Help us...help you...

to cruise with us again.

** October 15, 2010 - Sea Day **

Our final day at sea and our final day on board the beautiful Carnival Dream. We didn't do a lot today (again, I sadly cannot remember much of our sea days).

I remember not feeling well today, partly due to a late night on Thursday, sadness from our dream coming to an end and slightly rougher seas.

We dined as usual in the main dining room with our friends. It was an amazing night and the perfect way to end an awesome week.

We had such an amazing waitstaff. Here is Eric and I with 2 of our servers. Nazan, our head server who is from Turkey. Miroslav, who was the 2nd server who is from Croatia.

From Carnival Dream 2010

Here is our 3rd server, Sudarma and I. Sudarma is from Singapore.

From Carnival Dream 2010

After dinner we went back to our room to change, pack and get our luggage set out for the morning. After we were all packed we headed down to meet up with Janie and David for drinks at our favorite place, Ocean's Plaza and the Lanai.

From Carnival Dream 2010

From Carnival Dream 2010

After awhile we said good night as it was getting late and tomorrow would come sooner than we wanted.

Morning arrived and I was able to catch this picture of the Norwegian Cruise Line's ship the Sun.

From Carnival Dream 2010

We disembarked from the ship somewhere around 8am. Grabbed a shuttle to pick up our rental car and then returned to where we started our trip for breakfast. We had such a great breakfast that first day of our cruise at Simply Delicious that we decided to return. We mentioned to our server that we would see her next year and told her that we had just returned from a cruise. She gave us a little goodie bag for our travels home. So sweet of her.

We were so not ready to leave Port Canaveral or our Dream behind. We circled into port for a final glimpse at her before heading to Orlando.

From Carnival Dream 2010

There is nothing like cruising. Nothing at all. From being able to see God's beautiful work first thing in the morning. To the beautiful Atlantis resort in Nassau at Sunrise, the amazing clear blue waters of St. Thomas to the breathtaking views of St. Martin. To be able to pay one price and visit anywhere from 2 - 6 or more ports of calls (countries) in as little as 5 - 7 days. I feel blessed to have been able to experience this and look forward to many cruises in the future.

To close out this series, here are a few of my favorite memories.

From Carnival Dream 2010

From Carnival Dream 2010

From Carnival Dream 2010

From Carnival Dream 2010

From Carnival Dream 2010

From Carnival Dream 2010

Live, laugh, love. Make the most of it.

xoxo

It is a sunny daya.

** October 14, 2010 - A FUN day at sea **

I have to take a minute here and say that I absolutely looked forward to the daily announcements from our Captain (Carlo Queirolo). The Italians have a funny way in putting an A after a lot of their words. On our first full sea day (Monday), Eric and I were at a shopping seminar and Captain Queirolo came across the PA system to give us our position, weather, etc. To this day, Eric and I still giggle and announce sunny days the way Captain Queirolo would. He was giving us the current weather and continues with it is a.....then has this long pause like he is literally looking out the window and trying to determine if it is dark because of the tinted windows or if it is truly overcast and then he says...a sunny daya. We just laughed and laughed and it just tickled us.

It's the little things you take away from the cruise or any vacation for that matter that makes it truly memorable.

So back to the day at hand.

I am thinking I really need to journal while on the ship because I truly can't remember most of our sea days. I have strong memories of our days in port because it's well photographed and the experiences we had were truly unforgettable.

If I remember correctly, today is the day that Eric and I had a couples massage done. It was heavenly. I could so do without them hammering us at the end by trying to get us to purchase their spa products as that truly deflates the bubble of bliss you are currently floating in.

Sea days are very much days of nothingness. Time to wander the ship and find hidden gems to later share with your friends on Cruise Critic. The perfect time to take advantage of on board activities (trivia, ice carving demonstrations). The perfect time to just grab a book and find a little slice of heaven out on the deck to just lay back and soak it all in.

Sea days are also Tea Party days. And what's a tea party without your royal family.

From Carnival Dream 2010

Sadly I cannot remember the name of the lady to my left (when looking at the picture), however to my right is my dear friend Sheryl and behind us is the ever fabulous and amazing Jw. All of us met through our roll call on Cruise Critic and we are so blessed to have them as friends.

