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

[iluvdoxies]

Great review ! Your kids are adorable.

 

We also live in the Orlando area (altamonte springs) love being able to drive to the ports. Just got back a few weeks ago from visiting my son and family in the DC area and flying now is SUCH a hassel, (and I worked for the airlines here for 18 yrs lol). I am still trying to get my nerve up to parasail lol.

[pcrum]

Great review ! Your kids are adorable.

 

We also live in the Orlando area (altamonte springs) love being able to drive to the ports. Just got back a few weeks ago from visiting my son and family in the DC area and flying now is SUCH a hassel, (and I worked for the airlines here for 18 yrs lol). I am still trying to get my nerve up to parasail lol.

 

Yes, living within driving distance is a definite perk. I know we wouldn't be able to cruise near as often if we had to factor in the cost and inconvenience of flying!

 

My kids loved parasailing, but I know it's not for me!:)

 

I love the fact that you are part of the dachshund rescue effort!! I wish more people would take on rescue pets...they are so sweet and lovable!!

[pcrum]

3/31/11, San Juan

 

Today the MDR was only open until 9 am for breakfast, so we decided to sleep in a bit and to get breakfast on the Lido Deck. DD, DH and I made our way up there and braved the crowds and the lines for the omelet station. Once again, we brought something back for DS, who was still sleeping in the cabin.

 

The nice thing about being in San Juan and St. Thomas was that since they are both US Territories, our nationwide AT & T calling plan included these areas, so we could call and text for free in these ports. The kids loved being able to catch up with friends at home, facebook, etc. and I was able wish my mom a happy birthday.

 

I was excited for San Juan. DH and I had visited in Nov., 2008 on the Triumph, however our ship did not dock until 5 pm, so we did a night time walking tour. I was excited to see the lovely sea views in the daylight. When I first began researching the trip, I had thought we’d take the free trolley to the forts and visit them, but when I mentioned this to the kids, once again they thought the idea “lame” (don’t you love teenagers...). We lived in England for 4 years when they were younger and they have traipsed around their share of castles and forts and they just were not interested. DS wanted to do some souvenir shopping for some friends at school who were from Puerto Rico. DH would have been happy to just stay on the ship, but he agreed to walk around for a bit. Once we got outside in the heat, I knew the fort idea was a bad one and was not going to happen. It was just too hot and humid, just like FL.

 

We exited through the cruise terminal and hearing my husband say he needed a map, a very nice security guard guard directed us to a gift store that had free maps of the area. I have to say that everyone in the cruise terminal area was very friendly and helpful. I also asked about the location of a mailbox or post office and was told where the post office was, but was also told that the same gift store that provided the free map would be happy to mail a card for us. So, we were finding that San Juan was very accommodating to the tourists. DS wanted to find the Hard Rock Cafe to do some shopping, so the map was helpful. Along the way we walked past a pirate ship that was docked along the waterfront. The plaque on the boat indicated that it had been used in a movie, but I don’t recall which one (I took very few notes on this trip as we were really in relaxation mode!). You could pay a small fee to walk around the ship, but from the sidewalk we could see pretty much the entire boat, so we just snapped some photos from the sidewalk.

 

 

 

 

 

I got a photo of the lovely waterfront too:

 

 

Along the way to the Hard Rock, we passed the Sheraton Hotel, which has a casino. They must also have fee wi-fi because outside on the sidewalk was a line of what looked like ship crew members sitting down with their laptops. They were just lined up against the hotel sitting on the sidewalk using their computers. The post office is located just behind the Sheraton, which is where I mailed my post card. A few blocks away was the Hard Rock Cafe. DS went into the gift shop and picked out some things for friends back home and then we stopped at a few more souvenir shops in the area.

 

I love the architecture of San Juan, as it reminds me of Europe.

 

Yes, that is a Starbucks in the background!

 

[pcrum]

 

More architecture:

 

 

 

 

Our shopping completed, we made our way back to the ship. It was very hot and everyone was getting a bit cranky. The kids went back on the ship and DH and I shopped for a bit in the cruise terminal. There was a table set up with free samples of Viuda de Romero tequila and two frozen drinks made with Ron Carlos flavored rum. We sampled the frozen drinks and they offered us a shot of tequila. DH tried it and liked it. I can’t drink tequila unless it’s mixed with lime juice and grand marnier in a margarita, so I took his word for it! They had a great deal on the tequila (around $5 for a liter). The rum was similarly priced and they had all different flavors and after tasting the bubble gum flavor in a frozen drink, we picked up a liter bottle of that as well as a liter of banana flavored rum. Total cost, $15 and some change for 3 one liter bottles of liquor!!

