Another froufie esp review of my double date with destiny-feb 3 & 7, 2011

[Froufie]

I'm so excited you have started to post your review, Froufie! I read on another thread that you had been working on it and I've been patiently waiting!

 

I see that you emailed Desmond about your Chef's Table reservations. I know that you can supposedly make reservations through John Heald's blog, but it seems easier to go straight to the maitre'd. Do you still have his email address?

 

Thanks!

 

Thanks for your patience - hope you are enjoying the review. As for the Chef's table reservation - I had tried via 'John Heald' but that didn't work - then Host Mach got involved and still several weeks went by....then finally a confirmation from Desmond - his email is: DEMAITRED@carnival.com

 

Good luck.

[Froufie]

Froufie: You know how much I love your reviews!!! You just made the next couple days even better for me...I get to look and read at your fabulous review!!!

 

Ahhh....you are so sweet - thanks - hope you like it! :D

[SenatorsFan]

Hi Froufie,

Tried to read your review at work on my break and couldn't see the pictures :( so I had to wait until I got home to see them.:) Nice job so far, I look forward to reading more. Wasn't Key West great? We drove down after our Liberty cruise in Aug. for 3 days and loved it. I hope to go back someday. And I know what you mean about American drugstores.:cool:

Heather

[Pour-Tour-Snore]

Thanks!....and the first time I had a French Martini was on a previous cruise - was at the wine bar and looking for something pink and yummy - the bartender lady asked me if I liked 'raspberry' - of course - so she whipped me up a 'special' drink which was a French martini - now I know to ask for one.

 

Not sure of the recipe but of course it includes vodka and Chambord (raspberry liqueur) and other stuff of course - I'm sure if you google it you will find some recipes!

 

Try it out (I find it pretty powerful but I am a very cheap drunk!)

Thank you sounds yummy- I will try it. I was on another thread about favorite drinks and I mentioned your French Martini--so now the word will be around. Thanks

[Froufie]

Hi Froufie,

Tried to read your review at work on my break and couldn't see the pictures :( so I had to wait until I got home to see them.:) Nice job so far, I look forward to reading more. Wasn't Key West great? We drove down after our Liberty cruise in Aug. for 3 days and loved it. I hope to go back someday. And I know what you mean about American drugstores.:cool:

Heather

 

Loved Key West - so very cute....and all those chickens wandering about...and the cool bars and shops.... I would love to experience the 'sunset ceremony' - that must be fun!

 

And glad to see I am not the only one enthralled with american pharmacies - ha ha ha:rolleyes:

[poundcake09]

I'm so enjoying you review! I can't wait for my Date with Destiny... Excited to read even more.. Keep it coming.:D

[SenatorsFan]

Loved Key West - so very cute....and all those chickens wandering about...and the cool bars and shops.... I would love to experience the 'sunset ceremony' - that must be fun!

 

And glad to see I am not the only one enthralled with american pharmacies - ha ha ha:rolleyes:

 

 

Yes, the sunset ceremony is definitely worth seeing.

Heather

[Froufie]

I'm so enjoying you review! I can't wait for my Date with Destiny... Excited to read even more.. Keep it coming.:D

 

Thanks so much! Was hoping to add some more tonight but bad migraine got in the way - just took meds and going to bed! (hope to add more tomorrow night!).

[nytraveller53]

Thanks so much! Was hoping to add some more tonight but bad migraine got in the way - just took meds and going to bed! (hope to add more tomorrow night!).

Aww, feel better soon, Froufie!!!:)

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

We did a b2b2b on Destiny in Sept. You are bringing back wonderful memories.

[Crusin Karen]

Thanks for taking the time to do this awesome review. We were on Destiny years ago; she was our first CCL ship and she holds many fond memories for me. Hope you are feeling better.

[poundcake09]

Thanks so much! Was hoping to add some more tonight but bad migraine got in the way - just took meds and going to bed! (hope to add more tomorrow night!).

I hope you won the battle with the Migraine!!! Looking forward to more..:D

[Froufie]

Thanks everyone feeling better and moving on!

 

]Day 4 - Saturday, Feb 5th Cozumel

 

Only docking from 1 - 10 pm so was able to sleep in a bit and have breakfast in the dining room (where Ray nicely knocks my coffee cup and I end up with brown splotches on my white t-shirt and pants - very attractive!). Had yummy french toast and then had to go change and was off to the gym to do my weight training. Gym was fairly crowded but I had no problem getting the equipment I needed.

 

Back to cabin to change and get ready for our visit to Paradise Beach Club (had emails with Colleen before the trip and was hoping to see her to say hi!).

 

Ships docked at Puerta Maya, Cozumel

 

Shaping up to be another glorious day!

 

 

Off the ship, past the shops and to the taxi stand - $15 cab ride to PB - driver then took us to this desk and kept asking us if we had a ticket for PB? I told him we didn’t need one - he was chatting in Spanish to a girl at this podium outside - guess he didn’t realize I speak a bit of spanish - and kept telling him thanks - no ticket required. At this point a young lady shows up - it is Colleen (ex-canadian from BC) - I identify myself and say hello - she remembers me and takes us to get us set up and introduces us to one of the waiters so we can get our ‘lounger’ wrist band and then find our umbrella/chairs on the beach.

