Homala
November 22nd, 2010, 04:23 PM
OK - I already typed up a long review, then when I tried to post it, it disappeared. I feel like crying. I had saved it at some point, but not the final version. :( Here is the portion I had saved. Forgive me for it not being a more complete review, but I don't have the time to redo the whole thing again. Let me know if anyone has any questions.
This was DH's and my first cruise. I'm in my 40s and DH is in his 50s.
We were up fairly early Saturday and were on the road by 9:30. We live just over an hour from San Diego, so it was an easy drive. Weather was beautiful and sunny. We arrived at about 10:40 or so and parked maybe a mile from the pier and there was a shuttle bus right there to take us from the parking lot. There were about five other couples already on board, all going to Oosterdam, as well, although we were the first newbie cruisers. They were super nice and we all had a nice time chatting.
Arrived at the pier and started the check-in process, including security screenings, which were pretty lax compared to flying. Went through the checkpoint to check IDs, walked to another place to drop off our luggage, when to the main terminal for security, to fill in a health questionairre, got our "sign and sail pass" with a quick picture taken, then waited in the terminal for our group to be called - #5. We were called at about 11:45, they took a picture of each person, couple or group as we boarded - could have bought the picture later for $20, but it turns out my eyes were shut, so we passed.
Stepped on board just before noon onto the second deck, I believe, and, after some oohs and aahs, we started walking up to the Lido buffet on deck 9 where they were serving lunch. Starting at deck 1 and going up through deck 3 there is the atrium with spiral type staircases going up, all in the center of the ship. There is a big, lit crystal globe that spins up toward the top, which is quite pretty. On the first deck is the front office - just like a hotel - and several other offices, such as a place to discuss future cruises and shore excursions. On the second and third decks there are some bars around the staircase area, plus one of the specialty restaurants called the Pinnacle Grill. Upon reaching the third deck, you must move forward (bow of the ship) or aft (stern or back of the ship) to reach additional staircases or numerous elevators, some of which are glass, on the outside of the ship, so they have a spectacular view. We stuck with stairs, as we did for most of our treks up or down throughout the cruise, but we stopped at deck 8 to see if our cabin was ready, but it wasn't, so we headed up one more deck to lunch.
We just got sandwiches and chips, although they had hot options and salads, too, but we wanted to keep it simple. We did also have a glass of wine with lunch. After lunch we walked out to the pool area and ordered a margarita. Right after getting our drinks, they announced the cabins were ready, so we gulped down our drinks and headed off. The cabin was very nice - perhaps a little smaller than your average hotel room, although larger than some, as well, and still roomy enough for a queen bed (although it felt more like a king), a nightstand on each side, a dresser across from the bed, where there was a magnifying mirror to put on makeup, a couch with two chairs and coffee table, a desk and TV to the right of the bed, separate bathroom, of course, with a tub and shower, and lots of closets. Oh, and the verandah - where we spent a lot of time! That held a table and two chairs, wicker type, plus two lounge type chairs, each with an ottoman, and another small table between those. Very roomy.
Our cabin was directly below the Lido pool area and I was concerned that we would be bothered by the noise above. Oddly enough, we never heard a peep during the day and only on two evenings did we hear sounds of chairs or tables scraping up above and some music one night. Had we not pooped out so early most nights, we could have been up there enjoying the festivities instead of trying to fall asleep, but, alas, we did get tired pretty early most nights. Still, the little bit of sound those two nights wasn't bad and ended by around midnight if not earlier. Plus it was a great location, because we had only one flight to go up to enjoy the Lido buffet and pool area. I would definitely be willing to stay on that deck and/or cabin again in the future.
So, upon checking our cabin, we hung out on our balcony for a bit, waiting for our luggage. Upon peeking inside at one point, we realized our luggage was on the bed - not sure how they snuck it in without our hearing! So we unpacked and got all settled into our new home for the week. Before we knew it, they announced that it was time for muster drill. Life jackets are not required, so we easily headed down to our location, by lifeboat 5 on deck 3. Deck 3 was another of our favorite places, because it is the promenade deck, with a teak deck that goes all the way around the ship. It takes 3 trips around to equal 1 mile, so DH ran on that deck every day, but for our day of arrival and the day we disembarked. He totaled 100 laps, not counting the laps that we simply walked around! I am nursing an old knee injury from running, so I would either walk as he ran or I would just lounge in the lovely teak loungers on the same deck and read.
