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Review: Triumph - Galveston - 5/17/12 (w/ pics)

AgVball

By AgVball,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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AgVball

AgVball

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Last week enjoyed our first cruise on the Carnival Triumph that sailed out of Galveston and stopped in Cozumel (4 nights). I've been on several cruises and I've had lovely intentions of writing reviews including lots of pictures, but I've never done it. Sooooo....I'm starting to write my review right now. If there is anything specific you would like to know, let me know so I can cover it.

 

I've uploaded pictures here on Shutterfly - http://carnivaltriumph051712.shutterfly.com/ I'm hoping that will work. As of this posting, I haven't gotten all of my "descriptions" loaded on the pictures just yet.

 

I'll be back with more details on our trip.

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tootsiebit

tootsiebit

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Can't wait....sailed on her last October and going again in November and I always get excited to see Triumph reviews, especially with pictures.....on several of yours I saw my chair and spot I spent a LOT of time in on the Lido last October.....brings back good, relaxing, memories and much anticipation for November!!!!!

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AgVball

AgVball

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cruisingsouth: I'm just using my camera phone - Samsung Galaxy II S (not bad considering it accidentally fell in the toilet when I first bought it!)

 

All: I just uploaded the Fun Times for all 4 days in case anyone wants to see the activities/days/times. I did it with a camera rather than scanning to PDF. I was hoping it would be better quality and you can zoom in. If you think its better to PDF, let me know.

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AgVball

AgVball

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Where and when did you sign up for the wine and food pairing?

 

I have to admit, Carnival does a poor job of advertising/marketing this event (compared to RCCL, and maybe even Princess). They announced it once, but didn't even have signs up to show the event was happening or where to enter. We basically just showed up to the event 5 minutes early, got a table for two and was right in front of the Matre D (sp?). It was $10/pp. Entrance is on the lower level London Dining Room near the middle of the ship, not the rear entrance.

 

I haven't done my review yet, but I have to say, this was THE BEST wine tasting/pairing event we have attended over the 10-11 years we have been cruising. Damir (I think that was his name, Matre D for London) did an excellent job (I'll get in to more details later).

 

Now, for the "Chef's Table" or whatever that thing was - I called on board maybe @ 5pm or so - that bad boy was "sold out" and supposedly the waiting list was also full - and they wouldn't bother to tell me when the event was even to be held. I thought that was VERY odd. (this was room service telling me this - and it said to call them for details). I could have double checked with the Matre D, but I didn't - so be it. If you can sign up ahead of time, do it - it sounds very interesting - didn't run in to anyone who attended.

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munchkin4

munchkin4

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I have to admit, Carnival does a poor job of advertising/marketing this event (compared to RCCL, and maybe even Princess). They announced it once, but didn't even have signs up to show the event was happening or where to enter. We basically just showed up to the event 5 minutes early, got a table for two and was right in front of the Matre D (sp?). It was $10/pp. Entrance is on the lower level London Dining Room near the middle of the ship, not the rear entrance.

 

I haven't done my review yet, but I have to say, this was THE BEST wine tasting/pairing event we have attended over the 10-11 years we have been cruising. Damir (I think that was his name, Matre D for London) did an excellent job (I'll get in to more details later).

 

Now, for the "Chef's Table" or whatever that thing was - I called on board maybe @ 5pm or so - that bad boy was "sold out" and supposedly the waiting list was also full - and they wouldn't bother to tell me when the event was even to be held. I thought that was VERY odd. (this was room service telling me this - and it said to call them for details). I could have double checked with the Matre D, but I didn't - so be it. If you can sign up ahead of time, do it - it sounds very interesting - didn't run in to anyone who attended.

 

Thanks for the info. I have always wanted to do the wine and food pairing but not sure they had it on our other sailings. This year we are traveling with friends so I think it will be a great "gals" activity. I'll keep my eye on the Fun Times.

