Posted at 9:45 am by taryngirl, on December 31, 2024
8/6/24
Today we docked in Hilo on the Big Island. This is where the volcano is located, and many were doing that excursion. We instead opted for a Hoppa On Hoppa Off City Tour due to my mom’s limited mobility. Also, my kids and I have been to the volcano before.
Here were the ship’s activities for the day:
Breakfast in the Main Dining Room:
Our tour departed at 9:30 a.m., so we were up early for breakfast. We got to the main dining room around 7:20 a.m.
Basket of Pastries:
I LOVED the raspberry danishes!
Mushroom, Spinach, Onion Omelet with a Side of Sausage and Breakfast Potatoes
This was mine and it was very good!
Ham and Cheese Omelet:
This was also good!
Traditional Buttermilk Pancakes with a Side of Bacon:
My daughter liked these.
Sides of Toast:
We finished eating around 8:00 a.m. and went back to the room to get ready to debark the ship.
We booked our excursion outside of the ship tours directly on the THIS WEBSITE. (Keikana Tours, Hilo) The tour was good for all ages and was 2.5 hours escorted. The cost per adult was $42 each. We were to meet 20 minutes before departure time. The tour office was located 100 yards from the ship. They did provide a shuttle if you didn’t want to walk. Our departure time was 9:30 a.m.
We made our way to the tour office and it was busy! They offer a few different tours, and many were doing the volcano tour. We boarded our bus and were on our way. We drove on Banyan Tree Drive which is composed of a canopy of banyan trees with plaques noting which celebrity planted the tree. Just a few were Amelia Earhart and F.D.R. This route led us directly to Reed’s Bay Beach. We stopped here and were able to get out and walk around and take photos.
It was the most beautiful day weatherwise!
There were several people out boating and paddleboarding.
One of the banyan trees:
Here you can see our cruise ship in the distance.
Our next stop was Liliuokalani Gardens, the largest, authentic Edo-style ornamental garden outside of Japan. Queen Liliuokalani, donated the original five acres of land to create a public park in 1907. This beautifully landscaped park features arching bridges over fishponds, rock gardens, pagodas, Japanese stone lanterns and a teahouse.
We were given about 30 minutes to walk around on our own and then meet back at the bus.
This was a really nice stop! The grounds were gorgeous, and I really think my mom enjoyed it.
Our next stop was Big Island Candies Candy Factory. They were very welcoming! Right inside the front door we could taste the sample of the day. In this case it was, Macadamia Nut Shortbread Chocolate Chip Cookies (THAT WERE SO GOOD), and Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Crunch (THAT WAS ALSO SO GOOD).
This was an actual functioning candy factory and we could see inside the production room!
There was also a little snack bar with extremely reasonable prices. One daughter got a smoothie (really good), and the other got a hot dog.
I ended up buying both of the free samples and some gifts for family. This was a great stop!
Our next stop was Rainbow Falls.
This was a nice, short stop.
We also stopped at the King Kamehameha Statue, but I don’t have any pictures!
Our final stop was the Hilo Farmers Market. The bus stopped here, and if wanted to get off, we could take any bus back to the tour center when we were finished. They have a “blue line shuttle” that would take us from the tour center to the Blacksand Beach.
There were so many vendors here with both fresh fruits and vegetables, prepared foods, and souvenirs.
We shopped for a little bit and then caught a bus back to the tour center. From there we boarded a different bus to take us to the a black sand beach, Richardson Ocean Park.
Fun story…We had been to Hawaii about 8 years ago. We stayed on the Big Island in Hilo in a VRBO. Every day, we would walk across the street to this very same beach! At the time, we didn’t know how good it really was. There were tons of turtlesand people snorkeling.
Here’s the house we stayed in on our last trip!
We did a little photo shoot for the girls here. It was just breathtaking! We were slightly sad we didn’t wear our swimsuits!
We caught the shuttle back to the ship shortly after this. I have no other photos for this day! I think we ate at the buffet because we had given up hope on the main dining room. I know for sure we did our nightly sudoku and listened to some live music.
Overall, the day was great! We saw many sites in Hilo. It was beautiful!
I was so honored to be able to attend my agency’s Agent of the Year trip this year, which happened to be a cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas. I joined 9 other fabulous agents from my agency, and we had a blast!
I flew Frontier Airlines into Fort Lauderdale on February 3rd, and got a hotel in Aventura area. We found flights for $105.00 round trip plus $100 for checked luggage. So $200ish for a roundtrip flight was not bad at all! Flying into Miami airport was much more expensive! And the drive to Miami isn’t that bad. We lyfted/ubered everywhere. The hotel was a Residence Inn and it was very nice. It was in a great area and was very clean.
Our original boarding time was 10:30 a.m., but prior to the cruise, we were notified that our time would be pushed back one hour due to a Coast Guard inspection. We took a Lyft from our hotel to the port, which was about a 40 minute drive time with traffic. We were at the port by 10:55 a.m.
Since we were staying at different hotels, we decided to just all gather together once we were on the ship.
There were multiple ships departing today, so there was a lot of traffic right at the port. There she is! I have only previously cruised on much smaller ships through Royal Caribbean.
Our Lyft driver dropped us at the port, porters immediately grabbed our luggage (Be sure to tip them! They are not cruise line employees!), and we were on our way to the line to board.
