Documenting the dream western caribbean 01/21-28/2012; the money monkey goes cruising

[radrayjax]

Carnival Miracle Cruise to Freeport, Grand Bahamas 04/9-12/2004

 

Continued from last night....

 

Florida and Bahamas Map with Freeport tagged.

 

Freeport from Google Earth with the port circled and places in Port Lucaya tagged.

 

This itinerary was chosen for a number of reasons: We were members of a big-box membership wear house at the time (not Sam’s or Costco; think the 2nd and 10th letters of the alphabet and if nothing rings a bell, don’t worry, it is probably regional) and would see the large signs for cheap cruises by the front of the store. We used a TA from the membership wear house and I felt the deal was good.

 

We choose a three-night cruise as newbies to get our feet wet. In case I didn’t like the experience I wanted the minimum amount of ship time. Also, going out of Jacksonville was the only option as far as I was concerned.

 

After eight years I can’t remember the exact room placement but it was probably an ocean view on the Riviera (01) deck because I remember only having to go up 1 flight of stairs to a public deck – probably the Promenade (02).

 

I have only a limited number of photos from that cruise. What follows is more in the way of impressions than a blow-by-blow rundown of events.

 

April 9, 2004: Embarkation Day:

 

Jaxport is a one-ship/one-terminal port to this day. As with the majority of Florida, the land is flat and the ship appears to rise out of the land like a white high rise building. Note that outside of the downtown area there are few building this tall in Jacksonville.

 

Approaching the Miracle at Jaxport, 04/09/2004

 

For someone who had never been close to a cruise ship, even this “medium-sized” vessel is very impressive. I was getting very excited as we got closer. You can see the single-storey terminal building in front of the ship with the cars in front in the picture above.

Closer Approach to the Miracle at Jaxport, 04/09/2004

I don’t remember many details about the check-in process for this cruise. This was only 2 ½ years after 9/11 and I’m sure that the security check-in was not as detailed/painful as it would be in later years (just as the airport check-ins were not so egregious at the time).

 

I remember going up the winding gang plank. We approached a huge opening not at a lower deck (0) but what turned out to be the lobby (Promenade - 02) deck. I half expected to be in a small area and have to take an elevator to a public deck. What I never expected was to walk onto a ship and be greeted with the sight of a grand 10-storey atrium! I was floored.

 

Promenade Deck (02) with circle where we entered (from CruiseDeckPlans.com).

 

Metropolis Lobby Atrium from the Promenade (02) Deck.

[radrayjax]

Sail away 4:00PM

 

The ship left the dock pretty much on time at 4:00PM and started the long trek to the ocean. The ship must pass under the Dames Point Bridge (see Google Earth shot below) on its 10-mile voyage to the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Google earth shot of winding path from JaxPort (red circle) to Atlantic Ocean.

 

On the approach to the Dames Point Bridge you wonder if you will make under the bridge. It was VERY Close.

 

Approaching the Dames Point Bridge. From this distance you’re not sure if you won’t be decapitated.

 

Going under the Dames Point Bridge. You could almost read the part numbers.

 

The shot below was taken as we were still sailing down the river past the bridge. Note in the distance how straight the tree line is.

[radrayjax]

Muster was on the Atlantic Deck (03) exterior promenade (tan color below) under the life boats.

 

Carnival Miracle Atlantic (03) deck plan from CruiseDeckPlans.com

 

We had early seating for dinner in the MDR (My favorite words are “right this way…”). I can’t remember what I had at any of the meals; heck it was eight years ago and I can’t remember what I ate eight days ago. I do remember eating crème brûlée for the first time and liking it. Dinner was scheduled just about the time the ship reached the Atlantic Ocean. I was worried about rocking and rolling at that time.

 

I needn’t be. The ride wasn’t just sooth it was INCREDIBLY smooth. All I ever felt for the majority of the voyage was the ship’s vibration, not wave motions at all. To try to describe it to someone later on I would put my palm on their upper arm and move it back and forth about 3-4 mm. That is how minor the motion was.

