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We went on a 14-day Journeys cruise on the Carnival Breeze. Our captain was Guiseppe Giusa, Chief Engineer: Vito Antonelli; Hotel Director: Carlos Santos de Melo; Cruise Director: Steven Schwartz. Our cabin steward was Lorenzo and we were in Cabin 1322. Our dinner table was 552 and our dining stewards were Danilo and Ari.
We drove down to Florida on November 1 and stayed at the Sleep Inn at Ormond Beach ($59 including hot breakfast). Then we drove down to Cocoa, FL on Friday. We went to antique stores in historic Cocoa Village and I met my cousins Becky and Carol and Liam at Ossorio’s Bakery for a visit. For dinner, Earl and Dyanna joined us at Mitchell's. We stayed at America’s Best Value Inn for $79 and we could leave our cars there for 2 weeks while we went on the cruise. We paid $10 per person for the shuttle to and from the port. We were asleep at 10:30 when there were people yelling and fighting down the hall but eventually, they left. Then at 2:30am, we heard dogs barking. At 5:30am, another couple was fighting in the parking lot.
Day 1: Embarkation 11/3/18
We took the 9am shuttle to the port and went right into the terminal. We went upstairs and waited in the “red chairs” designated for Diamond members. Then at 11:30, we went right on board the ship. Our cabin was ready, so we dropped our backpacks off and locked up valuables in the safe. For some reason, our safe would not work and open up again. After lunch on the Lido deck, I went to see the Maître D to have our dinner table changed for all 4 of us to sit together. When we returned to the cabin, we had them send someone to fix our safe. While we waited, our luggage arrived, and we unpacked. Everything was finished by 2:30pm. At 4pm, we had our muster drill and at 6pm we had dinner. We were so tired, that we went to bed after dinner. Around 9:15pm, someone came to our door and delivered a plate of chocolate covered strawberries sent to us by Allie and Sam, our travel agents.
Day 2: At Sea 11/4/18
We had a fabulous day at sea. Even though it was Daylight Savings Time, the ship’s time did not change. I didn’t know this until Dyanna told me about it in the morning. At 8:30, we had the Seaday Brunch in the dining room. After brunch, Don and I walked for 45 minutes. At 11:00, we had the galley tour and all of the crew seemed happy to be working on the ship. Then we had lunch and sat with Cyndi and Gary from Illinois. The food at lunch was very good! After lunch, we went back to our room to change and then realized that I had signed up for the slot pull. It cost $20 to enter and when it was all done, I got back $9. Next, we went to the lecture – Academy of Fun: All About Food. The lecturer was Jason Rich who we had met on our last Journeys cruise. It was a good session. After that, we had to get ready for dinner and had a drink before dinner. After dinner, we went to the comedy show and heard JR McCollom.
Day 3: At Seas 11/5/18
After breakfast, we walked the track for an hour. Then we went to a lecture on Social Media. By then it was time for lunch and then we returned for a session on Internet Safety. After we ran by the Arts & Crafts session, it was time to go for Teatime. I ate too many scones, but they were so good! We had time to relax for about 30 minutes before getting ready for dinner and then getting a cocktail before dinner. After dinner, we went to the show that featured a comedian and juggler.
Day 4: St. Thomas 11/6/18
We had a lovely day in St. Thomas. Since they were expecting a 90% chance of rain showers, we decided not to go to the beach. Instead, we walked 2.5 miles into town and walked around the shops. It was so hot and humid that we took the cab back and shopped around the port. By lunchtime, we were back on the ship. After lunch, we sat on the deck. Before dinner, we went to another seminar called Let’s Talk Art. We learned a lot about different websites and apps that will teach us more about art. Then we had a cocktail until dinner. Dinner service was really slow, but we had a good time anyway.
Day 5: Antigua 11/7/18
We had a pleasant day in Antigua and walked all around town. We saw our friend, Ninja, who is a cab driver there. We have gone on two tours with him. They charge $25 per person for a two-hour tour around the island but we didn’t go on a tour. We walked to the church at the top of the hill that is being renovated. The graves look like something out of a horror movie. We came back to the ship for lunch and then sat and read the rest of the afternoon. After dinner, we went to the comedy show to see Diane Ford.
Day 6: St. Lucia 11/8/18
We got off the ship around 8am and we walked into town. It is about .9 miles walk to the General Market. We walked around town and stopped at the Cathedral and the Public Library. We used the bathroom at the library and they are getting renovated. They said they had a lot of rain and would welcome donations of books. We went to a grocery store and was going to buy some turmeric which was marked $2.73. The lady told me that the exchange rate was $2. 67 so we bought a bag but when she rang it up, she rang it up as $5.99 so we left it. We walked to one section and a policeman told us not to go past the next block and warned me to keep my hand on my phone. We turned at the next block and I had put my phone away in my bag. We ended up back at the General Market and bought some Turmeric there ($2/bag). Dyanna and Earl went back to the ship. We had a beer there at the market (Piton Gold - $3/bottle). Then we walked back to the ship and found a café where beer was 3 Pitons for $5. We ended up meeting another couple from our ship (Ray and Barb from Daytona Beach) and bought a few rounds of beer. Then Maggie from DC who was sailing on the Silver Seas ship joined us and bought us some rounds. We had such a great time that we didn’t return to the ship until 3:40. I ran up to the Lido deck and had a couple of hot dogs. Then we came back to the room to rest before getting ready for dinner. It was a fun day!
Day 7: Grenada 11/9/18
We arrived into port almost 30 minutes early, but we didn’t get off the ship because Don had a conference call. I forgot that they changed the time at home but not on the ship so Don’s 8am conference call was 9am on the ship. We walked around the ship to find the perfect spot for his phone call. When his call was over around 11am, we got off the ship and walked around Grenada. We walked around town and to the markets. It was straight uphill to Ft. George but the view was awesome. We walked down steep stairs back to town and then walked through a car tunnel that connects the east and west side of town. We got back to the ship around 2pm. After lunch, we sat on the deck and relaxed. After dinner went to the comedy show to see Mark Simmons.
Things I’ve Learned:
1. I need to learn more about VPNs for internet safety when we travel.
2. I want to check out a new movie service called Cinemia or something like that. I will have to investigate further.
3. It cost $4 a person to ride into Charlotte Amalie (St. Thomas) by cab.
4. I want to attend more classes through iTunes U.
5. In Antigua, the exchange rate is $1 USD = $2.70 EC (Eastern Caribbean)
6. In St. Lucia, the exchange rate was the same as Antigua
7. The beer was cheaper by the ship in the port terminal at St. Lucia.
8. St. Lucia has really improved their port city.
9. A couple took a tour around Grenada for $15. (Originally, they were told $25 pp but they negotiated it down to $15). Maybe we will do that next time.
Original Photo by Pat Hensley
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