Insert Glory pun here - Eastern Caribbean review Feb 23, 2014 - lots of pics

[cruiseclues]

Great Review So Far...not sure why people say that...perhaps it's to put the pressure on so they won't have to tell you later in the review that it is no longer a great review. Glory be! (No pun intended)...I'm enjoying your photo review especially the Food Pics. :):):):)

[1kaper]

I want to live here. Just outside Magen's Bay. Beautiful beach, gorgeous water.

 

 

 

Magen's Bay from the water

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately the pictures just don't capture the color of the water. It was really beautiful.

 

Also a note that the farther down you went the more natural shade was available.

[1kaper]

After that we headed back to the ship. We were going to head downtown but went straight to the port instead.

 

Some shots from the way back. Again, the pictures just do not capture the real beauty. It was stunning.

 

 

 

I checked around the shops but didn't find what I was looking for. I like finding stuff that was made locally. I wanted to buy my mother a nice pair of earrings but everything was really expensive ($3000 for one pair I looked at, but there was a discount on them. Unless it was an extremely deep discount, it was out of my budget :D) or really cheap.

 

I did find my trip magnet. I collect magnets from every trip we do. On cruises, I don't get one every port since that would add up fast so I usually do one from the originating port and one from one of the stops. I already have quite the collection.

 

We are dog people and I love corny jokes.

 

 

There were iguanas were everywhere on the rocks at the dock

 

 

We were back a little early and hadn't eaten so we headed for Guy's Burger Bar again then off to nap.

[1kaper]

Appetizer choice tonight was Cannelloni with ricotta, pancetta and peas. I wasn't a fan.

 

 

My husband went with the shrimp. I've seen people here complain it was warm, it was always served cold on this cruise. Definitely a solid choice anytime if you like shrimp (I do).

 

I went with the Port of Call main, Island Chicken Curry. Described as "West Indian chickpea curry simmer with white meat chicken and served with potato crisps and a sweet and sour mango chutney. It was very tasty. The potato crisps were not. I had one bite of what tasted like chutney which is too bad, I would have liked more. I think it was what was on top of the rice.

 

I couldn't eat a lot of it because it was a bit spicy. Normally that wouldn't bother me but the pregnancy seems to have affected my taste for spicy. It was a really nice flavor though.

 

 

Hubby went with the BBQ Pork Spare ribs. They were very tender and tasty. He also ordered a side of mashed potatoes which we both loved. Again, this is one of those dishes that according to our waiter the first night would be served as a meal, but to me, it isn't quite a complete meal. He was glad he ordered the extra potatoes.

 

 

Dessert was a S'mores Parfait. It looked and sounded better than it was but it wasn't bad.

 

 

He had carrot cake with dulche de leche icing and candied ginger. Very good!

 

 

I think I got my nights confused. The previous night we acutally went to see the Adults only comedy show. It was a female comedian and she was hilarious. This night I think we just wandered around again and watch part of a dive in movie.

 

Its way past my bedtime tonight. St Thomas took a lot longer than I expected. I don't expect the rest of the days to be as long. Up next San Juan and Grand Turk but they will have to wait until tomorrow.

[crazycruzer68]

Really enjoying your review. Curious about the dive in movies, are newer releases or older movies? Also, do they bring on different chairs for this or can you get a pool lounger and relax while watching?

 

 

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[1kaper]

Really enjoying your review. Curious about the dive in movies, are newer releases or older movies? Also, do they bring on different chairs for this or can you get a pool lounger and relax while watching?

 

 

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I don't know if they are new releases, haha. I didn't know any of them. They are very family oriented from what I remember. One we watched was a basketball one, like a Freaky Friday where the kid and the start basketball player switched abilities.

The whole one we watched was Upside Down. Apparently after googling for the name its a 2012 movie.

I think on our last sea day they watched The Goonies in the Afternoon.

 

And I remember on the Breeze on our Mediterrean cruise we watched Grease.

 

You just use the pool loungers. We brought out our housecoats (lots do) in case we got cool but it was really warm.

 

They also make free popcorn. It smells amazing but it lacks a lot of flavor.

