Western Caribbean Cruise 2011

Happy July 4th everyone! I'm posting a review and some pics from our last trip. We were blessed in that we could take another cruise this summer for vacation. We did the Western Caribbean 7 day cruise with two days at sea. So here's the low down for those of you interested in traveling and/or cruising.

      This was our first time aboard the Carnival Dream. She is the biggest the cruise line has ever built, holding up to 5-6,000 passengers and crew.

Day 1- Day at Sea

     We woke early and Mark enjoyed the sauna, and we ate breakfast. We spent time playing ping pong on lido deck until I hit the blame ball overboard. Mark finally found it five decks below. So we decided to stop while we were ahead. *lol*
    We were tired from driving the day before so we napped for awhile before lunch. Then, we hit the casino before playing trivia in one of the many lounges on the ship. Later we got dressed up for our first formal night, which was fun. Seeing all those peeps dressed up is exciting. Mark also surprised me with a really gorgeous pair of diamond earrings which match my wedding rings. We'd been eyeing them the night before in the shops. He says it's a birthday/Christmas/early push present. He's so sweet and can't be outdone. He makes me feel like a princess. I love you, baby!    
     We enjoyed dinner and a small production by the dining room wait staff. After eating, we headed back to the casino again for some roulette and slots. Later that night we piled into the adult lounge for a hilarious comedy show with Tony Esposito. Carnival did a great job choosing the comedians because he was phenomenal. 

Day 2- Cozumel, Mexico

Cozumel is nice. The shops and restaurants just off the boat in Puerta Maya were nice enough. The water was pretty, dark blue and greens. It's not as clear as some beaches we've been to in the Caribbean, but it's definitely a far cry from Atlantic waters we're used to.
    Mark booked our excursion in Cozumel in advance with helpful reviews from Trip Advisor.  We are spent the day at Nachi Cocom. This place is "muy bueno"! We spent $100 for an all in-inclusive day here. The cost of the venue includes endless drinks- any alcoholic or non alcoholic beverages, our own tiki cabana with chairs on the beach, a pool and a jacuzzi with swim up bar.
    They allow 100 people here a day, but there were only 60 people here at this private beach. The staff are really courteous and constantly bringing us endless drinks.  The pool was really nice, surrounded by chairs and palm trees. Both the pool and jacuzzi were conveniently adjoined to the bar. The jacuzzi was great because it was filled with the same temp water as the pool.

     The staff served us a three course meal, which you could have gotten at any point and time. It started raining at noon so we decided to eat then. Nachi Cocom also offered banana boat rides, jet skis,a glass bottom boat ride and snorkeling for extra fees. However, this venue was not overcrowded and the people there handled themselves responsibly. Overall, it was totally worth what we paid. 

Day 3- Isla Roatan, Honduras

     

     We didn't book any excursion for this port, so we decided to see what the locals had to offer that we might be interested in. We found a deal which included beach, pool and facility access at a local resort, the Mayan Princess. We taxied to the resort which was really gorgeous. However, once we got to the beach it was so overcrowded. Luckily, pool access was ours as well, and that's where we spent most of out time. The pool was massive, about the size of a football field. We lounged in the pool, under it's waterfalls and on the sunning levels.  

 

Day 4- Belize

     We tendered to the port of Belize City where we met our tour guides from cavetubing.com. Mark found this tour online as well, which was cheaper than the cave tubing excursion through Carnival. We traveled by coach through the countryside while our tour guide filled us with facts about Belize and it's natives. We arrived at a park where we hiked a short while to the tubing site.

     We were provided small head lamps and tubes. They joined us into groups of 6-8, and we floated through a cave system for about 1.5 hours. Our group guide led us around rocks and helped us if we got stuck in swallow areas. Overall, the main guide was entertaining and very informative. The float through the caves was unlike anything we'd done before. My only complaint was that it ended so soon. 

     After the tubing trip, we regrouped and stopped at the company's cabana where we dried off and changed clothes. They also fed us a lunch of authentic chicken tamales cooked in banana leaves, which where so yummy! Then we traveled back to the port to tender back to the ship.

