(This post goes after Grand Turk) Happy Earth Day from the Deck of the Sunshine!

This post is out of order--but because of when I posted, I can't change the order.. Oh well.

Today is the last day of the cruise and a Sea Day. I think that is a good way to end a cruise—it gives you a chance to mentally prepare for the end of the vacation. More practically, it gives you a chance to pack and organize things for the trip back to reality.

I am using my last day to pack up the cabin and get the luggage ready to go out in the hallway tonight so it can be taken off the ship for me and ready for pick-up tomorrow morning. Another perk of being platinum is that my luggage will be ready first and I can be one of the first off the ship tomorrow, if I choose. I will choose that tomorrow as we have a car rental for the day.

I’m sitting in a sunny window taking advantage of the faster Wi-Fi in this location. The water is that deep, dark blue indicative of the ship being in very deep water. God, I will miss this.

I am also using this last sea day, which by the way is very calm, not windy and just partly cloudy, to gather my thoughts about the cruise and this ship.

While there were many things I loved about the ship there were other things I did not care for. In no way did any of the things I didn’t like have an impact on the great time I had. Instead, it will make me carefully consider choosing this ship for another vacation. Just consider this “first world ramblings”.

We are so privileged to be able to have a vacation like this on a regular basis and I am very aware of how blessed I am.

First, the things I loved:

·         The Crew – these people are the friendliest, most hardworking people you will ever meet. From my Cabin Steward, Ryan, our wait staff in the dining room, Mario, Rocky and Slav, and just generally any staff member on the ship had a smile for you and behaved as if your happiness was their purpose in life.

·         Mongolian Wok – I am going to have severe withdrawal when I leave the ship!

·         The variety of areas to have a meal or a snack was incredible. Guy’s Burgers, Blue Iguana Cantina, Mongolian Wok, the Deli, and the Pizza place, the lido buffet-with too many selections to name, the Main dining room, the Taste Station and ALL included in the price of your cruise. There are also several up-charge restaurants you can choose to dine at—Bonsai Sushi, a steakhouse, Japanese restaurant, Cuban food at the Havana Bar and an Italian restaurant.

·         The cabins were somewhat updated from standard Carnival décor, which was a nice change.

·         The port selections on this cruise were wonderful and the main reason I chose this cruise.

·         The Comedy Club was great and something I attend multiple times during a cruise.

·         The Serenity area on this ship was beautiful and spacious.

·         Increasing the number of outlets in the cabin from 1 to 2.

·         The décor and seating areas on the Lido deck were updated and very cheery and inviting.

·         The Havana Bar was my favorite area to sit and eat lunch. It was in the aft of the ship with large, aft-facing window to watch the wake. The décor is also Cuban-like right down to fake palm trees that look like they are growing up and out of the room. It also usually features an acoustic guitar player, which was very nice.

·         The Soups and desserts in the main dining room.

·         The overall cleanliness of the ship. That has been a constant on every ship I’ve sailed on.

·         How the wait staff dances for us a couple of times during the cruise. It’s pure Carnival and it looks like the staff really enjoys it too.

Now, the things I did not care for:

·         The persistent sewage smell that was present in several areas of the ship for the entire cruise. One place it was very noticeable was in the lobby on Deck 3—which is a heavily used area. It caused us to relocate more than once.

·         Items that should have been repaired or replaced. There were several in my cabin: the caulking in the shower was pulled loose in an area about 8 inches long, there was black mold specks in the caulking and a screw sticking out of the shower plate that I caught my toe on. An outlet plate that was on the verge of pulling out of the wall.

·         The biggest thing for me was the American Table dining experience in the Main Dining Areas. I did not like it at all. I prefer (and expect) the same level of service in the dining room as I’ve had all the other times I cruised with Carnival. I missed the white table cloths, charger plates, the large assortment of silverware at your place setting, having your chair pulled out and your waiter placing your napkin in your lap, waiters coming around with warm bread and allowing you to choose a piece, having your water glass filled almost the moment it was empty. Just the whole decadent, pampering experience. Instead, we had a water bottle on the table, a bread basket placed on the table, less silverware, etc. Even the wait staff was attired more casually.

·         The more casual attire allowed into the Main dining room. I don’t want a formal atmosphere but just people decently dressed. Make people take off the baseball hats, turn them away when they look like they are dressed in their pajamas, things like that. I guess ENFORCE the dress code they state in the Carriage of Contract. Resort Casual is not specific enough for some people. UGH

·         This was one of my biggest complaints—but not with Carnival, with the azzhole parents that allowed their children to go stomping down the halls at all hours of the night—just generally letting them run amok. And adults, clomping past the staterooms at 1-2 in the morning, not bothering to lower their voices and carrying on like no one was sleeping a few feet away from them. WTH is wrong with people? I find myself asking myself that more and more. I think that may be a true sign of getting old. LOL! I need to remind myself of the time of year of the cruise and not pick a Spring Break cruise or any time when the possibility of lots of children are aboard.

