Beagleluv6107

After dinner we made our way back to the Burano Pool bar and the kind bartender made me that Patron Peach Margarita. Yeah, I finally remembered to try something off my list. It was excellent. The rest of the gang eventually found us. I went up to deck 11 and snapped a few sunset pics. I couldn’t resist the heart hands! MIL found popcorn. Then she eventually got pizza and snapped a picture of her pizza and her towel animal. We stayed right in the same spot for another hour. It was so beautiful outside, we didn’t want to move. I think this was my #10 a Tito’s and Ginger ale. Here's my friends pizza. After seeing that masterpiece we got in the pizza line!! But we still didn't want to leave so we went back to the bar for one more. 😉 Up Next – St. John, New Brunswick

After a while it was time to shower up for dinner. Here are tonight’s selections. Our waiter told us to call him Master P. He was a sweetheart. DH had the Caesar Salad, Fried Oysters (no pic) and Grilled Garlic Shrimp. I had bread with my BUTTER haha and the Cream of Mushroom Soup and the Stuffed Portobello. Master P brought DH another entrée which was very nice although he didn’t need or want it. I ate one of the shrimp trying to help. We didn’t order dessert, so we exited the dining room quickly. That was a mistake. It was my niece’s birthday about 2 days prior and Master P brought her out a piece of cake and made her wear a napkin hat. She was mortified. I am so sorry I missed that but luckily, they showed me a video

“The Girls” napped off their brunch for 2.5 hours. We pondered what to do with ourselves after lunch and decided to enjoy the beautiful day out on Deck 5 in the Terrazza area. DH and I and another friend went to one of the two hot tubs, and we owned it. There was no one else there. My other friends laid out in the sun right in front of us. I think that Aperol Spritz was getting to me because I proclaimed I was “Living My Best Life” about 5 times. In my defense, I really was. That view was unbelievable. I’m so glad I brought a suit. I’d never been in a hot tub on a ship before because most of the time, I see 20 kids at once in there. This privacy was unreal! After about an hour in the hot tub, I tried to lay out in the sun with the other friends but since I was wet, I got cold. I curled up with my towel and DH’s towel and sat with the boys. We just sat there looking at the view. A waiter walked up and offered me some fruit. I had to let it sit in the sun for a few minutes because it was frozen solid, but I was happy. I like when people randomly bring me snacks. That was the first on any ship I’ve ever been on, and I was finally eating something that wasn’t going to turn to glue on the inside!!

We made our way to the Steakhouse on Deck 5. We were each given an Aperol Spritz. I was delighted. I had been wanting to try one for months. Even the boys tried it. They each gave it a thumbs down. I liked it! I snapped a few pics around the Steakhouse and the menu, but it didn’t come out too good. MIL got the mushroom soup as an appetizer. It looked crazy. She loved it. I had the cheesesteak, and it was wonderful. Finally, some real food in me. But I am sensing a theme here… carbs and cheese. 😋 DH got the steak and eggs and Caesar salad. Check out the salt and pepper shakers. Very unique.

I went back to the room around 10ish and Ro had us all cleaned and freshened up. Here again is the info about St. John. They continued to remind us to do this. I filled that out and dropped it off at Guest Services. They had a drop box. The line was so long that folks couldn’t see the drop box so as I walked down the hall, I told everyone standing there with the paper looking totally annoyed. My good deed for the day. I took a pic of the back on Deck 10. The hot tub was filling up. Then a few shots looking down to the Terrazza hot tub area. Looks nice and empty!

Sunday, August 20th – Sea Day #1 Good morning from the high seas. It was a glorious morning. We jumped ahead one hour according to the letter in our cabin. Neither of us could read last night apparently. DH left for coffee sometime close to 8am. MIL sent me her picture enjoying coffee from Room Service. I joined DH for a Bloody Mary around 8:30 only it was really 9:30. Oops. We need to pay attention to the time here so I fixed our phones. It didn’t automatically change over even with the Hub App on. I wish I had fixed the time on the camera. These pics are hours off now. So, before I knew it, it was way too late to go to breakfast if we were going to eat brunch at the Steakhouse. Everyone went to the buffet except me. I had to hold our seats. They brought back small plates to hold them off until noon. DH got me some toast. So, let’s recap… I’m on Day 2 of my cruise and I have had cheese off of pizza, 2 slices of pizza and a piece of toast. I’m doing life WRONG right now folks. Time to step up. This is a champagne with a splash of pineapple juice. I don’t know where the idea came from, but I pour this over ice in my cup, and it lasts a very long time.