 

Sometime after dinner I remember going back to the exterior promenade on the Atlantic deck again and watching the water. I loved this area. It was relatively close to the water, so you could get a feel for it. It was always quiet and uncrowded. And you could walk a complete circuit around the ship. At that time I was in relatively good shape and did a lot of walking and exploring on purpose. The ship was a small town and I spent much of the voyage exploring.

 

One of the nice areas I “discovered” was Gatsby’s Garden on the Promenade deck forward. This too seemed totally unoccupied most of the time.

 

Detail of Atlantic Deck Forward: Gatsby’s Garden.

 

Gatsby’s Garden. In this photo it almost appears to go on forever.

 

Detail of Atlantic Deck (03) amidships showing interior promenade and fun shops – The Yellow Brick Road.

 

What I really liked about the winding “Yellow Brick Road” concept above was that you couldn’t see around the corner. It didn’t feel like a land-based mall. I don’t have any photos of this area of the ship but other’s have posted them over the years.

 

 

[radrayjax]

April 10, 2004: Freeport:

 

I think I mentioned before that I don’t sail for the port, I sail for the ship. I had been to Nassau twice in the past and I don’t get too excited about the Bahamas (other than the coins and currency are among the world’s most beautiful, but I already had examples). I knew Freeport would not be as interesting.

 

Still we took the van/bus to Port Lucaya and looked around. We walked through a resort and admired it and the beach and clear water. We did some window shopping but the straw market there was not as interesting as the one in Nassau.

 

My general feeling was that I would have been just as happy if I stayed on the ship.

 

Some of the stores at the port.

 

Below is the straw market at the port. This is not the same as the one in Port Lucaya.

 

After coming back to the ship I did more exploring. Note below in the deck plans of the Lido Deck (09) aft bar the two ice cream stations circled. Many people remember the fine dining. Others have gone to Nick and Nora’s Steakhouse. Other than finding where it was during my explorations it didn’t interest me because it cost extra money.

 

No, the thing I remember with the most fondness is the 24/7 soft serve! Ice cream around the clock! I prefer ice cream over cake and cookies. You can bet I tested that 24/7 concept into the wee hours of the morning.

 

Below: Looking down at the Lido Deck (09) Orpheus Aft Pool from the promenade on the Sun Deck (10) while leaving Freeport.

 

 

Below: Close-up of sculptures by the aft pool.

 

Below: One of the final shots leaving Freeport.

[radrayjax]

Correction to post 28 title, that should be 2004, not 2009. Feel free to heave an exasperated sigh!

I AM working on the 2009 cruise and will be posting that tomorrow night. That segment is longer than the 2004 cruise.

[radrayjax]

More on exploring the ship….

 

Below: Looking down the atrium and glass elevators from the Lido Deck.

 

Below: Mural/Photo of the Chrysler Building in the funnel, near the entrance to Nick & Nora’s Steakhouse.

 

 

During the second night we saw a show and a comedian (I think) and went club hopping. I’m normally sensitive to loud music but we did sit a while in a club with a Hispanic band (wait for it) doing fantastic covers of classic rock songs. My wife (#2) and I were both impressed with this group. I thought for sure that they were Chicano’s from the southwest US.

 

During a break in their set we approached the band and paid our compliments to them and asked where they were from. I was floored to find out that they were from the Philippines and were rocking in totally unaccented English.

 

Neither of us quite realized at the time that the vast majority of the crew were from 2nd and 3rd-world countries even though our room steward and the wait staff clearly were (we had previously talked to them).

 

I know that we attended the Captain’s reception and also saw trivia games and enjoyed everything.

 

Below: An obligatory shot of our cabin.

