An Amber,A Thomas,A Juan,A Turk,a Dee and a Jim - Carnival Splendor Journal w/ Pics

[vanislandcruisers]

April 11th - Day 3 – Back on Board

 

We decided to Pop the plastic Cork on the Champagne for Sail-Away and we enjoyed Champagne and Drinks on the Balcony until about 4:45pm when we made our way down to the Our House Sports Bar for our nightly visit with Nemanja. We sat on the same Bar Stools at the Bar we had sat on the Night before, ordered our Drinks and waited for Sports Trivia to start; the ‘Countdown to the Cheers 15’ had begun.

 

It was a different Host for Sports Trivia tonight but the participants were many of the same that we had competed against the Evening before. The host was a little difficult to understand and the Questions were 10X harder than the Evening before so Dee and I only got 6 of 15 correct…and that was good enough for 3rd place. We each would achieve a much better Score out of 15 when it came to the Cheers Package this day.

 

After having a few more drinks and visitinwith Nemanja we made our way over to the Oceanview Bar for a smoke and some Drinks. We ran into a couple of young Men from Long Island who had just got engaged in Amber Cove so we chatted with them for a while and bought them a Round to Celebrate…and we could not let them drink alone.

 

We made our way up to the Cabin about 7:00pm to get changed for Dinner and a Chocolate Delight for being Platinum was waiting for us. We changed, made some Drinks and spent a little while on the Balcony before heading back down to the Oceanview Bar for what would become a nightly pre-dinner occurrence for the next 4 Nights – a Patron Shot neat - before making our way Aft and then down 1 Deck to the Upper Level of the Gold Pearl Dining Room and Table 511.

 

Natalja had told us the night beforeto just come to her Section but neither of us were comfortable bailing on Made,Made and Wayan so we made a plan to go see Natalja after Dinner.

 

Wayan was quick with our Wine this Evening and soon enough Made, our Head Waiter, came by to take our Orders. Dee went with a Spinach Salad and the Grilled Chicken Breast while I went with the Shrimp Cocktail, a Caesar Salad and the Pork Chop.

 

The previous Night we had noticed a Couple with 2 Young Children 2 Tables over from us at a Booth overlooking the Lower Level of the Dining Room who got a lot of attention from Hostesses, both the Assistant Maitre ’d and the Maitre ’d and a few Officers in White Uniforms.We spent the 1st Night in the Dining Room wondering what the Deal was. Tonight the Wife was dining alone with her 2 Sons and the Parade to her Table from the ‘higher-ups’ from the Ship’s Staff continued. And it drove us absolutely Nuts with our imaginations definitely getting the better of us – Were they Celebrities that we didn’t recognize? VIP’s of some sort? Were they from Carnival Head Office? Dee noticed how well-dressed both the Boys and the Mom were saying “I LOVED the Shoes she wore last night and LOVE Tonight’s pair just as much” before adding “Both pairs would have cost a pretty penny”

 

Dee didn’t have any Dessert and I had the WCMC Mickey Mouse style and when I placed the Order with Wayan he said he ‘made a Fart with his Brain last night’ and brought me the wrong Dessert…..and we laughed and we laughed and we laughed.

 

When we were finalizing the booking for this Cruise it asked us if ‘we were celebrating anything special?’ on the Cruise and we checked off Anniversary and then it asked us for the Date. When we punched in August 11th that did not compute with the Cruise so we selected April 11th not knowing anything would come of it.

 

The Section we were in had a lot of Tables and Booths for 2 and most of our fellow Guests had already left their Tables for the Night. Our Head Waiter, Made, asked me to move over toDee’s side of the Booth and . we could see the other Mad e and Wayan frantically trying to get a few other Wait Staff to join them because, with the other Booths and Tables around us now vacant, they were, as we would understand in a moment, short on Singers. They brought over a small Chocolate Cake with ‘Happy Anniversary’ written on it….and then they started to sing. One or 2of the ‘other’ Wait Staff didn’t get the Memo that is was an Anniversary and not a Birthday so for the next 30 seconds we were serenaded with ‘Happy Birthsaversary’…..and we laughed and we laughed and we laughed.

