Caribbean Princess

The Caribbean Princess can hold 3142 passengers and 1200 crew. Our captain was Ozren Marelic, the hotel director was Duncan Fouche, our Cruise director was Jody Miles. Our balcony cabin was C702 on deck 10 (Caribe deck) and our cabin steward was Allan Oliva.

Day 1: Embarkation - Sunday, December 15, 2024

Click here for pictures of our time on the ship.

We left our FL house at 7:30 and stopped to get Gas at Sam’s before arriving at the Port around 10 am. There wasn’t a lot of traffic and we dropped off our luggage and parked our car. There seemed to be lots of parking spots available at this time. We waited in line for about 10 minutes, and I talked to two ladies (Sandy and Deb) while Don talked with the lady behind him so time went by quickly. We went through security (I had to take out my laptop) and went through the “green” line since we had our medallions. We were told to go to another man who scanned our passports, and we scanned our medallions and then we were able to board the ship. We were on the ship by 10:30. We went up to the Lido deck (deck 15) and got a seat but lunch didn’t open until 11. After lunch, we wandered around the ship and did our safety drill requirements. I had a question about how to switch devices for the internet (logout.com on the device, and then login.com). When we got back to the cabin, Don’s suitcase was there so we unpacked it. Next, we went back up to the bar on deck 16 and relaxed until we sailed away. I met a lady, Christine who brought her phone cord but forgot the block to plug it in so if I find her, I will lend her one. We also met Tim (from Colorado) and enjoyed talking with him. When it started to get cold, we went back to the cabin and unpacked my suitcase. We met our cabin steward and told him that our safe had a low battery. He immediately got the supervisor who quickly changed out the battery. After that, we went to dinner on the Lido deck. I asked an officer where we get our premium desserts (2 a day with our package) and he told us to go to Coffee and Cones. So, after dinner, we got these huge sundae-type desserts ($17 each). Next, we went to the show which was supposed to be a Motown show but the main singer was extremely seasick so they called in the piano player from the Crooners bar who played Billy Joel and Elton John songs. I thought he was great. After the show, we went to bed.

Day 2: Sea Day - Monday, December 16, 2024

I sat on the Lido deck until around 7 am and then I went to see if Don was up. Since he was up, we went to the dining room for breakfast at the Palm Restaurant. Service was slow and the selection was slim. After that, I went to meet knitters at the Skyview Nightclub and Don went to the talk in the theater. At 10 am, we went to Club Fusion for the “Welcome to Princess” reception which was very nice. I learned that I could track Don on the Princess app and know where he is. After the reception, we went to the Casino for the slot tournament (organized by Gillian and Darren from Facebook). There were 12 of us chipping in $20. For the first machine we all had 4 pulls and we ended up with $83 left. I was the first one and I didn’t do very well. Then we moved to a new machine, and I did well my first time. We played with that machine until all the money was gone. It was fun and a nice way to meet new people. Next, we went to lunch, and I ate a little but wasn’t overly thrilled with it. We tried to get a premium dessert, but the line was too long. We ended up getting a beer but when it started to rain, we walked around the ship. At 3 pm, we went to the nice tea. Don had cucumber sandwiches and I had a salami sandwich, a cookie, and a scone. Next, we went to get our premium dessert which was massive! Then we walked around some more but I was starting to feel yucky, so we went back to the cabin until it was time to go to dinner. It was formal night, so we ended up eating on the Lido deck. I was still feeling nauseous (I think it was from overeating all that sugar!) so I had a small forkful of mashed potatoes but that was it. We were too early for the show so we went back to the cabin. We watched Deadpool 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy. I slept on and off through it. Before going to bed, I turned our clocks back an hour.

