I decided I wanted to write down my experiences on vacation this year because they were very interesting. My cruise to the western Caribbean was unlike anything I have experienced before. So before I forget I want to remember to write about: the ship itself, the people on the ship (Walter and Made) and how hard they work, and the different countries and my experiences in them. Overall the cruise was good but I didn't really enjoy being on the ship all the time. I wish I could have had more time in each country but you only get like 7 hours. My grandma Carr took some of my extended family because it was her 80th birthday and she wanted to celebrate. Nice grandma huh?
The ship I sailed on was the Carnival Glory. It was huge!! I did not imagine that you could fit that many people on one boat. I got blown away when I thought about how much it takes to plan a cruise, the food that all the thousands of people need for one week, the amount of laundry and garbage produced! Walter told us that they only get supplies in Port Canaveral, they don't fill up when they go into other ports. That is a huge undertaking alone. There were 12ish decks on the ship. My room was on the 6th deck right above the casino. Every night we could tell when someone won big because they would cheer really loud. I used earplugs though. Best decision I made was to bring those on vacation. The 3rd deck had the lobby with a piano and bar where there would be music and singers every night. It was also the floor of the Golden dining room where we had dinner every night. We didn't really ever go on the 4th floor. The amber palace was the auditorium where the shows were performed every night. Mom and dad could hear the show from their room. The 5th floor had shops with all kinds of high priced items, the casino, coffee bar, some nice couches and chairs where we hung out a few times, the teen clubs, one bar where Jillian and I listened to an asian guy sing Elton John and Billy Joel one night, he was pretty good, and it had the club where we sang for family Karaoke. The 6th, 7th, and 8th decks were rooms and the 9th deck was the Lido deck. This is where the two pools were, the red sail restaurant (huge and buffet style), grill, all day pizza, deli, and most importantly 24 hour self-service ice cream cones. I had no idea that all you do on a cruise is eat. The pools had salt water though so it wasn't too exciting. It also had the spa and gym. Jillian and I went there once. Deck 10 had shuffle board, deck chairs, a track, chess, and ping pong. They put the deck chairs away every night. The last two decks are just for hanging out on except one has the mini golf course, volleyball and basketball courts. Deck zero was where we got off the boat in port.
The shows were not really very good. The dancers wore skimpy outfits and had cheezy choreography. The singers were ok, but I stopped attending the shows because they weren't very good. My family went sometimes because there was nothing else to do. We kind of had boring times on the ship because we don't drink or gamble. At night was especially boring. The younger kids could go to the teen clubs but there wasn't anything for the older cousins to do. One night we crashed the family Karaoke and took over. I made Jillian sing Journey with me, Separate Ways (Worlds Apart), it fulfilled a dream of mine. I had a lot of fun with it and tried to channel Steve Perry. Mom enjoyed it a lot. For awhile all the people getting called up were Carrs. When we did get bored we usually went and got ice cream cones. On Thursday morning (a ship day) I went on deck and finished my book. I sat in the shade since I had already gotten sunburned but it was very enjoyable. There are televisions in the rooms so I watched a little TV now and then. The ship showed movies but they were the same ones over and over again, not very good. There was a "library" but they only had about one bookcase full of books and it was only open for an hour per day. There were also photographers that were available to take your picture every time you turn around. They want you to buy the photos. At dinner, after dinner in front of backgrounds, when you get off the ship...all the time. Basically I learned that people go on cruises to spend money and those who are unwilling to have a more boring time. No spa treatments, drinks, clothes etc. Plus you have to charge everything to a credit card that is connected to your "sail and sign" card. Which privlidges I did not have.
When we first got on the boat my family got lost a lot. But I quickly learned my way around. I have a great sense of direction. My grandma couldn't go anywhere by herself because she would always get lost. My dad went on a tour of the ship but he didn't really learn anything. We also had a drill when we first got on board which was fun. We had to report to a station and take our life jackets. Women and children get saved first. My dad was a little freaked out when Jillian and I showed up among the last people to arrive.
Well, I want to post this so it doesn't get lost. Look for the next installment coming soon!
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