 

 

The above shot was taken during the 2nd day. I should have mentioned it before but we were both pleasantly surprised at how roomy the cabin was. My preconceived notion came from the Marx Brother’s film Monkey Business when they cram about 20 people in a stateroom and someone opens the door with room service and about 12 people come crashing out on the floor. I’ve since been in motel rooms in Brooklyn and Queens (some of the most expensive real estate in the world) that weren’t much bigger, but I’m fine if I can get around the bed without smashing my toe!

 

Monkey Business:

 

 

[radrayjax]

April 11, 2004: Sea Day:

 

One of the major surprises I discovered was the art show and auction. For all the people we knew that had cruised (and since coming to these pages) nobody had ever mentioned the (Park West) shows and auctions.

 

I’d been to dozens of art shows and auctions at science fiction conventions over the years and countless street shows. I’ve bought (and sold) dozens of pieces over the years. I’ve also been in bidding wars but I know my price points. I had a ball at the auction and bought a couple of pieces.

 

Below is a shot from a science fiction convention art auction in the late 1980’s.

 

Limited Edition Animation Cell of Michigan J. Frog (Hello my Baby!) (From the Miracle art show):

 

 

Limited Edition seriolithograph (this is a print with brush-stroke-like texture):

 

I think I paid $86 (or $106) for the two pieces and they were mailed to me.

 

That evening we saw the final show “Ticket to Ride,” a tribute to the Beatles. I’m surprised to see that this is still playing the on the Miracle eight years later. One of the highlights of the show was that the same Filipino rock band came up through the floor and really rocked the house playing the Beatles tunes.

 

At about this point in the show when things were really rocking we actually felt the ship rocking a little! WHAA?? The rocking did not bother me but we were certainly curious as to what was happening.

 

We found out later that the ship had to make an emergency stop outside Port Canaveral to off-load a sick passenger.

 

Summation:

 

I had a ball on this short trip. I thought the ship, 24/7 soft serve, activities, 24/7 soft serve, food, 24/7 soft serve, facilities, 24/7 soft serve, staff, and did I mention 24/7 soft serve, were excellent.

 

I can definitely see why many people have fallen in love with this fine ship over the years.

 

El Cheapo highly approved the value. I knew I would definitely cruise again. But when?

 

If I enjoyed this so much, why was it five years before I cruised again?

 

Well, life happened.

[radrayjax]

Interlude 1 (2004-2009):

 

Wife #2 and I split 14 months later (June 2005) and divorced in December 2005.

 

I dated someone for almost a year (met on line) and split in August 2006. I met Fran, who would become wife #3 on line and we started dating in September 2006. She moved in a few months later.

 

Things went very well. Among our trips together was a vacation/buying trip to Charleston in October 2007. About a year later I proposed.

 

Such romantic thoughts... How did I pop the question?

 

Me: “How would you like to take home $35.00 a [bi-weekly] pay period more?”

She: “Sounds good. How?”

Me: “Marry me and then you will pay less taxes at the married rate.”

She: “Will everything else stay the same?”

Me: “Sure.”

She: “Okay.”

 

We decided on the date of January 18, 2009. We were married at a close friend’s house with immediate family. I took everyone out to eat Thai food for dinner after words.

 

The “official” shot (Fran is the one on the right):

 

Fran with her beautiful children. They are currently aged 30-35.

 

Cruise #2 would be the honeymoon cruise, but we couldn’t take it until a couple of months later. My mother paid for most of the cruise as a wedding present.

 

This time it would be a five day cruise on the Fascination with two ports-of-call, Key West and Nassau.

 

My mother paid $900.00 and I paid $50.00 more up front and $100.00 more for gratuities when checking out. I used the same big box membership club TA.

 

Pre-cruise I did more research and for Key West I booked the Old Town Trolley hop-on/hop-off on line directly with the trolley company. Maps are in the review to follow.

 

I didn’t plan any excursions for Nassau. The goal there was to get to a bank near the port and obtain new Bahamian currency.

 

Fran and I don’t work for money…we work for the state. I work for the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and am in contact with many of the county vital statistics offices. I speak very often with the chief deputy registrar (CDR) in the Monroe County (Key West) office. I had talked to her about the cruise well in advance and made plans to meet her at her office when we got to Key West and have lunch at some place local.