 

By Far and Away the Best Birthsaversary Celebration we have ever had.

 

No Entertainment tonight so we settled up our Wine Bill with Wayan and made our way over to say “Hi” to Natalya. She let us know that ‘the Maitre’d had indeed made a mistake when entering our Dining Assignment and put us on the opposite side from where we should have been. We should have been at the Empty Booth in her Section’. We understood and told her we ‘weren’t comfortable making a switch for the rest of the Cruise as we didn’t want to hurt our Dining Room Team’s feelings’ with both Dee and I feeling that no matter what we tell them they were gonna think they did something wrong or had too many ‘Farts with their Brains’. We also finalized our Plans for Grand Turk with her before giving her a Hug and then said we’d ‘visit her tomorrow night again.’

 

We went to the Oceanview Bar to have a smoke, ordered some Drinks and then went over to the Grand Piano Bar to see what Craig, the Piano Bar Entertainer, was like. The Reviews we had read on him prior to the Cruise were all over the Map with the majority being on the 'Thumbs down' side but we thought we'd see for ourselves. There were plenty of Seats as only Damien and Jenny, who were at a Table for 2, and few others on Stools up by the Piano were in there. Another couple, Leslee and Rick from Arizona, came in shortly after we did and sat at a Table for 2 and ‘apparently’ we had met Rick at the Blackjack Table the Night before. Conclusion# 795 – Another welcome surprise.

 

We ordered Drinks and then Dee asked me for a 10 Dollar Bill and she wrote out a Request and placed both the $10 and the Request in Craig’s Tip Jar. There was only one other Bill in the Jar at this time. When he finished the song he was playing he had a look in the Jar and after seeing the Request, he groaned, said he’d already ‘played that song earlier in the evening’. Ya mean before we got in here??? Rather than asking for a different Song he asked the other 7 people in the Bar for a larger Tip to “stopthe Song”…. No one anted up and after listening to the Song and hearing his Vocals we decided to head back to the Casino to listen to the Band that was playing across from the Oceanview Bar. Damien, Jenny, Leslee and Rick followed shortly after.

 

Rick, Dee and I eventually found our way to a Blackjack Table and spent the next 3 hours playing - we even got Leslee playing. Eventually it was time for The Traditionals and a little Balcony time so we called it a Night about 2:15am.

It had been a full day with one of the Best Excursions we’ve ever done on one of the most beautiful Islands we have ever visited and we still had 3 Ports to look forward to.

[vanislandcruisers]

loving the review!

we will be on the Splendor in October, was there a refrigerator in your cabin?

 

Thanks...and Yes...don't think it's a fridge per se...more like a Cooler or Chiller... they used to be for the Mini Bar...it kept our Wine and the Cans of Coke chilled nicely

[vanislandcruisers]

Really enjoying your review. We loved our cruises on the Splendor and will be back on her next year. Keep it coming!!! :cool:

 

Thanks Jamman54...real compliment coming from you...Really enjoy all your Reviews....still jealous of your recent Pride Cruise

[08srwenhold04]

Like everyone else is saying this is such a great review, probably the best i have read on here. I love your transparency and humor! Keep it coming, can't wait to hear the rest!

[vanislandcruisers]

Like everyone else is saying this is such a great review, probably the best i have read on here. I love your transparency and humor! Keep it coming, can't wait to hear the rest!

 

Thanks so much...really appreciate you saying that

[crusinpsychRN]

Enjoy your writing style. Pics are great.

[vanislandcruisers]

Enjoy your writing style. Pics are great.

 

Thanks very much....and Thanks for what you do in your everyday Life:)

[As You Wish]

Great review. You and Dee certainly know how to have fun! I'm looking forward to reading about the rest of your adventures.

[vanislandcruisers]

Great review. You and Dee certainly know how to have fun! I'm looking forward to reading about the rest of your adventures.