Because we were staying in a 2 bedroom Grand Suite, we had special embarking procedures. There was a separate line for check-in where I had no wait at all.
I did still go through security screening but there was no line! (This is the main area screening as I was passing through.)
Main check-in area:
My check-in area was actually in a lounge! There were tons of seats, refreshments, and a few staff members with ipads to check us in.
I was on the ship within 15 minutes!
Every other cruise I have ever been on, I’ve entered into a big atrium. Not on this ship! It put us on deck 5 I believe, on the track that runs around the outside. This was kind of awkward to me. I found my way inside and was greeted with a mall-like setting. Seriously…it was a mall inside! This was the Promenade, filled with shops, eateries, bars, and more!
We would end up spending a lot of time here:
If you didn’t prepurchase a beverage package, you can do so onboard. I recommend purchasing in advance though because it is usually less expensive. There are specials throughout the year, and if you ever see the price go down, you can cancel and rebook.
We would also spend many late evenings here!
Another complimentary eatery on the Promenade deck:
Here were some of the offerings for lunch upon boarding:
So I forgot to mention that when we woke up in the morning, we were issued a tornado watch, and severe flooding rains… We lucked out and made it onto the ship before it even started raining. However once we got onto the ship:
The plan was to meet at the Schooner Bar, but that changed to the Suite Lounge on Deck 17. The Suite Lounge had snacks, beverages, a bar, concierge staff members, and lots of seats.
After we all met up, we had lunch in Coastal Kitchen. A restaurant only for suite level guests. This was a nice change from the buffet that I normally eat upon boarding a ship.
Today’s lunch menu:
I present to you, the best rolls ever. They call them “soft rolls,” and they are amazing!
My appetizer was from the kid’s menu….Vegetable Crudites with ranch dressing.
These were good!
My entree:
Spaghetti All’Arrabbiata–al dente pasta tossed with a spicy garlic-tomato sauce and parmesan cheese
This was yummy, but spicy! It definitely had a little kick!
My dessert:
Dark Chocolate Cookie served warm with vanilla ice cream
This was the best thing I ate the entire week! It was SO GOOD I wish I ordered three.
After lunch, it was time to head to our stateroom! I was so excited, because I mostly sail in inside cabins. One time I had a balcony, but this was a 2 bedroom SUITE!
Here’s a full tour:
This suite had a large sitting area, with a couch that folded down flat into a bed. We also ordered a rollaway cot that we put up against those windows, and just moved the chairs.
One of our balcony doors:
This tv and storage are to the left in my photo above. There was seriously so much storage in this cabin!
This was the room I stayed in. You can see the two beds that fold down from above. This room got super dark which I love!
Here you can see with the bed pulled down:
The desk area and some storage in my room:
One of the bathrooms:
I spent a lot of time on this balcony throughout the cruise! Working, napping, watching…it was so spacious!
The view of the port from our cabin:
After checking out the room, we decided to head to the promenade and check out Globe and Atlas Pub. (You can find signs like this at all of the elevators.)
(Beverage Package? These are included!)
We then did some more exploring including the casino and the theater.
Believe it or not, it was soon time for dinner! I was eating in Coastal Kitchen (reserved for suite guests only). I forgot to take a photo of the menu!
Caesar Salad:
This was absolutely delicious!
Maybe the Burrata:
This was not mine, but I snagged a pic!
This was definitely filet of some sort, and it was SO GOOD!
Dessert menu:
Apple Pie ala Mode
This was mine and it was okay. Not bad and not outstanding.
Warm Honey Pear:
Not mine, but super interesting to try!
After dinner, we strolled through the promenade on the way to KARAOKE! It was packed with people enjoying the live music.
Right across from Karaoke is the pizza place! So convenient for some snacks.
Posted at 2:15 pm by taryngirl, on February 28, 2024
10/22/23
Again today, there was not a whole lot on the agenda besides laying around enjoying the ship. The one thing we did want to do was check out the Chocolate Extravaganza, located in the Lido Marketplace, from 12:00-2:30 p.m. I had heard rumblings about this but wasn’t really sure what to expect! I was pleasantly surprised!
I wanted to get pictures before it was mobbed with people, so I walked back a little bit before the opening time. They were still setting everything up.
There was a chocolate fountain with both white and milk chocolate, and tons of things to dip!
Then came THE CAKES! So many gorgeous, delicious cakes!
If you like cake, this was the place to be. If you like chocolate anything, this was the place to be. This served as my lunch this day! The cakes were different flavors, all with some element of chocolate in them.
They also had hand dipped ice cream.
This was so fun, and so good! I don’t regret any of my life choices during this extravaganza! If you are on the Venezia, do not miss this!
Posted at 10:42 am by taryngirl, on February 18, 2024
10/21/24
Fun Times for today:
Today was a sea day, and there was a whole lot of nothing on the agenda! We started our day at the buffet for breakfast.
I had a made to order omelette, sausage, potatoes, and a bagel.
It was all very good!
I spent the time from breakfast until lunch, just laying out in the sun on a chair!
At lunch time, I went to see what was on the buffet. This was in one line:
And this was in the other line:
It’s nice that they provide a more “ethnic” option, and then comfort foods as well. I loved the variety!
Here’s a quick scan through video of one of the lines:
Buttttt, I had heard through the grapevine, that on sea days, ironically The Seafood Shack served CHINESE! So I was all in for that obviously…
This was delicious!
