*OFFICIAL* CC Group Cruise 02/15/2014 Cupid's IV Southern Caribbean - Carnival Breeze

[HeidiHo]

Just for the heck of it I went back to check the availability the Holiday Inn Bayside. I was very curious as the whether they were actually booked for the weekend or we just couldn't book because they had a Fri & Sat, 2 night minimum. Apparently they are booked because even when I checked availabilty for both Fri and Sat there was nothing available. Not that it would halp us even if there WAS availability, we'd miss the ship if we stayed through Sat. night. LOL. I was just curious.

 

We did end up getting about 8"-10" of snow yesterday and I also ended up not having to work last night. I was very surprised. Dave came home early and was driving me to work. We were a few blocks from home when my cell phone rang and it was on of the OG managers. He said that someone else had agreed to stay and close so I wouldn't be needed. So we turned around and went back home.

 

Staci will be home tomorrow afternoon. She said her 2 afternoon classes were canceled so she's coming home early. It's not unusual for classes to be canceled the last day before a break. I'm sure glad she wasn't driving home yesterday. Her car sucks in the snow. Thankfully she is in an apartment so I would have just told her to stay put. It stinks for kids in dorms sorority/fraternity houses because they usually have a deadline to be out by so they have to go no matter what. She does have a deadline for moving out of her apartment in May though. She has to be out by noon on graduation day. :eek: That's going to be a busy weekend for us. We'll probably go down the day before to help her pack up then we'll just load the vehicles the morning of graduation. Then we'll have a few hours to kill because graduation isn't till 4:00. We'll probably go out to eat before graduation then instead of after like we did with Eric. Eric didn't have to move after graduation either because he stayed there and kept working until he left for Vietnam.

 

I am off to the dentist now. I am having a crown started. YUCK! I don't work today though.

 

Have a great day. :)

[momofzeke]

It looks like winter outside again. Snowing, although nothing sticking yet. Dang.

 

Heidi ~ those restaurant options near the Fairfield sound fine. We really don't care where we eat as long as we get to. Not too worried about cost either...when we are on vacay I don't mind splurging. I'm wondering about getting to the port. After I made my reservation, there was a link to click for booking a shuttle to the port, but when I clicked it the link said that option was no longer available. I haven't had a chance to call them to find out if they do have a shuttle, or what other options there are.

 

Dave ~ sounds like you had a great cruise and a fun time in Nawlins afterwards! Although I did see your post on Facebook about not drinking the water in New Orleans and therefore no coffee......that would be very problematic for this coffee addict!

 

Heidi ~ ick, a crown. I hate dental procedures, especially when you get the bill for them! Our dentist here in town is a great guy, and a friend of ours, but he is stuck in the dark ages of dentistry. I know from talking to my kids and friends from out of town that there are much nicer ways to get your teeth worked on, massage chairs, tv & music options while getting worked on, sedation dentistry. Next time I need something other than x-rays and teeth cleaning done, I'm seriously considering going out of town for it. I mean, the technology is available, why not use it?? This guy is only a little older than me, so it's not like he's 100 years old and still hanging on to the old ways. The only other dentist in town is his brother, and he uses the same old ways. Their dad used to be one of 2 dentists in our town and I think they still use the same equipment from when their dad had the practice.

 

Anyway, good luck with the dentist and enjoy Staci!

Edited March 6, 2013 by momofzeke

[Flick]

Busy day today. Ran around doing errands this morning and afternoon then to the doctor for a shot and now a breather before we leave for church later. Tonight is the Rite of Reconciliation (formerly known as confession). We do it very differently than other Parishes and boy, is the Bishop P.O.'d! First we will have at least a thousand people there. We will also have 26 visiting priests to handle the crowd. We write out what we would like to change about ourselves then hand that piece of paper to one of the ushers who puts it in a large basket on the altar. After everyone has gone to a priest the basket is carried outdoors and dumped into a fire where our "wishes go to God". Meanwhile we have spectacular music and after the service we are generally very uplifted. We used to build the fire and dump the wishes during the service but the Bishop nearly had a heart attack when he saw THAT so now we do it at the conclusion of the service. This will be the first time in the new church so we may even have more people there than just the thousand that normally come.We really, really love sticking it to our Bishop!