 

Thanks!!!...More adventure coming up

[vanislandcruisers]

April 12th - Day 4– Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, USVI 11:00am– 7:00pm

 

 

I slept in until just before 8:00am today and went down to the Oceanview Bar for a Caesar … or 2…. and a smoke….or 2 and found my way back to the Cabin about 9:30am and woke Dee up. By the time we were ready we had to hit the Buffet as we were too late for the Dining Room.

The line-ups were as expected – Long – and while we were in line we watched more than 1 Person say “Excuse Me” at the start of the Line to 1st get a Plate and Cutlery and then play ‘Leap-frog excuse me’ the entire way down the Line putting something different on their Plate each time they went into the Line because they ‘just had to get one thing’. As far as the Buffet goes we really like the Dining Room.

 

Dee and I had a really good laugh when we “finally” got to the Food. Sometime during the last 6 months we read a Review and in it was a bit of rant about “Carnival cutting up Hot Dogs or Wieners and passing them off as Sausages during the Breakfast Buffet.”We said “No way.” This morning we said “Way” when we saw exactly what he was talking about.….and we laughed and we laughed and we laughed. Now we did utilize the Buffet Debarkation morning and the ‘Sausages’ were ‘Sausages’ that morning. Anyhooooo ya had to be there….and have read that Review….and have talked about it at the time like we did…..and found it funny like we did.

Backup to the Cabin and out on the Balcony we went to take some pics as the Carnival Splendor slowly made its way towards the Pier in Charlotte Amalie, St.Thomas, USVI.

 

With us getting a late start to the day we realized our Morning Run on the Deck 12 Jogging Track and Workout in the Gym would become a statistic for yet another day.

 

The U.S. Virgin Islands consist of the main Islands of St. Thomas, St. John and St.Croix. The Islands are part of the Virgin Islands Archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.

St.Thomas is home to the Capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Charlotte Amalie. It has been the heart of St. Thomas’ activities from colonial times to present. Historic buildings found throughout downtown Charlotte Amalie take you back to the Danish era when the town was a bustling Port of Trade; while modern additions of Taxis, Shops, Souvenir Vendors and Cruise Ships in the Harbour remind us that it is Tourism that currently drives the Economy.

Charlotte Amalie, the main area and the sub district, is home to almost half of the islands 51,000+ residents. Other residents live on the East End, West End and North Side. These references might seem quite broad however on an island just 32 square miles they work well. If you ask for directions you are likely to hear them.

St. Thomas is largely mountainous. Many roads around the Island offer terrific panoramic views of the Island and Ocean. Amongst the hills on St. Thomas and along the beaches you will find an assortment of accommodations; Resorts, Historic Inns, Guest Houses, Vacation Homes, Villas and Condos.

 

St.Thomas is a Water Lover’s Paradise with Beach Days, Snorkeling, Scuba Diving, Windsurfing, Day Charters, Kite Boarding, Sailing, Fishing, Kayaking and Parasailing amongst the many Activities you can participate in. On Land you can play a Round of Golf, take an Island Tour, take in the Historical Sites Downtown and do some Shopping. In the evening you can hit Happy Hour at a Bar or Restaurant, catch some Live Music and have Dinner with a sublime View!

[vanislandcruisers]

April 12th - Day 4– Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, USVI 11:00am– 7:00pm

 

More Pics from the Balcony

 

The tops of the Allure of the Seas and Celebrity Silhouette at Crown Bay Dock

 

 

[vanislandcruisers]

April 12th - Day 4– Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, USVI 11:00am– 7:00pm

 

On our Celebrity Cruise in October of 2015, after doing some Jewelry Shopping in downtown Charlotte Amalie with 4 of our friends,we took a Taxi to Megan’s Bay and LOVED our time there so when we started the planning for this Cruise we assumed we would head there again. We were the only Ship in Port on our Celebrity Cruise however when we looked at the Port Schedule for this Cruise we saw we’d be joined by 3 other Ships; the Allure ofthe Seas and the Celebrity Silhouette at the Crown Bay Dock…

 

 

…and the Disney Fantasy would bejoining us at the West Indian Company Dock (Havensight).

