Need to lose before I cruise... any buddies??

[missou]

Nice review Matt, nice to know you and your bride had a great time. Can't wait to see our personnal review... :eek::cool:

 

I will talk about the week in March to hubby, I know he wants to take a vacation every spring from now on, but he said somewhere in May. We'll see.

 

Today, my belly is not nice, it hurts when I walk or when I use the stairs. I didn't do anything yet today and I told hubby I didn't want to make it a 3 out of 4. He is doing a massage right now and he said we will go for a walk when he comes back :o I love his encouragement :o:o

 

Take care everyone

[missou]

Crap!!!!! :mad::mad:

 

While I was posting my previous message, a thunderstorm began :mad::mad:

 

I'm going on the treadmill right now and hope the pain doesn't stop me :eek::eek:

 

I'll come back when I am finished.

[emmysmommy]

Matt, there is no body to the review, its blank?? Unless I am seeing it wrong?

 

It's blank for me too. :confused: I emptied my cookies and other history but not sure what else to do. I can see some other reviews. Maybe somone can copy/paste it into a new thread here??

 

Missou: If the power goes out because of your storm then you will be off the hook since you couldn't treadmill... I'm just saying. :D

 

I'm actually going for a walk at Back Bay in two minutes with my hubby. I'm not getting on the treadmill since it is still so hot here. (My treadmill is in the garage.) I'll do a 45 minute walk which includes hills so I'm counting it. :cool:

 

Plus .... Aunt Flo came to visit... early... errrrrr... why??? TMI but this will mess up my "planned" cycle for my cruise. Soooo errrrrrr....:mad: At least I haven't "medicated" myself with chocolate for the PMS symptoms.

 

B

[emmysmommy]

My hubby kicked my butt at the bay... he ran up the berms on the hills and I couldn't let him show me up so I followed. My legs burned!!! But we didn't go for 45 minutes like I thought - we took the short route since he had started to grill veggies on the BBQ while we were gone. (We live across from the bay so we are not far.)

 

Now the not so good news.... I'm over my calorie limit for the day so technically I'm not 7 for 7. I'll say I'm 6 for 7 with a B- for effort. :o But I'm not giving up.

[missou]

I stayed on the treadmill 10 minutes only. Not because the power went down, but because of the pain :mad::mad::mad:

 

Hope it goes away tomorrow.

 

I don't think I can count today :(:(

 

I HATE PAIN!!!!!! it is worse than red weeks :mad:

[missou]

Good mornig everyone, it is sunny here and not too hot. Actually, it is very comfortable.

 

My belly is still hurting me this morning, but I will try to do something. My weight is going up and I don't like it :(

 

As soon as hubby is off to work, I will start my treadmill and my workout. Hopefully, my belly will be ok with it. For those who had fibroïds, is the pain in my belly something you have experienced?

 

Speak to you later

[vdarrell]

MATT"S CRUISE REVIEW

Hope you don't mind Matt

 

 

Carnival Valor Review

 

Reason for Cruise: Honeymoon

 

We left our Pittsburgh hotel to travel to the Pittsburgh Airport at 4:30 am. We had a flight to Atlanta at 6:40 and then a connection from Atlanta to Miami at 11:05 am. We were a little worried about a flight being delayed and us missing out boat. But everything went smoothly. We got breakfast in the Pittsburgh Airport right before boarding, actually, we walked to the gate and they were boarding, so we ate on the plane. Got to Atlanta and had an early lunch (9:30), as we were up for 5 hours and barely ate the night before. Called carnival to ask about the flight and our concerns and were told that we were in great shape and if anything happened to call them back. Both flights were smooth and we were in sunny Miami by 1:00pm. Went to the baggage claim and got both bags, along with our carryons, found the carnival reps and got our transfer.