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AgVball

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Carnival Triumph - Thursday May 17, 2012 - Galveston - 4 nights (stop in Cozumel)

Pictures can be found at: http://carnivaltriumph051712.shutterfly.com

 

We drove in to Galveston on Thursday near lunch time and ate at Fish Tales along the sea wall. http://www.fishtalesgalveston.com/

We typically eat there before a cruise, and I love their buffaloed crawfish tails!!! They have upstairs and outdoor seating as well. Service is usually "ok", but, we go their for the tails. Across the street used to be the Flagship hotel (a hotel that was on a pier) - it was destroyed in the last hurricane. Now, the pier will host Pleasure Pier - rides and restaurants (including Bubba Gump). http://www.pleasurepier.com/ They were just finishing up some construction. We noticed that they made some changes around Fish Tales for extra parking and it will now be paid parking (probably for FT customers too). Oh, forgot to mention, FT also has an Ice Cream parlor bar up front serving Blue Bell ice cream!

 

We then headed over to EZ Cruise Parking http://ezcruiseparking.com/ for our pre-paid cruise parking. We have used them for several years and have been pleased. They will shuttle you, your party and the luggage over to the terminal (and back). Usually this lot is cheaper than the "official" parking lot, and the shuttling seems to be faster too (or at least for us). Pulling up to the terminal, the driver was very clear about where to come to catch the shuttle on the way back.

 

Checkin: We walked in the terminal door at 1.40pm (you were supposed to board between 12.30 and 2.30). This was our first time with Carnival, so we were not VIPs (like we are Diamond with RCCL). If you are VIP, there is a separate shorter line that will take you right to the security checkpoint. For the "rest of us", you move through the line maze. We kept moving the whole time. We brought some alcohol in our carry on, and a security person had to read the wine bottle to check the alcohol %. Otherwise, it was really easy. All of the workers were super friendly. We were walking on to the ship at 2.10pm (30 minutes total).

 

We entered the ship @ the 3rd deck near a bar. We quickly went up to the 6th/Upper floor to Balcony Room 6258. Let me just mention that we booked the cruise maybe just 2-3 weeks before (normally we book a cruise 8-12 months ahead). My husband is usually pretty picky about his rooms, but he always wants at least a balcony. I've always been curious about a "Guarantee"...and this time he was willing to try it out since this trip was just the two of us. Once the trip was booked, our room was assigned within 24 hours (i can't remember how fast). We ended up with the lowest category of balcony - but that was ok - we knew that was possible. This room is Port / Forward and over the 3rd floor of the Rome Lounge. Generally this room is quiet, however, one morning my husband woke up at 8.00 and another morning 9.00 due to the show performers practicing. Eventually, I woke up (not from the music), but yes, you could definitely hear it as I sang with them getting ready in the bathroom. ;) The room is closer to the stairs and elevator, but not too bad. There were quite a few people hanging in the hallway during the morning of Cozumel. A lot of people didn't quite understand the concept of being quiet in hallways, that your voice carries in to other rooms. This room had a shower, no tub. The balcony accomodates two chairs and a small metal table. We enjoyed the fact the room steward kept the balcony "glass" clean during our stay - which drives us nuts on another line. We didn't meet our room steward until the next day - Friday. We thought that was a little odd - the RCCL (and Princess) stewards are always around and making themselves available. Our room was kept clean and that's what was important.

 

While waiting for Muster, we enjoyed some goodies my Husband had ordered for the room (Champagne, strawberries, chocolate, fruit and cheese basket). We proceeded to station D. They really pack people in there. If you are claustraphobic, I recommend being on the later side of showing up. If you need to have a drink (like from the bar) after the Muster, you probably want to order it before Muster (before they close the bar) and just sit it down somewhere during Muster. After Muster, it will take forever to get a drink at the bar due to the shear number of people ordering. The bartenders work on one person at a time (as opposed to land bartenders who move at breakneck speeds). My husband went back to the balcony, but I went off roaming the ship. I took quite a few pictures at this point. I tried to find the Carnival Camp (for @ 4-5 year olds, but all that I saw were doors for the older kids). The locker room (where you enter for the gym) is really nice. And of course you get a great view from the gym - although I never did work out. Tons of people were on the 9 to 11 decks as we sailed away.

