Heyitsege

Day 8: Day #3 8/18

Our last full day of the cruise :(. BFFs family did the Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast and the rest of us did Sea Day Brunch in the dining room. (There were two Green Eggs and Ham breakfast times offered and they were able to purchase it the day before.) We then went to watch the Towel Animal Theater. It was really cute and well done. I recommend seeing it.

For lunch, we all tried the Mongolian Wok. BFF1 tried to get it the previous day, but after waiting a long time, had to get out of line to make it to the slot pull. There are two lines, but they take a long time. There were three flavors and I had the Szechuan. I heard the cook say it wasn't spicy for him, so I asked for extra spicy on mine. I really enjoyed it! Top two for my favorite lunches. I wanted to do the Harry Potter Trivia, but my food was cooking, so DH was kind enough to go and write down all the questions. I got there about halfway through the questions. I have watched all the movies and read all the books, but didn't do as well as I thought I would. I think you would get most of the questions if you've watched each movie several times. There were 2 teams that got all 20 questions right and went head to head.

We also went to Afternoon Tea. I've been looking for Afternoon Tea in the schedule and even in food section the whole cruise, but didn't see it. I finally found it and it was in the food section all the way at the bottom. I was a little disappointed. I remember it being better before. Also, I've been used to Holland America that has nice Afternoon Tea everyday. The tea that is offered on Carnival is just Lipton tea or you can buy a teabag of the other kinds for $1 something. I did enjoy the food and tea, though.

For dinner I had the beef carpaccio (have had better), alligator fritters (mostly breading) and shrimp creole (liked it). After dinner, we were already sailing back into the Mississippi River. I hadn't spent a ton of time on our balcony, but this evening I enjoyed it. I had milk and cookies and we watched the lightning storms at the coastline. It was beautiful! This was one of my favorite memories of the cruise. Just sitting outside, hearing the water, feeling the wind, watching the lightning, it was wonderful! And right before we went to sleep, we put the remainder of our luggage outside of our door.

Day 6: Roatan 8/16

We started the morning off with breakfast in the dining room with the whole group (minus GF1 who had another scuba diving excursion with Carnival). One of my favorite breakfast items on cruises (which I had yet to have) is locks and bagels. Another breakfast item that I like that hasn't been available in the buffet is corned beef hash. I was happy to have both of these that day. It was nice to have a sit down breakfast with everyone, so I'm glad BFF1 made this suggestion the night before.

After breakfast, we all got ready to head to Mahogany Bay beach. The walk isn't bad at all and the little ones got through it. On the walk, there are side nature trails. BFF1 had wanted to reserve a clam shell, but they were all taken. We had found an open spot of sand and a little later, the couple in the clam shell in front of us were leaving because their all aboard time was earlier than ours. They said we could take it, but the workers said we had to pay for it, so BFF1 did. It was nice to have an area to put all our stuff/strollers and to have the baby in the shade. They also provided us with these long blue mat floaties. They were nice and fun to have. It started to rain for a few minutes and lots of people were running out of the water. We thought it was funny because you're already wet in the water. We stayed at the beach a lot longer than I thought we would, but we had fun. A day at the beach is a must for any Caribbean visit.

Before heading back, we quickly did some shopping. DH bought some coffee which he didn't really like when we got home. He also got overcharged because they told him a dollar amount, but charged in Honduran money which came out to be a higher dollar amount. Also, for anyone that is interested, there is a place that gives "passport stamps". It is at the place where you meet for shore excursions across the shopping plaza and there is a big sign.

BFF1 had suggested that our group have a Hawaiian dress up night, so tonight for dinner we dressed in our Hawaiian prints. It was a fun thing to do as a group. The previous night we saw a group wear all white and they looked pretty spiffy. For dinner, I had escargot which is always yummy. From the local cuisine section, I had chicken pastelitos and fish w/ crust on top with plantains. I also ate most of BFF2's penne mariscos which I really liked. It has shrimp, calamari and scallops in a lobster cream. For dessert, I had the buttered popcorn pot de crème.