 

Since it was our honeymoon, we booked a suite, so we got VIP Embarkation, which at 2:00, no line was horrible. Got our ticket/room key and headed to the boat. This is our first cruise and we loved how huge the ship was and being able to see it from the bus on the way in. We got the picture taken before walking through the long hall to go to the ship and got onto the ship with no problems. We went to our room, found it ready for us. We put our stuff in there and just went on the balcony before being called to the Muster Drill. This was a long process, as we went early and were in the back. Probably the worst part of the trip because we were both hot and tired and were freaking out. But that was over and we went back to the room and didn't know that we were moving until I looked outside. We stood on the balcony and watched us leave port.

 

By this time, we decided to take a shower before dinner. We got ready for our first meal on board. Lincoln Dining Room, table 214. We had a table for four and our waitstaff was awesome. The food was excellent and they even recommended food to us every night. The other 2 people who sat with us were also on their honeymoon, so it was nice to have them to talk to every night. The second night, our head waiter brought out a piece of cake with 2 candles in it and they sang happy honeymoon to me and my wife. He remembered from the shirts we wore the first night, that said 'Just Married'. This was a nice touch.

 

Entertainment:

 

We only went to two of the shows on board the ship in our week long trip. We wanted to do more, but we were extremely tired every day. We saw the first dance show and then the comedian and juggler. Both of them were excellent from my point of view, but my wife is a dancer and she said the dancing was not the greatest. But how many people on board are trained dancers? Not many, so to everyone else, they looked great. I could tell some of them were off a little, but it was still a good show and we enjoyed it.

 

The juggler was amazing. He did some great tricks and even had a comedic act. The comedian that night was funny, but he had to tone his act down to be appropriate for the kids. He talked about how kids today have it so easy and how kids when he was growing up had none of the luxuries kids today have. This is all true and my wife and I knew a lot about what he was talking about.

 

We enjoyed the casino too. It had a lot of slots. We stuck to the penny, nickel, and quarter slots. Just insert your room key/sign and sail card and you can access your account to add more money or cash out of a game. We won a few times but managed to spend most of the money in the casino. It was not bad, just 70 bucks that we lost.

 

Staff:

 

What can I say about them? They were excellent. From the front desk to the waiters to the stewardess to the cruise director, they all made our trip more enjoyable. They were friendly and always assisted if you needed it. They talked to. Big Tex was our Cruise Director and he was a funny guy. We were a little disappointed that he didn't have the Texas accent though.

 

Our Stewardess was Jenny and from day 1 she knew our names and faces. We would see her in the hall and she would ask how our day was, if we needed anything and just talked to us. She was great with us. If we were in our room when she came to clean or turn down, she would tell us she would come back, but we always told her it was fine and we left the room so she could do her job and not delay anything else. We made sure at the end of the trip to thank her and tip her for everything she did. The towel animals were a highlight coming back into the room at night.

 

I talked about the waitstaff already, but they deserved so much more. They treated us perfectly and they ran around making sure all their tables were taken care of. Nyoman was our Head Waiter and Reynoldo was the team waiter. Both were excellent. Nu, as he asked us to call him, was always there to greet us and thank us for coming and once we sat down, we had bread and water served by Reynoldo. I ended up seeing him in the Lido deck bussing tables and he addressed me by Sir and my name and talked to me about that night's menu. We tipped both of them extra on the last night and wished we could give more than we did.

 

Disembarkment:

 

This was an easy process. We went to the talk and were told what to expect. We were in the first group and had left our luggage outside our room. It was taken overnight and we found it once we got into the terminal in Miami. Everything was there and we were out of Customs in no time. Then we headed to the airport to wait for our flight home.

 

Ports:

 

Grand Cayman: Seven Mile Beach

 

This was our first stop on the trip. Weather was perfect. Sunny and hot. We had about an hour from the time we got off the boat before our tour was going to be leaving for Seven Mile Beach. We headed to the shops and started to look around. Looked at a lot of shirts and souvenirs, nothing really striking our fancy except for the Hell shirts. So we bought one of them. Then we decided to look in the jewelry store. We saw so many nice things, but knew we could not buy anything at that point. It was time to go meet up with our tour. We got there and got our wrist bracelet that showed we belonged to the tour. We piled into vans and we started on our way. It was about a 10 minute drive to the beach.

