Review--Rhapsody of the Seas--September 24, 2006

Rhapsody of the Seas September 24-October 1, 2006

This will be written with some comparisons to the Conquest and Ecstasy which we have sailed within the past few weeks. This was our second time on the Rhapsody which is DW’s favorite ship.

Day One--Sunday--Embarkation Oversleeping and one accident on Houston Freeways delayed usual arrival by an hour+, but seemed to work out overall. Usually I’m one of those people who think they need to be at the check-in by 11:30. The delay put us there about 12:30 which IMHO was actually better. The early arrivers where on board yet we were ahead of the published 1:00 pm boarding so it went very smooth. No lines in Security, Check-in, Security photos, or Windjammer. From street to buffet in 15 minutes. I think a 12:30 arrival is ideal for the future.

The Windjammer buffet is very good, much better than Ecstasy and Conquest, my recent sailings. I really appreciate the drinks (lemonade, tea, water) being available on trays. You do not have to fix your own (find the glasses. find the ice, find the dispenser) as on the previously mentioned ships. Explored the ship and some sail away drinks this afternoon. BTW-you will save about $1 in taxes if you purchase drinks after we leave Galveston.

Our C-C group had prearranged to wear mardi gras beads so it was easy to find our new friends following muster drill. Nice to meet some folks before our official meet on Monday. I did wear my new C-C T-shirt under my Caribbean shirt, but it was still noticed by a few, mostly crew!

The Welcome Aboard Show was good. The CD is Dan Whitney and he is one of the best-IMHO. We had an excellent draw on the dinning room table. Round six-top table center location of DR just below staircase. Very nice people at out table including Cruise Critic fans. We turned in after dinner. During the night we passed through a thunderstorm and the thunder and lightning was both interesting and entertaining.

Day Two--Monday--at Sea I enjoyed a dining room breakfast and DW ordered room service breakfast for the balcony. Very nice to have options. Our Meet & Mingle was at 12:30 and was well attended. RCL provided canapés, a gift (note pad) for everyone, and a raffle prize. A bit rainy a lot of the day, but it was interesting. Saw a very large waterspout from aft balcony. The weather cleared in the afternoon and everyone was enjoying the usual ship board activities. This is formal night. The Captains reception was held in the Lounge and Champagne was distributed by the waiters. The Captain, Anders Ingebrigtsen, spoke about the changes and new deployment for Rhapsody next year. Formal dinner was very good. I had shrimp cocktail, escargot, beef, & Grand Mariner soufflé for desert. The production show after dinner was very good as well, Piano Man, featuring the RCL Singers & Dancers.

Day Three--Tuesday--at Sea/Key West This is a great day in that you have a sea day and a port day in one. We began with room service breakfast on the balcony. DW spent most of the day in the Solarium swimming and relaxing in a more quiet environment. than the main pool. I entered the Texas Hold’em Tournament, but didn’t get too far. Congrats to C-C member Wes who made the final table. They served southern style pork chops & potatoes with onions in the Windjammer. Very good, reminded me of my younger days. We watched the port activity as we approached Key West. The Enchantment of the Seas leaves port as we arrive. Pretty cool as the two ships pass each other. Key West: We headed straight for Henrietta’s Bakery located on Petronia Street in the Bahamian district. About a six block walk and as we got there they just flipped the closed sign. They opened for us and we even got to met Henrietta. Their business has really changed since being featured on the Food Network. They ship a USPS truck full of bakery items out daily. She said she ships more items to Texas than anywhere else. We made our selections and headed back to the Green Parrot which we passed along the way. This is the real deal Key West bar established in 1890. Few tourists and it was full of very interesting locals. My first beer and beginning of our Key West pub crawl. Next to Kelly’s Caribbean Bar which has perhaps the best happy hour on the island. We spent the balance of happy here enjoying the Key Lime margaritas. Kelly’s is in the original Pan-Am airlines headquarters and has very old Key West roots. The bar is made/cut out from an old Pan-Am clipper wing. Cool place. Next we walked to the Key West bight or boardwalk. We stopped at the Conch Republic Seafood Company, but found our favorite place on the seaport to be the Schooner Wharf. Excellent live music and very good mango mojitos. From the Schooner Wharf to Sloppy Joe's for a final nightcap. Enjoying our pub crawl we turned in and didn’t make the sail away midnight buffet & entertainment, but heard it was very good.

Day Four--Wednesday--at Sea Room service breakfast works very well so we did it once again. Some swimming in the Solarium pool in the morning. We purchased tickets to the Cocktail Seminar at Sea which was at 12:15. This was very entertaining and they do their best to get you buzzed in the early afternoon. They passed out samples of most of the drinks including: Apple martinis, Cosmopolitans, Bahama Mamas, Yellow Birds, & BBC’s. If you wanted extras you could get it. Lunch in Windjammer which I have found has a very good lunch selections. I had the roast beef and cajun chicken. The feature show this evening was Kenny James a great singer/entertainer. Dinner was again very good. Maryland Crab cake, New England clam chowder, and Pork chop was my selections. Had to have two deserts: Baked Alaska & Bananas Foster. Quest was tonight, but left that to the newbies.

Day Five--Thursday--Grand Cayman We have decided to stay on board ship so we are on island time (relaxed) today. Room Service breakfast on the balcony, then swimming in the pools. Nice when there are few people on board. By midday we started getting rain so people began coming back to the ship earlier than norm. Again a good lunch in the Windjammer. My selections: Corned beef and cabbage, pork cutlets, potatoes, salad. The weather really started getting bad later in the day which made the solarium busier than normal so we opened the balcony door and enjoyed the thunder, lightning, and rain. After the dry summer in Texas, it was nice to just see the rain. The late afternoon was much better & the aft balcony gave a great sail away view of Grand Cayman, improved by Bahama mama’s from room service. Tonight is the second formal night. The Crown & Anchor get together was this evening (we skipped) and the production show was Pure Country. Lobster was the choice for most at dinner and yes a second lobster was available to those who wished. Also later was the Gala Buffet at midnight. Didn’t make it after the lobsters, but heard it was great.

Day Six--Friday--Cozumel Very impressive entry into the Strait of Cozumel with the Conquest, Rhapsody, & Mariner coming in side by side. GOOD NEWS for everyone. We docked at Punta Langosta. We were the first ship to do so. The Mariner docked at the International pier and I’m guessing that the Rhapsody will dock there on the weeks that the Mariner is not here and at Punta Langosta on the other weeks. Bottom line: Looks like that the Rhapsody will always be docked and not tendering every other week. Hopefully this will be true for the Splendour as well when she starts her Cozumel sailings from galveston. We have been to Cozumel more than 30 times over a period of 25 years so usually never make specific plans and ‘play it by ear’ depending on mood and weather. Today we went to see Nelly at Mayan Pearl as DW needed some items. While DW had some items custom made I spent an hour in the internet store (next door to my Coz barber). We walked down to the Havana Club for a couple of mojitos, then some shopping on the way back. We thought we’d visit some of the oldest establishments so spent some time at Casa Denis and then La Mission. We returned to the ship around 3:30 and spent the rest of the afternoon on the balcony which luckily over looked Cozumel. We could follow the action in town where they had a parade on the Malecon (& in boats on the water) as well as the action at Senor Frogs. Great view and comfort as we had room service snacks as well. Really love the big balcony on this cruise. Dinner was again great. A highlight this evening was watching the lights of the Conquest and the moon above her as she sailed along our port side.

