Carnival Spirit Journal with Pics - Cabo, Shots with Benefits, Wings and a Water Taxi

[vanislandcruisers]

We were in the end where the Red Wings would be warming up and once they started coming onto the ice Dee headed down to the glass to get ‘up close and personal’ with her ‘Team’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I stayed in my seat and kept a close eye on our beer but couldn’t help smiling as I could tell how happy she was.

 

It was definitely a different experience watching a game in the States. Hockey is by far and away the most popular sport in Canada whereas in the States it may be considered the 5th or 6th (my estimate) most popular depending on the locale. A few of the spectators sitting around us were at their very first hockey game so we definitely did what we could to help explain some of the rules and strategies to them as the game went along. Even the activities between whistles, during commercial breaks and between periods were new experiences for us but we enjoyed every single second of it. We were amazed that towards the end of the first period we could still see people arriving. We mentioned this to a couple who were sitting in front of us - who were the beneficiaries of the ‘Ticket Exchange’ promotion where they were moved from their nose bleed seats down to the row just in front of us in a random draw – and they said that they ‘were Season Ticket holders and that this was the way it was during every game’ before adding that “it was an LA thing…no one shows up on time.”

 

 

Once the warm-up was over we headed back up to the Concession to grab a few more Beverages and this would be it for me as I was the one driving back to the Hotel. We wandered over to the Souvenir Shop and browsed around before grabbing a seat and doing some more people watching; one of our favourite things to do when travelling.

 

Once back in our seats we quickly realised that we were surrounded by Kings fans and realizing Dee needed some support I became a Wings fan for the day. Detroit completely outplayed LA during the first 2 periods much to the chagrin of those around us and went into the 2nd Intermission with a 3 – 1 lead.

 

We headed up to the Mezzanine Area during the 2nd Intermission with a plan to find the outdoor Smoking Area. Once we were outside we headed over to the railing to take in the sights of LA Live. While I was snapping some pictures we heard a fellow scream at the top of his lungs “HEY DETROIT FANS!!!” and immediately afterwards we heard what sounded like a thousand voices respond in unison “YOU SUCK!!!”

[vanislandcruisers]

Once our smokes were done we headed back inside and made our way back to our seats. About halfway through the 3rd period Detroit made it 4 – 1 and when we stood up to cheer the goal 2 guys behind us took exception to the fact we were cheering for Detroit and said something to Dee. We turned around and told them that ‘We hoped they were enjoying the game as much as we were …that we were from Victoria, BC in Canada and this was our first time in the Staples Center…and that we wouldn’t be apologizing for cheering for the Wings because winning was important to us.’ The couple in front of us turned around with big smiles on their faces and joined us in telling the 2 guys to “mind their own business and to let ALL of us continue to enjoy the Game.” The 2 guys seemed to appreciate the fact that we didn’t ‘turtle’ and we ended up chatting back and forth for the remainder of the 3rd period.

 

 

 

Once the game was over we made our way outside into the afternoon sun and as we were walking along the sidewalk adjacent to Chick Hearn Crt 2 Groups of young fellas who were walking in opposite directions bumped into each other and soon enough we heard a “You better watch it” which was met with a response of “No you better watch it.” I sat down on a ledge surrounding a Garden cause I wanted to ‘watch it’ and when I turned to say something to Dee she wasn’t there. I looked further down the sidewalk and she, not wanting to ‘watch it’, was almost running away. I called out to her and motioned for her to come back which was met with a “You better not watch it” so I didn’t.

