I got to judge the hairy chest contest! Inspiration review: 2/26/11.

[caljencruisers]

I know a lot of people have mentioned his already, but I am loving your review! I cam across it 2 days ago, but you still hadn't posted the hairy chest contest and I signed off without remembering your user name so I couldn't search for it. Thank god you posted on another thread and I was able to find your review again. I LOVE IT!!

Keep it coming lol

[gapearl]

Girl...I am really enjoying your review, as usual. It must have been fun to judge that contest. :) those men are so funny, especially the cute little grandfathers. I love to see them having fun, and acting up.

 

I love those killer shoes. Good buy.

Ps...My daughter recently moved from Dallas, Georgia. I loved it out there.

 

Thank you! It was so much fun! We were all celebrities the rest of the cruise since the contest was taped and broadcast over the tv over and over and over again.

 

I know a lot of people have mentioned his already, but I am loving your review! I cam across it 2 days ago, but you still hadn't posted the hairy chest contest and I signed off without remembering your user name so I couldn't search for it. Thank god you posted on another thread and I was able to find your review again. I LOVE IT!!

Keep it coming lol

 

Thank you so much! It will only get better when I start talking about my excursions. :) That's so cute that you're taking your husband on a surprise cruise. I don't know how I could keep that a secret!

[caljencruisers]

Thank you so much! It will only get better when I start talking about my excursions. :) That's so cute that you're taking your husband on a surprise cruise. I don't know how I could keep that a secret!

 

It's been hard, let me tell you. But I've only got 28 more days to go! Can't wait :D

[soulsistah007]

Ooooh! I loved your last review and I'm greatly enjoying this one!! Great to see you had a great time on your cruise! You also have quite the stylish cruise wear! I love your swim suit with the matching earrings, the purple dress and your silver shoes :)

[Aelsantokie]

I love your cute outfits!! I'd love to see "outfit of the day" for the cruise part!! I recognize your swimwear as well as the lady sitting next to you.

[gapearl]

It's been hard, let me tell you. But I've only got 28 more days to go! Can't wait :D

 

I sure hope you write a review on how that goes when you get back! ;)

 

 

Ooooh! I loved your last review and I'm greatly enjoying this one!! Great to see you had a great time on your cruise! You also have quite the stylish cruise wear! I love your swim suit with the matching earrings, the purple dress and your silver shoes :)

 

Thank you so much! More high fashion is on the way. :)

 

I love your cute outfits!! I'd love to see "outfit of the day" for the cruise part!! I recognize your swimwear as well as the lady sitting next to you.

 

Thanks again! I'm about to get started on Grand Cayman now.

[oncruisecontrol]

Tonight was formal night. On my way back to my room from the gym, I passed the photographers who were ready and willing to take lots of pictures of you. One asked to take my picture. Are you kidding me? I had been sitting by the pool all day, just worked out, had on ZERO makeup, was sweaty and gross, but you want me to take a picture by a pedestal with roses and champagne glasses, AND you have the nerve to tell me I look fine? Don’t make me push you overboard! I can’t help but wonder if the photographers have quotas they have to meet, or if they get a commission on photos sold and that’s why they’re so aggressive. I promised him I would be back when I was dressed up for pictures. I actually took pictures at all six photo stations. I liked all of the backgrounds and each photographer had their own style and poses they liked. Later in the cruise, I ended up buying three 8x10s. They were $22 each, and I swear, they were all retouched. Some years ago, I worked at Glamour Shots, so I know what a retouched picture looks like. I think I got a good deal.

 

Ok, back to formal night. The captain and officers were available along the promenade for a meet, greet, can I take my picture with you celebration. I think they were out from 5-8 pm, so no matter when you had dinner, you could come see them all. I had late dining, by the way. I don’t think I mentioned that yet. Everyone really went all out for the formal night this cruise. I saw lots of evening gowns and tuxedos. I didn’t see many of those on my last two cruises.

 

That's me with CD Stephanie Meads, Captain Vincenzo Miele, and Chief Engineer Giuseppe Cutugno.

 

 

 

Wow. What a great photo. Very nice. I am enjoying reading your review.

[gapearl]

Wow. What a great photo. Very nice. I am enjoying reading your review.

 

Thanks you! There's plenty more to come.

