Carnival Miracle Journal with Pics - VD at Sea: The Miracle Cure

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Great job ..

[Scarlett824]

Thanks Denise!!!...Very much looking forward to cruising with you as well:)...maybe we'll have some Hockey to discuss by then:D

 

Little jealous of you when I see you are going to be on the Miracle in a week;)

 

Have Fun...When you get back we'll be under 50 weeks til the B2B!!!

 

I certainly hope so!! Maybe even get to catch a game in the sports bar.:D This lock-out is so frustrating. It's killing our momentum. :mad: And I miss my Rangers.

 

Yep, only 6 more days until the Miracle! Keep your fingers crossed for us that Tropical Storm Sandy doesn't get in our way. She may be heading up the coast by then. :eek:

 

Denise

[4hunters]

Cool! I just stumbled on your review. If this is even half as good as your last Splendor review we're in for a treat. I'm sure Dee behaved herself this trip like she always does... NOT! ;):D

[SoundDawg]

Loving the Journal! Great way to start my morning! I can't believe so much has happened already and you aren't even on the ship!!

[WeBeCruisin']

No doubt...these people seem like lots of fun! :D

 

 

these people? You're one of the most guilty ones, Little Missy! :eek:

[WeBeCruisin']

 

Conclusions # 1 through 738.... those Canadians will get you messed up beyond belief..... :eek:

 

But they will also look out for you when you do less-than-bright things and they will do their best to protect you from harm . :cool:

Edited October 23, 2012 by WeBeCruisin'

[vanislandcruisers]

Conclusions # 1 through 738.... those Canadians will get you messed up beyond belief..... :eek:

 

Doesn't stop you from Cruising with us does it???:D

 

No doubt...these people seem like lots of fun! :D

 

You are are one of us;):D

[vanislandcruisers]

Some turned out quite well well others were epic failures.

BTW Jim....just an FYI your Jello shot tally is a little understated. We actually made 50 per batch...........................:D

Unless you meant you personally had 100+ jello shots LOL

 

They were ALL good Lynne...You did an AWESOME job!!!

 

And yes I was tallying individually..."so we had our first of what I would guess would be 100+ Jell-O Shots each over the course of the next 10 days.":D

 

Would so have loved to be there with you guys again...

 

Jacqui...there's still time to join us in January out of NOLA or the B2B next October...just sayin;):D

[vanislandcruisers]

Great job ..

 

Thanks 'we're sailing away....' - and you are certainly living up to your name. You must be excited about your upcoming Cruise...27 days...Very envious of you!!!....Have a GREAT time!

 

I certainly hope so!! Maybe even get to catch a game in the sports bar.:D This lock-out is so frustrating. It's killing our momentum. :mad: And I miss my Rangers.

 

Yep' date=' only 6 more days until the Miracle! Keep your fingers crossed for us that Tropical Storm Sandy doesn't get in our way. She may be heading up the coast by then. :eek:

 

Denise[/quote']

 

Denise we have a Major Junior team here in Victoria so we are getting our fix that way...not the same as the NHL though

 

Our fingers are crossed for you....Oh and Allen's toes are crossed too...still

[vanislandcruisers]

Cool! I just stumbled on your review. If this is even half as good as your last Splendor review we're in for a treat. I'm sure Dee behaved herself this trip like she always does... NOT! ;):D

 

Thanks 4hunters...This was a GREAT Cruise with LOTS of Material...and Dee always behaves;)

 

Loving the Journal! Great way to start my morning! I can't believe so much has happened already and you aren't even on the ship!!

 

Thanks SoundDawg!!!...This was a fun-filled Vacation with GREAT people!!!...and if you are looking for another great way to start your morning may I suggest Jell-O

[vanislandcruisers]

But they will also look out for you when you do less-than-bright things and they will do their best to protect you from harm . :cool:

 

You know we'll always look out for you Allen...as you do for us:)

[vanislandcruisers]

Show me the Money? A Limp, Lunch, A Nurse and a PARTY!

