Another somewhat last minute cruise? Okay! My husband, Scott, had a business trip in Florida. While planning a one day visit to Disney World, I realized that for the cost of a few days in a hotel looking for free things to do and ONE DAY at Disney World, we could go on a 4 day fun-filled cruise to the Bahamas. Scott and I left the decision up to our kids. They hardly thought about it before excitedly saying they wanted to do the cruise. :)
Cruise details~
Embarkation Port: Port Canaveral
Ship: Carnival Sensation
Date: Sailed 6/16/2013
Length: 4 Days
Destination: Bahamas, Freeport/Nassau
(Click on a destination above to go to a detailed review for that stop!)
Parking and Embarkation~
Upon arriving on Cape Canaveral we easily located Park Port Canaveral, the place our truck would call "Home" for the next four days. Compared to the cost of parking at Port Canaveral, which is $60 for a four day cruise, we only paid about $30 at Park Port Canaveral. The free shuttle took us to the port, unloaded our bags and took them to the porter for us, and gave us instructions on how to get back to the shuttle when the cruise was over. The friendly Carnival workers were happy to make embarkation quick and easy for us. We were on the ship by 11!
Itinerary~
Tradition had us in line for lunch as soon as we were on the ship. As early as we were on, the lines were almost nonexistent. Exploring the ship was easy since it is the same class ship as the Carnival Ecstasy and we have sailed on the Ecstasy twice. (First time and Second time) It was nice to be on a different ship for the first time, but still have a familiarity about it. After exploring we got into our swim suits and spent the rest of the afternoon (minus the muster drill) at the Waterworks part of the ship. (Tip: If there's any chance you will want to be at the pool or waterslides, or just laying out, before your luggage is delivered to your cabin, pack your swimsuit in your carryon bag.) Scott and the kids spent a little time at the arcade after dinner, but we all turned in fairly early (as far as vacation time goes) so that we could be well rested for the rest of our vacation.
Our first stop was Freeport, Bahamas. After researching the area, we decided to look around the pier shopping area but then get back on the ship. Having a nearly empty ship is a pretty fun way to spend our day. There were no lines for anything we wanted to do. We spent the rest of our time in Freeport playing ping pong, mini golfing, and of course a lot of time at Carnival Waterworks. That night we turned in "vacation early" because we were docking in Nassau at 7 the next morning and we had a full day with lots of walking planned.
Nassau greeted us bright and early with a beautiful morning. We ate breakfast on an open deck to enjoy the view while the main rush of guests got off the ship. Shortly after, we began our adventure. I go into a little bit of detail about our brief time off the ship in Freeport, and a lot of detail about Nassau in this Destination Review.
When we first booked this cruise, the itinerary said we would leave Nassau at 7pm. I was really surprised at the length of time we had to spend there, but I guess it's really not that far from Florida. The night before we arrived in Nassau our Fun Times (The paper we get each night with the activities for the following day listed) said we actually wouldn't be leaving Nassau until 1am... I was pleasantly surprised. :) After our super fun family day, we asked James and Evie if they would like to go to Camp Carnival after dinner. When they decided they liked that idea, Scott and I decided we would have a date night in Nassau. It doesn't take much to make us happy, and we didn't want to go too far from the ship since there wasn't a way for the crew to contact us if the kids needed us, so we had a lovely date walking along the dock by the ship, watching the sunset, checking out a battleship, and just enjoying our time together. It was a lovely evening! We checked on the kids after we get back on and they were still having a good time so we walked around for a while and then went back for the kids when it was time for Camp Carnival to close. Soon after it was time for bed so we could get our beauty sleep before our final day- a day at sea.
Our one sea day of this cruise was all about celebrating Evie. Our daughter got to spend her birthday on a cruise! We did not plan it that way, but the dates worked for us. Now she brags to me that she has cruised on her birthday, and I have not. :) Anyway, Evie requested breakfast in the cabin, so we ordered room service and enjoyed breakfast in bed. We spent the morning playing at the arcade, taking Evie to Camp Carnival to make a build-a-bear for her birthday, and playing putt-putt. At lunch we got free drinks (that was a part of the past cruiser benefits program, but has since changed) in the dining room and then we spent the rest of the day at Waterworks. We all had a great day and had a hard time admitting that it was ending and that we would wake up in Port Canaveral.
Debarkation~
We have decided that Self-Assist debarkation is the best way to go for our family. Especially in this case when we knew after getting off the ship, we still had a 14 hour drive home. So we were up early with our bags ready to go. When our deck was called we made our way off the ship and to the location of our shuttle. We were back to our truck and on the road by 8am. It could not have been a smoother debarkation for us.
This and That :) ~
The Ship
The Carnival Sensation is pretty much exactly the same layout as the Carnival Ecstasy. It was easy to get around and like every other ship we have been on, it was immaculately clean. The location of the Serenity adults only area was a little disappointing, but only because there isn't much airflow on that deck in the back of the ship. There are other decks that sort of cover parts of Serenity and it's not as open. In the middle of summer, it's not quite as relaxing as I would hope because it's so hot and uncomfortable. I love the Serenity, but was unable to enjoy it as much this time. This was my only "issue" I had. And I'd hardly call it that.
The Food
James and Evie gave rave reviews about the food they had on formal night. Evie got the lobster tail and shrimp, and James had the flat iron steak. They really loved it. The only other new thing they tried this time was the chocolate cake cup. Scott and James surprised Evie with one for her birthday. (She was already in bed and ready to sleep! :) ) We all thought the cake cup was delicious! Of course, we love all the food we eat while cruising. :-D
Our Cabin
E198 is a an ocean view cabin on the Empress Deck, at the rear of the ship. It was a great location for my family because the important things, food and water slides, were all right above us, just decks away.
Camp Carnival
The crew in Camp Carnival were wonderful. Both my kids really enjoyed going. One our sea day the kids in Evie's age group made a volcano and then later made it erupt. It was fun and a learning experience! James' age group did all kinds of neat things. One time they got to play tag in the main theater lounge. James thought that was pretty awesome. We give high praise to Camp Carnival!
Entertainment
The only real entertainment we went to was the 80's tribute show. I'm not able to remember the name of it. As a lover of 80's music, this was one of my favorite Carnival shows I've ever seen. I thought it was fantastic!
I don't remember what the other options were for night time entertainment. This was a shorter cruise, so maybe there weren't any. Or maybe I just really don't remember. :)
Service
I've always thought it's in the little things that make a major impact. This time around it was in the form of two cards delivered to our room for my daughter's birthday. It was unexpected and so wonderful!
We had a blast on this short, but fun filled, cruise. I'd rather go on a short cruise than not go on one at all, but I do think I'll try to keep the 4 day cruises to a minimum and aim for 5-7 day cruises whenever possible. Who wouldn't though, right? :-D
Friday, September 25, 2015
Monday, September 21, 2015
Our MAGICal Cruise
We waited a long time for this cruise to happen. By that I mean, we booked it over a year in advance. Our other cruises were booked 6-9 months from sailing. The days dragged on and on until the day was finally here. Well, night actually. My brother, Joshua, and sister-in-law, Krista, were sailing with us this time. We all thought it would be fun to drive through the night and arrive early in the morning to watch our ship arrive. We were counting on excitement to keep us going through the day. :) People asked if we thought it was worth it to arrive so early to see the ship come in. For me, it was. Does that make me a true Cruise Addict? :) It was really quite incredible to see the ship coming in in the dark. We watched it turn around and back in to the bay area, and then move sideways up to the pier. It's fascinating to watch a floating city, that is longer than the length of three football fields, parallel park on water!
