An Amber,A Thomas,A Juan,A Turk,a Dee and a Jim - Carnival Splendor Journal w/ Pics

Hello All

Been a while since we have posted one of these. Haven't been posting the Journals from our last bunch of Group Cruises but since this one was just the 2 of us thought we'd put it up as we don't see many Carnival Splendor Reviews/Trip Journals

This will be long with lots of Pics and will go from the start of our Trip until the end.

This 1st Post is mostly a lot of Words with how we decided on and planned for the Trip.

It shouldn't take you long to figure out what kind of people we are and if you Cruise like we do please follow along and we hope you enjoy the reliving of our Vacation as much as we did on it.

An Amber, A Thomas, A Juan, A Turk, A Dee and a Jim (and a Wallet)

The How? and the Why?

In October of 2016 Dee and I, along with 6 of our friends, cruised out of Long Beach, CA on the Carnival Inspiration to Catalina Island, CA and Ensenada, Mexico. After debarking the Ship the morning of the 7th the 8 of us headed straight to the Hotel Maya and met up with another 25 friends and after a night of pre-Cruise festivities the 33 of us boarded the Carnival Miracle for a 7-day Mexican Riviera Cruise leaving on the 8th.

On the last night of the Miracle Cruise there was a Letter in our Cabin Mail Box stating that I was a “valued casino guest” and they would give me a ‘Free Cruise for 2 in an Interior Cabin up to 15 days in Length’ as long as the Cruise was booked within 2 weeks and the Cruise was taken within 6 months. We had received this type of ‘Bounce Back’ Offer at the end of a few other Cruises but had never considered using it as both of us were aware that Dee’s claustrophobia wouldn’t allow us to stay in an Inside Cabin. Included on the Offer was a note stating that I would receive the“Drinks On Us” Card in the Casino from the first day of my next Cruise.

For some reason I put the Offer in my pocket and didn’t just throw it in our Travel Binder. We were showing the Letter to some of our friends at the Blackjack Table later that night and one of the Pit Bosses, after overhearing Dee say that she “couldn’t stay in an Inside Cabin”, said that we could “pay a little extra for an Ocean View or Balcony Cabin.” “Hmmm” we thought.

We returned Home on the 15th and played catch-up at both of our Jobs the week of the 17th – 21st. Over the course of the next 10 days, whether out of out of boredom or post-Cruise Depression, I played around on the Carnival Site on my Phone several times and, unbeknownst to me Dee had being doing the same, to see what Cruises were available through the Offer. As it turned out neither of us noticed the Tabs for the Ocean View, Balcony and/or Suite options so all we were seeing were $0.00 Cruise fare for an Inside Cabin + Taxes, Fees and Port Expenses. Eventually Dee mentioned what she had been doing and we both agreed that it was “too bad there were no Balconies available” thinking “those were the first to go”.

On the 31st I received a Premier Cruise Invitation by email and when I went on-line to check the Offer out I was surprised to see that the ‘Bounce Back’ Offer was still showing as it should have ended on the 29th so I had another look on my Computer at Work; the 1st time I had used a device other than my Phone.

The Bounce Back offers came up in a monthly Calendar that filled the Computer Screen and our offer went from the last 2 weeks in October – mid-April and were capacity controlled meaning not all cruises were available. I finally noticed the Tabs for Ocean Views, Balconies and Suites. Conclusion # 748 – They were there the whole time. I clicked the Balcony option for April, 2017 and saw a Cruise leaving April 9th, 2017 out of Miami on the Carnival Splendor visiting Amber Cove, DR – we’ve never been there, St. Thomas, USVI –we’ve been there once, San Juan, PR – we’ve never been there before, and GrandTurk – we’ve been there twice before.

The price to upgrade to a Balcony from the Free Interior was minimal and it did not matter which Deck was selected the upgrade charge remained the same. So our only Cruise Fare costs would be the small upcharge for a Balcony, the Port Fees and Taxes and our Gratuities, which we consider part of our Cruise Fare anyways. I sent Dee an email with the Itinerary and Pricing breakdown and told her how to look at the Balcony options. We talked about the‘possibility’ a little bit more that night but decided to sleep on it.