 

As we we were going back onto the ship, I mentioned to DH that I could stick the liquor in my big purse so that we would not have to turn it over to Carnival when we boarded. We weren’t going to drink it on the ship, but I’d prefer to have it in our cabin rather than having to worry about getting it later. DH is a rule follower and said they would see it through the x-ray machine so we might as well do as they asked and turn it over to Carnival. So, as we walked through Security and the guard saw our bags from the liquor store he told us to stop at the table and turn in the liquor to Carnival, which we did. We were given a paper telling us we’d have to pick the liquor up the morning of debarkation from the Ebony Cabaret lounge. As it would turn out, getting the liquor back on the last day would turn out to be an ordeal that I don’t think we’ll go through again!! The prices on the ship are also very good on liquor, although the selection is not as wide as at the ports. They did not have all of the different flavored rums on the ship, for example. Nevertheless, after DH’s experience (more on that later) with picking up the rum on the last day, I don’t think we’ll be doing that again anytime soon!

 

We got back on the ship and checked in with the kids, who had ordered room service. The teen club activities were scheduled to start at 2:30 pm so DD was planning on going to the club. DS was happy to relax in the cabin, so DH and I also rested a bit in the cabin. DH ordered room service or rather I called and ordered for him: 2 rare roast beef and brie sandwiches and an iced tea for me (DH was drinking the soda we brought on board). However upon receiving our order, we had one sandwich and two iced teas! Oh well. The rare roast beef and brie sandwich is a favorite of DH’s, but this time it turned out be very rare!! After a bit I went up to the buffet to see if anything looked interesting. I think I ended up eating some chicken marsala and a piece of key lime cheesecake, which was surprisingly good. I actually called back down in the cabin to see if DH wanted me to bring him a slice, as it was so good. He’s not a big sweet eater, so declined. Usually we are not thrilled with the desserts on the buffet. I know on the first day during lunch, the kids picked up what looked like a red velvet cupcake, but it was hard and felt stale. But, the key lime cheesecake was very good.

 

While there, I snapped a photo of San Juan through the glass:

 

 

After lunch, I took my book and sat on Deck 12 on a chaise in the shade by the ping pong tables. It was nice to see the ship pull away from San Juan. The drink of the day was the Goombay Smash, so I ordered a small one, which came in a plastic glass about the same size as the ones used in the Lido Buffet. For $4.75 I thought it was a good deal and just the right size. Once we had sailed out of San Juan, I went back to the cabin for a nap, setting the clock for 6 pm so we could have some pool time before dinner. DD didn’t want to go the pool, having just returned from the teen club, but DS and I used the hot tub. DH is not much for the pool and was happy to sit and read his book.

 

Remember those past guest party invitations we had been given yesterday. Well, I knew they were for Thursday, but for some reason I had in my mind that Thursday was the Grand Turk day. I was even a bit miffed that we’d have to cut our time short in one of my favorite ports to make it to the past guest party. Well, guess what...today was actually Thursday and we missed the past guest party entirely. It was not until dinner, when DD mentioned that some of her teen club friends’ parents had attended and asked if we had attended that I realized my mistake. Yes, the past guest party was for Thursday, but today WAS Thursday, duh! So, I guess it’s a sign of a good vacation when you don’t even know what day of the week it is!!

 

Anyway, after our pool time, we went back to the cabin and got ready for dinner. These are some photos taken before we went in the dining room. It was hard to find a place to take photos near the dining room, as it was just off of the main area near the photo gallery and was always very crowded. So, we usually took photos by the stairs, away from the crowd, however the lighting was not the best.

 

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DS and I at dinner:

 

 

 

It was another very tasty meal. DS and DH started with the fried shrimp appetizer, DD had the shrimp cocktail and I had the creamy mushroom soup, which was very flavorful For our entrees, DH ordered 2 orders of the veal parmesan, while the rest of us had the duet of filet mignon and short rib confit. This time the waiter brought out 2 plates of the veal entree and just added the second piece of veal and the potatoes to DH’s first plate so he didn’t have two plates sitting in front of him. We all enjoyed our entrees very much. DH said the veal was very good and our filet mignon and short rib confit was very tender and served with a nice wine sauce. Next to us at one the large tables was a teenage boy who seemed to order a flat iron steak and a bowl of macaroni and cheese every night. I always meant to try the macaroni and cheese, which I presume is from the children’s menu as it looked so good, but I never did. On the Inspiration, they had a rotisserie area of the buffet at lunch with the best macaroni and cheese I have ever tasted. I wanted to see if this was the same. Sadly, it seems the Conquest class ships do not have the rotisserie area on the buffet at lunch, so I never did get to have the macaroni and cheese.

 

The kids skipped dessert and DH and I had the WCMC, which is wonderful, but so very rich! DH had his usual cognac and expresso, as the kids left early. DD wanted to get to the teen club for the karaoke that was starting at 9 pm and DS wanted to get a milkshake on his way to the room change for the show.

