Trip Report - Family Reunion/60th Anniversary Cruise - Legend - Aug 15-22, 2010

[Lady_Jag]

Great review! Can't wait for the rest. ;)

[alwayshappytocruise]

Erm...hello!! Please continue with your review...it was great. What happened??!

[JohnsPrincess]

Lol, sorry everyone! We had a party at our house on Friday and the weekend was super busy!! I'm back with some more!!!

[JohnsPrincess]

When that was done we went back to the rooms and hung out for a bit. John changed into his uniform and I finished getting ready. Then we all went up to the chapel where I proceeded to take a bunch of pictures of everyone before the wedding. There was a photagapher and he was pretty annoying. Every time I'd get someone for a picture he'd be right there. Seriously, I could do his job as he didn't seem to be able to chose people or poses himself. We then went into the chapel where we met the Captain who is really sweet and the vow renewal took place. I had John record the whole thing while I tried to take some pictures.

 

My two favorite men

The Beautiful Bride and her oldest

The Captain (adorable), Papa, and my Uncle

Rings

The Happy Couple

[JohnsPrincess]

Then we all went to the piano bar for the reception where there was cake and champagne. We even got them to stick in the Russ Morgan CD that I'd bought G&P for their 50th anniversary with their song "Forever and Ever" and they danced! It was SO cute because they both sang along to it. I recorded it but people wouldn't shut up. I snapped at a couple but seriously...there will come a day when G&P are no longer with us and a video of them singing and dancing to their wedding song will be precious indeed!!!! I know I probably sound like a brat, especially since this is my family I'm talking about, lol, but it was SUCH a perfect moment and it seemed like I was the only one who appreciated it...

 

My sexy man and I

Ewwww...lol, just kidding!

Sorry about the quality of some of these. I was using 2 different cameras and I just could NOT get the settings right!!!

These are the "bridesmaids". My mom (middle child, on left), my aunt Wendy (youngest, in middle), and my aunt Cheryl (oldest, on right). I told them their dresses looked more like a Little House on the Prairie wedding than a destination wedding...lol

Me and My Papa

My cousin Kali and her boyfriend Jeremy. We fixed the tosses...they need to get married already!!

[JohnsPrincess]

When that was over we proceeded downstairs. It was supposed to be some sort of picture thing with the Captain and crew but I never saw anyone getting their picture taken with people. There were a TON of picture things set up and I even got yelled at by one of the photographers to not take a picture behind her. I wasn't using flash...so she just didn't want me infringing on their pics. But whatever. This was one of my ONLY issues with the Carnival cruise. It got worse later on, which I believe I have in my typed review...so for now I'll just say that we went on a Disney cruise last Christmas and they would let you takes pics of the formal stuff, they'd even take pics with your camera. I bought a TON of pictures from them. I bought ONE from Carnival and that's only because I didn't get a good pic of us in that outfit. Anyways, we waited in the bar area outside the dining room for a bit and chatted.

 

After we had all ordered our dinner I presented G&P with their cards and the dolls I'd crocheted them. They seemed to really like them, so I'm glad! They certainly took forever to make and were a pain in the butt!!!!

Papa doll

Grandma doll

 

Dinner was awesome. Lobster tail, steaks that the kitchen had mistakenly made, etc. So much food. And so good!!!!

 

Strawberry soup

What was left of my escargots after I remembered my camera...lol

Um...I want to say this was a pumpkin soup or something like that. It was awesome.

*drool*

[JohnsPrincess]

The warm chocolate melting cake, or whatever it's called, amazing

Playing the cherry trick with her mama!!

 

I guess tonight was "Italian" theme as they came on the speaker and played some Italian songs. Our head waiter danced with Aunt Cheryl. It was soooo cute and funny!!! I was so proud of her this trip...she did a lot of things outside of her comfort zone!!

[JohnsPrincess]

After dinner we wanted to go to the pool so we all came to our rooms to change. I was out on the balcony when Jeremy pops outside with one of Kali's dresses on. HAHAHHAAHA!!! See, we'd seen in the Fun Times that there was a "Friends of Dorothy GLTB" thing. I didn't know what it was and was asking Kali...who let me know it's a Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, Bisexual thing. Oh. HA! John seemed fascinated and kept asking if we were going to go check it out so Jeremy was kidding and saying that's what he was going to wear. It was so funny!!!

 

Once we were all ready we headed to the adult hot tub that was supposed to be open until 12...but it was closed. The bar was open, however. So we went to the mid pool to see if it was open. Both the pool (supposed to the closed) and hot tub were open. Weird. The pool was actually too cold so we all went into the spa and it was NICE!!

Julia and my mom

Kali and Jeremy

Johnny and I

 

 

We stayed there for a while but John still wanted to check out the Friends of Dorothy. In truth, we were all hoping to see some Trannies dressed up as some of them look so amazing (so jealous!!!)...so we all went back to our rooms and dressed back up. We went to the lounge...but there really wasn't anyone there so onward we went. We checked out the kareoke bar, which was crowded, but the singer sucked...so we went to our standby...the Piano Bar with Paul!!! Woot!! There we stayed until close to Midnight! He actually played much better songs tonight and we all sung along, played telephone with some hilarious outcomes, and just chatted.

