Tag: Carnival Cruise Line

Sunday, January 28, 2024

I was up before the alarm and was very happy that my hip felt normal again. We were already docked in Miami. Chuck got up soon after and decided to get some breakfast in the Lido. I was not hungry.

One of the perks of Platinum is expedited disembarkation. We were told to meet on Deck 6 in the main stage at 8:00. Once they verified that all the luggage was set up in the port, we would be allowed to disembark. I knew we would be getting to the airport way earlier than we needed to, but everyone was talking about how crowded the airports and the highways were going to be today due to a large Miami marathon being held. I didn’t want to get stuck in a traffic jam.

We arrived at 7:50 and were told that we didn’t need to sit down in the theater. The luggage was already set up so we could just get in line, and slowly make our way to the exit. We didn’t have any problem locating our luggage in the port area. They had it well organized.

We didn’t meet with Customs as they used the facial recognition system again with people who had passports. There was a second line for people using birth certificates as ID, so I don’t know if they had to have a face-to-face meeting with Customs or not.

Outside of the port, we got in the taxi line and were soon on our way to the airport. The Miami airport is much farther away from the Miami port than the Ft. Lauderdale airport is to the Ft. Lauderdale port. It was a $40 taxi ride.

We tried to use the outside luggage check-in but were told that they couldn’t accept luggage until 4 hours before the flight. We were now 5 hours before the flight. We went inside and got in line for the luggage check-in. They were able to check-in our luggage.

We used the TSA line for security, but Chuck still had to take off his belt because it set the alarm off.

All the seats in our gate were full so we found seats in another gate to wait. The 10:00 flight went off on time. However, after we got back from having a sandwich at the Jimmy John’s subway shop, I noticed that the noon flight at our gate had not left. That didn’t bode well as we were supposed to board beginning at 1:10 for our 2:00 flight.

With the noon flight leaving late that delayed boarding for our flight and having to sit on the tarmac because the air traffic controllers grounded flights going north because we had to wait for some storms in the Orlando area to pass, we didn’t take off until 3:00. I figured we would miss our shuttle pick-up time. However, the pilot said he would fly low and fast and see what he could do. We touched down about 4:45.

Our luggage came out of the chute at 5:09 and we got out of the airport. I was hoping that the shuttle would be a little late as it has been in the past. Nope. I saw that it was already sitting at its parking spot. I told Chuck we had to run as I was afraid it was going to leave right at 5:15. I was carrying both backpacks, and he was pushing both suitcases. I’m sure we were quite a sight.

We got to the shuttle breathless, and the driver asked our names. He checked us off his list, put our luggage in, and we were off. There were already several people on the shuttle. I was so happy I didn’t have to call and arrange a later pick-up. He had two drop-offs before we got to our stop. The traffic flowed smoothly.

I was worried that the car might not start since it had been sitting outside and there had been such a severe cold snap while we were gone. But it started right up, and we were home by 8:00 pm – greeted by a very upset, but well-cared for, cat. I gave him some extra snacks to try and get back in his good graces. It was going to take a lot of snacks.

Final Thoughts –

I was happy to have been in the warm weather when it was so cold here. We had a good time relaxing, despite my ailments. However, we’ve decided that the Carnival Excel class ships are just too big for us. There were times and places, you could just not move around. On Carnival, from now on, we won’t go larger than the Dream class. Glad we tried it. Just not for us.

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” – Lao Tzu

Saturday, January 27, 2024

I was happy to wake up and not be limping again. The pain had decreased to a twinge which was much easier to deal with.

We enjoyed our last Sea Day brunch. We were able to get a reservation soon after the dining room opened so the service was fast today. I tried the 12 Hour French Toast under House Special. It was okay. Much sweeter than I prefer. Chuck went with his favorite – steak and eggs.

We then went to the Casino as Chuck had discovered one of our favorite machines the night before: All Aboard. I wish we had found them sooner. We played on them for a while and then we went back to the cabin to start the packing process.