 

What follows TOMORROW night is my not-so-mini review of the Fascination honeymoon cruise March 30-April 4, 2009....

[radrayjax]

Go Knights!

 

DW and I met at UCF (after it shed the FTU monkey-on-the-back), where we took down our share of DODs. LOL!

 

This tome will keep me enthalled for weeks...or months...maybe even years. I could even possibly see someone putting together a Master Thesis analyzing this thread.

 

You wouldn't happen to work at the DMV would you?

Thanks...It wasn't officially titled U Can't Finish until some years after I left. My Division/Bureau was revealed near the end of tonight's chapter.

[meatloafsfan]

Your review is very different but very good. I'm really enjoying this walk down memory lane with you leading to your Dream review.

 

I've been on the Miracle as well so it was very nice to see those pictures - it's surprising how little the ship changed from your cruise to mine (which was in 2011).

 

Keep up the excellent work! I'll be reading along for certain. :D

[elmom]

I am enjoying it!

[crusinpsychRN]

Did someone switch my drugs this morning?:eek:

[bshow]

This is the greatest review ever.

[MadamG2U]

You have caught my attention. Will be following your review.

 

MadamG2U

[2tall]

For some reason, I'm really enjoying this weird review and that includes all of the back stories! I think I'd like sitting next to you at dinner since, and I hope you take this in the spirit in which I mean it, you seem like an unusual guy. Unusual is a good thing!

 

By the way, your wife has some really good looking kids.

 

Pray continue.

[radrayjax]

This is an upgraded photo of Fran's Children. I'm new to photobucket, as of TWO Days ago so I'm still in a learning curve. I forgot, when I upgraded the photo in the post above, that it would leave a HOLE where the original photo was.

 

Sorry for the confusion! Mea Culpa!

 

Fran and her beautiful children. They are currently aged 32, 30, 35 from left to right.

 

[radrayjax]

For some reason, I'm really enjoying this weird review and that includes all of the back stories! I think I'd like sitting next to you at dinner since, and I hope you take this in the spirit in which I mean it, you seem like an unusual guy. Unusual is a good thing!

 

By the way, your wife has some really good looking kids.

 

Pray continue.

 

Thanks. I figured that if only half the readers "got this" that would be great. Yes, a geek, a nerd, and an unusal guy THANKS you.

[radrayjax]

Fascination honeymoon cruise March 30-April 4, 2009:

Itinerary

 

Preamble:

 

 

Death. Decapitation. Dismemberment. Kidney Stones.

 

These are some of the things that can put a crimp in a vacation. I have not personally partaken of the first three but I did experience the fourth one at a science fiction convention in Tampa in the late 1990’s. This is the only time that severe internal pain caused me to pack up and leave early. We (wife #2 and I) came back to Jacksonville and I ended up in the emergency room on an I-V until I passed the puppy.

 

In 2001 I was in Chicago for my wife’s (# 2 again) 35th high school reunion and was having severe abdominal pains. This turned out to be a gall bladder attack and I had laprascopic surgery shortly after my return.

 

Just days prior to this, my honeymoon cruise (with wife #3), I put my back out while cleaning/changing cat litter bins and lifting said bins and buckets of litter. The pain did put a crimp on my activities during the cruise and affected my mobility a little. Still, it WAS a honeymoon cruise and I had a GREAT time!

 

Embarkation Day, Monday March 30, 2009:

 

Things had changed at Jaxport in five years. Security was tighter and traffic control was not as good. It seemed to take forever just to get to the terminal. Fran’s son drove us and dropped us off.

 

Some shots of the Fascination on the approach to Jaxport terminal.

 

 

 

 

My first impressions of the Fascination was that it was smaller in length and height than the Miracle. After checking in we entered at deck 0. This is the type of entrance I had expected on the Miracle. We entered below decks and had to take the elevator up to the public areas.

