 |
| Carnival Dream |
Saturday, September 25,2021…The day we had been anticipating for months
finally arrived, and we began our journey back to the Bahamas via Carnival
Cruises…namely the “Carnival Dream,” a ship we have never sailed on. We were
happy this time that our children, Bobby, Shanna, and Kimberly would be
traveling with us. Shirley and I were especially happy, because that meant we
would not have to do all the planning, driving, parking, and other hassling
things that one does to go on a sea cruise. Kimberly, with her massive Toyota
Tundra truck, would be the driver, picking up Bobby and Shanna and then us
before heading to Galveston. She would handle the parking and delivery to the
dock, and all would be fine.
Promptly
at 10:00 a.m. the black Tundra rolled into our driveway, and in a matter of
minutes we were on our way to our new adventure. Our boarding time was to be
straight up noon, so we felt we had plenty of time. We arrived at the parking
garage shortly after 11:00 am. We were a couple of blocks away from the massive
ship that is the Dream, but the shuttle driver promised us a quick delivery.
The delivery part was true, but we were dropped off several hundred feet from
the check in station and had to haul our luggage a long distance before it was
checked in. By this time the hordes of prospective travelers had all converged
at the same place, and the luggage check in was organized pandemonium. Then the
fun began. In previous voyages, the
check in procedure was a massive mob of people attempting to all get into the
same door (ship’s door) at the same time, so the cruise line came up with the novel
idea of assigning sign in times to each traveler which would be spread over
about three hours to alleviate the massive mobs. All I can say is that everyone
must have been assigned the 12:00 o’clock slot because there were hundreds of
people lined up attempting to sign in.
The
current national situation with the COVID problem made it even worse because
each person had to show proof of having received the Covid-19 vaccine and
passed a COVID test within the three days prior to embarkation, so checking
boarding passes, driver’s licenses, passports, vaccine proofs, and negative
COVID tests was time consuming. All the while we are standing in a very long
line becoming wearier by the minute. Getting
one’s papers confirmed was just the start. Next came security, and we endured
the walkthrough X-ray check, which I always fail because of my metal hip, and
then the baggage X-ray. Having cleared those hurdles, it was time to make the
vertical climb up a very steep walkway to the entrance to the ship. We were told
once on the ship our first duty was to go to “Station A4” for the obligatory
safety training, which consisted of how to put on the life jacket.
Where
was Station A4? Nobody knew. We deduced it might be on level 4, so we
elevatored up to deck four. Got off the elevator and all was quiet. We wandered
around for a few minutes until finally a steward came by and pointed us in the
right direction. Station A4 was in fact on deck 4 and was a large
auditorium…with hardly anyone in it. But a guy came out and briefed us on how
to put on a life vest and sent us on our way.
Since we could not get into our rooms till 1:30 we decided to have some
lunch,
so we had barbecue at an on-deck place called “Pig and Anchor.” Good,
spicy barbecue. Afterward we made it to our rooms which are typical cruise
balcony rooms. Compact but comfortable and with a nice balcony. We were on deck
eleven; the ship has fourteen decks. By this time Shirley and I were both
pretty exhausted from all the walking and climbing, so we rested and unpacked
our bags after they eventually arrived.
At
6:00 p.m. we had dinner reservations at the Scarlet Restaurant which turned out
to be clear to the stern of the ship. Our rooms are very near the bow which
meant we had a nearly 1,000-foot walk to dinner. By the time we sat down we
were sure enough worn out but ready for a good dinner. Maybe it was because it was our first night
out or maybe it was the first day on the job for the wait staff and cook, but
the dinner was not good. I ordered grilled mahi-mahi, and it tasted like dead
fish, and the vegetables were unknown. They offered bread, and it was a single
small piece that was like hardtack. The chocolate lava dessert I have bragged
about since our first cruise was more like a serving of Hershey chocolate
poured into a cup. All in all, very disappointing. We were back in our room by
8:00, and, although Shirley went next door to Bobby and Shanna’s to play games,
I was worn out and went to bed.
