ZEBRA CRASHES HONEYMOON ON CARNIVAL VISTA August 26-Sept 3 Review

[perfect match]

I am enjoying your review. You've had me laughing along with you all the way. :D I will be back to see how the rest of the journey plays out.

[bluenoser2]

This is a picture of Florence the Zebra. This is a picture of Florence the Zebra and a toilet. Why a picture of Florence the Zebra and a toilet you may ask? This is a picture of Florence the Zebra, and a toilet in her cleaned-by-Fidel private washroom. This is a picture of Florence the Zebra, and a toilet in her cleaned-by-Fidel private washroom, and a toilet SEAT. This is something Bubby and Florence appreciate. After a day in Rome, being on ferries, in small towns in Sicily....that's all.

 

[bluenoser2]

[/img]

 

 

Another super packed day of sightseeing was planned so it was up an’ at ‘em at 5:30 a.m. Florence was jumping up and down in her excitement to go see the city named after her. (We haven’t corrected her on this mis-knowledge) Unfortunately, the lovebirds (the other lovebirds of course….you can insert some floaty hearts above our names this time…), had a not-so great night as their neighbours had the tv turned up VERY loud all night until Cubby called Guest Services.

 

 

BY THE WAY….Carnival Customer Service was excellent. After Cubby had called them to voice his complaint at 3:00 in the morning, they followed up with a written note later that day, and then a phone call after the next night to make sure all was well. And it was.

 

 

Despite all that, they were up in time to be at our meeting place for the Carnival tour “Florence and Pisa ON YOUR OWN” (a compromise…..the security of Carnival transport for Bubby and the thrill of doing it on our own for Mr. MacGeever and me. Cubby and Florence were cool with whatever we chose to do.) Because Mr. MacGeever always likes to get to the meeting place for ship tours half an hour early, we always make it into the first group and get to be on our way relatively quickly. That was true again today, and we were soon chugging along with our lovely “escort” Silvia (NOT a guide – this was NOT a tour – this was ON YOUR OWN). Silvia was great and told our happy busload scads of information on the way to Pisa, our first stop. She was interesting, and I managed to mostly stay awake. The great thing about Pisa was our bus got there before hardly anyone else, AND glory be, it was the coolest temperatures we had experienced yet on this trip.

 

Once having designated the meeting place, and shown the washrooms (which we of course, dutifully used right away) we were sent off to explore Pisa. This was another stop that Mr. MacGeever and I probably would not have done a second time, but the kids wanted to see it, so there we were. We had a great time with our hour there. I’m totally amused just by watching people posing for the obligatory propping up the tower photos, so I was well entertained.

 

 

FAIL

 

NICE TRY

 

PERFECTION!

 

We checked out the souvenirs, I got two mosquito bites (or something itchy), Cubby got 2 playful scratches from the cat he found and those were our souvenirs from Pisa.

[SadieN]

US egg supply has endemic salmonella. Other places (Europe, Mexico) do not have this issue.

Oh, getting 4 and 4 pieces of luggage is not a small elevator.

 

Enjoying your review.

[bluenoser2]

And so it was that we were on our way to Florence. This bus had good A/C but not a lot of leg room. In spite of this I was still able to fall asleep several times on the way to the city, where we arrived around 12:30p.m. Our meeting place now was “Bags and Shoes” which Cubby complained was a totally misleading shop name, since they also sold leather coats. I think he was just missing the Cat of Pisa.

 

We (of course) used the washrooms at said shop, and after Mr. MacGeever asked Silvia for her lunchtime recommendations, we went to the restaurant she had mentioned that was close by. Free wi-fi! Bubby reminded us to download our Air Canada app NOW before we were on the plane later and wouldn’t be able to. Always thinking that one. Mr. MacGeever had his third lasagna in 2 days, and declared that this one was the best. There was some pizza and calzone being eaten on the other side of the table and I had a very large salad which was shared by all. Oh the olives! They were the biggest best olives I’ve ever had. If all green olives tasted like those olives, I’d be eating them all the time. Yum.

 

By now, the heat had caught up to us, but at least today there were some clouds that either threatened or promised rain, depending on your outlook. And so, we toured the area close by, shopping in the leather stores, seeing the fake David statue, and the real Duomo. We people watched, and strolled the area in a leisurely manner.

 

 

Is that a wistful look Florence? No one would volunteer to take you on the carousel?

 

We began making our way to Ponte Vecchio Bridge and realized we had not yet sampled the gelato in Florence. That would have been a crime. The worst possible omission! We corrected that, and enjoyed a cool refreshing treat from a lovely lady who, when Bubby and I asked her what one of the flavours (“puffo” – a blue concoction) was, she replied, “It’s blue…it tastes like…puffo.” VERRRY helpful. We didn’t purchase it. Puffo is the Italian word for smurf I believe and I didn’t want to taste smurf. Fruiti de bosco. Yes. Smurf. NO.

