With the vast majority of our cruises originating in Galveston, we typically have at least one sea day after embarkation. Due to Galveston's location, it takes time to get to even the closest port, hence that sea day at the beginning of the cruise. This was our first cruise, though, to have a port day immediately after embarkation. We've never been to Half Moon Cay ("HMC") before, so this would be a new stop for us.
I'd like to interrupt this episode of our cruise blog to mention something indirectly related, yet very important. Please bear with me, and take the time to read this extra content. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.
Until recently, Cindy and I were booked on Carnival's soon to be newest ship, the Mardi Gras. One of my bucket list items is a trans-Atlantic cruise (TA). When Carnival announced their newest ship was being built, we anxiously awaited for bookings to open for the TA. The day bookings were open to the public, Cindy and I gave it a little more thought, and I sent my PVP William Luke a message that we were ready to book the TA, and asked if he would call me the next morning when it was convenient for him. It was already past 10 pm his time, and about 5 minutes later my phone rang. It was Will!
"Will, what are you doing up so late?" I asked.
"Hey, I saw your message, and wanted to get y'all booked."
Wow! He insisted that it was perfectly fine with him, so we spent the next 20 or so minutes booking the perfect cabin for the TA in September of 2020. That was almost a year ago, and Cindy and I still talk about him doing that. As we got within six months of the cruise, we'd be relying on Will to do a lot more legwork for us, looking for flights, ground transportation, that sort of thing. And this isn't even the main point I'm trying to make. Call it "background" if you will and you'll see why I'm mentioning this.
On Friday, 12/20, Carnival informed us that due to delivery problems with the shipyard, they were forced to cancel the first 8 sailings of the Mardi Gras, including the TA! The first "revenue sailings" wouldn't begin until the ship reached the US. As Homer Simpson would say: D'oh!
Naturally, Cindy and I were disappointed, but there's always a silver lining, I believe. In a classic good news, bad news scenario, we wouldn't be able to do a TA on the Mardi Gras, but this would free us up to do the next Big Sexy cruise! Excellent! Throughout our current Big Sexy cruise, everyone kept asking us: "Are y'all gonna be on Big Sexy 4 with us?" Replying that we already had the TA booked, we would have to take the next Big Sexy cruise.
I can only imagine the chaos created with all the PVPs and travel agents when everyone got the news. After chatting with Cindy on the phone, and confirming that the dates for Big Sexy 4 would work for her, I contacted Will to change our booking. Since we already paid a deposit for the TA, and would also receive some "future sailing credit," Will was able to do his PVP magic and get everything rebooked and transferred over to the new sailing. What really amazes me is how long Will spent on the phone with me, ensuring everything was covered and we had the cabin that best suited our needs. Had you been listening to our conversation, you would've thought I was his only client. I know that Josh was doing the same thing with all of his clients as well.
This, my faithful readers is exactly why we use a PVP when booking a cruise. Could we just book the same thing online? Sure! I equate it, though, to using self-checkout at the grocery store. We refuse to use self-checkout at any store. First off, we don't work there, and why should we do someone's job for free? Using self-checkout also takes a job away from a real person. When I was in high school, I relied on my part-time job at the grocery store, and I'll be darned if I'm going to take away some high school kid's spending money!
Of course, a Carnival PVP isn't in the same position as a grocery store clerk, but the basic principle is the same. These people work hard to plan the perfect cruise for us, and why not support them and their family instead of just booking something on your own? Throw in something complicated, like transferring a deposit, processing a "future sailing credit" and that sort of thing, and you can see why having a PVP taking care of all that just makes sense. One phone call to my PVP.....ONE phone call, and it was all done. That's why I'll always recommend using a PVP instead of doing it yourself. Always.
I'm repeating myself here since I wrote about this in the first blog of this series, but given its importance, I wanted to bring it up again. Below are two PVPs I've mentioned before. William Luke is my PVP, and I've used him long before Josh left the CD ranks and became a PVP himself. Either one of these guys will give you stellar service, and you should really consider using them to plan your next cruise, especially if you do this on your own.
Welcome to Half Moon Cay
Like Grand Cayman and Belize, Half Moon Cay is a tender port. Not to be confused with those tasty chicken strips, tenders, in this case, are small boats that ferry passengers from the ship to the shore. The ship will anchor offshore, instead of using a pier, and these tenders will load up a bunch of people and take them ashore, or back to the ship. They will run in a continuous loop throughout the day. Carnival recently started calling them "water shuttles," but I'm going to stick with the more traditional term.
image from Google search
I'd like to interrupt this episode of our cruise blog to mention something indirectly related, yet very important. Please bear with me, and take the time to read this extra content. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.