Day Seven--Saturday--at Sea Room service breakfast again this morning. Swimming and relaxing in the solarium pool area is the agenda of the day. Lunch in Windjammer again good-my selections salad, seafood etouffee, pork tenderloin (jerk style) was very good. A visit to Mary Ann, the C&A and future cruise representative. We booked two more cruises on Rhapsody. A few Yellow Birds in the afternoon to use the 2for1 coupons in the C&A booklet made for a fun day.

About 3:00 p.m. I returned to the cabin and went on the balcony to watch the Conquest which was following on our port side. Suddenly the Conquest made a extreme 90˚turn to starboard. The first thing that came to mind was a “man overboard”. About 15 minutes passed and the Conquest started north again, this time on our starboard side but now several miles behind. I mentioned this to DW and some friends and of course as we found out the next day, they did have a tragedy on the Conquest at that time.

The farewell production show was good and the International Parade between dinners was excellent. The final dinner was as usual very good. My selections: Shrimp cocktail, Onion soup, Chicken Marsala, & Tiramisu for desert. No Conquest along side tonight as she is still catching up from the delay.

Debarkation--Sunday We did the self and it went fairly well. There was a hold up because of people trying to take too many bags and having to ride the elevators in the terminal. You must have one free hand to use the escalator. We were off the island by 8:00 a.m..

Ship I do think that the Rhapsody does deserve its reputation as the friendliest ship on the seas. The staff and crew are very good. The ship itself does show some wear and needs the upcoming dry dock. Yes there was vibration, but usually only when approaching a port. It may have more noticeable to others, but we are used to sailing and some vibration is part of the cruise. The passageways are narrow on Rhapsody so be careful.

Cabin We had originally booked this while onboard the Rhapsody last year, but later upgraded, so we were fortunate to get cabin 7152 an aft corner wrap balcony. The room is standard size, but the balcony is very large. There are no public aft stairs so it is a long walk to the elevator/stairs mid ship. There is some noise from the Lounge below, but we normally sleep with the TV on so it didn’t bother us that much. It did give me a start during what I assume was the finale on the first night-I did jump out of bed!! One good advantage is no passageway noise. No traffic and no cabin doors near us. Fair tradeoff IMHO. The cabin needs updating and It will be in February so we’ll have the new bedding, etc. on our Rhapsody cruises next year. Did we enjoy this cabin? Yes very much.

Food The room service breakfast has more selections than most cruise lines, so it is a great option especially if you can eat on the balcony. Many of the dining room dinner items are available from room service or the Windjammer from 6:30-9:30 daily. A great option for those who can not make the dining room.

Lunch is the same menu each day with one special item that does change daily. You can order a banana split for desert at lunch. All the bread selections are very good on board. The buffet is also very good and much better than other lines. There are ice creme and yogurt machines in the Windjammer.

Overall we both thought the food was much better on Rhapsody than the two RCL ships; however, the deserts on Conquest & Ecstasy are better than the Rhapsody.

Needs Improvement The water jets at the entry steps of the pool in the Solarium never worked. Smoking was much worse on this cruise than previous RoS cruise. The Schooner Bar should be nonsmoking as you have to walk through it to get to the various other venues. This will be moot when she goes to Asia, but that is a while yet. Missed our breakfast order one morning, but I can see how that happened--the corner aft cabins don’t open on the main passage ways, but on an out set. It was just missed. The good thing is that the Room Service manager sent us some chocolate strawberries later that day. Wow I was impressed. Also the self-debarkation should be limited to one bag per person.

Final We really enjoyed the cruise and met some very nice people including a good C-C group. We still haven’t done everything on board there is to do, so I know we had an entertaining and enjoyable time. Another great cruise!

Review--Ecstasy--September 4-6, 2006

Ecstasy 9/4/06 - 9/9/06 Galveston -Progreso-Cozumel-Galveston

This was my seventh Carnival cruise, third solo, and first time on Ecstasy. The ship isn’t sailing full. There will be many comparisons with Conquest since I just sailed her a few days ago.

Monday / Embarkation / Day 1 Embarkation was smooth for most. I had a some small problems. There was no S&S card for me. I did book late, four days earlier, but have booked even later twice & had S&S card without problem. It would not have been a problem, but the lady who checked me in gave me the wrong information. She wrote something on doc and said proceed to pursers desk for card. Didn’t sound quite right but did as she said. Of course, Security said “wrong wrong”. I had to go get a temporary badge to board, then go to pursers desk. I could have taken care of the temp badge before boarding if given correct instructions to begin with. Anyway, no big deal, some delay, but everyone was nice about it. When I did finally receive my S&S card I had to back track for security photo, etc.. On top of that no dining table assignment. Well my favorite place is the lobby bar on embarkation day, so now that I had a card I could start the “sail away specials” and wait for the Maitre’D. C-C member oldmedic saw me at the bar and mentioned his table number. When it was time to make dining assignment changes I was able to get that table. I should mention that the dining room changes were handled very well. A waiter queues everyone outside the dining room and admits one at a time to the Maitre’D station . Seems to work smoother and people can’t just shop the tables, but legitimate changes are made fairly easy.

The Lido had the usual buffet for arriving guests. The deli also has hot sandwiches so a Rueben right away for me. This was a pleasant surprise as the Elation did not have them.

Time for more sail away drinks and to explore the ship. Yes there is the secret door. Actually a couple to the same forward deck.

One complaint I heard was that muster drill runs too long and into the sail away. We were well underway before dismissed from “muster”. Still time to see the dolphins as we left the harbor if you hurried though.

Welcome Show tonight. “Rebecca” is the CD. Entertainer was Gene Merola. He was funny, I’d seen him before on the Elation. . I always enjoy the dancers and the two feature singers were very good. After show a visit to the sushi bar.

Dinner was nice. Late seating in Wind Star Dining Room. I was at table 115 and the waiter & staff are very good. There are three couples and myself. I had the Filet Mignon and sampled the shrimp. I think the shrimp were better. The breads and salads are excellent. I had two deserts, don’t tell DW. Towel animal on first night.

Tuesday / Fun day at Sea / Day 2 Good sleeping with the inside cabin, but up early (ranch life, I guess) so to the dining room for breakfast. I’ve had the same breakfast on the first morning of all my CCL cruises: Sectioned grapefruit & oranges, Eggs Benedict with side of bacon, and french toast. I have to say that this one was the best I have ever had. Much better than Conquest which I was on just a few days ago. You could tell the difference. I’m not much for sun, I get all of that I want at home, so indoor activities for me. They had Indian food on the lunch buffet so I had to sample the mulligatawny soup. It was better than Conquest, but just OK. I guess there are as many variations of mulligatawny soap as there are chiefs.