 

Look they built a brand new pool and bar cuz they knew I was coming!

 

Pool is nice and big - and that 'blue' wall on the right side is a row of freshwater showers! Very nice....

 

 

 

View from pool to the beach area

 

Another pool view

[/b]

[Froufie]

Since there were 5 ships in port that day I was expecting PB to be super busy but it was not (and probably many were already heading out for shopping and leaving?). We found a spot and I was off to the water to try out my new camera - even got Ray in the water as well.

 

PB 'overview' of water and beach:

 

I had read that most of the fish hung out at the pier (left side as you look out at the water) so off I went - swimming there - now I could have just walked down the pier and climbed down the ladder but how challenging was that? It is much more fun to try and swim against the waves with your mask/snorkel and a camera trying to get to this pier about 50 feet away while swallowing buckets of seawater right?

 

Finally made it - clung to the ladder (while being smashed against it by the waves) and got some very nice video of angel fish and their friends but as you can see I still need to practice a bit more with the new camera! Too exhausted to swim back we just climbed the ladder and walked back to the chairs.

 

The fishie videos:

 

 

Time to eat? I ordered the coconut shrimp I had read so much about - and forced myself to eat 4 of the 6 (they were huge)- the mango dipping sauce and spicy rice accompaniments were very good as well ($16). I also had a mango daiquiri to wash it all down (and later tried the famous blue “Windex’ drink which I found a bit too strong for me!).

 

Colleen later came by on the beach and gave Ray and I some souvenir PB ocean blue pens - how cool is that? Thanks Colleen!

 

We then headed out to the new pool - it is gorgeous and clean and beautiful - I especially enjoyed the ‘lip’ in the pool where you can place your lounger and relax - so your back/back of arms/legs in cool water while your front is in the sunshine. (Ray is very delicate and stays in the shade). I happened to be sitting next to a group of 6 women (girls cruise?) who were keeping their waiter busy with buckets of beer then the ‘tequila’ man came around and poured tequila directly down the throat of a couple of the ladies (where do they put all this stuff? And how do they walk afterwards?). They seemed to be having fun.

 

 

Lounging 'in' the pool:

 

 

I cooled off periodically in the pool and headed out to explore the bar on the other side - where they had 2 birds sitting there and free computers with internet. I am so mean - there I was typing back to friends back in snow bound Canada - hi everyone here I am at the bar at PB, in my bathing suit, having a tropical drink - did I mention it’s about 85 degrees today? (Yes I got some hate mail back!).

 

Birdie friends:

 

Back to lounging in the pool enjoying the last rays of sunshine (we still had some shopping to do back at the port) when a woman walks by - turns around, comes back to me and says Hi are you Froufie?” - now how weird is that? (I like to think I’m popular but really now....) Yes I respond. Well turns out this is DQLover/Michelle one of our roll call participants (missed the M&G) and she recognized me from some of the pics I had posted! Wow - we caught up a bit and I invited her to tea time the next day (our only sea day) and said I would also invite Shayne and Greg from our roll call so they could meet as well.

 

Left around 5 pm - got a cab back to port where I got some vanilla for friends at home...then back to the ship to get ready for dinner (chicken noodle soup, smoked salmon appetizer, turkey dinner, ice cream). We also attended sound clip trivia and ended up with a trophy for Ray! Of course the dining room was not full due to our docking til 10 pm and many were partying on land - when we got to the table only Donna and Tom were there - we figured Ellen and Donny enjoyed a ‘very good’ time in Cozumel and weren’t coming to dinner. Well as we were having dessert they show up saying hi everyone......we are confused - they are confused as they see people leaving the dining room and us finishing dessert! Well it’s actually 9:15 now - they think they are on time and it’s 8:15 cuz they made the mistake of using Donny’s cellphone for the time which had switched to local mexican time (hour ahead) - too funny. Wait staff was excellent - no apps available but they were able to get some dinner and we sat and kept them company while they ate.

 

Tonight was the deck party and mexican buffet - I checked it out - but very tired so off to my cabin with my tea.

 

[Froufie]

Day 4 - Superbowl Sunday Feb 6th - day at sea

 

Finally a day at sea to relax - ate at the buffet, did a bit of ‘shopping’ and then my favorite activity - walking on the track on deck 11 with my ipod on -what a view! What sunshine and ocean breezes - happy happy happy!

 

What a view!

 

 

Getting pretty busy out on deck:

 

 

The wake - deck 10 aft:

 

Did about 45 mins on the track then headed down to watch Ray in the slot tournament - of course he gets a free entry cuz he’s platinum and seeing as I am turning platinum tomorrow - I need to see how this is done! So it seems you basically hit the button for 5 mins and hope for the best? No problem - I can do that!

 

Sat outside for a while then back to the cabin - time to order room service and I had seen a pic of the BLT on the boards and had to try that out. It was pretty impressive - like 3 inches high? (Came with chips and I added some chocolate milk) - very yummy.

