vanislandcruisers

Thanks 4hunters...Dee wanted me to start doing them again and I can't say "No" to her

Thanks for following along...We grabbed a Taxi to Anaheim on the Saturday morning after we got off the Panorama in Long Beach...I wanna say it was about $ 80.00 and then we took an Uber back to Long Beach on the Tuesday morning....that was 1/2 the Price of the Taxi at $ 41.00. We really like Long Beach...lots to do and see there...and some Great Restaurants...We will have an extended Post once we get to the Cabo day.

April 27th – Day 2 – Welcome Back to the Carnival Panorama We had neglected to close the Blinds to the Room, so I woke up with the Sunrise Saturday Morning and Dee woke up shortly after. I felt GREAT; so GREAT in fact that all I said when Dee told me she ‘Paid for the Bill the Night before and it was $ 381.64 US ($ 535.49 CDN)’ was “We are on Vacation”. Still feeling GREAT I agreed to go with Dee on her ‘walk’. I ‘run’ to the Bank or the Liquor Store or the Grocery Store; I don’t go on a run or a walk for exercise but here I was, still with a BAC higher than what would allow me to legally drive, going on a ’walk’ just after sunrise. The expectation that I would keep up to Dee’s pace when walking, which would be jogging for most people and with me being one of ‘most people’, was not met. We started walking along the Path between the Hotel Maya and the Water towards the Queen Mary and the Bubble and as expected Dee was well ahead of me. I stopped to talk to a few guys who were fishing wondering what ‘they were fishing for?” and by the time I passed the Queen Mary and arrived at the Bubble, Dee was nowhere to be found. She had looped around and walked along the Roadway back to the Maya. I headed back to the Maya along the same Path I had been on and met Dee back at the Maya. We decided to go for Breakfast at Fuego and were seated inside at a Table for 2. The Drink Menu was a nice touch but was not used just yet this morning. It was shortly before my Order, consisting of 2 Eggs over-hard, Pork Sausage, Sourdough Toast with Strawberry Jam and a side of Applewood Smoked Bacon, arrived that my Hangover pulled up a chair and joined us at the Table. And it was at this time I realized I had made some ‘pour’ decisions the day, afternoon, and evening before. Despite ordering a Breakfast that had enough food for 2 people all I could eat was Water. It was just before 8:00am so once Dee finished eating her Breakfast I got a ‘To Go’ Container for my food and then we headed up to the Room where we saw the Carnival Panorama pulling into Port. Dee got into the Shower while I crawled back into Bed to try and sleep ‘it’ off. I woke up for the 2nd time that day at about 10:00am and felt like $ 900,000.00 less than a ‘million dollars’ but it was a $100k improvement from 2 hours earlier. A nice Hot Shower gained me a few hundred thousand more in the ‘feeling better’ department and after shakily pouring the contents of the Bottle of Crown Royal I purchased at the Duty Free Shop at YVR the day before into 2 separate Rum Runner Flasks and packing those in my Suitcase I went in search of Dee, Leslee, and Rick and found them on the Patio at Fuego – Conclusion #846 – Not sure but it feels like I have been here before – and after a some fresh air I was almost feeling like myself. We checked out of our Room at exactly 11:00am and headed down to the little Smoking Section to meet up with Rick and Leslee. It was there that I gave Leslee 4 x $ 50.00 Dollar Bills and she gave us $ 200.00 in $ 1.00 Bills as we can’t get $ 1.00 American Bills from the Bank we deal with in Victoria. Conclusion #847 – for Tips. Earlier in the Week we had received an email from Carnival stating that there would not be any onsite Parking available for those cruising on the Carnival Radiance (departed the afternoon before) and for those on our Cruise due to the Inaugural Carnival Firenze Cruise that departed on the 25th. Guests requiring parking were instructed to drop off their Party and their Luggage with the Porters and then the Driver would be given instructions as to what offsite Parkade they were to head to park their Vehicle depending on what size their Vehicle was, and Carnival would provide Shuttle Transportation for the Driver back to the Terminal. After speaking with the Maya Shuttle Driver and feeling his frustration with regards to the Traffic he had already experienced, the fact he was already 45 minutes behind schedule after just two Trips and with it being a nice day, we decided to roll our Luggage along same Pathway next to the Water that Dee and I had walked to Bubble earlier in the morning. The 4 of us received a reminder on our way over to the Port that 'smoking' isn't good for us as we got close to the Queen Mary…. Conclusion #848– At least these two, who were made for each other, went together. And on that note the 4 of us sat on a couple Benches on the Hotel Maya side of the Queen Mary and had our last Smoke for a few hours. Although we hadn’t cruised on the Panorama in over a year, we got a chance to see her in Victoria in December of 2023 when she had to have her Funnel removed in order for her to fit under a couple of the Bridges spanning the Columbia River so she could get her propulsion system repaired in Portland, Oregon. Once the Funnel was removed the Ship sailed down the Coast and then up the River to to Portland, had the repairs completed, and then came back up to Victoria to have the Funnel reinstalled. Starting the removal 'Funneless' and coming back into Victoria This is a good time to say that, with this being our 3rd time on the Carnival Panorama, we absolutely LOVE the Ship which is one of the reasons we were so willing and eager to book the Carnival Venezia (similar layout with some modifications) for later in 2024 and the Carnival Horizon for a B2B in November of ’25. And by no means did this attraction to the Panorama begin because of the Sky Ride or the Sky Zone Trampoline area; we just like the layout and the way the passenger traffic flows through the public areas of the Ship. Dee has always had a special place in her heart for Carnival’s Fantasy Class Ships because they are not the biggest ships in cruising and she always found them easy to navigate. As far as bigger Ships go she finds the Panorama very easy to find her way around. Once we arrived at the Terminal we had to separate from Rick and Leslee and, after dropping off our Luggage with and tipping the Porters, Dee and I made our way to the Priority Line and were inside the Terminal at 11:25am. This would be our 9th time embarking in Long Beach and in the past we have arrived at the Port sometime between 9:30am – 10:30am and while Check-in, once we were Platinum, has been speedy there’s never been much if any room left in the Captain’s Lounge by that time which, in the big scheme of things, is not a huge deal. Conclusion #849 – We can sit anywhere; in fact, I am very good at sitting and doing nothing. But, based only on OUR experiences, everything seems to run just a little later and a little slower in Long Beach; especially when it is or has been one of the longer cruises. ie 7+ days on the bigger Ships (Carnival Splendor, Carnival Miracle for a 7-day Cruise and the Carnival Panorama) we have taken from there. There always seems to be a lot of “Hurry up and Wait” Conclusion #850 – Canada Place in Vancouver, BC is our least favourite Embarkation/Debarkation Port by far Check-in and Security were easy-peasy, including our walk-by ‘smelly dog’ to ensure we didn’t have any weed, etc on us – Conclusion #851 – ‘Smelly Dog just doesn’t roll off the tongue like Phobe’s “Smelly Cat” does. We were all set and inside the Spruce Goose Hangar at 11:35am and found a couple of seats over by the Captains’ Lounge in pretty much the same area we sat in both 2019 and 2023. 