 

 

 

We spent time doing photo ops at Ponte Vecchio

 

 

That Florence....ever the romantic at heart.

 

 

– our lack of photographic prowess being lamented loudly and at great length by Bubby, at which time, I heard music…violin music, and drifted off towards it. When in doubt…drift away. That’s my motto. Eventually, all was made right again by Mr. MacGeever’s patience and some decent photos apparently, and we continued back to our meeting place.

 

 

 

Our bus group was ready shortly BEFORE the assigned time, possibly because the heavens had decided to start opening, but really it wasn’t that bad of a rain – we didn’t even feel tempted by all the sellers of ponchos and umbrellas. Ice cold water possibly, but we were still digesting gelato, so we were all good.

BY THE WAY….on this cruise we have been participants of 3 Carnival bus/tour groups. May I just say that EVERY person in each group in all the busses were polite, punctual, and pleasant. I don’t think I’ve ever been on a cruise where I could say that. Just sayin’. Kudos Carnival Tour Goers!

After a sleepy ride back to the port, we were on the ship by 5:45. You should start playing the ominous music now because when we went to check in for dinner…..

[Froufie]

some pizza and calzone being eaten on the other side of the table and I had a very large salad which was shared by all. Oh the olives! They were the biggest best olives I’ve ever had. If all green olives tasted like those olives, I’d be eating them all the time. Yum.

 

 

 

Is that a wistful look Florence? No one would volunteer to take you on the carousel?

 

 

 

I know you are Trepids but must you also be CRUEL??? Poor Florence - yes she is wistfully wishing for a carrousel ride - do you not realize that she longs to visit with some of her long lost family and ancestors?? Shame on you for not taking her for a spin! (but happy to see that at least some pink/non-smurf gelato was offered to her in compensation!);)

[Sugarlift]

Loving this review! Can't wait to read more :D

[bluenoser2]

But first....(it's like commercials in reality shows isn't it?)....another view of Ponte Vecchio - we spent enough time there attempting photos so....

 

 

Oh, and it really DOES take a village to get a good shot at Pisa.....Find Florence!

 

And, now, back to our story......

Alas! OUR table was taken. How could this be? There were hardly ever any people in our whole section, and now, they gave away OUR table? Harumph. We grumpily (but ever so politely of course) accepted the other window table, which was actually just as nice as the first (but I'll deny it if asked), and we were still with our favourite servers, so disaster was averted.

 

Everyone had Beef Wellington tonight. Usually, it’s just me having it, but there they were, having it along with me. So…..my question for the day is…..why do the well done dishes get the sauce that is part of the description in the menu, but us medium-rares have to ask for it? Bubby thought it must be because of all that gross blood we have running off our rareness, but there wasn’t actually any of that. I did not correct her, because to see her enjoy meat is such a rarity (pardon the pun…rarity – she was a Well Done.) that I am not going to ruin that for anything! I didn’t like the losbter bisque for appetizer, but I did like the mac and cheese side dish. And we ALL liked the Bitter and Blanc bread pudding for dessert. Warm Vanilla Sauce. Warm. Vanilla. Sauce. Mmmmmmm. Carolina left us a little pitcher or two to add to our desserts, and we closed our eyes and savoured. Mmmmmm. Warm. Vanilla……..

 

Where was I? We watched Sailaway from our table – sure, in Livorno, we WATCHED sailaway. In Messina, I still don’t know where we were. Sigh. We miss ALL the fun.

 

 

 

 

BY THE WAY….can I compare Princess to Carnival? No? Too bad. I'm going to do it anyway. Don’t like Carnival TV. Not that we watch much of it. But it’s nice at night to be able to see something, and aside from a few free movies and several pay-per-views, there’s nothing. Several news channels, but that’s it. Sorry. (Was that MY Princess snob coming out? Probably just missing all those Loveboat episodes.)

 

After dinner, we caught a little of the Hasbro Game Show, rested our tootsies in the room, went for a stroll, and since my stomach was feeling a little queezy still from bus rides, went up to Lido and I had a spot of tea. Just a little tea. OK, a little tea and a wee piece of chocolate cake. Nothing comforts like chocolate. Mr. MacGeever still had room for a piece of pizza and lemonade…he does love the lemonade. We attempted a bit of a movie, but fell asleep after a few minutes (and there’s the reason we don’t feel like PAYING for watching!)

 

[bluenoser2]

Ah, sleep-in day! After some very hectic (and outrageously early) days, we could relax. We were not scheduled to even REACH port until 9:00 a.m. So of course, Mr. MacGeever was up at the crack of 5:30 for his walk up above. He made a discovery. That charming grin of his. That mysterious “I’ve got a secret and I’m not going to tell you” look in his big brown eyes. I could not get the answer out of him without showering, getting dressed and joining him in a tour of Lido.

 

 

 

 

 

We met the Bubby and Cubby at 8:00 and made them go look at our discovery as well.

 

 

Then it was off to the dining room for breakfast.