A two hour+ nap this afternoon. That was nice. Drink special today is Yellow Birds, but this afternoon was Pilsner Urquell day for me at the atrium bar. A good place to people watch. Good bartenders (Aleksandar & Nyoman) at this bar as well.

This is formal night. Captains reception is in show lounge. I prefer how they do it on Conquest, but they have the larger clubs to host it in than on fantasy class ships. Formal dinner was nice. I had lobster of course. I had already told my table mates about the new desert Bitter&Blanc and it was served tonight. I think I have a new favorite.

The productions show, Dream Voyage, featuring the Carnival dancers and singers was tonight. It was very good. I was too tired for the gala midnight buffet which was tonight, so off for some sleep.

Wednesday / Progreso, Mexico / Day 3 The docking procedure woke me up about 6:30. I wanted to sleep in as I had no real plans for Progresso. They finalized docking and slept in long enough to not rush to dining room breakfast. IMHO The standard buffet breakfast is just OK. I sure the omelets are good, but I didn’t want to wait. We dock in Progreso, the only hold up is the shuttle, Since I was solo I went the shuttle route as I usually rent a jeep here. This was my 4th time in Progreso and I just did a few things: went to bank, the internet location (still only $1 for an hour), and then to my favorite spot Le Saint Bonnet. Padre saw me right away (4th visit) and seated me. A DosXX, bottled water, and shrimp cocktail. I bought a small wooden bowl ($5) with a spurtle to use at home to muddle mint for my mojitos. I went back to the ship early to beat the late rush and get some lunch. I had the hamburger. They had a desert bar in the Panorama Grill and the Napoleons were fantastic. Drink of the day today is Blue Margarita. Second trip to the sushi bar, they do vary the selections. For dinner the seafood delight is very good. A variety of different seafood. Tiramisu for desert. The talent show was tonight, but I watched a bit of Texas hold’em poker and retired early.

Thursday / Cozumel, Mexico / Day 4 We are tendering into Cozumel, but at least to the San Miguel pier and not Puerto Maya. Taking a casual breakfast in dining room as I’m not in a big hurry to get to shore as I was just there and since solo have no plans to rent a jeep or tour. It went very smooth. They opened to general boarding just about 9:15 a.m. not long after finishing breakfast. Took some friends by a shop that I know the owner. I have never visited the Cozumel Museum so thought this would be something to do in the morning. It was nice, but the best feature is the snack bar on the second floor. It overlooks the harbor at San Miguel and being a beautiful day you could clearly see Playa del Carmen and Xcaret across the straight of Cozumel. They seem to feature breakfasts at this cafe and the menu looked good. A little shopping on the way to the Havana Club. Excellent mojitos, best in the caribbean. There were a lot of RCL employees from the Navigator of the Seas which was docked at the International pier. They have WiFi at the Havana Club so many had laptops. Wanted to try my laptop from ship since we were anchored just opposite, but didn't get back to ship in time. It may work from an upper deck. Also great views of the ship from the Havana club. A few cervezas from before returning to the ship to rest a bit form a hot day in Cozumel. The return guest party is tonight although I skipped. Drink of the day is Mexican mama, but didn’t try it. Wow guess you can’t drink all the time. Dinner was OK another seafood combination since Wednesdays was so good. This was as well. Baked Alaska for desert. The feature show is X-treme Country. It was very good. Best show of the cruise.

Friday / Fun day at Sea / Day 5 Usual dining room breakfast as it will be the final one since I will do self-debarkation the following morning. This was the second time I’ve seen flying fish while returning from Cozumel. They are small, but very numerous. Also Dolphins were seen following the ship most of the day. Last Rueben sandwich for awhile as well for lunch. Afternoon spent at the Texas Hold’em table. A lot of fun. Visiting with some C-C folks and new friends at the atrium bar was very enjoyable as well. Anytime a lady buys you a drink at the lobby bar AND you walk away with $ from the tables--It is a good day! Final dinner was nice I had the pork and of course the desert was the Grand Marnier soufflé. Bags were to be out before midnight, but I’ll be doing the self debarkation.

Saturday / Debarkation
The only hitch of the cruise-ordered room service (and as a wakeup call) for something light between 6:00-6:15 a.m. It never showed. Finished packing and was in line for self debarkation by 7:15. It went smooth. They had 6 agents working so it went very fast through customs. I was off the island by 7:45 a.m.

SHIP-- The Ecstasy is an older ship. She seemed in great shape. She does show her age is some areas, but is very clean and nice. I like the layout. There are a lot of “hump” locations on the upper decks which make watching the sea or views very nice. Also the ceiling above the atrium is skylights. I like it. That’s all the sun I want to see during the day. I knew there was a lot of neon so I was prepared for it, but it was not dated at all and is very impressive in the evening. A very different look. No smoking in the lobby area at all. This is much better than on Conquest. Although I overhead a lady complain about smoking I thought it was better controlled than either Conquest or Elation. The new mini-golf area is very nice.

CABIN-- I booked late on a 1A guarantee bargain deal. I received a 4A, cabin R234 located aft so I was happy with that. The cabin steward is excellent. One of two best I’ve ever had. I actually saw him cleaning the base in the hall with a toothbrush. The cabin was always clean. The retrofit in dry-dock was well done. Changes I noticed included: New doors for bath and hallway entry, new flooring in bathroom, new fixtures in bath, magnetic doorstops (that work), new telephone, flat screen televisions, the new Carnival bedding system, new stateroom directory (smaller than those on Conquest & Elation), new upholstery, and new carpet. Also, the cabin was a quad, but didn't have the drop down from ceiling bunks. They were built into the large heavy wooden head/side boards of the units. I'm sure these were new. It looked more like nice furniture than ugly metal bunks.

Important: The flush button is above the toilet lids. Much better than those that are semi-hidden behind the lids. You conquest class folks know what I’m saying! No comedian jokes inserted here!

The only negatives are the exhaust fan is noisy. Doesn’t bother me that much easily confused with the sound of running water in the bath. Also you have a separate card to open your door. The Sail&Sign does not act as your room key. Minor, but I was always afraid I’d leave the room key since I wasn’t used to carrying two cards.

There are no refrigerators in the 4A’s. (OK by me I never use them) There is some vibration at times, especially aft I suspect, but I just reminds me that I’m on a ship.

DINING / FOOD-- Overall, I think the food was better on Ecstasy than on Conquest or Elation. The thing I liked the most was the table set up. They use the old standard (and proper IMHO) silver set up with all silver on the table at the beginning. On Conquest, they have gone to the 1on1 system which is just a short cut for the servers as they will use the slight of hand not actually change out the silver (caught you Zoltan). I did mention this to the Ecstasy Maitre’D and he seemed pleased to hear it. He said it’s the newer ships are using the other system.

