Our Triumph-ant First Cruise!

[amcjeep4life]

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We were at this place for about 30-40 minutes. After we had been there about 15-20 minutes, we had a visitor.

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She just cruised on by, never caused any problems, but looked so beautiful gliding through.

[amcjeep4life]

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We were at this place for about 30-40 minutes. After we had been there about 15-20 minutes, we had a visitor.

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She just cruised on by, never caused any problems, but looked so beautiful gliding through.

[amcjeep4life]

OK, just a few more pictures. I promise!

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Bill did let me use the camera, and I got a picture of thebiggest fish of all!

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After finishing up here, we drove around a bit more until one of the guides spotted something. He jumped off the boat and came up with this!

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A little more time to snorkle here, and then the trip was over. We headed back into the marina, caught a bus back to our tendering area, and got in line. The line to re-board the Conquest was crazy! It was easily three times longer than the line for the Triumph. We actuaully got in line and boarded the first tender there, while I know the people who were with us from the Conquest were still way in back waiting while we were eating lunch. They were supposed to be leaving before us, but that didn't happen. I forgot my book at work, so I'll have to finish up with lunch, dinner, and stuff when I get to work later, but I do have a few pictures of the Conquest crossing our stern.They were heading west from the Caymans, were we heading east. Oh yea, they had also told us they hadn't been able to dock in Jamiaca the day before due to rough waters. I believe they go to Montego Bay, so we were hopeful we wouldn't have such problems! Here are a few pictures of the Conquest from our balcony.

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This picture was taken over the rail between our cabin and the wrap next to it, so Jailer, if you're still reading, that is what the balcony looked like from our side. It wrapped all the way around to the port side, which we couldn't see. I never did get a chance to look inside the room tho, sorry!

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So, that's it for Grand Cayman. I thought the island was beautiful, but I'm in no hurry to go back. We did Stingray City, and didn't really see many other things we would be interested in. We are not shoppers, so that doesn't interest us. I know some people say they would love to go there for a few days, but honestly, I'd rather go to Cozumel again. JMHO. Up later today, continuing with this day, back on board!

[amcjeep4life]

OK, so we're back on board after an exciting day. We headed up to the room, dropped off all our stuff and headed to the Lido deck for lunch. Bill went to the Hong Kong Noodle Company, while I headed to the deli stand to the starboard and forward side. I can't remember the name, but it is forward right by the main pool. They had cheeseburgers and hotdogs there, but they also offered chicken tenders and onion rings in addition to fries each day. Today was a chicken tenders and onion rings kind of day. Bill wanted a cheeseburger and onion rings, so I grabbed that as well. They had some nachos and salsa on this side, just like from the Taste of the Nations (today was French). I added a bunch of nacho chips and a bowl of salsa and sour cream to my tray and headed off to find a table. Bill had gotten us Chicken Rice noodles and Shanghai Pork (I think). Everything was very yummy. I dipped the nacho chips into the sour cream with no salsa and it was very yummy. The chips don't have much salt on them, which was fine by me! After lunch, we headed back to the room to...nap. Yup, that's what we did. Tonight's show was before dinner, which was a new thing for us. There was all kinds of stuff going on, and the ship set sail at about 1600. We had showers and headed to the show at about 1845 for the 1900 show. The show started out with some singing by Louise and Kevin, which was OK. Kevin's voice just didn't cut it for me, I don't know why. I really liked Louise's voice. Anyway, the show tonight was called "Upon the Sea" and it was basically the answer to the question the entertainment staff is asked the most: What would you do if you weren't upon the sea? All I can say is, this is soooo hysterical. The different entertainment staff members come out dressed as different jobs, and sing a little song. Some of the jobs include a jockey, a casino dealer, a taxi driver, an aerobics instructor, and a bunch of others. They all sing, and somehow everything they do ends up interacting with the other people. It was just so funny! I don't want to give it away, but the ballerina is one of the best! It may not be all that appropriate for young kids, but older kids would either find it hysterical, or stupid. Depends on how many of the innuendos they get! I thought it was one of the funniest shows we saw, and actually watched it a few times later in the week on the TV. Yup, it was that good, or perhaps I just really have a demented sense of humor. You'll have to see it yourself and decide.

