Journal of a 105-Drinks' (7-Day) Cruise to the Mexican Riviera on the Carnival Panorama with Pics

[vanislandcruisers]

This will be a lengthy Journal of our April 27^th – May 4^th, 2024, Cruise on the Carnival Panorama to the Mexican Riviera (Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and Cabo San Lucas). This was our Itinerary:

 

April 26^th         Ride to YYJ

AC 8150           YYJ     8:10am                       YVR    8:42am

AC 554             YVR    10:55am                     LAX    13:54pm

Car Service to Hotel Maya

April 27^th        Carnival Panorama              Depart Long Beach, CA at 4:00pm

April 28^th        A Relaxing & Fun Day at Sea

April 29^th        A Relaxing & Fun Day at Sea                                                                                 

April 30^th        Puerto Vallarta, MX              9:00am – 9:00pm

May 1^st           Mazatlán, MX                         9:30am – 5:30pm                              

May 2^nd          Cabo San Lucas, MX              6:30am – 2:30pm

May 3^rd           A Relaxing & Fun Day at Sea

May 4^th           Arrive in Long Beach, CA

 

This 1^st Post is an introduction to “Us”.

 

The 2^nd Post will show the “Why?” we decided on this/these Cruise(s), the “How?” we planned out the Cruise(s) starting with ‘How we booked the Cruise(s)?’ and ‘Why we booked the way we did?’, our Pre-Cruise Planning, as well as Flights, Hotel, and any necessary Transport. Then it continues with a big one for me because I LOVE my Food, which is our Onboard ‘EATS’ planning, followed by our Port Planning, Wi-Fi and Cheers! Package and our Overall Spending for this Cruise and the entire Trip.

 

The 3^rd Post is where you will want to start if you want to follow along from the start of our trip.

 

And Post #4 is where you will want to go if you want to start reading from Day 1 of the Carnival Panorama Cruise

 

I do numerical Conclusions as I go along:

·         Some state what’s obvious to all…or should be.

·         Some state what’s obvious to me…maybe not to others.

·         Some allow me to use sarcasm which is how I hug.

·         And some allow me to show a sense of humour that I think I have…and others sometimes think I have.

 

Us

            Dee (50) and I, Jim, (60), live in Victoria, British Columbia, and we have been together for 20 years, married for almost 12. I had taken a Cruise in 1987 on the TSS Mardi Gras, Carnival’s 1^st Cruise Ship, so when we decided to take our 1^st ‘actual’ Vacation together in January of 2008 we chose a 7-day Carnival Freedom Cruise out of Miami, FL.

Since 2008, cruisin’ has been our main mode of vacationing. As of this writing we have cruised together on 1 Norwegian Cruise, 4 Princess Cruises (all Alaska), 6 Celebrity Cruises (the 6^th  started the day we got off the Panorama), and 20 Carnival Cruises (3 future bookings which are October 14^th, 2024 on the Carnival Venezia and November of 2025 on a B2B on the Carnival Horizon) ….and we have had a GREAT TIME on all our Cruises. Conclusion #821 – You could put us in a Rowboat with Snacks and a Bar and we’d be happy.

            We like to laugh and whether it’s at ourselves or with others makes no difference. We are who we are and don’t take ourselves too seriously. It shouldn’t take long to figure out what kind of people and cruisers we are – Conclusion # 822 – Thirsty and Fun-loving is the easiest answer –  and if you follow along, we hope you enjoy us ‘reliving it’ as much as we did ‘living it’.

            Except for the TSS Mardi Gras Cruise I did in 1987 without Dee – Conclusion #823 – We hadn’t met yet and then there’s the fact she was only 14 years old at that time – in an Inside Cabin, Dee and I have only cruised with a Balcony/Verandah Cabin even if it meant getting a Suite on Carnival’s Fantasy Class Ships that we have cruised on (Carnival Paradise, Carnival Inspiration and Carnival Sensation).

            For the most part we don’t pinch pennies when we are on vacation and are always looking for ‘What is the best and easiest way to do this?’ even if it costs a little bit more. We like the trip to, the vacation itself, and the trip home to be as comfortable as it can be for us without being silly with costs. 

 

 

We joined Cruise Critic in 2007 and have enjoyed reading and following along with others’ Trip Reports, Journals and/or Reviews and we have submitted a few Journals/Trip Reports of our own prior to this one but it has been a while; they have all been Carnival Cruises with the last Journal being our 2017 Carnival Splendor Cruise....if you want to have a look at them they can be found through our Profile.

 

PS - the spelling of words will be the Canadian Version 🙂 ie  humour (CDN) vs humor (US of A)

[vanislandcruisers]

Why?

 

2023 brought Milestone Birthdays for the both of us with Dee’s 50^th in July and my 60^th in November so we did have an extra special year as far as making memories goes.

 

We were on a 7-day Carnival Panorama Cruise on January 21^st, 2023, which we had planned as the 1^st adventure of our 2023 #yearlong50thand60thbirthdayscelebration. This Cruise turned out to be the last one doing the Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta Port order as all of the 7-day the Panorama Cruises after that would have a reverse Port order.

 

We got off the Panorama in January of ’23 we Ubered to Disneyland for 3 Nights and then Ubered back to Long Beach on the Tuesday for a 5-day Carnival Miracle Cruise with 2 days in Cabo San Lucas.

A few weeks after we got back from the Cruises, we received a few different Casino Offers offering us a FREE Inside Cabin or a FREE Ocean View Cabin or a FREE Balcony Cabin with ‘Drinks On Us’ in the Casino on any length Cruise we chose with the following conditions:

·         the Offers were ‘capacity controlled’,

·         we could use the Offers on up to 5 Cruises provided the Cruise(s) was/were booked by April 1^st, 2023, and the Cruise(s) departed by December 31^st, 2024.

 

Initially we didn’t pay any attention to the offers but then one night, likely with drinks involved, we talked about the fact that both of the Carnival Panorama cruises we had done (December of 2019 and January of 2023) hadn’t gotten a fair shake and the true Dee and Jim experience due to some extenuating circumstances.

 

When I woke up the morning of December 14^th, 2019 at our Hotel in Anaheim, CA, which was the morning we were boarding the Panorama’s very 1^st 7-day Cruise, there was a message from my Sister, Sandra, that our Dad, who was 89 at the time, had passed away during the night. While his health had been failing for a while it still came as a shock. I phoned each of my Sisters and we shared some tears before we made the following decisions together:

·         we were not going to have a Service this close to Christmas;

·         we would do something in early January,

·         Dee and I would continue with our Cruise and we would book our flights to Nova Scotia when we got back to Victoria after the Cruise as my Sisters would have had a chance to finalize the Service arrangements for our Dad.

 

That cruise was a blur to me and with Cabo being our 1^st Port on that itinerary I ended up overindulging Conclusion # 824 – No 15 Drink Limit in Cabo San Lucas – to the point that we missed our Indian Cooking Class that evening –  Conclusion #825 – Dee wasn’t taking me anywhere “in that condition”, – and I was so hungover the next day that I was a waste of space on our Stone Island Excursion. Have you ever been on a Scenic Boat Tour on the way to Stone Island off the Coast of Mazatlán by a Group of Islands that some graciously call what translates to the White Islands, but in reality, the Locals call them what translates to the ‘Birdsh*t Islands’ with a hangover? That smell!!!!  Update to Conclusion #821– You could put us in a Rowboat with Snacks and a Bar anywhere but close to the Birdsh*t Islands in Mazatlán and we’d be happy.

 

And about 60 days prior to our January 2023 Panorama Cruise, my oldest Sister, Gail, who was 68 at the time, and who I was extremely close with, passed away unexpectedly and, despite Dee and I doing our best to have a good time there was still a cloud hanging over the entire trip. We found solace by spending most of our time on the Ship during that Cruise at the Pig and Anchor Bar with our new friend, Andre, who spent most of his time on that Cruise on the other side of the Bar at the Pig and Anchor making us drinks. 

     

So, one evening, again with beverages in hand, we started looking at Cruises with 2024 in mind and decided we’d like to give the Carnival Panorama another ‘shot’ for the above reasons, and we’d like to do it in some warmer weather as we found the December 2019 and January 2023 Panorama Cruises a little chillier than we hoped.

 

‘How?’

 

Cruise(s) Planning

 

We couldn’t get a FREE Balcony on the Panorama for the time we were looking at but were able to get either a FREE Ocean View or a FREE Inside. We decided to pay the upgrade cost and get a Cove Balcony (Cabin 2279) for $390.00 + Taxes & Port fees/person. We had to pay a $ 100.00/person non-refundable deposit which would be converted to OBC once booked. And because we had such a reduced rate, we didn’t bother our TA with the booking and just booked it ourselves.

 

10 days later we used one of the Offers to book a FREE Balcony Cabin on the Carnival Venezia for October 14^th, 2024, and again we didn’t bother our TA….2024 was set Cruise wise…or so we thought.

I was on the Celebrity Cruises’ site in early May of 2023 looking at our July and November 2023 Cruises when I got an email from Celebrity with an advertisement for a Pacific Coastal Cruise from Los Angeles (San Pedro) to Vancouver in May of 2024. I checked the date, and the Celebrity Cruise would leave San Pedro on May 4^th; the same day we would get off the Carnival Panorama. The ‘original’ itinerary was as follows:

·         Day 1 – Embarkation: San Pedro, CA

·         Day 2 – Santa Barbara, CA

·         Day 3 – San Francisco, Ca

·         Day 4 – Sea Day

·         Day 4 – Astoria, OR

·         Day 5 – Victoria, BC

·         Day 6 – Debarkation: Vancouver, BC

Hmmmm………was my thought.

 

A few days later I mentioned to Dee that ‘we should make it a 2-week Vacation and, rather than flying home from LA, we should cruise up the Coast on the Celebrity Summit. She said “That would be nice” so the next day I called our TA in Williamsport, PA to see if they had any Groups, ideally in Canadian Funds, we could piggyback on….she didn’t have a Group out of her Office but the Company of which she is a franchisee did, so I asked her to send me an email with pricing and the Group Amenities.

 

Our TA sent me an email with the pricing, which was in USD, along with the Group Amenities which included Gratuities, the Classic Drink Package, and $ 450.00 US in OBC. I spoke to Dee and we decided to book it, which we did on June 9^th. We booked Cabin 8148, a Concierge Veranda Cabin on Deck 8 towards the Aft of Ship; the Aft being our preferred location while cruising.

On July 5^th I received an ‘Upgrade Your Cabin’ Offer from Carnival which would cost us a total of $ 88.00 USD to move from Deck 2 to Deck 9 on the Panorama. I would normally avoid Deck 9 due to noise from the Lido Deck above us but with the following information I decided to act on the Upgrade:

·         We had a Cove Balcony on our 1^st Carnival Panorama Cruise and while we didn’t dislike it, it wasn’t anything special to us, so we didn’t feel the need to ‘experience’ one again.

·         Jim is known to have  ≥ 15 whilst on vacation and doesn’t have any trouble falling asleep/passing out 😊.

·         Dee is known to have ≥ 15 whilst on vacation and doesn’t have any trouble falling asleep/passing out 😊

·         Jim is an early riser so noise in the morning won’t bother him.

·         Dee wears ear plugs because Jim snores and thus can sleep through anything so noise in the morning shouldn’t bother her.

We ended upgrading to Cabin 9452, which is pretty much directly below the Pizzeria del Capitano….thinking it should be a quiet spot with no noise coming from up there late at night…foresight tells me the people making the most amount of noise up there will probably be us….we will see where hindsight lands us.

 

On December 6^th, 2023 our friends Rick and Leslee, from Arizona, (See 2017 Carnival Splendor Journal for the story on how we met them) who were 2 of the 25 friends who had just been on the Celebrity Reflection with us for my 60^th, messaged and said they were ‘booked on the Panorama and coming with us’. Conclusion #826 – WOOT WOOT!!!!  

 

Flights, Hotel, Final Payment(s) and Transport

 

On June 19^th, 2023, not needing a RT Flight, I booked 2 one-way Tickets in Premium Economy with pre-paid Meals on Air Canada from YYJ (Victoria) to LAX (Los Angeles) via Vancouver (YVR) for April 26^th, 2024 using a Companion Pass through our Aeroplan American Express Card.

That same day I booked the Hilton Long Beach, where we have stayed once before, on a Hilton Honors Semi-Flex Rate.

 

On September 25^th, 2023 I cancelled our Hotel stay at the Hilton Long Beach and rebooked us at the Hotel Maya – A DoubleTree by Hilton property where we have stayed twice before. It was $ 36.92 US more than the Hilton Long Beach but for us it’s a better location, with better views and we would not need a Taxi in the morning as we could simply walk to the Port or get one of Hotel Maya Staff Members to shuttle us over to the Dome as we have done in the past… + we could use the Passport Bus (Free Public Transit) if we wanted to go into downtown Long Beach on the Friday Night.

I pre-arranged a Car Service from LAX to the Hotel Maya through Nick’s Limousine Service on April 24^th.