2024 2023 2019 We’d be boarding at the same time as most everyone in the Captain’s lounge and this area outside and close to the Lounge allows us to avoid fighting our way through the doors from the Captain’s Lounge and be close to the Double Doors we will be entering through to start the climb up the Switchbacks – Conclusion #852 – The ‘Switchbacks’ – IFKYK. And ‘Hurry up and wait’ was exactly what we did as About 11:50am they announced that the delay in boarding was due to an issue with the “new gangway that had just been installed” now that Carnival Firenze was homeported in Long Beach and that should be just a ‘matter of minutes’ before boarding would commence. We wondered ‘How they got the debarking passengers off?’. About 12:20pm they cleared a pathway for 2 Wedding Parties and once they were through the Double Doors they called for Diamond and Suite Passengers and then Platinum Cruisers and we were on our way which got us onboard at 12:25pm. We made our way straight to our Muster Station to check in and then up to Cabin 9452 Conclusion #853 – Don’t Worry; It’s Ours – to drop off our Carry-Ons and put our Valuables, Passports and Cash in the Safe and then the next stop was the Guy’s Pig and Anchor Smokehouse/ Brewhouse, where we had told Leslee and Rick to meet us, for Alcoholic Drink Number 1 of the daily Cheers 15; where at 12:49pm I ordered a Dos Equis while Dee went with a Glass of Pinot Grigio. As was the case in January of 2023 we spent a LOT of time at the P & A and this Crew … L-R Denny, Austin (Brew Master), Adam #1, and Benjamas took GREAT Care of us all week long. I had 1 more Dos Equis before switching to Crown and Coke Pepsi while Dee stayed on the Pinot Grigio Train all day long. The 4 of us spent the entire afternoon at the P & A, while taking ‘smoke breaks in 2s’ to keep our seats at the Bar. We ran into Dorisa and Johhny and their Group and met a lot of GREAT people that afternoon. It was taking, some, especially those who had to deal with the Traffic Issues getting to the Terminal, a little longer to wind down after what they went through but we did our part, as did the Staff, to get them smiling and laughing, and in Cruise Mode. later in the Afternoon during a Smoke break in the Smoking Section on Deck 5 I noticed a Lady at one of the Tables who looked familiar, so I walked up to her Table and asked her if her name was (let’s say) “Susan?” and it was. I told her ‘My Wife and I met you in January of 2023 right here In fact I think you wwere sitting at that exact table’. She smiled and said, “It's my table. Don’t tell no one (which is why I did not use her actual name) but besides 5 x 7-day European Cruises I did in a row last Summer plus the time it took to travel to and from I have been on this Ship ever since you and your Wife met me.” She went on to say that her ‘Husband comes and joins her once a month or so and then I tell him to go home’. Dee and I had several conversations with her over the next 7 days just like we did last year. I had noticed him in the Smoking Section shortly after it opened after bunkering was complete, but it was in the P & A that we formally met and started to get to know this guy, Adam #2, his Wife, and the Couple they were cruising with, all from Utah. More stories to come about him. We started towards the Cabin shortly after receiving our 5:03pm Drink Order, made a quick stop at Pixels to pick up our Ship Pins and Platinum Gifts, and once at the Cabin we unpacked, got organized, freshened up, and changed for our 7:00pm Reservation at Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse. While unpacking we met our Cabin Steward, Martono, Conclusion #854 – He could roll the ‘r’ and 'n' in his name far better than either of us could. We told him that we are ‘really easy’ and would do our part to keep the Cabin tidy and that all we ask for is 2 extra Towels so we can ‘have 2 Showers during the day if needed’, and ‘other than that we are good’. He was an excellent Cabin Steward, kept on top of our Towel Supply and kept the Cabin in tip top shape. We went down back to the P & A, where we met up Rick and Leslee, and placed a Drink Order at 6:22pm. Dee ordered a ‘to go’ Wine at 6:50pm and then the four of us made our way along Deck 5 to the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse. We were escorted to a Table for 4, mid-Restaurant with a Great View of the Piano Bar where the Piano Player was playing Dinner Tunes. Once seated the first order of business was a Drink Order and to select a Bottle of Wine for the Table which was ‘Complimentary’ as it was the 1st Night. We placed our Orders and then received our selection of Breads as well as the Amuse-Bouche compliments of the Chef. Neither Dee nor I are ‘take pictures of our food people’ – Conclusion #855 – By Dinnertime neither Dee nor I should be carrying anything that is not permanently affixed to us – but for those who like Food Porn here is what Leslee (and Rick’s Steak) had at the Steakhouse… Oysters Lobster Bisque Lobster Tails Rick's Steak I started with the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, had a Caesar Salad and had the 9oz Broiled Filet Mignon cooked Rare as my Entrée while Dee started with the Baby Leaf Spinach & Fresh Mushrooms and also had the 9oz Broiled Filet Mignon cooked Rare. I had a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream and a Scoop of Strawberry Ice Cream accompanied by a Glass of Amaretto on the Rocks for Dessert while Dee had an Espresso Martini. It was a very enjoyable Meal, which took just under 2 hours when all was said and done, and after making a quick stop at the Duty-Free Shop for a ‘Buy 3 Cartons of Marlboro Gold get a 4th Carton Free” we wandered around for a bit, before grabbing the ‘Traditionals’ and calling it a Night. ‘The Traditionals’ are our last rinks of the Night, and they can be ordered from a Bar and taken back to our Cabin or poured in our Cabin. We call them ‘The Traditionals’ because we always order or pour them and traditionally, we don’t finish them……Conclusion #856 – until the morning. As and Example these were the 'Traditionals' from a Night on the Celebrity Cruise that we got on the morning we got off this one My pre-Cruise festivities the day probably lessened the 'Fun Factor' for me a little this day despite tallying a respectable Cheers! Number but the next day and the rest of the Cruise we brought the 'Fun Factor' back. As far as the Cheers! Package Numbers went my Traditional was #15 for me while Dee’s Traditional brought her daily Cheers Total to 12 Alcohol infused Drinks + we each had 1 Glass of Wine at Dinner from the complimentary Bottle. If we are using @Jamman54's 6 drinks/day/person or or 12 drinks/day/couple as the break-even for the Cheers Package we are 15 over break-even so far . Conclusion #857 – Just doing our Part