We’d never gotten past the Claustrophobia/Inside Cabin issue in the past so now it was the quick turnaround we had to take a look at. We had just returned from 2 Cruises and although the 5-day Carnival Inspiration Cruise can be done on the Cheap in an Inside or Ocean View Cabin we had paid a Premium to have a Suite in order to have a Balcony + the Balcony Cabin on the Carnival Miracle + 11 days of Cheers X 2, Conclusion # 749 –Priorities, + 11 days of Gratuities X 2, Excursions, Hotel, Flights andSpending Money. For us the cost of the Cruise/ Gratuities/Taxes, Fees and PortCharges is just a portion of the overall cost of the Trip and by no means the biggest piece of the puzzle. Normally we book our Cruises a couple of years out and pay off everything and save our spending money as we go along however wewould not have that luxury this time.

I received an email from Dee on the morning of November 1st stating that we “should think about it a little more”. Fortunately the Offer was still showing up and I wrote back that “the Offer should have disappeared already so we should probably talk about it at home that Night.” So that night we talked about the fact that the Carnival Miracle Cruise was our 16th Cruise together since 2008 – 14 on Carnival and 2 on Celebrity – with only 3 of those Cruises being just the 2 of us; the Carnival Freedom in 2008, the Carnival Paradise in 2009 and the Carnival Spirit in 2011. The conversation quickly morphed from‘talking about’ to ‘convincing’ each other that MAYBE we should do this. And with our 5th Wedding Anniversary coming up in August MAYBE just MAYBE we should take advantage of this Offer, 2 new Ports + 2 Ports we really like and it was on the Carnival Splendor – a Ship we knew well and really liked and it was out of MIAMI. Conclusion # 750 - We were VERY convincing. We put a 48-hour Courtesy Hold on Cabin 1060 on Deck 10 on the Carnival Site to buy ourselves a couple of days to think it over. We chose this Cabin because the head of the Bed would be towards the front of the Ship – I know some say this doesn’t make a difference but it does to us. We planned to have a look and see if we could find flights using Aeroplan Miles, Air Canada’s Frequent Flier Program.

When I checked ‘My Offers’ the morning of November 2nd the Casino Bounce Back Offer was no longer showing so I logged on to the Aeroplan site to see what flights were available. After using 3 different Cities (Victoria, Nanaimo and Vancouver) as DepartureAirports the best I could find had us arriving 2 or 3 days before the Cruise; we were OK with that, but not so much on returning 5 or 6 days after the Cruise. I realized that the Cruise would be returning to Miami on Easter Sunday so available Seats for our Return Date were limited and by ‘limited’ I meant hey were almost non-existent unless we were willing to part with hundreds of thousands of Miles. I punched in One-way ticket options and was able to find a couple of different selections from Victoria to either Fort Lauderdale or Miami arriving on either the 6th, 7th or 8th which worked for us. Fights were available in both Economy and Business/Premium Rouge (First Class). After that we priced out what Return Flights would be on April16th and decided they were reasonable but decided we’d wait on booking.

So we finalized the Cruise Reservation and booked two Business Class/Premium Rouge One-way tickets using Aeroplan Miles from Victoria (YYJ) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) arriving late on the 6th. We used more Miles and went with BusinessClass/Premium Rouge because:

1. we were doing this Cruise for our 5th Anniversary,

2. this Class gave us Free Luggage, Meals, Snacks and DRINKS on our Flights and

3. complimentary Entrance to the Maple Leaf Lounges during our layovers.

We knew we’d be getting the Party Started on the Flights down and this way we could do so and save a few hundred dollars.

That done Dee found and booked us in for 3 Nights at the Villa Europa in Hollywood by paying a refundable Deposit for 1-Night’s accommodation.

The Cruise, our Flights down and our Hotel were all now booked and with the exception of the last two nights at the Hotel everything was already paid for. At this point I still don’t think we were 100% sold on the Trip but we did have until we booked our Return flights or the Final Payment Date for the Cruise – whichever came first - to decide either way and if we did decide to cancel the only thing we would be out would be $90.00/Ticket for restoring the Aeroplan Miles to the Aeroplan Account for the cancelled Flights.

For Dining we selected ‘Your Time Dining’; a first for us on Carnival after 15 cruises with Late Seating. We had done ‘Anytime Dining’ twice on Celebrity; the first time on a 5-day Cruise where we never made it to the Dining Room once and the 2nd time where we made it 9 of 10 Nights thanks to the Good influence from one of our friends. The only Night we missed the Dining Room was because we were at at one of the Specialty Restaurants.

