Carnival Triumph 10/18 - 10/22 First time on Carnival, review with pics!

[texasmelrose2]

OK we left off at dinner....we got to dinner around 6:30 and had just a very short wait, maybe 5 minutes. We had to tell our waiter that we had an appointment so we could speed along dinner just a bit, they can tend to drag otherwise. Our service was pretty good this night...it did seem a bit faster than the previous night thankfully. It was lobster night, I was very excited about that and ordered shrimp coctail for my appetizer and everyone else at the table but my MIL did as well. She ordered the stuffed mushrooms. Wish I had done the same when I saw them.

 

I ordered 2 lobsters because they are not very big and I LOVE lobster. (OK, I was being a pig, I can admit it! LOL) My FIL ordered flat iron steak and hubby ordered a steak and a lobster. DD and MIL both ordered lobster as well. It did not disappoint! So good! And the shrimp that came with it were wonderful as well!

 

 

For dessert I had the Bitter and Blanc and everyone else had the WCMC which unfortunately was undercooked and runny this time. I loved the B&B, though...very good!!

 

Each night with dessert my FIL would order the Jamaican coffee drink..he loved it but I cannot remember what all was in it. I know it had liquor and cream on top..

 

So dinner was done just in time, it was 8:10 and we headed over to the photo area. There were masses of people wandering around and getting photos taken. There were lines at all of the photo ops. We met up with our photog and he took us to the Hollywood Club which was one of the few quiet places with no people. He briefed us and said he liked to take natural photos and not overly posed. He took a ton of pictures and we moved on to the piano bar which was also desserted. We took some more pictures there and we were done by 9...painless and easy! At this point we were glad we went this route, especially seeing the crowds and the lines for the other photos. He told us he would call and set up an appt with us as soon as the pictures were edited, etc.

 

We took DS to CC for a little while and walked around exploring a bit. We did not have long until we had to pick him up so we just hung around and listened to Jerry a little bit. Then we picked him up and called it a night, the next morning was Cozumel and we were excited!

 

Waiting for us was our 2nd towel animal and Fun Times. Of course DS then ate his nightly chocolate.

 

This concludes Day 2...stay tuned for Cozumel and Day 3.....

[bmore4now]

What a great review and an absolutely beautiful family.....:)

[texasmelrose2]

What a great review and an absolutely beautiful family.....:)

 

Thanks! That is so sweet! :p

[texasmelrose2]

Day 3 - Cozumel

 

We woke up early again...well before the kids. We watched the sunrise and watched as we docked in Cozumel. We had breakfast delivered to the room and so did my in-laws. Ours was right on time and theirs was about 20 minutes late...weird. We ate out on the balcony and eventually the kids woke up and we all got our stuff ready for our day in Cozumel. We had decided to spend the majority of the day at Nachi Cocum. For those that do not know it is an all inclusive beach resort. They have a limit on the number of people they allow in and it is known for it's peace and tranquility...right up our alley. We are not big loud music party people so this sounded like the perfect day. All the food and drinks are included in the price and we made a reservation online. I did not know at the time that our ship was the ONLY one in port that day...that was really nice!

 

My DD and I are ready for our day at the beach!!

 

 

We got off the ship right at 9AM and walked through all the shops there at the port, it is a great area and I could have made a day of hanging out right there. Lots of great shops and it was very clean. There were a lot of people dressed in Indian garb and pirate garb, etc trying to get us to take pictures with them but my DS was a little frightened, it was a lot to take in. LOL

 

Here is a pic of the kids, see how my DS looks a little freaked out? LOL!

 

 

We walked to the taxi area and we did not have to wait at all to get a van for all of us. Our lovely driver was Maria. It was 32.00 each way for the 6 of us to Nachi in a van. Maria was very nice and tried her best to speak english. Luckily my FIL speaks a little spanish so we were able to communicate well. She told us about a free Tequila factory tour and we decided to take that after we left Nachi. Maria told us she would pick us up at 2PM. My FIL being the ever trusting man he is paid her in advance.

 

We were greeted as soon as we got there by a very nice young lady. She asked if we had reservations and led us over to an area to get our picture taken with sombreros.

 

 

From there we were directed to a lady that collected the rest of our money. It was 55.00 for adults and 17.00 for my DD and my son was free....we thought that was very reasonable. We settled up and they told us we could tap into their WiFi for the day for 5.00. We signed up for that so we could check in with my mom via Facebook. We were then greeted by Carlos, our server for the day that escorted us down to our lounge chairs under a large palupa overlooking the ocean. He was very nice and explained to us what all was included and immediately took our first drink order. He returned in just minutes with our Margaritas(MIL and I), Pina Colada(FIL), Beer (DH), and smoothies for the kids. He also brought us some bottled water.

 

My view:

 

 

Picture limit....I will be back with more from Nachi Cocum...did we have fun??? Did Maria come back for us??? Stay tuned....

[texasmelrose2]

Day 3 Cozumel, continued...

 

So we got settled in on our lounge chairs with our drinks and the kids were playing in the surf and sand. Me, being the over-protective mom I am was very nervous every time my DS went in the water...he had a life jacket but that didn't do much to calm my fears. DH was telling me to drink up, that I need to relax a little. (OK, a lot) Problem with that is, I don't drink much AT ALL and I am the definition of a lightweight when it comes to handling my liquor. I did plan to drink a little more than normal (OK, a lot) at Nachi because that is part of the experience when you to to those all-inclusives.. I had my first margarita. (Usually, this is where I stop) Then I tasted FIL's Pina Colada...OH WOW, it was GREAT!

 

Around that time a man came around trying to sell us parasailing, massages, etc etc. We politely declined and that was that, he was very nice and not pushy at all.

 

Carlos came back and we all ordered another round, this time I got a Pina Colada. The drink didn't do enough to make me relax a little about the kids playing in the ocean so I asked them if they wanted to go to the pool. There was only about 12 people there total from what I could tell and no one was in the pool or hot tub so we made our way over. It had a swim up bar which was very (too) convenient and we ended up making very good use of it thoughout the day.

 

The kids had a blast swimming and my MIL were thoroughly enjoying the hot tub. Jose was the bartender and he was great! I ordered another (!) Pina Colada and we relaxed in the warm water while the kids swam. Soon a little girl the same age as DD came and they hit it off and played together the rest of the day. At one point while me and MIL were in the hot tub I glanced over at the bar and there was a drink setting there that looked so yummy...it looked like a strawberry pina colada. I told my MIL, "Hey, that drink looks good I wonder what it is?" Just then Jose yells out to me that he made that for me. YIKES, I wasn't even done with my Pina Colada yet. I certainly could not be rude (LOL) so I went and got the drink. OH MAN, heaven in a cup.

 

Some pics of the pool...so nice!

 

 

 

Most of the pics here I took on the waterproof camera and we have not downloaded them yet. Not sure how they will be because I was a little uh...out of sorts while taking those. HA!

 

Then DD's friend's parents joined us in the Hot tub. Then DH and FIL came and before we knew it the hot tub was the place to be. We had a great time talking to everyone and had a little party going on, it was a blast. I was definitely feeling the alcohol and I can honestly say I have NEVER drank as much as I did that day. I was feeling really good and so was my MIL. We were laughing and just had the best time. I guess DH noticed how much "fun" I was having and he came over and told us that he ordered some food for us, said we needed to eat. LOL My MIL had told my DH "You're wife is drunk...and so is your mother!" Ha, good times! We went to the table by the pool and our nachos were there waiting. OH MY GOODNESS...I have had A LOT of nachos in my time but these were hands down the best I have ever eaten. EVER.

 

(Sorry for the half eaten nacho pic...I am just glad I remembered to get a pic at all)

 

 

We ended up getting 2 more orders of these and ordered hot dogs for the kids, enchiladas for hubby, fried shrimp for FIL, grilled shrimp for me and chicken fajitas for MIL. All of the food was outstanding and I am so mad that I did not get pictures of it all! If you go, the fried shrimp is AMAZING. Hands down the best thing of all that we ordered.

 

My MIL feeling no pain! She bought that cover up there, they have a little gift shop with really good prices!

 

 

FIL just chilling...

 

 

I am so mad that I did not get more pictures, I was too busy having the best day ever! While we were eating the man selling stuff came around again and said he would give us one last chance to get a massage....but he was dropping the price to 35.00. My MIL was all over it and she went and got a massage. She told me it was AMAZING and I was kicking myself for not joining her but if I had been anymore relaxed at that point I would have been a puddle on the floor. I went in the pool again and played with the kids, they were having the best time with their new friend. Then we all congregated in the hot tub again and it started raining. Luckily there was no thunder or lightening so no one bothered to get out. (Probably not the best decision made in hindsight) We got a little more under the covering and just enjoyed the rain. It sure did not put even the slightest damper on the fun we were having, it added to it really.

 

I had stopped drinking at this point so once I was a little more in a right frame of mind it hit me that we left all our stuff over by our lounge chairs IN THE RAIN. Yeah, not smart. All our towels and spare sets of clothes...WET. Oh well...we did not let it spoil our fun. I brought it over under the covering and we went back to our fun. By this time my DS was beat. He voluntarily got out of the pool which is a first. Our time at Nachi Cocum was coming to an end. BOO! We got changed and all got ready to go, all of us agreeing that we had the best time possible. DH kept saying that he cannot wait to go back there and we all agreed. We generously tipped Carlos and Jose and said our goodbyes to our new friends.

 

Was Maria there, you ask? YES she was! She was there waiting for us, umbrella in hand, ready to lead us back to our chariot (minivan). She was a true sweetheart, we all hit if off with her, language barrior and all.

 

Next up, the Tequila factory....was it worth it???

[whendoweleave?]

Can't wait to see more! I went to Nachi one time---was AWESOME! Our waiter (who I think was Carlos, too!) even brought our drinks to the water's edge while we hung out in the ocean!

[Rudyard]

Great review. I'm looking forward to the rest. This time next week I'll finally be experiencing Triumph for myself :D

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

.Awesome review...we leave on Triumph in a few weeks 11/10. Going with my Brother SIL 3 nephews and niece. Kids first cruise. Really excited to share the experience with them!

[msbrown2us]

Great Review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Doing this same cruise in November and I have been looking for a recent/detailed review!

[m32446]

Thank you sooooo much for this review! We leave on the 5th (8 daaaayyss!!!) on Triumph, and your review is really helpful! We'll be going to Nachi, too, and I hadn't seen any mention of WiFi, which is AWESOME. Can't wait to hear about the tequila tour, maybe we'll try that, too!

[princesslavender]

how did you daughter like CC my daughter the same age nine and going on her first cruise on triumph in nov just wanted to have an idea

[texasmelrose2]

Can't wait to see more! I went to Nachi one time---was AWESOME! Our waiter (who I think was Carlos, too!) even brought our drinks to the water's edge while we hung out in the ocean!

 

Oh yeah...they really know good service there!! Carlos was amazing!

[texasmelrose2]

Great review. I'm looking forward to the rest. This time next week I'll finally be experiencing Triumph for myself :D

 

Awesome...less than a week to go, you must be so excited! We were really impressed and admittedly had low expectations. I can't wait to go back, have a great cruise!!

[texasmelrose2]

.Awesome review...we leave on Triumph in a few weeks 11/10. Going with my Brother SIL 3 nephews and niece. Kids first cruise. Really excited to share the experience with them!

 

How fun! We have absolutely loved being able to take our kids on cruises! I am sure they will absolutely love their first cruise, Camp Carnival is AMAZING!

[texasmelrose2]

Great Review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Doing this same cruise in November and I have been looking for a recent/detailed review!

 

I was looking for one too and couldn't find a recent review..that's why I decided to write this, I hope it helps! I am jealous, you are going to have a great time! I hope you come back and write about it!

[texasmelrose2]

Thank you sooooo much for this review! We leave on the 5th (8 daaaayyss!!!) on Triumph, and your review is really helpful! We'll be going to Nachi, too, and I hadn't seen any mention of WiFi, which is AWESOME. Can't wait to hear about the tequila tour, maybe we'll try that, too!

 

8 days is just around the corner! I am sure you will absolutely love Nachi...what an amazing day that was! Yes, they have WIFI and it is 5.00 for the day. It works well but you have to be semi close to the bar area to get a really good signal.

 

I will write about the Tequila tour very shortly (today)...it was great if you like free samples. ;)

[texasmelrose2]

how did you daughter like CC my daughter the same age nine and going on her first cruise on triumph in nov just wanted to have an idea

 

This was my kids 2nd cruise, their first was on the Disney Dream. My daughter liked CC better than Disney's Oceaneers Club...she made a lot more friends at CC probably because there weren't as many kids and it was a more intimate group. (Might be different during Spring Break or Summer) They have a WONDERFUL schedule of things to do and even have dinner for them so they don't have to sit through your long dinner bored out of their minds. The CC staff was amazing too. My daughter had dinner with us 3 nights and the last night she ate with her friends in CC. (My son ate with CC 2x)I cannot say enough good things about CC! I will have more details in the rest of my review. I think my DS had more fun at CC too. On Disney everytime we came to pick him up he was in the same exact room he was when we dropped him off, they are left more to themselves there and I think his age group does better with more scehduled crafts and events, not just left to his own devices... With CC the kids were always interacting with the staff and they had set crafts and it seemed more structured. That was just my impression, others may have other experiences.

 

Bottom line, I am confident your daughter will have an amazing time at Camp Carnival!

[texasmelrose2]

Day 3 Cozumel, Casa Mission Tequila Tour and back to the Triumph...

 

We left off where Maria had picked us up and we were headed to the Tequila Factory. We drove down over by the pier on the main street and Maria pulled into what looked like a Mexican Restaurant. A man came out and she spoke to him and then she asked us all to get out. A very vivacious man in his 30's came to greet us and welcome us to the tour. It was just us at that time for the tour. Our tour guide was very funny and personable and spoke perfect English.

 

We headed to the outside yard back behind the restaurant. He took us to different stations where he would explain the process of making Tequila from the Agave plant. Come to find out this was NOT an actual Tequila Factory as they do not actually make the tequila there but they instead just explain and demonstrate the process. It was still very interesting and the tour lasted about 30 minutes. The guide was really funny! At the end they give you samples of about 8 different varieties (and prices). The prices were NOT cheap and my FIL and DH just had to have the 95.00 bottles of the 7 year Tequila. (It was VERY good) Interestingly the guide told us they never mix the 7 year tequila, that is saved for special occasions and they generally pull it out at holidays and special family events to share with loved ones.

 

They had some other varieties that you DO mix as well as some really good flavored tequilas. The tour was informative and my in-laws and DH loved it but personally I would have enjoyed more time at Nachi. LOL We purchased our very expensive Tequila and they wrapped it well for the trip home. We were able to use our credit card and I noticed when we got home it was a little less than 95.00 but our bank charged us an international fee of about 2.80. I was a little leery of using our card but it all worked out. They had the card reader and it was all legit.

 

We threw in a generous tip for our awesome tour guide as well...

 

You can find more details on this place if you google Casa Mission Tequila Tour.

 

Here are a few pictures...I didn't get too many..

 

 

By this point I was getting really antsy as it was 2:50 and we were supposed to be back on the ship by 3:30. I needent have worried, though...it was VERY close to the pier and Maria got us back in a flash. Here is the ship from the van:

 

 

We said our goodbyes to Maria and headed in for the walk back to the ship. As I stated before our ship was the only one in port that day and there were still a lot of people shopping. I wanted to buy some vanilla and my MIL wanted to buy some gifts for their employees back home holding down the fort so we did some power shopping. I got my vanilla and my daughter really wanted a purse made out of wrappers. (It was really cool looking) They wanted 30.00 for it (YIKES) and I talked them down to 20.00..they still made a very good profit. I was happy to spend money there and support the local economy...had we had more time, we would have surely bought a lot more there. My MIL bought some pretty handmade tablecloths for each of her employees. (I believe she got 4 for 100.00, and she did not haggle)

 

We then headed toward the huge lines of people waiting to get back on the ship.

 

 

Bottom line, Cozumel is amazing and 1 day is NOT enough time here! I wish the ship stayed here overnight! We will definitely be back!

 

To be continued....

[texasmelrose2]

Day 3 back to the ship..Dinner and shenanigans...

　

OK so we were in line to get back on the ship. The line was long as I guess we were not the only people that wanted to stay in Cozumel as long as possible. I think we were in line to get back on for about 45 minutes. We passed the time by chatting with others around us. Everyone we met was so nice and we did not see any obnoxious drunks. Hmmm....where are all those obnoxious drunks and rude rednecks that we heard so much about on Cruise Critic?? I guess they skipped our cruise. THANK GOODNESS! Seriously, we never had an issue with anyone on the ship. The only time I had pause was getting on the ship at the beginning when the folks behind us were whooping it up and acting the fool. They were probably just ecstatic to finally be getting on the ship after all their planning and saving.... Sometimes we can be too judgmental. They were just vocalizing how we were feeling inside.

 

So, in line my DS fell asleep on hubby's shoulders...he was BEAT! And it started drizzling again. We were already wet so no biggie, we were just dreaming about the shower we would get very soon.

 

 

We finally got through the line and back on the ship. They scanned all our goods and never said a word to us about checking in our liquor. We could have easily just walked right to the elevator and gone to our room. My FIL, being the honest ex Special Forces hero he is asked someone where we check the liquor in much to the dismay of my DH. Hee Hee We checked our liquor in headed back up to our room. My DS was still asleep and we let him sleep a long while so he would be ready for some more CC fun that evening. The rest of us immediately took showers and got cleaned up and ready for the evening. We watched sailaway from our balcony and after a little R&R got ready for dinner. During this time our photog called to set up an appt for us to see our photos. I was really excited we did not have to sift through thousands of photos and instead got to look at them all at once.. We set the appt up for the next day at 11AM.

 

 

 

We woke my son up about 5:45 and quickly got him showered and asked him if he wanted to have dinner with us or with his CC friends. Of course he chose his CC friends over us (not complaining!) so DH took him up to the Lido deck (they meet there at 6PM next to Chopsticks for dinner). That was the last time we saw him until 9:45...he had a blast! Oh, I forgot to mention, when you have a little kid they give you a phone that you have to carry with you in case they need to reach you. They will call you if your child gets fussy or wants to leave. They never once called us so that right there proves how much fun he was having. Every time we came to pick him up they were doing something interactive.

 

My DD decided she wanted to have dinner with us, mainly because she wanted good food and not the stuff they were serving for CC that night.

 

We met up with the in-laws and headed down to the London dining room. This night there was a wait so we got a beeper and grabbed a seat out in the lounge and listened to Jerry for a while. We certainly did not mind the wait...there was no rush!

 

Here is a picture of the bar area where Jerry sings in the evenings. This picture was taken in the morning but this area is hopping at night. We sat close to here just outside the London dining room whenever we had to wait, there are comfy chairs to sit in out there.

 

 

To be continued...

[texasmelrose2]

We were finally called for dinner and seated. I think our wait was around 20-30 minutes.

 

This night most of us had the fried shrimp to start. The plum sauce it was served with was oh so good!

 

 

My hubby had 2 flat iron steaks, FIL had the AMAZING fried shrimp and fries and a flat iron steak. MIL and I had the chicken and mushroom pasta. Look at the size of the portions, unreal! I cannot recall what my DD ate this night.

 

 

 

For dessert my DH and DD had the apple pie and MIL, FIL and I had Tiramisu...DELECTABLE!

 

 

 

After dinner DD went off to CC and we hung out just enjoying the evening. I think this is the evening we visited the shops a little and then DH and I sat in a quiet place and had a margarita. At 9:45 we went and picked up DS and DD and went back to the room. Sorry I don't have much to say about the nightlife. We are not big partiers and since we had to get the kids by 10 we didn't have much time to explore much of the nightlife. It was obvious there is a ton to do after dark, though! Lots going on... Also, there is the option of after 10:00 babysitting in CC and the prices were very reasonable. We just chose not to do it.

 

A new friend was waiting for us when we returned to the room.

 

 

Off to sleep we went... up next our last sea day...what did we do?

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

Melissa...you're a very good reviewer! Enough detail and well written to keep readers interested. Photos inserted with perfect timing. Thanks again! (A good tequila....ahhhh...so nice!)

[Rayefan]

I have enjoyed your review and great photos. Boy, have you got me excited for my Triumph cruise on December 8th. Thanks again for the great revieas..

[msbrown2us]

Thanks a million. Definitely gives a lot of insight and has been a tremendous help already. I absolutely and positively plan to have a good time so I know I will return with a great review!

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the review!

[NewYearsBaby]

We are boarding for the same cruise on November 5th. I am really enjoying your review and can't wait to hear more!

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this.