Another random comment: although built in 2003, this is an old-fashioned ship compared to many ships being built these days. I imagine it is fashioned more after the Titanic or the Queen Mary (which we spent the night on a few years ago in Long Beach), with a lot of teak and brass. Dark and warm colors, such as deep blues, purples and reds, although I've read a lot of complaints about the colors in some reviews. We loved it and found it quite elegant. People who love it say it FEELS like a ship, not a modern hotel. Of course, I have no experience on other ships to compare it to, but I believe it is more to our taste than many other ships on the seas these days, from what I've read and pictures I've seen.
So then, after the safety drill - where we mostly looked around at those people with whom we could find ourselves sharing a lifeboat in an emergency - we were released and we headed to... uh oh, now my thoughts are getting fuzzy. Perhaps the glass of wine and that margarita afterwards was a bit much so soon. Turns out, they WERE a bit much, but I didn't know that at the time. OK, I recall, we did a bit of exploring and then headed back up to the Lido deck and had another glass of wine just as we set sail out of San Diego. Oh, that first movement was so exciting! You really don't feel much at all and, in fact, I had to look out to see that we were moving to be sure. Fun!!! They had music by the pool - Rachel and the Halcats - very good and fun! 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's music - they did a little bit of just about everything.
A bit after that we got ready, headed down for, I'm sorry to say, another glass of wine before dinner, then dinner in the main dining room - the Vista dining room on deck 3 - with another glass of wine. We signed up and got a table for 2 - actually it was a tabletop for 4, but just the 2 of us were there each night. Perfect for us. Our dining room steward was Verry and the wine steward was Willy - both were wonderful. Unfortunately, by then, I wasn't feeling so great. At first I figured I was a bit seasick, but in hindsight I'm sure it was just too much wine. I didn't eat much, just a bite or two of the appetizer, then a bit of soup and then the main course, which was halibut and whipped potatoes for me - just a bite of that - and I don't recall what DH had. Verry was disappointed to see me eat so little and I spent every night thereafter trying to prove to him that I really do eat. When we went back to our room, I took something for nausea, which pretty much knocked me out, so I didn't actually get sick. Thank goodness.
Woke up the next morning feeling great! The previous evening and, in fact, every evening thereafter, we filled out the room service card for breakfast to be delivered the next morning, so shortly after we arose and got ready, breakfast was delivered right when we asked. I can't recall what we had each day, but in general we had cold cereals, scrambled eggs, omelets, bacon, potatoes, fruit (every day, which was excellent), various juices (my favorite was the fresh squeezed orange juice), and toast, english muffins or raison buns. Oh, and coffee of course. Everything was very good and all but one day we ate on the verandah. I felt like a queen! What a life!
Details of each day thereafter sort of run together for me from then on, but we would generally spend some time at either the Lido pool - which is the pool midship, so is pretty much protected from wind, or the aft pool at the back of the ship - it could get a bit windy back there. The Lido pool allowed children, although I never saw more than a handful at any given time, and the aft pool was adults only. There were a few children there the first day, but they must have been shooed away. There are 5 whirlpools, as well - two at the aft pool and three at the Lido - although the two at the aft were shut down for repairs. Sometimes no one was in any of them. The comfy loungers were by the Lido pool, but those would fill up quickly on sea days, so we headed to the aft pool those days. We would spend either one or two hours by and in the pools - which are regular chlorine pools, by the way - some ships pump in sea water. Then DH would run and I would either walk or lounge and read.
After that we would shower and then go to lunch - we ate every lunch either at the Lido buffet or at the Terrace grill, which was right by the Lido pool. They had hot dogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers, plus a taco bar, where you could build your own tacos or burritos, along with chips and many sides. Delicious! After lunch we would usually walk around and explore, browse through the shops (not many of those), then read either in the shade somewhere or on our verandah. We would watch a little TV, but they don't get many channels onboard and just one news channel, CNN International, which did not satisfy my appetite for news. Then again, it was probably just as well.