Sunday, September 26…Slept reasonably well, and we were outside
our door heading to breakfast at 9:00 with the kids. Discovered Kimberly was
not feeling well, so she did not accompany us to breakfast at the Lido
Restaurant on Deck 10. The Lido was buffet style, and it had about anything you
can imagine for breakfast. Every Carnival Cruise ship has a Lido Restaurant,
and it is a major breakfast gathering place.
Back to the room after breakfast and sat on the balcony and watched the
water slip by. We saw a few flying fish and sea birds, but mostly water. To
Guy’s Burger Joint for lunch for two reasons: one, because it has great
hamburgers, and two, because a good friend of mine, Jerry Stewart, who is a
veteran cruiser, wondered if Guy’s still offered all the condiments for burgers
for the taking as they used to do. The COVID pandemic has altered how
restaurants offer food to customers, but as far as I can tell, things were
normal all over the Dream…it was serve yourself throughout the boat.
We
wandered around Deck five for a while. That’s where all the stores offering
overpriced souvenirs were located….and the casino. I confess…I donated twenty
dollars to the casino cause in about three minutes and quit…. especially after
a woman who was standing behind me said, “Yeah, I lost $200.00 on that machine
last night.” I think the casinos keep the odds stacked severely in their favor
on these cruise ships. Back to the room to take a nap in preparation for
supper.
 |
| Scarlet Restaurant Staff Entertaining |
Tonight we requested another table on a different level of the Scarlet
Restaurant, and it was like night and day. The wait staff quickly learned our
names and gave us excellent service. The food was very tasty, and the dinner
experience tonight was just as good as last night’s was bad. Encouraging,
anyway. We had our first group photos taken with the roaming cameramen, so
we’ll see the results tomorrow. Afterward we went to a live show featuring ‘80s
music, and I drew the conclusion that it’s no wonder kids today are the way
they sometimes are. There was no “music.” It was all flashing lights, noise,
and scantily dressed girls…shallow, cheap entertainment...and the poorest
Michael Jackson impersonator I’ve ever seen. To the room about 8:30.
Monday, September 27. Today
was a “cruising” day which meant that we were on the high seas all day without
reaching our destination. Last night was a rough night for me because I must
have eaten something that did not agree with my system or something. The result
was a reflux problem during the night which awakened me about every hour. I was
feeling really tired this morning when we arose, so I had an unusually light
breakfast of cereal and dry toast instead of the usual cruise feast. We all
decided to go up to the Lido Restaurant and play cards. En route to the Lido,
we stopped by the photo shop and purchased one of the photos. At $17.50 each,
one becomes a little selective. Besides the which, Kimberly had been holed up
in her room because she has a touch of the flu, so we wanted to wait and get a
full family photo. For an hour or so we played 3-13, but I was still feeling
the effects of the night before. II told everyone I was not feeling well, so we
broke up. Shirley and I came back to the room, and I laid down and took a long
nap. After an hour or so of napping and the much lighter breakfast, I awoke feeling
much better. I think I just overate yesterday (easy to do on a cruise), and I
needed to tone down my gluttony. Back to
the Scarlet Restaurant for supper tonight and again received excellent service.
Their menu changed each night, and one had many options for an excellent
supper. Tuesday, September 28. We
awoke to a view of the harbor at Freeport, Bahamas. Actually, the view is not
too impressive as Freeport apparently is the main shipping terminal for The
Bahamas, and what one sees mostly are huge storage tanks for oil, container
ships coming and going, and a small forest of cranes for unloading the cargo.
We have taken the tour of this island before and there isn’t too much to see,
so we opted to stay on board. So, it was to the Lido deck for the usual big
breakfast. We decided to at least go
ashore and visit some of the shops clustered around the terminal. I bought the obligatory tee shirts and a
Bahamas vacation shirt for myself. Kimberly is still under the weather, so
Shirley stayed on board with her. I was on Bahamian soil for about an hour
before reboarding. Kimberly had called for a nurse this morning who came and
examined her. She
was diagnosed as not having Covid but was given medications
to take and confined to her quarters for 24 hours for observation. The whole
world is skittish about Covid-19 at this time, and although the nurse said she
probably didn’t have the virus, for the sake of caution she should be
quarantined for a day.