Cruise details~
Embarkation Port: Galveston, Texas
Ship: Carnival Magic
Date: Sailed 5/6/2012
Length: 7 Days
Destination: Western Caribbean, Montego Bay, Jamaica/Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands/Cozumel, Mexico
(Click on a destination above to go to a detailed review for that stop!)
Embarkation~
As I mentioned, we had arrived at the Port of Galveston very early. After watching the ship come in, we went to the Starbucks that is across the street from the pier to get some breakfast and also freshen up. We did have to wait a while before we could get inside the terminal, but we didn't mind. We also knew that we would be some of the first people to get in, which meant hopefully some of the first on the ship. When we decided to go ahead and go to the terminal we drove up in front of the terminal and dropped our check luggage with the porters then parked at Galveston Park n Cruise which is across the street from the terminal. At the time it was a little less expensive than parking directly at the pier, and it seemed just as close. The attendant that greeted us as we pulled in was friendly and helpful.
Having never been to the port this early, I didn't know how long we would have to wait once we were checked in. The check in process went well, just like always, but this turned out to be the longest wait we have had. It was our fault of course. Even if we get in to the terminal and are some of the first though check in, that doesn't mean that the ship is ready for the new passengers. I think it was still worth it to get there early. Maybe not every time, but sometimes would be ok.
Itinerary~
This itinerary was the same as our cruise on the Carnival Conquest. Two days at sea before our first stop meant lots of relaxing, but also so much to do. The Magic has so many things that, at the time, were new to a cruise ship. Or at least, things we never thought we would do in the middle of the ocean. Both days we took advantage of a lack of schedule and slept in. And then the real fun began. Playing pool, working out with equipment, and doing a ropes course, all with an ocean view on an open deck, these are the things that kept us busy most of the day. The ocean looked like a sheet of glass on our first day. I have never seen it so smooth before. That made playing pool and doing the ropes course easier. Of course no sea day is complete without some time spent at one of the pools.
Our second sea day was more of the same. People watching, laying out, reading, doing nothing, and we added a visit to the water slides this time. In my five cruises, this was the first time I had ever gone down a slide on a ship. We had a great time playing around Water Works and acting like kids. At one point Krista and I accidentally stumbled on the dancers rehearsing for a show, and we were promptly shown the way out. It was funny, but almost embarrassing at the same time. Keeping the show a surprise is taken very seriously apparently. :) That night there was a deck party on the Lido Deck. I'm not much of a dancer. I prefer to watch other people and bop around in my little place. However, this time my brother decided it was a good time for me to learn how to do the Salsa. It was a very enjoyable night!
Our third morning we woke up in time to watch the ship pull in to Montego Bay. Scott and I didn't have any specific plans so we took our time leaving our room, and when we did, we got breakfast and took it up to the Serenity Deck. The view of Jamaica from an upper deck on the ship is quite beautiful. After breakfast, and after the crowds had gotten off the ship, we spent a couple hours shopping in the terminal area. That was the extent of our visit to Jamaica. Scott and I decided this visit would be a stay on the ship day. It's a good thing there's always something to do! Although, even if there wasn't, that would be ok too. We changed into our swimsuits intending to go to the waterslides, but it had started raining and the slides were closed. So we had lunch instead. After lunch the slides were still closed and it was still raining a little. I wasn't about to let a little rain stop me from enjoying my day. We spent some time in the hot tub and then, my favorite part of the day- rootbeer floats (made with rootbeer that we had brought on board on embarkation day) while sitting together in an oversized hammock, still in the rain. It was lovely. Eventually the slides opened back up and Scott and I played like little kids all over the Waterworks playground. (I don't think it's actually called a playground. That's just what it felt like to me. :) ) I have a post that includes information about our first visit to Montego Bay. Check it out, Here!
Joshua and Krista had ventured out into Montego Bay and did a little exploring. I believe they took the Hot Spot Shuttle to get around, and ended up at Doctor's Cave Beach for a little while. We all met back up for a show before dinner and finished our night with a gorgeous sunset and a delicious meal. We were all looking forward to Grand Cayman the next day!
After our last visit to Grand Cayman, when we got caught up in walking around town, I knew I wanted to be sure to make it to Eden Rock. We caught the tender boat to shore and our adventure began!
That night was the Past Guest Party followed by the second formal night. It was a good night, but we all knew more fun was to be had the next day.
When Joshua and Krista first told us they would be joining us on the cruise, and then when I realized our day in Cozumel fell on Krista's birthday, I knew exactly what we should do for the day. I talked it over with them, and we all agreed a day at Chankanaab Park was the BEST idea. Joshua and Krista had not been before, but I had shown Krista some pictures of our previous visit and told her about the other stuff that we hadn't been able to do, and she liked what she saw. We got off the ship as soon as we could and quickly made our way to the taxi area. One of the really neat things I experienced this time was when Krista would speak spanish to the locals. It was so neat. Especially to hear her interact with our taxi driver. During the 10 minutes drive down the highway we were listening to them. It turns out we were getting a deal on our entry fee to the park! If you haven't seen it before, take a look at the fun times we've had at Chankanaab.
We took a taxi back and got dropped off at the port shopping area. Joshua and Krista went their separate way for a little while. We got back together at dinner time and continued the celebration of Krista's birthday with presents from Joshua, a cake from Scott and I, and singing from our waiters! I must say, I'm actually pretty jealous of Krista's birthday. :)
Our fun continued after dinner with a comedic juggler, time spent on deck under the stars, and finished with the Midnight Mexican Buffet. With such a full day, I was glad we got to have one more day at sea before we would be getting back to Galveston.
The final sea day we spent time inside and out doing anything and nothing at all. We were trying to get some last minute laying out in and out of nowhere it got so dark and crazy windy. We barely made it inside and they rain came down. I guess that was one way to make sure we got our packing done. First though, we pacified the sad fact that our cruise was coming to an end with some treats from the coffee shop. While we packed the rain cleared up and we were treated to another beautiful sunset before dinner. The Carnival Legends show was after dinner. It's always a fun time to see other guests participating in the show with the professional singers and dancers. With that, our cruise was over. We went to bed anticipating our long drive home the next day.
Debarkation~
We chose the Relaxed Debarkation option, so our bags had gone outside our door the night before debarkation. In the morning the four of us went up for breakfast and planted ourselves at a table by the windows on the Lido deck. We figured it would be a good place to wait, since we didn't know how long it would take for our section to be called. Turns out it was a while. I believe it was 10:30 or 11 before we were called, and then we made our way down to deck 3 and off the ship into the terminal. Scott and I found out luggage, but Joshua and Krista were missing a bag. When we got to customs their bag still hadn't been found. There were Carnival representatives doing their best to help out. Scott and I waited outside the building for a little bit because we weren't allowed in once we got through customs. When Joshua and Krista came out they said that we would go ahead and leave. Carnival would call when the bag was found and they would mail it to their house. We got to the car and got on the road. About 20 minutes later Krista got a call from Carnival saying they had found the bag. So we turned around to get it. Carnival was great in a situation that they did not have to be. The process of getting off the ship and out of the terminal took longer than I expected. This was the second time we had done the relaxed option, but the first time we did it and left when our section was called. (The first time we chose to stay onboard until the very end.) I don't know how long I thought it would take, but I realized that staying on the ship while waiting for debarkation only prolongs the inevitable drive home. (Side note, that is the last time we have done the relaxed option. We definitely prefer to carry off our own bags and be off the ship earlier.)
