Carnival Spirit
by Cyndi Wagner
Southern Caribbean
November 19, 2001
First of all, it was a great cruise. We ate too much, drank too much and spent too much, so it was a rousing success. Like all vacations it had its moments that were great and its moments that were not so great. Any negative observations are offered only with the intent to help the next traveler.
Overall we were happy with the Carnival experience, our second. We were a party of four (myself, my husband, my daughter and my mom) and we stayed in cabins 8231 and 8233, category 8I.
We flew in a day early and stayed at the Days Inn Miami at Miami Beach. We chose this hotel because of its price ($50) and proximity to the beach. We had hoped to save some money over the Wyndam and Sheraton rates on the bay. Unfortunately by the time we paid all of the taxi fares we didn't save anything at all. There are no restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. While rates to and from the airport are set within Miami, all other fares are metered. It cost us approximately $12 cab fare each way to dinner. We ate at the Crabhouse - good but expensive. In addition, our fare to the pier was $45. I believe that our driver took us the long way to make the fare higher but of course I don't know that for sure. We got up early, ate breakfast at the hotel (adequate but expensive) and took a short walk on the beach. We were so excited to be finally starting our vacation and couldn't believe that we'd be sailing those same seas later that day!
We arrived at the pier about 11:00 am. From the outside it was a madhouse. There were three ships in port and a huge line of cars was waiting to get to the port. Thank God we arrived early. We were watching the taxi meter creep up with dismay. Not to worry, though, our driver edged his way through, leaning out the window, cursing eloquently and shaking his fist for emphasis. And I do mean cursing, up to and including the mother of all curse words! Sailors could take notes from this man's cursing.
The waiting area is staged. You go through the checkin, then proceed to another area to get sail and sign cards. We then were moved from one area to another to wait, about four different areas I guess. Couldn't figure out why we were moved from area to area until we got to the last point, where they were taking pictures to accompany your sail and sign cards. In order to avoid a buildup at this point they staged the waiting. I think we were on the ship about 1:30 pm so it was a bit of a wait. Not much security getting on the ship other than the aforementioned picture taking. The bag screening seems to be mostly to check for liquor. I brought four bottles of wine in my carryon and they wanted to check that it was wine and not booze. I had to unpack it to show them. We did sneak on a fifth of scotch for my husband in the checked baggage. As far as I know the checked baggage was not screened.
At the recommendation of someone on the board I had bought wristbands to hold our card keys. In general we loved not having to fumble for our card keys on the ship. This was especially nice since I had several outfits that did not have pockets. I also went prepared with my holepunch and already had our cardkeys on the wristbands by the time we got on the boat. If you are going to do this be sure to punch the hole at the very bottom right hand corner of the card. The card must fit all the way into the security machine, so I had a bit of a hassle changing the card around on the wristband. After that it was great.
Your first glimpse of your home for the next 8 days is always thrilling and ours was no exception. I've seen lots of negative comments about the decoration of the Spirit. Our assessment was that it was very richly appointed, but a little too busy. For example, they have decoration on each and every column in the Pharoah's lounge. The decorations were lovely gold depictions of flying Scarab beetles but would have been nicer if there had been one on every other column, for example. The net result of too much decoration is a closed in feeling on many parts of the ship. The atrium for example has a lot of gold filigree trim. Again, a little too much of a good thing, and so much of it keeps the atrium from having a light and airy feeling. It just closes it in too much. Even so, it is impressive, new, sparkling and clean. The neatest public room is the jungle, which is basically a walkthrough area to the funhouse but it doesn't get too much use because it's out of the way.
We had ordered cabin decorations for my mom's birthday which were unfortunately not there. I waited in line at the purser's office to ask and was told they'd be there by 2. 2 came and went with no decorations. I never did succeed in getting those decorations and now I get to have the fun of disputing the charge on my credit card. I didn't find the purser's staff especially responsive to getting this corrected.
There is a really cool waterslide on this ship at the very top of the ship. Interestingly enough, it does NOT empty into a pool but appears to just recycle its own water. I say appears because it was never open to my knowledge. It was never mentioned in the capers and I never saw or heard any reference to it. It was like it didn't exist. We didn't care enough to be bothered by this but if anyone else knows if it is not usable we'd like to know for curiosity's sake. Perhaps it was too rough on our voyage to be used.