After the show, we headed off to dinner. Our table mate, Diana sat gingerly upon her seat tonight, and shared the story of the butt hickey with the other couple there. They found it quite hysterical, and when Hengke overheard us talking about Dinan's butt, he joined in too! After we got settled down, we ordered our food. Bill and I both had the fried mozzarella, and split an order of the smoked duck. We both wanted to try duck, since neither of us had ever had it, and both disliked it a lot. We each tried one piece, but left the rest. The fried mozzarella was really good, should have ordered two of those instead! Bill ordered the Marinated pork chop, and I ordered the Beef stroganoff. Bill said the pork chop was really good, but my beef stroganoff tasted like someone added the entire container of salt. I only had a bite or two, I honestly couldn't eat it. Tonight ended up being the one really super disappointing meal of the cruise. Even the spinach and mushroom lasagna was better than this. I decided since I didn't really have much dinner, I needed 2 desserts, so I ordered the tirmisu and the bitter and blanc. Both were super yum-o, I only wish there was more of the chocolate bread pudding than the white. But, it was very flavorful and quite tasty. Bill had the tiramisu as well, and asked for a taste fo the bitter and blanc. He said it was good, but I wouldn't give him another bite to try.

Tonight was supposed to be the Carnival colors fun hop and deck party. Each color team started out in a different bar and then hopped from bar to bar, before ending up on deck. They announced that the deck portion of this was cancelled due to high winds, and we skipped the whole thing. We are not drinkers, and I didn't look forward to being stuck in a bar with a bunch of drunks. Just not my thing. So, we decided to head back to our room, where where we found our next towel animal!

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I am a Scorpio, so this really made me excited. I thought he was rather cute. We hung out, watched a bit of TV, and tucked into bed at about 2230. We had another early day in Jamaica, so ordered our room service breakfast and turned in. The ship was really rocking around tonight, but we both slept like babies all week. See you later for Day 6, Ocho Rios

[mr jailerman]

[quote name='amcjeep4life']OK, so we're back on board after an exciting day. We headed up to the room, dropped off all our stuff and headed to the Lido deck for lunch. Bill went to the Hong Kong Noodle Company, while I headed to the deli stand to the starboard and forward side. I can't remember the name, but it is forward right by the main pool. They had cheeseburgers and hotdogs there, but they also offered chicken tenders and onion rings in addition to fries each day. Today was a chicken tenders and onion rings kind of day. Bill wanted a cheeseburger and onion rings, so I grabbed that as well. They had some nachos and salsa on this side, just like from the Taste of the Nations (today was French). I added a bunch of nacho chips and a bowl of salsa and sour cream to my tray and headed off to find a table. Bill had gotten us Chicken Rice noodles and Shanghai Pork (I think). Everything was very yummy. I dipped the nacho chips into the sour cream with no salsa and it was very yummy. The chips don't have much salt on them, which was fine by me! After lunch, we headed back to the room to...nap. Yup, that's what we did. Tonight's show was before dinner, which was a new thing for us. There was all kinds of stuff going on, and the ship set sail at about 1600. We had showers and headed to the show at about 1845 for the 1900 show. The show started out with some singing by Louise and Kevin, which was OK. Kevin's voice just didn't cut it for me, I don't know why. I really liked Louise's voice. Anyway, the show tonight was called "Upon the Sea" and it was basically the answer to the question the entertainment staff is asked the most: What would you do if you weren't upon the sea? All I can say is, this is soooo hysterical. The different entertainment staff members come out dressed as different jobs, and sing a little song. Some of the jobs include a jockey, a casino dealer, a taxi driver, an aerobics instructor, and a bunch of others. They all sing, and somehow everything they do ends up interacting with the other people. It was just so funny! I don't want to give it away, but the ballerina is one of the best! It may not be all that appropriate for young kids, but older kids would either find it hysterical, or stupid. Depends on how many of the innuendos they get! I thought it was one of the funniest shows we saw, and actually watched it a few times later in the week on the TV. Yup, it was that good, or perhaps I just really have a demented sense of humor. You'll have to see it yourself and decide.

