A Glorious Spring Break Cruise:Long, Detailed Review with Photos: 3/27/11-4/3/11

[dlmuffin]

Enjoying your review very much. We sail on the Inspiration May 16th, and while onboard will celebrate our 32 wedding anniversary. Glad you shared your love story in your review. Anticipating the conclusion to your review.

Debbie

[LBumb]

grrrreat job. awesome photos

[mimxmom]

That is interesting about the pvp booking kids in their own room. We ran into the same situation (1 adult in each cabin) and when we went to guest services to switch keys, they told us that an adult was required to be in each room but that we could have extra room keys. I would be interested to find out other peoples experiences with this....

[whendoweleave?]

Need to subscribe so I can look at this one when I get home! Can't wait! :D

[maxbroadway]

A Glorious Spring Break Cruise or Just How Long is DD Going to Stay in the Teen Club: Long, Detailed Review with Photos: 3/27/11-4/3/11

 

A quick stop at Mickey D’s for food (we don’t like the choices on the FL Turnpike at all) and we hit the Turnpike listening to the Sirius Broadway station. For those of you who missed my June, 2010 Freedom review, we are big theater buffs. DS is in a theater magnet school and we all love (well, DH tolerates) Broadway. I was so sad when our 90 day free trial on Sirius ended. Might have to break down and actually subscribe now, but I digress...

 

You might want to give internet radio a try. There are a number of good Broadway stations available for free (disclaimer: I run one of them). Just Google "Broadway radio" and see what you find.

[pcrum]

Sorry for the delay in posting today. DD was off from school so we did some shopping. She was texting a friend from the Carnival teen club today from Michigan. He said he had to scrape ice off of his car. She told him it was 90 today, oy vey! As usual, central FL skipped spring entirely and jumped right into melt your face off heat!

 

3/30/11, St. Thomas

 

The MDR was open until 10 am today, so we slept in a bit. It was a bit overcast today and later a brief shower would come down, but this was the only bad weather we experienced all week. The rest of the week was warm and sunny in comparison to central FL, which had a very bad thunderstorm and several tornados touch down while we were away.

 

The kids elected to sleep in so DH and I were on our own for the MDR. We could see the NCL Epic behind us and later RCL Freedom of the Seas would squeeze in between the Epic and our ship.

 

 

 

 

Breakfast in the MDR was good, as always. I had the french toast and DH had his usual omelet. There was a couple with a young child (around 2) who complained that their food was taking too long to arrive. A man dressed in whites (maitre d’?) came and spoke to them and then we heard him speak to our waiter, who was just arriving back into the MDR from the kitchen carrying one of those big trays laden with several tables’ entrees. The waiter said something to the effect that he had been in the kitchen waiting for the food. The maitre d’ nodded that he understood, but he personally delivered the food to the family and then came around with pastries and coffee refills. It seemed management was making a real effort to respond to the requests of the guests, which I thought was very good customer service. Later we heard the waiter go over and apologize too. In the past, we’ve had issues with slow service at breakfast in the MDR, but during this cruise, we found the staff both friendly and efficient.

 

After breakfast we went back to check on the kids. DD wanted us to go to the Lido with her to get breakfast, DS asked us to bring him something back, something that would become a trend for the entire cruise!! Oh, to be a kid again and have your mom bring you breakfast in bed!!

 

We fought the crowds on the Lido Deck and went back down to the cabins to get DS up and moving. The plan was to get off the ship between 12 and 1pm and walk around a bit and then meet the parasailing tour at 3:45 pm. When we booked the parasailing excursion, we were told there was a tour at 2:45 pm also and that if by chance we wanted to go earlier, to check at the meeting spot to see if there were slots available. So, we had some flexibility with our time.

 

We considered doing the skyride to Paradise Point, but the kids could see the skyride from the ship and thought it looked “lame” (don’t you love teenagers!). DH and I had done the skyride in Nov., 2008 and although we liked it (and the bushwacker drink served at the top), it wasn’t something we really needed to do again. FYI, last time we found that the skyride tickets were slightly cheaper from Carnival than buying them at the entrance and the advantage was that Carnival passengers got to go ahead of walk-up passengers, so something to keep in mind. I’m including some photos from our 2008 visit so you can get a visual.

