Our Carnival Vista B2B - Havana Style - (with pics!) - 4/14/24

[PrincessPatti]

Sending prayers to you and Patti.  

[TN Roz]

My thoughts and prayers for you both.

[Crusin Karen]

Thoughts of comfort to you, Patti and Ryan. 🙏

[DebOinKC]

Thoughts and prayers our with you and Patti today.

 

[blarko]

Thinking of you today @Jamman54 and Patti. Hugs and prayers to you both.

[rwest898]

Jeff and Patti,  prayers for you both 🙏 

[grima625]

Thoughts and prayers to you and Patti today. 

[MEUB1112]

Praying for your family.

[BohJang]

@Jamman54 & Patti. Thinking of you both tonight

[Jamman54]

Patti and I wish to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers as they helped us get through a very difficult day. We can’t believe that it’s been ten years already. We continue with our adventure.

 

Day # 12- (April 25th) – Fun Day at Sea # 5. 

 

There weren’t many pictures taken today as I think Patti was resting the camera for our day in Grand Turk tomorrow.

 

We were up at 6:30am to a warm, though partly cloudy day. The seas are fairly calm…..

 

 

The Map Channel shows us heading north on our way to Grand Turk…..

 

 

Here are today’s “Fun Times”…….

 

 

 

Patti says that she’s going to get a head start on her packing. I head over to the Ocean Plaza Bar to get my morning coffee from Setyo. I come back to the cabin to work on pictures for a while. Around 9am I’m feeling a little hungry for the breakfast of champions. I made my way up to the Blue Iguana Cantina to get my Breakfast Burrito, and then took it over to the Red Frog Rum Bar to wash it down with a Thirsty Frog Wheat…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued……

[Jamman54]

Pour me another Thirsty Frog Wheat please…..

 

 

 

Today is the Diamond Platinum Party but we decide to blow it off……

 

 

 

Today we are going to hit the Casino. I played blackjack for about three hours eventually losing about $200. Fortunately, $130 of that was in the free play that we had been given or won. Patti played Video Poker for a while and she wound up breaking even.

 

Afterwards, we went up to the Lido Marketplace for a bite to eat, and then had a drink at the Tides Bar.

 

We went back to the cabin to get changed for some Havana Area time. I Gede has left us another towel animal……

 

 

We hung out in the Havana Area until it was time for dinner. Tonight we are eating at Cucina del Capitano. I bump into Raymond who is my brother from another mother…..

 

 

Here are the menus…..

 

 

 

 

 

Here are Patti and I at Cucina del Capitano…..

 

 

 

To be continued…….

[Jamman54]

This was our table setting……

 

 

The bread is always to die for!

 

 

House Made Burrata…..

 

 

Arancini…..

 

 

Pollo Parmigiana Della Cucina…..

 

 

Roasted Broccoloi & Cauliflower…..

 

 

For dessert we had the Crostata and Biscotti…..

 

 

 

The meal was very good. We were stuffed. Patti was going to head back to the cabin, but first she stopped in the Atrium to watch the Accidental String Trio…..

 

 

 

 

I went to the Limelight Lounge to watch the  18+ comedy of Danny Bevins, who I thought was very good. Afterwards, I made my way to the cabin as well, but not before a nightcap with Kiran at the Havana Bar.

 

Today’s Cheers count: Patti = 4, Jeff = 12. For the day (+4), for the cruise (+21).

 

Coming up next: Our final port of call, and a visit to our Grand Turk vacation home!

[Jamman54]

Day # 13 - (April 26th) – Grand Turk - (8am – 4pm). 

 

We were up at 6am to get ready for the day. Today, as we usually do at Grand Turk, we have rented a Pool Cabana. Here are today’s “Fun Times”…..