Day 3: Sea day - Tuesday, December 17, 2024

I felt so much better today! After breakfast, Don walked laps while I sat on the deck and read my library book. At 9, we went to the Skywalker Nightclub for me to meet with the other knitters and crafters (crocheters, cross stitching, etc.). At 10, we went to the talk about Roatan, and the speaker was very good. After lunch, we had our sundae and met this amazing couple in their 80s (Maggie and Frank) who are ballroom dancers. They happened to be on the Diamond Princess in Japan when Covid hit. Frank flat lined and Maggie had a severe stroke that left her somewhat blind. They were in a Japanese hospital for 3 months before they returned to the States. We found out that a documentary was made about it so I hope we can find it someday. Then we went to the bar and visited with Tim from Colorado again. At 4:30 we went to the Club Infusion to hear Stephen Cox, a retired NASA engineer talk about the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. We had heard him before when we were on the MSC Magnifica last year (Nov. 11, 2023) and enjoyed hearing him speak. After dinner, we went to the show, Evolution: Motown which was very good. Then we tried to go see the comedian but the room was full. It was a fun day!

Day 4: Roatan, Honduras - Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Click here for pictures of today.

This morning we got off the ship around 8:30 and were at the beach by 8:45. We walked from the ship to Mahogany Beach. Before we could cross the bridge, we had to show our ship’s ID which seemed to be a nice way to keep the riffraff out. We swam for about an hour and then sat and talked to a nice couple from TN who were on the Carnival Liberty. She is a school bus driver, and he works for CSX. Then we returned to the ship around 11:00, cleaned up, and made it to lunch. After lunch, we had our premium dessert (these are humongous sundaes!). Then we sat on the deck and relaxed until it was time to get dinner. We made reservations at Steamers, the casual dining restaurant ($15 per person but included with our package). We started with clam chowder. For the main entrée, I had steamed clams (about 3 dozen) with corn on the cob, green beans, red potatoes, shrimp, and sausage. Don had steamed mussels with corn on the cob, sausage, and scallops. For dessert, we had strawberry shortcake (which was hard as a rock and we couldn’t eat it). I wasn’t that impressed with the food here. Then we went to the show- Born to Be Wild.

Day 5: Belize City, Belize - Thursday, December 19, 2024

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This port is a tender port – you have to take a small boat from the ship to the dock. We got on the tender at 9:30 and got to the dock at 10 am. Our ship was 5 miles away from the dock. We walked to the post office and the clerk, Tanya, was very nice. We ended up buying $200 Belizean Dollars’ worth of stamps ($100 USD). Then we walked around town and back to the ship. We went back to the tender around 11:30 and got right on the tender (It runs every 30 minutes). After lunch, we sat on the deck by the Tradewinds Bar and relaxed until dinner time. After dinner we got our premium desserts and then went to the show – Sartori. In the middle of the night (1am), we were woken up by an announcement for the Medical Response team to go to a cabin on the Riviera deck.

Day 6: Costa Maya, Mexico - Friday, December 20, 2024

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We got off the ship at 8:30 and walked around the port area. We left the port area and walked to the big intersection on the way to Mahahual, but it didn’t look like much had changed. If you want to swim at the pools in the port area, you have to buy food and drink. We watched these 4 guys climb to the top of a tall pole, tie themselves with rope, and then spin around upside down until they ended up at the bottom. It was cool to watch. Around 10:30 we went back to the ship. Then we just ate, drank, and relaxed until it was time to go to the NASA talk. Stephen Cox talked about what happened with the Space Shuttle Columbia explosion. He did a great job and was really interesting! I’m glad to hear that he has a booking agent now that will book him on cruises. After dinner, we went to the show – Broadway Ballroom. Then we went back to the cabin and watched a college football playoff (Indiana vs. Notre Dame).

Day 7: Cozumel, Mexico - Saturday, December 21, 2024

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We didn’t get off the ship in Cozumel because we have been here so many times. We were docked a few miles away from town. We watched the people get off the ship which was fun. There were a lot of ships in the port today. Don did his exercise walk and I read while he walked. Then walked around the ship until lunchtime. They said there was a college football game on in the casino but it was on a little TV above the gaming tables so we left. We ended up relaxing on the deck until it was time for the Clemson game. We watched half of the Clemson game until it was halftime and then went to eat dinner. When we got back to the room, we had trouble getting the game on the TV so we watched it on my laptop. Don fell asleep early so I watched Jurassic World until I was ready to go to sleep.