This and That :) ~
The Ship
We chose this cruise because of the ship. The Carnival Magic was only a year old when we set sail and had only been sailing from a US port for about 6 months. If you've done the math, that means that we booked this cruise pretty much as soon as she sailed for the first time in the Mediterranean. When the announcement was made that the Carnival Magic would be sailing out of Galveston once it sailed across the Atlantic, I knew our next cruise would be on her. I planned and saved for a long time to make sure that happened. :)
Most of the draws to the Magic were outside activities. The Waterworks on this ship are much bigger than on the Ecstasy (the only other ship we have been on that had Carnival Waterworks). I was most excited about the ropes course though. The first ropes course at sea is on the new Sports Square. Each section of the course has 2-3 different levels of difficulty in order to cross to the next platform. It was nerve wracking and exciting, and I had a blast doing the course! Also on this ship are outdoor weight machines. All in all, I can't imagine a better place to workout all the amazing food we ate. :)
The Food
I decided to try something new every day while I this cruise. If I'm going to be eating food I wouldn't normally eat at home, but I REALLY try something I wouldn't have at home? Our first night at dinner I had creme brulee for dessert. It was nothing short of decadent! While that was more minor I also really went out on a limb and tried alligator. It's surprisingly good. I drew the line at frog legs though. ;) One night I had some duck. It was yummy also. I really have yet to try something I didn't like while cruising. My favorite dinner is always on the first formal night when we get lobster tail and shrimp. I'm not ashamed to say that I ordered two for myself this time. :)
Our Cabin
Something that I found pretty exciting about the Magic (and other ships in the Dream Class) is that they have added Cove Balconies. Cove Balconies are balconies on deck 2 that are a little more enclosed than a typical balcony on a higher deck. We were in stateroom 2252 which is towards the front of the ship. It was really quite amazing being in a balcony on a lower deck. It felt like we could touch the water. Of course, we couldn't, but we just felt so close. I would love to have a cove balcony again some day.
Entertainment
The best show of this cruise was the illusionist. He was flown in from Las Vegas and worked with the Carnival singers and dancers to put on a fantastic show! Another night there was a comedic juggler. He told a story through videos and juggling and kept us laughing the whole time. Of course on the last night there was the Carnival Legends show. This one can be hit or miss depending on the guests that make it into the show. At the very least it's fun to see the costumes the guests get to wear. :)
Cruising on the Carnival Magic was incredible. Every ship needs to have the updates that she has. We were definitely left with a longing for our next cruise. Whenever that would be!
Cruise details~
Embarkation Port: Galveston, Texas
Ship: Carnival Magic
Date: Sailed 5/6/2012
Length: 7 Days
Destination: Western Caribbean, Montego Bay, Jamaica/Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands/Cozumel, Mexico
(Click on a destination above to go to a detailed review for that stop!)
Embarkation~
As I mentioned, we had arrived at the Port of Galveston very early. After watching the ship come in, we went to the Starbucks that is across the street from the pier to get some breakfast and also freshen up. We did have to wait a while before we could get inside the terminal, but we didn't mind. We also knew that we would be some of the first people to get in, which meant hopefully some of the first on the ship. When we decided to go ahead and go to the terminal we drove up in front of the terminal and dropped our check luggage with the porters then parked at Galveston Park n Cruise which is across the street from the terminal. At the time it was a little less expensive than parking directly at the pier, and it seemed just as close. The attendant that greeted us as we pulled in was friendly and helpful.
Having never been to the port this early, I didn't know how long we would have to wait once we were checked in. The check in process went well, just like always, but this turned out to be the longest wait we have had. It was our fault of course. Even if we get in to the terminal and are some of the first though check in, that doesn't mean that the ship is ready for the new passengers. I think it was still worth it to get there early. Maybe not every time, but sometimes would be ok.
Itinerary~
This itinerary was the same as our cruise on the Carnival Conquest. Two days at sea before our first stop meant lots of relaxing, but also so much to do. The Magic has so many things that, at the time, were new to a cruise ship. Or at least, things we never thought we would do in the middle of the ocean. Both days we took advantage of a lack of schedule and slept in. And then the real fun began. Playing pool, working out with equipment, and doing a ropes course, all with an ocean view on an open deck, these are the things that kept us busy most of the day. The ocean looked like a sheet of glass on our first day. I have never seen it so smooth before. That made playing pool and doing the ropes course easier. Of course no sea day is complete without some time spent at one of the pools.
Our second sea day was more of the same. People watching, laying out, reading, doing nothing, and we added a visit to the water slides this time. In my five cruises, this was the first time I had ever gone down a slide on a ship. We had a great time playing around Water Works and acting like kids. At one point Krista and I accidentally stumbled on the dancers rehearsing for a show, and we were promptly shown the way out. It was funny, but almost embarrassing at the same time. Keeping the show a surprise is taken very seriously apparently. :) That night there was a deck party on the Lido Deck. I'm not much of a dancer. I prefer to watch other people and bop around in my little place. However, this time my brother decided it was a good time for me to learn how to do the Salsa. It was a very enjoyable night!
Our third morning we woke up in time to watch the ship pull in to Montego Bay. Scott and I didn't have any specific plans so we took our time leaving our room, and when we did, we got breakfast and took it up to the Serenity Deck. The view of Jamaica from an upper deck on the ship is quite beautiful. After breakfast, and after the crowds had gotten off the ship, we spent a couple hours shopping in the terminal area. That was the extent of our visit to Jamaica. Scott and I decided this visit would be a stay on the ship day. It's a good thing there's always something to do! Although, even if there wasn't, that would be ok too. We changed into our swimsuits intending to go to the waterslides, but it had started raining and the slides were closed. So we had lunch instead. After lunch the slides were still closed and it was still raining a little. I wasn't about to let a little rain stop me from enjoying my day. We spent some time in the hot tub and then, my favorite part of the day- rootbeer floats (made with rootbeer that we had brought on board on embarkation day) while sitting together in an oversized hammock, still in the rain. It was lovely. Eventually the slides opened back up and Scott and I played like little kids all over the Waterworks playground. (I don't think it's actually called a playground. That's just what it felt like to me. :) ) I have a post that includes information about our first visit to Montego Bay. Check it out, Here!
Joshua and Krista had ventured out into Montego Bay and did a little exploring. I believe they took the Hot Spot Shuttle to get around, and ended up at Doctor's Cave Beach for a little while. We all met back up for a show before dinner and finished our night with a gorgeous sunset and a delicious meal. We were all looking forward to Grand Cayman the next day!
After our last visit to Grand Cayman, when we got caught up in walking around town, I knew I wanted to be sure to make it to Eden Rock. We caught the tender boat to shore and our adventure began!
That night was the Past Guest Party followed by the second formal night. It was a good night, but we all knew more fun was to be had the next day.
When Joshua and Krista first told us they would be joining us on the cruise, and then when I realized our day in Cozumel fell on Krista's birthday, I knew exactly what we should do for the day. I talked it over with them, and we all agreed a day at Chankanaab Park was the BEST idea. Joshua and Krista had not been before, but I had shown Krista some pictures of our previous visit and told her about the other stuff that we hadn't been able to do, and she liked what she saw. We got off the ship as soon as we could and quickly made our way to the taxi area. One of the really neat things I experienced this time was when Krista would speak spanish to the locals. It was so neat. Especially to hear her interact with our taxi driver. During the 10 minutes drive down the highway we were listening to them. It turns out we were getting a deal on our entry fee to the park! If you haven't seen it before, take a look at the fun times we've had at Chankanaab.
