Bienvenidos a Cartagena

 So Thursday afternoon we saw Aaron Bonk again.  This time he performed in the Reflections lounge, on deck 11.  Really difficult to juggle when the ship is starting to sway, but he performed well.

  

We also played some trivia …

We did not go to the main theater.  Instead, we saw a mini concert by James Humphreys in the Grand Foyer, and then played trivia.  Do you see a theme forming?

The man has an incredible voice, I’ll have to upload video later.

Today we made port in Cartegena.  We visited the National Aviary.  Our guide took us on a walk through the five environmental regions of Colombia.  The trail is easy to navigate, one member of our party used a rolls for and managed to see everything.

We saw birds, birds, more mores, and a few iguanas.

When the tour buses bring you back to port, they drop you off at a little aviary/souvenir stand.  From there you can either take a shuttle bus or walk back to the ship.

We shopped a little, then walked back to the ship.  Lunch at the buffet, then trivia.  This time the subjects were 80’s music, cartoons and general knowledge.  We came in second in all three games. 

The dancing queen feels the motion of the ocean

  So, dinner last night.  Shrimp cocktail, Moroccan lamb kebabs, chocolate cake.  The main dining room is on deck four, at the back of the ship, over the engines, and last night you could really feel the motion of the ship.  We watched the Christmas tree sway and made jokes about climbing it to see Roddy McDowall while listening to Maureen McGovern sing (name that movie!)

Entertainment last night was a singer, James Humphreys.  He did some pop songs, some Broadway, even some Italian opera.

Later we went to the ABBA sing-a-long party,The cruise director projected the lyrics of each song onto a screen. We were encouraged to get onto the dance floor and sing along with ABBA.  

Did I mention I met Aaron Bonk?  He was in the theater, watching Humphreys sing.  I went up to him and told him how much I enjoy his performances.  He’s doing another show this afternoon, and we will probably go.

I’m feeling a bit lightheaded today, I can really feel the ship moving,  we had breakfast in the main dining room (I had French toast) and played trivia all morning.  

At lunchtime we had cheeseburgers on our balcony (cue the Jimmy Buffett song).  

I am really enjoying this.  Not sure what we are doing tonight, but tomorrow we will be in Cartagena.

Don’t stop me now, I’m going to Hell

  I’ve been to Hell and back.  Really.  I will explain later.

Last night’s dinner was Caesar salad, shrimp scampi over linguini and cheesecake for dessert.

The main theater entertainment was a production show — singers,  dancers and acrobats performing to classic rock — the Kinks, The Who, Rod Stewart, Queen, AC/DC, Bon Jovi. I loved their version of “Don’t Stop Me.”

I especially liked “Highway to Hell”.  

(Off topic, but the fact that there’s a highway to Hell and a stairway to Heaven suggests the volume of traffic for each.)

After the show we spent time on our balcony, trying to stargaze.  It was overcast, though, so we didn’t see many stars.

This morning we made port at Georgetown, Grand Cayman.  So did the Carnival Vista and the Carnival Sunshine — I could see each from our balcony.  After breakfast at the buffet, we made our way down to the gangway to board a tender.

Georgetown is a tender port — there’s no pier to accommodate cruise ships, so you take a small boat (a “tender”) to ferry from ship to shore and back.

This is our third visit to Grand Cayman.  I know it’s a British protectorate, but I’m still not used to them driving on the “wrong” side of the road.  

Christmas trees, snowmen and Santa and his reindeer seem incongruous here in the tropics.  

We did a bit of shopping near the port — he bought a t shirt and a pair of sunglasses (he left his on the ship.)

Our shore excursion took us to the Nautilus, a semi sub that runs a tour of  coral reefs and related wildlife. I learned that the reefs are protected, there’s no fishing allowed within two miles of the shore.  Also, the government is actively developing coral reefs in the protected zone. We saw two shipwrecks and lots of coral.  And then the sub captain donned diving gear and fed the fish.  They swarmed around him.

We made a quick stop at the beach to admire the white sand and turquoise water, 

Next stop was a small shop that sells rum, rum cake, hot sauce and souvenirs.  We each got a tasting sample of banana rum and a very small piece of chocolate rum cake.

Last stop: Hell.

It’s a small area of the island known for its eerie rock formations. Bought a few souvenirs here.  He got a t shirt that reads “Hell was too crowded so I came back.”  

Then it was back to the port, and a tender back to the ship.

I’m relaxing on the balcony now.  Can’t wait to see what on tonight’s dinner menu.

I think I’m going to have to upgrade to high speed internet, I can’t post photos …

And it begins

 Sail away … we were supposed to sail at 4 pm, didn’t leave until 5.  Followed the Carnival Paradise into Tampa Bay.

Dress code for the evening was “smart casual”, meaning less than formal but nicer than other evenings.  We had a reservation for Le Petite Chef.  Absolutely loved the animations.  The menu tonight included Tartlet of Slow-Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes (and a lesson about the Conquistadors and the Aztecs), Poached Shrimp and Persian Cucumber Salad, Braised Short Ribs of Beef, and Strawberry Chantilly Napoleon.  Waiter told us that because this is such a long cruise, there will be a different show and menu later in the voyage — king crab cake and filet mignon. 

Did a little more exploring, walked around the ship, star gazed ..saw a tanker ship pass us so close  thought we could reach out and touch it.  And the a pilot boat collected some people from the ship.

We made our way to the theater for the evening’s entertainment.  Juggler comedian Aaron Bonk.  We’d seen Bonk at the NY Renaissance Faire, so we thought we knew what to expect.  Some of his act was the same, some very different — you can’t set whips on fire in a crowded cruise ship — but overall very entertaining.

Back to the room to unpack and get ready for the next day.

And this is where it went off the rails.  First, one of our excursions — Costa Rica — was cancelled, and we had to rebook a different adventure.

And then …

I woke up sick.  I sent the Pirate King to breakfast and trivia games, sent him to lunch by himself.  I missed our first “excursion”, the behind the scenes tour. 

But I am feeling better now, and plan to participate in the evening activities.

No photos, my internet plan on the ship is very limited.

Cross the t’s

 Final packing, car service to the port, drop our bags and step inside…

We showed our boarding passes,  our vaccination cards and our passports, and were allowed to board.  The process was short and sweet.

First stop was our cabin, where we found our sea passes.  We’re in a balcony cabin on deck 7.  Nice room, a bit small but comfortable.  

Up to deck 10 for the buffet …we didn’t even see all the stations until after we’d eaten.  Food was ok, not spectacular.  

Took ourselves on a tour of the ship.  Then back to the cabin, where we met our cabin steward and received some of our luggage.  I did some unpacking while he napped.

And then it was time for sail away.

Dot the i's

 Health questionnaire complete 

Vacation begins

 Airfare was booked through Flights by Celebrity.  They put us on a Delta flight out of La Guardia.

Our cruise doesn't begin until Monday, but we flew to Tampa today so we can spend a few days with friends who live in the area.  We finally got to see the multi billion dollar renovations at the airport.  No issues checking our luggage or getting through security (TSA precheck rocks).  The flight was completely full, so I wound up checking my carry on bag.  

Other than someone who mistakenly took our window seat instead of her aisle seat, and some turbulence at the beginning of the flight, out trip was uneventful. 

Friends met us at the airport.  The adventure begins.