Day 8: Sea Day - Sunday, December 22, 2024

After breakfast, Don got a cappuccino and I ordered a butter pecan latte. It was really windy and cool outside. Since it was early, Don did his exercise walk and I read my library book on Deck 7. It was so cool, I had my hoodie zipped and my hood up. When we were done, we went back to the cabin and put on my blue jeans. Then I went to the knitting group at 9 am while Don went to the theater to save our seats. At 10 am, we saw the culinary show which was like a comedy show with the executive chef and the director of dining services. After lunch, we went shopping and then packed our suitcases. Next, we went to a lecture about sharks. After that, we went to eat our last premium desserts (huge sundaes). Then we sat on deck 7 and had a drink while we listened to the piano player. For dinner, they served prime rib and a seafood buffet on the lido deck which we enjoyed. After dinner, we put out our suitcases and watched Independence Day.

Day 9: Debarkation - Monday, December 23, 2024

I was up at 4 am and went to the Lido deck to save our seats. At 5 am, Don got up and we got all of our stuff and went to breakfast (which started at 5:30 am. We were supposed to meet in the Crown Grill (Luggage tags Navy 4) at 7:50 am to get off the ship. We were led to level 7 and off the ship by 7:50. The face recognition machines weren’t there so we had to talk to a real live customs agent. Then we got in our car and left the parking garage quickly.

Things We Learned:

• We liked the service on Princess but we want to try another one to see if it is consistent throughout the line.
• The medallions are different. They even open your door but they work just like sail and sign cards.
• The screen at your cabin door has your names on it.
• The Premium desserts were delicious but calorie-heavy.
• I wasn’t overly thrilled with the food
• Service in the dining room was very slow so we only ate breakfast there once.

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Carnival Splendor 2014

Last week we cruised on the Carnival Splendor. We had cruised on her before but it has been a long time. Our Captains were Luigi De Angelis and Candeloro Donato, Hotel Director is Niksa Pelic, and the Cruise Director is Malcolm “Woo Hoo” Burn.  I don’t know why our captains switched in the middle of the cruise but I noticed the different names on the daily schedule. The décor is pink and in some areas it looks like a pink zebra attacked. I like it but I think it has to grow on Don.

Here are notes about our adventure:

Here is the link to our pictures!

On the Way:
The three of us (our neighbor, David went with us) left SC around 3pm and arrived in Miami at 2am. We stopped at McDonalds for dinner and fun taking pictures of David wearing a McDonald’s bag around his head. It was impossible to find a hotel room so we ended up driving to Miami Beach and looking around. It was party central at 3am there and we were amazed. Around 4am we found a Colombian restaurant for a bite to eat which was packed with people. Then we decided to go to a public parking lot and take a nap until we could go to the port.

Day 1 (Embarkation):
On Sunday we drove to the port and boarded the Carnival Splendor. We met lots of nice people! We also saw another couple who cruised with us in August and they are at our dinner table. After lunch we walked around the ship. Then we decided to take an hour nap before the life boat drill. In the afternoon after the life boat drill we went up to the aft bar on Lido deck and bought a bucket of beer. We found the Facebook group and it was great meeting them face to face. Then since we were so exhausted, we took a nap until dinner time. After dinner we went to the Welcome Aboard show but was too tired to go to the late night comedy show. I decided I am way too old to do all night partying anymore!!

Day 2 (At Sea):
We ate breakfast in the dining room with Walt and Maggie and 4 other ladies from Illinois and Iowa. They were a lot of fun! Then we sat around and visited until it was time to go to the food demo. They have the same menu but I like tasting them! After the food demo we walked 3 miles around the track. We took a nap before dinner and it was formal night which means I had lobster tail and prime rib for dinner. After dinner we skipped the show and went to bed early.

