Not for the first time we got off to a rough start. We were to fly from the big air port to Miami and then on to San Juan and our flight was to take off at 0500. We had arranged for a car to pick us up at 0215 which allowed time for getting around any problem. Ask me how we learned about THAT. At 0100 they called and said they didn't have a car for us or a shuttle bus or anything and did we want them to send a cab. Duh, Yeah!
So once again I'm out walking up and down the street in the middle of the night looking for a car that isn't coming. We didn't even bother to try to sleep because there was just not time to get ENOUGH sleep to do more than make it worse. After many confusing calls we finally got a cab to come and pick us up and we made it to the airport in plenty of time but the uncertainty was real there for a time.
And I had forgotten that you can NOT get even a cup of coffee in an airport before 0600. THAT didn't make me any happier. While we were waiting to board we noticed (heard) a baby screaming his head off. I looked around and saw a young couple holding the little tike and looking like everything was fine, no problems. And isn't he/she cute? I gave Pam a nudge and told her that I'd bet her a dollar that they were going to be in the seats directly behind us all the way to Miami. She made some remark about my negative attitude. But I just had a feeling.
When we boarded the plane my worst fears were recognized but at least the kid was not crying right then. Maybe there's hope after all. NOT! Just after we lifted off the screaming started up again. I always carry some ear plugs when I fly. I took out my hearing aids and put the plugs in. Pam asked me if I had any more. I thought it best to remain silent here. Sleep was impossible because although the kid was quiet sometimes it was never for very long. Just be gettin' right and here it comes again.
In Miami we boarded for the 2nd leg of our trip to SJ It was a quiet and comfortable and enjoyable flight. I even managed to get a couple of winks in. If you think you have been in heavy traffic you might not be aware of the situation in SJ. Worse than New York city...much worse. 50 minutes to go about 3 miles. But the bus was air conditioned, comfortable and there were no screaming babies.
We finally got aboard the ship and in our suite. This was a NICE one. it was the same size living space and balcony as two of the ones we usually get. And the bath tub was equipped with a Jacuzzi. I didn't even unpack. Pam laid down for a nap and I hit the Atrium Bar (my favorite spot on any Carnival ship) We pulled out at 10 PM. We were both pretty wiped out Saturday from no sleep and lots of stress and aggravation. But it didn't take us long to get our sea legs and get back into our cruise-groove.
Our first port of call was St. Thomas. Been there a few times before but never did the Beach Break at Megan's Bay so we did that this time. Really nice. It rained some and the water clarity was not great but the rum punch was killer and we had a great time.
Next we stopped at Barbados. We were exhausted and we'd been there so many times that we decided to stay aboard and rest up. Just fooled around the ship and enjoyed ourselves without expending a lot of energy. Next we were at Granada and Bonaire but we didn't get off the ship. We learned the value of pacing ourselves. And it turned out well.
Next we stopped at Aruba. We figured we only had enough steam left in out boilers for one more beach excursion so we did one of the "old fart tours". First we visited a butterfly farm. I think the rain forest at Moody Gardens is better but it was nice. It featured 2 large ponds with koi in them (these were some good size fish) that supposedly controlled the mosquito population by eating the eggs laid in the water before they could hatch. Then on to the Aloe farm. Yeah, I know, but it wasn't bad. We have some growing in our courtyard and I've been using it for fire ant bites and bee stings for years and years. Then on to the Natural bridges which was very windy. Blew Pam's hat off and nearly blew me off the cliff. Did I mention that it was windy?
Then we went to Tobago where we once again stayed on the boat to rest up. Next up was the biggie for us. 7 mile beach in Grand Caymen. We were pretty sure that this would be our best excursion for this trip and we were right. Every thing was provide to us for free. Lounge chairs, Lunch...and...and...RUM PUNCH! In all our cruising we have had a few excursions that were better (The White Pass train ride in Alaska and Passion Island in Cozumel to mention a couple) but not many.
This was a re-positioning cruise for the Carnival Liberty and we wound up back in Galveston where it will be for a while. This gave us two sea days to rest up and play around on the ship. We canceled our ride with noshow.com and took a shuttle from the cruise ship terminal in Galveston to Hobby airport and then a cab to our house in Deer Park. Do I really need to say how good it felt to be home?
As always the food was excellent. I am sick unto my soul of lobster, shrimp, prime rib, ALL desserts and all the other stuff that we never get at home. I'm tellin' yas, we wore it out. Our table partners were great and we laughed a lot and told a lot of stories. Every night at dinner a guy came by with cordials served in fancy little glasses. Each night features an fancy and delicious drink and we got to keep the glasses.
We don't usually buy many souvenirs any more but this time we bought coffee mugs and tee shirts and I got a new Hawaiian shirt in Aruba. 'Course Pam stocked up on jewelry and tote bags and magnets for the fridge. We figured we had some slack 'cause we didn't drink as much as we used to and we stayed away from the casino except Pam played in two slot machine tournaments, and won a couple of tee shirts. She played some bingo but not much and I only played the last night, going for the $5K jackpot. I was lucky to win the 50 bux. It paid for my cards and one drink.
I was a little sad to see that Carnival is cutting back so much. But I'm sure everyone else is too. I can remember cruises for under 400 bux, free drinks while gambling, And much bigger prizes in the bingo games. The most noticeable area of cutbacks is in the entertainment department. The shows, while still very good, are not nearly as lavish and elaborate as before. And the music around the ship is mostly just single guy playing guitar or one guy at the piano etc.
Still, it's great fun and we are already thinking/talking about our next cruise. The Liberty is now running out of Galveston (which means no flying) and it is a fine ship. It appears to be identical to the Triumph in every dimension. It was completely redone in 2011 and it arguably the most beautiful ship we've been on, including the high dollar Regent Mariner.