[oneboysmom]

Really enjoying your review!!! Can't wait to read the rest! Your pictures are beautiful

[wb3690]

enjoying this!!!! I cruise in a little over 2 weeks! can't wait!!!

[crazycruzer68]

You said you FTTF, I was wondering if you took any drinks on board with you. I am trying to decide how to that. Should I carry it on since I too bought FTTF or should I stick it in a beach bag and give it to the porter.

 

 

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[Buffalofirsttimer4]

Thanks for posting the review and although we are leaving on Liberty with almost the same ports-we have HMC instead of Nassau I am enjoying your take on the new menus.(I have made notes for myself to try some of the items you have pictured).

 

Congrats on the pregnancy by the way. As the mother of four sons, I can honestly say it's the best job I will ever have.

[1kaper]

You said you FTTF, I was wondering if you took any drinks on board with you. I am trying to decide how to that. Should I carry it on since I too bought FTTF or should I stick it in a beach bag and give it to the porter.

 

 

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I wouldn't carry it on unless it is the allowed bottle of wine. If it is, I'd carry on as that is the policy.

 

The person I knew who put a bottle of liquor in their checked bag still made it through with FTTF. I wouldn't put it in its own bag though.

 

ETA- if we are talking non-alcoholic, you have to carry them on.

Edited March 7, 2014 by 1kaper

[Buffalofirsttimer4]

You said you FTTF, I was wondering if you took any drinks on board with you. I am trying to decide how to that. Should I carry it on since I too bought FTTF or should I stick it in a beach bag and give it to the porter.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Sorry, Carnival doesn't allow you to stick drinks (Allowed soda/water/ or bottle of wine) in your checked luggage or even hand it over to the porter to be delivered to your cabin (I know NCL does allow it)- you need to carry it on.

 

Happy Sailing!!!

Edited March 7, 2014 by Buffalofirsttimer4

[1kaper]

Thanks for posting the review and although we are leaving on Liberty with almost the same ports-we have HMC instead of Nassau I am enjoying your take on the new menus.(I have made notes for myself to try some of the items you have pictured).

 

Congrats on the pregnancy by the way. As the mother of four sons, I can honestly say it's the best job I will ever have.

 

 

Thanks :D We are very excited. And scared.

 

I think I would much rather HMC than Nassau. I wanted to stop there and Nassau was my least favorite.

[1kaper]

I realized after posting last night I confused some of the nights.

 

The comedy show was the night of St Thomas.

 

On our Sea Day we went to the Game Show of Love. It was entertaining, but I like that kind of stuff. I like hearing how people met and things like that. Our cruise director was Dr. E. I enjoyed him at the shows and stuff. I did not enjoy him during announcements. He sang "Good Morning, I said a good morning, good good good good morning" or something along those lines every single morning (sometimes more than once) and the same in the evening. Don't ask me why but it drove me nuts.

 

I also bought a Swarvoski bracelet from the Fun Shops. It was 10% off but the price was the same everywhere else I looked. The lady who waited on me, Maxine from Jamaica, was awesome. She remembered me from the "free alcohol" thing (DH participated and she asked me why I wasn't) and we chatted a bit about kids and family. She also gave me her recipe for Jamaican jerk.

 

San Juan, Puerto Rico 7am - 3:30 pm

 

We did breakfast in the dining room again. I think I actually prefer it even though you get pretty much the same food. As mentioned, we liked the corned beef hash. I also ordered a waffle with stewed bananas and strawberry. I don't think I saw the stewed banana at the buffet and it was very good.

 

I had read that Old San Juan was really nice to just walk around and the forts were very accessible so we planned to just explore that day. I kind of wish I had been a little more organized.

 

Getting off the ship was a breeze, since we went a little later, probably closer to 9. There were a ton of people outside offering 1 hour tours for $10. We were going to go back and get one but by the time we made it back, it would have been cutting it close so we didn't.

 

We started walking around with no map. Mistake #1. Eventually we did stumble on one of the forts. I think it was around $5 for admission so we went in to check it out. By this time it was starting to get really, really hot. I'm pretty fair and don't do heat really well so walking may not have been the ideal option for this port.