Thanks Maria....We did this Cruise and the Celebrity Cruise that followed in typical Dee and Jim fashion 😉

April 26th – Victoria to Long Beach and the Pre-Cruise Festivities It was a normal wake-up for me and an early wake-up for Dee as we got up, showered, finished our last-minute packing, and got ready to head out for our 8:10am Flight from Victoria (YYJ) to Vancouver (YVR). My daughter arrived at 6:05am and I loaded up one of our Cars with our Luggage and met our goal of being on the road by 6:15am after saying “See ya in 2 weeks” to: AXL... Rosie... Conclusion # 827 – See what we did there? And the Fishies and Corals. It’s never easy to be away from the Dogs but with the knowledge that Dee’s Son/my Stepson, Josh, comes and stays at our House while we are away and the fact that AXL and Rosie absolutely LOVE their BIG BROTHER just as much as he LOVES them…… …..allows us to travel with the confidence that they are being well-cared for and loved LOTS. And as far as the Saltwater Fish Tank goes Josh feeds the Fish and Corals and we have the fellow who services our Tank stop by every 3 to 4 days while we are away to ensure everything is fine. We must say that as soon as AXL saw us taking the luggage out of the House the Cold Shoulder treatment began and this is the look he gave us as he saw us off: Rosie, on the other hand, didn’t give 2 hoots as to what was happening: There was very little traffic as we made our way out towards Victoria International Airport (YYJ) and we arrived at 6:40am. A quick stop by the Air Canada Priority Counter to drop off our Luggage, have our Passports verified as our 2nd Flight was to the States – Conclusion #828 – Good Thing as that’s where the Cruise leaves from – and get our Boarding Passes had us in the outside smoking section at 6:45am. Once through Security we made our way to Gate 8 to await our boarding call. Because of Dee’s claustrophobia we have to sit as close to the front of the Plane as possible with her in an Aisle Seat. The Plane we flew on was a De Havilland Dash 8-400 and we had pre-booked and pre-paid for Seat 1C for Dee, an Aisle Seat, and Seat 1A for me, a Window Seat, for the15- minute flight across the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver (YVR). In this Plane Row 1 consists of 2 Seats only which are on the left-hand side of the Plane if facing forward towards the Cockpit which were the Seats we had pre-booked. Row 2 has 4 Seats; 2A and 2C which were directly behind us, and 2D and 2F which were across the Aisle from 2A and 2C and that 4-seat/row configuration remains the same for the remainder of the Rows. They started boarding the Plane at 7:43am with an Announcement for those with Zone 1 on their Boarding Passes which would be for Air Canada’s Frequent Flyer Program (Aeroplan) Loyalty Members with 50k, 75K or Super Elite Status. If this Flight had Business or Signature Class Seating then those Passengers would have Zone 1 Boarding as well. They were boarding at both the front and back of the Plane with Rows 1 – 10 boarding at the front of the Plane and Rows 11 – 20 boarding at the rear. Next up was Zone 2 which my 25K Status gets us if we are flying anything other than Business/Signature Class and once we heard the Zone 2 Call we headed out onto the Tarmac to board the Plane. It was a quick right once on the Plane as our Seats were right there and Dee sat down in ‘my’ Window Seat to allow me to get our Stuff in the Bin above our heads as there wasn’t a Bulkhead Wall between Row 1 and the Exit/Entrance Door. Conclusion #829 – Colour me Shocked that she sat in anything other than an Aisle Seat. As I opened the Overhead Storage the Flight Attendant said” I am Sorry Sir but that Bin is already full. You will have to find a Bin where the Door is still open.” We check our big Suitcases and purposely carry a minimal amount of personal items with us on the Plane; and in this case we had ‘my’ Travel Binder Conclusion #830 – MY NAME IS JIM AND I AM A BINDER BOY! – which contains everything we need for the Trip including Paperwork, Documents, Passports and Cash + my Wallet, a very small Knapsack and Dee’s Purse. And with this being Row 1 there wasn’t an opportunity for us to store anything ‘under the seat in front of us’. The Door to the Overhead Bin continued to open even as I stopped pushing it and I fully expected to see Air Canada Supplies in there such as the Kit they would need to conduct the Safety Talk but to my surprise it was filled with 3 Passenger Carry-ons. I looked at the Flight Attendant and said “How is it possible that the Bin above the only 2 Seats in Row 1 is full when we are the only ones sitting in this Row?” As I looked over my shoulder there were 2 Passengers sitting in Seats 2D and 2F and 2 more Passengers behind us in Seats 3A and 3C and 2 more passengers back in Row 6 or so. The Flight Attendant was very quick to throw the Men in Seats 2D and 2F under the Bus when she replied “Sorry but those 2 Men” as she pointed at Row 2, Seats D and F “have taken up 2 Storage Bins between them.” I could easily spot the 2 Men she was referring to as they were the ones looking at their Shoes and not making eye contact with anyone. I ended up taking up a little space in the Bin above Row 3, Seats D and F. As there wasn’t a Bulkhead Wall between Row 1 and the Exit/Entrance Door Dee remained in the Window Seat for the duration of the Flight – Conclusion #831 – Mark me as even more Shocked – which allowed to me to continue to try and make eye contact with “those 2 Men” to see who would be known from then on and remembered as Mr. Entitlement to me. – Conclusion #832 – Mark Dee as unshocked. We departed on time and during the Flight I told Dee that ‘once we were at the Gate in Vancouver for her to just get off and go inside the Terminal and I would wait until the 1st few Rows cleared, grab our stuff and meet her inside. We landed at YVR at 8:20am and Dee got off 1st and then Mr. Entitlement 2D got up and started unloading his 3 pieces of “carry-ons’ from the Bin over my head. I looked at the Flight Attendant and said “Someone on the Plane is wearing a Cologne called Entitlement…I think it’s made by Ralph Lauren” which caused her to snicker while Mr. Entitlement 2D did and said nothing and immediately made his way off the Plane. Conclusion #833 If I was a Bird I know whose head I would crap on! After the 1st few Rows exited, I quickly grabbed the Binder, Dee’s Purse and the small Knapsack from the Bin above Row 3 and made my way inside the Terminal to meet up with Dee. We had received an email at 4:04am stating that our Flight to LAX was delayed until 11:45am from it’s original departing time of 10:45am so with a little over 3 hours before the next flight we decided to head outside for a smoke(s) and then made our way over to the United States Departures Area, went through Security, and then on to US Customs. Dee had pre-filled our Information into the CBP MPC (US Customs and Border Patrol Mobile Passport Control) App and hit the ‘Submit’ icon just as we started heading towards USCBP. By using the App were greeted with a much shorter line – Conclusion # 834 – We were the only ones in it – than those who could use but had either chosen not to use the App, used the App and still went in the wrong Lane or didn’t know the App existed. Once on the other side of US Customs we made a quick stop at the Duty-Free Shop for a Bottle of Crown Royal before heading to Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge. We spent from 9:30am – 11:10am in Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge where we both had some breakfast ‘Eats’; Dee had a Coffee and I had a couple Crown and Cokes with Lots of Ice minus the Crown Conclusion #835 – NO CROWN FOR YOU!!!…until 11:00am. Boarding was scheduled to start about 11:15am so we made our way to Gate E74 with a few minutes to spare, arriving at 11:13am. Realization set in that the e-Upgrade Request I had submitted in January did not pay any dividends as we were 2nd and 3rd on the List and they were already announcing that it was a full flight. So once Zone 2 was called we settled into Seats 12B and 12C which were in the 1st row behind Business Class; the area we would have rather been sitting in. Conclusion #836 – Thankfully Mr. Entitlement 2D was not on this Flight to LAX so we were able to store our stuff in the Overhead Bin above our Seats. Mr Entitlement was not joining us, but we were soon joined by Mr. Sick 12A who sneezed, snorted, coughed, and blew his nose all the way to LAX. We left the Gate at exactly 11:45am and the Wheels of the Plane left the Ground shortly thereafter and we were on our way to LAX. Knowing we hadn’t taken our Flintstone Chewable Vitamins that morning we decided to reacquaint ourselves with the Bar Cart as soon as it dragged its stainless-steel self out into the Aisle and use alcohol to try and kill any germs we may be picking up from 12A. Soon enough you could hear gargling sounds coming from Seats 12B and 12C as Dee used 2 small Bottles of Champagne while I used 2 small Bottles of Canadian Club with a Splash of Coke to kill the germs. Conclusion #837 – Red Licorice Sticks make excellent straws. We ordered one additional round of drinks, purely for medicinal purposes, when our pre-paid Lunch arrived and otherwise remained extremely uncomfortable in this Bulkhead Row for the remainder