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You may remember that I mentioned that Kim had never actually seen a show and I felt bad about that. This night was Celestial Strings in Grand Central. Of all the regular Carnival production shows, I think this one is the most visually beautiful and I really wanted Kim to be able to see it. We left immediately after dinner to get seats and were rewarded with some a couple rows back on a bench seat on Deck 6 for some of us and floor seats for the rest of us. This would work! There were a few heads in front of us but I'm also short. LOL It wasn't too bad. I think Grand Central is a confusing space. Some of the best big production shows are held in this venue but there are very few good seats. Some are too close. Some are under an overhang that makes it very difficult to see anything. There are just a few really good seats on decks 7 and 8 but most seem to have something blocking the line of sight. The seats we got on deck 6 were about as good as we could have hoped for, and I was grateful to have them. They were a little awkward, but that’s fine. Fortunately, Kim got one of the floor seats. The show was beautiful, as always. It seemed longer than normal to me but maybe I am just misremembering. At any rate, we very much enjoyed it, and Kim was ready to come back for the second showing to see if she could get a different angle to potentially see things she might have missed. I think it's such a pretty show! This is my favorite part, I think. I can't imagine being that talented! The night was STILL young! Steven and Sarah decided to run back to their room to call their children. They are the only ones in our group who have younger children. We all adore Emma and Waylon. I’m not kidding when I say they are miniatures of their parents! They’re the cutest family ever! The rest of us headed to Punchliner to see R.T. Steckel. We were fortunate to find seats together again. This has to be some kind of record! He was pretty funny, and we enjoyed the set. Punchliner ALWAYS fills up quickly. Liz, Kim and Cami R.T Steckel - He was pretty funny! Afterwards we met Steven and Sarah in the main theatre to see M Theory. In the main theater, waiting for the show to start It's a very interesting show. If I were choosing, I'd hold all of the shows in the main theatre. It's much more comfortable and easier to see than in Grand Central. I have seen M Theory before. It is fascinating. It’s a combination of magic, mentalism and theatrics. I have no idea how they do what they do. I know there is some perfectly logical explanation, but it is simply beyond my imagination as to what it might be. After that, it was time for the White Hot party. Steven, Sarah, Liz, Aaron, Ron and I ran to our rooms to change into something white and went up on deck for dancing. It was so much fun! I didn’t know all of the dances, but it didn’t stop me from laughing hysterically and making a fool of myself. I am a terrible dancer, but I really don’t care. I can provide comic relief for someone else who might need a good laugh and I’m amused in the process. (Apologies in advance because these pics aren't great and are very dark.) This guy knew how to break dance! Liz, Aaron, Sarah and Steven in the background Liz and Aaron We had to buy the picture! The party lasted for about 30 – 45 minutes. After it was over, we all went to Summer Landing for an ice cream. By this time, it was almost midnight. That is way past my bedtime! Ron and I excused ourselves to go back to our room and turn in for the night. It had been a good day but we were tired. Tomorrow was our first stop…..Cozumel!! I'll be back tomorrow to write some more!

Thanks so much! In my normal job I got into attics and crawlspaces…..and occasionally some really awful houses. I enjoy getting dressed up from time to time!

