My dad bought my wife and I a cruise for our 25th wedding anniversary. We just got back from a cruise celebrating our 40th anniversary and we have been on 12 or 13 cruises in the past 15 years.
We had never really thought about cruising much but now it is our cocain and about all we do. We love the boat, the people, and all the exotic places we get to visit.
I thought y'all might enjoy some of the details of a Caribbean cruise.
The boat we were on was the Carnival Triumph out of Galveston. It is a fairly good size boat which was packed full. 3450 passengers and 1900 crew. The boat was laid out pretty much like all Carnival boats: Lobby Purser's desk and service desk and Atrium Bar on deck 3 amid ships, Photo gallery and library etc on deck 4 amidships, stores and shops on deck 5 amidships. a huge dining room on decks 3 and 4 fore and aft. The big show lounge decks 3, 4, and 5 forward. All the bar and smaller theaters and game rooms and casino on deck 5. Deck 5 is the only deck that runs the length of the ship without having to go up or down so if you are on one end of the boat and need to get to the other end of the boat you need to go to 5 to get to the other end. Deck 9 is the Lido Deck where the pools and casual dining facilities are.
Our cabin was on Deck 9 forward on the starboard side. It was the smallest cabin and balcony we have ever had on a cruise ship but it was nice. Aside from coffee and fruit on the balcony at sunrise in the mornings out cabin was little more than a place to sleep and keep out clothes so it was not a real problem.
One of my very favorite features on the Carnival ships is the entertainment. The shows are Vegas quality and the musicians are crazy good. Every cruise I have found one that just really blows me away. on this trip it was a little Japanese guy that was no taller than 5' tall. I guessed his age to be about 50 something. He looks more like the guy that works in the laundry or the guy that might mow your lawn. But he is a dang fine guitar player and singer and his music ranges from David Allen Coe to eric Clapton to Garth Brooks, to Jimmy Buffet to John Denver to Hank jr. and sr. and more. He is also a comedian. If he don't have you wantin' to scoot your boots (flip-flops) then he has you holding your sides with tears of laughter in your eyes. And his venue was always the Atrium bar. If I was on the boat and not at the pool or in the dining room I was warming a stool at the bar and diggin' on Jeeeeer-y!
The food was killer!! Being as it is so close to dinner time and I'm starvin' I will not go into detail about that just now. Just trust me when I say that it was all excellent and the service was great as well. There were 3 other couples at our table. One guy was a dead ringer for Bill Murray and only slightly less funny. One guy was a dead ringer for the short fat bald headed guy on Seinfeld and the other guy was the personification of the cartoon guy the Family Guy. It was a great table and we all had tears in our eyes at dinner the last night. There was a roving magician that came up to our table most nights and did for mind bending close-up magic. He was also a great comedian. So much fun!
Monday: We were on the boat and in our cabin by 1:45 PM. Spent the afternoon getting used to where things were but as I mentioned above they are all pretty much alike so that didn't take too long. I was at the bar by 1600 and getting my first look at Jeeeeer-----y. Dinner was at 1800. I don't really remember what we had on which day but I usually got two of the appetizers and occasionally two of the main dishes as well. After dinner there was a great show and we finished off the evening at the bar.
Tuesday: Tuesday was an "At Sea" day, Hit the bar for a bloody mary before breakfast and the pool after breakfast having another couple of bloody mary's poolside. This got me to lunch and all the while I was by the pool or bar Miss Pam was playin' bingo and shoppin'. After lunch she went back to the casino and I went back to the bar to commune with the Captain (Morgan, that is). I stayed there until Dinner time and Miss Pam would "drop by" occasionally and have a drink with me and then back to the casino or the shops. It all tells quick but it was extremely relaxing and a wonderful, wonderful day.
Wednesday: Progresso for today. Early breakfast and caught our bus to our excursion spot at a beach resort about 55 minutes farther down the Yucatan Peninsula. As it turned out we have been there before but they have made a lot of improvements and it is now totally awesome. The rum punch and the food was awesome...no TexMex there for sure. The water and sand were other worldly in color and comfort. Except for the grueling bus ride it was a perfect day and went by in what seemed like the blink of an eye. Back on the ship and back at the bar until dinner. Jeeeeer-y was rockin'!
