Willdra’s Valiant Venezia Review

[Mommapadraig]

13 minutes ago, rwest898 said:

You brought back memories with the cod liver oil..lol..we had to take one teaspoon every night before bed, worse tasting thing ever but I didn't get sick too often

 

Only the boys had to take it at my house….I have no idea why and didn’t ask!

[willdra]

We left place number 1 and arrived at place number 2 around noon. W went out again but he looked tired when he returned. I remained firmly planted on the boat. I can swim, but I’m not here for that. I am here as W’s paparazzi. Yes, I agree he’s very blessed to have me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

We had a few crew members on that excursion which is always fun. I love it when they get time off to experience what we experience in the ports. The guys sitting by us were really trying hard to impress the female crew members. Thankfully they saw right through it. It was giving #whotfdidimarry vibes. Cringe. Just be yourself please. All that extra flexing is unnecessary.

 

Plus, on a completely unrelated note, if your hair has a big round bald circle in the middle, because mother nature has snatched a patch out of it, maybe it’s time to reconsider hairstyles. Having cornrows with a big bald spot in the center looking like a traffic roundabout, is not cool. Let it go Mister. Its watch has ended.

 

After the snorkeling, the crew cut the engines, and we just sailed back to port. It took us a few hours to get there. We also ate lunch, and had as much rum punch as we could drink.

 

We danced, drank, and ate our way back to port. I normally don’t dance during these excursions but they even convinced me to cut a rug. It was a lot of fun, and I know I burned more than a few calories. That music (rum punch) had some octane!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

While we were sitting around, W and I were talking to a couple who got in the water even tho they couldn’t swim. It was so commendable of the crew to take their time helping them feel comfortable enough to snorkel. It also reminded me of how much we take for granted. I lived around water, and swimming was mandatory in order for us to graduate High School. I grew up with the Gulf of Mexico 10 minutes away from my house. My aunt and uncle had their own beach, and we could go anytime we wanted. We went so much, I could never imagine a life without a place to swim. To hear that they grew up with no beach or even a pool to swim in was heartbreaking. They said that they weren't "allowed" to swim. That really hit different. Even tho we live in GA now and we don’t have a beach near us, we have a huge pool in our subdivision, that we go to every chance that we get. Our kids learned how to swim when they were young just like we did. We are all very blessed in so many ways, and sometimes it takes something as simple as this to show us how much. #thankful

 

On a lighter note, the couple said that they were going to take lessons as soon as they got home so that they were ready for the next cruise. That made me very happy. 

 

It was 3:30 when we returned, and it was weird getting back at that hour. Amber Cove was quiet and it almost felt like they were waiting on us. Back on board time wasn’t until 5:30 tho, so we were actually early.

 

We climbed off the boat when we got back to shore and then got back on the ship. I was distracted for awhile, cuz it was Mother’s Day and I made the mistake of taking my phone out of airplane mode. It lit up and started buzzing and dinging with notifications immediately. I’d completely forgotten about Mother's Day.

 

When we got back to the cabin, W gave me my gifts. He said he forgot that it was Sunday. It was hard to keep track of the days on the cruise, so I was not mad at all. I didn't realize what day it was either. 

 

I loved that people were texting me asking if we were back home yet, and I could say “oh no we won’t be back until next week!” I could definitely get used to that.

 

After I opened my gifts and replied to everybody, the excitement wore off. Y'all already know there was nothing between us and a nap, but air and opportunity, so W snatched the curtains closed and we were asleep in seconds. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

We got up and went to dinner at 7:50. We needed to be done at 9 for the Love and Marriage Show. As soon as we were seated, I ordered Shrimp Cocktail, the Spinach, Arugula, Strawberry, and Feta Salad for appetizers. For my entree I ordered the Bourbon Glazed Beef Short Ribs, and for dessert I got the Cheesecake. Everything was good. They brought the moms flowers during dinner for Mothers Day which was nice. We ate quick then left for the show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

There was no competing activity that night, so the theater filled up fast. The show started at 9:30. By 9:15 seats were pretty much gone. Get there early.