After the show, we headed off to dinner. Our table mate, Diana sat gingerly upon her seat tonight, and shared the story of the butt hickey with the other couple there. They found it quite hysterical, and when Hengke overheard us talking about Dinan's butt, he joined in too! After we got settled down, we ordered our food. Bill and I both had the fried mozzarella, and split an order of the smoked duck. We both wanted to try duck, since neither of us had ever had it, and both disliked it a lot. We each tried one piece, but left the rest. The fried mozzarella was really good, should have ordered two of those instead! Bill ordered the Marinated pork chop, and I ordered the Beef stroganoff. Bill said the pork chop was really good, but my beef stroganoff tasted like someone added the entire container of salt. I only had a bite or two, I honestly couldn't eat it. Tonight ended up being the one really super disappointing meal of the cruise. Even the spinach and mushroom lasagna was better than this. I decided since I didn't really have much dinner, I needed 2 desserts, so I ordered the tirmisu and the bitter and blanc. Both were super yum-o, I only wish there was more of the chocolate bread pudding than the white. But, it was very flavorful and quite tasty. Bill had the tiramisu as well, and asked for a taste fo the bitter and blanc. He said it was good, but I wouldn't give him another bite to try.

Tonight was supposed to be the Carnival colors fun hop and deck party. Each color team started out in a different bar and then hopped from bar to bar, before ending up on deck. They announced that the deck portion of this was cancelled due to high winds, and we skipped the whole thing. We are not drinkers, and I didn't look forward to being stuck in a bar with a bunch of drunks. Just not my thing. So, we decided to head back to our room, where where we found our next towel animal!

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I am a Scorpio, so this really made me excited. I thought he was rather cute. We hung out, watched a bit of TV, and tucked into bed at about 2230. We had another early day in Jamaica, so ordered our room service breakfast and turned in. The ship was really rocking around tonight, but we both slept like babies all week. See you later for Day 6, Ocho Rios[/quote]
GREAT REVIEW !! :D Thanks for the photo of the AFT WRAP next door as that IS MY NEW CABIN NOW ! :D After I switched it yesterday Carnival raised the price of it by $100.00 ! So I switched just in time ! Thanks once more..:)

[amcjeep4life]

So, we started our day in Jamaica with room service breakfast. It was delivered today at about 0710. Bagels, croissants, bananas and melon today. I really wish they offered peanut butter thru room service. Sure would make that bagel taste even better! Anyway, we were pulling into the pier while we ate our breakfast, so we did remember to take some pictures today.

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Now, one thing we noticed about Cozumel and Grand Cayman was how very flat they were. Let me tell you , Jamaica is not flat! There are plently of hills, and of course, the famous Blue Mountains, where the majority of their coffee is grown. it was just really weird seeing this hilly island in front of us.

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The warehouse here is where they shot the movie Dr. No. It's a James Bond movie, and I will admit I have never seen it. Bill recognized it right away, and was pretty excited to see it.

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I thought the greenery was cute. Can you read what it says?

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This is the tram that they use to get stuff down from the mountains and to the warehouse where it is shipped out. They export coffee, obviously, but they also export a lot of gravel out of the mountains. Who knew?

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Here's another picture of just how hilly the island really is. The houses here were very nice, but when we went inland a bit, the houses got very tiny and the neighborhoods were very poor. I felt especially bad as we saw a ton of dogs, all very skinny, wandering the streets. I really wanted to pick them up and ship them home. I had found donation bins for the local humane societies in the other ports and gave them some money, but no one here knew of a humane shelter in the area. Made me very sad.