 

Being an early riser at heart and not wanting to sleep the Vacation away I had set the alarm on my phone to go off at 8:30am. A solid 5 hours of sleep had me in the shower and after waking the other 3 up Dan announced that he had a GREAT sleep. Conclusion #656: ‘No S***’. I headed out to the Lobby for a Jell-O free breakfast and then out by the pool for a smoke. It felt like it was going to be a little bit warmer today than it had been the day before but the temperatures were still a little bit below normal for this time of year in South Florida. When I got back to the Suite I could see a look of concern on all 3 of their faces and Dee and I had a conversation that went something like this:

 

Dee: “All of Allen’s Cash for the trip was in his pants pocket.”

Me: “I know. I took it out of his pocket”

Dee: “Where did you put it?”

Me: “I hid it”

Dee “Where did you hide it?”

Me: “Ummmmm…I don’t remember so obviously it was a good hiding place”

 

I made my way up to Allen, Tammi and Allison’s Suite and by the time I got there I was very relieved to find out that Allen had found my hiding spot. Once I was able to relax Allen limped my way, looked at me and asked “What happened to me last night?” and I just laughed and said “You had a GREAT time and then Dan and I helped put you to bed….twice. Oh and your pants will be back from the drycleaners tonight.” “What happened to my pants?” he asked and all I could answer was “I guess we’ll never know cause your pants can’t talk”

 

The plan for the day was to hit the beach in Fort Lauderdale so the 3 of them said ‘they’d come down as soon as they were able to force Allen’s toes into his shoe’. I asked Allen ‘if he was certain he wanted to venture out with us’ and got a resounding “Yes” as an answer. Conclusion #657: Toe-tally a Trooper. I headed back down to our Suite where before any of them had a chance to ask I announced “All is good with the Cash but his foot looks awful.” “Is he coming with us?’ Dee asked and I said “Yes and let’s look on the bright side, Allen will be in his best behavior for the rest of the trip because he is not going to be able put his foot in his mouth cause it won’t fit”

 

We called Lynne and Peewee to see if they wanted come along but they said they were going to wait for Donna and Dan to arrive and would meet us out by the Pool when we returned so after the other 3 arrived we headed out in the Van and headed up I-95 and then exited onto NE 50th St which eventually turned into East Commercial Blvd before dropping the East and becoming just Commercial Blvd. We made our way towards the Beach and found a Parking Spot as close as we could to limit the distance Allen had to walk. Once at the Shore we walked along the Beach for a bit, checked out the Pier, dipped our feet in the Water, took some pictures...

 

 

 

and then made a dash for the Aruba Beach Café

 

 

...because it was chilly with the breeze that was blowing in off the water.

Their Website described themselves like this: One Happy Restaurant. At Aruba Beach Cafe, good food, drinks, friends, and laughter are always the catch of the day. Whether you arrive from a stroll on the beach or from the valet, you will immediately feel the island influence. Nestled in the swaying palms of the beach at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Aruba Beach Cafe is a reminder of the Caribbean.

 

A smiling bartender will greet you with imaginative tropical cocktails at the 3 friendly bars. The casual bar, where familiar faces greet one another on a first name basis, is a favorite with locals and tourists. With wines, beers, and frozen concoctions all served to the beat of live island music.

 

We didn’t completely understand the Restaurant’s Tag Line of ‘One Happy Restaurant’ until we reached Aruba on the 18th. That said everyone very much enjoyed the Service, their Meals and their Drinks, and we sampled several different kinds of beverages off the Menu especially since it just happened to be Martini Monday where all their Martinis were $5.00. Conclusion #658: 5 Bucks, 5 Bucks, 5 Bucks. We all had Jell-O for dessert…NOT. Most of us had the Key Lime Pie for dessert and it was AWESOME as well one of the Hot Alcoholic Coffee Drinks to warm up a little. Key Lime Pie is one of the things I look most forward to when travelling to Florida.

 

After lunch we decided to head to the Harley Davidson Shop in Fort Lauderdale which was located on North Federal Hwy as a few people wanted to get some Souvenirs there. Dee and I decided to wait in the Van while the other 5 headed inside to do some shopping.

 

[vanislandcruisers]

Once the 5 of them were done shopping we made our way back to the Homewood Suites, made some drinks and headed out by the Pool to await the others.

