Let the Sunshine in!

Let the Sunshine In

Thursday, Nov 30

And we are so ready for this vacation. For those of you who may not know, or just to recap, the last month has been a bit crazy at our house. Training Year End for ADP associates with travel to Augusta, and a trip to Nashville the week of travel to our cruise for my aunt’s funeral. Packing was a bit crazy, but when Thursday came, all our bags were packed, we’re ready to go, and Bill Smith was standing outside our door ….. (Bill was kind enough to drive us to the airport). 

Getting through security was easy enough, although, we had to do the full security check this time. I admit, I have been spoiled with TSA pre-check the last three times I had flown (those check-in’s were awarded on a totally random base, but since we travel with laptops in tow, each trip, I definitely believe it is worth the money to pay for this “guaranteed” status, and will sign up as soon as we get home).

A quick bite for lunch at “Fresh to Go” and we found our gate, B-25 with about 45 minutes until boarding. About six months ago, we had joined a Facebook group with some of the people taking this cruise on the Carnival Sunshine, and a couple of us had designed a tee-shirt with the ship name, date, and ports of call. We also decided, since it is the Christmas season and the ship would be all decorated, to have a “gift exchange”, for those who wished to participate. I had planned to shop at home, but due to the unexpected quick trip to Nashville earlier in the week, had to post pone that until…well, today. I wanted to get something from our state, with “Georgia” on it, since we would be traveling with people from all over the world. And while I love my Georgia Bulldogs, I realize school loyalty is an intense passion with some, so thought it best to stick with just the word Georgia, Atlanta, or picture of a Peach. Atlanta airport was perfect for that, so I shopped for our two gifts while waiting to board. Found a sale (yes, at the airport), and purchased our two gifts, now – time to go! Yay, we are ready.

When I booked our flight, the “exit row”  seats were available, so I thought that was a good idea. We had never been “exit row” people before, but I knew there was no overhead bin right above us, but with just two small bags we could just stow under our seats…except, no under the seat for exit row, did not realize that. No big deal, there were plenty of spaces available in the overheads near our seat so, camera bag and computer bag stored, all buckled in, and stretched out my legs.  Reaching in my purse, I found my ear buds, and got settled to watch a movie, except…. I see the screen, but it’s on the “wall” in front of me, however, it is programmed to “only” play the safety briefing. Everyone around me in the “crowded” seats got to enjoy their personal movie, t.v. or game on the seatback monitor in front of them.  OK, short flight, lesson learned, no problem.  Time for Coke/Pretzels for Dennis and Ginger-Ale/Cookie for me; uh-oh, no tray table in the Exit Row. How I had never noticed this before?  So, managed to enjoy both without my lovely plastic tray table, but essentially I had traded my “entertainment” and “tray table” for leg room.  On a long trip, I still think it may have been worth it – and watch a movie on my laptop, but on a short trip, I am not sure I would choose that seat again.  Just something for you to think about, if you have the choice when flying.   

Landed in Orlando around 3:15, found our luggage easily, picked up our rental car from Alamo (Ford Escape) and set out to shop for a while before meeting Mema, Laura and family for dinner. It was a little after 4:00 when we left the airport and the mall we were trying to find was a half hour away, then dinner was at least a half hour away in the opposite direction. Traffic was a nightmare (like Atlanta) at rush-hour, so we decided we would just after dinner. Flying in, I decided to not pack things like aerosol shave gel, shampoo, conditioner, or our apple cider vinegar, and would just pick up once we arrived in Florida.

Dennis’ sister had recommended “Dixie Crossroads Seafood” in Titusville for dinner.  We parked and waited on Laura’s group to arrive.  They parked near our SUV and Abby spotted me getting out of the car and ran to me as fast as she could. She is so cute, as I picked her up and we both bear hugged – sweet. More hugs from Anna Grace, Sam, and Lydia, Laura and Mema as we checked in for dinner. Wait – where is Cliff?  Laura explained that he had not been feeling well, recently, and decided he should stay home. She agreed with him, quipping that his “germ-a-phobe aunt” would appreciate that… kidding! Lol maybe – maybe not (for those of you who have never heard the 2008 Disney Sick trip saga.. it is not pretty. For those of you who have, you understand). We all laugh about it now, but it is forever etched in our memories.

Dinner was very good – Dennis had a seafood platter and I had lobster. Lobster dinner was very reasonable, and everything tasted so fresh, good choice.

Before leaving, a stop at the ladies room and look at this!!

I've always wanted black fixtures in my bathroom, but they cost triple what white or beige do - so I just thought this was an elegant looking restaurant restroom - had to show it off.

