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Our Western Caribbean Cruise

Booking Our Cruise

The show we attended was hosted by Paul's Cruises of Arlington. The cruise agency is owned by Tom and Rita Paul. They have two locations, one in Arlington and one in the mid-cities area of Fort Worth. At the show we considered several cruises and cruise lines and ended up booking a Carnival cruise sailing the Western Caribbean. We had sailed the Eastern Caribbean before and the cruise we chose would be sailing to ports we hadn't visited. We would be sailing out of New Orleans on The Celebration leaving on May 14, 2000. Since our anniversary was on May 19th, we wanted to make sure we were in an exotic port for our special day. The cruise matched the criteria we were looking for in terms of ports, reputation of the line, and value for the money. We had sailed with Carnival before and were very pleased with our experience. We did take out the optional trip interruption insurance since we were booking so early. The insurance would cover us in case either one of us got ill and were not able to take the trip. It also would cover all sorts of other possible problems that could arise.

The Celebration

Our Ship's Itinerary

Our ship, The Celebration, is considered a mid-sized ship by today's standards. It holds around 1500 guests with around 600 staff aboard. There are ships being built and sailing now that hold 2500 guests with 1100 staff aboard to serve their needs. I really liked the size of our ship; we never felt crowded or lost aboard The Celebration. We met up with one of those new "super-liners" in Cozumel and I talked to some of the passengers. They complained that the ship was just too big and they never could find their away around. Also they mentioned the food was inconsistent. The guests felt it was due to the ship having to prepare so many meals each day. Our ship prepares approximately 10,000 meals a day. Some of the newer ships are looking at 30,000 plus meals in a single day! That is a bunch of preparation and serving. In fact to make room for some of the newer ships that are being commissioned, The Celebration, is getting ready to be moved to Galveston at the end of September to start 3 and 4 day cruises.

The Celebration's itinerary:

I personally recommend using a qualified travel agent to book your cruise. You can do it all on the Internet, but you've got to be careful and know what your are doing. Use the Internet for the extensive research into the planning your cruise vacation. Do you want to go with a luxury, mid-price or economy cruise line? What ports of call do you want to visit? You'll find a wealth of information at your fingertips. Doing the research first will help you make educated decisions when it comes to booking your cruise.

Booking early got us a Level 6 cabin upgrade while paying for a Level 4 cabin. This gave us a much nicer cabin for a much lower price. Normally the higher level you book in the ship, the cost goes up. One nice thing about booking early is you don't have to pay for the whole cruise at that time, just a deposit with the rest due around 60 days before the cruise was to sail. We booked an inside cabin. An outside cabin will cost you more, but the window does open up the cabin some. Terry seemed to miss the window in our cabin, but I didn't. You really don't spend that much time in your cabin anyway. You're in port during the day and normally sail all night long to arrive in your next port.

Two Months Before - Wardrobe Time!

A couple of months before our sailing date of May 14, we started getting ready for our cruise. We went through our clothes putting outfits together and figuring out what days we'd be on the ship and what days we'd have our shore excursions so we would know what to bring. There are also a couple of formal nights scheduled on 7 day cruises so we had to plan on that as well. Plus throw in that it was our anniversary and we had much to plan for. For formal nights on the ship, a simple coat and tie for the gentlemen and a nice "Sunday" dress for the women will suffice. Since it was our anniversary, we decided to dress up and have a great time. This meant a long formal gown for Terry and a tux for me.

I called around and found that renting a tux for a week was going to be about the same price as buying one. I found a great deal on an all wool tux with all the accessories. I went with the classic black so it would be useful after the cruise when Terry and I attend different cultural events in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Terry found a beautiful long gown that was perfect for her. After getting the rest of our wardrobe together for the cruise, all we had to do now was wait for our sailing date. You can go overboard and take too much, just try to plan out what you're going to wear each day. Don't let the formal nights scare you off. As I mentioned, coat and tie for the men and a nice dress for the women will work for the dining room. If you don't feel like dressing up, you can always opt for the informal dining upstairs. There you can dine in shorts or your swimsuit if you wish. On the ship, you dress up or down as much as your like. For the other nights of dining in the main dining room, the only rule is that no shorts are allowed in the main dining rooms during the dinner seatings. Casual resort wear is the order of the day on the Carnival line. Other lines are much more formal. You'll just need to check the guidelines of the particular cruise line you're booked on.