 

BY THE WAY, the buffet and dining room both have their pros and cons. The buffet is good for getting your food your way, at your speed and as much or as little as you want. But there is something to be said for hot food delivered to your table. I do like that.

 

 

We saw our guys Boris and Nenad, but alas, they were not in the area we had been assigned. Our servers were neither memorable, nor speedy. In fact we didn’t really know who our servers were for some time. It took a LONG time for anyone to come and check in with us after we had been seated. “You’re not in a hurry are you?” was the question when one did come. Well, no, we weren’t in any hurry. But still….Nenad? Boris? CAROLINA????? Anyone? A little help here? Mr. MacGeever (the Main Princess Snob in our midst) decided to bravely ask for something not on the menu. Pineapple. The man loves his fresh pineapple. Princess gives him pineapple. Whenever he wants. Not to be. “It is not on the menu.” End of discussion. However, when our omelettes arrived, there it was ….a little piece of fresh pineapple on the plates with the omelettes….hmmmmm. I gave him mine.

 

It may come as no surprise to any of you, that our nameless waiters FAILED the tea test. When I asked for it, the first waiter shrugged and said that the other one would get it for me. Whoever the other one was. He never came. The other one. I never got. Tea. Just as well. We wouldn’t want competition with our dear Carolina.

 

 

So, here it is. What with all those Wonderful Wedding Plans I was involved with for the past year, something had to give. That would have been my research on Marseilles. We had decided this would be our place to begin relaxing our feet, and not trying to do everything there was to do. We got ready, and we got confused. Mr. Matt was on the public address system talking about the Marseilles port and how the Vista was the furthest ship out and how it was a 25 minute DRIVE to the city centre and how there was a shuttle for $17 return per person. Add to that the notice slipped under our door the night before which warned of increased security measures in Marseilles and warnings about not going outside of tourist areas, and stay with Carnival and ….you get the drift.

 

We disembarked in some measure of anxiety and confusion. There was a nice set-up of gift and souvenir places right at the ship, so we knew that Worst Case Scenario….that would be our Marseilles. However, we do know, when in doubt, ask the Information Employee that is not employed by the ship. Which we did. Here we were told that a 10 minute walk would take us to the free shuttle to the city. OK. This information called for restroom stops for all of us before going any further. When Mr. MacGeever returned, he had the entire day figured out. Of course he did . “We get a taxi. We go to the farthest and highest point we want to go to – the Notre Dame Basillica. Then we walk down to the city. We find the free shuttle back to the ship. Everyone in?” We nodded our bobble-heads in agreement and went to the taxi queue. It was hardly a queue and minutes later we were secured into our taxi.

 

Our driver, Bruce Willis apparently, made sure we got our money’s worth! We asked, “how long to the basilica?” (on the far side of the previously mentioned 25 minute drive to the city centre). He replied “25 minutes”. OK. Let’s go. A price of 30 Euros was agreed upon. You know those movies like James Bond or Jason Bourne that take place in Europe and have a wild chase through the narrow winding roads? Yup. That was us. Strangely, I never felt worried. It was like a wild carnival ride. Definitely worth the money. And….15 minutes to the basilica. Not 25. Wow. As we tumbled out of the car, Bubby and I looked at each other and, whether because of the delight of finding out we were still alive or just the sheer joy of the wildness, we laughed. Oh how we laughed. A bit hysterically. The driver pointed down the road we had come up and said, “When you’re done, straight down that way. Walking. 5 minutes to city.” (except you must imagine that with a french accent, because it’s so much better.)

 

 

 

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

 

But first....(it's like commercials in reality shows isn't it?)....another view of Ponte Vecchio - we spent enough time there attempting photos so....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, and it really DOES take a village to get a good shot at Pisa.....Find Florence!

 

 

 

 

And, now, back to our story......

 

Alas! OUR table was taken. How could this be? There were hardly ever any people in our whole section, and now, they gave away OUR table? Harumph. We grumpily (but ever so politely of course) accepted the other window table, which was actually just as nice as the first (but I'll deny it if asked), and we were still with our favourite servers, so disaster was averted.

 

 

 

Everyone had Beef Wellington tonight. Usually, it’s just me having it, but there they were, having it along with me. So…..my question for the day is…..why do the well done dishes get the sauce that is part of the description in the menu, but us medium-rares have to ask for it? Bubby thought it must be because of all that gross blood we have running off our rareness, but there wasn’t actually any of that. I did not correct her, because to see her enjoy meat is such a rarity (pardon the pun…rarity – she was a Well Done.) that I am not going to ruin that for anything! I didn’t like the losbter bisque for appetizer, but I did like the mac and cheese side dish. And we ALL liked the Bitter and Blanc bread pudding for dessert. Warm Vanilla Sauce. Warm. Vanilla. Sauce. Mmmmmmm. Carolina left us a little pitcher or two to add to our desserts, and we closed our eyes and savoured. Mmmmmm. Warm. Vanilla……..