About an hour later, an announcement came over the PA system that a small boat was spotted and we were turning around to check it out. I decided to go scope things out and walked to the front of the ship.
The bridge with binoculars:
This went on for a little while. We had to keep turning and trying to get closer. And then they inspected from the bridge to see if anyone was onboard. It was determined to be an abandoned boat, and we were back on our way.
After this I did my typical afternoon nap and shower before dinner.
Tonight’s menu:
ScreenshotScreenshot
We had a special guest at our table for dinner tonight, Monica Doria-Trujillo, who is a Strategic Partnership Specialist for Carnival Cruise Line. We had a great time learning more about Carnival, and providing our feedback as well.
She brought us little goodie bags with Carnival branded items. So thoughtful!
Now, onto the food!
Cream of Mushroom Bisque:
As usual, the soup was amazing!
Broiled Lobster Tail:
This was definitely not mine because I do not eat any seafood!
Spaghetti Alla Carbonara (with a side of grilled chicken!):
This was mine and it was delicious! I really wanted some protein, so asked if I could add grilled chicken. They had no problem doing that for me.
We all had a shot, courtesy of Monica. I have no idea what it was, but it was yummy!
(During dinner, someone comes around with a “shot of the day” type thing and you can purchase on the spot.)
Vanilla Creme Brulee:
Carnival Chocolate Melting Cake:
Again, SO GOOD!
There was some entertainment in the dining room tonight. This man was a waiter at a neighboring table. He was fantastic! He was so happy all of the time, very attentive, and funny! He was all in during the entertainment.
After dinner, we headed to Playlist Productions: Epic Rock show in the Teatro Rosso. Monica had secured us front row seats!
Posted at 11:05 am by taryngirl, on November 29, 2023
10/18/23
Nassau
We had no real plan today, except to get off of the ship and check out the new port area. We grabbed breakfast at 9:30 a.m. at the buffet, and were off the ship by 9:50 a.m.
There were four ships in port total…that’s a lot of passengers in one port! We were parked next to the Disney Wish and the Carnival Elation. The was also a Royal Caribbean ship in port.
Nassau is one of the most popular cruise destinations in the world, attracting more than 3.7 million passengers each year. Nassau Cruise Port has recently undergone over $300 million in upgrades and renovations. This includes repair and expansion of Prince George Wharf and the addition of a sixth berth that gives the port the capacity to accommodate three Oasis Class vessels simultaneously. There is also a new terminal building, a Junkanoo museum, an amphitheatre, taxi dispatch center, new food and beverage options, and unique local stores. The straw market as you once knew it is no longer!
THE NEW PORT IS AMAZING! Everything is spacious, clean, and welcoming without the craziness. There is a separate taxi and tour area, so you don’t feel like you are being hounded by multiple people. It’s organized. The straw market is now individual tiny houses in an open area. There is a huge hair braiding section right in the middle. There are also bathrooms. Besides the smaller straw market stores, there are bigger, more upscale stores as well.
After walking through the port area, we decided to venture out of the gates to a store on the corner. It was complete chaos with taxi drivers and tour operators trying to gain our business. They actually had two cops??? out directing traffic so we could cross the street.
This is on the way out of the gates of the port area:
We just went into one store across the street and then headed back to the ship. On the way back, Chrissy decided to get her hair braided.
There were so many hair braiding stations!
We were back on the ship before 11:00 a.m. This was our towel animal today!
After going back to the room and changing, I went up to deck 10 to find a chair by the pool. I wanted to get some sun, relax, and then enjoy sail away. I ate lunch at the buffet with these beautiful sights!
I literally sat right here on this chair and ate my lunch…
These were the two different menus offered at the buffet during lunch:
Here are some videos of one of the buffet lines:
And then here is a video of the other buffet line offerings:
These were the many fabulous desserts they had today at lunch:
It was hard to pick just one! This is for sure one area where Carnival excels!
We started sailing away close to 4:30 p.m. We were the first of the four ships to leave.
Here you can see Atlantis in the distance.
I went back to the room to nap and shower before dinner.
Tonight’s menu:
I had the Buffalo Cauliflower (creamy truffle sauce). It was DELICIOUS!
Polpette (meatballs, ricotta, tomato basil):
This meatball was AMAZING and I wish I had more!
I opted again for the Broiled Striploin Steak.
But I was realllllly hungry for a baked potato as well, and asked for one of those too!
For dessert I had the reliable old Carnival Melting Chocolate Cake.
After dinner, we went to the show in the theater. It was called Broadway. It was a very good, entertaining show!
After the broadway show, we went up to the Lido deck for the 80s Rock N Glow Party. It was SO MUCH FUN! The crowd on this ship was the best!
Overall, today was amazing! The port area was neat, the time on the ship was relaxing, and the show and party were SO GOOD!
Posted at 3:29 pm by taryngirl, on November 14, 2023
10/17/23
Day 4
Miami
Fun Times for Today:
Today was our Miami day! We woke up on the early side so we could grab breakfast before getting off of the ship. We really wanted to try the burrito place on the Lido Deck!
I didn’t get a photo of the menu, but you could pick from different meats, potatoes, eggs, etc.
Mine had ham, eggs, cheese, and hash browns.
It was good but not outstanding. I like that this option was available in addition to the crazy busy buffet.