Another item we took, which was a must, was a portable steamer. Many of the cruise lines have banned travel irons since many of them have been left on and caused problems. Also it's hard to find a flat place to iron your garments. The steamer was indispensable. We used it every day at least once. It really did a great job taking our all those little wrinkles! Terry and I highly recommend you taking one with you on your cruise. We also took a sewing kit, button replacer and a first aid kit, which we never did use, but both would have come in handy if we needed them. One thing I missed was a journal to record the memories of the cruise. I ended up buying one in the gift shop of the ship.

Our Arrival in New Orleans - May 14, 2000

On Sunday morning, May 14, we flew Southwest Airlines out of Dallas Love Field. When booking the cruise, we elected to arrange for our own transportation to the port of New Orleans. Not too many years ago, most of the cruises included airfare in the purchase price of the cruise. Now, most all cruises are priced with airfare separate. They do give you the option of an add-on airfare package. After looking at the price of what Carnival was going to charge for airfare, we felt that we could either beat the fare or drive cheaper. We had decided to drive until almost the last minute when we found a great fare on Southwest Airlines.

When booking your connecting flight, be sure to allow plenty of time for airport transfers. It was approximately two hours from when we landed to when we arrived at the pier. Our flight arrived in New Orleans around 10:40 and we finally arrived at the pier around noon. The "sea cabs" met our shuttle to take care of our luggage. That's the last we saw of it until around 8:00 that evening. So if you need to freshen up, make sure you've kept what you need with you. We were joined at the pier by lots of other folks that were also on the cruise, around 1500 or so. We probably stood in line less than 30 minutes when we finally got to the check-in counter. Make sure you have your birth certificate and a picture ID. Those are required for check-in. After our papers were processed, we were given our room keys and headed out to the ship. You'll learn after a while, every time you turn around on a cruise, one of the ship's photographer's will be there to capture the moment as you can see from the photo below. There is an immense sense of excitement when you're headed towards the ship for the first time. You know that you're headed for the adventure of a lifetime!

Getting Ready To Board The Ship

Finally Aboard The Ship

We made the way to our cabin and explored it a bit and dropped off our carry on luggage. We had a surprise waiting for us! Paul's Cruises had sent us chocolates and champagne to help us celebrate our anniversary. Our checked luggage didn't arrive until long after dinner, around 8:30 pm. You have to understand that they are sorting around 3000 - 4000 pieces of luggage and it takes the stewards a while to get it to the proper cabins. So you need to plan on not having your luggage until after dinner your first evening on the ship.

One thing, I'm sure you've heard about, is that you'll never be hungry on a cruise. If you are, it's your own fault. Since Carnival knew that most of us had been in transit and probably hadn't had time to eat lunch, we were met with a fantastic buffet in the Wheelhouse Bar and Grill. They had a wonderful selection of salads, fresh fruits and hot entrees as well as hamburgers and hot dogs if that is what you wanted.

The Wheelhouse, on our ship, is the informal alternative to the main dining rooms, which are more formal and have a dress code in the evenings. It was the nerve center of the ship since it was right off the main pool area. Everything happened at The Wheelhouse. If you didn't want to get dressed up for the main dinning rooms, The Wheelhouse was always there to serve you breakfast, lunch or dinner. If you want to have a snack in your swimsuit, The Wheelhouse was the place. The Wheelhouse was also the location of the 24-hour pizzeria that Terry and I tried a couple of times. Yes, pizza and Caesar salad whenever you wanted it. Pretty yummy! There are also a couple of ice cream machines as well as a variety of drinks and juices available all day long. Of course the coffee machines were ready with fresh coffee anytime of the day. The ship had wonderful coffee.