of our Flight. We landed at LAX a little ahead of our new Arrival time and made our way off the Plane, through the Terminal and down to the Luggage Carousel to collect our two 50 pounders. We had prebooked and pre-paid for Car Service through Nick’s Limousine Service for our Ride to the Hotel Maya – a Double Tree by Hilton property. We had received a Text from Nick’s Limousine Service at 8:44am advising us that our Driver would be Dan who would be driving a Cadillac LYRIQ and we could reach him with the Number that was provided once we had our Luggage. The carousel fired up after about 10 minutes and once we had our Suitcases, we contacted Dan, met him outside were on our way to Long Beach. Dan was a nice young man from Poland and the ride seemed like it took no time at all as we chatted with Dan the entire way. We arrived at the Hotel Maya at 3:47pm and after Dan unloaded our Luggage. we gave him a Cash Tip and then made our way into the Hotel to check in. It was an unusual Check-in and either the ‘Script’ they use is out of whack or the Front Desk Staff Member checking us in was working a Double-shift or had recently visited one of the Medical Offices in California where they have the Green Cross and the “Doctor Was In”: Us: Hi. We are checking in for 1 Night. FDSM: Welcome to the Hotel Maya. Name please? Us: Last Name is ________. FDSM: Welcome Mr. and Mrs. ________. I see you are a Hilton Honors member. Will you be parking a car with us? Us: No car FDSM: OK and I see you will be staying 1 Night with us. That is correct? Us: That is correct. FDSM: And will you be parking a Car with us for the Night? Us: No, No car. FDSM: And I see this Room is pre-paid and that you have booked a Water View Room. If I could get some ID and a Credit Card for any charges against the Room. Us : (provide Credit Card) FDSM: That processed fine, Thank you! And will you be parking a car with us this Afternoon. Us: No, don’t need parking. FDSM: Are you parking off-site? Us: No, we just flew in from Canada today and we don’t have a Car. FDSM: OK. Let me make a note that you don’t require parking. Have you stayed with us before? Us: Yes On 2 occasions, once in 2009 and again in 2016. We LOVE the Location!!! FDSM: So you are familiar with the layout? Us: Yes FDSM: And will you be needing parking? Us: (Looking around for the hidden Cameras…didn’t see any) No, we don’t have a Car. FDSM: OK. (Provides Map of the Property and shows us that we will be in Building 2) And where did you park at? Us: We got dropped off here. We don’t have a car. FDSM: I’m sorry. I thought you said you’d be parking here. (Gives us the Map, our Folder with the Room Keys and our Cookies) Us: Thank you. FDSM: And may I suggest that since you are staying in Building 2 the best place for you to park would be in this Section of the Parking Lot (Points to location on Map) Us: Thanks for the advice. We rolled our bags over to Building 2, got them up the 5 or 6 stairs, grabbed the Elevator to the 4th Floor and headed over to Room #409 to check out the Room and the View. Once in the Room we got semi-organized for the next morning, took a few minutes to decompress and freshen up and then I yelled “CRAP” Conclusion #838 – Not what I said – Dee. said “WHAT’S WRONG?”. I raised both my Hands and said “I forgot to get a Parking Pass” The next 2 Pictures are the Views from our Room…Carnival Radiance was in Port getting ready to head out. Once we were ready to get the Party started, we headed down to FUEGO at the Maya, the onsite Bar and Restaurant, to get some Drinks…and possibly a Snack. It was beautiful out, so we decided to sit outside on the Patio and started out with a couple of Margaritas; a FUEGO Margarita for me and a Spicy Watermelon Margarita for Dee. Our Waiter brought us some Chips and Salsa to snack on. It was beautiful out, so we decided to sit outside on the Patio and started out with a couple of Margaritas; a FUEGO Margarita for me and a Spicy Watermelon Margarita for Dee. Our Waiter brought us some Chips and Salsa to snack on. A couple showed up and wandered over to the Railing by our Table to take in the views and I noticed he was covered head-to-toe in Dodgers clothing, Socks, Shorts, Shirt and Hat. I asked him if he ‘was an Angels Fan?’ and he replied “No I am a Los Angeles Dodgers Fan.” His Wife laughed and elbowed him in his Dodger Blue and said “Look at his Shirt.; my Shirt said “Sarcasm. It’s How I Hug!” Right away the conversation with them ended up extending to the Table immediately behind us as the man, who sitting with who we find out was his Wife, added his 2 cents to the Conversation and that is when we met Johnny and Dorisa. They were going on the Carnival Panorama and who we would see, along with the friends they were cruising with, a lot on the Ship. The Dodgers Fan said they ‘were going to the Game that Night and were just waiting for their ride.’ Being a Blue Jays Fan I knew that the Dodgers were playing in Toronto that weekend and the Friday Game would have the 1st game in the Series would have already started with it being a 7:08pm start in Toronto so I said “The Dodgers are in Toronto this weekend” He said “Yea, I know. We are going to the Twins and Angels Game” and we laughed and….laughed….laughed. Conclusion #839 – Closeted Angels Fan…I knew it…and the Angels lost 5 – 3. Once the Angels fans left we invited Johnny and Dorisa to join us at our Table and that is where they spent the rest of the Night even after our Table size grew by 3 over the next few hours. We had seen several people from this Group in the Pictures posted below gathering in the Parking Lot when we checked in. Throughout the next hour or two, from both eavesdropping and talking to a few from the Group, we found out that there was a Wedding and Reception happening this evening at the Maya…and they advised us to ‘watch for the Parade’. A few minutes after Dorisa and Johnny joined us we saw a Portable DJ Station get wheeled below us: and a few minutes after that we could hear Music and Laughing and Hooting and Hollering and Good Times happening!!! Eventually the Party came into view and there was Dancing and Singing and Celebrating and they were “MAKING IT RAIN!!!” as the Group moved slowly along the Walkway. There was a LOT of $$$$ being thrown into the Air for those in and around the Parade to collect. We ended up finding out a fair bit about the Traditions we had witnessed as the Reception was being held on an outdoor, Ground Level Patio/Reception Area just below the Patio we were sitting on and we ended up running into a number of people from the Wedding/Reception throughout the next few hours. It was about this point that I made the switch from Margaritas to Crown Royal and I made the same mistake I make the 1st Day/Night every time we are in the States; I ordered a Double Crown and Coke with lots of Ice. Conclusion #840 – A Double in the States is probably Double a Double in Canada. We had made Plans to meet Leslee and Rick at the Front Desk when they arrived at the Hotel Maya around 6:00pm, let them get checked-in and settled, and then we’d have a Drink – Conclusion #841 – We’d already had more than a Drink – and decide what to do. We talked about catching the Passport Bus over to Shoreline Village for Dinner. But as we’d also be meeting up with Janet, a cruise-friend of ours who lives in the area, we decided it would be a good idea to stay where we were – Conclusion #842 – Dee wasn’t taking me anywhere. Once Rick and Leslee arrived Hugs were exchanged, and we introduced them to Dorisa and Johnny and continued with the Liquid Refreshments Janet arrived around 7:15pm and we spent the next few hours catching up – Conclusion #843 –Dee ended up spending more hours catching up with Janet than I did while the day’s intake of Crown Royal, El Jimador Tequila, and Canadian Club caught up with me 😊. Dee, Jim and Janet Dee and Janet Janet has been on 4 Cruises with us since 2013, has been up to Victoria to stay with us and before our Panorama Cruise in 2019 and between our Panorama and Miracle cruises in 2023 she drove to Anaheim to visit us so it was Great to see her again. I know there were more Drinks involved and I think there was some Food involved however I am certain there was a LOT of LAUGHS involved over the next little while. Back Row L-R Johnny, Janet, Rick, Top of my Head Front Row L – R Dorisa, Dee and Leslee This may well have been the end of my Night; it was definitely the end of my memories of that Night. I like my T-Shirts and just before the Cruise Dee had bought me a couple of new ones one of which says “Most likely to do an Irish Exit”. In Canada we describe someone who just gets up and either leaves the Bar or Nightclub or a Party at someone else’s Place or just gets up and goes to Bed when hosting a Party when they have had enough of the liquid festivities as doing an ‘Irish Exit’. Conclusion #844 – That’s Me; I am THAT Guy. I told Dee on our very 1st Date that “I am THAT Guy.” I made a promise to her that I would tell her that “I have to go” and if she decides she doesn’t want to leave and/or end her ‘festivities’ at that time that that’s fine but I am still going. I have, for the most part, always recognized when I have had enough and at some point this night this night I had had enough. Conclusion #845 – And In true Canadian Fashion “Sorry Janet”. More to Come....