 

Day 1 evening:

Stop by the bar (forgot the name) on the 3rd or 4th floor in the middle of the ship. If you love classic country, you'll love listening to Jerry sing while he plays the guitar (Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, etc.) We went to the Welcome Aboard Show (7.30p) in the Rome Lounge since our late dinner didn't start until 8.15pm. This theatre is interesting compared to RCCL. They had quite a few "couches" or seats for two. Most seats had either a table in front of them, or, the armrest area had a table top. Also, in the balcony, they had lots of railing - which is really good for a rocky cruise (which ours was not) or for someone needing assistance. However, if you sit upstairs with railing, try to sit closer to the middle/center. We found that as you move closer to the stage, it seems like the railing gets in your eye sight. The show featured the ship's dancers and also comedians (they were performing later tonight). We of course met our Cruise Director - Tex.

 

We were assigned to table 456 in the Paris Dining Room (late dining - starting at 8.15p). I thought that would be deck "4" because of the table number, but no, it was on deck 3. We were sitting in a booth with another couple - they were from Midland, TX (hi Joe & Sally!). They were the cutest couple - their first cruise ever and had been married 25 years! At first when I walked up, I thought "this is gonna be weird - a BOOTH - staring at another couple - I hope we get along with them and find things to talk about!!" On my other cruises, we have been at round tables with more people, so you at least have a shot of carrying on a conversation with SOMEone. We lucked out, we chatted non-stop at every dinner. There were long rectangular tables next to us, but it seemed weird where the couples looked different or moved around, and sometimes they didn't even sit near each other to try to talk. I've posted the menus on my shutterfly site. I had the Duck Breast, Caesar Salad. I can't remember my entree - maybe the Tilapia. I forgot to take a picture of the desert menu. I do know that the chocolate melting cake is available each night. I believe I had a cheesecake - it was "ok".

 

After dinner, we stopped by the California Wine Bar. Bartender Zoran does an excellent job (we visited him nightly). He does a great job of remembering people. Flights (sp?) of Martinis were VERY popular ;) We went to the Rio Lounge to catch the "adult" comedy show (11pm). We got there @ 20 minutes early. Yes - you need to get there early if you think you will get a seat. It is definitely adult comedy - so don't go if you are easily offended by ethnic jokes (picks on everyone) or sexual jokes. We then stopped in at the piano bar (The Big Easy). Russell is really good!! - he is from the Philippines and definitely sounds like Neil Diamond and also morphs in to Elton John at times. ;) I love the bar! They have oyster shells all over the wall and ceiling - so I thought that was an interesting idea. The bar itself is so cool, they have built a round bar (actually seating area) around the piano with fake piano keys on the table top area. Lots of lounge seating available in the rest of the bar. During the cruise, we even saw a private party in there (bachlorette party).

 

We used the stairs quite a bit, but I also liked how the elevators were grouped together (compared to RCCL/Mariner) - it just seemed like there were more elevators available. A band plays in the Casino - and some folks create a dance floor too. I like the chairs that line up along the edge of the casino. You can just people watch, or, if your party is gambling and you don't want to, you can have a seat. This is also where they have games (bean bag toss, trivia, etc.) This is also where they sell Sushi at times as well - we saw it actually open once or twice. They also have a ton of photography backgrounds setup on this 5th floor before dinner.

 

Stay tuned for more...

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PSkinner

PSkinner

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My husband and I are sailing for our anniversary and I have ordered champagne too. Do you have to order the glasses separate? I ordered the Romance package but would love to order the glasses also.

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skittl1321 Great Review Rare

skittl1321

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It's not super important or anything but do you know what movies they play on the screen outside? My son was curious... :)

 

In April they played Thor as one of the movies...

 

 

OP- thanks for the review. I love reading about other people's experiences on the same ship. It brings back my memories. I'm bummed to hear the wine tasting was awesome. We skipped it, because they wouldn't let me sit with DH and not participate (I don't drink wine), he didn't want to do it alone. Sad he missed out.