On our way back to our room we stopped in Pixels for our pins and called to schedule our Platinum gift “Chocolate Delight” delivery. It was pretty good. I think I like it better than Ron because I tend to like darker chocolate than him. There was a lot there, so we planned out second delivery of that particular gift for Aaron and Liz. Chocolate Delight - the truffles were my favorites. Liz suggested we go to Serenity and get in the pool. The weather was really warm during our entire cruise, so the pool sounded like a great idea. Ron and I went to change and immediately went up to Serenity deck. Here's our towel animal for the day....maybe a stingray? Serenity on the first Sea Day is pretty busy, especially when it’s hot outside. I doubted we would find a seat anywhere near the pool but lo and behold, a couple were getting up from their lounger just as we were walking in. The gentleman waved to us and stayed with the lounger until we got there. Talk about luck! I really appreciated his thoughtfulness! We dropped our things, put on sunscreen and headed for the pool. The water was surprisingly cold but I got used to is pretty quickly. It wasn’t long until we were joined by Steven and shortly afterwards, Liz and Aaron. Kim and Sarah took a little time to work on tans and Cami, Emory and Bobby relaxed in the shade. Some kind soul gave us their lounger. The pool was relatively full so you couldn’t exactly “swim”. It was more of a “bob up and down in the water” type of swim. The depth of the pool was 5 ft 2 in if I remember correctly. I am 5 ft 5 in. The water was up to my nose so there was more “bobbing” for me than for others. I didn’t realize the pool on Serenity was that deep! We spent a very enjoyable hour in the water before getting out. I dropped off a duck on the way. I had originally made pirate ducks for this cruise but they got a little squashed in my suitcase so not all of them retained their pirate gear. I saved one that was still intact for "Talk Like a Pirate Day". Swimming makes me hungry and relaxing sometimes makes me sleepy. (I’m ashamed, but it’s the truth!) I stopped at Time Fries for the fries of the day, which was Philly Cheesesteak. My favorite!! A couple of shaded loungers and a good book rounded out a perfect afternoon. After an hour or so, Liz wandered by, and we agreed to go get dessert. I was hoping for some flavor of gelato that I loved but alas, mango (again!) and hazelnut. I got the hazelnut. It was OK…nothing special. I abandoned the gelato and got a small piece of German chocolate cake. After that, I was ready for a nap. This night would be the first elegant night. We had agreed to meet at the mirrored staircase before dinner to have a group picture taken. We met around 5:30 at the appointed location. The photographer worked with us to get everyone in the picture. I think they turned out great! This was definitely a picture I wanted to buy. Liz also suggested we do sort of a “mother/daughter” picture while we were dressed up. While I didn’t actually give birth to Liz, I love her like one of my own, so I loved this suggestion. We went in search of a backdrop that we both liked and came out with pictures we both loved. This was Liz's favorite... ...and this was my favorite. We got our group photo on the "shiny staircase" and I think it turned out great! Liz and Aaron Ron and I As would become our custom, we met across from Fortune Teller bar every night after checking in while we waited for a table to be ready. It didn’t take long. Our table was again ready almost immediately and off to the dining room we went. I had the steak, and Ron had the short rib. We both had a linguini starter. Ron opted for the Grand Mariner souffle, and I tried the no sugar added panna cotta. It was OK but definitely not my favorite. I doubt I will order it again but I’m glad I tried. I am terrible to forget to take pictures of food but I remembered a couple of times... Linguini Steak We all enjoyed the dinner and the night was still young! To be continued later this evening.

Thank you! I hope you have a much fun on Mardi Gras as we have had. It's an awesome ship! Yes, it is a whopper! My understanding (mentioned later on, too) is that bigger ships are incoming. Those should be interesting. I'm with you! I'm not a great cook and I only enjoy doing it if I can take my time. Usually when I get off work every day, I just sort of throw things together and "fix something to eat" rather than "cook". I'm trying to do better but I'm apparently (according to my kids!!) an old girl and set in my ways! LOL (I'm 57). Funny thing....I don't mind cleaning up.

Thanks so much for sharing your review. It was awesome!

lol. That’s funny! I’m a total cheapskate when it comes to flying. Given the recent problems with so many planes, that’s probably a very bad thing! Thanks for reading!