 

We made our Final Payment on January 3^rd for the Carnival Panorama Cruise so including Taxes and Port Fees and pre-paid Gratuities our cost was $ 1,331.40 US ($ 1,846.72 CDN) for an 8D Balcony Cabin and we had ‘Drinks On Us’ in the Casino + $ 200.00 in OBC included with the Booking.

 

In early February I submitted an e-Upgrade Request to move from Premium Economy to Business Class for our April 26^th Flight from Vancouver (YVR) to Los Angeles (LAX) through my Aeroplan Account. I wasn’t holding out much hope that the Request would be accepted as I expected Business Class to be full on this route, especially on a Friday afternoon.

 

‘Eats’ Onboard

 

We started the planning for the Panorama as soon as we got the email confirmation from Carnival that we were booked and 1^st up was EATS. We chose Anytime Dining as our Main Dining Room choice. We used the $ 200.00 OBC on

·         March 5^th, 2023 to book the Steakhouse for 7:00pm on the 1^st Night ($ 48.00/person)

·         June 13^th, 2023 to book Cucina del Capitano for 7:00pm on the 3^rd Night ($ 18.00/person)

·         JiJi Asian Kitchen for 7:00pm on the 5^th Night ($ 18.00/person) and

·         the remainder of the OBC ($ 32.00) + Cash to book the Bonsai Teppanyaki ($ 44.84/person) for 7:15pm on the 7^th Night.

 

This would leave us in the Main Dining Room on the 2^nd, 4^th , and 6^th nights.

On January 23^rd, 2024, with Rick and Leslee now joining us on the Panorama, we cancelled our Cucina and JiJi’s Reservations on the 3^rd and 5^th Nights with Plans for the four of us to go to the Main Dining Rooms on those evenings.

 

Rick and Leslee booked the Steakhouse and Bonsai Teppanyaki for the same nights and times we did with a plan to visit or contact the Steakhouse once on the Ship, to see if they could sit us at a 4-Top instead of 2 @ 2-Tops the 1^st Night.

I spent the next 2½ months looking at Menus for the Main Dining Rooms, the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, and Bonsai Teppanyaki, while pestering Dee with the question “What are you gonna have to eat?”

 

Port Plans

 

Puerto Vallarta – This would be our 5^th time in Puerto Vallarta on a Cruise; we did have one stop in PV in 2009 on the Carnival Splendor foiled due to the Swine Flu outbreak in Mexico which turned our 7-day Mexican Riviera Cruise into 6 Sea Days and a damp, chilly stop in San Fransisco. On the previous 4 stops we have done the following:

·         2010 – An early morning Swim with the Dolphins at the Aquaventuras Park in Nuevo Vallarta (non-Carnival Excursion) and then spent the rest of the morning and afternoon at the Dreams Resort on a Day Pass (non-Carnival Excursion) before having Dinner and Drinks and watching the Sunset at the Cheeky Monkey Restaurant/Bar and then exploring the Malecon.

·         2016 – Spent the morning and early afternoon on the Malecon at the Sea Monkey Beach Bar before spending the late afternoon and evening at the Cheeky Monkey on the Malecon.

·         2019 – Spent the morning and early afternoon wandering the Malecon and having some eats and drinks at a couple of different Beach Bars on the Malecon before going to Rhythms of the Night (Carnival Excursion) in the evening.

·         2023 – met friends from Victoria at Andele’s Restaurant & Bar in the Romantic Zone before spending the rest of the afternoon and early evening at the Sea Monkey Beach Bar on the Malecon.

 

November 27^th, 2023 saw us book the Exclusive Majahuitas Beach Cove (9:00am – 2:00pm) for our stop in Puerto Vallarta and we chose to pay for that ourselves and not use any OBC so the Excursion cost us $ 299.98 US ($ 411.41 CDN).

We planned to shower, change, grab a snack, if need be, and then Uber or take a Taxi down to the Romantic Zone and meet up with Rick and Leslee at Andele’s Restaurant and Bar and then play the rest of our time in PV by ear.

 

Mazatlán – This would be our 4^th time to Mazatlán on a Cruise and on 2 occasions we did Stone Island through an Excursion Company, and the other time we took a Taxi to the Golden Zone, wandered the area a little and then spent several hours at Lucky B’s Cantina & Grill where we had some of the BEST Shrimp we’ve ever had.

 

 . We were torn between the following:

·         taking a Taxi to the Golden Zone Taxi, wandering the Beach and having Lunch at Lucky B’s Cantina Grill

·         doing a Day Pass at Hotel Playa Mazatlán thanks to @deladane’s Review of their day there or

·         walking down to the Playa Sur Embarcadero and taking the Ferry over to Stone Island and setting up camp at one of the Beach Bars over there for the day.

We decided to make Mazatlán a ‘day-of’ decision but were leaning towards the last option.

 

Cabo San Lucas – This would be our 9^th time in Cabo San Lucas on a Cruise, and we planned to take the Platinum/Diamond Priority Water Shuttle (Tender) Service over to Cabo and wander around on our own once our feet were on the ground.

 

Wi-Fi and Drink(s) Packages and Overall Costs

 

On December 7^th, 2023, we bought the Social WiFi Plan for each of us before the pricing went up the next day. This cost us $ 178.50 US total ($ 248.78 CDN) for the 2 of us for the 7-days.

 

 

Cheers! Drink(s) Package + The Stress That Comes With It

 

On April 26^th we used the remaining $ 72.00 US in OBC we had towards the $ 990.38 US, including Gratuities, cost of the Cheers Package and had Amex take care of the rest.

 

The Carnival Cheers! Drink(s) Package is one of the only parts of Cruising I find stressful. I never felt stressed when having an Unlimited Drink Package on our 1 Norwegian Cruise or an any of our Celebrity or even on Princess, which has a similar 15 Drink Limit/Day with one major difference; Princess will allow you to purchase Drinks after 15 provided they think ‘you’re worthy’ which I wish Carnival would adapt. 

 

And this isn’t a debate about whether 15 Drinks in a Day is too many, not enough or just right. It’s about the feeling I get. The last thing I want to do on Vacation is worry, and unfortunately the Cheers Package causes me to worry… on Embarkation Day and all Sea Days it's almost like I get anxious as I get closer to 15 and on Port Days, I end up feeling anxiety about making sure we get our money’s worth. It's a 1^st World Problem for sure but I’d rather not have to pack Rum Runners in my Luggage knowing I am doing something ‘against the rules’ or pay for a ridiculously overpriced Bottle of Booze from Carnival after paying for the Cheers! Package just to ensure that if I want a drink, I can have one.

This is jut how I feel, nothing more.

 

Keeping Our Clothes Clean

 

We packed 1 Suitcase each for the 15 Nights and planned on using the Complimentary Wash & Fold Laundry Service from our Platinum status on Carnival (3 Bags each for Cruises 7 – 13 Days) while on the Panorama so that most of our clothes would be clean for the Celebrity Cruise.

 

Overall Costs

 

After paying off the balance of the Cheers Package for the Panorama (we did have ‘Drinks On Us’ when playing in the Casino but we don’t spend enough time in the Casino to justify not having Cheers for as much as we imbibe elsewhere as you will read) we had ‘Out of Pocket’ costs of $ 2,785.94 US ($ 3,900.32 CDN) for the Cruise, pre-paid Gratuities X 2, 1 Excursion X 2, Cheers, Social Wi-Fi X 2 + 2 Specialty Dinners X 2.

 

After adding in our Flights, Hotel for 1 Night and Car Service between LAX and the Maya we were at a Total of $ 5,073.26 Canadian before we left the House just for this Cruise….and we had another cruise starting the day we debarked this one.

 

NOW IT WAS TIME FOR THE FUN!!!

[tha sista]

I was hoping you would post a review!  

[vanislandcruisers]

April 26^th – Victoria to Long Beach and the Pre-Cruise Festivities

 

It was a normal wake-up for me and an early wake-up for Dee as we got up, showered, finished our last-minute packing, and got ready to head out for our 8:10am Flight from Victoria (YYJ) to Vancouver (YVR). My daughter arrived at 6:05am and I loaded up one of our Cars with our Luggage and met our goal of being on the road by 6:15am after saying “See ya in 2 weeks” to:

AXL...

 

Rosie...

 

 Conclusion # 827 – See what we did there?

 

And the Fishies and Corals.

 

 

It’s never easy to be away from the Dogs but with the knowledge that Dee’s Son/my Stepson, Josh, comes and stays at our House while we are away and the fact that AXL and Rosie absolutely LOVE their BIG BROTHER just as much as he LOVES them……

 

 

…..allows us to travel with the confidence that they are being well-cared for and loved LOTS. And as far as the Saltwater Fish Tank goes Josh feeds the Fish and Corals and we have the fellow who services our Tank stop by every 3 to 4 days while we are away to ensure everything is fine.

            We must say that as soon as AXL saw us taking the luggage out of the House the Cold Shoulder treatment began and this is the look he gave us as he saw us off:

 

 

Rosie, on the other hand, didn’t give 2 hoots as to what was happening:

 

 

There was very little traffic as we made our way out towards Victoria International Airport (YYJ) and we arrived at 6:40am. A quick stop by the Air Canada Priority Counter to drop off our Luggage, have our Passports verified as our 2^nd Flight was to the States – Conclusion #828 – Good Thing as that’s where the Cruise leaves from – and get our Boarding Passes had us in the outside smoking section at 6:45am.

 

Once through Security we made our way to Gate 8 to await our boarding call. Because of Dee’s claustrophobia we have to sit as close to the front of the Plane as possible with her in an Aisle Seat. The Plane we flew on was a De Havilland Dash 8-400 and we had pre-booked and pre-paid for Seat 1C for Dee, an Aisle Seat, and Seat 1A for me, a Window Seat, for the15- minute flight across the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver (YVR). In this Plane Row 1 consists of 2 Seats only which are on the left-hand side of the Plane if facing forward towards the Cockpit which were the Seats we had pre-booked. Row 2 has 4 Seats; 2A and 2C which were directly behind us, and 2D and 2F which were across the Aisle from 2A and 2C and that 4-seat/row configuration remains the same for the remainder of the Rows.   

  

They started boarding the Plane at 7:43am with an Announcement for those with Zone 1 on their Boarding Passes which would be for Air Canada’s Frequent Flyer Program (Aeroplan) Loyalty Members with 50k, 75K or Super Elite Status. If this Flight had Business or Signature Class Seating then those Passengers would have Zone 1 Boarding as well. They were boarding at both the front and back of the Plane with Rows 1 – 10 boarding at the front of the Plane and Rows 11 – 20 boarding at the rear.

 

Next up was Zone 2 which my 25K Status gets us if we are flying anything other than Business/Signature Class and once we heard the Zone 2 Call we headed out onto the Tarmac to board the Plane. It was a quick right once on the Plane as our Seats were right there and Dee sat down in ‘my’ Window Seat to allow me to get our Stuff in the Bin above our heads as there wasn’t a Bulkhead Wall between Row 1 and the Exit/Entrance Door. Conclusion #829 – Colour me Shocked that she sat in anything other than an Aisle Seat. As I opened the Overhead Storage the Flight Attendant said” I am Sorry Sir but that Bin is already full. You will have to find a Bin where the Door is still open.” We check our big Suitcases and purposely carry a minimal amount of personal items with us on the Plane; and in this case we had ‘my’ Travel Binder Conclusion #830 – MY NAME IS JIM AND I AM A BINDER BOY! – which contains everything we need for the Trip including Paperwork, Documents, Passports and Cash + my Wallet, a very small Knapsack and Dee’s Purse. And with this being Row 1 there wasn’t an opportunity for us to store anything ‘under the seat in front of us’.

 

The Door to the Overhead Bin continued to open even as I stopped pushing it and I fully expected to see Air Canada Supplies in there such as the Kit they would need to conduct the Safety Talk but to my surprise it was filled with 3 Passenger Carry-ons. I looked at the Flight Attendant and said “How is it possible that the Bin above the only 2 Seats in Row 1 is full when we are the only ones sitting in this Row?” As I looked over my shoulder there were 2 Passengers sitting in Seats 2D and 2F and 2 more Passengers behind us in Seats 3A and 3C and 2 more passengers back in Row 6 or so. The Flight Attendant was very quick to throw the Men in Seats 2D and 2F under the Bus when she replied “Sorry but those 2 Men” as she pointed at Row 2, Seats D and F “have taken up 2 Storage Bins between them.” I could easily spot the 2 Men she was referring to as they were the ones looking at their Shoes and not making eye contact with anyone. I ended up taking up a little space in the Bin above Row 3, Seats D and F.

 

As there wasn’t a Bulkhead Wall between Row 1 and the Exit/Entrance Door Dee remained in the Window Seat for the duration of the Flight – Conclusion #831 – Mark me as even more Shocked – which allowed to me to continue to try and make eye contact with “those 2 Men” to see who would be known from then on and remembered as Mr. Entitlement to me. – Conclusion #832 – Mark Dee as unshocked.