Fellowship and laughter with family was even better. After dinner we found sandals for Dennis at Payless and made our obligatory vacation visit to the nearby Wal-mart to pick up last minute items. Found the cutest little 6 pack bottles of Apple Cider Vinegar – that would be perfect for packing to bring on the ship; and Lysol, that is a must for me! Got it, now we are set.

Now – time to drive toward Port Canaveral (about 20 minutes away) and find our home for the night, the Radisson Inn Resort at the Port. We had originally booked at “Country Inn and Suites”, but Hurricane Maria had other plans and due to water damage, they had to cancel our reservations due to closing for renovations. Radisson looked nice as we checked in, although most of the corridors were outside, so getting to our room was a little tricky, pulling the luggage cart over and around sidewalks. However our room was located in a building with an insider corridor and elevator, so all is good. And what a room – wow! Two room suite, with a separate living room/kitchen and bedroom area, nice, clean and spacious.

A quick snack, and it’s time for bed – we are tired. And it’s almost CRUISE DAY -

Friday, Dec 1

A quick shower for me while Dennis makes a breakfast run across the street to McDonald’s , time to eat a leisurely breakfast, finish up some Ashford message replies to my students, then check out, load the car and off to Alamo to return the car.  The Return Car / Alamo Shuttle to Port easy-peasy, except finding the Alamo Rental Car building is not exactly “at the port” like the clerk at the check-in desk from the Radisson explained. It’s two (2) miles away, so not far, but while we are here, my brilliant husband suggests dropping off our bags with the ship’s porter. Super idea, now no luggage to deal with when we return the car and catch the shuttle back to the ship.  Returning the car was easy-peasy, took two (2) minutes, then a five minute wait to board the shuttle, five minute trip back to the port and there she is – gleaming white and shiny in front of us, the Carnival Sunshine.

In the building, check in, five (5) minutes then on the ship and it is 11:15 a.m. Super, Super easy (so fast, the embarkation photographers are not even setup).

Welcome to your room – almost – still being cleaned. I WILL be patient -, I want him to do a superb job.  When he finishes, he sees us in the hallway struggling to take a selfie that would include our heads and matching custom –made shirts.  Anyone that knows us and our height difference know that is not an easy task.  He laughed and offered to snap a quick photo for us! Great, now my embarkation photo is free J

Oceanview Stateroom, largest stateroom we have ever had on any ship (except for a mini-suite we had on our very first cruise, in 2000). So much room! Lots of storage and walking around room even on the far side of the bed, and we have a roomy corner. Even the shower is slightly larger.  The picture window is nice and looks out over the ocean only a few decks down, lovin’ this.  However, you’ll need to either sit on the toilet sideways, or put your feet in the shower – ok, yes, that is an odd shaped bathroom.

Time for lunch, and where else when you are on a Carnival ship? First stop, Lido Deck and “Guys Burgers”.  Had a snap a couple of quick photo’s for Seth of this. We walked around this ship some to get our bearings, then 3:30 time for the mandatory Muster Drill (safety briefing). Seasoned “Carnival” travelers know that on most older ships, the drill is outside on the decks, by the lifeboats (your muster station), standing and a 5 row deep line, for what seems like a LONG, long, long time. When the signal (loud horn blast) came, we slowly walked toward our station and then just hung out for a while against the inside wall, waiting until everyone else passed. Near the end of the line, I spotted a familiar face (from the Sunshine Dec 1 FB group), and Dennis and I made our introductions to Michelle and her husband. Michelle and I had chatted quite a bit over the last few months and it was nice to finally meet one another. The four of us ended up getting a front of the line spot for the muster drill, and it began about two minutes after we arrived. Best.Strategy.Ever!

After Muster Drill, we went up to Deck 10 (above Lido) to watch Sail Away and enjoy a little of the deck party atmosphere. Exploring deck 11 next, we stopped to “attempt” to play a game of table tennis (ping-pong), with active winds that was more like watching the three stooges attempt the game, but we had a good laugh. Let’s try a game of pool, sure – why not?  First of all, the table was not exactly level and again, active winds, so a bit difficult to play a serious game (especially when you rack the balls and they barely remain in place – if at all), but it was fun. Will probably tackle that again.

And look who is following us " a little Disney Dream..."

Moving on to Dinner time, I noticed earlier in the day that our Cruise Card had an 8:15 p.m. assigned time for dinner, however, we had requested early dinner (6:00 p.m.) as usual. 8:15 is really late for us to eat, and doesn’t set well with us as a normal dietary plan. A quick visit to the maître’d should fix this, however.  Not this time – Since I was enrolled in the seminar at sea, they had seated us all in the same section/same time. The maitre’d did encourage us to go to the dining room on the first night at 6:30 and he would have a table available, and he would do something more permanent for the remainder of the cruise. He would let us know by the next morning.