Day 3 (Grand Cayman):
We ate an early breakfast and headed to the Spectacular Lounge to get our tender tickets. While we were there, we found out that our shore excursion (Cayman Shore Snorkel) was cancelled due to rough water. In fact, it was so rough that we didn’t drop anchor near Georgetown as expected but instead docked at Spott’s Bay. We were disappointed but decided to get off the ship and see what we would do. David found a vendor selling a snorkel excursion for 3 hours for $40 so we decided to go. We left at 9:15 in a bus which took us to a boat (Captain Bryan’s Sail and Snorkel). Jake, the Captain, took us to the Stingray Sand Bar where we held the stingrays, kissed them, and let them rub our backs. After that we went to the barrier reef and went snorkeling. The water was choppy and we didn’t stay in the water long. After that, we went to the coral garden for more snorkeling. We got back to the ship around 1:30. We were so hungry and tired! After a big lunch on the ship, we took a nap. We sat and listened to one of the bands before dinner but after dinner we went to bed.

Day 4 (Cozumel)

We had a lovely day in Cozumel on Wednesday! We took a cab to downtown ($8 for 3 people) and walked around town for a while. We found a place that sold $1 Coronitas so we had one when we got hot. Then we walked some more until lunchtime where we found this neat place to eat. Don and I had nachos while David ate some seafood soup. After that we shopped some more and David got a 15 minute massage for $10. Finally went to the grocery store to buy some diet pepsi (12 oz. for .50). Then we took a cab back to the ship and went across the street to this little bar. Don and I had a couple of buckets of beer before going back to the ship. We had a little snack before taking a nap until dinner.

Day 5 (Belize)
We met in the Morocco Lounge at 8am but we didn’t get off the ship until around 9pm. We met the group ashore for Cave Tubing and Lunch ($69). The bus ride was 1 ½ hours and our tour guide, David Brown, talked nonstop for the entire time. He was very interesting though and had a lot of great information about Belize. Then we got to the cave tubing where I got a large locker for $6 and left my bag there. We were given a life vest, helmet with light, and tube. Then we walked about 30 minutes up a trail before getting in the water. The guide, Elmer, tied all 8 tubes together and we floated through the caves. The caves with the waterfalls always amaze me. After tubing we had a lunch of chicken and rice. Then we got back to the tender around 4pm. We were the last ones on the last tender back to the ship so I’m so glad we took the tour with the ship instead of on our own! After cleaning up, we went to the lobby bar and listened to the band before going to the 6:30 show Vroom which was really good. We went to dinner after the show.

Day 6 (Roatan, Honduras)
We got off the ship around 8:30 and walked over to the beach at Mahogany Bay (about a 5 minute walk). We got 2 chairs in the shade and went snorkeling. We stayed at the beach about 3 hours and returned to the ship for lunch. I ran to arts and crafts which involved this girl giving me the kit and directions and then telling me to go figure it out. The ribbon flowers were too complicated for me so I brought them home as a gift for a friend. In the late afternoon we had a reception for Gold, Platinum, and Diamond members. After a nap, we had dinner and went to the show called Motown with Consuela Ivy.

Day 7 (At Sea)
This day went really fast! We had brunch in the dining room and off course I overate. After that we packed our suitcases and by then it was lunch time. I was still too full from brunch to eat anything. Then we walked 3 miles on the track. At 3, we went to tea and it was met some nice people. After that we took a nap until dinner. It was sad that it was our last dinner on the cruise but the prime rib was wonderful. It was time to say good bye to our wait staff and dinner mates.

Day 8 Debarkation
We had zone 1 tags and had to meet in the Black Pearl dining room by 7:30. By 8am we were off the ship and in our car. The luggage was on a carousel and we got our bags easily. It was the smoothest debarkation from Miami that we ever had. On the way home we stopped by my parents for about 40 minutes and we were home by 8pm.