Sept. 15th – Sea Day There’s nothing like waking up, walking up on deck and seeing water in every direction. That really “gets” me every time. I can’t fully express how the vastness of the ocean makes me feel. I love it! Fun Times for today Fun Times We woke up a little after 8am and were anxious to start the day. First order of business was to grab a bite to eat on the Lido deck. Ron and I are not big breakfast eaters, so a nice, big breakfast is typically wasted on us. Some of our friends went to the Sea Day Brunch since they do enjoy breakfast. Emory provided a picture from Sea Day Brunch After we ate, we found a deck chair and settled in to read for a little while. I didn’t read as much on this cruise but that is one of the really relaxing things that I typically enjoy a lot. On this cruise, I found so many other things to do that I just didn’t want to read as much. Still, it was a really nice way to start our first Sea Day. Perfect view! There's relaxed and then there's "cruise relaxed" Everyone in our group was scheduled for the Carnival Kitchen pasta class later that morning. Ron and I had done a couple of Carnival Kitchen classes and had really enjoyed them. We were anxious to do it again! As we passed Grand Central they were setting up for Celestial Strings We all met outside the door and were checked in. Everyone went inside and found a seat. It was a full class. Sometimes, if the class is not full, each person will have their own station. When the class IS full, you must share stations. Since everyone in the class was there with another person, it was much more comfortable that if you were sharing a station with a stranger. Waiting for class to start We were assigned stations and then sent to wash hands Pasta cutter and tablet Ingredients Looking out into the kitchen The chef teaching the class was Steph. She was fantastic! Definitely the best teacher we’ve had in a class yet! She introduced herself and her assistants, gave us a brief overview of what we were going to do and then sent everyone to wash their hands and go to their various stations. The room is arranged in sort of a “U” shape with Steph in the middle. Ron and I were on one end. Kim and Bobby were beside us, Liz and Aaron were beside them. Emory and Cami were on the side facing Steph and Sarah and Steven were on the side facing Liz and Aaron. All the ingredients were pre-measured and laid out on the station. There was a tablet with a close up view of Steph’s station and what she was doing so you could follow along. Chef Steph She began the class with an explanation of how to use the stove top controls and the various kitchen tools we’d be using. She then immediately started into the class. First step was to mix the pasta. It was a pretty simple recipe without a lot of ingredients. Perfect for me! The first thing was flour. You put the flour in a bowl and make sort of a “hole” in the middle. Then we put in the eggs in the hole and started mixing the dough. At first it was very sticky and would stick to your hands. Over time it gradually stopped sticking to hands and the dough that was on our hands became part of the dough ball. You could tell when it was correctly kneaded because the dough was no longer on your hands and there was very little residue in the bowl. When it was the correct consistency, she told us to form a ball and set aside, under a damp cloth, to rest. Steph had a station in the center of the room and taught from there. She also made the dish as the class progressed. Looking across the kitchen. Ron and I were station 1. Ron starts mixing the dough It's starting to come together Liz and Aaron She then instructed us to take out a skillet and told us which setting to use on the stove. She showed us through the specific ingredients to add in the specific order. As each ingredient was used, we put the dirty dish in a pan. The assistants were constantly circling the room checking on us and picking up dirty dishes. Liz and Aaron Kim and Bobby Ron and I Emory and Cami Who knew Bobby was a cook?!?! Steven seems to be letting Sarah do most of the work! Steven and Sarah Look at the people in the window behind us. It was like that anytime a class was in session. Proof that Liz DOES cook.....occasionally..... Emory...feeling sassy! After the sauce was mixed, it sat on the stove to cook down and we again turned our attention to the pasta. Each of us started a pan of salted water on the stovetop so it would reach a boil when the pasta was ready to cook. Each station had a manual pasta maker attached. We divided the dough into smaller balls and patted into a “rectangle” that would fit through the pasta maker. The pasta maker has a knob on the side. When you start running the pasta through the machine, you start on a wider setting. Then you gradually reduce the width until the pasta is a usable width for cutting. Finally, when it was the right width, we ran it through the linguini cutter setting. The pasta was immediately put into the water, which was boiling by that point. It is surprising to me how quickly the fresh pasta cooks in comparison to boxed pasta. It only took a couple of minutes! When the pasta was finished, we mixed the pasta and the sauce, placed it in the provided bowls and sat down to eat. It was delicious! Each of us was presented with our own Carnival Kitchen spatula. Steph assured us she would be sending the recipes later. It was a very enjoyable class, and I would highly recommend the class to anyone. Lunch is served It was delicious Lis and Aaron enjoyed the class so much they bought the picture! Ron was immediately making plans for Derrick and Lucinda to come to our house to make pasta and have dinner.

Thanks so much for your kind words and for reading along! Fortune Teller is a neat area...I like the entire French Quarter theme. I'll have a Diet Pepsi and raise a glass to your New Moon...although I'm not entirely certain what that actually is! LOL A couple of our group got whatever drink it was where the blew the bubble on top. That was pretty neat!

Oh dear.......LOL I'm not a sports fan and, as Sherri of "Bob and Sherri" says, "Sports confuse me."

OH MY, YES! She's pretty rabid. Bobby finds this rather horrifying since he is a WVU fan! LOL Thanks so much! I appreciate your reading along!

