Celebrating 75 in the Caribbean! PTR and TR! - Page 11 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
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There are other changes as well.
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We go on to the joy and through the tears
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Moving on with the current of the years.
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It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
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So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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The photo of all the kids made me laugh with the signs they're making, as over here, that's an offensive gesture, basically telling people where to go, so I was surprised to see them doing that!
That's so funny! Please remind me of that when we do get around to going to London!!! Meri loves doing that in pictures, and I'm going to have to really make sure she doesn't do that there, lol!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lfredsbo
Looks like you all were having a great time
Quote:
Originally Posted by Colexis Mom
It looks like you are having a great time! Love all the pictures!
We really did enjoy ourselves. It was just very relaxing, and we laughed a lot, which was nice!
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So I'm getting the idea crushing is all about the food who knew
I love how Meri's frown turned around at afternoon tea when the food arrived.
It's all about the food.
I know I've been slacking here, and will probably be slacking until after Christmas... but I swear I will get this done! It's the 'most wonderful time of the year' and also the busiest! But life will calm down after Jan 5!!! I'm working like a madwoman until Christmas (it's a super busy time at the BBQ place and we had two key people out, so I've been filling in seven out of nine days), and there's church stuff, school parties, friends parties, basketball games and brunch with Santa to get done between now and Christmas... not to mention work and work! LOL!
Then we're in Atlanta Dec 26-28 and in Denver from Dec 30-Jan 5. Thank heavens my cousin loves to house/pet-sit!
But then life calms down, no more BBQ restaurant shifts, and just normal work days! Woo hoo! But I DO hope to get at least two updates knocked out on the 29th... I expect it to be absolutely dead at work and I can use my lunch break to knock them out quickly! Here's hoping!
You always say "life will calm down after....." and I never believe you. This time, though, if it's really true that you're not taking any more restaurant shifts, there's hope! Hope the three of you have a very merry Christmas and the happiest of New Years!
And, of course, this is when you get sick! Have a Merry Grizzmas, get well, and enjoy your travels. I'm finding myself just so looking forward to our cruise on Jan. 3. And I'm not doing anything particular to be busy! I'm just looking forward to the food selections and the total relaxation. We only have 1 4 hour tour booked and the rest is be lazy.
So uh yeah, I totally MEANT to return to finish this TR... I'm uploading photos now, and will post an update (heck I may finish the entire thing today just so I don't forget again, lol).
This morning we woke up at 7:30am, and had room service set to be delivered between 8-8:30am. We just got coffee and some cereal and juice for Meri, because we wanted to try out the dining room for breakfast this time. So, we showered and packed our day bag, and then at 8:15am, room service knocked on our door!
We drank our coffee and finished getting ready, and then headed up to the Imagination dining room at 8:45am.
Meri thought she was so cool because the server gave her apple juice in a wine glass...
I just love cinnamon rolls on cruise ships!
We played with the camera, taking silly pictures of each other and of baby Emmy, and enjoyed the view of Cozumel.
This one about sums it up...
A nice family photo
I can't remember what mom got (I think an omelet) but I got french toast, and Meri shared some with me.
After breakfast, we paused at the room to drop off Emmy, then headed off of the ship. We had set up our towel animals and Emmy in the window, and it was fun to find our window outside on the dock, lol.
We walked through the huge marketplace area (which I called "The Gauntlet" because we were all funneled through this one shop in order to get out into the main marketplace, and it was long, narrow and packed with people - very irritating), and after a quick photo op...
...we grabbed a taxi with another family who was heading to our beach resort - Nachi Cocom.
I did my best, but we pulled in too fast for a great shot of the entrance...
It took us about 15 minutes to get to Nachi Cocom, and it was a very uneventful drive. Finally we pulled up and were let out at the front of the resort. We took a picture with huge Mexican hats, and then headed inside where I paid the balance due. After that, we were led to our beach chairs for the day, under a lovely palapa.
There were only two other children at this beach resort. It was quiet and laid back, with some tropical music playing (but softly), a pool with a swim-up bar (Meri loved sitting on the underwater seats and drinking sprite), and a beach. We didn't do any extras (renting boats, etc), we just relaxed. Meri hung out with the two other kids for a good portion of the time, and for the rest of the time, we just laid in the sun, relaxed in the water (which wasn't particularly warm, but it was tolerable) and played in the sand.
They did come around and rake up the seaweed that you see in some of the photos... so that was nice.
One of my drinks...
Around noon we got some nachos, a hot dog for Meri, some guacamole and some shrimp. And of course, I drank a few pina coladas. They were delicious!
Dessert
Finally, at 2pm, we decided to head back to the port, so we could get some shopping time in before boarding. We picked up a few little knick-knacks for family for Christmas, a purse for Meri and a few little other things, and then we headed back to the ship around 3pm. There were no Kinder Eggs in port this time, which was a bummer.
Meri and her new purse
Waving goodbye to Cozumel...
Once on board, mom stayed in the cabin to read / take a nap, while Meri and I headed up to play a round of mini golf and snack on some pizza. We laughed our way through a terrible round of mini golf, meandered around the ship for a while, checking out the different shops and areas.
I hated that the upper deck had the lifeboats blocking any view you might be able to have had. Ugh. Very poor designing there!
