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Anniversary Cruise
June 30 –
Our trip begins! Dave has arranged for a stretch limo to take us to the airport. The driver arrived about 11:00am, and we were off! We all enjoyed the ride in luxury!
Our flight left Chicago pretty much on time, and after a smooth flight, we arrived in Miami about 6:00pm.
We checked into the Miami Airport Hilton Towers, which we had booked on-line. Sean immediately headed for the pool, for a quick swim. We had dinner at the hotel restaurant and spent a quiet evening at the hotel.
Saturday, June 30, 2001
Sean and I were awake by 8:00, and ready for breakfast, while Dave slept in. We killed time at the hotel, till we decided to leave for the ship at around 11:30am.
We arrived at the Port of Miami around noon. Our suitcases were immediately placed into a container with hundreds of other suitcases. These bags would be delivered to our cabin later that evening.
The check in process went very smoothly. Each of us was given a “sail and sign” card, which were our room key as well as your charge card aboard ship. This card was also encoded with our picture for re-entry onto the ship.
Once on board, we quickly found our room (9290 Lido Deck). A buffet lunch was being served so we grabbed some lunch, and a “Fun Ship” tropical drink. Then we spent some time exploring our ship, the Carnival Triumph. The ship is huge, almost 900 feet in length! We got lost more than once. Sean, of course, had no problem locating the pools!
We were assigned late seating for dinner (8:00pm) in the Paris Dining Room. We sat at a table with 5 others. One kid looks to be about Sean’s age. Our table (#306) is by a window, so we do have a view. It’s too bad the sun goes down shortly after dinner starts. We had a thunderstorm and lightning tonight.
Our room is a nice size with 2 single beds, a couch, and cabinette space. Sean’s bed folds down from the wall (over the couch). He loves it! We have a door to our private balcony.
Our travel agent sent us a Bon Voyage gift, which included a bottle of wine, a small box of chocolates, and cheese and crackers. We didn’t open the wine as Carnival charges a $10 un-corking fee, and Dave couldn’t get it open with his fingernail file.
Sean and I decided to turn in about 11:00pm, while Dave went to check out the casino. He won $123.00 playing the quarter poker machine.
Sunday, July 1, 2001
We enjoyed breakfast at the buffet today. While looking for the arcade, Dave stopped at the casino, and within 15 minutes won $117, playing the slots.
We went to a presentation on the shore tours available in Cozumel. During the presentation, Dave manages to win a “golf swing check” with the boat’s golf pro, and a T-shirt from the casino! (Maybe he should spend more time in the casino!)
Today was a full day at sea, so Sean spent the afternoon swimming and playing in the arcade. I spent a little time in the sun, but didn’t want to over do it the first day out.
We ended up signing up for a tour of the Mayan Indian Ruins of Tulum. We also rented snorkel equipment for use during the week.
I wanted to see the show tonight, but we have an early call for our tour in the morning, so we all turned in early.
Tonight was also the Captain’s dinner – a formal affair. Dinner started with cocktail hour and a brief welcome from our Captain, Leonardo Francolla. Dave forgot his tie, and borrowed Sean’s.
Our tour guide, Alejandro, met us at the pier. We boarded a bus, driven by Jorge.
It is very hot and humid today. Alejandro is very informative about the ruins. The Mayans were astronomers and mathematicians. Every 52 years they destroyed their city and re-built it. Dave took lots of pictures while Sean and I went wading at the beach. Sean played in the surf and was totally soaked by the time we headed back to the bus. Jorge met us at the bus with Cerveza and Pepsi!
Once back at Playa del Carmen, we took another tender over to Cozumel and the ship. We had lunch on board and then took a short cab ride to La Ceiba Hotel, to use their facilities for snorkeling. One of our masks was defective, so Sean and I snorkeled for a while, and then Dave went out with Sean. They took lots of underwater pictures of the fish and coral.
After a couple of hours, we went back to the ship. Dave and I wanted to go back to town to eat and do a bit of shopping. Sean wanted to swim, so we left him on board, while we went into town.
The cab drivers are maniacs, but we made it safely to town. Dave and I ate at Poncho’s Backyard. We weren’t very hungry, but we can at least say we ate in Mexico.
We did a little shopping and Dave almost bought some Cuban cigars, but decided not to. We were back on board by 9:00pm, and were told to watch the people who went into town and drank too much tequila, try to board the ship. Some of the people were pretty funny to watch as they staggered down the pier to make it to the ship before it set sail.
We finally left Cozumel about midnight. Word has it that only one couple never made it back to the ship!
Tuesday, July 3, 2001
Sean has made friends with the boy at our dinner table. His name is Osborn, and he is from Nassau, Bahamas.
Today is a “Funday at Sea,” so Sean and Osborn spent time in the pool and arcade together. Dave and I went shopping on the ship, and had some bracelets and anklets at the “Inch of Gold” sale.
We also had a talk about the shore excursions available in Grand Cayman and Jamaica. Our cruise director is quite funny! He makes all his talks very enjoyable. Someone mentioned that his face looked like Gomer Pyle. Being from England, he didn’t know who that was, but he learned to say “Golly” just like Gomer.
Tonight we went to a magic show “Kevin and Caruso.” They were very good, and we all enjoyed the show.
Wednesday, July 4, 2001
We arrived in Georgetown, Grand Cayman about 7:30 am. Today we have signed up for a tour to Stingray City Sandbar.