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[amcjeep4life]

This is the pier where we were getting ready to "park." The beach back there is Margaritaville, if I remember correctly. It was early, so nothing was hopping yet, but when we got back on the ship things were jumping then. Now it just looks like a ghost town.

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I'm honestly not sure what this beach is. I would guess it goes to one or more of the multitude of hotels in the area. The boats sitting there were expensive looking, so probably not any of the locals.

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We were booked with Peat Taylor tours to do Dunn's River Falls (DRF) and White River tubing. There were actually a few of us from our roll call who were on it, so it was nice to know some of the people already there. John, Steve, Darrell, Heather, Pat, Hannah, Alan and Norma were all there. We waited off to the side, and Peat's son, rePeat came to get us. they put us on a bus, where Peatjoined us. He explained how things would work, and made sure we were all on the same time. We were, since they don't do daylight savings time. We headed off to Peat singing songs with Hannah as our co-pilot. We drove by the Harley shop, which has only been there about a year, so I was glad to see where it was in relation to our pier. When we got to DRF, Peat advised us that after the falls we would meet back in the parking lot. He also told us that the vendors att he top of the falls could be pushy, and not to take anything from anyone, since just handling it indicated we wanted to buy it. He also said if we did want to buy something, to bargain, as it was expected. Bill and I changed into our water shoes while a few other people were renting them. We stowed our stuff in a locker with a couple other people's stuff (yes, the lockers are big enough for 2-3 bags, so double up and save the rental fee!) and headed down the side of the falls to the guide station. While we were waiting, I heard Hannah say, "look at the spiders mommy!" and I ran the other way! Sorry, zero to six legs is OK with me, anything with more than 6 legs I will run from. Of course Bill stuck around to take pictures of the creepy-crawlies; he said there were 8 or so spiders in the web, and that each one was about 2-3 inches across. I can hardly look atthe picture, but here it is. If you don't like them either, scroll down quickly!

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So, since I was heading quickly down the falls, everyone caught up to me, and we were joined by our guides, Shawn and Peter. They were very funny, and very helpful. This is the beach at the bottom of the falls. This is where our journey up will start, but you can actually hang out there all day if you like. You have to pay to go into the park, whether or not you climb the falls is up to you. They get your $$ either way. the only extra cost is to tip the guides for helping you not go splat.

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This is the first rise of the falls, where you actually start climbing them. Let me tell you one thing, Jamaica may be a tropical island with an average temperature of 82 degrees, bu this water was FREEZING!!! After a while you do get used to it, but it was tough stepping into it the first time.

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You can see the guys wearing the blue shirts? They are the guides. Each group usually has two, and then the guys in the yellow shirts are the videographers. they follow you up the falls and record it all. Afterwards, you can buy a copy for about $40.

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[amcjeep4life]

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Here is the rag-tag end bunch of our group. We were a bit more towards the back, so it was nice to see where people were having problems and be ready for them.

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You can see in the backgound that there are walkways along the falls if you aren't quite brave enough to actually get in the water and climb. Bill and I had gone to Jamaica in 05, and wimped out when it came time to climb. We were even heavier then, and not in as good a shape. I know, looking a our pictures, you are saying "Heavier!?!?", but yea, we've lost over 90 pounds each, and we now walk all over. I walk about 3-5 miles each day, and Bill does about 2-3 miles. So, we are losing weight and getting in shape, and we absolutley wanted to climb the falls this time. They are challenging, even to skinny folk in better shape than us. It is certainly do-able, but I liked the idea of a guide there giving assitance. the current is strong in places,, and there are lots of dips and cracks. You could really hurt yourself here if you're not careful.

[amcjeep4life]

I repeat, the water is really cold. It takes a bit to get used to it, but when you get your whole body wet, it's still cold!!

