Back on Shore

Cruise - Day 8, September 5

It was over! We were back in Port Canaveral. We woke up to the intercom announcing it was time for the early debarkation cruisers to begin leaving. We knew it was time to get dressed and grab some breakfast before leaving.

Around 9:30 am, we debarked when they called our group number. We picked up our luggage on the carousels and then went through customs. We had completed all of our paperwork so it was just a matter of formality for us.

We waited outside for our Park 'N Cruise shuttle to take us back to where our car was parked. That took a little while because we had to wait for the second shuttle. Once we arrived at the lot, we had no trouble getting our car and we were gone.

Of course, we had eaten light for breakfast because we knew where we would be going for lunch...Dixie Crossroads in Titusville. We drove around Titusville for a bit until it was 11:00 and the restaurant was open. We watched the turtles sunbath before going inside. We thoroughly enjoyed our rock shrimp and corn fritters. Our cruise ship food was outstanding, but Dixie Crossroads' rock shrimp and corn fritters hold a special spot in our hearts.

We were tired so decided we needed to head home. Robin had been looking for a certain kind of jeans she had found at VF Outlet in Ellenton's outlet mall. We decided we would stop at the outlet mall off of the Greenway (417) in Orlando to try the VF there. We made a quick stop there and she found another pair. 

We arrived home, safe and sound. The cruise might not have been as restful as we would have liked, but it definitely was fun. We met lots of new friends and saw lots of new places. Note to self: do not take a Caribbean cruise during the heat of August/September. Next time, we will think about the weather a little more. However, we were able to dodge Tropical Storm Erika on this trip. We were very thankful for that.

We are home for a few weeks and then will be on our next adventure. Stay tuned.

'Til We Meet Again

Cruise - Day 7, September 4

It was our last day onboard and it was a sailing day. We did sleep in as best we could. We got up and went to brunch at the crack of noon. This time they sat us by the window with some other people. We really enjoyed our conversation as well as our food. We exchanged thoughts about our excursions and time onshore and got lots of ideas for next time.

After brunch, Robin decided it was time for another free seminar. We chose to go to the Spa area and listen to a talk about walking in comfort. It turned out to be informative, but in the end, it was promoting Good Feet. We were amazed though about how balanced the Good Feet inserts kept your body in alignment. We stayed after the seminar to talk with the instructors further. We walked away with 2 sets of Good Feet inserts in our shoes and happy to have them. Now, before thinking we are easy pushovers, the 2 seminars we went to on our cruise dealt with health issues. We decided it was better to try something to help our health than to buy frivolous stuff. However Dean said no more free seminars for us. He couldn't afford them.

When we were finished and all "balanced," we headed to the Chocolate Extravaganza on Deck 9. It was delightful! There were so many chocolate options to choose from, especially the chocolate fondue. 

Once we reached our chocolate overload, we headed back to the cabin and started packing our things. We had chosen relaxed debarkation for the morning which meant we didn't need to carry our luggage off with us. We could relax onboard a little longer before having to leave. Our luggage had to be packed and outside our cabin between 6:00 and 11:00 pm. For us, that meant we had to be packed except for what we would carry before we went to dinner.

All packed, we put our luggage outside our door and headed to the first comedy show of the evening before dinner. Jennifer met up with us there. The comedy was great, but we were getting hungry. 

We went straight to dinner and found only Heath...no "newbies" and no Bradford and Karen. We could understand the "newbies" being scared off and never wanting to return. However, we were disappointed Bradford and Karen were not there to say goodbye.

Dinner was delicious but bittersweet. We did not want to leave our servers. They were wonderful and became friends. 

Jennifer decided to hang out with us for the rest of the evening. We went with her so she could have one last opportunity to take photos with the professional photographers. She got into it with one of the photographers who wanted to position her in a very unnatural stance. She won when he finally just gave up. She was quite the character.

We went to the remaining 2 comedy shows and ended up at the piano bar. We listened to music and then sadly said our goodbyes to our new friends. Hopefully, we will stay in touch and maybe meet up on another cruise.

Quietly, we walked back to our cabin and were greeted by a towel heart. We knew our cruise was coming to an end and we weren't ready for it to stop. 

Hot, Hotter, and Hottest - Grand Turk Island

Cruise - Day 6, September 3

We woke up and were still on our way to Grand Turk Island. We had to get up early this morning because we had our last appointments with Dr. Pain, as Dean called him. He continued treatment on the same areas, but was very pleased we were both experiencing some relief. 