 

The beach was awesome. I am used to the East Coast beaches with tons of sand and large waves. Nothing was the same. White sand and very calm, clear waters. My wife loved this. We were given drink tickets for one free bottle of water or pop, a chair to put our stuff on. The beach also had water toys for rent; these included rafts, peddle boats, snorkeling equipment, and jet skis. We bought a 5 dollar raft for my wife to use in the water. The one thing we forgot was our underwater camera and forgot to charge our digital one.

 

The water was warm and there were multiple fish swimming around our feet. It was great, as we could see them and weren't as freaked out when something brushed against us. We left the beach and had to head back home. This was a great ride back, as the driver we had actually talked to us, as we were up front, and he told us about the island and people on it. Rich people, free schooling, no taxes. This was the best way to sum up what he told us. We would love to live down there.

 

The tendering for Grand Cayman was pretty easy. The worst part was sitting on the boat if you were there early. The sea was a little rough and the boat kept knocking against the tender location on the boat.

 

Isla Roatan: Dolphin Encounter and Tabyana Beach Day

 

Today was an awesome day. We were excited for another day on another island. This time it was Isla Roatan, Honduras. We were not worried with the civil unrest as the people on the island were extremely friendly. Our first stop today was the Dolphin Encounter at Anthony's Key. We took a bus to Anthony's Key and got into boats to be driven over to the dolphins. We had a short brief before getting into the water with them and they told us that we would be broken into groups of 6 to 8, to stand in a straight line, explained a little of what the dolphins would do for us/with us, and also said that we could take pictures during the last 10 minutes. They did provide us with lockers so we could keep our valuables up there.

 

When it was time to get into the water, we were in the 2nd group and had an awesome dolphin, Gracie. She was extremely smart and very affectionate. She also loved being praised. Everyone was given a chance to pet her, get a kiss, and then it was time for her to give us a hug and kiss for the professional pictures they take. After we were finished, it was time for the dolphins to show off and do their tricks. This was by far one of the best things we have ever done; next we want to swim with the dolphins.

 

Our next stop was the gift shop, where they offered the pictures that we wanted or a CD of all of them, plus a few extras for forty bucks. Of course the CD is the better option, as you get all your pictures and can print/share them with everyone else.

 

Then we got back on the buses and drove to the beach. The beach was a good 30 minute drive from the dock. The beach was alright. We were both tired and slept on the beach before deciding that we should just head back to the boat. There was stuff to do on the beach; they had a lunch buffet for 15 dollars, drinks, some water toys, and chairs. But we decided that we would just head back and grab lunch on the Lido deck.

 

Belize: Bacab Eco Park Kayak Creek Expedition

 

This was the excursion we were looking forward to since booking the cruise and excursions. We were told that it was going to be through the rain forest and we could see a lot of wildlife. Well, to start with, the tendering was pretty easy to understand. We had to go to the theater and get a sticker that designated our group for tendering. Some did not get this, but it was pretty easy to follow. The tender trip took about 15 minutes or so. Once we got to Belize, it started to rain and most of us hid under an overhang. We did not know that we had to move onto the buses, so it was not that well organized as the leaders forgot about us.

 

The bus trip over was 20 minutes but our driver gave us a tour of the city and told us information which was very nice. We got to Bacab Eco Park and realized that we needed to have bug spray, but they knew that and had a place that we could buy some (13$). It was very hot and humid after it rained. We were able to use lockers for all of our stuff and we given a plastic bag for any digital cameras, so that they do not get wet on the kayak.

 

We were given life jackets and were put into groups for the kayaks, 2 people per kayak. We were then sent off into the lagoon. We had never kayaked before, so we really didn't know what to do, but we picked it up easily for the most part. Our guide basically just took off on us and we had to follow; we were the 6th kayak out of 8, so we didn't get to hear anything he said.