 

With the 2 of us and 14,000+ of our Cruising Buddies on St. Thomas we decided to try and plan a Day that would give us some Fun, some Sights, some Beach Time and more than ‘some’ Booze and possibly minimize the Crowds. We had taken the Skyride up to Paradise Point on the way back to the Ship during our 1st visit so we didn’t feel like we had to do that again.

 

After hearing Friends of ours rave about how beautiful Trunk Bay was we started looking into a DIY trip to over to St. John to see Trunk Bay. We weren’t in Port early enough to catch the 10:00am Ferry from Charlotte Amalie Harbour – Cruz Bay on St. John so we looked at taking a Taxi to Red Hook, a Ferry over to Cruz Bay and then a Taxi to Trunk Bay.

 

We weren’t getting into St Thomas until 11:00am so we figured if all goes well we could be at Red Hook Ferry Terminal by 12noon and then Trunk Bay by 1:00pm at the latest. To be safe we’d have to leave at 3:00pm to try and catch the last Ferry from Cruz Bay to Charlotte Amalie which would leave at 3:45pm and if that didn’t work out we’d grab the 4:00pm Ferry from Cruz Bay to Red Hook and then take a Taxi to the Pier - we thought about trying to time it for the 5:00pm Ferry from Cruz Bay – Red Hook with a Taxi ride from Red Hook to the Cruise Ship Pier but thought we’d be cutting it too close with the Carnival Splendor and the Allure of the Seas both scheduled to depart at 7:00pm. After reading some Reviews where others have been in Port with a 3 or 4+ other Ships we nixed this idea to try and avoid the traffic and crowds. Trunk Bay would have to wait so on the Carnival Site we went.

 

We looked at the St. John Catamaran Sail & Snorkel with Open Bar Excursion which had really good Reviews but with a 12:30pm start time for this 4½ hour excursion - we wouldn’t really be able to do much before or after the Excursion. Next we looked at a new Excursion that Carnival had added - Beach Bar Hopping – it didn’t have any Reviews to go off of so we just read the description which started off with: Three beaches-Three Bars-Three Drinks….Cocktails in Paradise. We LOVE Beaches, Bars and Cocktails!!!...We LOVE Paradise especially Cocktails in Paradise!!!

 

Again, we weren’t fans of the 1:00pm departure time for this Excursion which would get us back at the Port around 4:30pm with a 6:30pm ‘back on board’ time. We did notice in the write-up that they only listed 2 Bars and 2 Beaches but at this point we were ready to take their word for the 3rd one as the Pictures on the Excursion Page showed the 3rd Bar.

 

We were going to go with the Bar Hop Excursion before we did a rough estimate on the amount of time we’d spend on the Safari Bus as opposed to actually at a Bar on a Beach especially with the heavy traffic from 4 Ships in Port. ‘45minutes to our first Oasis’ meant we’d probably have somewhere around 45 minutes back from our 3rd Oasis so we’d be spending 1½ hours or more when we included travel to the 2nd and 3rd Beach Bars of a 3½ hour Tour in a Safari Bus we didn’t want to spend time in. In this case the start time, the newness of the Excursion as well as the lack of Reviews definitely helped in swaying us away from it.

 

So with that Excursion nixed we moved onto the Kon-Tiki PartyBoat & Beach Fun which was 3½ hours long with an 11:30am start time…Now we’re talking!!! We’d be back at 3:00pm which would allow us another 3½ hours to see what trouble we could get ourselves into.

 

 

The Excursion Description went like this: Board the LEGENDARY KON TIKI equipped with a live steel band and full bar for a scenic cruise through historical Charlotte Amalie Harbor to beautiful Honeymoon Beach on nearby Water Island. Keep cool on our open shaded lower deck, or sunbathe on the upper deck,whilst taking in the sights of Blackbeard's Castle, Bluebeard's Castle & the Governor's Mansion nestled in the mountain side surrounding our capital. We would take in the sites whist frequenting the full bar!!!

 

After cruising behind Hassel & Water Island, KON TIKI will pause over a coral reef, where she will lower her glass bottom viewers for you to see a variety of underwater animals. We will stop at a wonderful white sand beach with sparkling turquoise clear water for at least one hour for swimming, sunbathing & beachcombing.We would swim, sunbathe and beachcomb whilst at the wonderful white sand beach!!!!