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You know, looking back at these pictures, I'm even more impressed with myself for climbing these falls. It's 600' from top to bottom, and the rocks can be slippery. It was really awesome tho!

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They call this the Jamaican back massage. It was pretty powerful, and of course, COLD! We are almost at the top!

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Look, even the waterfall is happy we are almost to the top! Perverted sense of humor required to view this picture.

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[Evil Scotsman]

My wife and I are going on our very first cruise in Feb. Triumph, out of Miami to Coz, Grand C, and Ocho. It will actually be a family affair, (a Christmas gift from my parents to everyone) Myself, wife, Sister & BIL, Brother & SIL, of course Parents, paying for themselves, my youngest son and his girlfriend and my nephew. CAN'T WAIT! Everyone else except me my wife and my son have all been on cruises before. My brother talked my parents into going on a cruise right after my Dad retired. He said he didn't want to go, not interested, etc etc, Let me just say my parents now take about 5 - 6 cruises A YEAR! :eek: Really looking forward to it!

[chay]

[quote name='Evil Scotsman']My wife and I are going on our very first cruise in Feb. Triumph, out of Miami to Coz, Grand C, and Ocho. It will actually be a family affair, (a Christmas gift from my parents to everyone) Myself, wife, Sister & BIL, Brother & SIL, of course Parents, paying for themselves, my youngest son and his girlfriend and my nephew. CAN'T WAIT! Everyone else except me my wife and my son have all been on cruises before. My brother talked my parents into going on a cruise right after my Dad retired. He said he didn't want to go, not interested, etc etc, Let me just say my parents now take about 5 - 6 cruises A YEAR! :eek: Really looking forward to it![/quote]

Come join our roll call...........we are cruising with you!

[hogtyde88]

Thanks for the running review and the great pictures.

We're sailing on the Triumph in February...really looking forward to it.

[Evil Scotsman]

[quote name='chay']Come join our roll call...........we are cruising with you![/quote]

Not quite sure what the roll call is?

The beverage card is that by the cup or the can? Also is the iced tea fresh brewed or mix?

Thanks

[chay]

[quote name='Evil Scotsman']Not quite sure what the roll call is?

The beverage card is that by the cup or the can? Also is the iced tea fresh brewed or mix?

Thanks[/quote]

Here's a link to the roll call........

[URL]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=761301[/URL]

Beverage card is by the cup. Not sure about the tea.......but I only drink sweet tea, so I didn't try it!

[spotter27]

we r cruising 01/04/09 when r u cruising in jan. we have 5 people going 18, 20 35,37 and my mother in law 60.


[quote name='chukeee']great review so far. So sorry to hear about your flight woes. we are cruising on the Triumph in Jan. and I cant wait to read the rest of your review including reviews of the ports. Thanks, and hurry back! Happy Thanksgiving![/quote]

[amcjeep4life]

Just want to repsond to a few things, and then I'll get back to the review. I want to say thanks to everyone reading this review. I've never done one before, so I'm not sure how much detail you guys want. I find myself reading other reviews and wishing for more details, or loving the ones by hostmach, paulmedic, radio and lambknuckles, to name a few of the ones that really stick out in my mind.

Neverpar, I'm trying hard to finish up for you before you leave. I would love to hop back aboard the old girl for another trip. Have a good trip and enjoy her! She treated us well, I hope she does the same for you. And that goes for anyone out there cruising on the Triumph in the future.

Evil Scotsman, the tea is unsweetened, but it isn't fresh brewed. It is actually a concentrate that comes in a gallon container and they mix it with water. It tasted pretty good, we drink mostly Crystal light at home, but I was very happy with this. I know they serve soda by the cup on the fountain card. I would advise you to wait until the next day to buy your card, since you will get charged for the full first day plus tax if you buy it while you're still in Miami. Just a way to save a couple bucks.

OK, back to our regularly scheduled review!

