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.