 

Pool Area

 

 

Soon enough we saw Rick and Laurie, who are from just outside of where I grew up in Nova Scotia, walking across the Parking Lot as they were staying at the Hotel right next door to the Homewood Suites. We really hit it off with these 2 on our Carnival Splendor Cruise and were so happy to be vacationing with them again. Conclusion #659: We should do it again…and again…and again. Love those 2.

 

We let them in the Gate to the Pool area and the Hugs were happening once again. They still needed to do a Liquor Store Run but we were able to find them a couple of beverages so we all sat down and spent some time catching up. They wanted to get their ‘run’ done so they asked us ‘where we’d be?’ and ‘what we’d be doing? so they could catch up to us when they got back’ and we just laughed and said “We’ll be right here doing exactly what we are doing right now.” They just laughed and said “We should have known.”

 

About a ½ hour after Rick and Laurie left to do their ‘run’ Lynne and Peewee and Donna and Dan came walking out to the Pool Deck which meant that the Neighbours from the Carnival Splendor had been reunited. One of the things that has meant so much to us with the Group Cruises we have been on is the lifelong friendships that have grown from them. The smiles on our faces as we saw all of those we hadn’t seen in 14 months got bigger and bigger and bigger. To hear Donna say “It is so GREAT to see y”all. Come here you two and give me a HUG” had Dee and I grinning from ear to ear.

 

The smiles...

 

 

 

We all sat down at the Table and it was if those 14 months had disappeared completely.

 

 

Allison who was cruising with us for the first time and in fact it was her first cruise of any sort was completely overwhelmed by this time, both from the activities from the previous 2 nights and 2 days and the pace at which things were unfolding. We told her not to worry about remembering everyone’s names and to just sit back and enjoy the ride and she did just that.

 

Rick and Laurie had returned and shortly after they did Shelly and Jimmy, who we had cruised with before, and Bonnie and Sharon, who we were meeting for the first time arrived at the Hotel. It was easy to tell just how excited everyone was to see each other. Once Shelly was settled in she went about handing out the Croup Cruise T-Shirts that she had designed and we had all subsequently ordered. Shelly did a phenomenal job on the T-Shirts. We did not give ours to Dee to look after having experienced her ‘looking after our T-Shirts before our Carnival Splendor Cruise the last time we cruised with a Group.

 

Because of my job I have to carry my phone with me at all times within reason and the District Government I work for purchases Voice, Data and Messaging Packages for us when we travel which is a bonus for us so I was fortunate to get this email at 5:11pm. :

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

CARNIVAL MIRACLE

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

 

February 13, 2012

 

Greetings folks!

 

We know you must be looking forward to your cruise tomorrow. So, we just need a moment of your time to provide you some important information.

The Carnival Miracle will be delayed arriving from her current voyage due to a medical emergency. The ship is now expected alongside at 9:45 AM and will begin to disembark guests from the previous cruise.

 

Consequently, embarkation will be running a bit late. Check-in for your cruise will take place between 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM and we will sail shortly thereafter. This delay will not affect our scheduled itinerary

 

For your comfort and convenience, we ask that you please not arrive at the terminal prior to 2:00 PM, as seating at the Port Everglades Cruise terminal is limited.

 

We apologize for this delay and thank you for your understanding.

 

We can't wait to welcome you aboard the Carnival Miracle. Our team has some great entertainment and fun activities in store for you.

 

See you soon!

 

Sincerely,

 

Vicky Rey, CTC

Vice President - Guest Services

 

We all took the ‘delay’ in stride and if anything it served to amp up the Pre-Cruise Party knowing we could all sleep a little later the next morning. I headed to our Suite to grab the Canadian Cider and mix a drink and on the way I grabbed Allen's pants from the Front Desk while Lynne headed off to get the ‘Jell-O Cooler’, 2 batches of Jell-O Shooters

 

 

....some Red Solo Cups for the Cider and everyone’s personalized Door Signs and Cruise Activity Sheets. Lynne had gone above and beyond the call of duty with regards to the Door Signs by laminating them and having 2-sided adhesive strips attached to the back of the sheets so we could hang them on our Cabin doors.