A couple of shows after dinner and finished off the evening diggin' on Jeeeeer-y
Thursday: Cozumel. This was one of the best days of my life. We have been to Cozumel many time but never like this. It was another "all inclusive" beach thang. This time it was about a half hour ride on a power cat to get to passion Island. I can't tell you how much more fun that is than a dang bus ride with a guy blaring at you over a bull horn. The restaurant and bars may not have been quite as fancy as they were in Progresso but they were very nice. The feature I especially like was that they had these thatched covered little spots with a table and chairs and a couple of Hammocks. Of course the sugar like sand and gorgeous water and the rum punch and great food but I found a little shop on the beach that had Cubans (the cigars not the people ) I got me a 30 dollar Monte Cristo after arguing the price down to 20 bux and double rum punch and hit my hammock. Oh BABY! Now I want yall to close your eyes and get a visual on this part. I want you to imagine lying in a hammock on a beautiful beach in Mexico. You have a belly full of rum and great authentic Mexican food and a fresh rum punch in your hand. You are pullin' on a 30 dollar cigar, and a light rain is lightly coming through the thatched cover over you and you don't have a single care in the world. Are ya feelin' me here? I am serious when I tell y'all that if I'd had a way to stay in that moment I'd never come back. I mean it. Back on the ship we went to dinner and show and back to listen to Jeeeer-y at the bar till bed time. Just don't get too many days that I enjoy this much.
Friday: Now we are headed back to Galveston and although it is kinda sad we still focused on the opportunities we still had at hand. Spent the day in the casino and shops and of course......listenin' to Jeeeeer-y
Saturday: One last gourmet breakfast and the rest of the morning spent packin' and debarkin'. Feet on the pier at 10:05. Not bad. Home by 11:00 and well, you know................
Closing notes: If you cruise do excursions. If you do excursions do at least some beach excursions. If you do beach excursion be sure to do the ALL INCLUSIVE ones. they are only about 70 bucks each and ALL food and drinks are included. They didn't make any money on me This trip! Can I get an AMEN?
We have never done a cruise that was only 5 days before. It ain't enough. Still we had a super blast and can't wait for the 10 day'er we have coming up in October. And even thought a few more days would have been nice we are happy to be home.
How was the gambling you ask. We were in the chips for a few minutes there, or at least we thought so. We didn't gamble much at all this time wife played bingo twice and I only played once. She played the slots a couple of times and entered one tournament. I didn't play the slots at all. we didn't see any of the machines we like on this trip. All of that resulting in the big ZIP.
BUT:
When you buy your bingo cards they always sell or give you a few scratch offs. This time they are a little different. You don't scratch anymore. Now you PEEL. You peel the little tab back and what ever is underneath it is your prize if its a winner.
When I peeled mine back I misinterpreted the prize description thingy and thought I had won $1500.00. I nearly broke both legs getting up to the stage in the theater to claim my prize. The guy patiently explained how you read the prize logo and it turned out that my win was only 5 bux.
As I slumped back to my seat with my 5 dollar bill in my hand all my visions of my new Ruger SR1911 and bulk ammo buys in several calibers evaporated and blew away like a puff of smoke in a high wind. RATS!! Ahhh well. That's the way the pickle squirts, right?
We had never really thought about cruising much but now it is our cocain and about all we do. We love the boat, the people, and all the exotic places we get to visit.
I thought y'all might enjoy some of the details of a Caribbean cruise.
The boat we were on was the Carnival Triumph out of Galveston. It is a fairly good size boat which was packed full. 3450 passengers and 1900 crew. The boat was laid out pretty much like all Carnival boats: Lobby Purser's desk and service desk and Atrium Bar on deck 3 amid ships, Photo gallery and library etc on deck 4 amidships, stores and shops on deck 5 amidships. a huge dining room on decks 3 and 4 fore and aft. The big show lounge decks 3, 4, and 5 forward. All the bar and smaller theaters and game rooms and casino on deck 5. Deck 5 is the only deck that runs the length of the ship without having to go up or down so if you are on one end of the boat and need to get to the other end of the boat you need to go to 5 to get to the other end. Deck 9 is the Lido Deck where the pools and casual dining facilities are.
Our cabin was on Deck 9 forward on the starboard side. It was the smallest cabin and balcony we have ever had on a cruise ship but it was nice. Aside from coffee and fruit on the balcony at sunrise in the mornings out cabin was little more than a place to sleep and keep out clothes so it was not a real problem.
One of my very favorite features on the Carnival ships is the entertainment. The shows are Vegas quality and the musicians are crazy good. Every cruise I have found one that just really blows me away. on this trip it was a little Japanese guy that was no taller than 5' tall. I guessed his age to be about 50 something. He looks more like the guy that works in the laundry or the guy that might mow your lawn. But he is a dang fine guitar player and singer and his music ranges from David Allen Coe to eric Clapton to Garth Brooks, to Jimmy Buffet to John Denver to Hank jr. and sr. and more. He is also a comedian. If he don't have you wantin' to scoot your boots (flip-flops) then he has you holding your sides with tears of laughter in your eyes. And his venue was always the Atrium bar. If I was on the boat and not at the pool or in the dining room I was warming a stool at the bar and diggin' on Jeeeeer-y!
The food was killer!! Being as it is so close to dinner time and I'm starvin' I will not go into detail about that just now. Just trust me when I say that it was all excellent and the service was great as well. There were 3 other couples at our table. One guy was a dead ringer for Bill Murray and only slightly less funny. One guy was a dead ringer for the short fat bald headed guy on Seinfeld and the other guy was the personification of the cartoon guy the Family Guy. It was a great table and we all had tears in our eyes at dinner the last night. There was a roving magician that came up to our table most nights and did for mind bending close-up magic. He was also a great comedian. So much fun!