[amcjeep4life]

OK, so when I left you we were almost to the top of DRF. Well, we made it, and most uneventfully. I still have the remains of some of the bruises on my legs, but they're fading fast. Here's proof we made it to the top.

[URL=http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2393259430104454228sgTGry][IMG]http://inlinethumb48.webshots.com/40879/2393259430104454228S600x600Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

So, we headed over to find our copy of the DVD, and of course got caught in a torrent of vendors, all trying to sell us something. I don't think you can get out of the falls without having to go to the craft market. All I can say is, just keep saying "No thank you!" and walk thru. They are very pushy, and will try to get you to stop, but just keep on going. Don't take anything from anyone, remember, there is nothing free! It's just a way to get you to stop and bargain with them! Don't get me wrong, there were some truly beautiful things in there, but I wasn't looking to buy anything, so we just kept going. We got into the parking lot, found our bus, and waited a few minutes for Peat to rejoin us. Then we headed off for a tour of Ocho Rios and a trip to the White River for tubing! Not all of the people were going tubing, some were going horseback riding. Peat dropped our group off at the tubing center and said he'd pick us up at the end. He then drove off with the rest of the group. We got our tubes and headed down some steps to the river, were we hopped in, and were pushed off to fend for ourselves in the wilds of Jamiaca! Just kidding, but barely. there was no talk of safety, or what to do, they just litterally pushed us down the river. It was fun, but having been on previous excursions in other places, there always seems to be lots of talk about staying safe and what to expect, but not from these guys! Whatever! Here are a few pictures of the tubing part of the trip.

[URL=http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2740633630104454228iOqhae][IMG]http://inlinethumb63.webshots.com/43006/2740633630104454228S600x600Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

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[amcjeep4life]

We did have guides with us, and here's proof. They went zipping by us and helped us if we got stuck on the sides where the water doesn't run as fast. They just weren't very talkative, which surprised me a bit.

[URL=http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2298223800104454228byTWqq][IMG]http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/23904/2298223800104454228S600x600Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2878211660104454228vIfWIr][IMG]http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/43112/2878211660104454228S600x600Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2106245400104454228gwuumn][IMG]http://inlinethumb60.webshots.com/44219/2106245400104454228S600x600Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[URL=http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2256015750104454228Dtdcwk][IMG]http://inlinethumb30.webshots.com/26205/2256015750104454228S600x600Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]


We stopped about half way and were in a little area with some carvings and a place where they showed you pictures they had taken. They had a nice one of Bill, but he was with Heather, another lady from our roll call. It made it easy to pass up the picture. We soon headed down the rest of the river, where we came to the end. And I mean the end. The trip ends at the ocean! We got out, thanked our guides properly, and waited about 5 minutes for Peat to show up with an empty bus. The other group was riding, so Peat took us around the area, and we went up to Fern Gully. Here is a picture of the Ship at the pier from up there.

[URL=http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2744684220104454228XwjrJL][IMG]http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/30048/2744684220104454228S600x600Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Here's a picture of Ocho Rios from up in Fern Gully. It's amazing how NOT flat this country is.

[URL=http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2772200220104454228bSGizo][IMG]http://inlinethumb51.webshots.com/41714/2772200220104454228S600x600Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

So, after the tour, we asked to be dropped off at the Harley Shop. We bought some T-shirts for aourselves, and then headed over to Island Village to get some stuff for the rest of the gang. We had brought coffee home for our parents when we were in Jamaica before, and both sets asked if we would bring them some more. So, we bought T-shirts for the kids, some beads from a nice lady that Bill made cry (she wanted $1 per set of beads, and he gave her $10 for 6 sets and told her to keep the change) and some rum. We lugged our purchases back to the ship . When you buy alcohol in the ports, the ship takes it from yu and holds it until the last day, so we had to check in our rum. This will lead to a bit of a disaster that we'll cover later.

[maggie27]

Thank You for your review. Going Jan. 25th for my 50th birthday with 4 other couples.

