Working in the morning, my friend Julie and I left for the Long Beach Cruise Terminal around 11:30am. Traffic was in our favor and we arrived at the cruise terminal in less than forty minutes. Parking was quick, and with luggage in hand we headed toward the terminal to check-in. At check-in they were fast and efficient and addressed us by name, and even wished me a Happy Birthday. The whole check-in process to being aboard the ship took us less than twenty minutes; quite possibly a new record for us.

On board, I headed toward the Guest Service Desk (GSD) to drop off some packages I had brought for the Cruise Director (CD) Jeff and the Assistant Cruise Director (ACD) Shawn. Okay, turns out Shawn was not going to be the ACD until the Carnival Paradise was leaving for Tampa, Florida, so I left the package for Laura, the current ACD. It sounds like an easy enough task right? Not hardly. First there was a line quite long, and I thought if I stood in the VIP line, it would go quicker. Again, not as easy as it sounds. The GSD personnel were busy taking care of a group of about ten people who thought it would be easier to pretend they were just one large group instead of ten individual accounts. Their issue was they wanted to remove the tips from their account. Their reasoning was they were going to pay cash. Their problem was, they hadn’t pre-paid the tips, and nothing had been applied to the account yet. So there was nothing to remove. Then they got upset because they found out they would have to come back the next day to remove the charges. Once the GSD member was able to take care of me, I thought quietly to myself this should be easy, as I only wanted to drop some packages off. Then I was told it would be a one dollar charge to deliver the packages. I know I was shaking my head back and forth, as I said ..”No, I don’t think I have to pay a dollar to give gifts to the CD and ACD.” Took about three tries to get this resolved, but soon I was on my way to the Lido Deck for my standard deli sandwich and drink of the day (DOD).

After lunch, we proceeded to the Lido bar, where we ran into a bartender (Edward) we had on a previous Paradise cruise in September. Amazing he remembered us, as we had only sat with him once during that last cruise.

By 1:30pm, we went to the stateroom to drop off a few things, meet our wonderful stateroom stewardess Jedee. I gave Jedee the little goodie bag I had put together for the stateroom staff, and she got so excited. So fun to watch the crew, when you give them a little something. Once in the cabin, I was surprised by some wonderful birthday gifts from my cruise related friends Tammy, Linda, and Chuck. (Thanks everyone!)

We then took a trip down to the Dining Room to see where are table was and say hello to the Maitre’D (Ramesh) Out of six cruises on the Paradise, it was the first time I had been assigned the Destiny (aft) Dining Room. We were also hoping to see our Hostess friend, Aleksandra, but were saddened to find out she had left the ship a few weeks earlier. Ramesh, also remembered us, and quickly changed our assigned table to make certain we were in a nice table, with a mix of people. I am glad he did, we had great table-mates, and excellent service!

We then wandered the ship for a bit, went back to the stateroom, and got ready for the muster drill. Since we knew we had to muster at or near the Casino bar we went down a little early, and made some new friends. One of them was nice and made me a paper rose out of a bar napkin for my birthday.

After muster drill, we meandered back to the stateroom to freshen up for dinner. The first couple to sit with us was a 92 year old man and his wife. They were celebrating their 43rd wedding anniversary. Eventually one other couple joined us. They were all a real pleasure to converse with and share cruise experiences. Dinner was okay, but for some reason not up to par with my last few cruises. The food just seemed bland and dry, and the vegetables were so raw, that the 92 year old gentleman said “I need to be a rabbit to eat these carrots.” He was right; they were barely cooked, and still almost cold inside.

But, the conversation was lively and the spirits were high, so we just kept talking and laughing.

After dinner, we wandered around some more. We ran into the Jeff, the CD and Laura, the ACD. I asked if they had gotten the items that were dropped off at the GSD, and they said they hadn’t. I also apologized to Laura about her package, because I thought she was Shawn. *Not really my fault, I asked someone before we were cruising and this is what he told me! We had Laura as an ACD twice before, in June when she came on board to take over for Six-Three (Amy) and in September. She remembered us, but Jeff didn’t until we reminded him we were on when his wife and son were sailing with him.

We went down to the Normandie Lounge and Julie was picked to play Game Show Mania before the Welcome Aboard Show. She won a coveted Ship on A Stick! Chris one of the Entertainment Host had also been on our last cruise and he remembered Julie from our cruise in September. I won a ship playing TV trivia.

At the Welcome Aboard Show, when they introduced the Entertainment staff, Jeff made a point to address Julie and me which was very sweet. He also introduces Laura as “Laura the ACD but for Julie and Sage she was going to be called Shawna for the cruise.” This became a standing joke all weekend.

After the show, we wandered again for a bit and went to find our bartender Edward in the Leonardo Lounge. We didn’t stay long, as our day started early … so it was off to bed.

Saturday – Port Day Ensenada –
We have been to this port quite a few times and typically don’t get off the ship as the Spa usually has their best specials that day. While Julie was still asleep, I did my typical walking the ship, taking pictures of areas devoid of people, watching the sunrise, and grabbing a cup of coffee on the Lido Deck. Okay, in all my cruises, even I have to admit, this coffee was horrible! I mean by far the worst I have ever had on a cruise. Then I went to the Spa, only to find out they were not running their “in-port” specials. Oh my, I was looking forward to this for a month! I get back to the stateroom meet up with Julie and as we left the stateroom Jedee sang Happy Birthday to me. We go up to breakfast in the Elation Dining Room where the coffee is typically better than the Lido Deck but… ah..er.. um.. Not this time! But the service was great; we met some nice people, and were ready to start our day.

Our day aboard on a port day will typically consist of Spa time, but since there were no specials, so we ran around playing Trivia and meeting up with Edward our bartender on the Lido Deck. He was so sweet, as he and his friend sang Happy Birthday to me. More trivia in the US Casino Bar, and more happy birthday songs from Mike (Entertainment Host) – who can really sing!)

Time flies even on a port day, and we go to dinner with our great table-mates, and tonight there are two other couples who joined us. I gave Albert our waiter, and Budi his assistant a goodie package, and told them it was my birthday present to them. Great service, but once again, the food left a little to be desired. One of the “new” couples did nothing but complain, and never even tried to order anything else. Albert the waiter, could see there was some frustration with the food, and was bringing different things out for us to enjoy. Some good company, nice wine, and a birthday cake with yet another birthday song for me. I don’t believe I have ever felt so special.

Dinner done, we go over to the Captain’s Celebration at the Normandie Lounge. Now typically the Captain, some staff and the CD are on one side of the entrance to the lounge, and the ACD and another entertainment staff are on the other side. Yes, we dare to be different, so I had to go talk to the ACD, Laura and once again apologize if the package contained some more masculine items…. She was there with Chris, and Jeff soon joined us. We talked for quite some time. Well, enough time passed the Captain (Giulio Basso) finally came over to Jeff, pointed at his watch as if to say, “Can we get this show on the road!” I apologized to the Captain for monopolizing the staff, and he was so sweet about it; posing graciously for a few pictures.

We have seen the show before, but there were new talents on board. However, we elected to go to the Casino (where I won $112 and left!) then it was off to the Leonardo Lounge and see “our” bartender, Edward. The service was great, but did not care for the band at all. I know I have seen the lead singer before on a cruise, but not with this whole band, and frankly I did not care for their style… meaning “buy us a round of Jagermeister and we will play your requests” The lounge itself is not conducive to such a loud band. We stopped off at the US Casino Lounge and watched the “Fun Force” perform. We talked to them and them and they (Eric and Stitch) invited us to the Rex Lounge Disco, where they were performing later. We went back catch the late show of “Eight More Seconds” Very nice show, with a great tribute to the military at the end. The new singers and dancers were great! *not saying the previous crew was bad… never had “bad” entertainment in the shows!

Afterwards, we went to the Rex Lounge, where Eric and Stitch wished me a Happy Birthday, and made us dance. Oddly enough the bar did not clear out, so people must have had more than enough to drink by then.

Sunday – our “Sea day” …

Figures, today they ran the Spa Specials, but we had planned out a day of playing trivia games, and the slot tournament.

Okay, I passed on the Sunrise Stretching class, and the Pilates and Body Sculpt Boot Camp. So after breakfast we started with more Trivia. Roly, and Mike did an excellent job hosting as we won a few more medals.

Julie had won the Slot Tournament before, and I frankly have never played, but this time I did. I made it to the final round and won a T-shirt.