We usually napped at some point each afternoon, would get ready again for dinner, but would first head to the Ocean Bar for a glass of wine. There they had a band called the Neptunes that would play for a few hours and couples would dance - good dancers with real moves, so we never did get up to dance with them. Still, they were fun to watch. Oh, and the bar staff was wonderful! Especially Rynggo and Ruel. They talked to us about where they're from, about their family, how much they work, what they do in port and when they get home, etc. We actually ended up getting their email addresses
So we had dinner every night at 8:00. For some reason, I always felt great in the mornings and at lunch and ate quite well then, but by dinner I was rarely terribly hungry. One night we skipped the formal dining room and went to the Lido buffet, where they serve the same food anyway, and I had lamb shank that night with mashed potatoes, which was excellent - I was actually hungry that night! Another night we went to the Pinnacle Grill, where we each had a tiny morsel of some type of salmon (to die for), lobster bisque (delicious) and then I had lobster and DH had filet mignon - both were fabulous. We finished with some type of sorbet, which was yummy, too.
Speaking of yummy, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the yum-yum-man - he was outside the main dining room each night and would hand out little treats, such as several little mints or a piece of candied ginger, which I read is good for your tummy and helps avoid nausea, but I tried it and thought it was disgusting. But he would make us sing to get our treats - "Yummy yummy yummy I have treats in my tummy and I feel like loving you!" (Or something like that.) It might sound horrid (my voice certainly was!), but it was really quite silly and fun. Seriously, all the staff is just so wonderful. They work so hard - 12 to 14 hour days - and they always, always have a smile and ask how you're doing, if there is anything they can do for you, etc. We made a point of complimenting the particularly wonderful ones in the comment cards at the end of the cruise.
Weather was lovely, even that first day at sea and especially in Mexico. We first stopped in Mazatlan and we weren't impressed from what we could see from the ship, so we didn't get off. Instead, we enjoyed the nearly empty Lido pool area and other areas of the ship, so quiet with so many people off on excursions. The next day we went to Puerto Vallarta and we did get off there, but we only browsed some shopping areas close by. Got back on for lunch and then got off once again in the afternoon to go to, unbelievably, Wal-Mart, which was across the street! Unfortunately, it was one of those things where it looked closer than it was, because we had to go far out of our way to get there and cross an amazingly busy street where I felt like I literally took my life in my hands to get across! We wanted to get some deodorant and lotion, because we were running low, but they didn't have the kinds we like, so we left empty-handed. Interesting experience, nonetheless, especially the Mexican military in full garb and toting machine guns. No, we didn't feel particularly safe, but I am admittedly kind of a chicken...
The third day was Cabo San Lucas, which was by far the prettiest place, at least from the view of the ship. However, you had to take a tender to get there - the ship anchored in the bay and they put a number of lifeboats down to tender people in. That just didn't appeal to us, so we skipped it and again enjoyed a quieter ship. If we ever did that particular cruise again, we'd probably go to Cabo, but I don't know that we'll ever go to Mexico again. Oh, and the highlight, of sorts, that day was while DH was running on the promenade deck. Remember that we are anchored in the bay. I was reading on the promenade deck, watching DH go by every few minutes. Two times before on other days they had fire drills for the crew only and announced well in advance that they would be having the drills. This time, there was no announcement - just the ship's whistle blasting seven times indicating, gulp, fire. Sure enough, after the blasts, the Captain announced that a fire was detected in the storage area and they would check it out and would let us know what was to be done. DH kept running because nothing fazes him. I chatted with the woman lounging close to me when she said, "Another Carnival Splendor!" At least we were close to shore. Thank goodness, shortly thereafter the Captain announced that it was a false alarm! Phew! Still, that was exciting!
They had some sort of show each night, either music and dancing, magic, comedians, etc., but we only saw a couple of shows. They were fun. They also showed some good movies in the small theatre - Night and Day, Date Night, Salt, Oceans, and several others. We tried to see one, but we got there too late and it was full.
Neither one of us seemed to get seasick and, although I took a number of remedies along with us in case we did, we didn't take a thing. We did have smooth waters, though, and I'm sure other cruises can get rockier. I did eat a green apple most afternoons, which I heard is a great natural remedy for seasickness - because I had a tendency to feel just a little bit "off" most afternoons and, sure enough, a green apple made me feel absolutely fine again. By the way, I think I have a tiny bit of landsickness, mostly when I'm sitting - like now. Just a bit of a feeling like I'm rocking, but not too bad. I hear it's fairly common and I expect it go away in a few days.