 

There were some nice views from the fort

 

 

 

The cruise ship

[1kaper]

I stopped in the washroom for a minute. I admit, I was hot, but not that hot. (in case it doesn't read well it says Caution - non potable water, do not drink)

 

After leaving the fort, we noticed a trolley stop. We asked a few people and learned that it was a free hop on, hop off trolley. Unfortunately the stop had no shade and we had no idea when it would be coming by. We decided to walk back downtown and find it somewhere else when we caught it at another stop on the other side of the fort.

 

One of the passengers was talking to another. He was apparently a tour guide who was just getting off work and gave us a few points about the city. He also told us what stop to get off for some shopping.

 

We passed by the second fort but I was just not up for wandering around in the heat

 

We got off in the area he suggested and spent some time wandering in and out of shops. There was lots there for pretty much anything you are looking for. Art, jewelry (both expenisve and more affordable, handmade stuff too), souvenirs, regular clothing stores like Guess. I found a nice pair of earrings for my mom which was my main goal. Then we wandered back to the ship. As I mentioned we planned on grabbing one of those tours but time was too close. We *could* have made it but any type of delay would have caused problems :D

 

There isn't much in the cruise terminal itself, just a duty free shop and a little store.

 

NOTE - this little store offers the map with the trolley stops.

 

I did stop in to buy myself a bottle of rum for my post pregnancy days suggested by the guy on the trolley then back to the ship.

 

My husband carried the rum, in the duty free bag, put it through the scanner. It wasn't until we were getting off the elevator that we realize he still had the bag. I expected someone to take it from us, it wasn't our intention to keep it since I don't even plan on opening it for months.

 

It was still pretty early so we changed into bathing suits and went to the aft pool, managing to get some loungers in the shade. I went with the Blue Iguana Cantina for lunch. We sailed the Breeze in 2012 and this was one of my favorite things along with Guy's Burger. I was not disappointed. I haven't tried the fish but the chicken and pork tacos are awesome, pork being my favorite. I meant to ask for the recipe or at least hints, but forgot.

They also offer breakfast burritos in the morning. Not my thing but if you like that stuff, check it out.

 

I also grabbed a bit of curry apple potato salad from the buffet to try and it was very good.

 

While getting ready for supper that night I asked my husband for my bracelet. When we bought it we went directly to the Game Show of Love then to our room, so he put it in his pocket. He didn't have it. After checking all his clothes, I vaguely remember trying it on again and debating whether to wear it then (it didn't go with anything). That's all I remember. We checked the whole room and all our pockets, no bracelet. I checked with Guest Services and no one had turned it in. Best I can figure is I dropped it in the theatre (we checked our seats) :mad: I also mentioned to our cabin stewart in case she came across it after we left. It never turned up when we packed. I was pretty heartbroken.

[1kaper]

The Past Guest party (or whatever they are calling it now) was also scheduled for this afternoon. We received our invites the night before in our cabin. This was our first one so I was anxious to check it out. We arrived on time and it seemed it was already underway, waiters everywhere with trays of drinks and appetizers. They had some performers singing.

We were quick to get a drink and she had some non-alcoholic ones with her as well. Thanks to the boards here, I knew we could order a different drink so hubby ordered a beer.

I've seen complaints about past parties where it was hard to get a drink or waiters were slow. That was not the case here, for drinks at least.

 

The food was a little slower and harder to come by. It was too loud to ask the waiter what the food was, my husband tried and said it was salmon. I tried to ask one of the waitresses if it was raw but she just shrugged her shoulders, so I avoided it just in case. The other things I can remember was a ham sandwich (can't eat), a tomato mozarella thing and what we found out after was a bacon cheesecake. All in all, i didn't get to eat any of them.

 

After the performers, they did a few minutes of talking, showed a video history of all the ships, called the head staff up on stage and pretty much wrapped it up. There were still trays of drinks going around when we left.

 

For supper -

 

I ordered that Masitas de Puerco Fritas - they were chunks of pork marintated overnight then fried and served with cilantro and pepper sauce.

 

They were very tasty, the meat was dry but the flavor was awesome.