 

When Lynne returned she had on a Nurse’s Smock to portray the Nurse on the front of our T-Shirts and we all had a good laugh at that.

 

Tammi in the foreground and Nurse Jell-O Shot and Dee getting a batch ready

 

 

The Party was in full swing by now and we were taking full advantage of the Manager’s Complimentary Welcome Home® Reception that is offered at the Hotel Monday - Thursday Evenings from 6:00pm – 8:00pm which it included hot and cold food choices, a Salad Bar as well as unlimited Red and White Wine and unlimited Beer on Tap. We were able to help ourselves and help ourselves we did including at the end of the Reception when Allen asked The Manager ‘if it was OK if he grabbed a couple of bottles of Wine for those of us out by the Pool’. All the Manager told him was ‘to please be careful with the bottles.’ Conclusion #660: What could possibly go wrong?

 

The Jell-O Shots were flying, the Cider was going down, drinks were being consumed and laughs were being heard especially when Allen started talking about the events of the night before.

 

Allen telling stories

 

 

It was great to be amongst friends, new and old, and we thoroughly enjoyed the night.

 

One by one the partiers started to fade and around 11:30pm I looked at Dan and gave him a nod towards Allen. We both knew it was time to assist Allen with a trip up to the 2nd Floor. We felt like the 3rd part of the instructions on the side of a Shampoo bottle – Lather, Rinse, REPEAT. We got him up to his Suite where Tammi and Allison were already tucked comfortably into their beds and once again Allen had to use the Washroom. Dan and I were standing by the open entrance to Allen and Tammi’s Bedroom to make sure everything was OKto when her comes Allen sliding by the doorway in his not-so-tightie-whities like Tom cruise in the ‘Risky Business’ Movie. Conclusion #661: My eyes, my eyes.

 

Dan and I again had to retreat to the Crown Royal to try and drink the memory away.

 

Tomorrow we Cruise!!!

[WeBeCruisin']

Doesn't stop you from Cruising with us does it???:D

 

 

And it never will! I'm not quite ready to start indulging in age-appropriate behaviors. :)

[WeBeCruisin']

 

Our fingers are crossed for you....Oh and Allen's toes are crossed too...still

 

My misshapen and mangled nether digits will always be a souvenir of VD at Sea! :cool:

[WeBeCruisin']

Thanks 4hunters...This was a GREAT Cruise with LOTS of Material...and Dee always behaves;)

 

 

That reminds me of the old poem:

 

There once was a beautiful young girl

Who had a most lovely curl

And when she was good

She was very good....

And when she was bad...

She was freaking amazing!!

 

Or words to that effect.

 

Experiences I would not have had if it hadn't been for Dee:

 

Crashing a California high-school reunion party and then getting kicked out

Meeting a hooker with no underwear on in Miami

Having a private concert at our hotel by by a family of professionals.

Saving one of our group members from falling off her balcony.

Having my left nipple bitten while playing Blackjack in the casino.

 

And those are just the ones that can be mentioned in mixed company. :eek:

[WeBeCruisin']

All I can say is that I have to believe whatever Jim says about what happened those two nights. I think it had something to do with my medications. And the tropical climate. And the never-ending syringe shots, and beer and wine. And people who kept bring me things to drink to the point where I never even had to get up from the table. Normally, getting up from the table and realizing you can't walk is a hint that things have gone too far. Oh, and the bottles of wine the reception person gave me were all 1.5 liter bottles.

 

As for walking, I could hobble along pretty well once I got my shoes on. Apparently the fit was so tight that it was almost like wearing a cast. It took about six weeks for recovery from that little incident.

 

In all of my 97 years of life, that kind of blackout has only happened five times and two of those were at this pre-cruise hotel. :eek: Another was in Korea before any of you were born, another on the SeaDream in 2001, where all the drinks were free and I was taking pride in drinking very little, not realizing that every time I turned away from my gin martini the waiter was refilling it.

 

And another time was on the Grandeur of the Seas about 3 years ago where my roomie couldn't decide whether to sun all day on the ship or go ashore and by the time she finally decided at 6 pm, a multitude of double Bloody Marys had been consumed. I vaguely remember something about some woman from Tennessee dragging me up to the pool band area to dance and while we were dancing we were both eating venison jerky which her husband had made in Tennessee, after shooting Bambi's mom.