 

 

 

The Carnival Vista arrived at Grand Turk about an hour early……

 

 

 

 

They began letting people off the ship before 8am. It was cloudy and raining lightly. I got off the ship to secure our favorite cabana. Patti got off the ship about a half hour later once the rain had stopped. Here are some views as she walked on the pier……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Patti looks back at the Carnival Vista……

 

 

In the distance she can see the Carnival Magic, who will be joining us here today…..

 

 

 

 

Patti makes her way off of the pier and into the Plaza…..

 

 

 

 

 

Patti has arrived at Margaritaville……

 

 

The Porch of Indecision…..

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

This is the Main Restroom…..

 

 

These little cubicles can be rented for about $200. The two loungers out front are included…..

 

 

This is new. A satellite bar by Cabana # 1……

 

 

Here are some views of the pool area…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Patti has arrived at our Cabana #9, which we affectionately call our Grand Turk Vacation Home…..

 

 

Here is our server for the day, Marosa…..

 

 

 

Marosa takes a picture of us…..

 

 

Patti gives us a tour of our Pool Cabana…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marosa has already brought me my first bucket of beer…..

 

 

To be continued……

[Jamman54]

Here are our food menus……

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some views from our Pool Cabana. It looks serene and uncrowded now, but wait until the passengers from the Carnival Magic arrive…..

 

 

 

 

They have built another satellite bar over by Cabana # 10……

 

 

 

To be continued…….

[AKR2011]

Sending belated hugs to your family 💗

[Knights on the Beach]

Popping in here in the middle of Jeff & Patti's day in Grand Turk to share our sea day. 🙂

 

Coffee/Pepsi Zero with Setyo at Ocean Plaza (again).

 

 

Blue Iguana breakfast (again).

 

 

We interrupt this walk to hide a duck in the mini golf area.

 

 

Hot tub time by the Tides pool (surprisingly not all that busy today) then lunch.

 

 

By then it was margarita research time (again)!

 

 

 

Before long it was time to shower and get ready for dinner. Today's towel animal by Astika.

 

 

Pre-dinner drinks at Ocean Plaza bar where there were two baby girl purple pirates playing. So we hid in plain sight a couple pink ducks for them to find.

 

 

 

On our way to dinner at JiJi, Mark hid another duck.

 

 

 

Bali Sunset drinks

 

 

I guess at dinner you just fill out one menu order for the table.

 

 

Not exactly sure what this was but they were good.

 

 

 

Shrimp dumplings for Mark

 

 

The best for me (but I let Mark have one)!

 

 

 

We both had Kung Pao Chicken, fried rice and hakka noodles

 

 

 

 

 

We both had crepes for dessert

 

 

And fortune cookies!!

 

 

 

What the??? How did they know we were going to watch the NFL draft after dinner?? 🤣

 

Every thing was delicious and this was easily my favorite dinner of the two weeks. But now, we're off to watch the draft! I consider draft day one of my favorite holidays! 🏈

 

It was around 7:00 pm and the meat locker aka Heroes Lounge was packed to the gills so we tried Red Frog Pub where it was not at all crowded. Ron was playing his tunes in there so we had some entertainment until the draft started. We got excellent seats at the bar right in front of a TV. 

 

 

 

Smart man getting a jersey that's not dependent on a player staying on your team. 😂

 

 

By draft time, RFP was a lot more peoply than when we first walked in. I had my hoodie with me because we had planned to watch from Heroes Lounge. I needed it to hold Mark's seat while he went to the restroom. 

 

 

 

 

We hung out and watched the draft until around 10:30 then grabbed some pizza and called it a night. 

 

 

 

[Jamman54]

12 minutes ago, Knights on the Beach said:

Popping in here in the middle of Jeff & Patti's day in Grand Turk to share our sea day. 🙂

 

Coffee/Pepsi Zero with Setyo at Ocean Plaza (again).

 

 

Blue Iguana breakfast (again).

 

 

We interrupt this walk to hide a duck in the mini golf area.

 

 

Hot tub time by the Tides pool (surprisingly not all that busy today) then lunch.

 

 

By then it was margarita research time (again)!