 

 

 

Where was I? We watched Sailaway from our table – sure, in Livorno, we WATCHED sailaway. In Messina, I still don’t know where we were. Sigh. We miss ALL the fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BY THE WAY….can I compare Princess to Carnival? No? Too bad. I'm going to do it anyway. Don’t like Carnival TV. Not that we watch much of it. But it’s nice at night to be able to see something, and aside from a few free movies and several pay-per-views, there’s nothing. Several news channels, but that’s it. Sorry. (Was that MY Princess snob coming out? Probably just missing all those Loveboat episodes.)

 

 

 

After dinner, we caught a little of the Hasbro Game Show, rested our tootsies in the room, went for a stroll, and since my stomach was feeling a little queezy still from bus rides, went up to Lido and I had a spot of tea. Just a little tea. OK, a little tea and a wee piece of chocolate cake. Nothing comforts like chocolate. Mr. MacGeever still had room for a piece of pizza and lemonade…he does love the lemonade. We attempted a bit of a movie, but fell asleep after a few minutes (and there’s the reason we don’t feel like PAYING for watching!)

 

 

 

 

 

I've got 4 things for you:

 

1 - LOVE your review, I look forward to it every night!

 

2 - Love the first picture in this quote! If you want a great memory of it, go to Costco photo and have a metal print made. The put photos on a thin sheet of sheet metal and apply a high gloss finish, they're beautiful.

 

3 - I too love the bitter n Blanc, so much better that the chocolate melting cake

 

4 - Does Princess really show reruns of The Love Boat? That's one of my favorite shows ever.

 

Thanks again for such a super fun review.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[minikiss]

Loving your review format Florence is so cute.

We fly out to her end of next week and can't wait.

 

I'm making notes as you go along, like the one bit about the split level at check in. We have a spa balcony on deck 14 booked, so I took notice of that bit. I do from time to time suffer from sea sickness but I take along Bonine for it. So hoping i'm ok that high up because the pull of the spa room out weighed a lower deck.

 

 

As someone that has sailed Princess in the past I can confirm that do show reruns on the cabin tv. We loved it and often had it on in the back ground.

 

I'm another bring your tea drinker so your experiences are a little worrying as I do like a cuppa after dinner. I'll ask, if I don't get well i'll have to get one somewhere else. I've never had a problem on princess but I guess there is always a first time.......

[bluenoser2]

 

That bit about increased security measures? We were in a city. So yes. It’s a city. Take the usual precautions. But really. After being in Rome with military personnel and rifles in plain view at every tourist stop, here we were in Marseilles. We were passed (barely) by 3 police officers. On Segways. Picture it. We were ambling. They barely passed us. We were concerned about jaywalking. They jay-segged ahead of us. How anxious can you be about police on Segways? Ah, I see….that IS the problem you say? They can’t protect us, so we must protect ourselves? Hmmmmm…this wants some thought.

 

So, speaking of security…..

We had a lovely time up at the basilica – the skies were clear, and the views were magnificent from there. It was the highlight of our day. AND it had nice washrooms. Just sayin’.

 

When we had done all we wanted to do and seen all we could see from our perch far above the city, we were ready to take our taxi driver’s advice (Bruce…you remember him? Well, Bruce with a French accent Bruce) and head “straight down”. 5 minutes it would be if you slipped and just rolled the rest of the way. However, we stopped to take pictures and whatnot, so we did not make the 5 minutes. (His sense of time may have been askew anyway, since his 25 minutes to get to the basilica was 10 minutes over his actual.)

 

 

 

At one point, in this “straight down”, there is a choice to make. Does one continue straight down, which is a pedestrian staircase, not the road, or start curving around on the road, which actually starts ascending for a moment? Thought had to be given to this. Memories of that sheet of paper tucked under our door regarding safety and security, visions of the two slightly disreuputable looking gentlemen sitting a few steps away on the aforementioned staircase, and well, Bubby’s general state of mind, all had to be taken into consideration. “Down” won out over safety.

 

 

 

 

Off we went – we who were formerly known as The Trepid Travellers…walking right into the Lair of Danger. Yup. That’s us. Lair of Danger….we LAUGH in your face! Well, we walked down those stairs, summoning all the swag we didn’t have, and walked by a couple other dubious looking souls along the way. The graffiti on the wall depicting Satan didn’t really help, but we made it down just fine, and entered civilization once again.

 

 

Mr. MacGeever, still possessing some of that swag, said, “I wasn’t worried. I had enough weight in my backpack with all the water bottles that I could have taken out a couple of them in one swipe.” Bubby commented, “ I took a picture of it when I assumed we were going a different way – not because we were going to actually go down it!” She referred to it ever after as “the stairs where we almost died.” Right. Call me Oblivious, but I wasn’t afraid at all. After all, I had survived the ascent in the taxi. Surely I wasn’t meant to leave this earth on the descent.