We opted to not dine in the main dining room tonight as we had made reservations prior to the cruise to Chef's Art Steakhouse. We were very much looking forward to this as all of the reviews we had read said that the food was absolutely amazing. We made our way past the whale tail and around to the aft section of the ship.

From Carnival Dream 2010

While we usually take reviews from others with a grain of salt, all of the reviews about the food were spot on. It was amazing.

From Carnival Dream 2010

The service however was less than stellar. We received better service in the main dining room where it is a faster pace than in the steakhouse where it is more intimate. It was very disappointing and we made sure to let everyone know who we felt needed to know (employee wise). The jury is still out as to whether we will do the steakhouse again as you do pay extra for the privilege to dine there. We did not let it completely damper our spirits though.

From Carnival Dream 2010

After dinner, we headed down to the promenade area and had some professional pictures of us taken. Sadly none of these turned out very well as the photographers pose you and we looked so uncomfortable and unnatural. We opted not to purchase any.

We headed back to our cabin to change into some more comfortable clothes and headed down to the comedy club to meet up with our friends. We saw two comedians again tonight and hands down we all felt that Michael Macy was the best. He had us in tears from laughter. As we had every other night for the comedy shows, we sat in the front row and while most people tend to steer away from the front we loved it and loved that the comedians would use us as material (in a good way).

Here's Eric and I with Michael Macy.

From Carnival Dream 2010

We ended the night as most in Ocean's Plaza with our dear friends Janie and David. After a couple of drinks, we headed to Dreamland and rested up for our final day at sea and aboard the Carnival Dream.

Please take me away....

to some place called Maho Beach.

** October 13, 2010 - St. Maarten **

As morning approaches, I no longer feel like I am on vacation, but more like I have settled nicely into life and am truly enjoying this sense of peace that follows me around. We woke this morning and ventured outside to say good morning to the beautiful island of St. Maarten. Once we were settled into port we made our way down to the first deck of the ship to meet up with our crew for our tour of St. Maarten.

Our first stop was at a small pull off with amazing views of the French side of the island which is St. Martin.

From Carnival Dream 2010

After a few photo ops and just being able to take in the beauty that is St. Martin we boarded back on to the bus and headed for Orient Beach. For those who do not know, Orient Beach is a clothing optional beach. Nudity is permitted on the French side of the island, however if you bare it all on the Dutch side, you will be taken to jail....as is. So make sure you know which side of the island you are on. Lol.

Here's Eric and I at Orient Beach...fully clothed. ;)

From Carnival Dream 2010

Most of us in our group were under the impression that we were only going to be at Orient Beach for a short time, however our driver had a different agenda and had us in nude paradise for 2 hours. After much grumbling and discussion amongst the crew, we voted to wrap things up and head back to the Dutch side and the much anticipated Maho Beach.

Maho Beach was what made Eric and I decide to take this tour. Ever since we heard about this little slice of heaven we have wanted to visit. For those of you who have not seen the youtube videos or are aware of what Maho Beach is, I highly recommend this video:



There is a surf board that has all the days flights so you know when they are arriving and departing.

From Carnival Dream 2010

You will also see when people riding the fence when planes take off. We had a few in our group do that.

We saw a few puddle jumpers arrive while we were there but were extremely disappointed to find out that the 747's arrived while we were at Orient Beach and then right after we left.

However, this picture pretty much sums up the whole cruising experience.

From Carnival Dream 2010

We eventually made it back to the port area and did a little shopping and then headed back to ship.

From Carnival Dream 2010

We had dinner in the main dining room and opted to just dine alone tonight. It was nice to just be with Eric and reconnect after such a long day.

We called it an early night and retreated to our cabin for some peace and quiet. Nothing but relaxation from here on out as we have 2 sea days before we return to Port Canaveral and reality.

Today...you'll be swimming with the fishies.

** October 12, 2010 - St. Thomas, U.S.V.I **

Good morning St. Thomas! Another early morning for us as we got up to watch the ship pull into port.