Well, pant-pant-pant, my fingers are numb and I need a nap. That's about all I have for now.
So once again I'm out walking up and down the street in the middle of the night looking for a car that isn't coming. We didn't even bother to try to sleep because there was just not time to get ENOUGH sleep to do more than make it worse. After many confusing calls we finally got a cab to come and pick us up and we made it to the airport in plenty of time but the uncertainty was real there for a time.
And I had forgotten that you can NOT get even a cup of coffee in an airport before 0600. THAT didn't make me any happier. While we were waiting to board we noticed (heard) a baby screaming his head off. I looked around and saw a young couple holding the little tike and looking like everything was fine, no problems. And isn't he/she cute? I gave Pam a nudge and told her that I'd bet her a dollar that they were going to be in the seats directly behind us all the way to Miami. She made some remark about my negative attitude. But I just had a feeling.
When we boarded the plane my worst fears were recognized but at least the kid was not crying right then. Maybe there's hope after all. NOT! Just after we lifted off the screaming started up again. I always carry some ear plugs when I fly. I took out my hearing aids and put the plugs in. Pam asked me if I had any more. I thought it best to remain silent here. Sleep was impossible because although the kid was quiet sometimes it was never for very long. Just be gettin' right and here it comes again.
In Miami we boarded for the 2nd leg of our trip to SJ It was a quiet and comfortable and enjoyable flight. I even managed to get a couple of winks in. If you think you have been in heavy traffic you might not be aware of the situation in SJ. Worse than New York city...much worse. 50 minutes to go about 3 miles. But the bus was air conditioned, comfortable and there were no screaming babies.
We finally got aboard the ship and in our suite. This was a NICE one. it was the same size living space and balcony as two of the ones we usually get. And the bath tub was equipped with a Jacuzzi. I didn't even unpack. Pam laid down for a nap and I hit the Atrium Bar (my favorite spot on any Carnival ship) We pulled out at 10 PM. We were both pretty wiped out Saturday from no sleep and lots of stress and aggravation. But it didn't take us long to get our sea legs and get back into our cruise-groove.
Our first port of call was St. Thomas. Been there a few times before but never did the Beach Break at Megan's Bay so we did that this time. Really nice. It rained some and the water clarity was not great but the rum punch was killer and we had a great time.
Next we stopped at Barbados. We were exhausted and we'd been there so many times that we decided to stay aboard and rest up. Just fooled around the ship and enjoyed ourselves without expending a lot of energy. Next we were at Granada and Bonaire but we didn't get off the ship. We learned the value of pacing ourselves. And it turned out well.
Next we stopped at Aruba. We figured we only had enough steam left in out boilers for one more beach excursion so we did one of the "old fart tours". First we visited a butterfly farm. I think the rain forest at Moody Gardens is better but it was nice. It featured 2 large ponds with koi in them (these were some good size fish) that supposedly controlled the mosquito population by eating the eggs laid in the water before they could hatch. Then on to the Aloe farm. Yeah, I know, but it wasn't bad. We have some growing in our courtyard and I've been using it for fire ant bites and bee stings for years and years. Then on to the Natural bridges which was very windy. Blew Pam's hat off and nearly blew me off the cliff. Did I mention that it was windy?
Then we went to Tobago where we once again stayed on the boat to rest up. Next up was the biggie for us. 7 mile beach in Grand Caymen. We were pretty sure that this would be our best excursion for this trip and we were right. Every thing was provide to us for free. Lounge chairs, Lunch...and...and...RUM PUNCH! In all our cruising we have had a few excursions that were better (The White Pass train ride in Alaska and Passion Island in Cozumel to mention a couple) but not many.
This was a re-positioning cruise for the Carnival Liberty and we wound up back in Galveston where it will be for a while. This gave us two sea days to rest up and play around on the ship. We canceled our ride with noshow.com and took a shuttle from the cruise ship terminal in Galveston to Hobby airport and then a cab to our house in Deer Park. Do I really need to say how good it felt to be home?
As always the food was excellent. I am sick unto my soul of lobster, shrimp, prime rib, ALL desserts and all the other stuff that we never get at home. I'm tellin' yas, we wore it out. Our table partners were great and we laughed a lot and told a lot of stories. Every night at dinner a guy came by with cordials served in fancy little glasses. Each night features an fancy and delicious drink and we got to keep the glasses.
We don't usually buy many souvenirs any more but this time we bought coffee mugs and tee shirts and I got a new Hawaiian shirt in Aruba. 'Course Pam stocked up on jewelry and tote bags and magnets for the fridge. We figured we had some slack 'cause we didn't drink as much as we used to and we stayed away from the casino except Pam played in two slot machine tournaments, and won a couple of tee shirts. She played some bingo but not much and I only played the last night, going for the $5K jackpot. I was lucky to win the 50 bux. It paid for my cards and one drink.
I was a little sad to see that Carnival is cutting back so much. But I'm sure everyone else is too. I can remember cruises for under 400 bux, free drinks while gambling, And much bigger prizes in the bingo games. The most noticeable area of cutbacks is in the entertainment department. The shows, while still very good, are not nearly as lavish and elaborate as before. And the music around the ship is mostly just single guy playing guitar or one guy at the piano etc.
Still, it's great fun and we are already thinking/talking about our next cruise. The Liberty is now running out of Galveston (which means no flying) and it is a fine ship. It appears to be identical to the Triumph in every dimension. It was completely redone in 2011 and it arguably the most beautiful ship we've been on, including the high dollar Regent Mariner.
Well, pant-pant-pant, my fingers are numb and I need a nap. That's about all I have for now.