Why? 2023 brought Milestone Birthdays for the both of us with Dee’s 50th in July and my 60th in November so we did have an extra special year as far as making memories goes. We were on a 7-day Carnival Panorama Cruise on January 21st, 2023, which we had planned as the 1st adventure of our 2023 #yearlong50thand60thbirthdayscelebration. This Cruise turned out to be the last one doing the Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta Port order as all of the 7-day the Panorama Cruises after that would have a reverse Port order. We got off the Panorama in January of ’23 we Ubered to Disneyland for 3 Nights and then Ubered back to Long Beach on the Tuesday for a 5-day Carnival Miracle Cruise with 2 days in Cabo San Lucas. A few weeks after we got back from the Cruises, we received a few different Casino Offers offering us a FREE Inside Cabin or a FREE Ocean View Cabin or a FREE Balcony Cabin with ‘Drinks On Us’ in the Casino on any length Cruise we chose with the following conditions: · the Offers were ‘capacity controlled’, · we could use the Offers on up to 5 Cruises provided the Cruise(s) was/were booked by April 1st, 2023, and the Cruise(s) departed by December 31st, 2024. Initially we didn’t pay any attention to the offers but then one night, likely with drinks involved, we talked about the fact that both of the Carnival Panorama cruises we had done (December of 2019 and January of 2023) hadn’t gotten a fair shake and the true Dee and Jim experience due to some extenuating circumstances. When I woke up the morning of December 14th, 2019 at our Hotel in Anaheim, CA, which was the morning we were boarding the Panorama’s very 1st 7-day Cruise, there was a message from my Sister, Sandra, that our Dad, who was 89 at the time, had passed away during the night. While his health had been failing for a while it still came as a shock. I phoned each of my Sisters and we shared some tears before we made the following decisions together: · we were not going to have a Service this close to Christmas; · we would do something in early January, · Dee and I would continue with our Cruise and we would book our flights to Nova Scotia when we got back to Victoria after the Cruise as my Sisters would have had a chance to finalize the Service arrangements for our Dad. That cruise was a blur to me and with Cabo being our 1st Port on that itinerary I ended up overindulging Conclusion # 824 – No 15 Drink Limit in Cabo San Lucas – to the point that we missed our Indian Cooking Class that evening – Conclusion #825 – Dee wasn’t taking me anywhere “in that condition”, – and I was so hungover the next day that I was a waste of space on our Stone Island Excursion. Have you ever been on a Scenic Boat Tour on the way to Stone Island off the Coast of Mazatlán by a Group of Islands that some graciously call what translates to the White Islands, but in reality, the Locals call them what translates to the ‘Birdsh*t Islands’ with a hangover? That smell!!!! Update to Conclusion #821– You could put us in a Rowboat with Snacks and a Bar anywhere but close to the Birdsh*t Islands in Mazatlán and we’d be happy. And about 60 days prior to our January 2023 Panorama Cruise, my oldest Sister, Gail, who was 68 at the time, and who I was extremely close with, passed away unexpectedly and, despite Dee and I doing our best to have a good time there was still a cloud hanging over the entire trip. We found solace by spending most of our time on the Ship during that Cruise at the Pig and Anchor Bar with our new friend, Andre, who spent most of his time on that Cruise on the other side of the Bar at the Pig and Anchor making us drinks. So, one evening, again with beverages in hand, we started looking at Cruises with 2024 in mind and decided we’d like to give the Carnival Panorama another ‘shot’ for the above reasons, and we’d like to do it in some warmer weather as we found the December 2019 and January 2023 Panorama Cruises a little chillier than we hoped. ‘How?’ Cruise(s) Planning We couldn’t get a FREE Balcony on the Panorama for the time we were looking at but were able to get either a FREE Ocean View or a FREE Inside. We decided to pay the upgrade cost and get a Cove Balcony (Cabin 2279) for $390.00 + Taxes & Port fees/person. We had to pay a $ 100.00/person non-refundable deposit which would be converted to OBC once booked. And because we had such a reduced rate, we didn’t bother our TA with the booking and just booked it ourselves. 10 days later we used one of the Offers to book a FREE Balcony Cabin on the Carnival Venezia for October 14th, 2024, and again we didn’t bother our TA….2024 was set Cruise wise…or so we thought. I was on the Celebrity Cruises’ site in early May of 2023 looking at our July and November 2023 Cruises when I got an email from Celebrity with an advertisement for a Pacific Coastal Cruise from Los Angeles (San Pedro) to Vancouver in May of 2024. I checked the date, and the Celebrity Cruise would leave San Pedro on May 4th; the same day we would get off the Carnival Panorama. The ‘original’ itinerary was as follows: · Day 1 – Embarkation: San Pedro, CA · Day 2 – Santa Barbara, CA · Day 3 – San Francisco, Ca · Day 4 – Sea Day · Day 4 – Astoria, OR · Day 5 – Victoria, BC · Day 6 – Debarkation: Vancouver, BC Hmmmm………was my thought. A few days later I mentioned to Dee that ‘we should make it a 2-week Vacation and, rather than flying home from LA, we should cruise up the Coast on the Celebrity Summit. She said “That would be nice” so the next day I called our TA in Williamsport, PA to see if they had any Groups, ideally in Canadian Funds, we could piggyback on….she didn’t have a Group out of her Office but the Company of which she is a franchisee did, so I asked her to send me an email with pricing and the Group Amenities. Our TA sent me an email with the pricing, which was in USD, along with the Group Amenities which included Gratuities, the Classic Drink Package, and $ 450.00 US in OBC. I spoke to Dee and we decided to book it, which we did on June 9th. We booked Cabin 8148, a Concierge Veranda Cabin on Deck 8 towards the Aft of Ship; the Aft being our preferred location while cruising. On July 5th I received an ‘Upgrade Your Cabin’ Offer from Carnival which would cost us a total of $ 88.00 USD to move from Deck 2 to Deck 9 on the Panorama. I would normally avoid Deck 9 due to noise from the Lido Deck above us but with the following information I decided to act on the Upgrade: · We had a Cove Balcony on our 1st Carnival Panorama Cruise and while we didn’t dislike it, it wasn’t anything special to us, so we didn’t feel the need to ‘experience’ one again. · Jim is known to have ≥ 15 whilst on vacation and doesn’t have any trouble falling asleep/passing out 😊. · Dee is known to have ≥ 15 whilst on vacation and doesn’t have any trouble falling asleep/passing out 😊 · Jim is an early riser so noise in the morning won’t bother him. · Dee wears ear plugs because Jim snores and thus can sleep through anything so noise in the morning shouldn’t bother her. We ended upgrading to Cabin 9452, which is pretty much directly below the Pizzeria del Capitano….thinking it should be a quiet spot with no noise coming from up there late at night…foresight tells me the people making the most amount of noise up there will probably be us….we will see where hindsight lands us. On December 6th, 2023 our friends Rick and Leslee, from Arizona, (See 2017 Carnival Splendor Journal for the story on how we met them) who were 2 of the 25 friends who had just been on the Celebrity Reflection with us for my 60th, messaged and said they were ‘booked on the Panorama and coming with us’. Conclusion #826 – WOOT WOOT!!!! Flights, Hotel, Final Payment(s) and Transport On June 19th, 2023, not needing a RT Flight, I booked 2 one-way Tickets in Premium Economy with pre-paid Meals on Air Canada from YYJ (Victoria) to LAX (Los Angeles) via Vancouver (YVR) for April 26th, 2024 using a Companion Pass through our Aeroplan American Express Card. That same day I booked the Hilton Long Beach, where we have stayed once before, on a Hilton Honors Semi-Flex