Our Table

Dining

By the time we had eaten lunch and explored the ship, it was time to go back down to our cabin, freshen up a bit, and what else, eat again. Dinner time was right around the corner. The main dining rooms and The Wheelhouse serve all three meals each day. There are early and late seatings for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the main dinning rooms. Each afternoon, ice cream and cookies are served in The Wheelhouse. And, of course, don't forget about the 24-hour pizzeria! If that is not enough, there is 24-hour complimentary room service available if you don't feel like leaving your cabin, with a limited breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. Not enough yet? On our ship there was also a "themed" midnight buffet each evening in The Wheelhouse. Then one evening the food service staff gets to show off on the Gala Buffet. It is a sight to behold. In fact they open it up an hour before just for picture taking. We'll talk about it more later.

As I mentioned, our ship prepares around 10,000 total meals a day for the guests and the staff. That's a bunch of food. Here is a typical shopping list for a seven day cruise.

Typical Grocery List

• 8,000 pounds of beef
  
• 5,000 pounds of poultry
  
• 5,000 of seafood
  
• 3,000 pounds of pork
  
• 7,500 pounds of fruit and vegetables
  
• 4,500 pounds of flour
  
• 1,400 pounds of sugar
  
• 600 gallons of ice cream
  
• 900 gallons of juice
  
• 1,200 gallons of milk
  
• 36,000 eggs

That would fill up a few carts at your local supermarket! Here's a couple of pictures from the Galley tour we got to take. I'm amazed at how compact the galley is considering the volume of food that is prepared. Pictured below is some of the fancy breads that are being prepared for the Grand Buffet as well as an ice carving being sculpted.

Fancy Breads

Ice Carving

The culmination of a wonderful day is dining in the main dining room! It is an experience to behold. On Carnival, you are assigned a table and table mates. Fortunately, we had a good bunch of folks to dine with. You will also have the same head waiter, waiter and bus boy for the entire cruise for all the meals you eat in the main dining room. It's a team effort to give the best service as possible. Presentation is the name of the game at all dining times. All of the plates were beautiful, almost too pretty to mess up. Below is the menu and some pictures from the "Captian's Welcome Dinner." This was also one of the two formal evenings aboard the ship. We've also included some pictures of our first formal dining as well as our table mates.

Our First Formal Dining

Our Table Mates

As I mentioned all the entrees were presented and served as if you were in a 5-star restaurant. Carnival, in the last few years has been working hard to upgrade their food selection and service. In my opinion, they have done a wonderful job. All of our meals were delightful and our dining experience each evening was something to look forward to after a busy day of activities. Terry and I didn't miss one evening's meal in the main dining room. On the menu each evening, a beef, chicken, seafood, pasta and vegetarian entree was always featured. Anyone could find a selection that their palette would like. Did I mention the desserts? A couple of evenings a special dessert was featured such as a souffle or baked Alaska. Yumm!

What's wonderful about the dinner menu, which was very diverse each evening, is that it gives you the opportunity to try new entrees. The waiters encourage you to try something different. If you try an entree and don't like it, he'll bring you something else. Terry even tried quail one evening and thought it was pretty good. The highlight of each meal were the breads. Terry loves bread and the diverse selection of breads were heaven to her. At dinner, conversation was always lively with our table mates about what adventures they had experienced during the day. After the first night, the waiter and bus boy learned our preferences and took care of you without you even asking. I love espresso and ordered it the first evening. Each and every evening after that, everyone else at the table got coffee, while I got espresso. The staff works very hard to please since their tips are tied to the service you receive. And yes, all the waiters are male. The only women that serve in the dining rooms are the bar waiters, that take care of soft drinks and mixed drinks orders.