 

We made our way back to the Parking Garage and plugged the Nerd in. On our way up Sunset Blvd we spotted and In ‘N Out burger so we decided to stop in and we still shake our heads at how busy every one of these places are. Every one we have been to has a line up at the Drive-Thru and the inside of the Restaurants are always packed. Not having really liked the Animal Style burgers we had in September we opted to go with a ‘regular’ Cheeseburger, Fries with Gravy and Drink for each of us. Once done we hopped back in the Car and made our way back to the Best Western Sunset Plaza

 

Back at the Hotel we realized that even though the cruise had just been a 5-dayer it had really taken a lot out of us so we knew that if we stopped moving we were done. We decided to walk ‘up’ Sunset Blvd in the heat and see what or who we could see. We took our time and walked as far as the Hustler Store – we just browsed - before crossing the street and heading back towards the Hotel on the other side of Sunset. We saw a lot of people who were looking to be seen sitting behind barely touched meals at Patio Tables at various Restaurants along the way – it did give us a warm fuzzy feeling that at least it looked like their drinks and wine were being consumed. Conclusion #618: A grain of rice makes you thirsty.

 

It was fun to see firsthand some of the Bars, Nightclubs and Restaurants that we had heard about whether on TMZ or ET. We didn’t see any Celebrities that we recognized but there was definitely a buzz in the air because it was a Saturday evening. Remembering the importance of staying hydrated in the heat we found a Patio at a little establishment where we sat, people watched, had a drink and made a plan for the rest of the night.

Earlier in the day when we were driving back from the game we saw a sign by the entrance to the Laugh Factory advertising a Special Guest for that evening and Dee seemed to remember reading something about Amy Poehler, of SNL and Parks and Recreation fame, doing a guest spot so we decided that’s what we would do that night.

 

We made our way back to the Best Western, changed, had a drink and then walked down Sunset to the Laugh Factory for to get tickets for the 10:00pm show. We decided to get VIP tickets at a price of $70 each which included the ‘best seats’ and a wait in the VIP Lounge. There was a 2-drink minimum which we easily met before the show even started.

 

 

Once we purchased our tickets we were escorted up to the VIP Lounge and once we were seated Dee ordered a Glass of White Wine while I tried to order a ‘Double Crown and Coke in a tall glass with lots of Ice’ to which the Waitress responded with “We don’t have Crown Royal.” “How about CC?” I asked. “Nope don’t have that either” was her response. “What do you have?” I asked before she listed off “Jack Daniels, Wild Turkey, Jim Beam”. Once she finished with the list I asked for a “Double Vodka and Red Bull in a tall glass with lots of Ice” and off she went to grab our drinks.

 

We sat back on the couch to watch the last comedian from the Early Show; it was Jeremy Hotz, a fellow Canadian, whose shtick includes a ‘Canaduh’ theme and thought “Wow this is so nice and comfortable…We have the whole VIP Lounge to ourselves”. That feeling of comfort changed quickly as party after party of VIP’ers were escorted to the Lounge. Eventually it was almost claustrophobic in the Lounge as we waited to be “escorted to our VIP Seats just before general admission” as we had been told. Turned out that their idea of ‘escorting’ differed from ours with theirs consisting of opening the doors, saying the seats were ready and inciting a stampede. We were very careful not to spill our drinks and made our way to a couple of seats with a Table just to the right of the stage – close enough to hear everything and just out of the comedians sight-lines so as to avoid being singled out – and also in a spot where the Bar Waitress had to pass right by us each time she was heading to the Bar Area.

 

This was billed as a Special Event, an All-Star Comedy Line-Up to be precise, and while we were initially disappointed to find out the Special Guest was not Amy Poehler our disappointment was premature as each and every Comedian was hysterical. It seemed like we laughed harder with each new Show Conclusion #619: It may have been the Vodka and the Wine. The Comedians we saw were Buddy Lewis, Johnny Sanchez, Robert Zapata, Sue Costello, Peter the Persian and the Special Guest Comedian, Gerry Bednob, who uttered one of the most iconic lines in the Movie ‘The 40 Year Old Virgin’ Conclusion #620: He did not bring his goat with him.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed the night and it was a GREAT Way to finish up what had been a GREAT Week. Once the Shows were over we walked back up Sunset Blvd. to the Hotel and settled in for a good night’s sleep.