 

Instead of a big production show, tonight they were doing just one showing at 10 pm of a game show, “60 Seconds or Less”. I have really mixed feelings about these types of shows because while they can be amusing, it really is a cost savings for Carnival because they do not have to stage a large production show. While we prefer the production shows with the singers and dancers, this turned out to be a fun show. Several members were chosen from the audience and they had to do various tasks in 60 seconds, such as flipping a bunch of pencils in the air from atop their flattened hand and then catching them. A contestant was eliminated each round until just one man was standing. It was fun to watch and Cruise Director, Jorge certainly added to the enjoyment of the show, with his funny commentary. I think this was the first time we had seen him in person, but we had watched the Welcome Aboard show on TV in the cabin and I liked Jorge’s self depreciating humor. Jorge is a large man and when talking about the amenities on the ship, he said, “I hear there is a gym, although I’ve never seen it”. I just liked his humor. Sadly, another cruise critic member has reported that Jorge has retired and is no longer a Cruise Director. I’m sure he will be missed.

 

After the show, the Mega Deck Party was scheduled. The teen club attended the party, but DS wanted to go to bed and DH had been wanting to do the martini tasting all week, so we decided tonight was the night. On our Liberty cruise, we really enjoyed the martini tasting, where you pay a set price ($19.55 including gratuity) for 4 different flavors of mini martinis. The martini tasting was held in the Burgundy Bar, located near the aft of the ship. The martini choices were Berry Melody, Mangotini, Florida Squeeze, Spicy Chipotle, Pomegranate Breeze, Jack Julep, Melon Crush or Classic Cosmo. DH was disappointed they did not have any of the chocolate or expresso martinis as they had offered at the Liberty martini tasting. The bar tender said they had recently changed the flavors to reflect the fact that Finlandia was now the featured vodka. We tried the Spicy Chipotle, Melon Crush, Jack Julep and Classic Cosmo.

 

DH and I at the Burgundy Bar:

 

 

Our martinis:

 

 

DH was not thrilled with any of these, however I liked the Classic Cosmo and Melon Crush. I have a card with all the martinis listed and the recipe for each and will try to scan it and figure out how to post it as a pdf file. Any hints are much appreciated, as I’ve never posted a pdf file on cruise critic! DH was not satisfied at all after these martinis, so he ordered us a couple of tramisu martinis, which are wonderful. The glass is first lined with chocolate syrup and then more syrup is added to the top. Definitely very tasty, but not cheap, as two martinis were $20.59 with gratuity!

 

Tiramisu Martinis:

 

 

 

The comedians for the Punchliner Comedy Club had changed and two new comics had come aboard. Percy Crews was scheduled at 11:45 pm so we took our martinis into the Ebony Cabaret to watch the show. The airbrushed tattoo artist on the cruise had mentioned Percy Crews to us and said that in her opinion, he was the best comic on the fleet and that we should not miss his show. We had seen Percy on a previous cruise before Carnival decided to have a dedicated comedy lounge. When he was performing in the main show lounge, we didn’t really care for Percy’s humor. I guess it’s hard to be funny when you have to please a large crowd ranging in all ages. To us, his routine just was not very comical. I do remember that he got heckled that first time we saw him and he handled it very well, saying to the heckler that he was trying to work up there and that while the heckler might be on vacation, he was trying to do his job. Tonight, we caught the adults only (over 18 show). This show was very raunchy, but very funny at the same time and I have to say my opinion of Percy Crews has increased!

 

I forgot to mention that earlier in the cruise, we had seen one other comic, Hal Spear in the Punchliner Comedy Club. This was also our second time seeing Hal Spear (first time was at the Punchliner Comedy Club on the Liberty in Nov., 2010) and he was also very funny. He does this thing at the end of his act with a lot of sound effects and he is quite good. I realized after going through my Fun Times that we caught his adults only show on 3/29/11, the night the motown singer was in the Amber Palace. Both nights, the Comedy Club filled up almost to capacity, so the key is to get there early to get a good seat. We got there late both nights and ended up in the very back row, which was ok, as we mainly needed to hear the comic and not see him, but it would have nice to have got there a bit earlier and sat a bit closer to the stage!

 

After Percy Crews finished his act, it was after midnight, so we made our way back to the cabin where this little guy was waiting for us

 

[pcrum]

Card we obtained from the Martini Tasting, inside:

 

 

Outside front and back cover:

 

[Akgoalie7]

Everytime I see a picture of your son I can't help but see the kid from the "Wonder Years" show.. Paul Pfeiffer, the best friend of Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) and Winnie Cooper.

 

LOL

 

:):D

[pcrum]

I also scanned the Club 02 teen club schedule for the week:

 

[pcrum]

4/1/11, Grand Turk

 

The MDR was open until 10 am today, so we got to sleep in a bit. We’d usually turn on the Morning Show with Cruise Director Jorge in the mornings while we got ready. It was fun to watch. One morning the tattoo artist whom my son liked so well was on the show encouraging people to get tattoos. She was from Romania and so nice to all the kids who would come to her for a tattoo. We were not due to arrive in Grand Turk until 11 am, so we had a leisurely morning ahead of us.