 

On our way out this old blonde lady called John over to him. I was outside when I noticed he was still inside with her talking to him. When he came out I asked what that was about. After a couple "Nothings" he finally said that she'd told him he was cute and that he should come sit with her. He'd just told her he had to leave...which kind of annoyed me. Now....we were obviously together, and he has a wedding ring on. I think it's disgusting to hit on someone who is very obviously in a relationship. My cousin Amara totally agreed and since she'd fearless, we went back in and sat next to the lady. Amara, calm as could be, tapped her on her shoulder and asked her and the guy sitting next to her if they were together. When they said "Yes", she said, "Then why were you hitting on my cousin's husband?" Of course, the chick then completely denied it...which actually just pissed me off more. But then Amara said, "Um...if you're together...were you trying to have a threesome with him or something??" LMAO The chick said no and Amara just kind of looked at her and said, "Mhmmm, well, good luck", patted her on the back, and we left. It was SO childish, I know, but it was really funny. And seriously, HE IS MARRIED!!!! I HATE that. I think it bugs me even more because it actually happens quite a lot. But it's usually with the older women! One of our friends, who is older - and whose friend hit on him - told me that she thinks as you get older you lose your inhibitions. I hope that's not it...I hope when I'm older I still care about boundaries!!!

 

That was the end of the night. We all have to get up early and headed back to our rooms!!!

[JohnsPrincess]

Lol, finally some pictures of things other than my family for you!

 

I kept waking up this morning as my shoulder was hurting (crochet injury, yes, seriously!). As long as it was dark out, I knew we were fine. Then I woke up and it was light out and so I figured I'd look out the window and see what there was to see. What greeted me actually came as a shock, lol. I'm not sure what I was expecting...to still be at sea I suppose! But what I saw was 3 other ships...and Gran Caymen!! Yippee!! The water was GORGEOUS! Of course my next thought was "OMG what time is it!!!" I stumbled over to John's phone and it was...7:14. Ah. Back to bed. Lol We had an 8am wake up call and I went over to moms to see if they were up and to show them the view!!

[JohnsPrincess]

We all got dressed and then went to breakfast. Nothing spectacular. It was the first day we'd eaten in the morning and we both got an omelet and munched on a couple other things. While sitting there, Nikki ran to the bathroom. Once we were all done, we high tailed it to the exit since we had an excursion planned! We were lucky and got a double decker tender...lucky because the double decker had a bathroom and as soon as we set foot on it, Nikki had to run to it. She was there the whole trip to shore.

 

[JohnsPrincess]

On shore we found our meeting spot and sat to wait. Nikki...she ran to the bathroom. She was really not doing well...her tummy was all messed up. When the tour guide got there and we realized there would be no bathroom on our boat...mom realized she had to throw in the towel and she brought Nik right back to the boat. Right as mom left, Aunt Cheryl and Jackie arrived. We, at least, were all set for the Shipwreck and Reef Snorkel tour!!!

 

Everyone piled on the boat and I found some sea glass while waiting in the line. I LOVE sea glass!

 

Aunty Cheryl stepping outside her box...on a boat AND getting ready to snorkel for the first time!

[JohnsPrincess]

They drove us out to our first spot, the reef, gave us some instructions, and in we went. Jackie decided he really didn't like it, so he stayed up on the boat. Aunt Cheryl actually still went snorkeling, which I was happy to see. She needs some fun!!! The reef was Gorgeous!!! It was just so beautiful...the coral, the blue water, the fish, everything. I think we had about an hour there. Fantastic. We were told that the water there is about 25-30/40 feet deep around that area...all the way to the ships docked out there. But, around where the very back of the ship is it just DROPS. 2-3 THOUSAND feet down. Gran Caymen is apparently the tip of a mountain!

 

Cheryl and Jackie

[JohnsPrincess]

[JohnsPrincess]

Sorry...there are soooo many awesome underwater shots!!

 

[JohnsPrincess]

When our time there was done, they drove us to the next spot, the shipwreck. It was a shop called the Cali, I think, and the story goes that it was caught in a storm and started taking on water. Instead of trying to make it all the way to Cuba, they decided to dock at the nearest island, which happened to be Gran Caymen. Well, the storm was still raging and the ship was being bashed on the dock, causing cracks and such in the ship so they decided to run it aground so it wouldn't sink. That worked perfectly and they left, preparing to return in 3-4 days, which they did. The problem was that they were a cargo ship and their cargo was...uncooked white rice packed in nice and tight. Well, after 3-4 days basically in water...the rice expanded, and split the boat in two. The captain/owner collected his insurance and left it there...where it stayed for years and years until the 1960s when the island was tired of the eye sore. So the British Army decided to blow it up. And blow it up they did. The boat is basically all flat on the ground. You can still see railings, the ribs, the mast, and more. It's just all...flat. LOL. It was Really cool to see though.

