldn't lose that much in pay to go on the cruise.   So we bit the bullet and cancelled the cruise.

Music cue:  Summer Breeze by Seals and Crofts

So our consolation prize:   an 8 day cruise on the Carnival Breeze.  Eastern Caribbean, making port at Puerto Rico, Grand Turk, St. Maarten and St. Thomas.  And the planning began again.

Music cue:  a medley of Boat Drinks by Jimmy Buffett  and The Waiting by Tom Petty

So we spent the winter being tormented by TV commercials, being told that "the sea is calling", that we should "cruise like a Norwegian", that "it's better in the Bahamas", and we should be "Cayman kind"... but the worst was the one for Carnival cruise lines.  You know, the one that had the couple on board the ship, happy that their vacation is "better than last year"...  Even with Carnival's problems -- the Triumph of course, as well as the Dream and the Legend all made the news, we would not be deterred...

RIP Love Boat

One of my favorite shows at the time:

The Pacific Princess a/k/a the MS Pacific, has been retired and sent to the scrap yard.  Built for 350 crew and about 700 passengers, it seemed huge on that show.

Alas...times have changed.

Details, details

The cruise is imminent.  The major planning was done long ago.  All that's left is details.


Found a great app from Travelguard, helps keep all your info organized.  A little surprised they're still using the "Chartis" logo on the app when the rest of the company switched back to "AIG" months ago.


We checked our airline information.  American changed its flight numbers and never bothered to tell us.  Worse yet, they changed the time of our flight home.  At least they made it later, not earlier.  Considering our Jet Blue problems last cruise, this would have been nice to know earlier.


Found a neat website, www.cruiseoutlook.com.  Gives the weather forecast based on your cruise itinerary, so you don't have to look up each port separately on weather.com.  I just have to remember that the site made an error on the Breeze itinerary and I have to use a different ship (the Freedom's Eastern Caribbean itinerary for August 10) to see all our ports.

Got global services for my phone but I am not likely to use it much.  Going to turn off the data plan on the tablet and use ship's wifi, it's not cheap but a lot less expensive than Verizon.


We got the infamous "betcha can't wait" email from Carnival, the one that tells you to wait until 1:00 to board the ship.  The pirate king actually took it seriously -- he doesn't read Cruise Critic.  But our Faster to tge Fun "excursion" is scheduled to start at 11:00.  We still plan to board early and lunch on the ship.


So now it's just laundry and packing and getting excited.

Ha!

So you know I'm a tad bit upset that Jimmy Buffett's Jones Beach concerts coincide with our trip. 


Pirate King isn't happy right now.  He just found out Adam Ant is doing a concert.  He'd love to go, but it's while we're on the cruise.

one week

one week from today I will be on a flight to Miami.

single digit dance

packing

No, not for the cruise.  We've got a trip coming up this week.  Not a vacation.  Just some errands we need to take care of, flying down to Florida and driving home again.

counting down

located the suitcase, but haven't started packing.  we've got that road trip next week, I'll pack for the cruise when we get back.

36 days to go

Everything is booked and paid for -- cruise, air travel, excursions.  Steakhouse and Cucina de Capitano reservations have been made.

Can't start packing yet because: 

(1)  It;s summer and I'm wearing the clothes I plan to take on the cruise; and

(2) We have a road trip of sorts starting July 29, I have to pack for that first.

So all that's left to do for now is the countdown.

St. Thomas Excursion

Your journey begins with a 45-minute boat ride to the island of St. John.

Upon arriving in the charming town of Cruz Bay, you'll board open-air safari transportation for a scenic Island drive. Along the way, your guide will provide insight into St. John's rich history, lush, tropical foliage and its indigenous wildlife. You'll witness white-sand beaches and panoramic views of the British Virgin Islands.
On your itinerary are the ruins of the Annaberg sugar mill, an 18th-century sugar plantation with an abundance of greenery and flowers bursting among the stone ruins, and Whistling Cay. You'll also visit such scenic overlooks as Trunk Bay ( one of the most photographed beaches in the world) Hawksnest Bay, and Caneel Bay, overlooking the famous Rockefeller plantation. Next, you'll drive to Bordeaux Mountain. At a 1,277 feet elevation, it's the highest summit in the Virgin Islands, providing one of the most extraordinary vista points. You'll cap off your tour with a return to Cruz Bay before your boat ride back to St. Thomas.