Rate. On September 25th, 2023 I cancelled our Hotel stay at the Hilton Long Beach and rebooked us at the Hotel Maya – A DoubleTree by Hilton property where we have stayed twice before. It was $ 36.92 US more than the Hilton Long Beach but for us it’s a better location, with better views and we would not need a Taxi in the morning as we could simply walk to the Port or get one of Hotel Maya Staff Members to shuttle us over to the Dome as we have done in the past… + we could use the Passport Bus (Free Public Transit) if we wanted to go into downtown Long Beach on the Friday Night. I pre-arranged a Car Service from LAX to the Hotel Maya through Nick’s Limousine Service on April 24th. We made our Final Payment on January 3rd for the Carnival Panorama Cruise so including Taxes and Port Fees and pre-paid Gratuities our cost was $ 1,331.40 US ($ 1,846.72 CDN) for an 8D Balcony Cabin and we had ‘Drinks On Us’ in the Casino + $ 200.00 in OBC included with the Booking. In early February I submitted an e-Upgrade Request to move from Premium Economy to Business Class for our April 26th Flight from Vancouver (YVR) to Los Angeles (LAX) through my Aeroplan Account. I wasn’t holding out much hope that the Request would be accepted as I expected Business Class to be full on this route, especially on a Friday afternoon. ‘Eats’ Onboard We started the planning for the Panorama as soon as we got the email confirmation from Carnival that we were booked and 1st up was EATS. We chose Anytime Dining as our Main Dining Room choice. We used the $ 200.00 OBC on · March 5th, 2023 to book the Steakhouse for 7:00pm on the 1st Night ($ 48.00/person) · June 13th, 2023 to book Cucina del Capitano for 7:00pm on the 3rd Night ($ 18.00/person) · JiJi Asian Kitchen for 7:00pm on the 5th Night ($ 18.00/person) and · the remainder of the OBC ($ 32.00) + Cash to book the Bonsai Teppanyaki ($ 44.84/person) for 7:15pm on the 7th Night. This would leave us in the Main Dining Room on the 2nd, 4th , and 6th nights. On January 23rd, 2024, with Rick and Leslee now joining us on the Panorama, we cancelled our Cucina and JiJi’s Reservations on the 3rd and 5th Nights with Plans for the four of us to go to the Main Dining Rooms on those evenings. Rick and Leslee booked the Steakhouse and Bonsai Teppanyaki for the same nights and times we did with a plan to visit or contact the Steakhouse once on the Ship, to see if they could sit us at a 4-Top instead of 2 @ 2-Tops the 1st Night. I spent the next 2½ months looking at Menus for the Main Dining Rooms, the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, and Bonsai Teppanyaki, while pestering Dee with the question “What are you gonna have to eat?” Port Plans Puerto Vallarta – This would be our 5th time in Puerto Vallarta on a Cruise; we did have one stop in PV in 2009 on the Carnival Splendor foiled due to the Swine Flu outbreak in Mexico which turned our 7-day Mexican Riviera Cruise into 6 Sea Days and a damp, chilly stop in San Fransisco. On the previous 4 stops we have done the following: · 2010 – An early morning Swim with the Dolphins at the Aquaventuras Park in Nuevo Vallarta (non-Carnival Excursion) and then spent the rest of the morning and afternoon at the Dreams Resort on a Day Pass (non-Carnival Excursion) before having Dinner and Drinks and watching the Sunset at the Cheeky Monkey Restaurant/Bar and then exploring the Malecon. · 2016 – Spent the morning and early afternoon on the Malecon at the Sea Monkey Beach Bar before spending the late afternoon and evening at the Cheeky Monkey on the Malecon. · 2019 – Spent the morning and early afternoon wandering the Malecon and having some eats and drinks at a couple of different Beach Bars on the Malecon before going to Rhythms of the Night (Carnival Excursion) in the evening. · 2023 – met friends from Victoria at Andele’s Restaurant & Bar in the Romantic Zone before spending the rest of the afternoon and early evening at the Sea Monkey Beach Bar on the Malecon. November 27th, 2023 saw us book the Exclusive Majahuitas Beach Cove (9:00am – 2:00pm) for our stop in Puerto Vallarta and we chose to pay for that ourselves and not use any OBC so the Excursion cost us $ 299.98 US ($ 411.41 CDN). We planned to shower, change, grab a snack, if need be, and then Uber or take a Taxi down to the Romantic Zone and meet up with Rick and Leslee at Andele’s Restaurant and Bar and then play the rest of our time in PV by ear. Mazatlán – This would be our 4th time to Mazatlán on a Cruise and on 2 occasions we did Stone Island through an Excursion Company, and the other time we took a Taxi to the Golden Zone, wandered the area a little and then spent several hours at Lucky B’s Cantina & Grill where we had some of the BEST Shrimp we’ve ever had. . We were torn between the following: · taking a Taxi to the Golden Zone Taxi, wandering the Beach and having Lunch at Lucky B’s Cantina Grill · doing a Day Pass at Hotel Playa Mazatlán thanks to @deladane’s Review of their day there or · walking down to the Playa Sur Embarcadero and taking the Ferry over to Stone Island and setting up camp at one of the Beach Bars over there for the day. We decided to make Mazatlán a ‘day-of’ decision but were leaning towards the last option. Cabo San Lucas – This would be our 9th time in Cabo San Lucas on a Cruise, and we planned to take the Platinum/Diamond Priority Water Shuttle (Tender) Service over to Cabo and wander around on our own once our feet were on the ground. Wi-Fi and Drink(s) Packages and Overall Costs On December 7th, 2023, we bought the Social WiFi Plan for each of us before the pricing went up the next day. This cost us $ 178.50 US total ($ 248.78 CDN) for the 2 of us for the 7-days. Cheers! Drink(s) Package + The Stress That Comes With It On April 26th we used the remaining $ 72.00 US in OBC we had towards the $ 990.38 US, including Gratuities, cost of the Cheers Package and had Amex take care of the rest. The Carnival Cheers! Drink(s) Package is one of the only parts of Cruising I find stressful. I never felt stressed when having an Unlimited Drink Package on our 1 Norwegian Cruise or an any of our Celebrity or even on Princess, which has a similar 15 Drink Limit/Day with one major difference; Princess will allow you to purchase Drinks after 15 provided they think ‘you’re worthy’ which I wish Carnival would adapt. And this isn’t a debate about whether 15 Drinks in a Day is too many, not enough or just right. It’s about the feeling I get. The last thing I want to do on Vacation is worry, and unfortunately the Cheers Package causes me to worry… on Embarkation Day and all Sea Days it's almost like I get anxious as I get closer to 15 and on Port Days, I end up feeling anxiety about making sure we get our money’s worth. It's a 1st World Problem for sure but I’d rather not have to pack Rum Runners in my Luggage knowing I am doing something ‘against the rules’ or pay for a ridiculously overpriced Bottle of Booze from Carnival after paying for the Cheers! Package just to ensure that if I want a drink, I can have one. This is jut how I feel, nothing more. Keeping Our Clothes Clean We packed 1 Suitcase each for the 15 Nights and planned on using the Complimentary Wash & Fold Laundry Service from our Platinum status on Carnival (3 Bags each for Cruises 7 – 13 Days) while on the Panorama so that most of our clothes would be clean for the Celebrity Cruise. Overall Costs After paying off the balance of the Cheers Package for the Panorama (we did have ‘Drinks On Us’ when playing in the Casino but we don’t spend enough time in the Casino to justify not having Cheers for as much as we imbibe elsewhere as you will read) we had ‘Out of Pocket’ costs of $ 2,785.94 US ($ 3,900.32 CDN) for the Cruise, pre-paid Gratuities X 2, 1 Excursion X 2, Cheers, Social Wi-Fi X 2 + 2 Specialty Dinners X 2. After adding in our Flights, Hotel for 1 Night and Car Service between LAX and the Maya we were at a Total of $ 5,073.26 Canadian before we left the House just for this Cruise….and we had another cruise starting the day we debarked this one. NOW IT WAS TIME FOR THE FUN!!!

