Caribbean
Carnival Conquest Day 4 – St Maarten
Our first (of 8) ports on this trip was St Maarten. an island with two halves – one a Dutch colony (which we visited) and one a French colony (which we did not visit). It is a highly developed Caribbean island with nice shops (including high-end ones) and some very nice hotels and restaurants. We … Continue reading
Carnival Conquest Days 2 & 3 – At sea
This cruise started with two days at sea. We didn’t do much these days except sleep (Marlene) read (me), spend time (and money) in the casino, eat and attend some shows. But Day 2 was a formal night and Day 3 was my 75th birthday, so we dined in the dining room both nights. Before … Continue reading
Carnival Vista Day 6: At sea
Despite the late night we were up early, before 8am. We went to the casino on the theory that on the last day the odds were best in the morning. That didn’t work for me as I lost $175 (some in the morning, some at night) but still ended the cruise up $2,400. Can’t complain … Continue reading
Carnival Vista Day 5: Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos
Marlene stayed in the casino until 5am. She lost, but not much. I got up around 8 and went to breakfast by myself, figuring she would be asleep until noon. But she surprised me by joining me in the buffet before 9. This was the last port day for the cruise: Grand Turk. Once again … Continue reading
Carnival Vista Day 4: Amber Cove, Dominican Republic
I am writing this the day after the cruise ended so I have some catching up to do. We had breakfast in the buffet (tolerable lines this time) then went ashore. We wandered about the port area and bought a few souvenirs. Then we wandered down to the pool area in search of a VERY … Continue reading
Carnival Vista Day 2: Nassau, Bahamas
I really thought that I had been to Nassau before. But it didn’t seem familiar at all. Must have been Freeport. Before disembarking in Nassau we had breakfast on the ship. We tried to have breakfast in the buffet, as we always do. But on the Vista the lines were staggeringly long – over 100 … Continue reading
Yet another cruise (Carnival Vista)
This is a short one – just 6 days, Nov 26 to Dec 2 on the Carnival Vista. I really didn’t need another cruise on the heels of the 30-night TP1 but Marlene’s best friend, Dottie, is unable to accompany her on this one due to health issues. So I am filling in. It is … Continue reading
PCL2 Day 7: At sea
This was my first cruise with back-to-back days at sea since the transatlantic crossing (TC1). I enjoy days at sea, so there is no problem with having two of them in a row. It just means that I am going to eat more than usual (a fine beef bourguignon for lunch and mahi mahi for … Continue reading
PCL2 Day 6: At sea
This day at sea was very relaxing. I spent some time on the balcony, reading, but the main features were the 3 (count ’em – 3) trivia contests, the formal dinner, the Thursday Night Football game on the big screen under the stars and a late night at the casino. I also got some very … Continue reading
PCL2 Day 5: St Maarten
We docked near Phillipsburg but we never made it into the city so I will just say that we visited St Maarten. We had no excursions planned for St Maarten (or anywhere else) so we weren’t affected by the cancellation of all cruise excursions to the French side of the island. We later learned that … Continue reading