 

We were disappointed with the trip as we were never able to see anything. The description said clear waters, but they were muddy and didn't look like they were ever clear. Never saw any wildlife, except for Termite nests and Buzzards. We went down a winding creek first and then it opened up into a large river. Then we were told to turn around and head back. We expected the guide to come up and lead the way, but no, he never did. We went to the lead and I got us back, but not before it started to pour and we ran into the other groups in the small winding creek.

 

When we got back to the lagoon and dock, I pulled us up alongside the dock, waiting on someone to help us out, but no one was there, so I got out and then held the kayak for my wife to get out and then pulled the boat out of the water. We were soaked from the rain and we went into the bathrooms to stand under the showers.

 

We went to the pavilion where they were serving lunch, and it was a Belize meal of rice, chicken, veggies, and others. When we got the food, it was cold, and I did not like any of it. But that is alright, as I am sure it is really good warm. We had to wait for an hour and a half before our bus left, and this was painful, as it was muggy and the bugs were out. We just wanted to go back and shower. This was not a great excursion for us, but I am sure that many loved it.

 

 

 

Cozumel: Playa Mia Beach Break Deluxe

 

Final excursion and must say one of the best. Our excursion included all water toys we wanted, an iceberg climbing wall, trampoline, chairs, a lunch buffet and the best part open bar. We had to take a bus to the beach, but it was about 7 minutes, very quick. We got to the beach, and were taken to chairs and our waiter came up to us to get our drink order. For the next 4 hours, we were never without a drink (alcohol or water).

 

This beach was awesome. The water was warm, clear and there were a lot of fish swimming around. Snorkelers would have loved it. We got our rafts and we relaxed in the water for most of the day floating around. The water was a little rougher than normal and we kept drifting towards the buoy line. But that was alright, we just kept swimming farther and then drifting.

 

There were people walking around with either parrots or an iguana that you could pay 20 dollars to hold them and get a picture. We did not do this as we thought 20 for the picture was a little much. But they gave it in a nice frame, so might have been worth it.

 

Our waiter, like I said, was awesome. He would always be giving us drinks. We would take a sip and he would be there with a fresh one. Those guys worked hard and they deserved the tip we gave at the end of the day. He also took our picture for us.

 

The lunch buffet was great too. A lot to pick from and they had salads, nachos, chicken nuggets, and much more.

 

They had competitions set up during the day that were free. They had a football toss, water balloon toss, musical chairs, a pop the balloon event. We were not there long enough to do the final contest, limbo, but my wife would have been good at it. I did the football toss and did not get one of the balls through the ring. Only 1 guy did and he won a shirt. We did not do any of the other contests as we were busy in the water enjoying the last relaxing day at the beach.

 

When we headed back to the port, we went into some of the shops. My wife found maracas and then I bought a sombrero. I wore that back to the boat and even in the airport when we flew home. But Playa Mia Beach Break Deluxe is an awesome excursion for just relaxing at the beach. We recommend it.

[matt314hew]

Matt, there is no body to the review, its blank?? Unless I am seeing it wrong?

 

I am not sure what is going on with it for you. I am able to see it perfectly fine.

[matt314hew]

Loved your review....but would love to have seen pictures:D

 

You promised a report on your honeymoom is that just for our viewing :D

 

I am glad you and mrs matt had a nice time. It will be great meeting her in VEGAS

 

 

I was thinking does any one have any problem with March 17 2010 week for Vegas it is usually a reasonable time to go and when could just go for the week end Fri-Sat-Sun. Been to Vegas many times so I could check this all out.

 

I said that I would post pictures on the Carnival section. Just haven't gotten around to that yet. Just wait, you will see those one day.

 

No honeymoon reporting.

 

As for that week in March 2010, that is her birthday and she is in a dance group that usually performs in the parade that week.. So it might not be good for me.

[vdarrell]

Getting ready for work and thought I'd do a quick check in

I am going to try and get into the doctor today my bladder has been having severs spasms for three days now and medication is not helping. For the women in the group it is similar to a severs bladder pain and lower birth canal pressure pain. Makes you feel like you have a full bladder and have to P but can't.:eek:

I am suppose to get my results back tomorrow from all my tests so maybe they might be in a day earlier.

