Review: Fantasy 7-night 5-23-10 out of Charleston!

[NCTribeFan]

Here it is! OK, well, I've started at least. It is slow going. Loaded pics to Webshots but haven't labeled them all. Typing the review in Word, so will copy and paste day-by-day here, and then will add a few photos.

 

Stay tuned!

[Hollybelle]

I'm looking forward to your review and can't wait for the pictures! We live in upstate South Carolina so a cruise out of Charleston is perfect for us!

[NCTribeFan]

CARNIVAL FANTASY 5/23/10 BAHAMAS

 

Background: this was my 12th cruise, 11th on Carnival. I’m a professional in my mid 50s. Normally, I travel with my Dear Daughter, who is 24, but she had to work, and my other cruise buddy, sadly, is fighting her 2nd round of breast cancer. Hopefully, she’ll be able to sail with me again before too long.

 

I sailed Fantasy twice before, consecutive sailings (6/20/04 & 5/13/06) when she was sailing from Port Canaveral. I thought she was pretty garish, especially when I next sailed Elation, which I found to be much more subdued. I knew Fantasy had undergone a couple of updates and was hoping she had been toned down a bit. I’ve always said that she looked like she was designed while Joe Farcus was having a bad 70s acid trip flashback! :p

 

Except for a tax-season job, I have been unemployed since just after my Victory cruise last May. That didn’t keep me from cruising the Triumph CTN in October and taking my long-planned Miracle cruise in my aft balcony cabin. Thankfully, my temporary job turned into a permanent one, and I start on 6/1. Knowing I would have to start accruing vacation time from scratch, I went ahead and booked this cruise. I hadn’t been too impressed with the itineraries (my big complaint with the east-coast sailings is that they’re expensive and “only” go to the Bahamas).

 

But when I saw a 7-day that stopped at Half Moon Cay, I was all over it! I absolutely love Half Moon! We’d been there on our 2nd Fantasy cruise and followed that with the exact same cruise 7 months later on Elation. And then I booked Fascination for that same itinerary just to return there!

 

[vivavegas]

So looking forward to your review. We're schedule to be on "her" in September and would like to get more information.

[NCTribeFan]

Saturday, 5/22/10, drive & pre-cruise night in Charleston

 

I was a bit sluggish, and didn’t leave the house until after 8, and had to go out of my way to drop the dog at the vet office to board. So, it was about 8:40 when I got started. Of course, I had to stop at McDonald’s to get some breakfast before jumping onto I-40. Easy drive: I-40 to I-95 to I-26 to I-526. I made a pitstop in The World’s Most Tacky Tourist Stop (otherwise known as South of the Border), and a gas/lunch stop at exit 119 on I-95.

 

 

 

I pulled off I-526 to pay at visit to the Coach store at the Tanger Outlet center. I had something in mind, but they didn’t have anything in the style and color I wanted. I was heading out the door when I looked up and saw a white bag on the clearance shelf! Originally price tag showed $349, and I paid $99. I was happy. Could’ve spent a long time at the stores, but I wanted to get to the hotel and check in. Back on I-526 until it ended at US17. Headed south for a couple of miles to the Hawthorne Suites. They had a cruise parking package for $99, so since I was traveling solo, I booked the King room with Jacuzzi. It was enormous! Could’ve been a bit cleaner (carpet looked like it needed a shampoo and could see some dust bunnies under the edge of the dresser), but it was a good room for the price.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After loading up my new Coach bag, I headed into historic Charleston – one of my favorite places. I had neglected to print directions, but had a pretty good idea where I was heading. I wanted to go to Fleet Landing for a late lunch of Shrimp and Grits. I found my way to Waterfront Park (with some help from a postman), parked the car, walked along the waterfront and to the restaurant.

 

http://www.fleetlanding.net/index.php

 

 

[NCTribeFan]

Saturday, 5/22/10, drive & pre-cruise night in Charleston - continued

 

The S&G were very good (glad I went for lunch and not for dinner because it would’ve been too much). Also had a couple of Coast Brewery organic beers. Sitting there, I wondered if the Fantasy docked close by. I imagined she did. When we pulled up the next morning, I saw that her bow was practically in front of the restaurant’s deck!