·         The American Table menus. I think I can honestly say there was no night in the main dining room where I was ‘wowed’. Don’t get me wrong, the food was edible and you certainly wouldn’t starve but the entrée selections were not that great. One night I had an appetizer of soup, a salad and a chicken entrée that was really gross—tough and tasteless. I ordered another soup and called it dinner.

·         Along that same vein—the fact that they moved the salads to the appetizer section and honestly if you didn’t know you would probably limit yourself to an appetizer or salad, when, in fact, they are different courses.

In summary, I will look for ships not using the American Table Menus and if Carnival decided to move this across the whole line, I will look for a different line—platinum status here or not. I will choose to cruise at times when schools are in session unless the itinerary is one in a million.  

In closing, I will tell you that the vacation was fabulous. I had wonderful traveling companions and would not hesitate to cruise with them in the future.  And as stated, the dislikes were relatively minor but when spending my money, I like to have the vacation meet the expectations I have and this one missed on a few items.

Oh and the cabin I choose—be warned, it was 9177, on the Lido deck forward. It was convenient obviously to the Lido deck and Serenity—the reason I chose it. And it is directly below the spa. I thought there would be little noise in this location. HA! Every day, early morning, afternoon and evening, they drag stuff around up there and it’s a bit annoying. If you are a light sleeper, reconsider.

Until next time,

Gypsy Jilly

Epilogue—Our Day In Orlando

The alarm went off far too early for me after a very late night at the casino. Three Card Poker called to me and I started with $100 in chips. That allowed me to play for about 4-5 hours and leave with $170. Not bad for an evening of entertainment!

Thankfully, I had packed up most everything and put 1 piece of luggage outside the cabin door to be picked up and taken to the warehouse after we left the ship.

Once again, platinum status was a huge friend to us. We had Priority Debarkation in Group 1. This group would be called immediately after the people that were carrying off all of their luggage. Do people listen to the announcements? No, they do not. They just rush to the exits and clog up the traffic leaving the ship. UGH At about 8:30 we took the stairs from Deck 9 to Deck 3 only to find a madhouse. The atrium and areas all around it and the elevators were solid people and luggage.

I found a crew member and asked her where the priority debarkation line was. OH well, let me just whisk you and your guests to the immediate front of the line, past everyone else. BOOM! We were off the ship. I immediately flagged down a porter who loaded our luggage onto her cart and off we went—through the very short porter line and to the customs agent. Easy Peasy!  Well worth the $10 tip we gave her.  Plus, she wheeled our bags the whole way over to the rental car shuttles.

After a wait of about 20 minutes, the rental car company shuttle arrived and we were off to pick up our car. No wait there and we loaded our stuff into the Jetta we were given. Zoom Zoom! We were off. We decided to go Disney Springs and spend the day.

No traffic problems and we arrived and parked our car in the Orange parking lot. The parking lots here were kinda interesting—They gave a count of all the available spaces on each level of the garage AND it was free to park there.

It was fairly early so we walked around a bit and I immediately found a couple of great Christmas presents for my son! We decided to pick them up on the way out instead of lugging them around. We walked and shopped at a variety of stores and then we decided we were starving. We went to Splitsville,  the bowling alley/restaurant to eat and bowl! It was $12 each to bowl for an hour and fifteen minutes.  Food was extra of course. We decided to order just appetizers so we wouldn’t waste our precious bowling time.

I will tell you right now, I suck at bowling. And with my hands and now shoulders acting up, after two games it was starting to become fairly painful. In between throwing gutter balls, we shared an order of nachos and chicken tenders. Then realized we were very full and no additional lunch would be needed. Kolton won, Betzi came in second and I, of course, won the Bronze medal. LOL My play was actually pitiful. My highest score was 73 I think. LOL

We strolled around some more and did a bit more shopping and then decided we needed to see a movie so we could sleep…errr rest. We decided on the Disney flick “Made in China.” I think that was the name. It was about animal families. Very beautifully filmed and narrated. And of course, it was dark and cool inside. Comfy seats that reclined, oh yeah… I think we may have nodded off for a short time.