We spent the whole day going between slots and trivia. We had a great time with the crew, especially the entertainment staff.

Our last night with our table-mates, less the complaining couple. So in spite of the food not being all that it could be we had a great time. Amazing how hard it is to say “farewell” to people you have only known a couple of days.

We went to the Normandie Lounge to play Bingo, watch the show, and then it was off one last time to see Edward(our now favorite bartender) in the Leonardo Lounge. Again, I didn’t care for the band, I really was there to see the bartender!

Can’t stay up too late, can’t drink too much, because when we get back to port, Julie and I leave the ship and go directly to work!

Monday – Ugh… back in Long Beach

Now, I like Long Beach, as sometimes it means I am on a cruise ship leaving on a cruise. But the flip side is, it also means I am returning from a cruise.

I don’t know why, but I wake up long before we are in port, and I sit on the balcony, watching as we get closer to Long Beach, and watch the sunrise over the cruise terminal dome. It was a very cold morning, so I actually broke out one of those robes I see people wearing all over the ship.

We say our goodbyes to our stateroom stewardess Jedee, and her helper Simper, and go to breakfast. Shared a few niceties with the folks at our table and went and waited to be escorted off the ship.

Laura came to the Library to take us down to debark. When we were at the front of the line Roly (EH) came over and hugged us goodbye. I put my Sign and Sail Card in the little machine, and all of a sudden there were sirens, lights, and a very embarrassed person standing at the front of the line of people trying to exit the ship.

Now mind you, there are only a couple of times I have “seen” the alarm go off when someone is trying to exit the ship. One is when the Border Patrol flags you for a search, the other is when you have an outstanding balance on your Sign and Sail account. Since my bill was paid, I thought maybe I was the random person for a full search.

As I looked at the Security person looking at the screen once the alarm sounded against my failure to pass the exiting of the ship, he was just smiling and laughing. Mind you, I am standing there, believing I am having a heart attack, I was so stunned and scared. Turns out, Laura and the great Entertainment Staff wanted to make certain that Julie and I did not exit the ship without them giving us a little token of appreciation. They gave us a very nice photo album complete with a picture of all of them that they had signed.

I almost cried, to think that we had made such an impression on them to do something so special for us.

In all the cruises I have ever been on, the ten I have been on with Carnival account for less than half of them. But in all those cruises, I have never felt more special than on my Farewell to the Paradise Cruise.

The Review
The Good –
By far the Entertainment Staff.. Jeff, Laura, Mike, Chris, Roly, Sam, and the gal behind the scenes… Sarah. Also, this staff always introduced themselves when first addressing any crowd. They would always say who they were, where they were from, etc. This was sorely lacking on the Carnival Spirit cruise just two weeks prior.
Jedee, and Simper – Housekeeping
Albert and Budi – Destiny Dining Room
Zofia, Buenaventura, but especially Edward – Bar Staff
Many thanks to all of them for making everything so special!

The Not So Good –
The food – it was just not up to par with where it has been on my last four cruises since May. Not horrible, but definitely not up to the Carnival standard to which I have become accustomed.

The Bad –
There was no bad. Seriously, I am on a cruise ship. I am not at work. I am being pampered. How could any of this be bad?

The Interesting -
If anything – this ship with it’s four and three day cruises seem to have it down to a science. They accommodate, and make it all work, knowing that in four days or less they will have to start all over with a different crowd. Perhaps it is just some of the longer cruises I have had with Carnival that I can say this, but this shorter more established cruise seems to have “It’s ducks in a row!”

Areas of Improvement –
Well if nothing else, and this is the second time I have seen this, and I have been promised it would be fixed…. But in the Formalities Shop, the Malted Milk Balls and other Chocolate Covered candies are melted, and appear unappetizing.
Also, the ship itself needs some work, and I know this will be taken care of in January 2012.
Better care needs to be taken when cleaning the bars, specifically passenger side, under the counter, where it is obvious drinks been spilled and dripped down under the counter tops.

This was my first cruise on a Spirit class ship. I found that the Spirit class ship was relatively easy to navigate, and had a quite a few more “public” seating areas and lounges than I have found on the Fantasy or Splendor class ships. The shop area was between these open areas and set up like a row of shops, so there was less congestion than I have encountered on other ships. The ship’s décor seemed reflect different eras of architectural design, sort of like cruising through history. With combined examples of Egyptian, Art Deco, Louis IV, Queen Anne, Gothic, Modern, and maybe even some Chinese architecture, every room, or lounge has something to offer.

It was my first Carnival cruise out of San Pedro, California. I will have to admit, I like the embarkation and debarkation process at the Long Beach terminal much better. I didn’t really understand the VIP embark and debark process, as unless you were a VIP with a Platinum or Milestone card, you were pretty much routed with the rest of the masses once you got your Sign & Sail card. During the embark process, as a VIP with a suite you are allowed to check in at the VIP check-in line, but then you are handed a boarding group number most of which had a waiting period of an hour or longer and directed to sit or stand in a waiting area until your boarding number was called. The same process at the Long Beach terminal gives you a method to board quicker. I watched as they allowed a handful of people go up the escalator to board the ship, stared at the couple hundred people waiting, and elected to try to board anyway. After a long walk down the pier, up a switch-backed ramp, eventually I reached the ship. Within 20 minutes of boarding I was able to get to the Deli, and get my traditional sandwich, and meet up with some friends.

While waiting until it was time to go to the cabin, I ran down to the Guest Service Desk and dropped off the Halloween Treat bags I had put together for the CD (Sparkles), and the ACD (Marcello/aka Marshmallow). A bit of embarrassment as I had been led to believe that the ACD’s name was Paul, but it became a standing joke with Marcello each time we saw him. Sparkles (aka Lesley) had been an ACD on my Splendor cruise in 2009, and is a wonderfully friendly and attentive CD. (exerpt from her Morning show is currently playing on the home page) I also dropped off a little singing Halloween bear for the folks at the GSD. My friends and I stopped in the Atrium/Lobby bar where I got my first and only Thirsty Frog Red, and met an exceptional bartender named Rolando.

The four of us went to the MDR to see where are table was located. Linda, said she had asked to change the location when she had gone down earlier but the Maitre‘d (Prasad) had told her they had nothing else available. When all four of us were looking at the table he came up, addressed my by name, and said they had just had another table for four open up and we could change if we wanted to. Not really certain how he knew who I was. Perhaps John Heald, the Carnival Senior Cruise Director and Brand Ambassador had sent security a warning picture of me? At any rate, I elected not to change tables and Prasad ran off like a hurt child as it was apparent he thought the second table was in a much better location. I literally had to run to catch up with him, and thank him for his efforts.

This was also my very first cruise at the aft of the ship in a Vista Suite, with an aft-wrap balcony. The cabin was quite comfortable, with a separate living room type area, a separate dressing room outside the bathroom, a large walk in closet, and a separate bedroom area. The balcony was set up with two chairs, two lounges, and a table. While there is definitely more vibration and noise in the aft cabins than I am used to, I found it no worse than being on a long airplane flight with some occasional turbulence and engine noise.

When the luggage came to the room and once I unpacked I finished putting together the Halloween Treat bags I had brought for the crew members I would be interacting with the most, such as the cabin stewards, dining staff, a few bartenders, and the main folks on the entertainment staff.

As with any other cruise, before you can sail off, you have to go to the Safety or Muster Drill. On this cruise, it seemed a bit more organized than it has been my previous two cruises. So, it really took a short amount of time; afterwards we were on our way. Sailing out of San Pedro, we were able to see the Splendor which had just left the Long Beach Port. After Sail-Away it is time to get ready for dinner.
There is only one restaurant on the Spirit. The Empire dining room is on deck 2 and 3. The upper deck seems to have been dedicated to the “Your Time Dining”, which has become very popular on most cruise ships. I prefer a scheduled time for dining, so I can get to know my wait staff. This cruise I was at a table for four with my friends, Julie, Linda and Chuck. Our excellent servers were, Alexandra, Marko, and Renzo.

After dinner, Julie and I went over to the Cool Lounge, where our bartender from the Atrium bar said he would be working after 8pm and that there was a really good band playing music. “Music Society” was a really good band that played a large variety of dance and easy listening music.

After spending some time in the club we went to the Welcome Aboard Show.