 

 

 

Before long it was time to shower and get ready for dinner. Today's towel animal by Astika.

 

 

Pre-dinner drinks at Ocean Plaza bar where there were two baby girl purple pirates playing. So we hid in plain sight a couple pink ducks for them to find.

 

 

 

On our way to dinner at JiJi, Mark hid another duck.

 

 

 

Bali Sunset drinks

 

 

I guess at dinner you just fill out one menu order for the table.

 

 

Not exactly sure what this was but they were good.

 

 

 

Shrimp dumplings for Mark

 

 

The best for me (but I let Mark have one)!

 

 

 

We both had Kung Pao Chicken, fried rice and hakka noodles

 

 

 

 

 

We both had crepes for dessert

 

 

And fortune cookies!!

 

 

 

What the??? How did they know we were going to watch the NFL draft after dinner?? 🤣

 

Every thing was delicious and this was easily my favorite dinner of the two weeks. But now, we're off to watch the draft! I consider draft day one of my favorite holidays! 🏈

 

It was around 7:00 pm and the meat locker aka Heroes Lounge was packed to the gills so we tried Red Frog Pub where it was not at all crowded. Ron was playing his tunes in there so we had some entertainment until the draft started. We got excellent seats at the bar right in front of a TV. 

 

 

 

Smart man getting a jersey that's not dependent on a player staying on your team. 😂

 

 

By draft time, RFP was a lot more peoply than when we first walked in. I had my hoodie with me because we had planned to watch from Heroes Lounge. I needed it to hold Mark's seat while he went to the restroom. 

 

 

 

 

We hung out and watched the draft until around 10:30 then grabbed some pizza and called it a night. 

 

 

 

It seems you guys had a nice relaxing day as well! JiJi's was also our best meal of our cruises! 

[Jamman54]

I’m already on my third beer. I’ll be heading out into the pool…..

 

 

 

Here are some more pool views taken before the Magic’s passengers get here….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Flowrider is in operation today…..

 

 

 

To be continued……

[Knights on the Beach]

9 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

It seems you guys had a nice relaxing day as well! JiJi's was also our best meal of our cruises! 

 

I have you to thank for that since you said how much you like JiJi! I basically ordered the same thing I always get at ChiBang (but JiJi has better dessert). I love ChiBang because I ALWAYS get the Kung Pao Chicken. Others (and Mark) get weird dishes there and then they're disappointed. I always want to say stop ordering weird crap and get the KPC at ChiBang! 🤣

[Jamman54]

Patti hits the beach. She’s going to take a stroll over to Jack’s Shack. Here are some views along the way….

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are the chair and umbrella vendors that used to set up in front of Margaritaville before they were kicked out…..

 

 

Here are some more views along the beach as Patti makes her way to Jack’s Shack…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued……

[Jamman54]

Patti has made it to Jack’s Shack. We were last here in January 2023, shortly after the new owner took over. It was not a good experience. We could forgive that the website was not updated with the new beach chair and umbrella prices, (which are more than reasonable), but what we couldn’t forgive was the inattentive service by the bartenders, especially when it wasn’t busy. Practically had to beg for a drink, they left dirty glasses and dishes on the bar forever, and spent more time drinking shots amongst themselves. The food was nothing special, and the prices were just as high, or even higher than at Margaritaville. The only thing going for them is the nice sandy beach there. We may give them another try in the future, but the reviews on Trip Advisor need to get better. In fairness, they seem to be trending up……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It seems like the cats have the run of the place now….

 

 

Here is a view of the ships from Jack’s Shack…..

 

 

To be continued…..

[Jamman54]

Patti is making her way back to Margaritaville…..

 

 

 

 

Patti spots me hanging out in the pool……

 

 

The following pictures show how crowded the pool area can get, especially with two ships in port. This is why we always try to get a Pool Cabana here. There’s plenty of space for ourselves, it’s air conditioned, we have our own server, and we can eat our food in comfort and quiet……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued…..