Aaaaaaand, it was only 3:30. Oh God, how much time to kill before can go to the airport? All we wanted to do was sleep. We actually considered just going to the car, turning on the air and napping. But, we soldiered on. We went to a ginormous Disney Store and then went looking for the Disney Art Gallery. I was hoping they would have some of Uncle Pete or Harrison’s artwork on display there. They did not but when we asked a salesman, he said no, unfortunately, they hadn’t had any in 5 or 6 years. Bummer. He did pull out a large binder and showed us a couple of photographs of art they used to have.

Cousin Lynda, if you are reading this blog, the man said he had been employed there many years and Uncle Pete’s work always sold very well. He was disappointed they no longer sold it. They would welcome the opportunity to sell his and Harrison’s work again!!!!

At 6 or so, we decided we had enough. I stopped at the store where I spotted those future presents, we made our way back to the car. I made an executive decision while we were on the highway NOT to go to the airport. I asked Kolton to look up IHOP on maps! We stopped there and had breakfast for dinner and I had 2 cups of coffee.

It was still early so I said we were going to cross the parking lot to a large souvenir store! We killed about 30 more minutes there and it was time to go to the airport. Yessssssssssss!

After an uneventful trip to the airport, we dropped off the rental car and made our way to the skycaps and dropped off our luggage. It boggles my mind why people will past the skycaps and inside the terminal to queue in line to check in at an airline counter. Craziness. It so much speedier to stop at the skycaps outside.

Anyway, once inside we headed to the security line. What??? No TSA pre-check? The lines were not very long so I took the plunge. Kolton and Betzi were already in line. OMG What an awful experience—one I hope I do not have to repeat in the near future. First, the line itself was so long, then you have the TSA goons bellowing constantly, laptops out of bags, shoes off, pockets empty, blah, blah, blah. Then you go through the make you naked scanner, where once again, my right breast and armpit needed and extra pat-down AND my carry-on luggage was pulled for further inspection. OH effing JOY!

The Goon opens my bag and of course, all my careful packing is undone as he mauls my stuff and checks for explosives. And he is a foul tempered, full bodied, bespectacled, balding azzhole. After pawing through my entire suitcase, he finds the offending and dangerous item. It’s the mostly empty 5-ounce tube of toothpaste. I said, but it’s almost empty. He said, we don’t care, we go by the original amount on the item. We don’t have time to weigh everything. Ok Dick, whatever you say. Oh wait, there is another item I need to locate. Oh, my conditioner—again a mostly empty container I forgot to transfer to the checked luggage.

Then, he jams everything into the suitcase, totally haphazardly, and then uses his sizeable girth to force the zippers shut. I grabbed the suitcase and stormed off to repack the darn thing. I couldn’t even get the laptop back in the outside compartment. I was BEYOND irritated. UGH

I am now much calmer after guzzling a double Jack and Coke, waiting to board a completely full flight home. I don’t think my mood is going to improve much. We are supposed to get in at 12:50 am. Then a shuttle to the hotel to pick up my car (I pray it’s not damaged) Then the 90-minute drive home. Sigh. I hope to be able to sleep and awake in a much better mood. Back to gray and rain, probably not. LOL

New day, new temperament! After a solid 10 hours of sleep, I unpacked, did laundry and got everything put away. I have yet to sort and open the week’s mail—tomorrow is another day.

Regarding the flight home, it was great! I snagged a front row window seat, propped myself against the window, plugged in headphones and with relaxation music blocking out all the sounds, I was asleep before the plane took off. I was startled awaked about 10 minutes prior to landing—now that is the perfect flight!

We got our luggage and had to take a taxi to the Aloft to pick up the car because the shuttle stops running at midnight. But they reimbursed me for the taxi fare and tip and off we went in my undamaged, un-dinged car. After an uneventful drive home, I dropped off Kolton and Betzi and made my way to my place where I hauled all my stuff in and after retrieving a few necessary items from the carry-on pretty much face-planted into my bed about 4:30 am.

Final thoughts:

·         Nothing tastes better than the first cup of coffee from your ‘home’ machine.

·         Never go through the regular security line

·         I love the way my place smells when I walk in.

·         Life is very, very good!

I hope to have more news to report in the next few weeks.......I'm scheduled for a mini-vacay over Memorial Day Weekend!

Signing off for now as this Gypsy has arrived back at home base!

What a Grand (Turk) Day!

This is the only port we did a ship's tour. I chose a snorkeling trip to two different spots and the remainder of the day spent on a beach near the ship. We docked at 9:30 and made our way to our tour that left at 10am.