We had a nice table for two, when we arrived at 6:30 p.m. in the Sunset dining-room. I had my standard first night menu item : Chilled Strawberry bisque and Fried Shrimp. Dennis had pork loin, both excellent.

We went to the “Welcome Aboard Show” with Emma (Cruise Director) after dinner in a very small theatre “The Liquid Lounge” on deck 4.   Emma is great; one of the best cruise directors we have ever had on Carnival, so much energy, fun, and just a down to earth personality with her “Hello lovelies” greeting.

Back to the room to unpack, and crash – it’s been a long but fun first day!  Feeling more than average wave action this evening, perfect for rocking us to sleep, love it!  

With a perfect view of white foam breaking against the night sea, splashing outside my large window, good night from the Sunshine.

Up and dressed for the day at 8:00 a.m. and to the Lido Deck, Havana Bar, for Breakfast. I have a 9:00 a.m. Carnival Travel Agent Seminar.   Bacon and Cheese Omelet for me, and Made to Order Fried eggs for Dennis with Ham and Bacon for Dennis.  My Seminar lasted about 2.5 hours and I have one more on the next Sea Day, Monday.  Other than that, not a whole lot going on today with us – just resting and enjoying the ship.

I did wear my “Travel Agents Rock” tee-shirt to the Seminar (Dennis ordered the shirt from Adolfo (VP of Sales for Carnival Cruise Lines) as a gift for me, after we attended Carnival Conversations in Atlanta. Our BDD (business development director) who is facilitating the Seminar at Sea asked me to wear it again on Monday (part 2 of our Seminar) when she would be highlighting the many new improvements brought about by Adolfo in his support of Travel Agents partnership with Carnival. The seminar is actually fun and I am learning so much – exciting to be working and learning how to be a better agent while playing on the this beautiful ship.

Dennis ate two (2) Guys Burgers today for lunch (again) and I chose Pasta (Shrimp Alfredo) from Cucina Del Capitano – Very good; I wanted to try it once, glad I did, but doubt if I will repeat it, especially on this ship – too many dining spots to try here on the Sunshine.

Found a note under our door after lunch advising us that our early dining request was unable to be accommodated, so we are stuck with 8:15 late seating or trying “anytime dining”.  Tonight, my Carnival BDM (business development manager) wanted us to all sit together for dinner, so since Carnival is rewarding me for this cruise, sure, we’ll go (hindsight note – finishing this chapter of the blog on Monday evening – since Saturday evening, we have made many new wonderful friends in the Carnival agent group, so glad we stuck to the 8:15 time).

At 3:00 p.m.  We met up with our Facebook Sunshine Dec 1 group out by the center pool. Met Cindy, Shelly, and others, and Michelle stopped by a little before we needed to leave (it was almost kickoff time for the Ga vs Auburn game)!  We enjoyed getting to know everyone and officially kicked off the Christmas Gift Exchange.  Our Secret Santa left Dennis’ gift in an envelope under our door (thank you very much if you are reading this blog), and a couple stopped by a few moments later to deliver mine (thank you, as well).

I watched the kick-off, then off to my first visit to the Spa, to shower and use the sauna – getting ready for Elegant Night. For those of you who follow my blogs, or know me, the Spa on the ship is important to me, and I love to Shower there and just chill out in the Sauna (ok – that’s an oxymoronic statement, I know – but you understand).  This absolutely is one of the worst SPA’s on any cruise ship.  Again, I really like the Sunshine, overall, and LOVE, love, love, my stateroom, but the SPA – ummm, NO. If you have ever been on the Sunshine or will be on her soon, try the SPA and the “Thermal Suite” – you may love it, but I will just happily visit the gym area, and the showers and sauna in the women’s locker room – really nice.

Coming back to the room at the start of the 4^th quarter with Georgia up by 3 points was exciting. Glad our dinner is at 8:15 tonight so that we can finish watching the rest of the game. A couple of questionable, rough calls from the referees, and even more spectacular plays by the Dawgs, and Georgia just won the SEC Championship! Wow – what a game. GO DAWGS! Proud of them.

It’s elegant, or formal night on the Carnival Sunshine tonight for dinner. It’s the Christmas season, and we watched the lighting of the tree, complete with Mannheim Steamroller’s “Carol of the Bells” and Celine Dion’s “All I want for Christmas”. 

Dressed in a Red Christmas sparkly knee length dress and Dennis in a green dress shirt, black pants and green Christmas star tie, we visited a couple of props before dinner for photo’s.  Nothing set by the lobby Christmas tree though, we will have to work on that later.  We did snap this one by our favorite “Shake spot” in the Ocean Plaza on our way to the dining room.