The other meals, breakfast and lunch in the main dining rooms, were equally as good, although not as formal, shorts are allow during those meals. Our regular waiter was there to serve us, minus his helper who was on duty in The Wheelhouse, where most of the breakfast and lunch volume is. But Terry and I decided to eat in the main dining room a couple of times for breakfast and lunch. I'm a big Eggs Benedict fan and the ship served a good one. Terry is not really a big breakfast person, but she did get her favorite dish, oatmeal. The big draw for The Wheelhouse, especially for breakfast, is that you can eat out on the deck in the cool morning breeze. Dining out on deck was wonderful, drinking coffee, eating pastries, and watching the sea go by. What a fantastic experience! We're both ready to go again. Now if we can only win the Texas lottery, Terry and I would be perpetual cruisers. The only problem is that we would miss the "babies" at home, our cats.

Each evening in the dining room the menu is based on a different theme with the wait staff providing some sort of entertainment. Below are some pictures of our experiences in the dining room.

Entertaining Waiters

Our Head Waiter - Claudio

Our Waitstaff

Grand Buffet

Probably the highlight of any cruise is the Gala Midnight Buffet. This is where the food service department gets to show off all their culinary skills. As you can see by the pictures, there is much artistry involved. What's amazing is that the individuals that performed this artistry are very young. What unbelievable training the staff gets. After they choose not to work on a cruise ship, they can go to any 5-star restaurant in the world to work. Pictures really don't do justice to the efforts put forth, but we've included some so you can see all of the items that were almost too good to eat.

Gala Buffet Welcome

Chocolate!

A Pleasant Surprise!

While eating in The Wheelhouse, being an old former restaurant manager, I saw a problem, that needed to be corrected. The Wheelhouse has two major hot entree serving lines. The problem was that the hamburgers and hot dogs were being prepared at the front of the line. There was a major bottleneck while people waited for the ever popular hamburger. Anyone that wanted the regular hot entrees had to wait until the people in front of them got their burgers that were being grilled. I filled in one of the suggestion cards located on all tables in the Wheelhouse, suggesting that they either set up another station for the grill or station someone at the grilling area to help the line move in a more efficient way. Terry also thought that they should publish the evening's dinner menu in the "Carnival Capers," our daily ship's newspaper. That way, you could make a decision whether you wanted to get dressed up for dinner or just head to The Wheelhouse for an informal dining experience.

Carnival is very interested in it's guests suggestions. There are comment cards placed all over the ship. We picked one up, filled it out and dropped it in the suggestion box. That evening we were surprised with a knock on the door. Opening the door a representative of the pursar's office presented us with a bottle of champagne and a letter thanking us for our suggestion. What's interesting is the next day we went to The Wheelhouse for lunch and they had one of the head waiters posted at the head of the line in front of the grilling station directing guests around those that were waiting for hamburgers or hot dogs. The line was moving very quickly for those who wanted the hot buffet. Way cool. They took the suggestion and ran with it right away!

Tipping

I mentioned tipping; everyone seems to be confused about tipping aboard the ship. It is customary to take care of the crew members that made your cruise memorable. This is done the last evening of the cruise when everyone is saying goodbye. Each and every cruise line has their own guidelines. Carnival suggests the following per guest, per day:

• $3.50 per day for your waiter
  
• $2.50 per day for your bus boy
  
• $3.50 per day for you room steward
  

That comes up to $9.50 per day for each day you're on the cruise. That's not bad at all if you consider the level of service you receive. Tipping your head waiter, who is over your section of the dining room and is your waiter's supervisor, as well as the maitre d', is optional according to the level of service you received from them. Our head waiter, Claudio, really did a fantastic job for us. He took care of all the special requests that we had including getting us copies of all the evening menus. Our maitre d' was there at the front, was very cordial, but Terry and I didn't feel that he did very much. To sum up, you tip according to how the staff performed. We both felt that our bus boy performed better than our waiter so he got a little larger tip than normal and our waiter got a little less that what was the norm. If you use room service, tipping is normally done at the time of service. If you buy any drinks on the ship from the bar or from a waiter, an automatic 15% gratuity is added to your bill, so that is one thing you don't have to worry about.