The second day on board was our first sea day, which normally would have been Cruise Elegant night, but since it was Halloween, they switched Cruise Elegant to the second Cabo San Lucas port day. There was a festive mood aboard, as the crew started early in the morning to decorate for Halloween.
I like the sea days to run around and play trivia, try my (lack of) luck at the casino and in general just relax. It was fun interacting with the entertainment staff members (Jeff and Jimmie) as they hosted some of the trivia games.

Dinner was interesting as there were so many people dressed in some pretty clever costumes. I dropped of the “Treat” bags to our servers. Alexandra was very cute, she had to take the bag immediately to the back and see what was inside. It was quite entertaining watching about 100 (mostly drunk) people get up on the stage in the Pharaoh’s Lounge to participate in the Thriller Dance Class. Afterwards, they did the costume judging, where an 87+ year old lady did a Scottish jig for us, and stole the show.

We wandered back to the Cool Lounge to listen to Music Society once again. You know a band has to be pretty good when the Captain and most the heads of the ship’s departments are in the lounge listening to them and singing along.

Day three put us in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. We were scheduled to arrive at around 11am but managed to get in at 10am a situation where most would think it was a good thing with the exception of one guest. She actually flipped off the staff as they gave her the boarding for her tender. Her complaint was she didn’t think they would get in until 11am and now she finds they are already boarding tenders and she had to wait …. All the way to tender #7. Mind you they tendered over 35 boats that day…being #7 (and early into port) hardly seems like a reason to flip someone off. The ship was basically empty by noonish and the Lido deck, almost looked like a ghost town.

No real desire to go into Cabo; a port I have done many times, but I was surprised there were not more shipboard activities for those of us that were not getting off the ship. (I think that may have been a dozen of us!) Typically on port days, I get an advertisement in the cabin for the Spa, but we actually had to go to the Spa to find any specials. On other ships there is usually more Trivia or other games for those still onboard, but here the schedule was pretty empty all afternoon. So, we basically wandered around the ship and laid in the sun until dinner time. After dinner, it was show time. Jazz Hot was the name of the show. The Spirit Show Band led by Jessy D’Meilo is one of the largest left in the fleet. They also do the music for the SuperStar Live which was hosted by a talented singer Dayna from Las Vegas. Unlike most ships and shows this one had two sets of lead singers, Ruby, Bryan, Caitlin and Edwin, who interacted very well together.

We did the Martini tasting in the Artist’s Lobby and had Iurii as our bartender. He had also previously served us in the Atrium bar. Although I am not a big martini drinker, I did enjoy the Chipotle martini. For $17 you get a menu of martinis to choose from, 4 small martinis, and a little martini charm that they clip to your souvenir menu.

Day four we are back in Cabo for a shorter amount of time, so there were more people on the ship. Julie took that time to go to the Spa; I wandered around taking more pictures of the ship’s décor and of the Splendor who was next to us in port.

I am sure it was just the switching of the Halloween and Cruise Elegant schedule, but the past guest party and the Captain’s Celebration were basically held 2 hours apart. Past guest was done at 3pm in the Pharaoh’s Lounge and the first Captain’s celebration was at 5pm in the atrium lobby. After being plied with more drinks than I could drink in a week, it was back to the cabin to change into something a bit more elegant to run back to the front of the ship and meet Captain Binacchi and the rest of the officers. Captain Adriano Binacchi has a ton of personality. While I have been on many ships where the Captain basically stands there and shakes hands or smiles a bit when a picture is being taken, Captain Binacchi interacts a little with everyone. I did get a bit nervous when Sparkles the Cruise Director introduced us to the Captain, just saying “This is Sage and Julie” … and he just looked at us, nodded and said,,, “Ah, I see.” I had to look over my shoulder for security… Just what had John H. told them about us?

At dinner, Marko our assistant server thanked me for the “Treat” bag from last night, while Alexandra told us he had used the washer/dryer sheets to do his laundry and made everyone smell his shirt because “it smelled so fresh”.

The production show tonight was called the Big Easy that celebrated New Orleans. It was absolutely wonderful. It was a very colorful and extremely energetic show. You could tell that the entertainers really enjoyed this production.

After the show, it was once again off to the Cool Lounge to hear Music Society. They are from the Philippines, and if you talk to them, it may be hard to understand, but when they sing, it is an exact replica of the original songs. The Cool Lounge is a smoking lounge, with cigars and cigarettes. One would have thought that this would deter people from going in, but the place was packed every night this band played. Those that didn’t want to go in were happy to sit outside the lounge at the chairs and tables near the staircase fountain just to listen to their music.

Last day of the cruise, was a sea day, where we once again, wandered the ship looking for some fun activities. It seems there was so much going on, and so many things overlapped, so it was difficult to pick any one thing to do, as if you did, you would miss out on one or two other things that looked interesting. We managed to keep ourselves entertained regardless. Julie called into the Morning Show with Sparkles and won some prizes for answering a question about the gross tonnage of the Spirit. Linda also called in and won for answering the names of the ships in the Fantasy Class. We never actually received the gifts that day, but when Linda went to the GSD before debarking she found hers there. We missed some of the last night of entertainment, like the Fun Farewell as it was too close to dinner time, and the Singing with the Big Band show at 10pm. We didn’t win a cruise, or $5000 at Bingo. We did go into the Cool Lounge after dinner for one more visit with our bartender Rolando, and Music Society.

All things as they are; it was just another great cruise. Good friends, great ship, excellent service. Our cabin stewards (Ivor and Waynan) were absolutely wonderful, always addressing us by name, and stopping to talk to us when we came in and out of the cabin. Who could ask for more?

The Good – The service. The crew. The layout of the ship. Running into old “friends” like Sparkles (Lesley) the CD, and making new friends. Watching the stars from the balcony, absolutely beautiful!
The Not So Good – The scheduling of activities needs a little work. Some days, seemed like nothing going on, while on others there was too much, making it difficult to pick one activity. While the ship itself is beautiful, there are some areas that need some work. I am guessing the normal maintenance will be completed when the ship gets ready to present in Australia.
While not actually ship related – the VIP embark and debark process at San Pedro needs some help. I have already explained the embark process. The debark, was equally as confusing. While we were given zone 1 priority tags off, on other ships we had a meeting place. Our instructions in our room only said to wait for them to call our zone. It was clearly by mistake that we ran across the VIP waiting area for those that checked luggage. It was only after we asked if we were supposed to be there that we were told … “yes, you are supposed to wait here in the Cool Lounge and we will come get you.”
The Bad – There was really nothing bad at all. Nothing that jumps out and says “This area needs to be fixed right now.”
The Interesting – Although they gave out Ships on a Stick to the winners of trivia and games shows, they weren’t giving medals for the 2nd place or even 3rd place in the game shows that I have normally seen. When I asked about this, I was told they ran out before and just got them back in two weeks ago, but had just gotten out of the habit of awarding them. The 2nd and 3rd place winners on the Game Show (both times) looked terribly dejected that they got nothing for their efforts.
Areas of Improvement – The members of the entertainment staff really need to remember to introduce themselves at the start of whatever activity they are hosting. Not everyone goes to the Welcome Aboard show where they get introduced, and even if they did, they probably won’t remember their names.

One thing about taking so many quick cruises on the same ship, is that you see a lot of the same crew. The Carnival crew members I have interacted with over the last four cruises have been wonderful. From cruise-to-cruise, they remember you; and considering they see thousands of different people each week, this is pretty amazing in its own right.

Among some of the crew that have helped to make the last few cruises so pleasurable have been some folks in the main dining room. So thank you so much Aleksandra, Sanjay, Leslie. They were not even at my “assigned” dining table, but they still took the time out to say “hello” and pose for a picture.

Like over 18,000 other cruisers, I read a blog written by John Heald. He is Carnival’s Senior Cruise Director and Brand Ambassador. He also has a page on Facebook. I have sailed with John only once. It was on the Carnival Splendor the week before her famous fire cruise. John is a witty (some say “brilliant”) man and his blog and Facebook page show people an insight to the cruise industry they may not otherwise see. It was on one of John’s blog posts, that some one equated people that cruise Carnival with “Riff-Raff”, which stirred up a lot of emotion and a backlash of comments.
What amazes me, is that some one takes a short weekend or four day cruise on a cruise line dubbed the “Fun Ship”, pays considerably less than some other vacations, and then calls the clientele “Riff-Raff”. Now, I will admit there are some pretty odd people on some of these cruises, mostly younger folks who drink too much. For some reason, behavior that is unacceptable on land or in their local bars becomes “OKAY” when they are at sea. This last cruise had quite a few of “these” folks onboard, and I ignored them the best I could. There are sometimes where this becomes impossible, and that is when they start harassing the crew members or treating them like they are less than worthy of respect. I have no patience for people that cannot treat others with the respect they deserve.