 

Love and Marriage was hosted by MarCupid. It was very funny. And long. We got out at 11.

 

When that was finished I made my tea and W got ice. We went back to the cabin afterwards and stayed in.

 

Before I fell asleep I said a prayer thanking God that I brought the Mucinex. When W woke up, he looked like he belonged in the recycling bin. I'm sure if he googled his symptoms, he would've discovered he died the week before. But just one dose of Mucinex smoked that congestion like a pack of Newports. It worked right on time too. I was just about to have him go sleep out on the balcony if he was going to be sniffling and snorting all night. Uh Uh.  

 

P.S. Where was this stuff when our adults were kids??? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ARcruisin2]

OH MY WILDRA! 

I ALMOST SPEWED MY DRINK ON MY WORK COMPUTER LOL

"Having cornrows with a big bald spot in the center looking like a traffic roundabout,"

[swimmingpoolguy]

1 hour ago, ARcruisin2 said:

OH MY WILDRA! 

I ALMOST SPEWED MY DRINK ON MY WORK COMPUTER LOL

"Having cornrows with a big bald spot in the center looking like a traffic roundabout,"

This is such a shockingly accurate and strong visual, I had to text this description to a friend of mine. Made her morning! @willdra you have such a captivating command of the English language. I can't thank you enough for all your great stories.

[wrcjr98]

I laugh so good while reading your reviews!  I love them!  I just want to go on a girl's trip cruise with you.  Oh, I guess we should bring W along!  I can hear my husband now, "Wait, you want to go on a cruise with someone you've never met?"  Yep!  Sign me up!!  You're good for the soul!!

[Drew B 58]

I’m tempted to ask why someone would take a snorkeling excursion and not snorkel, but I’m trying to #myob2024…. 😉

[willdra]

Venezia Day 8~Grand Turk

 

When we got back the night before, we’d received a bright pink sheet of paper under our door (Shawshank shenanigans) telling us our excursion was cancelled and our money was refunded to our sail and sign account. This was good because I was contemplating canceling when they changed the ship’s departure time to 2:00. That was entirely too early to be getting up binge drinking in the 400 degree heat. If I put my liver thru that it would surely blow up, flip over, bark like a dog, then run away. Since I need my liver to not do any of that, this was divine intervention.

 

Now that we didn’t have an excursion, we weren’t going to rush off. We would wake up whenever and go with the flow.

 

The flow was at 9:45 am. We got ready, then went to the buffet. There was no rush to get to or do anything. I just wanted food. Periodt. Whatever I found would work. The early port day had taken most of the passengers off the ship already. There were many many empty tables and short lines. Pleasant. 

 

I got in the little line all happy and optimistic. Wait. I spoke too soon. There was a lady a few people in front of me holding everyone else up. She was doing the most, trying to wrangle a small human, fix their plates, socialize, and knit a sweater. Listen Myrtle, if you can only do one thing at a time, and you are in the buffet line, that’s your one thing. Talking to the people behind you, dealing with a kid, talking to a family member who just popped by, writing your dissertation, and everything else is off limits until you are out of the buffet line. No wonder the kid was trying to r.u.n.n.o.f.t. I don’t blame them. I wanted to as well, but hunger held me hostage.

 

When she set us free, I got the consumables that I was interested in then went back to the table.

 

While I was waiting for W, my new cruise cousin, Allison from New Jersey came over to say “Hey!”, which I thought was very sweet of her. If you’re reading this, it was great meeting you at breakfast! I’m sorry I didn’t think to take our picture. I will be ready next time tho! 

 

W returned with my omelet shortly after. He had the same situation over there. Short line. Shady people. Shame shame shame.

 

I don’t know who needs to hear (read) this, but clean your camera lenses often. It’s shocking how much better pictures turn out when the camera lens is clean. It’s also shocking how fast the lens gets dirty or smudged. Especially the one on your phone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

We finished eating and strolled off the ship at 11:15. We walked around a little then found chairs over on the beach side where it was quiet. W wanted to lay there while I went to take pictures. We really weren’t planning on staying out there. The shore is rocky on that side but the view is so picturesque. It was practically vacant too. I threw my bag down then went for a stroll. I walked back through the main plaza shopping area then over to the pool side.