 

The Kon Tiki will land on the beach for your convenience & pleasure. On the way back the good times continue, with plenty of barefoot dancing, fun games & a limbo contest with prizes for winners. Complimentary rum punch and fruit punch included. Hmmmm………We would continue the good times and……..let’s see….. we’d watch stuff….Oh and we’d definitely drink complimentary Rum Punch!!!

 

The Reviews for this Excursion were very good with 205 of 227 Reviewers at the time we booked recommending the Excursion and giving it a 4.4 out of 5 for Value, 4.6 out of 5 forReliability/Convenience and 4.6 out of 5 for Fun. We booked this Excursion using the OHJOHN 5% Excursion Discount that Jacinta posted on John Heald’s Facebook Page so after the discount it was $56.99/person.

 

We packed our knapsack and headed over the Smoking Section mid-ship on Deck 10 to take some Pics and await the ‘All Clear’Announcement which didn’t come until close to 11:30am....

 

Finish of the Skyride up to Paradise Point

 

and while we were there we were able to get a Picture of the Kon Tiki 2 coming to pick us up.

 

We took the Stairs down to Deck 0 and down the Gangway where we had our ‘Welcome to St. Thomas’ picture taken and walked 15 steps to the right where we were met by a Crew Member of the Kon Tiki 2.

 

We exchanged our Excursion Tickets for Wristbands, which meant we were entitled to all the Rum we could drink; our favourite kind, and walked up the Gangway and grabbed a pair of Seats on a Bench portside at the front of the Boat right next to the Steel Drum Band.

 

While we were in line to get on the Kon Tiki a couple behind us said they ‘couldn’t believe how many People were already on the Boat considering’ they ‘thought they were one of the 1st off of the Carnival Splendor’. We agreed with them and once on board we realized that we were indeed some of the 1st Carnival Passengers onthe Boat and we were joining about 150 Moms, Dads and Kids from the Disney Fantasy which was docked in front of the Carnival Splendor. With that News Dee headed up to the Bar to get us each a Beer, which we had to pay for, to settle our stomachs before we got on the complimentary Rum Punch Train which left the Station just a few minutes later.

 

A Kon Tiki Host got on the Microphone and went through some Safety Procedures, explained the layout of the Boat – showed us where the Bathrooms were – told us how the Wristbands and the Bar would operate and gave us an idea of what the Itinerary would be. Anytime he went through anything that was Adult themed the Carnival Passengers would give a “Whoop Whoop” while the Disney Passengers remained somewhat stoic.

 

Dee and I made a guess at that time that the Kon Tiki Excursion wasn’t marketed as a ‘Party Boat’ on the Disney site as much as it was on the Carnival Site and that guess showed some merit when a Disney Parent approached the Host, who was now standing by us, looking for assurance that this Excursion was “Family friendly”. He answered “Of Course it is” and after the concerned Parent ‘zippity-do-da’d’ back to their Seat he looked at us and said “I should have answered that it is today".

[vanislandcruisers]

April 12th - Day 4– Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, USVI 11:00am– 7:00pm

 

We started our cruise around and through the Harbour and the Host pointed out the “points of interest” all the while giving us a very thorough and interesting HistoryLesson on Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and the USVI.

 

 

 

 

 

We made our way over to the Crown Bay Dock where the Allure of the Seas and the Celebrity Silhouette were docked and picked up another 15 - 20 Adult Passengers. Welcome Aboard!!! Come join the Mouseketeers!!!

[vanislandcruisers]

April 12th - Day 4– Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, USVI 11:00am– 7:00pm

 

More Pics from the Harbour Cruise

 

 

 

 

[vanislandcruisers]

April 12th - Day 4– Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, USVI 11:00am– 7:00pm

 

Next the Captain of the Kon Tiki 2 steered us over towards Hassel and Water Islands...