There are only three shops on board, two of which sell the normal selection of duty free and souvenir items. The other shop is the formal shop which sold chocolates, tux rentals flowers etc. The prices for duty free items were not as good as those on shore in the ports, but I think that is typical.
The gym is very large and airy. It has a Jacuzzi in the middle that must be accessed through the spa. Of course the gym would not compare to one on land but does compare favorably to others I've seen on ships. I have to agree with some of the other comments I've seen about cruising becoming LESS inclusive than more inclusive - in addition to the Nouveau Supper Club, there was a soda fountain selling specialty desserts and coffee and there were charges for some of the aerobics classes. No, I am not kidding. Kickboxing for example was a $10 charge. I don't like this trend in cruising. We did not use any of the spa services, finding them on cruise lines to be far more expensive than the same services on land. We do our manicures, pedicures etc before we get on the ship.
The pictures taken on this cruise were excellent. We bought too many. But I have to say that you should buy them, maybe next year you won't look as good, LOL. Also I had bought a really great dress! The backgrounds were varied and interesting and seamless with the floor drapes. The beach shots look just like you are on a beach, and the Titanic staircase background is elegant. Take lots, they don't cost anything to have made! The only problem is that you may buy too many, just like us. We went and looked at our pictures everyday. The only negative comment I have about the pictures is that the shore pictures were all the same, just a life preserver with the port name and date at each port. We didn't buy any of these. At St Maarten, where the Dawn Princess was also docked, they were taking really cool pictures with the ship in the background. Carnival, take note! As a lark we talked about going over and having our pictures made by the Princess photographers but decided we might have a little trouble getting them!
The dining room was richly appointed and again well but over-decorated. It has many tables for two and four and very few tables for larger parties. It was a real disappointment to us to not get to sit at a big table and meet other people. David, the Maitre'D, explained that this was what most people wanted. What a pity. I also noticed that many people did not eat in the dining room. I have never been able to understand that. The Nouveau supper club may have contributed to the emptiness of the dining room but I think many people ate at the LaPlaya grill instead. The only nights heavily attended were Thanksgiving, the second formal night and the last night when the LaPlaya was closed.
Our category 8I cabins were fine. Despite the much-touted size of Carnival cabins we found them to be about the same size as the balcony cabins on the Rhapsody of the Seas. Storage space was excellent, particularly in the bathroom where little glass shelves at intervals provided a perfect place for his and hers toiletries. There was actually more space than we needed and we really don't travel light. There are safes and hairdryers in the cabins.
The selection of in-cabin movies was very poor, three per day and repeated every other day. They are advertised as first run movies, but unless you consider videos from last month first run you would be disappointed. Again, not something we care about (except for my 12 year old daughter) but I mention it just in case you do.
The cabinets and closets are real wood, very classy. One word of caution about the closets. They are not very deep and fasten with a snap together mechanism. Be sure to keep your clothes away from the mechanism. My husband's tux suffered an injury when it was too close to the fastening mechanism. The deck is teak, again very classy and lovely for those bare feet! The larger balcony was very nice in size. The bathrooms are decorated in aqua blue, very retro but nice. One place that Carnival skimped in the cabins is the shower - there is just a curtain. With all the rest of the lovely cabin furnishings why they didn't spring for a shower door is beyond me. We were provided bathrobes to use on our trip. There is a clothesline in the shower, one of those affairs that stretches across and anchors on the other side. Ours did not work, but I just hooked up a bungie cord on the balcony and used clothespins to dry those wet bathing suits.
Our cabin steward's name was Nelson and he provided excellent service and was cheerful and friendly. We had towel animals every day except the first and last. We had mints every day. He did not make our beds into a king and we were not aware that this could be done. Not too conducive to snuggling! But comfortable. My daughter got cookies on both formal nights.
Our balconies were sheltered by a deep overhang and we were directly below the LaPlaya. If you wanted a nice shady spot that was fine. It you wanted a sunbathing spot you were out of luck. We were never bothered by the sounds from the grill above, and the aroma of breakfast each morning was a nice plus. We had a lounge chair, regular chair and small table on the balcony. The doors between balconies DO open, but our steward would not open ours between our adjoining cabins. He stated that it would be a safety risk as they could not be secured once opened. I offered to secure it with a bungie cord but no go. We also provided a $20 tip in the hopes this would help but again no go. They open with a triangle shaped wrench and since we forgot to pack ours, LOL, we were out of luck.