Our approximate ashore time was 8:15 a.m. We had scheduled the Hop On/Hop Off Big Bus excursion through Carnival, and that meet time was 9:00 a.m. just outside the terminal. I had looked into booking this excursion through Viator, but the convenience of having the bus picking us up directly at the terminal and dropping us there after was a much better value! I didn’t want to have to mess with Ubers. This is how close the buses were to the terminal.
We debarked and headed to the bus right after breakfast. (Our bus was full before 9:00 a.m. so we left right when it was full!). There were buses lined up, so there must have been many people who booked this tour. They took our tickets and we boarded. Inside the bus there were headphones we could take. You can plug them into your seat and hear some commentary while driving the route.
We got seats on the first bus, up top. It was a gorgeous day. Chilly for Floridians, but perfect for me! 60 some degrees. It was perfect until we started driving. Then it was FREEZING and windy! I brought my light jacket and was able to put that on but I was still chilly.
Before we pulled away, the tour operator came up top and gave us instructions. He explained the route, the app, the times to be back at the bus stop to return to the ship, etc. We decided there were three stops where we wanted to get off.
This is what the app looks like. You can see live where buses are and where the stops are. It also gives you a wait time.
Our first stop was going to be South Beach, and that was for sure one stop that we wanted to explore. The sights along the way were very cool!
The architecture was amazing!
Where Miami Heat plays:
SO MANY YACHTS!
IT WAS WINDY!
We drove past our ship!
This is Star Island. Star Island is a neighborhood in Miami, located on Biscayne Bay. It has been touted as the most expensive neighborhood in the US. Many of the homes on this island are/were owned by high profile celebrities including Sean Combs, Gloria Estefan, Shaq, and Rosie O’Donnell.
This is the entrance.
I couldn’t help but notice this unique house. I had to google when I got home to see what it was all about! It actually is a green-energy, luxury houseboat!
We made it to the first stop at 9:20ish. You did not have to get off if you didn’t want to. Most people did not. I’m assuming because they had no idea what was going on, and were confused by what the guide instructed us earlier. He made it sound like we should stay on for the entire loop and then go back around and get off. We didn’t have time for that!
Art Deco district in Miami Beach:
There was absolutely no one on Ocean Drive, unless they were sitting and eating breakfast. No cars! And no mobs of people either on the beach or walking.
There were so many cute, boutique hotels on Ocean Drive!
I would really love to see this at night sometime!
Between Ocean Drive and the actual beach, there were a bunch of volleyball courts, an actual fitness area with machines and weights, and a large walking path.
I really wanted to just set foot on the actual beach. It was empty! It was only about 9:45 a.m. at this point, and still slightly chilly according to Florida standards. We didn’t walk to the water.
We went back out to Ocean Drive, because the only other thing I wanted to see here was the Gianni Versace house, which is now a hotel. It actually seemed like they were renovating it. There were workers all over the place! I am a true crime addict, and had seen the documentary about his murder. It happened right on the steps at his front door. Such a senseless tragedy.
We walked back to the bus stop to reboard the hop on/hop off bus, and get to our next stop. Some more views along the way:
The architecture is just AMAZING!
We drove through the Fashion District.
Our next stop was Wynwood! The art throughout this city is just unbelievable. Wynwood is known for its murals and art, restaurants, nightclubs, breweries and more! We spent some time walking up and down the streets here.
This is just SOME of what we saw!
Each mural was totally different. Most of them had information about the artist somewhere on the wall.
We went back to the bus stop, and waited about 15 minutes for the bus to come. It was getting noticeably more crowded at this point. There was a line for the bus and the bus had many people on it already when it pulled up.
Our next stop was Little Havana. I had stopped here before and loved this little section of the town. The bus stop here was right in front of a bakery. I hopped in immediately to check it out. LOVEEEEEE! I knew this is where I wanted to eat!
This reminded me so much of France in Epcot!
I did a quick browse, and we headed on down the street to check out everything else.
There were several tour groups from other cruise ships with an actual tour guide. The area around the bus was consistently crowded with those arriving and those trying to get back on. There were several shops and restaurants on this little strip.
I love this little park where they still come to play dominos!
This sign is not wrong…
My friend Chrissy reallllly wanted a Cuban and a mojito! So this was her lunch:
I walked back to the bakery, and this was my AMAZING lunch:
Crossaint with ham and cheese, and whatever that fabulous dessert was! I actually couldn’t decided on a dessert. There were too many that looked good!
Chrissy also got this dessert:
It was all so delicious!
After eating, we got in line to get on the next bus. We were done with our stops and heading back to the ship. To do so though, we had to take a bus to Bayside Marketplace and then get on another bus there to bring us back to the ship.
Bayside Marketplace has several restaurants and many shops! It’s not a bad place to explore if you just want to hop off the ship and have nothing planned. You would just have to take an Uber there.
We made it back to the ship around 2:30 p.m. This was waiting for us in our room!
I took a nap and showered for dinner.
Tonight’s menu:
We started with this warm and perfect bread.
Italian Wedding Soup (herbed beef and pork meatballs, vegetables, parmesan, orzo).
I LOVED THIS! It had such great flavor. I was actually so impressed with their soups this whole week!