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AgVball

AgVball

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From my DH regarding the Champagne and flutes:

There are multiple "anniversary" packages you can order that come with the champagne glasses. I ordered the glasses by themselves because I wanted to pick my own champagne instead of what they offered in their package that included the champagne.

 

I'm pretty sure that if you ordered a non-anniversary package, they will bring regular flutes - and if not - just ask the room service delivery person. I know they also have the Anniversary flutes for sale in the gift shop as well (once it opens). Oh, I think the cutoff to order stuff online is 7 days (or something like that) - you can still call them and order stuff for the room even if you can't do it online (that's what we ended up doing).

 

As far as movies - I don't have it in front of me, but, if you look at the Fun Times pictures that I took, they should be listed in there. I thought you could zoom in on those pics, but not so sure. I think you can download them, then zoom in if needed.

From what I can tell at the Seaside Theatre:

Thursday: Rod Stewart concert, Ray Charles concert, Gone with the Wind, The Aviator

Friday: Tina Turner concert, The Break Up, The Fellowship of the Ring

Saturday: Michael Jackson concert, March of the Penguins, Michael Buble concert, Toy Story, Lion King,

Sunday: Tina Turner concert, Rudy, Field of Dreams

There are different movies listed for the TV in your stateroom (also on the Fun Times in my pics). We saw several people out on the desk watching movies or just sleeping bundled up ;)

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AgVball

AgVball

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So happy for you guys about to board!

 

I'm still working on the next day's review....will post soon.

Before I forget, I just wanted to share this tidbit from Galveston, looks like the Pleasure Pier is open (at least somewhat) over the next week - they have prices listed - just an FYI for those looking for something to do. http://www.galveston.com/

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AgVball

AgVball

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...Continued

 

Carnival Triumph - Thursday May 17, 2012 - Galveston - 4 nights (stop in Cozumel)

Pictures can be found at: http://carnivaltriumph051712.shutterfly.com

 

Day 2 - Friday 18th:

I think my husband woke up (#6258) @ 8am to the sound of the musicians and dancers practicing in the Rome Lounge. I don't think I woke up until 9.30 or so (we were up after midnight, and I LOVE to sleep). Previous cruises, we have always eaten breakfast at the buffet, but our last cruise on an RCCL was a sick ship, so we have now gotten used to eating at the dining room. We headed to the Paris Dining Room for breakfast and were sat at a rectangular table for 8. We met another couple from Midland/Odessa (that' where our dinner mates were from). I posted a picture of the breakfast menu - its the same each day. Order as much or little as you want. The Salmon/Bagel was really good.

 

After breakfast, we finally ended up meeting our stateroom attendant. I'm not sure of his name as I think we saw him all of 3 times and never really bonded. Our room was kept clean - it just seemed strange compared to our prior cruises.

 

I think it was 11 or so, the "shops" had a $10 sale for a certain brand of items. Pashminas (sp?), floppy beach hats, costume jewelry, a variety of things. I think those items are typically $10 (you'll notice no prices on the tags), but during the "sale", I think they had a promo of buy 3 get a free raffle ticket. It was packed on that side of the shop where the sale was. They had a contest to "Guess the fake Tanzanite" ring. But, you had to be present to win (I think @ 2pm)....which I later figured I wouldn't be there (due to the Wine Tasting).

 

I was bummed because I missed the "on your mark, get set, draw" game - I was way too comfy up on the 10th deck reading a book. Man - there are SOOO many chairs and a lot of deck space (compared to RCCL Mariner/Voyager). They have stacks of chairs - you'll just need to find a place to put it! Oh, I saw these really cute "clamps" (not sure how to describe - bigger than a chip bag clip) - anyway - people clamped their towel edges/corners down to the chair so it wouldn't blow off when they got up. I think they might sell them in the shops. I wanted to go see but I forgot. I sat on the side of Deck 10 - dang - it was SOOO windy - I walked back closer to around the pool area, and those people weren't getting blown away like I was. I didn't pay attention to the temperature (not sure if it was in the Fun Times), but it was very nice - not too hot (compared to our 100+ degree days in Texas).

