Monthly Archives: October 2016

Happy Halloween! I hope everyone has a spooky good and safe night tonight.

I thought i might take some time to give you some helpful tips that I have learned over the last few years of cruising.Some you may already know  but hopefully not all.  If you have any additional helpful tips please make sure and let all of us know.

1. Read your Fun Times!  The Fun Times has so much helpful information in it that everyone should be reading it every day.  Take a highlighter and mark all of the activities you would like to do along with the time and place.  There is a tear out section of the Fun Times that you can highlight and carry with you.
2. Hang a shoe organizer on the towel rack.  Carnival no longer wants shoe organizers hanging from the doors but a towel rack works perfectly.  This is a great way to keep your hygiene items organized and off the sink area. We bought one from Dollar Tree for our cruise and still use it.
3. If you hate when the shower curtain sticks to you then bring a binder clip. Clip it to the bottom of the shower curtain and it will weigh it down to keep it in place.
4. Take a light sweater, coat or hoodie.  The dining room and entertainment areas are kept a little on the chilly side.  Plus it’s December when we will be taking the cruise and we will be on water….it gets a little breezy and chilled outside at night.
5. Bring an extra plug in for outlets with USB ports.  There is only one outlet in the main area of the cabins so all of your electronics are fighting for that plug.  Power strips are not allowed per ship policy!
6. Excited and can’t wit to see what is happening on the ship? Go to http://ships.carnivalentertainment.com/ and watch the live web cams on the ships.
7. Tie something bright and colorful to your luggage.  It will make finding it easier when disembarking from the ship.
8. If you want to use your cell phones on board as a clock and or camera but don’t want international roaming charges then put it in airplane mode.
9. Clothespins – Bring a package of clothespins to hang wet swimsuits or clothes from the pull out cord in the shower.
10. Take your robe or swim towel from your cabin to the Dive In Movie.  These will help keep you warm while outside enjoying the movies.
11. A small nightlight or flashlight to help you see at night.  It gets a whole lot of dark in the cabins, especially if you are in an interior room.
12. Drink bottled water! You will read varying opinions on this.  I know first hands and feet that drinking bottled water helps keep the swelling down. It can be caused by lack of movement, too much sun, dehydration, too much salt, too much alcohol and or coffee. Remember that alcohol and coffee are very dehydrating. Drink plenty of water and beverages such as cranberry juice, try to keep feet up when resting and take frequent walks around the deck.  Scott and I go online before our cruises and order a 12 pack of bottled water from the Carnival store for $3.99.  We have it delivered to our room the first day and drinking it all week.
13. Bring an air freshener for the bathroom.  Sharing a room and bathroom can be uncomfortable if the air is polluted!
14. Bring metal clips.  Important papers tend to get lost in the mix of clothes and bags.  Use metal clips with magnets on the back to hang items on the walls.  After all the ship is metal 🙂
15. Water shoes are a must if you are going to any beaches.  The beaches are very rocky past the water line and we don’t want cut up feet or toes.
16. Pop up laundry hamper placed in the closet is a great way to keep the dirty clothes out of the way.
17. Bring an old gift card or credit card you no longer use.  This is will be helpful when wanting to use the safe and the lights.  In order to conserve on energy Carnival has a feature that you insert a card with a magnetic strip into the light switch to turn them on.  Do not use your Sail and Sign card for this because you will at some point lock it in your room and your lights will stay on.
18. The absolute most important hint is to relax and don’t be in a hurry. There is a whole ship full of people wanting to go and do the same thing you are wanting to do.

Look at all of this stuff I know…lol. I sure hope you find this information helpful.

Oh happy Monday to all! I hope your weekends were relaxing and you are geared up for the week. I find myself ready to finish off with the overview of the decks.  So today we will talk decks 14 and 15.

Deck 14 is all about the spa experience.  Cloud 9 Spa offers a massive variety of health and beauty services.  There are always specials going for the Cloud 9 experiences.  You will find daily deals in your Fun Times and flyers in your cabins.

You want that perfect hair for formal or date night on the ship, well head on up to the salon and let them style you.  You can get your nails done and men can get a nice clean shave. Heck they will even color your hair for you.

There are locker rooms so you can change to get your spa treatments done.  Some of the treatments include:

• Oriental Steam Baths
• Laconium & Tepidarium thermal suites for dry heat
• Aroma Steam Baths
• Thialasso Therapy sea water pool with water jets
• And additional rooms for massages and other spa experiences.

Scott and I will be staying in a spa room this December so we will give you more details on what those rooms offer and the various packages available at the Cloud 9 Spa.

The Serenity on deck 15 is an adult only retreat.  Sorry little ones under the age of 21 no admittance into the Serenity area but you are allowed to enter the water slide from deck 15. This adults only retreat area has it’s own bar, lounging areas, tables, hammocks, and two spas (hot tubs).  There is the ever popular clam chair that is oversized  with cushions and pillows all with an overhead cover.  There is soothing music playing and plenty of waitstaff to keep your drinks full.

Next week I will be giving some helpful cruising tips that I just know you want to know about.  Please let me know if there is anything you would like more information on that I have posted about or if you have items you want me to blog about.

Hey Hey Hey…what do you say? You say,”Woohoo! It’s blog reading time!”

Today we will finish up with deck 12.  Oh my goodness we only have a few decks left to go. On deck 12 you will find the Water Works area.  This is the ship’s water park that is open from 10 am to 5 pm. Located in the Water Works area is:

• A Splash Zone with fountains, water cannons that spray and splash pools of water
• Drain Pipe is a tunnel slide
• Power Drencher that has a tipping water buckets that hold 300 gallons of water. These tipping buckets splash down in intervals and drench the people below.
• Two mini racing slides for kids
• Twister Waterslide that is accessed on deck 15 and lands 312 ft to deck 12.