We had decided to let our suitcases be delivered to the port area by the crew instead of taking the luggage off ourselves. We made that decision because (1) we did not have an early flight and (2) we had heard it was really hard to get an elevator the morning of disembarkation and I knew I couldn’t carry my large piece of luggage down 4 flights of stairs.

We are used to instructions saying get your luggage tagged and placed outside your door no later than midnight. The Celebration’s instruction deadline was 10:00 pm.

Once we had packed up the majority of our belongings, we still had time to catch some sun from the balcony before it was time for dinner. I got another one of my favorite frozen drinks and brought it back: Miami Vice.

It was soon time to get ready for our last evening. Chuck had received a $50 dining card from the Casino, and we decided to use it at Emeril’s Bistro for dinner.

It is an ala carte menu and reasonably priced so we ended up with more food than we could eat. I took the last meat pie (empanada) back to the room and we offered the remaining creole boiled peel-and-eat prawns to a table of young men who were happy to take them off our hands.

The evening would have been perfect except for two things: (1) we kept having to flag down a waiter to give us more water and (2) the trio of musicians were playing so loudly at the nearby Latitudes Bar that conversation was impossible unless you yelled across the table. The music was so distracting that I forgot to take photos of the food which is a shame because it was all very good with a nice presentation.

Once we got back to the room, we finished packing everything up that we didn’t need for in the morning and got the bags tagged, locked, and placed in the hallway before the 10:00 deadline. We then enjoyed sitting on the balcony looking at the stars until it was time to call it a night.

Friday, January 26, 2024

I tried several different medications during the night to try and fix the heart burn and upset stomach, but I still got sick to my stomach. I think my problem was exasperated by heavy wave action this evening.

Then to add insult to injury, when I woke up this morning my left hip was hurting so much, I felt like I couldn’t put much weight on that leg, and I couldn’t stop limping. I had complained to Chuck earlier in the cruise that I thought the mattress was too hard. I wish I had requested a mattress topper.

We were docked at Costa Maya Mexico today. The port area is very similar to the one in Roatan. Again, some cruisers never go farther than this area.

Our plan was to take a taxi into the town of Mahahual. It has been a long time since we were here, so we were interested in seeing if the place had changed much since it is getting more popular with the cruise lines.

We enjoyed our times in Mahahual hanging out at Tropicante – a Tex-Mex bar and grill with loungers by the ocean. The massages that were offered were great and the food was very good. We tried snorkeling once while we were there, but it wasn’t very good. Others told us that trips to the Mayan ruins were interesting.

Today, with my hip hurting, I was just not up to wandering around and Chuck declined to go without me, so we’ll have to wait until another time to catch up with the changes.

I put a Lidocaine patch on my hip and relaxed by the pool.

I did manage to get ready for the last elegant night. I should have just skipped it. To me, the dining room felt warmer than normal and had an unusually strong fish smell. It may have been because most everyone there was ordering the lobster tail. I did too. I wish I hadn’t. It was not good. It was very rubbery and tasted burnt around the edges. I only ate a few bites.

For the second night in a row, I skipped the evening activities and just came back to the room. I was glad to see that the laundry had been returned. Nice to be able to take home clean clothes.

Thursday, January 25, 2024

Because we were on a Carnival ship, we docked in Mahogany Bay which is an area on Roatan that is developed and operated by the Carnival Corporation. It offers a beach area, shopping, restaurants, and bars so many people never leave this area when the ship arrives. You just have to understand that Carnival leases the retail and restaurant/bar spaces to outside entities so be prepared to pay. I’ve known people who only took their sail and sign card thinking they could charge everything to their room. Nope.

There is another dock for ships that are not associated with the Carnival Corporation (ex. Celebrity, NCL). That pier is called Coxen Hole. We’ve been to both, and I prefer Mahogany Bay.

We had a fun zip-lining experience here and have snorkeled several times.

Today, we played some more mini golf (I lost by one stroke) and spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool.

We left Mahogany Bay at 5:00 but it wasn’t long before the Captain came over the loudspeaker to announce that we were turning around and going back because they needed to medically evacuate a person. Said a silent prayer that the person would be okay.

