http://www.flickr.com/photos/easttexas2012/sets/72157629910483718/show/Above is a link to a slide show of our excellent adventure.
IntroBack in January/February, DH (East Texas) and I began planning a trip for our 35th anniversary on May 13th. Our original plan, a driving trip to Yellowstone, turned out to be waayyy too expensive. We both wanted to do something neither had done before and decided to check out cruises.
Galveston, TX is located about 30 miles from our home. Carnival Cruise Line and others cruise from there. We found a 5 day Western Caribbean cruise that fit the bill. We booked the cruise in February with an early saver rate. This rate is guaranteed to be the cheapest available.
Because it was our anniversary cruise, we chose to spend the money and booked an Ocean Suite.
The suite is larger than an inside cabin or a balcony cabin. The balcony is larger, too, it has room for 3 deck chairs and a table.
I booked the cruise on line directly with Carnival. Did not use a travel agent.
After I booked the cruise, I read some terrible reviews of the Carnival Triumph and was pretty much freaking out thinking I had made a HUGE mistake. I found a wonderful forum site called Cruise Critic. There I found seasoned cruisers (and newbies like us) who offered sound advice and great reviews of all types of cruise lines including Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norweign, Princess, Holland America, etc. It was at Cruise Critic that I discovered on board credit.
If the price of your cruise drops (you must check every day) and you have already paid for your cruise, you received credit to use while you are on board. East Texas and I received $100 on board credit because the senior rate (posted in April) was less than our early saver rate. We qualify for the senior rate because he is over 65. Whoo hoo!
ItineraryMonday, May 21 - boarding and sail away at 4:00 pm
Tuesday, May 22 - at sea
Wednesday, May 23 - Progresso, Yucatan, Mexico
Thursday, May 24 - Cozumel, Mexico
Friday, May 25 - at sea
Saturday, May 26 - arrival in Galveston and disembarkation
BoardingAs an American citizen sailing on a closed loop cruise (i.e., one that orignated and then returned to a US port), it was not necessary to obtain a passport. You can board and disembark with a birth certificate and a driver's license. However, we chose to renew our passports and were glad we did - see disembarkation.
The main reason for the passports was in case we had a family or medical emergency and needed to leave the ship at a foreign port.
Because we booked a suite, we were able to board the ship in a separate area from the rest of the passengers. We dropped off the bags and parked in a covered parking space we reserved in advance right across the street from the cruise terminal. We walked back and the whole boarding process took us less than 10 minutes. Most passengers boarded in 30-40 minutes. We headed up to the Lido deck for a buffet lunch because the cabins are not ready until 1:30 pm. We boarded about 11:00 am.
CabinI ordered an anniversary decoration for the cabin. It was very festive and lovely. We also chose to have the twin beds put together to make a king size bed. The cabin was very spacious. We had two closets, a dressing area, a normal size bathroom with a whirlpool tub, a mini bar, a couch, a chair and numerous electrical outlets.
The room is cleaned and made up twice daily.
MusterAt 3:30 pm the ship's horn blasted 7 times and then 1 long blast to call us to our lifeboat stations. Your assigned lifeboat station is posted on your cabin door. Everyone was very respectful and quiet while the crew demonstrated how to put on the life jacket (it has a whistle and a flashing light) and how to board the life boat. I understand from Cruise Critic it has not always been so. This is a direct result of the Costa Concordia accident and folks are now paying attention. Your life jackets are located in your cabin (1 for each person). You do not bring your life jacket to muster. If you are traveling with children under the age of 11, they receive a bracelet attached to their wrists. You must request an infant life jacket if traveling with a baby. No infants under the age of 6 months are allowed to cruise.
FoodWe had assigned dining at 6:00 pm each night in the Paris Dining Room. The first night is very casual but after that they request no shorts, flip flops or baseball caps. The dining room is beautiful and is very similar to a 3-4 star restaurant.
The food here was excellent. Some folks complain about the portion size but we found it just right. When you order and eat 3-4 courses, you don't need huge amounts of food. You can, however, order more than one entree, appetizer, dessert if you wish.
We ate dinner every night in the dining room except the last night of the cruise.
We only ate breakfast there one morning. I hate to sound anti-social but it is difficult for me to make polite conversation with complete strangers at 7:00 am. I tend to wake up slowly so we ate most breakfasts at the buffet on Lido.
We ate lunch every day on the Lido deck. Here you will find the buffet, pizza (24 hours), a deli with great sandwiches, a grill that serves a great burger, hot dogs, chicken nuggets and great french fries. There is also an Asian place called Chopsticks. Never got to eat there as the lines were too long.
You can also order breakfast, lunch and dinner from room service - it is free. They don't serve a hot breakfast - just a continental breakfast.