Jumping off the soap-box now…..

This last cruise started the same as the others. My girlfriend, Julie and I left for the terminal around noon on Friday. Things always seem to go pretty smooth for us getting on the ship, and by 1:15 we were crossing the Lido Deck to grab our traditional deli sandwich and DOD (Drink of the Day). We ran into the first of many crew who remembered us. Hollywood, and in three cruises I am embarrassed to admit, I still don’t know his “real” name. Drink and sandwich in hand… we are officially on “vacation”!

Around 2:15pm or so, we went down to the Main Dining room, just to say hello to Stan (The Man) the Maitre ‘d and check out our table location. We wound up waiting in line for over thirty minutes and when Stan saw us, he chastised us for not just coming to the front of the line. Stan was the Maitre ‘d in our dining room in June. In July he was in the other dining room, but he came to visit us in the Elation Dining room. We will get to see Stan one more time in November, and I promised we will not “wait” in line to see him next time.

Some things never change and at 4:30pm we had to go to the Muster Drill. I guess the good thing was we were not in the hot sun on the Starboard side of the ship. By 5:15 we were back in the cabin getting ready for dinner. We went down to the backside of the dining room to enter and we ran into Aleksandra our hostess for our last two cruises. She hugged us both, and the people around us just stared, and one woman asked “So, you have been on this cruise before?”

The first night at dinner was pretty uneventful. We had a nice wait-staff team, Morito and Kristine. There were only three other people at our table, and they were very much into themselves so the conversation was limited. Julie and I both ordered the Prime Rib off the “Steakhouse” selection. It looked great, the presentation was wonderful, but for some reason the meat itself was grizzled and very tough. I was slightly disappointed, as the last time it was so fantastic it melted in your mouth. I let the waiter know to pass the information on to the chef. I have had worse cuts of meat from some fine restaurants and there was too much other food to choose from to let this deter me from having a relaxing time.

After dinner, it was off to wander the ship, stop in the Casino for a bit, and off to play some Trivia, Game Show Mania, and the Welcome aboard show. After another quick stop in the Casino and back to the cabin. [Okay partying is not a priority, but I got up early, went to work, had some fun, and now it was time to rest.]

Saturday we docked in Ensenada, had breakfast in the dining room, and met some very nice people. A family with two of the most adorable girls, and a twenty-two year old young lady that was taking her eighty-nine year old grandmother on the cruise. Typically, this would be the “spa” day, but they changed the specials around, so our day was spent playing trivia with Roly and Chris, two nice young gentlemen with the Entertainment Staff. I also got to talk to the Environmental Officer – Vinay. I had requested the meeting with him, to talk about Carnival’s policies and get some insight as I am currently working on getting my company certified to the ISO 14001 Environmental Standard. [hmm – work related – wonder if I can write the cost of the cruise off?] It took a few calls and conversations with the Guest Service Manager to arrange the meeting, and I had told them that John Heald said he e-mailed the ship about my request. It was when it got all the way to the Captain (Cpt. Domenico Cilento) that I had requested the meeting through John Heald, that all of a sudden, I became the “Lady that knows John”. The meeting was granted!

At dinner on Saturday, I had taken some chocolate covered strawberries (sent to me by the wonderful John Heald – Thanks!) to share with my tablemates, only to find they had left us for the “Your Time Dining”. I don’t know, I for the most part like the “assigned” dining. I enjoy meeting and getting to know the same people and wait-staff. I know for some the preference is to eat when you want, but for now I think I will stick with the assigned dining. We had five new people at our table on Saturday. Two nice woman (roughly my age), and three men from Texas who claimed they were “re-assigned” (er.. kicked out of the Destiny dining room). They were loud and boisterous, but very fun-loving and true gentlemen. They were however, a bit too much for a husband and wife sitting close by; who called the Maitre ‘d Stan over and had him find them another table.

The tablemates really enjoyed the chocolate covered strawberries, and we all headed over to the Captain’s Celebration. On a three day cruise this is at such an odd time 7:15pm and I am sure most people don’t go because they are either getting ready for dinner or at dinner. The “guys” from Texas shocked the ACD when they piled up on the stage to sing “Happy Birthday” to a lady sitting in front of us in the lounge. (No reason for it, they had just overheard it was her birthday – and they actually did this at dinner the night before to someone on the other side of the dining room!) After the Captain’s Celebration, Bingo and the show (Eight More Seconds), the tablemates and Julie and I went our separate ways. Pretty routine by now, that was stop off in the Casino one last time (maybe in hopes of finding the previously lost money.)

Sunday – Sea Day. Dang there are my “spa” specials! No time for the spa, I had trivia to play – lots of trivia. Chris and Roly kept me entertained most the day, and I won three more medals to add to the ones from the previous day. Julie played in the slot tournament and won $500, a ship on a stick, and a t-shirt. We also played that blasted machine that just pushes quarters around, but managed to win some tokens that were worth a free drink, a t-shirt, and one was a mystery prize. The real mystery was not one person working in the Casino knew what the mystery prize was supposed to be. I was hoping for a free cruise, but they gave us another t-shirt. (they got off cheap!) In between trivia and slot games we stopped off in the Atrium bar for a drink. I wanted to get another souvenir glass for Carnival’s branded beer “ThirstyFrog Red”, but they had run out. Kanchana the bartender, actually ran up to the Lido deck and brought me back a beer and glass. Seriously, does service get any better than that?

Across the Carnival Fleet they held a moment of silence in memory of the victims of 9/11. They did this at the same time they were having the lighting ceremony in New York. As Captain Cilento made the announcement you could hear his voice crack with emotion. I have never heard so little noise on a ship before.

We ran into the our tablemates on and off during the day as we all wandered around the ship. Those guys from Texas seemed to know everyone, including the eightynine year old “Betty” and her granddaughter. Dinner Sunday was with the same tablemates as the night before and just like before the guys from Texas kept us quite entertained. We met up with them later and went to the late night comedy show.

I hate packing, I hate leaving the ship. It is amazing how many new friends you can make on a cruise.

Special Kudos to the following staff members, and I know there are some I missed and I apologize…

Constantin and Simpen – Room Stewards (good luck with the new babies Constantin
Kanchana – Atrium Bar
Edward – Casino Bar
Hollywood – bar server Lido Deck, Elation Dining room and Queen Mary Lounge
Morito and Kristine – Elation Dining Room
Stan (the Man) Maitre ‘d Elation Dining Room
Ramesh – Maitre ‘d Destiny Dining room (for trying to woo us away from Stan)
Vinay – Environmental Officer
Roly and Chris – Entertainment Staff
All the Guest Service Desk personnel and Manager.
And my friends from cruises past – Sanjay, Leslie and Aleksandra

Will see some of them in November on the Paradise, and meet more new crew members then and on the Spirit in October.

So bottom line –
The Good – Everything mentioned above and then some.
The Not so Good – There were a lot of young obnoxious drunk people who felt the need to harrass the crew.
The Bad – Nothing really comes to mind
The Interesting – The Formalities Shop on the Paradise is a small closet type space behind the Casino. It was very hot in there when Julie and I went in to purchase a few things. Because it was so hot, the candy in the candy bins, was basically melting.

Dear Debbie:

I can’t tell you how much I miss you. I miss our conversations, your laughter, and your sometimes witty, sarcastic, dry sense of humor.

There aren’t many days that go by, that I don’t wish I could pick up the phone and call you. There are so many things that I wish I could share with you. Do you remember the last personal conversation we had? I sure do. It was only a week before you “left” us.

We were laughing and reminiscing about how when I was in the Army, and the government had not approved the “budget” and I had to borrow $500 from you to pay my bills. You were the only family member that would loan me the money. Mom and dad who had loaned thousands of dollars to other family members to start businesses, or pay bills would not loan me a dime. I remember dad telling me “Out of all my kids; you are the one I know will make it”. I called you crying, frantic. I had a house payment and day care to pay for. You rescued me. You took a loan out on your credit card, got me the money, and saved the day. Of course you never let me forget that you were the one who ‘saved the day’. Even then we chuckled on the interest payment you charged (er.. paid in full by the way!).