 

 

 

 

Yes, folks, that tan building is actually the terminal. More about that later.

 

 

 

I was back at the hotel by 4:45, where I just relaxed in my nice, big room and watched TV for a while. I decided I needed to check out the spa tub and ran myself a very hot bath and poured a glass of wine. I imagine I was asleep by about 11 pm, ready for my embarkation experience the next day.

 

[NCTribeFan]

Saturday, 5/23/10, embarkation day

 

I was up early, as usual. Had my shower, and then headed to the breakfast room. They actually had real food! Eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, waffle iron, cereal, breads, coffee, tea, juice. I stuffed my face, and then, since I had no idea when we’d actually be able to board, I toasted an English muffin, smeared it with peanut butter, grabbed a yogurt, and took that back to the room.

 

Rearranged my bags a little, made sure my carry-on bottle of wine was well padded, taped on my luggage tags, and watched tv until it was time to check out. Ate my “2nd breakfast” (and was glad I did). Check out was 11, and our shuttle was supposed to leave at 11:30 so I sat on a sofa in the lobby and read until our SCHOOL BUS pulled up outside. Yes, a big, yellow school bus. With very limited luggage storage underneath, and no air conditioning. Well, with some effort, and lots of complaining by some passengers, we finally got most of the people and luggage on the bus. A few folks were put into the regular hotel shuttle and we headed to the pier.

 

 

We finally pulled up to the pier entrance and sat in the heat, waiting for the port authority guy to board the bus and check our Funpass and IDs. We then were directly to the luggage dropoff, which was a tent in a parking lot.

 

 

You can see the tent where the luggage drop-off is, just to the right of that building. The gate in the fence is forward from there.

 

Bear in mind that Charleston has very limited facilities at the pier. There will be new facilities sometime in 2012, but for now, they are doing the best they can with what they have. Anyway, I was checking one bag, so once I saw that it was off the bus and onto a luggage cart, I grabbed my rolling duffle and my beach tote bag and headed to the shuttle waiting area. We had to show Funpass & passport again before being allowed through the gate to that area.

 

Onto the shuttle, around the “block” basically, and dropped in front of the small terminal building. Everyone then got into the line for the security scanners. The line moved fairly quickly. There were four scanners and all were moving right along. I had to toss my bottle of lemonade before going through, and I told the person I had a bottle of wine in my bag. No questions about all the electronics (I brought a hair dryer, a white-noise machine, phone charger, and camera charger). I grabbed my bag and headed over to the table to fill out the health questionnaire. Then a nice young lady came up to me with MY NEW COACH BAG which I’d left at the scanner!!! Sheesh!

 

I then headed to the VIP checkin line only to realize I’d left the health questionnaire on the table. Good grief! Think I was anxious to board? There was no one in the VIP line, but the agents were all busy, because they direct other people to them if no VIPs are there. One opened up almost immediately, and I was checked in, given my Platinum S&S card, walked straight up to the boarding photo area. To get to the gangway, you had to go up a flight of stairs, or take the elevator (which I did because of my heavy carryon bag). Came out of the elevator to find the line to have your S&S photo taken. A grouchy old guy barks “the line is back there” to which I replied “I’m only trying to step off the elevator, sir. Don’t worry! They won’t run out of food at the buffet before you get there!”

[tccauley]

Saturday, 5/23/10, embarkation day

 

I was up early, as usual. Had my shower, and then headed to the breakfast room. They actually had real food! Eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, waffle iron, cereal, breads, coffee, tea, juice. I stuffed my face, and then, since I had no idea when we’d actually be able to board, I toasted an English muffin, smeared it with peanut butter, grabbed a yogurt, and took that back to the room.

 

Rearranged my bags a little, made sure my carry-on bottle of wine was well padded, taped on my luggage tags, and watched tv until it was time to check out. Ate my “2nd breakfast” (and was glad I did). Check out was 11, and our shuttle was supposed to leave at 11:30 so I sat on a sofa in the lobby and read until our SCHOOL BUS pulled up outside. Yes, a big, yellow school bus. With very limited luggage storage underneath, and no air conditioning. Well, with some effort, and lots of complaining by some passengers, we finally got most of the people and luggage on the bus. A few folks were put into the regular hotel shuttle and we headed to the pier.

