Sunday, February 13, 2011

Update to the cruise

We went out to celebrate Valentines Day on Friday night and we did a lot of talking. We decided that it would be smarter to see if we could change the week of the Mariner cruise to Jan. If we did the November one we would have no time to take a vacation or day off in between now and the cruise. So this way we can take a week in July to possibly see my sister and family in Arizona and then take the cruise in Jan. We would still have plenty of time to save up a week's worth of time for Jan.

So we switched today after researching the various itneraries on the Mariner in Jan. We opted to go with the 6 night leaving on Jan 2nd, 2012. This will allow us to celebrate 10 years of being married to each other while on the cruise. We will have a sea day and then be in Costa Maya, then on our anniversary we will be in Belize, and on friday be in Cozumel. We get long days in each port which is awesome. Normally you have short days which sucks but we will get 10 hours in Belize and Cozumel.

Then we will save time for Septemberish for the Alaska cruise. We are waiting on those itenraries to come out still. Should be around the week of April 12th. I can't wait.

Countdown for the new cruise!

I am removing this as we are no longer going on the cruise and instead going back to Disney World

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Cruise Slide Show

Our Caribbean Cruise on The Voyager of The Seas Slideshow: Tammy’s trip from Georgetown, Texas, United States to 4 cities Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Galveston was created by TripAdvisor. See another United States slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

Sunday - Feb 6th - Disembarkation and future plans

We woke up around 5am and decided to get up as we were getting closer to Galveston. We were docked by 6:30ish. We decided to get ready and head down to where the people self - disembarking were meeting up. We were off the boat by 7:30 and in the car by 8 AM. We made it to my parents in Kingwood after a quick potty and breakfast stop by 10am.

We then decided to hit the road for Austin and made it home by 1:30. We even joked we could have went to work if we really wanted to.

We unpacked the luggage and checked email and decided to go grocery shopping to get some snacks before the big game would be on at 5. We made it to the grocery store but it was way too packed so we decided to put it off for monday. We picked up KFC for dinner and got a pack of the hot wings. yummmy.

Before we went on the cruise we had been doing some research on what we wanted to do next cruise wise. I found that with the new ship to us, Mariner of the Seas came to Galveston, there would be a rare 9 night cruise out of Galveston. We decided then and there we would book it while on this cruise so we could get the discount on deposit and get a $100 onboard credit for the next cruise.

We booked it while on the cruise and now have this cruise to look forward to. It sets sail on November 11th, 2011 and it goes to: Belize, Roatan, Honduras, Cozumel and Grand Cayman. We will have four sea days as well so we are looking forward to it.

Up next, slideshow of the cruise.

Saturday - last sea day

We woke up around 9 am again and called mom to see if she wanted to join us in going to the main dining room for breakfast today. We were sat at a large table with all people from Texas. We had the older married couple from the love and marriage game show which was neat.

We heard what was happening and what had happened weather wise while we were gone. It sounds like we chose the perfect week to get out of town. We met up for the first session of Bingo at 11 where they gave away a free cruise for two on the last game. Mom won on the second game and got it all to herself. She won a total of $300+ and told us she would treat us to the next round of bingo where the jackpot of 1k would be given away. We then went back to our room for a bit to get packed up. We then met up with them around 1:30ish to grab a snack for lunch. Then we were off to play a round of bingo. Ian and dad both won and tied with three others, so they split the 1000 jackpot and walked away with 200. So not bad.

Ian and I both wanted to shop in the promenade some and found watches we loved so we picked those up as well.

We crashed around 10ish as we would have an early morning the next day.

Up next - disemarkation and future plans

Friday - sea day and Portofino's

We slept in until around 9AM as we were pooped. We made it to breakfast and chilled. We went back to the room for some relaxation and reading on the balcony. We didn't do a lot today as we had reservations for dinner at the specialty resturant this evening. I think we might have spent a little time in the casino but that was about it.

That night we had dinner at Portofino's. Yum. Ian, mom and dad all got the skewer and I ordered the beef tenderloin. It was sooooo good. Then they bring you our dessert appetizers of some yummy cookies and choc. covered strawberries. I ordered the tiramasu for dessert and mom had some yummy choc. cake thing. Ian got the sampler and dad ordered the panacotta. He said it wasn't very good so noted for the future.

We then went to the hot tub and pool for some relaxation. Crashed somewhere around 11 this night. We were already starting to realize the end of the cruise was near and were very sad.

up next- last sea day and some exciting bingo wins

Thursday - Montego Bay Jamica

We did not set the alarm today as we were docking around 8 AM and had nothing planned but to do some shopping and enjoy the pools and hot tub on the ship.