 

 

 

......and then stopped over a Coral Reef where the Crew lowered the ‘glass bottom viewers” so everyone could see the Sea Life on the Reef. The jockeying for space around the ‘viewers’ was too much for some and the Meltdowns started so Dee and I grabbed our stuff, headed to the Bar to grab 2 glasses each of the free-poured Dark Rum, tipped the Tarbender, added Fruit Punch from the Cooler and made our way upstairs to the 2nd Deck and Sunshine and Peace and Quiet to enjoy the Drinks and have a Smoke. It wasn’t long before we were joined by several others.

 

 

The Kon Tiki 2 continued over to Honeymoon Beach where we’d be spending the next 90 minutes.

 

 

Just after we pulled in several other large Excursion Boats pulled up beside us increasing the number of people at the Beach. It was nice to get off the Boat and we grabbed a Picnic Table 10 or 15 steps from the Water. There was a non-permanent Bar-B-Q, Food Station and Bar set up right by where we were sitting and it catered to the Kon Tiki Passengers as well as the other large Boats with all the snorkelers on them that anchored right next to us. Despite the Crew’s advice to get in line for food right away we chose not to do so and the net result was that we didn’t eat but we did make multiple trips back and forth on to the Kon Tiki 2 for Rum Punch.

 

Eventually we walked down to the far end of the Beach where it was much less rocky entering the Water and were happy to see a Beach Bar and Food Truck there. However the wait time for food was 45 minutes and after waiting 15 minutes to try and order a Drink I walked way back up the Beach to the Kon Tiki for 4 more Rum Punch.

 

 

We swam, we drank, we admired other people’s food and we made the best of our time at the Beach. I spoke to a man who had one of the new to the Market ‘Snorkel’ or Diving Masks which is basically a full-face clear mask with a built in hard-plastic snorkel on the Top. I have trouble with traditional snorkeling and have been interested in taking a look at one of these. The man had no problem with me trying it on and I really think it would work for me.

 

Soon enough it was time to head back to the Kon Tiki 2 so we made the trek along the Beach. We grabbed some more Rum and added a little Punch and grabbed a Seat to watch the Entertainment. The 1st of which was a Dance Contest to the song ‘Cent, 5 Cent 10 Cent Dolla’ and the Crew did a dry run-through for all the participants. The dance move at the ‘Dolla’ part of the song looked a lot like the Pelvic Thrust move from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Conclusion # 796 – Mickey and Minnie were blushing.

 

Next up was the Limbo Contest and as soon as we saw the 1st Stroller go under the Bar we looked at one of the Crew Members and he said “this just isn’t right.” On that note we grabbed some more Rum and Punch and went top side for the rest of the Journey.

[vanislandcruisers]

April 12th - Day 4– Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, USVI 11:00am– 7:00pm

 

We were slowly moving across the Harbour towards our Pier...

 

 

 

As we approached our Dock we were happy to see that they were just finishing painting the ‘N’, the ‘D’ and the ‘O’ on the Portside of the Carnival Splendor. We were whole again.

 

 

Back on Land we headed up the Gangway to the Ship and made our way up to our Cabin where we were greeted by a Box and Bag of Candy from the Casino...

 

 

and our 3rd Towel Animal.

 

 

We had a Shower and then went to the Lido Deck Aft for our daily Tandoor fix. We were able to talk to a couple of the Chefs and they were gracious enough to help us put a Plate together as if they were going to eat it using all the Sauces they would use. It was a SPECTACULAR Meal.

[vanislandcruisers]

April 12th - Day 4– Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, USVI 11:00am– 7:00pm

 

We got back off the Ship and walked across the Pier Area to the Senor Frog’s and settled in for a 3 hour Session of Margaritas, dancing, singing and people watching.

 

Our view....

 

The Marg’s had the desired results and we absolutely enjoyed our time there. It was very neat to watch the Disney Fantasy back out and around the Carnival Splendor....

 

 

....and while it was doing so I used the WiFi at Senor Frog’s to see if in either San Juan or Grand Turk we were being joined by the ‘Happiest Ship on Earth’. Seeing the answer was “No” I celebrated the Good News with another Margarita

 

I had changed into this T- Shirt...