 

We departed on time and during the Flight I told Dee that ‘once we were at the Gate in Vancouver for her to just get off and go inside the Terminal and I would wait until the 1^st few Rows cleared, grab our stuff and meet her inside. We landed at YVR at 8:20am and Dee got off 1^st and then Mr. Entitlement 2D got up and started unloading his 3 pieces of “carry-ons’ from the Bin over my head. I looked at the Flight Attendant and said “Someone on the Plane is wearing a Cologne called Entitlement…I think it’s made by Ralph Lauren” which caused her to snicker while Mr. Entitlement 2D did and said nothing and immediately made his way off the Plane. Conclusion #833 If I was a Bird I know whose head I would crap on!

 

After the 1^st few Rows exited, I quickly grabbed the Binder, Dee’s Purse and the small Knapsack from the Bin above Row 3 and made my way inside the Terminal to meet up with Dee. 

 

We had received an email at 4:04am stating that our Flight to LAX was delayed until 11:45am from it’s original departing time of 10:45am so with a little over 3 hours before the next flight we decided to head outside for a smoke(s) and then made our way over to the United States Departures Area, went through Security, and then on to US Customs.

 

Dee had pre-filled our Information into the CBP MPC (US Customs and Border Patrol Mobile Passport Control) App and hit the ‘Submit’ icon just as we started heading towards USCBP. By using the App were greeted with a much shorter line – Conclusion # 834 – We were the only ones in it – than those who could use but had either chosen not to use the App, used the App and still went in  the wrong Lane or didn’t know the App existed.

 

Once on the other side of US Customs we made a quick stop at the Duty-Free Shop for a Bottle of Crown Royal before heading to Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge. We spent from 9:30am – 11:10am in Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge where we both had some breakfast ‘Eats’; Dee had a Coffee and I had a couple Crown and Cokes with Lots of Ice minus the Crown Conclusion #835 – NO CROWN FOR YOU!!!…until 11:00am.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boarding was scheduled to start about 11:15am so we made our way to Gate E74 with a few minutes to spare, arriving at 11:13am. Realization set in that the e-Upgrade Request I had submitted in January did not pay any dividends as we were 2^nd and 3^rd  on the List and they were already announcing that it was a full flight. So once Zone 2 was called we settled into Seats 12B and 12C which were in the 1^st row behind Business Class; the area we would have rather been sitting in. Conclusion #836 – Thankfully Mr. Entitlement 2D was not on this Flight to LAX so we were able to store our stuff in the Overhead Bin above our Seats. Mr Entitlement was not joining us, but we were soon joined by Mr. Sick 12A who sneezed, snorted, coughed, and blew his nose all the way to LAX.

 

We left the Gate at exactly 11:45am and the Wheels of the Plane left the Ground shortly thereafter and we were on our way to LAX.

 

Knowing we hadn’t taken our Flintstone Chewable Vitamins that morning we decided to reacquaint ourselves with the Bar Cart as soon as it dragged its stainless-steel self out into the Aisle and use alcohol to try and kill any germs we may be picking up from 12A. Soon enough you could hear gargling sounds coming from Seats 12B and 12C as Dee used 2 small Bottles of Champagne while I used 2 small Bottles of Canadian Club with a Splash of Coke to kill the germs.

 

 

 

Conclusion #837 – Red Licorice Sticks make excellent straws.

 

We ordered one additional round of drinks, purely for medicinal purposes, when our pre-paid Lunch arrived and otherwise remained extremely uncomfortable in this Bulkhead Row for the remainder of our Flight. We landed at LAX a little ahead of our new Arrival time and made our way off the Plane, through the Terminal and down to the Luggage Carousel to collect our two 50 pounders.  

 

We had prebooked and pre-paid for Car Service through Nick’s Limousine Service for our Ride to the Hotel Maya – a Double Tree by Hilton property. We had received a Text from Nick’s Limousine Service at 8:44am advising us that our Driver would be Dan who would be driving a Cadillac LYRIQ and we could reach him with the Number that was provided once we had our Luggage.

 

The carousel fired up after about 10 minutes and once we had our Suitcases, we contacted Dan, met him outside were on our way to Long Beach. Dan was a nice young man from Poland and the ride seemed like it took no time at all as we chatted with Dan the entire way.

 

We arrived at the Hotel Maya at 3:47pm and after Dan unloaded our Luggage. we gave him a Cash Tip and then made our way into the Hotel to check in.

 

 

 

 

It was an unusual Check-in and either the ‘Script’ they use is out of whack or the Front Desk Staff Member checking us in was working a Double-shift or had recently visited one of the Medical Offices in California where they have the Green Cross and the “Doctor Was In”:

 

Us: Hi. We are checking in for 1 Night.

FDSM: Welcome to the Hotel Maya. Name please?

Us: Last Name is ________.

FDSM: Welcome Mr. and Mrs. ________. I see you are a Hilton Honors member. Will you be parking a car with us?

Us: No car

FDSM: OK and I see you will be staying 1 Night with us. That is correct?

Us: That is correct.

FDSM: And will you be parking a Car with us for the Night?

Us: No, No car.

FDSM: And I see this Room is pre-paid and that you have booked a Water View Room. If I could get some ID and a Credit Card for any charges against the Room.

Us : (provide Credit Card)

FDSM: That processed fine, Thank you! And will you be parking a car with us this Afternoon.

Us: No, don’t need parking.

FDSM: Are you parking off-site?

Us: No, we just flew in from Canada today and we don’t have a Car.

FDSM: OK. Let me make a note that you don’t require parking. Have you stayed with us before?

Us: Yes On 2 occasions, once in 2009 and again in 2016. We LOVE the Location!!!

FDSM: So you are familiar with the layout?

Us: Yes

FDSM: And will you be needing parking?

Us: (Looking around for the hidden Cameras…didn’t see any) No, we don’t have a Car.

FDSM: OK. (Provides Map of the Property and shows us that we will be in Building 2) And where did you park at?

Us: We got dropped off here. We don’t have a car.

FDSM: I’m sorry. I thought you said you’d be parking here. (Gives us the Map, our Folder with the Room Keys and our Cookies)

Us: Thank you.

FDSM: And may I suggest that since you are staying in Building 2 the best place for you to park would be in this Section of the Parking Lot (Points to location on Map)

Us: Thanks for the advice.

 

We rolled our bags over to Building 2, got them up the 5 or 6 stairs, grabbed the Elevator to the 4^th Floor and headed over to Room #409 to check out the Room and the View.

 

Once in the Room we got semi-organized for the next morning, took a few minutes to decompress and freshen up and then I yelled “CRAP” Conclusion #838 – Not what I said – Dee. said “WHAT’S WRONG?”. I raised both my Hands and said “I forgot to get a Parking Pass”

 

 

The next 2 Pictures are the Views from our Room…Carnival Radiance was in Port getting ready to head out.

 

 

 

Once we were ready to get the Party started, we headed down to FUEGO at the Maya, the onsite Bar and Restaurant, to get some Drinks…and possibly a Snack.

 

 

 

 

It was beautiful out, so we decided to sit outside on the Patio and started out with a couple of Margaritas; a FUEGO Margarita for me and a Spicy Watermelon Margarita for Dee. Our Waiter brought us some Chips and Salsa to snack on.

 

 

It was beautiful out, so we decided to sit outside on the Patio and started out with a couple of Margaritas; a FUEGO Margarita for me and a Spicy Watermelon Margarita for Dee. Our Waiter brought us some Chips and Salsa to snack on.

 

A couple showed up and wandered over to the Railing by our Table to take in the views and I noticed he was covered head-to-toe in Dodgers clothing, Socks, Shorts, Shirt and Hat. I asked him if he ‘was an Angels Fan?’ and he replied “No I am a Los Angeles Dodgers Fan.”  His Wife laughed and elbowed him in his Dodger Blue and said “Look at his Shirt.; my Shirt said “Sarcasm. It’s How I Hug!”

 

Right away the conversation with them ended up extending to the Table immediately behind us as the man, who sitting with who we find out was his Wife, added his 2 cents to the Conversation and that is when we met Johnny and Dorisa. They were going on the Carnival Panorama and who we would see, along with the friends they were cruising with, a lot on the Ship.

The Dodgers Fan said they ‘were going to the Game that Night and were just waiting for their ride.’ Being a Blue Jays Fan I knew that the Dodgers were playing in Toronto that weekend and the Friday Game would have the 1^st game in the Series would have already started with it being a 7:08pm start in Toronto so I said “The Dodgers are in Toronto this weekend” He said “Yea, I know. We are going to the Twins and Angels Game” and we laughed and….laughed….laughed. Conclusion #839 – Closeted Angels Fan…I knew it…and the Angels lost 5 – 3.

Once the Angels fans left we invited Johnny and Dorisa to join us at our Table and that is where they spent the rest of the Night even after our Table size grew by 3 over the next few hours.

 

We had seen several people from this Group in the Pictures posted below gathering in the Parking Lot when we checked in. Throughout the next hour or two, from both eavesdropping and talking to a few from the Group, we found out that there was a Wedding and Reception happening this evening at the Maya…and they advised us to ‘watch for the Parade’.

 

A few minutes after Dorisa and Johnny joined us we saw a Portable DJ Station get wheeled below us:

 

 

and a few minutes after that we could hear Music and Laughing and Hooting and Hollering and Good Times happening!!! Eventually the Party came into view and there was Dancing and Singing and Celebrating and they were “MAKING IT RAIN!!!” as the Group moved slowly along the Walkway. There was a LOT of $$$$ being thrown into the Air for those in and around the Parade to collect.

 

 

 

We ended up finding out a fair bit about the Traditions we had witnessed as the Reception was being held on an outdoor, Ground Level Patio/Reception Area just below the Patio we were sitting on and we ended up running into a number of people from the Wedding/Reception throughout the next few hours.

 

It was about this point that I made the switch from Margaritas to Crown Royal and I made the same mistake I make the 1^st Day/Night every time we are in the States; I ordered a Double Crown and Coke with lots of Ice. Conclusion #840 – A Double in the States is probably Double a Double in Canada.  

 

We had made Plans to meet Leslee and Rick at the Front Desk when they arrived at the Hotel Maya around 6:00pm, let them get checked-in and settled, and then we’d have a Drink – Conclusion #841 – We’d already had more than a Drink – and decide what to do. We talked about catching the Passport Bus over to Shoreline Village for Dinner. But as we’d also be meeting up with Janet, a cruise-friend of ours who lives in the area, we decided it would be a good idea to stay where we were – Conclusion #842 – Dee wasn’t taking me anywhere.

 

Once Rick and Leslee arrived Hugs were exchanged, and we introduced them to Dorisa and Johnny and continued with the Liquid Refreshments

 

Janet arrived around 7:15pm and we spent the next few hours catching up – Conclusion #843 –Dee ended up spending more hours catching up with Janet than I did while the day’s intake of Crown Royal, El Jimador Tequila, and Canadian Club caught up with me 😊.

 

Dee, Jim and Janet

 

 

Dee and Janet

 

Janet has been on 4 Cruises with us since 2013, has been up to Victoria to stay with us and before our Panorama Cruise in 2019 and between our Panorama and Miracle cruises in 2023 she drove to Anaheim to visit us so it was Great to see her again.

 

I know there were more Drinks involved and I think there was some Food involved however I am certain there was a LOT of LAUGHS involved over the next little while.

 

Back Row L-R Johnny, Janet, Rick, Top of my Head

Front Row L – R Dorisa, Dee and Leslee

 

This may well have been the end of my Night; it was definitely the end of my memories of that Night.

 

 

I like my T-Shirts and just before the Cruise Dee had bought me a couple of new ones one of which says “Most likely to do an Irish Exit”. In Canada we describe someone who just gets up and either leaves the Bar or Nightclub or a Party at someone else’s Place or just gets up and goes to Bed when hosting a Party when they have had enough of the liquid festivities as doing an ‘Irish Exit’. Conclusion #844 – That’s Me; I am THAT Guy. I told Dee on our very 1^st Date that “I am THAT Guy.” I made a promise to her that I would tell her that “I have to go” and if she decides she doesn’t want to leave and/or end her ‘festivities’ at that time that that’s fine but I am still going. I have, for the most part, always recognized when I have had enough and at some point this night this night I had had enough. Conclusion #845 – And In true Canadian Fashion “Sorry Janet”.

 

More to Come....

Edited June 13 by vanislandcruisers
Hit Submit too soon :)

[vanislandcruisers]

1 hour ago, tha sista said:

I was hoping you would post a review!  

Thanks Maria....We did this Cruise and the Celebrity Cruise that followed in typical Dee and Jim fashion 😉

 

[tha sista]

5 minutes ago, vanislandcruisers said:

Thanks Maria....We did this Cruise and the Celebrity Cruise that followed in typical Dee and Jim fashion 😉

 

Conclusion #1–this is exactly what I would expect 😂

[vanislandcruisers]

April 27^th – Day 2 – Welcome Back to the Carnival Panorama

 

We had neglected to close the Blinds to the Room, so I woke up with the Sunrise Saturday Morning and Dee woke up shortly after. I felt GREAT; so GREAT in fact that all I said when Dee told me she ‘Paid for the Bill the Night before and it was $ 381.64 US ($ 535.49 CDN)’ was “We are on Vacation”. Still feeling GREAT I agreed to go with Dee on her ‘walk’. I ‘run’ to the Bank or the Liquor Store or the Grocery Store; I don’t go on a run or a walk for exercise but here I was, still with a BAC higher than what would allow me to legally drive, going on a ’walk’ just after sunrise.  The expectation that I would keep up to Dee’s pace when walking, which would be jogging for most people and with me being one of ‘most people’, was not met.