 

At 3 pm it was teatime and I did invite Shayne and Greg and hoping that Dqlover/Michelle would show up - but she did not (I believe a cozumel sunburn was the culprit!) - anyhow we had a great time eating smoked salmon sandwiches, chocolate cake and strawberries and whipped cream (and drinking tea of course).

 

Now being as it was Superbowl Sunday the ship was abuzz with excitement. The main show was switched to 5 pm (only one) as the main Palladium Lounge (along with the outdoor screen) would be broadcasting the game...there was also a sport trivia scheduled at 5 pm - which of course means the Fun farewell party was very poorly attended. But then again (and this is one of my main beefs) Carnival does nothing to advertise or promote this (saving money on drinks?). If you check the listings on the ‘tear off’ section of the Fun Times you will find an entry on last day - usually 5 pm - says “Fun Farewell’ and location (criterion lounge, deck 5) - you have no idea what this is? But if you are aware - you know there is a band/singer, entertainment and free drinks for the hour! Oh well - we had no problem getting as many drinks as we liked. We also ended up meeting and sitting with another roll call member Neil from Abaco Island in the Bahamas - very nice and interesting young man!

[Froufie]

Again dinner not well attended due to Superbowl. I finally tried the Indian vegetarian dinner which gets some great reviews (well deserved) along with smoked salmon appetizer, onion soup and a tropical fruit plate for dessert. We were sad to say goodbye to all our new friends - took lots of pics and even got candles/dessert and the ‘singing’ for Donny as his birthday was the following day!

 

 

Saying bye to Canadian firends Donny & Ellen (she loves me!)

 

Bye to Tom and Donna from Delaware

(oh ya check out my 'fancy' cruise ship shirt - lots of 'bling!)

 

We gave tips to the wait staff as we were not sure if we would be at the same table for the next cruise (but did not tip room stewards til very end). And I didn’t shed a tear when they sang the “leaving on a fun ship’ song cuz I was STAYING ON THE SHIP! So cool not to have to pack or do anything but look forward to another 5 days onboard!

 

Back in my cabin is the ‘letter’ telling us to meet at 9:40 am in Palladium lounge with customs form and passport along with details regarding staying on the ship (or you could go visit Miami if you liked as well instead of staying on the empty ship).

 

Cashed out casino winnings as well and decided to visit the Purser’s desk to check on my ‘pending’ platinum status - had a bit of a meltdown when purser chick couldn’t count - but all was finally rectified and after a few minutes of deep breathing I am sure my blood pressure was back to normal and I would be picking up a platinum card the next afternoon!

 

It was kinda cool walking down the hallways seeing all the luggage out and ready to go and knowing that I had one more cruise to enjoy! :D:D

 

Nighty night

[SooNet]

Having a great time reading your review. Keep it coming!

[laurenpie]

I am the same as you - love American chemists. :)

 

love your reviews, you do such a fabulous job..i am so excited for you going platinum!

can't wait for #2 :)

[poundcake09]

Awesome!!! Ready for Leg 2 part....:D

[Crusin Karen]

AWESOME! Glad you are feeling better. I have the French Martini on my list for our May cruise. Where did you get the "fancy cruise shirt""???

[Cruisin Christi]

Love all the pics, looks like you are having a great time!!!

[Froufie]

Love all the pics, looks like you are having a great time!!!

 

I always have a great time - or at least I try very hard! :D:D (how could you not??? ;) )

[Froufie]

AWESOME! Glad you are feeling better. I have the French Martini on my list for our May cruise. Where did you get the "fancy cruise shirt""???

 

The French Martini has become a regular for me on 'cruise elegant 'night (ya so I have a bunch of pics of me wearing the same fancy clothes drinking the same fancy drink - I'm so booorrrriing!;) )

 

Love my cruise shirt - it is by a company called Quacker Factory - I really love this brand for they cute/quirky clothes and have a few things from them (I know they sell this brand on QVC). Got the shirt on e-bay! Great find (I think it was under $30 if I remember correctly)...and perfect for cruising :D:D

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Quacker-Factory-White-Top-w-Beach-Scene-/260695561396?pt=US_CSA_WC_Shirts_Tops&hash=item3cb2aa94b4

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/QUACKER-FACTORY-White-Beach-Summer-Top-XL-/380314909716?pt=US_CSA_WC_Shirts_Tops&hash=item588c88fc14

[Froufie]

Awesome!!! Ready for Leg 2 part....:D

 

Thanks - I'm ready if you're ready! (not sure about tonight as I"m not home til late but dh out tomorrow night so lots of time to finish up I hope!)

[Froufie]

I am the same as you - love American chemists. :)

 

love your reviews, you do such a fabulous job..i am so excited for you going platinum!

can't wait for #2 :)

 

Oh I am such a platinum snob now!;) Too bad HMC was cancelled I was so looking forward to going to the front of the tender line......(so would people be throwing rotten fruit at me or something as I scoot by?).....and that laundry perk is a pretty good thing too!

 

Guess I will be flashing my card again next cruise! :D:D