 

I can't comment on lunch because I think I ended up skipping it - since we had such a late and big breakfast. Plus, we kept snacking on our cheese and fruit in the room.

 

1.30pm was the Wine Tasting/Pairing in the London Dining Room. We were surprised by a couple of things: 1.) our Dining Room server did not say anything about it the night before (past cruises, they really try to market it) 2.) There was no signage at either entrance of the Dining Room (like "Come join us for Wine Tasting at 1.30pm" or "Enter at the other side"). We showed up at 1.25p and got a great seat. I didn't feel like sharing a table this time, so we picked a table for two and it happened to be in front of the presenter. They must has had more people show up than intended because they had to bring out more settings. The London Dining Room Maitre D was the host - I believe his name was Damir and I believe he was from Croatia. He did a FANTASTIC job! My husband and I have been to wine tastings on NCL, RCCL, Princess and now Carnival, and I thought he did the best job. My husband is well versed at wines, but he likes to go just for the experience, to try maybe new wines, and just hear what they have to say. By each glass, Damir would have you look at the color, smell it, then taste it. He would talk about what your initial perception of the wine. Then, he would have you eat or taste something (cheese, salt, lemon, etc.), taste the wine again, then compared how the wine tasted differently just based on the food pairing. At other tastings, they are too worried about asking you "do you smell pear or grape? Do you smell oak or smoke?". Damir was very funny and easy to understand - often tossing in a few jokes or personal experiences. After the event, I told him what an excellent job he did - that it was the best I have been to. (I give vball coaching clinics, and I also help people with various things, so I appreciated his presentation skills too). Anyway, he mentioned that his wife is a Sommelier (a wine expert). Another surprise, that they didn't try to sell you wine or a wine package. Other lines try to sell you stuff. A side note, there are wine packages available at the dining rooms - i have pictures of the packages but we didn't get them since my husband wants to pair it up with his dinner. Oh, BTW - enter the dining room from the mid/forward entrance rather than the aft/rear entrance - that is where you pay.

 

I was a little bummed that Karaoke was going on during the Wine Tasting. I love karaoke - watching and not performing - I had heard there were a couple good ones, but a lot of bad ones too ;) I did some more reading at the pool and ended up missing more Trivia again.

 

Before dinner, we were going to stop by for some Latin Music, but it didn't look like anyone was there - so not sure what happened there - but we hung out at the California Wine Bar instead. We had a nice time meeting others who were sitting at the bar. Most of the action seems to be on the 5th floor (casino, top deck of the Rome Lounge, Rio Lounge, Piano Bar, Disco)

 

Dinner was "formal" - I think they called it formal (in the dining room). DH likes to dress up in a Tux - and he looks so stately - he receives many compliments - I feel like he's my trophy husband sometimes ;) I believe they said no shorts and items of that nature. So, you can dress up as much or as little as you want. For us, we really don't mind too much what others wear - we dress for ourselves. On the other nights, he would dress up in a jacket and tie, and me in a summery dress. I got the alligator fritters and the mushrooms for starters. I got the Lobster Tail and Shrimp. None of the wait staff pulled/cut the meat out from the shell (like we've had done elsewhere) - I was hoping my tail didn't go flying across the room when I was trying to cut it out (maybe I just had a bad angle on it) I want to say I got Cherries Jubiliee for dessert. Our server, Antara (from Indonesia) was very attentive and did a nice job. Bar service did pretty good by stopping by when you first sat down to see if you needed any alcohol (wine, beer, others). They only offer bread once at the very beginning. That was probably a good thing ;) However, if you are a bread lover, or, you are super hungry and you need more, you'll need to ask for more bread since they don't offer. The next aisle over had a bunch of early 20's girls - for a bachelorette party. Those girls were having a great time at dinner - I could only imagine during the day! Their servers REALLY hammed it up - it was hilarious.

 

After dinner, our dinner mates were heading to the 70's party, which sounded like fun, but we went to the show - Wonderful World - in the Rome Lounge. They had song and dance for different countries of the world. To me, the show started off slow, but it got better throughout the show and ended up great!