 

DD came with us to breakfast in the MDR while DS slept in. After a very pleasant breakfast of eggs benedict (for DD and I) and an omelet for DH, we went up to the Lido to bring something down for DS. He liked the scrambled eggs and bacon and of course, corn flakes cereal every morning. One day I got an extra cereal box, bowl and milk and left the milk in the mini fridge and the cereal and bowl in the cabinet next to the fridge, but DS said the room steward removed the cereal and bowl. I thought it strange that they were going through the closed cabinets. Oh well...

 

Grand Turk is one of my favorite ports. To me it is like a very nice private island experience (of course I’ve not yet experienced HMC...one day...). We had last been here as a family on our last Glory cruise in June, 2009. At that time, the kids did the flowrider, located right by Margaritaville and loved it. These photos are from that cruise:

 

 

 

 

All week, they had been debating on whether or not to do it again. DS really wanted to do it, but did not want to do it alone. DD did not want to do it again. So the debate went on all week, with DS trying to convince DD to do the flowrider again and DD refusing, saying we’d all come watch him, but she just did not want to do it again. So, the morning of Grand Turk arrived and we still had not booked anything.

 

DH is not really a beach person and planned to enjoy an empty ship and sit in the Colors Lobby and read his book and have a glass of wine or two.

 

Colors Lobby:

 

 

So, once we were all clear to disembark, the kids and I made our way down the dock to this beautiful island.

 

 

 

[pcrum]

We went through some shops and DS found a shirt he liked at Ron Jon’s Surf Shop. All the usual port shops are here, Del Sol, Pirana Joe, and Diamonds International. For stamp collectors, the post office is located at the far end next to the Margaritaville pool and they usually have some great stamps. On this day, I saw some commemorating Princess Diana. I always send a post card from the post office to my friend at home who collects post cards.

 

Shopping area:

 

 

Flowers in area:

 

 

A bit of "home," the Union Jack:

 

 

After we perused the shops, we made our way over to Margaritaville and found some chaises by the pool under an umbrella. We were the only ship in port at the moment, but the Ruby Princess would join us a short while later. I lay on the chaise and the kids went in the pool. I have read that the Margaritaville pool in Grand Turk is the largest pool in the Caribbean and it is huge. Under a bridge, kind of separate from the main pool is a section which faces the Margaritaville stage with bar stools in the pool for the bar.

 

 

 

Main pool area:

 

[pcrum]

The kids came back from their swim and decided they wanted something to drink. I saw waiters going back and forth, seemingly on their way to serve the people in the cabanas, but no one stopped to see if we wanted anything. I asked one waiter who was carrying a bucket of beer to a cabana if he could take our order on his way back, but he never reappeared. Finally, we caught the attention of a waitress and DS ordered a virgin banana daiquiri. When asked what size, he said small. DD ordered a water. When the waitress reappeared with our order, we were surprised to see DS’s daiquiri in a mini yard glass. I was also surprised at the price, $14.75 for a virgin drink and a bottle of water! Yes, I know that you are not paying for the use of the pool or the chaise lounges, so I guess that is built into the drink prices! I didn’t remember the prices being so high on our last trip here, but I guess inflation has hit the Turks and Caicos!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[pcrum]

The discussion over the flow rider continued with DS asking DD to go with him and DD refusing. Finally, I said it was pointless to argue over it until we found out if they even had spots available, which I highly doubted. I know the last time we did the flowrider, we booked with Shore Excursions during the first sea day of the cruise and were told then that we had taken the last 2 spots. So, I went over to the area where you check in for the flowrider and recognized the same girl who had been there 18 months ago and asked her if there were any spots available for today. She told me they were sold out, so I went back to the kids and told them they could stop discussing it, as it was already booked. DS was disappointed, but at least the discussion could end now.

 

FlowRider:

 

 

We spent several hours just enjoying the pool area. When we got too hot, we’d go into the pool to cool off. At one point I ventured under the bridge into the area by the Margaritaville stage. Some type of game show was going on, and although I missed the instructions for what the couples were meant to do, if I had to guess based on what I was seeing, I’d guess the instructions went something like, “You must pop a balloon placed on your partner by simulating a sexual act.” I’m not a prude by any means, but it’s amazing what some people will do in public. They were all fully clothed, but acting out some pretty raunchy moves. Again, I missed the instructions or even what the prize was (if there was one), so I’m really not sure what was going on. I watched for a couple of minutes, glad that the area was pretty well divided from the main pool area, which had a lot of young children playing in it. Deciding I was just too old to appreciate the onstage antics, I returned to the main part of the pool.