[vanislandcruisers]

Our wake-up call came at 8:30am and after our showers we bubble wrapped and packed our now well-traveled bottle of Dom Perignon Conclusion #621: It has since been to Las Vegas and back :)

 

We finished our packing, checked out at the Front desk and made our way down to the underground parking, loaded the rental car and made our way to the Avis Lot at LAX. Once there we turned the car in and hopped on the Shuttle which dropped us off at the Terminal for Air Canada and after checking in we made our way through security, up to our Gate and waited to board AC 553 to Vancouver.

 

Customs in Vancouver was a breeze; even with the Dom Perignon explanation. Next up was our 15 minute flight to Victoria where we were met by Dee’s Mom and Dad. They had a good laugh at how tired we looked and didn’t even have to ask if we had a good time. Conclusion #622: They knew.

 

Although our trip was over we knew that in a little less than 3 months we would be heading to Fort Lauderdale, meeting up with some great friends, making some new friends and enjoying an 8-day Southern Caribbean cruise onboard the Carnival Miracle departing on Valentine’s Day.

 

Next up VD at Sea: The Miracle Cure!!!

 

 

Note: When we went to Las Vegas in August after our Wedding we did acheck-in on facebook once we arrived at the Airport and saw that Sean and Danielle, who we met on this Cruise, had checked in 20 minutes before us. We sent them a message and met up with them at the Venetian thhe next night (they were only in Vegas for 2 nights )for a fun evening which stretched into the early morning of drinking, gambling and laughs

[steveNcindy]

Sorry SoundDawg.....life has gotten in the way the last couple of months - Wedding, Honeymoon, short staffed at Work,...gonna post the final installment of this one right now and get the VD at Sea Journal started this week

 

Thanks for coming back and finishing the review. Was hoping you weren't going to do an Axl Rose on us and make us wait 13 years :D

 

Hope life is getting back to normal, looking forward to the next review.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for including this lovely member of the Ice Crew, makes the hockey withdrawal lessen a little.

[LOVECRUISING100%]

Great Pics !! Thanks for posting

[vanislandcruisers]

Great Pics !! Thanks for posting

 

You are very Welcome:)

[vanislandcruisers]

Thanks for coming back and finishing the review. Was hoping you weren't going to do an Axl Rose on us and make us wait 13 years :D

 

Hope life is getting back to normal, looking forward to the next review.

 

 

 

Thanks for including this lovely member of the Ice Crew, makes the hockey withdrawal lessen a little.

 

Life is Very Good!!!....and you are Welcome for the Ice Crew pic....I am the Operations Supervisor at a Rec Centre that has a Rink so am always watching the Ice 'Technicians' at other Arenas;):D

[Fishtales6]

All I can say is that on our visit to Cabo, we want to tag along with you guys. Excellent reviews, so full of fun and mirth. Great pics, narrative, and conclusions.

[SoundDawg]

Thanks so much for finishing this post! I really enjoy your trip reports!!

[Tejas57]

great review.

I'm on the spirit in under a month and I just can't wait.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[vanislandcruisers]

Thanks so much for finishing this post! I really enjoy your trip reports!!

 

Thanks Chris...I just ready your Review...your pics of the 9/11 Memorial, Ground 0 and the Tribute are phenomenal!!!

 

great review.

I'm on the spirit in under a month and I just can't wait.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

Thanks Tejas57...Enjoy the Spirit!!!...North America losing the Spirit is our loss and Australia's gain for sure :)

[vanislandcruisers]

All I can say is that on our visit to Cabo, we want to tag along with you guys. Excellent reviews, so full of fun and mirth. Great pics, narrative, and conclusions.

 

Thanks Fishtales6!!!...we'll let you know the next time we are going to Cabo and there will be a next time!!!

[cruiseclues]

I see you weren't having any fun on this cruise :rolleyes: ...thanks for your photo cruise review. :):):):)

[vanislandcruisers]

I see you weren't having any fun on this cruise :rolleyes: ...thanks for your photo cruise review. :):):):)

 

Thanks cruiseclues ..... Definitely added a few laugh lines around the eyes on this Cruise:D