 

 

My husband went with the Caesar salad, which has always been a favorite of mine. I asked two different waiters if the dressing was made with raw eggs, however, I didn't really get an answer. Both seemed confused by my question, then told me there were anchovies in it then said no to the eggs. I wasn't really confident with the answer so I chose to avoid anyway.

 

I ordered the Chicken Milanese. Honestly it was the worst dish I had on the ship. There was no flavor to the chicken or the sauce.

 

 

He ordered the short ribs. I cant remember the details and the online menu I can find isn't the same.

I didn't try it but he liked it.

 

 

Dessert was Carnival Melting Chocolate Cake for him and a cheesecake with mango sorbet and tropical fruit relish and chill.

I wasn't a fan of the cheesecake so I ate the sorbet and some of his :D

 

I had skipped my afternoon nap for the pool and Past Guest Party so I was too tired to do anything else. We were too late for the Hasbro Game show and I think the rest of the stuff that interested us was much later.

Edited March 7, 2014 by 1kaper

[wb3690]

thanks for sharing!!!! two weeks until I go!

[1kaper]

Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos 11am - 5:30pm

 

Again our primary goal of the stop was just to relax. Usually we like to do excursions but I was limited in what I could do so this trip was about relaxing on the beach.

 

Approaching Grand Turk. It was absolutely beautiful. There was another ship in port so I couldn't get a good shot across the island until we were leaving. The light wasn't as good then though.

 

The water was really clear. From our balcony we could see the bottom of the piers in the water. I bet it would have been a nice place to do a dive or snorkel here and will probably do that if we return.

 

The port in Grand Turk is right on the beach. As soon as you get off the ship there is a Margaritaville with a pool and beach access, plus a bunch of shops.

Carnvial offers a cabana rental package that I've read some good things about. The air conditioned cabanas are around the pool and you can lock them if you want to go down to the beach or to the shops. I considered getting one, but after reading about Jack's Shack, we decided to head down there.

 

To the right side of the dock is supposed to be the quieter area. I had read about the whale statue and wanted to go get a picture but forgot until we were getting back on. It was kinda late so we opted to for get it.

 

Margaritaville and beach to the left

 

This was on the way back to the ship so it was pretty empty, but just wanted to show the beach area at Margaritaville. There were also tons of chairs under the trees in shade (I like to find shade :D)

 

Pool area

 

While we were looking for quiet and relaxing, Margaritaville definitely looked like the fun place to be.

[1kaper]

There are a few bars along the beach we didn't check out. We headed straight for Jack's. It wasn't a long walk, didn't time it though.

 

 

 

We rented two chairs and an umbrella for $25 (10 each for the chairs, 5 for the umbrella) which is one of the more reasonable prices we've seen. I think the chairs in Margaritaville are free but I still felt this was worth it. There were only a handful of people around us. They had some music playing and it happened to be my favorites :D

My husband bought a bucket of beer, sorry, I can't remember the price. From what I've read its a bit cheaper than Margaritaville but some other places might have better prices.

 

 

View of the ship from Jack's (the Costa left early)

[crazycruzer68]

Thank you so much for this Monday pick me up. I think Grand Turk is amazing with its clear water and white sand. Any more photos of GT to share?

 

 

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[1kaper]

One thing Jack's Shack is famous for is their Jerk Chicken. The other thing - Topher the dog. He's really friendly, full of sand and loves to dig for crabs

 

What can I say, I'm a dog person

 

My new best buddy for the day hanging out while I read

 

And digging for crabs

 

 

They have a little souvenier shop inside. We bought a couple of beer cozies and my husband got a tshirt.

 

Having read about the Jerk chicken and being a huge fan of it, I had to try it.

It was good. Not the best I've had, that was in Jamaica, but still tasty. The fries were regular old frozen fries, nothing special.

 

 

The staff were friendly. A lot of people were hanging around the bar talking. I noticed a few staff members from the ship there too. I chatted with the bartender a few minutes but spent most of my time on the beach, when I wasn't using the wifi - bonus FREE WIFI! It was much better if you were up on the deck.