 

We started walking along the Path between the Hotel Maya and the Water towards the Queen Mary and the Bubble and as expected Dee was well ahead of me. I stopped to talk to a few guys who were fishing wondering what ‘they were fishing for?” and by the time I passed the Queen Mary and arrived at the Bubble, Dee was nowhere to be found. She had looped around and walked along the Roadway back to the Maya.

 

I headed back to the Maya along the same Path I had been on and met Dee back at the Maya. We decided to go for Breakfast at Fuego and were seated inside at a Table for 2.

 

 

The Drink Menu was a nice touch but was not used just yet this morning.

 

 

It was shortly before my Order, consisting of 2 Eggs over-hard, Pork Sausage, Sourdough Toast with Strawberry Jam and a side of Applewood Smoked Bacon, arrived that my Hangover pulled up a chair and joined us at the Table. And it was at this time I realized I had made some ‘pour’ decisions the day, afternoon, and evening before. Despite ordering a Breakfast that had enough food for 2 people all I could eat was Water. It was just before 8:00am so once Dee finished eating her Breakfast I got a ‘To Go’ Container for my food and then we headed up to the Room where we saw the Carnival Panorama pulling into Port. Dee got into the Shower while I crawled back into Bed to try and sleep ‘it’ off.

 

I woke up for the 2^nd time that day at about 10:00am and felt like $ 900,000.00 less than a ‘million dollars’ but it was a $100k improvement from 2 hours earlier. A nice Hot Shower gained me a few hundred thousand more in the ‘feeling better’ department and after shakily pouring the contents of the Bottle of Crown Royal I purchased at the Duty Free Shop at YVR the day before into 2 separate Rum Runner Flasks and packing those in my Suitcase I went in search of Dee, Leslee, and Rick and found them on the Patio at Fuego – Conclusion #846 – Not sure but it feels like I have been here before – and after a some fresh air I was almost feeling like myself.

 

We checked out of our Room at exactly 11:00am and headed down to the little Smoking Section to meet up with Rick and Leslee. It was there that I gave Leslee 4 x $ 50.00 Dollar Bills and she gave us $ 200.00 in $ 1.00 Bills as we can’t get $ 1.00 American Bills from the Bank we deal with in Victoria. Conclusion #847 – for Tips.

 

Earlier in the Week we had received an email from Carnival stating that there would not be any onsite Parking available for those cruising on the Carnival Radiance (departed the afternoon before) and for those on our Cruise due to the Inaugural Carnival Firenze Cruise that departed on the 25^th. Guests requiring parking were instructed to drop off their Party and their Luggage with the Porters and then the Driver would be given instructions as to what offsite Parkade they were to head to park their Vehicle depending on what size their Vehicle was, and Carnival would provide Shuttle Transportation for the Driver back to the Terminal. After speaking with the Maya Shuttle Driver and feeling his frustration with regards to the Traffic he had already experienced, the fact he was already 45 minutes behind schedule after just two Trips and with it being a nice day, we decided to roll our Luggage along same Pathway next to the Water that Dee and I had walked to Bubble earlier in the morning. 

 

 

The 4 of us received a reminder on our way over to the Port that 'smoking' isn't good for us as we got close to the Queen Mary….

 

 

Conclusion #848– At least these two, who were made for each other, went together.

 

And on that note the 4 of us sat on a couple Benches on the Hotel Maya side of the Queen Mary and had our last Smoke for a few hours.

 

Although we hadn’t cruised on the Panorama in over a year, we got a chance to see her in Victoria in December of 2023 when she had to have her Funnel removed in order for her to fit under a couple of the Bridges spanning the Columbia River so she could get her propulsion system repaired in Portland, Oregon.

 

Once the Funnel was removed the Ship sailed down the Coast and then up the River to to Portland, had the repairs completed, and then came back up to Victoria to have the Funnel reinstalled.

 

Starting the removal

 

 

 

 

 

 

'Funneless' and coming back into Victoria

 

This is a good time to say that, with this being our 3^rd time on the Carnival Panorama, we absolutely LOVE the Ship which is one of the reasons we were so willing and eager to book the Carnival Venezia (similar layout with some modifications) for later in 2024 and the Carnival Horizon for a B2B in November of ’25. And by no means did this attraction to the Panorama begin because of the Sky Ride or the Sky Zone Trampoline area; we just like the layout and the way the passenger traffic flows through the public areas of the Ship. Dee has always had a special place in her heart for Carnival’s Fantasy Class Ships because they are not the biggest ships in cruising and she always found them easy to navigate. As far as bigger Ships go she finds the Panorama very easy to find her way around.

 

Once we arrived at the Terminal we had to separate from Rick and Leslee and, after dropping off our Luggage with and tipping the Porters, Dee and I made our way to the Priority Line and were inside the Terminal at 11:25am.

 

This would be our 9^th time embarking in Long Beach and in the past we have arrived at the Port sometime between 9:30am – 10:30am and while Check-in, once we were Platinum, has been speedy there’s never been much if  any room left in the Captain’s Lounge by that time which, in the big scheme of things, is not a huge deal.  Conclusion #849 – We can sit anywhere; in fact, I am very good at sitting and doing nothing. But, based only on OUR experiences, everything seems to run just a little later and a little slower in Long Beach; especially when it is or has been one of the longer cruises. ie 7+ days on the bigger Ships (Carnival Splendor, Carnival Miracle for a 7-day Cruise and the Carnival Panorama) we have taken from there. There always seems to be a lot of “Hurry up and Wait” Conclusion #850 – Canada Place in Vancouver, BC is our least favourite Embarkation/Debarkation Port by far

 

Check-in and Security were easy-peasy, including our walk-by ‘smelly dog’ to ensure we didn’t have any weed, etc on us – Conclusion #851 – ‘Smelly Dog just doesn’t roll off the tongue like Phobe’s “Smelly Cat” does. We were all set and inside the Spruce Goose Hangar at 11:35am and found a couple of seats over by the Captains’ Lounge in pretty much the same area we sat in both 2019 and 2023.

2024

 

2023

 

2019

 

We’d be boarding at the same time as most everyone in the Captain’s lounge and this area outside and close to the Lounge allows us to avoid fighting our way through the doors from the Captain’s Lounge and be close to the Double Doors we will be entering through to start the climb up the Switchbacks – Conclusion #852 – The ‘Switchbacks’ – IFKYK.

 

 And ‘Hurry up and wait’ was exactly what we did as About 11:50am they announced that the delay in boarding was due to an issue with the “new gangway that had just been installed” now that Carnival Firenze was homeported in Long Beach and that should be just a ‘matter of minutes’ before boarding would commence. We wondered ‘How they got the debarking passengers off?’. About 12:20pm they cleared a pathway for 2 Wedding Parties and once they were through the Double Doors they called for Diamond and Suite Passengers and then Platinum Cruisers and we were on our way which got us onboard at 12:25pm.

 

 

 

We made our way straight to our Muster Station to check in and then up to Cabin 9452 Conclusion #853 – Don’t Worry; It’s Ours – to drop off our Carry-Ons and put our Valuables, Passports and Cash in the Safe and then the next stop was the Guy’s Pig and Anchor Smokehouse/ Brewhouse, where we had told Leslee and Rick to meet us, for Alcoholic Drink Number 1 of the daily Cheers 15; where at 12:49pm I ordered a Dos Equis while Dee went with a Glass of Pinot Grigio.

 

As was the case in January of 2023 we spent a LOT of time at the P & A and this Crew …

 

L-R Denny, Austin (Brew Master), Adam #1, and Benjamas

 

took GREAT Care of us all week long.

 

I had 1 more Dos Equis before switching to Crown and Coke Pepsi while Dee stayed on the Pinot Grigio Train all day long. The 4 of us spent the entire afternoon at the P & A, while taking ‘smoke breaks in 2s’ to keep our seats at the Bar. We ran into Dorisa and Johhny and their Group and met a lot of GREAT people that afternoon. It was taking, some, especially those who had to deal with the Traffic Issues getting to the Terminal, a little longer to wind down after what they went through but we did our part, as did the Staff, to get them smiling and laughing, and in Cruise Mode.

 

later in the Afternoon during a Smoke break in the Smoking Section on Deck 5 I noticed a Lady at one of the Tables who looked familiar, so I walked up to her Table and asked her if her name was (let’s say) “Susan?” and it was. I told her ‘My Wife and I met you in January of 2023 right here In fact I think you wwere sitting at that exact table’. She smiled and said, “It's my table. Don’t tell no one (which is why I did not use her actual name) but besides 5 x 7-day European Cruises I did in a row last Summer plus the time it took to travel to and from I have been on this Ship ever since you and your Wife met me.” She went on to say that her ‘Husband comes and joins her once a month or so and then I tell him to go home’. Dee and I had several conversations with her over the next 7 days just like we did last year.

 

I had noticed him in the Smoking Section shortly after it opened after bunkering was complete, but it was in the P & A that we formally met and started to get to know this guy,

Adam #2,

 his Wife, and the Couple they were cruising with, all from Utah. More stories to come about him.

 

We started towards the Cabin shortly after receiving our 5:03pm Drink Order, made a quick stop at Pixels to pick up our Ship Pins and Platinum Gifts, and once at the Cabin we unpacked, got organized, freshened up, and changed for our 7:00pm Reservation at Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse. While unpacking we met our Cabin Steward, Martono, Conclusion #854 – He could roll the ‘r’ and 'n' in his name far better than either of us could.

 

 

We told him that we are ‘really easy’ and would do our part to keep the Cabin tidy and that all we ask for is 2 extra Towels so we can ‘have 2 Showers during the day if needed’,  and ‘other than that we are good’. He was an excellent Cabin Steward, kept on top of our Towel Supply and kept the Cabin in tip top shape.

 

We went down back to the P & A, where we met up Rick and Leslee, and placed a Drink Order at 6:22pm. Dee ordered a ‘to go’ Wine at 6:50pm and then the four of us made our way along Deck 5 to the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse.

 

We were escorted to a Table for 4, mid-Restaurant with a Great View of the Piano Bar where the Piano Player was playing Dinner Tunes. Once seated the first order of business was a Drink Order and to select a Bottle of Wine for the Table which was ‘Complimentary’ as it was the 1^st Night. We placed our Orders and then received our selection of Breads as well as the Amuse-Bouche compliments of the Chef.

 

Neither Dee nor I are ‘take pictures of our food people’ – Conclusion #855 – By Dinnertime neither Dee nor I should be carrying anything that is not permanently affixed to us – but for those who like Food Porn here is what Leslee (and Rick’s Steak) had at the Steakhouse…

 

Oysters

 

Lobster Bisque

 

Lobster Tails

 

Rick's Steak

 

I started with the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, had a Caesar Salad and had the 9oz Broiled Filet Mignon cooked Rare as my Entrée while Dee started with the Baby Leaf Spinach & Fresh Mushrooms and also had the 9oz Broiled Filet Mignon cooked Rare.

 

I had a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream and a Scoop of Strawberry Ice Cream accompanied by a Glass of Amaretto on the Rocks for Dessert while Dee had an Espresso Martini.

 

It was a very enjoyable Meal, which took just under 2 hours when all was said and done, and after making a quick stop at the Duty-Free Shop for a ‘Buy 3 Cartons of Marlboro Gold get a 4^th Carton Free” we wandered around for a bit, before grabbing the ‘Traditionals’ and calling it a Night.

 

‘The Traditionals’ are our last rinks of the Night, and they can be ordered from a Bar and taken back to our Cabin or poured in our Cabin. We call them ‘The Traditionals’ because we always order or pour them and traditionally, we don’t finish them……Conclusion #856 – until the morning.

 

As and Example these were the 'Traditionals' from a Night on the Celebrity Cruise that we got on the morning we got off this one

 

My pre-Cruise festivities the day probably lessened the 'Fun Factor' for me a little this day despite tallying a respectable Cheers! Number but the next day and the rest of the Cruise we brought the 'Fun Factor' back.   

 

As far as the Cheers! Package Numbers went my Traditional was #15 for me while Dee’s Traditional brought her daily Cheers Total to 12 Alcohol infused Drinks + we each had 1 Glass of Wine at Dinner from the complimentary Bottle. If we are using @Jamman54's  6 drinks/day/person or or 12 drinks/day/couple as the break-even for the Cheers Package we are 15 over break-even so far .  Conclusion #857 – Just doing our Part 

Edited June 14 by vanislandcruisers

[dctravel]

Thanks for doing this! Following along for your impressions of Long Beach and Cabo specifically!