 

Everything after this was just anti-climactic. We strolled in the swanky streets, checked out this country’s H&M store, visited some nice chocolate shops, lavender shops, and then……it was time for the Shuttle Search.

 

 

WHAT? WE DID IT AGAIN? Poor Florence. It's a wonder she actually still comes with us on these excursions. Sorry everyone. Please don't report us for our cruelty.

 

[bluenoser2]

Yes, we began to look for the “free port shuttle bus”. Now, had we actually taken the shuttle FROM the port, finding it at this point to return would have been the proverbial piece of cake. However, we really didn’t have any idea where it might be, except for the rather large circle the Information Desk person had drawn on our trusty city map. Add to that, that we didn’t really have a clue what this shuttle bus would look like. (If any of you reading have been to Alaska, you’ll understand when I say I kept looking for painted school busses when the word shuttle bus was used.) After some time looking around where we THOUGHT it might be, I suggested trying to find some information on it in the building that had the word PORT on it. Righto.

 

 

We hustled over there, and asked at the desk, “English?” The lovely young lady there looked frightened and said “un peu”. (Even I knew what she meant there…well, the fact that she used the hand signal for “wee” didn’t hurt.) So we asked about it, and she looked to her co-worker for help, and then they said those magic words….”Go LEFT, then LEFT, GREEN LINE.” Aha! Green line! We now remembered this wording from Information. Green Line. Yes. Left, left, green. So we said our Merci, and exited the building, turned left out the door, and left again, and saw the big fenced in area, which looked very SECURE, and we were a little leery to try entering, what with the security guard in his booth and all….but he was already waving us in – we must have looked very CRUISY. And there it was. THE GREEN LINE. On the pavement. You literally have to follow a green line painted on the road. All this time I thought the Green Line referred to the bus route, or the colour of the bus or something like that…..Sigh. We followed that green line and it led us right to the door of the shuttle bus which we got on, and shortly after, went back to the ship.

 

 

And when we got back to port? The bus dropped us off, at a point 10 minutes walking distance from the ship, and guess what? A GREEN LINE! To follow back to the ship. (It was actually more teal in colour but now wasn’t the time to be splitting hairs…or colours of paint.)

 

 

I think this was Marseille’s way of saying how much help cruisers need. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe they’re just super thoughtful like that.

 

 

We looked through the souvenirs, recognizing this as our possibly last time to get anything for anybody, and actually there was a great selection of France type stuff there. Lavender things, lots of linens – tablecloths and such, t-shirts….more than I would have expected.

 

Did I mention it was hot? Still. Hot. In France. I left Mr. MacGeever and Bubby in the shop and headed in to do something about the perspiration pouring off me. Souvenirs, schmouveniers.

 

A quick change of clothes, and it was up to the buffet. Guys burger for Mr. Mac and my long awaited Reuben sandwich from the deli for me. I only need one a year, and this was 2016’s token. It was totally yummy and I was blissfully enjoying it with my healthy salad, when Mr. MacGeever innocently murmured….”there’s a chocolate buffet over there.” WHAT?????? CHOCOLATE?????? Throwing the sandwich aside, I marched myself over to the LONG line and made friends with other chocolate addicts….er…lovers also patiently waiting their turn. It should be noted that this is the ONLY time I ever had to wait in line at the buffet. It should also be noted that the little donuts that they cover in chocolate from the chocolate fountain look better than they taste. Lastly, note that the chocolate cheesecake is divine.

 

By this time it seemed that everyone was back on board. Our change into swimwear (bravely done at this point in the cruise after all those mandatory eating assignments) accomplished, we sought lounge chairs on Lido. The chair hog towel animals were a thing of the past. Deck 10? Nope. How about deck 11. Certainly not. No chairs there. Deck 12? No. Just no. Serenity? What were you thinking? No. Undaunted, we returned to deck 11, and found a spot along the side (just below the SkyRide – an activity which we considered, but decided against when we saw that 50 other people were in line for it), where there was sun for Mr. MacGeever and blessed shade for me. It was 89 degrees out there. No one needs sun at that point. The pool was super crowded as always, but I was content with my puzzles, magazines, and book. And shade. Sumptuous shade.

 

After making myself some tea in The Marketplace (where I could find milk, and sometimes when you’re really lucky, my tea-drinking friends, they have the Lipton Yellow Label bags instead of the bourgeois variety they serve at dinner) I returned to the room, thinking, “what a lovely time to sit out on the balcony”. Five minutes. 5 minutes. That’s all I could stand of the heat and I was back into air conditioning. I AM NOT complaining. Just stating a fact. In my part of the world you NEVER complain about heat. You don’t always seek it out, but it’s a national crime to COMPLAIN about heat. Humidity? That’s another story.

 

Time for Elegant Night preparations. Thank goodness. Spanx on! Everything still fits! We had more pictures taken tonight for the entertainment of it all, and had great laughs at each other’s expense.