There are rules to using the Water Works area so you best pay attention.  You must be 42 inches tall.  Kids under 13 years of age need parents permission.  If you wear glasses like I do, please be aware that they need to be held on with head straps. Kids must be potty trained so that means no swim diapers.  No flotation devices can be used.  Your swimwear cannot have zippers, buckles, or rivets.  No jewelry or accessories allowed.  And finally, only one person on the slide at a time.  Now it sounds like a lot of rules and you are thinking, “hey people, it’s my vacation and I do what I want.” Stop with the attitude and just follow the rules. (I said that in my best motherly stern voice)

Cloud 9 fitness Center is located at the bow of the ship on deck 12.  The hours of operation are 6 am to 10 pm.  The gym area has free weights, treadmills, steppers, cycles, and more.  The use of the equipment is complimentary.  There is a fitness studio where classes are held.  Some classes are free and some have additional fees.  Please check your Fun Times or ask for assistance at the Fitness Desk.

The male and female locker rooms come with complimentary sauna, steam rooms, and showers.  Kids aged 12-17 years are allowed in the Fitness Center with an adult.

I have saved the best for last….Sea Dogs.  Open on sea days from 11 am to 4 pm is a hot dog stand called Sea Dogs.  The cart is actually hot dog shaped and is located in the relaxation area of the Sports Course.  You can get 1/4 pound hot dogs with limited toppings.  Yes Scott, these are the fancy hot dogs!

Next week is deck 14 because there isn’t a deck 13.  Suspicious much?

Happy Columbus Day all.  I hope you have had a great time during the last week.  As always, Scott & I had an awesome week in Texas.

I have realized that we have had 22 blog posts about the planned family cruise that is in a mire 432 days.  With such little time remaining….just kidding…let’s jump up to deck 12 and take a look.

Deck 12 also known as Spa & Sports Deck features sports, water fun, fitness and hot dogs.

A jogging/walking track circles around the Sports Court, a seating and bar area, and the Sports Square.  The track is padded so it has a softer cushion on your feet, knees, and joints.  Upon doing my research I have found that it takes either 7 or 8 laps to equal one mile.  I guess I am going to have to take a stepper with me in December to find out which it is.

The Sports Park Bar is a full service bar with seating area.  This way you can feel like you are getting your fitness on by having a drink and watching others sweat.  Please remember that the drinks at any of the bar areas on board are not free.  They will swipe your Sail and Sign card.

The Sports Square and Sports Court have games galore.  The outdoor deck games area has oversized chess and connect four boards, shuffle board, billiards, foosball and ping pong tables (Allen can show off his Forest Gump moves), and an outdoor workout equipment area. In the Sports Court you can play basketball, soccer, volleyball, and tennis. There are game competitions and tournaments during the cruise.

Looking above the Sports Square you will see 150 feet above sea level two circular rope courses.  The inner rope course is for beginners while the outer is for intermediate and above. The courses are approximately 230 feet in length.  You must be at least 48″ tall to go on the course.  Woohoo Matti & Kelsey! There are swinging steps and beams along with the ropes.  Each passenger is equipped with a harness that is attached to a track above them.

The only downside to deck 12 are the winds.  If it is a windy day then the rope course might not be open. We will continue on deck 12 next week with more fun and a lot more fitness.

Hello, hello, hello! Welcome back to another exciting and interesting blog post.  Today we will be strolling deck 11.

We begin with Cucina Del Capitano restaurant that offers Italian family dining. There is an additional fee to have dinner at the restaurant.  Adults are $15 and children 12 and under are $5.  Not wanting to spend that extra money but still craving Italian cuisine?  Simply solved…eat lunch there.  During lunch there is a limited pasta menu that is no extra charge.  That’s right, eating at Cucina Del Capitano during lunch is included in the price of your cruise.  Scott and I enjoyed the pasta and bread during lunch.  We had plenty to eat and the decor made for a comfy cottage feel.  If you would like to go for dinner you can make reservations on the ship or online at http://www.carnival.com.

Located on deck 11 is Camp ocean.  This is for Wyatt! This is a complimentary supervised play area.  The Penguins, that’s what the Camp Ocean kids are called, can play with other kids their age in a variety of activities.  On sea days Camp Ocean is open 10-1, 2-5, and 7-10.  Unlike the big kid clubs Penguins must be signed in and out of Camp Ocean. Camp Ocean also supplies cell phones that can only be used for ship calls.  These cell phones are given to parents so that the staff can contact the parent if need be.  There is an orientation on the day we board the ship and preregistration is available online. Some of the activities the Penguins get to participate in are:

• Ocean themed arts and crafts and games
• Penguin Palooza: penguin costume making, parade and sing-a-long songs
• Sea Creature Aerobics
• Paper Bag Whale creation
• Ocean songs sing-a-long
• Ocean Bingo
• Musical Icebergs
• Sing-a-longs: music and movement activities
• Play-Doh sculpture time
• Picture bingo: bingo for prizes/candy
• Story time: A-B-Seas reading and story time
• Dr. Seuss
• Mr. Potato Head
• Face painting during themed activities
• Tee-shirt decorating
• Kids dance parties
• Indoor ball games, parachute games and kids Aerobics

Man I wish I was young enough to be a Penguin!

Finally, on deck 11 you will find the band stand. Various musical artists and a DJ have their sound system on the band stand.  They play music most of the day for all of the cruisers hanging out on the Lido deck.  Of course we all know that the Lido deck is located on deck…anyone…anyone..deck 10.

Next week we will on to deck 12.  This area is all about spas and sports.   I can’t wait to tell you all about it! Until next week my people……