Still no suitcase. Our Fun Times for the day was in the room. It occurred to me that the suitcases had air tags in them, so we decided to try to find it that way. Unfortunately, we could only pick up the air tags that were already in the room. I have to say, I was disappointed in the air tags at this point. I had gotten them specifically for this type of circumstance and they weren’t helping at all! I guess the fact that we were inside metal might have interfered with the signal? I don’t know but that’s the theory I’m going with! We went upstairs to meet our friends and hang out until sail away. When we were back outside on deck, Ron decided to try the air tag again. It picked up that time but showed that the suitcase was still off the ship on the dock. By this time, it was about 3pm. We were getting close to leaving! We were a little worried wondering if that suitcase would make it on the ship. Still loading things but I don't see any suitcases. Time for the sail away party. We couldn’t pick up the air tag again, so we were HOPING it had made it onto the ship. The party was fun, as always. The last sail away party as a group was out of Charleston where they don’t do a sail away party because of the local noise ordinance. Boring! I had been looking forward to our people experiencing a real sail away party. We were on deck 17 for a little while as we pulled away we went down to 16 to dance for a while. It was fun as always. Getting the party started The guys find a place on the rail Pulling away Steven's first sailaway Dancing is getting started Ron took a break to contemplate the week without much of his clothes and belongings Harbor pilot boat pulls alongside Tourist boat of some type?? Disney something or another in the distance Liz is also on the rail It was a little close! Bobby also is taking a break Steven in the background, Ron in the chair The girls on the rail No idea what happened here to cause everyone to turn around! LOL Saran and Steven watch sailaway. Ron and Emory and just chilling. I went back up to get a few pictures of Freedom. We had bought a new camera that was supposed to have a really good zoom, and I wanted to try some distance shots. The Freedom had pulled out before us, and she was still visible in the distance. I took some pictures and was pretty happy with the result. Freedom sails by us. She's pretty distinctive now! Freedom heads out into the distance I'm pretty happy with that zoom! I don't have any way to let you know how far away this way, but it was quite a distance! After all of this was finished, we went back to our room to get ready for dinner. Still no suitcase. I know you’re supposed to wait until after dinner but Ron was getting worried, so he went to guest services. They let him look through the luggage that had lost their tags, but his bag wasn’t among them. He came back to our room. Just as he was contemplating the week without most of his clothes or toiletries, there was a knock at the door and his suitcase had finally arrived. Whew! Crisis averted! A couple more sh8ip pics taken by Ron... Serenity Outside on Deck...maybe 8? Emory is our foodie. Derrick also fills that role but since he couldn’t be there this trip, the heavy responsibility for planning dining fell to Emory. He coordinated times and meeting places for dinner each night. He did an awesome job! The first night would be the main dining room. Truthfully, we were expecting longer waits that we actually had most nights. The first night we had a table almost immediately in the Palms dining room. Servers dancing and singing Palms Dining Room Speaking of eating, we had all signed up to take the pasta making class in Carnival Kitchen. Ron and I had done Carnival Kitchen on both Mardi Gras and Celebration, so we were excited to do a class again. When we got into our room, we found a paper that gave us our time (10am on the first Sea Day) and listed some instructions. In those instructions it mentioned that the participants couldn’t wear shorts and had to have closed toe shoes. This presented a problem. Some of us hadn’t brought any pants and a couple of us did not have closed toe shoes. Kim had suffered through having both big toenails removed a few weeks before the cruise and they were still too tender to wear closed toe shoes. If these were truly the rules, they were definitely NOT enforced the last two times I had participated in a Carnival Kitchen class. Just to be sure I wasn’t wrong, I glanced back at the pictures from those cruises. Sure enough, I was wearing shorts. Hmmmm……. The only solution was to simply go ask. It’s easy to sit, stew and wonder but we’d never know for sure until we asked. Ron and I headed to Guest Services on Deck 8. We were the only ones in line at that point, so we basically walked right up to the counter. The guy helping us was very friendly and sympathetic but didn’t know the answer. He quickly got the Carnival Kitchen coordinator on the phone. It only took a couple of minutes to confirm that these were SUGGESTIONS and not requirements. Whew! Again…crisis averted! Trop Rockin was happening in Grand Central. I’ve seen it a couple of times, but I like those songs so to Grand Central we went. Our cruise director for the week was T.J. He was OK. He’s no Chris Williams or Lee Mason, but he’s OK. The Welcome Aboard show just seemed more sluggish than normal, and a trivia game was starting so we left the show a few minutes early and went to the Limelight Lounge to play Carnival trivia. I thought it might be trivia about Carnival Cruise Line, but it was general knowledge trivia. Basically, the room divided into four area, they would ask a question and give three or four possible answers, then you go and stand in the section of the room that corresponded with that answer. We played for a while, and it was entertaining. I personally like regular trivia better. Trop Rockin' in Grand Central Love steel drums! Liz and I More of Trop Rockin' ] T.J. takes the stage. He grew on me as the week progressed. I found a zebra duck and gave it to Liz We tried to go to Punchliner for a comedy show but it was already full. I think they could benefit from an expansion in the size of Punchliner! Pretty much every show is completely full! At this point some of our group was tired and decided to go back to their cabin. Steven, Sarah, Aaron, Ron and I went up on deck. It was a nice night. You could see lightning in the distance behind and between the clouds. We stayed on deck for quite a while watching and taking pictures of the sky. Finally, we decided that we were tired and wanted to turn in as well. Ron and I headed to Red Frog for a final Diet Pepsi before heading down to our cabin. The lights from land fade into the distance. You might remember if you read my Elation review that they no longer give you any sort of glass or cup for your toothbrush. It was exactly the same this time on Mardi Gras. I swear that I remember having two small juice glasses in the room upon arrival for your toothbrush. Right? Am I just dreaming that? Anyway, we knew we wanted plastic cups for that purpose, so we took our cups back to our room, washed them out and used them the rest of the week.