 

I promise I'm not really a drunk! I'm a victim of something.... give me time and I'll figure out what it is. :D

[WeBeCruisin']

 

 

 

 

 

 

!

 

Okay, I must protest that at this point I was merely taking a two-minute mini "power nap" before proceeding with the festivities. Sadly, my "power nap" was misconstrued as something else. Also I must point out that I was exhausted from having been up all night the night before pacing the floor and straightening furniture! That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. :rolleyes:

[lynyrd]

Tammi may have been tucked safely into bed but she like Allen needed help getting there. Well into the night Tammi mentioned she needed to pee but didn't know where the bathroom was. I escorted her to the restroom in the lobby and then came back outside. After about 20 minutes she still had not returned. Fearing the worst I went back to the bathroom to see if she was alright. I found her just standing....well more like swaying in the bathroom just grinning from ear to ear and laughing her azz off. (Tammi has one of the greatest smiles ever).

I asked her if everything was okay and she said she was fine. So instead of taking her back outside I helped her to her room and made sure she made it to bed. I also vaguely remember her saying something about that not being the first time she got "lost" in the bathroom. :p

Edited October 24, 2012 by lynyrd

[4hunters]

 

Experiences I would not have had if it hadn't been for Dee:

 

Crashing a California high-school reunion party and then getting kicked out

Meeting a hooker with no underwear on in Miami

Having a private concert at our hotel by by a family of professionals.

Saving one of our group members from falling off her balcony.

Having my left nipple bitten while playing Blackjack in the casino.

 

And those are just the ones that can be mentioned in mixed company. :eek:

 

Excellent stuff! I mean seriously, can you imagine how boring the world would be if we didn't have people like Jim and Dee to liven things up? :eek:;)

 

Patiently waiting for more of this fantastic review...

[WeBeCruisin']

Tammi may have been tucked safely into bed but she like Allen needed help getting there. Well into the night Tammi mentioned she needed to pee but didn't know where the bathroom was. I escorted her to the restroom in the lobby and then came back outside. After about 20 minutes she still had not returned. Fearing the worst I went back to the bathroom to see if she was alright. I found her just standing....well more like swaying in the bathroom just grinning from ear to ear and laughing her azz off. (Tammi has one of the greatest smiles ever).

I asked her if everything was okay and she said she was fine. So instead of taking her back outside I helped her to her room and made sure she made it to bed. I also vaguely remember her saying something about that not being the first time she got "lost" in the bathroom. :p

 

Poor Tammi! You must have taken her to our room hours and hours before I got there. :)

[vanislandcruisers]

Waiting, Embarkation, Canadians and Sail-Away

 

We had to have the Rental Van back at 9:30am so I had set the Alarm on my phone for 8:00am after a dream filled 5 hours of sleep. I phoned the Avis office at the Pier 66 Hyatt and asked if we could have the Van for an extra hour and the helpful Customer Service Agent told me that “it had to be back by 9:30am” and he “would charge me for another day if the vehicle was late being returned.” “Thanks so much” I said before hanging up the phone. I wished Dee a Happy Valentine’s Day and she told me that she wanted ‘some Kahlua or Bailey’s for her morning Coffee on the Ship and that would make her Valentine’s Day” so Dan, who had decided to come with me, and I said we would stop at a Liquor Store on the way. The plan was to be back to the Homewood Suites by 10:00am, have some breakfast, fill up the Rum Runners, finish packing and be on a Shuttle to the Port no later than11:00am.

 

We stopped at the Liquor Store and got Dee some Bailey’s Irish Cream, then stopped at a Gas Station and filled up the Van before making our way towards the Hyatt Hotel at Pier 66. We could see the Carnival Miracle arriving at the Port and felt that rush of adrenaline you get when you see the Carnival Funnel for the first time each cruise.