We met several agents at dinner and had a nice time visiting with them and swapping travel and family stories as we enjoyed lobster and shrimp. Dennis said this was probably the best lobster dinner on a Cruise formal night that he has ever had. It was delicious. Fruit plate for dessert for Dennis and mmm, for me, tonight  – Crème Brulee, my favorite dessert.

Eating late is not really agreeing with me, and after dinner, I was ready for bed (it was almost 10:00 when we got back to the room).  I graded a few papers, worked on the blog, and was asleep soon after.   This little guy was waiting on us when we got back to the room.

Sounds like the perfect formal night - right? Well, let me back up from the "pretty" story you just read and insert one facebook post by Dennis - he said it better than I could ever, so I'll just let him speak:

This cruise has been planned for months, Penni never allows me to pack for myself, she normally does an excellent job, but this time is different. Her aunt Sara passed away on Thanksgiving day and we had to go to Tenn. the following Monday for the funeral on Tuesday. My cousin Phillip's wife passed a way over the weekend, and I was asked to officiate the funeral service on Wednesday. Penni worked in the car to and from Nashville, she worked late into the night Wednesday. We left Atlanta Thursday at about 1:00pm. Saturday night was elegant night on the ship, as I was getting ready I ask Penni where my socks were and guess what, they are at home. All these years packing and planning and one time she forgets the socks, personally I don't think that is a problem, I told her when she is that busy she might need to break her rule and let me help pack.We are having a great time.

And just FYI - You cannot find "socks" in the Caribbean - so learn from my mistake and do not forget your socks.

Sunday, Dec 3

Grand Turk

Buffet for breakfast for Dennis and mmm, yummy Blue Iguana Café Breakfast Burrito for me this morning, settling in at our favorite breakfast table in the Havana Bar at the back of the ship, nice, only semi-crowded, quite space to enjoy a meal, with windows all around.  Off the ship around 9:00 a.m., we walked the short distance down the pier toward the Port and Shopping area and our stop – the hostess at Margaritaville, to check in for our very own, private, Cabana.  This cruise has four (4) port days, and since Dennis’ skin does not love the beach (and he basically hates sand), I only asked for one beach day – and this is it! 

We followed the manager around the walkway to the far side of the very large lagoon style pool with bridges and a swim up bar to the cabana area, where we saw 8 colorful A-frame style abode’s for the day, complete with air conditioning, refrigerator, couch, chairs, plates, utensils, and two chaise lounges on the front porch – complete with a key to lock up while we played in the ocean and pool. The Ocean was just a few yards beyond the pool, across one of the pool bridges. Loving this area.  Best thing though – we have a little yellow button inside our cabana to call for our very own beach butler – Celine.  She was checking on us constantly as she was back and forth the between the cabana’s all day.

After settling in, we walked to the beach to play in the ocean for a while. The chairs without umbrella’s are free to any guest off of the cruise ships, and they charge a slight fee for one with an umbrella. We saw several people around us snorkeling, and others just sunning (it was very cloudy) and playing in the water like us.  The Cruise ship looked so close, it felt like you could just swim over to it. The ocean was somewhat shallow for a several yards out before getting up to Dennis’ chest and my chin.  We had to be careful, in some spots due to large rocks /small boulders in the water, but it was crystal clear – blue water, beautiful, so easy to spot any hazards. We moved to the right slightly to an almost rock free zone – and enjoyed the ocean.

Later, we walked back to the pool and took a quick dip, but it was fairly shallow so we didn’t stay in too long, before returning to our little grass (ok, wooden) shack. Dennis went inside and took a nap on the couch and I layed out in the sun in a chaise lounge by the pool. Restrooms were very close by (but not inside the cabana) so that was nice, and around 11:45, we were beginning to get hungry. Oh, Celine….. J

Dennis had a “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and Fries and I had “Lava, Lava Shrimp” -     My shrimp dish was delicious!! Oh and look,  I have the “lime in the coconut” and over by the ketchup and mustard, look what I found: Jimmy Buffet’s Lost Shaker of Salt!

After lunch, I took a walk around the Margaritaville cruise complex and found an interesting tribute to the Mercury 7 astronauts (NASA) and John Glenn's first orbit of the earth. He splashed down near this spot on Grand Turk.

Not exactly wasting away today, as we sat out on the porch, in the sunshine, but definitely relaxing and hanging out in Cabana’s at Margaretville, Grand Turk, is the way to go! Worth every penny – and Celine – was great, bringing coke or frozen fruit drink refills whenever we needed. I highly recommend this if spending the day on Grand Turk.

Back on the ship before the all aboard at 4:30, we, of course, stopped for ice cream then to the room to drop off our beach stuff.  Quick trip to the Spa for a shower and sauna then ready for dinner at 8:15 with my new travel agent friends in the Sunset Dining Room.  I tried Beef Wellington for the first time and it was very good – I will definitely try that again.

