gail811

Here is a picture of the Local Village. I did not stop there on my way to Jack's Shack, but took these pictures as we sailed in.

And Jack's Shack

was Gold Rock Beach worth it? How hard was it to get to?

Gold rock was well worth it! We had the entire beach to ourselves for the day. The drive was about 30 minutes (as best I can remember) and we stopped at a grocery store for snacks and drinks. No bathrooms, but we did find a picnic table.

We had to walk along this for a ways once we got out of the van.

I can bet the conversation went like...

 

1. Bet you we can swim to that Island!

2. NO we Can't!

3. Sure We've got time.

4. What they gonna do...yell at us.

5 Com'on, we gotta try.

 

2. NO! We will get in big trouble.

4. No one will say anything.

1. It's only a couple hundred yards.

3. Half hour of swimming...tops.

5. I'm in, How bout you?

LMAO! Oddly enough, 3 of the guys were in their teens then, 2 in their early 20's. It was by far their favorite day and there was nothing there to "entertain" them. Lots of wrestling and playing with a deflated soccer ball they found. By far one of my all time favorite beaches in the world!

I keep this picture framed in my exercise room to motivate me :)

And this is a little of what they did the rest of the time!

And when all those folks on the top deck either intentionally or accidently throw stuff over the rail it lands on your aft balcony. We had beer cans, cig butts, cups of iced drinks and chewing tobacco spit on ours. Never an aft balcony for us ever again.

Luckily we have never been subjected to such things, but........

during a deck party we were hosting a piece of paper floated down and my son caught it!

It came from a group of kids participating in a scavenger hunt with Camp Carnival. It blew away, my son caught it, and they came down to the cabin to retrieve it! Lucky for them, they were able to check a few boxes while they were there. :)

I took these pictures of the Triumph leaving Cozumel last year. Hope they help you.

I am only through page 2 of your review and I am loving it! I followed the earlier thread when you left your card in the safe and I am THRILLED to see that you got it back! I can't wait to finish the review; we sail in 70 days!

One of my favorite shots from Antigua

There is a story that goes with this picture. At 41 my sister had a major stroke. To save her life they had to do surgery and as a result, take out about 1/3 of her skull....it stayed safe in her belly for over a year (because she had a staph infection post op they did not want to put it back too soon) while she recovered. At her most critical moment in the ICU, I held her hand and told her if she would only open her eyes I would take her anywhere in the world she wanted to go....her eyes flew open (the first of many miracles!), and as soon as she came off the ventilator she requested we go on a cruise. So in late April this year, almost 2 years after her stroke, we boarded the Legend with our mom, our other sister, two nieces and my sisters’ best friend. My sister wanted to swim with the dolphins more than anything else, so I scheduled the Royal Swim. Although VERY skeptical when we arrived, given my sisters physical limitations, the staff agreed to "let her try”. This picture was taken during the foot push.....what you can't see are the six women standing in the water watching her, laughing and crying at the same time. Since this day, my sister has continued to recover, expanding her horizons daily; because this moment in time renewed her confidence and made her realize that ANYTHING is possible!

 

 

 

I originally posted the above story back in 2008. This year my sister joined me on our cruise again and this time she wanted to snorkel. I corresponded with Patouche charters in Tortola for months ahead of time and let him know about my sisters limitations. He was incredibly patient and helped us make her dream come true. Here is a picture my DH snapped of us swimming back to the boat with her. She held on to the life ring and we assisted her in fulfilling another dream.

And this is her pointing to a school of fish. What can't be conveyed in the picture is the sound of her screaming through the snorkel as she spotted the fish....she was thrilled!

Thanks for reviving this thread! I LOVE the seeing all these pictures!

I have cruised with my mom and sisters several times and my DH has no problems with it. Next March is my cruise with just a bunch of ladies and it was at his urging that I booked. It may have a lot to do with the fact that he spent 20+ years in the Marines so a week apart is no big deal for us. We are also in our late 50's and have been married 37 years; I think there are a lot of reasons that some people are more comfortable cruising separate from time to time. We also have a cruise scheduled as a family a few months later to celebrate our #5 sons graduation from college :D

Blondie....I would hold on to the aft cabin if I were you. They are great cabins and doing a B2B is a great opportunity to try one out! The balcony should have at least one small table, sometimes 2 if it is a larger balcony.

No apologies necessary for not having information about everything! I am still loving your review! We too are destination cruisers and spend most of our time on board with the people we travel with, on our balcony and in the casino. Rarely do we take in the shows, and I can count on one hand the number of times we have spent the day at the pool.....that is the beauty of cruising!

Loving your review! I am a big fan of the Freedom, and Embassy Suites in Ft. Lauderdale! We had a room on the same floor and just seeing the view brought all those wonderful feelings of the first look at the ship back to me! It is also great you are including so much good information for other "newbies". Looking forward to the rest of your review.

Seeing this thread made my day! What beautiful pictures of what had to be a very proud day for your entire family! Thanks so much for sharing them with all of us!

My grandson with his new puppy from Camp Carnival

And playing on the balcony with his magnetic letters

May I ask, in the breakfast photo, what is the white coloured food, on the plate with pastries,scrambled egg and bacon?

As a girl from the south I can answer that.....grits! I try to have a bowl every morning when we cruise.

Great review Faith, I especially loved all the pictures! And all three of you have beautiful smiles! It was easy to see what a great time you were having!

Muster drill tip: wait as long as you can before you leave your cabin and you will be in the front line of the group instead of against the wall. Because we are always late to leave our cabin we noticed that the stewards go cabin to cabin checking for guests, then leave a red insert in their key lock to identify that the cabin is empty. I am rather shocked that they did not have staff directing everyone to their proper stations!

I love the Glory and can't wait for more sailings out of Norfolk! I also look forward to the rest of your review!

What a wonderful article Mike! I know I am not alone in saying that I hope you keep your CC "family" updated on Tracy. And if she is allowed mail, maybe we could all send her cards to help her through the difficult days ahead. I for one would love for her to know she has the support of this community too! (as do you and the kids!)

Are you sailing on Carnival Freedom or Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas?

Launderette: across from staterooms: 2365 and 2367

2-3 washers; 2 -3 dryers; 1 ironing board/iron; soap dispenser machines

On Carnival's Freedom they are here:

Launderettes: across from staterooms: 6385 and 6387

2-3 washers; 2 -3 dryers; 1 ironing board/iron; soap dispenser machines

Launderette: across from staterooms: 7337 and 7339

2-3 washers; 2-3 dryers; 1 ironing board/iron; soap dispenser machines

Launderette: across from staterooms: 8349 and 8351

2-3 washers; 2 -3 dryers; 1 ironing board/iron; soap dispenser machines

Launderette: across from staterooms: 9268 and 9270

2-3 washers; 2 -3 dryers; 1 ironing board/iron; soap dispenser machines

On the conquest class (Glory, Freedom,Conquest, Liberty, Valor and Splendor) ships they are listed as 9C's, on the spirit class (Pride, Miracle, Spirit, and Legend) they are Vista Suites. Destiny Class (Destiny, Triumph and Victory)they are also 9C's as is the Dream .

Loving all the pictures Mike! We loved the ship so much we sailed her two years in a row. The spirit class ship still remains my favorite as far as the layout goes. Thanks again for the time and effort you put into your reviews. And best wishes to Tracy as she leaves for her training.

BIG fan of your last review and really looking forward to this one as well! Thanks in advance! :D

My mom sailed the Mardi Gras in 1988.