 

Sorry to unload to all but it helps to vent a little on here so I don't worry my DH and Sons as they worry to much. Thanks again for listening.

 

I hope you all enjoy Matt's review as much as I did.

[matt314hew]

It's blank for me too. :confused: I emptied my cookies and other history but not sure what else to do. I can see some other reviews. Maybe somone can copy/paste it into a new thread here??

 

B

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=56830

 

If you copy and paste that, is it still blank???

 

And Vickey, I don't mind you posting the review..

 

I added a picture to my profile..

[missou]

Nice picture Matt! I want to see more!!!

 

I didn't do my exercises yet, my piano tuner called to say he would come earlier than expected. I had totally forgotten him, so I started to get ready for his arrival. When I was almost done, he called to say that he wouldn't be that early after all :rolleyes: So I vaccumed around the piano and now, I am all ready for him :p I wonder if it was a trick to be sure I was gonna be ready :eek: His wife works with hubby and the spouses are always invited to the christmas parties at their work place. So we know each other already. He can be a kidder sometimes and he knows I am too :cool:

 

Well, he is a good pianist and he always tests the piano to see if he did a good job. It will be concert time soon in this house :):)

[toonville2]

occasionally have a little dip around these threads for inspiration to keep me on track and have to say: what a great supportive group you are! It has been so pleasant to vicariously share in this community - especially since being on cruise critic the last few months and becoming aware of how many "sharks" there are in the pool! I'm glad they haven't found you and you are able to focus on each other's success and health rather than expending energy battling the "negative-nancys".

 

I am happy to say that I cruise on Jan 30th on the Spirit - unhappy to say that I don't fit any of my cruise clothes and can't afford to buy more (and don't WANT to buy bigger anyway). I've never been skinny, nor had the desire to be, but want to get back to 160lb/size 10 - these last 25lb definitely harder to shake at 53! Situation's not hopeless though - I'm not ready to throw in the towel -

 

hope you're all having a great day, Elizabeth

[vdarrell]

occasionally have a little dip around these threads for inspiration to keep me on track and have to say: what a great supportive group you are! It has been so pleasant to vicariously share in this community - especially since being on cruise critic the last few months and becoming aware of how many "sharks" there are in the pool! I'm glad they haven't found you and you are able to focus on each other's success and health rather than expending energy battling the "negative-nancys".

 

I am happy to say that I cruise on Jan 30th on the Spirit - unhappy to say that I don't fit any of my cruise clothes and can't afford to buy more (and don't WANT to buy bigger anyway). I've never been skinny, nor had the desire to be, but want to get back to 160lb/size 10 - these last 25lb definitely harder to shake at 53! Situation's not hopeless though - I'm not ready to throw in the towel -

 

hope you're all having a great day, Elizabeth

 

 

 

We are not sharks:D even though there is a few on here that might bite:D. I love our group as I have stated many times we share the good, bad and the ugly. We are all here to support ,motivate and encourage rather it be weight loss or life troubles.

Hope you continue to join us we love to have you.

 

 

 

 

 

Matt....love your picture. We can still work out a time to meet the new Mrs. Matt.

 

 

I go tomorrow at 11:45am to talk about what is going to be done about my medical situation keep those prayers coming.

[Norwaylin]

Matt: Very good review for a first timer. You were honest. I have been to Grand Cayman and Cozumel, but never to Belize or Roatan. I have read about the bugs and the need for bug spray. Don't think I would want to fight bugs on vacation. I did enjoy Grand Cayman (sugar sand beaches) and Cozumel (private beach party after snorkeling).

I saw your picture and thought it was cute. After looking at the picture, I saw your bio. I have a friend in the Pittsburgh area whose son goes to Carnegie Mellon for Computer Science. I think he has one more year before he graduates.

 

I assume you are your lovely bride are planning another cruise ... it's a fever! I have been on six cruises and am overdue for my seventh.