[amcjeep4life]

Getting back on the boat from Jamaica was the first time our bags were searched. There was a table in the pier area with some members of the Jamaican Port Authority (I think) who checked all bags, from what you had just purchased to pocketbooks and backpacks. Carnival still x-rayed all the bags as they came on, but this was the first time we had our stuff searched. Guess there are a few too many party supplies on the island. Bill did admit he was asked about 7 times if he needed party supplies. That's Jamaican for marijuana. Women, don't expect to be asked. It's considered disrespectful to ask a woman to buy, they always ask the men. And, if you've heard it's legal, it's not. You can get arrested, especially if you're not Jamaican. They may look the other way sometimes fort the locals, but they are a bit more strict when it comes to us.

As we were walking back up the pier, we noticed that we had a neighbor. She was quite pretty, and looked a bit bigger than our ship.

[URL="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2117249380104454228idZLkc"][IMG]http://inlinethumb51.webshots.com/41970/2117249380104454228S600x600Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

The name of the ship was the Coral Princess. Someone mentioned that this was the ship that caught on fire a few years ago, and they had to abandon ship. I don't know if it's true, forgot to google it. We did have to be back on the ship earlier today, 1500. Shortest day in a port for us, and I think a few people forgot that. After we got back on board, we dropped all the stuff off in our room and headed up to the Lido deck for lunch. Today we had reubens from the New York Deli and minute steaks with fries. It was very yummy, and we were very hungry today. I don't know why, we had definitely passed on the party supplies! After lunch, we went out on the deck for sailaway. They announced the names of about 8 or so people and asked them to report to the purser's desk. About 10 minutes later, they were still looking for about 6 of them. About 10 minutes after that, now we were about 15 minutes late in leaving, we heard cheering, and someone said that a group came running up the pier. We heard later that their tour was late getting them back, but since it was a Carnival tour we waited. After that, we heard them announce 2 names and figured that someone was in BIG trouble. At about 1620, we saw them loosening the ropes in preparration for us to leave when two people came belting up the pier waving their arms and yelling. It was our last 2 guests. They jumped onto the gangway, and we were off! On our way home, so I kind of wish we had left even later. There was all kinds of stuff going on, and some music playing, but we decided to head down to the room for a nap. We set our wake-up call for 1945, and after showers we both zonked out. There was a midnight hypnosis show we wanted to see, so we needed some extra sleep. Today had been a very fun day, but we had been pretty busy and were a bit tired. We woke up ready to take on the world, or at least dinner and a show, and headed down to the dining room. Hengke and Siwa both asked how our day had been, and we talked about the port with our tablemates. Tonight, Bill had a caesar salad, I had the cream of broccoli soup, and we split an order of escargot. We had never had them, but they were fantastic! I wish I had ordered my own! Bill was a little leary about them, but he liked them too! We each ordered the Chateaubriand, which once again only came medium rare, which is just too done for me. It came with these super lumpy mashed potatoes that were awesome, a bit of cauliflower with a pesto-type sauce, and a small dish of peas with raisins, cranberries and pearl onions. These were darn good, once I picked the raisins out! I love dried cranberries, but raisins make my teeth hurt. Don't ask! Tonight was elegant night, our last one, and the servers put on a little show for us again.

[URL="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2318848030104454228GXzUYu"][IMG]http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/35563/2318848030104454228S600x600Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