 

 

We finally pulled up to the pier entrance and sat in the heat, waiting for the port authority guy to board the bus and check our Funpass and IDs. We then were directly to the luggage dropoff, which was a tent in a parking lot.

 

 

You can see the tent where the luggage drop-off is, just to the right of that building. The gate in the fence is forward from there.

 

Bear in mind that Charleston has very limited facilities at the pier. There will be new facilities sometime in 2012, but for now, they are doing the best they can with what they have. Anyway, I was checking one bag, so once I saw that it was off the bus and onto a luggage cart, I grabbed my rolling duffle and my beach tote bag and headed to the shuttle waiting area. We had to show Funpass & passport again before being allowed through the gate to that area.

 

Onto the shuttle, around the “block” basically, and dropped in front of the small terminal building. Everyone then got into the line for the security scanners. The line moved fairly quickly. There were four scanners and all were moving right along. I had to toss my bottle of lemonade before going through, and I told the person I had a bottle of wine in my bag. No questions about all the electronics (I brought a hair dryer, a white-noise machine, phone charger, and camera charger). I grabbed my bag and headed over to the table to fill out the health questionnaire. Then a nice young lady came up to me with MY NEW COACH BAG which I’d left at the scanner!!! Sheesh!

 

I then headed to the VIP checkin line only to realize I’d left the health questionnaire on the table. Good grief! Think I was anxious to board? There was no one in the VIP line, but the agents were all busy, because they direct other people to them if no VIPs are there. One opened up almost immediately, and I was checked in, given my Platinum S&S card, walked straight up to the boarding photo area. To get to the gangway, you had to go up a flight of stairs, or take the elevator (which I did because of my heavy carryon bag). Came out of the elevator to find the line to have your S&S photo taken. A grouchy old guy barks “the line is back there” to which I replied “I’m only trying to step off the elevator, sir. Don’t worry! They won’t run out of food at the buffet before you get there!”

This is AWESOME!!! I love your review so far. Let me refresh and see if you have posted more :)

[NCTribeFan]

Saturday, 5/23/10, embarkation day - continued

 

Got that photo taken, then it was down the gangway, around the corner, up another one, and onto the ship on Deck 3. Bear in mind that the Fantasy class ships start numbering Riviera Deck as Deck 4 – other classes of ships have Riviera as Deck 1. So, anyway, we entered at the same place where you disembark in port – the deck where the infirmary is located. A Carnival employee was running the elevator and you had no choice but to go straight to Lido deck. That was the only time I was in an elevator until yesterday, when I took it back down to disembark. I have no idea if they are all that dark or what, but it was very strange.

 

 

So, headed straight to the back of the buffet to get my first deli sandwich – a turkey & swiss on a roll. When I finished, it was about 1 pm. I decided that since I was alone, and had this heavy rolling bag with me, I was going to sneak down to my cabin, E93, which I did. And it was ready, anyway.

 

 

Then I was ready to stroll around and check out the changes to the ship. I headed back to the Serenity area first, then around the main pool area. Grabbed a deck chair up on Verandah, forward of the pool, under a cover, and just sat and people watched for a while.

 

 

 

Then it was off to the spa to get a raffle ticket, but I decided to skip the tour. I’ve done them before. I thought I’d probably check out the sauna and steam room later in the cruise, but I just never made it back. Went to the pool bar and got a bucket of Coors Light. Drank one and took the rest back to the cabin. Put my bottle of wine in to chill.

 

 

My bag hadn’t arrived, but I always make sure I have a swimsuit, my sleepwear, some undies, and something to wear to dinner in my carryon, just in case it doesn’t show up until late. I unpacked the rest of what I had in my carryon and waited for muster drill. We were Station B and met on Promenade outside the casino, up where the sushi bar is located. We were a very small group, so were the last called to proceed up to the lifeboats, which was OK, because that meant we had to stand around for the least length of time. Time for sailaway!