 

Skyride Trams:

 

 

View from the top of Paradise Point:

 

 

DH and I at the top of Paradise Point:

 

[pcrum]

View of Paradise Point from Glory Ship:

 

 

This shows the route the skyride takes, along this cable:

 

 

We knew that a trip to Magen’s Bay was not going to happen, as DH and I also did that in 2008 and were a bit underwhelmed. I know they say it’s one of the best beaches in the world, but coming from FL where we have so many nice beaches, especially on the Gulf Coast, we just didn’t see the big deal about Magen’s Bay. It was very crowded when we went, which also made it a bit unpleasant. I also didn’t enjoy the ride up the twisting mountain in the open air safari taxi...it just did not seem very safe. Here is a photo of Magen’s Bay and another photo of the safari vehicles, which are really just pickup trucks with seats in the back cargo area.

 

Megan's Bay:

 

 

View of Safari Vehicle taken from this trip (yes, there is a Hooters in St. Thomas!)

 

 

After breakfast, DH went to sit and relax and read his book and the kids and I took a walking and photography view of the ship. It was very empty at this point, so I figured it was a good time for photos:

 

View of slide:

 

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View of empty pool area:

 

 

 

 

Adult Pool:

 

 

How about some ice cream:

 

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What a view!

 

 

 

Young Toddler's Splash Pool:

 

 

If you walked inside from the Serenity area and went to the other side of the ship, you came across this area which had a ping pong table and bean bag toss area. It is also shaded, so sometimes we lay in a chaise under the shade away from the ping pong noise!

 

 

Wouldn't it be nice to retire on one of those yachts and sail around the Caribbean!!

 

[pcrum]

I'll take the first yacht!!

 

 

 

Long view of Paradise Point from ship. It literally is across the street from the pier area.

 

 

Another shady area to lounge is just off from the Lobby area on Deck 3:

 

 

Sushi option in St. Thomas:

 

[kellbellscruise]

Great review. Thanks so much for posting the pics. I am in Volusia County now but grew up in Orlando... Azalea Park!!

[pcrum]

Freedom of the Seas was conducting a life boat drill, so they had their life boats in the water, which was interesting to see.

 

 

This is the Screamin' Eagle. I thought it looked like fun, but DH and the kids said I couldn't handle it...they were probably right!

 

 

 

We were docked in Havensight, which I prefer so much better to Crown Bay, where the Princess and HAL ships dock. Havensight has many more shops. We met up with DH and got off the ship and walked through some stores. There is one store that I remembered from our 2008 trip that had really nice quality “Old Guy Rules” t-shirts with the St. Thomas logo. We got DH a new shirt as his old one was getting well, a bit worn. They have also added new shops at the pier area since our last visit. There are several buildings of shops that are a bit more upscale to the left and behind the pier area. I also found a post office to mail a post card back home (I have a friend who always asks for a post card from each place we travel to). I also remembered how good the bushwacker drinks were from our trip to Paradise Point and wanted to find a place to get one. The bushwacker is made with Baileys, kahlua and rum (and some other things) and is the speciality drink of St. Thomas. There was a little bar with a thatched hut and swings right by the dock that we found to satisfy my craving. The kids asked if I’d parasail after I finished my drink and told them it would take a whole lot more bushwackers before I attached myself to a line and was hoisted up in the air!!

 

Bar with swings (sorry, I didn't write down the name):

 

 

By then it was 2:30, so we decided to check with the 2:45 pm group to see if there was space to parasail then. Our meeting place was right outside the ship and we found a very nice Carnival rep there who said the rep from the parasailing company would be there soon and she would check with her. Soon, the parasailing rep (an American) joined us and confirmed that there would be space for us to go on the 2:45 pm trip and that both DH and I could go as observers (for an additional cost of $24.95 each). Woo Hoo, now we can both go and DH can video with the flip camera and I can take stills! One other man joined our group without a reservation. The parasailing lady said there were 2 more people scheduled, but they never showed up, so after waiting a bit the parasailing rep started to walk us to the area where we would meet our boat. As we were walking over, it started to rain quite heavily. We all ducked in an interior hallway by the shops and waited out the rain. The parasailing rep was in radio contact with the parasailing boats and said they were fine, as they were further out than the rain. I didn’t quite understand that, as it did not seem like we went very far out at all, but who was I to question her? The rain was a typical tropical shower like we get in FL...it was over within a matter of minutes and then we went out to the dock to meet our boat. The dock was over by the new shopping area.

 

The first boat pulled up and I took a photo, thinking it was our boat, but after letting people off, it went back out empty. The rep told us they were picking people up from another excursion. After a few minutes, our boat arrived driven by two very wild looking men. One of them is at the front of the boat in the white shirt and the other is in the back of the boat. They were Americans too and told us that when they moved to St. Thomas over a year ago they had buzz cuts and had not cut their hair or shaved since!! They were great though and very good with the kids.