We laughed so hard at the time you came in early in the morning with your boyfriend, ran on to the front porch where I was sleeping, grabbed the covers off me, laid on the couch next to me, and thirty seconds later dad came out and accused me of being out all night! Never occurred to him, it could have been you slamming the screen door. You were Debbie! Everyone knew Debbie did not cause problems!

I miss those conversations! Well, I miss the ones where you talk back to me. To be brutally honest; I still have conversations with you. Especially on nights where I am starring at the stars. I talk to you all the time. Remember in the attic on Goodman Street. I would stare out the window on those hot summer nights; looking at the stars, and you would ask what I was looking at……………I would reply, quite simple, “at the future”.
The conversation would progress from there……… the future! The hopes and dreams of two young siblings, wanting something better.

I am so sorry I missed your 50th birthday in New York. I am sorry I let work interfere with family. Unfortunately, it still does for the most part. Having a job, making enough money to support your family was instilled in us at an early age.

We did see each other that following Christmas. All the “girls’ were together. For that time I am grateful. I remember saying I wanted to take you to some of the places I was able to visit, and you told me you didn’t like to fly. I had to remind you, that you didn’t like to drive either, but you managed to finally do it!

Although you told me you understood that I missed your birthday, I know you were disappointed. Although you promised you would not miss my 50th………….. it wasn’t meant to be. I too was disappointed, and sad, and so mad because you were no longer here and we would never celebrate another birthday together. Oh fond memories of my 21st birthday in New York, and you taking me out. Well, I guess since you didn’t drive at the time, theoretically I took you out! But what a time we had!

So now, every trip I take, I take you with me. I show you the sights of places far and near. You are on every business trip I take; you are on every cruise I have been on. Everywhere I go, I place rose petals in the waters, and wait for your acknowledgement; whether it is a butterfly flying by, a dolphin or a whale swimming past; I know you are there. I have tasted the salty oceans in many places so you will know that they all taste the same. This because I remember your first trip to California, when you came back so excited that the ocean really did taste salty! No matter where my travels take me. No matter how silly people think it is, I taste each ocean for you, and I cry; wishing you were there.

I thank you so much for all your support when Ed was not doing well. I know it was difficult for you to be strong for me, but you were there. You were there for Ed, with your emails and phone calls long after I could have hoped for. I can’t thank you enough for that.

You left us way too soon Debbie, and left an already dysfunctional family in turmoil. In most respects, I am glad you were not here to see what happened after you left us. I know the actions of your family would have perplexed you beyond belief. I am not certain that even seven years later we have recovered, and that saddens me. Believe it or not, even your twin brother who finally got on a computer, will not acknowledge my screen name or recognize me as his sister. (could you put in a good word for me, as you had no problem with my name, even if it did vary from your nickname for me when I was 14 years old!)

Your heart was taken up by supporting a local animal shelter in the last years of your life. You knew how much that pleased me. (Even though as young children you hated my dog Shultz for chasing your cat Cuddles). At that time, you couldn’t understand my desire for helping stray animals. I was both amused and proud when you finally figured out, that those animals were not that different from us and how we were raised; wanting and needing love. Perhaps we bonded even more with that realization than we had even throughout the years.

I miss you more than I can ever put into words. I truly hope wherever you are, you are at peace, and maybe just now and then thinking of your family and how much they love and miss you.

7/5/1953 – 8/26/2004

Today when I logged in I see this status change message from my son. Says “Joshua.. is engaged!” Not a traditional way a mother wants to hear that her only son has decided to get married. After doing a double take at the message….. I respond to the post “To anyone I know? Just kidding I love you two”

I had the pleasure of meeting my soon-to-be daughter-in-law, a couple months back. She is a sweetheart. As a mother you reserve the right to be critical of anyone your only son may bring home to meet you. But Starr is a genuine person. Very personable, and seems to keep my son pretty “grounded”. He is old enough to know and waited a long, long time for this day.

My dear husband had a bit of a different approach to the post. A simple “Wow, way to go, Congrats. When is the baby due?”

While this may not be the traditional proposal of marriage we all know. Josh had the best of intentions. He didn’t think Starr would see the post until she got home from work that night. Best laid plans of mice and men, she went home for lunch and saw it!

For those that may agree with my dear husband, I have been told that there is no twinkle of pitter/patter of a grandchild any time soon. Josh is a realist. He has a game plan to buy a house, settle in, start a family. I applaud him for this. It is a far better game plan than I had when he was born.

So, this next piece is for my son. My only son. The person, who helped make me who I am today….Treat Starr with respect. Love her. Most of all listen to her, and have fun with her. She is vibrant beautiful woman. (And your mother likes her!)

To Starr – Love my son with all your heart. He has his flaws (we all do).. but he is a special man; full of love and ambition. He is old enough to know what he wants, and what it takes to make a relationship work.

To you both… look through the same eyes you saw each other in the first six weeks of your relationship. It was a period of awe, wonder, and amazing feelings. Don’t ever lose that! (It may not always be easy…but try!) It has worked for your dad and me! Learn from each other. Relish each other. Be there for each other. That is important. Support of what each is doing or wants to do (even if you don’t necessarily agree). You will both falter and there will be “not so pleasant times”, take it with a grain of salt. Keep in mind what attracted you to each other to begin with – it is still there. While we all continue to grow and mature, I hope you both can see the growth in each other and support it.

I love you both! Congratulations!

As a mother I am very excited for you both. I wish you nothing but wonder and amazement forever.

I am finding out that there is a very mixed bag of cruisers on these three day jaunts. Some have never cruised before, while others have dozens of cruises under their belt. This cruise compared to the last seemed to have a much more active crowd on board along with some interesting individuals. There was a couple getting a little over amorous in the Jacuzzi, a young lady that wore her fuzzy bright pink life vest everywhere, and a free spirited golden aged lady sunbathing topless on the Serenity Deck. Contrary to popular belief, it really doesn’t take all kinds of folks to make the world go ‘round…. We just happen to have them.

Embarkation was yet again extremely easy and fast. In no time at all we were at the deli enjoying a sandwich and a drink, and watching the others come onto the Lido deck; many for the first time.

I was slightly disappointed to see that my table request in the Elation Dining Room had not been met, so Julie and I went to the dining room when they opened at 2pm to see if we could change our table location. We were met by the Maitre ‘D Ramesh. He was a pleasant man, and showed us where our assigned table was and let us see the names of the people sitting with us. On the computer we saw four men and four other women listed. It appeared we were sitting with four couples. So we kept the table assignment as it is always nice to meet new people.

The Muster Drill this time went a lot smoother than last month. Most delays last month were due to people making too much noise and it had to be stopped several times. Although it went easy enough, it was about 30 minutes late starting, so by the time it was over we only had enough time to get back to the cabin and get ready for dinner.

Our tablemates turned out to be a mother/daughter, a father/son, two sisters, and two men that worked together. Ramesh stopped by a couple times to make certain that Julie and I were okay with the table and the people which I thought was a very nice gesture. However, by night two, we lost the father/son to another table. The father was just not comfortable around the younger crowd and asked to be moved. I elected to get the “Steakhouse” Prime Rib. It costs $18.95 but is a wonderful cut of meat.

I don’t know much about life working on a cruise ship. I don’t believe it can be an easy feat. Most the crew I come into contact with work very hard. The crews I have encountered on the Paradise during the last two cruises have been exceptional. I was saddened to find out one of the Social Hosts that had been so charming last cruise had been fired. Our waitstaff in the diningroom (Sanjay and Leslie) on this cruise were a perfect working team and between the two of them, we felt so special.

Saturday we arrived in Ensenada, and once again Julie and I elected the highly discounted pricing in the Spa and indulged ourselves.
We then spent the rest of the day in search of all the Trivia and games we could play with the crew.

Dinner was nice full of wonderful conversation about what everyone did in port. You feel a bit rushed though to get to the Captain’s Celebration which is at 7:15pm. Typically, we don’t get there until about 7:45 so not a whole lot of celebration time.
We do take the time to talk to the Captain, and Cruise Director (Jeff) and of course our favorite Assistant Cruise Director (Six Three).

We went to the Destiny Dining Room to see our Maitre ‘D from the last cruise (Stan the Man) and then walked up to the Rotterdam Bar to do some Martini Tasting. Eventually we ran across our tablemates from dinner and had a few laughs drinking and watching them dance in the Rex Disco.