 

As an aside, how did you get from Long Beach to Disney when you did that a few years ago? Trying to figure that one out for my family in December.

[vanislandcruisers]

30 minutes ago, dctravel said:

Thanks for doing this! Following along for your impressions of Long Beach and Cabo specifically!

 

As an aside, how did you get from Long Beach to Disney when you did that a few years ago? Trying to figure that one out for my family in December.

Thanks for following along...We grabbed a Taxi to Anaheim on the Saturday morning after we got off the Panorama in Long Beach...I wanna say it was about $ 80.00 and then we took an Uber back to Long Beach on the Tuesday morning....that was 1/2 the Price of the Taxi at $ 41.00.

 

We really like Long Beach...lots to do and see there...and some Great Restaurants...We will have an extended Post once we get to the Cabo day.

[4hunters]

Yay!  It's been far too long (years) since I've read one of your reviews.  Glad to see you guys are still cruising, and more importantly, taking the time to write a review!  Thank you! 🙂

[vanislandcruisers]

Thanks 4hunters...Dee wanted me to start doing them again and I can't say "No" to her 

[vanislandcruisers]

April 28^th – Day 3 – Fun Day at Sea

 

 

 

Happy to report that despite our Cabin location on Deck 9 right under the Pizzeria del Capitano, we both slept like babies and didn’t hear any noise from above. Conclusion #858– This ‘Good Night’s Sleep’ was brought to us by the Numbers ‘15’ and ‘12’.

 

My day started about 6:45am with a trip up to the Smoking Section on Deck 11 Aft for an early morning smoke or 2. Ended up in a conversation with a fellow from Las Vegas, originally from New Jersey, who was very much a Cigar Aficionado. I have smoked 1 ‘real’ Cigar in my entire life which is the one my Dad made me smoke until it was done when I got caught smoking cigarettes as a teenager; I did not enjoy it. Conclusion #859 – In hindsight my Dad should have made me chain-smoke a pack of cigarettes when I was 9.

 

All 3 Port Days on this Cruise involved the Gentleman from Las Vegas venturing out to a different Cigar Shop and he was very familiar with both the Shops and the Owners of the Shops having visited them frequently during his many Mexican Riviera Cruises. He was Diamond Level with Carnival and has as been on 50+ Cruises, all with Carnival. I asked him if he ever ‘felt like branching out as we have done’ and he said “No, Carnival gives him all he wants.”

 

Neither Rick nor Leslee had a WiFi Package whereas both Dee and I had the Social W-Fi Package for our Phones. Leslee had bought the Chat feature on the 1^st day through the Carnival Hunb App so I purchased the Chat feature so we could stay in contact with them throughout the Cruise.

 

As far as the WiFi and Social Package performance I have a Samsung and Dee has an iPhone and we found the WiFi performed far better on her Phone than on mine throughout the Cruise; it was constantly disconnecting and reconnecting on my Phone whenever I was trying to use it regardless of where we were on the Ship. Ultimately, it worked well enough for what I wanted but was a little frustrating at times.

 

I usually have a small 1^st Breakfast before Dee get’s up and today was no different so I made a quick trip down to the Buffet for a light snack of Baked Beans, Ham – The Bacon was on a ‘Bacation’ as it was on all 3 Sea Days on this Cruise; didn’t check on any of the Port days – 1 Hash Brown and 2 small Cartons of 1% Milk to coat my stomach for the day’s festivities. It was a very small plate of food Conclusion # 860 – I do miss the Sea Days when Carnival had a Casino Bar that opened at 7:00am and I’d spend the early morning eating Olives out of my Caesars for Breakfast.

 

Headed back up to 11 for another smoke and just as I was standing up to leave a fellow sat down who had a very distinct, detailed and noticeable Tattoo on his Arm that was the face of Ace Frehley from the Band KISS. I made a comment to him that “I like your Tattoo’ and he ‘Thanked’ me and I said “If I run into you again you’ll have to show my Wife your Tattoo as she is a Metalhead at heart”. He said he’d be here ‘all week’.

 

It was just before 9:00am so I decided to head down to the Plaza Bar by Ocean Plaza on Deck 5 and get a Dos Equis and Water for me and a spiked Coffee for Dee rather than standing in the long line at the Java Blue Café and Shake Spot further along on Deck 5. I just about fell over when I got to the Plaza Bar and Dee was already there.  Conclusion #861– “Is it 11:00am already?”. We grabbed her spiked Coffee and my Dos Equis and the Bottle of Water at 9:01am and sat out on the Lanai and enjoyed our morning Beverages.

 

Dee wanted to do her Power-Walk so the fact that the Walking/Running Track is just 1 Deck up from the Smoking Section on Deck 11 made it convenient for me to accompany her 97% of the way to her starting point. She gave me what she didn’t need at the bottom of the Aft Stairs from Deck 11 to Deck 12 and I did a casual walk over to a comfortable, cushioned chair in the Smoking Section and placed my Butt in it while she did 45 minutes worth of power-walking around the Track. A couple of times during her walk I had to shift in my chair or cross my legs the other way to maintain a maximum level of comfort. Conclusion #862 – 24/7 X 365 Days/year Gym Update – “I’m not there - Jim”.

 

We ordered a round of Drinks from a roving Waiter, a Dos Equis for me and a Mimosa for Dee, at 10:22am. When I handed our Cards and a $ 1.00 bill to the Waiter he looked at me and said “I haven’t brought you your Drinks yet. Do you want to hold on to this?” and tried handing the Dollar Bill back to me. I smiled at him and said “No we trust you” and he said “Thank you Sir” and off he went. He returned with our Drinks quickly and when I went to hand him another $ 1.00 Bill he said “You already gave me a Tip” and again tried to hand the Dollar Bill back. I said “Nope that’s for you. Just gonna ask if you could do a run by here in about 20 minutes for another round” He asked if we wanted the “same drinks” and we said we did and he returned about 25 minutes later with another round that was rung in at 10:48am. Another $ 1.00 Bill transfer took place at that time without any issues and then he asked “How long for next Drink?” We replied that ‘we wouldn’t need another just yet as were going to shower, get changed and head to the Sea Day Brunch.’ 

   

While enjoying our Drinks the fellow with the Ace Frehley Tattoo showed up so I had him show Dee his Tattoo. She complimented him and then he pulled his sleeve further up his arm and unveiled a Tattoo that was the KISS Band Emblem. It was a very nice Tattoo and after we complimented him on it Dee, being the Music fan she is, asked him ‘What his favourite KISS Song was?’ He had difficulty naming any KISS Song let alone a favourite. Conclusion #863   - It was just about the Tattoos.

       

We grabbed what was left of our 10:48am Drinks and headed down to the Cabin to shower and change with a plan to head to the Sea Day Brunch in the Vista Dining Room once we were ready. While Dee was getting ready, I used the Chat feature to message Leslee to see if they wanted to join us but did not get a response.

 

Once Dee was almost ready, I used the Hub App to request a Table and received a confirmation about 5 minutes later that our table was ready so off we went to the Vista Restaurant, Deck 3 Aft for Breakfast 2.0 for me and 1.0 for Dee. Once we checked in, we were escorted to a Table for 2 and shortly thereafter our Waiter approached the Table to first, introduce himself and his Team, and second to see if ‘we wanted Bar Service?’.  Bar Service are 2 of our favourite words so of course we said “Yes”.  Our Waiter motioned for Bar Service and our Bar Waiter was at our Table immediately. I ordered a Crown and Coke Pepsi while Dee stayed on her Mimosa themed morning.

 

 

For Brunch Dee ordered the Eggs Benedict with Ham and a side of Bacon while I went with the Steak, cooked Rare, and Eggs, over hard, with a side of Pork Sausages and Bacon. It was an enjoyable Brunch Conclusion # 864 – especially the company– and we were in and out in a little under an hour. We showed our Gratitude to the Dining Room Team as we were leaving.

 

We made a quick pit-stop at our Cabin after Brunch to grab some more $ 1.00 Bills and saw that our Cabin had already been made up, extra Towels left, and our 1^st Towel Animal of the Cruise was on our Bed.

 

 

We then headed to the P&A where we placed our 1^st Drink Order there at 12:25pm. It was there that we ran into Rick and Leslee, who had had slept-in until 11:30am. I had quite a few Caesars (like a Bloody Mary but made with Clamato Juice instead of Tomato Juice) at the P&A in 2023 and wanted to “Hail Caesar” this afternoon but the Ship had not received their Clamato Juice order for this Cruise. I find Tomato Juice too thick so all I could do was admire other people’s Caesar look-alikes.”

 

 

There were a few people who were jealous that only those drinking the Blood Mary Drinks were getting Bacon so the P&A Staff started handing it out liberally with each Drink….and their stuffed Olives too which were so good.  Erin, a Lady that Dee had met and was chatting with, ended up with Bacon in her Margarita from Denny.

 

 

We requested our Bacon and Olives on the side.

 

While the weather outside looked nice, between the temperature and the wind it was still chilly even for us Canadians, so we ended up spending the entire afternoon at the P&A.

And throughout that Afternoon while sitting at the Bar we met and got to know several different cruisers who we would see regularly in the P&A throughout the Cruise. Adam #2 (Picture in the Embarkation Day Post) was there ‘Off and On’ and when he wasn’t his Wife was there looking for him and vice versa. Their Game of Hide’N Seek continued for most of the afternoon and we don’t believe either of them won the Game. The Couple they were travelling with were trying to help Adam #2’s Wife find him without any luck. If Adam #2 was wearing a Red and White striped long-sleeved Sweater and Glasses, it would have explained to Dee and I why he was so difficult to locate.

 

During the times Adam #2 was at the P&A that afternoon we could sense a bit of a rivalry starting up between Adam #1, the P&A Bartender, and Adam #2….All in the name of Fun.  Conclusion # 865– It was a BROMANCE in its INFANCY.  They both had Guns for Arms, were fit, worked out and both seemed to want to get the best of the other one, and throughout the Week there were some GREAT Lines and Comebacks between the 2 of them.

 

P&A gets super busy between 12noon and 2:30pm on Sea Days with the free Smokehouse Buffet happening. By 3:30pm, as the last of the ‘late lunchers’ were finishing up Adam #1, Denny, Austin and Benjamas, all of whom had been serving Drinks non-stop throughout the Lunch Rush, looked like they needed a ‘pick me up’ so we asked ‘if any of them wanted a Coffee?’ They did, so Dee and I went off to Java Café and got a Round of Coffees for them.

Shortly after 2:00pm I asked Benjamas if I could get a ‘drink count’ for myself. As she was running my Card to get a count she said “Mr. Jim. It is only 2:00pm. You should be only …Oh My…you are already at 9 Mr. Jim.” So we bought a Bottle of Wine using the 20% discount and pit it through on Dee’s Folio.

 

On this Cruise Benjamas spent the afternoons bartending at the P&A and then moved over to the Alchemy Bar for the evening. She wanted Dee and I to come see her later at the Alchemy so she could make us a Deal Closer which we had told her was our favourite drink there.  As she was opening the bottle of Wine for us we promised her that I would save my 15^th Drink from the Cheers Package for later that night for a Deal Closer that she would make for me at the Alchemy Bar Conclusion # 866 – Confucius say “He who make promise at 2:00pm after 9 drinks while uncorking a Bottle of Wine consume and assume too much.

 

When Adam #2 left for the last time that Afternoon in search of his Wife he left his Ball Hat on the Bar and Denny, one of the P&A Bartenders, with a GREAT BIG Smile on his face, grabbed it quickly and said he “would take care of it for Adam #2.”

 

We continued to enjoy ourselves for the remainder of the Afternoon before heading up to our Cabin after our 5:24pm Drinks Order to get freshened up and ready for Dinner as it was the 1^st Cruise Elegant Night.

 

We met Rick and Leslee back at the P&A at 7:00pm and once we had Drinks in hand from our 7:04pm Order we used the Hub App to request a Table for 4. We received a Notification that our Table was ready within 10 minutes of requesting it on the App and made our way to the Vista Restaurant for Dinner.

 

 

 

We started off Dinner with a Drink Order Conclusion # 867 – Surprise!!! And then got down to ordering our Appetizers and our Mains. I ordered the Escargot Bourguignonne, Shrimp Cocktail and Caesar Salad to start and went with the Firecracker Branzino off the Emeril Select Menu. After one of our first Cruises I told my Daughter how much ‘I liked Escargots’ and she said “Ewwww!!! How can you eat Snails? Conclusion # 868 – “I don’t like fast Food” was my reply. It took her a while but I finally got the “OH DAD”.

 

I LOVED the Appetizers and usually Emeril and I see eye-to-eye on most dishes, but the Firecracker Branzino would be one of the exceptions. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Branzino but I had never had ‘Southern Greens’ before and those combined with the Horseradish Cream Sauce just weren’t my cup of tea and it tasted like those were the flavours that dominated the dish. I didn’t say anything to our Dining Room Team' but our Head Waiter, acting on a Hunch I think, brought me the Broiled Striploin Steak Entrée and said “You still look Hungry”. 