GENERAL-- The gulf was almost dead calm so the sailing was very smooth. There are a lot of Texans on board although a lot of people from all over. I met a lot of very nice people. I differently will do this cruise again with DW and DD. In fact the Ecstasy may become my new favorite CCL ship.

Review--Carnival Conquest--August 20-27, 2006

Carnival Conquest 8/20 - 8/27 2006

I won’t do this chronologically as I have already written two Conquest reviews. We had had a very tough week prior to the cruise with a loss of my Mother so we used this cruise for much needed R&R. I will highlight some features and observations of the week.

EMBARKATION & DEBARKATION--Went very smooth. A little late to begin boarding. Security seemed to be the problem. A lot more people do self-debarkation now so that can be a bit crowded very early on the final morning. As long as ship is on time, it is still the best way off for people that can handle it. My favorite spot after hitting the deli for some Ruebens on embarkation day is the lobby bar for my first Sailaway drink. I love to see the “newbies” when they board. Best observation this time- A couple walked in and observed the atrium and was a little slack-jawed on how large it all was. They walked over to bar and DH orders a beer and hands bartender his S&S card. He then asks DW if she wants a beer and she says (pointing to all the Sailaway drinks she sees) “nah, I’ll just have one of those free ones everyone is having”. Not sure how long before she found out they weren’t free, but they didn’t know it for awhile anyway. (The bartender didn’t hear her, he already had the card in his hand and just charged for the two drinks) I always make the lobby/atrium bar my HQ and make friends with the bar staff there asap. The Conquest actually sailed out before the Rhapsody which very rarely happens.

SHIP--The Conquest was very ship shape. Looked very clean and there were always crew cleaning the public areas and the ship itself.

CABIN--was not as clean as previous cruises. We always bring disinfecting wipes so we had it in good shape soon. I had already left notes for the Steward when I discovered that it was our Stewards first day with Carnival and obviously first time on Conquest. In fact I think we were probably aboard before her. (It made muster drill easy.) She did a great job for the rest of the week and we reminded her of some simple things that were overlooked. She’ll be fine. This was also our first inside cabin on Conquest and we really enjoyed it. (We have previously had extended aft balcony & O/S) We were so tired of the heat and sun from the ranch that the dark cabin was really enjoyed. We decided to leave the beds separated for the additional room. It was great, we spent more time there than we would have ever thought. Carnival Bedding-- I have decided that I don’t like it. Our sixth time with the new duvets, etc. and they are just not right. A sheet is not enough and the duvet is too much. The mattresses are good though.

BAR SERVICE--the bad news is that Boris is gone. Back to Czech Republic to get married. The good news is the Mojitos. The Miami Vice/Bacardi Rum promotion is on Carnival for August. They were very good. I watched & inquired from three different bartenders (since I'm a mojito guy & also like to sit at the bar) and the mojito mix was just the simple syrup, some lime, and bacardi rum already mixed together. They then topped it off with soda from a can. Two did a very good job, one used too little mix & too much soda. The mint was surprisingly good on board. Overall they did a good job; however, it remains to be seen if they continue them beyond the promotion. It was the drink of the day on the second day. BTW-purchased alcohol was distributed very early on the last sea day.

DINING ROOM--last cruise we had a bad location, but a good waiter. This time a great location and good, but average service. Our table mates were all fantastic though. Well dressed, very professional, and one could say, several celebrities in their professions in the group. Dinner was the highlight of the cruise for me. (not necessarily DW though). Lots of blue jeans, hats, and shorts in the dining room. People were dressed well for the Formal nights though.

FOOD--Everyone has an opinion so I’ll say standard Carnival fare. I enjoy most food so I was fine. My favorites were: the Steaks, the Lobster, Pumpkin soup, French onion soup, Escargot, Hearts of Palm, the Salads, Grand Marnier Soufflé, and Bitter & Blanc (a new desert). All the vegetarian dishes were pretty lame. (Not just DW’s opinion, we actually had three at our table). From the Deli, I had my share of Ruebens and DW the Vegetable sandwich which was very good. Same usual Carnival menu for breakfast & lunches. Chocolate buffet is last sea day.

SHIP ACTIVITIES--We have seen all the shows before so we were very selective on them, but did not want to miss Marc Rubben. He has the funniest act I have ever seen on a cruise ship. Just see him if he’s on your cruise. We had never done the afternoon tea so we did that on 2nd sea day. I guess we are getting old as we really enjoyed the tea with the great desserts and music. Todd Whittmer is still CD. He does a good job. No Rocky Horror show though. I guess he has retired it.

PORTS--Ships time and port times remain the same until daylight savings time goes off. Makes it easy. We stayed on board ship during the Jamaica stop and really enjoyed the pool and ship activities. I had never done this at a port-of-call before and it was actually fun as we had the ship to ourselves. We did some shopping in Georgetown. Best bargain: Three one-liter bottles of Captain Morgan spiced rum for $20 and they deliver it to the ship. In Cozumel, DW went straight to a lady she knows who has a jewelry shop in town. She had some pieces made for her that she wanted (pearls). She raved about an inexpensive long strand of jewelry that has magnets in some of the pieces. You can make different types of necklaces or bracelets by how you match up the magnets. Pretty cool. While she was doing all this, I went to see my friend Martin Antonio at the barber shop and got a haircut. We go to Cozumel so often that he is now my regular barber. Really! The Havana Club has moved to the new shopping center north of Cinco Soles. Best mojitos in the caribbean. I drank a few Victoria beers before heading to Pancho’s Backyard for margaritas. Cozumel is always our favorite place.

As mentioned, we probably didn’t have a proper cruising “mindset” or countdown time for this cruise, and I apologize if that is reflected in these comments. We did enjoy the cruise very much. We always do. I will be joining those wild and crazy S&S folks in October again on the Conquest and I know I’ll be in a much better mood and ready to party then. At least I won’t get lost on the ship.

Fat Cat Catamaran--April 1, 2006

Fat Cat Catamaran Adventure Excursion
Puerto Adventuras - Playa del Carmen - Calica Mexico

While sailing on the 3/30 Elation cruise, I booked an independent tour, the Fat Cat catamaran adventure excursion, for Calica. There were three C-C members and ten others from the Elation. A Fat Cat representative met our group and we were off for about a fifteen minute drive to Puerto Adventuras. The cat is docked in a private resort area which is also the location for dolphin interactive tours. We were able to see the dolphins, manatees, and sea lions while waiting for the others sailing on the Fat Cat. This is definitely a barefoot cruise, you leave your shoes in a box before boarding. We sailed about 10:00 a.m. with 49 passengers and crew of four. The crew was very accommodating and friendly. They were very generous with the rum punch and beer as we made our way north. We sailed to the reef just south of Calica for 45 minutes of snorkeling. Water was a bit choppy but used the all the allotted time in the water. This was a small reef, but very colorful and alive. Lot’s of fans, more than cozumel IMHO. Many colorful fish as well. Setting sail back south, more beer and rum punch along with chips, guacamole, and pico de gallo. All of which was very good. Those that wish could experience the drag net behind the boat. Hang on and don’t lose your shorts. We stopped within some protected jetty's for swimming. You could dive from the boat. Very nice and calm waters. We got back to the pier and were taken back to the ship arriving about 3:30. The fare includes your transportation and your drinks and snacks. I rate this excursion five ***** stars for both value and content. I would happily do this excursion again.