 

...and our Waitress got quite a kick out of it and asked if she could take a Picture. All in all that Shirt probably had its picture taken 25 times on this Trip.

 

Having been pleasantly 'overserved' at Senor Frog’s...

 

 

...we got back on the Ship about 6:15pm and went up to the Cabin for some Drinks and some Balcony time. We spent the next 90 minutes enjoying our liquid refreshments and Sail-Away and had some laughs as we remembered some of the expressions on the faces of the Passengers - young and old - during the ‘Cent, 5 Cent 10 Cent Dolla’ Dance Contest...and said 'Until Next time..." to St. Thomas

 

 

8:00pm found us dressed for Dinner and standing at the Oceanview Bar for our pre-dinner Patron Shot neat and then we were off to Table 511 in the Gold Pearl Dining room where Wayan was waiting for us with 2 Glasses of Wine…and the Pack of Smokes I had left there the Night before.

 

Dee went with a couple Appetizers; the Spring Rolls a Satay Dish which was Grilled Beef on a Skewer and then ordered the Flat Iron Steak as her Main while I went with a Shrimp Cocktail, the Flatbread and also got the Flat Iron Steak. Dee wasn’t crazy about the Sauce on her Satay Dish and didn't eat much of that but that was to taste and nothing to do with the way it was prepared. This was the 1st time I have had the Flatbread on a Carnival Cruise and I am kicking myself now for not having it sooner – it was VERY GOOD.

 

Dee had some Ice Cream for Dessert while I went with the WCMC Mickey Mouse Style. My only complaint about the Food in the Dining Room during the Cruise, and it’s a minor one, was that the WCMC was a little overcooked each Night for my liking. I like it gooey and when mixed with the Vanilla Ice Cream it becomes a pudding-like mess of tastiness – this Cruise the Cake just crumbled resulting in Vanilla Ice Cream with WCMC Chunks.

 

Once the Entertainment was finished and we were done playing “Who are they?” about the Family at the Booth by the Railing we signed the Check for our Wine and then went over to the other side to visit with Natalja.

We made it back to the Oceanview Bar at 10:15pm and the 2 of us found an empty 10 Dollar Table and spent the next 2½ hours counting Cards up to 21 and Drinks down from 11. We were joined by Leslee and Rick shortly after we started playing.

At about 12:30am a Gentleman sat down beside me at the Table and unfortunately for me, the Dealers, the last of whom we could see wince a little when the Gentleman spoke directly to her, and for anyone else at the Table he directed conversation at his breath was enoughto make a ‘Freight Train take a Dirt Road.’ Conclusion # 797 – He ate the Entire Satay Meal with Sauce. As soon as he left, the Dealer looked at all of us knowingly and said “Normally I am not but tonight I am so HAPPY this is a Smoking Table”…and we laughed and we laughed and we laughed.

 

We ordered The Traditionals at 12:45am, said Good-Night to everyone and headed up to the Cabin, set the Wake-up Call for 7:00am and then went out on the Balcony for a little wind-downtime.

 

Our day in St. Thomas had been a lot of Fun.

[vanislandcruisers]

T-Shirts

 

For our Group Cruises I usually by a new T-Shirt for each day of the Cruisefrom www.roadkilltshirts.com – nothing offensive just things I find funny –but with this Cruise being just the 2 of us I decided to save some money and bringsome of my favourites. It got to the point on the Ship that I was the “T-shirtguy” and several different people would come running up to me each day whenthey saw me just to see what T-Shirt I had on.

 

In addition to the "Trust me you Can dance" Shirt these were the T-Shirts I brought for this Cruise - 'Message' is correct but the T-Shirt Colours were a little different ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also brought one that we got in Vegas that within the Logo on the Front essentially says:

 

Trophy

Husband

 

which is not Dee's favourite

[Cruise Envy]

Jim & Pee, :cool:

 

I have laughed until I practically spit drink out my nose. I now have a cruise with the two of you on my bucket list. Please continue to entertain us!

[vanislandcruisers]

Jim & Pee, :cool:

 

I have laughed until I practically spit drink out my nose. I now have a cruise with the two of you on my bucket list. Please continue to entertain us!