Day 5- Costa Maya almost

 

    We didn't make it into the last port due to bad weather. Winds were up to 65-70 miles per hour because of the tropical storm in the Caribbean. So we enjoyed another day at sea.

 

Day 6- Final day at sea

    We definitely enjoyed all the activities that were planned on the ship during the days at sea- from the trivia challenges, the shows at night, the comedy club and the casino. There was an outrageous number of hot tubs on the boat. As well as an "adults only" area with its own sitting, lounging and sun chairs on the upper deck. The spa and gym on board the ship were both super nice. 

     I have to give major props to the comedy club for the amazing comedians we saw perform. Our favorites were Tony Esposito and Will Marfori. So if ya ever get a chance to see these two guys, you should- they're hilarious!

 

Day 7- Back in Port Canaveral 

     We both totally loved being on vacation, but like always it's good to be back home! Overall, this cruise was lots of fun but was dampened a little by bad weather at times. I would definitely recommend this cruise, but I don't think it was as fun as our Southern Caribbean 7 day back in September! I may be biased though- if could have been because I couldn't do many things this go round that I could before *lol*

 

Hope some of this info about our cruise is helpful or at least entertaining to you guys!

 

 

Food, good friends and laughter, but no hot air balloons

     Mark, Gus and I really enjoyed this weekend. We traveled back up to Rome this weekend to visit our friends and possibly go to a hot air balloon festival in Menlo. Our drive up shown some of the remnants of destruction left by the terrible storms and tornadoes across Georgia. I'm so thankful none of my friends and family in north Georgia were harmed. Amazing what some of those straight line winds managed to do...
     I did get a pedicure at my favorite place on this weekend!! Thanks to Linda at Galaxy Nails... I'm rocking some Vera Bradley on my toe nails... holler. We also met up with two of our fav friends Brandi and Chuck for some Mexican... only at Palmas, of course. Somehow we found time to hop over to Chattanooga and see "Bridesmaids". This movie was so funny, probably surpassing the Hangover on my list, for just incredible non-top laughs.
     Overall, the weekend in Rome was a success- as they always are. Thanks to
Britt for letting us crash at your place. You always put up with us, and we love you for it.  I had a good time, even though there were no hot air balloons involved. 

When in Rome...

     Mark and I are in Rome this weekend.  We're going to see some friends we haven't seen in awhile so it should be lots of fun. Britt's letting us crash at her place, and she's planned a St. Patty's themed party so we can see everyone. So if you're reading- Thanks Britt!
     Work was extremely interesting this week.  I definitely added to that list of "first time I've ever..."done this. I also got good news from a Newington's prosthetic program. So all in all, this week was been alright.
     Today is also the one year anniversary of mine and Mark's engagement, so that's something else to celebrate.  Yay! Can I also just take the time to say that they last six months (married to Mark) have been the most positive and amazing months of my life. Thank you to my wonderful husband! I don't know how you don't kill me sometimes, much less how you manage to do that, but also make me a better person in the process.  You not only put up with me, you take care of me, balance me.. and simply have made my life mean something totally different.
     As I sit here this morning checking email and watching the news, I'm thanking God for my husband and our families. We are both so very thankful for all the blessings and securities God has granted us.  In the midst of the turmoil that the deadly earthquake and tsunami has caused, we're safe and so thankful.  My heart goes out to Japan, the Pacific and the western coast experiencing all the horror.

I Phone

I' m blogging in places I never thought possible thanks to Mark and this nifty new phone. I've taken the giant leap from Verizon to AT&T and so far I'm impressed. I'm looking forward to all the neat extras and apps available to download for free. There's nothing more I enjoy than free crap.
On another note, thank you presidents- or whoever is responsible for today's blessing ( a day off)! I wouldn't go as far as to say I was productive but I sure had fun making a big mess with some paint.

Flower Bed

     This weekend really flew by. Thank goodness I have tomorrow off!  My best friend Brittany from Rome came to see us and brought her little dog, Sophie to visit Gus!  We had a great time doing lots of fun things.  We spent a lot of time in the yard, went to the movies and out to supper with my brother, Garrett, and his wife, Tori.  