[NCTribeFan]

Sunday, 5/23/10, embarkation day - continued

 

Or not! Mr. Heald comes on and tells us that there are some passengers that we’re going to wait for them and would be sailing at about 5:30. So we wait. Meanwhile, I decide to go have some sushi. It was OK. Pretty bland stuff, but I love sushi. Then I stopped at Formalities and purchased my wine package. Back out to the Serenity Area, hoping it was time to sail. Meanwhile, there were some seriously black clouds moving into the area. And lightning. 5:30 comes and goes. Finally, John comes on to announce that the port authorities hadn’t given us clearance, as there was some freight traffic that had priority. Then he tells us that we’re going to wait for this little band of weather to move through.

 

 

You can see how black the sky was!

 

Finally, at 6:55, we started to inch away from the dock. We very, very slowly moved back and away. We continued to back until we were about even with the Ferry dock, then we started forward. Finally! I stood at the rail until we were entering open water, then headed to the cabin to change for dinner.

 

 

 

I had late seating and was assigned to Jubilee Dining Room, table 316, a table for 10, along the portside windows. My fellow diners were a single man from Youngstown, Ohio, a single woman from Tennessee, a younger single guy from Connecticut, and then a couple came but they were at the aisle-end and I didn’t meet them. She was wearing a name tag and looked like she was probably a dancer. I didn’t see them again. Our head waiter was Cecilia from the Phillipines, who said she was one of the senior waiters, in terms of service time. Our assistant waiter was new to the job. Not sure what he had been doing previously. And I don’t know his real name, but he went by “Baby Boy” since, when he first started, he was the youngest crew member on the ship. He was adorable. They were very good, and service was quicker than on some of my recent cruises. I was always finished by about 9:30.

 

I had the cured salmon as well as a shrimp cocktail and the tilapia for the main course. The tilapia wasn’t as good as it had been previously, but was still OK. For dessert, I had the crème brulee.

 

And, as has been the case lately, there are nights when nothing particularly appeals to me, and then there are other nights when I could easily have chosen half the menu! If Carnival isn’t going to change the actual menu items any time soon, I wish they would at least “shuffle” the selections and move things around some. You know, have the same dishes, but change the days on which they’re offered.

 

Off to give away my daily casino allowance. The 2cent BMW machines are usually very popular, but they were often not being played. Probably because they weren’t paying out at all. There were some other penny slots that were a lot of fun.

 

Back to the cabin. It was nice to have a big bed for once. And it was so comfy. Guess I was asleep by 11:30.

 

[NCTribeFan]

OK, I corrected it on the last post, but was too late on the first couple. Embarkation day was SUNDAY, not Saturday. Oops.

 

I have to have some lunch, then will continue!

[arb34]

LOVING this review!!! We go on the Fantasy in January and can't wait!!!

[mdxter]

Enjoying your review so far. Can't wait to see the port pics.

Did you like the new improved Fantasy? We sailed her last August and liked her but never had the chance to sail her before the changes.

[NCTribeFan]

I haven't been to the grocery store yet, so lunch is the only thing I have in the house - a frozen pizza. While it bakes...

 

Monday, 5/24/10, at sea

 

I don’t recall exactly when I got up, but it was fairly early. I wanted to lie out in the Serenity area before it got too hot. I’m pretty fair skinned and I’m cautious when it comes to sunbathing. My lower legs and arms were already pretty tan (for me) because I spent quite a lot of time on my patio, reading, when I was unemployed.

 

The line for the omelet station wasn’t too long. I do with they had the side items available right there, like they do on some of the larger ships. Later in the week, they had that center area open with extra tubs of food, but not that first morning. I had a ham, mushroom & cheese, well-done, thanks! Got my croissant, bacon, juice and hot tea and headed to the back of the buffet to eat outside.

 

Then I went down to the Serenity Deck, got a seat on the port side, mostly in the shade and sat and read. By about 9 am, most of the chairs had been “reserved” although few were in use. I moved up to the front row and laid down on my stomach. I nearly fell asleep, which would have been disastrous for me and my pasty white thighs! I was done for the day by about 10. I came back later to read, but all chairs, both loungers and regular seats in the shade, we taken, even though many had no bodies on them. Grrrr. This only got worse as the week wore on.

 

Wandered around and did nothing until lunchtime. I think I had another turkey sub. I really should take notes, but do people really care what I ate? It’s so subjective, you know?