Until recently, Cindy and I were booked on Carnival's soon to be newest ship, the Mardi Gras. One of my bucket list items is a trans-Atlantic cruise (TA). When Carnival announced their newest ship was being built, we anxiously awaited for bookings to open for the TA. The day bookings were open to the public, Cindy and I gave it a little more thought, and I sent my PVP William Luke a message that we were ready to book the TA, and asked if he would call me the next morning when it was convenient for him. It was already past 10 pm his time, and about 5 minutes later my phone rang. It was Will!
"Will, what are you doing up so late?" I asked.
"Hey, I saw your message, and wanted to get y'all booked."
Wow! He insisted that it was perfectly fine with him, so we spent the next 20 or so minutes booking the perfect cabin for the TA in September of 2020. That was almost a year ago, and Cindy and I still talk about him doing that. As we got within six months of the cruise, we'd be relying on Will to do a lot more legwork for us, looking for flights, ground transportation, that sort of thing. And this isn't even the main point I'm trying to make. Call it "background" if you will and you'll see why I'm mentioning this.
On Friday, 12/20, Carnival informed us that due to delivery problems with the shipyard, they were forced to cancel the first 8 sailings of the Mardi Gras, including the TA! The first "revenue sailings" wouldn't begin until the ship reached the US. As Homer Simpson would say: D'oh!
Naturally, Cindy and I were disappointed, but there's always a silver lining, I believe. In a classic good news, bad news scenario, we wouldn't be able to do a TA on the Mardi Gras, but this would free us up to do the next Big Sexy cruise! Excellent! Throughout our current Big Sexy cruise, everyone kept asking us: "Are y'all gonna be on Big Sexy 4 with us?" Replying that we already had the TA booked, we would have to take the next Big Sexy cruise.
I can only imagine the chaos created with all the PVPs and travel agents when everyone got the news. After chatting with Cindy on the phone, and confirming that the dates for Big Sexy 4 would work for her, I contacted Will to change our booking. Since we already paid a deposit for the TA, and would also receive some "future sailing credit," Will was able to do his PVP magic and get everything rebooked and transferred over to the new sailing. What really amazes me is how long Will spent on the phone with me, ensuring everything was covered and we had the cabin that best suited our needs. Had you been listening to our conversation, you would've thought I was his only client. I know that Josh was doing the same thing with all of his clients as well.
This, my faithful readers is exactly why we use a PVP when booking a cruise. Could we just book the same thing online? Sure! I equate it, though, to using self-checkout at the grocery store. We refuse to use self-checkout at any store. First off, we don't work there, and why should we do someone's job for free? Using self-checkout also takes a job away from a real person. When I was in high school, I relied on my part-time job at the grocery store, and I'll be darned if I'm going to take away some high school kid's spending money!
Not for me!
base image from Google search
Of course, a Carnival PVP isn't in the same position as a grocery store clerk, but the basic principle is the same. These people work hard to plan the perfect cruise for us, and why not support them and their family instead of just booking something on your own? Throw in something complicated, like transferring a deposit, processing a "future sailing credit" and that sort of thing, and you can see why having a PVP taking care of all that just makes sense. One phone call to my PVP.....ONE phone call, and it was all done. That's why I'll always recommend using a PVP instead of doing it yourself. Always.
I'm repeating myself here since I wrote about this in the first blog of this series, but given its importance, I wanted to bring it up again. Below are two PVPs I've mentioned before. William Luke is my PVP, and I've used him long before Josh left the CD ranks and became a PVP himself. Either one of these guys will give you stellar service, and you should really consider using them to plan your next cruise, especially if you do this on your own.
William Luke
photo courtesy of Will Luke
William Luke
1-800-819-3902, ext. 85159
wluke@carnival.com
Facebook: Carnival Cruising with William
Josh Waitzman
photo courtesy of Josh Waitzman
Josh Waitzman
1-800-819-3902, ext. 82990
jwaitzman@carnival.com
By the way, I haven't mentioned using travel agents only because I have no experience using them. I'm sure they have their advantages too, and I don't want to give the impression that I have any negative views of travel agents simply because I haven't written about them here. If you are currently using a travel agent, and like their service, then, by all means, continue to do so.
image from Google search
If you've read through this little side jaunt, thank you! I really think it's important, otherwise I wouldn't have included it. Let's get back to our day.....in Half Moon Cay!