 

Glad you are enjoying it...I am trying desperately to get San Juan, Grand Turk, the Final Sea Day and our Flights home finished as I am away at a Conference for work all next Week....all this 2-finger typing has taken longer than I expected ...apparently I am 'wordy'...lol

[vanislandcruisers]

April 13th - Day 5 – San Juan, Puerto Rico 7:30am –3:30pm

 

 

The wake-up call came as ordered at 7:00am. Dee had made me promise to wake her up as we were sailing into San Juan. Having never been here before we wanted to take in as much as we could but she would not move. Conclusion # 798 – She did not make herself Promise. So I made my way out onto the Balcony to watch our arrival and take some Pictures.The views were amazing but the Weather looked a little iffy.

 

 

 

 

 

Once we were docked the Oceania Marina came in and docked a few Berths over.

 

I was eventually able to wake Dee up and with us still having to eat and wanting to get off the Ship as early as we could to see and experience as much as we could we decided to delay our Run and Workout until later.

 

San Juan is the capital and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated Territory of the United States. As of the 2010 Census, it had population of 395,326 making it the 46th largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad dePuerto Rico ("Rich Port City"). Puerto Rico's capital is the second oldest European-established capital city in the Americas, after Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic.

 

Several historical buildings are located inSan Juan; among the most notable are the city's former defensive forts, Fort San Felipe del Morro and Fort San Cristobal and La Forteleza, the oldest executive mansion in continuous use in the Americas.

 

We went down to the Dining Room and one of the Hostesses took us on a Cellular and frustration free walk over to a Table for 2. Dee went with the Eggs Benny with her OWN side of Bacon while I had Bacon and Eggs.

 

Before we left home we had done some research and decided on a DIY Walking Tour that would get us to the places we wanted to see and visit so we grabbed our knapsack and headed down to Deck 0 and walked down the Gangway into a Monsoon. The Photographers had moved the ‘Welcome to San Juan’ Lifesavers over under some Shelter so we stopped by to have our Picture taken.

[vanislandcruisers]

April 13th - Day 5 – San Juan, Puerto Rico 7:30am –3:30pm

 

More Pics from our Arrival into San Juan

 

 

 

 

 

 

[vanislandcruisers]

April 13th - Day 5 – San Juan, Puerto Rico 7:30am –3:30pm

 

More Pics from our Arrival into San Juan

 

 

 

 

 

[cainlr]

following

[vanislandcruisers]

April 13th - Day 5 – San Juan, Puerto Rico 7:30am –3:30pm (continued)

 

We made it across the Street to the Walgreens under the Sheraton Old San Juan and spent 10 minutes under cover hoping theWeather would break – it did

 

Our first Goal was to go to one of the Top 2 Rated Coffee Shops in Old San Juan – Finca Cialitos Coffee House. I have never had a Cup of Coffee in my life but Dee loves the Stuff so we trudged up the Hill and along a Cobbestone Roadway until we reached our 1st Goal.

 

 

 

The Coffee House was really cool and the Staff were very friendly and helpful. Dee said the Cappuccino she got was the BESTshe has ever tasted. My Bottle of Water was cold, clear and refreshing.

 

 

I wanted to use the Bathroom there but just as we sat down one of the Locals took a Newspaper and headed in to Men’s Bathroom…………and he was in there the entire time were in the Shop. Dee said 'Coffee does that to you.'

 

Our next destination was the Castillo San Cristobal so we backtracked a little along a couple of Streets and then made our way up the Hill to the Fort. We had no desire to go inside but just wanted to have a look and take some Pictures which we did.

 

 

 

An hour earlier we were trying to stay dry from the Rain and now we were trying to stay dry from the Heat. The Air was thick to the point I swear I saw a Pigeon leaning up against the Humidity. We briefly thought about walking over to El Morro but decided against it as the walk over to the Entrance to the Grounds had a little downhill and then uphill and then more uphill…and then uphill on the Grounds at the Fort; if we headed back towards Old San Juan we would go downhill. Gravity won.