We walked to a small boat docked right next to the ship and set off for the first snorkeling stop. And what a great spot it was. The boat anchored about 20 or 30 feet from the "WALL". This is an area that drops hundreds of feet from the snorkeling depth of about 20 feet deep. It was amazing and a tiny bit creepy at the same time. There were tons of fish and interesting coral formations. The Captain of the boat actually had to yell at the group several times to get back aboard. We were there for at least an hour--and I am pretty sure I only lifted my head out of the water 3 times.

 The edge of the wall, looking into the deep blue sea

 Look at that sea fan!

 I could not believe how many fish were gathered right there. This was at the wall.

Our tour guide dove down and was actually down the side of the wall. Crazy!

Our next stop was in an area that much more shallow and had much less living coral. It made me sad to see so much dead coral. But they are trying to rebuild reefs using boulders and sinking ships to the bottom. However, there were still areas of living coral and lots of fish to see. This stop was about an hour but was sort of irritating due to these creatures that had no regard for anyone but themselves and just kicked and paddled their way wherever they pleased. UGH I was kicked 3 times, once in the head. Not even a hint of apology. Azzholes.

I did get some good photos of lots of fish several, I've not seen before.

 I have no idea what type of fish this is, but it was beautiful

 Another Gorgeous Sea Fan

Brain Coral

If this fish could talk I'm pretty sure he would have a lisp. LOL LOL

 The fish were so unusual. I've never seen one like the blue, black orangey one near the bottom

And a video, somewhat disturbed by the 'creatures' on our boat. Right at the end is where I got kicked in the head. Fun!

After that, the boat drove right up to the beach and we went down the little ladder and there we were -- in the soft sand. Today's sand was so different than St. Kitts. It was light colored and very powdery, lovely to walk on.

We were starving so we made our way down the beach to a place recommended by our tour guides. We could see the grills smoking and smell the jerk chicken. On Yum. We found a table and ordered a variety of food and drink. I must say this was the BEST jerk chicken I've ever had and I wish I had
some right now!

We spent the rest of the day lounging in chairs, under umbrellas at the beach near the ship.
A very good time had by all!

Mallorcas at Mallorcas in Puerto Rico

We docked in Puerto Rico at 7am this morning. We made our way off the ship about 9am and walked through a cavernous warehouse type of building and outside into the warm sunshine-y day.  We were looking for the free trolley stop. After about 1/4 of a mile or so, we found it. We waited about 10 minutes or so until one came. We climbed aboard with many others and it was very crowded and very hot. It sort of reminded me of the buses in Italy--no concept of load capacity. The trolley made its way very, very slowly through the narrow. cobblestone streets of the Olde Towne. We passed a large fort before making our way back into the city.

Several of us finally figured out how to open a few of the windows as we were all dripping sweat. After a few more stops we decided to get off the trolley and walk. Anything would be better than being inside this bus 1 more minute.

As soon as we got off the trolley, what did I see directly across the street? Mallorca's - the tiny restaurant we were looking for! We went inside and sat at the counter. We all ordered the famous Mallorca's with ham and cheese. I also got coffee and Kolton got fresh lemon/lime aid. Betzi ordered fresh orange juice. A few minutes later, this breakfast sandwich was taken off the panini press and then sprinkled with powdered sugar. OMG

I should mention that Betzi's ability to speak Spanish helped us out more than once today!

After eating, we paid our bill ($21 total). Off we went to explore the neighborhood. One of the first shops we visited was a jewelry store--intrigued by the unusual items on display. My Credit Card got a bit of a workout in there! I bought myself some very unusual pieces AND found my sister a couple of presents I will put away for Christmas.

What follows are some pictures of the neighborhoods we walked through.

It was quite warm and we decided to stop at a fro-yo place for a dish of frosty, cold goodness! I got three flavors in my cup: Key Lime, Root Beer and Cherry. They were all yummy and refreshing.

I am so glad we stopped at that store because despite going into many, many other places; nothing came close to the 1st place we went. I took so many pictures of the interesting architecture. I was charmed by this area of the city and would love to come back one day and explore more of it.

I'll leave you with some shots from sail-away.....

 adios, my friends....

Another Day in a New Paradise

Oh, what a day we had today! I think I can say this has been the best day yet. We LOVE St. Kitts! We didn’t rush to get off the ship this morning but instead made our way to gangway about 9am. We quickly found a taxi and for $4 each, were taken to Frigate’s Bay. On the drive there, we stopped at a lookout where you could see the Atlantic Ocean on one side of the land and the Caribbean Sea on the other. It was just stunning.

That's the adorable Betzi!

