Mike & Tracy’s Excellent Adventure: B2B2B2B on Destiny, Imagination, Valor, Freedom

[smallworldtraveller]

"I know what you mean, having been to Disney several times. Sometimes they try to do too much instead of taking their time to enjoy each moment."

Our son has ADDH with a side order of Tourettes and few other that i just now call the Alphabet syndrome.. very long story but took him to Disney one year for Xmas and finally there was one place in the world where people were at his level for the whole day, for his parents (us) and our son it was the best day of his life.

Mike once again thank you, I almost feel that you and family are a part of my life. I would go on any cruise you are on just because of your families attitude, which was was wonderful, there were no complaints and it was all fun.. thank you

It would be so refreshing not to have to listen to minor things that people find to complain about.Ugh I go to have fun and relax and not listen to moaning and groaning and there were none on your review

PS every time i go back and look at love game with gramp and gram I just love the photo of gramp laughing and gram bent over laughing. It makes me laugh every time I just may save it as a screen saver;. It sure puts a smile on my face. So what were the other questions that they asked them"

[Irishlinny]

Thank you Irishlinny. I use photo bucket and the photos come out full size. :)

Thanks, Mike! We may just have to switch over!

(And I'm still thinking of your beautiful photos...just love the wedding and renewal photos...)

Oh, by the way, will be very interested to see what you think of the Pride...will be different than the ships you've sailed. Spirit class is our favorite! Do you go to Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau? That's a nice itinerary! If Tracy still wants to try real snorkeling again, check out Stewart Cove dot com for Nassau. We went with them in May and they were great! We are seasoned snorkelers, but had all our grown kids with us for their first time...they were awesome and we saw lots of great fish!

I know I speak for most of us in saying we can't wait for your next review! Thanks again!

[maabell4]

Mike- I was wondering today, how did gyou decide which cruises you would take? Was it driven by price, ports, the ships? Just curious.

[MikeyA53]

Thanks for the awesome review, Mike. I've been reading since the beginning. You have such a beautiful family. Thanks so much for sharing your travels with us. If you ever decided to write a book on cruising, I'll be in line to buy a copy.

 

 

Very kind of you, thank you Nancy.

[MikeyA53]

Thanks, Mike! We may just have to switch over!

 

(And I'm still thinking of your beautiful photos...just love the wedding and renewal photos...)

 

Oh, by the way, will be very interested to see what you think of the Pride...will be different than the ships you've sailed. Spirit class is our favorite! Do you go to Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau? That's a nice itinerary! If Tracy still wants to try real snorkeling again, check out Stewart Cove dot com for Nassau. We went with them in May and they were great! We are seasoned snorkelers, but had all our grown kids with us for their first time...they were awesome and we saw lots of great fish!

 

I know I speak for most of us in saying we can't wait for your next review! Thanks again!

 

 

I'm sure we will love Carnival Pride, our itinerary is Cape Canaveral, Nassau and Freeport but I would have preferred Grand Turk, Half Moon Cay and Nassau. I have saved Stewart Cove in my favourites and I'm also looking at Paradise Cove in Freeport as a port for snorkelling. Just wondering how cold the water will be in January. Tracy is not fond of water temperatures under 80 degrees.

 

Thank you for everything Irishlinny.

[jmcancruise]

I am sure there are no excursions there as such, but in Freeport we went Gold Rock Beach as part of a kayaking excursion. No amenities, but I am sure one of the most amazing beaches in the world. If we go back to Freeport someday I expect we will try to taxi to the beach and spend a few hours. It was practically deserted.

[MikeyA53]

"I know what you mean, having been to Disney several times. Sometimes they try to do too much instead of taking their time to enjoy each moment."

 

Our son has ADDH with a side order of Tourettes and few other that i just now call the Alphabet syndrome.. very long story but took him to Disney one year for Xmas and finally there was one place in the world where people were at his level for the whole day, for his parents (us) and our son it was the best day of his life.