Caesar Salad:
I was not feeling any of the menu items how they were pictured on the menu. But the Bucatini Alla Crema Di Aglio (pasta, garlic cream, zucchini, asparagus, zesty Provencal crumbs) sounded amazing. It was just missing chicken! So I asked if that could be added and our waiter said yes, no problem.
This was SO GOOD! It may have been my favorite thing from the entire week!
Posted at 7:32 pm by taryngirl, on October 25, 2023
10/15/23
Day 2
Fun Times for the day:
Today was a day at sea. We slept in and decided to try the Sea Day Brunch in the Canal Grande Restaurant. You can use the app to make a reservation, and then it will alert you when your table is ready. It does tell you how about how long until your table will be ready (10-20 minutes, 20-30 minutes, etc.) and then once it alerts you, you have 10 minutes to get to the restaurant. We made the reservation and then headed that direction. On the way, I took some pics of some shops.
In the Fun Times and on the app, you will see daily specials noted…2 for $30, up to 75% off, watch specials, etc. etc. There are two little stands on Deck 4 forward, one on each side of the ship, where they offer these deals. Each day is something different.
Also on Deck 4 forward, The Carnival Store with branded merchandise:
Deck 4 forward, Cherry on Top (a candy store):
From there we went through the Casino. You cannot walk from 3 forward, to 3 aft. It does not connect. So we went up one level to Deck 4 forward above our stateroom, and walked the length of Deck 4 to the aft. In order to do this, you have to go through the Casino.
The Casino was ALWAYS a happening place when it was open. It was almost impossible to get a machine sometimes! I also want to note that this is a smoking casino. And there was tons of smoke all the time. There is a small nonsmoking casino adjacent to this one if you are sensitive to smoke.
Also along the way, we passed by the Heroes Tribute Bar. This is the place where they showed the Phillies games. There was always a sporting event on the screen!
This hallway is also where the Art Gallery is located. Pieces of art line the walls in this corridor.
At 9:54 a.m., we still had a 10-20 minute wait.
Here you can see the crowd hovering, waiting for their tables.
At 10:15 a.m., our table was ready! Sea Day Brunch in included with the price of your cruise. There are a few upcharge items, including Fresh Pressed Specialty Juices, and a few Emeril’s Bistro Specialties. You can see prices next to those items in the menu.
We were seated at quite possibly the best table in the restaurant! It was right next to the window in the back of the ship. We had a GREAT view! For my beverages, I ordered the orange juice, and hot tea. You can order anything you want off of the menu, and as much as you want.
I also ordered white toast, the vegetable omelet, bacon and brunch potatoes.
This was all SO GOOD!
Chrissy got the eggs benedict, sausage, and hash browns.
She really liked the eggs benedict!
We both also ordered the banana cream pie, and this was AMAZING! It was SO GOOD! I loved the little extras they put on the plate.
This dining room also serves as one of the Main Dining Rooms. If you are assigned Your Time Dining, this is the restaurant where you will be eating. It’s gorgeous on the inside! Here are a few pics:
After brunch, we really wanted to check out some other decks. I really wanted to see the adult only area, Serenity! Serenity is located on Deck 15 aft.
There is tons of seating here, all different types…lounge chairs, couches, tables and chairs, umbrellas, etc.
It was cloudy and slightly cool with a few sprinkles. So not a great day to be sitting out! I completely forgot to come back here once the weather got better later on in the trip.
Next we went down to Deck 12. (Note…there is no Deck 13!)
On this deck you can find outdoor fitness machines, the jogging track, mini golf, The Warehouse (arcade), and the Waterworks (waterslide and water play area).
There are also several loungers on this deck. In the picture below you can see the retractable roof that is over top of the Lido Deck, Deck 10.
The Waterworks is a great area for smaller children. Children who are not potty trained may not go into the regular pools, so this is a good option for them.
The ropes course is just above us here.
Some of the outdoor fitness equipment:
After our little ship tour, I went back to change and head to the fitness center and Chrissy went to a comedy show and then the Casino. A short nap and shower, and then it was time to get ready for dinner. It was Elegant Night and also Masquerade Night!
Tonight’s menu in the main dining room:
I chose the Caesar Salad. It was your basic Caesar.
For my entree I ordered the Filleto Di Manzo (beef tenderloin, string beans, red wine sauce). This was absolutely delicious! Super tender and the taste was amazing.
It was also cooked perfectly medium for me.
For dessert, I had the Fresh Tropical Fruit. Nice and fresh!
During dinner, the wait staff sang a song for us and did some dancing. Chrissy got roped into dancing for THE ENTIRE SONG! Hahahaha! She kept trying to escape but he kept bringing her back. This waiter was not ours, but he was amazing! He was so positive and upbeat the entire time with his tables.
After dinner, we went to The Punchliner Comedy Club in the Limelight Lounge to see Will Marfori. This was R rated for 18+. He was HILARIOUS! He has Cerebral Palsy and was on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
After the comedy show, we just stayed for the club.
Posted at 6:45 pm by taryngirl, on October 24, 2023
10/14/23
Day 1
I was so excited to be asked to attend this FAM cruise on the Carnival Venezia for my travel agency! The Carnival Venezia is new to the Carnival family. It was previously owned by Costa, Carnival’s sister line. The ship is currently sailing from its homeport in NYC. I have so many clients that look for a cruise that sails from NYC so they don’t have to fly to a port prior to the cruise. I’ll be detailing my embarkation day, starting with my transportation to the port.