Typical Day At Sea

Terry & Chuck On Deck

Depending on the itinerary of your particular ship and the length of the cruise, you'll probably have several days that you are at sea. Days at sea are wonderful! You can be as active or as lazy as you want. Below is a typical schedule of the days activities. You can see that there is no lack of activities to keep you busy. I really enjoyed watching some of the game shows, playing bingo, or just sitting in the library reading. Terry and I both spent time out on deck reading and getting a little sun. Make sure you take your sun screen. It's a must! Another item that I found a necessity was a cord for my glasses or sunglasses. You're going in and out all the time and it become a hassle to keep up with your glasses.

Nightlife Aboard

As you can see from the schedule above, there is no lack of night life on the ship either. Our ship, The Celebration, had one main showroom, the Astoria Lounge; one large lounge, Islands In The Sky; one medium sized club, Endless Summer; one dance club, Galax Z Dance Club; and finally a small intimate club, the Red Hot Piano Bar. All of them had different music to suit all tastes. We also attended a couple of special receptions at different clubs and they were all super. If one was too loud for you, you could find a quiet corner in a different lounge or take a stroll out on the deck. Drinks aboard the ship were very reasonable, they were priced very comparably with drinks at any major club here in Dallas-Fort Worth. The main showroom, the Astoria, hosted the big Las Vegas style revues. All the shows that Terry and I attended were great and the dancers and singers really earned their keep! If you're lucky, you might even get your picture taken with one of them. And, of course, there is the on board casino with very friendly dealers that will teach you the "ins and outs" of all of the casino games.

Of course every time you turn around, one of the ship's photographers is there to record the moment. We got to know one of them real well. Her name was Galinia, and she was from Bulgaria. She ended up being sort of our personal photographer. Terry and I hadn't had any formal photos taken in a while so we took advantage of the numerous settings that were available each evening.

All Dressed Up!

Towel Creatures

And if you're tired, you can just retire to your cabin, snuggle up with a good book, and watch a first-run movie. While we're on the subject of our cabin, let's talk a bit about it. Each cabin has it's own steward assigned to it. Each steward has an assistant that trains with him. A couple of years ago, a sort of tradition and friendly competition among the stewards started; making animals and creatures out of towels. One of the stewards did it, and then another steward tried to out do him, and so on. Each and every evening when we returned to our cabin, we were met with a new little animal, and our beds turned down beautifully with chocolates on our pillows. These little animals were so cute. For the eyes, they tore up drink coasters and just stuck them on their creations.

Our Turned-Down Bed

Towel Creatures

The steward's towel art has now progressed to the ultimate creation and we were fortunate to see one. They have now started making a full sized stuffed towel person, dressed in your clothes, and lying in your bed! What a hoot! Can you imagine the reaction someone who returns to their cabin after having a bit too much to drink? I would love to catch that with a camera! If your room steward is doing his job, you really don't see him very much. He's in and out of your room when you're not there. Your room is cleaned and taken care of twice a day. It's kind of hard getting used to having to make your bed when you get home from your cruise. You're waited on hand and foot it's kind of hard to come back to reality. Our steward has been on the job for 24 years. He makes great money and has put many of his brothers and sisters all the way through school and provided doweries for his sisters. Even though he is away from his family for months at a time, he's their main bread winner.

Crew Life on The Celebration

All of the crew is very dedicated. On our ship there were 34 nationalities represented. Pretty amazing. We talked candidly with several of the crew and they said that all got along wonderfully. They loved the diverse group of nationalities. With the crew living in such close quarters, the ones we talked to said that many of their preconceived notions about the other crew members were quashed. Many countries that had been taught to hate one another, found that the people of those countries were just like them and when you got the two nationalities together on the ship as crew mates, they became best friends.

Why are most of the crew members non-American? Mainly because of the work ethic that is needed for the ship. You have to understand that these individuals are away from their family and countries for 5, 8 or 9 months. They all work anywhere from 12 to 14 hours a day, 7 days a week for the entire duration of their contract. For each month of service, they get a week off at the end of their contracted work period. When they get back from their vacation, they rarely return to the same ship. Their previous place had to be filled immediately to stay at the level of service that Carnival is noted for. You really have to understand that some of the countries the crew comes from are very poor, and the money that is returned home, and the good it does, is phenomenal. Terry and I were in awe of them. I know I wouldn't be able to keep up with the schedule they keep. One thing for sure is that they all must be "people" persons. That's probably the number one criteria. You must love people from all walks of life!