 

Mike once again thank you, I almost feel that you and family are a part of my life. I would go on any cruise you are on just because of your families attitude, which was was wonderful, there were no complaints and it was all fun.. thank you

It would be so refreshing not to have to listen to minor things that people find to complain about.Ugh I go to have fun and relax and not listen to moaning and groaning and there were none on your review

 

PS every time i go back and look at love game with gramp and gram I just love the photo of gramp laughing and gram bent over laughing. It makes me laugh every time I just may save it as a screen saver;. It sure puts a smile on my face. So what were the other questions that they asked them"

 

 

 

Having seen the game played 5 times on 5 different ships it's difficult to remember the questions because they are slightly different from ship to ship. Here are a few I remember from the Freedom.

1. What is your partner wearing (remember they are back to back)

2. When and where did you first meet

3. You haven't seen big till you've seen my wife's (blank)

4. What holiday best describes last night.

(a) Fourth of July (Fireworks)

(b) Haloween (?)

© Thanksgiving (sleeping next to a dead turkey)

5.How would you best describe your husband when he steps out of the shower

(a) A stretched limo

(b) A dump truck

© A itty bitty volkswagon with two flat tires

Also remember the Game of Love might be under a different name on Liberty.

[MikeyA53]

Mike- I was wondering today, how did gyou decide which cruises you would take? Was it driven by price, ports, the ships? Just curious.

 

 

Originally it was 2 cruises, Carnival Dream and one other ship. Then I mentioned to Tracy what do you think of three cruises and eventually what if I can fit 4 cruises in our schedule?

 

I was looking at a lot of different combinations with Dream, Freedom, Valor, Liberty, Legend, Imagination, Fascination, Inspiration, Sensation and Destiny.

 

As you can see they are all Carnival ships with home ports in Florida. Initially, we were going to drive and have a vehicle to get from port to port but then we decide to fly and that narrowed my choices.

 

In the end it was a matter of price, close proximity of the home ports, ships (I wanted to cruise on different ships) and to a lesser extent, ports visited.

 

What’s next? I would like to cruise on as many different Carnival ships as possible.

 

After Carnival Pride I would like to:

 

-A combination of two or three ships in Florida with Dream, Liberty or Legend

 

- Drive through the states of Alabama, Louisiana and Texas and do 3 or 4 B2Bs with Magic, Conquest, Ecstasy, Triumph and Elation.

 

-Visit the west coast (California) and sail on Paradise and Spender.

 

- A quick trip to New York and sail on Carnival Miracle.

 

- Visit Puerto Rico and sail on Carnival Spirit.

 

- Travel to Britain and visit with Tracy’s family and come back on a Transatlantic. Maybe on Carnival Breeze.

 

- Do a Mediterranean cruise on a future Carnival ship. (Breeze, etc.)

 

- Go to Hawaii on Carnival Spirit

 

 

Not necessarily in that order. :)

 

 

 

 

.

[Crusin Karen]

I see a lot of work OT in your future! Have you ever researched a repositioning cruise? You could go, for example, from NY to PR and then get on a ship in PR and do a cruise down in the Caribbean, going BACK to PR. Only problem is that they are usually in the late fall and your kids have school. If anything, I am sure you will have a blast researching and planning! :)

[MikeyA53]

I am sure there are no excursions there as such, but in Freeport we went Gold Rock Beach as part of a kayaking excursion. No amenities, but I am sure one of the most amazing beaches in the world. If we go back to Freeport someday I expect we will try to taxi to the beach and spend a few hours. It was practically deserted.

 

 

 

Thanks jmcancruise, I will check it out.

[jerseygirl79]

Mike, do you recall the names of the evening shows on Destiny? Thanks!

[MikeyA53]

Mike, do you recall the names of the evening shows on Destiny? Thanks!

