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Live from the Sunshine... Let's get this New Years party staerted

Kokomo_Man

By Kokomo_Man,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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Kokomo_Man

Kokomo_Man

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Let the Sunshine in

Day0

 

To start with… for any of you that haven’t read my stuff before, that’s “Day Oh…. Day-yay-yay-yay-Oh. I always call the first day… the sail away… Day 0. That’s partly because it’s not a full day, but mostly so I can get ya’ll singing the Banana boat song-Day Oh

 

Here I am in the “Big Easy”. There’s electricity in the air. There’s always a certain amount of “electricity” on the day you board a ship but this time there seems to be even more. Maybe it’s because we’re in New Orleans, but I think it’s probably more that it’s because this is a New Years Eve cruise. Whatever it is, there is definitely a party atmosphere.

 

In the past I have always cruised after the New Year because it’s a lot cheaper. This year I wanted to go on this cruise because some of my cruise friends are here. Last year one of my cruise friends, “Cruiser Deb” went on a New Years Eve cruise and told everyone how fantastic it was. So… the group, including “Cruiser Deb” decided this cruise would be a good one. Sadly, a job change meant that Cruiser Deb couldn’t be here. Deb… we’re going to miss you & Ermie.

 

I guess there’s a bunch of other “Funatics” that couldn’t make it either… we’re going to miss you. But I’ll have a frozen concoction to help me hang on for each of you… a “duck fart” for a couple of you… and a Strongbow for one of you. Oh and Mickie… I’ll have a Chocolate Whatchamacallit for you. (I guess you can tell what kind of a cruise this is going to be… ya’ll better order a wheelbarrow for me.)

 

I almost wasn’t here. I have a great adventure to the jungles of Laos scheduled for 17 Feb next year and I’ve been saving up for that. But, Santa (my daughter Wendy) came through and booked me with her family. Actually, this could be a double edged sword… she has booked me in with her two teenaged kids. YEOWWWWWWWW! Don’t worry, we have our “socks on the door knob” signals down. They probably won’t have to sleep on the Lido deck too often.

 

I sailed on this ship when it was the Destiny. It was OK… the worst I ever had was wonderful… but she was my least favorite ship. I won’t bore you with a lot about the ship because you’ve probably already read lots of posts about the new ship. If you haven’t read about it I commend you read stuff Sergent_Schultz has written. He did a very good job and has posted a zillion pics. I will say that it’s all pretty and new. They did a good job of transforming it. (I will be glad to answer questions you have.)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1845665

 

That’s all for now… I’ll be back later after I have a frozen concoction to help me hang on… or two… or three.

 

 

Bob

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Trplnckl

Trplnckl

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Hey Bob, hope y'all have a great time. Will be watching for updates as the week progresses. We'll be on the BC7 cruise in Feb. just before you head to Laos. Interested you take on the ship and if the earlier reported misses have been taken care of. Till later, Bon Voyage.

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lottsomom

lottsomom

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My family and I will be on her for the repositioning cruise in April and I have one question about luggage express. You may not know until about the 3rd or 4th day of the cruise, but would really like to know if it is offered. Thanks in advance and have a wonderful cruise.

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Kokomo_Man

Kokomo_Man

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Let the Sunshine in

Day0 – part doux

I didn’t think I would have much to say about the ship since Seargent Schultz did such a good job last spring. But I want to add a couple of tid bits that may give a bit more information. What I’m most impressed with is the overall feel of the ship. I would not know that that this used to be the Destiny. It is much closer to the feel of the Breeze. It is “light and airy”… things that used to be narrow like the promenade deck are now wide and open. Going from front to rear will no be blocked by all the photographers on this ship.

 

I can’t believe how well they did the serenity deck… rather three decks. I’ll post some pics when I get to good internet.

 

Speaking of internet… I always promised to tell you about the good, the bad, and the ugly about the cruise. Well, I usually say there’s no ugly but in the case of the internet, it’s ugly. Or perhaps I should say it is piracy on the high seas. The cost is outrageous. A little over a year ago they had unlimited internet on the Breeze for a reasonable price… reasonable by Black Beard standards. We were “promised” by carnivals brand ambassador that unlimited internet would be back soon and brought out fleet wide. Well… that hasn’t happened. So… Capt’n Jack, Anne Bonny, and Capt’n Teach are each getting their booty from Carnival cruise ship passengers in the form of the internet fees. I will be boycotting the onboard internet, so from this point on, it will be only sort of live… live from the ports.

 

 

They just blew the horn for the Col. Mustard drill so I’ll stop for now. More later.

 

Bob

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Kokomo_Man

Kokomo_Man

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Oh... I forgot to add in the good category... they have been giving out free Champaign (sparkling wine) all day. I boarded about 10:45 and they haven't run out yet.

 

Thanks Lee... no bananas for me but I'll tell Rob you were thinking of him. Maybe I should have purchased the booze card.