Sunday, we did the Behind the Fun Tour. An excursion you can book for about $50 on the Paradise. Although, we had taken this tour on the Splendor, we have found some interesting new facts each time. This time was no different. Brianna was an excellent tour guide and all the folks in the Galley, Backstage, the Bridge, the Laundry, Storage, Environmental and especially “Sal” in the Engine Control Room were exceptional in talking about their respective areas, and functions. This tour runs about 2 ½ hours and you do a lot of walking, but it is well worth taking if you never have done it.
You also get to see the crew area, including what they affectionately call the I-95 that runs the full length of the ship and is always hustling with crew members doing something and going somewhere. Perks of this tour typically include pictures of you and/or you and your group with the Captain on the Bridge, and by the ship’s bell, hats, pens, wristbands, backpacks or any variety of Carnival Branded items. I have noticed this also changes with the tour and the ship you are on. One thing they love to do is deliver your pictures to your dining table so that others can see what “FUN” they missed out on.

The rest of Sunday, is filled with more Trivia, some Bingo, food, drinks, and more people watching. The day ends with another fantastic dinner, cashing out our “almost” casino winnings, and packing. We say our goodbyes to our new found friends and some of the crew that we have gotten close too.

Time sure seems to fly on a cruise ship. I don’t care if it is a weekend cruise, a five day cruise, or even two weeks long. I find that is always seems to be over way too quickly.
It is truly amazing the friendships you can make with the crew and passengers in such a short time.

Next cruise – September

The good on this cruise - The wait staff Sanjay, Leslie, Ramesh (the Maitre ‘D, and most of all “Aleksandria”[hostess] ) And still “Stan-the-Man” even though he got transferred out of the Elation dining room, we still went to see him in the Destiny, and he as always – wonderful.
- The hosts – Six Three (Amy – who was going home when we got back to Long Beach), Robbie G. – a replacement for Leo, but very young and ambitious.
- Nick Brown – who really stepped up since my last cruise ( I know everyone can have an “off” day and chalked this one off.)
- The stars… the weather was great. The sky incredible. Take the time to look if you never have!
- Captain Lanaro, Chief Engineer Cuomo, and the medical staff, for getting the medical emergency handled at 3am Saturday morning.
The not so good
- Still having to ask the Deli cook to actually “COOK” our Pastrami and Rueben Sandwich ????
- Our room steward Natasha – The cabin was always cleaned, but things moved. I mean moved – Bottled water disappeared, soaps, hair care products, moved to different locations. It was just ODD. The remote disappeared one time, and she always blamed everything on her helper. While this may or may not be true.. I rarely saw her. I mean she was visibly absent. Had her on the May cruise too, and the only time she was quick was when I inadvertently left an envelope with some cash inside on the table while I was trying to decide how much extra to tip her. I saw the “helper” once when I asked where the tv remote was. Now last cruise I think we left her an extra $20 plus a $30 bottle of wine. One would think in three weeks she might remember… We still left a good tip, but I didn’t leave the envelope in the room until we left to debark! I usually take the time to take our pictures with the cabin steward, especially on Elegant nights, but since we never saw her, this was not even possible. I don’t blame her, I just think perhaps there were too many rooms for her and one helper.
The bad:- The couple in the Jacuzzi on the main part of the Lido Deck, below the water slide; basically having sex. I know people complained, and I saw some Carnival Staff come up and watch for awhile, yet nothing was done. I believe this had something to do with the fact the couple was part of a company sponsored cruise, and they had been afforded certain latitudes. I even heard other guests later that night say that said that they had complained to the staff, and finally just left the Lido Deck.
- The topless sunbather on the Serenity Deck (right below the kids pool area) – Not Carnival’s fault. Just saying it wasn’t a pretty sight.

The interesting:- Now if any of you have watched them doing the lifeboat drills and more specifically in the area where the crew life rafts are, maybe you have noticed the manual cranks they use to maneuver the crane. Carnival really needs to step up here. I watched three crew members training using this hand crank, and each and every time, it slipped off the squared “bolt/stud thingy” (for lack of a better term), fell to the deck and had to be picked up. Now, my guess is, the crank has been used so many times that the “socket” part is rounded and easily slips off the area where it is to be. The “cranking end should be “knurled” to offer a better grip. Some of the crew wore gloves during this exercise, but they were not “gripping” type gloves. They were smooth and only accelerated the slippage of the crank. More obvious was the fact that the socket portion itself had no sort of “locking” mechanism as we see on home tools with the detent buttons. (Guessing here – too costly to maintain as it would have to be rust-proof, etc..etc.. etc…) But I believe some steps could be taken to make this a much more useful tool. I apologize for the diatribe, but with an Engineering background and being a Quality Manager by profession, I tend to notice when processes are out of whack.

- The Cruise Director Jeff Bronson, was hardly seen, but understandably so, as he had his family aboard on this cruise. (And a wonderful looking family they are!) Hardly saw him three weeks ago on the May cruise but he told me he would be off when I cruise again in September, but should be back on board for my November cruise.

HAL has numerous Land/Cruise tour packages available. It also offers just the cruise portion of the tour. For our adventure I choice the 11 day Southbound tour. Turns out this was a great choice. If you do the Northbound, you are on the ship for the first part of your tour, then you do all the land activities. Southbound made more sense, because after traveling the Alaska highways, Rivers, and Rails, a cruise was the perfect end to relax totally before the flight home.

Upon arrival at the Anchorage airport, there is a team of people there from HAL to help give you information and packages about your tour and guide you to the bus that will take you to the hotel. At the hotel, HAL had their own check-in desk. Most the hotels we stayed at are owned and operated by the cruise lines. You have to attend about an hour long briefing about what to expect for the next 11 days, meet your land tour guide then you are free to explore Anchorage at your leisure. Meals were included if you ate at the hotel, but if you ventured out to a local eatery, you had to pay.
We elected to go to a local brewery across the street from the hotel and were not disapointed. Food,drinks and service were wonderful.

The land part of the tour breezes by very fast. You cover a lot of territory and use numerous modes of transportation. On the first day, we left the hotel and drove to board the McKinley Express train. Again, most cruise lines have their own rail cars, so you are always amongst friends. We traveled up to Denali State Park. Meals were served on the train, and you are able to meet people you are touring with. The scenery along the way was amazing

Denali Park was teaming with wildlife and beautiful views. We stayed at a lodge with quaint cabin style rooms that was located just outside the “entrance” to the park in a wooded area that almost gave you the feeling you were camping out.

We took a bus ride tour through the park and actually got an elusive view of Denali (Mt. McKinley). The following day we boarded our motor coaches which were extremly roomy and comfortable and headed for Fairbanks. We had many stops visiting scenic areas or small towns, so you never once felt like you were trapped on a long bus ride.
Leaving Fairbanks we stopped at an old Gold Dredge #8 where we had a nice lunch and panned for gold.

We headed to such quaint towns such as Tok, Chicken, and Eagle Alaska, and then into the Yukon Territory to Dawson City. During the motor coach tours we got information for the areas we would be visiting, plus at times videos played with movie or news clips from the local areas.
Land tour highlights –
- Gold Dredge #8 outside of Fairbanks.
- Alaska Pipeline pump house -
- Tok Alaska – Good food
- Chicken Alaska – stop in and get a brownie.
- Dawson City Yukon Territory – get your membership in the Sour Toe
- Braeburn Yukon – Cinnamon buns are huge.
- Whitehorse – The Follies – a funny stage show
- Carcross Desert – labeled the smallest desert in the world

After all the wonderful sightseeing on land we boarded the Yukon Queen for a river cruise from Dawson to Whitehorse. It was amazing that all along the way the motor coaches would separate then meet up with us when we took the trains or the river cruise. The timing and coordination with the land tour guides seemed effortless.

After Whitehorse and a few more stops we arrived in Fraser and boarded the Whitepass train into Skagway. The train ride was rewarding, and scenic. They had areas outside of the car where you could go and take pictures as you chugged along the tracks.

The arrival in Skagway was bitter sweet as it meant we were done with the land portion of our tour. We had one last drink with our tour directors at the Red Onion Saloon, and headed to our ship which would be home for the next few days.

Boarding the ship was a breeze as our land tour director walked us right up to the gangway with pre-filled out paperwork, and in less than 15 minutes we were in our cabin. The ship was beautiful. Our cabin and balcony were spacious.