We took a taxi back and got dropped off at the port shopping area. Joshua and Krista went their separate way for a little while. We got back together at dinner time and continued the celebration of Krista's birthday with presents from Joshua, a cake from Scott and I, and singing from our waiters! I must say, I'm actually pretty jealous of Krista's birthday. :)
Our fun continued after dinner with a comedic juggler, time spent on deck under the stars, and finished with the Midnight Mexican Buffet. With such a full day, I was glad we got to have one more day at sea before we would be getting back to Galveston.
The final sea day we spent time inside and out doing anything and nothing at all. We were trying to get some last minute laying out in and out of nowhere it got so dark and crazy windy. We barely made it inside and they rain came down. I guess that was one way to make sure we got our packing done. First though, we pacified the sad fact that our cruise was coming to an end with some treats from the coffee shop. While we packed the rain cleared up and we were treated to another beautiful sunset before dinner. The Carnival Legends show was after dinner. It's always a fun time to see other guests participating in the show with the professional singers and dancers. With that, our cruise was over. We went to bed anticipating our long drive home the next day.
Debarkation~
We chose the Relaxed Debarkation option, so our bags had gone outside our door the night before debarkation. In the morning the four of us went up for breakfast and planted ourselves at a table by the windows on the Lido deck. We figured it would be a good place to wait, since we didn't know how long it would take for our section to be called. Turns out it was a while. I believe it was 10:30 or 11 before we were called, and then we made our way down to deck 3 and off the ship into the terminal. Scott and I found out luggage, but Joshua and Krista were missing a bag. When we got to customs their bag still hadn't been found. There were Carnival representatives doing their best to help out. Scott and I waited outside the building for a little bit because we weren't allowed in once we got through customs. When Joshua and Krista came out they said that we would go ahead and leave. Carnival would call when the bag was found and they would mail it to their house. We got to the car and got on the road. About 20 minutes later Krista got a call from Carnival saying they had found the bag. So we turned around to get it. Carnival was great in a situation that they did not have to be. The process of getting off the ship and out of the terminal took longer than I expected. This was the second time we had done the relaxed option, but the first time we did it and left when our section was called. (The first time we chose to stay onboard until the very end.) I don't know how long I thought it would take, but I realized that staying on the ship while waiting for debarkation only prolongs the inevitable drive home. (Side note, that is the last time we have done the relaxed option. We definitely prefer to carry off our own bags and be off the ship earlier.)
This and That :) ~
The Ship
We chose this cruise because of the ship. The Carnival Magic was only a year old when we set sail and had only been sailing from a US port for about 6 months. If you've done the math, that means that we booked this cruise pretty much as soon as she sailed for the first time in the Mediterranean. When the announcement was made that the Carnival Magic would be sailing out of Galveston once it sailed across the Atlantic, I knew our next cruise would be on her. I planned and saved for a long time to make sure that happened. :)
Most of the draws to the Magic were outside activities. The Waterworks on this ship are much bigger than on the Ecstasy (the only other ship we have been on that had Carnival Waterworks). I was most excited about the ropes course though. The first ropes course at sea is on the new Sports Square. Each section of the course has 2-3 different levels of difficulty in order to cross to the next platform. It was nerve wracking and exciting, and I had a blast doing the course! Also on this ship are outdoor weight machines. All in all, I can't imagine a better place to workout all the amazing food we ate. :)
The Food
I decided to try something new every day while I this cruise. If I'm going to be eating food I wouldn't normally eat at home, but I REALLY try something I wouldn't have at home? Our first night at dinner I had creme brulee for dessert. It was nothing short of decadent! While that was more minor I also really went out on a limb and tried alligator. It's surprisingly good. I drew the line at frog legs though. ;) One night I had some duck. It was yummy also. I really have yet to try something I didn't like while cruising. My favorite dinner is always on the first formal night when we get lobster tail and shrimp. I'm not ashamed to say that I ordered two for myself this time. :)
Our Cabin
Something that I found pretty exciting about the Magic (and other ships in the Dream Class) is that they have added Cove Balconies. Cove Balconies are balconies on deck 2 that are a little more enclosed than a typical balcony on a higher deck. We were in stateroom 2252 which is towards the front of the ship. It was really quite amazing being in a balcony on a lower deck. It felt like we could touch the water. Of course, we couldn't, but we just felt so close. I would love to have a cove balcony again some day.
Entertainment
The best show of this cruise was the illusionist. He was flown in from Las Vegas and worked with the Carnival singers and dancers to put on a fantastic show! Another night there was a comedic juggler. He told a story through videos and juggling and kept us laughing the whole time. Of course on the last night there was the Carnival Legends show. This one can be hit or miss depending on the guests that make it into the show. At the very least it's fun to see the costumes the guests get to wear. :)
Cruising on the Carnival Magic was incredible. Every ship needs to have the updates that she has. We were definitely left with a longing for our next cruise. Whenever that would be!
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Family Time Aboard the Carnival Ecstasy
Cruise number four came much sooner than we would have expected. Within three months of getting home from our cruise in August we booked a cruise for spring break in March. The difference is, we were taking our kids with us this time! My parents also joined us. It was a great family affair!
Cruise details~
Embarkation Port: Galveston, Texas
Ship: Carnival Ecstasy
Date: Sailed 3/6/2010
Length: 5 Days
Destination: Western Caribbean, Progreso/Cozumel Mexico
(Click on a destination above to go to a detailed review for that stop!)
Embarkation~
Some family friends dropped all of us off at the Port of Galveston. From the time we were dropped off, to giving our bags to the porters, to going through the check in process, and boarding the ship, 30 minutes may have passed. It was great. Especially since we had two very surprised and excited kids tagging along. James and Evie didn't know they were going on a cruise until we got out at the pier!
Itinerary~
Our options are fairly limited if we want to leave from a port that is driving distance from home. We also knew we wanted to do a 5 day because we weren't sure how our kids would handle being on the sea. Scott and I were looking forward to this itinerary because it was one we were familiar with. Choosing to go back to Progreso and Cozumel allowed us to do quite a bit more research ahead of time.
We had a jam packed first day at sea. It's crazy what a difference sailing with others will make. We still had a fantastic time, but it is obviously a different kind of cruise. We geared our day towards showing the kids even more of the ship and all the things they could do. One of the extra fun things was playing at the newly renovated Water Works. The Carnival Ecstasy had come a long way from the single water slide that she had the first time we sailed on her. This time there was a large twisty slide plus two side by side slides (fun for racing!) and a splash pad type area. At this point in the cruise, it was pretty chilly still. Spring in Texas has nice weather, but when you get on the water and are on a windy deck, it makes for a short visit at the water slides. We weren't worried though. We knew warmer days were coming! In addition to playing in the water, we also showed James and Evie the ping pong tables, mini golf course, and introduced them to Camp Carnival. When we all got chilly we'd hop in the hot tub. When we got hungry, we'd get a snack. My kids were in Heaven! That super fun day continued into formal night and then their first show on board a ship. After all the excitement it's amazing to me that we were able to get the kids to bed. Especially knowing that the next morning they would be waking up in Mexico!
James and I woke up early on the morning we arrived in Progreso. We were ready to get off the ship! Once everyone else was awake we got our stuff together and went for some breakfast while we waited for the Go Ahead to get off the ship. Once my parents were with us and we knew it was ok, we made our way to the shuttle that would take us along the 4 mile long pier to the mainland. I have a more detailed account of our day HERE in my Destination Review: Progreso. We wanted to save money so we decided to eat lunch on the ship after touring Progreso. We took our lunch to the Water Works area. My parents, Scott, and I ate while we watched the kids play. By the time we were done there, it was time to get cleaned up for dinner.