A word here about bungie cords to hold your balcony door open. This will work, however, the doors are very heavy and your bungie cord will get stretched out and ruined. Either bring a heavy duty bungie cord or just prop your door open with your lounge chair.
The balconies are extremely private. Even if you wanted to see your neighbors it would be difficult. There is a small open space on the bottom (big enough for my 12 year old to wriggle through) but you will certainly feel like you are on your own private ship when you are on your balcony.
There was a lot of movement on this ship, particularly on the first day at sea and the first day at sea on the way back. I don't know if it was because we were moving very quickly or if the long narrow configuration of the ship caused the side to side rolling. Everyone commented on it. I did not see anyone sick, nor did we get sick. It was a bit disorienting, though and actually kept me awake one night. Coming back we had our sea legs and coped with it admirably. Once I got off the ship, though, I had trouble getting my land legs! I felt like I was still moving!
Our weather was mostly very good with a few brief downpours. We were walking on the deck one day and noticed a small isolated patch of rain out to sea. Very pretty! by the time we had made two turns of the deck, it was no longer a small patch out to sea but a very large downpour right over the ship - everyone really ran for cover that day! It only lasted a few minutes though. Temperatures were VERY hot and humid in the islands we visited, actually miserable, but you are there once in a lifetime and there to have fun, so ignore the weather and enjoy! We left our balcony door open some nights, but when between ports, it was just too hot and humid to do so.
The casino is very large and enjoyed a lot of activity. You must walk through the casino on deck 2 to get from the atrium to the public rooms in the front of the ship. This was interesting because on other ships, we had to make an effort to go in and they were always patrolled by a staff member to ensure no one under 21 entered. Not only could you enter this one, I several times saw children standing in the casino watching their parents play slot machines. I did not see any children observing play at the tables. One formal night when all the bars were very full, my husband daughter and I sat at the bar in the casino so we could have an after dinner drink (Shirley Temple for my daughter) and this was permitted also. My husband played roulette several nights and came out slightly ahead, unfortunately not enough to make up for our bingo losses. We played blackjack one night and I made about $25. We liked the dealers. In fact, all the staff on the ship was friendly and outgoing.
A couple of notes about drinks here. My daughter purchased a soda card. This is the first cruise where I ever felt she got a real value for it. Not only was she served a large soda (not a small glass) each time she asked, Shirley Temples were also included on the card. It was a great value.
We purchased 20 drink coupons to use on the ship thinking it would a savings. It is not a savings and I am sorry I did this. First of all, the coupons are not in your cabin. They are given to you your first night at dinner and you must ask for them. Had I purchased these as a gift I am not sure they would have been received. Secondly, the coupons state, good for one drink not to exceed $4.75, gratuity included. So there is only a savings if you drink something that costs $4.75 exactly, and what you are saving is the 15% gratuity. Now this does not affect Carnival but affects the poor server bringing the drinks! So, we tried to drink things that cost $4.75 exactly, which are mostly frozen drinks, which we don't care for. I had hoped to use them for wine but this was not allowed. And most times we gave a tip to the server anyway so the drinks we really didn't want cost us more than we would have spent anyway. So, my advice is, don't buy the coupons! The drink prices are in general (except for wine by the glass) much more reasonable than what you would pay on land!
Yes, tips were on the sale and sign card and included a gratuity for restaurant management and for Nouveau Supper club for a total of $9.75 per day per person. Of course we not only left the tips on the card but gave extra to everyone - waiter, assistant waiter, bar servers, cabin steward etc. I asked the staff if they were receiving better or worse tips since this had been implemented. They told me that it had only been two weeks since it had begun so they had no way to tell yet. I also asked several of the staff if they received all the tips that people had on sail and sign cards or if Carnival deducted anything. One person told me of course they received it all, and another told me that they got no breakdown, just a lump sum with no idea who had tipped what. I have no problem with this process as long as the hardworking gals and guys are getting all the money but I just worry that that is not the case. Call me a pessimist but I feel that cruise lines are not above cheating the help. So, if you want to be absolutely sure, take your tips off the sail and sign and hand them out, in cash, yourself. That's what I'll do next time even though it is a convenience to leave them on the card.