 

So, I entered the slot tournament with my free Platinum entry. I had done this for the first time on Miracle in December and I was awful. I think I had the worst qualifying score of anyone, and there were LOTS of people trying on that cruise. But on this day, I waited until a couple of qualifying rounds had been played and asked the casino hostess which were the “good” ones. She said 1, 3 & 4. I picked #4. I had a qualifying score of >6,000. The others were in the 3,000s! So I came back at 2:40, and sure enough, my qualifying score was way higher than the others. I figured I’d used up all my luck on that round. I would have won but the woman on #1 hit a jackpot during the last 10 seconds. But I got a tote bag! And everyone that qualified for the finals got a t-shirt (I don’t wear t-shirts). I wanted that $500!!! But I figure at least I came home with something! If I’d won, I would’ve pumped that $500 right back in, thinking “this is my lucky week!” You know how THAT goes! ;)

 

It was all so exhausting that I had to have a nap. LOL. Watched a little TV and dozed for a while. Had my shower and got ready for dinner. It was elegant night. I went out to watch the introduction of the officers, then stopped in to waste a few more dollars in the casino. I was still trying to find my favorite machine for the week.

 

 

Tonight at dinner, it was just the four singles, then a different couple arrived. They also didn’t speak. Whatever. I had the Strawberry Bisque (I love the chilled fruit soups), and the stuffed mushrooms. PLUS, I had both the lobster/shrimp AND the duck! All were excellent. Love the duck but, man, is it ever rich! I even tried to have the carmelized apples for dessert, but couldn’t manage more than a couple of bites.

 

I think I was so stuffed and uncomfortable that I just went back to the cabin, changed, and watched a little TV.

 

[framerman]

Sounds like embarkation hasn't changed at all since we sailed out of Charleston a few years ago. Probalbly won't get any better til the new terminal is completed. Did your VIP status help at all? Just wondering what we should expect in Sept.

Dave

[reeree313]

I am loving your review. Thanks for taking the time to write it. I can't wait to read the rest!!

[jbhcw]

Enjoying your review and the pictures:) We haven't been on her since 2006 so seeing the changes are neat...really looking forward to September and HMC and Grand Turk...two of my favorite places:)

 

I also love the Elation and think of the Fantasy class ships I've been on...Fascination, Fantasy, Sensation..the Elation is the prettiest..but the Fantasy was our first Carnival ship so she is special:)

[spencercoop]

Great review. I can't wait to read more!

[All4fun&fun4all]

Absolutely loving your review! We leave on Saturday and this helps so much! I hope to hear more before we leave...no rush though. :o

[NCTribeFan]

I'll answer questions when I'm all done. I need to keep rolling while I can still remember!

 

Tuesday, 5/25/10, Nassau, the Bahamas

 

I didn’t have any plans for Nassau. I’ve been several times. I have zero interest in Atlantis. If I want to see fish, rather than going over there to see their aquarium, I’ll go snorkeling! There’s a pool on the ship. There’s a waterslide. I just have no interest in paying to visit a resort at which I can’t afford to stay.

 

Sensation was docked next to us, so I got a good look at her new balcony cabins. I had breakfast and headed out to wander Bay Street.

 

 

 

 

I was out there at about 9:10, and most of the shops didn’t open until 9:30. Stopped at Starbucks and paid a small fortune for a Caramel Frappuccino and sat on the deck watching folks passing by.

 

 

 

 

Then down to the Straw Market where I bargained for a couple of pairs of earrings for my DD ($8/each; I got 2 for $10). Sat on the wall for a while by the water taxis then headed back toward the terminal building. Wandered up a pedestrian street with shops and sat on a bench in the shade for a little while. Decided that although it was early, I thought perhaps a cold Kalik beer would be nice. Walked down Bay Street to a small liquor store that had a cooler in the back. Got a can of been, which the clerk put in a tiny bag (needed for public consumption), and went back to my bench in the shade and drank my beer.

 

 

 

 

OK, so it was only about 11 am! So sue me! Last time I’d been in Nassau, thanks to CC, I tried the fried grouper from one of the food stalls next to the entrance of the restrooms. It was fantastic! So I headed there again. Unfortunately, it was only 11:15 and she didn’t start serving until noon. So I went back to the ship and had yet another turkey sub, and just hung out until about 2:45. Then I walked all the way back to the terminal just to have some fish. The small serving was $7 for 3 fish fingers on white rice. She was out of fried plantains, so I just had cole slaw. Took my Styrofoam container over to a bench and sat and devoured it. Yummmm!