Dinner was followed by some play time at the arcade. It was an eventful day for James and Evie, but we had even bigger plans for the next day, so we got the kids to bed "early". My mom stayed with them in our stateroom while my dad, Scott, and I went out for some more fun. We went to one of the lounges and watched some karaoke, including my dad! Our day ended with the Guest Talent Show and then we turned in for the night. We were excited about our plans for Cozumel!
We were all so excited to get off the ship in Cozumel, but our stomachs told us we should eat breakfast first. We took our food up to an open deck and ate while people watching and waiting for my parents. We had a fabulous time at Chankanaab Park in Cozumel. I go into a lot more detail in This Post! As if we hadn't had enough sun, after we got back on the ship with went straight to the water slides. If you must leave paradise, waving goodbye to Cozumel from the top of a waterslide is a pretty good way to go.
As had become our tradition, our last day at sea was spent doing mostly nothing. James and Evie went back to Camp Carnival while the rest of us sat out on deck and people watched. We also had some fun at the waterslides and snacks from the buffet. All our "lasts" were pretty bittersweet. Heading back to Galveston, the weather started to turn....
We woke up in the morning expecting to see the Port of Galveston. Instead, we just saw fog. LOTS of fog. Fog so thick we couldn't see the water. We couldn't see one end of the ship from the other while on the top decks. It was crazy! We weren't sure how long we would be fogged out, so at first we went along as normal. We had our big final breakfast, and then found a place to wait with our carry-off bags. (We had decided to do the relaxed debarkation so our big luggage was taken care of already.) Well, we waited for a couple hours before it became clear the fog wasn't going to be clearing up soon. We moved from place to place around the ship so that the kids wouldn't get too antsy. The crew was fantastic about keeping us updated. Even when there was nothing to update about. All you had to do was look outside and see that we couldn't move. We were only 12 miles from the port, but it just wasn't safe to go on. The crew also came up with activities for the guests to participate in. Evie got a medal for doing the hula hoop contest. :) Morning turned into afternoon and the fog wasn't looking any clearer. Just before dinner we found out that we would not be making it to Galveston and would have one more night on the ship. Of course there were unhappy guests, but my family was thrilled. We had already spent most of the day, what was a few more hours? Especially when it included more delicious food and a second showing of the show we all liked so much! Our bags were returned to our room and we swapped out clothing and other necessities before putting the bags back out for pick up. The room stewards definitely worked extra hard this day. They had already set up the staterooms for the guests that would be sailing on the next cruise. Some of them had to re-do the rooms to make them ready for the guests to get back in that night. The next morning we did wake up having arrived at the port. We were in no hurry to get off the ship though.
Debarkation~
You know you've had a fantastic cruise when you are among the last 15 people off the ship. By choice. We lingered and watched out the windows until the cruise director called all remaining passengers, and my very reluctant family made our way down to swipe our sail and sign cards on last time.
While it was fun to wait so long, it actually made for a very, VERY, long line going through customs. We hadn't thought about that until we were off the ship and saw the line. Mom and Dad stayed in line with the kids, while Scott and I found all our luggage. We ended up being in line for about 2 hours. We learned our lesson there. Enjoy being the last off the ship one time, but then go as soon as possible on any other cruise. :)
This and That :) ~
The Ship
As mentioned before, The Carnival Ecstasy had been refurbished since the last time we sailed. Much of the decor was the same, but other updates had been made. I think the biggest difference was adding Carnival Waterworks. There were some additional food options added as well. Overall, the ship looked fresh and as always I was impressed with how well the crew kept up with its appearance.
The Food
Enjoying the food through the eyes... or mouths... of my kids was even more fun than enjoying it myself. They got to eat food that they will likely only ever eat if they go on a cruise. Something that was offered every night was a different kind of bisque. James and Evie loved it! They both ordered it every night.
This cruise we found a new favorite dessert. At least, Dad and I did. The bitter and blanc dessert is bread pudding with a delicious, white chocolatey, creamy sauce... only, I don't care for bread pudding, so I can't call it that. It's just so amazing. I wish it was served on every ship, every night. Of course the other desserts are yummy too. You can't go wrong with the warm chocolate melting cake. Bonus, if you order the fruit plate, you can have chocolate covered fruit for dessert. :-D
James and Evie loved the fact that we could order room service. Even with it's limited menu, we love to order. The fact that it's included in the cost of the cruise is wonderful. We made sure to tip the guys who delivered our food. (prepaid tips don't include these hard workers.)
Our Cabin
Our cabin, U189, was an ocean view stateroom, on the Upper Deck at the rear of the ship. It was just like our past ocean view rooms, only it had two beds that pull down from the wall. One was over the head of our bed, and the other came down over our feet. If needed this cabin can also sleep one more person. At turn down service, the cabin steward will bring in a rollaway bed. It makes for very little room, but the beds are put up during the day, and really the only time we spent in the cabin was when we were getting ready for dinner or getting stuff together to get off the ship. It worked for us. I've heard the suites are bigger and better for families, but if you want to cruise for as little as possible (and still have a view) this is a great option!
Camp Carnival
We had hesitated to bring the kids on a cruise as young as they were, but I'm so glad we took them. It was fun to experience the cruise with them, but also have Camp Carnival as an option. We never made James and Evie go, but each day we looked at the activities that would be happening and we would try to make sure they got to do the things they wanted to do. One day Scott, my parents, and I were hanging out in the atrium lobby and we heard a lot of noise coming our way. The kids in James' age group were on a scavenger hunt to find Funship Freddie. I thought that was a very fun way for James to have a little independence away from us, while still being supervised and see the ship. Both kids also got to color a t-shirt and do face painting on multiple days. All of the crew working with Camp Carnival were so nice. They genuinely seemed to enjoy being there. Of course this seems to be the case with all the ship's crew.
Entertainment
Steve Cassel was the cruise director on this cruise. I believe he has retired now, but if that's true, it's unfortunate. He was wonderful. Very energetic, but what got my attention the most was when he played his fiddle. One of my favorite shows was on the Carnival Ecstasy. I saw it three times between the two cruises I have been on with that ship. The second two times, Steve Cassel was featured playing his fiddle during the song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". It was incredible! Also at the end of the Guest Talent Show he played Vivaldi's "Winter". It was so beautiful, I was on the edge of my seat listening.
Other entertainment included the traditional singing and dancing waiters. Some people don't enjoy this part of dinner, but as long as we aren't forced to actually get up and dance with them, we really enjoy it. :)
Service
I can't give enough praise for the service we received on this cruise. Our head waiter stood out especially. His name was Hristo, but he said we could call him Chris. We had anytime dining for dinner, but after the first night with Chris as our server, we asked how we could get him every night. The wonderful hostesses and Maitre D told us that if we could get to the dining room close to opening every night, they should be able to seat us at Chris' table every time. We were happy to make that happen. Chris nicknamed Evie, Sunshine and from the first night on that was what he called her. She loved it! So much that after getting a stuffed animal while on vacation she named it Sunshine also. Chris also spoiled the kids by cutting their food after it was served every night. There were so many little things that were unnecessary, but that made our dinner time that much more special. I wish Chris could be our server on every cruise.
While this was a totally different experience, cruising with our kids, it was no less enjoyable. We knew the dynamic would be different and were excited to show our kids everything we knew about cruising. And now James and Evie are hooked on cruising too!
Cruise details~
Embarkation Port: Galveston, Texas
Ship: Carnival Ecstasy
Date: Sailed 3/6/2010
Length: 5 Days
Destination: Western Caribbean, Progreso/Cozumel Mexico
(Click on a destination above to go to a detailed review for that stop!)