We got off the ship around ten and the guys bought some cigars as they were the best priced here. Ian picked up some for a few of the guys at work. I got some blue mountain coffee as it is so yummy. We made it back to the ship and decided to get on our swim suits and meet at the pool deck. We were in the adult only area and it was so boring as it's quiet there. We decided to move to the main pool area as they had music piped in and grabbed some drinks. We stayed in the pool and hot tubs for a few hours. About 1pm we decided to head back to the room and get showers and order some room service for some burgers to tide us over until dinner that night. We hit up the main dining room and got some delicious tiger shrimp with a yummy stuffing of garlic and other stuff. It was amazing.

Up next, sea day and portofinos

Grand Cayman - Wed Feb 2nd

We woke up to another beautiful day in Grand Cayman. Mom and I went down about 8:30 to get tender tickets as this is a tender port. They were already setting up and we managed to get tickets for tender number 2. I went up to the room to finish getting ready and as soon as I put my key in the door they were already calling for tender number one which meant we would be soon. I rushed to finish getting ready and we managed to make it down in time to catch the tender. I was hoping mom and dad would figure to just go to the tender instead of our meeting spot. We didn't see them there so we figured worst case scenario we would meet up at where the tour leaves from. We found them soon after. Our tour met at 12 and we were walked to a bus to take us to where their catamaran is docked at.

We had about 21 people total on the tour with us which is slightly more than the previous time but still not bad. We made it to stingray city and I can not say enough good things about them and their operation. We had Carlos as our stingray person and he was so friendly and made sure everyone got their time with the stingray from holding it, kissing it to getting a back massage. We then left from there to go to Coral Gardens. Oh my...we saw so many varities of fish out there and even some sting rays. Unfortunatly the time was up and we were sailing our way back to the dock. /cry

I could spend a week here as the people are so friendly and the water is so amazing. I can't wait to go back in November. That story will be at the end.

We did a bit of shopping once we got back to the port terminal area. We picked up two rum cakes for our teams at work to share when we go back next week. We got a shirt and a shot glass as well.

Then it was time to catch a tender back to the ship. We wanted to get showers as well. We went to the windjammer tonight for dinner as we were pooped and did not feel like getting dressed up.

Up next Montego Bay and relaxation

Tuesday, Feb 1st - Cozumel Mexico - Nachi Cocum

We woke up with the wake up call set for 6:30 AM. Ian was still not feeling up to par but got up and went to breakfast. While we were at the Windjammer he started to feel sick to his stomach. We decided to go back to the room for a potty stop before meeting off the ship. While in the room, Ian decided it would be better for him to stay back as he was still under the weather and didn't want to miss out on Grand Cayman again after the last time. I of course was a little upset but my parents were going so at least it wasn't a complete wash to the day. I met them as soon as I got off the ship and informed them Ian was staying back on the ship. We then went to the terminal area for some shopping. After mom found a few things we made it to the cab area and grabbed a taxi to Nachi Cocum beach club. I can not say enough good things. They only charged me for one instead of two as Ian didn't come with. The lady felt bad so that saved me 37 bucks.

They led us out to our little piece of paradise. Four loungers under a nice shaded palapa. Carlos was our waiter and he is one of the best and most requested servers there. We really lucked out. We decided to just have some water for the time being as it was only 9am and we had a long day to go. Mom and I put our toes in the sand and water and brr it was chilly. However I wasn't going to let that stop me from enjoying the water as it was 80 degress and warm outside. The water felt great after we let the sun bake us for a while. We ordered some drinks and I gave him a nice tip and told him to keep the drinks coming. Boy did he ever. I usually had a fresh rum punch before the one he brought me was half gone. I was smart though and drank them slow.

Mom and I put on the snorkel stuff and saw some fishies. We lost our sunglasses but I found them after looking for about 30 minutes. We then got out and ordered some yummy food for lunch. Dad was starting to not feel so great and took his food to the shaded resturant area to have a better seat. Mom and I got back in the water and then saw him come back to the chairs and was signaling he was leaving so we decided we were ready to go as well. It was around 1pm and we had to be back by 3 anyways so why not. I wanted to check on Ian anyways. I took Ian some extra strength meds for his issues and he started to feel better. So yay for that. I have my dad to thank for that. He was better after those meds for the rest of the cruise. I wish we would have gotten him the meds sooner. Oh well.

Up next Grand Cayman and sting ray city.