Our GOAL would be to ‘try’ and eat at 7:00pm each Night like we did with our Friends on the 2nd Celebrity Cruise and we would try and request a Table for 2 each night. Our FEAR was that we would not make it to the Dining Room at all like our 1st Celebrity Cruise. Translation# 1 – We are having too much Fun at this Bar and don‘t want to leave.

The FEAR is REAL.

A few weeks later we found and booked 2 One-Way flights from Fort Lauderdale toVictoria for $249.35 Cdn/person leaving Fort Lauderdale at 3:40pm with a 6:45pm arrival in Toronto. Our next flight would depart Toronto at 8:20pm with a 10:30pm arrival in Victoria so all goes well we would be in our own bed by 11:30pm Victoria time. That works!!! Conclusion # 751– We were COMMITTED!!!

On November 16th we switched our Dining to Late Seating Conclusion# 752 – FEAR WINS!!!,

Between November 17th,2016 and April 5th, 2017 we:

• submitted a Steakhouse Reservation for 7:00pm on the 1st Night.
  
• received Confirmation for our Steakhouse Reservation,
  
  
• upgraded our Seats on our Return Flights,
  
• booked Excursions for Amber Cove and St Thomas
  
• booked post-Cruise Transfers to FLL through Carnival,
  
• made plans with our friends in Hollywood Beach
  
• got my Passport renewed as my old one was set to expire within 6 months Return Date,
  
• pre-paid our Gratuities,
  
• booked our 1st NCL cruise for October of 2018,
  
• selected an 11:00am – 11:30am Check-in time for Embarkation on the Carnival Splendor,
  
• ordered a Case of Water,
  
• ordered 4 Beers for the Cabin through Bon Voyage
  
• ordered 2 of the new Carnival Caribbean Beach Towels,
  
• ordered a Carnival Cooler Package (Cooler, 6 Cans of Coke, Bottle Opener, and 2 Cups)
  
• ordered a Bottle of Champagne, a Chocolate Delight and 2 Carnival Champagne Flutes, Conclusion#753 – Going to have to have a Carnival branded Yard Sale
  
  
• sent an email to the Carnival Splendor Maitre’d to request a Booth (or Table) for 2 in a friend of a friend’s Section,
  
• ordered the Cheers Package Conclusion#754 – Hence, the Water Order
  
  
• and last but not least, I ordered Dee’s Roses. Conclusion#755 – It’s a Cruise TRADITION
  
  

August 6 – Victoria to FortLauderdale via Vancouver and Toronto

Time to get this 5th Anniversary Vacation started!!!

Don’t Worry. Beer Happy.

With a 3-hour time difference between British Columbia and Florida I scheduled myself to work 6:00am – 2:00pm for the 3 days leading up to our travel. I was up at 4:30am (7:30am Eastern) for this Shift in hopes it would help me with the time difference once in Florida. I did suggest to Dee that she get up with me at 4:30am on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before we left. Conclusion #756 – The rise this suggestion received was not an early one that was more of a middle finger variety. On an East Coast Cruise without any early Port Times Dee could easily stay on West Coast time. She is the 2nd oldest teenager I know.

With a 5:30am Flight we knew wouldn’t be able to fit in a Morning Run and Workout so we set the Alarm on my Phone for 2:45am and Dee’s Phone for 3:00am. My Alarm lived up to its name as I was indeed alarmed to get up that early however when I got back to the Bedroom at 3:05 I heard an ever-increasing crescendo coming from Dee’s iPhone while she slept away. I went from being alarmed 20 minutes earlier to being alarming and woke her up.

Once she showered and dressed we finished our last-second packing and hit the Road to YYJ at 3:45am. We made the drive through some heavy rain and were at the Airport by 4:15am, found a spot in Long-Term Parking, grabbed our Luggage and headed inside to the Priority Check-in Counter.

Since we didn’t have to pay any Luggage Fees and were good up to 70 lbs/bag with the Business Class Booking we checked 2 Suitcases 1 of which had a Carry-On inside, which would be used as a carry-on for our Return Flights when we’d be limited to 50 lbs/checked bag, through to FLL.

We had chosen to fly down 3 days before the Cruise and into Fort Lauderdale because of a day we spent with friends on the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk (not Boardwalk) before our Celebrity Infinity Cruise in October of 2015. Dee and I really LOVED the Vibe there so we decided to spend a few days there before heading to Miami the morning of the Cruise.

Our 1st flight had this warning on our Booking:

AC8050 This flight departs early in the morning.