In researching my transportation options, and thanks to a Facebook group, I was able to find Trans-Bridge Lines. This bus travels roundtrip from the Lehigh Valley International Airport to the Manhattan Pier (which is Pier 88, and exactly where the Venezia is docked).
We arrived at the Lehigh Valley Airport at 8:50 a.m. They ask you to arrive 30 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time. Our scheduled departure time was 9:25 a.m. The bus arrived at 9:10 a.m.
This was sent to me in the mail for parking purposes:
Roundtrip for an adult was $118.40, and for a senior it’s $64.20! Parking at the airport is free for the first 3 days, then $5 per day thereafter. To me, this was TOTALLY worth it. I did not want to drive into the city, and I did not want to pay to park in the city for 9 days. You can see the time schedule attached as well.
It’s important to note that the cruise line will provide luggage tags during online check in that must be printed out at home and attached to whatever baggage you want the porters to take at the port and get onto the ship for you. These are your checked bags.
When the bus arrived to pick us up, he loaded our luggage, and checked our names off of his list. NOTE! There are other buses that go from this location to other places. So make sure you look at the website closely when you are booking so you are booking the correct bus.
I usually only ever take a checked suitcase along with me on a cruise, besides my backpack. However, for this cruise, I decided to take a 12 pack of soda, a bottle of wine, and my fan, so that all went in a rolling carry-on suitcase! Whatever cruise line you are going on, be sure you check the policies for what beverages you can carry on, etc.
We left the airport at 9:25 a.m., right on time. We were due to arrive at the Manhattan Pier at 12:10 p.m. We did not stop at the Clinton stop for some reason, there was no traffic prior to entering the city at all, and we were in Manhattan by 11:05 a.m.! It rained the entire drive, and it was still raining when we arrived. During my online check in, I selected 12:00-12:30 p.m. time slot for getting onto the ship. I didn’t know what this meant for us when we got to the terminal.
There was a lottttttt of traffic IN the actual city. There was some kind of marathon going on near the piers, and Comic Con was going on at Javits. We arrived at Pier 88 at 11:40 a.m. After our bus pulled into a spot, one of the porters (maybe a head porter if there is such a thing???) got onboard before we got off and proceeded to shout instructions to us. They were already getting the luggage out of the bottom of the bus while he was talking. Basically, any of the pieces of luggage that had the luggage tag attached to them, were automatically put on a cart to go directly to the ship. Anything that didn’t have a tag on it was put in a separate area. He reminded us to make sure we had our boarding pass and identification (passport, driver’s license), and that they were not in any checked luggage. He also mentioned tips, saying that they are separate from the bus driver, and they appreciate tips as well.
Once inside the terminal, it took us about 30 minutes until we were entering the ship. There were so many staff members working, and they were all friendly and helpful. There were different lines for everything…security, check-in desk, boarding, and everyone was great at directing.
The chaos just entering the ship on Deck 3, Piazza San Marco:
Once on the ship, we went directly to the elevators. I was happy to see a “Lunch Express” elevator that went directly to Deck 5 or 10 only. Embarkation day is always crazy. Many people have luggage with them, and cabins are not ready until later in the afternoon, so it feels extra busy and crowded. In this express elevator, they had a staff member controlling it. I don’t recall ever seeing this on any other cruise I have been on, but it was nice!
It took foreverrrrrr for us to find a seat. We walked all over the buffet area. Most people find a table and camp out there until the rooms are ready at 1:30 p.m., even though these signs are on the tables:
There were many good choices on the Italian themed buffet. (Each day would be a different theme.) We didn’t know at this point that there were actually 4 different buffet lines. And we also didn’t know that the lines served different food (2 served one menu, and the other 2 served a different menu). One thing I can tell you with absolute certainty is that the desserts at the buffet were AMAZING! SO GOOD. And several different choices. It was so crowded, I was not able to get any videos on this day of the buffet! I was lucky to get a pic of this menu!
All of this was very good!
The staterooms were ready at this point, so we went to our muster station first on the way. The muster drill is very different now from pre-Covid times. You just have to go before sailaway and check in, and then watch a short demonstration. He basically taught us how to put on the life jackets, and what sounds to listen for.
We were in stateroom 3207, an Ocean View. We didn’t get to choose our stateroom, it was assigned to us, as we were part of a travel agent group.
This is what the hallway looks like. Luggage that was checked with the porters prior to entering the ship was being delivered. It’s put in the hallway just outside of your stateroom.
Our Sail & Sign cards were in an envelope in the mailbox on our door. These function as the stateroom key, and is the cashless on board program for all money transactions. Anything extra that you purchase on the ship can be charged with this card and go on your shipboard account. This is paid then with the credit card that you put on file during online check in.
Here is a video tour of our stateroom:
Things I LOVED about this cabin!
Location—It was on the same deck as the main dining room and the atrium bar. It was just one deck down from the theater and the casino. It was close to the elevators.On port days and debarkation, we were very close to the exit deck, which ranged from deck 0-3.
Split bathroom—One bathroom had a large sink, a stand up shower and a toilet, while the other had a shower/tub combo and a small sink.
It was spacious! I never felt cramped. The sofa was a good size.
Storage—There were two closets, as well as drawers and lots of shelves within the bathrooms.