 

After parking the Van at 9:25am according to the time on my Phone we walked inside and rang the Bell at the Desk. A minute or 2 later the CSA arrived, grabbed the keys to the Van and disappeared out to the Parking Lot to check for damage, take down the mileage and make sure the Van was full of gas. When he came back he checked the clock on the wall and then punched a few keys on his keyboard. He gave me a printed Receipt, which I studied before asking him if he “Could please call us a Taxi?” He responded that ‘there was a Courtesy Phone up at the Hotel Entrance’ which, for those who are familiar with this Hotel, is about a 100 yards uphill walk from the Avis Office . “That’s unfortunate that your phone can only accept incoming calls” I sympathized before asking him if he had a Business Card with his name on it?” He gave me a generic Card that did not contain his name but I was able to read his name, which was Theo, off of his Name Tag and borrowed his pen to write his name on the Invoice.

 

Having noticed a Return Time of 9:31am and a $2.69 charge on the Invoice I asked him “What the charge of $2.69 was for?” since I had pre-paid this Rental back in November and to our amazement he told us we “were 1 minute late returning the Van”. “Are you serious?” I asked him and he looked at me and said “Y’all are lucky I am not charging you for another day like I told you on the phone.” He did go on to explain although “the Rental Charge was insignificant but taxable there was also a taxable $2.00 Energy Recovery Fee.” “Am I paying to recover the energy you expelled walking out to the Parking Lot to inspect a Van that had been sitting with the ignition off for the previous 5 minutes” I asked.

 

After a few seconds of silence he asked us “What did y’all want a Business Card of mine for?” You know that not-enough-sleep-from-the-Party-the-night-before lack of patience people sometimes get? Well I had it 3-fold from the 3 previous night’s activities and it arrived at precisely 9:33am that morning so I responded “Would you believe me if I said I wanted your name so I could write a letter to Avis advising them of what an ASSET you are to them Theo?” He said “No” to which I said “I was brought up to ‘not sweat the small stuff’ and in the course of my life Theo, this is the small stuff. We were in the Parking Lot at 9:25am and in the Office at 9:27am at the very latest and you were not here so we rang the Bell. Once you arrived you went out to the Van, did your stuff and then came back in, checked the Clock on the wall and then entered 9:31am into the Computer and since you don’t believe I am going to tell Avis what an ASSET you are to them we have effectively agreed to drop the ‘ET’ from ‘ASSET’ and that is what my letter will be about Theo” and walked out of the Office and up the Hill to the Hyatt to call a Cab. We do use Avis a lot, this being our 5th rental through them in the previous 4 ½ months, so I did write a letter to Avis when we returned to express my dissatisfaction with Theo’s Customer Service skills or lack thereof and the $2.69 Charge and Avis refunded the Charge and gave us a Voucher good for a future free 2-day Rental. Conclusion #662: Fair enough.

 

The Cab arrived a few minutes later and we were on our way back to the Homewood Suites. Once at the Hotel Dan and I had a bite to eat from the complimentary Hot Buffet in the Lobby and then returned to the Suite where Dee and I finished up transferring our clothes from the Carry-Ons to the suitcase. That done we put the case of Red Bull and a Bottle of Wine in one Carry-On and the case of Coke and a Bottle of Wine in the other. We filled up the smaller Rum Runners with the Bailey’s and the left over Spiced Rum and mine and Dan’s left over Crown Royal in 3 of the larger Rum Runners and then split the Rum Runner up and put ½ in each of the 2 pieces of luggage that we were checking in.

 

We headed out to the Lobby, borrowed a stapler from the Front Desk to attach our Luggage Tags to our Suitcases, settled up our Bill, met up with the other 3 as well as Lynne, Peewee, Donna and Dan and arranged for a Shuttle to the Port as well as a pick-up at the Port and drop-off at the Newport Beachside Hotel and Resort for the 22nd for 9 of us including Lynne and Peewee. We loaded up our luggage and off we went. The 10 minute ride to the Port seemed like it took hours because we were so excited. We made it to the Port just before 11:00am and they had yet to start debarkation process of the previous Cruise’s passengers.