 

 

 

Hi Alysia, It's too bad I haven't been able to post the Destiny Fun Times yet, haven't stopped trying. Anyway, assuming you meant the evening shows in the Paladium lounge and keeping in mind that this is from a 4 day cruise and you're going on a 5 day cruise. Here they are:

Day 1: Welcome Aboard Show

Day 2: Nightclub Express (Dancers, singers and orchestra)

Day 3: No show but at 9:45 p.m. Liar's Club

Day 4: Voila Paris (Dancers, singers and orchestra)

[Breadman54]

WOW...WOW...WOW!!!!! How exciting this has been! At times, I actually felt like I was on the cruise with you and your family! You are such a wonderful writer and story teller. God bless you and your family, Mike. Thanks SOOOO much for the wonderful read! :) :) :)

[MikeyA53]

I see a lot of work OT in your future! Have you ever researched a repositioning cruise? You could go, for example, from NY to PR and then get on a ship in PR and do a cruise down in the Caribbean, going BACK to PR. Only problem is that they are usually in the late fall and your kids have school. If anything, I am sure you will have a blast researching and planning! :)

 

 

Thank you Karen, I never thought of a repositioning cruise. I will definitely look into it and like you said it's fun to research and plan. Makes countdowns go faster. :D

[jerseygirl79]

Hi Alysia, It's too bad I haven't been able to post the Destiny Fun Times yet, haven't stopped trying. Anyway, assuming you meant the evening shows in the Paladium lounge and keeping in mind that this is from a 4 day cruise and you're going on a 5 day cruise. Here they are:

 

Day 1: Welcome Aboard Show

Day 2: Nightclub Express (Dancers, singers and orchestra)

Day 3: No show but at 9:45 p.m. Liar's Club

Day 4: Voila Paris (Dancers, singers and orchestra)

 

Thanks! This is helpful. Seems like the same shows from when we sailed Destiny last year. I was hoping they swithced up, but oh well. Guess I need to bring more donation money for the casio :cool:

[LuvinDisCruiser]

Wow ! This was so fantastic. :)

 

I started your report just looking at the pictures, to see the food !

 

Then I started enjoying the rest of the pics of the ship and your family.

Then I had to go back to page one and read it all.

 

Love, Love, Loved it !

 

I can't wait for our little 3 night cruise in January, and this was such a great way to help me get through each day, and get me even more excited for our trip.

 

Thank you for taking the time and doing this report. It was so amazing the detail and all the info you put into it, not to mention the great pictures.

 

You can tell how much you love your wife and children, I love it ! My kids are both 10, and makes me sad to think of them too old to vacation with us someday.

 

Your report has helped me to cherish each and every vacation that we are able to enjoy with our children. Thank you !

 

I cannot wait till you cruise in January !

 

Thanks again to you and your family for bringing us along on such a "once in a lifetime" opportunity ! :)

[maabell4]

Originally it was 2 cruises, Carnival Dream and one other ship. Then I mentioned to Tracy what do you think of three cruises and eventually what if I can fit 4 cruises in our schedule?

 

I was looking at a lot of different combinations with Dream, Freedom, Valor, Liberty, Legend, Imagination, Fascination, Inspiration, Sensation and Destiny.

 

As you can see they are all Carnival ships with home ports in Florida. Initially, we were going to drive and have a vehicle to get from port to port but then we decide to fly and that narrowed my choices.

 

In the end it was a matter of price, close proximity of the home ports, ships (I wanted to cruise on different ships) and to a lesser extent, ports visited.

 

What’s next? I would like to cruise on as many different Carnival ships as possible.

 

After Carnival Pride I would like to:

 

-A combination of two or three ships in Florida with Dream, Liberty or Legend

 

- Drive through the states of Alabama, Louisiana and Texas and do 3 or 4 B2Bs with Magic, Conquest, Ecstasy, Triumph and Elation.

 

-Visit the west coast (California) and sail on Paradise and Spender.

 

- A quick trip to New York and sail on Carnival Miracle.

 

- Visit Puerto Rico and sail on Carnival Spirit.

 

- Travel to Britain and visit with Tracy’s family and come back on a Transatlantic. Maybe on Carnival Breeze.