 

Linda

[emmysmommy]

Ok, I have a lot of reading to catch up today (you guys are really chatty while I'm working! I suppose it doesn't help to be in a time zone 2-3 hrs behind most people here!)

 

I was too excited to wait to post later....

 

Vickey: Thanks for cutting/pasting Matt's review! (I've still gotta read it)... Sorry about your bladder. Hopefully the doctor has some good advice/treatment.

 

 

I'll be back later.

B

[emmysmommy]

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=56830

 

If you copy and paste that, is it still blank???

 

And Vickey, I don't mind you posting the review..

 

I added a picture to my profile..

 

I LOVED reading your review!!! And yes, we need more photos. The dolphin encounter sounds amazing! Thanks for giving us a glimpse of you and your wife in your profile photo. :)

[missou]

Today was quite busy. It started with my piano tuner and it continued with a chat with a potential client. We talked for a few hours and I am going to look for a 2 nights cruise for her. Her boyfriend only wants to stay on the boat for one night. He is a little scared of going on a boat for a longer period of time.

 

On another board, there is a member who asked me about a 10 night cruise aboard the Ruby Princess. Things are moving slowly but surely for me

 

The only muscles I worked today were my lips and I am not finished yet :eek::p:D

 

Hopefuly, I can finish this quickly and go out for a walk.

[Kudos2Fly]

Glad everyone is doing well... I can get in to my Red dress now at night, but is still tight... So I decided to night to really watch what I eat and of course drink. :eek: See if I can lose a few more inches..

 

Matt thanks for the review.. As someone that like taking photos I would love to see some of yours..

 

missou congrats on your new client...

[missou]

Thanks Kudos

 

One of the clients is very uncertain of herself and of her choices. I spent a long time on the phone with her and I am not finished yet. I really hope she buys a cruise, I will have earned it :p

 

I will now go outside for a walk, maybe I'll meet hubby somewhere.

[emmysmommy]

Good evening everyone..... dropping by to post that I'm officially 8 for 9 in my challenge. Today was a rough start since I woke up late, didn't feel like doing my morning exercises (did them) and then snacked a lot (at least it was all lo-cal) during the day. This evening was better once I got on the treadmill and actually ate a healthy meal. So that's my score and I've got 21 more days to stay at this.

 

Missou: Hope you enjoyed your walk. Also, sounds like you v-e-r-y patient! Here's to hoping your client buys that cruise!

 

B

[missou]

I walked for 10 minutes before I met hubby. Does hours of lip workout counts :p:D:D

 

I am officially at 3 out of 5 :mad::mad::mad:

 

 

I really have to do my treadmill and my workout tomorrow morning!!!!!!!

 

Sleep thight everyone

[missou]

Good morning Winning-Losers. I am on the gaining side these days :mad::mad::mad:

 

Besides that, I just looked at my calendar and I have got nothing planned today except for the worked I will do for my client.

 

I feel sore all over, but I will go for my breakfast and then I will go on the treadmill.

 

Redweeks is suppose to start next Sunday. It better since it lasts 2 weeks, it should finish on the 22nd. I don't want to be in my redweeks on the road or on the cruise. I am seeing my OBGYN on the 17th, I hope he can help me for that.

 

I guess the soreness is worse because of those coming weeks :mad::mad:

 

Don't worry, I am in a good mood, it is nice out and the birds are chipping away. I just hope my body will be nice and collaborate with me...

 

Have a nice day everyone

[matt314hew]

Good morning all. And everyone is welcome for me posting that review.

 

Also thanks to everyone who has commented on my picture. I plan to post more pictures. I just don't have much time right now.. Got word that the Bank has accepted our offer on the house we are looking at and we should know today whether that is 100% true and then we can set up a Closing Date.

[emmysmommy]

Good morning all. And everyone is welcome for me posting that review.

 

Also thanks to everyone who has commented on my picture. I plan to post more pictures. I just don't have much time right now.. Got word that the Bank has accepted our offer on the house we are looking at and we should know today whether that is 100% true and then we can set up a Closing Date.

 

How exciting!!! good luck with all of the details.

B