The two pool areas also saw a lot of action and the usual silly games etc., which are always great fun to watch. We did not spend much time laying out but noticed the usual lounge chair saving that always seems to happen on Carnival. Even so there were plenty of available spaces. We did not use the pools. It was very windy on deck during our trip.
The jogging deck is nice and you can watch the volleyball players as you make your circuit. Immediately below that is an observation area on deck 9 (actually accessed from deck 10) at the very front of the ship which is very nice. Don't miss this spot for coming into port. Also, if you are into stargazing we found the best place on the ship to do so. Between the funnel and the radar on deck 10 there is a small space where deck chairs are stored at night. This is the darkest area on deck and if you are agile you can climb to the top of the stack of deck chairs, lie down with your binoculars and fall into the sky. I am sure we would not have been allowed to climb on the stack had the staff seen us, but no one was around and we took advantage of this spot on two nights.
One area of disappointment was the age mix on this cruise, it was definitely older. Age groups in the kids clubs were changed around, I think because there wasn't a big group of kids. Our daughter ended up in 12-15 group, not 9-12 group and this group was a little mature for her. As a result, we did more silly Carnival games and activities as a family, but we had a great time doing them. We did crafts (made a Carnival pen case, and got a free Spirit ink pen, whoo hoo) participated in the Scavenger hunt and came in third and watched most of the game show activities. We were never lucky enough to be chosen but had fun watching. Alas, the coveted "ship on a stick" eluded us, and we had to be content with our bronze medals from the Scavenger hunt.
We sat at no less than three different tables in the Empire! We checked our dining table immediately and as we were assigned to a table for four, asked to be moved to a larger table. I love my family but we do have a tendency to run out of things to say to each other after a few days! David promised to try but no guarantee. The first night we were at our originally assigned table and it was fine. Our waiter was John from India and it was love at first sight, what a great guy! Also, our table was positioned so that we could converse with a couple of other tables. So we were content.
Alas, we had monkeyed with fate and David succeeded in moving us to a table for 12. We were happily anticipating meeting our tablemates the next night (formal night). The first family sharing our table arrived. The woman icily demanded what we were doing at her table. When she was informed by the waiter that the seating arrangements had been changed, she glared at us and then quite obviously moved her seat so her back was to us! We tried smiling and striking up a conversation but to no avail. The second family also indicated that they would be happier alone. No, we are not offensive people! The first woman sent back no less than three dishes that night so maybe she was just hard to please. We found them all quite good. The waiter for this section, Trevor, was very efficient but about as friendly and as stone-faced as an undertaker. After suffering through one meal, we very humbly went back to David and asked to be moved again. We had hoped to get our original table back with John but unfortunately someone else had it. I am sure they had a great time. Thank God David was able to accommodate us with another move or this would have been a miserable cruise! Really, I would have sat on the floor, or eaten in the La Playa grill every night rather than suffer through another meal like that!
Our third table was again at a table for 4, with alas, no conveniently positioned tables for conversation with others. As I mentioned before, on many nights the Empire was pretty empty. Our waiter, Benny from Indonesia, was friendly and upbeat but seemed a little overwhelmed on nights when the tables were full. He didn't really connect with my daughter - he treated her more like a six year old than a twelve year old. On the nights when it was less busy, we spent a lot of time talking to both our wait staff about their homelands and this was very interesting. My husband is a real current events nut and can talk to anyone about the events in their homeland. Our assistant waiter, Tommy from Croatia, was a dream. Extremely hard working, very personable, excellent people skills. We singled him out especially on our comment cards. John (our first waiter) also came up to talk to us several times. We gave him a small tip also on the last night which he did not want to take, but we insisted. I guess the team concept was in effect, the waiters called themselves team waiters but I didn't see any difference, you have the same waiter all of the time, and your busboy is now called your assistant waiter...? So what is really different?? Do the waiters have more tables? Our drink server in the Empire was not very personable and usually had to be asked to come to our table.
We found the food in the Empire excellent, the best food we've had on a cruise yet. I have three extra pounds to prove it, too. The lobster tail was large and succulent. Appetizers especially were good, I had at least two and sometimes three every night. Soups were less good but interesting. The pumpkin soup is outstanding. Beef entrees were tender, the duck was excellent, fish good to excellent. I did not have desserts often but my daughter had two or three every night and pronounced them yummy. We had a cheese platter after dinner every night.