 

- Do a Mediterranean cruise on a future Carnival ship. (Breeze, etc.)

 

- Go to Hawaii on Carnival Spirit

 

 

Not necessarily in that order. :)

 

 

 

 

.

thanks for sharing so much. I hope you get to do all of these cruises. You will love them.

[NewCruiser11]

Thanks for sharing your fabulous vacation with us! I can only imagine what a wonderful time you had, but judging by your pictures, it was great. We will be taking our first cruise in May and I can hardly wait. I started reading this thread tonight and it took me the majority of the night to get through it but thoroughly enjoyed it.

[nothomeonacruise]

Have you ever thought of being a travel agent? All those trips sound great!

[ccruise54]

Mike,

 

Your review has robbed me of several hours of my time that my husband says could have been used more productivly, but I have loved every minute of it. I want to thank you for all of the time you have put into making this the best review I have read on here to date! You have a beautiful family. Thank you again for taking me on your trip with you! This has made me even more excited for my week that is coming up!:D

[pghsteelerfan]

Hi Alysia, It's too bad I haven't been able to post the Destiny Fun Times yet, haven't stopped trying. Anyway, assuming you meant the evening shows in the Paladium lounge and keeping in mind that this is from a 4 day cruise and you're going on a 5 day cruise. Here they are:

 

Day 1: Welcome Aboard Show

Day 2: Nightclub Express (Dancers, singers and orchestra)

Day 3: No show but at 9:45 p.m. Liar's Club

Day 4: Voila Paris (Dancers, singers and orchestra)

 

Hi Mike,

 

I noticed you're still working on getting your "Fun Times" posted. I was just looking through another review where someone took pictures of the pages of their "Fun Times" and posted the pictures. I didn't spend a lot of time on it, but I just tried taking a picture of the "Fun Times" from our Carnival Glory cruise this past May. It came out ok, not great, but I was still able to make out the wording. I'll attach the picture I took so you can see it. I also use Photobucket, but for some reason when I edit some of my pictures to size, my only choices are "small" and "tiny". If I use "other options" to manually resize to make this one larger, it becomes blurry. I hope this helps though.

 

 

[Buffettfan 225]

I decided to join photobucket, but had many sizing issues and dislike it and freezing issues. Have gone back to using free webshots without a hitch-just preview photo-select size usually 600 for large docs like Fun Times. Give it a try photographing and a sample on webshots.

[MikeyA53]

WOW...WOW...WOW!!!!! How exciting this has been! At times, I actually felt like I was on the cruise with you and your family! You are such a wonderful writer and story teller. God bless you and your family, Mike. Thanks SOOOO much for the wonderful read! :) :) :)

 

 

Thank you Breadman54, I'm glad you enjoyed it.:)

[MikeyA53]

Wow ! This was so fantastic. :)

 

I started your report just looking at the pictures, to see the food !

 

Then I started enjoying the rest of the pics of the ship and your family.

Then I had to go back to page one and read it all.

 

Love, Love, Loved it !

 

I can't wait for our little 3 night cruise in January, and this was such a great way to help me get through each day, and get me even more excited for our trip.

 

Thank you for taking the time and doing this report. It was so amazing the detail and all the info you put into it, not to mention the great pictures.

 

You can tell how much you love your wife and children, I love it ! My kids are both 10, and makes me sad to think of them too old to vacation with us someday.

 

Your report has helped me to cherish each and every vacation that we are able to enjoy with our children. Thank you !

 

I cannot wait till you cruise in January !

 

Thanks again to you and your family for bringing us along on such a "once in a lifetime" opportunity ! :)

 

 

Thank you so much, LuvinDisCruise, we probably won't be able to surpass this adventure but I would like to think we can come close to matching it. My wish is that some day we are able to take a cruise with our kids and grandkids. :)

[MikeyA53]

thanks for sharing so much. I hope you get to do all of these cruises. You will love them.

 

 

It's a 10 year plan, even if we can do half of them that would be really something.:):)