Latin Night in the theatre, and it’s been a long day: Night everyone!

  Up around 7:00 a.m., dressed for Part 2 of my Travel Agent Seminar, brush my teeth, and ready – Wait, Stop, rewind! What is that awful taste in my mouth – choking…. Oh my gosh, maybe I’m a little too relaxed… did you know that one of the containers for Colgate toothpaste looks a lot like the sample size of Head & Shoulders?  As soon as I rinsed my mouth out 40 plus times, I laughed so hard, I could barely tell Dennis what I did. He was over by the picture window in the room, saying “what? what?”.  That was beyond disgusting!

Ok – super clean mouth – let’s go have breakfast.  Quick buffet then I’m off to my seminar.  Again, superb and enjoyed getting to know Annie (the facilitator) and my fellow travel agents. We took a group picture – can’t wait to see that on the last night of the cruise at our farewell party.

The rest of the afternoon, we played trivia (didn’t win L I’m still trying to take home one of those shiny, plastic Ship on a Stick trophies), had our daily milkshake from the shake spot (did you know they give you a frequent shake card, and punch it for every drink you purchase there, after 6, you get the 7^th shake free).  You can combine cards so we will have our free drink, soon); took a nap (maybe two), listened to music, and went to late dining again with my TA group. Baked Tilapia for dinner tonight and it was just ok – not great.  But I did have my favorite Spring Rolls for appetizer – Yum-O. 

That’s it for this day at Sea – tranquil, slow, relaxed – vacation!  Next up – St. Kitts!

Today we are in St. Kitts with ocean and mountains greeting us as we dock. From a distance, this countryside reminds me of Ocho Rios, Jamaica. The sun is shining and it is warm as we move toward the end of the dock and port area to meet our tour for the day, “ Top 10 of St. Kitt”. Boarding a small 15 passenger bus, we set off through the city into the countryside within a very crowded space – let’s just that no-one was smaller in statue than Dennis and I.  The tour guide was nice, but the PA system did not work well, so hearing her was a challenge (and we were in the very back, so that didn’t help) and the air and fan (which did slightly cool) barely blew.  So, here we are at our first stop, crowded and hot.  Stop 1 was a nice little garden area – nicely manicured, but really just like a nice lawn at home with a few pieces of lawn furniture.  Moving on, we toured through more of the country, very poor and littered with trash by many of the houses. Next stop was more interesting where Bastik (hand painted fabric) is made and sold. Very pretty – but also expensive. We walked around, took a few pictures from the overlook across the mountains – very pretty.

Next we head to the Fort at Brimstone Hill, I’ve heard it is beautiful. We began our ascent on a one lane, narrow, winding road. Our driver honked the horn repeatedly as she rounded each curve. We climbed higher and higher, and vehicles began not stopping as she continued to honk as we entered a curve.  I closed my eyes at this point, because if you know me, you know how terrified I am of heights, and looking down was becoming very scary – I couldn’t even see the side of the road. All of a sudden, as we continued climbing the hills and rounding curves, I hear her honk the horn, and everyone if the bus is shrieking, cursing, and I am hearing “oh my God” and then I feel us slipping backwards down the hill – My eyes were closed, now that are “tightly” squeezed and I am holding on to Dennis’ arm -  the driver accelerates and we begin moving forward again but more shrieks as we round the curve – I leaned over to Dennis, while I’m doing some Lamaze breathing and whispered “Are we really in some critical danger here” ? He didn’t answer me and so I asked again…. He said, “we’re ok” – and I breathed easier now.  Then everyone around me started saying, “you can open your eyes now – we’re here – we made it – we’re ok.”.  Weak kneed, yes – had to have a minute to catch my breath and breathe normally, but soon, we exited the van. That was terrifying, but it is gorgeous here.   We parked on a grassy area overlooking the ocean and one of the platforms of the fort.  The very top of the fort was a long walk up a paved walkway, but Dennis’  did not feel that his knees would make the climb – although he really wished he could.   

The trip down the mountain, while a bit frightening, was nothing like the climb to the top. After this highlight, we rode through the beach and resort area on the other side of the island, then back to the port area.  We shopped a little, then back to the ship for a late lunch. Of course, Guy’s for Dennis and I grabbed a Burrito from the Blue Iguana.

We opted for trying the buffet dinner on the Lido deck tonight, because the dining room menu just did not please tonight. However, as we filled our plate, we were second guessing our choice. We ate, and are full, but definitely not our favorite dining night.  Walking out on the decks tonight just enjoying the sea and relaxing – it’s a wrap for St. Kitts 

Tomorrow – Puerto Rico!