 

 

 

 

I know you’ve been worried about this next bit, but yes, we did get our wonderful table 378 back tonight. We had a great time. I had what Cubby thought were the “CHEAPSKATE crab cakes” – get it? Tell me if you don’t. They were good. Cubby declared his stuffed mushroom app to be the best of the whole cruise. (It was very good, I was allowed a taste of Mr. MacGeever’s.) I had spanokopita and stuffed peppers. It tasted great, even if it wasn't terribly photogenic.

 

 

Everything was delicious, right to the Grand Marnier soufflés we all had – it just isn’t a cruise if there’s no soufflé at some point!

 

And then, we were off to catch the production show FLICK. This was the best show I have ever seen. On any ship. Ever. It was so well done, the effects were amazing, the dancer that played the lead was SO good ….well, I just enjoyed it immensely.

 

Here’s my question for today. There is some argument (nay, discussion) in our family about lip-syncing. Are the singers actually singing, or are the microphones just for effect? Tell me please! We need to put this subject to rest in our family.

 

We trouped off to the other end of the ship (see all the exercise we get after eating all that food?) to see Kim Harrison in Punchliners. She was quite good and we enjoyed our evening very much.

 

Noooooo....not the luggage tags and the debarkation information....say it isn't so.....!!!!!

 

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

I was hoping you saw Flick, we loved it so much! I don't think they lip sync because there are a few dancers who didn't have microphones and were not singing along, just dancing.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[bluenoser2]

Yes, that's what I hoped as well, that the microphones weren't just for show. It was the first time during a production show that I was actually moved to tears by the "plot" of which there usually is none!

 

And now, for something completely different......

 

….a word about Carnival Vista, it’s elevators and it’s staircases.

You know how I said we don’t do elevators, right? Man….on a hot day, coming in at deck Zero, by the time you get to 4 or 5 you’re starting to re-think all that, but you say….it’s ok! If I just don’t look up and see what deck I’m on, I’ll be ok. I can do this. And then, Carnival mocks you. Ha! You cannot avoid knowing where you are. Dang!

 

 

Obviously blurry shot of the carpet because of how quickly I was moving. Not.

 

Note that the pictures start to become clearer as I slow down to a crawl.

 

Ah. My floor. I can make it now.

 

However, if I was on the correct staircase…….

 

[/img]

 

Lavender fields…..what better place to stop and wheeze …er..catch one’s breath. This was my favourite stairway picture. My photo doesn’t do it justice, but that’s probably because of all the heavy breathing.

 

 

BY THE WAY, if you have perfect pitch, stay away from the elevators. We have Kenmore appliances in our kitchen. Even Kenmore can get their timer beeps to pretty much be the same pitch. But Carnival elevators? Alas, if I was ever in the vicinity of a busy elevator stop, it was such a cacophony of sounds, that it made orchestra tuning seem the most melodious of sounds.

 

A final word about the elevator/stair area….the carpet. You knew it was coming didn’t you? I don’t know what they were thinking, those highly paid interior decorators, or whoever signed off on the carpet, but it just doesn’t work. It looks cheap and for a ship that’s only been sailing for a couple of months, it has very visible (and they must be very visible since I’m not the most observant of people normally) stains that make it look cheap, old and unattractive, to be kind. I knew it must be obvious when Bubby commented on it. She would generally be the first to ignore all things related to housekeeping.

[njmomof2]

Marla, I've been following along on your report and I must say it's wonderful and entertaining. I'm a big fan of "friends" coming along, and Florence looks like she's having a great time, albeit denied her carousel rides!

 

I do have to say that the picture above from the second formal night of Bubby and Cubby, and you and Mr. Mac are really lovely. It's great to put a face to the writer, and these pictures are simply great.

 

Enjoying the last few parts of the trip.

[bluenoser2]

First of all, I'm blushing...you're so kind Janet! We are all such shy souls, that it isn't easy to actually post pictures of US....that's why Florence steps in so often! And just to note, the very next carousel I see, I'm taking Florence for a ride. Call me crazy, but I really hadn't thought of how it would scar her to just use her like that. I ask everyone's forgiveness.

 

And on we go......

 

 

 

 

This was it. Our last port. Sniff. Soon we would return to reality and all things Vista would be left behind. But today, we would enjoy the ship one last time. It was a very leisurely morning for us, since the ship didn’t arrive at port (in port?) until 11:00 a.m. So there was breakfast in the dining room with omelettes and hash browns…..mmmmm….love those hash browns.

 

We found a nice place in the shade on deck 11 to watch the approach into Palma de Mallorca, and listen to the planes overhead, the waterworks on board, and the sounds of crying (I’m pretty sure it was a baby, not an adult coming to terms with it being the last full day on the ship.) It’s a time for reflection and so I pondered the deep things of life. Had I used everything I packed? I had to admit (rather proudly, but still in a humble way) that I had, with the exception of a couple of necklaces, worn and used everything, Yay me! OK, maybe 5 pairs of shoes was a bit excessive (not my usual style!) but there was the mother of the bride dress to wear again, and then there were those pretty blue pumps.……

 

I attended the Q and A session in Ocean Plaza with Cruise Director Matt. It was fun and informative, though I’m sure embellished to a liberal degree. This is when I found out about the Messina Incident, when one of the passengers asked him about it.