[Flick]

We shop tomorrow at the Food Bank as well as Wally World for the backpacks then on Friday we pack them. Friday afternoon Kay and I leave for Orlando fo a very intense weekend seminar for Kay to learn how to be an ELK secretary. Her first session is at 8:00 Friday night and doesn't stop until 11:00 Sunday morning. We are taking a break however on Saturday night since it is our 51st. wedding anniversary and we are going to the Meltuing Pot Fondue Restaurant for a nice dinner.

[HeidiHo]

I'm wondering about getting to the port. After I made my reservation, there was a link to click for booking a shuttle to the port, but when I clicked it the link said that option was no longer available. I haven't had a chance to call them to find out if they do have a shuttle, or what other options there are.

 

 

Sue - I called and asked about a shuttle. They have one that's $12.00 pp and you sign up when you get there. I think she said it's at 11:45. That's kind of late. I wonder how much a taxi would cost. If we had a van taxi and shared it between the 4 of us it might be pretty reasonable.

[Cruisin Dave]

Miami has a flat rate for taxis from the airport to the cruise terminal. I'll post the rates tomorrow.

[HeidiHo]

Good morning!

 

Staci comes home today. :D Not much else is going on. I have to work tonight. At least the weather is good now. it's sunny. Our snow should start to melt. It's supposed to be warmer this weekend. spring will get here eventually.

 

Have a good day. :)

[Cruisin Dave]

Good morning Cupids,

Here is the Taxi rates for Miami. Hope this helps.

TAXI_RATE_MAP_March_2012.pdf

[momofzeke]

The flat rate from MIA to the Port of Miami is $24 or $25 plus tip. I got that off the CC boards yesterday. I was looking around on the Florida Departures board and found that posted.

 

Heidi ~ I would rather take a van taxi and leave earlier than 11:45 for sure. I would like to be leaving our hotel between 10:30 and 11:00. I'll bet a taxi wouldn't be any more expensive than the shuttle and it would be more convenient, plus they wouldn't have to potentially drop people off at other ships terminals before going to ours like the shuttle. Plus, if the shuttle services other hotels, it could be stopping to pick up more people at other hotels after we get on it.

 

I took Callie to the vet yesterday because she has been scratching like crazy! She didn't do this for the first 2 months we had her, but for the last month she has been scratching constantly. I have examined her and couldn't find any fleas or bugs of any kind. So I took her in to have her looked at.

 

The vet thinks she has allergies, which is what I suspected. She gave me antihistamine pills to give her, and a shampoo with steroids in it. I gave her a bath yesterday and it really has helped already.

 

Heidi ~ I had to laugh when you said that the restaurant La Rosa has no bathrooms right now. I couldn't help but think of Dave and his 6 year long bathroom project! :p I know he was working on it when you & Staci went on the cruise, but I forgot to ask if it is finished now?

 

Rick ~ you crack me up. Talking about sticking it to your Bishop reminds me of one of my favorite priests we had here when I was very active in our church. He didn't get along with the Bishop too well. Any time he would have to go to the bathroom he would say "Time to go visit the Bishop". LOL! Of course, that was only when there was a fairly small group around, he would never say it to the entire congregation. But he used to invite the eucharistic ministers and CCD teachers (I was both) to dinner at his house on occasion, and that's when we would hear that comment.

 

We have snow this morning, not much but enough to make the ground white. Ugh.

 

The well drillers were down almost 400 feet yesterday. They hit the basalt layer, which is where the water will be, at 345 feet. That means they should start seeing some water today if it is there. Fingers crossed!!!!

 

We had another test well in a different location (we had to abandon that one due to our state and their wacky laws and rules...long story). That one hit water at 390 feet, so we are hoping this well won't have to go much deeper than that. The deeper the hole, the more $$$$$$$$$, so hoping they hit it soon!!

[momofzeke]

Taxi update: just read on the Florida departures board that taxi from the Homewood Suites Blue Lagoon (Dave & Bettie are staying there) to the Port of Miami was $30. This was posted in September 2012, and the guy said that was the rate both times he stayed there.

[Cruisin Dave]

The PDF I posted above is from the MIA website.