The sandbar is located at Grand Cayman’s Inland Lagoon in the North Sound. Our boat “Sundancer,” took us out to the sandbar (about a 40 min. trip). Sean’s new friend was on the same tour. As soon as we anchored at Stingray Sandbar, Sean and Osborn were in the water. Dave joined them shortly after, with underwater camera in hand. These stingrays are tame, and can hardly wait for the tour boats to arrive, as it means “free food” for them. We were able to swim, pet, and feed the stingrays. I finally went in, just so I could say I did it, but I did not enjoy being around the stingrays. Some of them were up to 6 feet long. Dave and Sean swam with the stingrays for an hour, before it was time to head back.
Back in town, we had to wait for a tender to take us back to the ship, as there is no dock or pier in Grand Cayman. Our ship was anchored off shore. I had hoped to go back into town, but the ship set sail at 4:30 today, and everyone had to be on board by 3:45. This only left an hour to catch a tender back to shore, shop, and return (also by tender). So we stayed on board the ship for lunch, and to spend time relaxing. Of course, Sean took off for the pool and arcade right away.
As I rested, I could feel the ship rocking more than usual. The seas were a bit rough. Luckily, no one got sea-sick, although it was funny to watch people trying to walk and keep their balance. Tonight’s show was a guest talent show. The best part was the Bedtime Story, told by the cruise director. The story was about Mary, who is attacked by the villain and rescued by the hero. Mr. Yu…..”Stop or I’ll shit!” – Mary, who tackled John and broke his suspenders…………., etc.
There was also a Tanzanite jewelry preview aboard ship tonight, and David bought me a beautiful tanzanite and diamond ring. I really love it.
Thursday, July 5, 2001
Today we arrive in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. It is a very beautiful country. A lot of hills and green trees!
Today we are doing a highlight tour. Which included a drive through Fern Gully. The road is very winding and not very wide. Several times we thought cars from the opposite direction would hit us.
Next we were taken to Shaw Park Gardens, which overlooks the bay of Ocho Rios. The gardens were originally designed for a hotel at that location. Many guests complained that the hotel was too far from the water, so the hotel was moved, leaving the gardens. After the Gardens our bus made a stop at a couple of shopping malls. These malls are blocked off with guards and gates, allowing the tourists to shop without being hassled by the local vendors.
At the Royal Shop, Dave purchased Movado watches for both of us. Jamaica is a great place to shop for watches! After shopping we then headed for Dunn’s River Falls. The Dunn’s River Falls is a 600-foot waterfall, shaped like a giant staircase. Our guide had us grab hands with our neighbor as we make the ascent. Several times, Sean and I would mis-step and hit a hole. Luckily, there was always a hand to help you up! Sean and I were soaked by the time we were through, but we enjoyed the experience. Dave stayed on dry land, to take pictures.
Once back on board ship, we had lunch and spent some time relaxing. Sean was off with his new friend, Osborn, playing in the arcade and swimming.
Tonight was the final “formal” dinner night. Although we weren’t formal, we did dress up.
Dave and I spent a little time in the casino. We took $20 to play. He fed one machine and I finally tried another. After a few pulls, I had enough credit to start playing 5 at a time. Suddenly, I hit and won over 300 credits (about $75) I decided to take the money and cashed out. Not bad for 15 minutes work!
I make Dave go with me to the show tonight. It was a dancing/singing review called “Wonderful World” with the dancers taking you to different countries. I really enjoyed it, but I’m sure Dave would have rather been somewhere else.
Today is our last full day at sea. I attended the debarkations information meeting, as they discussed luggage handling, how to handle tips, etc. Dave and I also decided to sign up for a tour in Miami, tomorrow.
The rest of the day was relaxing and enjoying the facilities available aboard ship.
The buffet lines are closed during dinnertime tonight, so everyone will eat in the dining hall and make sure you tip your waiter. We had already tipped our cabins steward. He was a nice guy and all week long had left little towel animals on our bed after turning down the beds. We had a shark (or some kind of fish) a turtle, elephant, and tonight he left us a heart with a thank you note.
We had been instructed to leave our bags outside our door before midnight. The steward would then come around and collect all the bags in preparation for debarking. The bags would be cleared through customs shortly after we docked and be waiting as we debarked. It’s very important to keep out clothes for the next morning. With our rash of luck in the casino, we decided to invest in a few raffle tickets for a free cruise. Dave attended the drawing, but unfortunately, our luck ran out!
We arrived in Miami at the crack of dawn. By the time we are awake the ship has already docked. We enjoyed our last breakfast buffet and headed for our debarkation point. Since we were doing a tour, we were instructed to wait in the Big Easy Bar. Once all non-residents had cleared through customs, we were able to start leaving the ship. We were among the first to leave because of our tour. We located our bag quickly and headed for our tour bus.
The coach bus stayed with us during the trip, so our bags were completely safe.
We took a tour of the Everglades. We first boarded an airboat for our tour through the Everglades. Our guide handed out toilet paper to stick in our ears to dampen the sound of the airboat.
We saw lots of alligators, many coming right up to the boat, looking for a hand out of marshmallows from our guide.
After our ride, we were treated to an educational talk about the alligator. You have to be pretty brave to get in that pen with a gator! When we left the Everglades, our bus took us directly to the airport. Our flight was scheduled for 6:30, and we arrived at the airport by 2:00. While checking in, I asked the agent if there was an earlier flight, and what the chances were of getting on it. We were in luck! There was a flight at 3:30 that did not appear full. Although we would by flying standby, the agent assured us we would have no problem making the flight. We had to check in again at the gate, and were quickly issued boarding passes. We arrived back at O’Hare by 5:30, before our original flight even left Miami!
We had a wonderful week, and can’t wait to go again. We have promised Niki, she WILL go with us next time…Christmas 2002?