 

Dee had the Escargots Bourguignonne, the new England Clam Chowder and the Duet of Filet Mignon and Short Rib and LOVED everything.

 

Between our Entrees and our Desserts the 4 of us had a Shooter from the walk-around Shooter Guy – Conclusion # 869 – SHOTS, SHOTS, SHOTS!!! – that was basically a Lemon Drop Martini in a Shooter Glass Conclusion # 870 – We’ll drink that. Despite my eagerness to have the Shooter I rated the taste as about equal to what I felt about the Firecracker Branzino however I did not waste a drop.

 

For Dessert I had the Warm Meting Chocolate Cake Mickey Mouse Style while Dee had a Cappuccino. Not knowing if we would have this Team again this Cruise Dee and I showed our Gratitude to the Team as we were saying our ‘Good Nights’ to them.

 

After Dinner we headed to the Deck 5 Smoking Section to have a Smoke and then decided it would be GREAT Idea to go to the Panorama Casino – Conclusion # 871 – Panorama Casino…Wherever did they come up with that unique name?

 

Rick and Leslee hit the Slots while Dee and I ‘hit’ a $ 25.00 Blackjack Table Conclusion # 872 – The Table hit back…decisively. We spent more money than time there and despite me breaking my promise to Benjamas and hitting #15 with my 9:22pm Crown and Coke Pepsi Order, the Drinks kept coming at the Casino. There weren’t any Cheers Purchases rung through from the Casino for Dee while she was there and there was only the 1 for me but we know we had several drinks there. Dee lasted about 2 hours before taking her ‘Traditional, while I stayed for another hour and then I, my Traditional, and my broken promise to Benjamas went up and got some Pizza,  then headed down to the Cabin to eat, and then go night-night a little after12midnight.

 

As far as the Cheers went there were 15 ‘Cheers!’ Drinks rung through on my Folio between 9:01am and 9:22pm (not including Coffee Shop purchases) and 12 on Dee’s Folio between 9:02am and 7:58pm. We definitely ordered and received drinks at the Casino but nothing was rung in after my 9:22pm Order. Each of our Folio Numbers had 1 Shooter charged to it at Dinner + there was a charge for the 1 Bottle of Wine on Dee’s Folio that we purchased at P&A. So 15+ for me and 12+ for Dee giving us a Total of 27 for the 2^nd day in a row which puts us at +15 for the Day and +30 for the Cruise. Conclusion # 873 – Consider us Value Shoppers.

 

More to come....

 

 

[vanislandcruisers]

April 29^th – Day 4 for Us – A Fun Day at Sea

 

 

 

Day 3 on the Ship started a little later for me than usual as I didn’t make it out of the Cabin until shortly before 8:00am. Dee said 'once she was up and changed into her work-out clothing, she would meet me up at the Smoking Section on Deck 11 as she was planning on doing a ‘power-walk’.

 

All that ‘power-walk’ talk left me exhausted, so I took the Elevator down to Deck 5 to the Ocean Plaza Bar and got a Coke Pepsi and a Bottle of Water and then casually walked back to the Elevator and went up to Deck 10 for Breakfast 1.0 + 2 small Cartons of 1% Milk.

 

Next was a leisurely walk over and up to the Deck 11 Aft Smoking Section to await Dee’s arrival. We were far enough south now that the temperature was rising and it was turning into a beautiful day.

 

 

I was sitting as far Aft and as close to railing within the Smoking Section as I could, both admiring the View to my left before looking up and watching Dee for a quarter Lap on each of her Laps around the Track as she came around, when the fellow who is a BIG FAN of  KISS Tattoos but not necessarily a BIG FAN of the Band itself came and sat across from me.

 

KISS Tattoo Man and I were having a Chat when mid-sentence it looked like he leaned over the side of his chair and spit on the Deck. “There’s no way he did what I think he did” ran through my head right before he leaned over and did it again.  I have a very weak stomach when it comes to other people’s bodily fluids and after 3 Days in a row of imbibing and despite already having my stomach-coating Milk I gagged more than once. While I was trying to catch my breath after gagging a Lady a few seats to my right looked at the non-KISS Fan and said, “That’s disgusting!” to which he replied “They’ll mop it up” while motioning with his hand to the Crew, none of whom were around. Conclusion # 874 – I now liked his Tattoos far less than I did before.

 

I got up and moved to the other side of the Smoking Section and was fortunate to sit down next to a very cool, ‘non-spitting on the Deck’ Lady from just North of Buffalo who was talking about Scooters as I sat down. The Scooter conversation for a while before I interjected and said “I’ve seen a Lady on a Scooter the last 2 mornings in the Buffet shortly after it opened who drives the Scooter around like she was born on it. She could be driving her Scooter in NASCAR or Formula 1 the way she handles it!” No sooner had I got the words out of my mouth when I looked down towards mid-Ship and said “Oh that looks her coming right there” and the Lady from North of Buffalo looked over and said “Oh Sh*t, That’s my Mom”.

 

Scooter Mom came squealing up, tires smoking, with a very serious look on her face and the 1^st words out of her mouth to her daughter was “Where can I get a Drink? That place we were at yesterday isn’t open.”, She was a double amputee, having had both her legs amputated, but her attitude, outlook on and zest for life and having fun were both AMAZING and CONTAGIOUS. The Lady from North of Buffalo looked at the Hub App and gave her Mom instructions to go to the “Pool Bar, 1 Deck below.” She started asking her Mom “Do you want me to come with y….?” but was too late to even finish the Question before her Mom was laying a strip towards the Elevators by Ji Ji’s and Cucina. We all smiled as ‘Mom’ went in search of what her daughter said would be the “1^st of a sure-fire 15 that day”. Conclusion # 875 – Very fortunate she didn’t lose traction and spin out in the Spit from KISS Tattoo Man.

 

The Lady from North of Buffalo owned and operated a Diner in the farming Community she lived in, so I asked if she ‘had always been a Chef?’ She said “No, she had been a Nurse for 25 years and just after she retired the people who owned the Diner were about to close it as it was too much for them” She said “Her Mom ate at the Diner regularly and was very disappointed that it was closing because it was very much a social outing for her Mom so I approached the owners and asked if I could buy their Business and keep the Diner open?” She went on to say “The previous Owners owned the building as well, so I bought the Building and everything inside of it and then they didn’t charge me any ‘Goodwill’ for the Business itself.” I asked her if she had any culinary training and she said “Nope. Just what the Speed Demon taught me.” She went on to say that all the Community she lives in is looking for is a ‘meat and potatoes’ Menu and that’s what she provides. So I asked “No Firecracker Branzino on the Menu?” and she said “No, I ordered that last night but couldn’t even have a 2^nd Bite and I like Fish” Conclusion # 876 – “Same” Lady from North of Buffalo, “Same”.

 

Dee returned just as our “How long for next Drink?” Waiter from the day before came by so we ordered a Round of Drinks from him and he said he’d ‘be back in about 20 minutes with our 2^nd Round.” Conclusion # 877 – 2 Bucks is 2 Bucks. I introduced Dee to the Lady from North of Buffalo, and we all chatted for a while until our 2^nd Round showed up, and after we put a dent into those so they were at a proper non-spilling, transport level, liquid wise, we made our way down to our Cabin on Deck 9 to shower and get changed for the rest of the day.

While Dee was in the Shower I went out on the Balcony and took some Pictures looking down towards the Ocean Plaza outdoor seating area:

 

 

And the Havana Cabana area:

 

 

 

Can’t say that we’d be very excited about people above us being able to see into our ‘private?’ Cabana area but I’m sure the perks of the Havana area itself would be nice.

We were ready shortly after 10:30am and when I checked my Phone I went into the Hub App and saw there was a Notification in the Chat Bubble. There were several messages from Leslee wondering ‘Where we were at?’ and saying that ‘they’ve already had to cancel 1 Table.’ Conclusion # 878 – “Dee, I think we made Plans with Rick and Leslee….for 10:30am…and See Conclusion #866. ” I asked Leslee where they were, and she replied that they “were sitting by the Maitre’d Station at the entrance to the Vista Restaurant.

 

This is an excerpt from our Carnival Splendor Journal in 2017 which is the Cruise we met Rick and Leslee on. This was from the morning of the Last Sea Day before we would return to Miami:

                I slept later than normal this morning and didn’t make my way down to the Oceanview Bar until just before 10:30am. Playing a hunch that the Olives were OK I ordered 2 with a side of Grey Goose and Clamato Juice. I had 4 more Olives with the appropriate Sides before going back up to the Cabin to wake Dee up.

            There were several messages on our Cabin Phone and as I listened to them it became apparent that we had made Plans to meet Rick and Leslee for the Sea Day Brunch. In true Canadian fashion I called their Cabin to apologize but did not get an Answer so I left them a Message saying “Sorry”.

Conclusion # 879– “Party like it’s Twenty-Seventeen” – Not Prince.

 

            We made our way down to Vista Restaurant and found Rick and Leslee ‘patiently’ 😊 waiting for us, and soon enough the 4 of us we were being escorted to a Table. The 1^st Topic of Conversation was to suggest to Rick and Leslee that in the future they not make any formal Plans with Dee and I for the next day any time after 1:00pm the day before. Conclusion # 880 – Fool me once, Fool me twice…….

 

 

 It was another tasty Sea Day Brunch with Dee having an Omelete while I went with the Steak and Eggs again. We split a side of Bacon and Sausages between the 2 of us and of course, we had a couple of interactions with the Bar Waiter. The service was quick and efficient, and we were in and out in just under 45 minutes. We showed our Gratitude to the Dining Staff on our way out.

 

Guess where we went next? Our first Drinks at the P&A were ordered at 11:39am. Adam #2 came walking in just as we were arriving, and with the weather warming up lots of our fellow cruisers were wearing beach worthy attire, including Adam #2 who was wearing a red swim suit, or maybe they were considered shorts. swimsuit or swim shorts and flip flops and was carrying a Beach Towel. Neither Dee nor I could conclusively categorise whether what Adam #2 was wearing was a swimsuit, or swim shorts because it was a very tiny piece of red fabric. Conclusion #881 – He had a 2018 Quarter in his front pocket if that is any indication on how tight the covering was. Adam #2 wasn’t feeling any pain and was absolutely eating up all the attention his attire was garnering. Not daring to look down I looked at him straight the eye I said “that’s a nice swimsuit you are almost wearing” He just laughed and sat on the Bar Stool next to us, with his wife showing up just as he did so with a tank top that he put on “so as not to offend anyone” as he said with a big smile on his face.

 

We got to know Adam #2 well that Afternoon. He was a Lineman who has worked all over North and South America installing power lines in some of the most remote areas with difficult terrain. Some of the Videos he showed us of him being harnessed to the drop line from a Helicopter and then flying up to mountain tops or up the sides of mountains to Towers or running the lines made my stomach turn in fear. Absolutely amazing stuff and it made us better understand why, when he is vacationing, he has as much fun as he does and why he lets off as much steam as he does. He said it takes him quite a few days when he finishes a job to wind down from that job because of the amount of adrenaline built up inside, adding he has trouble relaxing for several days at the start of his Break. I can’t imagine how stressful that job would be, not for the faint of Heart by any means.

When Adam #1 started his Shift and saw what the other Adam was wearing the comments started, and they came fast and furious, and many would have been considered ‘Below the Belt’ if Adam #1 had been wearing or even needed a Belt. Absolutely no one came into the P&A without noticing Adam and he was LOVING it

.

When Adam #1 was leaving 3 things happened, 1, he stood up and took his tank top off, 2, Benjamas nearly had a heart attack when she saw what he was barely wearing as he walked out, and 3, he left his Sunglasses on the Bar, which may be a result of the fact that he had no discernable Pockets to put them in. Denny, who was wearing Adam#1’s Hat that Adam #1 had left there the day before, was very quick to assume “guardianship’ of the Glasses and was snow sporting a Hat and Glasses Ensemble courtesy of Adam #2.

 

 

We spent from 11:30am until about 4:30pm at the P&A and had a few people stop by and see us including a visit from Jonny and Dorisa:

 

    Dee, Leslee, Dorisa and Rick

 

After the P&A Buffet Rush had calmed down and we received our 2:09pm Drink Order we asked Benjamas and the Rest of the Staff at the P&A if they ‘wanted a Coffee or a Juice or anything from Java Blue/’ and they said ‘they did’. Dee and I, put napkins over the top of our Drinks, and started to get up from our Barstools when Benjamas raised her hand in a ‘Stop” signal and said “No, I go” and I said started to reach for my Lanyard and said “You’ll need our Cards” to which she smiled and said “I have already” and held up our Cards. Conclusion #882 – She was going all along.

 

At 4:30pm Dee and Leslee decided they wanted to play some Slots and Rick wanted to have a little Nap. So, after we made another promise to Benjamas that we would see her at the Alchemy Bar that evening I told the Ladies that I would meet them at the Casino as I wanted to go get our Chips and some more $ 1.00 Bills from the Cabin. Rick and I went along the Promenade towards Aft Elevators to go up to our Cabins while Dee and Leslee headed the other way along the Promenade towards the Stairs down to the Casino.