This will be a lengthy Journal of our April 27th – May 4th, 2024, Cruise on the Carnival Panorama to the Mexican Riviera (Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlán, and Cabo San Lucas). This was our Itinerary: April 26th Ride to YYJ AC 8150 YYJ 8:10am YVR 8:42am AC 554 YVR 10:55am LAX 13:54pm Car Service to Hotel Maya April 27th Carnival Panorama Depart Long Beach, CA at 4:00pm April 28th A Relaxing & Fun Day at Sea April 29th A Relaxing & Fun Day at Sea April 30th Puerto Vallarta, MX 9:00am – 9:00pm May 1st Mazatlán, MX 9:30am – 5:30pm May 2nd Cabo San Lucas, MX 6:30am – 2:30pm May 3rd A Relaxing & Fun Day at Sea May 4th Arrive in Long Beach, CA This 1st Post is an introduction to “Us”. The 2nd Post will show the “Why?” we decided on this/these Cruise(s), the “How?” we planned out the Cruise(s) starting with ‘How we booked the Cruise(s)?’ and ‘Why we booked the way we did?’, our Pre-Cruise Planning, as well as Flights, Hotel, and any necessary Transport. Then it continues with a big one for me because I LOVE my Food, which is our Onboard ‘EATS’ planning, followed by our Port Planning, Wi-Fi and Cheers! Package and our Overall Spending for this Cruise and the entire Trip. The 3rd Post is where you will want to start if you want to follow along from the start of our trip. And Post #4 is where you will want to go if you want to start reading from Day 1 of the Carnival Panorama Cruise I do numerical Conclusions as I go along: · Some state what’s obvious to all…or should be. · Some state what’s obvious to me…maybe not to others. · Some allow me to use sarcasm which is how I hug. · And some allow me to show a sense of humour that I think I have…and others sometimes think I have. Us Dee (50) and I, Jim, (60), live in Victoria, British Columbia, and we have been together for 20 years, married for almost 12. I had taken a Cruise in 1987 on the TSS Mardi Gras, Carnival’s 1st Cruise Ship, so when we decided to take our 1st ‘actual’ Vacation together in January of 2008 we chose a 7-day Carnival Freedom Cruise out of Miami, FL. Since 2008, cruisin’ has been our main mode of vacationing. As of this writing we have cruised together on 1 Norwegian Cruise, 4 Princess Cruises (all Alaska), 6 Celebrity Cruises (the 6th started the day we got off the Panorama), and 20 Carnival Cruises (3 future bookings which are October 14th, 2024 on the Carnival Venezia and November of 2025 on a B2B on the Carnival Horizon) ….and we have had a GREAT TIME on all our Cruises. Conclusion #821 – You could put us in a Rowboat with Snacks and a Bar and we’d be happy. We like to laugh and whether it’s at ourselves or with others makes no difference. We are who we are and don’t take ourselves too seriously. It shouldn’t take long to figure out what kind of people and cruisers we are – Conclusion # 822 – Thirsty and Fun-loving is the easiest answer – and if you follow along, we hope you enjoy us ‘reliving it’ as much as we did ‘living it’. Except for the TSS Mardi Gras Cruise I did in 1987 without Dee – Conclusion #823 – We hadn’t met yet and then there’s the fact she was only 14 years old at that time – in an Inside Cabin, Dee and I have only cruised with a Balcony/Verandah Cabin even if it meant getting a Suite on Carnival’s Fantasy Class Ships that we have cruised on (Carnival Paradise, Carnival Inspiration and Carnival Sensation). For the most part we don’t pinch pennies when we are on vacation and are always looking for ‘What is the best and easiest way to do this?’ even if it costs a little bit more. We like the trip to, the vacation itself, and the trip home to be as comfortable as it can be for us without being silly with costs. We joined Cruise Critic in 2007 and have enjoyed reading and following along with others’ Trip Reports, Journals and/or Reviews and we have submitted a few Journals/Trip Reports of our own prior to this one but it has been a while; they have all been Carnival Cruises with the last Journal being our 2017 Carnival Splendor Cruise....if you want to have a look at them they can be found through our Profile. PS - the spelling of words will be the Canadian Version 🙂 ie humour (CDN) vs humor (US of A)