We had eaten breakfast
relatively late and were not too hungry for lunch, so we all went back to the
Lido Restaurant and played dominoes instead. It was relaxing and enjoyable. I
did manage to eat a couple of cookies, a slice of cake, and a bowl of ice
cream, so the time wasn’t a lost cause. Back to the room for a good restful
nap. By the time I awoke, we could see action beginning to be taken to cast off
the moorings and prepare to head to our new destination tomorrow…Half Moon Cay.
By 5:30 or so, Freeport was in our rear-view mirror, and we were back on the
high seas.
 |
| Freeport, Bahamas |
Another great supper in the Scarlet Restaurant with our trio of outstanding
waiters. Karel, Sora, and Wayan now know our names and what we want to drink
and treat us like long lost friends. Last night and tonight they prepared additional
food for Kimberly which we took to her, and they did it with a smile. After
supper we sashayed through the gift shops for a few minutes and caught the tail
end of a cowboy trick roping act in the auditorium. Mildly entertaining. He was
advertised as a comic juggler, but all we saw were the rope tricks. Maybe he
juggled at the beginning. Back to our room about 9:00 to get ready for
tomorrow.
 |
| Half Moon Cay, Bahamas |
Wednesday,
September 29. Today was our visit to Half Moon Cay, the private island
owned by Carnival Cruises. Our ticket to the tender (boat) to take us ashore
was for 9:00 a.m., so we did not go to breakfast. The island itself is what its
name implies…a slender curve of an island in the shape of a half moon. In the
middle of the crescent is the pristine beach with accompanying cabins, cabanas,
clamshells (canvas coverings in the shape of a clamshell) large enough for two
people, and miles of beach chairs. They also have seashore tours, snorkeling
tours, sightseeing tours, you name it, and you can get it (if you have enough
money.) We chose a clamshell on the
beach; at least it gave us the opportunity to get out of the sun if desired and
a place to stash our goods. The water was quite nice…not as cold as Hawaiian
waters and very clear, but being a swimming beach, there wasn’t much to see
underwater. I had brought my waterproof GoPro camera and had it strapped to my
head. I let it run for about 40 minutes, but since there is no screen to see
what is recorded, I will have to wait until I get home and to edit the video as
needed. Got a few clips of some really tiny fish, but that’s about it. We
floated and soaked in the water for some time, then I got a little tired and
went ashore to our clamshell while Bobby, Shanna, and Shirley continued to
swim. Kimberly is still confined to her cabin until at least tomorrow, so we
missed her not being with us.
Underneath the shade
of the clamshell, I dozed peacefully whilst the others frolicked, although I
would occasionally awaken to the sight of another person who should never be
seen in a bathing suit. To view an Atlas of a man or an Adonis of a woman on a
beach is a rare occurrence these days, and I discovered that a woman can be 100
pounds overweight and still fit into a bikini; although is it a sight that
makes one turn your gaze elsewhere. The same thing goes for men, however,
except most don’t wear skimpy suits…you just can’t see too much of the suit
because the belly coves most of the front. Oh, well…maybe that’s true
freedom…to be able to enjoy nature no matter what one’s physical condition. The only difficulty we had with the whole day
was directions as to what to do were very skimpy. In the beginning we had to
ask a couple of people where the clamshells were and how does one claim one’s
clamshell. We had to hunt for restrooms. We heard by the grapevine where the
food was, and we had to ask for directions as to how to get back to the ship.
It was an enjoyable day, but all these items should have been covered before we
left the ship. Carnival has gone practically paperless, and every bit of news
is transmitted by the Carnival app or by QR code. It’s just that the
information given is inadequate for confused tourists to be able to decipher.
Around 2:00 p.m. we
decided to head back to the ship. Back to our rooms to shower, de-sand, and
relax (nap) for a couple of hours before supper. To our usual table (418) in
the Scarlet Restaurant with our outstanding waiters. Nearly two hours of
pleasant dining with excellent food and lovely company (my
family…unfortunately, still without Kimberly…maybe tomorrow…) Afterward we went to the same show we saw last night (Comic Juggler) except
this time there really was a comic juggler. He was quite an accomplished
juggler and an entertaining commentator as he juggled. That wrapped up about
8:45, and we headed back to our rooms for the evening.