So, overall, we enjoyed it very much. Seven days was great for our first cruise, but we'll probably choose longer cruises from now on. By the time we got truly relaxed and used to how it all felt, we were nearly home. In fact, we enjoyed it SO much that we signed up for our second cruise - we plan to go to Hawaii next November. That will be 14 days out of San Diego - 4 days at sea, a number of days stopping in Hawaii ports here and there, and then 4 more days to Ensenada, where we stay just for the evening (because ships have to stop at a foreign port), and then back to San Diego. We got a lesser category cabin this time - VA guaranty - since it's more expensive, being 14 days.
The only "problem" was upon arrival. We asked for a late disembarkation and were assigned 10:15. However, things ran smoother than expected, so they announced our group at about 9:15 - luckily we were ready and had eaten breakfast by then! Getting off was easy, going through customs, etc., even getting our luggage - easy and quick as could be! But then we had to wait for the shuttle to get back to the parking lot. Another Carnival ship had just unloaded, so there were two ships worth of people waiting and basically one long line of shuttles inching through the terminal area. There were no separate lines for different shuttles, just one huge group of people. You couldn't tell where your shuttle would be able to park, so after missing the first couple - one by just a few people - we were waiting and waiting for the next to arrive, but the next one parked so far back, that we couldn't get to that one either! Of course, the other people waiting for it at the back of the line didn't care, even though they knew the people at the front had waited longer, so they loaded and it was full and then we had to wait for the next one. After about an hour of that, it was sprinkling and I only had on a light sweater, jeans and sandals, so I was cold and quickly getting rather miserable. Luckily, DH decided he'd had enough and we walked across the street and got a taxi. We decided that in the future we'll happily pay for a taxi and avoid the ridiculous shuttle system.
It pretty much poured down rain then and, just as we were driving through La Jolla, we got a call from Holland America - someone had turned in my DH's passport! It apparently fell out of his pocket when we were running to get the taxi! They agreed to FedEx it to us, so we didn't have to go back.
So overall a GREAT first cruise and I can't wait for our next! If anyone has any specific questions, let me know. :)
This was DH's and my first cruise. I'm in my 40s and DH is in his 50s.
We were up fairly early Saturday and were on the road by 9:30. We live just over an hour from San Diego, so it was an easy drive. Weather was beautiful and sunny. We arrived at about 10:40 or so and parked maybe a mile from the pier and there was a shuttle bus right there to take us from the parking lot. There were about five other couples already on board, all going to Oosterdam, as well, although we were the first newbie cruisers. They were super nice and we all had a nice time chatting.
Arrived at the pier and started the check-in process, including security screenings, which were pretty lax compared to flying. Went through the checkpoint to check IDs, walked to another place to drop off our luggage, when to the main terminal for security, to fill in a health questionairre, got our "sign and sail pass" with a quick picture taken, then waited in the terminal for our group to be called - #5. We were called at about 11:45, they took a picture of each person, couple or group as we boarded - could have bought the picture later for $20, but it turns out my eyes were shut, so we passed.
Stepped on board just before noon onto the second deck, I believe, and, after some oohs and aahs, we started walking up to the Lido buffet on deck 9 where they were serving lunch. Starting at deck 1 and going up through deck 3 there is the atrium with spiral type staircases going up, all in the center of the ship. There is a big, lit crystal globe that spins up toward the top, which is quite pretty. On the first deck is the front office - just like a hotel - and several other offices, such as a place to discuss future cruises and shore excursions. On the second and third decks there are some bars around the staircase area, plus one of the specialty restaurants called the Pinnacle Grill. Upon reaching the third deck, you must move forward (bow of the ship) or aft (stern or back of the ship) to reach additional staircases or numerous elevators, some of which are glass, on the outside of the ship, so they have a spectacular view. We stuck with stairs, as we did for most of our treks up or down throughout the cruise, but we stopped at deck 8 to see if our cabin was ready, but it wasn't, so we headed up one more deck to lunch.