 

First Parasailing Boat (not ours):

 

Our boat:

 

[pcrum]

DH and I had been given tickets with a photo of a chicken on them and were directed to sit in the “chicken coop” part of the boat. The boat captains went over the instructions with the kids and the other guy who was parasailing and asked who wanted to go first. The kids said they’d go first. The boat captains seemed to know what they were doing and had them in harnesses and life jackets very quickly, a bit too quickly for my liking, as I was wondering if everything was secure! They were told there was no way they could fall out of the harnesses, which made me feel a bit better. Then they were hoisted up in the air. The times stamps on my photos shows their entire trip took 9 minutes. Watching them, it seemed longer. At one point they were dipped into the water and at another point, the boat captains kind of pulled on the rope to make it shake. They loved the ride, as you can see from the big grins on their faces as they come back in.

 

On the parasailing boat at the pier:

 

 

View of NCL Epic from parasailing boat:

 

 

On the boat:

 

 

Outfitted with life vests:

 

 

Taking off:

 

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Ready to go up:

 

 

 

 

Being dipped in the water:

 

 

Coming in for a landing:

 

[pcrum]

Those are some happy faces:

 

 

DD and DH:

 

 

The kids:

 

 

 

After their ride, the other gentleman on our boat had his turn. Before heading back, we stopped at a resort to pick up some people who were going out on the next run. They said they were staying in St. Thomas for a week and loved having their coffee on the outside patio and watching the ships sail in. That would be a lovely start to the day, but St. Thomas is not an island I’d chose for a land based vacation. I think I like the Turks and Caicos or Cozumel better.

 

We were dropped off at the dock, but not before DS purchased a t-shirt just like the boat captains wore. We got photos of the kids with the boat captains and tipped them (there was a sign on the boat saying tips were appreciated) and were on our way. It was definitely a fun excursion and although DD says she is a bit bored with parasailing now (again, the teen angst), DS is ready to go again!

 

 

DS modeling parasailing shirt:

 

[jtmurph7]

Great Review...Looks like you are having a great vacation...We are going on the Dream in July. It will be the 2nd cruise for my DH and I. We are taking our 2 DD's this will be their 1st cruise.. We are all very excited about our cruise. Thank you for taking the time to post this review...

 

Oh..I love the large font...

Happy Cruising!!!

Tammy

[pcrum]

We walked back to the ship and got a late lunch of pizza. We timed it just right, as right after we got our pizza, a very long line ensued.

 

After our late lunch, we all went back to the cabin to relax for a bit before getting ready for dinner. We didn’t have our pool time today, but just relaxed until it was time for dinner.

 

Our room steward had left tickets for the past guest party, which was being held on Thursday.

 

Dinner tonight was wonderful, as always. The cold soup was peach soup so DS ordered two. When it was served, he didn’t like it as much as he thought he would though, so was sorry he had ordered two. DD and I had the spinach and portobello mushroom salad, which was wonderful. DH had the shrimp cocktail. For our entrees, DS had the beef stroganoff, DD had the flat iron steak, DH had the center cut pork chop and I had the lamb (which is not only rack of lamb, as it used to be, but half rack of lamb and half leg of lamb, another cost cutting measure). I love the lamb and always ask for mint jelly to accompany it. For dessert, we all had the bitter n blanc, which is served with a warm custard. It is a toss up for me which is the better dessert, the bitter n blanc or WCMC. I think I like the bitter n blanc a bit better, as it is bread pudding with chocolate mixed in and not quite as rich as the WCMC. DH had his usual double expresso and Courvoisier VS and I had a cup of English breakfast tea.

 

The showgirls were posing for photographs after dinner outside the dining room, so I had the kids take a photo before DD rushed off to the teen club. This would be the only professional photo we bought this cruise, as it’s the only one that really turned out well.

 

 

 

The teen club activities had started at 9 pm so DD went there after dinner and the rest of us went back to the cabin to change before the Just Rock production show.

 

DS modeling the back of his parasailing shirt:

 

 

Waiting for the show:

 

 

Curtain of Amber Palace:

 

 

Amber Palace, to left of stage:

 

 

 

I know people love the Ticket to Ride Beatles show, but to me, this is the best show Carnival does. We had also seen it on our previous Glory cruise in 6/09 and loved it then too. The show covers all the decades from 50s to 90s in rock. They open with Robbie Williams’ “Let Me Entertain You,” which is a favorite or ours. Robbie Williams is a British pop star who is huge in all parts of the world other than the USA. I never understood why he never made it here, as he sells out concerts literally everywhere else in the world! So from the first song, we love the show. I think the 80s decade retrospective is our favorite as that’s when DH and I were young...they do the Flashdance song and some David Bowie. It’s just a really fun, lively show.