Thanks for reading along! I hope you enjoy Mardi Gras as much as we did. Happy anniversary!

I’m very late but finally caught up! Love Bermuda! I want to play Fun Golf at some point.

We immediately went to our muster station and got the safety briefing finished. I hope we never EVER go back to the old version of the muster drill where we must stand close together on the deck sweating it out, waiting on the crew to find the people who are inexplicably trying to avoid muster. Just do it already! This new system is so much better! If we were sinking would we actually know what to do? No idea. I hope we never have to find out. Our muster station was C7 in the casino. Muster station C7 Ron and I headed to our room to drop off backpacks. We noticed that three of our suitcases were already in the hallway outside the room. Only one left. We headed up to the top deck to begin our “tour” and take pictures. We stopped on Lido to chat a minute Then started taking pictures Serenity Serenity Serenity Love the views! Lido....still relatively empty at this point Ropes course/Sports Square - please note that I am, as usual, going the wrong way AGAINST the arrows. This drives Liz crazy, thus I do it on purpose for that reason! Sports Square Water Works Mini-Golf and Bolt Mini-Golf and Bolt Seating area You can see Freedom off in the distance! Long line at Guy's Burgers already! Lido was getting more crowded quickly Ron stopped for a Diet Pepsi, otherwise known as "The Elixir of the Gods" I like the tiki decorations We worked our way down to Lido deck. By this time, it was almost noon and was starting to get crowded, so we decided to go ahead and get lunch before it was completely overrun with people. Big Chicken was my choice for the first day. Ron decided to eat there, too. I ordered a Big Aristotle. Just like I remembered it! Time for lunch at Big Chicken I already know what I want! Gotta finish it off with Funfetti cheesecake! I continued taking pictures on Lido and deck 8 but by that time it was 1:30 so we went to the room to unpack. Home sweet home for the week Hey, that's us!! Standard issue interior room I like the fixed shower doors SO much better than the curtains! At this time, we were still missing one of the bigger suitcases. We unpacked what we had. We weren’t too concerned at that point. I always feel nice and “settled” after I’ve unpacked. I went back to my picture taking and finished up decks 6 and 7. Ron wanted to go see if his suitcase had arrived so we went back to the room. The Vespa One of the "shiny staircases" Rudi's Rudi's Summer Landing Liz really wanted one of us to ride the pig. I'm not that brave... Brewery Pig and Anchor Deck 8 aft pool Outdoor Guy's Pig and Anchor open at lunch Guy's Pig and Anchor What would you order? Love these views! Deck 8 loungers - typically nice and quiet My favorite reading area on Deck 8 Eating area outside pizza and deli Some Grand Central upper level seating Grand Central Teppanyaki Grand View Bar decorations Havanna Bar Casino...I like the constellations on the ceiling Casino Casino Liz and I in the Big Red Chair Alchemy Bar Emeril's Bistro Carnival Kitchen....much more about this later Carnival Kitchen Fortune Teller Brass Magnolia Cherry on Top Java Blue Liz and Aaron at the Mardi Gras relief and ships coin. The difference in the sizes between the two ships is amazing! Punchliner Punchliner I'll add more ship pictures as I go through the story. See you tomorrow!

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that! Thanks for reading along!

Glad to have you! Thanks for reading along!

Thank you so much for your kind words and I appreciate your reading along. We DID have a great time! To be fair, I’ve never had a bad cruise. I’ve had things happen on cruises that weren’t ideal, but I’ve enjoyed every single one.

It was really good! We enjoyed it very much and the food was great!

Saturday, Sept 14th – Cruise Day!!! We woke up around 7am. Finally! Cruise day! It’s one of the happiest days of the year! Love this countdown screen! The hotel does have a restaurant called Flamingo and they do serve breakfast. They even have a breakfast bar….at $21 per person! Now I’m not a big breakfast eater so that was outrageous for me. If you’re a person who loves breakfast it might be just the thing. I didn’t try any of their food, so I don’t know how good it was. I just knew it wasn’t something we wanted to do. We opted instead to walk across the street to McDonalds. Not exactly fine dining but it gets the job done! Liz and Aaron joined us. We also saw Emory, Sarah and Bobby while we were there. Sarah wound up eating with us and taking something back for Steven. Bobby and Emory both did a carry out for Cami and Kim. If you're confused about your location...here's your sign! Breakfast accomplished, we went back to our room, packed the things we’d used and headed to the lobby. It was about 9:30. We were told to be in the lobby at 9:45. When we got to the lobby, Aaron told us that the shuttle was already there, and they were calling our names. We texted everyone in our group to hurry. Most of us made the first shuttle but they filled it up and wouldn’t take any more even though it was earlier than advertised. Part of us went on to the port. The others followed in the next shuttle. I like being early and efficiency as well as anyone, but I don’t appreciate being told one time and it not being accurate. It was stressful! I always feel responsible for everyone who is traveling with me. I always try very hard to make sure no one has a bad experience. I was concerned that our group would be angry about this change. Fortunately, everyone took it in stride, and I was able to relax a little. I don’t mean to internalize things, but I can’t seem to help it. Aaron and Steven were ready and waiting. Bobby coming in the background. Just me and my girl! Shuttle to the port was full I was sandwiched in the back seat with Liz (photographer), Aaron, Sarah and Steven What are you doing over there!! Must have been fine....carry on! The ride to the port is very quick…5 – 10 minutes tops. This was our first sailing as Platinum, but we wanted to board with our friends, so we opted not to use the priority line or the priority areas or boarding inside the terminal. We’d rather hang out with them! We’ll use that particular “perk” on our sailing on the Spirit next summer. Security line wasn't long The dreaded metal detectors Bobby and Kim had matching cruise shirts for several days Security was relatively fast, and I AGAIN sailed through with no problems. I feel like I might have conquered my bad luck with security! Famous last words?? Bobby wasn’t so lucky, however. He has had both a knee and a hip replaced so it was necessary to wand both areas. They were finally satisfied with the results and let him go on through. Our next stop was for our check-in. The lady who checked us in was very friendly. She told us that this was not a full sailing and there were only 5890 passengers. I’ll take it! We walked into the waiting area and sat down to wait until our boarding group was called. After about 30 minutes, it was our turn. It was approximately 11am by this time. Waiting for our zone to be called Liz and Sarah Kim and Bobby At this point I noticed that Kim's feet don't touch the floor when she sits. Hmmm..... Ron and I Steven and Aaron - Notice that Steven's feet DO touch the floor Our zone was called and it was time to board! Yay! The long wait was over! Headed to the ship Almost there! My first step BACK on Mardi Gras! I'll be back later today to add more!

Thank you so much and thanks for reading along! Thank you! I appreciate your taking the time to read along!

We made it to the hotel without incident and checked in. It was very easy. The Raddison isn’t anything special and is obviously an older hotel, but it was clean and close to the port. It offered transportation. It would work. I would later learn that Kim and Bobby’s room had a ceiling fan and air conditioning that wasn’t working properly. They requested maintenance but, to my knowledge, it wasn’t repaired while we were there. We will probably need to find a different situation the next time we travel through Port Canaveral. My room was fine, so it seems to be a “hit or miss” problem. We all agreed to meet in the lobby at 6pm to go find dinner. We were told to meet the shuttle the next morning at 9:45. Hotel lobby Lobby Pool Look at all these cute little walkways! Pool Pool Our room....I didn't remember to take the picture until AFTER I'd laid several things down! It was nice to NOT be traveling for a while. We relaxed for an hour or so and reconvened in the lobby right at 6pm. There are lots of good dinner options in Cocoa Beach. We had talked about getting Ubers to go to Fishlips but after reading about Kelsey’s Italian and Pizzeria and The Preacher Bar, we simply walked next door. We were all tired of traveling! The food was really good! It was also plentiful. We had a good time talking and eating. Kelsey's (we didn't go into Preacher Bar but you can see the door in the background We were all happy to have finished the “traveling” portion and were ready to get on to the “cruising” portion. After a leisurely dinner, we Face Timed with Derrick outside the restaurant and walked back to our hotel. Everyone was tired. There is a very nice swimming pool at the hotel, but I didn’t want to swim. First, I was tired. Second, I didn’t want to pack a wet bathing suit in my luggage. I simply wanted to go back to the room and call it a night. That’s exactly what we did.

We boarded our uneventful (thankfully!) flight to Orlando and arrived at MCO a little ahead of schedule. Ron always take a picture of our parking spot because we have usually forgotten a week later. Waiting for shuttle pick-up at CLT Settled in for our flight We are cleared for take off! Charlotte falls away in the distance Up, up and away..... ...climbing higher...... ....and just like that, we're above the clouds! Just a little less than two hours later, we descend into Orlando When arranging shuttle times, I had the choice between the 3pm and 4pm shuttle. Since we were originally supposed to land after 2pm, I had booked the 4pm shuttle. You never know how long it will take to get off the plane, bathroom breaks, baggage, etc. You know the drill! After we landed early and gathered our luggage so quickly, I called Cocoa Beach Shuttle to see if there was any way we could meet the 3pm shuttle instead. Alas, it wasn’t possible. They could have taken a few of us, but not all 10 of us. We found some seats and settled in to wait until 4pm so we could meet our ride to Cocoa Beach. We grabbed a snack and some of us wandered around a bit. Waiting in Orlando. From left to right....Liz, Emory and Cami Kim and Bobby with their matching shirts! From near to far....part of Ron, Aaron and Steven There is an art piece in the Orlando airport. It’s a man, a traveler, in a glass box. It is SO realistic that it looks exactly like someone just resting in the box. We soon discovered that he wasn’t moving or breathing and therefore must not be a person. A quick check on Google revealed that the sculpture is called “The Traveler”. The artist is Duane Hanson. The sculpture was created in 1986. It is apparently made of bronze. It underwent restoration recently. I have never seen anything like it! Although I have been to the Orlando airport several times, I don’t ever remember seeing the sculpture. It is the most realistic statue I believe I have ever seen. If you’re traveling through MCO and have time, it’s located on Level 3 in the Main Terminal. It’s definitely worth seeing! Can you believe this guy ISN'T real?? Also, can you believe it's made of bronze (according to internet)? Amazing! We made our way outside to the shuttle area and our shuttle arrived right on time. It was VERY full as we shared the shuttle with others. I was sort of impressed that the driver managed to get all of our luggage arranged in the back of the van. It was kind of like Tetris. He finally managed the huge task, and we were on our way to Raddison at the Port. Our shuttle The drive between MCO and Cocoa Beach is about 45 minutes. As you drive in, you can see the port. The Vista was still in port undergoing repairs. At the time she had missed a sailing or two. I really hope they were able to fix her issues.

It’s a small handheld game console with removable handles. I think it’s the modern version of a Game Boy. I don’t really know much about them, to be honest! Lol

Thanks so much for reading along!