We were fortunate to have a session with our cruise director who gave a talk about what life aboard the ship was like for the crew. He explained that there was an apprentice program on the ship. A question was asked about the crew's accommodations. Chris Roberts, our cruise director, explained that it really depended on you level of importance and seniority. Normally, crew members are housed 4 to a cabin in a dormitory type setting with showers at the end of the hall. What about the Captain's cabin? Well, he told us it's pretty cool. Even when the Captain is not on duty on the bridge, he can monitor every function of the ship due to the extensive bank of instruments in his cabin. The more senior the staff is, the nicer the amenities. They also try to pair similar occupations together so the room mates have similar hours. In other words, the entertainers are together since they have mainly nighttime hours. If they had a waiter for a room mate, they probably wouldn't want to get up at 5:00 am to get ready for breakfast preparation.

It's interesting though that the crew's rooms are made up each day just like ours. Plus they're served meals just like us. Not quite the same foods, but in the same style. Food on the crew decks is geared more towards the regional tastes of the crew. It's all part of the training program on the ship. Stewards and waiters start training on the lower crew decks of the ship and work their way up. They prove themselves on the crew desks, then possibly move to the senior staff area, then finally to the guest desks. So the crew even gets their cabins made up just like ours. They are judged on how they do. The crew dining room gets the training waiters, as well as the head waiters and hopefully someday, they may make it to the main dining room.

Shore Excursions

The highlight of any cruise are the shore excursions. We take a cruise to relax and experience new experiences and taking shore excursions are the best way. Shore excursions are totally optional, you can take them or not. Terry and I feel that it's not a cruise unless you experience the thrill of the different ports. The day before you make port, the crew will give a talk about what to expect on the excursions that are offered. At each port, there are more than 10 different excursions to choose from. Excursions cost anywhere from $26.00 to close to $100.00. They have some that are designed for the younger party crowd, some that are designed for the very active and some for the less active. You're sure to find one that will appeal to you. The problem we had was there were several in each port that we wanted to do, but you normally only have time for one, so you have to choose.

One note, when they say the ship is going to leave at a certain time, they mean it. If the ship is scheduled to leave at 5:30, they don't mean 5:35. Our cruise director joked that one of the most memorable pictures you can have is a picture of the ship pulling away from the pier with you standing there watching it leave. Watch your time and don't be late! They don't count heads and will leave without you.

Here's what we chose for our 3 shore excursions. We had a fantastic time on the ones we took. All of them were a once in a lifetime experience! Since there were so many excursions offered, we won't list all that were available at each port. If you're interested in the list, let me know and I'll send it to you. Of course the ones offered are specific to the cruise that we took.

Montego Bay, Jamaica

Terry Joined The Band

Montego Bay, Jamaica

River Rafting on The Martha Brae

The cost of the river rafting excursion was $46 for each of us and it lasted approximately 5 hours. Since our excursion wasn't scheduled to leave until Noon, Terry and I headed into town for a bit of shopping. I was very excited since I had heard that I would be abe to pick up my favorite coffee, Jamaican Blue Mountain, at a huge discount. When we buy it here, we pay around $45 - $50 per pound. In our shore excursion talk, our cruise director, told us we we would be able to purchase the Blue Mountain coffee for around $15 - $17 per pound. I ended up purchasing 5 pounds of this awesome coffee. We've been having some wonderful coffee at home lately and getting really spoiled. I've since found some sources where I can purchase the same coffee off the Net for around $25 a pound, not too bad and better than $50. We also bought T-shirts, an island shirt for me as well as some other memorable Jamaican trinkets. Remember Jamaicans love to dicker and expect it. Don't ever accept the first price offered. Where we bought the coffee, it was posted at $17.99 a pound and we got it for $15.99 a pound. Great savings.