Their web site:
http://www.fatcatsail.com/

Review--Carnival Elation--March 30, 2006

Worlds longest review (and title) of a Four day Elation cruise which is
redundant as she will no longer sail from Galveston

Review--Elation 4-day Cruise
March 30-April 2, 2006
Galveston-Calica-Galveston

Booked this cruise because I wanted to sail the Elation one more time before she leaves Texas. Did this one as a solo. I am an experienced cruiser, but this was my first 4-day cruise and only the second that left port on a weekday.

DAY ONE
First checked Galveston web cam at 6:00 a.m. before leaving and the Elation was already in port. A good sign. Arrived at EZCruise Parking about 11:15 and was promptly taken by shuttle to the terminal. No lines at security nor check-in. They hadn’t started boarding yet so sat in chairs near the boarding area. I saw a chair on an end back row that had luggage in front of it. I went and ask the man for the chair and he complained but moved his bag. This was not a C-C group and I knew that this may be THE chair. Soon we were ready for boarding and the Carnival attendant said, “we are going to start boarding with that guy (pointing to me). Yep, a first for me, I was the first to board the ship (at least through normal boarding procedures). Knowing the system, I was through the photographers on board before the others knew what had happened. Some cabin attendants apparently have a pool as to who/what is the first passenger to board because I heard “your #1” from several the rest of the day. This may be new, they had attendants stationed in each hallway entrance on all decks to direct passengers. I don’t recall this on Conquest or previously on Elation. My cabin was only the second from the lobby entrance (deck seven E-57) so I dropped my backpack off and was off to the Lido deck. Being first had the advantage off seeing the buffet before anyone is served, I will admit it looked great--almost like the grand buffet. I was the first to begin and that was nice, almost like a private buffet for a five minutes. I got a table facing the others as they came in and began watching “the show” Again this was not a C-C or experienced group for the most part. I overhead one teenager ask her mom, “Wow how much does this cost?” meaning the buffet. After lunch I must go find Maria at the lobby bar for the first “Sail Away”.

When boarding I noticed that the Elissa looked like she was getting ready to sail, so forward to the “secret door” and the view. The Elissa was just off. Very nice to see although she wasn’t under sail but power. Still great to see an 1877 sailing ship.

Cabin was ready by 1:00 and my bag was delivered sometime before 2:00. So unpacking was early and easy. Another sail away special and people watching from the lobby bar until muster drill. Another new thing noticed while setting there is the Platinum club sign above the pursers window. Looks like CCL has the new program down. Some large groups boarding- an Elvis group and two high school bands included. Looks like the ship is more than full. I had tried to add DW a few days before and CCL wasn’t really interested. Now I know why, they probably had lots of 3-4 pax in cabins already sold. Also lots of small kids. Well this will be an interesting cruise.

Muster drill was at about 4:00, but departure was delayed they said because of loading luggage. We got underway about 5:30 and it was a beautiful day to be on deck. We watched for the dolphins and the US Coast Guard move vessels who approached too close to the ship. Soon on starboard (note: wrong side) comes the Elissa. She had been under sail, but with traffic now under power. Still great to see her being maneuvered into Galveston harbor as a cruise ships sails past.

I don’t wear a watch at home and although on my cruise packing list I forget my watch, which I happened to purchase on the Elation in 2004 at the $10 store. The watch has been on seven cruise since until this one. I was depending on the time on the television--mistake. I thought I was leaving early for the Welcome show and I was actually half an hour late. Well god forbid I’m late to dinner so off to the $10 shop for another watch. No way could I set it, but a very nice person, who love challenges, at my table was able to set it for me. Dinner was nice. I had late (8:30) dinner in the Imagination dining room. Waiter was Magi (nickname). You never know what your going to get when you book a solo, but we had a nice six top table. Four booked single, and one charming couple. I had the fruit, salad, filet mignon and cherries jubilee cake. Being late and a long day (1st on ship) back to the cabin for R&R.

DAY TWO
E-57 is an inside, but still a good upgrade from the 1-A’s solo cruisers usually get. It has been a while since I had an inside and I had forgotten how great it is to sleep in one. Wow nice. Almost late for breakfast in the dining room, but made it for the Eggs Benedict. My usual CCL breakfast.

Today is Indian day in the Taste of Nations so I had to try the mulligatawny soup. It was just OK. The best is on Rhapsody although the chef on Conquest (he’s Indian) made very good mulligatawny by special request for our table last year. Late lunch in dining room was fair, but nothing special.

Yellowbird is the drink of the day today. Very good, a bit sweet perhaps, but going with the flow.

Captains reception was very good. Sat in the “prime” area to get the maximum waiter exposure. After tipping on the first drink, I never had to ask for a drink the remainder of the party. I always had one (or two) in reserve. Thank you captain Giuseppe Donato. Formal night dinner went well. Second lobsters for those who requested.

Having seen the production show just a few weeks ago I decided to go to karaoke. It was good, even Elvis did a number. The late night comedy show followed and Tim Harkleroad was very good. Recommend his act. Usually not up this late I had to visit the Gala buffet. I had seen the viewing of it in November, but this time I got to partake. Very good with a lot of different selections. My favorite, the Hearts of Palm salad. Desserts looked great. Too late at night for an old rancher so off to bed after the late night snack.

DAY THREE
I used room service as a wake up call and get ready as we arrived at Calica about 8:30 a.m. Debarkation went smooth. I booked an independent tour, the Fat Cat catamaran adventure excursion. There were three C-C members and ten others from the Elation. Met our group and we were off for Puerto Adventuras where the cat is docked. This is the location for the dolphin interactive tours so we were able to see the dolphins, manatees, and sea lions while waiting for the others on the Fat Cat. We sailed about 10:00 a.m. with 49 + crew. They were very generous with the rum punch and beer as we made our way north to the reef for 45 minutes of snorkeling. Water was a bit choppy but used all the allotted time in the water. Setting sail back south, more beer and rum punch along with chips, guacamole, and pico de gallo. We stopped within some protected jetty's for swimming. Very nice and calm waters. We got back to the pier and were taken back to the ship arriving about 3:30. I must say this was a very good and worthwhile excursion. I’ll place a review in the Playa/Calica ports of call page. Nap time and may have missed dinner if cabin steward hadn’t knocked on the door. Others may have napped as only three of us showed for dinner which seemed to be the norm for the entire dinning room. Dinner was good, I had the chateaubriand. Dessert was Baked Alaska which I had to have two just to confirm that it was that good. Back to the cabin to finish the nap.