 

Dave

[ed_k_tx]

Dave,

Glad you had a good cruise but you took the nice weather with you when you left Cozumel.:mad:

 

The Magic couldn't/wouldn't dock due to high winds and strong currents even though 5 other ships, including the Conquest, Allure of the Seas and the Mariner of the Seas all made it in. I think the collision with the pier a couple of weeks early might have had some bearing on the decision but better safe than sorry. We missed the Bar Hop so that will have to wait until next time. We're thinking about doing the 4 day out of Galveston in October for our 40th anniversary.

 

Looks like we should start looking for a place to stay in Miami next year.

We were thinking spending a couple of days in the Keys before the cruise.

I looked at flights out of Houston yesterday but they hadn't opened up yet. We'll have enough miles for a free flight on United/Continental.

 

Ed

[Cruisin Dave]

Dave,

Glad you had a good cruise but you took the nice weather with you when you left Cozumel.:mad:

 

The Magic couldn't/wouldn't dock due to high winds and strong currents even though 5 other ships, including the Conquest, Allure of the Seas and the Mariner of the Seas all made it in. I think the collision with the pier a couple of weeks early might have had some bearing on the decision but better safe than sorry. We missed the Bar Hop so that will have to wait until next time. We're thinking about doing the 4 day out of Galveston in October for our 40th anniversary.

 

Looks like we should start looking for a place to stay in Miami next year.

We were thinking spending a couple of days in the Keys before the cruise.

I looked at flights out of Houston yesterday but they hadn't opened up yet. We'll have enough miles for a free flight on United/Continental.

 

Ed

Ed, we didn't get to Cozumel until 2/28. It was our last port. You must have been there when the storms stirred up the place. Water was murky and not real good for snorkeling.

 

We are trying to build up enough miles or an international trip onetime in the future.

 

Dave

[momofzeke]

Dave ~ thanks for posting that rate chart. I didn't see it yesterday, we were posting at the same time! :D

 

Looks like the Fairfield Inn where we are booked would cost $10 for a taxi from the airport. Some of the reviews I've read about that hotel have complained about the hotel shuttle being super slow to pick up at the airport. We may just grab a taxi and not mess around with the shuttle.

 

I've been looking around at some of the other hotels available, and I think we'll just stick with the Fairfield. Dave is pretty excited about the Cuban restaurant not far from the hotel. And it is between the airport and the port, not too far from either. Some of the cheaper ones I was looking at are much further from the airport and further from the port as well. The Fairfield gets good reviews about having comfy beds and that is an important feature for us. We are super picky about our bed! :rolleyes:

 

Looks like it will be a nice day here today! So far, it is sunny. I have a DISH Network guy showing up to replace an old receiver that isn't working, so I have to hang around the house all morning. He is scheduled for anywhere between 8 am to noon. I hate that! He was supposed to have come Wednesday, but we had a snowstorm and he was running super late so I rescheduled for today. They didn't inform me until 11 am that he would not arrive until 4 pm.....so I had already hung around the house all morning waiting for him. I wasn't too happy, but I do know the roads were bad that day. Today there shouldn't be a problem with the roads.

[Cruisin Dave]

The Hilton Homewood Suites says they have a shuttle that will take you to places within 2 miles. I'll check out the Cuban restaurant.

 

Dave

[Cruisin Dave]

I now have two hotel reservations. One at the Hilton Homewood Suites and one at the Fairfield Inn. Now I'm all set. Just lead the way to the Cuban restaurant. I'm ready for a mojito!

[walkswife]

We need to get looking at hotels..... we are actually flying in on Thursday..... checking into the Fairfield today...

[momofzeke]

I would like to fly in Thursday, but not sure if I want to be gone that extra day or not. Since we live so far away from any major airport, we have to drive to the airport city the day before the flight. After the cruise, our flight will get in way too late to drive home that night, so we have to spend the night and come home the next day. The airport is a 4 hour drive or a 6 hour drive, depending if we fly out of Reno or Portland.

 

If we flew to Miami Thursday, we would have to drive to Reno or Portland Wednesday and then we won't get home until the Monday after the cruise. That's a long time to be gone, especially in the winter when we will have to get someone to feed our cows for us and make sure the stock water isn't freezing up.