[gapearl]

DAY 3/ GRAND CAYMAN

 

I was really looking forward to coming here. I’ve only been here once, and it rained all day, so much so that parts of the island were flooded. Today was a beautiful, sunny day. We made it to Grand Cayman around 7:30 am. The Navigator of the Seas and two Princess ships were also here. I got on the tender at 9 am. It was empty when I got on and we waited about 10 minutes for it to fill up. It was about a 3 tender minute ride from the ship to land.

 

A tender at the ship.

 

 

 

 

View of Georgetown from the tender.

 

 

They love American football here!

 

 

 

I walked around for a while, bought some rum, and chatted with a lot of locals. Elmslie Memorial United Church was open, so I decided to go in and pay a visit. It was a beautiful church. One of the elders of the church and his wife were there to greet and talk to tourists. If it had been a Sunday, I definitely would have stayed and experienced their worship service. If you do stop by, be sure to sign the guestbook before leaving.

 

 

 

 

[gapearl]

Some randomness about Grand Cayman: One thing I’ve noticed from talking with locals is that GC is a melting pot of many different cultures. I don’t think I met anyone that was originally from the island. Everyone I met was from Jamaica, Cuba, Mexico, the US, etc. There are no 4 lane highways, only 2 lane roads. In Atlanta, we have 6 lanes just on one side of the interstate! That would take some getting used to if I ever moved there. Also, don’t complain about your gas prices. A gallon of regular was $5.03. That was almost 2 weeks ago, and we all know that gas has gone up since then. The entire island is only 22 miles around, so I guess you never have to drive too far to get anywhere. Also, a little note about buying alcohol in GC: They have to deliver it to the ship for you, so be sure you buy it at least 1 ½-2 hours before your ship is due to leave so there will be time to have it delivered. There’s no walking into duty free and walking out with a bottle in your hand here.

 

 

More random pictures from Grand Cayman....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[OnTheBrink]

We are sailing this ship in SIX DAYS!

 

So are we! AND - we are from Lakeland as well!

See you there!

[gapearl]

I had made plans in advance to do a horse swim with Pampered Ponies. I can’t say enough good things about them! Lori, the owner, and I communicated through email for weeks prior to my cruise, and we spoke on the phone about a week prior to finalize my reservation. She had me down for a private horse swim, but if anyone else booked, it would turn into a group ride (which is what I actually wanted). Lori is from FL, moved to GC 17 years ago, and has been in business for 15 years. I met her in front of the Casanova Restaurant at 11 am sharp. We stopped by the Westin Hotel to pick up a family of 3 that booked at the last minute. Yay, I got a group ride after all! They were a husband/wife/college student daughter family visiting GC for a week from Louisiana.

 

We took a 20 minute scenic ride through town, away from the tourist areas, to her property. Her two guides were Bing and Elvis (not the king). Lori got on a horse and showed us how to use the reigns and guide them. This was my second time on a horse in life, so I was excited. My horse was Moonstruck (at least I think that was his name). We all saddled up and headed towards the beach. If you’re an experienced rider, you can have your horse go as fast as you want, even run. We rode our horses for about 15 minutes, passing some breathtaking scenery. This really is paradise!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I thought the horse was having a temper tantrum, but it was actually rolling in the sand to get all the sweat off it's back.

 

[gapearl]

Finally, we reached the point of where our swim ride would be taking place. Bing & Elvis tied the horses and let them rest while they took the saddles off. The rest of us took advantage of the 83 degree weather and took a dip in the ocean. We got back on our horses and were instructed to hold on to the horse’s mane since there was no saddle. They assured us we would not be hurting the horses at all. Here we go, off into the ocean! The water was so warm!

 

 

 

 

View of the beach from the ocean. We were way out there!

 

 

Me with one of our guides.

 

 

Who said you can't have fun cruising by yourself?? I had a blast!!!!!

 

 

The horses would walk where the water was shallow, and as soon as we came to a deep area, they would swim for about 5 minutes to the next shallow sandbar. At the sandbar, we let the horses rest for a few minutes before heading out swimming again. This was repeated multiple times. We must have been in the water at least 30 minutes. There was one point I almost fell off. It was pretty funny! After making it back to the shore, the horses were tied again and given time to rest. We saddled them back up and headed back to the stables. I can easily say this is on my top 10 list of the coolest things I’ve ever done! I would highly recommend this if you’re adventurous and looking for something fun to do!