Now…on with the story! It was time for check-in. We all planned to “meet” on our group chat a little before midnight so we could, hopefully, all get the earliest possible time and get them all together. Since this was our first Platinum sailing, I had already checked in. I didn’t confess that at first. I took the 10:30 to 11:00 option hoping that would line up pretty well with everyone else. It worked like a charm! Everyone got the 10:30 to 11:00 slot and, just like that, check-in was complete. Those two weeks between check-in and leaving must be the two longest weeks of the year. Can time possibly drag any slower?!? I had a terrible case of “vacationitis” during my last few workdays. Seems like work always gets more complicated during that time. Finally, I had successfully shut down my part of the office and it was time to pack. It isn’t quite vacation yet, but I can see if from here! September 13th – Travel Day (yes, we flew on Friday the 13th!) Our plan was to leave by 6am for our 11:45 flight out of Charlotte. I had planned to be up around 4:30 so I’d have plenty of time to get ready. The alarm when off and I bounded out of bed. It’s always like Christmas morning for me. I noticed that Ron had a strange look on his face after looking at his phone. The conversation went like this: Me: What? Him: I thought we were leaving at 6. Me: We are! Him: Then why did you set the alarm for 5:30? Eeek!!! Oh no!!! What have I done!!!! I could have fainted!! For some unknown reason, I set the alarm AN HOUR LATER than anticipated! I freaked out! I was nearly in tears as I ran around trying to get ready. I just knew I had totally blown it! Fortunately, my hair didn’t fight back at all that morning, and we’d already packed so loading the car was a quick process. I threw my last few items in his open carry on and away we went. We walked out the door at 6:07am. That has got to be some sort of record for me! It was dark when we left Princeton! If you live in West Virginia, you know that no on-the-road breakfast counts if it isn’t a biscuit from Tudor’s. They don’t just serve biscuits…they serve BISCUITS! They are MASSIVE! One of my favorite Tudor’s stories is from my son’s father-in-law. While visiting, he decided to go to a nearby Tudor’s to get breakfast for the four of them. He ordered two biscuits each, assuming they would be normal sized biscuits. Mark said when he picked up the bag, he nearly dropped it because of the weight! He loved the biscuits and never missed a chance to go to Tudor’s when he was visiting Ben, our son, and his daughter, Katherine, in WV. Tudor's biscuits! I don't allow myself to have them very often, but calories don't count on cruises! On the road! Biscuits acquired, we merged onto I-77 for the trip to Charlotte to meet our friends and catch our plane. On the way out the door I had asked Ron to not tell anyone about my alarm snafu. It didn’t take long for it to become funny to me, so I texted Liz to confess and later told everyone. Steven looked impressed that I managed to get ready in 37 minutes. Go me! We know the way to the airport except for the last couple of turns. Ron asked me to get his phone and turn on Waze. I picked up his phone and was confronted with his face ID screen. I just stuck it over in front of his face so it would see him and magically open. The only problem with that is he was also driving! Oops! I knew he’d be OK! He did look a little startled, though. We usually fly out of CLT (Charlotte). In the past few years, they have started doing reservations for long term parking. It isn’t strictly required, but they won’t guarantee that they will have parking available if you haven’t reserved a spot. Emory mentioned that fact just a few days before we left. I had totally forgotten to do that! We reserved our parking and when we arrived, we were very glad we had made that reservation because the lots were quite full. The reservation was $12 a day and was well worth it. Thanks for reminding us, Emory! Pulling into CLT Don't forget to book parking!!! We made it to the airport, found our parking spot and boarded a shuttle to the terminal. As we got to the terminal, we ran into Liz and Aaron and Kim and Bobby. We all headed to the security line together. I could feel my heart start beating faster. I often seem to be selected for random searches and such. I don’t look forward to the TSA lines! Waiting for our shuttle... The security lines were relatively long this time. It took us about 30 minutes to get up to the agent. Ron was in front of me. He stepped in front of the camera, and, for whatever reason, it wouldn’t recognize him. He had to also produce his driver’s license in addition to his passport and try again. Fortunately, that time, he was allowed to move forward. I went through without incident. Go figure! Step one was successful! We got in line and started the process…..backpack in tray, shoes in tray, electronics larger than phone in tray, etc. I had absolutely no problems on this day. My halo was super shiny, and I sailed right through the process. Yay! This airport has been under construction for YEARS! Liz, however, wasn’t so lucky. In addition to her backpack and cell phone, she also was carrying a Nintendo Switch. The first TSA agent told her to put the Switch in her backpack. She did. When her bag went through the scanner, she was pulled out of line and they had to take out the Switch for examination. She was NOT a happy camper! Maybe just a LITTLE salty. It only took a few minutes for the process to be complete….and a few minutes longer for her to regain her composure…and we were finally on our way. Emory and Cami and Steven and Sarah had arrived and made their way through security. We had time to spare. Whew! What a morning it had been! Liz.......This is the look of frustration But after a quick conversation they got it figured out and we were on our way! Since I’d had a biscuit on the way, I wasn’t really hungry, but in my mind, sweets are never a bad idea. (I have to fight that internal persuasion ALL the time, but not on vacation.) There is a store in CLT called the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Company. They had some massive cookies! I got a butterscotch chip cookie from the case. We didn’t see any chocolate chip, which is what Ron, Liz and Kim wanted. Just as we were discussing what to get instead, a gentleman came from the back carrying a tray of chocolate chip cookies that were fresh from the oven. We’d definitely lucked out! I would have changed my mind and gotten that, too, if they hadn’t already bagged the butterscotch cookie. We ate part of the cookie just before we boarded. Mine was OK. Ron’s was glorious and delightful. We shared both cookies over the rest of the day but the one we eventually finished was his chocolate chip cookie. Waiting for our plane, munching on delightful cookies! This is MY tribe! Our plane is ready Away we go! I'll be back to write more tomorrow!!