Well, who knew that my wonderful hubby could write a blog?  He’s so much more succinct than I am, and his is complete (unpublished, but complete). It’s really good, so from this point forward, this will reflect “our” insight, not just mine.  I do have permission, by the way, so it’s not plagiarizing (I’m a college professor and that is my hot button – so let me say this is the work of Dennis and Penni Cooke, December 2017).

We had a plan for Puerto Rico, but like many of the best laid plans of man they were not to be. We were going to ride the free Trolley, but we walked to the Trolley stop, about a half mile away, and after waiting for about 15 minutes we checked the internet and found the Trolley has not started up since Hurricane Maria, so we walked to Old San Juan, I am sure it was up hill both ways. Penni shopped for Christmas gifts and we made our way back to the ship for lunch (Dennis).  

Maybe I was being a little melodramatic, but as I was breathing heavy (because I am out of shape, I admit it) and saying “hold on a minute, just need to catch my breath”, the streets reminded me of Seattle.  If you have never been, they might not be San Francisco but those streets down to the waterfront are brutal – ok, not down, but walking back up to top of 6^th avenue is not for sissies, neither is Old San Juan, near the Fort.  Even with the aftermath of the hurricane season, the landscape was still rich with history with beautiful architecture. We took a few pictures, but I wish we had taken more.  I was on a mission though, partly because I wanted to do some Christmas Shopping, and partly because if I was going to buy souvenirs, I wanted to contribute back to their economy to help the relief effort.

Some store’s we passed had generators outside on the sidewalk providing their electricity, some were completely vacant, with water still on the concrete floors, some boarded up, and some right next door would have full electricity; very strange. While shopping, we met some of the nicest store owners’ who thanked us genuinely for coming to the island, and for shopping. While we were in Old San Juan, we wandered into a regular clothing store (non-souvenir) and found the most exciting article of clothing: Men’s Dress Socks! “I’ll take 3 pair please”!  (if you don’t remember the “sock issue”, refer back to Saturday’s entry.

We came, we fellowshipped with the locals, successfully shopped, and got our exercise. Tired and hungry, we decided it was time to make our way back to the ship for a late lunch, and maybe a nap.

This day began in the Dominican Republic. We were supposed to meet our tour at 7:00am, but we could not get off the ship until 7:15 (due to late arrival in port), which was the time the tour was supposed to begin and we were supposed to be there 15 minutes early; it was a Carnival sponsored tour so, no worries. We met the tour guide in the Amber Cove shopping area (resembles, Cozumel’s port area) and walked to the truck for Outback Adventures. The back of the truck was set up with seats, covered top, open sides, sound system, boogie boards, cooler full of drinks and a tour guide, all included..

We rode through the town of Puerto Plata and then out toward the rural areas. We stopped by a school where we visited a kindergarten class. Some of the travel agents brought school supplies for the students. Penni was the only agent to sign up for the tour so we transported the school supplies to the school. The children were well behaved, friendly, and very excited to receive markers, paper, notebooks, scissors, and glue sticks.

Leaving the school, we traveled into the rural area to a family farm where we toured the farm; much different than my papa’s farm. There was no electricity in the homes, but they had a working restroom for the tourist. We sampled fresh pineapple, papaya, and water melon. The tour ended with fresh brewed coffee, from farm grown beans and hot cocoa, from farm grown chocolate. Of course they were willing to sell us coffee, cocoa, and handmade bracelets.

We traveled from the farm back toward town to the Outback headquarters for lunch, where we were served fried chicken, rice and red beans, salads, fruit etc.  Lunch was included with the tour. They only served dark meat chicken which disappointed my wife. This was the place to do some shopping for native made jewelry and trinkets (beautiful Lorimar stone that is only mined here in the Dominican Republic). Also, if you were interested they had different beverages from the Island, rum, pineapple wine and the like were available. This was also the changing station for those who wanted to swim in the ocean at the next stop.

Somewhat windy today, the ocean was too rough for boogy boarding so we went to a different beach where people could swim in the ocean, if they wished. Only one lady took advantage of the opportunity and she was in her street clothes. Penni and I rested on beach chairs and I relaxed for an hour while Penni took advantage of the free massage that was included with the tour.  (It was wonderful, by the way)

We loaded the truck and headed back to Amber Cove, a resort area developed by Carnival. What should have been about a 30-minute drive, took almost an hour because of road construction. I know you won’t believe this but the road should have been completed before Amber Cove opened. Amber Cover is a nice place various shopping opportunities, even a Diamonds International.  As an early Christmas present, Penni did buy a new Sunday watch for me. Mine has been missing since our new chair was delivered to the house; the watch was on the table by the old chair that we replaced. I honestly do not know if it was knocked into the trash can or if someone else wanted it bad enough to take it

Now back to the ship, The Carnival Conquest was in port at the same time we were. John Heald, brand ambassador for Carnival was on board, but we did not see him. He is somewhat  crude Brit (and some might say rude – lol) that offends a few people with his humor. People seem to have lost the ability to laugh at themselves and they don’t consider most things funny anymore. That is sad, we should laugh at ourselves and enjoy life. John has a kind heart and is a great “front man” for Carnival (Dennis).

