Jamman54

We stepped aboard the Carnival Spirit right at 10:45. Now that we are aboard here are today’s “Fun Times”….. The first thing we did once on board was head to our Muster Station. We were assigned to Muster Station “B” which was on Deck 3 port side, all the way forward. They scanned our boarding passes and then asked us if we knew how to put on a life jacket. When we told them yes, they said we were free to go. Very easy! We then went to our cabin to drop off our carry-ons. Our cabin is 7188 on the Verandah Deck, port side, halfway between the forward and mid-ship elevators…… This is our balcony….. To be continued……

You crack us up girl! We need to do another cruise together sometime in the near future!

I had read that some people were just asked if they were vaccinated, others like us, had to show their vaccination cards, and some weren't asked at all. Guess it depends on who checks you in. No big deal to us anyway.

We are pulling up to the Carnival Spirit at Terminal “D”…… Straight ahead in the distance is the Valiant Lady. Our CC friend Megan will be boarding her later today….. After dropping off our luggage with the porters, we parked in the parking garage right across the street. We got a great space right on the first level. We grabbed our carry-ons and got into the priority line right at 9:15. Boy was it cold outside! Thankfully they let us in at 9:30. The check in process was very quick and smooth. Since this cruise is stopping at Grand Turk, they did ask to see our vaccination cards, which we provided. By 9:45 we were upstairs in the terminal building….. As priority, we were directed to a large room in the back. It soon became apparent that they were directing everyone back into this room, so in effect there was no priority lounge here at Terminal “D”. I was concerned that when boarding started it would be chaos. Nothing we could do about it, so Patti went over to the windows and began taking pictures….. The announcement was made that when boarding began it would be done in the following order: Diamonds, Suites, Platinum, FTTF, and then boarding zones. Boarding began about 10:35, and they were very diligent about checking boarding passes to make sure that nobody jumped the line. Here we are boarding the Carnival Spirit….. To be continued…..

After breakfast we checked out, and then re-arranged our bags in the car, making them ready for the porters. We hit the road at 8:30am and we’re heading for Miami…. We are going to take the tunnel into Dodge Island….. Before we entered the tunnel we could see Virgin’s Valiant Lady, Celebrity Summit, and Carnival Sunrise across the way….. Here’s another view of the Carnival Sunrise….. We are heading into the tunnel…… Coming out of the tunnel we follow the signs to the Cruise Terminals…. This was our first glimpse of the Carnival Spirit…. To be continued……

Day # 11 – (January 14th) – We board the Carnival Spirit! We were up at 6am to a sunny but chilly 48 degree day. We showered and dressed, and then made our way downstairs to the hotel breakfast area. Plenty of choices here….. These were our first two plates….. To be continued.......

That's so cute! Thanks for following along! I didn't know that. I spent two to three weeks down there every March from 1973 thru 1981!

Patti loves the wings at Hooters! 😁 Thanks for reading and your kind words. You made Patti's day! Yes, the Spirit is the same as the Pride, so you'll know your way around as soon as you board. 😎

We’ve got our drinks….. Patti had a cheeseburger and fries….. I had the Southwest rolls and the blackened chicken mac & cheese….. All the food was delicious. We watched the Yacht Biscayne Lady sail by. She can be chartered. She had to wait for the Oakland Park Blvd. bridge to be opened so she could pass….. After a few drinks we decided to head back to the hotel. You could feel the drop in the temperature. Again, we passed by the Fort Lauderdale Airport….. After stops at Walgreen’s and for gas, we made it back to the hotel at 5:30. We worked on getting our luggage ready and tagged for tomorrow. Later on, we loaded up our luggage into our car. This way we didn’t have to worry about finding a luggage cart and an empty elevator in the morning! We grabbed some snacks from the little market and hung out in the room the rest of the evening. Coming up next: We board the Carnival Spirit!!!