We just got sandwiches and chips, although they had hot options and salads, too, but we wanted to keep it simple. We did also have a glass of wine with lunch. After lunch we walked out to the pool area and ordered a margarita. Right after getting our drinks, they announced the cabins were ready, so we gulped down our drinks and headed off. The cabin was very nice - perhaps a little smaller than your average hotel room, although larger than some, as well, and still roomy enough for a queen bed (although it felt more like a king), a nightstand on each side, a dresser across from the bed, where there was a magnifying mirror to put on makeup, a couch with two chairs and coffee table, a desk and TV to the right of the bed, separate bathroom, of course, with a tub and shower, and lots of closets. Oh, and the verandah - where we spent a lot of time! That held a table and two chairs, wicker type, plus two lounge type chairs, each with an ottoman, and another small table between those. Very roomy.
Our cabin was directly below the Lido pool area and I was concerned that we would be bothered by the noise above. Oddly enough, we never heard a peep during the day and only on two evenings did we hear sounds of chairs or tables scraping up above and some music one night. Had we not pooped out so early most nights, we could have been up there enjoying the festivities instead of trying to fall asleep, but, alas, we did get tired pretty early most nights. Still, the little bit of sound those two nights wasn't bad and ended by around midnight if not earlier. Plus it was a great location, because we had only one flight to go up to enjoy the Lido buffet and pool area. I would definitely be willing to stay on that deck and/or cabin again in the future.
So, upon checking our cabin, we hung out on our balcony for a bit, waiting for our luggage. Upon peeking inside at one point, we realized our luggage was on the bed - not sure how they snuck it in without our hearing! So we unpacked and got all settled into our new home for the week. Before we knew it, they announced that it was time for muster drill. Life jackets are not required, so we easily headed down to our location, by lifeboat 5 on deck 3. Deck 3 was another of our favorite places, because it is the promenade deck, with a teak deck that goes all the way around the ship. It takes 3 trips around to equal 1 mile, so DH ran on that deck every day, but for our day of arrival and the day we disembarked. He totaled 100 laps, not counting the laps that we simply walked around! I am nursing an old knee injury from running, so I would either walk as he ran or I would just lounge in the lovely teak loungers on the same deck and read.
Another random comment: although built in 2003, this is an old-fashioned ship compared to many ships being built these days. I imagine it is fashioned more after the Titanic or the Queen Mary (which we spent the night on a few years ago in Long Beach), with a lot of teak and brass. Dark and warm colors, such as deep blues, purples and reds, although I've read a lot of complaints about the colors in some reviews. We loved it and found it quite elegant. People who love it say it FEELS like a ship, not a modern hotel. Of course, I have no experience on other ships to compare it to, but I believe it is more to our taste than many other ships on the seas these days, from what I've read and pictures I've seen.
So then, after the safety drill - where we mostly looked around at those people with whom we could find ourselves sharing a lifeboat in an emergency - we were released and we headed to... uh oh, now my thoughts are getting fuzzy. Perhaps the glass of wine and that margarita afterwards was a bit much so soon. Turns out, they WERE a bit much, but I didn't know that at the time. OK, I recall, we did a bit of exploring and then headed back up to the Lido deck and had another glass of wine just as we set sail out of San Diego. Oh, that first movement was so exciting! You really don't feel much at all and, in fact, I had to look out to see that we were moving to be sure. Fun!!! They had music by the pool - Rachel and the Halcats - very good and fun! 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's music - they did a little bit of just about everything.
A bit after that we got ready, headed down for, I'm sorry to say, another glass of wine before dinner, then dinner in the main dining room - the Vista dining room on deck 3 - with another glass of wine. We signed up and got a table for 2 - actually it was a tabletop for 4, but just the 2 of us were there each night. Perfect for us. Our dining room steward was Verry and the wine steward was Willy - both were wonderful. Unfortunately, by then, I wasn't feeling so great. At first I figured I was a bit seasick, but in hindsight I'm sure it was just too much wine. I didn't eat much, just a bite or two of the appetizer, then a bit of soup and then the main course, which was halibut and whipped potatoes for me - just a bite of that - and I don't recall what DH had. Verry was disappointed to see me eat so little and I spent every night thereafter trying to prove to him that I really do eat. When we went back to our room, I took something for nausea, which pretty much knocked me out, so I didn't actually get sick. Thank goodness.