Next, we headed up to Deck 9 to eat breakfast as the ship docked at Grand Turk Island. It was noon and we had not planned any excursions so we weren't in a rush. We enjoyed our window view, although we didn't eat much. We were able to see the beautiful blue water and the beach. It was fascinating watching the guard on his jet ski, keeping people out of the water while the ship was docking. The sun was shining so brightly, which only meant it would be very hot outside.

We finished eating for now and got off the ship. Walking down the pier, the water looked so inviting. Robin had experienced a bad asthma coughing spell during the night, so was pretty low key. We weren't sure the beach would be in our plans for the day.

Adjacent to the pier was the local shopping area, designed especially for tourists on this 7.5 mile island. We had to go support the local tourism. Margaritaville had a large pool with a swim-up bar. It was inviting, but not for us. However, it was so hot, we didn't stay long in the shopping area. We made a few purchases, but the heat was overwhelming.

On the way back to the pier, we passed a display of John Glenn's Mercury capsule. On his historic flight, Friendship 7 splashed down in the waters off of Grand Turk Island. Project Mercury had a telemetry station there where they monitored Astronaut Glenn during his orbits and splashdown. We had to stop and take a peak. It was space-related!

As we headed back down the pier, we stopped to take a few pictures of the cool fish swimming in the clear water around the pier. The sun was reflecting really neat patterns on the water. The beach was packed with people now.

We were not the only Carnival ship docked. Carnival Valor was docked next to Carnival Conquest. We boarded our ship and headed straight back up to Deck 9 to get something cold to drink. Again, we found a window view and started watching the sights. We watched other people leave on excursions - atv rides, horseback riding in the water, and jeep tours. The beaches were wall to wall people and beach umbrellas. We watched fast boats take thrill riders on inner-tube rides, jumping the waves of the boat's wake. On the distant pier, we saw a construction crane ride the rails down to the pier's end and go to work on a project in the water. 

Finally, we were cooled down and headed back to our cabin to shower. We decided to take a nap while many of the other people were still onshore. It had been a long, restless night for both of us.

We dressed for dinner and went to the first comedy show of the evening. The comedians had arrived onboard and were planning 5 shows each for the next 2 night.

When we arrived for dinner, Jennifer and Heath were already there. We sat down in our usual spots. Not long, a new couple was seated. They hadn't been there all week. We warned them about our table being the fun table and they just smiled. Bradford and Karen joined us but had to sit in a new spot around the table since our "newbies" were sitting in one of their 2 seats. It was funny how we were all drawn to our same seats each night although we were only assigned to the table and not chairs. 

As usual, we thoroughly enjoyed dinner and our interactions with our table mates and servers. Heath was on his usual crazy best behavior, making all of us laugh. The "newbies" were laughing, but they still weren't talking. Once they left, we all had a good laugh, knowing we probably scared them off for our remaining dinner. Time would tell!

We left dinner and went to look at photos taken the night before. We bought one of the poses. We liked several this time, but had to choose. We headed to the comedy club for the remaining 2 shows of the night. The club was called Eagles Lounge. The decor was all eagles. We especially loved the inlaid eagles in the table tops. We really loved the comedians.

To top off the evening, we stopped by the piano bar to listen to the music. We stayed for awhile and then headed to our cabin. Tonight was had a dinosaur waiting to greet us. We watched a little tv and then drifted off to sleep.

San Juan Treasures

Cruise - Day 5, September 2

Rise and Shine in San Juan, Puerto Rico! Our ship arrived at 8:00 am and it wasn't long before the ship was ready for debarkation. We had planned to explore the city on our own so knew we had to get off the ship fairly early. We quickly grabbed a bite to eat and then set off. 

As we exited the Cruise Port Center, we were greeted by many tour agencies all wanting to take you around the city. We wanted to visit the old fort, Castillo San Felipe del Morro, which is not only a National Historic Site, but also a World Heritage Site. We had planned to take a taxi there, but asked one of the tour guides where the city tour would take us. He told us the last stop on his tour was at the fort before heading back to the Cruise Port Center. We decided we would join the tour group, stay at the fort, and then take a taxi back.

The tour bus was air conditioned, which provided relief from the heat and humidity which were already at high levels so early in the day. Our first stop was at "The Walk of Nine Presidents," across from the back side of The Puerto Rico Capitol Government Building. This row of 9 bronze statues pays tribute to the 9 sitting U.S. Presidents who visited Puerto Rico during their presidency. Each statue also had a large marker with information about each president. Our tour guide walked us down steps to a long wall with a bronze pictorial mural of the island's history. He provided a brief overview before we boarded the tour bus.

Next, we made a short stop at a souvenir shop, which allowed people to use the restroom, get a drink to cool off, and shop if desired. We bought a few things and then got back on the bus to continue our tour. 