From Carnival Dream 2010

After the ship docked we grabbed a quick bite to eat and then made our way off the ship to meet up with our friends David and Janie.

From Carnival Dream 2010

We opted to join them on a private sail boat excursion which would take us to St. John for a day of snorkeling and relaxation. I have never snorkeled and was somewhat nervous about it since I can't swim without plugging my nose. lol. The sail boat that we sailed on was called the Fantasy and it was a perfect day for sailing. We met our captain for the day and rode in the dingy out to the boat. Once we were all on board we set sail for St. John. We ended up anchoring in Caneel Bay which is a very popular resort to the famous. The resort was currently closed and under going renovations so we had the entire bay and beach to ourselves.

Our sail boat for the day.

From Carnival Dream 2010

Caneel Bay and our sail boat.

From Snorkeling - St. John October 2010

David, Janie and I quickly became accustomed to the water and set forth for some under water exploration.

From Carnival Dream 2010

Eric took to the lighter side of relaxation and enjoyed wading in the water and just enjoying the serenity of the beach.

After what seemed like only 10 minutes but might have been an hour or so, we rode back to the sail boat for lunch and then to head back to shore.

After we returned to shore we grabbed a taxi back to port and called it a day on St. Thomas.

Back on board we just relaxed and enjoyed the company of friends before dinner.

After dinner we headed to the Dancin' in the Street show. This is a very good show, however I did find myself dozing off a couple of times but not because of the show, just because I was so tired from the events of the day.

Before we knew it, the night was quickly coming to a close and it was off to bed as we had St. Maarten to look forward in the morning.

I'm on a boat...

** October 11, 2010 - Sea Day aboard the Carnival Dream **

Sadly I cannot remember much of this day...and no, it wasn't due to the copious amounts of alcohol that was consumed...kidding, slightly. :P

I remember going to a talk about shopping in port and man was it just a waste of time. sadness.

We participated in a Glee Trivia Challenge in which we took home the grand prize...the coveted Ship on a Stick. lol.

The main highlight of the day was in the evening and the Chef' Table experience. This is probably, by far the most amazing culinary experience we have ever had. It was to say the least incredible. Take 12 cruisers, one amazing kitchen staff and the head executive chef. Throw in h'or devours, unlimited champagne, 7 courses and unlimited wine and you have a night to remember.

After dinner, we headed to the comedy club again with our usual crew and had one crazy fun night.

Off to bed now as we are headed to St. Thomas tomorrow.

One step away from Paradise....

** October 10, 2010 - Nassau, Bahamas **

We woke early today and went up to the Serenity Deck to take in the sunrise.

From Carnival Dream 2010

What amazing beauty our God creates. and to be able to experience this beauty with my best friend.

From Carnival Dream 2010

As the sun was continuing to rise, we started to position ourselves into port in Nassau.

From Carnival Dream 2010

We really had no plans for Nassau so we joined a group of our friends and hopped a cab over to Paradise Island.

(Here we are in port with the ship).

From Carnival Dream 2010

We didn't stay for long and decided to grab a cab back over to Nassau and find some lunch. We started off at Senor Frogs and were disappointed that they didn't have any Conch fritters. We asked our server where we could find some and she told us of a place just around the corner from where we were. Little did I know, this was the same place I ate at years before when I was in Nassau for "work". :D

Lo and behold...Conch Fritters.

From Carnival Dream 2010

We got both the Conch fritters, as well as cracked Conch. The cracked conch was so delicious.

We headed back to the ship with a stop at the Harley Davidson store and then made it back on ship with time to spare.

We went and freshened up and then headed down to Ocean's Plaza for our meet and greet with our cruise director "Big Sexy" Josh Waitzman.

Eric and I with Josh.

From Carnival Dream 2010

This was also the first of our formal nights aka Captains Dinner. We did not have the privilege of meeting the Captain, but boy is he funny. I always loved his announcements during the day.

Here are Eric and I at dinner.

From Carnival Dream 2010

The food was amazing. Shrimp and Lobster, Prime Rib...my oh my. After dinner, we wandered around the ship and then met up with our friends at Punchliner Comedy Club. The comedians this night were hilarious. We all laughed until our bellies ached.