 

[1timecruiser]

I do know how it is to be back from vacation and the duties of home call and you have to be diligent about those and less concerned about doing a review. I'm glad that you did come back to finish and so far so good. I've had several laughs but to see your grandparents celebrating their 60th anniversary is a blessing!!

 

Now I have to comment on the Sabre tooth tiger (Cougar lady), you did right to have her back off of your hubby. People have no morals and even if she thought he were handsome or available, she should've cleared that and not taken it upon herself to overstep her boundaries. Though it may be considered childish to some, I think what you did will give her doubts on trying that again with anyone else's spouse/significant other. You could've been disrespectful as she was and handled it totally different so Kudos to you!! Great review keep it coming...just had to share my opinions so far. :rolleyes:

[JohnsPrincess]

[JohnsPrincess]

[JohnsPrincess]

 

They dropped us off at the dock and John and I headed out to shop!!!

 

 

We went to a rum shop and sampled some rum cake. Yum. I bought a couple small cakes, a magnet, and a couple watermelon sodas that were actually REALLY good. They were all natural. I'm not normally a soda drinker but I drank probably half of one!

 

 

There was a little craft market next door. I love that sort of stuff even though most of it is probably made in China. LOL. I grabbed a few maracas and was looking for a doll. I finally found a ladies table who had two different types. One she said she bought them...but the others she said she made. They were Very handmade looking, and adorable, so I bought one of those.

 

Then we ran to Hard Rock! I grabbed a shirt, pin, and shot glass. I have begun to collect the charms for the new bracelet, but they aren't selling them there yet, which really sucks!!

 

After that we walked around a bit more.

 

[JohnsPrincess]

We went to Margaritaville for John and got a couple small souveneirs and ran into a couple other places.

 

 

We then decided to go into Breezes for a small lunch. We sat at the bar and while ordering, who should walk in but Aunt Cheryl and Jackie! So they sat with us and we all chatted for a bit. I got the conch chowder (YUM!!!!) and John got Conch Fritters. Jackie and Aunt Cheryl got fries which were quite tasty. John and I also each got a beer that was made on the island, Cay Brew.

 

[JohnsPrincess]

Once we'd finished, John and I went to a liquor store and grabbed some coke for him and a bottle of coconut rum. We waited in line to get the tender back but the line moved quickly. It was right before 3.

 

[JohnsPrincess]

As soon as we FINALLY got through the lines to get back on the ship we came back to our room and I checked on mom and Nik. Nikki had been put on a 24 quarantine, but she was fine now.

 

We sat outside on deck until Kali and Jeremy joined us and then we all sat and talked until it was time to get ready for dinner.

 

[JohnsPrincess]

Dinner was delicious as usual. I had the sushi dish (I only liked the salmon one, but everyone else liked the others) and the seafood pasta for appetizers and then had the ribs for my main course. Good food!!!! Dessert was the fruit plate and a glass of tea but I only had a bit of the fruit because I was Stuffed!!!!

 

 

After dinner most all of us headed to Sachmo's for the Slogan Trivia. We didn't win, but some of us were close. The winners got 12 right. I had 11. That was fun but only lasted about 15 min. When that was over Kali went with Grandma to bingo. I'd have liked to go, but John didn't want to so the rest of us came back to our rooms.

 

After a bit we got a call from Kali to come down to the piano bar. A bunch of us were down there so we went down and joined them. As always, a good time was had!

 

[JohnsPrincess]

Alrighty, that gets us through Day 3! My shoulders are starting to hurt (yes, that ol' crochet injury...) so I better stop now. I'll try to post day 4 tomorrow!

[JohnsPrincess]

I do know how it is to be back from vacation and the duties of home call and you have to be diligent about those and less concerned about doing a review. I'm glad that you did come back to finish and so far so good. I've had several laughs but to see your grandparents celebrating their 60th anniversary is a blessing!!

 

Now I have to comment on the Sabre tooth tiger (Cougar lady), you did right to have her back off of your hubby. People have no morals and even if she thought he were handsome or available, she should've cleared that and not taken it upon herself to overstep her boundaries. Though it may be considered childish to some, I think what you did will give her doubts on trying that again with anyone else's spouse/significant other. You could've been disrespectful as she was and handled it totally different so Kudos to you!! Great review keep it coming...just had to share my opinions so far. :rolleyes:

 

Ooh, I almost lost your reply in between my postings! I'm glad I was looking them over! Lol

 

I'm so glad you are enjoying this. I always worry that I'll just be too boring for anyone to care about, lol!! It really was an amazing trip all around, I wish we were all back together on the boat right now!!

 

And Thank You for your opinion on the cougar, haha! I know that it was childish, but yes...I HOPE that next time she thinks twice before doing something like that. It's so ridiculous to me how some people act. Amara and I had a Real good laugh about it afterwards, which is good. I'm glad she's so brave!