 

After a while the kids had enough and wanted to go back on the ship. I hesitated a minute about letting them go alone, even though they are 16, but finally decided they were perfectly capable of making their way back and gave them their photo IDs and S & S cards and told them to go ahead. I enjoyed the chaise and my book a while longer. This is really a beautiful setting and I hated to go back on the ship, knowing this was our last port stop and the next time the ship was in port we’d be back in Miami.

 

Finally I’d had enough and walked along the beach a bit taking some photographs. The entire area had become very crowded with two ships in port and as soon as I got up to collect my things, someone asked if I was leaving so they could use my chaise.

 

 

Very crowded beach:

 

 

 

 

Glory and Ruby Princess:

 

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Carnival Glory:

 

 

View of beach from pier:

 

 

Flags flying over Grand Turk:

 

 

 

I went back onto the ship, dropped my stuff in the room and checked on the kids, who were in their cabin with room service. I then went to the Lobby Bar to find DH enjoying his book. He had not had lunch yet, so we went up to the Deli for a sandwich.

 

Deli:

 

 

 

After our late lunch, it was time for a nap before getting ready for dinner. Tonight was the second cruise elegant night and I was determined we were going to be dressed and ready a bit early so we could get some photos. Everyone seems to go a bit more casual on the second cruise elegant evening and DS did not wear his jacket this time. Oh well...we still took some photos before going to dinner. We’ve not had the best of luck with the professional photographers on Carnival, so this time we did not even stop at any of their photo setups.

 

 

 

 

[pcrum]

 

Dinner was excellent as usual. Tonight the cold soup was the bing cherry soup, so both DS and DD enjoyed that as a starter. I had the escargot, which is one of my favorites from the MDR. I actually prefer the MDR escargot to those from the steakhouse. I also tried the baked eggplant with mozzarella cheese, as I love eggplant, but this is an appetizer I would not order again. It just did not have a lot of flavor and could have used a bit more cheese. DH went with the traditional shrimp cocktail. For our entrees, we all ordered the chateaubriand with béarnaise sauce. DH and I also ordered one entree of the grilled tiger shrimp to split along with our beef. For dessert, DH, DS and I ordered the baked alaska while DD had her chocolate fix with the WCMC. DH enjoyed his double expresso and cognac while DD rushed off to change before going to the the teen club (which had activities starting at 9 pm) and DS went back to the room to change and reserve seats for us for the show, which was beginning at 10:30 pm.

 

Tonight the show was “The Magic and Mystery of Justin Illusion”. After changing, DH and I found DS in the theater. The theater seemed to be filling up quickly for this show. The teen club was even scheduled to watch it although DD thought that she and her friends might skip the show, however we spotted her and the rest of the teen club on the other side of the theater before the show. They ended up leaving before the show ended though. Once the show began, we realized we had seen the exact same show on our previous Glory cruise. However, the show was still highly entertaining and very fast paced. No talking at all, just a good rock soundtrack and illusion after illusion. That’s just how I like my magic...too much talking and it just ruins it for me. Give me some good ‘ole rock and roll and I can watch anything!!

 

After the show, DS went to get a milkshake from Creams and then went back to the cabin to go to bed. DH and I wandered around a bit. We peeked into the Karaoke in the Bar Blue, but didn’t stay long.

 

Blue Bar (Photo taken on day of debarkation, so the bar is empty):

 

 

 

We listened to Timmy again for a short time. He as playing in the Colors Lobby tonight. I really enjoyed Timmy’s music, but what we missed on this cruise was the classic rock band that Carnival usually has playing. On our previous cruises, one lounge would always feature a rock band. Sadly, this was missing on the Glory.

 

A little after midnight we headed back to the cabin to get ready for bed and wait for DD. This guy was in the cabin to greet us:

 

 

 

[iluvdoxies]

Yes, living within driving distance is a definite perk. I know we wouldn't be able to cruise near as often if we had to factor in the cost and inconvenience of flying!

 

My kids loved parasailing, but I know it's not for me!:)

 

I love the fact that you are part of the dachshund rescue effort!! I wish more people would take on rescue pets...they are so sweet and lovable!!

 

Yes they are ! I love them to death.

[hockeyluver]

Great review and pictures! I cant wait for our cruise in January!!

[pcrum]

Everytime I see a picture of your son I can't help but see the kid from the "Wonder Years" show.. Paul Pfeiffer, the best friend of Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) and Winnie Cooper.

 

LOL

 

:):D

 

I will have to look that up. I haven't watched that show since before I had children, so I only have a vague idea of the character you are referring to. I will definitely google a photo now!

 

Yes they are ! I love them to death.

 

:)

 

 

 

 

Thanks to everyone for the kind comments. I will do the last sea day today and hope to finish with debarkation on Monday.