After the comedy shows, Eric and I headed to the Lido buffet for some late night snacks with another couple from our group. Who says you can't have cheeseburgers and ice cream at 2 in the morning?!?

Shortly after it was off to bed. Our first sea day is tomorrow.

Sail away, sail away, sail away.....

Better late than never. Join us as we take you on our cruise to the Eastern Caribbean and relive the memories with us.

** October 9, 2010 - Embarkation Day, Port Canaveral, Florida **

We woke up on the early side today and were so excited with what awaited us in Port Canaveral. We got ready and headed out for breakfast in Cocoa Beach at Simply Delicious cafe and bakery...and man was it delicious. After we ate we decided to take a chance and head to port. Upon first site, I became overwhelmed with emotion and began to cry.

From Carnival Dream 2010

The Dream was not only enormous but absolutely beautiful. We made our way to passenger drop-off around 9:30 and were unloaded by 9:45. Eric took the rental car back to Cocoa Beach and was then brought back to port. We hung out in front of the terminal for awhile and then was asked by the porter who helped us with our luggage why we were still outside. We told him the line was for VIP's and he he chucked and said that we were all VIP's.

So we headed in and were checked in by 10:30(ish). An announcement was made that boarding would begin around 11:00. We were on board by 11:10. Unheard of!!! That first step on to the ship was one I had been waiting for, for months.

From Carnival Dream 2010

All of the planning and waiting had finally come to an end. The ship is just gorgeous. The atrium is TWELVE stories and a sight to be seen.

From Carnival Dream 2010

We headed up to the lido deck (along with the quickly growing masses) and found some lunch at the Grand Buffet. We slowly started catching up with our friends from Cruise Critic and picking up where our online conversations had ended. After lunch we headed to the spa for a tour and to get our wristbands for the week.

This is one of the thelossial lounge chairs. It is heated mosaic tile and it quickly became one of my favorite spots for watching the world pass by.

From Carnival Dream 2010

We were then able to check into our rooms and we couldn't wait to see our home for the next 7 days.

From Carnival Dream 2010

We dropped off our backpacks and then headed down to the atrium for an informal meet and greet with our Cruise Critic roll call friends. Many laughs were had and we knew the week was going to be amazing. We had our muster drill at 3:30 and then headed up to the Serenity Deck (adults only) to get ready for the sail away party.

From Carnival Dream 2010

What an incredible experience. Pulling out of port and seeing all of the people on land waving farewell to us and just watching the land become smaller and smaller gave me such peace and I knew that all the stress and frustration of the past month was no longer hanging around. After awhile we headed to our room and then on to dinner. We selected your time dining which gave us the freedom to dine when we wanted. We could do a 2 top table or be seated with others. We decided to table share that night and met 2 great couples. One couple was from North Carolina, in their 70's and were newlyweds. They were so cute. The other couple was from Texas and we ended up bumping into them several times through out the cruise. After dinner we headed out to walk around and check out the ship. We ended up on the Serenity deck for awhile and just felt so relaxed and at peace.

From Carnival Dream 2010

I could sleep up there, that's how peaceful and relaxing it is. lol. We had wanted to go to the All Aboard Show but it was standing room only so we just headed back to our room. We eventually ordered some room service and before we knew it, the day was closing in on midnight. We decided to call it a night and get ready for Nassau the next day.

New York...concrete jungle where dreams are made of...

Eric and I hopped on Amtrak and headed to the Big Apple on Friday for my first visit ever. It was a little overwhelming to say the least but so worth the trip.

Here is a picture of us from our trip to see Lady Liberty to whet your appetite for the rest of our adventure.

From NYC

They're doing it green in Roanoke...

One of the cutest places we've ever been and it is literally tucked back into an alley. They are doing it green here at this restaurant as our table was a refurbished wood door.

The food was excellent as well. More to come...

From Pineapple Grass Bracelets

90 days and counting....

In 90 days...we'll be saying bon voyage with our cousins Robert and Kelly and setting sail on the Carnival Dream to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.

We're coming for you Maho Beach...

From Pineapple Grass Bracelets