As with most of the ports on this trip, Cindy and I didn't have anything specific planned, so we just slept in and enjoyed "first breakfast" on the balcony. This has become such an integral part of our cruise that I can't imagine not doing it on a regular basis. Of course, on those port days where we are diving and have to get up early, we'll skip the balcony and just grab something from Lido.
Tender approaching the Magic
I counted two tenders loading passengers from the forward and midship locations while one tender was heading towards the pier with a load and another empty tender coming back from shore ready to replace one of the currently loading tenders. Both Cindy and I enjoyed our leisurely breakfast and took our time getting ready to go ashore.
Boarding the tender
Depending on how far out the ship must anchor, tender rides can be as short as 5 minutes, like Grand Cayman, to almost 20 minutes, like Belize. This ride took about 7 minutes since we were close. We timed it just right, as the tender was almost full when we boarded, so we didn't have to wait very long to be underway for the shore.
Once off the tender, our first priority was just to explore Half Moon Cay and see what it had to offer. We found a couple of lounge chairs in the shade and claimed them with our towels and beach bags. I was happy we were able to find a good spot, under some palm trees, especially since we took our time getting off the ship.
Our view from the lounge chairs
A nice convenience at this location is that we use our sail and sign cards to purchase any drinks. No cash is needed or in fact accepted here. Lunch is complimentary and located in a central dining area a short walk away. Whatever the chefs were preparing for lunch definitely smelled good! The plan was to relax a little on the beach, take a dip in the water and then enjoy lunch.
One of the bars on HMC
photo by Cindy Newman
With blue skies and a pleasant breeze, we figured this would be the best time to enjoy the water. Quite a few were already in the water, and they seemed to be having a good time. Let's go!
Wait......hold on......this is part of the Bahamas, right? We were diving in Nassau and Freeport last October, in 2018 and I don't recall the water being so cold. Those blue links, by the way, will take you directly to blogs I wrote about our days there on the Carnival Freedom. Go ahead and take a look. I'll wait.
I was surprised at just how chilly the water was. Now that I took the time to look around, I could tell others thought the water was a bit cold, too. No matter, we'll get acclimatized, right? Right?
At least the sun kept us warm, and as we got a bit deeper and deeper into the water, we acclimated well. Better than I originally thought we would, truth be told. OK, this isn't so bad, now that we're in the sun, neck-deep in water.
Having consumed our fill, we found another couple of loungers and relaxed to the sounds of music, laughter and conversation for another hour or so and decided to head back to the ship. Along with a bunch of others, apparently. There was already a long line of people waiting for the next set of tenders. Although the line was long, it did move along at a slow, steady pace, so we didn't have to wait as long as we thought we would.
I was surprised at just how chilly the water was. Now that I took the time to look around, I could tell others thought the water was a bit cold, too. No matter, we'll get acclimatized, right? Right?
At least the sun kept us warm, and as we got a bit deeper and deeper into the water, we acclimated well. Better than I originally thought we would, truth be told. OK, this isn't so bad, now that we're in the sun, neck-deep in water.
Cheers!
limited use granted by Carnival Cruise Line
Yes, the above photo was taken by a Carnival photographer, and to the best of my knowledge, I'm able to use it under the limited copyright release as granted by Carnival when we purchased it. This must've been a popular setting because there was a constant line of people waiting for their chance to have their own photos taken.
Unsurprisingly, our "first breakfast" didn't hold us too long, so we dried off and followed our noses to the dining area. Ahhhh, the lovely smell of grilling meat! Today's selection looked like grilled burgers or hot dogs, jerk chicken, some sort of shrimp and several tempting side dishes. I selected some jerk chicken with a "chili rice" and fresh pineapple. Cue the theme to Good Eats!
Unsurprisingly, our "first breakfast" didn't hold us too long, so we dried off and followed our noses to the dining area. Ahhhh, the lovely smell of grilling meat! Today's selection looked like grilled burgers or hot dogs, jerk chicken, some sort of shrimp and several tempting side dishes. I selected some jerk chicken with a "chili rice" and fresh pineapple. Cue the theme to Good Eats!
Having consumed our fill, we found another couple of loungers and relaxed to the sounds of music, laughter and conversation for another hour or so and decided to head back to the ship. Along with a bunch of others, apparently. There was already a long line of people waiting for the next set of tenders. Although the line was long, it did move along at a slow, steady pace, so we didn't have to wait as long as we thought we would.