Thursday, September 30. Up
this morning about 7:30 (ship’s time) and headed to the Lido Restaurant for
breakfast. Whatever one wants for breakfast will be in the Lido buffet, so we
all had a good breakfast. We were now in Nassau, Bahamas, overlooking the city
from our monstrous fourteen-story tall ship. Bobby and Shanna went ashore to
snoop around, but we relaxed on the ship. We have toured Nassau before, and
it’s mildly interesting. It’s just that this time, neither of us was up to much
walking, and the Covid scare had limited the number of accessible tourist spots
anyway. When Bobby and Shanna returned, they confirmed the fact that many
shopping stores were closed and activities were limited. We stopped by Kim’s
room on the way back to ours and hoped she would be released to have fun this
afternoon. Late morning, we all met on
deck eleven out on the rail and played cards (3-13) for an hour or so, then
decided to head back to the Lido to find a bit of lunch. We have almost reached
the saturation point of food, so we are starting to reduce our portions to try
to avoid the dreaded “stuffed” feeling. So far with only moderate success.
To the room for the
obligatory afternoon nap and were pleasantly surprised when Kimberly came out
of hibernation and announced she was clear to roam the ship. She had been
confined to her cabin since Monday, so we’re glad to have her back with us. Bobby and I went to the Spa Club and took
advantage of their jacuzzi, a cauldron of hot, churning water that will hold
about 15 people. Fortunately, there was only one elderly (like me) couple in
the water, so we had a good, relaxing boil in the jacuzzi. They also have these
sauna rooms with varying temperatures to sweat out all the evil spirits. We sat
in the coolest of the hot rooms for a few minutes, at which time I headed back
to the room while Bobby stayed and explored the area. The jacuzzi was good, but
the sauna rooms had these ceramic chairs that did not conform to my body and
were very uncomfortable, so I bailed out early.
About 4:30 p.m. (while I napped) the Carnival Dream slipped out of
Nassau Harbor for the long two-day journey home. About 5:00 we went up to Deck
11 and sat outside in the reclining chairs while the winds whipped around us.
At least we were on the shady side of the ship. Kimberly was with us, so we
were a whole family again.
Back to the Scarlet
Restaurant for another excellent evening of fine dining with the excellent wait
staff. They were glad to see Kimberly. I think they were beginning to believe
she existed only in our imaginations. Kimberly did not eat much; she is still
feeling a little delicate and did not want to tempt fate with spicy food. It was as we were leaving the restaurant the Shirley gave us all a group heart attack. Just as she exited the main entrance to the restaurant, her shoe caught on something and she stumbled forward headed for the floor. She was about halfway down when Kimberly, who was fortunately next to her, caught her arm, and when I heard the commotion behind me I turned around just in time to keep her from banging her head on a support post on the way to the floor. We were all stunned for a second, but she said she was okay, and we continued on our way, as we allowed our hearts to start beating again. Back to our rooms for us and Kimberly, while
Bobby and Shanna went down to take in a show. We were thankful to hear today
that our pastor and wife are recovering from their bouts with Covid-19. Though
still weak, they hope to be back in church in about 10 days.
Friday, October 1.
To the Lido for our full breakfast, and we continued there for another hour or
so to play cards. Today is the first of two “Fun Days at Sea” as we make the
journey back to Galveston. We did not get back to our room until nearly noon,
and since neither Shirley nor I were hungry, we did not go to lunch. After a
bit of rest and sitting on the balcony watching the sea slip by, we ordered
room service and had a couple of sandwiches brought up. Around five o’clock we
all meandered down to the fifth deck and sat outside in the deck chairs and
just mellowed out. To the Scarlet Restaurant for a special treat tonight….
stuffed mushrooms, filet mignon, and key lime mousse for dessert. It’s going to
be tough to go back to peanut butter next week. After the lovely supper, we
went to the theater where there was a “comic magician.” He was a portly guy
with a good sense of humor, moderately skilled in magic, and mildly
entertaining. He was characteristic of the entertainment we have seen so
far…not too bad, but nothing to write home about.