Embarkation~
Some family friends dropped all of us off at the Port of Galveston. From the time we were dropped off, to giving our bags to the porters, to going through the check in process, and boarding the ship, 30 minutes may have passed. It was great. Especially since we had two very surprised and excited kids tagging along. James and Evie didn't know they were going on a cruise until we got out at the pier!
Itinerary~
Our options are fairly limited if we want to leave from a port that is driving distance from home. We also knew we wanted to do a 5 day because we weren't sure how our kids would handle being on the sea. Scott and I were looking forward to this itinerary because it was one we were familiar with. Choosing to go back to Progreso and Cozumel allowed us to do quite a bit more research ahead of time.
We had a jam packed first day at sea. It's crazy what a difference sailing with others will make. We still had a fantastic time, but it is obviously a different kind of cruise. We geared our day towards showing the kids even more of the ship and all the things they could do. One of the extra fun things was playing at the newly renovated Water Works. The Carnival Ecstasy had come a long way from the single water slide that she had the first time we sailed on her. This time there was a large twisty slide plus two side by side slides (fun for racing!) and a splash pad type area. At this point in the cruise, it was pretty chilly still. Spring in Texas has nice weather, but when you get on the water and are on a windy deck, it makes for a short visit at the water slides. We weren't worried though. We knew warmer days were coming! In addition to playing in the water, we also showed James and Evie the ping pong tables, mini golf course, and introduced them to Camp Carnival. When we all got chilly we'd hop in the hot tub. When we got hungry, we'd get a snack. My kids were in Heaven! That super fun day continued into formal night and then their first show on board a ship. After all the excitement it's amazing to me that we were able to get the kids to bed. Especially knowing that the next morning they would be waking up in Mexico!
James and I woke up early on the morning we arrived in Progreso. We were ready to get off the ship! Once everyone else was awake we got our stuff together and went for some breakfast while we waited for the Go Ahead to get off the ship. Once my parents were with us and we knew it was ok, we made our way to the shuttle that would take us along the 4 mile long pier to the mainland. I have a more detailed account of our day HERE in my Destination Review: Progreso. We wanted to save money so we decided to eat lunch on the ship after touring Progreso. We took our lunch to the Water Works area. My parents, Scott, and I ate while we watched the kids play. By the time we were done there, it was time to get cleaned up for dinner.
Dinner was followed by some play time at the arcade. It was an eventful day for James and Evie, but we had even bigger plans for the next day, so we got the kids to bed "early". My mom stayed with them in our stateroom while my dad, Scott, and I went out for some more fun. We went to one of the lounges and watched some karaoke, including my dad! Our day ended with the Guest Talent Show and then we turned in for the night. We were excited about our plans for Cozumel!
We were all so excited to get off the ship in Cozumel, but our stomachs told us we should eat breakfast first. We took our food up to an open deck and ate while people watching and waiting for my parents. We had a fabulous time at Chankanaab Park in Cozumel. I go into a lot more detail in This Post! As if we hadn't had enough sun, after we got back on the ship with went straight to the water slides. If you must leave paradise, waving goodbye to Cozumel from the top of a waterslide is a pretty good way to go.
As had become our tradition, our last day at sea was spent doing mostly nothing. James and Evie went back to Camp Carnival while the rest of us sat out on deck and people watched. We also had some fun at the waterslides and snacks from the buffet. All our "lasts" were pretty bittersweet. Heading back to Galveston, the weather started to turn....
We woke up in the morning expecting to see the Port of Galveston. Instead, we just saw fog. LOTS of fog. Fog so thick we couldn't see the water. We couldn't see one end of the ship from the other while on the top decks. It was crazy! We weren't sure how long we would be fogged out, so at first we went along as normal. We had our big final breakfast, and then found a place to wait with our carry-off bags. (We had decided to do the relaxed debarkation so our big luggage was taken care of already.) Well, we waited for a couple hours before it became clear the fog wasn't going to be clearing up soon. We moved from place to place around the ship so that the kids wouldn't get too antsy. The crew was fantastic about keeping us updated. Even when there was nothing to update about. All you had to do was look outside and see that we couldn't move. We were only 12 miles from the port, but it just wasn't safe to go on. The crew also came up with activities for the guests to participate in. Evie got a medal for doing the hula hoop contest. :) Morning turned into afternoon and the fog wasn't looking any clearer. Just before dinner we found out that we would not be making it to Galveston and would have one more night on the ship. Of course there were unhappy guests, but my family was thrilled. We had already spent most of the day, what was a few more hours? Especially when it included more delicious food and a second showing of the show we all liked so much! Our bags were returned to our room and we swapped out clothing and other necessities before putting the bags back out for pick up. The room stewards definitely worked extra hard this day. They had already set up the staterooms for the guests that would be sailing on the next cruise. Some of them had to re-do the rooms to make them ready for the guests to get back in that night. The next morning we did wake up having arrived at the port. We were in no hurry to get off the ship though.
Debarkation~
You know you've had a fantastic cruise when you are among the last 15 people off the ship. By choice. We lingered and watched out the windows until the cruise director called all remaining passengers, and my very reluctant family made our way down to swipe our sail and sign cards on last time.
While it was fun to wait so long, it actually made for a very, VERY, long line going through customs. We hadn't thought about that until we were off the ship and saw the line. Mom and Dad stayed in line with the kids, while Scott and I found all our luggage. We ended up being in line for about 2 hours. We learned our lesson there. Enjoy being the last off the ship one time, but then go as soon as possible on any other cruise. :)
This and That :) ~
The Ship
As mentioned before, The Carnival Ecstasy had been refurbished since the last time we sailed. Much of the decor was the same, but other updates had been made. I think the biggest difference was adding Carnival Waterworks. There were some additional food options added as well. Overall, the ship looked fresh and as always I was impressed with how well the crew kept up with its appearance.
The Food
Enjoying the food through the eyes... or mouths... of my kids was even more fun than enjoying it myself. They got to eat food that they will likely only ever eat if they go on a cruise. Something that was offered every night was a different kind of bisque. James and Evie loved it! They both ordered it every night.
This cruise we found a new favorite dessert. At least, Dad and I did. The bitter and blanc dessert is bread pudding with a delicious, white chocolatey, creamy sauce... only, I don't care for bread pudding, so I can't call it that. It's just so amazing. I wish it was served on every ship, every night. Of course the other desserts are yummy too. You can't go wrong with the warm chocolate melting cake. Bonus, if you order the fruit plate, you can have chocolate covered fruit for dessert. :-D
James and Evie loved the fact that we could order room service. Even with it's limited menu, we love to order. The fact that it's included in the cost of the cruise is wonderful. We made sure to tip the guys who delivered our food. (prepaid tips don't include these hard workers.)
Our Cabin
Our cabin, U189, was an ocean view stateroom, on the Upper Deck at the rear of the ship. It was just like our past ocean view rooms, only it had two beds that pull down from the wall. One was over the head of our bed, and the other came down over our feet. If needed this cabin can also sleep one more person. At turn down service, the cabin steward will bring in a rollaway bed. It makes for very little room, but the beds are put up during the day, and really the only time we spent in the cabin was when we were getting ready for dinner or getting stuff together to get off the ship. It worked for us. I've heard the suites are bigger and better for families, but if you want to cruise for as little as possible (and still have a view) this is a great option!