Woof!
Awwww, how cute! We were greeted by a towel dog when we got back to our cabin. On all of our previous cruises, we didn't get our towel animal until turndown service at night, while we were at dinner. Time to rinse off the saltwater with a warm shower and relax a little before dinner. Tonight would be the first formal night, or "cruise elegant" evening as Carnival calls it. I'm one of those that don't really care for formal night, and if it ever went away that would be just fine by me. For those of y'all that enjoy it, great! I'm truly glad you enjoy the experience. I'll dress accordingly, since that is expected of us, but will quickly change back into shorts and a t-shirt once we are done with dinner. And speaking of dinner...
Appetizer: Tart with Braised Kale, Blackened Pork Tenderloin
Citrus Cream
One of my absolute favorite appetizers! These little bite-sized morsels pack a lot of flavor into such a small package. The tart's crust is always light and flaky. I usually order two of these, so I can share one or two of the tarts with the table. Otherwise, get your own! Just saying.
Main: Slow Cooked Prime Rib
Baked Potato, Horseradish
Even after sitting on top of the au jus, the onion rings were still crispy. I need to remember to ask for extra onion rings if possible the next time I see this on the menu. Since I was pacing myself and trying to save my appetite, I ate most of my prime rib, and about half of the potato. Kumara noticed my plate, and kept wanting to bring me something else. "What's wrong, Mr. Patrick? Isn't it yummy yummy?"
I tried to explain that I was saving my appetite for dessert and only convinced him by taking another bite or two of the potato. Apparently that satisfied him...for now....as he did this several more times throughout our cruise.
Dessert: Vanilla Creme Brulee
Crunch! My spoon cracked through the perfectly bruleed top and revealed a rich, creamy custard underneath. This is what I was saving my appetite for! Every bite was as good as the first bite.
Big props to Randy, who sat to my right at dinner each night. Twice he stopped me from dragging my cuff through the butter, and the third time I was about to do it, he just slid the butter dish away from me. Thank you, Randy! I'm glad you were looking out for me.
Since we were already dressed, Cindy and I posed for a few elegant photos then dashed upstairs to get changed. Earlier, I had dropped by the Red Frog Pub and noticed someone drinking some sort of chocolatey frozen drink. I asked one of the RFP bartenders what it was and they pointed it out on the menu. Hey, what a perfect drink to start off the evening's entertainment!
Blended Caribbean Rum Cream Cocktail
Cindy and I both ordered one, and were impressed at how rich and flavorful it was. In an effort to be more environmentally conscious, Carnival has stopped using plastic straws in all of their drinks. They now use straws made from sugar, so even if inappropriately discarded, they'll just dissolve. While I applaud their effort, these straws aren't that good for thick frozen drinks. They tend to start dissolving quicker than I can finish a thick, frozen drink. A reasonable alternative is to just bring your own silicon or stainless steel straws and reuse them throughout your cruise. That's what we'll do, and I've added a set of these to my packing list.
The comedy club was just a short walk aft, so drinks in hand we made our way to some good seats and settled in for the show. Carnival has been very good at picking quality comedians and the ones we watched on this cruise were no exception. Any comedian who can actually make me laugh out loud, and trust me, that's a hard thing to do, gets my seal of approval. I make it a point to let Carnival know on their surveys that our comedians were funny and enjoyable.
And just like that, it was almost time for another session of Cigars Under the Stars. Wait! Hold short of the active. There's something missing. Yes, that's right. We need something to, ummmmm, stay hydrated. How about we head over to the Alchemy Bar and see what looks good?
We carried our respective drinks the short distance outside to the Lanai and joined our fellow "Sexy Flashers" for another fun evening of Cigars Under the Stars. I had Josh sample my drink, and from his reaction, he seemed to really like it. These nights under the stars, hanging out with friends and laughing at all the stories are far better than any other entertainment we could find on the ship.
All too soon we wrapped up another session and called it a night. Naturally we had to swing by Lido for our nightly snack, and naturally this extended our Cigars Under the Stars event, again. I guess we'll just call this addition "Phase Two." Like today, Cindy and I didn't have anything specific planned for our stop in Grand Turk tomorrow, so we could sleep in again.
Coming up next, our day in Grand Turk. You can jump to it by clicking here.