 

Bob

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Kokomo_Man

Kokomo_Man

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Ok… I broke down and bought some internet time. I just have to have my “fix”. But I am going to use a few minutes of it to send a “nasty-gram” to Carnival’s “ brand ambassador” on his blog. So far at least the speed seems good.

 

Here’s my last musings from yesterday

 

Let the Sunshine in

Day0 – part three

 

It’s late and I should be in bed, but I wanted to give a wrap-up to Day Oh while it’s still fresh in my head. Besides, it gives me one more chance to get ya’ll singing “Day OOOOOH…. Day-yay-yay Ooh… one more time.

 

Cruises normally take on the personality of the passengers. Spring break is… well, spring break; lots of twenty-something hard-bodies out in the sun. In the summer there are lots of families with a zillion kids. The ummmm… older generation usually avoid those times. Then there’s the October/November cruises. The folks that take those cruises are those that can take off that time of year and hope to avoid the kids… and take advantage of the lower fares. You know… the older generation. During the October and November cruises, some cruise lines offer valet parking for walkers and mobility scooters.

 

Don’t get me wrong. I want to be one of those “older generation” some day. It’s just that my scooter will have a 350 horsepower Chevy in it and I’ll be racing it around the Lido deck bumping into all the sweet young things so that they fall into my lap. So yes… someday I hope to be a dirty old man. (OK… no comments from the peanut gallery saying I’ve already reached that point.)

 

So far this cruise is a mish-mash of generations and I’m not sure it has a “personality yet”. It’s still the holiday season so school is out and there are a zillion kids on board. (All behaving quite well by the way.) But the “older generation” is here too. And the ship is packed. Somewhere I read that the ship holds a smidge over 3000 passengers. But there was an announcement that there are about 3600 passengers. They must be a lot of folks filling up the four-to-a-cabin rooms.

 

It doesn’t feel crowded… except tonight in the piano bar (more about that in a minute). They have done a good job arranging the buffet area so that there are plenty of stations so there have not been any long lines; not even during boarding when it often gets backed up on some ships. The other venues are the same. For the most part they have done a very good job of using the space when they re-vamped the ship.

 

The exception is the piano bar. It’s almost as if they tried to hide it from the rest of the ship. It’s on deck four down some corridor that I think used to be the second floor of the mid-ship dining room. It’s the smallest piano bar that I have seen on any of the carnival ships. Even though it was hidden, the place was packed. It seems like the ship has a lot of piano bar aficionados. I went there right after dinner and until almost midnight it was right at standing room only.

 

I think the “electricity in the air” I mentioned in my first post really carried into the piano bar. Gary (the piano man) really got the crowd into it. Although Gary is no Ron Pass (no one is) he is very entertaining and I will be spending most of my evenings in the Piano Bar. (And Ron… if you are reading this, we miss you buddy. We miss Alice and all of her other “friends” too.)

 

That’s all for tonight. It’s time for me to go dream of buxom pirate wenches of the Caribbean.

 

Bob

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Kokomo_Man

Kokomo_Man

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Let the Sunshine in

Day 1 Sea Day

 

I usually have my morning coffee out on the Lido deck. I watch and muse about all the “goings on”… old guys in speedos, hot chicks in skimpy bikinis… bizarre colored hair, or the tattooed lady. But today it’s still a little chilly for me. I consider anything below 70 degrees to be winter. And below 65 is the frozen tundra. I don’t know what the temperature really is right now, but there were no skimpy bikinis, and it’s close to winter. So, I have retreated to the Red Frog pub.

 

I’ve not been here in the mornings on previous cruises. It’s quiet and except for the bar tenders I’m the only one in here. The music that is playing is Aker Bilk’s “Stranger On The Shore”… one of my favorite all time songs. It’s a nice time to sit, think, and watch the ocean rolling by out the window. As a writer it’s a nice time to get some inspiration… to contemplate glorious adventures on the high seas.

 

Today it’s 1715… the height of the Golden Age of Piracy. Arrrrgggggghhhhh. I be settin’ sail in the Caribbean to rescue my bonnie Anne. She be in the clutches of that dastardly Rhodes Rogers who has falsely imprisoned her on Hog Island. Arrrrggggghhhh. Though she “pleaded her belly” to delay the hangman’s noose, unless I rescue her she will ultimately be “kicking it” in the towne square… and ‘tis likely that be my unborne son in her belly… Arrrrrgggghhhhh. Avast me maties… hoist the mainsail, and make way for Hog Island. There be a sack of gold dabloons for anyone that brings me the head of that scurvy dog Rhodes Rogers. Arrrrrgggghhhhhh.

 

Sorry. I diverged from the task at hand… cruisin’. But isn’t that what cruisin’ is about. We are all off on some great adventure… going to some warm tropical island. We can be anything we want. Over the years I’ve met some people that made me wonder if they didn’t just make it up for the cruise. One guy said he was a professional gambler and I met a woman that said she was a retired “Madam” cruising the world. On BC5 (Bloggers Cruise 5) there was a guy that dressed outlandishly as a woman… heels, big hair and all. Ya never know.