 

From the deck

[wb3690]

Grand Turk is why I booked this cruise! cannot wait!!!

[1kaper]

I think we started to head back to the ship around 4:15. I wanted to check out the shops. In the way of port shops, this was my favourite. They had a wide variety of stuff in a wide variety of price ranges. There were two stores that had a lot of beachwear, hats, covers ups, dress, shoes, and jewelry that were so beautiful. It was a little pricey for some of the stuff but normally I would have splurged except most of it won't fit this summer and our trip was almost over.

 

I did buy a pair of handmade sea glass earrings from that store for $20. The lady who made them was there at the time. She had a lot of beautiful pieces, much nicer than mine, these were the cheapest ones.

 

Yes, I just took these pics.

 

I also got these for $5 in another store. I love big earrings.

 

 

We wandered back on ship pretty much right on time and went to our balcony for sail away. We were able to catch sight of a whale on the way out.

 

Grand Turk as we were leaving

 

Sunset

 

 

St Thomas was the stop I most looked forward to, however, I think Grand Turk ended up being my favorite. We had a perfect day, not even a cloud in the sky. The water was so clear and warm, the warmest of all the stops. The beach didn't have that jammed packed we are on vacation with a thousand other people feel, very relaxing, exactly what we were looking for. I would have liked to explore some more.

 

That night was also our second Elegant night. I didn't feel much like dressing up and DH only does it because I want to so we opted for the buffet instead. I didn't take pics of the food but I had ham, potato salad, a warm pasta salad, stuffed mushroom (only thing I did not like) and can't really remember what else. We both liked the majority of what we had, no complaints. Dessert wasn't as good as the MDR but we managed to find something to share, some white chocolate and mocha mousse.

 

Afterwards we headed out to the Dive in Theatre to watch Upside Down. We brought along our robes, but it was so warm they weren't even needed.

Edited March 10, 2014 by 1kaper

[1kaper]

Grand Turk is why I booked this cruise! cannot wait!!!

 

It is definitely a good reason. My favourite stop for sure. Have fun!

[1kaper]

Fun Day at Sea

 

We had spent the whole week lounging around the aft pool, we decided today we would hang around the main pool. Unfortunately we got up a little late and it was almost impossible to get a spot. Lots of chairs with towels but no people :confused:

 

I finally did snag two behind the screen on one of the upper levels. There were about 5 or 6 all in a row, I picked the two end ones since they were in the sun. Another lady came and sat down one away from me. After being there awhile three people came along quite upset that lady and now a few others, had taken their chairs. They found their towels under the chair. I can say, when I got there, there were no towels, the lady did not move them intentionally. It was really windy.

 

They played The Goonies on the big screen, then some music. In the afternoon there was the Mr and Mrs Glory contest or something, I didn't watch then Groove for St Judes.

 

We headed back to the room early, napped and packed for tomorrow. With FTTF we were given zone one tags for our bags. We didn't have any real plans although we were staying in Miami so we decided not to self assist and put our bags out that night.

 

Last meal of the cruise -

 

Even though we were YTD and went at different times, we usually ended up in the same two sections. This time it was a whole different one. I don't know if it was because it was the last night or what but it was the worst service. Our table wasn't fully set, the water pitcher was half empty. No one offered drinks. No big deal to us but the couple next to us was looking for a drink. When he finally did get his beer and opened it, it exploded all over him. :eek:

 

They came with the bread but we had no butter.

 

I ordered the clam chowder. When it was delivered, I noticed no salt and pepper. Flagged down a waiter to get it and eventually just borrowed some from a nearby table. It was good, nothing special.

 

DH had the mussels. Again, good, no real complaint but nothing outstanding.

 

For a main I went with the Jerk pork loin. At this point I still hadn't figured out the menu. After having some mains with a side and some without, I wasn't sure. The dish described only the meat so I ordered a potato and Ratatouille as a side.

 

And it came like this

 

 

 

I am no jerk expert so I don't know if there are different flavours but this to me tasted more like a Teryaki sauce than anything. That said, it was still very, very good. I liked it a lot. The rice with it was also very tasty. I didn't eat the potato or ratatouille.