Things I Learned:
1. It is always fun to meet people online and then get to meet them in person!
2. At Sea days can be just as fun as port days.
3. You can order a banana split at dinner off the children’s menu.
4. It is not too smart to book an excursion at the port after they cancel the ship’s tour due to bad weather. Luckily the weather turned out nice and all went well but it could have gone wrong too.
5. When you ask if the seafood soup has fresh or frozen seafood, it is a good place when they show you the kitchen and the fresh seafood.
6. Learn the exchange rate in a foreign country so you can change the local prices into your own currency to see if the prices are reasonable or not.
7. Belize used to be known as British Honduras.
8. There are about 350,000 people who live in Belize.
9. There are 4 major ethnic groups in Belize.
10. There are no trains in Belize at all.
11. It is illegal to cut the mangroves without a permit.
12. The fish and coral are more plentiful near the dock in Mahogany Bay.
13. I can’t help but overeat on a cruise ship. I really need to eat healthier on the ship.
14. It was fun cruising with a first time cruiser and seeing things with a fresh perspective.

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Carnival Sunshine 2014 Day 5, 6, and 7

(Last week we took a cruise on the Carnival Sunshine so for the next few days I will be sharing about our cruise and some things that I learned each day.)

Day 5 (Roatan): (Here is the link for the pictures!)
We had a really nice day at the beach on Isla Roatan (Honduras). We got off the ship early and walked to Mahogany Beach so we could find 2 lounge chairs in the shade. We did some snorkeling before too many people were in the water and saw some fish. In an hour or two it became so crowded we wouldn’t have been able to do any snorkeling. Don enjoyed people watching while I knit. About 1pm we went back to the ship for lunch and sat out on deck for a while. In the evening we tried to go to the show but we were too early and ended up sitting in the Ocean Lounge listening to music until dinner time.

Day 6 (Costa Maya): (Here is the link for the pictures!)
We took a shuttle to Mahahual which cost us $3 each. We walked up the boardwalk and checked out the prices for beer and I looked for a diet pepsi. One place wanted $2 for diet coke which was more than the $1 beer everyone was selling so I didn’t buy it. Then a lady told me that she had diet pepsi for $1 at her store so I followed her and bought one from her. Along the way we watched men sweep up all the seaweed that washed up on the beach. We walked back to one bar that was selling 5 beers for $5 but when we sat down, the guy wanted to argue with us and we told him that was what the guy on the board walk said. Instead of arguing any more we left and went down to the Tapas bar where we had a nice seat, table, and umbrella for free. We bought two Coronas for $1 each. Then we decided we would buy the bucket of beer – 5 for $5. When the rain storm came, they moved us inside the bar until the storm passed and then he moved us back to the beach. While we were inside, all of the people working there began talking to us and we got to know them. Once we moved back to the beach the sun came out and it was a lovely day! In fact, I got so hot that I had to cool off in the water which was really nice. We stayed there and had 2 more buckets of beer before leaving at 12:30. The cab ride back to the ship was $2 each. When we got back on the ship it was time for lunch and I was hungry! After a nap we went to the comedy show with Tim You and he was pretty funny. For dinner I had chateaubriand and Don had escargot for appetizers.

Day 7 (at sea):

We had a lovely day at sea and was just lazy. Breakfast/brunch was filet mignon and macaroni and cheese. I tried the double chocolate brownie but the base was so hard that I couldn’t cut it with a knife. After breakfast we went to arts and crafts where I decorated flip flops with balloons. I also got a beaded bracelet kit. Then we walked on the track until lunch time. After lunch we walked some more until it was the wrist watch sale and line dancing lessons. I learned to line dance to “All the Single Ladies.” Before dinner we went to the comedy show which was pretty good. Dinner was so slow because the waiter dropped all of the food on his way to bringing it to the station so they had to start all over again. We were just getting our dinner when others were finished with dessert. Since we were so late eating we didn’t get to go to the late night comedy show.

Things I Learned:
1. It is fun to people watch!
2. Get to the beach early to get a chair in the shade.
3. Get to the beach early to snorkel before it gets too crowded.
4. Some people can be so rude and only think about themselves. They will drag chairs and block the walkways or crowd other people if you let them.
5. If vendors change the prices when you decide to stay, you don’t have to stay there and can leave. That will teach them not to do that anymore.
6. It is fun to get to talk to the local people and learn more about their way of life.

Original photos by Pat Hensley