Jamman54

Patti now heads over to browse some of the shops….. Here is a display of Dominican Republic information and history….. To be continued…..

If I were booked on the Freedom anytime in June, I would be making alternate plans just in case!

Patti heads over to the amber exhibit. Here are some little waterfalls and a stream….. Amber exhibit information….. Here are some examples of how amber trapped insects, frogs, and lizards….. Patti captures some of the flora and fauna….. To be continued…..

Here’s another view of the Mardi Gras and Freedom….. Patti is now back at the pool, and it’s getting a little more crowded….. Some fun at the pool….. There is a fish spa here….. Patti crosses the Plaza and sees the Carnival excursions lining up….. This is the bus departure area…… Here is a helpful sign….. To be continued…..

We agree, much less swim in it!

Patti heads to the Pier Bar. This bar also services the Ocean Cabanas….. This is the Grand Ocean Cabana…… Here are some views of the Ocean Cabanas….. Patti looks up to the four Hilltop Cabanas. We have no interest in ever renting an Ocean or Hilltop Cabana….. Looking over at the pier, it looks like the Freedom passengers are streaming ashore….. To be continued…..

Patti continues with her picture tour. This is the kids play area and splash zone….. This is the crew center where crewmembers can get off the ship and relax….. Looking up to the top of the zip line….. Here’s the bottom of the zip line….. This is the Kissing Booth. Never saw that here before….. The big chair for photo ops….. Pretty view of the Freedom and Mardi Gras together….. This is the Water Equipment Rental Dock and the rental prices….. To be continued…..

Here are a couple of views of the Pool Bar. There are tables and chairs on the second level if you want to eat there….. Patti comes back to the cabana looking for me. Here are a couple of views of the pool from our cabana…… The gray building on the left has the bathrooms and changing rooms….. Patti finds me in my favorite spot. It’s the perfect place to people watch as they stroll by….. That’s me on the left, and across the way is the VIP section where you can rent the comfy loungers and umbrellas. Every once in a while Nataly would come by and ask me if I needed another beer. Of course I would say yes, and she would bring me one in a plastic cup....... Here are the pool rental and cabana rates….. Here are a couple more pool views….. This is the walk in section, with the bathrooms just behind….. If you crave a good hot dog, they have a Nathan’s stand….. To be continued…..

Patti is going to head back down the other set of stairs to take pictures…… I’m going to have another beer here, and then head back to the cabana, and have Nataly our server bring me a bucket of El Presidente’s, and then hit the pool. Here are some more views, including some of the Hilltop Cabanas, as Patti heads down the stairs…. She comes out by the Coco Cana Lounge, which is where all of our drinks and food come from….. To be continued…..

Anything said now is pure speculation, but I have a hunch that the Freedom will be back in service sometime in July. We're on her in January.

I love Fireball the best in a tall glass of Angry Orchard with ice!

Thanks for reading! I'll be posting some more shortly. The Mardi Gras is a great ship. Keep your Freedom cruise and book the Mardi Gras next time!

We love the Pool Cabanas at Amber Cove. We book far in advance, so getting one is not usually a problem. With two ships in port, the pool area does get a bit crowded, but not unmanageable, as you will see from pictures I will post later today. If I couldn't get a cabana, I would rent the comfy loungers with umbrellas in the VIP area for around $100. Plenty of servers there so there is very little wait for food or drinks.

The Freedom has joined the Mardi Gras here in Amber Cove….. Here are some great views from up on the Sky Bar….. Patti zooms in on the Mardi Gras….. You can see Center Stage and the Havana Pool….. To be continued…….

We pass a couple of the Hillside Cabanas….. Patti took a few pictures of the flora and fauna along the way….. We have made it up to the Sky Bar…… Here are the Sky Bar menus….. I’m enjoying my first beer of the day….. Patti ordered a Pina Colada…….. Here’s a view of the Mardi Gras and me….. To be continued…..