 

Once in the Cabin I was greeted by our 2nd Towel Animal of the Cruise:

 

 

I headed down to the Casino and sat down at a $ 25.00 Blackjack Table where Dee joined me once Rick returned from his nap and during most of the 3 hours that we spent there we were on a pretty good run. That run of good luck came to a rapid end after a fellow, we hadn’t played with before, sat down and started losing winnable hands and blaming the Dealer for losing those winnable hands.

 

Regardless of the fact we did our best to come to her defence by saying “It’s not her deciding what Cards are coming out of the Shoe” he continued his comments towards her and the Fun Vibe we had at the Table was gone so we coloured up our Chips . Conclusion #883 – Maybe don’t split 10s against an 8, just sayin. As we were leaving we thanked the Dealer, wished ‘her luck 😉’ and went over to where Rick and Leslee were playing Slots.

 

None of us were too excited about the Dining Room Menu that Night so we decided to go to the Alchemy Bar and visit with Benjamas. We fulfilled our promise to Benjamas at 7:48pm and 7:49pm....

 

 

and she ‘fullyfilled’ our Glasses with a couple of the Best Deal Closers we have had.

 

 

That Deal Closer was #15 for me for the Day so once I was finished the Drink, I had a Bottle of Water and then headed up to the Buffet to get some eats to take back to the Cabin with me. Dee, Leslee, and Rick planned to wander and possibly take in a Show or one of the Comedian’s Sets.

 

The one thing that intrigued me on the Dining Room Menu that Night was the Linguini and Clams which was described as Linguini with baby-neck clams, tomatoes, white wine, garlic and red pepper flakes on the Menu. I knew they should have it at the Buffet so that's what I set out in search of.

 

 

Unfortunately, it looked like someone had gone clam-digging as there was plenty of Linguini left but there weren't any Clams left in the Serving Dish at the Buffet:

 

 

I ate, had a self-poured Nightcap, turned on the TV, hopped in to Bed and  had a relatively early night. Dee arrived back to the Cabin about an hour and a half later.

 

As far as our Cheers count for the day, there were 15 Cheer! Drinks charged  through my account for the Day and 11 through Dee’s giving us a total of 26 for the Day which left us at +14 for the Day and +34 for the Cruise.

 

Next up: A Great Day in Puerto Vallarta

 

[JXR]

20 hours ago, vanislandcruisers said:

April 29^th – Day 4 for Us – A Fun Day at Sea

 

 

That Deal Closer was #15 for me for the Day so once I was finished the Drink, I had a Bottle of Water and then headed up to the Buffet to get some eats to take back to the Cabin with me. Dee, Leslee, and Rick planned to wander and possibly take in a Show or one of the Comedian’s Sets.

 

As far as our Cheers count for the day, there were 15 Cheer! Drinks charged  through my account for the Day and 11 through Dee’s giving us a total of 26 for the Day which left us at +14 for the Day and +34 for the Cruise.

 

Next up: A Great Day in Puerto Vallarta

 

Glad that I got to read a Jim review on this Saturday morning but sad that I was not there to experience it live. 
joanne 

[pcvtmom]

You are VERY entertaining!  I love the format, with your numbered conclusions.  It makes for a fun read!

[vanislandcruisers]

April 30^th – Day 5 for Us – Day 4 on the Ship: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – 9:00am – 9:00pm - Part 1

 

 

 

This was our 5^th time in Puerto Vallarta on a Cruise since 2010. During our Stop there in 2019 we took a Taxi from the Ship to the Malecon shortly after docking and spent the rest of the morning and the better part of the afternoon wandering around on our own, with stops at various Beach Bars to snack and hydrate. We then took a Taxi back to Port, freshened up and did Rhythms of the Night through carnival during the evening.

 

We really liked the idea of splitting up our day so we pre-booked the Exclusive Majahuitas Beach Cove Excursion through Carnival for the morning/early afternoon with a plan to shower, change and grab a snack, if needed, after returning to the Ship from the Excursion, and then take a Taxi or Uber down to the Romantic Zone to meet up with Rick and Leslee at Andele’s for Eats and Drinks and then a little Malecon time.

 

We were both up early and at the Coffee Bar at 6:30 for Dee’s morning Java and a Coke Pepsi and a Bottle of Water for me. After grabbing those Drinks we went up to Deck 11 so dee could up the Stairs and do her Walk on Deck 12 while I did my own Walk over to the Smoking Section with hopes of a spit-free stay . While there I managed to take some Pictures of the landscape as we got closer to Puerto Vallarta.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once Dee was finished her walk made our way down to the Cabin to shower and get ready for the day. While Dee was finishing up I stepped out onto our Balcony and saw that the Silver Nova, a Silversea Cruise Ship, was in port with us. Conclusion #884 – If Silversea was going for the Battleship look with the Grey Paint Job they nailed it.   

 

 

Our Excursion Ticket listed our Time and Meeting Spot as 9:00am in the Horizon Restaurant so we made our way there 5 or 10 minutes beforehand and as instructed, we sat at a Table and waited for the Call for our Excursion.

Our Excursion was the 2^nd one called, and we were off the Ship at about 9:05am and then stood outside in a line behind our Guide for about 20 – 25 minutes. After everyone was organized, we walked across the Marina to a Dock just in front of the Silversea Ship where I took the ‘obligatory’ Picture of the Carnival Panorama.

 

 

During the boarding process our Guide stopped each Group and asked for the 1^st and last Name from 1 Member of ‘our’ Group and the Number of People within the Group and said this “was for seating arrangements at the Beach”.

 

 

Carnival contracts with Vallarta Adventures for this Excursion as they do for many of the Excursions in Puerto Vallarta. Having done the Rhythms of the Night Excursion in 2019, which was also contracted to Vallarta Adventures, we had a pretty good idea what we would be in for on both the ride over to the Beach and the trip back.

 

We grabbed a spot towards front and off to side on a bench that ran down the inside of the Boat on the Lower Deck for the ride over to Majahuitas Beach. This spot was convenient for when we arrived at the Beach but was inconvenient for getting Drinks while enroute. Conclusion #885 – We overcame adversity. After all was said and done we ended up being about ½ hour behind schedule but they did extend our Beach time by that amount of time so we received what we paid for.

 

 

Our 1^st Round of Drinks came courtesy of very nice gentleman sitting in front of us (Blue Shirt next to the Big Hat) who offered to get us Drinks once he figured out that his Group had us hemmed in. For the remainder of the Ride over to the Beach our Drinks were topped off frequently by the Staff/Crew of the Boat with a choice of Rum Punch or Margaritas. I believe there were non-alcoholic choices as well.

 

 

It was about a 45-minute trip over to Majahuitas Beach and for those that have done Rhythms of the Night, or the Las Caletas Beach Excursions this Beach/Cove was the next one over from where those Excursions happen. The Staff on the Boat were upbeat and kept everyone engaged and entertained on the way over.

 

This was the Description/Details of the Excursion that we were heading towards:

Majahuitas Beach: Nestled in the Southern part of Banderas Bay, Majahuitas’ long golden sandy beach is among the best beaches in all of Mexico. Accessible only by boat and surrounded by lush tropical forest palms, it is a true haven. Choose between pure beach relaxation Conclusion #886 – that’s up our Alley – or take part in some fun activities Conclusion #887 – Depends on the Activity.

 

Included Water Sports: Hop on a kayak for a guided tour Conclusion #888 – Likely Not – or grab a paddle board in the secluded Majahuitas Cove Conclusion #889 – Again, probably not.

All Inclusive: Enjoy the special lunch selection of main dishes including steak, chicken, and shrimp, vegetarian options, fresh salads, Conclusion #890 – YEP – soft drinks, Conclusion #891 – Doubt it – and Desserts,  Conclusion #892 – YES for Dee and MAYBE for me – and Open Bar. Conclusion #893 – YES, YES, YES!!!

 

Of the 17 Reviews for this Excursion on the Carnival site when we booked it, 12 were 5-Star, and 5 were 3-Star. In reading the 3-Star Reviews the complaints ran the gamut from ‘disappointing beach sand’, ‘couldn’t wander off on our own’, ‘didn’t like the taste of the drinks’, ‘there was jellyfish larvae in the water’, to ‘not for the elderly because of the transfer from boat to beach or the very young because they would be bored’. For us, the only concern with any of those comments was the one referring to drinks and this was the full text of that comment: “The three stars are for the food and drink. The cocktails tasted terrible and were obviously made with very cheap ingredients. The lunch description doesn’t exactly match what you get, but it was okay.” Conclusion #894 – Couple of strong Drinks/Cocktails, even made with cheap alcohol, renders our taste buds useless.

 

The 12 5-Star Reviews seemed to indicate that this Excursion would be right up our Alley. Conclusion #895 – There’s Alcohol.

 

The pictures in the advertisement for the Excursion on the Carnival site were spot on with what we experienced. In fact, we felt the Beach was much nicer in person than what is portrayed in the 5^th picture below:

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

The Boat went up as close as it could get to the Beach and then the ‘land’ Staff carried a Gangway up to the Front of the Boat so it was a dry landing for all of us. Those of us doing the All-Inclusive Exclusive Majahuitas Beach Cove Excursion were escorted over to a Private Area to check-in.

 

 

Once we were checked off the List we were guided to our reserved seating and eating area. Once the Host left Dee went up to Cahnerooms to just that and changed into her Beach attire:

 

 

We had a very nice spot and met our Waiter as soon as we sat down. The 1^st Drinks we had were very strong while the strength level seemed to differ from drink to drink depending on who was pouring them.

 

 

 

It was a beautiful day in a beautiful spot, and the company I was keeping was more beautiful than the Location and the Weather combined so all was good. I eventually switched to Beer to be safe while Dee sampled several different Drinks throughout our stay. And as the early afternoon went along we could tell by some of those around us that the Drinks were definitely having an effect.

 

There was a couple sitting next us, who were quite elderly and very sweet, who, after they sat down, immediately ordered 2 Drinks each and while waiting for their Drinks, applied more Sunscreen to one another than I have ever seen any other person wear. They literally looked like Ghosts by the time they finished painting one another. They seemed to be matching us drink for drink and about an hour later the Wife walked right by where they were sitting and continued to wander around looking for their Table. Now we don t know if she couldn’t find her Table because of the Drinks or because she had a build up of Sunscreen beneath her eyes that was affecting her sight lines. I tried to tell her Husband that his Wife was looking for him but he couldn’t understand me as he had taken his Hearing Aids out and was struggling to get them back in as his fingers were too slippery from adding another coat of Sunscreen while she was away. I finally got up and went running over to where she was wandering around and brought her back to her Husband. He shook my hand to ‘Thank’ me and for the next little while I had to drink left-handed until I could get all the Sunscreen off my right hand.

 

About 6 or 7 Drinks in our Waiter asked us if we ‘wanted our Food now?’ and we asked ‘How long it would take?’, and he said “Now it would be right away and 15 minutes from now it would probably take 15 minutes from the. We asked him to “place our Order now as we wanted to wander around for a little while after lunch.” He said “OK” – Conclusion #896 – Actually he said “Si” – and off he went.

 

This is one of the times we are kicking ourselves for not taking any Picture of the Food we were served. We were given enough Food throughout our stay to feed an Army; there were Chips, Shrimp, Chicken, Beef, Fish, Salad, Rice, soft Tortillas along with Salsa, Guacamole and 3 Sauces that were described as Gringo Hot, Hot and Mexican Hot. This is one time we are kicking ourselves for not taking any Picture of the Food we were served. We were given enough Food throughout our stay to feed an Army; there were Chips, Shrimp, Chicken, Beef, Fish, Salad, Rice, soft Tortillas along with Salsa, Guacamole and 3 Sauces that were described as Gringo Hot, Hot and Mexican Hot. Conclusion #897 – They were named accurately.

 

After Lunch we wandered around the Beach Area and just admired the scenery. Despite what the previous Reviews we found the Sand on the Beach to be soft and warm and it certainly looked like all the Kids we saw were enjoying themselves immensely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dee is a ‘Water Baby’ and while she was dying to go into the Water was Gringo Cold, Cold and Mexican Cold. For the most part it was only Kids swimming and their Parents were only going in up to their knees to watch over the Kids.

 

During our 1^st few Cruises together, we posed for and purchased pretty much every Picture that was taken of us. Before our last few Cruises Dee had been saying that she’d ‘like to get some updated Pictures done of us’. While we were on the Ride over there were 3 Photographers who did a Presentation regarding Photo Packages that could be purchased and I could see the wheels spinning in Dee’s head.. When Gil, one of the Excursion Photographers, approached us on the Boat I said “No we are not interested in having our Pictures taken on the Boat….” as we had watched several people struggle to maintain their balance on the back of the Boat while having their Pictures taken with the Sea and the Mountains as background. I could see that Dee was disappointed in my answer but I hadn’t finished talking yet and added “….you can take 1 Picture now where we are seated and then come see us at the Beach towards the end of the Day and you can do a Shoot then. And if my Wife likes and wants the Pics then we’ll buy them.”