Next up is Sea Day #2

Day 5: Belize 8/15

Since we had to meet in the theater at 9am for our 9:45 excursion, we ordered room service. I also had DH grab me another breakfast burrito from Blue Iguana. Our group of friends had 3 different plans, but we were all seeing Altun Ha at different times. GF1 and GF2 went with an outside company and did Cave Tubing first then Altun Ha. BFF and family went with an outside company in a van to Altun Ha and stopped for lunch. On the tenders, the workers said it would be a 15-20 minute tender ride, but it felt like 10. Once at the port, we had the option to use the bathroom. With a 3 year old, we used all the opportunities we could get. After using the bathroom, we went to the end of the line, so we ended up waiting for the 2nd bus. Our bus only had about 18 people. This was nice because we could spread out on the bus and put the stroller in a row in front of us. Also, it was nice to have a smaller group at the ruins. The 45 min(?) ride was very informative. I enjoyed seeing and learning more about Belize. The tour guide told us about the different neighborhoods, history and general info.

Once we got to Altun Ha, we were given bottles of water and were able to use the bathrooms if needed. We brought OFF, but didn't end up putting it on. We did not get any bites. Some of our friends got bites there, though. We had another guide from the site join our group. He was also very informative. After we got to the center courtyard area, a short rain shower began and we waited for a few minutes under some trees. Later, we learned that BFF and family were on the 2nd ruin at this time. I was a little worried that with the rain we wouldn't be able to climb the ruins, but we still did. We got to go up two ruins. For both of the structures, we went up steps on the side. It's a good leg workout. DS1 got up there fine and DS2 got carried by DH. I think DS2 could've done it himself, it just would've taken a really long time. Going down is a little steep, you just have to be careful and stepping sideways helps. I had planned to bring sneakers for this excursion and to possibly work out at the gym. When I went to take them out the night before, I couldn't find them. So, climbing the steps in flipflops is doable. I find ancient civilization history like the Mayans so fascinating. I love that we got to see these ruins. At the end of this tour, we could shop in the craft market or buy food at the restaurant before heading back to the bus. We drank samples of cashew wine (which is popular in Belize. The wine is from the cashew fruit.) and ended up buying a bottle. Someone on the bus bought some food from the restaurant and it smelled good! My staying up late the past few nights caught up to me and I fell asleep on the bus ride back to port. We got back to Terminal 4 (the tenders were at Terminal 2). We went shopping for souvenirs then headed back to the ship.

For dinner, I had the cream of broccoli soup (really good), from the local cuisine section: fry jacks and chili rellano (chicken stuffed in a pepper and fried.really good) and bitter and blanc (first time I had it. Yummy! It may have been my favorite dessert.) After dinner, my family and GF1 &2 went to play bingo. It was the $10 off night. Dobbers cost $2 and a 6 card pack was $20 (don't remember if that was before or after $10 off). It was 3 games and the same lady won game 1 and game 3. After that, the kids and I called it a night.

Next up is Roatan..

Day 4: Cozumel 8/14

We started the day by having breakfast in the lido with everyone (except GF1 woke up early for his scuba diving excursion through Carnival). I didn't really find anything I wanted, so I went to Blue Iguana for a breakfast burrito. Mine had hash browns, sausage, cheese, eggs and pico de gallo. From the salsa bar, I added crème fraiche and habanero salsa. I really enjoyed it!

On our last visit to Cozumel, we took an excursion that visited the San Gervasio ruins, had a chocolate demonstration and went to Playa Mia. This time, our plan was to enjoy the waterpark with most people off the ship and to just walk around the port. Waterworks was empty! We were going to do port then swim, but I was glad we did it in this order. Our kids slid and sat in the little race slides. I went down the Drainpipe and DH went down the Drainpipe and Twister. DH really liked the twister, but suggested to plug your nose before you get to the bottom. DH and the kids then swam in the (saltwater) lido pool while I had ice cream. After getting ready, we went to the port and just walked around and shopped. We listened to a mariachi band playing for a little bit. Everyone else had taken a taxi to Paradise beach earlier that morning.

