MEXICAN RIVIERA BLOG #1

MEXICAN RIVIERA CRUISE BLOG #1 7 August 2012 The first day of our adventure went like clockwork. Daniel and Tim spent the night at our house and we had no difficulty in leaving at 5:00 am as planned. We picked up Brad as scheduled and dropped the truck off at the Westin Hotel parking lot and arrived at the airport at 7:15, ahead of schedule. Jennifer met us there and we walked through a deserted airport to our assigned gate feeling that there must be something happening we hadn’t heard about because of the absence of the usual airport crowds. We met Nikky at the Long Beach airport on schedule and found the Carnival shuttle bus waiting for us with open arms. When we arrived at the cruise terminal we once again were surprised by the absence of travelers. We walked through the registration process without a moment of waiting in line and walked onto the Carnival Splendor, our home away from home for the next seven days. We arrived on board before noon and the signs posted let us know that our cabins wouldn’t be ready until 2:00 pm. We headed for the buffet on the 9th floor and a lunch that all of us needed, or at least we thought we did. After lunch and a little ship exploring, we headed for our staterooms. Unlike the rooms that I had selected in April, our rooms were at the very front of the ship. I had requested “Ocean View” cabins amidship, usually the most comfortable for first time cruisers. The side by side rooms turned out to be just fine and we unpacked a few hours later when our bags were delivered to our cabins. The Carnival Splendor is one of Carnival’s thirty cruise ships. I would call it a medium sized ship, as ships go today, with a passenger capacity in excess of 3000. Unlike other cruise lines I’ve used, Carnival does not provide passengers with the specifics of a ship tonnage, capacity, etc. The only information I could get on board, short of using the internet at fifty cents a minute, was by word of mouth. The ship was built in Italy and put into service in 2008. Its Captain was from Italy. The crew was from all parts of the globe each wearing a name pin that displayed a name that was impossible to pronounce and the country each called home. As I knew in advance, Carnival is a “low-end” cruise line that caters to families and folks looking for a less expensive cruise. Facilities for the under twelve set are really great. The offerings for adults are limited but offerings for children seem endless. The daily program offered dance lessons once a day, drink mixing demonstrations, Bingo and not much more. There was no Bridge Lesson/Game which seems ever present on most cruise ships. I asked the Captain, at the usual Captain’s welcome (sans booze, if you can believe it) about the absence of a Bridge Game and he seemed not to understand what I was talking about. He asked a Senior Officer next to him what Bridge is (in Italian) and the officer nodded in the negative. I told the Captain I hadn’t found the Card Room and he knew what that was and asked the underling where the card room was located. Another nod indicated that the ship doesn’t have a Card Room. What the ship did have was a huge casino and lots of handy watering holes. The ship’s theater, “Spectacular” reflected its name. It appeared to have seating for 1,500 or more with only a handful of seats behind poles. Our first day “at sea” was relaxing. I did my usual hour walk on the 12th floor outdoor track followed by a half hour in the ship’s well equipped gym. Our group generally skipped breakfast or rather had breakfast when most folks were eating lunch. The night time activities on board are endless for the twentys/fortys set and I’m told we took full advantage of all that was offered. Our second night’s meal was “Elegant” night (a Carnival term) and we dressed up and looked very special. On the previous evening I had informed all that one of the great things about cruise dining is that one can order extra of something one likes. On our Elegant Night menu we found special things like a crocodile appetizer and a lobster entrée. When I ordered a double portion of lobster, those at our table knew in their hearts that Grandpa Bill was about to be shown as telling stories for their entertainment. When my double order of lobster arrived there was an immediate placement of additional orders. Brad ordered a total of three orders of lobster. Cruising can be fun!! Today will be the first of our two days at Cabo San Lucas. Our plan is to go ashore about noon and see what we can see by walking around. The ship is too large to use the pier here so going ashore requires using the “tenders” (life boats). We arrived here at 9:00 am and all with shore excursions will be tendered ashore first with those, like us, without excursions to follow. Thus, our noon departure. The last return tender will leave the dock at 5:00 pm and all will spend the night on board. Tomorrow some of us have shore excursion tickets but today we will be on our own. Love to all from…………… Grandpa Bill, Brad, Jennifer, Daniel, Tim and Nikky