We left on-time at 5:30am and we landed in the Rain in Vancouver 13 minutes later.

After deplaning we made our way through the Terminal and outside for a couple of smokes before heading back through Security. We had a little over an hour before our next flight would begin boarding so we made our way over to the Maple Leaf Lounge and took advantage of the complimentary Continental Breakfast, Oatmeal, Dry Cereal, Milk, Toast, Hot Tea, Iced Tea, Bagels, Juice, Cappuccino, Coffee, Pop (Soda) – a virtual smorgasbord of non-alcoholic Items . Conclusion #757 –Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounges do not operate on an “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” Policy.

View of the North Shore (North Vancouver) Mountains from the Maple Leaf Lounge

More please. :cool:

Oohh, love it so far!

Looking forward to it.

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April 6th - Flights to FLL (continued)

After unsuccessfully trying to make Red Wine out of the Raisins in our Cereal we made our way over to our Gate at 7:20am and straight onto Flight AC142 with non-stop service from Vancouver to Toronto and settled onto Bar Stools 2A and 2C. I should clarify that non-stop service to us has nothing to do with how many stops the plane makes on the way to its destination.

We went through the formalities of the Welcome Aboard Water, Hot Towel, Safety Demonstration, the Take-off ....

... and the Climb to our “cruising altitude of 37000 feet” before we heard the sound we had been so patiently waiting for – the ding of the Fasten Seat Belt Warning going off. Conclusion #758 – The BAR is OPEN. We quickly broke the Juice, Water and Coffee trend of Seats 1A, 1C, 1D and 1F with a Vodka and Clamato Juice for me and a Bailey’s and Coffee for Dee.

Our Goal for this flight was to have one drink for each Province we flew over on our way to Toronto. I stuck to Vodka and Clamato over BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan but Dee switched to Wine just as we made our way into Saskatchewan air space. Conclusion #759 – Too much Coffee is not good for you.

We were well on our way to achieving our Provincial Drink Goal before the flight path changed a little about ½ way across Saskatchewan and we ended up just below the Canadian – American Border.

So we changed the Goal to ‘Drinks over States’ and I made the Switch to Molson Canadian over Bismark, ND...

....while Dee stayed on the Wine Train.

Waiting for the next Train to arrive

Your review is AWESOME so far! Can't wait to read more!

April 6th - Flights to FLL (continued)

The Game was going well but to be honest some of those States were just too wide for only 1 drink. Talking to you North Dakota, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

And after adding in Lake Michigan + the State of Michigan both Dee and I agreed we couldn’t have picked a better route.

After landing safely in a rainy Toronto...

...we made our way inside the Terminal, past the Baggage Claim and outside for a smoke. I mentioned to Dee that ‘it sure seemed busy in the Terminal for a Thursday afternoon’ but neither of us really thought anything of it. Our layover here was scheduled to be about 4½ hours so we hung around for a few more smokes before heading through Security and then US Customs where our interrogation, after the US CBP Officer looked at our Passports, consisted of “When are you coming back?”. We answered “the 16th and were quickly on our way.

Neither of us are big Shoppers but we both knew we were off to one of the few places we LOVE to shop – the Duty Free Shop - made even more special when we can purchase Duty Free after clearing US Customs. I had a WindRiver Bag clipped to my Belt Buckle that once unfolded could be used to cover an RV and we did our best to fill it with Cigarettes and Crown Royal.

Up next was an extended Adult-version visit to Maple Leaf Lounge Conclusion #760 – No more Raisin Bran. We couldn’t believe how packed it was and that is when we found out that there had been a Security Incident earlier in the day where a US Citizen, who was bound for O’Hare in Chicago, had been caught with a fake bomb in his Suitcase. There had been bad weather along the Northeast Coast of the States so there had been quite a few flight cancellations and delays. We could find all the drinks we wanted but couldn’t find a place to sit and enjoy them………so we enjoyed them standing.

Eventually we were able to snag a seat for Dee at a Table for 2 while I stood behind her. This arrangement came as a complete surprise to the Gentleman who was sitting at this Table when he returned from getting himself a Plate of Salad and a Glass of Wine. We assured him this was only temporary unless he “really, really, really liked us.” Soon enough I found us a couple of chairs up against the wall with a Table in between them and while I guarded them Dee dragged overour Loot in the WindRiver Bag.