Monday: We were on the boat and in our cabin by 1:45 PM. Spent the afternoon getting used to where things were but as I mentioned above they are all pretty much alike so that didn't take too long. I was at the bar by 1600 and getting my first look at Jeeeeer-----y. Dinner was at 1800. I don't really remember what we had on which day but I usually got two of the appetizers and occasionally two of the main dishes as well. After dinner there was a great show and we finished off the evening at the bar.
Tuesday: Tuesday was an "At Sea" day, Hit the bar for a bloody mary before breakfast and the pool after breakfast having another couple of bloody mary's poolside. This got me to lunch and all the while I was by the pool or bar Miss Pam was playin' bingo and shoppin'. After lunch she went back to the casino and I went back to the bar to commune with the Captain (Morgan, that is). I stayed there until Dinner time and Miss Pam would "drop by" occasionally and have a drink with me and then back to the casino or the shops. It all tells quick but it was extremely relaxing and a wonderful, wonderful day.
Wednesday: Progresso for today. Early breakfast and caught our bus to our excursion spot at a beach resort about 55 minutes farther down the Yucatan Peninsula. As it turned out we have been there before but they have made a lot of improvements and it is now totally awesome. The rum punch and the food was awesome...no TexMex there for sure. The water and sand were other worldly in color and comfort. Except for the grueling bus ride it was a perfect day and went by in what seemed like the blink of an eye. Back on the ship and back at the bar until dinner. Jeeeeer-y was rockin'!
A couple of shows after dinner and finished off the evening diggin' on Jeeeeer-y
Thursday: Cozumel. This was one of the best days of my life. We have been to Cozumel many time but never like this. It was another "all inclusive" beach thang. This time it was about a half hour ride on a power cat to get to passion Island. I can't tell you how much more fun that is than a dang bus ride with a guy blaring at you over a bull horn. The restaurant and bars may not have been quite as fancy as they were in Progresso but they were very nice. The feature I especially like was that they had these thatched covered little spots with a table and chairs and a couple of Hammocks. Of course the sugar like sand and gorgeous water and the rum punch and great food but I found a little shop on the beach that had Cubans (the cigars not the people ) I got me a 30 dollar Monte Cristo after arguing the price down to 20 bux and double rum punch and hit my hammock. Oh BABY! Now I want yall to close your eyes and get a visual on this part. I want you to imagine lying in a hammock on a beautiful beach in Mexico. You have a belly full of rum and great authentic Mexican food and a fresh rum punch in your hand. You are pullin' on a 30 dollar cigar, and a light rain is lightly coming through the thatched cover over you and you don't have a single care in the world. Are ya feelin' me here? I am serious when I tell y'all that if I'd had a way to stay in that moment I'd never come back. I mean it. Back on the ship we went to dinner and show and back to listen to Jeeeer-y at the bar till bed time. Just don't get too many days that I enjoy this much.
Friday: Now we are headed back to Galveston and although it is kinda sad we still focused on the opportunities we still had at hand. Spent the day in the casino and shops and of course......listenin' to Jeeeeer-y
Saturday: One last gourmet breakfast and the rest of the morning spent packin' and debarkin'. Feet on the pier at 10:05. Not bad. Home by 11:00 and well, you know................
Closing notes: If you cruise do excursions. If you do excursions do at least some beach excursions. If you do beach excursion be sure to do the ALL INCLUSIVE ones. they are only about 70 bucks each and ALL food and drinks are included. They didn't make any money on me This trip! Can I get an AMEN?
We have never done a cruise that was only 5 days before. It ain't enough. Still we had a super blast and can't wait for the 10 day'er we have coming up in October. And even thought a few more days would have been nice we are happy to be home.
How was the gambling you ask. We were in the chips for a few minutes there, or at least we thought so. We didn't gamble much at all this time wife played bingo twice and I only played once. She played the slots a couple of times and entered one tournament. I didn't play the slots at all. we didn't see any of the machines we like on this trip. All of that resulting in the big ZIP.
BUT:
When you buy your bingo cards they always sell or give you a few scratch offs. This time they are a little different. You don't scratch anymore. Now you PEEL. You peel the little tab back and what ever is underneath it is your prize if its a winner.
When I peeled mine back I misinterpreted the prize description thingy and thought I had won $1500.00. I nearly broke both legs getting up to the stage in the theater to claim my prize. The guy patiently explained how you read the prize logo and it turned out that my win was only 5 bux.
As I slumped back to my seat with my 5 dollar bill in my hand all my visions of my new Ruger SR1911 and bulk ammo buys in several calibers evaporated and blew away like a puff of smoke in a high wind. RATS!! Ahhh well. That's the way the pickle squirts, right?
Catching fish for dinner enjoying sunsets and NO CELL PHONE