Then we headed back to the cabin where I took a nap while Meri watched some tv and played in her bunk.
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This morning, Meri and I had to set the alarm and get up at 615am, because our cabin steward told us that at 630am, they would have dozens of towel animals out on the upper deck, as decorations. Meri insisted that we MUST see this... so off we went...
To be honest, it was kinda neat.
While we were upstairs, we got a little bite to eat
Coffee...
We headed back to the room, where it was time to celebrate mom's birthday! Happy Birthday, mom!! I don't really have any photos to post, because mom was in her PJ's with bed head, and she'd murder me if I posted that, lol. Needless to say, it was fun. We got her some books, a calendar, and a few other little things. Obviously the cruise was the big gift...
We went back up to the deck around 830am, where we stayed for a few hours.
Then we went to a towel folding class and puppet show in the theatre
I dropped Meri off at the kids club at 11am so she could be a pirate, and when I got back to the cabin, mom's cake had been delivered!
After admiring the cake, mom and I headed to brunch in the dining room to enjoy a meal in peace, lol! They sat us at a table with a number of other people, which was a little weird for me, but it wasn't a big deal. I just had hoped to eat in peace and quiet. But we ended up with a bunch of surfer dudes, who were a riot.
Mac and cheese with steak
Eggs and stuff
After brunch, we parked ourselves back on deck. Mom sat in the shade, covered in towels because it was a bit chilly.
Pirate Meri
At around 2pm, we headed back to the cabin for cake and nap time!
It was fabulous cake!! Yum! Meri and I took naps while mom headed up to the spa for her birthday pedicure! Amazingly, Meri and I both slept until 5pm! I guess we were worn out!!
Before we knew it, it was our final dinner!
Crab cakes
Delicious tomato and mozzarella with a pesto drizzle
French onion soup
I got the Indian vegetarian meal with basmati - it was fabulous!
Baked Alaska - a cruise staple!
After dinner, I dropped Meri in the club for a little party while I went to the comedy club to watch Mutzi, the comedian. He was hilarious, I have to say, and I enjoyed the show. At 8:30pm, I picked up Meri and we headed back to the cabin, where we packed and relaxed until we fell asleep!
All in all it was a really nice, restful day!
Up next: Disembarkation day and lunch in New Orleans
I told you I was going to finish this, lol! Because I know if I don't, I'll forget again!
Our final morning, I woke up at 615am, and I played on my phone quietly for a while. Now that we were back, I had service again, so I entertained myself texting and playing on Facebook until everyone else woke up.
We had room service set to be delivered at 715am. That was a cool perk, having room service available on disembarkation day. We didn't have to deal with the dining room, we could just veg in our cabin a bit longer.
After we had coffee and croissants, we grabbed our carry-off bags, and we headed to the atrium to prepare to disembark. We were group #2, so we should have been off very quickly. However, unfortunately the disembarkation process wasn't very clear! The paperwork said that we could either go to a specified lounge to wait for disembarkation, or we could wait in a few different designated areas for our number to be called. So we waited near the atrium. And waited. And waited. And waited. And watched hundreds of people disembark. They never announced numbers, just special disembarkation groups (like self-carry luggage people). Anyway, finally we thought to ask, and realized that they were on group #18!! The cruise director, who was running it, said to us, "Well I went to the lounge where you were supposed to be, and I escorted everyone to the gangway! We explained that the paperwork did not say we HAD to be there, and it said we could wait in a few different places, where announcements would be made. So anyway, it took us MUCH longer than necessary, which was ridiculous. In my survey which was sent to me by Carnival, I specifically mentioned that, and asked them to be more clear in their disembarkation instructions, because we wasted more time than necessary, and we weren't the only ones, judging by conversations we had with other people.
Oh well, that was the worst that happened to us, so it wasn't that big of a deal. Just really annoying.
We grabbed our luggage and headed to the car, and then we set Cafe Beignet into our GPS, and off we went! Goodbye Carnival Elation! Thanks!
Amazingly, we found a parking space directly in front of the cafe! Talk about lucky!!
We went inside, and happened to luck into a table right away! A couple was getting up as we walked in, so I sat mom and Meri down there, and I stood in line to order.
The line went pretty quickly, and before I knew it, I was ordering! I ordered SO much stuff, lol. Mom and I each got omelets, and Meri got french toast, and I also got gumbo. Then we got beignets, coffees, and juice for Meri.
Some of the best french toast ever!
Beignets! MMMMMMM!
Delicious (but spicy) gumbo
We stuffed ourselves silly, and then we hit the road and headed home. It was a nice trip all around, and we were very glad we had taken it!
I don't know that we would be in a rush to return to Carnival, but we did enjoy it and we had no real issues with anything. The food was fine, the service was fine, the cabin was set up a bit strange, but ultimately it was fine. The deck was a little louder than I'd prefer, and the pools a lot smaller. I'd have done the layout a little differently, but all in all those are superficial things and they didn't affect the quality of our cruise.
It was relaxing, and mom had a blast. That's the important thing!
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Have a Merry Grizzmas, get well, and enjoy your travels. I'm finding myself just so looking forward to our cruise on Jan. 3. And I'm not doing anything particular to be busy! I'm just looking forward to the food selections and the total relaxation. We only have 1 4 hour tour booked and the rest is be lazy.
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