I have never seen a Maple Leaf Lounge so busy for so long and the Staff Members were saying the same thing – they were overwhelmed and just couldn’t keep up. We spent the next several hours eating, drinking and being merry which was not the case for everyone. One gentleman in particular was on the warpath about everything; the ‘celery and carrot sticks weren’t cut to his satisfaction’ and the ‘drink glasses were too warm’ and it was ‘too crowded’ and on and on he went to the point he berated a Staff Member to tears and demanded to speak to the Manager. After tearing a strip off the Lounge Manager he continued to wander around looking for things to complain about.

The Lounge Manager happened to come to a stop by where we were sitting so we made a point of ‘thanking her for all that her and her Staff were doing’. She thanked us and said she wished ‘everyone felt that way’. I told her ‘we had seen that man’ and asked her ‘if by chance his name was Dick? Think we might recognize him’ She looked at her Notepad and said “No it’s not” to which I replied “Well he sure does look like a Dick to us” She smiled, laughed and thanked us again before going back to doing all she could to make the Service in the Lounge as good as it could be.

Much to the delight of Shareholders in Crown Royal and the Owners of Wineries specializing in growing grapes for Sauvignon Blanc Wines our flight was delayed a little over an hour.

So Instead of leaving at 8:10pm we didn’t takeoff until around 9:30pm which meant we extended our stay at the Maple LeafLounge accordingly.

Once boarding started it was over in a blink and we pushed away from the Gate, taxied to our Runway and were off the ground quickly. The Pilot did his best to make up some lost time but said ‘we were fighting headwinds’ so we didn’t get to the Baggage Carousel in Fort Lauderdale until just before 1:00am.

Our Game had fallen off to ‘1 drink…maybe 2 over the Eastern Seaboard of the United States’. Neither of us were very good at this Game. Apparently we don’t do as well drinking while heading North to South as we do West to East because our 1st decision upon exiting the Terminal in Fort Lauderdale was a bad one..

Rather than go with Uber like we had planned to do we took the 1st “Taxi”offer we received from a guy standing outside. We told him during the ride that ‘we were going on a Cruise out of Miami on the Sunday morning’ and he said he’d “drive us”. We gave him Dee’s Cell Number after exiting the SUV and he said he ‘would text her shortly so we had his number’. We said we wanted to be “picked up at 10:15am to the Port of Miami” and he said “that was too late”, that he “had to go to Church” and he would "pick us up at 9:00am." I told him that was “way too early because we didn't have to go to Church” and he said “Alright. Someone will pick you up but it might not be me.” The 3 of us were in agreement with that at this point as Dee and I were both fairly certain that someone else was indeed going to take us to the Port Sunday morning. All of this was done before he told us what we owed him and of course this Taxi wasn’t a Taxi at allbut was a SUV with a Driver and what should have cost us about $8.00 - $10.00 in an Uber cost us $35.00 + a $5.00 Tip. And we were no longer fairly certain someone else was going to take us to the Port Sunday morning as we were now absolutely certain.

A week or so before our arrival we had phoned and let the Hotel know that we would be checking in late on the Thursday Night and gave them our Flight Information. We were met outside of the Villa Europa by a Lady in her Robe who turned out to be the Wife of the Husband and Wife Team who own the Villa Europa. She took us to our Room, told us the ‘Code for the Key Pad on our Door was the last 4 digits of our Phone Number’ and as she headed back to her Suite she waved Good-night and said that we could ‘do the Business stuff tomorrow’.

After we got our clothes and essentials organized we walked the 50 steps to the Beach so Dee could stick her feet in the water. The long day was all worthwhile at that very moment. Once back at the Hotel we both realized we didn’t really take notice of which Room was ours so after unsuccessfully entering the last 4 Digits of our Phone number onto the keypad outside Room 203 we made our way over to 204 and had much better results. Conclusion#761 – Must apologize to 203 in the morning provided the Broward County Sheriffs don’t show up before then.

We quietly went to bed so as not to disturb 203 anymore............than we already had.

Awesome beginning!!

This is cracking me up....do continue!

I want to travel with the two of you! I can't wait to read more.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Forums mobile app

Definitely following along on this one, so funny! :D

Enjoying your review so far, looking forward to the rest.

More please. :cool:

Will get the 1st 'real' day of the Vacation up today

Oohh, love it so far!

Thanks...hope ya stick around

Looking forward to it

Thanks for having a look

Your review is AWESOME so far! Can't wait to read more!