When they were done singing and dancing for us, Bill and I each ordered the chocolate amerretto cake, and Bill asked for butter pecan ice cream. When Hengke set the plate down, it had 2 pats of butter and some pecans on it. He told Bill to enjoy and started to walk away! Bill didn't know what to say, and just looked at the plate with his mouth open. Hengke was just about giggling when he asked Bill if everything was OK. Bill just said "that wasn't quite what I had in mind," when Hengke started laughing and the whole table joined in. Hengke reached behind him and gave Bill his actual ice cream. It was so funny, even some of the tables around us were laughing! After dinner, we headed over to the Rome Lounge for the show. Tonight it was called the Big Easy, and it was themed around New Orleans. It was pretty extravagant, the dancers had a ton of costumes, and the sets changed for almost every song. We were both really impressed and really enjoyed the show. After the show, it was time for the hypnotist. This show was advertised as R-rated, but it wasn't that bad. He asked for some volunteers, and then weeded thru them and picked out about 10 people he actually used. I always have my doubts that this stuff is for real. Sometimes I just think people are doing it because they can act extremely stupidly and say they were hypnotised. However, one of the ladies from our roll call said her husband was up on the stage, and that he honestly doesn't remember what he did. She siad her hubby is not usually the type to act goofy, so who knows, maybe some of it was real. Anyway, he had them pretend to watch a funny movie, and a sad movie, and an erotic movie, and they reacted accordingly. He had one guy pretend to conduct an orchestra, but he couldn't use his arms, and then he had the women walk into the audience and show off their legs and the guys had to come out and pretend to be exotic dancers. He had one guy thinking he was Tarzan, and he had to find his Jane and speak to her, but he could only speak monkey. So he had another lady translate for him. It was funny, and I'm glad we stayed up for it. We headed back to our room at about 0115 hrs, and discovered we were both pretty hungry, so we decided to order room service. We had a grilled cheese and a BLT. They were both delived in about 15 minutes, and were very yummy! After our snack, we headed to bed, happy that tomorrow was a sea day, but sad that it meant we were heading home!

By the way, I don't think Bill and I looked too bad for elegant nights, but you be the judge.

[URL="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2749668680104454228pLCxGP"][IMG]http://inlinethumb51.webshots.com/44018/2749668680104454228S600x600Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Oh yea, here is tonight's towel animal, the monkey!

[URL="http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2940574690104454228HzHZOu"][IMG]http://inlinethumb07.webshots.com/38726/2940574690104454228S600x600Q85.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[karen116]

Thank you so much for the great review - we are booked on the 9 day Triumph to Quebec in 09.

[chukeee]

This is by far the best review i have ever read! You are doing such a great job and the more details the better. It is like we are right there with you. I wish we were, I think we could become great friends. And by the way congratulations on that great weight loss! Ninety lbs. is awesome. I am also heavy and am really struggling to lose 20 lbs. for the cruise and for my health. I need to lose about 60 and it is so hard.

Spotter, wish we were on your cruise but ours is the 25th. I can't get much response on these boards for anyone cruising then. Have a great time and please post your review also!

Hey Maggie, we are on your cruise!!!!! There are 54 of us. Would love to meet up with you. I so can't wait.!

AMC, We are also doing the stingray snorkel in Grand Caymen and your pictures made me know I made the right decision! It looks wonderful. I am a little scared of the snorkeling> I would like to be able to touch bottom and snorkel l0l. My one experience in Mazatlan was a near death disaster (ok maybe I'm exagerating a little but it was very scary.) Now I'm really scared to attempt it again.
We are also doing a private tour with Peat Taylor in Ocho Rios so it was great to hear your review. We skipped the falls due to about 8 of our 25 group having some physical problems but are doing the tubing, horseback riding and sightseeing. How was Peat? He seems very responsive and willing to plan our day our way. I did read some bad reviews but your seems to have went alright. I was really leary about booking a private tour in Jamaica but reassure me please! Thanks.
By the way, can we refer to you as something beside AMC? My name is Deb

[princessa]

Thanks for the great review. We are sailing 12/21/08 on the Triumph. 3 families from Toronto, Ontario. We can't wait!

Just wondering...was there open seating on all port days? Just trying to figure out what to do.

Thanks,

Nathalie

[chukeee]

AMC, Where are you? We haven't heard from you in days!!! Please finish:)

[johnlcruise]

"A Most Excellent Review" Very Enjoyable
Can wait for your next cruise and your report then.