[pshortie265]

Sam...yes, that was his name. We only attended one session of bingo, but I do remember the "Come on Sam". I loved both Sam and Jorge. The kids and I lived in England for 4 years, so I have a thing for the British! Sorry to hear Jorge is leaving. He did introduce Kiwi one night, but he introduced her as his "wife" so I assumed they were already married! Did he seem quite a bit older than her to you? At first I thought, he's probably our age (middle 40s) and she looked to be in her 20s, but then DH said he thought Jorge was younger and that the extra weight just made him look older! Regardless, I wish them well!

 

Thanks for reading my review!

 

 

Yes, the first set of comedians on the cruise that week had a "roast" of Jorge for one of the adult shows that was very entertaining, and very adult. Then they mentioned that Jorge was in his 40's and Kiwi was in her late 20's. You win and your DH was wrong :p

 

We too are very very disappointed to hear Jorge is leaving Carnival because we would love to cruise with him again, but there were lots of other wonderful staff we would love to cruise with again as well that I know will continue to serve the Carnival fleet well for many years to come.

[lovethesun40]

Yes, the first set of comedians on the cruise that week had a "roast" of Jorge for one of the adult shows that was very entertaining, and very adult. Then they mentioned that Jorge was in his 40's and Kiwi was in her late 20's. You win and your DH was wrong :p

 

We too are very very disappointed to hear Jorge is leaving Carnival because we would love to cruise with him again, but there were lots of other wonderful staff we would love to cruise with again as well that I know will continue to serve the Carnival fleet well for many years to come.

 

 

pshortie....we were there too.....and it was hilarious!!! :p

That was a great cruise, and as I have said to many people, I thought Jorge, the cruise director, was awesome!! I truly wish that we could cruise with him again! **I won 2, "24 karat gold" plastic ship-on-a-stick trophies from him.....it was FUN!!!!

[pcrum]

4/2/11, Sea Day

 

Oh, the sadness of the last full day of the cruise. We had a wonderful week and it was sad to think it was coming to an end soon. But at least we still had a full day ahead of us. Breakfast in the MDR was being served until 10 am today, so we slept in a bit and then went to the MDR with DD. DS, as usual, slept in. Breakfast was wonderful, as always. So nice to be waited on rather than fighting the crowds on the Lido Deck! DH had his usual omelet and I had the french toast and DD had the eggs benedict.

 

After breakfast we went to the gift store. They had the t-shirts 2 for $20 so we picked up a few more for DH (on weekends, he loves his jeans and t-shirts!). He had also been eyeing the 12 year old scotch all week. At home, we pay about $70 for a liter and a half bottle of Glenlivit and it was $64.99 for two 1-liter bottles on the ship. So, we picked up a couple of bottles of scotch. Now, we had a total of 5 bottles of liquor to take off the ship. We asked the sales clerk if he knew the duty free limits, but he said he did not, which I thought rather strange for someone who worked selling liquor all week. He told us, “worse case is you pay a few dollars in duty at customs...” Ok. We had read that if you bought liquor in St. Thomas that you could take more than the usual duty free allowance back to the US. We were wondering if liquor purchased in Puerto Rico was the same, since both are US territories, but we never got a definite answer. Anyway, because it was the the last day of the cruise, we could take the bottles back with us to our cabin.

 

We also checked out our photographs. Several nights in the MDR a photographer would take our photo, but sadly, none of them came out. Last night, which was the cruise elegant night, I asked him to take a photo of the entire table, but I never found that one in the Photography Shop.

 

We went back to the cabin and got DS up and went up to the Lido Deck around 11:30 am to try to get some breakfast for him, but although the “Late Risers” buffet was listed in the Fun Times as being open for breakfast until noon, we were told they had taken it down early to set up for the chocolate buffet. So, DS got something from the Mongolian buffet .

 

I knew we had a lot of things we wanted to do today, but we also had to pack, so after DS ate, I went back to the cabins and packed up most of our clothes, leaving out our swimsuits and what we were going to wear for dinner and for debarkation.

 

DD was off to the the teen club and DH was happily finishing his second book of the week, so DS and I went up to Deck 12 in the area under the shade by the ping pong tables.

 

We ordered some drinks, (virgin banana daiquiri for him and small DOD (Caribbean Breeze) for me and sat and relaxed a bit.

 

 

 

 

At one point, DS went down to the chocolate buffet to get some food and brought me back an ice cream swan. Ah, payback for all those breakfasts in bed!

 

 

It looked better than it tasted, however. The dough part had absolutely no flavor. But, it was the thought that counted!

 

The Game of Love was scheduled to be in the Amber Palace at 2 pm and we wanted to attend that. On the way, we stopped at the taco bar which is always in the Lido deck buffet the last day of the cruise. To me, this beats the Burrito Bar hands down. The taco meat is hot and there are lots of toppings, from cheese to sour cream to guacamole, plus those delicious homemade tortilla chips that Carnival makes.