Thank you.....1st Real day of the Vacation will be up today

This is cracking me up....do continue!

Gald you are enjoying!!!....We laughed a lot on this Trip

I want to travel with the two of you! I can't wait to read more.

Anytime!!!

Awesome beginning!!

Thanks!!!

Definitely following along on this one, so funny! :D

Thank you. We do like to have fun!!

Enjoying your review so far, looking forward to the rest.

Thanks!!...Will get another day up today

August 7th –Hollywood Beach, Florida and Fun With the Yoopers

Morning!!!!

I got up about 6:30am, grabbed the Camera and my Phone, and headed outside so Dee could sleep some more. Conclusion#762 – I know better. Having a pretty good idea of what we were in for today the 1st Picture I took was meant to be an navigational aid for much later in the day.

We always try and be better than the day before.

I made my way over to the Broadwalk and across the Walking/and Jogging Bricks over to the Bicycle Path and went across that until I reached the Sand and lit up a smoke. The Beach was empty....

....but a fair number of Hollywood’s fittest were running, walking, biking or roller-blading along the Broadwalk while I, a just past middle-aged Canadian with a well-defined and well-earned 12-pack, made sure I stood far enough back so the smell of the smoke from my Cigarette wasn’t noticeable to all of the exercisers.

I eventually made my way back to the Hotel and sat out in the Courtyard for a few minutes......

...and then, for the 2nd morning in a row I became alarming, and woke Dee up at 8:00am.

It was time to hit the Beach; Hollywood Beach to be exact!!! Nestled between Fort Lauderdale and Miami is Hollywood, a classic Florida beach town that's enchanted visitors since the 1920s. A trip Advisor Traveler's Choice Winner, Hollywood Beach features a one-of-a-kind oceanfront promenade called the Hollywood Beach Broadwalk that stretches 2½ miles along theAtlantic. Named one of America's Best Beach Boardwalks by Travel & Leisure magazine, this brick-paved thoroughfare is a haven for joggers, bicyclists,roller-bladers and all who'd prefer to take in the action from the comfort ofone of the countless eateries and cafés along the way.

The easy ocean access and village-like feel make this a ‘can't miss’ destination with numerous highly-rated restaurants and small inns and hotels right on the Broadwalk contributing to the yesteryear charm.

By the time I had returned there was a ‘Welcome to Hollywood’ message on my Phone from D, one of the friends we’d be meeting up with, and after messaging back and forth we agreed to meet her, her Husband and 2 other Friends at the Tiki Bar, a Beer and Wine Bar, at the Riptide Hotel at 12noon.

It had been a long day of Travel the day before, including nearly 14 hours of constant liquid intake, so with both of us feeling the effects of the Time Change and Jet-Lag we decided to skip our Morning Run and Workout.

After showering and getting dressed we headed down to the Beach to put our feet in the Water and hang out…

....let’s just say it was refreshing.

Our apologies to all those on Hollywood Beach who had to witness the blinding light from our pasty-white, post-Canadian Winter, ‘have not seen the Sun in 6 months’ skin so soon after Breakfast….or so close to Brunch. We swear we heard one of the Lifeguards on the Beach use a Megaphone to warn other beachgoers that for their own “vision protection not to look directly at the 2 snow-white Canadians” Conclusion # 763 - The Eh Team.

We spent about a half hour at the Beach before deciding to head South along the Broadwalk towards the Margaritaville Resort.We found a Coffee Shop where Dee ordered an Ice Coffee while I got a bottle of SmartWater hoping it would help in that department.

We continued South and walked as far as Logan’s Bar, which was our 1st liquid refreshment stop during our 1st Visit to Hollywood Beach in 2015. Once at Logan’s we turned around and headed North.

April 7th - Hollywood Beach and Fun with the Yoopers (continued)

Our stomachs were grumbling so we got an outdoor Table for 2 at the Hollywood Beach Restaurant where we could relax, have some breakfast, beverages, take in the views and people watch. Dee ordered a Mimosa and Eggs Benny and then another Mimosa with the Meal while I had the Rib Eye Steak and Eggs and a before and after Miller Lite. The Service was OUTSTANDING, the food GREAT and the prices very REASONABLE.

Once we had settled up our Check we began the trek North....

April 7th - Hollywood Beach and Fun with the Yoopers (continued)

We walked to the very end of the Broadwalk where Hollywood Beach ends and Keating Beach begins...