     My weekend fun began Friday afternoon.  I got off work early and literally "dug in".  Let me first say that Mark totally doubted my gardening skills before this weekend; he under-estimated my abilities.  After some persuasion, he agreed to me yanking up a few shrubs in the front and replacing them with some border grass and a few flowers. Several blisters and a sweaty bra later... taa daa!

     Mark said a few days earlier that the project "had" to be completed in one day.  When I asked why, he told me the homeowners association wouldn't like it if we didn't.  I was caught off guard. My rebuttal, "What? Who is the HOA?!?". Mark just grinned and pointed to himself.  Right away, I knew I had to do it well- no problem- and do it quickly.

    Friday afternoon I removed the shrubs, weeded bought a few plants and prepared the bed.  Saturday I purchased more and planted everything with the help of Mark and Britt.  It was definitely a job as small as the flower bed is.  However, I'm extremely happy with how it turned out.  I'm so happy with it. Thank you baby and thank you Britt for all your help! I love you guys:)  

My handsome husband watering our new grass and flowers!

 

 Good friends help you garden!!

 Brittany helping out:)  The one woman "clean-up crew."

The weather was so nice this weekend.  I had an awesome job working outside. 

Traveling New York

     We actually got a great deal on airfare to NYC which was awesome. We arrived at LaGuardia in the early afternoon and took a cab to the hotel. We'd been told to take a taxi- we'd come out better in the long run versus shuttles or a town car. The taxi cost us ~$40 to the hotel in midtown, which wasn't horrible considering the bridge we crossed into the city was a toll bridge.
     We walked from the east side to west side across Manhattan on our first day. Covering so much ground made us realize we'd be exhausted by the end of the trip if we didn't get smart with the subway transit quickly. Mark and I both purchased a Metrocard for ~$28 bucks each. We enjoyed unlimited subway transit for that price!
     Some people where sharing a single card; however, a family in front of us were sharing and after two attempts the subways gates locked and blocked the next person using the same card from passing through. Seeing this, we decided it was fair enough to pay the price for two and not have to worry about being denied access.
      The hilarious thing was that so many native New Yorkers were disregarding and jumping over subway entry gates. I wasn't exactly stunned, but found I it very amusing. Others just opened the emergency exit door that led to a siren that alarmed gate attendants that just paid little to no attention to the occurrence. This made me a question... If I lived here would I pay fare or just jump the gate??? (Mentally picturing myself jumping over and busting my knee cap in the process.)
     Once arriving to the general vicinity by subway, we walked the streets. So definitely be prepared to do some major walking if you don't want to fork out the dough for a cab! Nonetheless, they're some of the most beautifully busy streets you'll ever experience. Most people you pass are on mission and have somewhere to be 5 minutes ago or are tourists trying to maneuver the city just as you are.  
       

New York City

     Mark and I traveled to the city for a mini vacation this past week.  I'm going to post a few entries chronicling our adventures in NYC.  Our flight out of Valdosta saved time and money by us not driving to and parking at Jacksonville International Airport.  Props to my amazing husband for planning the trip and for finding a great deal on the tickets! Travel was easy enough- besides making the mistake of wearing a hoodie while flying. I was patted down in the airport for looking suspicious. It supplied Mark with a few good laughs at least- well worth it he'd say.
     We flew into LaGuardia and caught a taxi into the city. The hotel was nice but smaller than your average hotel room.  We stayed in midtown and were within short walking distance of a subway entry.  We walked from one side of Manhattan to the other on our first day, but quickly realized that we needed to figure out the subway system for the remainder or the trip. We did and it proved to be a huge relief, shooting us from one place to another.  
     NYC is remarkable, so vibrant with city lights burning 24/7. Taxis sprinkled the streets with yellow looking down from above.  Subway trains rushed through tunnels pumping passengers from one stop to the next just like veins carry blood from organ to organ. The city was a giant- so full of life with its own pulse- never sleeping. Manhattan was incredibly busy and thrilling.
    The next few posts will  lend sound advice to those planning a trip to New York City and hopefully will make someone else's trip more enjoyable.