 

 

 

Tonight was the Past Guest party, which was at 5 (only one; didn’t we used to have two so that early and late diners could attend before dinner?). I guess I picked the row with the worst drink servers, because I absolutely could not get a glass of white wine. Finally grabbed a glass of sparkling rot gut and then managed to grab a glass of white just before I left. John had the Platinum folks stand before they showed the same old film where we all dutifully cheered for the ships we’d sailed.

 

During the day, I’d received an invitation to a talk with Geoff (or Jeff, as the FunTimes called him) to talk about the Future Vacation certificates. They had managed to schedule it during the PG party, which wasn’t a very wise move (it was an error), so I missed most of his talk, but that was OK because I pretty much understood the program and had intended on purchasing a certificate anyway. He was conducting a drawing from the invitations, which was for a $50 OBC. I did not win. Again!

 

From there, I stopped in the disco before dinner because it was Michael Jackson night from 7:15 to 8:15. No idea why they were doing that then. Missed most of it, but it seemed like it would’ve been a fun thing to do later at night.

 

Off to dinner. Eric, the younger single guy, had been in the disco and I asked him how his dolphin encounter had been. But he didn’t show up at dinner. So we were down to three. I think I had Chilled Cream of Peaches, the Farfalle w/Turkey as an appetizer, and the Lamb. Nice.

 

I kept wanting to see the Fantasy’s version of the Filipino dance band, but they were either on break or were playing slow songs whenever I stuck my head in the Cats Lounge. So I was forced to go to the casino, again! And then back to the cabin for some more lovely sleep.

 

[islandcruisersnc]

Great start!

 

Is the pizza done yet??;)

 

We live in Durham and should meet up and share cruise experiences!

 

A friend of ours from Durham is going on Fantasy in 2 weeks so glad to see your review.

[NCSUprincess]

Then a nice young lady came up to me with MY NEW COACH BAG which I’d left at the scanner!!! Sheesh!

 

yeah that was me, lol. I was pretty sure it was you in front of me, but I'm shy... lol

[NCTribeFan]

I can't believe you didn't say anything! Oh, and I forgot to mention that we had a Meet & Greet on Monday at 11 on the Promenade deck across from the coffee bar. I didn't quite get all the screen names and real names and faces straight. :o

 

Wednesday, 5/26/10, Half Moon Cay

 

Ah, finally. Half Moon Cay. My favorite spot on earth (so far). I’m not a beach person. Really. I’m not. But the first time I saw this place I fell in love. I really need to do some other itineraries, but with ships sailing to HMC from ports within reasonable driving distance? How can I resist?

 

I overslept! I had wanted to spend every possible minute on the island, and I manage to oversleep. Sigh. So I scarfed down my omelet, grabbed my beach bag (my new Carnival Players Club tote bag, thank you very much!) and walked around the corner to the Pursers Desk. I was told they’d have someone escort me down. But, I know my way down! Can’t I just go down and show my S&S card? Oh, no! I must be escorted! I’m SO special! :p

 

So a girl from the entertainment staff came and we went down the stairs to Deck 3. A tender had just left, so there I was with the security people and another entertainment staff guy who was in charge of guarding the velvet ropes to keep back the unwashed masses. We chatted for a while and then suddenly the elevator doors opened and out stormed the mob. I had been over to the side and they charged right up to the rope. Young Man says, “excuse me, but this lady is first in line” and waves me up to the front. At that point, the haggard-looking middle-aged bleached blonde with the 80s perm screeches “HOW DID YOU GET DOWN HERE SO FAST? DID YOU CHEAT???” I just laughed. She was very irate. “WE HAVE BEEN WAITING A LONG TIME! HOW DID YOU GET DOWN HERE BEFORE US???” Young Man says to her “she’s from the corporate office. She’s a VIP.” LOL. I turned and said, “no, I’m not really. I’m just special.” Daughter then proceeds to ram the backs of my legs with Junior’s stroller. Seriously. What a bunch of uncouth rednecks (there were many on the ship, I’m sad to say). I told her again, “really, I’m special. You’ll just have to take my word for it. Maybe you’ll be special some day, too.”