Looking South from the northern end of the Broadwalk

... taking in the sights along the way.

We had already decided that we wouldn’t stay anywhere else but Hollywood Beach before or after a Miami or Fort Lauderdale Cruise again.

We continued South until we reached Cleveland St. ....

...and turned right towards the Villa Europa and when we arrived in the Courtyard we noticed a fellow sitting at one of the Tables behind a very LARGE glass of OJ…or so we thought….and asked him if he ‘happened to be in Room 203?’ He said ‘he was’ so I immediately began to apologize telling him ‘we got in late, hadn’t really paid attention to what Room was ours so if he heard someone trying to get in his door about 2:30am it was us’. He laughed and said “Don’t worry about it” adding he hadn’t got “back to the Room until 4:30am.” He was from Chicago and we sat with him for about 15 minutes before he asked if we ‘wanted a Screwdriver?’ Conclusion # 764 – Orange Juice is good for us. Of course we accepted and spent the next hour having drinks and chatting about Chicago and Sports and Victoria and Canada and before we knew it it was time to head out to the Tiki Bar at the Riptide Hotel.

During our time with Mr. Chicago the Husband of the Lady in the Robe from the Night before was out and about and introduced himself to us. We said we needed to check-in and give him our Credit Card and he said “Sure. Make sure you drop by sometime today or tomorrow” before grabbing a couple of Loungers and carrying them down to the Beach for some of his other Guests.

It was about a 4 or 5 minute walk north on the Broadwalk to get to The Riptide Tiki Bar http://riptidehotel.com and we were there about 11:55am. The Riptide Tiki Bar gives its Patrons an opportunity to enjoy an ice-cold Beer or a frozen Margarita while overlooking the beautiful Atlantic Ocean or simply to meet the Hollywood Beach locals for happy hour! The Tiki Bar is open every day from 9:30am to 9:00pm and features live music every day starting at 12noon.

April 7th - Hollywood Beach and Fun with the Yoopers (continued)

Not wanting to just take up space at a Table Dee went up to the Bar ordered our first of many Buckets of Miller Lite that afternoon at a cost of $15.00 for a Bucket of 5 Beers

We only had to wait for the Yoopers for about 5 minutes and as soon as we saw them we broke out the Hugs and Smiles before asking D “what’s up with the Crutch?” as she was using one to help her get around. D told us she ‘had gone through surgery on one knee since we last saw her and was awaiting Surgery on the other which should be sometime this Summer’.When asked if ‘it was her drinking knee?’ she replied ‘neither were’ so she was good to go.

M, D, G and V are best friends from Upper Michigan thus the ‘Yooper’ moniker. We met them for the first time on our Carnival Splendor Cruise in 2010 and have cruised with them several times since and now consider all of them lifelong friends as they do us. M and D relocated to Dania Beach, FL a little less than 2 years ago and G and V retired recently and were midway through a Tour of the Eastern half of the US of A in their RV so they arranged their stay in South Florida to coincide with our visit. We last saw M and D in Hollywood Beach in October of 2015 before our Celebrity Infinity Cruise. And the 6 of us, along with about 50 others, were together on a 2013 Carnival Conquest Cruise out of NOLA which was the last time we had seen G and V.

D and V - If you notice the blue Beer Koozie - it's one of the things we gave out at our Wedding in 2012 - To Have And To Hold........And To Keep Your Drink Cold" We had brought them down for the Yoopers

G and M

We could not have asked for a better place to sit, reminisce, listen to Live Music and enjoy some Adult Beverages. Eventually G and M got hungry and decided to order some food. When G’s BLT came out we all busted up laughing – it was the thinnest Sandwich we had ever seen. Conclusion # 765 –Lowercase blt. Dee and I split a Cuban Sandwich and like the blt this particular Cuban was on the tinier side...The Cuban it was modeled after couldn't have been more than 6 or 8 months old

The Buckets of Bud Lites for the Yoopers and Miller Lites for Dee and I flowed freely for most of the Afternoon before Dee and I …mostly me….decided we ....I….were….was sick of Beer. Being sick of Beer is not a Yooper trait. I really wanted to have some ‘steamers’ while in South Florida so the 6 of us headed South on the Broadwalk to Nick’s Bar and Grill; a place we had also visited in 2013.