 

This is where the Margaritaville is located along with the entertainment. There are cabanas and covered loungers there that can be rented via the Shore Excursion link in the planner. They also have the Flowrider over there as well. The closer I got, the louder it got. The music was bumping and it sounded like they were having some sort of shot drinking game. They were also advertising a special on shots, so this was your time to shine if shots are your jam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

When I walked over there the front of the Dufry was empty. I walked around for just a few minutes it seemed, and when I got back around the line was crazy. What (who) happened that quick? It really only takes one person not to have their card out to jam up the line. I was glad that W was resting in the shade peacefully during this debacle cuz he would’ve said something that would’ve gotten both of us in trouble.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

I finished taking my pictures then went to collect W who hadn’t moved an inch since I’d left him. He said he felt fine he was just resting. I told him we could go to the pool if he wanted to get in but he declined. He said it would be too much work to get ready for just a few minutes of pool time. I asked what he wanted to do and he just wanted to get back onboard. I was good with it so that was the move. It was only 12:15. We managed to stay in Grand Turk an hour. Whoop whoop!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ALSPAUGHDOLL]

On 6/28/2024 at 5:56 PM, CarolRoy said:

Following along too.  I also followed the fellow from Somerset, NJ.  Like you, it wasn't our favorite ship! We did the 10 day out of NYC in April of this year. Two very small pools for so,so many people.  I guess the ship was meant for cruises in Europe and not the warm Caribbean climate.  

We really tried to love it, we were on the 2nd sailing last summer.  We are honestly easy going, but something was missing for us.   It was a tough crowd too.  I will never understand how people can be so rude to people that are literally going above and beyond to serve them.   Oh well, we still had a great time, just not the best time!

I also always read the reviews from the NJ guy is is Jammin or something like that?  So much detail while I can barely remember what we did! 

[willdra]

When we walked back thru Dufry, there was no waiting cuz we were prepared. Then it was back to the pier. We even stopped and snapped a picture or two on the way. There was some sort of action on our right where a couple was speaking rather animatedly to several police officers as we were crossing the pier. Needless to say we kept it pushing and didn’t even make eye contact with whatever-they-were-ness.

 

Security was completing bag searches with a German Shepherd off to the side before we could embark. We had to line up and put our bags on the ground in front of us. No problem. We’ve done this many times. W and I were first in line so we thought they would check us and we could go. No go.

 

We had to wait until the line filled up. Alright. We still had lots of time. The Venezia wouldn’t leave us. After a few minutes my ADHD started tingling and I looked down the line to see what the holdup was. The dog felt it too cuz he started barking and getting antsy. There was some loud conversation going on between the officer who walked down there to provide instructions and some passengers. They were too far away for us to hear what they were saying. We did know that they were impeding progress.. They don’t start the process until the line is full and everyone has complied. Fabulous.

 

Another couple minutes passed and some more angry sounding words were said. Finally it quieted down and they walked the dog. As soon as he passed us, W and I grabbed our bags and started walking to the gangway. These aren't the droids you are looking for. I don’t know what was going down, but whatever it was, I wanted to be as far away from it as I could be. This is starting to be a trend. 

 

A little line had formed at the gangway while we were waiting to be bag searched.  We went in at midship. Right after us one of the security agents brought a couple who had a stroller up and cut the line. That was strange. No explanation. No nada. Even the couple was apologizing to everyone saying they were happy to wait. The security agent didn't say anything either. Just "go here". Bizarre.

 

We dinged on and someone who walked in ahead of us put their bag on the scanner all crazy.  It was standing straight up and wouldn’t go through until someone laid it down. W thought it belonged to the lady in front of him so he said “the bag is too high it has to lay down” so she said “it’s not my bag and I didn’t want to touch it”. I rolled my eyes and looked away cuz I don’t know how many times I’ve told this man to stop trying to “help” people. Especially when it ain’t the correct people. Let go and Let God.