We chose to sit inside which was lucky for us, since shortly after we arrived the winds began howling and a torrential rain began. Even though the outside patio is covered, the winds blew the rain inside, and everyone scrambled for cover….. They did manage to get everyone reseated pretty quickly. Here are the menus….. To be continued……

Apparently, there is a Food & Wine Festival taking place now….. This park across from the beach is being used for the festival. An artist is painting floor murals for the festival….. Patti notices that it’s starting to cloud up, so she comes back to Sol Luna and has a drink. We decide to leave and have a late lunch at Bokamper’s, which is off of Oakland Park Blvd. in the northern part of Fort Lauderdale….. We have made it to Bokamper’s. It is on the Intercoastal Waterway and is the most northern stop if you want to use the water taxi’s….. A couple of views inside of Bokamper’s….. To be continued…..

Here are some views as Patti walked along the strip….. To be continued…..

Here are some views as we walked along the beach….. It was time to find me a Husband Daycare. There were many choices along the way including the famous Elbow Room, which was there fifty years ago, but I chose Sol Luna right across from the beach. See me at the outside bar? Here are a couple of views inside Sol Luna….. Patti left me to continue exploring. A few blocks away she found a Hooters, so she texted me asking if I wanted to move, but I decided to stay where I was….. To be continued……

We took a ride up Las Olas Blvd…….. We came back to A1A, parked our car, and crossed over to the beach….. To be continued……

Day # 10 – (January 13th) – Our day in Fort Lauderdale. We woke up to a beautiful sunny and warm day. The forecast for later this afternoon called for heavy rains and a sharp drop in temperature, so we shouldn’t delay going out. After partaking of the hotels free breakfast, which by the way was pretty good, we got ourselves ready to go. Soon we were leaving Dania Beach and heading for Fort Lauderdale….. No matter which way you go, you can’t help passing the airport….. We turn onto A1A and as we cross the bridge over the Intercoastal Waterway we get a nice view of Port Everglades. Here is P&O’s Arcadia…… The Liberty of the Seas and a couple of Celebrity ships are in port today….. Soon we were at Fort Lauderdale Beach….. To be continued…..

It was a keypad safe. 😎

Whatever you choose to do make sure it's "vacation" time! 😎

Of course you have to do what's right for you. Since we are semi-retired, we have the time to go for longer periods of time. We enjoyed our cruises on the Elation, but we can't cruise in December. 😎 I guess we picked the right deck. We were in 7188. 😀

In my opinion, the best Venezia cruise for this purpose would be the Nov. 30th 10 day cruise to San Juan, Amber Cove, Grand Turk, & HMC. Plan on seeing the decorations post cruise. The tree in Rockerfeller Center will be lit on November 29th. You don't want to be anywhere near there!

Both of the hotels fit our needs very nicely. I like the Hampton Inn / Home2Suites because they have a bar at the pool. Patti likes the Springhill Suites because of all the nearby stores. In fact they just opened a huge entertainment, restaurant, and shopping area a block away which we haven't checked out yet. We'll be back there in April. 😎

Thank for reading! We didn't experience any of those issues and wouldn't hesitate to sail on her again!

There is a little market area right next to the front desk….. Patti steps out to check out the pool area…. I guess these are the hotel cats…. This is the Exercise Room….. After we got settled into the room, Patti went over to the Shopping Center which is literally across the street. I took a nap, and then spent some time working on the pictures for the review. After she got back, we walked over to the Panda Express right next door for dinner. It was better than we expected. Afterwards, we went back to the room for the night to relax. Coming up next: Our day in Fort Lauderdale!

Here is the view looking out of our window…… Patti does a little exploring. This is the view of the lobby and breakfast area from the balcony on the 2nd floor elevator landing….. Patti goes down to the lobby and gets these views….. To be continued…….

We were given Room # 301….. To be continued……

You usually don’t see this kind of car parked in a handicap space. We have our table and our first drinks….. Patti had the Zingers, and I had the pot stickers and a spicy chicken sandwich….. After another round of drinks, we went over to our hotel. We are staying at the Springhill Suites in Dania Beach….. This is the Front Desk of the Springhill Suites….. To be continued…..