Once back onboard, the kids went to the kids club for a little bit before dinner. I went to the excursion desk to get tickets for the next day (Belize). The excursion we wanted to do was Altun Ha. For some reason, I couldn't buy our 3 year old ticket's online prior. I called Carnival and they said we can buy the rest of ours and they can hold one for DS2 to buy onboard. I decided to wait and just get everyone's on the ship. The week before, BFF1 said they were looking into an outside company for Altun Ha since they have kids below 3 (the minimum age for Carnival's). The prices were WAY cheaper. It was also too late for us to go with the outside company since I cancelled our FTTF and wouldn't be on the early tenders. I remembered reading about the "Best Price Guarantee", so I looked into the fine print. It says you have to submit it within 48 hrs of purchase and 7 days prior to sailing and by this time it was past that, so I gave up on it. As I stood in line, I kept seeing "Best Price Guarantee" on all the papers. I asked about it and the lady said after purchasing, I can submit a paper form and it will be reviewed within 24 hours. Luckily, since I didn't have the internet plan, I had taken a screenshot of the website and prices. The fine print on the paper form says you have to submit it before the end of the excursion's port day and within 24 hrs of purchase. It ended up being approved and we saved $120. :D

For dinner that night, I had the seared tuna appetizer and braised rabbit in puff pastry appetizer (really good), the seared tilapia entrée (enjoyed it) and apple pie with vanilla ice cream (not great). After dinner, I hung out in BFFs room with the kids, while DH caught the end of the stage show and comedy show. Before bed, we checked out the 80s rock and glow party and I enjoyed the live band's rendition of "Lose your love" by the Outfield.

Next up Belize..

Day 2: Embarkation Day 8/12

We had the free breakfast at the hotel and the front desk called a taxi for us. The flat rate was $15/person, so it was $60. Our assigned arrival time was 11:30-12 and we arrived about 11:20. The lines moved quickly and when we entered the seating zones, they were already calling Zone 1-2. We ended up sitting in Zone 19. We could've been in a lower zone, but we stopped for the picture and bathroom. BFF1 had generously bought us FTTF, but I had canceled it. We didn't mind getting on the ship a little after them and on our only tender port we planned on taking a carnival excursion. We were called to board about 12:10 (but I did notice someone in our zone had an arrival time of 12:30-1).

Once onboard, we dropped off our bags at BFFs room and we all went to eat at Guy's BBQ. There was no wait. I also saw for the first time the automatic hand washing machines. I really like that they have these around. The food was just ok/good. While we finished eating, DH was brave enough to bring 4 of the kids by himself to the lido for the first of many ice creams for the kids. He said the lido was crazy crowded, so Guy's BBQ was a great plan.

The rooms were ready at 1:30. We all had balconies on the 8th floor starboard between mid and aft elevators. We had 8387, BFF was 8405 and GF was 8431. We received all our bags before the muster drill. Our muster station was D4, which was in Club O2. It took at least 45 minutes. If you have kids, they will get wristbands to wear the whole cruise with their muster stations. If they are separated from you in the event of an emergency, staff will bring them to the appropriate station. After muster, I went up with the rest of the group to the sunset pool area for sail away. I think New Orleans is such a neat port to sail from since you go down the Mississippi. At 5pm we went to the spa for the raffle, but sadly did not win.

We had early (6pm) dining in the upper Scarlet Dining Room. When I originally booked the cruise, I asked what's the largest table and the representative said 10. I assumed since our group was bigger, we wouldn't sit together. I was pleasantly surprised to find we would all be at the same table. They have the large table sizes in the aft area near the windows. It's a very nice area. Overall our dining service wasn't that great. There was a lot of miscommunication and missed or wrong orders with our server. We are all pretty easy going so we didn't make it a big deal. Our dinners were pretty long lasting until almost 8pm. I'm surprised 5 kids 6 years and under survived 2 hour dinners every night. This night I had the calamari, Caesar salad, blackened catfish and melting chocolate cake. I enjoyed everything.

After dinner, my family and BFFs family went to the kids club open house. We received the schedule for the week and we also received a cell phone. We were instructed to bring the cell phone each time we dropped off (our 3 year old). If we lost the phone, it would cost $150. One thing we learned was that Camp Ocean has certain family times where the whole family can come to play. I think that's great that they do this. After we completed registration, we joined in on the family dance party. They were doing dances and giving prizes of camp ocean light bracelets which DH2 won. We stayed until the open house ended at 10pm. We then did a quick round of late night mini golf. Others were playing as well.

Next up is Sea Day #1...