For lunch, we had a meatball sub sandwich from the Deco Deli. By that evening, I had indigestion, so I was not interested in dinner. I took some antacids and stayed in the room. Chuck had dinner in the Lido. He said the choices were limited but the food was good. After dinner, he was able to find a seat to play some cards.

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Another typical sea day for us: Sea Day brunch (service was really slow), indoor shuffleboard match (I keep trying), slot play, and lounging on the balcony. At least it was sunny so people could get their pool time.

I chose a steak salad for dinner tonight in the main dining room. Chuck chose the steak dinner.

I was happy to be able to see about 20 minutes of the show – The Magnificent Circus on the Center Stage. I have tried several times but either we were at dinner or I couldn’t get a seat. I heard you had to get a seat at least an hour prior to showtime. Too bad they can’t do this same show in the main theater.

The rest of the evening was spent at the Comedy Club and then listening to a couple of sets of the Back Yard band.

Tuesday, January 23, 2024

For some reason, I thought today’s time in Cozumel was from 10:00 to 6:00 so I was surprised to find that we were already docked by 8:00 and people were getting off the ship. Our time today was officially 8:30 to 3:30.

We tried the Lido for breakfast today. I just got some cereal while Chuck got some items off of the buffet. They didn’t have much of a selection, but he said the food was good.

We have been to Cozumel several times and mostly went to different places to snorkel although we did take a tour on some ATV’s once. I am always astounded at how many ships can be docked at Cozumel on any given day. I counted 4 others and I know there were other ships docked at piers I couldn’t see.

Today I was happy to get a lounger by the pool. The sun played peek-a-boo among the clouds, and it was very windy. I treated myself to one of their frozen drinks. I don’t get them often as the sugar content is so high. I chose my favorite Kiss on the Lips.

The time passed quickly and soon it was time for our dinner reservation at Bonsai Teppanyaki. It is one of their restaurants that has an extra cost. They offer both lunch and dinner at set times. The reservations fill up fast, so I was happy to get one at 7:15.

I would say it was definitely the best meal of the cruise so far. Everyone gets the same appetizers and the same dessert, but you order your main course individually. Chuck and I each had the lobster and filet mignon. After the dinner was over, we waddled off to the room in a food coma.

Monday, January 22, 2024

It was very overcast and rainy today. Know it was disappointing for the new guests who were looking for some sun and pool time today.

After our coffee, we headed for the Pig and Anchor for another indoor shuffleboard match. My good luck from the other day ran out. We stopped by the bar and used our free drink coupon, and we got another one of our Platinum gifts: two large bottles of water.

We came back to the room and Cristopher was working on it. He is not as fast as Melvin was, but he cleans just as well and really makes some great towel animals. We just walked around for a little while to give him some more time. Once we got back, I put some clothes in the laundry bag and took him the full bag. We have gotten the laundry back in about 24 hours.

We spent a little time in the Casino and then went to the Street Eats section of the Lido for a snack. We didn’t want a big lunch since tonight is another Elegant night. We both got the Philly Cheesesteak fries.

Once we were ready for the evening, we found a seat at the Latitudes Bar. I noticed on the app that the restaurant wait times for dinner were all over 30 minutes, so I just chose first available for either main dining room, Chibang, or Cucina del Capitano. About 30 minutes later, I was notified that we had a table at Chibang’s.

We again chose the Chinese option instead of the Mexican option. We each got the beef and broccoli as our main dish again, but we had different appetizers. I had the wontons and Chuck had the lettuce wraps. The meal was very good again and since this dinner was our first time for this leg of our back-to-back, it was complimentary.

A little more time in the Casino and we called it a night.

Sunday, January 21, 2024

Today was disembarkation for many guests but it was our turn-around day. Chilly day for Miami – 54 degrees and overcast. Our instructions said to meet in the Carnivale Restaurant at 8:30. The Cruise Director started calling groups to disembark at a little after 7:00.