We decide to take a walk, or should I say climb, to the Sky Bar….. The bottom of the water slide is right next to the pool cabanas….. The surrounding countryside looks like a scene out of Jurassic Park….. This is the view from the top of the water slide….. We’ve made it to the top of the zip line….. Looking towards the bottom of the zip line….. Here are the zip line rules….. To be continued…..

Our cabana comes with some snacks and drinks….. We have a safe….. This is our deck and chairs….. We also get floats and pool noodles….. The hammock and loungers by the pool are ours as well….. A zipliner passes by overhead..... The staff does a good job keeping non VIP’s from entering the VIP area….. To be continued…..

Hey girl! Thanks for dropping by! It was a pleasure meeting you and W at Paradise Beach in Cozumel. Looking forward to your review. We want to know what you guys were up to that we didn't bump into you aboard the ship!

It is a Carnival excursion. I booked about a year out as soon as it became available. They sell out quickly as there are only 4 Pool Cabanas.

It was closed when we were there last August, but I understand it reopened in October or November.

Once dropped off at the end of the pier, if you look up you will see musicians playing up on the roof…. We’re looking up at the Sky Bar. We’ll be heading up there a little bit later….. Here we are checking in for our Pool Cabana…… Our buddy Ramires, who took good care of us the last time we were here, leads us to our Pool Cabana….. We have the same Pool Cabana that we had the last time. It’s the Tambora Cabana, which is the second cabana from the left….. This is the inside of our cabana….. Here I am with my buddy Ramires….. To be continued…..

Day # 5 (April 27th) - Amber Cove, DR (9am – 6pm). We were up at 7am as the Mardi Gras cruised along the coast of the Dominican Republic on her way to Amber Cove. Here is our view from our balcony looking forward and aft…… The weather is going to be cloudy with passing showers early this morning, before becoming sunny later in the day. Here are today’s “Fun Times”….. We can see Amber Cove in the distance….. The Mardi Gras is docked in Amber Cove by 8:30am. We head up to Big Chicken for breakfast. I had a chicken & biscuit, and the three egg omelet which was big, fluffy, and packed with cheese. Patti also had the three cheese omelet and grabbed some potatoes and bacon from the buffet line. Sorry, we don’t have any pictures as we left the camera in the cabin. The gangways today are on Deck 3, forward and mid ship, on the port side. From our balcony we can look down on the mid ship gangway….. We got off the ship around 9:15am in a light drizzle….. We utilize the pedal-cabs to get us to the end of the pier. we always tip $10 each way….. As we are being pedaled to the end of the pier, Patti gets these shots of the Mardi Gras stern, the Ocean Cabanas, and the Water Equipment Rental dock….. To be continued…..

Thanks! Glad to have you with us. I will be posting more later tonight. That's the Spirit!

Could it also be that the Freedom will sail, and that the Mardi Gras is being delayed so that she can "escort" the Freedom back to PC? Will be interesting to see how this plays out.

We hung out in the cabin until after 6pm, when we decided to just go up to the Marketplace and grab something to eat there. Afterwards, we made our way to Center Stage, Deck 6, to watch Deal or No Deal….. The cards were being sold for $25 each, or two for $40. We bought the two cards. The object is to match the exact dollar amount under the case that the contestant picks. For example, if the contestant picks case #10 and it’s value is $5, if case #10 on your card also is $5, you have a match. The more matches, the bigger the prize that you will win. Your card also has a number on the bottom, and if it’s called you get to be the on stage contestant…… The show is hosted by Lee, the Cruise Director….. This is the Deal or No Deal case board….. The rich banker’s yacht….. The first contestant chooses case #13…… Lee’s talking to the banker about the next offer….. The game progresses down to the last four cases….. The banker offers her $217 and she takes it….. For the rest of us, here are the final Prize Board results…… We didn’t win anything this game, but during the second game Patti won $30 in casino fun play. We enjoyed watching and playing along. Afterwards, we went back to the cabin for the night, where we found today’s towel creature….. Coming up next: Our day at Amber Cove!