Camp Carnival
We had hesitated to bring the kids on a cruise as young as they were, but I'm so glad we took them. It was fun to experience the cruise with them, but also have Camp Carnival as an option. We never made James and Evie go, but each day we looked at the activities that would be happening and we would try to make sure they got to do the things they wanted to do. One day Scott, my parents, and I were hanging out in the atrium lobby and we heard a lot of noise coming our way. The kids in James' age group were on a scavenger hunt to find Funship Freddie. I thought that was a very fun way for James to have a little independence away from us, while still being supervised and see the ship. Both kids also got to color a t-shirt and do face painting on multiple days. All of the crew working with Camp Carnival were so nice. They genuinely seemed to enjoy being there. Of course this seems to be the case with all the ship's crew.
Entertainment
Steve Cassel was the cruise director on this cruise. I believe he has retired now, but if that's true, it's unfortunate. He was wonderful. Very energetic, but what got my attention the most was when he played his fiddle. One of my favorite shows was on the Carnival Ecstasy. I saw it three times between the two cruises I have been on with that ship. The second two times, Steve Cassel was featured playing his fiddle during the song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". It was incredible! Also at the end of the Guest Talent Show he played Vivaldi's "Winter". It was so beautiful, I was on the edge of my seat listening.
Other entertainment included the traditional singing and dancing waiters. Some people don't enjoy this part of dinner, but as long as we aren't forced to actually get up and dance with them, we really enjoy it. :)
Service
I can't give enough praise for the service we received on this cruise. Our head waiter stood out especially. His name was Hristo, but he said we could call him Chris. We had anytime dining for dinner, but after the first night with Chris as our server, we asked how we could get him every night. The wonderful hostesses and Maitre D told us that if we could get to the dining room close to opening every night, they should be able to seat us at Chris' table every time. We were happy to make that happen. Chris nicknamed Evie, Sunshine and from the first night on that was what he called her. She loved it! So much that after getting a stuffed animal while on vacation she named it Sunshine also. Chris also spoiled the kids by cutting their food after it was served every night. There were so many little things that were unnecessary, but that made our dinner time that much more special. I wish Chris could be our server on every cruise.
While this was a totally different experience, cruising with our kids, it was no less enjoyable. We knew the dynamic would be different and were excited to show our kids everything we knew about cruising. And now James and Evie are hooked on cruising too!
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Fun for All. All for Fun.
The Carnival Cruise Line slogan could not be more true! Our third cruise was fun from the very first minute we stepped on the ship.
Cruise details~
Ship: Carnival Conquest
Date: 8/2/2009
Length: 7 Days
Destination: Western Caribbean- Montego Bay, Jamaica/Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands/Cozumel, Mexico
(Click on a destination above to go to a detailed review for that stop!)
Embarkation~
Just like the first time we sailed out of Galveston everything went smoothly. My parents dropped us off at the pier and we were on the ship by noon. I wish I had more details to give, but it was long ago enough that I just don't remember. The Carnival employees that do the check in have always been incredibly nice. Sometimes I feel like they are just as excited for us as we are for ourselves.
We really like getting on the ship so early so we have a lot of time to explore the ship. The Carnival Conquest is 953 feet long... That's longer than three football fields! We definitely needed the extra time to explore. :) After the muster drill we went out on deck for sail away. We were led out into the Gulf of Mexico by dolphins! That was a pretty awesome experience.
The Itinerary~
This cruise was especially exciting because it was our first seven day cruise. We were scheduled to have two sea days, then our three port days, and finally a sea day to get back to Galveston. I still, to this day, can't decide which I prefer more, sea days or port days. I love them both, and was ecstatic that I had three of each on this cruise.
Our first two days at sea were full of relaxing. We did very little and it was lovely. The evenings actually had more activity for us than the day times. The first night was the captain's cocktail party/first formal night. We had hor d'oeuvres and then went to a show in the main lounge. The second evening we took advantage of the pool deck being mostly empty and went for a swim. We also watched the deck party from a higher deck. That's people watching at it's best! :) We also went to the midnight Mexican buffet.
When we woke up the morning of our third day we had a gorgeous view of the Jamaican mountains AND the teal blue ocean. My first thought was, "Wow! This is my kind of place to live!!". It didn't take long to realize it's not as extravagant as it appears from a cruise ship. I wrote more about our day in This Blog Post.
That night after we sailed away from Jamaica we went to one of my favorite shows on any cruise ship. It was an illusionist who told stories with her magic. The finale had the whole lounge giving her a standing ovation and I'm pretty sure there were tears all over the room. Myself included. We went to bed "early" that night with great anticipation for the next day.
I could not wait for our stop in Grand Cayman. Everything I had seen and read just made it sound amazing. We had a plan for the day, but the beauty of the island distracted me. :) Here's a bit more about our day...
That night was the second formal night. We had a blast dressing up, taking pictures, seeing a show with the Carnival dancers, and topping off the night at a midnight comedy show. It was a full and exciting day!
Our day in Cozumel didn't begin until 10am, so we were able to get a little extra sleep after one exciting day and before another. This day quickly became referred to as our Best. Day. Ever. It is still at the top of our favorite port days. We had originally booked an excursion to do something I can't even remember. After we sailed away from Galveston, on one of our sea days, we got a notice saying it had been cancelled. I guess there weren't enough people or something. We were disappointed at first. We couldn't decide if we should just use the refunded money (in the form of onboard credit- to use anywhere we wanted on the ship) or if we wanted to go ahead and book a different excursion. Obviously we chose another excursion. :) To hear more about our day on Passion Island see THIS post. :)
Back on the ship we got cleaned up for dinner and then after that went to a comedy show called The Liar's Club. The entertainment crew were the stars of this hilarious game. The host gave a word and the others had to give the real or made up definition. It reminded me of a board game called Balderdash. It doesn't sound so funny, but it really was.
There was one more day at sea after we left Cozumel. I have decided they do this so that the let down of getting back home isn't so bad. We get a day to realize we have had this amazing vacation and now we're done. :) We spent this sea day doing pretty much nothing. We went to the past guest party and Carnival Legends show that night. That was the most exciting thing we had done all day. :)
Debarkation~
I don't remember much about debarkation on this cruise. I think we chose to do the relaxed option. Which means we put our bags out the night before we arrived back in Galveston. Housekeeping takes our bags to a holding area, and then in the morning after all the self assist guests are off the ship the rest of the guests are called off by zone numbers and we pick up our luggage in the terminal before going through customs. Things went smoothly, but it did take a while. They call it relaxed for a reason. At least while you wait, you can sit on deck and eat breakfast, or watch the hustle and bustle of what's going on off the ship.
This and That :) ~
The Ship
The Conquest was our favorite ship to date. I loved the decor. There was an impressionism theme through out, mixed with a little funk. :-D It's a beautiful ship and was always sparkling clean. It was a little hard to get around, and not because of the size. There are times when we couldn't just walk from one end of a deck to the other. So we need to go up or down a level go across and then back down or up. This didn't happen a lot, but enough that, especially the first couple days, we were kind of confused. It in no way impacted our enjoyment of the ship though. It just has a learning curve. :)
Our Cabin
When we first booked our cruise we reserved cabin 1262 (An ocean view cabin towards the front of the ship) on the Riviera Deck. A couple months out from sailing we got a call from Carnival asking if we wanted to upgrade to a balcony cabin for a small fee. We figured out that our total with the upgrade fee was still less than if we had booked a balcony cabin initially. We felt it was a good deal and snatched it up. We went from being on deck 1 to being on deck 9- The Lido Deck, cabin #9281. It was pretty awesome. We could leave our room, make two turns and we were at the lido pool, cross the pool area and we were at the Restaurant Cezanne, which is where the buffet meals happen. Most mornings we would get breakfast from the buffet and take it back to our cabin to eat on the balcony. One morning we watched flying fish while we ate!