 

One of the regular tenders is in drydock, so we got to have a Glass Bottom Boat as a tender. The regular tender was against the ship, and the GBB was on the far side. We crossed the tender and boarded the GBB.

 

 

View from GBB looking through the tender back to the ship.

 

As we started off, one of the crew announced that some people had to move to the portside because we were listing too much! Meanwhile, Junior is sitting behind me and just randomly screaming at the top of his lungs. Of course, neither mom nor dad said a single word to him. Seriously, just ear-splitting screams for no apparent reason. He wasn’t crying! He didn’t seem to want anything. He was just being obnoxious because he could, apparently. Must run in the family.

 

[NCTribeFan]

Wednesday, 5/26/10, Half Moon Cay - continued

 

I got off and walked down the pathway to Watersport Hut #2, where I rented a clamshell. I like it down by Cabana #8, as it is close to the restrooms, in front of a roped-off swimming area, not too far from the lunch area, far enough away to not have lots of screaming kids, could just barely hear the music. Next time, though, I won’t park myself right where everyone has decided the main pathway must run, because I felt like I was sitting in the middle of the interstate a few times. Next time, I’ll go down a little bit further.

 

So, I decided to go for a walk. I walked all the way down to where the horses enter the water for the Horseback Ride & Swim. It was about 15-20 minute walk each way for me, so total was about 35 minutes, maybe a little longer. Then I settled in to do some reading. Went for a little swim (I don’t really swim, but I love to get in the water at HMC). Went down for lunch. Had a hot dog (I love them but had never tried one on the ship; thanks to CC, I now know how good they are!) and some jerk chicken and fruit. Took a banana with me for later. More reading and relaxing and another swim.

 

I was watching to see the beach start to clear out as I was hoping to miss some of the mob getting back to the ship. Not to be, though. The line was ridiculously long and there is nowhere to get out of the sun or to sit.

 

So, I walked past the line to the far side of the bar where there are tables in front of the shops and found a seat with a couple of couples in the shade. Decided it was going to be quite a wait, so went to the bar and got a beer. Spent the time chatting with one of the couples. By the time we had finished our beverages, the line was nearly gone and we just pretty much walked onto the tender.

 

 

 

 

 

Interestingly, it seemed that I had applied sunscreen to my exposed arms and lower legs while on the tender and then FORGOT to apply it anywhere else. Smart! So although I was under the clamshell for most of the day, I had taken that walk and had been in the water a couple of times. I was fried. My poor pasty-white thighs were now hot pink. And I do mean hot. I’m such a twit sometimes.

 

 

 

 

 

Back on the ship, I liberally applied my aloe with lidocaine spray. Boy, am I glad I remember to pack that! Still, I was in enough pain the next few nights that I would awaken when I rolled onto my side.

 

I called room service and ordered the steak & brie sandwich with chips and hot tea. It came within about 10 minutes. I was impressed and it was delicious.

 

I decided to try my luck with my slot tourney machine and on the 2nd pull, won $325! Unfortunately, by the end of the cruise, I had pumped it all back in. But that’s OK. It gave me fun money!

 

 

At dinner, we were down to just the guy from Ohio and me. I don’t know which of us ran everyone else off. Maybe both. Actually, after the first night, I thought about asking to move because I found him pretty overbearing. But it’s my belief that making yourself pleasant and engaging in small talk with strangers are a very good skills to develop. Having been through the interview process recently, I actually look forward to these opportunities. Believe it or not, I’m really quite shy and have to force myself to be personable with strangers. It’s good practice!

 

I think this was the night I had the mushroom soup (delicious), Caesar salad, and the red snapper. I thought the fish was good but I didn’t like the sweet sauce. I had the cheese plate for dessert.

 

No idea what I did after dinner but I’m guessing I went to the casino and gave back a chunk of my winnings.

 

[LHP]

GREAT review.....

 

I am not a beach person at all and I love Half Moon Cay.

 

 

don't even get me started on the number of "bus riders" that have discovered cruising... :rolleyes: