Spoiled Princess Cruiser - Returns from the PRIDE

[bardgal]

Part 1 -

 

I’ll start at the beginning – but first I must preface this with the fact I haven’t been on a Carnival cruise since February of 2000. I have only been on two previous Carnival cruises, both on the Elation to Mexico. I am a self-proclaimed Spoiled Princess Cruiser™, so everything I am experiencing is coming from that perspective. The timing of this trip was firm. It was the only week the three of us could get away, Mexico was our preferred itinerary, so the Carnival Pride was our only choice for a seven day cruise.

There is both good and bad in this. I am not out to bash Carnival, as we had a great time.

 

Be warned: I write very long, verbose, detail oriented, personal travelogues, not so much basic reviews. So if that is not your thing, go do something more useful with your time. If it is, grab a cocktail, or an espresso, and enjoy.

 

This was a GALZ CROOZE™, with three fortysomething women. 1 married, 1 cohabitating (me), and one divorced/dating. As far as kids, we only have the four-legged variety. We’ve never been much into cruise ship activities, or entertainment, but prefer to let the week take us where it may. All of us have done this itinerary several times, but for us, it was our first cruise on the Pride. Some trips we’ve been into shore activities, from dolphin swims, to snorkeling, to hiking. And some trips we’ve turned into hermits since our personal work situations sometimes take such personal energy from us it’s all we can do to put food in our mouths, (although there’s always energy for champagne!)

Like all the others, this trip was unique unto itself.

 

Sunday, May 22, 2005

DAY 1 - EMBARKATION

 

I arrive Port of Long Beach at 10:15am. I am easily dropped off by Perfect Man™ in the parking structure, and immediately find a porter to take my überheavy bags (I have packed an entire case of champagne between two of my three bags), hand him a $10 and am on my way. I jump on my cell to find out where my Gal Pals are since they had just arrived minutes before in a limo from Newport Beach, and find them sitting on a planter just outside the terminal. They saved a third of their bottle of champagne for me (very civilized and considerate, but then my friends are like that), and we head over to the early check in at the Queen Mary, bottle in hand. The line there is minor, we wait maybe five minutes max, and have no problem checking in. I am the only one in the group who gets a gold S&S card, as my friends Kelhair & MA sailed with Carnival so long ago they are not in the system (think back before they had a past guest program). Check in is relatively painless. I have already called money into my S&S account two weeks earlier so I don’t have to worry about producing a credit card.

 

Janice, the wonderful woman checking us in, who we try to talk into quitting her job and coming with us, hands us a “boarding group 1” slip. I mention we are in the Skipper’s Club due to our cabins and she takes back the slip, and says there will be a separate line, to just ask the dock employees over at the terminal and they’ll direct us to where we need to be.

 

The weather is exquisite. The marine layer has pushed out to sea and it’s in the mid 70s on the quay. Walking back to the cruise terminal building I stop to buy faux designer sunglasses (two for $17!) and we go to find where our Skipper’s Club line will be.

 

(Kelhair & I are in a CAT 12, MA is in a CAT 11). We find our Cruise Critic friends Daddy Steve & Will (who are in a wraparound CAT 11), and proceed to one of two lines they have setup for “VIP” (Skipper’s Club – but the sign reads “VIP”, not Skipper’s Club.) A Carnival employee splits us into two lines. One is for those who have done early check in (us) and the other for those who have not. Standing by our VIP sign awaiting boarding instructions, we see a crewmember being led away in handcuffs escorted by police. Interesting, to say the least.

 

12:15pm, we are boarded just after the wedding people, and before the special assistance group. The VIP people who had not checked in are taken away into a small room, and may have been beaten senseless for not doing early check in as far as I know, as they are never seen again. We however, were taken through security, then the S&S card photo station (where they were questioning a father and daughter [i think] who neither one had a photo ID of any kind. How is that possible?), then the gangway (one of my favorite cruise moments), and we were onboard! We go straight to our cabins to drop our carryons.

 

NOTES ON CABIN:

The CAT 12 cabin is nice, but nowhere near what the PH suites are on Princess. (I did warn you, I’m spoiled.) The balcony is double the width of a normal cabin because the cabin is double that of a normal cabin. Unfortunately it seems like a plastic furniture storage area, none of which turn out to be comfortable. There are two regular size lounge chairs, two adjustable chairs that extend into loungers (one broken), a low sand-type chair, a very small cocktail table, and very little room to move around them all. The nice thing is the deck is teak and not covered with the blue plastic mesh that Princess puts on all their balconies (and is painful on bare feet.) There is ample storage. Three closets, lots of drawers. We leave the mini-bar locked, since I’ve brought a small collapsible cooler for our champagne. There is only one TV, and no curtain between the bed area and the living/sitting area. This could have been a much better design. The bathroom is also poorly done. The bonus is that there are two sinks. The bathtub is the worst design I’ve ever seen. The side that is raked, where one would normally recline and relax is where the faucet is, so your head would hit the faucet if you attempt to actually take a bath. There is a bidet next to the bathtub, which is a complete waste of space. A separate shower could fit here easily, and would have been a much better use of real estate. There is a small dressing area adjacent to the bathroom. This has a sink (which we discover is clogged). There is only ONE electrical outlet in the entire cabin. I don’t mean one regular double outlet – but a SINGLE PLUG. Bring a power strip if you plan on plugging in more than one thing (like a digital camera battery charge, or charging your laptop, cell phones, etc…. ) There is also a “shaver only” outlet up above the mirror, by the ceiling in the bathroom. There is also only one phone, which is by the cabin entrance on the desk. The colors of the cabin are interesting. The wood is pretty, and the palate nice. The artwork on the wall is a bit too bright for the rest of the room, and the curtains remind me of something that would be on a Vegas stage or a shiny prom/bridesmaid’s dress. The lighting fixtures are lovely, and have smaller reading lights attached which is a great touch. There are two sets of windows, but only one has a door. There is no need for a bungee cord to keep the door open. We simply use the door wedge the steward uses to prop open the cabin door as a wedge in the corner of the balcony door, and we can get it as wide as we want. You do have to be very careful when you shut this door, as it slams very loud. The air does not turn off when the door is open. (Maybe our cabin is weird.) There is plenty of room on the desk above the mini-bar to put the cooler. They say not to use your S&S card to lock the safe as it will “deactivate the S&S card”. I however, did not see this information until after the cruise, and did use my S&S card to lock the safe all week and had no problem. The cool thing is the Carnival Fun Vision on the TV which makes it very easy to check your S&S account. The bad thing about the TV, is they have sealed off the AV jacks so you can’t plug anything in. I brought my laptop and a DVD player in hopes of plugging them all in to play music and movies through the TV. There is however, a VCR, though I haven’t played a video tape in a year or two. (They need to catch up with Holland America here - DVD players.)

 

We call immediately for reservations for David’s. We ask for 8pm, but are told the latest reservation is 7pm. We are advised that the dress code for David’s is “Smart Elegant” and hope we get our luggage in time.

 

Our cabin steward Mara sticks her head in and introduces herself, and we promise not to be too high-maintenance. She immediately brings us six champagne glasses, and we conclude she is a Goddess.

 

We decide to go up and get a drink on the Lido deck. We settle on a nice table by the glass in the shade, and order a bottle of Beringer Chardonnay. The weird thing is the entire time we sit drinking this, we are constantly asked if we want a “drink of the day” by wandering cocktail servers. A bit of an immediate disappointment as we have heard nothing but wonderful things about this crew. However, we have a bottle of wine in an ice bucket on the table, and each have a glass full of wine. Uhm, no thank you on that Drink O’ The Day™ right now. We grab snacks from Mermaids Grill and order a second bottle of Beringer.

 

[sidebar: About two months ago I gave up eating wheat, and immediately dropped 10 lbs. It was like a minor miracle. My entire life I’ve been a size 4, and have been able to eat almost anything I wanted. When I turned 40, my tapeworm died and suddenly gluten became harder to digest than red meat. It’s very sad, since for me, bread is one of God’s greatest inventions. The trade off is you get the sex drive of an 18 year old male, and the knowledge to go with it.]

 

We stroll back to the cabin in hopes of running into some of our luggage and getting unpacked, but it’s not to be. So we drink more of the second bottle on our balcony and enjoy the beautiful day. We experience the strangest weather however, one minute it’s sunny, the next a fog bank has rolled in, then it’s sunny again. I glance at my watch to see if I have “missing time.”

 

I leave the girls on the balcony and go to the internet/library with “The Baby” (ibook G4 with AirPort Extreme) and attempt to get signed up for wi/fi. The Baby immediately sees the network, so no problem there, but when I launch the web, and get to the sign in screen for their network, it goes no farther. I go to the purser’s desk, and ask for assistance. I get a bit of a song and dance about how the internet manager has been called away from the ship on an emergency, and there is no one to help me until Wednesday when we arrive in Puerto Vallarta. I explain that I need to use my laptop, can’t wait until Wednesday and that someone needs to help me today so I can get the extra 20 free minutes for the week, and waiting three days is half the cruise and unacceptable. They say they’ll call another manager to help me, so I take a seat in the atrium to wait. Five minutes later Rey shows up, and walks me to the Internet/Library. We go through the sign in routine. [ON THE MAC: open ibook, and AirPort Extreme immediately asks if I want to join the local network, I click YES. I open my browser, and their network home page comes up. Click SIGN IN – then taken to disclaimer page. – click I AGREE. Then taken to sign in page, where you put your username (first initial/last name/cabin number) & password (your six digit birthdate) then it is supposed to take you to a change password screen, but it does nothing at this point.] Rey says he’ll try to get the server reset, and to check later after we sail.

 

During sailaway on our balcony, our luggage begins arriving, and we unpack. Thunderous footsteps are heard running up and down the hallway. I finally open the door and say quite firmly and loudly to a small boy, “Stop running, please. STOP RUNNING NOW PLEASE.” I hear his parents from farther down the hall, “Come along now.” Grrrr. A “We’re so sorry, it will never happen again” would have been nice.

 

SOME NOTES ON SHIP DESIGN:

The artwork is lovely, and would only be offensive if you’ve never traveled outside the US, been to a Museum, seen European art, or taken Art History. I don’t get why people have gone on about it in reviews. One of the nicest things is their fantastic glass collection that is displayed in cases on the stairwells. Simply exquisite. There are lots of elevators, and they’re the fastest I’ve ever experienced on a cruise ship. Rarely are they crowded, in fact most times they arrive empty, and we’re the only ones in them. They also rarely stop at other floors. There are not that many kids either, as this is the week before Memorial Day, and one of the last weeks of school. We have chosen wisely. The lay out is well designed and all public rooms other than the dining room, give the feel of a small ship.

 

We arrive at David’s at 7pm, and we are the only ones there. Every table is empty, and the crew is entirely female. We order a bottle of Mondavi Pinot Noir from Svetlana the tall, lanky blond – should be supermodel- sommelier. (We all collectively wonder why she is working on a cruise ship. Later we find out her husband is a waiter in the main dining room.) They bring by various breads (which I resist) and a small chicken appetizer for everyone which is extremely tasty. Kelhair and I have lobster bisque and crab cakes for starters, MA has the Caesar which is prepared tableside and is yummy. Kelhair and I have the Surf & Turf, MA has the NY Strip. At 8pm two other tables arrive. (WHAT?! I thought the latest reservation was 7pm!) I have decaf cappuccino and the berries & sorbet for dessert. Kelhiar and MA have the tiramisu, which comes as three separate items, one of which is flourless chocolate cake. MA is kind enough to give me her flourless chocolate cake since, as I said before, am attempting to eat no wheat (the bread smelled heavenly), and I’m off caffeine. The presentation of the desserts are spectacular. There is wonderful live piano music until 9:30pm. The only annoying moment is when the cruise director Steve Knisely makes an announcement and since David’s crowns the ten-story atrium as a loft of sorts, we hear the loud endless babble. (Steve loves to talk. But he should really stop drinking so much Red Bull or look over his copy and/or be more familiar with it before making announcements as he tends to babble…..)

 

After dinner we hit the casino. On the way in, we pass a certain piece of “art” that Kelhair falls in love with. We stare for a bit because it’s so awesome. Finally, we move on and Kelhair does her usual of turning any slot machine she touches into an ATM. The casino is lovely with horseracing décor throughout. Two things I notice: one is that there is no smoke-free area which would be nice, the other is the amount of infants people bring into this tobacco saturated environment. Mind-boggling.

 

I go back to try my luck once again getting access to the web. I am successful, and after the change password screen, it takes me to the Which Package Do You Want page. I go for package B which is 100 minutes for $55, with a $3.95 setup fee, but still being the first day it should give me an extra 20 minutes, so a total of two hours overall. I think this will be fine, as I only plan to upload/download email, and work offline.

 

We return to our cabin around midnight, and find the next day’s Capers but no chocolates or breakfast card. No matter, we call it a night, and turn the clocks ahead one hour.

[bardgal]

Monday, May 23rd, 2005

Day 2 – AT SEA.

 

We awake around 8:30am, and discover we are unobservant boobs; we find the breakfast cards hanging under the spare “Privacy Please” card on one of the robe hooks. Outside is cloudy and cold, so we order coffee, juice (they’re out of grapefruit juice, but they have POG – yeah!) Danish (for Kelhair), and melon (for me). It arrives within ten minutes (zoom!) The plate of Danish includes an amazing bran muffin, after which Kelhair declares Carnival has better pastries than Silversea.

 

MA comes over from her cabin and we sit drinking our coffee, chatting and hoping the clouds will burn off. Around 11:30am we see a pod of dolphin feeding, so we race out on the balcony to watch. Finally we realize we need to get out of Mara’s hair so she can do her thing before her break, and decide to wander for a while. The ship is moving quite a bit and for the first time in her vast cruising experience, Kelhair feels a tiny bit queezy.

 

We decide to try the dining room for lunch. Upon entry, we ask for a small booth for just us, and are taken to the back towards a large table for eight with screaming kids. Kelhair repeats the request and adds, “away from the children please”. We change direction and on the way to a small booth we pass our table for the evening, a nice four-top on the starboard side of the center. We are sat on the port side of the center area of the dining room in a small booth. Kelhair orders a diet coke, and we look over the menu. While waiting for the beverage to arrive we discover there is a very strong vibration coming from underneath the booth. It feels like someone put in a quarter and that it’s some kind of massage device for our asses; it also makes Kelhair’s condition worse. We conclude the menu is less than inspiring, (lots of fried items, or a hamburger) and the vibration is killing all of our appetites, so I volunteer to wait for the soda, and the girls say they’ll meet me up in the grill.

 

I make it up to Mermaids Grill eventually, and it’s packed since most people are also waiting for the clouds to burn off, but the girls have managed to score a nice table. The food choices are plenty, today however, most seem to involve wheat of some form or other (mostly pasta – which is like CRACK for me). I finally decide on a caesar salad from the pizza bar. Very good. A real Caesar with real anchovies. Mmmm! MA scores a turkey melt, which looks so good I can’t resist, and go get one of my own (my first slip into the darkness). After three bites of the wonderful bread, I decide it’s better to just eat the turkey and cheese. I try to convince myself I’ve shown some restraint, and three bites of bread are better than eating the entire thing. Kelhair has a tuna melt. After lunch, we swing by the preview for the Champagne Fine Art Auction, to find out how Kelhair can get her artwork, since none of us have ever done the cruise-art-auction thing. We’re told to come by on Friday when that particular piece will be brought in. Then it is back to the cabin where we succumb to a tryptophan induced coma.

 

After nap, I go to the Internet/Library to check email, and as it’s formal night, I notice all the photo-ops getting set up, and thankfully nowhere do I see the tasteless Titanic stairwell backdrop that is so popular on Princess. Cool thing about using wi/fi on The Baby – I can chat via AIM with Perfect Man™.

 

Back in the cabin we get ready for dinner, and more thunderous footsteps are heard outside in the hall. I look out but no living creatures are to be seen. It seems Running Thunder Feet has moved up to deck 7.

 

We opt out of the Captain’s welcome aboard party, and head to the Raphael lounge for cocktails. I take along a glass of champagne from the cabin. Daddy Steve & Will meet us there, and so do R&T. On our arrival R says, “bardgal! We LOVE your reviews on CC! We’ve been following your writing for years!!! (I am more than flattered. I feel like a minor celeb, and we all become fast friends.) R&T insist that there is room service bliss to be found in the Roast Beef & Brie Baguette sandwiches. (But that means WHEAT.)

 

Even though this is the second night of the cruise, people begin lining up for the 8:15 dinner seating at 8pm. We all find this behavior astounding. You already have your assigned table, no one is going to take it from you, and the ship is not going to run out of food, yet they insist on standing in a line. I just don’t get it.

 

We get to our table and meet our waiter Panar and his assistant Ynoman. Panar has a giant lump forming on his forehead from hitting it on one of the marble wait stands during the early seating, but he plows through dinner like a trooper. We are thankful our booth does not vibrate like the one at lunch. Teddy the beverage guy comes over and introduces himself, though we’ve already ordered a bottle of wine from Panar.

 

FOR DINNER: I have the pumpkin soup which is lovely, more Caesar salad, lobster tail and quail. The lobster is wonderful, juicy and not too dry, but the quail is mostly stuffing so I have only a few bites. Kelhair has lobster and prime rib, and gives me half of her lobster. MA has the salmon. For dessert I have more flourless chocolate cake. Oh yeah.

 

During coffee, Will comes to visit us, and tells us he is going to audition for the Pride Idol contest. (Wow. That means we’ll actually have to attend a show if he gets in. This causes some concern as production shows on cruise ships just aren’t our thing – mostly because we’ve had too many friends who’ve performed in them over the years.) He also tells Panar to “ICE YOUR HEAD SOON!” The bump is getting bigger, redder, and angrier by the minute. Panar says he’s putting mint oil on it. During dessert the waiters jump on some wait stands, the stairs and other high places, and do a mini-strip dance… very funny!

 

After dinner, we go in search of live music, and think the piano bar might be fun, so we try the Ivory Piano Bar, where Colin is singing a Bill Murray SNL version of “Hey Jude”. We order drinks, and wonder if he’s going to do “Star Wars” or “The Love Boat” next. Someone requests Billy Joel, and he tells them it’s so popular right now with the show Movin’ Out that he needs to wait until the bar is busier, so he doesn’t end up singing only that all night. I say, “how about Bring Him Home?”

Colin: “Bring who home?”

Me: “Bring Him Home from Les Mizerables.”

Colin (with disdain: “I don’t DO show tunes. If you’ll check your programs…..”

Kelly (standing and picking up her drink) “Bye bye.”

MA & I follow, as I mention someone should tell him the Billy Joel is now considered “show tunes”.

 

For a kick, and to see if we’re wrong about cruise ship production shows, we head into the show VROOM just in time to see four female dancers come out dressed as KISS, and singing Rock ‘n’ Roll All Nite. We immediately turn around and decide to go downstairs and check out Butterflies where the band PURE is playing. They are doing some nice swing music, but we want something a little lower key, so we make our way back to Raphael’s where the jazz group Clarence Seay Trio is playing and settle there for a bit. Finally it’s back to the casino for more cash for Kelhair, then bed.

 

Back in the cabin I have an invitation to the Past Guest party which is tomorrow evening. We veto putting out the breakfast card since we want to sleep as late as possible, and because calling room service was such a breeze.

 

Tuesday, May 24th, 2005

DAY 3 – AT SEA

 

We fall into lazy mode. Again we order room service breakfast when we arise sometime after 9:30am, and it arrives quickly. But Kelhair’s request for her beloved bran muffin results in a banana nut muffin. Unfortunately, there is no sun to be seen.

 

I go and do a quick online check, and return to the balcony to see patches of blue breaking thru. YEAH! We end up spending the majority of the day on the balcony drinking champagne and mimosas. We also decide to try the room service recommendation of R&T, and order the roast beef and brie baguettes. I also order a Caesar salad (I have no idea why, perhaps it will fill me up and I won’t eat all the bread?). Kelhair calls in the order and a plate of brownies/cookies show up as well. (Evil wench.) We sit in bliss, eating out orgasmic sandwiches (which are apparently filled with heroin as well because they’re sooooo good), drinking champagne, waving at more dolphin, and watching the coast of Baja slip by.

 

Sometime that afternoon we pass Cabo, and I call Perfect Man™ on my cell.

 

[sidebar: I had called Verizon the day before we sailed to get the International plan, and all the instructions for calling from Mexico. I was told how to switch to “Automatic A” so I could be on the local network for the three ports I would be in, and not incur any roaming charges, which costs me $17 to change plans for the seven days, and they will automatically change me back to my normal plan afterwards.] I notice on my cell that it says “roaming” on it. Hmmm. Not good.

 

He is at work, and I am put on hold. (noooooo!) I hang up, and can’t get a connection for five minutes. I finally make contact again, and tell the receptionist that I’m calling from a cruise ship at sea, and may lose my signal any second. I am put on hold again. A minute later PM™ picks up the phone. He’s in the middle of a STEDICAM demo, but wanted to say, “I love you.” NeediGirl™ gets her emotional fix and I hang up the phone. The sun is shining, I am on a cruise ship sipping champagne, I have a PM™ who doesn’t mind I travel with my friends, and we can see the port of Cabo from our balcony. Life is good.

 

After our BBB™ feast, we enjoy the warmth on our balcony, then everyone decides more sleep might be nice, so we all get about an hour of nappage. Afterwards, Kelhair reads her crack book Angel’s & Demons, and I watch parts of A Love Song For Bobby Long on TV. We all get ready for dinner, and decide against the past guest party and head back to our usual Raphael’s for our pre-dinner cocktail. We tell R&T of our Beef Brie Baguette Balcony Brunch Bash™, and blame them for our lack of appetite. Again, a long line forms at the dining room door at 8pm. I wonder if their giving away prizes for the first 100 passengers to be seated.

 

Panar’s head is a little better, the bump is not casting such a big shadow. Teddy comes to see us again, but again we’ve ordered a bottle of wine. We adore seeing him though, he’s always so happy, sweet, and very cute.

 

 

For dinner I have escargot, which are so perfect and mild – not overly swimming in garlic butter that they actually have a light, delicate flavor all their own that I order a second helping. Then lobster bisque and the pan seared fish. Very good. For dessert I can’t resist chocolate and butter pecan ice cream. (Bad bad girl.) Will visits us again during coffee. So nice to see him, and hear of the Pride Idol audition process.

 

Leaving the dining room, we stop in the Atrium and listen to cute Irish man Paul, who has a nice voice, and decent repertoire.

 

We walk thru the casino and play a bit, then after Kelhair hits $75 on a penny machine while waiting for a hand payout on a nickel machine, we make it an early night since tomorrow is Puerto Vallarta.

[bardgal]

Wednesday, May 25th, 2005

DAY 4 – PUERTO VALLARTA

 

I awake around 7:30am, and go out on the balcony to listen to the Mariachis playing on the quay. This is one thing I love that Carnival does that I really wish Princess would do. I love Mariachi music, and there is nothing like live Mariachis welcoming you to your first port in Mexico. Kelhair calls for coffee and a bran muffin, and comes out to laugh at me every time I applaud the musicians below. I call and wake Perfect Man™ because I actually am in an “extended network” and not “roaming”. It’s great to hear his sexy, sleepy voice. Coffee and a poppy seed muffin arrive.

 

The clouds are slowly burning off and it looks to be a lovely day. Maryann comes over to join us for awhile, then we dress, I bathe in sunscreen and we head ashore at 10:30am ship time, (11:30am PV time).

 

Beyond the quay we find a taxi driver, and explain we want to go to the hotel La Jolla Mismaloya for lunch, one of Kelhair’s favorite spots. We agree to $8pp to the hotel, and are on our way. Mismaloya beach is south of the city, and about a 20min drive. The day is gorgeous, and the view driving down spectacular. Instead of driving onto the property however, our driver, Nacho, pulls into the drive that takes us down to the beach area. We tell him, no, we want the hotel. He tells us that we can’t eat lunch there because it’s “private, for hotel guests only.” We pout, are confused because Kelhair has done it before, and in October, our waiter from the Diamond Princess would go there every week and highly recommended it. We also wonder why he didn’t tell us this when we told him our plans by the ship. Nacho tries to talk us into going a few miles down the road to another restaurant where there are beautiful waterfalls and a beach. We decline and decide to go back up the coast a few miles to the restaurant El Set, which is set on a cliff with a spectacular view. Lunch is relaxing and wonderful. Great margaritas, a quiet, uncrowded gorgeous location, and delicious food. Rolled chicken tacos, ceviché, fresh guacamole…..mmmmmmm!

 

After lunch we grab a cab back to the ship, and spend a little time shopping on the quay. I find a lovely turquoise bracelet but can’t negotiate a good enough price, so I pass. We do however, find a lovely silver bracelet we get as a gift for Mara. And even though we’ve only had two margaritas each, we soon all fall into a sun/tequila induced coma, meander back to our cabins and wake about 7pm just in time to dress for dinner.

 

[sidebar: I know it seems as though we’re getting a lot of sleep on this trip, but during the night I am beyond hot (yes, I’m sure my age has a lot to do with it, but I don’t get like this at home). Somehow the bed retains my body temperature and becomes like a hot plate. The duvets are wonderful, but don’t help, so my sleep is sparse.]

 

I make a quick run to check email and realize my account is not showing the extra 20min I’m supposed to have gotten with signing up the first night, so I run to the purser’s desk to ask what’s up. They tell me they still don’t have an internet manager, and are hoping he will join the ship tomorrow in Mazatlan. I still have some time so it’s not too much of an issue at this point.

 

Again we meet in Raphael’s and people line up at 8pm. Mind boggling. We also notice that shorts have been the mealtime uniform across the board for both sexes at all mealtimes in the dining room. We find this a bit astonishing since it specifically states in the Capers each day, “No shorts are permitted in the Dining Room. Thank You!” Hmm, ok.

 

For dinner I begin with tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella, and cucumbers with curly endive – both good. We all split a filet mignon with gorgonzola butter which is amazing. I have the Supreme of Chicken Carnival Style – very good, and skip dessert. During dinner the Mariachis return and stroll thru the dining room, and I’m in heaven. Princess should really do this!

 

Will comes to tell us he has made the Pride Idol finals so we must come to see him tomorrow night. We promise. Panar’s bump is smaller still. He says he has been getting “kisses for it, and it’s making it better.” He laughs and blushes, so we wonder if it’s true. We get back to the cabin just in time to discover we’ve sailed a few minutes early and watch the lights fade into the distance. The night air is gorgeous, so we sip champagne as we watch the lights fade into the distance. We crash early.

 

Thursday, May 26th, 2005

DAY 5 – MAZATLAN

 

I awake early and watch our foggy approach into Mazatlan from our balcony. It’s always amazing to me how the ship can turn around in that narrow channel before docking. We’re on the port side of the ship, so we are spared the view of the disposable cars and not very pretty quay. I call PM™, but chat only briefly because I notice that it says “roaming” on my phone even though I am in a major city that Verizon told me I’d have the “extended network” in. (oooh nooo.)

 

We had thought about taking a cab into the Golden Zone and having lunch at The Shrimp Factory, but since we over-margarita-ed in PV, we decide to hang on the ship. We try breakfast in the dining room because Kelhair is craving eggs benedict. It’s nice and empty because everyone has hurried ashore. After breakfast we wander the decks, trying to decide which bar to go hang out at if the sun ever comes out. We are astounded that there is so much trash left everywhere; glasses left on top of photo drop boxes, fruit left tucked away in corners of elevators…. Can’t these people find a trash can or bus stand??? Unbelievable.

 

After our deck tour, the girls get back to their books, and I get online. It’s time for the weekly crew-drill, and for some reason it takes me 20min to get on the web. After a brief chat online with PM™ I wander the decks a bit more.

 

When I return to the cabin, the sun has come out, the girls are reading and sipping champagne on the balcony, and they’re quite comfortable right where they are. I suggest we take a bottle of champagne up on deck since they sell the brand we brought on the ship, and no one would care as long as we get plastic glasses from a deck bar. They look at me as if I’ve just said something puzzling in Swahili, and then discuss the brilliance of more BBBs from room service. I realize my dietary attempt of not eating wheat and tons of read meat is an exercise in stupidity. Resistance to cruise food Is Futile.

 

This time we order two Caesars, five BBBs, and one plate of brownies and cookies. Needless to say we have a food orgy. (I only had oatmeal and poached eggs for breakfast.) I get a little cabin fever after lunch, so I decide to go ashore on the quay and do some quick shopping. It’s a gorgeous day, not too hot which is very surprising this time of year, and the sky is clear as a bell. I pick up some much needed baby wipes (perfect for removing makeup), and find another gorgeous turquoise bracelet, this time we come to a good price, and I continue shopping with my new treasure. I also find a rain stick for PM™ (he is a musician), and get that as well. Walking thru the market I come to the realization that since PM™is a HUGE soccer/futbol fan, and collects soccer jerseys, the perfect gift for him would be some Mexican team jerseys! I am in awe of my own brilliance, yet astounded at how long it took me to get this idea. I begin asking everyone where I can get a Club Americas, Pumas, or Cruz Azul shirts. Every tells me, “downtown”. Hmmm… I’ll try in Cabo tomorrow.

 

Back on the ship, I drop off my hunting and gathering, the girls are still reading on the balcony, so I go up to the aft pool, order a large San Pelligrino (the bartender gives it to me in an ice bucket because it’s glass), and a cup of limes, and I find a nice lounge at the very back rail and sit and enjoy the warmth and the view. It’s relatively sparse and quiet when I get there, but as people return to the ship, the crowd picks up. After an hour I decide I’ve had enough direct sunlight (I only wish I’d listened to my mother when I was young and not baked by our pool with baby oil and iodine on – stupid stupid stupid), and head back to the cabin. The girls had mentioned earlier about going on deck for sailaway to watch the drunks stumbling back from Señor Frogs, but they are not to be torn from their literary crack. I’ve had enough of sun for the moment, so I watch The Wedding Date on TV, which is adorable.

 

I then hit the library/internet café, and see a new face with a Carnival name tag. I hope it’s the new web manager, and walk up and say, “Welcome aboard.” I explain that my account is not showing the extra 20min, and he explains it’s because he has to put it in manually, which is does, and I’m good to go. Easy!

 

On the way to cocktails we surprise Mara with her gift. She is speechless, and puts it on.

 

We fall in to our usual routine, meeting the boys at Raphael’s, only tonight is Mojito night… I think for a minute the mix they have at the bar is just simple syrup and mint, so I get excited I might be able to get a Mint Julip, but alas they’ve also pre-mixed the rum into it as well. I stick with water, since I’m still a little buzzed and full from this afternoon’s champagne/food orgy. 8pm sharp, the herd falls into place in their line. I begin to think there are more than one genus of homo erectus on this ship. Perhaps the first hundred to enter the dining room are getting lottery tickets for a free cruise? A free cocktail? None of us can figure it out. Daddy Steve brings us all lovely invitations to their cocktail sailaway party for tomorrow when we leave Cabo. We are thrilled we get to party on an aft CAT 11 balcony on a gorgeous day.

 

At dinner Teddy comes by and I actually order a glass of wine, as the girls still have their wine from the bar. I have the tomato soup and artichoke, tomato, and fennel salad which are wonderful. I also order the tiger shrimp and leeks in California Chardonnay cream, which is the first dish of the cruise I find disappointing. It is a few tiny shrimp that taste mushy as if they’ve been frozen for a long time, in mostly sauce. Kelhair had ordered the pasta as a starter and raved, so I cave and order a starter size. This turns out to be wonderful, but now I am (diatarily speaking), a completely Fallen Woman. I’ve been Assimilated™. Dessert was some kind of lemon custard topped with an amazing basil ice cream. Daddy Steve comes by to tell us that he’s worried about Will’s performance tonight, since he’s having a bit of throat trouble. Then Will comes by to say hi before he goes to get ready. We promise to be there to cheer him on.

 

Will has studied opera, which I’d love to hear him sing, but because it’s a cruise ship, he’s chosen to do the first round of Pride Idol with the Josh Groban song, You Lift Me Up. He says that if he makes it to the second round, that song is for us. He is so sweet!

 

We make our way to the Taj Mahal showroom, and get our seats along the bar in the back. Will is first up, and does well. The crowd is very receptive, and loves our Will as much as we do. He gets a standing ovation, and 21.5 points. Everyone who gets up is talented. However, the fourth act is…. How shall I say? Interesting. A guy doing a bad Napoleon Dynamite impersonation does a rap number, complete with wannbe hip-hop choreography. It was definitely the William Hung Factor™ to say the least. The crowd went wild, and even though two of the judges went lower than for anyone else (this guy was a train wreck) the third judge gives more, and he ended up with 24 points, putting Will in 2nd place. Huh? Next is the only woman in the group, followed by a very cute, young, Hawaiian guy named Matthew who not only knows how to use a microphone, but actually can sing his ass off. (During all of this, there is much mention of different color teams, Red, White, and Blue, and since we’ve been Balcony Hermits™, we have no idea what this is in reference to.) The final three are Will, Napoleon Rap-Boy, and Matthew. Will goes first and sings All I Ask Of You from Phantom. The crowd goes wild. A SHOW TUNE! AT LAST! Napoleon does some In-Sync song (I think), complete with (what he thinks) is their choreography. This turns into the Gong Show Revisited when the judges and the band start mimicking his dance steps. It’s hilarious. Matthew does My Cherie Amour, blows everyone away, and wins first place. Will thankfully, is runner-up. Personally, I think if he had sung something more operatic (which would have shown off his talent even more), he might have won. Or he might have scared everyone so badly he might not have made the second round – so who knows?

 

After congratulating Will we call it a night, since Cabo is always an early morning.

[bardgal]

Friday May 27th, 2005

DAY 6 – CABO SAN LUCAS

 

I wake up at 7am, and go out on the balcony to watch the sun rise on the rocks of Lands End, and the sport fishing boats head out to sea. It’s the first morning that is cloud-free, and absolutely gorgeous. The girls get up and we all do coffee on the balcony, and wait for the crowd to run for the tenders. I call PM™ and notice that I’m still “roaming”, and makes me think I would have saved money not switching to international and switching to the other network. I make a note to have a chat with Verizon when I get home.

 

We finally head ashore around 10am, just as they clear everyone for the tenders and you no longer need a boarding sticker. On the way into shore on the tender, we pass one of the most amazing Überyachts I’ve ever seen outside of Acapulco. [Mega yacht does not do this piece of marine equipment justice.] Kelhair says it must be Paul Allen’s. It’s name is TATOOSH, and it comes complete with a helicopter, a sail boat, a skiff, and another vessel of some kind that is missing from it’s starboard side.

 

Once ashore we have delusions of walking to The Office for lunch, but get a good offer for $3pp for a water taxi, and jump at it. The weather is absolutely amazing, and the water is the bluest I’ve ever seen it here. The water taxi arrives at the beach in front of The Office and we jump into the surf. The water is very warm and makes me want to snorkel, but unfortunately it’s jellyfish season.

 

Because it’s the week before Memorial Day, The Office is quite crowded, but we only wait three minutes for a table, and soon have margaritas and menus. (I am a regular, lime margarita girl, but I tried MA’s mango one, and just let me say – WOW! I think I want one of these next time. Most yummy!) It’s about 10:45am, so we get both the lunch and breakfast menus. The girls both opt for breakfast, but I have shrimp tacos which are amazing! And the day! We really expected the weather to be incredibly hot, but it’s been the mildest temperature I’ve ever experienced in all my time here in Mexico. Absolutely perfect.

 

The girls at the next table say the TATOOSH belongs to, “that guy who owns Virgin”. Kelhair is sure it’s not Richard Branson’s so she called her hubby and asks him to look it up. She turns out to be right, it is Paul Allen’s toy.

 

After an incredible lunch on the beach, we grab a taxi and head into town to a store our waiter recommended where I could get some futbol jerseys for PM™. Our destination is a real sports shop, and I decide on a Mexico World Cup National team jersey for $40. The we walk to Slim’s Elbow Room – the “World’s Smallest Bar”. It’s a fun little bar on the main street, and we have a beer. This is MA’s first time here, and she spends most of the time staring at the walls and ceiling at all the signatures. We walk and shop a bit more and I find someone else selling more futbol shirts. I get a Club Americas jersey for $20.

 

We then head back to the pier to grab a tender before the rush. Cabo is my favorite port, and there never is enough time here. But then a week here would not be enough time, though I think I really want to give it a try soon.

 

Back onboard, we get ready for Daddy Steve & Will’s cocktail sailaway party, and Kelhair’s art auction which happen simultaneously. Fortunately, at our request, they bring the piece up early, and she gets a good price. We then stop by our cabin to pick up a bottle of champagne for our cocktail party.

 

Their cabin is lovely, a great use of space with a great balcony. Because of the floor plan, the cabin seems larger than it is. The boys have lots of snacks and beverages. We chat, take photos, and watch Cabo fade into the distance. Eventually we say good bye, and head back to the cabin to relax before dinner.

 

The girls fall back into their reading, and no one feels remotely like thinking of dressing in formal wear. We eventually decide to drag a bottle of champagne to Mermaids Grill and find it empty. They have salmon, more of last night’s lamb, rigatoni, and some amazing eggplant with pesto. We make an event of it, and see more dolphin playing alongside. R&T find us, and join us for a bit. I decide I really want to try the Caramelized Banana Ragout – Served on lavender soaked brioche, with green peppercorn ice cream – that they have in the dining room. So I run down to throw a sparklie top on, and run to our table. I tell Panar I am only there for the banana desert, and he get s a look of horror on his face. Because it’s done like bananas foster, the kitchen isn’t set up for it yet, and I end up waiting 45min for it. When it finally arrives, the lavender soaked brioche is not as wonderful as it sounds, but the green peppercorn ice cream is amazing. Afterwards, I run back up to Mermaids to see if anyone is still there. They’re ALL still there, and the champagne is gone. They ask where their dessert is, but I have no idea what they’re talking about. “You said you’d bring us all dessert; that you’d bring up a tray!” Ooops. I so don’t remember saying that. I guess my memory was destroyed sitting alone for 45 minutes. Kelhair tells me the hot chocolate is “Heaven”, but as it’s so late in the evening, I pass. I would be up all night with that kind of sugar and caffine.

 

We’re all pretty tired, but make time for more gambling. Then back at the cabin Kelhair has a letter from Park West about her art purchase. She needs to stop by the final auction tomorrow to set up an appointment to make shipping arrangements. She goes back to her literary heroin, and I sleep.

 

Saturday May 28th, 2005

DAY 7 – AT SEA

 

It starts out as a sunny morning, but quickly becomes overcast. We call for coffee and a bran muffin but end up with poppy seed. The last day is always sad, and lazy, with no one wanting to pack, or think about getting back to everyday life. First I go ask at the purser’s desk when we should get our disembarkation baggage tags. Well, this is Carnival, not Princess, and they use the same ones that we came on the sihp with. (How clever, and environmentally friendly!) I ask what time they think our color will get called. “For Blue Empress Forward, between 9:30am and 10am, depending on how many people we bust for drugs” he says with a laugh. I think that sounds incredibly hopeful, but I hit the web to let PM™ know what time we think we’re getting off the ship so he’s prepared, considering he’ll be at a Galaxy (pro-soccer) home game tonight. I also warn him I’ll call him at 8:30am to make sure he’s up if I don’t hear from him before then. I run into Daddy Steve & Will by the aft pool, and they say they might need to do some more karaoke tonight to give Will’s “celebrity a little spike”. I say I’ll try to stop by, since I’d love to hear him sing some more, even though I really hate karaoke.

 

We call MA to see if she wants to come over but there is no answer so she’s most likely working out in the gym, or on deck reading. We leave her a message that we’re going to the casino to play pennies, and we’re thinking of going to the dining room for lunch.

 

In the casino we find some very fun penny multi-deck poker machines, and we play for what seems like hours on only a few dollars.

 

We finally tear ourselves away from the machines and head to the dining room for lunch. We are sat on the port side again like the first day at sea, and it also has the wacky vibration. I have a lovely trout, and kelhair has a Straw & Hay pasta which is regular and spinach linguini, with a fresh tomato, sundried tomato, basil, and garlic sauce. She gives me a bite, and I have to order my own. I am now clearly a full fledged Pasta Borg™.

 

After lunch, we head back to the penny machines and play another hour or two, then head back to pack. Boo hoo. As much as I miss PM™ and my cat-child, I am addicted to cruising, and no matter the good and bad of each trip, I hate that it’s ending.

 

We end up watching Steve’s Afternoon Interactive Trivia on the TV, which ends up being pretty hysterical. Some questions are for people in the lounge, some are for people like us, watching from their cabins. Everyone is asked what color team they’re on, and Kelhair asks me if I call in an answer, what color team am I going to be on? I tell her I’ll say we’re not on a team because no one picked us. She howls. We merely watch for awhile, until one question that drives me to action: “What country was the film Out Of Africa shot in?” We watch several people in the Shooting Stars lounge give incorrect answers. Kelhair says to me, “You know this don’t you?” I say, “Kenya.” She says, “CALL!” So I get up, call the bar, and say to the guy who answers, “We’ve got the right answer here in a cabin if everyone in there is lame and no one has the answer.” He guy laughs and repeats this to Steve, who says they’ll be there until 6pm until someone in the room has the answer, but they don’t hang up on me. Funny. Finally after another ten or so people with wrong answers, one man finally says, “Kenya.”

 

MA comes over to hang before dinner, and tells us of her quiet day including finishing her third book, and seeing a pod of whales. Whales! This far south in MAY! As cool as this is, it’s also a bit alarming, and makes me wonder if this is more of the damage the navel sonar testing is having on marine life.

 

Being creatures of habit, we hit Raphael’s and order a bottle of wine before dinner. Kelhair’s Park West appointment is in the adjacent Raphael Room, and we get some nice photos together with R&T. I finally ask them about the “Team thing”, and they explain that on the first night in the dining room they divide it up into three areas, assigning each area to a different team color. Each team gets points throughout the cruise and tonight they’ll announce the wining team. Aaaahhhh – that explains it! We were at David’s the first night, so we completely missed this.

 

We are also treated to the wonderful Chamber Trio who make their first appearance here, as they’re normally performing downstairs in the Florentine lounge. And just like the swallows coming back to Capistrano, the Line Standers™ fall into position at 8pm sharp. We decide it must be biological, and I make MA take photos of this strange behavior.

 

For dinner we get an order of the pork chop in mole sauce for everyone to try. It’s good, but the chop is a bit dry. I have the Fettuccini in mushroom cream as a starter, the tomatoes and cucumber, and zucchini and eggplant parmigiana which is wonderful, but mostly cheese. Will comes to visit, and say they will be at karaoke. I promise to stop by. During his visit the waiters do the HOT HOT HOT Conga line. Panar brings each of us Grand Marnier Soufflé, and I ask what happened to the Baked Alaska? He tells me they stopped it a few weeks ago. What a shame. I love Baked Alaska, and the only places I ever get it are on cruise ships.

 

I swing by Starry Nights but just miss Will singing. The three of us chat a bit, and all decide we need to get back for last minute packing, and we’ll touch base in the morning. I head back to the cabin to change, and get our bags into the hall. It ends up being a quiet, and relatively early night.

 

Sunday May 29th, 2005

DISEMBARKATION

 

No matter what cruise I am on, I always rise early on the last day, perhaps to make my cruise feel as long as possible. I love watching the ships sail into port, and the maneuvers these vessels are capable of in such narrow waterways are always amazing. This morning is no different. I run up to Mermaids and get Kelhair some coffee, and decide to try the Crack Hot Chocolate, and grab two bran muffins. (The hot chocolate is amazing. Not as rich as Chantico™from Starbucks, but really yummy!)

 

We also have our final S&S account totals and I have a refund check for my balance attached to mine. Go me!

 

Mara comes by to give us hugs and say goodbye. We notice she’s wearing her bracelet. We give her a little something extra, and she is blown away. We also sang her praises big time on the comment forms.

 

Around 8:30am we head up to Mermaids Grill and hear them call the first color tags to disembark the ship. On the way I call PM™ to make sure he’s awake. He says he loves me, but he’s going back to sleep. Upstairs we plan to head outside by the aft pool to be away from the crowd, but find a table being cleared by the back door, so we settle there. No sooner do we all have various versions of coffee in front of us, when they call, “Blue Empress Forward.” At first we all think this is far too early for us, (especially since last October on the Diamond Princess we got off at 11:30am), and then realize, YES! It REALLY IS US! I look at my watch and see that it is only 9:00am. Yikes! On the way to the gangway, I call PM™ back, and tell him we’re getting off the ship. He fails to see the advantage in Carnival throwing us off the ship at such an ungodly hour.

 

ZOOM! We are off the ship, thru customs, and on the curb with our bags at the pick up point by 9:30am. I have windburn. Kelhair’s flight is not until 3pm, and we decide we want to do some brunchie thing, and not go so quickly into post cruise sobriety, so we call around to find out who is open at this hour besides the Queen Mary. We finally decide on heading back to our tried and true Acapulco’s by the pier in San Pedro since it’s so close, we know it has a patio, and by the time we get there, it will be open.

 

We all head over there and have a wonderful brunch as the sun comes out. It’s good to be home, but sad to be off the ship.

 

Will I take a Carnival cruise again? I admit I miss my Princess cruise experience very much, but I’ve learned never to say never. The most unexpected part of this trip was the mild, perfect weather. Sure it would have been nice to have more sun the first and last days, but I’ve only experienced that in October and April.

 

I want to take PM™ back soon, only this time take him on the dolphin swim in Puerto Vallarta. MA and Kelhair did it on their last trip on Silversea and feel it’s one of the best experiences they’ve ever had. I’ve done something similar at Sea World, but it was not as extensive as the one the girls did. They actually got to grab a dorsal fin and go for a SWIM. I want to do THAT, and PM™ has yet to pet a dolphin.

 

Overall it was a great trip. I miss being on the ship, I miss Mexico, I miss the boys, and I miss spending time with my friends. Hopefully we’ll get to do this again some day.

[Bsan1221]

Great review very entertaining... Thank you for taking the time and being so detail oriented... ;)

 

I thought it was great you bought your cabin steward that bracelet that was sooo sweet....

 

Now you can go "sing praises" on the Princess board about your Carnival experience. LOL ;)

[I Luv Crusin]

Thanks for the wonderful review! Wish I was there but it made me feel like I was.

[DaddySteve]

Ahoy,

 

Loved the detailed review "t"......my gosh Will and I got mentioned so many times, perhaps more than the hot chocolate and the BRAN muffin, which several people were in need of by the second day!! It was wonderful reading about our week aboard the Pride.....pretty darn good food and, from our prospective, a GREAT crew.....and we did love that wraparound balcony!! Our best wishes to you, "Kelhair" and "MA" :cool:

 

Your sunburned friends,

Daddy Steve & Will (the one with the talent)

[Wennfred]

Can you please Email me your review if you have it in some other format. So that I can print it and read it at work. Thanks

 

wennfred@cox.net

[PaulMedik]

Thanks for the wonderful review! Wish I was there but it made me feel like I was.

 

 

 

ditto. :)

[TheTravelista]

Excellent Review!You're just the kind of reviewer I like that makes me feel like Im actually cruising! Loved the details. Thanks alot!

[bardgal]

Ahoy,

 

Loved the detailed review "t"......my gosh Will and I got mentioned so many times, perhaps more than the hot chocolate and the BRAN muffin, which several people were in need of by the second day!! It was wonderful reading about our week aboard the Pride.....pretty darn good food and, from our prospective, a GREAT crew.....and we did love that wraparound balcony!! Our best wishes to you, "Kelhair" and "MA" :cool:

 

Your sunburned friends,

Daddy Steve & Will (the one with the talent)

I miss youuuuuu Honey!

 

xox

 

:D

 

kisses

t

[MrPete]

It's been 15 years since I've done that run (on a different smaller ship), yet you took me right back there with your imagery.

 

 

But did you have to remind me of those last day blues! You gave me those as well!!!!!!:p

[BettyB2]

Thanks for the WONDERFUL review! I so enjoyed reading this with my morning coffee:D Sounds like you had a good time!!

 

GREAT JOB and thanks again

[halos]

thanks bardgal :D

[Cruising89143]

Great review. Thanks for sharing.

[Ms Belvedere]

What an excellent, detailed and fun review. Makes me want to sail from the West Coast for a change of pace! Thank you for taking the time to write and post it here.

 

P.S. To Wennfred and Paulmdik: I copied and pasted the review into a WORD document, then printed it off to send to a friend.

[ceoswis]

Excellent review. Our family of four are booked that same week next year with a cat 11 wraparound and an inside room both on deck 7. From reading your review it looks like you and your friends spent a lot of time on your balcony. We are hoping to do the same. Thank you for taking your time to write this review as it just confirms we made the right decision to book this route.

[RYPERO]

Thanks for the review, I have to agree that Carnival is very good and I am sailing them again next, but there is just something a little special about Princess.

[hill6]

Great review. I love that you bought the steward a gift. I love just hanging out on the balcony on the cruise and reading or napping.

[MinnesotaMan]

Let me add my praises for your review. Based on what I had seen elsewhere, I thought that my own 9-page offering was too extensive for readers, but you have restored my confidence in verbosity and inspired me to even greater lengths.

[ladycaveat]

What a great review . . . and I'm not even sailing on the Pride or going to Mexico. I just started reading and couldn't stop . . . :D

[stormyc]

Really well-written travel log ...enjoyed it very much. Humorous and informative and reflected what a fun, supportive friend you must be.

 

Thank you sincerely for sharing your experience,

[tpmartin]

Bardgal,

What happened you jumped ship to the pride?

I was with you on the Diamond Last October.

I see you still have the champagne going.

We are planning on doing the Caribbean Princess on 1/21/2006 how about coming to the East Coast.

 

This time I will give you Directions to Disney World :rolleyes:

 

Tom

[MadScientist Eric]

Wow Bardgal, what a review! It looks like you guys know how to party it up. Me & my girl are cruising this September, I'll have to ask you for some advice next time you're at lot 13. Does cruise too?

 

Eric (AKA Wasaaaaabi)

[CruiseIsGood]

I enjoyed your review! I usually don't take the time to read really long ones, but the comments made me.

 

I also don't understand the lining up before dinner thing, but it's certainly always funny to watch from my seat in the lounge! My most recent trip we were upstairs for dinner and didn't see any lining up though. Maybe word is getting out that they don't run out of food. ;)