St. Maarten Excursion

Experience the best that French St. Maarten has to offer, both above ground and beneath the sea.
On this excursion you will:

• Visit cosmopolitan French St. Maarten, considered by many to be the most picturesque side of this two-nation island.
• Find out why it also claims the title, “Gastronomic Capital of the Caribbean”.
• Travel to the Dutch side of the island to the quaint fishing village of Grand Case.
• Board a state of the art semi-submarine called the Sea World Explorer.
• Take a 45-minute narrated tour of the coral reefs surrounding Creole Rock.
• Enjoy the spectacular feeding frenzy as a diver hand feeds fish right outside your viewing window.
• Learn as a marine expert fills you in on what you are seeing.
• Continue back, on land, to the French Capital of Marigot.
• Explore this beautiful port city with it’s sidewalk cafes, open air markets and duty free shops.

Puerto Rico Excursion

Explore two of the most popular places in this island fitted in this wonderful excursion including Historic Old San Juan and the spectacular El Yunque Rainforest.
On this excursion you will:

• Witness the greatness of our City Tour as you pass the many historical landmarks such as the Capitol Building and other displays of the 17^th Century architecture.
• Visit the San Cristobal Fortress, the largest Fort in the New World built by the Spaniards to protect against attacks in 1634.
• Travel from the Old City to New San Juan with panoramic views of the Condado District, famous for their striking beaches, upscale hotels, casinos and restaurants.
• Right as we leave the metropolitan area behind, we drive to the northeastern central area of the island to visit the only tropical rainforest in the United States territory, El Yunque. Stop at La Coca Falls, Observation Tower and more.
• This natural treasure exhibits jungle like vegetation, amazing waterfalls, sounds of the wind and cool fresh air; that combined delivers the outmost relaxation.
• En route back to the pier, you may go directly to the ship or take advantage of the optional drop-off in downtown for shopping, pictures or browsing around the local surroundings and return to the ship on your own.

Grand Turk Excursion

Enjoy a wonderfully enlightening tour through the capital of the Turks & Caicos Islands.
On this excursion you will:

• Join a fun tour that is also a great historical experience.
• Your tour begins with a short drive to the John Glenn commemorative capsule for a photo opportunity and on to a working, historic lighthouse where you will learn about Grand Turk’s “pirate past”.
• Enjoy a narrated drive along historic Duke Street and stop at Front Street to visit the lovely Anglican Church built in 1899.
• Front Street is lined with historic 18th and 19th century landmarks reflecting the Bermudian-style architecture and is the center of the Turks and Caicos’ capital.
• Proceed to the Turks & Caicos National Museum which features an exhibit of the Molasses Reef Wreck, the oldest European shipwreck discovered in the Western Hemisphere (dated around 1505).
• Finally, you’ll stop at the Salt house, a tribute to Grand Turk’s salt-raking past.
• Browse through the shop’s souvenirs and exhibits which chronicle the history of the salt and slave industry on the island.

Faster To the Fun

Carnival's latest gimmick.


You're not a VIP cruiser, but you can buy you way into some of the VIP perks.  Priority boarding.  Your cabin is ready when you board.  Priority luggage delivery. 

For $50, I figured "why not?"

great quote

---

Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones that you did.

So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain.

Grrrr

Almost forgot to mention the Royal Caribbean incident last week.  they had a fire on board and had to fly all their passengers home from the Bahamas.  And wouldn't you know it, the news people had to throw something about the Carnival Triumph into their stories....

Excursions!!!

Booked them last night.

Puerto Rico's favorites.  The Sea and See tour in St. Maarten/St. Martin.  Historical Homes in Grand Turk. St. John National Park when we make port in St. Thomas.  Lots of siteseeing, lots of history and nature.  A little shopping. 

Paid in full

Now on to planning excursions

So tired of the Carnival jokes

You would think Carnival was the only cruise line to have issues.  Tired of it.  If I really thought I was risking my life or my safety by boarding a Carnival ship, I wouldn't go.

Found www.cruisejunkie.com which lists every incident on every cruise ship of every line-- propulsion issues, engine fires, collisions, failed health inspections, norovirus outbreaks.  Not to mention man/ woman overboard, violence and crimes on the ship, accidents during shore excursions . . .read long enough and you'll never board a cruise ship again.

Price drop!!!!