We had lunch at the Empire whenever possible and it was also quite good. Lunch is at your regular table, not open seating as it is on RCI. Breakfast is open seating. We had breakfast two times in the Empire and it was OK. Not too much you can do with breakfast.
We ate at the Nouveau one night. It was very good but we cancelled our reservation for a second night. They only have one menu and it is heavily geared to main entrees, very large portions. Presentation of food was outstanding. If they had a second menu we would have returned, but we had tried everything between the four of us that we were interested in and liked the variety in the Empire dining room. We just didn't feel it merited another $80 to eat there again. Also the wine selection was more expensive so we spent more on wine than we did in the Empire.
The Empire was not open for lunch on port days. Two of the port days we had lunch on land. We only ate at the LaPlaya on embarkation day, one port day and for a couple breakfasts. The food was good for cafeteria style fare and very varied. However, I think I got lost in the LaPlaya about five times every time I ate there. All of the different areas for different cuisine are somewhat confusing. Be careful what you are standing in line for . Didn't eat any of the deli sandwiches but had some of the delicious pizza every night about 11:30. Hamburgers looked good but didn't have any. Wasn't really tempted by the midnight buffets other than the night they served sushi, which I partook of liberally. Visited and photographed the grand buffet, which was beautiful, but didn't go back to eat any. Chose pizza instead! Did get to visit with John at the buffet though.
We ate room service for breakfast on several mornings. We put out our hanging orders the night before and our requests were delivered promptly at the time we requested. We tipped $2 each time. The selection was limited but it was nice to have 'breakfast in bed'. My mom ordered tea and coffee from room service at other times of the day and said it was very prompt.
We saw most of the shows. We had a great drink waiter, who always remembered our names, our drinks and our sail and sign card number. All the staff on the ship (well most, except for purser's staff) were great! Friendly, outgoing, offering to take your picture.
I've seen lots of bad reviews of Shawn Bussy which I feel were not merited. She could be irritating at times but all cruise directors have to be a little over the top. I think she connected with the majority of passengers pretty well. At the end of the cruise there is a segment called "up close and personal" where the passengers could ask questions of the cruise director staff. This is very interesting if you like to hear how the other half lives and we heard some pretty wild stories! She really loosened up as the cruise wore on and seemed very likeable. She is Carnival's only female cruise director and I know how tough it is to be a woman in a man's world! My hat is off to her.
We enjoyed singing in the piano bar with Steven one night. Pretty campy. Some folks went every night but once was enough for us.
The captain's cocktail party as well as the repeater's party were well done and well attended. At the captain's cocktail party we ordered from the bar rather than the servers and the drinks were free. We didn't sample any of the appetizers that night. The appetizers served during the repeater's party were yummy, we had some of each. At this party, held in the Pharoah's palace, they were circulating with non-alcoholic punch, two kinds of wine and two kinds of mixed drinks. They were not at all shy about offering seconds and thirds on appetizers and drinks. A funny old gentlemen got up on stage and danced across holding two American flags while the band played classical music. Now those are definitely the moments you remember from your cruise!
We spent WAY too much money playing bingo, we played as a lark the first night and won $50. Well, that did it and we were hooked and played every game after that. Never won a penny! Oh well!. Had fun buying scratch and win cards too, lost a little more there!
We chose this cruise partly for the ship and partly for the itinerary. Neither disappointed. A quick word on the shore excursions though - I had requested a list from Carnival before we left. Once we got on the ship, a new list was in our cabin which did not include some of the excursions that were on the list Carnival sent me. So, don't get your hopes up too much if you use the pre-list. We booked immediately upon boarding the ship and got everything we wanted. We did hear people complaining that they signed up immediately after the shore talk and didn't get their choices. So, if there is something you are particularly interested in you might want to sign up on the first day aboard.
In St Maarten my huband and I did the America's Cup Regatta. Unfortunately there was no wind that day, but it was still informative and interesting if not exactly exciting. My mom and daughter did the butterfly farm tour and said they had a great time. Afterwards we took a cab to Marigot on the French side. I am a student of the French language so take every opportunity to use my French. I found the French on St Martin to be colloquial and difficult to understand. We had some wonderful calamari,onion soup and beaujoulais in La Bar de la Mer (I highly recommend it!) and then did some perfume shopping at Lipsticks. The clerk was from Proven�al and was living in St Martin as the economy (and weather) was better than in France. She took her 5 weeks vacation each year to return home. Always interesting to meet people from faraway places.