DAY FOUR
Daylight savings time began so everyone seems to have gotten off to a slow start on this day. Actually lucked out and was able to change the new watch without assistance. The usual Eggs Benedict, French Toast and Bacon for me this morning in the dining room. Good R&R day. Drink of the day is “The Ultimate Suntan” I decided it’s good after several samples, but not as good as Funship or Yellowbird.

Spin is still the production show. Glad I went, there are new feature singers and dancers. Again they are getting younger each sailing it seems, let alone each year. Good dinner, the escargot & pork dish were excellent. Of course the Soufflé for dessert. Best dinner of the cruise. Checked the karaoke as two of the girls from our table were to sing, but didn’t catch them, but it was worth the trip as Elvis again performed. Not a late night for me as I’m up early in the morning.

DEBARKATION
Elected for self debarkation. There used to be only a few hundred doing this, but has become very popular and they have to call by deck now. I was ready with bag in hall and they called my deck first. Remember I was only two cabins away. I was 5th to step off the ship, but first to be presented to US customs. (The family in front had to regroup) I just walked over to the EZCruise lot and was on my way by 7:30.

What are the odds of being the first on and the first off?

GENERAL
As mentioned this is my first Four day cruise. We did not have a return guest party, tiramisu for dessert, nor enough time. A five day is much better as a short cruise. Also much higher percentage of first-timers on a four day.

Washcloths seem to be a thing of the past. No one I asked had any. Don’t know if they will return after dry-dock. I’ll be curious to know. E-57 is not a handicap room, but did have a folding seat in the shower. Not a bother as the showers are roomy compared to most. It was nice to NOT have thresholds between the bathroom & cabin and between shower & bath. There were built-in drains. Should be this way on all cabins, but would be harder to design ships with the extra plumbing.

The new CD is Greg Hutson. A young guy although I may be just getting old. I thought he was very good. The same old CD jokes, but he did them with enthusiasm and improved some (the microwave story). Josh, the assistant CD, is also good and remembered me from previous cruises.

Service was good overall. I do think the crew is getting just a bit “antsy”. Many if not most are leaving at the dry-dock in five days. Some will stay with the ship in Florida. Some will come back to the Ecstasy out of Galveston. Some go to new ships. Womma at the lobby bar is outstanding. Maria also there is also great. Both are leaving at dry dock.

Again, the most unique things to the Elation: the Pizza is great and the water pressure the best of any ship I’ve sailed.

I met lot's of very nice people and enjoyed the cruise very much.

REVIEW-Grand Princess - January 14-21, 2006

Grand Princess January 14-21, 2006

We now ONLY cruise out of Galveston/Houston and this cruise was the final of our cruises on the primary local based ships: Rhapsody, Conquest, & Grand. We have sailed all three now within the past few months, so that will be our basis for comparisons. DW & I are in our 50’s and are experienced travelers.

Embarkation--
We arrived at EZCruise Parking at our usual time of about 11:15. It’s about a five hour drive for us from central Texas. Not quite as simple as in past. They now have two parking lots and the Grand pax were to park in Lot #2. We found the lot and then had to wait awhile for shuttles. New system with some kinks to be worked out, but EZCruise was good as usual. (I’ll have a separate thread on Parking/Galveston) The Grand was at Terminal 2 instead of the larger Terminal 1 where the Elation was docked. Didn’t create many problems though, a line for security and then into the check-in lines. We used the Platinum line which was shorter and saved a lot of time. We were on the ship about 12:30. Overall, a very good embarkation process.

Saturday, Day 1--Embarkation-Galveston
I was very impressed with the Grand staff upon boarding. Lots of staff to assist and direct pax to their cabins, which were readily available. I may have accidentally run into the mysterious Admiral Nelson as there was a ships officer looking for cabins in our area as we first arrived in our cabin area. He disappeared as we dropped off our carry-ons. Since the Grand is one of the few ships to have a restaurant open on embarkation, we went to the dining room for lunch. Our first cruise food and a proper lunch at that. It was not crowded at all as I guess most went to the buffet or were still boarding. After a brief ships tour and a quick match of miniature golf we returned to our cabin. The goodies had arrived. This was my first cruise to sail as an Elite so I’m not sure exactly what was provided as an elite member and what may have been left by our new friend Admiral Nelson. I suspect the Chocolate Strawberries may have been a gift and the fruit, cookies, et al were Elite benefits. We also received a bottle of wine from our TA in addition to the Elite bar setup. Our cabin stewart, Mario, came by and introduced himself. “Mustard” drill went well. I like the system on the Grand best. You stay in your assigned public area and don’t go out to the life boats. Ours was muster station D in the Vista lounge. Our C-C roll call had set a meet & greet for the Oasis Bar following mustard drill so we met our group and had our sail-away from deck 15. Good bye Galveston, hello new friends. The C-C survivors retired to the Wheelhouse Bar. What a wonderful bar, my favorite on the ship. We had late seating for dinner in the Botticelli dining room which was good but nothing special. Much too tired from the long day, we skipped the welcome aboard show and retired for the evening.

Sunday, Day 2--Sea Day
This is a sea day and a day to rest and relax. I had breakfast in the dining room and the Eggs Benedict were excellent. Best of any on any of the other ships by far. DW had breakfast at the Horizon Court which had a very good buffet. After breakfast we explored the rest of the ship we hadn’t seen on Saturday. A little shopping in the boutiques and relaxing until lunch. We again had lunch in the dining room. Red Snapper was very good. Deserts were just OK, but we had to check the desert station on the Horizon Court. They had the best cake I have ever had. I think it was a white chocolate chip cake soaked with some type of liquor. After a nap I spent some time in the future bookings office and the internet cafe which is much faster than the R or C. I trusted the same day dry cleaning with my suit this morning which I would need back in time for the Captains reception. Just after 5:00 Mario brings the suit. Another knock at the door a little later, what? Complementary Canapés!! Wow, It just gets better & better. The Captains reception was held in the atrium area which was somewhat new to us. Dinner was again adequate but nothing special. Dessert was a chocolate soufflé which was very good. When we got back to the cabin there was a bottle of Champagne, no question who it was from as there was a card from the Admiral. Thanks so much. The feature show was Curtain Up, a salute to Broadway. We thought it was a great show.

Monday, Day 3--Costa Maya
A bit of a breeze today and the water is choppy. Glad this is not a tender port. I had breakfast in the dining room and the Eggs Florentine were very good. DW has been ordering room service breakfast. We disembarked and went to the little village of Mahaual. We found a great little restaurant on the beach which later became C-C group HQ. We had a great group of folks to enjoy the afternoon. Of course who would have known you could get proper mojitos for $5 in Mahaual. After an afternoon of mojitos, mayan liquor, & massages we had to return the Grand. We called it a day after dinner. Dessert was another soufflé.