For your convenience, here are the links to the first two blogs in this series:
Big Sexy Returns to the Carnival Magic
Day 1: Embarkation
So, from the embarkation day blog, has anyone figured out what is so special about our cabin number? Will Luke, you are NOT eligible to guess.
What about your guess on the third vodka-based drink I discovered? You'll have to go back to one of the two previous blogs to find out?
Have you discovered any new favorites on one of your cruises? Please tell me about it below.
Until next time....
carpe cerevisi
And just like that, it was almost time for another session of Cigars Under the Stars. Wait! Hold short of the active. There's something missing. Yes, that's right. We need something to, ummmmm, stay hydrated. How about we head over to the Alchemy Bar and see what looks good?
The Alchemy Bar
I love the theme of this bar! Think of it as a "drink pharmacy" and you'll be pretty close. Or better yet, click that blue link above and let Carnival describe it. Hhhhmmm, tough choice! Jovana, our wonderful "Alchemist," helped us out and I selected a Spicy Chipotle Pineapple Martini, without the mint. Can't decide what you want? No problem! That's one of the coolest things about this particular bar. Just talk to the Alchemist and they'll come up with something that you are thirsty for.
Spicy Chipotle Pineapple Martini
Carnival's menu description: Prepared with Belvedere Vodka, chipotle pineapple syrup, pineapple juice, simple syrup and mint leaves.
Wow! This was a tasty drink! It had just enough spice to make it interesting, without being overpowering. This would make a great pairing with a bacon cheeseburger and onion rings. Or maybe that's just me.
Cindy and Jovana discussed what might please her palate this evening, and Jovana suggested a Cucumber Sunrise.
Cucumber Sunrise
Of course, Cindy and I sampled each other's drink and found both of them delicious. As much as I liked my spicy martini, I think I liked Cindy's drink better. It was deceivingly smooth and would easily be my first choice as a cool beverage after enjoying the sun on Lido.
Carnival's menu description: Belvedere Vodka, watermelon nectar, muddled cucumber, fresh squeezed lime juice and a splash of orange juice. Light and delicious.
Yeah, no kidding! "Light and delicious" was spot on! I think I just found me new favorite cocktail while on a Carnival ship (that has an Alchemy Bar). Yes, I know I said the same thing about the "Painkiller" a couple of blogs ago, but this one has the Painkiller beat. Go figure.
And the most ironic thing? I've always considered myself a rum drinker. I never really drank vodka, only because I had rum and gin as my "go-to" liquors. On this one trip, I discovered three, yes three vodka-based drinks that I really enjoy. Let's see who's been paying attention. Obviously, two of the three are in this blog. Can any of y'all figure out what the third one is? Please put your guess in the comments section below.
We carried our respective drinks the short distance outside to the Lanai and joined our fellow "Sexy Flashers" for another fun evening of Cigars Under the Stars. I had Josh sample my drink, and from his reaction, he seemed to really like it. These nights under the stars, hanging out with friends and laughing at all the stories are far better than any other entertainment we could find on the ship.
All too soon we wrapped up another session and called it a night. Naturally we had to swing by Lido for our nightly snack, and naturally this extended our Cigars Under the Stars event, again. I guess we'll just call this addition "Phase Two." Like today, Cindy and I didn't have anything specific planned for our stop in Grand Turk tomorrow, so we could sleep in again.
Coming up next, our day in Grand Turk. You can jump to it by clicking here.
For your convenience, here are the links to the first two blogs in this series:
Big Sexy Returns to the Carnival Magic
Day 1: Embarkation
So, from the embarkation day blog, has anyone figured out what is so special about our cabin number? Will Luke, you are NOT eligible to guess.
What about your guess on the third vodka-based drink I discovered? You'll have to go back to one of the two previous blogs to find out?
Have you discovered any new favorites on one of your cruises? Please tell me about it below.
Until next time....
carpe cerevisi
A new stop. Interesting that you flew to Florida. It's probably too easy to just go out of Galveston. I believe I may have asked before but can't remember - are you not tempted by other offerings out of Galveston? For example, one of the big RC ships is coming, I believe, next year, and will be offering 7 day cruises.
ReplyDeleteWe normally cruise out of Galveston, but will depart from Florida depending on the specific cruise or itinerary.
ReplyDeleteWe look at EVERY cruise line when making a choice. With Carnival, though, they seem to have the best prices/value so we generally stay with them. Some of the perks we've acquired are pretty nice, too, so that's a big incentive. We do keep all of our options open, though.