 

After the show, Carnival was doing mardi gras in the Lobby Lounge area. Before the show, DS said he wanted to go and try to get some beads, but after the show, he said he was tired and was going to bed. DH and I went to check out the mardi gras because we couldn’t go to sleep until DD came home and we had some time to kill. The mardi gras thing was a bit lackluster. A parade had started from the Ebony Cabaret on Deck 5 and ended up in the Lobby bar area. Cruise Director Jorge stood on Deck 4 and threw beads down into the Lobby area. DH and I took a seat on the peripheral and watched for a bit, but it jut wasn’t our thing. After about 30 minutes we gave it up and went back to the cabin where this little guy was waiting for us!

 

 

Tomorrow, San Juan...

[pcrum]

[QUOTE=ReadytoGoAgain;28863737]I love your review! Can't wait to read more!

 

Thanks so much. My goal is to get at least one day of the cruise up per day.

 

Love you reviews, as always, and look forward to more!

 

Thanks so much for reading!

 

Enjoying your review very much. We sail on the Inspiration May 16th, and while onboard will celebrate our 32 wedding anniversary. Glad you shared your love story in your review. Anticipating the conclusion to your review.

Debbie

 

Thanks so much. You will love the Inspiration. I am so sad it is leaving Tampa next year! Writing this review has given me the review bug again, so I think when I am finished with this one, I am going to write up our Inspiration and Liberty cruises. Happy Anniversary!!

[pcrum]

grrrreat job. awesome photos

 

Thanks so much for reading!

 

That is interesting about the pvp booking kids in their own room. We ran into the same situation (1 adult in each cabin) and when we went to guest services to switch keys, they told us that an adult was required to be in each room but that we could have extra room keys. I would be interested to find out other peoples experiences with this....

 

Out of 5 cruises with the kids, we only had an issue on our very first cruise on the Sensation. On that cruise, they basically told us that they couldn't switch our keys around, but if we chose to put the kids in their own cabin, that was our business. I thought maybe because it was just a 3 night cruise that they didn't want to bother. But every other time, they have willingly switched our keys around.

 

 

Need to subscribe so I can look at this one when I get home! Can't wait! :D

 

Thanks for reading!

[pcrum]

You might want to give internet radio a try. There are a number of good Broadway stations available for free (disclaimer: I run one of them). Just Google "Broadway radio" and see what you find.

 

Thanks for the tip. We do love our showtunes!!:) Now if they'd only put free Broadway radio in the car...

 

Great Review...Looks like you are having a great vacation...We are going on the Dream in July. It will be the 2nd cruise for my DH and I. We are taking our 2 DD's this will be their 1st cruise.. We are all very excited about our cruise. Thank you for taking the time to post this review...

 

Oh..I love the large font...

Happy Cruising!!!

Tammy

 

I know you will have a great time and your kids will love cruising. My kids always have a ball on the ship, even though they sometimes do different things!

[pcrum]

Great review. Thanks so much for posting the pics. I am in Volusia County now but grew up in Orlando... Azalea Park!!

 

Thanks for the kind words. I'm a native of Brandon (suburb of Tampa), but we've been in Orlando since 2003. I like it better than the Tampa Bay area!

 

I love your quote about the Liberty...she is a beautiful ship and my favorite Conquest class ship. I think after this review I will write up the Liberty and Inspiration reviews.

[oncruisecontrol]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much. We both feel very lucky to have been given this second chance! I see you are from FL too...what part of FL are you from?

 

 

I'm not actually from Florida (originally from the Northeast), but I have lived here the last 7 years or so just a stones throw away from 2 south Florida ports:D

[pcrum]

I'm not actually from Florida (originally from the Northeast), but I have lived here the last 7 years or so just a stones throw away from 2 south Florida ports:D

 

Don't you love living near the ports...it makes it so much easier when you don't have to worry about the airlines' luggage restrictions!:)

[Cupcrazy]

Fantastic review so far. I'm really enjoying it. I can't wait to see the rest

[pcrum]

Fantastic review so far. I'm really enjoying it. I can't wait to see the rest

 

Thanks so much. I will have the San Juan day up sometime tomorrow afternoon or evening!