 

BY THE WAY….may I just say I rather DETEST (that’s a bit strong….DISLIKE…nope, too wishy washy….I’ll stick with DETEST) the new magnets in the shop. We have always collected ship magnets from each ship we’ve been on. The new ones are horrible, don’t look anything like my others, and were not worth getting. Mr. MacGeever will be constructing one himself out of construction paper and decoupage glue and it will look better than those that were for sale. Rant over.

 

The ship docked, and we stayed on board to have lunch at the Mongolian Wok since we hadn’t tried that yet. It was very busy and took a very long time to have someone come to get our little checked off orders. Then it took a very long time for the food to come. Mr. MacGeever liked his – I wished for more vegetables and less noodles, but that’s just me. I did like the black bean sauce though. To make up for it, we stopped downstairs in the Marketplace for a bit of pineapple (yes, there is pineapple at lunchtime!) and key lime cheesecake to make up for the lack of fruit and vegetables upstairs. That works, right? Right?

 

We met Bubby and Cubby for our little (very little) self-guided excursion. The Trepid Travellers had lost the “P” in Trepid, scrambled it all around, and honestly, we were just plain TIRED travellers by now. There was nothing we had really wanted to see here, and we hadn’t wanted to do the beach option, but we couldn’t just stay on the ship and not BE in Palma de Mallorca, so we walked off and did a little sightseeing close to the ship. By this point, no one wanted to be on a bus, or any other kind of vehicle for that matter. The Carnival city shuttle was $16 per person, and the beach was $20 per person, for those who want to know that sort of thing.

 

 

Look! Florence sized vehicles for rent!

 

 

So, we walked, explored a pretty little (shady!) public park, gawked at the yachts, and the cars that went with them and were back on the ship in under an hour.

 

 

We Maritime Canadians were just very very hot – and walking in that heat was a tad draining. We were happy, but we were hot. Since we had always planned for this to be like a sea day, we didn’t feel bad about it. So, IF you wanted to shop, you would need some transportation to get to that area – we didn’t make it that far walking. We did get a magnet in the building on the way back to the ship, but that’s hardly what I would term “shopping”.

 

BY THE WAY…..what’s up with Carnival trying to encourage people to do the silly port photos as you come back from your excursion? Yes! That’s just what I want – a picture of hot and sweaty, frizzy-haired, dusty and dirty me in all my glory. Hold me back.

 

Oops. I digressed. Big time. My apologies.

We relaxed in the afternoon, packed, and actually purchased a couple of pictures to remember our hilarious photo shoots.

 

Dinner was lovely as always, and we all commemorated this last dinner with chocolate melting cake. We shook hands with Carolina and Nenad, and wished them well as we departed with no backward glances out of the dining room. Such bravery. Such courage.

 

 

And then it was off to Liquid Lounge for “America Rocks”, another very well done production show. My second favourite. They gave out bandanas and glow sticks to anyone who was there early enough which was fun and a great little souvenir for Ubby back at home (not the glow sticks of course). Even this Princess Snob has to admit that the entertainment was stellar on this cruise when I compare it to the last couple of Princess cruises I’ve been on. I liked the way they even imported one of the singing duos that had been performing in Ocean Plaza throughout the cruise, to add to the fun.

 

 

We did go to see one last comedian, but it was a bit sad, with hardly anyone in attendance. They were all sobbing quietly in their rooms apparently, trying to fit everything back into their luggage.

And so it was that we finished our packing up in the room, and trustingly (and a little reluctantly) put our bags out in the hallway, hoping to see them again someday soon.

[woodman]

That is a very entertaining review but I was sorry to see poor Florence did not get any melting chocolate melting cake. Thank you and Happy cruising.

[nybumpkin]

By this point, no one wanted to be on a bus, or any other kind of vehicle for that matter.

I had to laugh at this. Our last port on the Athens-Barcelona cruise was Marseille. Six ports in six days. By the time we reached Marseille youngest son was in full revolt - "Can't we just stay on the ship?" Uh no. We already paid for the tour.:p

 

BTW, what did Matt have to say about the Messina Incident?

 

Thanks again for helping me relive some amazing ports.

[easyboy]

Very nice photos.

[sk84fungirl]

Was on the phone earlier tonight sharing how this cruise was my favorite so far. I love to cruise and have never had a bad experience. This one was stellar! We met a few folks at the M&G in the Havana bar and then did not see most again except a handful which we would run into every day on the ship and in port. Weird!

 

Thanks for the review as I'm still in withdrawal and this was a great reminder and perfect way to head into my Labor Day Weekend.