Hi JHU, We LOVE Baltimore. It's a quick ride for us down 95 and easy to get through Embarkation. We sailed from there earlier this year and I forgot how cheap at only $15 per day. 😅

After everyone got their bellies full but me, we decided to walk around and soak in some more of decks 10 and 11 outside. The wind must have died down. I remember it was just lovely outside. I didn’t want the sun to go down. At some point, someone mentioned let’s all get another fun ship. Oh my… not good folks. 🫠 We managed to get back in the pizza line around 9. 9PM!!! I don’t know how it happened, but “Midnight” pizza just became 9pm pizza. I promised myself I’d do better the next day. I know these are my two pieces. DH must have wolfed his down before I had a chance to snap a pic. I should save the following pics for the next day, but it really goes with Embark Day. This is me wide awake 3am. Which is exactly what I deserved for passing out I mean, falling asleep at 9:30!!!! 😉 It sure was beautiful looking down at the Terrazza area. To keep myself entertained at this unholy hour of night, I grabbed my phone and snapped screen shots of the Hub App. 1st up – Early morning stretch. Wow, you really have to make a reservation??? I took a pass on that! Next pic… Coffee lovers can get their Java Blue and drink lovers can get something at the Rococo Bar starting at 7am – Sweet!! Awe, look at pic 3... Golden Girls Trivia. Now who doesn’t love the Golden Girls?? Last up, a puffy eye seminar at noon. If I don’t fall back to sleep soon, I’m gonna need that seminar!!😁 Up next… A Sea Day!!!

After we took a thousand pictures, someone mentioned dinner. OMG DINNER! I totally forgot. 😱 What a terrible cruise director I am. I herded all my kittens and we made our way to the dining room, but we were turned away. It was 6:20 and our dining time was actually 5:30 not 6pm. So, we more than a little late. We headed to the buffet. I’m not much on a buffet but I felt like this was all my fault so I would make do and keep my negativity to myself. We grabbed a table a little passed the Rococo bar but closer to the buffet. I offered to get drinks for us if DH would get some extra food for me on his plate and he said sure, no problem. Here's a copy of the slip to give you an idea on cost and taxes. I think that double was a very bad decision for DH. By the time I got the drinks and made my way back to the gang they all had their food. I gave DH his drink, but He was NOT EVEN about to share a single bite off that plate. I call a party foul here. I should have drank that drink myself since he went back on our deal. 🤔 But instead, I stomped off to the pizza line. I returned with two slices of white and a cookie. I must have wanted some spice because I sprinkled hot sauce on one slice. I only ate the cheese off the top and the cookie. I can see the night taking a swift spiral downhill at this point. Can’t you?

It was wonderful. We had a blast. In fact a little too much "blast"... I'll explain 😇

Hi Mamiamjo, Everyone said it was great! I agree with you, they should offer that on every ship! 😋

More Sail Away Pics There she is!

We made our way down to the Carnevale Bar. This has a revolving door so you can sit outside or inside. We stayed inside for a while still thinking it was windy and chilly out. This area was perfect for me. There was a secret staircase right there so I could go 2 flights up and be at my cabin. At some point the MIL had ordered a Dos Equis beer and it came damaged. We told the bartender expecting him to replace the can. Take a look at this pic… Hmmm OK. She was at least given a glass to drink it. We had a ton of laughs over that but I think we were all just happy to be there. Turns out our Maid of Honor and Best man had not cruised with us since 2010. It was nice to be together again. We went outside for sail away and pretty much had the entire area to ourselves. It was unbelievable. Where did the rest of the ship go for Sail Away? I was busy taking pictures of the buildings and Lady Liberty, but I should have been showing you guys my private deck. Incredible! I felt like the luckiest girl alive!

I went back to my cabin and hung out with DH for a while. Here’s some of the good to know info. Also here is our belove Room Steward Ro. He was great the entire trip. Check this out… binoculars. I’ve never seen that before. A nice touch!! I took this picture of the step down from the bathroom. I took a bad step out of there and thought I took the skin off my heel but thank goodness I was ok. I received a phone call while in my cabin from the Steakhouse saying we could make a reservation for free Brunch tomorrow at Noon. I said “I have other cabins that want to join us, but they are not in their room. Can I just give you their cabin number”. The guy said absolutely not but he will call them. So, I told the gang and one of them tried calling the Steakhouse and got no answer. She went there and was able to provide the other cabin number and make our reservation. Noon was the only time available, so we took it. None of us had ever eaten the Steakhouse so this will be a real treat for us. We saw the invite for a special sail away party in the Terrazza area (Deck 5) and thought that sounded as good as anywhere to be.

Then it was time for the customary selfies of us with NYC in the background. Then we had our noses in our phones sending to all our poor friends 😀 I text “the girls” and told them to go out on their balcony to see if they could see us. I didn’t get a reply. After a nice chat with my neighbor next to me on her balcony, I decided to take a walk. I had ordered a 12 pack of water and was gonna take a few up the girls. I knocked on their door but of course they were out on their balcony. So, I text them to come answer their door. The MIL swings open the door and says we can’t be two places at once, what do you want from us. Well after 2 hours at the bar that might have been the funniest thing I heard her say that day. You just had to be there and see her flustered frustration with me. After that, it was selfie time on their balcony for a while and then I snapped a picture of their room. The inside of their cabin did seem a tad bigger and now I see why when I look at this map.