 

Afterward, we went back to the Piano Bar (the Big Easy). This time, we got to sit AT the bar - its hard to get a seat there - its always full at the bar, although they have plenty of non-bar seating too. I love the fake piano keys they have running around the bar - and I love how it surrounds the performer. Russell was the piano player / singer, and he is from the Philippines. He has a list of tunes that he knows. Sometimes, he'll know something not on the list - like Journey's Don't Stop Believin'. Its a ton of fun when you get people who are really in to singing a long. We had one jerk in there who insisted Russell play a Garth Brooks tune that was not on his list. Russell told him that he would learn it and play it for him the next night - so come back. The guy kept being a jerk. Ladies near me said he was a jerk in the Casino the previous night. Finally, the next time he carried on about that song, I quickly requested "Hit the road Jack!" - he got the hint and left, and we all sang along! ;) Russell has a fun tip jar - its a basketball hoop with a bucket underneath of it. Be sure to take some $1 bills with you - crumple them up - and shoot them in to the hoop.

 

After we left the Piano Bar at 1.30am, we passed by the Disco - that place was ROCKIN' and packed! We didn't stop ;)

 

 

A few random side notes I don't think I have mentioned but don't want to forget:

"Raffles" - I think the Gym had a raffle on the first day (not sure about the prize), but you had to be present, and I think the drawing occurred like right after muster. I made it up there the first day as I was looking around. I thought "Dang - I didn't even know anything was going on!" The "shops" (I think they are on the 5th floor?). After one of the game shows (I think the 60 seconds or less show), the participants all earned raffle tickets for a "Free Cruise giveaway". So, I'm guessing it helps to participate when you can in case you win a free cruise!

 

Automatic Gratuities - I think it was this 2nd day that a note came to the rooms that your gratuities would be automatically added to your stateroom bill for your convenience. The interesting thing was that my husband had declined that option when he booked the sailing on Carnival's site. Apparently, they don't honor their own system. We didn't really fight it - I'm sure we could have manually disbursed the gratuities if we had called or went down to the customer service desk. We were used to RCCL who gives out envelopes so you can put a voucher in there (for pre-paid gratuities), or, you can put cash in there. My husband likes to hand over cash to ensure the people get their money. Also, for those who do a fantastic job, he likes to give them extra. So, if you plan to give cash, you will need to check in (or call) the customer service desk. And, you might want to bring your own envelopes to put the cash in.

 

Drinks and Prices - Beers (at least Amstel) ran 4.95+tip. However, Buckets of Beer (4 of aluminum bottles) were $2 off. One bartender told my husband he would save $2 if he bought 2 buckets (which he was going to buy two buckets anyway) - but either he was wrong or my husband heard him wrong - he got $2 off each bucket - and he got $2 off single buckets too. A can of coke/soda/pop will run $1.95+tip You can bring Wine, water, pop/soda/coke on board with you - you need to check the rules on it. Oh, I think "Drink of the Day" is $7.25+tip...if you save and reuse your plastic glass, it is 6.25 ($1 off). Oh, I saw the cutest decorative cups each day!!!! I saw a BlowFish, DiscoBall, the Carnival Ship Tail, and at least one more. They have a cup inside, then the decoration goes over the cup - I swear one day it was like $12, but then I thought another day one was $10 - anyway - they were really fun looking.

 

I forgot to mention previously, but, @ 5-ish or so the first day, I called room service to find out about the Chef's Dinner (or something like that). It was a special limited dinner and included a Galley Tour. I think it was $75/person. I don't know if there were pre-signups or not - but it did say to contact Room Service/Matre D/someone like that. Anyway, I called Room Service - they told me it was full. I asked about a Wait List - it was full. I asked what day it was even supposed to be held - we don't know. I should have called back to get someone else. That was the most bizarre conversation ;) Either it truly sold out, or they didn't have it. If you REALLY want to do it, see if you can pre-book it, or call them as soon as you get on the ship.