This was a long tour day for us, but fun and rewarding, definitely on my list of favorite ports. A milkshake and a snack were in order when we re-boarded the ship, a shower, and a nap.  Around dinner time, we heard the forecast for Georgia and our home town; Snow. Unusual for December in Ga. I texted with my daughter (Dallas, Ga) thinking children were excited because they would probably have a snow day tomorrow. She said, “Probably not – no accumulation expected on the roads, maybe only an inch of snow”.

Ports are done and the Carnival Sunshine is headed back to Port Canaveral (home). Today was a sea day to relax on the ship. We played Trivia games in the Ocean Plaza and found out how dumb we really are. I headed to Guy’s burger stand and Penni headed to the Asian stand. The plan was that we would meet and eat together. I picked up my burgers, came back to the back of the ship, bought a diet coke and looked for Penni. I could not find her, she is only 4’10” so it is easy for her to hide. I found an empty table and finished my burgers. I began to look for Penni and found her on the other side, the starboard side of the ship by a window. She had been in line this whole time waiting on her food as the Mongolian Wok is very popular. We went back to the cabin and packed our bags. At 4:00 in the main theatre, the crew, and children from the cruise, put on a Christmas Show with a special appearance from the Grinch and Santa Clause – Very well done (Dennis and Penni

After the Christmas show, I checked in with Lynne again, via text, when I heard a lady on the elevator mention that Fulton County (Ga.) had cancelled school earlier due to heavy snow. We switched on the tv in our stateroom and they were just reporting about Pittsburgh weather. Dennis checked his iPhone (we have full internet plan on the ship because I have to still grade papers for Ashford) and found out that metro Atlanta had significant snow, well beyond 1 inch. I texted Lynne again, saying, “No accumulation, huh? – lol”.  She said that not long after the children got to school, she and Kristi received a phone call to come back and pick them up; schools were letting out early, cancelling all classes due to heavy snow.  

At 7:00 p.m. we attended a cocktail party with the Travel Agent group before dinner in the Piano Bar. Penni had Sprite and I had Diet Coke while we visited with our new friends. Ann Hall (Carnival Sales Business Development Manager) gave all the Travel Agents a copy of the group photo. Penni was front and center in the photo she was wearing the shirt I had ordered her a shirt from the Vice President of Sales for Carnival (Adolfo) as a gift with the logo, “Travel Agents Rock” (proceeds went to charity) (Dennis and Penni)  

Dinner on the last night is always fun, with the waiter’s dancing and singing the acclaimed “Leaving on a Fun ship” song. We finished dinner, said our goodbye’s to everyone, and headed back to the cabin to finish packing and set our luggage outside for pickup. Time for bed.  Dennis checked his phone for weather updates and I fell asleep to the gentle rocking of the waves – actually, it was beginning to storm outside, so it was a nice little rock that put me to sleep.  Just a short while later (half an hour, maybe), Dennis tapped me on the shoulder to wake me up

We had a message from Delta, you know the airline, to check in for our flight. We knew there was supposed to be a dusting of snow at home. Penni tried to check in for our flights, but could not. We heard that the dusting was turning into a snow storm, a rare thing for the south. Then we received a message from Delta, “YOUR FLIGHT HAS BEEN CANCELLED.” You need to make other arrangements, click here for other available flights. “click”. No flights available.

Text: Laura, my niece in Orlando,”can you pick us up at the airport and carry us to a hotel”? “Yes, we can, and Uncle Dennis, mom is here from Macon”

God works in mysterious ways. My sister was in town for Christmas shopping with her daughter, my niece, Laura. Ok we have a plan (Dennis).

 We go to bed a little relaxed, now that we have a plan, still checking with Delta because our plan only gets us as far as Macon. No other options were available. One flight was available, however it is a crazy route from Orlando to New York, with a couple of other stops and layovers. Nine (9) later we would land in Atlanta. Oh, did I mention it left Orlando at 8:00 a.m. Saturday, and our ship docked at about 7:45 am. We are not scheduled to debark until  9:45 am. So, Laura’s it is. (Dennis and Penni)

Saturday morning, we gather our carry-on luggage, head to breakfast and then to the theatre to wait to be called for de-boarding. We have number # 2 on our luggage tags; this means as soon as the self-assist guests get off, it is our turn. The Carnival guy, calls “Faster to the Fun” ticket holders to the gangway, hey, that us, here we go. We get to the gangway where we are stopped, “do you have all your bags with you”?  he asks

“No,  but the guy called for Faster to the Fun”. So the crewman working the line for debarkation calls the guy who made the announcement in the theatre where we were waiting.  He had made an error in his announcements as he was supposed to call Faster to the Fun self-assist.  We are quickly told, “you will have to wait.”  Now we have lost our seats, so we find a spot to stand, propped against the wall, and wait.