Another GREAT Review!!! Thanks to both of you for sharing your B2B with us!!!

Great LIVE!!!...Thanks for taking us along... ...and Condolences on the Loss of your Father

Great Live!!!...Thanks for taking us along with the Family!!!

Enjoying reading about your trip...looking forward to following along on the rest of your Cruise.

Great start!!!....Looking forward to the rest.

Enjoying this...Thanks for taking us along!!!

Thanks so much for taking us along!!!

Thanks for the Review!!!

Thanks for the Review!!!

Wishing you and your Mom a GREAT Cruise!!!! Looking forward to reading and following along.

Have a GREAT Cruise!!!

Kitty Corner to our Legislature Building (2nd Picture down) is a place called the Steamship Grill...it is one of the places we take any cruise friends or crew/staff we pick up at the Pier (Ogden Point) during during their stop in Victoria on their Alaska Cruise...when they advertise this as the best patio in Victoria they are not kidding...Their Patio overlooks the Inner Harbour and if you ask for a Table 'closest to the Empress' you would have a GREAT view of the Empress Hotel (THE Victoria Landmark), the Legislature Building, the Inner Harbour, the Songhees District, Olympic Mountains, etc...anytime we have cruising friends who we are picking up while they are on an Alaskan Cruise this is where we take them...Nice place for an Appy and a Drink

Thanks for taking is along on another one of your Cruises! Have a Safe Trip Home!

Is that the Appetizer size?

Thanks for another GREAT One!!!

Great Review and Read!!! Thanks!!!

Thanks for taking us along!!!

Thanks again for taking us along!!!!