The Carnivale Restaurant (one used for assigned dining) is across from the Latitudes Bar but it was not easy to get to as it was right next to one of the disembarkation exits. We had to make our way through a crowd of people who thought we were trying to cut the exit line.

Once we were able to enter the restaurant, there were many people already seated and others were standing in a line. Since there were no instructions or anyone at the door to tell you what to do once you entered the restaurant, we got in the line to the person who looked like he had a box of room key envelopes. I thought we would receive our new room keys and then have a seat to wait to be escorted to customs. Nope. We were just told to take a seat.

We happened to get a seat at a table where a couple from Canada were sitting. They had received their new keys when they entered the restaurant about 8:00. Even though we were frustrated with the disorganization, we did enjoy talking with the couple.

Everyone just kept sitting and getting more annoyed. Finally, another Carnival employee came and announced that there were over 300 (not 100) guests continuing their cruise so they would be calling names by decks. In the meantime, one employee was moving from table to table scanning our old cards so they could be voided, and another employee was moving from table to table taking new photos. Once it was all said and done, our name was not called. I had to go to the person calling names to see what happened. She reviewed the list again and saw our names. We finally got our new room cards.

We were finally led off the ship to “meet” Customs. We didn’t see anyone in person and didn’t need our passports. They used the facial recognition software and if your photo came up with a green box, you just kept walking right back onto the ship. I don’t know if anyone had any issue. We didn’t. All in all, the process took about 2 hours. They need a better process.

Since we had skipped breakfast, we decided to give Shaq’s Big Chicken a try for lunch before the line got too long. Chuck had the chicken sandwich and I had chicken tenders. Lunch was excellent. Glad we gave it a second chance. Still can’t recommend it for breakfast.

Once we left Shaq’s, we saw the Canadian couple in the Pig and Anchor. We teamed up for an indoor shuffleboard match and the women’s team won!

Once we returned to the room, we found our B2B gifts: bottle of sparkling wine and fresh fruit. We also received cards for a free drink.

Since it was not raining, the sail-away was held outside. It was still chilly, but we enjoyed the music and the dancing on the Lido deck.

We found a seat at the Alchemy Bar tonight. I was sure it wouldn’t take long before the new passengers would discover this popular bar too.

We ate in the main dining room. The service was slow again but not unexpected. It was a little chaotic on the ship all day today. A number of the crew left today and were replaced by others including the Cruise Director and our room steward. I’m sure they will get their rhythm soon.

I had the vegetarian wellington. Chuck had the steak.

We spent some time in the Casino before calling it a night.

Saturday, January 20, 2024

We slept so late this morning that our Sea Day brunch was getting closer to Sea Day lunch. I enjoyed the Brunch Burger with mushrooms.

Since it was an overcast day, we went to a trivia game. The topic: The Golden Girls. We watch the reruns on TV Land all the time so we figured we would ace it. We did not. We got 12 out of 20. Sad.

It was a busy day inside the ship. I took some photos around the ship and then retreated to the balcony.

For the evening, we enjoyed another “bubble drink” at the Latitudes Bar and then went to the main dining room for dinner. I had the beef brisket and Chuck had the jerk pork chop. Both were very good.

We closed out the evening with some slots and then went to the main stage to see the comedians do their late-night show. When we got back to the room, there was a lot of luggage out in the hallway to be picked up for disembarkation in Miami. But, not ours. Tomorrow, we start the second part of our cruise. I had heard there would be about 100 people staying on for the next week.

Friday, January 19, 2024

Beautiful day today so everyone was out enjoying the pools and hot tubs. So, after enjoying the Sea Day brunch, we played some indoor shuffleboard. I still couldn’t win.

Chuck then took his winning streak to the Casino. I took my losing self to the balcony and relaxed on the lounger.

Tonight was our second elegant night, so we ate in the main dining room again. The service was slow, but the lobster was very good.

Once dinner was finished, we listened to one set of the Back Yard band and then attended the show on the main stage: Color My World. I was not overly impressed with the show.

Once the show was over, we called it a night.