 

We sat in the balcony for the Game of Love. It was hosted by Sam, the Assistant Cruise Director. The questions were slightly different from other cruises we have been on, but the idea is the same. It’s like the Newlywed Game where couples are asked different questions and they see if the husband and wife give the same answers. There was a newlywed couple, a couple married for 10 years and a couple married for 30 years. It was entertaining to watch, as always. We really enjoyed both Sam and Jorge as Cruise Directors.

 

After the Game of Love, bingo was scheduled. DS loves bingo and I liken it to watching grass grow, but I had promised him one game, so we moved downstairs and purchased a card (with 3 bingo cards on it) for $20. The game was $1000/$3000/$5000. You had to cover the entire card and if you did it in a certain number of calls, you won the $5000. If your card had one of the special “power” numbers in it, you won the $3000. Otherwise, you won the $1000. I honestly don’t remember if the winner got the $1000 or $3000, but I know it wasn’t the $5000. The winner was a girl who was also on her honeymoon during the cruise. She and her husband had been rejected for the Game of Love because their wedding was a few days earlier than the couple who were ultimately chosen. I’m sure she’d have rather won the bingo!

 

DS with his bingo card:

 

 

 

I had a bit of a crush on Sam, the Assistant Cruise Director, as I Ioved his accent, so had to shoot a photo of him at the bingo game:

 

 

Since I let DS play bingo, he agreed to go to tea with me. According to the Fun Times, Tea Time was scheduled for 3:30 pm in the Ivory Club, Deck 4 aft. We went to the bar and I thought it strange that the tables were not set with the customary tea cups and napkins as they usually are for tea time. However, there were a number of people in there sitting and waiting, so we assumed we were in the right place and took a seat. After a few minutes a lady came in and told us that tea was actually being served in the Platinum Restaurant, just on the other side of the atrium, so we all made our way there. The lady who made the announcement was a fellow tourist. It was nice of her to come and tell everyone!!

 

Tea was lovely as always. Live music was playing and it’s all just very civilized.

[pcrum]

You are presented with a chest of tea and may choose a flavor. I had mint and DS had lemon. Then, a waiter comes around with sandwiches, such as cucumber and salmon. Another waiter came around with a marble cake and then finally the tea cart laden with sweets was at the table. There were all kinds of cakes and scones filled with cream. They had these little chocolate things dusted with powdered sugar that were so good. I like cream in my tea and DS likes honey, so we had to ask a waiter for those items, as they were not on the table.

 

Tea Cart with wonderful chocolate cakes on bottom right:

 

 

Plate with salmon sandwich, cucumber sandwich and marble cake:

 

 

DS enjoying his tea:

 

 

After tea, DS went back to the cabin to relax and I went to find DH for the fun farewell party. The fun farewell party is listed in the Fun Times timetable but it says nothing about free drinks. Carnival doesn’t list this event in the Top Ten part of the Fun Times, although you know that to most cruisers, an opportunity for free cocktails would make their top 10! Nevertheless, it was well attended. They actually had the fire doors closed immediately after the aft elevators to keep people out of the entire area until 5 pm. At 5 pm they opened the doors and we all went in. CD Jorge was there as well as the show band and one of the lead singers. Waiters came around with drinks. The band was playing quite loudly and it was hard to hear the waiters. I was asked if I’d like a rum punch (the tray had all kinds of drinks on it, from a lime daiquiri to whiskey sours, to white and red wine) and I said, “yes, please”. The waitress then set down a rum punch in front of DH. He asked for a red wine instead, but she misunderstood and said, “I will bring you a wine after you finish the punch.” DH just had a look of exasperation on his face, as he doesn’t really like rum, so I said, “no, he’d like the red wine instead of the rum punch.” The lady seemed embarrassed about her mistake and from that time on, DH was never without a red wine for the entire party. Every time she passed our table, she would drop off a red wine without even asking!

 

 

Remember our Jersey Shore neighbors... Well, they showed up at the party with a few young ladies in tow. It never ceased to amaze me that although in what they deemed to be the privacy of their hallway (oblivious to other guests!) and open rooms, they were as rude and crude as could be, but they never seemed to have trouble finding girls to hang around with for the week. Now, it was a lot of different girls, never the same ones for long, so maybe once the girls got to know their personalities they didn’t stay around for long...

 

The singer tried her best to get people to come up and dance, but for the most part, it wasn’t happening. Jorge made a short speech and then stood outside the lounge talking to people. Some people came up and had their photo taken with him. We really enjoyed him as a Cruise Director. I think Assistant Director Sam was there too.