On Barbardos, my daughter, husband and I did a snuba expedition. This is a great introduction to scuba. You are fitted with a regulator but instead of a tank on your back, the tank rests in a little raft. You can either use your regulator as a snorkel and hold on to the raft or dive down to look at the wreck, about 20 feet below. Although scary at first it was fun. Kelsy who is a champion swimmer, was all over the wreck within minutes. I'm a little more timid but found my way down before it was over. My mom did the city tour of Barbardos which she enjoyed. After our snuba, we had a cold drink at a nearby restaurant and then rather than take a taxi back, we walked over to Columbia Emeralds and I was lucky enough to become the proud owner of a small but exquisite emerald pendant and earrings. We were helped by Michelle who was interrupted when her boyfriend drove up outside the store and honked his horn! We told her to go see what he needed, we'd wait!.
Beware that if you want to shop at the cruise terminal in Barbados which has lots of interesting shops - the shops close well before the ship leaves. You are in port from noon - 10. We did our tour and some shopping in town and then returned to the ship for dinner, planning to return after dinner for some shopping before 10 pm. Everything was closed except for one ambitous shopkeeper that stayed open. Bet she made a lot of money!
Martinique was by far my favorite port. I would like to go back and spend more time someday. Rather than take a tour, we hooked up with a taxi driver who spoke some English to take us into town. Of course I spoke French to him all of the way. He gave us a great mini-tour and then asked if he could meet us when we were. ready to leave. We made arrangements to meet him at 1:00 pm and sure enough he was there and waiting for us. We shopped for more perfumes, cadeaux (gifts) and wine at La Cave a Vin. I had hoped that La Cave a Vin would be open for lunch but unfortunately it was not. We had a great time picking out some wines and pates. The proprietress had a ten year old daughter who was learning English so we were able to practice our languages on each other much to our mutual delight. Thre French spoken in Martinique is much closer to that spoken in France although they tend to 'tutouyer' (use the familiar tu form) much more quickly than I am used to. After all of our shopping we had some boisson froids (cold drinks) and I put my mom and daughter in a taxi for the ship. My husband and I explored a bit more and then had Salad Ni�oise and kirs at a restaurant on the water during a downpour! Just as we were beginning to worry about carrying our box of wine in the rain, it stopped. We hooked up with our taxi driver again and he took us around the town square. We stopped several times to take pictures. We made a brief stop at the terminal duty free shop, where I saw many ship employees buying liquor and cigarettes, and then it was sadly time to return to the ship. I was very sorry to leave our last port.
I found all of the people on all of the islands charming and hospitable. There was none of the buying pressure that I have seen in Mexican ports or especially in Jamacai! Martinique was the cleanest and most sophisticated. I saw lots of people on the ship with braids so there must have been people offering to braid hair at some of the ports but we were never asked.
There was more security getting back on the ship after each port. In addition to using your sail and sign card to identify yourself (you insert in a machine and your picture comes up), you were wanded and all of your carryons had to go through the xray machine. In addition, you were asked to show your ship card in two of the three ports before you were even allowed into the terminal building.
Then it was two more fun days at sea prior to returning to Miami. Frankly the last day was one day too many. Our minds were already back at home by this time and it was difficult to relax and have a good time. Also by this time we had sampled most of the ship's activities and were repeating. I always said I could never get enough of days at sea but I guess that is just not true.
Disembarkation was painless. Of course, finding your luggage in that sea of black bags in that huge room is quite a challenge.
The worst moment of the trip occurred when we arrived home to realize we had left one of our bags at the Cruise Terminal. Frankly, we just lost count, sort of like Home Alone and counting heads. I called Carnival on the way home. They stated that our lost bag would be shipped out the next day via UPS and that we'd get it in 5 to 7 business days. I sure hope so. Our medications and exposed film is on that bag so it would sure be a huge shame to lose it. I'll write to the board and let everyone know if we get it safely or not. I am sure that this happens all of the time and that most people get their bags just fine. Wish us luck everyone.
Also we arrived home to an ice storm in Dallas. It was cold, dark and depressing. It's fortunate that I can relive the cruise by writing this review!
Just a few days later and it already seems like it was just a dream. Now we're thinking about the next group who sailed after us and what they are doing today. Wonder who's in our cabin? And we're starting to dream about that next vacation..Happy Sailing Everyone!
