So...

We booked the cruise for October, but we haven't looked at flights or hotels or anything, haven't started to think about shore excursions yet.  It's 5 months away.  It feels like it's too soon to be getting involved in the details.

But we have friends who are cruising on Carnival around the same time we'll be on RCCL, and they're "literally counting the days".

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So the last time we cruised, in 2013, we were booked on the Carnival Breeze.  And while I was in the middle  of planning our cruise, the Carnival Triumph had ...issues.  As in, the cruise from hell.  there was a fire on board, which knocked out power, and the ship limped back to port in terrible shape. 

So now we're booked on Royal Caribbean.

And Anthem of the Seas is making news, for all the wrong reasons.

Anthem is based in New Jersey, sailing south to  warmer weather this winter.  Last month they sailed right into a storm. Really bad situation.  And the current cruise is being cut short, they say that the weather is bad, they're afraid of sailing into another storm.  But there's also a noro virus outbreak aboard that ship.  They're saying the ship is "cursed".

Oh joy.

And we'll have company...

Freedom of the Seas will be the only ship in port at Labadee. 

But the Carnival Dream will be with us at Grand Cayman.  the Dream will be in Montego Bay the day we're in Falmouth.  And the Dream and Liberty of the Seas are joining us in Cozumel.

Ports of call

So we will be making 4 ports on this cruise:  Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico.

We've never been to Labadee, and we didn't do the "private island" thing on either of our Carnival cruises.  Our visit to Premier's Salt Cay was almost 30 years ago.  I'm guessing that if we want to do anything more than sit on the beach, I'm going to have to do some research.


I'm already getting excited for Jamaica.  We've never been there, either.  But I'm sure we will find something interesting -- natural wonders, like a waterfall, or something historic or cultural.

We went to Cozumel and Grand a Cayman during our first Carnival cruise in 2010.

Cozumel was our beach day, we'd seen Mayan ruins in Belize and didn't want to do a repeat.  But this time I think we're doing Nexican ruins.

On Grand Cayman, we took a submarine ride, then a bus tour to the Turtle Farm, He'll, and a store that sells rum, rum cake, hot sauce, etc.  It was fun, but I'm not sure there's much more to see and do on that island.

Let the planning begin.

And we are booked

Freedom of the Seas, October 23.  Sailing from Port Canaveral.  Western Caribbean. Ports of call:  Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico.

When we cruised on the Valor 6 years ago we made port at Grand Cayman and Cozumel, but we've never been to Haiti or Jamaica.  I'm excited.

make that October 23

We were invited to join a friend and his extended family on a Carnival cruise.  We really enjoyed our previous cruises on Carnival, and Carnival was offering a great deal.

But I wasn't happy with the ports.  I thought we'd be bored.  So we said "no" to the invitation.

But now the pirate king has found a Royal Caribbean cruise he's interested in. 


I think we're going to book.

Cruise alert

Possible cruise 10/2016 to the Caribbean.