Finally, they call us and let us go, we walk down the gangplank, down the long ramp to the terminal building, find our luggage quickly, go through customs and begin to look for our ride. We walk past every bus and cannot find anyone with a “Cortrans sign”.  Penni said, “you stand here and hold all the luggage while I find them”. She walks back by all the busses again and eventually waves to me to come where she has found the transportation rep for Cortrans,  but I could not carry all the bags,  so she comes to help me and we join with a group of people waiting.  Within this group, there is a man with special needs and he his giving the Cortrans rep an ear full about something, not sure what, but he was not happy.  Eventually a bus arrived and we load our luggage, board the bus and head to Orlando. This bus has the least room between seats that I have ever seen and on top of that the seat in front of me was reclined back and would not move forward. Overall, Cortrans was timely and reliable transport, if you need them.  There is another large and popular transport company, “Go-Orlando” that several of our new friends used, and they were very unhappy, from disembark until arrival in Orlando.  Glad we chose “Cortrans”.

Once we arrive at the airport we figure out where we need to meet Laura and Jackie. We went to baggage claim, which was upstairs and found gate #9 and called them to pick us up. We met Cliff and the rest of the family at Sonny’s BBQ for lunch, in Orlando,  and then checked into our hotel (Fairfield Inn/Suites). Great price on a brand-new Hotel. Back to Laura’s house, Army – Navy game is on, great time.

“Wake up Uncle Dennis, it’s time to go to Disney Springs for Christmas lights and dinner”, Laura called out. We soon discovered we were not dressed for this cold wave that has hit Florida, (we are supposed to be on a warm plane or back at home by now) so time to shop for windbreakers. Man, this place is expensive, where is Walmart when you need it? We find a couple of jackets that fit the budget, Penni finds a Minnie windbreaker, and I find a Columbia windbreaker on sale. That feels better!

We walk the Christmas trail of trees and we all determine that as soon as Abbie rides the train it is time to go, it is very cold out here. We did have dinner at “Earl of Sandwich” before we went to the Trail of Trees. Back to the Hotel and a good night’s sleep; up at 5:30 am, breakfast in the hotel, bags packed and waiting on Jackie, and by 8:45 am we are headed for Ga.

We talked with Kelsi about picking us up in Macon in our car, but her mom said the roads were still pretty bad and she did not want Kelsi driving by herself. Lynne and Matt were still without power. Kris volunteered to come get us if that was the only way, but who wants to drive four hours to pick up two old people?

Penni checked Orbitz and several of her travel agent sites and found that the Macon Airport had a deal on a rental car, $32 per day, wow, you can’t beat that. The only catch was that their hours were split for the day; 9am – 12pm and 4pm – 7pm. We would be passing by the airport exit at about 2:50 pm, so we went to Jackie’s and visited for an hour and then back to the airport, picked up the car and now on our way home. Finally, we arrive home around 8:00 pm, with luggage and KFC in hand.

We found 4” of snow on our walkway into the house. We carefully carried the luggage in the house, ate dinner, and crashed. What a great week. Eight glorious days on a beautiful ship with the love of my life, I am ready to go do it again.

Eight days on a beautiful ship, visiting Caribbean Islands, eating good food and spending time alone with my bride, what a wonderful week. Praise the Lord (Dennis)

Concluding Thoughts:

Carnival Sunshine – Good ship, with some of the best food options of any Carnival Ship. It has become one of our favorite ships (although I believe we have settled on The Breeze as our overall favorite).  My favorite ship SPA however is on the The Carnival Victory.  If you could combine the Breeze and the Victory – that would be the perfect ship J  Maybe that is The Vista (I have not tried that yet).

Eastern Caribbean was nice – we really enjoyed every port stop on this itinerary.  Parts of Southern and Western Caribbean are good, but not every port -  We are fans of the East now.

Coming Up: In May, we travel to Washington DC and Williamsburg/Jamestown, Va with two of our grandchildren: Savannah and Kayna. Look for that blog in the summer.

Then in August – our big bucket list cruise (ok – my bucket list – Penni) to Greece via Rome, Italy.  So psyched for that one.   Until then -  thanks, as always for following along and hope you enjoyed our Eastern Caribbean get-away.