Woke up the next morning feeling great! The previous evening and, in fact, every evening thereafter, we filled out the room service card for breakfast to be delivered the next morning, so shortly after we arose and got ready, breakfast was delivered right when we asked. I can't recall what we had each day, but in general we had cold cereals, scrambled eggs, omelets, bacon, potatoes, fruit (every day, which was excellent), various juices (my favorite was the fresh squeezed orange juice), and toast, english muffins or raison buns. Oh, and coffee of course. Everything was very good and all but one day we ate on the verandah. I felt like a queen! What a life!
Details of each day thereafter sort of run together for me from then on, but we would generally spend some time at either the Lido pool - which is the pool midship, so is pretty much protected from wind, or the aft pool at the back of the ship - it could get a bit windy back there. The Lido pool allowed children, although I never saw more than a handful at any given time, and the aft pool was adults only. There were a few children there the first day, but they must have been shooed away. There are 5 whirlpools, as well - two at the aft pool and three at the Lido - although the two at the aft were shut down for repairs. Sometimes no one was in any of them. The comfy loungers were by the Lido pool, but those would fill up quickly on sea days, so we headed to the aft pool those days. We would spend either one or two hours by and in the pools - which are regular chlorine pools, by the way - some ships pump in sea water. Then DH would run and I would either walk or lounge and read.
After that we would shower and then go to lunch - we ate every lunch either at the Lido buffet or at the Terrace grill, which was right by the Lido pool. They had hot dogs, hamburgers and cheeseburgers, plus a taco bar, where you could build your own tacos or burritos, along with chips and many sides. Delicious! After lunch we would usually walk around and explore, browse through the shops (not many of those), then read either in the shade somewhere or on our verandah. We would watch a little TV, but they don't get many channels onboard and just one news channel, CNN International, which did not satisfy my appetite for news. Then again, it was probably just as well.
We usually napped at some point each afternoon, would get ready again for dinner, but would first head to the Ocean Bar for a glass of wine. There they had a band called the Neptunes that would play for a few hours and couples would dance - good dancers with real moves, so we never did get up to dance with them. Still, they were fun to watch. Oh, and the bar staff was wonderful! Especially Rynggo and Ruel. They talked to us about where they're from, about their family, how much they work, what they do in port and when they get home, etc. We actually ended up getting their email addresses
So we had dinner every night at 8:00. For some reason, I always felt great in the mornings and at lunch and ate quite well then, but by dinner I was rarely terribly hungry. One night we skipped the formal dining room and went to the Lido buffet, where they serve the same food anyway, and I had lamb shank that night with mashed potatoes, which was excellent - I was actually hungry that night! Another night we went to the Pinnacle Grill, where we each had a tiny morsel of some type of salmon (to die for), lobster bisque (delicious) and then I had lobster and DH had filet mignon - both were fabulous. We finished with some type of sorbet, which was yummy, too.
Speaking of yummy, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the yum-yum-man - he was outside the main dining room each night and would hand out little treats, such as several little mints or a piece of candied ginger, which I read is good for your tummy and helps avoid nausea, but I tried it and thought it was disgusting. But he would make us sing to get our treats - "Yummy yummy yummy I have treats in my tummy and I feel like loving you!" (Or something like that.) It might sound horrid (my voice certainly was!), but it was really quite silly and fun. Seriously, all the staff is just so wonderful. They work so hard - 12 to 14 hour days - and they always, always have a smile and ask how you're doing, if there is anything they can do for you, etc. We made a point of complimenting the particularly wonderful ones in the comment cards at the end of the cruise.
Weather was lovely, even that first day at sea and especially in Mexico. We first stopped in Mazatlan and we weren't impressed from what we could see from the ship, so we didn't get off. Instead, we enjoyed the nearly empty Lido pool area and other areas of the ship, so quiet with so many people off on excursions. The next day we went to Puerto Vallarta and we did get off there, but we only browsed some shopping areas close by. Got back on for lunch and then got off once again in the afternoon to go to, unbelievably, Wal-Mart, which was across the street! Unfortunately, it was one of those things where it looked closer than it was, because we had to go far out of our way to get there and cross an amazingly busy street where I felt like I literally took my life in my hands to get across! We wanted to get some deodorant and lotion, because we were running low, but they didn't have the kinds we like, so we left empty-handed. Interesting experience, nonetheless, especially the Mexican military in full garb and toting machine guns. No, we didn't feel particularly safe, but I am admittedly kind of a chicken...