[perfect match]

I'm so glad you have promised Florence she will finally get her carousel ride! I was afraid I was going to have to go all the way north to, well, zebra-nap her so I could take her with us when we sail on Oasis Of The Seas! Oasis is one cruise ship I'm sure she would love since there's a carousel right on board that she could ride whenever she wanted. :D

 

Seriously, though, I am really enjoying travelling along with you and your family on your journey. I am also enjoying seeing and hearing about the Vista. I'm not sure when we might have a chance to sail on Vista ourselves as our cruise wish list is already rather long, so it is nice to get a look at her through your eyes. Thank you for taking the time to share your story with us, and for making it so much fun to follow along.

[Keith1010]

Enjoyed your review.

Keith

[bluenoser2]

 

BTW, what did Matt have to say about the Messina Incident?

 

.

 

He was pretty low-key about it. When the passenger asked..."so, what happened in Messina"...he said, "oh, you mean where we took out 5 boats? No one was hurt, and they've worked it out." I had no idea until I got home and saw the video on YouTube what they were talking about!

[bluenoser2]

That last night on the Vista was a doozy.

 

 

Barcelona in the early early morning

 

As usual, I did not sleep well on the last night. Crying into my pillow about the end of another cruise, and the promise of a long day of travelling, added to the increased level of noise in the hallway common to last nights, I was not surprised, and hoped it would just mean some extra ZZZs on the plane ride home. Interestingly, I never sleep as easily on a plane as on a motor coach. Isn’t that interesting.

 

One last breakfast in the buffet. One last breakfast burrito at 7:00 in the morning. Wait a minute, wait a minute. I can’t feel the left side of my tongue. Why is the left side of my lip burning? And now the left side of my throat? I don’t know what teeny tiny hot pepper got slipped into my Mexican eggs, but it was a powerful little nugget that necessitated, for the first time on the cruise, me getting a container of yogurt to calm things down. I don’t think that’s what the song “I can’t feel my face when I’m with you” was regarding. (Not my favourite song either.)

 

Florence trying in vain to be left behind with her new-found friend.

 

We were out of our room, having checked to make sure everything that was ours that we wanted was with us, by 7:40. To date, I have not noticed anything missing, so I’m assuming we were successful in that quest.

Down the stairs one last time (we did it! No elevators for us the whole cruise!) and out into the terminal building where all 5 of our pink duct taped bags were excitedly hopping up and down waiting for us to find them. All lined up neatly together, much to Bubby’s amazement and delight. (She was sure we would not see them again. Oh ye of little faith.)

 

 

It was a short line-up to the taxi that moved very quickly, and the pre-set amount of 39 Euros for us and our luggage was entered into the counter, and we were off to the airport. There, we waited in the longest ever line-up for Air Canada baggage drop off (we were too early it seems and the counters hadn’t yet opened). We did have a long time until our flight so we just endured and made small talk with other People of the Line.

 

 

I lost count of line-ups that morning, but we decided that it wasn’t all bad that we had arrived so early at the airport. Of course, upon going through security screening, who of our group should be pulled aside for random screening? Can you guess? Yep, Bubby. Poor thing. They didn’t tell her why she had to step aside as they motioned for the rest of us to continue on. Mr. MacGeever staunchly stood by her to be sure. It was just one of those random carry-on swab thingies, and then we were on our way once again.

 

Unfortunately, the experience had been too much for our sweet Bubby, and she was quite upset by it all. Fortunately, there is a large shopping area to take one’s mind off everything else, that we noticed BEFORE going through passport control. (It’s downstairs, so it was quite possible to miss it in our desire to be through all the checkpoints). I noticed it though. I'm like that.

 

Reminding Bubby that she still had 20 Euros to spend, we were off and she found not one thing but two things to get that made her happy once again, and after that…..well, it was truly back to reality. McDonald’s for our very early lunch (Mr. MacGeever liked that the ordering kiosks had TEN different language options, though he only needed one) and on to a very uneventful wait and flight to Montreal, where we knew we were close to home when we saw the Tim Hortons kiosk in the airport. Mr. MacGeever asked, "wanna tea?" and I said, "YES please! Tea done right!" He obligingly went to procure some apple fritters (you know you're back in Canada when you take a bite of one) and my tea. I sighed blissfully, opening it up to have my steeped tea done just the way I like it. I took a whiff. IT WAS COFFEE. Can you believe it? I was doomed from the start on this trip wasn't I? Anyway.....he took it back and made an exchange. All good. And then the flight back to Halifax, and then the drive home. Phew! We did it! We honeymooned all together. And Florence made it back safely and relatively soundly too. She HAS commented that it's totally enough with the mint green for now. We're happy to comply and who knows what attire she will have next trip!

 

 

(See! We're not totally mean - we got her an apple fritter too!)

 

 

She has returned to her travel drawer in my dresser, and awaits the next plans for a cruise. Or a land vacation. She’ll go anywhere. She’s like that.