 

Looks like it is going to be a gorgeous day here today! I'm ready for that, it's been cold and stormy here for a while.

 

DON'T FORGET TO SET YOUR CLOCKS AHEAD TONIGHT!!!! :D

[Cruisin Dave]

Howdy Cupids,

 

Trying to stay dry tonight. Storms through here tonight.

 

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. We meet with the grandkids this afternoon and passed out some souverneers. The kids liked theirs.

 

Dave

[ooulio]

We had snow again. Thursday and Friday. We were lucky this time. Only an inch while some places in Mass got over a foot and a half. Now I started working on the hotels. They have gone crazy. I called Intercontinental twice. $399.0 for Feb 14. I don't want to stay at the ariport. I am trying to look at Miami. Any ideas. Where we stayed at this past Feb has gone crazy too. It is enough that they raised the Breeze so much . We just cruised this past feb for 8 days. A couple hundred I can see but when it is over triple , that is crazy. Everyone told me they were were going down. They must be dreaming.

[Flick]

Well we are back and it looks like I have a brand new lap top to use. We bought Kay one two weeks ago (now 18 days) for her work as Secretary at the Lodge. Turns out the corporate ELK computer with all the bells and whistles she needs to do the job is not compatable with Windows 8. She found this out the first night we were at the seminar and was really bummed out. I spent Saturday morning going from store to store trying to buy Windows 7 to install on the lap top...no such luck except at the Microsoft Store in the Mall we were staying at. They wanted $299 for Home and $349 for Windows 7 Pro. We only paid $315.00 for the computer (was a display model). The worst part is Friday was the 15th. day after purchase and if we had the receipt with us we could return it to Wal Mart.Later on Saturday she was told that they are perhaps a month or 2 at the most from making the corporate computer compatable so for now she uses our desk top and I use the lap top. You can't buy a computer that has Windows 7 anymore. Grrrrrrrr!

[momofzeke]

Esther ~ yes, the hotels by the port are very expensive due to a huge boat show in Miami the weekend of our cruise. If you read back a couple pages, we discuss hotels and several of us have made reservations near the airport. The hotels near the port are either full or super expensive, and most require a minimum 2 night stay.

 

Rick ~ sorry about your computer woes.

 

Dave ~ hope the storms weren't too bad! Glad you had fun with the grandkiddos.

 

The well drillers are waiting for more pipe to arrive, so they are on hold until mid-week. If we ever get this cockamamie well up and running it will be a relief. We have been at this for almost 6 years and I'm ready to just know whether there's any datgum water down there or not and be done with it already!

[HeidiHo]

Good Morning!

 

It has been a icky couple of days here. We've had a lot of rain but it has warmed up and our snow is melting fast. A year ago at this time we had a very unusual heat wave and the temps were in the 80's. That's not happening this year but we have had some 40's. I think the worst of winter is over at least.

 

Having Staci home has NOT quieted the cat down like we hoped. at first maybe a little bit but she was loud last night again and this morning after I got up she kept waking Staci up. she would stand on the floor in her room and meow at her. She used to just get on the bed with her and sleep.

 

Not much else is going on. have a good day. :)

[Cruisin Dave]

Good afternoon Cupids,

 

It's sunny and cool here, today. We had a low this morning of 30 but looks like that may be the last freeze of he year. We will be in the 70s later this week and then rain next Sunday.

 

I was on Kayak Saturday night and saw a 4* hotel on Miami Beach for 119/night. I figured it was a typo and started to book it but decided to stay with the group. It was tempting tho.:D

 

Heidi, hope the weather improves. I've been seeing on the news about all the nasty weather the Midwest is experiencing.

 

Later,

Dave

[Flick]

I've been sooooo consumed by the computer problems that I forgot to tell you about Saturday nite. Earlier in the week I had called ahead and made reservations at the Melting Pot Fondue Restaurant for 6:30. Waiting for us when we arrived was a box of custom chocolate dipped strawberries and then the hostess announced that we had arrived and had been married the longest of all the anniversary couples who had made reservations for that evening - 51 years - and the ENTIRE restaurant stood up and clapped!! The staff had evened signed a card of congratulations and THEN the manager presented us with a free bottle of cabernet.......What a shock!