We had preordered bottled water and beer. We did this on the app, and it was in our room upon arrival. I ordered two 12 packs of water ($19.90), and a 4 pack of Miller Lite ($24.00). I had looked at pricing ahead of time and this was cheaper than ordering it once onboard from the bar. Since we had a beverage cooler, I liked this option. I like to have bottled water on port days and in the stateroom. Water is available at the buffet and on deck 10 but it’s not bottled.
Each day, you are given a copy of Fun Times, which lists all of the activities going on on the ship for the day. There’s information about dining, shows, music, etc. This is all available on the app as well.
We took a little nap before heading out. We wanted to go up to deck 10, the Lido deck, for the Sail Away Party. On the way, I had to take this pic of the lobby! SO festive for Halloween.
The Sail Away Party was next to the pool area on the deck, however the roof was not open because of the weather. It was raining and cool. We had the privilege of having DJ Cue! He is actually my favorite DJ I’ve ever had on a cruise! He played such a variety and some 90s oldies that I love. We also got to meet the cruise director at this time.
We had late dinner (7:45 p.m.), so we were able to go outside and wait to pass the Statue of Liberty. It was raining, and gloomy and gray. We started moving at 5:20 p.m. and were passing the Statue of Liberty at 5:55 p.m.
We were actually starving around 6:00 p.m. We had such an early start in the morning. We stopped at the deli for a bite to eat. The deli is located by the buffet on deck 10.
My friend Chrissy got the BLT and fries. (She got this almost every day after as well!). They put SO MUCH BACON on these sandwiches! She thoroughly enjoyed this.
I got a hot dog and fries. The hot dog was eh, and I only ate a few bites. But the fries were good!
After our snack, we went back to the room to unpack some more and get ready for dinner. While we were in the cabin, our stateroom attendant, Suazo stopped by to introduce himself and drop off our excursion tickets for later in the week. I asked him for some more hangers and he gladly brought me some.
We went to dinner right on time and were led to our table. There is always a long line on the first night until you know where your table will be located.
Tonight’s menu:
The menu can be accessed with a QR code, or within the app, or you can ask for a paper menu.
Dinner started with some bread. This had cranberrries in it and I didn’t love it.
We met our wait staff…I Made, Edi, and I don’t even know the other one’s name! He was the bread/beverage guy, and he didn’t really have a personality or talk to us. When I Made came to take our order, he told us to give our entire order at once. They take the orders on a phone type device now and it has our picture there. It also shows up in the app under our account as to what we ordered every night for dinner!
I started off with the Mixed Greens (tomato, cucumber, red onions, carrots, balsamic dressing), and it was really good. I figured I better fit in as many vegetables as I could this week!
I also got the Pappa Al Pomodoro (tomato soup with Tuscan bread). This was good! But there was no bread with it??
For my main course, I ordered Pollo Arrosto Con Salsiccia (half-roasted chicken with sausage, herb-sauteed potatoes, broccoli). This was DELICIOUS! It had such good flavor.
For dessert, I ordered the Carnival Chocolate Melting Cake. It was yummy! It’s served HOT!
Chrissy got the Tiramisu (mascarpone, espresso, savoiardi biscuit). She liked this!
I also wanted to note that this ship’s motto is “Fun Italian Style.” And on each menu for dinner, the Italian dishes were noted with an Italian flag next to the dish.
After dinner, we went to the Welcome Aboard show in the theater. The cruise director was hosting. He told us there were 4,123 passengers on board, and 380 of those were children under the age of 18. We also got a small glimpse of the performers for the week while they put on a little show for us.
That’s a wrap for Day 1! It was a long day, and we were tired.
Posted at 1:38 pm by taryngirl, on September 27, 2023
6/11/23
I was very excited for our second day in Bermuda! On this day, our plan was to get off the ship and explore the port area. Since we were docked overnight, we were free to come and go as we pleased.
This was the Cruise Compass with activities for the day:
We started with a breakfast in the Main Dining Room on the ship at around 8:30 a.m.
Granola Parfait
Seasonal Fruit Plate
Buttermilk Pancakes with Bacon
Express Breakfast
French Toast
French Toast (no berries)–This was mine and delicious! I love french toast!
Buttermilk Pancakes with Banana
The Classic Benedict
Everyone enjoyed their breakfast here. It was a nice change from the busy buffet!
We finished up and were off the ship by 9:30 a.m. Here’s a map located just off the ship in the port area. We were going to walk over to the Clocktower Shopping Mall and do some shopping.
I had to explain what these were to these teens…JUST KIDDING! We couldn’t resist a photo opp though.
Here are some videos from the port area:
Look at our tiny ship!
Here’s a view from the ship into the port:
We were back on the ship by 12:30 p.m. Our plan was to lay by the pool until dinner time. We were lucky and found great seats!
I was realllllly thirsty for something fruity and came up with this concoction…1/2 strawberry, 1/2 mango daiquiri. Several people approached me and asked me what it was so they could order one too!
Little did we know that we had the best seats ever for the Men’s Bellyflop Competition!
This guy was so much fun and participated in everythingggggggg!
We headed back to the cabin to get ready for dinner. Tonight’s menu was “A Taste of the USA.”
Buffalo Chicken Dip–creamy dip with shredded grilled chicken, cream cheese and hot pepper sauce, topped with blue cheese crumbles and crispy tortilla chips
I got to taste this and it was very good!
