Western Caribbean (Grand Cayman, Costa Maya, Belize and Cozumel)
Couple in our late 40's early 50's with our teen son Hadley.
Our third Carnival cruise

Embarkation/Day 1
The Tampa port was easy to find. In1 ½ hours we were finally onboard. We'd eaten a big breakfast, so skipped lunch on the Lido deck, a decision that would prove to be a very bad one for me later. We met the teen cruise person, and my teen was delighted to hear there were 28 other teens on board in his age range of 15-17.

By dinner time I was really feeling empty. Our waiters were friendly and prompt. Soups and appetizers would again prove to be the best part of Carnival's menu. Midway thru dinner I was so dizzy and light-headed I had to leap up and leave the table, much to my embarrassment. Back to the room for a Bonine. After 2 previous cruises in very rough water (hurricane dodging for one) I was shocked to learn I COULD get seasick after all!

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Day 2 - At Sea.

Visited the health club - nice 2 story facility. Lo and behold my son and 4 of his new teen friends were in the spa hot tub. I was pleased to see they were behaving nicely. We set his curfew for 1 am.

Midnight comedy show was hilarious. Probably the best comedian I've seen on all 3 cruises, except maybe for Percy Crews.

We received a gift package from Carnival for booking a "past guest reunion cruise" which consisted of a tote bag, 2 baseball hats, 2 t-shirts, 2 pens, 2 key chains and some coupons.

Day 3 - Grand Cayman
After breakfast my son and I head to the tenders for a 5-10 minute ride. A 10 minute un-air-conditioned bus ride with a friendly but STRANGE driver who sang religious songs thru his microphone and we are at the boat. A 30 minute boat ride and we are at a sandbar in the middle of the ocean - Stingray City! Even though there were probably 6 other boats there, it's large enough to not feel crowded. We grabbed a snorkel and jumped in Nothing anyone every told me prepared me for this experience. The rays approach silently and cautiously began to swim around us. The 1st few "brushes" elicited screams from the women and "Whoas!" from the men. You quickly become accustomed to them and the guides begin handing out chunks of squid. Listen to the instructions about how to hold the squid and start feeding them! It's such an odd feeling when they suck the squid out of your hand (they have no teeth). We stayed for only an hour (I could have done this all day). We both agreed it was something to put on your life list of things you must do before you die!

We were quickly learning that the early dining time which had worked so well for us on previous cruises was not working this time. We decided to eat on the Lido deck and my son ate with his friends.

Tonight we cruised all the bars and attended the art auction. We were served free champagne, given a free print and thoroughly entertained by the lovely art.

The piano bar (Sam's) was a bit disappointing - both because of the talent of the performer and the sparcity of the audience. Perhaps there's a connection? The Mad Hatter was karaoke. Off to spy on our teen at Dr. Frankenstein's Lab - the weeklong hangout for the 15-17 year old crowd. I'm happy to report that IMMEDIATELY upon entering we were approached by a security guard to inform us Dr. Frank's was, for certain hours, teens only! We were glad to know Carnival was keeping out the 20-somethings.

On to McGuire's sports bar which was DEAD - nothing on but soccer tonight - football nights would see a more lively crowd.

Day 4 - Costa Maya
The length of the pier was greatly exaggerated. It's ½ mile at most - we walked. You walk into the cruise line constructed "village" which is a giant outdoor mall/flea market. The large swim-up-to-the-bar pool had a few too many people for my taste, so we passed. Ouitside to rent a golf cart. They were all rented and we were told to come back in an hour, but 10 minutes later one was available. They rent for $15/hour. In the cart and the adventure begins! Easy driving directions to Mahahual - follow the red brick road (Mexican Driving for Dummy Americans.) until it ends at the lighthouse - turn right and there's the village. Pedestrian traffic only. Restaurants, bars, thatched hut shops (no air conditioning here!) are on both sides of the street. We were ceremoniously escorted to the restaurant/bar across from the Hotel Mahahual on the beach. The sleeping dog under the table never moved. Swaying palms, toes wiggling in the sand, cool drink on the way - I'm in Mexico! We bought some beautiful jewelry, a gorgeous wooden bowl and vanilla. The vendors are pretty aggressive, but will most definitely bargain!

On the way back we stopped in front of a building surrounded by a low rock wall to take a picture of a huge iguana. Men inside with BIG guns came running out shouting "Hey! Hey!" and waving their guns. I don't really speak Spanish, but it was clear in any language they did not want me taking pictures. As we were driving (hurriedly) away we noticed a sign that said something about a naval defense station. Yikes! The Mexican Navy! We all loved Costa Maya - it felt as though you were in the "real" Mexico.

Early night - no shows for us - back in our room by 11 pm

Day 5 - Belize
There was no question you were in a small Central American country. We booked a tour thru the ship - Altun Ha/Belize City. Our Belize City guide (Joyce) was born in Belize City and there wasn't a topic she didn't cover (topography, politics, religions, culture, currency, education, flora and fauna) or a question she didn't answer for us. If you are looking for a sanitized tour experience, then Belize isn't for you. It was our favorite, tied with Costa Maya. After a fairly long tour of the city (we were stuck in Belize City rush hour), we headed into the countryside, on a narrow, rutted road with the jungle closer on each side.