 

Gil had checked in with us and said he’d take the Pictures just before we left so the Beach would be mostly empty and once they announced we had about ½ hour of Beach time left, we ordered a Dessert to split, 2 more Drinks each, showed our Gratitude to our Waiter and then waited for Gil to arrive.

 

Once he arrived, we walked down to the end of the Beach so he could take some Pics and as it turned out we were very happy with the results.

 

 

 

 

 

Our ride back showed up and with us already being at the end of the Beach we were one of the 1^st ones back on the Boat so we got a couple of Drinks, took a few more Picture….

 

 

 

 

 

….and then grabbed some front row Seats, and settled in for what we knew would be an entertaining and lively trip back.

 

            It was a GREAT ride back with Drinks flying and the Staff entertaining us with various musical performances.

 

 

 

 

 

About halfway through the Trip back Gil came over for the ‘money talk’. I told Dee to go have a look at the Pictures and if she likes what she sees, purchase whatever Package she wants.

 

Dee came back with the Receipt and said she had bought a Package that would get us all of the Digital Photos emailed to us + a Hard-covered Book of the ‘Best Pictures’ that she had picked out and a 8 x 10 Photo that would be in a Glass Display Frame, with both the Book and the framed Picture being shipped to our Home. She was Happy so I was Happy. As it turned out either some Sauce from Lunch, or a bit of a Drink, or some errant Sunscreen from our Neighbours, or some of my Man-Boob Sweat was on full display in several of the Pictures as seen in this Pic just under the word “wrinkly”.

 

 

Conclusion #898 – In all likelihood it was my ‘Man-Boob Sweat’.

 

 

Once back at the Port Area,  we showed the Crew our Gratitude and then walked across the Marina and were Back on Board around 2:30pm and immediately headed up to Cabin to shower, change and get ready for the 2^nd half of our Day in Puerto Vallarta. Once in  our Cabin we were greeted by our 3^rd Towel Animal of the Cruise.

 

 

Overall it was a GREAT start to our Day and we would recommend this Excursion. However, we would have liked about 1 more hour at the Beach.

 

Coming up Next: the 2nd half of our Day in Puerto Vallarta.

[vanislandcruisers]

On 6/22/2024 at 6:33 AM, JXR said:

Glad that I got to read a Jim review on this Saturday morning but sad that I was not there to experience it live. 
joanne 

Thanks Joanne!!!...You've lived some of these Dee and Jim Days with us 😉

[vanislandcruisers]

On 6/22/2024 at 7:23 AM, pcvtmom said:

You are VERY entertaining!  I love the format, with your numbered conclusions.  It makes for a fun read!

 

Thanks so much pcvtmom and Thanks for coming along!!!

[Frank12]

Austin was the brewmaster on the Mardi Gras when we were on her last year.  We did the behind the scenes brewery tour with him.  He was awesome!

[pppiglet]

Enjoying your trip.  That excursion looks like something we need to do on our next trip!

[vanislandcruisers]

20 hours ago, Frank12 said:

Austin was the brewmaster on the Mardi Gras when we were on her last year.  We did the behind the scenes brewery tour with him.  He was awesome!

He was very personable and LOVED to talk Sports!!!...Seemed to really enjoy what he is doing.

17 hours ago, pppiglet said:

Enjoying your trip.  That excursion looks like something we need to do on our next trip!

Thanks for coming along!!!...We very much enjoyed the Majahuitas Excursion!!!

[vanislandcruisers]

April 30^th – Day 5 for Us – Day 4 on the Ship: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – 9:00am – 9:00pm - Part 2

 

 

There were several Hub Chat and Book of Faces' Messages, as well as a Voice Mail on the Cabin Phone, from Leslee saying that ‘they hadn’t left the Ship’ and ‘to let them know when we were back’ and ‘where to meet?’. I checked the Hub App and saw that the Lobby/Atrium Bar was Open so we replied that we “would meet them at the Atrium bar on Deck 3 in 15 minutes.”

 

Once we were ready, we headed down to Deck 3 to the Lobby/Atrium Bar and grabbed 2 Stools up at the Bar. Dee and I ordered a Round of Drinks and Rick showed up shortly after we took our first sips. Rick let us know that ‘Leslee was about 10 -15 minutes behind him’ Conclusion #899 – Rick must have been walking really fast!

 

We ordered our 1^st Round at 3:05pm and placed the Order for our last Round at 4:05pm and once the last of those drinks were consumed, we headed down to the Gangway and off the Ship.

 

Prior to Rick and Leslee deciding to join us on this Cruise Dee and I didn’t really have any Plans as to where we were gonna go during the 2^nd half of our Day in PV. During one of our Conversations in the lead-up to the Cruise, Leslee said that she had a friend, who “winters in Puerto Vallarta" and "who recommended Andale, in the Romantic Zone, as a GREAT Place to go.”

 

We were familiar with Andale having been there for Lunch and Drinks in 2023 with our Friends, Nicole and Todd, who  live in Victoria and were in Puerto Vallarta for a Wedding.

 

Nicole, Dee and I at the Sea Monkey on the Malecon after our Afternoon at Andele (2023)

 

Todd and I walking towards our Uber pick-up Spot at the end of the evening.

(2023)

 

We enjoyed the Company, the Staff, the Food, and the many Drinks we had at Andale the previous year. While we were on our Excursion earlier in the day, our Photographer, Gil, recommended Sonorita Olas Altas as “THEE Place to go” and said to tell the Owner that “Gil sent us and he is buying us 2 Shots each.”

 

 

We talked about where we’d like to go while we were at the Lobby/Atrium Bar and decided to stick with Andale.

 

Once we were off the Ship, we talked to a few different Taxi Drivers within the Port Area, and once we found one with the ‘right price’, the 4 of us hopped in and were on our way to Andale in the Romantic Zone. Despite it being late in the afternoon the traffic was light, and we were sitting at a Sidewalk Table at Andale by 5:00pm.

 

 

We started of with a Round of Margaritas, 'On the Rocks' for Dee and I, and blended for Leslee and Rick.

 

 

The people watching from a Sidewalk table at Andele, is great. You see all kinds of people passing by who are living their lives life as they want to and at the same time living their best life and just just enjoying each moment.

 

There was a Group of 3 Drag Queens who came walking by with Invitations to their Show later that evening. They were outgoing, personable, humourous and super excited for their upcoming Show. We spoke with them on their way by and again when they returned, and we ended up complimenting them on their make-up as it was applied perfectly.

 

 

I happened to be standing in the same spot having a Smoke when they returned as I was when we first met them and one of the Ladies said “You are in the same position as when I left you!” I answered “I betcha I’m not the 1^st Man you have said that to”, and she busted of laughing and said “You ARE a NAUGHTY one. I LOVE IT” and Dee yelled “STAY AWAY! HE”S MY NAUGHTY ONE!”

 

We decided to order some Food before the Drinks and the Night got away from us.

 

 

Dee and I went with the Shrimp Any Style, which came with Rice and Mixed Vegetables. Dee chose ‘Breaded’ as her ‘any style’ while I went with ‘Garlic’. I did say to Dee that I ‘was surprised that she went with Breaded’ as she doesn’t usually like a Batter or ‘breading’ of any sort especially anything deep fried. Dee said “TEQUILA”.

 

They told us the food would be about 20 – 25 minutes and while waiting our Waitress brought more Drinks and some Chips, Guac and Salsa to tide us over. I was super excited for the Shrimp as I have never had a bad Shrimp Dish in Mexico, with my favourite being the Grilled Garlic Shrimp at Lucky B’s in the Golden Zone in Mazatlán. When the food arrived, I sank my teeth into one of the Shrimp and after my Taste Buds got hold of the flavour all I tasted was disappointment. These Shrimp must have been very mad and upset about being caught because they were ‘Salty’, and I mean Caribbean Sea Salty….like really Salty…the saltiest food I have ever tasted and I’ve eaten my share of McDonald’s French Fries. I am not a ‘salt on food’ guy with the exception of raw Celery or on an Avocado. Conclusion #900 – Did I mention the Shrimp was Salty?

 

I looked over at Dee to see how she was doing and could tell by the look on her face that she wasn’t loving what she was tasting either but that was more of the ‘breaded’ thing than anything else. We ended up switching Plates and all that accomplished was to make both of us dislike the Shrimp on both Plates. By no means did we go hungry as we ate all the Veggies, Rice and we snacked on the Chips, Guac and Salsa. We thoroughly enjoyed the Shrimp at Andale the previous year, so we just chalked it up to a ‘Bad Shrimp Night’ or the ‘Cap fell off the Salt Shaker’. I honestly don’t remember what Rick and Leslee had but they liked their Food.

 

We decided to skip walking along the Malecon and stay put for a bit so we ordered another Round of Margaritas Conclusion #901 – I passed on the Salted Rim this Round and just licked a Shrimp each time I wanted a drink of my Margarita.

 

Curiosity got the best of Dee and Leslee and they went into the Tequila Shop next door to see what they could find. Conclusion #902 – They found samples…Lots of Samples.

 

Eventually Dee came out and asked for some Cash before adding she had ‘found a Good Bottle of Tequila she wanted and had negotiated a good price.’ I told her to buy it if she really wanted it but we’d be taking a chance of losing it when we got on the Celebrity Summit on Saturday.” She said that the Tequila Guy said he ‘sells to people from the Cruise Ships all the time.” I said, “That might be true of those who are just on one Cruise as they can turn it when they are getting back on the Ship from here and then collect it the last morning, which we could do, but we have to get on another Ship the morning we get off this one.”

 

When the “Tequila Guy’ came out of his Store to see what the ‘hold-up’ was I explained to him that “The morning we get off this Ship in Long Beach we would be getting on another Ship in San Pedro, and they will not allow us to take a Bottle of Tequila on.” He wasn’t accepting of my answer and continued to say that “I was wrong.” Fortunately, after finishing banging my 'Head against the Wall' with the Tequila Guy, I was able to remember some of my limited Mexican and said “Adios”.

 

I could tell Dee was disappointed, but her attention changed quickly when, using my best Eddie Murphy imitation, I said “DONKAAAY.”

 

 

Conclusion #903 – Judging by the look on DONKAAAY’s Face I think it ordered the same Garlic Shrimp Dish that I did that Night… Salty isn’t it?

 

"Salty? Si."

 

DONKAAAY, and his Owner, were regular Visitors at Andale, but from what we heard “Too much Tequila and DONKAAAY can make an Ass of itself”. 

 

Dee, no longer caring about a $150.00 Bottle of Tequila, while at the same time having Courage from consuming Tequila in the Margaritas hopped on DONKAAAY, with the Owner’s Permission. You can tell by the difference in her smile in each Picture how her nervousness turns to “This is pretty cool”.

 

 

 

My only concern was how we were going to answer the Customs Question when we returned to Canada on the 10^th of “Have you visited a Farm or been in contact with any Livestock or Farm Animals in the past 14 days?” It was easily solved when we realized ‘All we did was meet DONKAAAY , a Regular Customer of  Andale, and definitely NOT a Farm Animal, on a Tuesday Night, at Dinner.’  Conclusion #904 – Nobody puts DONKAAAY in a Corner.

 

At about the 2½ hour mark of our stay, we decided to head back to the Ship so we settled up our Bill and asked our Waitress if she could “Please Call a Taxi for us” which she did by taking 2 Steps towards the Curb and waving at one of several Taxis that were on the side of the road about ½ a block away. Conclusion #905 – Well, that was easy.

 

We were back onboard shortly before 8:00pm and the 4 of us headed straight up to the Pig and Anchor Bar for a 3-hour stint. It was a relatively quiet Night at the P&A which was making for a long Night for these 3 + Adam #1.....

 

 

....so we went to the Java Blue Café shortly after we got to the P&A and got them each a Coffee or Drink of their choice.

 

We left the P&A just after 11:00pm and the 4 of us headed to the Casino for some Slots for Rick and Leslee and some Blackjack for Dee and I.

 

Around 1:00am we grabbed the Traditionals, went up to Deck 10 and grabbed a couple of slices of Pizza from Pizzeria del Capitano, and then headed down to our Cabin and called it a night.

 

Dee had put together a Bag of Laundry for us before we left for our Excursion that morning, and we were pleasantly surprised to see that 2 Bags of clean and folded Laundry were on the Couch when we got back to the Cabin.  

 

 

As far as our Cheers Count for the day, the length of time in Puerto Vallarta, 9:00am to 8:30pm which was ‘Back On Board’ time on this Day, definitely affected our Final Counts.

 

What was supposed to be a 105-Drink Cruise for me was now looking like a 101-Drink Cruise as I finished the Day with 11 Drinks on the Ship while Dee had a total 6 alcohol-infused Refreshments onboard the Panorama throughout the evening and night. As a Daily Total for the 2 of us we were +5 for the Day leaving us at +39 for the Cruise.

 

Next up: A 'Do It Ourselves Day' on Stone Island in Mazatlan