 

The central atrium on the Fascination was only four decks tall, so it was clearly less impressive than the atrium on the Miracle.

 

The Fascination (Fantasy Class) got it’s inspiration from the older ocean liner standard where all the public decks are topside. It took me some years and later visits to the Carnival website to figure this out: You could see this because the life boats are at or near the top of the ship. The Miracle (Spirit Class) was the part of a new class of “split-level” plans that broke from the tradition and put some public function decks mid-way up and some top side. Different people are fans of the different plans. If you have mobility issues, having all the public decks in relative close proximity might be preferable. The split plan did offer some quieter spaces on public decks.

 

One thing I liked on the Miracle that was absent from the Fascination was the wrap-around walking area on the Promenade deck. Also the Miracle featured a two-tier MDR that was grander in scale than the Fascination, which had a one-tier MDR.

 

Shots of central atrium of the Fascination.

 

 

I want to put these structural/esthetic aspects in perspective. The Fascination was/is not a bad ship and this cruise overall would be much more enjoyable than my first cruise.

 

By the numbers:

 

This was a 5-day cruise vs. a 3-day cruise on the prior ship so…

There were 66% MORE cruising days, a good thing.

There were 66% more meals, most of which were all-you-can-eat.

There were at LEAST 66% more chances of having soft-serve. This speaks for itself.

There were TWICE as many ports, each of which were at least TWICE as interesting as the port on the prior cruise so this was about a 400% improvement.

[radrayjax]

SAIL AWAY (Departure shortly after 4:00PM)

 

As far as I remember the ship met the itinerary times quite well. The fact that we were chafing at the bit to get going is not a reflection on the people piloting the ship.

 

Fran at the front of the Sun Deck (10) while still docked. At the bottom of the picture you can see people on the “secret deck” at the front of the Veranda Deck (8) which was just above the bridge.

 

Ray and Fran (Fran is the one on the right) at the same location shortly before casting off.

 

The thrusters started and the ship slowly pulled away and slightly forward from the dock. After moving a few dozen yards the ship slowly spun around on its axis and did a 180 to face the Dames Point Bridge and the St. Johns River to head towards the Atlantic. I still get a kick out of this tight maneuver.

 

The Dames Point Bridge, in the distance.

 

A motorized sailing ship we passed along the way.

 

A very poorly aligned shot where Fran is attempting to appear to be holding up or serving up the bridge.

[radrayjax]

Later that day…

 

We had early seating dinner that night in the MDR with three other couples, ranging from middle age and up. I was surprised to find out that one older couple had cruised about 12-14 times. At the rate I was going I wouldn’t live long enough to cruise that often. They were all pleasant.

 

As soon as we were out to see and the shops opened I went to the store that sold Carnival merchandise.

 

I’ve mentioned just how much I enjoyed the prior Miracle cruise but there was one serious deficiency I must bring up here. It is not a fault of the ship, it is apparently rampant throughout the line: The plastic drinking cups in the Lido Deck restaurants/buffets are rinky-dink. There, I’ve said it. I drink a lot and I had to make trips throughout the day (on the prior cruise) to tank up on tea.

 

On this trip I decided to rectify that ASAP and I bought a 24oz insulated drink holder/cup/thermos (I’m just not sure how to name this thing). I kept this with me at all times while roaming the ship. In the morning I filled it with iced coffee. In the afternoon and evenings iced tea. It was $5.50, a fairly good deal even by land standards. For the upcoming Dream cruise I’ve surpassed this.

 

After dinner we explored the Promenade deck (6) and saw the comedy show.

 

Promenade Deck 6, entrance to Passage to India Lounge circled. Note Bogart’s Café immediately to the left (rear) and starboard of the lounge. This sorely tempted me throughout the voyage.

Fran at the entrance to the Passage to India Lounge.

 

 

During this voyage there was no “hot” band that pulled me in like the group on the Miracle.