 

Have you seen the movies “RED” and “RED 2”… well, for the rest of this cruise I’ll be a retired “Air Commando” waiting for my next assignment to some far off land.

 

It seems I have diverged again. I guess it’s that kind of a day.

 

I still haven’t figured out the “personality” of this cruise. So far, it almost seems like a summer Alaska cruise. Because it’s still cool no one is in the pool. Bathing suites, shorts and flip-flops have not become the “uniform of the day’. As for me… I’m wearing my usual bright colored swim-suit/shorts, an outlandish t-shirt and sandals. This is a Caribbean cruise after all. We’ll see what happens when it warms up some more.

 

That’s all for now… I’ve got a buxom pirate wench to go save. Arrrrgggghhhh

 

Bob

The Naked Pirate

 

Oh… I almost forgot to mention to the missing Funatics Deb and Lee. I dedicated a request to you guys last night in the Piano Bar. I had Gary play a Queen song for you and the other missing Funatics. It looks like there will not be any full moons this cruise.

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Kokomo_Man

Kokomo_Man

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Let the Sunshine in

Day 1 Sea Day Part 2

 

It finally warmed up this afternoon… at least enough for the hoards to pop out on the decks. The Lido deck, the Serenity decks and the sports decks were filled with people. And I’ve finally figured out why I can’t determine the “personality” of this cruise. It’s because it is schizophrenic! When it warmed up out came the hard-bodies… and then there were soft bodies… wide bodies and narrow bodies. Bodies of all types all over the place.

 

And there are kids everywhere and as a result, simply not enough hot tubs on this ship. It has only three; two by the Lido deck and one in the Serenity area. The two by the Lido deck are filled with about 20 kids each. One hot tub seems to unofficially be for the under 12 bunch and the other is for the 12-16 bunch… and it’s almost as if there are wait lists to get in. Then on the Serenity deck, the one hot tub is filled to the brim with ummmmmm… “medium bodies”. About 10 medium bodies fit in that one, but only if you are good friends. And if are not good friends with the other nine people in there with you, then you soon will be.

 

All of the other venues seem to be filled with people too. Lots of trivia games going on, the Master Mixologist contest and I think the hairy chest contest must have been staged even though it wasn’t listed in the “Fun Times”. I mean… what would a Carnival cruise be without the hairy chest contest… think of the humanity… think of the men who would be deprived of their three minutes of fame.

 

I’m even being “run out” of the Red Frog Pub. No… no one has asked me to leave or anything like that. You see, they are having a karaoke contest in here. Remember… friends don’t let friends karaoke… think of the humanity of it all.

 

So… for the sake of my ears I’ll stop for now and come back after the screeches have subsided.

 

… I’m back (duh). It’s early in the evening; almost time for dinner. Most of you will probably just skim over the rest of this post. You see, it’s about the gym on the ship. But, some of you should pay attention. Because, if you are like me we have begun the battle of the bulge. I can no longer sit at the desk all day and maintain my trim, sleek, svelte physique. I have to workout almost every day.

 

So when I’m on a cruise I go to the onboard gym every day… ummmm most days… OK, I try to go to the gym when the cruisin’ stuff doesn’t get in the way. I have to at least try to work off some of the chocolate melting cake. There may not be enough hours in the day to work it all off, but at least I do have to work off a littke so there won’t be so much to do when I get back home.

 

Anyway… this afternoon I went to the gym. What I want to tell you about is that on this ship is that they have first class equipment. I have been to the gym on every cruise I have ever been on and this is the equipment here is the best I’ve been to. I wish my gym back home was this good and I belong to a very good gym. I was on the Magic and Breeze when they were new and it’s not as good as the stuff here on the Sunshine. They have the latest cardio machines including two rowing machines.

 

All of the electronic functions on every machine I used worked perfectly and they each had just about every bell and whistle you can imagine. Just to be sure I checked more than just the one machine of every type I used (Bicycle, rowing machine, elliptical, and tread-mill). Every one of them functioned perfectly. That’s a rarity in any gym.

 

They also have excellent mechanical equipment for working out every body group as well as a well kept weight area. I no longer have an excuse for not having rock hard abs… ‘cept a few too many of Guy’s ferengie burgers. I know the gym isn’t a big deal for most people on a cruise. After all, it’s supposed to be a vacation. But it’s good to know it’s there if you need it.

 

That’s all for this part. It’s time to get ready for dinner… and since I’ve been a good little boy today I can have some more chocolate melting cake.

 

Bob

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Kokomo_Man

Kokomo_Man

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Just a quick message for now. I finally have good internet so I have posted some pics... mostly the Serenity deck and a couple of the "kiddie hot tubs". They are on http://www.facebook.com/kokomomantoo

 

I get you the wrap up from yesterday and from Cozumel later on... but for now I'm off to Puerto Langosta and a frozen concoction to help me hang on... or two... or three

 

 

Bob

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