At Noon, we began our rafting excursion from the Montego Bay Pier boarding an air conditioned bus for a 30 minutes ride to the Martha Brae rafter's village. We passed through Montego Bay via Howard Coke Boulevard, named for their Governor General, the most Honorable Sir Howard Coke. Our tour took us past the center of Montego Bay's resort area which includes Sandals, Half Moon and Cynthia beach resorts. Our winding road finally met up with the meandering Martha Brae river where we finally arrived at the rafter's village. Before we boarded our raft for a leisurely hour and half, two and half mile, ride down the river, we were offered a refreshing island punch drink for refreshment.

Rafting Down The Martha Brae

Lush Greenery Along The Way

We boarded our 30' bamboo raft on which we had our relaxing ride down the river with our pilot named Sam. Sam explained to us that they were responsible for making their own rafts and they normally lasted around 6 months. All along the way, he gave us a narration of the history of the river. It seams that the river was named after a very famous witch, which is understandable knowing how deep-seated voodoo and witchcraft is in the Jamaican culture. Terry and I relaxed as we meandered down the river listening to the sounds of the water and viewing the lush tropical scenery of whispering bamboo and ferns. The only sounds we heard was the clatter of native birds and the soft chop of Sam's bamboo pole that guided us down the river. We were lucky the day had a soft breeze, and both banks were covered coconut and mango tree which created a wonderful tunnel of shade over the river. At the end of the raft ride, very relaxed, we boarded our bus for a ride back to the Pier to board our ship and get ready for dinner and the evening's activities. All in all, a very memorable day visiting the beautiful island of Jamaica. We both found the people of Jamaica very warm and friendly and hope to return to the island some day.

Leaving Jamaica

Stingray/Sandbar Tour

This was my favorite shore excursion and port that we visited. Grand Cayman is simply beautiful, but much more expensive than Jamaica. They are like two different worlds, different in every way; culture, economy, and cleanliness. Whereas in Jamaica there was poverty and trash littering the streets, none was seen in Georgetown, Grand Cayman. It is impossible to describe how crystal clear the waters of the bay were where our tender (water taxi) docked. It had to be at least 20 feet deep or more and it was so clear it looked like it was only 10 inches.

We told one of our doctors that we were getting ready to go on a cruise and he asked which one. We told him that we'd be sailing out of New Orleans on The Celebration. As it turned out, he had been on the same cruise and told us we couldn't miss "Stingray Island." It was a once in a lifetime experience. We said OK and left it at that, but it stuck in our minds.

When we had our shore excursion talks we saw it listed and immediately signed up for it. They offered two different tours and both usually sold out quickly. The cost for the two and one-half hour tour was $32.00 for each of us and gave us an experience that neither of us will every forget.

We met our air-conditioned buses for a ride out to the yacht club to board a double decker catamaran. After a short 15 minute ride out to the sandbar, we anchored and were met with a site that we couldn't fathom, 40 - 50 stingrays, just waiting to be fed! The crew let the ladder down and we started getting into the ocean. Picture this, we're in the middle of the ocean and we're on a sandbar that is only four foot deep with stingrays swimming all around. After a short course on the ship about how to feed them, we were ready to jump in with our containers of squid. Another first for Terry, she actually held raw squid! Good for her! We were able to pet, feed, and get photographed with the stingrays.

Feeding them is very interesting. The stingrays have a very strong sense of smell. Since their eyes are on the top of their head, they have to rely on smell to find food. What you do is hold the squid in your hand and they come by and just suck it out. They feel like wet mushrooms and are very silky and smooth. The stingrays act like cats rubbing up against your legs. They swim in between your legs, come up out of the water to take a look at you and are very friendly. This is the only place in the world where you can do this. The stingrays here are conditioned not to be agressive. They know where their food comes from. There is really no way to describe the experience. For me, it was the highlight of the cruise.

We were also able to do some shopping in Georgetown and picked up some of those famous Tortuga Rum Cakes. They are awesome! I've gotten hooked on them.