We had a VIP/Past guest party with the Captain and crew the first night on board that offered free drinks and Hors D’oeuvres. We ate most meals on the Lido deck or from the full room service menu. Our balcony was the perfect spot to watch the Alaskan coastline and eat a fine meal.

We spent a day in Ketchikan shopping, walking around the city and even took a horse drawn carriage through town. Some folks went off on fishing expeditions and had a blast. You could also take a plane to the top of a glacier or go dog sledding or even go on one of the boats from The Deadliest Catch TV show.

Words cannot describe the beauty of Alaska. As we sailed along the coast you could see the wildlife, bears, moose, bald eagles, golden eagles, whales, seals and otters. It was nature at it’s best.

With our cabin we also had access to a private bar, concierge and an area with computers, daily breakfasts, afternoon tea and early evening drinks. We also had a intimate meeting with the Captain and staff. The Captain and hubby probably spent 20 minutes talking about the ship, the engines, and the daily operations.

Being a smaller ship we were able to sail further into the Glacier Bay area. Here you could get off on one of the tender ships and really get close to the wildlife and icebergs.

After some fun-filled relaxing days at sea, our Land/Cruise tour comes to an end as we pull into the Vancouver port.

I would love to do this tour again. We went during the spring and I think a nice contrast would be do do it in the fall before the ships re-position to the warmer climates. Although we didn’t partake, during the Land part of the tour there are numerous excursions offered for the places you stay over night in. There is dog-sledding, river rafting, and jeep tours just to name a few. I highly recommend if you have never been to Alaska, you consider taking a Land/Cruise tour.

Dragging my workmate/friend Julie along, I have scheduled four cruises on the Paradise before she departs the Long Beach port for Tampa. I don’t know what my obsession is with the Paradise. Perhaps it is because she was the first Carnival ship I was ever on and as they say “you always remember your first”.

The Paradise was built in 1998 and was the last of the Carnival fleets Fantasy class ship. She is not too large so you feel overwhelmed, nor is she too small that you feel cramped.

A lot has changed on the ship since my first time aboard. Carnival has rolled out things like the Rostisserie Chicken, Steakhouse items in the dining room for a small fee, and the Sushi Bar that had been a big hit on some of the larger ships. From the line I saw at the small Sushi Bar on the Paradise it is a major hit there too.

So, can one really relax on a three day cruise? Is there enough to keep you busy? Is there enough time to do all you want? My answer is yes on all three.

Here is how the first three day cruise went….

Julie and I worked the morning of our cruise and drove to Long Beach about 11:30ish, parked the car and we were on the ship in no time at all.

We have this habit of going to the Lido Deck and getting our first DOD(Drink of the Day), while we listen to a band play music on the stage. After a couple of drinks we head to the Deli to get a Corned Beef/Pastrami Double meat sandwich and another drink. (One has to get in the cruise mood!)

By the time we finish our drinks and sandwich, it is time to go check out our cabin. Now this cabin was located in a different location then the previous sailings on the Paradise. I had booked a smaller balcony cabin on the Verandah deck toward the front of the ship.
I was a little nervous that it may seem too small, but I was very pleased as it was layed out nicely and did not feel “tight”. The balcony was barely big enough for the two chairs and table, but it was still a balcony. I don’t know, I just like to be able to sit outside while a ship is sailing and watch the water, the sunrises, or sunsets, from the comfort of an area that is exclusively mine.

Once you get your clothes put away, clean up a little it is time for dinner. We had walked to the dining room ealier just to see where our table was located. It was in the back of the dining area, in a step-up area by the rear entrance to the dining room. A perfect spot to sit to see the nightly entertainment where the wait staff sing and dance for you. We had an interesting waiter name head waiter named German and a waiter named Mulyana from Indonisa. They were very attentive and very helpful in picking out meals. Although we were at a table for ten the first night there was one other couple that came in late and a mother and daughter from Vegas. So, there wasn’t much conversation, but the service was excellent and the entertainment was well.. interesting! German seemed to live for the singing and dancing.

After dinner, you can go off to the show in the lounge or run over to the Casino. Or both. I elected for the Casino, as I had already seen the show Shout numerous times. Maybe next time I will see the show anyway. It is cheaper!

The next day you are in Ensenada Mexico. This time we were docked in a different location than I have normally been on the four day cruise.
We didn’t get off the ship. We had a nice breakfast in the dining room, than went to the Spa to schedule a nice treatment. A mini-facial, shoulder/neck massage, ankle/foot massage, and scalp massage. A deal at $119.
By afternoon, we were relaxed, showered and ready for some “Fun”. We followed some members of the entertainment staff around the ship as they entertained us with Bingo, Trivia games and just some good laughs.

The Captain’s party on a weekend cruise seems to fall at an odd time. Most I have been too have started right before the early seating for dining. On this cruise it was set at 7:15pm which falls right inbetween the early and late seating in the dining room. This is also “Formal” night on a three day cruise. A ritual I usally relish on a four day or longer cruise. On this cruise, I was lucky to have a semi-dress shirt, pants and decent shoes! We managed to make both the early seating at dinner and still get over to the Captain’s party for the last half of the celebration.

Sunday winds up being your “Fun Day at Sea”, and we filled it with more trivia, more drinks, more laughs with the entertainment staff, more food, and some more money left at the Casino. Saw a new show on Sunday night called Eight More Seconds. It had a bit of a military tribute to it, and was quite enjoyable.

Some wonderful entertainment staff members included the Assistant Cruise Director Amy or “Six Three” as most call her. Here is a shot of her and Julie who is four eleven!

Then there was the beautiful Lenorah (or Leo).. I guess they all have nicknames.

There was Jeff Bronson the Cruise Director. Nick Brown another Social Host and Hollywood, the best bar staff server around!

And one can never forget “Stan the Man” the Maitre D’ of the Elation Dining room.

My friend and I having our DODs (Drink of the Day) waiting to sail.

The Carnival Paradise was built in 1998 in Kvaerner Masa-Yards Helsinki New Shipyard, Finland. She is eighth and last ship built in the Carnival Fantasy Class. Currently located in Long Beach California, and sails on three and four day cruises to Baja, Mexico. In December 2011 she will be relocating to Tampa, FL to sail the Western Caribbean.

I have had the pleasure of sailing numerous times on the four day cruise that goes to Catalina Island and Ensenada Mexico. I will be sailing her three more times before she departs the west coast.

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A day or so before the cruise, Carnival called and requested that we not show up until 2pm on the date of departure. Since I usually get to Long Beach at around 11am and am having my first DOD by noon, I compromised and got there at around 12:30pm. Unlike my last cruise I ran into absolutely no lines during the check-in or embarkation. Well, there were about 20 people in front of me on the gangway, but that is because they stopped the line to move something around on the walkway.

All-in-all it took me less than 25 minutes from arriving at Long Beach to get on the ship.

There were people at the elevator directing people to go to the Lido deck to wait for their cabins, which they said would be ready by 2pm. Since I am so good at following directions I hustled up to the Lido deck for a DOD. The “Fun Ship”, always one of my favorites! I grabbed some lunch, another DOD, wandered the Lido deck, and dang it wasn’t 2pm yet. Headed toward my cabin anyway, and found that pesky sign hanging on the hallway doors saying that the cabins were not ready yet. So, I opened the door and walked through. Not a soul in sight. Opened the cabin door no problem, and looked around.

The Cabin: I had booked a Category 11 suite. I was absolutely surprised. On the Paradise I get a Cat. 12 suite, which I typically never use the sitting area, and I swear this Cat.11 on the Splendor was so much more efficiently set up. Because of the proximity of the sitting area in this suite, it was actually used more! There were two closets, one in the dressing area before the bathroom, and one by the beds. Now, when you have multiple people in the cabin this is priceless. There also appeared to be larger drawer spaces. The balcony was of ample size it just seemed less deep than the Paradise.

Unpacked, ready to go, I headed back toward the Lido deck where some nice folks from CruiseCritic.com, had planned on a Meet & Greet.

Then off we go to the Muster Drill… After Muster drill I go back to the Lido deck for a bit of the Sail Away party, than back to the cabin to clean up for dinner.

I spent a bit of time at the various game shows, and the like after dinner, than off to the Casino.

The Ship: I have heard many complaints about the ship being too pink. Actually looks like a washed out mauve to me, but I found nothing distasteful or gaudy with it. Personally, I like pink polka dots! I found her easy to navigate. Being basically in the center of the ship had it’s advantages.