We found a Table for 6 which quickly became a Table for 8 as 2 of M and D’s friends were there and joined us. I ordered a Double Crown and Coke in a Tall Glass with lots of Ice while Dee hit the Wine Train and we shared an order of Steamed Clams with Garlic Butter and a Chicken Sandwich and Fries with Gravy. I know I LOVED the Clams and Dee said the Chicken Sandwich was OK.

April 7th - Hollywood Beach and Fun with the Yoopers (continued)

Disclaimer # 1 – The remainder of this day’s activities are myinterpretation of 3rd Party recollections

I am told that we made a Party of 8 Decision to head North on the Broadwalk to a different Bar early in the evening. Dee and I ended up lagging behind those in the Group who chose to walk and apparently I was very talkative with EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON we passed by whether or not they were on the Broadwalk or enjoying a quiet (?) evening poolside at their Hotel or Resort.

Our first encounter was while we were doing a very poor job of taking a 2-person Selfie so I turned to a couple of Ladies who were walking by and asked “Could we trouble you for a Picture?” When they said “Yes, No Problem” I quickly knelt down, pointed my Phone at them and said “OK you two move a little closer together and BIG SMILES!!!” The look of surprise on their faces and initial moment of silence were quickly followed by 4 Adults bent over at the waist cracking up laughing. Dee quickly ran around and got in a picture with them.....

They were so Nice

...and then they took out Picture

We chatted with them for several minutes before Dee and I went North while the Ladies headed South; all of us laughing as we walked away.

Next was an impromptu Guest Satisfaction Survey of the Hotels and Resorts we passed along the Broadwalk. For those that were sitting out by their Pools or in their Courtyards I would yell to them that ‘we were looking for recommendations for our next stay in Hollywood Beach and if they would recommend the place to us could they stand upso we could take a Picture to remember the Hotel or Resort?’ By far and awaythe Hollywood Sands was the Winner. Conclusion# 766 – 4 Standing Recommendations and 1 Facebook Like

We happened upon a Beach Wedding and Dee quickly enforced a Restraining Order which didn’t allow ‘me to be within 50 Yards of the Ceremony.’ I wondered why the 2 Ladies in the back only had ½ a Restraining Order but quickly put it behind me.

Longer than it should have taken we found ourselves at a place we fell in LOVE with in 2013 –The Tiki Bar at The Walkabout Beach Resort http://walkaboutbeachresort.com.

Boasting a one-of-a-kind beachside setting, complete with swaying palm trees, a relaxing ocean breeze, and views of Hollywood’s energetic Broadwalk, The Tiki Bar at The Walkabout Beach Resort is a GREAT place for cocktails, conversation, and fun inthe sun.

Open daily, it features an eclectic assortment of signature frozen cocktails, domestic and import beers, wines, and non-alcoholic beverages. It features live entertainment every Saturday and Sunday and its tropical atmosphere will continuously remind you where you are - Paradise.

Because of its Wine Bar License I had to hop off the Crown Royal Bus but was able to join Dee on the Wine Train because a 4th different type of Alcohol was exactly what I needed.

We met several more of M and D’s friends that evening and our 1st impressions of them were spot on. After spending the next afternoon and evening with all of them we can’t say enough about this GREAT Group of People. They are a virtual Melting Pot of Individuals and Couples joined not at the Hip but at the Tiki Bar(s). We felt an instant connection to M and D, and G and V for that matter, the first time we met so we had no trouble seeing how they would have amassed such a GREAT Group of Friends in such a short time. On the Saturday afternoon after we had commented to M ‘What a GREAT Group of Friends he and D had’ he said “And ya know something you could pick any 3 of us and it’s the start of a Walking into a Bar Joke” and we laughed and we laughed and we laughed.

About 9:00pm…it might have been 9:30pm….or even 8:00pm I decided my day had to come to an end and let Dee know that I was at my limit. I have had my share of Irish Exits in my lifetime but never without letting Dee know. M, D, G, V and The Friends assured me they would get her home safely after the Walkabout Tiki Bar closed so off I went in a South, Southeastern, Southwestern, North, South,Southeastern, South, Southeastern, Southwestern direction to Room 204 at theVilla Europa.

About??:??pm/am the door to the Hotel Room swung open and when I sat up in Bed I saw V’s head pop in the door as she shouted “WIFE DELIVERY” and in came a VERY HAPPY Dee. Conclusion # 767 –Happy Dee’s were here again.

Going on the Splendor June 4th. Can't wait for more!

I've laughed out loud a few times, please post more!