 

On the ride back, we passed another group of riders. It was a big group of about 12-15 and really made me appreciate my small group of 4 plus 2 guides. Judging by the way those people were dressed, I think they were just doing a ride along the beach and not a swim ride. I commented to one of the guides that those horses looked very small compared to the ones we were riding. (Someone else from the family made the same comment on the drive back into town, so I wasn’t the only one who noticed.) He said it could be that they were just a different breed of horses or they could have been malnourished. Honestly, I think it was the latter. Lori’s horses are big, very strong, and obviously well fed, loved, and well taken care of. She gave us a small discount, so I paid $112 for the ride, plus gave a $5 tip to each of our guides.

 

There were the awesome guides who lead the tour. Again, I highly recommend Pampered Ponies!

 

 

 

It was about 1:40 pm when we were headed back to the ship. I was very nervous because we were told the last tender would be at 2 pm. The ship was not scheduled to leave until 3, so I figured they said 2 to make sure everyone was back in a timely fashion. Lori assured me I would make it back with plenty of time to spare. She was right! I made it back at exactly 2 pm, and ended up waiting 20 minutes for a tender. It was funny looking at how RED everyone was from being in the sun all day. I don’t think I’ve ever seen passengers this red. Everyone really looked burned! I made it back on the ship at 2:30 and headed straight to the lido deck for lunch.

 

That’s all for now. I have to go get some cleaning done. To be continued later…..

[cruzinlawyer]

I've been enjoying your review! Your excursion in GC looked awesome!!! It was nice chatting with you on deck. We've been back for a little over a week and I can't wait to go again.

[gapearl]

so are we! And - we are from lakeland as well!

See you there!

 

have funnnnnn!!!!! :d

[gapearl]

I've been enjoying your review! Your excursion in GC looked awesome!!! It was nice chatting with you on deck. We've been back for a little over a week and I can't wait to go again.

 

Hey there! I'm glad you're enjoying it. GC was AWESOME! I put some of that rum I bought to good use last night and made the best rum punch ever. :D I'm also looking forward to my next one. It was nice meeting and chatting with you too!

[cdamion]

Love the review, always looking forward to the next installment!

[luv2gonow]

Great review.....love the pics....Would love to do a solo cruise....but i am spoiled with balconies and sooooo pricey for 1.

 

15 yrs ago I went to Europe by myself on a tour for 10 days and it only cost me an extra 150 bucks to have my own room....couldn't believe it.

 

Keep it coming:D

Kerri

[ATL2LAS]

Oh wow...that looked like you had a blast. I will have to keep that tour bookmarked for my next cruise to GC. That spirit of adventure will keep you sailing for decades:D.

[navybaby1113]

That horse swim looks like so much fun!

[gapearl]

have funnnnnn!!!!! :d

 

I don't know what happened to my post here. That was supposed to be in all caps with a :D.

 

I'll try again. HAVE FUNNNNNNN!!!!!!! :D

[gapearl]

Love the review, always looking forward to the next installment!

 

Thanks! I'm sure you won't be disappointed with the rest!

 

Great review.....love the pics....Would love to do a solo cruise....but i am spoiled with balconies and sooooo pricey for 1.

 

15 yrs ago I went to Europe by myself on a tour for 10 days and it only cost me an extra 150 bucks to have my own room....couldn't believe it.

 

Keep it coming:D

Kerri

 

Thanks to you too! I can't imagine the solo price for a balcony! :eek: I've also done Hawaii and St. Thomas solo. That's great you got to see Europe for 10 days. I bet that was incredible.

[gapearl]

Oh wow...that looked like you had a blast. I will have to keep that tour bookmarked for my next cruise to GC. That spirit of adventure will keep you sailing for decades:D.

 

Indeed! Stay tuned for my Cozumel excursion. It gets better. :)

 

That horse swim looks like so much fun!

 

It was! I don't think I'll ever forget that.

[rex00111]

So are we! AND - we are from Lakeland as well!

See you there!

 

Small world :)

Our son goes to Highlangs Grove (9 y/o), and he said he overheard a kid in his math class saying he was going Cozumel with his family during spring break...he said, "hey, we are going there too!" Could that be you guys???

[OnTheBrink]

Small world :)

Our son goes to Highlangs Grove (9 y/o), and he said he overheard a kid in his math class saying he was going Cozumel with his family during spring break...he said, "hey, we are going there too!" Could that be you guys???

 

No. Our kids go to Lakeland Montessori. But my daughter is 9! We'll meet you in a few days!