BUT… I was stunned at how tiny the cabin was. I was certainly glad I didn’t pay full price for this room. It was very nice but no storage like I am used to on other Carnival ships. I also took a picture of this demon wall that attacked me almost every night. Can you see how much space I have to shimmy down the side just to get into bed at night? I banged my knees at least 6 times over the course of 4 days. Eventually, I started just crawling in and that didn’t end well on the last night. 😱

Ok, back to the review. Where was I?? Oh that's right. We or should I say everyone else but me had a nice burger for lunch. Sometime after 1:30, we all headed to see our Terrazza balcony cabins. So exciting. We decided we’d better take the MIL to her cabin on Deck 9 and boy am I glad we did. You had to walk through a door that may or may not stay closed all the time. The girls didn’t think we were allowed in there. I laughed cause there was no other way to get to the Aft section. When we arrived, their key cards were not in the mailbox yet, but it only took a few minutes. DH and I headed down to our Aft Balcony on Deck 7 and the views were stunning.

Hey Jamman! I hope you and Patti are having a great time and good weather. It's been quite messy here. I think we might see the sun next week. I look forward to your review when you get back. I'm sure to relive some wonderful memories!

Hello Riles34, Oh no that's terrible. I didn't notice when coming and going from my cabin on deck 7 and my MIL's on 9. I hope you guys had a good time!

Hey Pe4all, It's nice to hear from you. Thanks for reading along. I can't wait to tell you the rest of our shenanigans! 😎

Hi Starstruck05, Oh $25 a day is way better than here in the North. We went on a 4-day in Aug 22 and it was $160. So it's only $5 more a day. I'm surprised it's not higher the way things are going. ☹️

Hello Princess76021, Thank you so much for following along!! 😁

We didn’t get far. We walked straight down Deck 10 past the buffet lines and right to the Rococo Bar. Sorry bad pic and this one isn't any better. They had the roof enclosed so it was quite warm and no wind. We took some pics at the fountain, got some drinks, and then everyone got a bite to eat. I snapped 2 pictures of the new Italian burger with the mozzarella on top. They said it was amazing. DH opted to get a burger no bun and asked if I wanted a few bites. Yes, I was too busy having a good time to bother going and getting food. That is important for the story later. A few more random pics from this area.

After about 20 more minutes they started calling for Priority Boarding. I took my first step onboard at 11:42! Wow, all that stress and worry. It was a piece of cake. Even faster than last year. We had the same Muster as “The Girls” (MIL and Niece) so the 4 of us went straight there. We passed the Hero’s Tribute Bar. I’m glad I snapped this picture because I never made it back there. For our Muster drill, the crew member used a young boy in the crowd as a volunteer and had us all laughing. He did an excellent job! Lately it’s been them asking if you know how to put on your life jacket and off ya go. Not that I’m complaining, but this guy put on a full 10-minute presentation. I appreciated his enthusiasm! After that, we took the elevator to the Lido and POOF a BAR. I overheard my MIL tell my niece that we are like homing pigeons. I laughed like I knew exactly where I was going but the truth is we just lucked into that! It was the Burano Bar. Time for funships! After we ordered the drinks, took pictures of the drinks, took selfies, took selfies with the drinks, we realized it was windy and chilly. Which was very odd because the forecast was 85 and sunny. I think it was just the way the wind was blowing at that time. We decided to go explore.

Saturday – August 19th – Embarkation Day We got up and finished packing early. I bought an Apple Air Tag from Amazon. I pulled it out and it beeped once, and I could name it Beagle’s Luggage Tag and then it died. 😤 What a waste of money! We left our house at 7:50am to fetch the MIL and my niece. A quick goodbye to my FIL and we were on the road. Our ETA was 10:15. While we were cruising up the NJ Turnpike it was backed up for miles on the southbound lane. I felt bad for all those poor folks. Any Jersey Shore watchers? I snapped this pic and sent it to one of my pals telling her I was gonna look for Ron. IYKYK Then I snapped this picture of the city before things went south. We had no issues going in the Lincoln tunnel, it was coming outta there. We were completely stuck and not moving. It was about 25 mins of just creeping along a few inches at a time when we saw over 50 buses going through the area. It was so weird. At last, I finally saw this lovely, massive, Lady. Hello Gorgeous. It was 10:40 and it turns out all my worrying about parking was for nothing. The other ship docked at 7am so all those folks had plenty of time to disembark and make room for me and my 5000 new best friends. We pulled right in and our friends parked right behind us. Parking is now $5 more a day then last year in August when we went to Bermuda. $180 Total. We did have a short walk with our luggage until we could drop it off and head downstairs on the escalator. Then what I saw... was a miracle… barely a line. 😱 We walked right up to security. The Rock Star breezed right through security with a half a bottle of water in her hands. I asked her to toss it in the recycle container but, I should have known, she couldn’t hear me. I called her back and the guy said go ahead Ma’am. Wow, is that new? Since when can we walk in with drinks in hand? Maybe the guy thought the poor old gal looked thirsty. We went over and did our check-in with passport and boarding passes. That was easy. They reminded us over and over that we had to fill out paperwork to get off in St. John, New Brunswick. It would be left in the cabins, and it was our responsibility to get it to guest services by noon the next day. We were directed to sit in the priority boarding area, but our friends were sitting right on the edge, so we joined them. I snapped this pic of a very brave husband!!!