 

After that I was forced to do the right thing, which was to take 3 steps back to distance myself from the kerfuffle. No sense in both of us getting involved in foolishness. Correct? If someone asks a question that’s one thing, but if nobody asks then don’t tell. They will figure it out. Or not. Either way I stay out of it. I would've just continued to stare at that bag until it burst into flames. #myob2024 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

When we finally got back on the ship we walked around a little looking for somewhere to be. W hadn’t had his Serenity fix and I know he was feening for it so we walked through Lido first, found nothing, then up to 14. There are 4 clamshells up there all by their lonesome but they have shade and cool breeze possibilities. We sat our stuff there, and I was ok with it. W still couldn’t let Serenity go so he walked up there. There were clamshells available so he asked if I wanted to go up there. I told him I knew he wanted to, so we could. Right when I picked up my bag he said never mind it’s gonna be hot with those plexiglass windows. We stayed put on 14.

 

At 1:55 the ship’s horn sounded and I almost catapulted my phone into the water slides, and I don't have proof, but I'm absolutely sure my heart stopped, and I saw Shadrach, Meshach, and the Billy Goat waiting to welcome me to heaven. That thing is so loud right there! 

 

When my heart rate returned to normal, I got up, walked over to take pictures, and watched sail away which was supposed to be at 2. We pulled into the pier straight so this would be my favorite sail away. The one where we back up then spin the block on ‘em. I don’t know why but I’ve always loved when the ships do that.

 

I was watching the pier also and it was pretty empty. There were no repeated calls for anyone which was unusual. Venezia blew the 3 short blasts then we started backing away at 2:05. W got up and watched it with me. It was boring, but in a good tranquil peaceful way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[willdra]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[d-train]

Loving your review! Thanks for sharing your vacation with us!

 

[willdra]

I realized I hadn’t gotten the carved ham from the Lido buffet yet so I told W I was gonna go down there to see if they had it. This is where all the folks were. That place was crammed. I walked thru quickly, didn’t see it, then I went back to check on W. He was asleep so I went back to our cabin to use it.

 

I also wanted to take a pill to neutralize the acid I felt building up in my throat. I stayed in the cabin a few minutes and when I got back W went to Tomodoro for lunch. It smelled and looked good and I wished I’d asked him to bring me some. He asked me before he left and I declined like a dummy. I wasn’t hungry then (6 minutes ago) but when he brought his food back suddenly there was a gaping hole in my stomach. However that hole was soon overshadowed by the weight of my eyelids. I put my AirPods in to cancel out the noise of some lady cackling and some kid screaming and I was out.

 

 

These mask pictures were all over the ship and they were creeptastic!

Who's mans thought of this???

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited yesterday at 03:35 AM by willdra
Editing

[willdra]

Next thing I know it was 5:45 pm. I apparently needed that nap. I got up, then we went to the room and got ready for dinner. We were underwhelmed with the MDR menu but we had time on our hands so we opted to just go there and pray for the best.

 

W checked us in at 7, our table was ready at 7:18. We were shocked that it was so popular since the menu wasn’t a winner for us. Our table was 415 which is at the front close to the Maitre D station where we ate a few nights before and the service was slow. We hoped that was a one off but judging by the number of passengers in the section when we arrived, we felt like it was the norm.

 

We ordered and it took 30 minutes to get our appetizers. It took so long I forgot what I ordered and I forgot why I was there. I was like “oh I thought we just came to sit here, drink water, eat bread, and talk. Y’all serve food here too? Lovely.”

 

I ordered the Shrimp Cocktail, Turkey Crock Pot Three Bean Soup, and Spaghetti and Meatballs. W got the Shrimp Cocktail, Caesar Salad, and the Broiled Striploin Steak. He’d gotten soup a few times so I asked him why didn’t he get it this time and he said because it mentioned beans too many times. I laughed cuz that's such a W thing to say. 

 

For dessert both of us ordered Cappuccino Gelato Pie. It was yummy.

 

We left at 8:40. That’s a long time for a non elegant evening dinner. Release us.