 

<wow - i've never ran in to a smiley limitation on a posting before - apparently you've had a good time when you use too many smilies in your review>

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AgVball

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...Continued

 

Carnival Triumph - Thursday May 17, 2012 - Galveston - 4 nights (stop in Cozumel)

Pictures can be found at: http://carnivaltriumph051712.shutterfly.com

 

Day 3 - Saturday 19th:

On the third day, we arrived in Cozumel. We knew there would probably be showers. It had started to rain the prior night before we went to bed. It was raining quite a bit in the morning. We slept in again this time, although no one was practicing in the Rome Lounge this time. The people were in our hallway were pretty loud though as they huddle in the hallway and talk about the day's plans.

 

In the past, we have typically booked our excursions outside of the cruise line. Prior to kids, we would scuba dive at all of our ports. This time, we debated on whether to dive or not. We would have needed to go to a pool to test out our equipment as well as our own skills. Instead, we figured we would catch a cab and go to Mr. Sancho's beach. http://www.mrsanchos.com/ We've stopped there the past couple of times and had the best time last December when the girls were old enough to enjoy the beach. The entrance fee is free, but you will have to pay for all drinks and food. I think they have a day fee, like $50/person ... and I think you get food/drink and maybe better chairs or placement of chairs. I think there is a small fee if you want to play with water toys. They have an area to shower off before you leave. Restrooms are available and are kept clean - in fact in the ladies restroom, and attendnant stays in there. Unfortunately, the rain didn't let up until maybe Noon or just after. We hung out up in the Buffet area and just watched the people and the area. This was probably the first time we actually ate from the buffet - it was ok. It was very "foggy" looking from the rain - you couldn't really see much at all. There were plenty of people braving the rains to go shop or go on their excursion. There were "Pedallac's" (like Rickshaw's) available to carry 2-3 people from the ship to the shops (my pictures show that these were actually Made in the USA). We decided to at least walk through the shops to compare against the RCCL shops. The initial shops you go in to is one filled with perfume, liquor, cigarettes, chocolates, etc. You must have your cruise card when getting off the ship. If you leave the Liquor store in to the other shops/restaurants, they want to see a picture ID (passport or DL) as well as your cruise card. We have been used to years past of just using your cruise card, so we actually went back to the ship to get our drivers licenses. My guess, if you only had your cruise card, you could still get on, maybe with a little hassle. Anyway, as you walk through the liquor shop, you are offered MANY times free samples of tequila. We didn't take any, but, as many times as we were offered Tequila, I'm thinking you could get a little buzz just from the shops (but oh the haggling you would have to endure). There were a couple or restaurants in there (you can see the 3 Amigos in my pictures) and there was another big one as well - one side of it playing country music, and the other side playing club. They had many shops - selling maracas, cheap tiny guitars, shops of "cheap souvenirs" (wanted to go in but didn't have time), some diamond/jewelry shops. I think there was a leather shop as well. Even if you only make it through the shops, I'm sure you can find something for your friend/family back home. Almost back to the pier, we saw massage tables, and some beach chairs. You'll see some pics with the palm trees looking back at the ship - ahhhh. I have to admit, while we were off the ship and looking at the blue water, I SOOO wished we had boned up on our scuba skills (and equipment) - because you dive even in the rain so we could have had a whole day diving with Alison (http://www.scubawithalison.com/)

 

You were supposed to be back on the ship by 3.30pm, but, I had signed up for a "Spa Special" at 3pm. So, we were back on the ship and on our balcony @ 2.40 or so. After 2.50pm, for some reason, the lines backed WAY up trying to get back on the ship (see pics). Even when we got on, we saw a small group to one side and we heard it had something to do with Alcohol - so who knows if maybe Alcohol was holding everyone up. I don't know about Carnival, but on other lines, it is normally not like that (see my pics) - even last minute it is not lined up like that. For newbies, the ship staff will take your alcohol purchases and stash them for the remainder of the cruise, then you will get them back the last night or in the morning of the debarkation.