Upgraded to a balcony for less than what we initially paid for ocean view!

good news, bad news

Bad news first...after the disaster of the Triumph breaking down...this past weekend the Dream, the Legend and the Ecstacy all had mechanical issues.  Bad press for Carnival....


But there's a sale going on right now.  We put in for a price drop. Loving the early saver rate right now!!!!

I knew it. I just knew it . . .

I must confess, I am a Parrothead.  I love Jimmy Buffett, I love the whole Caribbean vibe of his music.

I really wasn't much of a fan until 2009.  I mean, I liked the songs I heard on the radio, but I wasn't "into" Jimmy's music until we were planning our February 2010 cruise.  And then I won tickets for Jimny's pre-Thanksgiving show at Madison Square Garden in November 2009, after which I jumped into Margaritaville with both feet. . .

We saw Jimmy at Jones Beach in August 2010.  And again in August 2011 and August 2012. (He closed that concert with "Lovely Cruise". . .)

But right after we booked our cruise for August on the Breeze, I got this gut feeling we would not be seeing Jimmy at Jones Beach this year.

Jimmy announced his Jones Beach show today.

You guessed it.

We will be in St. Thomas that day.

Insert rolleyes smilie here

We were suposed to be on the Liberty this week.

What I failed to mention is that we were sailing with another couple and their son.  We cancelled because of the Hurricane Sandy/ cancelled school vacation situation.  They pulled their son out of school and went on the cruise.

He called from St. Thomas yesterday.

And all I heard were the negatives.

At my suggestion they flew down to Miami the day before the cruise.    I am so glad I did that . . .their flight was delayed 4 hours and one of their suitcases was temporarily lost ( note to self -- tell her to pack a bathing suit and some clothes in her carry-on next time, it will reduce panic if luggage gets misplaced.)

The weather wasn't good on their first sea day.  They missed Half Moon Cay because the seas were too rough to tender.

He was doing laundry while he was talking to us, because they were going through clithes faster than he anticipated, and because son had a bad nosebleed one night.

And then there was the "tips" problem. Carnival automatically bills passengers for tips for the cabin steward and his staff, etc.  It's one of the big topics over at Cruise Critic, and I am fairly certain it's mentioned in the cruise documents.  I know we paid the tips when we sailed three years ago.  It wasn't an issue for us.

Apparently our friends didn't link their Sail N Sign account to a credit or debit card, and deposited cash into the account instead.  Sge ordered a drink at dinner and her card was declined.  Seems the tips for all three of them were added to the account, thereby depleting the account.  He swears he was never charged for tips when they sailed two years ago.

He did say they were having fun, that he loved St. Thomas.  When he sailed two years ago he hated Jamaica because the locals were too aggressive in trying to sell souvenirs to tourists, but "St Thomas isn't like that, it's beautiful."

Really, all his did was moan and groan, and focus on the negative. 

I hope the rest of their cruise is fun and problem- free.

Sigh

Right now I should be waking up on the Liberty.  Breakfast at Punchliners or in the Lido deck.  A lovely day at sea.  Drink of the Day in my hand as I watch the show.  Dinner in the main dining room.  Birthday cake.

Sigh.

Carnival Triumph

Horrible, horrible. Ship had a fire Sunday and lost all power. Thankfully no one was hurt. But the ship is being towed to port, won't get there until tomorrow. The 4,000 passengers and crew are stuck with deplorable conditions. I feel so bad for everyone on board.

Snow...

And longing for warm sunny days.

Breezing along

Thanks to cruise critic I found two great websites.  The first tells you when there's been a price drop -- very important if you're booked early saver. 

The second tells you which ships are in which ports.  We will be sharing space with the Carnival Liberty when we sail out of Miami.  But we'll be the only ship in port for every port after that.  Makes excursions less crowded, I think.

the waiting is the hardest part

So we booked a cruise for August in lieu of our cancelled February cruise.

Cost us more to change from a 7 day Eastern on the Liberty to an 8 day Eastern on the Breeze, but we saved a bundle because we're flying in the summer instead of during President's week.  Still have to cancel and rebook our hotel for the night before the cruise, the plan is to stay near the airport and use the free shuttle to the port.

I made a reservation for the steakhouse but haven't received confirmation yet. doubt I will hear for awhile.

Haven't booked any excursions yet.  We still have plenty of time.

What's killing me....

TV commercials.  there's the one "It's better in the Bahamas."  And "Cruise Like a Norwegian".

and this one