mlshum

My heart goes out to Karl.  He’s a good egg!  He and Sakari are the kind of kids who give me hope for a bright future.  Her thoughtfulness of him is commendable and rare.

I hope Karl does try it again with a better instructor.  My first attempt at diving was a horrible experience.  I was, quite literally, pushed off the boat by the captain.  I didn’t know that I had to hold my regulator in my mouth with my hand.  When I hit the water it flew out of my mouth, nearly taking my teeth with it.  After going down a long way and swallowing a good amount of seawater, I finally broke the surface and began coughing it all back up.  The instructor thought that was pretty funny.  She was diving with 8 new divers.  I later learned that it was supposed to be a maximum of three.  She chose me to do my skill test first.  I tried but I was so shaken and upset at that point I just couldn’t do it.  I gave up and got back on the boat.  I was so embarrassed.  She said, “I promise to take good care of your husband since you aren’t going” and down they went.  I got my snorkel gear and snorkeled the rest of the time.  I was absolutely mortified and ashamed of myself.

After that experience I wanted so badly to prove to myself that I could do it but I was terrified at the very thought.  The next year I worked up the courage to try it again in Cozumel.  There was an in classroom class, only 3 students per instructor and I was able to gradually walk into the water.  The instructor saw that I was shaking with fright and stayed with me the whole time.  He was wonderful,  I felt so much better about myself after that.

Did I love it?  No.  Will I do it again? Maybe.  But I was able to overcome my fear a little bit at least.  Hopefully in the future Karl will have an opportunity to overcome his fear and have a good experience.  With a fun and supportive bunch like you guys, I like his chances!

What a relief!  Definitely helps you feel better about their earlier shortcomings.

😩   Oh no!  I’m on pins and needles here!

The whale pics and your descriptions are amazing!  I’m so glad you found them!  I’m headed to Alaska next summer and seeing the whales is pretty much a bucket list item.  Fingers crossed that my experience will be as good as yours!

So sorry to hear about Karl’s seasickness.  I have heard that is absolutely miserable.  Glad he seems to have recovered quickly.

You mentioned jumping off waterfalls in Dominican Republic.  Was it the Waterfalls of Damajauga?  We had a blast doing that, too!  I always get excited when someone else mentions it.  Lol

Thanks for the review!  Your reviews (and Jamman) were some of my favorites here on Cruise Critic and a big part of the reason I’ve started writing myself.  Thank you!

The pictures and descriptions are fantastic!

I love the sea lions!  I kind of want to go, if for no other reason, to see them.

Hey, so glad to see you back!  I’ve missed reading your reviews!  I’m all settled in to enjoy your cruise!

ABC sounds awesome and I hope you have a wonderful trip!

The waterfalls of Damajagua is pretty amazing but definitely not for the faint of heart.  The hike in is pretty easy and takes about 40 minutes.  Depending on the water levels, you might have differing numbers of waterfall jumps.  The first jump is about 12ft, if I remember correctly.  The highest jump we did was about 20 ft.  It was fun and terrifying!  Floating through the canyon was a lot of fun but the water is very murky and you can’t see the bottom.  It requires a good bid of climbing over rocks, some slick, and sliding down natural water slides.  If you’re interested, I did a Mardi Gras review and included lots of pictures from the excursion.

Whatever you decide, I hope you have an awesome cruise!

I don’t drink alcohol either and Carnival is my favorite!

On 2/18/2024 at 12:21 PM, Softball20 said:

There's really no need for an excursion.  Take a taxi to a local beach.  We went to Radio Beach and had a fabulous day.  We got a taxi outside the port and the driver gave us a bit of a tour as we drove to the beach.  

On 2/17/2024 at 9:28 PM, cruiser123! said:

We used https://700adventures.com/bimini to go to Honeymoon Harbour and interact with stingrays, plus snorkeling at a ship wreck and plane crash.  They had a few hours of island tour as well.   

Thanks so much for the advice!

On 2/15/2024 at 3:12 PM, sjr48 said:

Wondering what you thought about Resort World? We are going to Bimini in May, 2024.

We actually didn't get to go because that port was canceled due to weather.  I'm hoping to make it at some point. 

Thanks so much!  Great review as always!

1 hour ago, tidecat said:

I'll be on Elation the 19th, so if this is true I'll eat there, strictly for research purposes.

Please let us know.  I’m on Elation in the end of April and I’m curious.

Oh Lord, oh Lord, Willdra’s prayers are the best!

4 hours ago, Saint Greg said:

I guess she just likes me better than them.

 

Gotta be the perfect part

Patti does such a good job on her pics, especially the details.  I am so bad to get caught up in what I’m doing and just get “overall” type photos.  I need to channel some Patti vibes next time!

Oh good, I made it just in time!

Yay!  Finally, another awesome Willdra adventure!

Yay,  I’ve been waiting for this one!  I read Sid and Megan’s so this is truly the icing on the cake.  Thanks for doing this!

Same!

Thanks for the review!  We’ll be on Elation in April.  I appreciate the info.

Thanks, Megan, for taking us along on you epic adventure!

50 minutes ago, MeganGC1983 said:

Alex just found me and said to go get my family feud pictures. 
here’s piano bar. 

Hey, it’s Misso!

Thanks for taking us along on your vacation.  Prayers for you as you move forward into new adventures!

2 hours ago, ninjacat123 said:

Thank you mishum!! Your next cruise is pretty soon?

Not until the end of April.  Looking forward to getting some snorkeling time!