Tuesday, Day 4--Belize
A beautiful day in paradise. Weather perfect. This was the first tender port and it went off very well. DW stayed aboard to relax and I went to find my tour group. We were originally to meet at 8:00 but was changed to 10:00 because of the Grand's' new extended hours. DO NOT USE CORAL BREEZE, they never showed up and I was told they had lost their license. Another couple from the Grand and I were able to book the same tour through Paradise Air. This was a snorkel trip to the Coral Gardens, the Shark/Stingray alley, and Caye Caulker. This was a fantastic excursion. The coral was OK, similar to most caribbean spots, but the Shark/Stingray’s were far superior to Grand Cayman IMHO. There were numerous large stingrays, nurse sharks, and a very large barracuda that stayed just off our position the entire time. Lot’s of good photo op’s here. We went ashore for lunch on Caye Caulker. Here I split from the group to go the the Caye Caulker Split and the infamous Lazy Lizard. Great spot for a few Bilikins. Returned to the rustic dock for the return and had to buy a fresh coconut spiked with rum for the return trip to Belize City. I would not have been able to take this tour if not for the changed itinerary, so I feel fortunate.
The Circle Club reception was held in the Vista Lounge, It was nice, Captain Andy arrived late as leaving Belize is a bit tricky due to the barrier reef. Tonight at dinner the head Matre'de and chef came by the table. I mentioned that the Red Snapper from the 2nd days lunch was the best meal I have had, so far, and he told me they would gladly prepare it again for me for dinner any night upon request. Wow. Very impressed. Dessert was banana flambé.
We did the 50’s-60’s show and thought is was very good. Couldn’t make anything else as my legs were gone from snorkeling.

Wednesday, Day 5--Playa del Carmen
We considered Xcaret for the day as we were in a perfect place, but decided to just visit the town of PDC and make it an easy day. We were in no rush to reach shore. Light breakfast & internet cafe in the morning. It was about 10:50 when went to the tenders. Having a priority pass we just joined the line at the gangway so it was fairly simple for us. Unfortunately it wasn’t as simple for the others. Tendering was going very slow. The seas were very choppy and the gangways were moving forward & back AND up & down. Mind your head!! A couple I later met went to the Vista lounge at 11:15 and didn’t get ashore until 2:30. The staff was doing the best they could, the seas were not cooperating. While ashore we checked some boutique hotels, the beach, I had a shrimp cocktail, did a little shopping, and then we were ready to return. I guess just by chance of timing we got the very large tender-which isn’t good. It took well over an hour to load, move 300 yards, and then unload. Seems too long to me, but we weren’t really in a hurry. Tonight's dinner is one of the best, it was Italian night. My entree, an Italian pork chop was good, but the appetizer, eggplant parmesan was the best appetizer of the cruise. Desert was Tiramisu. After dinner we attended the comedy show of Jack Wilks. He was great, he did a lot of jokes about Princess, cruising, and cruise events such as the art show, spas, etc. Not the usual cruise jokes about the toilets, a bit more clever. i.e.--”did anyone ever figure out the combination to the shower” I mention because DW called maintenance about the shower temps. He also made light of the tender problems that day.

Thursday, Day 6--Cozumel
Cozumel has been one of our favorite places for 23 years when we first visited the then small village of San Miguel and the island. Divers by far out numbered tourist in those days. We wanted to be off earlier as we have a full day planned so I was up early. I enjoyed a great breakfast in the dining room, the lumberjack breakfast. Ranch style eggs on a small breakfast steak with hash browns. Also a wonderful fruit appetizer. Best breakfast of the cruise. I’m afraid I held us up a bit. We were so hoping for an improvement in tendering and it was much better. Weather was better than had been forecast. It was cloudy, but less wind than Wednesday. This helped tendering. We basically walked on board the tender and fortunately saw the couple who had to wait so many hours the day before walk aboard as well. Only a 20 minute process to shore today. We rented a jeep and proceeded to Paradise Beach. I had heard about it so much on these boards I wanted to check it out. DW recommends the peach spritzer. This will be a Dos XX’s day for me at all stops. We stayed about an hour and left before PBTom got there. Seems like a very nice place, especially for families. We are now off for our favorite spot, Playa Bonita. We took the now repaired highway around to the “wild side”. Guess what--the hurricane has created new features: natural bridges extending from the shoreline into the water. There is a new parking area here so that you can stop and take photos. Very impressive and this will add to the “wild side” reputation. Soon we are at Playa Bonita. We were there just following Katrina and they had repainted the building. Now because of Wilma, it has to be repainted again. It is now a white building which I think is their new base coat. They will get that turquoise color back soon I hope. They have repaired and expanded the main palapa and are using umbrellas on the beach. Still as beautiful as ever and our favorite spot on Cozumel. After several hours we are off for San Miguel and Los Cinco Soles. We are greeted by Leah who remembers us as this is our 5th visit and purchase of Talavera in five months. DW wanted to check a shop just off the main square so I waited at a corner sidewalk table at Las Palmeras to watch the jeep and all the people in town and old pier. We’re off to Puerto Maya and as I return the jeep DW is doing the last minute shopping. We’ll meet at Fat Tuesdays which isn’t crowded as I guess most have returned to their ships. We make the last tender and return about 5:30. A great day in Cozumel. Tonight we eat at the Painted Desert Steakhouse. It was very good, especially the jumbo shrimp cocktail and porterhouse. I insisted that we ALSO have escargot since I knew it was being served in the dining rooms and the waiter did comply reluctantly. The intimacy of the smaller room and the company were actually the highlight of the experience. After dinner we went to the Cinematastic show. DW enjoyed it very much, I’ll admit I was too tired. Long day so back to the cabin to see what type of chocolate Mario has left on the pillow.

Friday, Day 7--Sea day
Nice Day. partly cloudy, but clearing. Good day for Lido deck events. Eggs Benedict were again excellent. I think the breakfasts have been great on this cruise. Some cabin organization, and relaxation before our big noon function. We were invited to the Captains Luncheon and it was fantastic. The Senior officer at our table was the chief technical officer and his wife. They were a very nice couple as were the other guest couple. I hope we weren’t too rowdy (in this smaller setting) because from the laughter, I know our table had the most fun. Excellent three course meal with choice of wine, by far, the best meal of the cruise. I was so tempted to eat my wife's appetizer that she didn’t touch (as I would have done in the dining room), but I didn’t want to seem too indelicate with the Captain at the next table. We had an afternoon meet with some C-C group members and then began packing. One last cocktail in the Wheelhouse Bar. The last dinner we spent with C-C folks at a special table arranged by Spongerob. Even with the table change the Matre'de’ was able to get my special request for dinner, the Red Snapper as promised by the chef. A good dinner, but the highlight was the Baked Alaska. Wow, excellent and done in the Princess style, nothing compares from other lines.

Saturday, Debarkation
We thought the self would go off a bit sooner than expected since the ship was early so we were ready early and sure enough---they started about 6:30 a.m. We went through customs without any problems. We were on the sidewalk waiting for EZCruise by 7:00 a.m. We were off the island by 7:35 and home at 12:30. We left the ship so early that we hadn't eaten breakfast and since I’d become used to good breakfasts we stopped for some Miga's in Hearne, Tx and they were great!

