Reality is about to set in – again. Our seven-week trip south is rapidly drawing to a close. Today we arrived back from a five-day cruise to Mexico aboard the Mobile, Alabama-based Carnival Elation.
It was a great, restful cruise, one filled with new friends and just some time to sit and read a book.
Although the ship stopped twice on its itinerary, we actually were only off the ship for less than a half hour and that on the pier in Calico, Mexico where we spent exactly $18 on souvenirs.
The trip started with a bit of an annoyance after I left my camera in a public lounge while we were waiting for our room to be available on Monday afternoon.
By the time I noticed the camera was gone, it was no longer in the last place I knew I had it which was the ship’s library. Of course I went back and checked, but with 2,400 passengers aboard I was left to hope that whoever found it would be honest enough to turn it in.
Fortunately that happened. And with Joan’s picture already embedded in it, it was no problem proving that I was the owner. But I didn’t get it back until well after we had sailed from Mobile which meant no pretty pictures of us leaving. What we have are Just pictures of us in port and then way out in the Gulf.
I am grateful to the honest passengers who turned in the camera and only wished they had left a name or room number so I could have sent a token of my appreciation. As usual I took the disappearance of my camera and my lapse of good judgment with quiet patience. (Not!)
We met our dining companions at the late seating (we booked too late to get our preferred early seating) and they were all so nice that we decided not to push the issue of trying to
get a table at the earlier seating.
It always seems that at a large table there is at least one couple, or family, that is not quite on center. I told Joan that since our six other companions seemed so normal and nice that the odd couple must be us. She was only slightly amused.
In recent cruises we had been with family, so this is the first time, since our first cruise, that we have dined with strangers. Two of our table companions were from Michigan and also travel in an RV south for the winter so we had lots to talk about. One of the couples was a husband and wife from Alabama, both now retired, she from teaching and he from a large manufacturing company. The other couple was a pastor and his wife from Georgia.
We laughed and talked and got to know new friends. Shipboard was pretty quiet for us. We don’t party much and we spent a lot of time sitting on deck reading. We both worked out every day in the ship’s gymnasium, which was packed when we were out to sea and pretty much all to ourselves in port.
During one dinner discussion our table mates from Alabama told us that there had been a murder aboard the Carnival Elation a couple years ago and for a fact I have found numerous news stories about that crime.
It was a great, restful cruise, one filled with new friends and just some time to sit and read a book.
Although the ship stopped twice on its itinerary, we actually were only off the ship for less than a half hour and that on the pier in Calico, Mexico where we spent exactly $18 on souvenirs.
The trip started with a bit of an annoyance after I left my camera in a public lounge while we were waiting for our room to be available on Monday afternoon.
By the time I noticed the camera was gone, it was no longer in the last place I knew I had it which was the ship’s library. Of course I went back and checked, but with 2,400 passengers aboard I was left to hope that whoever found it would be honest enough to turn it in.
Fortunately that happened. And with Joan’s picture already embedded in it, it was no problem proving that I was the owner. But I didn’t get it back until well after we had sailed from Mobile which meant no pretty pictures of us leaving. What we have are Just pictures of us in port and then way out in the Gulf.
I am grateful to the honest passengers who turned in the camera and only wished they had left a name or room number so I could have sent a token of my appreciation. As usual I took the disappearance of my camera and my lapse of good judgment with quiet patience. (Not!)
We met our dining companions at the late seating (we booked too late to get our preferred early seating) and they were all so nice that we decided not to push the issue of trying to
get a table at the earlier seating.It always seems that at a large table there is at least one couple, or family, that is not quite on center. I told Joan that since our six other companions seemed so normal and nice that the odd couple must be us. She was only slightly amused.
In recent cruises we had been with family, so this is the first time, since our first cruise, that we have dined with strangers. Two of our table companions were from Michigan and also travel in an RV south for the winter so we had lots to talk about. One of the couples was a husband and wife from Alabama, both now retired, she from teaching and he from a large manufacturing company. The other couple was a pastor and his wife from Georgia.
We laughed and talked and got to know new friends. Shipboard was pretty quiet for us. We don’t party much and we spent a lot of time sitting on deck reading. We both worked out every day in the ship’s gymnasium, which was packed when we were out to sea and pretty much all to ourselves in port.
During one dinner discussion our table mates from Alabama told us that there had been a murder aboard the Carnival Elation a couple years ago and for a fact I have found numerous news stories about that crime.
We also enjoyed several beautiful sunsets during our cruise.