Playa Del Carmen/Cozumel - Mayan Ruins of Tulum

May 19, our anniversary had arrived and we were getting ready to receive an anniversary present that we would never forget, a visit to one of the most important Mayan ruins in the world! Terry and I were going to visit the walled city of Tulum. The city is close to a thousand years old and is comprised of over 60 structures. This was the most expensive tour that we took, but well worth it. The cost was $66 for each of us.

We were to meet very early, 6:45 am, to board the tender that would take us to Playa Del Carmen, which is on the Yuctan Peninsula. After dropping off the tour members, our ship went on to Cozumel. We were to meet up with The Celebration later in the day after we finished the tour. The tender we took was more like the inside of an airplane. Very nice and comfortable. Finally at the pier, we were met by the tour operators who escorted us to our air-conditioned buses.

During our 40 minute inland bus ride to Tulum from Playa Del Carmen, our guide, a Mayan descendant, gave us a brief history of the area, the Mayan people and what we were getting ready to see and experience. We finally arrived at the ruins on a very hot and sticky day. Our guide explained that the city of Tulum probably had around 500 - 600 citizens living inside the walls of the city who were scientists, astronomers and mathematicians. The city was probably built around 900 AD and had a population of 5000 or so outside the walls. It was amazing to see the structures still intact after nearly a thousand years! There are still original hand prints on some of the walls. Tulum was built on a cliff overlooking the sea. We could only stand their wondering what was going through the minds of the ancients that stood right where we were standing.

During the excursion talks, our cruise director, told us not to be alarmed when riding in the cabs. They stop on green lights and run red lights! He explained that the reason they stop on green lights is that their brother may be driving the cab that is running the red light. The faster they get a fare dropped off, the quicker they can get back and pick up another fare. Well, we didn't believe him until we actually rode in one of the Cozumel cabs. They did exactly as Chris had related. Pretty amazing.

For our anniversary Terry and were planning on getting dressed up again, but we had already done it twice and just didn't have the energy to do it again, especially after getting up so early that morning. Below are some pictures of our anniversary dinner and our last evening on the ship. We had a wonderful cruise but we were looking forward to getting back to our home.

Last Evening On The Celebration

Debarkation

For our last evening aboard, we had to pack our bags, stow our gear and get ready to come back to reality. We arrived at the mouth of the Mississippi around 7:30 in the evening and had to have our bags outside our cabin by midnight for our room stewards to collect. We wouldn't see them again until we picked them up in the secure customs area at the New Orleans pier. We were told that the custom's dogs would be passing by the luggage to see if we had any funny stuff we shouldn't be bringing back into the country.

We awoke the next morning, had a yummy breakfast then headed to meet with the custom's officials that were aboard to expedite everyone's processing. We had our official forms filled out, met with the custom's agent who signed off on our modest purchases. We then headed to the Astoria lounge where everyone on the ship was in a holding area. Until the ship is cleared by United States customs, no one gets off. Also non United States citizens had to be cleared as well in a separate area. Until all of that is done and finalized, the ship is in their hands. We sat in the lounge close to two hours and finally disembarked around 10:30 am. We were called to leave the ship by decks. Another pointer, when you are making your connecting flight reservations, make sure you allow plenty of time to catch your flight. We thought we'd only have a couple of hours to wait at the airport. It ended up being close to 5 hours because of several flight delays. Also make sure you allow enough extra room to pack all of your purchases. We almost had to go to the gift shop to buy another carry on bag, but with Terry's excellent packing skills, we got it all packed!

It was good to get away, but it was even better to get home! The cruise on The Celebration was wonderful and we highly recommend it to anyone! We hope you have enjoyed our little travel log. Here are some Internet related cruise resources that will be a help to you in planning your next cruise vacation.

Internet Cruise Resources

Paul's Cruises

Carnival Cruise Lines

The Cruise Critic

There are really too many to mention. Do a search with your favorite search engine and you'll be inundated with information and resources about cruising as a vacation alternative.