 

Note that I am just remembering: I know it wasn’t tonight, but earlier in the week, during our evening pool time, DS and I checked out the hot tub in the spa area. Apparently only the Freedom and Glory still have the hot tubs in the spa areas. On the Liberty last Nov. I was told that the hot tub was removed in order to enlarge the gym. In the past, we have found the spa hot tub relatively uncrowded as it seemed that not many people knew about it. That was not the case this trip. When we arrived, both the hot tub and the other pool around it (which was warm, but without jets), were filled with a bunch of people speaking Italian. They left a few minutes after we arrived and we had the area to ourselves for about 5 minutes before 2 other couples joined us. The area is not very large and you put 6 people in there and it is over crowded, so we left soon after.

 

Back to tonight: After the Fun Farewell, we returned to the cabin and DS asked me to go with him to get one final tattoo. After his last tattoo, the tattoo artist had given him a coupon to get a large tattoo for the price of a small one. Each time during the week that he got a tattoo she gave him a coupon to keep him coming back. This time, he got a large tattoo of Marilyn Monroe on his back and she touched up the other two tattoos as well. The tattoo artist was so nice and complemented me on DS’s manners. She was one of the nicest staff we met during the entire cruise and we mentioned her on our e-mail questionnaire once we returned home.

 

 

 

The tattoo artist saw me taking the photo of her applying the tattoo and said that she wasn’t really meant to be sitting down, but that it had been so busy all day that her back was hurting her and she needed to sit in order to reach the right spot on DS’s back. I thought it odd that Carnival doesn’t allow the tattoo artists to sit! Carnival, if you are listening, this is one of your best employees...she kept us coming back all week. Give her a break and let her sit once in a while!

[pcrum]

Then it was time to get ready for dinner. We took a photo before dinner:

 

 

Dinner was wonderful, as always. We used our last wine coupon of the trip. For a starter, DD had the chilled supreme of fresh fruit with peach schnapps. She joked it could have used a bit more schnapps! The cold soup tonight was mango cream, however DS is not a big fan of mango, so he skipped an appetizer. DH had the appetizer sized portion of the grilled chicken and fettucini pasta entree (you can order an appetizer portion of each night’s pasta entree) and I had the crab cake. For our entrees, DD had the salmon and everyone else had the prime rib. The prime rib was served with a baked potato but we were halfway through our meal before the waiters got to us with the accompaniments, such as sour cream and horseradish sauce. DH and I also split the panko crusted jumbo shrimp entree, which was went nicely with the prime rib. For dessert, DD had her last chocolate fix of the WCMC and the rest of us ordered the grand marnier soufflé with is served with a custard cream sauce. It was very good. DH had his usual double expresso and cognac.

 

Some photos of the last dinner:

 

 

 

DH's brandy:

 

 

During dinner, DD said that because it was the last night of the cruise, that some of her teen club friends were staying out until 3 am and that she’d like to do that. According to the teen club schedule, the activities ended at 1 am, as always. I just didn’t see the point of a bunch of teen roaming alone around the ship for 2 hours besides the fact that since I couldn’t sleep until she got back, I really wasn’t prepared to stay up until 3 am when we had to be out of the cabin early the next morning. I reminded her that while she could sleep during the car ride home, either DH or I had to be alert and driving and that once we got home, I’d have work to do to get us all ready for school and work the next day. We compromised on a 1:30 am curfew, which still meant a late night!

 

Here is a photo of the teen club (DD on the bottom right):

 

 

So, after dinner DD went off to her teen club. DH and DS went to the Legends show, where the passengers dress up and pretend to be stars. I never really enjoy the Legends shows and wish Carnival would stop them and just put on another production show, but again, it’s cheaper to have the passengers provide the entertainment! DH really isn’t a fan either, but he went to keep DS company while I finished up packing and got the luggage out before the 11 pm deadline.

 

After the show, DH and DS returned to the cabin. DS called me from his cabin to say that Elton John was on “Saturday Night Live”. We turned it on and pretty soon DS was in our cabin and we had a “slumber party” all piled into the king sized bed watching SNL. I had not seen the show in years, so it was fun to watch it again. After it ended, DS went back to his cabin to go to sleep and I read until DD came back at 1:30 pm. Then it was once last look out the window at the waves below us and then sleep.

 

Towel animal for the night:

 

 

Tomorrow...debarkation day and more ship’s photos.

 

 

[rae.holmes]

im loving your reveiw!

[Catrin]

I spent a good part of today reading your wonderful review!

 

What great kids! Our oldest loves Club O2, we plan on seeing him at Dinner.. and.. well, that's about it! I agree with you about curfew. Our rule is that he always had to be back 15 minutes after the last activity ended... and even some nights a bit earlier. I hear horror stories of teens being up all night, sleeping in common areas, etc. Just not for me.

 

I think your DH is my hero! I would LOVE to be able to read TWO whole books on our next cruise!

 

Thanks for sharing your amazing week!

Catrin

[commspec1]

Love your review and like the large font