We enjoyed the two shows they had and we were glad to be back with Carnival after our rather rude event last November when they suddenly cancelled our trip to put the Baltimore cruise ship in dry dock. There is just something that is more fun on Carnival than we experienced on Norwegian. The staff is friendlier and more accommodating and they are cleaning things all the time.
As I mentioned we stopped at a new port – Calico, Mexico – and felt we just had to get off the ship, even for a few minutes. The port seems to be under construction and clearly will only accommodate one ship at a time unlike Cozumel across the water
which had 6-7 cruise ships, including four Carnival vessels – while we were there on Wednesday.
The port at Calico basically has a few little tent shops with souvenirs and so we looked at them and then climbed back on board.
One of the female waiters made me get up and dance during a dinner entertainment section and I made a complete fool out of myself, which for anyone who knows me is completely out of character. (Not the fool part, just the willingness to get up in public and do something silly, or fun). I’m know more as a serious kind of guy at least when it comes to that.
After leaving Calico, Mexico we sailed along the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula and saw the long line of Cancun time share buildings that we stayed in with my sister and brother-in-law back in October. We remembered that we saw cruise ships passing at night and here we were one of the cruise ships passing in the night.
We enjoyed the two shows they had and we were glad to be back with Carnival after our rather rude event last November when they suddenly cancelled our trip to put the Baltimore cruise ship in dry dock. There is just something that is more fun on Carnival than we experienced on Norwegian. The staff is friendlier and more accommodating and they are cleaning things all the time.
As I mentioned we stopped at a new port – Calico, Mexico – and felt we just had to get off the ship, even for a few minutes. The port seems to be under construction and clearly will only accommodate one ship at a time unlike Cozumel across the water
which had 6-7 cruise ships, including four Carnival vessels – while we were there on Wednesday.The port at Calico basically has a few little tent shops with souvenirs and so we looked at them and then climbed back on board.
One of the female waiters made me get up and dance during a dinner entertainment section and I made a complete fool out of myself, which for anyone who knows me is completely out of character. (Not the fool part, just the willingness to get up in public and do something silly, or fun). I’m know more as a serious kind of guy at least when it comes to that.
After leaving Calico, Mexico we sailed along the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula and saw the long line of Cancun time share buildings that we stayed in with my sister and brother-in-law back in October. We remembered that we saw cruise ships passing at night and here we were one of the cruise ships passing in the night.
There were the inevitable "towel animals" which caused me to once again take pictures of towels. No where else would I think of photographing animals, but these inventive little creatures of the housekeeping staff truly amuse me.
We had several meetings with the captain of the vessel and he seemed to enjoy walking among the passengers in a way that we hadn’t seen on other cruises.
Again, lots of children aboard this cruise, but better behaved that the rug rats that left
with us from New York back in November. Not sure if it is a geographic difference, but by and large the children on this cruise were much better behaved and better supervised that the Norwegian trip. Not blaming that on Norwegian in any way.
On our arrival back in Mobile the ship was abuzz with talk of an early morning arrest on the ship by the U.S. Marshal’s office. Apparently a guy on the Empress deck was taken out of his stateroom, put on the floor, handcuffed and taken off the ship about 6:30 a.m. before anyone was allowed to depart.
Lots of speculation about drugs, etc., but the truth is we simply don’t know what happened.
I finished my second book of this trip “The Surgeon’s Mate” in the Master and Commander series and started Book 8, “The Ionian Mission,” which I may or may not finish before I get home.
The weather today in Pensacola is terrific, temperatures in the mid-70s and tomorrow looks good too. Monday is the day we start the trip home to Michigan.
We had several meetings with the captain of the vessel and he seemed to enjoy walking among the passengers in a way that we hadn’t seen on other cruises.
Again, lots of children aboard this cruise, but better behaved that the rug rats that left
with us from New York back in November. Not sure if it is a geographic difference, but by and large the children on this cruise were much better behaved and better supervised that the Norwegian trip. Not blaming that on Norwegian in any way.On our arrival back in Mobile the ship was abuzz with talk of an early morning arrest on the ship by the U.S. Marshal’s office. Apparently a guy on the Empress deck was taken out of his stateroom, put on the floor, handcuffed and taken off the ship about 6:30 a.m. before anyone was allowed to depart.
Lots of speculation about drugs, etc., but the truth is we simply don’t know what happened.
I finished my second book of this trip “The Surgeon’s Mate” in the Master and Commander series and started Book 8, “The Ionian Mission,” which I may or may not finish before I get home.
The weather today in Pensacola is terrific, temperatures in the mid-70s and tomorrow looks good too. Monday is the day we start the trip home to Michigan.
No comments:
Post a Comment