Saturday, October 2. Our last
full day at sea, and I am running out of gas. I have a leg problem that affects
my walking, and as I have said before, the Scarlet Restaurant is 1,000
exhausting feet away from our room, and any place else also takes a bit of
walking. Even the walk to the Lido for breakfast requires a bit of a walk,
thought certainly not 1,000 feet. Anyway, we made it to the Lido for breakfast
and then played dominoes for over an hour. We decided (I thought) to head back
to the rooms so off I started with Shirley and Kim behind. I got to the elevator
and turned around and they were nowhere to be seen. I waited fifteen minutes,
thinking maybe they had stopped by a restroom. No one appeared so I headed to
our room, thinking they would be along shortly. Two hours later Shirley showed
up.
Apparently, they had
decided to have lunch and then go outside on deck to relax. Fortunately, I had
half a left-over ham and cheese sandwich from yesterday’s room service order,
so I didn’t starve. Everyone decided to
go up to deck fourteen, the Sun Deck, to relax a bit, so there we chilled for
an hour or so. Bobby, Shanna, and Kimberly decided to go do the jacuzzi and
sauna, so Shirley and I went to our room. We had received preliminary
directions for debarkation tomorrow, so we began organizing our items and packing
for the inevitable leaving of the ship. By the time 5:30 rolled around, we were
pretty well packed and ready to go to dinner.
Our last trip to the Scarlet Restaurant was as enjoyable as the other
visits have been. Bobby had his usual four appetizers (!) including boiled
shrimp, fried shrimp, some kind of strawberry soup, and a cobb salad. Being
more moderate, I only had the fried shrimp and cobb salad. The short ribs and
trimmings were excellent, and the baked Alaska was divine. Toward the end of
our dinner session the wait staff sang us a goodbye song and bade us farewell.
We responded by tipping our three waiters we’ve had all week; they were
excellent. I have eaten in some very expensive restaurants where the wait staff
was not nearly as efficient or personable. They were great.
Back to the room to finish preparation for the early exit in the morning. Alarm
set for 7:00 a.m.
Sunday, October 3 We
were up before the alarm went off…in time to see the massive Carnival Dream
slip silently into Galveston harbor, do a slow motion 180 degree turn around,
and ease up to the dock. If one had not
been looking outside, one would never have known the ship was moving. Shanna, my beloved daughter-in-law, had
procured for me last night a wheelchair to use today, since I was still having
difficulty walking. Promptly at 8:20 the
wheelchair arrives, and I flop into it while the family trails behind. We went to deck 3 to a central waiting area
for all mobility-challenged people were.
There my wheelchair assistant asked if Shirley would care to have a
wheelchair, too. She quickly agreed, so
both of us were able to anticipate a smoother exit from the ship. Kim had left the ship earlier to go get her
truck to save us a little time and avoid the hassle of bussing to the parking
area.
We started the long
walk (roll) to the exit all the while with proper identification in hand. Down to the exit door, down the long winding
gangplank, into the cavernous room where our luggage was…somewhere. Fortunately, the luggage was arranged
according to exiting time, and it did not take too long to find all our
gear. However, to get from the luggage area
to where Kim was to pick us up was way “over yonder,” so Bobby and Shanna were
stuck with dragging all the luggage the distance to the pickup area. We got there just as Kimberly was passing by
and unable to stop, so she had to make another round to get back to us. But get
back to us she did, and we all loaded up and headed north, stopping at
McDonald’s along to the way to get a semblance of breakfast. From the Lido Buffet to McDonald’s is a bit
of a letdown.
Around noon, we rolled
into our driveway, finding thankfully our house was still all there. We quickly unloaded our baggage, and the kids
went on their way with Kimberly dropping off
Bobby and Shanna on her way home.
Although we enjoyed the Bahama time and ship time, what we valued most was
the time we were able to enjoy with our kids.
I know we say our “kids,” although they are all grown, responsible
adults, but to parents, your kids are…your kids…no matter their age. We have been blessed to have children and I
include our daughter-in-law, Shanna, who love their parents…almost as much as
we love them. They took care of us on
our cruise like we were…well, like we were old people. We are, unfortunately, at that age where we
say in our minds, “We can still do that!” but our bodies reply, “Oh, no, you
can’t.” Unfortunately, our bodies are
usually correct. Regardless, it was an
immensely enjoyable week. We’re ready to
go again.
Posts