 

This was my 2nd time at Port Everglades and Dee’s 1st but I really don’t remember the first time as it was in 1987. We did find it a little different as all the VIP’ers checked in at the Terminal on one side of the street and waited there while we went to the Terminal on the other side of the street to Check-In and wait. Donna, who is Platinum, and Dan took Lynne and Peewee, who were not Platinum, with them without any issues while Allen, who is Platinum, decided to stick with the 6 of us. The Carnival Agent checking our Boarding Passes as we first walked into the Terminal was having none of Allen sticking with us and made him limp back across the street to the VIP Check-In. Conclusion #663: Next time we will Check-In with Allen.

 

The place was packed already and understandably so as most passengers had no idea the Ship had been delayed. We made our way up to the Check-In Counter where we were ‘Welcomed Back’ and with a quick scan of our Passports and Credit Card we had our S&S Cards, a letter explaining the delay, the tiny Deck Plan Map and a Zone 18 Boarding Card. This was to our recollection the highest Zone we have ever had in our 8 cruises together.

We ended up sitting about 4 large rooms over from the entrance and made the best of the wait by passing around the 2 large Water Bottles full of Vodka and Lemonade that Tammi and Allison had brought along. We used the Hole Punch that I had brought to punch a hole in our S&S Cards to attach to our lanyards that we had brought from home and ended up lending the Hole Punch out to about ½ the passengers in our area. We had some extra lanyards too that the Group TA had given to Lynne to give to all of us so we handed them out too and ended up answering quite a few questions from those around us who were cruising for the first time.

 

Eventually the Terminal was packed to the point where there were no more of the stacking chairs left. The Carnival Agents were doing the best they could do keep everyone’s spirits up - Conclusion #664: They didn’t need to worry about us because we had Vodka – and we helped out as much as we could with those around us. I saw an elderly lady come in and she ended up standing by the wall just to the right of us. A young fellow who was travelling with her went over to an Agent and asked about ‘getting her a chair’ and we could hear the Agent say that “all the chairs were gone but as soon as they started boarding and some became available” she “would bring one over” I could see she needed to sit down so I got up and took my chair over to her so she could sit down and that resulted in a great big “AWWWW” in unison from everyone sitting around us. I went back and sat on the floor in front of Dee and used her legs as a back stop. Conclusion #665: I can drink on the floor.

 

Finally the boarding process started and we started to inch our way closer to crossing the street. We had moved up to an area that had Permanent Seating and I saw a Zone 8 Boarding Card sitting on a chair in row of seats that were vacant. I looked at Dee, Dan and Coral and said “Let’s go”. Tammi and Allison were still 2 rooms back so we did a quick look for them and as they were busy chatting they told us to “Go ahead.”

 

Across the Street we went to the other Terminal, through Security, had our Embarkation Photo taken and then FINALLY after 14 months of waiting from the time we booked the Cruise we heard the familiar 'ping, ping' of our S&S Cards and we were onboard the Carnival Miracle.

[copper6606]

WOW- VERY different than 1 year ago when we Boarded there!!! How long was the wait?

[vanislandcruisers]

WOW- VERY different than 1 year ago when we Boarded there!!! How long was the wait?

 

A little over 3 hours from the time we got to the Port until the first swipe of our S&S Cards at the Bar in the Atrium

[lynyrd]

We actually were not supposed to be able to use the VIP enterance. We just kind of followed Donna, Dan and Sharon it the door. The folks checking the boarding passes were all talking about how they could not allow this family to all boarf through VIP because the children were not actually VIP. They were heavily in to this conversation Sharon and I just kind of looked at each other and figured that Peewee and I wee going to be sent away. Next thing we knew our boarding passes got initialed and we were waved through. Then we got waved through the next security check point where our luggage got scanned. When we made it to the counter where we were to get our S&S cards we were finally told that we were in the wrong place and that our cards were across the street. An agent said to have a seat and she would see what she could do. They were unable to retrieve our cards so they ended up giving us employee tags in order to be able to be cleared to board the ship.

 

Being in VIP boarding did not speed up the process whatsoever. We still ended up having to wait hours before we were permitted to board. There were so many VIP passengers that we were packed in there like sardines. Once they did allow us to board however the lines did move fairly quick though. We were told to proceed to guest services to pick up our S&S cards. We intended on heading that way anyhow since we prefer to use cash for our S&S account and had to go there anyhow. After we had our cards we had to return to the "ding" machine to get officially dinged in.