General Observations
We really enjoyed this cruise. One of our best by far. The good friends we met and the new Elite status certainly enhanced the experience. The new Cruise Director is Neil Chandler. He was good, not too pushy with bingo, etc..., but informative. His morning show, Wakey, Wakey was very humorous. Overall the food was good, but I think the lunches were actually better than most dinners. Breakfast was always good. The staff on this cruise was super. With only one exception, everything was handled in a positive and a most helpful manner by staff, crew, waiters, etc. One of the reasons we did the traditional dining was to assure good service, but would not hesitate to use personal choice as all members of the dining staff were good when we ate other meals in the DaVinci dining room or Horizon Court. Our cabin attendant was very good. He made our bed as specially requested, left extra ice, and called us by name the entire cruise. We really didn’t do any pool activities nor use the spa, but there were more than enough activities to keep us busy. I liked the layout of the ship especially that the casino was forward and not midship. We were pleased with the port changes and especially the credit given. I think Princess is a first class operation.

REVIEW-Carnival Conquest December 4-11, 2005

Carnival Conquest December 4-11, 2005

This was our 3rd & 4th CCL cruise this year and 2nd time on Conquest.

SUNDAY--Embarkation went very smoothly. Arrived at EZCruise lot at 11:45 and taken to pier about noon. The line’s were short at security and check-in. They had many more stations open than they did when we sailed in September. The process was much much better and they have improved the embarkation experience. We were onboard about 12:30.
Made mandatory visit to Lido deck for lunch. First of the deli Rueben sandwiches for the week. Also visited Sur Mer as we hadn’t on previous cruise. Went to the cabin after 1:00 and met Rasheed our stewart for the week. I think we may have had the infamous cabin recently mentioned in the video message to Uncle Bob. The damaged & stained lamp shade was the same and we were near the laundry. The cabin was very clean. Perhaps cleanest I have had on CCL. We do bring disinfectant wipes for the phone, door knobs, table tops, etc. and use them first day, so we do note the appearance of the cabin and this cabin was very clean. Explored the ship with our friends who sailed with us and had our “sail away” drinks from Boris who remembered me from previous cruise (Really did, not fake “oh you”)--but again I did tip him well 1st time--more on Boris later. Met several on our CC roll call at 4:00 at the Sky bar. Muster drill was about 5:15 and went well as it was a direct to stations type drill.

Dinner was late seating in Monet. Bad draw on table assignment, an outside upstairs. Didn’t try to change as it was full. The excellent waiters made up for it. Zoltan from Hungary and Vlad from Serbia. Every time Zoltan did something good he received the “Zoltan sign” (from the movie “Dude where’s my Car?”). We made double hand “V” sign for Vlad so he could join in the fun. Welcome Aboard Show and comedian Phat Kat.

MONDAY--At Sea--Good sailing day and good weather. Usual sea day activities. Formal night (Lobster) and Captains reception. Formidable was the feature show and very good. Two new feature singers and some new dancers since September. Much improved.

TUESDAY--At Sea--Again good weather and the usual sea day activities. The return guest reception was held today, two groups which were held in the afternoon. Better on a sea day than an evening later on in the week. I think it worked well doing it this way. Now the big news that was announced was that the Freedom will be coming to Galveston. That’s probably already made the CC boards, but was new news for us on the Conquest. Conquest will return to NOLA. Ron Joseph was the entertainer this evening. Good singer and funny with audience participation.

WEDNESDAY--Montego Bay Jamaica--beautiful day and beautiful island. We took a taxi to Doctor Caves Beach. Very nice. We were able to arrange our own (group of four) boat to snorkel the reef. Very nice and private compared to the tours. A few Red Stripes in the bar and some local music. Walked to Margaritaville for lunch and it was already very busy. Slide was closed, but people were swimming below the club. The food & drinks were very good. A bit of shopping and then a taxi back to the ship. We didn’t have anyone approach us selling anything illegal, but we weren’t in the city center either. A good day in MoBay. Production show was “Deja” a magic show. The Conquest dancers were very good, magic was ok.

THURSDAY--Grand Cayman--a nice day, but water was a bit choppy. We booked the “Rays, Reef, & Rum” tour with Nativeway. This was our second trip with this same tour. The Stingrays were great. The Reef was better than Jamaica with a lot of colorful fish. Rum Point was great with lunch waiting for us as we got off the boat. A few Stingray beers in the bar after lunch and we had to return for the last tender back to the ship. This was the second formal night and the production show was “Point and Click” The late night comedian was Marc Rubbean and he was great, IMHO. Tonight was the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and it was great. Very funny and I felt very sorry those poor newbies on the front row. Rocky fans will know what I mean.

FRIDAY--Cozumel--This is now a tender port and it was pretty slow going for those going ashore. You report to Lounge for tender numbers and they call you aboard. They are using the old Coz-PDC ferries which are very large and take a long time to load and unload. Lots of damage in Cozumel, but there is a lot to do. They are not ready for more than three cruise ships at a time though. The places that were open were crowded. We rented a jeep, went to Coconuts on the wild side, Cinco Soles to shop, and Ponchos Backyard for lunch. Found time for a mojito at the Havana Club while DW shopped. Talent show was tonight, we skipped and from the TV replay made the right decision.

SATURDAY--At Sea--Had a proper dinning room breakfast today and last chance for Rueben at lunch. There was a cajun band from Lafayette LA who played in the afternoon. They had a large number of fans aboard and they were a great group of people. A special treat was the Christmas show in late afternoon. We had sailed on the Elation on Christmas last year and there was not a Christmas show so this was special indeed. The Conquest singers & dancers, Carnival Kids, and staff did a nice Christmas Show. Final production show was a juggler and Marc Rubbean. Marc is very funny, don’t miss him. Last dinner was great and of course Grand Manier Soufflé for desert.

Debarkation--we did self and was off the ship about 7:10 a.m. Off the island by 7:45 a.m. Very smooth.

GENERAL NOTES: Very enjoyable cruise, Food was very good to excellent 99% of the time. Ship is looking very good and is well maintained. Our waiters and cabin attendant did a great job and can add a lot to the enjoyment of a cruise. Ours did so on this trip. Boris, the cocktail waiter, is always on the ball and seems to be a favorite of many. He always called me by name from the first day and knew my folio number so that I didn’t need my card. He is also mentioned by several of the entertainers from the stage which is adding to his following. He must work all the time as he seems to be everywhere. After talking to other guests he seems to give the same personal service to all. Everybody Loves Boris should be the theme. Our cabin attendant, Rasheed, always called us by name when passing in the hall and as already mentioned the cabin was very clean at all times. New menu deserts are fair, DW loved one, but most didn’t care for the ‘new' ones.

We have mixed feelings about the new bedding (3rd time)--that will be a new thread