All the other people in our van were going to the Shipwreck Bar. We wanted to go to the Discovery Beach Bar. We did take a look at Shipwreck but did not care for the atmosphere there and there was very little actual beach. Plus, immediately people came out and put a monkey on Betzi's shoulder. Yuck, all I can think of is disease or fleas. Bleck. So, we started walking down the road to go to Discovery and our driver said to hop it and he would drop us off.

Wow! What a difference. I found this place after doing a bit of investigating and reading reviews on Trip Advisor. The owner is a man named Morsi and he takes such pride in his place. He rakes the sand and generally keeps it clear of any debris from the Palm Trees that are all over the property.

He charges $10 per person to use the lounge chairs, which are set up in groups of two with an umbrella. Or you can choose loungers underneath the palm trees—which is what I did. He also allows you to use his snorkel equipment and kayaks for free. And it’s nice stuff!

Here are a few shots from my chaise lounge!

Morsi also has a covered area with tables and chairs and there were several hammocks you could also lounge in. All in all, a great place to spend your life---err a day! We settled into our lounge chairs and just let all that ambiance wash over us. Water lapping at the shore, beautiful mountains in the distance, the gorgeousness of the water, a breeze blowing from the sea, the blackish sand between our toes and the reggae music playing at just the right volume. HEAVEN!

We roused ourselves from the loungers and went up to his bar and ordered some of his rum punch. Wow, did that pack a punch. Homemade with a sprinkle of nutmeg on the top and an extra splash of rum as well.

Soon, the water was calling to us and we had to get in. The water was so clear and only maybe 10 feet out, a reef. We were amazed that we could see sea urchins and starfish and even some fish right there. We were given snorkels then and proceeded to check out the marine life. It was gorgeous. I got some great pictures. What a wonderful experience that was! I think Kolton and I got a bit burned on our backs from spending all that time checking out life under the sea. But it was worth it!

Back to our loungers and another round of drinks (Rum punch is $6, he also had cans of beer 2 for $5 and boozy smoothies for $8) Life is very, very good! 

This is Morsi!

Around noon, we decided to get something to eat. We had 2 orders of his ginger wings and an order of coconut shrimp. Both were excellent. There were grilled vegetables included – the plantains were out of this world. Everything was cooked over an open flame on his oil drum grill. After eating, we got a couple of frozen rum-filled smoothies. My strawberry one was so good. We settled back into our loungers and Betzi chose a hammock and we napped a little, and cooled off a little in the water and then lounged some more. Before we knew it, it was time to walk back up the road to the Shipwreck Bar to meet Uncle Barry’s taxi for the ride back.

I was extremely thirsty and Morsi sent me on my way with a can of Bitter Shandy that was so delicious. I wish I could remember the brand. But after a hike in the sun to catch our taxi, I realized that it was really good none of us were driving. Woo-hoo we were lit!

Interesting Streetlights!

An uneventful drive back to the port where we browsed in some of the duty-free stores. Then it was back to the ship for a quick shower, guzzling about a half a gallon of water and a fairly long nap for this drunken Gypsy!

We had reservations at the steak house tonight. Fahrenheit 555 is the name of the place. The service is amazing and the food is out of this world. It is $35 up-charge but well worth it. We began with our choice of rolls which were accompanied by butter, olive oil with a clove of garlic and another type of oil based dipping sauce. This was followed by a dish, compliments of the chef. It was Oxtail something on a toast point. Not my thing but it was presented beautifully. Then came an appetizer. I chose the crab cake, followed by a Caesar Salad. I made myself only eat about ½ of each because the entrée would be out next. I ordered surf and turf. It was so good. The beef was so flavorful—I chose the mushroom sauce to go with it and they brought that out in a small gravy boat. Oh, and I chose a baked potato with all the ‘trimmings’—perfectly portioned amounts of butter, sour cream, bacon and chives. Magnificent!

But wait, there’s more! Dessert. I had the chocolate sampler. Four different desserts in small glasses, a bit larger than a shot glass. Presented beautifully on a long plate and followed by a Steak House Tea Selection.

Betzi and I had the chocolate sampler. 4 different glasses of deliciousness:

  Kolton had the homemade lime sorbet.


My Steak House Tea complete with a timer to allow the perfect steeping time.

What a wonderful dinner—and the atmosphere also made this dinner even more special.

I wish I could do this day over again, like 50 more times! I do know, I’ve put this island on my list of places to return. I loved it here.

 It's 12:19 here and we are in Port in Puerto Rico tomorrow at 7am, so I am going to try and get some sleep. I really will post pictures tomorrow! We have all aboard at 1:30 so I should have time to post pictures. With the download speed though, it may take until dinner to get a few loaded.  

We are planning to take the free Trolley around the old towne tomorrow!