Monday Jan 31st - 1st full sea day and 1st formal night

We woke up around 8:30 am and Ian was feeling a little sick to his stomach. We were not sure if it was from the motion we were feeling in the back of the ship, or if he was coming down with what was plaguing mom. He drank quite a few glasses of water and finally was able to rid his body of what was plaguing his stomach. He had some bonine and went back to bed. Mom and I got out and had coffee and breakfast at the cafe promenade. We then went to check on the guys. Ian was feeling a bit better but still not fully well. He was queasy still but felt weak. He dehyrated his body on Sunday so he wouldn't have to use the restroom as much on the drive down. Then after all the drinking we did on Sunday night, he got sick from it. He had some sprite and some bread and was feeling better by the time dinner came around.

We got dressed up for formal night and went to our dining room. Ian and I both ordered the upcharge steak for dinner and it was delicious as usual. It somes with a yummy peppercorn sauce and a baked potato. After dinner we called it a night as it was close to 10 and we had an early morning with docking in Cozumel at 7 and we wanted to shop before we went to Nachi Cocum beach club.

Up next, Cozumel and more tales of woe.

Tales of woe and a rainy embarkation day

The tale begins on Friday Jan, 28th around 9 PM. We are heading for Kingwood, TX after getting off of work at 7 PM. We are on 290 and getting close to Hempstead when we receive a text message from my sister Misty letting us know that not only is dad not feeling well, but mom might be coming down with something herself. So we decide to book a hotel for the night and play it by ear the next morning to decide if we need a hotel for Saturday night as well. We were both sad to hear that not only dad has gotten sick but mom might be coming down with something as well. To prevent us from catching it we decide this will be the way to go as we can't have more people sick.

So we get to the La Quinta just down the road from mom and dad's about 10ish. We were able to snag their last room available as there were two high school soccer teams staying there. Of course its the suite and we had a jacuzzi tub. This was nice after the long journey from Austin to Kingwood. The beds were super comfy as well. I would highly recommend it in the future as long as our one and only issue with them gets resolved asap. We had done the check out where you call and let them know you are checking out and leave the keys in the room. We check out on Saturday. We get home and find out we were billed for a second night as well. They are working on getting this resolved though. So as long as it gets resolved we have no issues with them.

Back to the story at hand. We called mom in the morning to make sure she was feeling ok. Sure enough, it was a fluke issue that made her feel ill and was a-ok. We met up with her and Misty that morning for a yummy breakfast at Cracker Barrel. After breakfast we head to their house as mom is going to take dad to the emergency clinic at Walgreens to see if they can do anything for him. As he has less than 24 hours now till we need to leave to get on the boat.

Ian heads to the gun range while Misty and I play catch up. They all get back about the same time. They give dad Tamiflu and some good cough meds to help him out. Now will be the waiting game to see how he feels in the morning. We go to lunch at a new chinese resturant and then go shopping for mom some shoes. We head back to their house and mom is going to get us pizza for dinner and dad is feeling much better already. Enough that barring any incidents decided he would be well enough to go on vacation with us. He would relax in the room for the first two days to ensure no chance of a relapse. We head to bed around 11 that night anticipating our emarkation morning.

We wake up around 7:30 as we wanted to be on the road by 9:30ish due to the rain that was happening. We all like to go slower when the weather is crappy. We got on the road about 10ish and had one quick stop to make at my brothers house to pick up a laptop for my dad to borrow as he was going to stay in the room through monday afternoon at least. We make it to the parking lot for the cruise by noon and are on the ship by 12:30. Very smooth process once we made it there. We proceed up to the windjammer as the rooms would not be open until at least 1:30ish. We chill out there while having a small snack of crackers and cheese. Then we head to the rooms to get our first peak. We really liked the aft balcony, however we didn't use it as much as we used the last two balconies. I was too busy running around with mom. Mom came to our room for sail away. We then decided to hit up Johnny Rockets for dinner and picked up something for dad on the way out. We stopped by their room to drop off the food and to check in on him. Then decided to go to the casino for a little bit and then to the Pig and whistle pub for some Kamikazee Karoke with Derek Lewis. It's something not to miss if you are ever on the Voyager of the Seas. He puts on a great show and knows how to show everyone a "5 minute party". LOL.

After quite a few drinks we decide to call it a night. We were stuck due to the parade that was happening but as soon as that was over, we headed to the room. It was about midnight and we were pooped after a long day.

Coming up - 1st full day at sea and formal night

The cruise that we didn't want to end!

We made it home safe and sound from the first part of our vacation! We certainly did not want this cruise to end. However we at least have the next one booked so we have something to look forward to over the next 8 1/2 months.

I will tell the story of our trip starting with the first day leading up to the last day. I will also put in our slideshow for the cruise instead of putting in pictures as that takes up way too much time.

Coming up, tales of woe and a rainy embarkation day.