 

In the Spa, I showed up a couple of minutes early because I knew I would have to fill out paperwork. They hand you a clipboard and you walk over to the Salon to fill it out and wait. I was called back from 5 to 10 minutes after my appointment time. I was walked back by Rose to a small room. They try to ask questions about your background and "issues" so, 1.) they know what to do/try 2.) they know what to upsell you at the end ;) I forget what mine was called, but it was 75 minutes including massage, with stones, facial, and a couple other things. I'm not sure if the massage is really 75 minutes long, or if that includes the question/answer period. I was disappointed in the "hot stone" piece. I expected my back to be covered in the hot stones, but instead, all she did was put a stone in her palm and rub it on me. I say this because you'll notice on some of their spa services that you can add hot stones for $20. If you are interested (in hot stones), inquire more about it. I ended buying a couple of products - which I knew would be somewhat over priced, but I did want to try a couple. The products are Elemis and you can find them on Amazon and maybe other places online. Carnival's spa services are via TimeToSpa.com Oh, during my massage time, I heard a bazaar noise and wondered what that was and if it was going to continue. I thought "surely that's not the ship's horn, because we should have already left!" I heard it again. After I got back to the room, sure enough, my DH told me about the lines and how we did not leave on time....so that was the ship's horn I heard. The massage was nice - overpriced, but, I haven't done a massage on a ship for 10 years and I wanted to treat myself (plus I just needed massage anyway). I was disappointed in the atmosphere though. On NCL's Norway (10 years ago), they had a nice waiting area where you sat in your robe near a warm fountain area - it was really nice just to wait for your turn.

 

I believe we just roamed the ship, then got ready for dinner early and hung out again. I think we tried to go to the Rome Lounge for a "show", but Monuments, Flags & Places ended up being a game/show (which we weren't interested in). I don't know if we missed the description, but sometimes we wished they would denote what an event is - game, show, dance, etc. so you can set your expectations. We stopped by the Wine Bar, and then headed to the Rio Lounge to catch some Karaoke before we went to dinner. I love to watch Karaoke. Ugh - it was so horrible. There were a couple of the same people who kept getting up there. It was obvious there were some inside jokes going on between parties who have been singing the past couple of days. We ended up just leaving - that's how bad it was ;) My favorite Karaoke was Princess Idol (on Princess) where they made it a contest and had a finale at the end.

 

We went to dinner at 8.15. My picture didn't turn out of the menu, and I can't remember what I got. I think for dessert I finally got the melting chocolate cake. The wait staff danced for us again.

 

During the same time, the Gender Showdown might have been a good game, and the Thriller dance could have been good (although it was in the Rome Lounge?). At 10pm, we went to the 60 seconds or Less Show/Game. Girls and Guys could put their name in the hat to be pulled. I think they selected 3 girls/guys. They all had to perform a task in 60 seconds or less to continue. Even for participating they got raffle tickets for the "free cruise" drawing. They had a couple funny moments. We were still disappointed there was no show that night. We headed to the Piano Bar (Big Easy) with Russell again and closed it down @ 1.00am.

 

Side Note:

I don't think I mentioned this previously, but, the Room Safe to keep your valuables locks/unlocks based on a card that has a magnetic stripe (like a drivers license, credit card, loyalty card, etc.) I think we've always had one that used a keypad, so this one caught us by surprise. I believe it says not to use your room key card - maybe it screws it up? But you don't want to do that anyway - if someone were to figure out your card and room, then they would have access to the safe (which defeats the purpose). You don't want to use your credit card. Your cardholder data (your account number, CVV, exp date, name, address and more are all on that black stripe on the back)...you don't know if someone can mine that info from the safe. I'm pretty paranoid ;) We happened to have a AAA card with us. If you have something like a Kroger loyalty card or something like that, it should work. Just yesterday I saw a thread on this topic and people used dead gift cards. If all the people in your room may need access to the safe, then you will need to store the card in the room somewhere, but not where your room attendant could find it. I wasn't a fan of the safe, but it worked.

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cstownse

cstownse

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Thank you for posting so many pictures and writing a nice review. I have read so many about how dirty the ship was, that I was beginning to think our choice. Hopefully we will have as good of a time as you and your husband did. Thank you for taking the time to post this!:D

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