Baked Potato Soup–rich and creamy, served with cheddar cheese, bacon, sour cream and fresh chives
New York Strip Steak–prepared to order with choice of herb butter or green peppercorn sauce, baked potato, sauteed vegetables
This was mine and it was yummy!
Kid’s Menu Chicken Nuggets and Fries
Royal Burger–1/4 pound patty served on a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, pickles, fried onions, cheddar cheese, secret sauce and a side of fries
Maple and Bourbon Glazed Salmon–buttermilk mashed potatoes, crispy brussel sprouts and a Dijon sauce
Funny story…someone wanted to order the Lobster Mac and Cheese, but our waiter politely said he thought she should order something else. But that he would also bring some for her to try. He wasn’t fond of the dish for some reason, so we liked that he was honest with us!
Lobster Mac and Cheese–decadent lobster and pasta in a rich cheese sauce topped with toasted buttery bread crumbs
I honestly don’t know which dessert this is! Maybe the brownie from the Kid’s Menu??
Warm Apple Crumble–hot apple compote topped with crunchy streusel, vanilla ice cream
This was mine and it was delicious!
Royal Cheesecake–velvety cheesecake garnished with a glazed strawberry
This was my daughter’s and it is her favorite cheesecake ever!
Royal Chocolate Cake–layers of dark chocolate cake and decadent chocolate mousse
Also delicious!
After dinner, we went outside for some photos. (It was Tropical Night btw.)
Sunset!
We made our way to Some Enchanted Evening Lounge for some 90s Music Trivia. It was a blast from the past, and we knew every song!
After trivia, it was off to the Centrum for If You Know It Dance It!
We were feeling like it was time for a snack, so we went up to the Park Cafe which has late night snacks from 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. These were the offerings on this particular night:
I opted for some pepperoni pizza!
It hit the spot for sure!
Overall we had a really great day shopping, eating, relaxing, and singing and dancing! Cruise perfection!
After the Sail Away Celebration, we went back to the cabin to get ready for dinner and unpack some. Our Main Dining Room dinner time was scheduled for 5:15 p.m. every evening. If you are not familiar with cruising on Royal Caribbean, there are two dining times…First Seating around 5:15 p.m., and Second Seating around 7:45 p.m. There is also My Time Dining between 6:30 -9:00 p.m. You can choose times before boarding or just show up and wait in line once at dining room. We never saw this line to be very long when we were leaving our dinner.My family seems to like the early dinner time so we can enjoy all of the evening activities. However, if the cruise is port intensive, I would probably opt for later dining so we aren’t rushing back from any excursions to make it to dinner on time.
You can find your dining table on your SeaPass card. Once arriving at the dining room, on the first night, the wait staff is on hand to help you find your table for the first time. This is your same table for every night, and you have the same wait staff. Our waiter was Richie, and assistant waiter was Delex. We loved them! They were very attentive, and made good recommendations. We were never short on bread, drinks, or cookies! One note also, soda is not free on Royal Caribbean. Except they gave it to me for free at dinner time without a soda package. I have read it both ways, so not sure on the official policy!
Royal Caribbean just recently changed all of their dinner menus. This was our first night menu:
And this was the Kids’ Menu, which was the same every single night:
Anyone (child or adult) can order from either menu. With the change to the new menus, there was a lot of buzz around the different Facebook groups about only being able to order one thing, no substitutions, etc. Prior, you could order as many apps, entrees, or desserts as you wanted. I was interested to see for myself exactly what the policy was on this particular ship.
We were on Deck 5. Deck 4 is the large main dining area. This was the view from our table:
Bread basket…THE SOFT ROLLS! The ones on the top were called “soft rolls.” Ummmmm, quite possibly my favorite roll ever. By the end of the cruise he was bringing 3 baskets of bread! You can always ask for more bread if you need it!
I ordered the Classic Caesar Salad. It was your basic caesar, and it was good.
Someone else ordered the Spinach and Artichoke Dip. This was also good!
My mom ordered the Crispy Crab Cake. She said this was really good!
My one daughter ordered from the kid’s menu…Chicken Fingers and French Fries. The fries were good, the chicken was just okay.
I ordered the New York Strip Steak with Herb Butter. I ordered this multiple times throughout the cruise. It was very good and cooked just the way I like it!
My other daughter ordered the Spaghetti Bolognese. She loved this so much, she ordered it two other nights that it was on the menu!
My cousin ordered the Southern Fried Chicken. I think the verdict was that this was just okay. Not terrible, not outstanding.
I had to have the Key Lime Pie. It was delicious! I loved it.
My youngest daughter had Chocolate Chip Cookies (every single night). And they were great. She couldn’t eat them all, so she took the extra along with her to eat during the show later.
My oldest daughter had her absolute favorite…the Royal Cheesecake! On our last Royal Caribbean cruise, she had this every night. Now it wasn’t on the menu every single night anymore. She loved this as usual.
After dinner, we lingered around the Centrum, where the Just Us Duo was performing. They were really good! And we enjoyed them poolside all throughout the week as well.
The Welcome Aboard Showtime started at 7:00 a.m. It was Royal Comedian Bruce Gold. It was a great start to the cruise!
We also took nightly photos of the sunset or out on deck after dinner.
From there we just hung around the Centrum until it was time for Welcome Aboard Karaoke! We have so much fun watching this. Some people are really good!
Taryn's Mad Hatter Adventures 