If you ever have a chance to cruise with a balcony I highly recommend it. It is not something we have to have, they will be a splurge for us, but we will plan on getting them once in a while because it's definitely worth the extra money if you can make it happen.
The Food
As with our first two cruises, we ate dinner in the main dining room every night. It doesn't matter how busy our day has been, we will make time to get dressed up for dinner. It's worth it to us. We also will almost always get the later dining time option so that we don't feel rushed on a port day. The buffet food was delicious also. We have never had complaints about it.
One of my favorite meals we discovered on this cruise was the Mongolian Wok at the Restaurant Cezanne. We could load up our bowls with an array of veggies and then hand it to the chef. He would then ask what kind of meat (chicken, pork, or shrimp) and sauce (I don't remember the names, one was nutty, one was spicy, and there was another option) we wanted and he fried it all up in a wok. It was amazing.
The midnight buffet was very good, but I wouldn't necessarily make a point to go each time a cruise has it.
This was definitely the best of our three cruises so far. Even though we didn't have a clue when our next cruise would be, we were already anticipating how it could possibly top our seven days aboard the Carnival Conquest.
Cruise details~
Ship: Carnival Conquest
Date: 8/2/2009
Length: 7 Days
Destination: Western Caribbean- Montego Bay, Jamaica/Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands/Cozumel, Mexico
(Click on a destination above to go to a detailed review for that stop!)
Embarkation~
Just like the first time we sailed out of Galveston everything went smoothly. My parents dropped us off at the pier and we were on the ship by noon. I wish I had more details to give, but it was long ago enough that I just don't remember. The Carnival employees that do the check in have always been incredibly nice. Sometimes I feel like they are just as excited for us as we are for ourselves.
We really like getting on the ship so early so we have a lot of time to explore the ship. The Carnival Conquest is 953 feet long... That's longer than three football fields! We definitely needed the extra time to explore. :) After the muster drill we went out on deck for sail away. We were led out into the Gulf of Mexico by dolphins! That was a pretty awesome experience.
The Itinerary~
This cruise was especially exciting because it was our first seven day cruise. We were scheduled to have two sea days, then our three port days, and finally a sea day to get back to Galveston. I still, to this day, can't decide which I prefer more, sea days or port days. I love them both, and was ecstatic that I had three of each on this cruise.
Our first two days at sea were full of relaxing. We did very little and it was lovely. The evenings actually had more activity for us than the day times. The first night was the captain's cocktail party/first formal night. We had hor d'oeuvres and then went to a show in the main lounge. The second evening we took advantage of the pool deck being mostly empty and went for a swim. We also watched the deck party from a higher deck. That's people watching at it's best! :) We also went to the midnight Mexican buffet.
When we woke up the morning of our third day we had a gorgeous view of the Jamaican mountains AND the teal blue ocean. My first thought was, "Wow! This is my kind of place to live!!". It didn't take long to realize it's not as extravagant as it appears from a cruise ship. I wrote more about our day in This Blog Post.
That night after we sailed away from Jamaica we went to one of my favorite shows on any cruise ship. It was an illusionist who told stories with her magic. The finale had the whole lounge giving her a standing ovation and I'm pretty sure there were tears all over the room. Myself included. We went to bed "early" that night with great anticipation for the next day.
I could not wait for our stop in Grand Cayman. Everything I had seen and read just made it sound amazing. We had a plan for the day, but the beauty of the island distracted me. :) Here's a bit more about our day...
That night was the second formal night. We had a blast dressing up, taking pictures, seeing a show with the Carnival dancers, and topping off the night at a midnight comedy show. It was a full and exciting day!
Our day in Cozumel didn't begin until 10am, so we were able to get a little extra sleep after one exciting day and before another. This day quickly became referred to as our Best. Day. Ever. It is still at the top of our favorite port days. We had originally booked an excursion to do something I can't even remember. After we sailed away from Galveston, on one of our sea days, we got a notice saying it had been cancelled. I guess there weren't enough people or something. We were disappointed at first. We couldn't decide if we should just use the refunded money (in the form of onboard credit- to use anywhere we wanted on the ship) or if we wanted to go ahead and book a different excursion. Obviously we chose another excursion. :) To hear more about our day on Passion Island see THIS post. :)
Back on the ship we got cleaned up for dinner and then after that went to a comedy show called The Liar's Club. The entertainment crew were the stars of this hilarious game. The host gave a word and the others had to give the real or made up definition. It reminded me of a board game called Balderdash. It doesn't sound so funny, but it really was.
There was one more day at sea after we left Cozumel. I have decided they do this so that the let down of getting back home isn't so bad. We get a day to realize we have had this amazing vacation and now we're done. :) We spent this sea day doing pretty much nothing. We went to the past guest party and Carnival Legends show that night. That was the most exciting thing we had done all day. :)
Debarkation~
I don't remember much about debarkation on this cruise. I think we chose to do the relaxed option. Which means we put our bags out the night before we arrived back in Galveston. Housekeeping takes our bags to a holding area, and then in the morning after all the self assist guests are off the ship the rest of the guests are called off by zone numbers and we pick up our luggage in the terminal before going through customs. Things went smoothly, but it did take a while. They call it relaxed for a reason. At least while you wait, you can sit on deck and eat breakfast, or watch the hustle and bustle of what's going on off the ship.
This and That :) ~
The Ship
The Conquest was our favorite ship to date. I loved the decor. There was an impressionism theme through out, mixed with a little funk. :-D It's a beautiful ship and was always sparkling clean. It was a little hard to get around, and not because of the size. There are times when we couldn't just walk from one end of a deck to the other. So we need to go up or down a level go across and then back down or up. This didn't happen a lot, but enough that, especially the first couple days, we were kind of confused. It in no way impacted our enjoyment of the ship though. It just has a learning curve. :)
Our Cabin
When we first booked our cruise we reserved cabin 1262 (An ocean view cabin towards the front of the ship) on the Riviera Deck. A couple months out from sailing we got a call from Carnival asking if we wanted to upgrade to a balcony cabin for a small fee. We figured out that our total with the upgrade fee was still less than if we had booked a balcony cabin initially. We felt it was a good deal and snatched it up. We went from being on deck 1 to being on deck 9- The Lido Deck, cabin #9281. It was pretty awesome. We could leave our room, make two turns and we were at the lido pool, cross the pool area and we were at the Restaurant Cezanne, which is where the buffet meals happen. Most mornings we would get breakfast from the buffet and take it back to our cabin to eat on the balcony. One morning we watched flying fish while we ate!
If you ever have a chance to cruise with a balcony I highly recommend it. It is not something we have to have, they will be a splurge for us, but we will plan on getting them once in a while because it's definitely worth the extra money if you can make it happen.
The Food
As with our first two cruises, we ate dinner in the main dining room every night. It doesn't matter how busy our day has been, we will make time to get dressed up for dinner. It's worth it to us. We also will almost always get the later dining time option so that we don't feel rushed on a port day. The buffet food was delicious also. We have never had complaints about it.
One of my favorite meals we discovered on this cruise was the Mongolian Wok at the Restaurant Cezanne. We could load up our bowls with an array of veggies and then hand it to the chef. He would then ask what kind of meat (chicken, pork, or shrimp) and sauce (I don't remember the names, one was nutty, one was spicy, and there was another option) we wanted and he fried it all up in a wok. It was amazing.
The midnight buffet was very good, but I wouldn't necessarily make a point to go each time a cruise has it.
This was definitely the best of our three cruises so far. Even though we didn't have a clue when our next cruise would be, we were already anticipating how it could possibly top our seven days aboard the Carnival Conquest.
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