Our tour guide narrated throughout the tour as we drove by different sights. He told us about the blue cobblestone bricks on many of the Old San Juan streets. We saw the city wall, built to protect the land and people. The second fort was added and connected to the city wall.

We stopped on the other side of The Puerto Rico Capitol Government Building. We all went inside the building. The domed ceilings, floors, columns,staircases, and tile work were absolutely incredible. We looked around, took photos, and then headed back outside. In front of the building was Demonstration Square, a designated place for speaking out on issues. Across the street was a statue of John the Baptist right on the water's edge.

We drove another few blocks block and were at the edge of the fort property. The first thing that was seen was the old cemetery which backed up to the water.

We walked down the street to the fort, Castillo San Felipe del Morro. It was a long walk up the sidewalk/driveway to the front entrance. As we walked across the bridge over the grass moat, we saw 2 big iguanas basking in the sun. We stood and observed as they walked in the grass along the stone walls. Once inside the fort, we stood in the open courtyard looking up at the tall stone walls. We went into the bookstore, bought a few things, and stamped our national park passports. Then, we went next door to view the movie, but found it was running in Spanish. 

We continued exploring the building, viewing the ocean from the century towers. The water slammed up against the rock barriers, causing the waves to create a large splash. Robin was mesmerized by the crashing spray over and over again. It was extremely hot inside the building. We found an arch passageway with benches where the ocean breeze was blowing. After sitting to cool off for a few minutes, we continued walking and viewing the sights. 

The lighthouse stood up on the next level, where it could only be accessed by the curved ramp that lead the way. Looking up, the 3 flags were fluttering in the breeze. On the wall below them, an iguana was making its way from one side to the other. It inched and then basked, inched and then basked, until it finally reached the inside wall by the lighthouse. We stood face to face with it and watched its movements. After many photographs, we left the iguana in the care of other visitors and continued to explore. We were able to see all around the city of San Juan from this high vantage point.

We boarded an open-air tram provided by the National Park Service to carry visitors between Castillo San Felipe del Morro and the other National Historic Site, Castillo San Cristobal. The breeze felt good as we made our way to the other end of San Juan. We got off the tram and walked up the curved ramp to the entrance of Castillo San Cristobal. Our ship was visible in the harbour from the fort. We went inside and down 1 of 3 long tunnels to reach the Visitor's Center. The movie was starting in 4 minutes and it was actually in English. It was interesting and explained the history behind the forts and the city wall. Dean again stamped our passports before heading back up the tunnel. In the courtyard of this fort were big water cisterns, recently restored.

We left Castillo San Cristobal and reboarded the National Park Service tram. Riding the tram back towards downtown, we got off at one of the stops and continued to walk into Old San Juan shopping district. Our destination was Barrachina's, the restaurant which invented the pina colada. When in San Juan, we just had to try one of the infamous pina coladas from its birthplace. Yum! They were delicious!

Once our pina coladas were finished, we walked in the shopping district, heading towards our ship. We even saw the lady who was selling photos with the pigeons...you take the picture with your own camera, but had to give her money. Wow!

We stopped at Pandora's so Robin could start a bracelet. This was something she had talked about doing and this was a great place to begin. She purchased the bracelet and a cruise ship charm, engraved with San Juan on the bottom. 

The seahorse sculpture was waiting for us back in the Cruise Port Center. It was quite unique!

We arrived back onboard the ship by 3:30, showered and then headed to our acupuncture appointments. The doctor worked on Robin's knees in addition to her sinuses. He continued working on Dean's back, neck, and sinuses. We left the spa and went back to the cabin to get dressed for our second elegant dress dinner. 

It was dancing night again for the dining crew. We watched Elmer transform again from a reserved waiter to a wild and crazy shaking machine. The food was delicious as usual. Jennifer, Bradford and Karen joined us this time. Bradford was able to purchase a pair of Dockers on the ship, but, unfortunately, he didn't find them for a bargain price. It was Bradford and Karen's 5th anniversary as well as Bradford's 55th birthday. Our service team made sure it was very special for them.

We left dinner and went to several of the photography sets to have our photos redone. There were so many choices but we picked a few of our favorites. Then, it was on to the comedy shows. Upon arrival, Henry, the emcee of the club, met us at the door and explained that the both comedians' flights had been delayed and there would not be any shows for the evening.

It was only 10:00 and nothing to do. We decided to turn in early so we went back to the cabin. Our towel animal tonight was an aardvark, or so we think that was what it was supposed to be. We watched a little tv, but finally tried to sleep. The ship was rocking a little, but we had become used to that. However, we had not tried to sleep while the band in the atrium was still playing. After awhile, we finally drifted off to sleep, ready for Grand Turk tomorrow.