The third day was Cabo San Lucas, which was by far the prettiest place, at least from the view of the ship. However, you had to take a tender to get there - the ship anchored in the bay and they put a number of lifeboats down to tender people in. That just didn't appeal to us, so we skipped it and again enjoyed a quieter ship. If we ever did that particular cruise again, we'd probably go to Cabo, but I don't know that we'll ever go to Mexico again. Oh, and the highlight, of sorts, that day was while DH was running on the promenade deck. Remember that we are anchored in the bay. I was reading on the promenade deck, watching DH go by every few minutes. Two times before on other days they had fire drills for the crew only and announced well in advance that they would be having the drills. This time, there was no announcement - just the ship's whistle blasting seven times indicating, gulp, fire. Sure enough, after the blasts, the Captain announced that a fire was detected in the storage area and they would check it out and would let us know what was to be done. DH kept running because nothing fazes him. I chatted with the woman lounging close to me when she said, "Another Carnival Splendor!" At least we were close to shore. Thank goodness, shortly thereafter the Captain announced that it was a false alarm! Phew! Still, that was exciting!
They had some sort of show each night, either music and dancing, magic, comedians, etc., but we only saw a couple of shows. They were fun. They also showed some good movies in the small theatre - Night and Day, Date Night, Salt, Oceans, and several others. We tried to see one, but we got there too late and it was full.
Neither one of us seemed to get seasick and, although I took a number of remedies along with us in case we did, we didn't take a thing. We did have smooth waters, though, and I'm sure other cruises can get rockier. I did eat a green apple most afternoons, which I heard is a great natural remedy for seasickness - because I had a tendency to feel just a little bit "off" most afternoons and, sure enough, a green apple made me feel absolutely fine again. By the way, I think I have a tiny bit of landsickness, mostly when I'm sitting - like now. Just a bit of a feeling like I'm rocking, but not too bad. I hear it's fairly common and I expect it go away in a few days.
So, overall, we enjoyed it very much. Seven days was great for our first cruise, but we'll probably choose longer cruises from now on. By the time we got truly relaxed and used to how it all felt, we were nearly home. In fact, we enjoyed it SO much that we signed up for our second cruise - we plan to go to Hawaii next November. That will be 14 days out of San Diego - 4 days at sea, a number of days stopping in Hawaii ports here and there, and then 4 more days to Ensenada, where we stay just for the evening (because ships have to stop at a foreign port), and then back to San Diego. We got a lesser category cabin this time - VA guaranty - since it's more expensive, being 14 days.
The only "problem" was upon arrival. We asked for a late disembarkation and were assigned 10:15. However, things ran smoother than expected, so they announced our group at about 9:15 - luckily we were ready and had eaten breakfast by then! Getting off was easy, going through customs, etc., even getting our luggage - easy and quick as could be! But then we had to wait for the shuttle to get back to the parking lot. Another Carnival ship had just unloaded, so there were two ships worth of people waiting and basically one long line of shuttles inching through the terminal area. There were no separate lines for different shuttles, just one huge group of people. You couldn't tell where your shuttle would be able to park, so after missing the first couple - one by just a few people - we were waiting and waiting for the next to arrive, but the next one parked so far back, that we couldn't get to that one either! Of course, the other people waiting for it at the back of the line didn't care, even though they knew the people at the front had waited longer, so they loaded and it was full and then we had to wait for the next one. After about an hour of that, it was sprinkling and I only had on a light sweater, jeans and sandals, so I was cold and quickly getting rather miserable. Luckily, DH decided he'd had enough and we walked across the street and got a taxi. We decided that in the future we'll happily pay for a taxi and avoid the ridiculous shuttle system.
It pretty much poured down rain then and, just as we were driving through La Jolla, we got a call from Holland America - someone had turned in my DH's passport! It apparently fell out of his pocket when we were running to get the taxi! They agreed to FedEx it to us, so we didn't have to go back.
So overall a GREAT first cruise and I can't wait for our next! If anyone has any specific questions, let me know. :)