We arrive at Altun Ha and Janine, the other tour guide, took over. We climbed to the top of one of the sacrificial towers for a break taking view of the other structures and the jungle. The climb isn't for the faint of heart, or weak of knees. The steps are extremely steep, with each step being at least 12 inches high. With the average Mayan being 5 ft or under, we all wondered how on earth they climbed these towers!

We grabbed a soda and headed back to our bus for the 1 ¼ hour drive back to Belize City. Never has a coke tasted so good or air conditioning been so refreshing. My son and I both feel asleep.

Day 6 - Cozumel
Last port! We hadn't scheduled an excursion, so had a leisurely breakfast and headed off the ship. We walked thru the ever present port shopping mall and caught a taxi into town. Were dropped off in San Miguel and began a surprisingly fun day. The contrast between a larger Mexican city (Cozumel) and a smaller Mexican town/village (Costa Maya/Mahuhaul) was refreshing. We veered off the main streets laden with the usual 15 Diamonds International stores and found some interesting shops. Found a real music store and bought a guitar for my musician son, walked around a few more hours and headed back to the ship.

Day 7 Last Day at Sea
I was determined this last day at sea would be relaxing and I kept my promise. I finished my book, napped, ate and did some final ship shopping.

Ship
The ship is gorgeous. Less Las Vegas and more elegant than the previous Fantasy class and Conquest class ships I've been on. Easy to navigate, lots of out of the way spots to hide for a quiet moment. Gatsby's Garden was a bit too claustrophobic with the low ceilings, but quiet. The library/internet café was lovely, with long sofas next to big picture windows. The Bacchus dining room was every bit as gaudy as had been described (pink grapes - guess they're Catawba, but YIKES!!). It was strangely out of place on this ship of beautiful artwork and statues. I probably wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't heard it on the boards, but there is definitely a lot of nude art on this ship. It's pretty much everywhere. We've spent lots and lots of times in museums and galleries, so were unfazed, but if you are conservative and easily offended by the human form this might not be the ship for you. Nick and Nora's is the most beautiful dining room I've ever seen on a ship. The huge atrium and skylight is stunning.

Cabin
The aft balcony was 50% bigger, but the "bigger" came vertically, not horizontally. The balcony wasn't any wider, just deeper, and because of the slanted glass railing, the extra depth was really only for your feet! While the wake was interesting for the first day, not being able to see anything as you came into port was a negative. Still, it was a balcony cabin and wonderful. I just wouldn't pay the extra for an aft balcony again, unless it was one of the wrap-arounds.

Food
The dining room food was good, but not outstanding. Maybe seeing the same Carnival menu for the 3rd time has something to do with my dissatisfaction. We ended up eating on the Lido deck several nights - something we've NEVER done before.

Lido deck food was surprisingly uninspired and lackluster. It truly lacked FLAVOR. All the desserts tasted the same - vanilla. You could close your eyes and not know what you were having - it tasted the same as yesterday's dessert. Breakfast remained horrible, with cold, dry pancakes one day, soggy French toast the next, then back to pancakes. But there was a lovely fruit bar and the pastries and granola were pretty good, too.

Lido lunches were better. My son loved the Chinese buffet and we both enjoyed the burgers (delicious if you get one freshly made) and grilled chicken from the grill. Sandwiches from the deli were good and the potato salad is quite delicious. Pizza was delicious, as usual.

There was an odd lack of vegetables. One night the only vegetable besides the salad bar was mashed potatoes!

Ship Activities
Shockingly, I didn't attend many activities this time around. I think the newness has worn off and I'm not quite as "wowed" by the games. The art auction was tons of fun and so was movie trivia. I skipped bingo and came out slightly ahead in the casino on roulette and slots.

Entertainment
Sadly, this is the area in which I am most disappointed. The entertainment on the Fantasy was superb. On the Glory it was downright fabulous. On the Miracle it was nothing short of uninspired. The dancers looked as though they were simply going thru the motions. The choreography was so simple it made me wonder if these folks were singers first and dancers second, so maybe the choreography had been "dumbed down" for them. The lead female singer (name escapes me) was quite good, however. That being said, we walked out of Ticket to Ride.

All of this is from someone who NEVER missed a single show on her previous 2 cruises. I look forward to the entertainment more than almost any element of cruising. Maybe I just got a bad "batch" of performers, who knows? Carnival continues to pump lots of money into it's entertainment. The sets are elaborate, the sound system great. I'm hoping this was a fluke.

The hypnotist didn't really do it for me, but he seemed popular and lots of people attended his lecture the next day.

Overall cruise experience
I love cruising Carnival, but realized on this cruise I'm ready to try another line. I'm not unhappy with Carnival for the most part, but just want to see what else is out there. The cruise struck me as being a bit more "Wal-mart" than what I would have liked. I like the luxury part of cruising and I suspect I might get a bit more of that on another line. I hope to be trying Royal Caribbean in the next few months and Celebrity next year.

The ports were the highlight of this cruise for me and my husband. Not going to all the activities allowed me to set a gentler, more relaxed pace. I had read on the teen board that some teens make "friends for life" on a cruise. My teen declared this his best cruise ever. The teens exchanged emails and IM's and have been happily "talking" to each other since their return! We all got what we wanted and can't wait to cruise again - both on Carnival and other lines.