The Ports of Call, etc: Monday and Tuesday were sea days. They went by rather quickly. These days were spent eating, going to various ship activities, eating, gambling, drinking, and eating some more. Monday was the first cruise elegant night on the ship. So, before my (almost) last meal of the day, I got all dolled up and went to dinner. Where, yes I did order both the prime rib and lobster. On Tuesday, some of us from the CruiseCritic’s group got together and did a cabin crawl and were able to see a variety of cabins across the ship. This was fun and useful, in helping me plan where I might want to be located next cruise.

Wednesday, I was up early and watched us dock in Puerto Vallarta. By 9am it was already 90 plus degrees outside with 89% humidity. I had only one thing planned for PV, and that was a signature swim with the dolphins. I had breakfast and headed for my excursion.

We were water taxied over to the swim sight. That took about 15 – 20 minutes. There was a 20 minute introduction to dolphins, and safety measures. After which we were herded off the dolphin pools (tanks). There was no “locker” as it stated in the brochure, you were given a cubby hole to put your belongings. They did provide towels at the end, so if you go, there is no need to lug the towel from the ship. Leave all your jewelry in the safe on the ship, because you cannot wear your watches and rings into the pool. They fit you with a life vest and you get in the water. You are in a group about 10 people, with 2 dolphins that are yours for the next hour. My dolphins were both 10 months pregnant. They were a mother and daughter. Every now and then the alpha male dolphin or one of the younger dolphins would start a ruckus on the other side of the pool, so we had to stop and go back to the edge of the pool. While you are in the water, there is nothing but the edge of the pool to hang on to. You cannot touch bottom. The dolphins swim in and around you, they take various pictures and the last thing you do is “ride” the dolphin back to the point were you get out of the pool. You can pay a reduced price for someone in your party to just observe and take pictures if you want. The pictures they take are pretty expensive. $99 for 8 pictures, and since they only really take 3 or 4 of you, you may wind up buying more than you need. It is a very nice efficient photo system. They put them on a computer and you chose the ones you want. They can print them or put them on a CD. They also feed you lunch, but I was told by some that ate it, it really was not very good. I had bottled water and a soda, both free.

After taking the water taxi back to the ship, I decided it would be best to shower and put on fresh clothes before venturing back out into PV.

Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men (or apparently women on a cruise). When I got back to my stateroom, I went in to wash my hands, and there was no water. Nope none! Not a drop. I opened the stateroom door and there were some workers in the hallway which I apparently was oblivious to when I walked in 2 minutes prior. A pipe had burst leaving my cabin and 6 others without water. It would be about an hour before it was fixed. So, seeing how I already had my suit on, and it was hotter than heck. I headed toward the Lido deck, to get a nice cold DOD. (And, of course some food…) Probably would have showered in one of those showers near the pool area, but decided that taking my shampoo and room towel up there was probably not a good idea. Since I was already hot and sweaty and my cabin mate needed to get some closed toe shoes for our “Behind the Fun” tour of the ship on Saturday; we decided to walk over to Walmart. Yep, I just sailed for two and a half days to go shopping at Walmart! We stopped at the little flea market outside the area where the ship docked. There is also some shopping and places to eat after you enter the controlled area. When we got back to our room, our water was back on, and the shower felt terrific!

The bad part about early dining is that if you really want to dine in the dining room, it is almost a rushed occurrence at the end of the day. Late dining is too late for me, and I know there is always the Lido deck. But I do like the sit-down thingy. I believe in January, the Splendor goes to the “anytime dining”.

Thursday we got to Mazatlan, where again it was painfully hot and humid. Heat index of about 112! I got off the ship long enough to take a ride around town and get back on to the comfort of my favorite Lido deck bar, and the DODs. Now, the ride through town lasted about 90 minutes and my cab driver gave quite a bit of history, and even stopped a few times for some photos. Total charge $20 plus tip! During dinner, the ship stopped for a medical emergency and took someone off the ship.

Friday, we tendered into Cabo San Lucas, went to a beachy area, went to some shops, petted a baby tiger, and had some breakfast. Cabo is a quick stop, and we were lucky to get off the ship and back on during the time the wait for the tender was not long.

Saturday, our last was our last sea day. I took the 3 ½ hour “Behind the Fun” tour. The cost was $95, but it was worth it. They must have given us over $50 of goodies after the tour. We got to go to the main galley, the Steak house galley, the laundry, the crews quarters and mess, the infirmary, the morgue, the “jail”, behind the stage, the engine control room, the bridge, the bow of the ship by the ships bell (which is the crews deck area), the Captain’s dining room, and the environmental area where they recycle everything. It was very informative, and the time passed rather quickly. (Files/Behind the Fun.pdf)

The Food: Since I keep bringing up food… let me just say this…. There is NO food shortage on this ship. I was amazed at the variety. There is a Burrito Bar, Mongolian BBQ, a Sushi bar (hrs from about 5 to 8pm), a Rotisserie Chicken place, a nice deli, a grill, the pizzeria, and then the buffets. (and I think I forgot a couple of places!) Numerous drink and ice cream stations are located all over the place. The lemonade and icetea were better than most ships I have been on. Plus the glasses and coffee cups are larger than I have normally seen. If you want to spend the extra $30/person you can eat at the Pinnacle Steak Room. The folks that I talked to that went raved about the food. All I can say that anyone that goes on this ship and tells me they can’t find anything that they can eat, needs to stop cruising! I found the quality and variety of food to be much better than on my July sailing on the Paradise.

Now, my dining table was in an odd location in the Black Pearl. Table 164 was located basically in the rear lower level entrance of the restaurant. Strange place to put a table, and I may have requested a change had my table mates not been so pleasant, and the wait staff so fun and attentive. We actually got a lot of attention as the folks at the other table never showed up. One night we invited the only couple there to our table. On the last sail night I mentioned this to Miguel the Maitre ‘D who just shrugged. I also mentioned the fact that compared to breakfast and other ships I seemed to have less silverware. He said it was something new they were trying, and that I receive new silver for each part of the meal. When I told him that I was told my my waiter to hang on to my fork, I thought he was going to burst out in flames. So, I told him, it wasn’t a big issue, and he knew by table number who my waiter was and said he would talk to him. When I commented “great, now he will spit in my food”… Miguel went through the whole story about how that is impossible since the food is covered in the galley and there are cameras throughout the process. Well, needless to say, the last night, I was brought new silverware for every part of the meal. Really didn’t make a big difference to me, I don’t change forks for everything I eat at home, and if they save 10 gallons of water and some electricity not washing them, I am all for it!

I was more than pleased with all the service on this ship. The crew was exceptional. From Goose the cruise director, Michael, and Leslie the asst. CD. My room steward Rio was absolutely the best. My wait staff, Richard and Mohammed were funny and efficient. My favorite bartender Yulia, served me on both the Lido deck and the aft lounge in the evenings. The Maitre d’ Miguel was a sharp tongued witty person.

So, in a nutshell here is what I enjoyed on this cruise:

The service – from stem to stern was stellar

The food – was good, some was terrific, didn’t have anything bad

The activities – plentiful

My “Behind the Fun” tour and pictures with Captain Pagano (he is the one in the commercial that tells the kook that sounds the horn to get out!)

I enjoyed not losing my butt in the Casino, and becoming an official members of the Player’s club and enjoyed some free drinks there.

Here is what I didn’t enjoy:::::

Hmm, well, actually, there was nothing that I didn’t enjoy. The weather was not Carnival’s doing, so I can’t blame the heat and humidity on them. Although I know there are some out there that will try! Now, the broken water pipe, well although it was a minor inconvenience, I think it was handled in a timely efficient manner and really with little disruption. I was never worried, as I knew too many people on the ship that would have “loaned” me the use of their shower.

The extras:

We had a Captain’s reception on the Promenade Deck where drinks were a dollar off.

We had a past guest party with free drinks and snacks. Pins and invitations delivered to the room.

We had a farewell party with free drinks.

We had two cruise elegant nights, Monday and Friday. Monday was Lobster or Prime Rib. Friday was Prime Rib, and they had escargot for an appetizer.

We were able to buy $100 certificates for the next cruise. It is a good deal, gives you $100 toward the down payment when you book and $100 on board credit (depending on cabin type). It is good for 5 years and if you can’t use it, you just send it back and they send you your $100 back.(Files/Future Cruise.pdf)

I hope if you go on this ship you have a Splendid time!