 

Later we saw the comedy show in the aft Putting on the Ritz lounge. The comedian was from Florida and I recall that he was very funny.

 

Ray with the Florida comedian. We’re were comparing bellies.

 

 

After the show we turned in. Below was our first towel animal. Note beside it on the Fun Times is my past guest pin.

 

The doggie towel animal from the first night.

 

Fascination pin.

[radrayjax]

Sea Day, Tuesday March 31, 2009:

I don’t have any photos from this day. We relaxed. Fran hung out by the pool and I explored. She loved going down the slides/tubes. Because of my back I didn’t swim or go on the slides.

This was the elegant/formal dinner night preceded by the captain’s reception. I didn’t attend either; I was laid up in my room because of my back. Fran enjoyed both but didn’t take photos.

[radrayjax]

Key West, Wednesday April 1, 2009:

 

We docked at Malloy Square, which is on the south west corner of the island, before dawn.

 

Map of Key West with Old Town Trolley Stops numbered. Malloy Square is #1 below.

 

Google earth shot of the docks and Mallory Square.

 

Feeling better this morning, I got up early to get some dawning shots over Mallory Square and Key West.

 

Mallory Square pre-sun-up

 

 

 

 

[radrayjax]

Tank Island, which is to the west of Mallory Square.

 

We got off the ship about 9:00AM and made our way to Mallory Square. We put a priority on catching the Old Town Trolley because I had the lunch “date” with the lady at the county vital’s office and that was near stop 11 on the tour. Since this was a relatively early sail away (3:00PM) we wanted to be back on the ship around 2:00PM.

Key [West] Lime Shoppe. Near Stops 2 and 3. Boy was I tempted to get off.

 

Sloppy Joe’s Bar, a couple of blocks east of Mallory Square. (See Google Earth shot above.)

 

Earnest Hemingway House (Stop 5). Didn’t see any kittys from the trolley!

 

Somewhere along Roosevelt Blvd (near Stop 6).

 

Fran at the southernmost point in the US (Stop 10).

[radrayjax]

Key West Continued...

 

Detail map of Key West showing location of County Health Department (CHD) at corner of Virginia and Simonton Streets. (Near Stop 11)

 

 

 

Under normal circumstances I would have walked up Duval St then to Virginia to the CHD building but I couldn’t do it so we took the trolley up to stop 11 and walked around the corner to the CHD building.

 

 

The County Health Department is in an old cigar factory building. My goal was to my friend at around noon for lunch. Fran and I arrived a few minutes early. As I noted in the prior posting she and I had talked and exchanged e-mails for weeks that I would be there April 1.

 

We show up and she is in the middle of training a co-worker. “Oh, was it today….” Well, after a few minutes of pleasantries Fran and I walked back around the corner to Duval street and I had half a sub at a Subway. We walked back to stop 11 and while waiting for the trolley we visited a souvenir shop next door where Fran bought me a Key West t-shirt. We then took the trolley back to Mallory Square.

 

Google Earth shot of exterior of Monroe County Health Department (CHD).

 

 

Interior wall of Monroe CHD, a former cigar factory.

 

Since we didn’t have lunch in the original restaurant, we got back to Mallory Square with time to spare and looked around at shops and sights. It’s a great port area!

 

Fran learning the finer details of interacting with land sharks (near Mallory Square).

 

A photo of President Truman fishing off of Key West, found in one of the Mallory Square shops.

 

Statue of “Papa” Hemingway in front of Key West Art Museum (KWAM) at Mallory Square.

[radrayjax]

Mallory Square, heading back to the ship...

 

Ray taking some of the pressure off his back. At KWAM in Mallory Square.

 

Returning to the ship….

 

Ants infesting the Fascination.

 

Back at the dock, facing Mallory Square.

 

Starboard Side of the Bridge. The ship was docked on this side at Key West.

 

Looking back at Mallory Square just before sail away.

 

Sail Away, just after3:00 PM...

 

Sail away, leaving Key West.