APDMOM

My View: End of Day 8 - At Sea We are running out of wake view time too fast...

TIP: If you have loyalty status, be sure to check your benefits. Last night, free drink after 5 PM

Let me take the Oompa Loompa song out of your head... 🎶All your bags are packed, you're (not) ready to go...🎶 🎶You're leaving our Funship! 😔 IMG_8747.MOV

Dinner: Day 8 - At Sea I forgot to take pictures of the appetizers. I had the ale and cheddar soup, which was very good. Enchilalas (veggie): Okay Penne Mariscos: Okay Roast Duck: A No Go - the white meat was very dry

TIP: If you share pictures or videos of balconies from your cruises, consider taking pictures/video of the forward, aft, downward and upward views - it really helps to see if there are obstructions. 🙂

That Balcony! TIP: On this ship, Cove balconies 2315, 2309, 2305, and 2301 have not large lifeboat obstructing the view. The same counts for the port side balconies of 2308, 2306, 2302, and 2398. Our View forward: Our View Aft: Our View straight down to the water: The View Above: TIP: If you book adjoining balconies, note that the door between 2315 and 2309 on the balcony can be opened, but not the door between 2315 and 2317. Plan accordingly. Door between 2315 and 2309 that can be propped open: Door between 2315 and 2317 that cannot be propped open, because it blocks the balcony door to exit 2315: I can almost live on that balcony!

The Bathroom... UGH! That Shower Curtain. 🙈 TIP @ Carnival Cruiselines - PLEASE bring doors to all new ships for the shower. TIP: The shampoo is not great for hair - I recommend bringing your own shampoo and conditioner. TIP: They do not have rinse cups for toothbrushing in the bathroom. We brought a plastic cup from the buffet to use for this purpose.

TIP: There are two USB ports and 2 US outlets by the mirror. There is one European outlet too. (Forgot to take pics). I don't know if it is standard, but this card was in the power slot during the whole cruise. So, we did not need to use our seapass cards to keep the power on in the room: TIP: Some of the doors on this ship are NOT metal, so our magnets did not stick to the door. We placed our decor on the metal around the room number. We only use the decor for quick and easy location of our room: Most of the menus on the ship are now accessible by QR code, including the room service menu: Bottle of water is $4.50 The safe is spacious enough to fit an iPad Air: Storage: TIP: There is a wooden shelf that can be lowered or put up on the left side of the closet, if more shelves are needed. In the picture above, it is put away. In the picture below, it is lowered to create an extra shelf. TIP: If you don't like clutter, bring an over-the-door-shoe hanger to store hair tools, lotions, make up, deodorant, etc. TIP: If you like to know what temperature your AC is set at, bring a thermometer with a magnet. We always travel with this for DH's sake. I listen to my body to change the temperature - he listens to his brain by looking at the Fahrenheit. 🫠🤣 It makes for interesting science conversations in our left-brain life.

Our Stateroom/Cabin/Cove Balcony: With a sea day prior to returning to port, we enjoy the balcony time away from the crowds, especially when it rains. TIP: Cove balconies are great because they are mostly sheltered from the rain. Occasionally the waves will get big enough to spray the balcony, but most days it is quite dry and a great place to relax. The room started smelling a bit like a dirty mop on day 2. We realized it was because the carpet by the balcony door was getting wet from all trips to and from the wet balcony. So, TIP: put a pool towel on the carpet by the balcony door to keep the carpet dry. With that, I present room 2315 - a great stateroom/cabin with less obstruction from lifeboats... more about that later. There were 3 of us, so the couch was transformed into a bed for our DS:

TIP: Be sure to get your luggage tag from Pixels or the LIDO deck when they put them out - you choose your own based upon the time you want to leave. We saw a long line trying to get first choice here around 11 AM by Pixels. Download PDF here Debarkation.pdf

Lunch/Brunch in the MDR: The menu stayed the same for all the sea days. This time, I had the Flamin' Tomato Soup - there was really nothing 'flaming' about it. It was just the same tomato soup from dinner. A favorite for DH: Huevos Rancheros - still excellent: A favorite for DS: Skillet Cake - we ordered this 3 times and it was a bit different every time. The first one had all the sides, including cream, guava sauce, and marshmallows. The second one only had the cream and guava sauce. This last one only had the marshmallows... Go figure. 🤷‍♀️ Seven Layer Chocolate Cake - Carnival gets Cake Right!!!

Nothing announces the 'end of the cruise' like a stormy sea on the way home: IMG_8713.MOV

Lots of Balcony Time! They started out beautiful:

My View: Day 8 - At Sea

My View: End of Day 7 - Amber Cove We would love to return to this beautiful port and friendly people, but we like Taino Bay better with that fun lazy river...

Evening Entertainment: Dive-In Movies with Wonka (If I just put the 🎶 Oompa Loompa 🎶 song in your head, you are welcome!)

Dinner: Day 7 - Formal Night We skipped out on Formal night, but here is the menu:

Our final Sailaway of this Cruise: Until next time, Amber Cove!

Afternoon Fun: As soon as the rain shower ended, the ship had a mass exodus around 11 AM. So, we returned to enjoy the 'empty' ship again. I got to be the only one in the pool. This is the picture of the still empty pool right after I swam. 😄 TIP: Go on the SkyRide as soon as you can on the ship. It was closed so much during our cruise due to rain or wind. Also, you must wear closed-toe shoes and dry clothing to use the SkyRide. You are not allowed to have any loose items in your pockets. Don't lose your place in the line due to not meeting the dress code. We finally got our turn today. The views were AMAZING! I wish I had a camera to take pictures or video from the SkyRide.

I don't know the answer to that. Never thought about it - thanks for the info! I travel too much to add unnecessary stamps to my passport, so I only get a stamp when the customs officials stamp my passport - mostly in Africa.

I pass on it every time too! 😄

The Pool Area: Slide with a daily use fee: A Beautiful, Tropical Paradise: Zipline Fun: Splash Area for the Littles:

Rentals for Water Fun:

The Giant Adirondack Chair and Views from the Area of the Cabanas (This is to the right after you enter the port):

A View of the Plaza outside the shops: TIP: If you like to get your passport stamped in ports, that round building to the right behind this tree has the stamp.