Author Archives: LBcruiseshipblogger

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About LBcruiseshipblogger

MyCruiseStories blog tells stories about adventures in cruising on ships big and small. Things to do onboard and in port. Anything connected to cruising. Also food, travel, recipes, towel animals, and the occasional random blog.

Interview with John Heald – Gratuities

Posted on November 24, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Cruising in America normally means gratuities will be added to your onboard account, unless you pre-paid them. This money goes to the hard-working crew who spend 10 hours daily for months in a row often with no days off making … Continue reading →

Posted in Carnival, Shipboard Life, Vista | 2 Comments

Cruising Across the Pacific Ocean

Posted on November 18, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Our 21-day transpacific cruise on the P&O Arcadia began in Valparaiso, Chile. As one leg of a world cruise the boarding process differs a bit from ordinary cruises where the whole ship changes over to a new cruise. Only some … Continue reading →

Posted in Arcadia, P&O, Pacific Ocean & Islands | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Carnival Vista

Posted on November 11, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Carnival’s newest ship, the Vista, set sail on her maiden voyage in Europe on May 1, 2016 and crossed the Atlantic at the end of October after spending the summer doing European cruises. The Vista has some new features not … Continue reading →

Posted in Carnival, Vista | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Cruising Through the Panama Canal

Posted on November 4, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Celebrity Infinity fit through the Panama Canal, but only just, being pretty much a Panamax ship, or as big as a ship can be and still fit through the canal’s original locks. In June of 2016 the canal expansion finally … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrity, Infinity, Shipboard Life, South and Central America | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

How to Make a Towel Scorpion

Posted on October 31, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Scorpions may not appear on many people’s list of favorite creatures, but they do make a rather interesting towel animal. How to Fold A Towel Scorpion Supplies Needed to Make a Towel Scorpion Bath Towel                                                Eyes (googly eyes or bits … Continue reading →

Posted in Towel Animals | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Cruising through Endicott Arm

Posted on October 28, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

How many cruises to Tracy Arm do you have to book before actually cruising through Tracy Arm? I don’t know the answer to that, but for me so far it is 0 for 2. Years ago I took a cruise … Continue reading →

Posted in Alaska, Princess, Ruby Princess, Shipboard Life | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Grand Turk Power Snorkel

Posted on October 21, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Getting off the Carnival Breeze for our morning power snorkel excursion turned into quite a fiasco. Although the excursion started just half an hour after docking time they left people to make their own way off the ship through the … Continue reading →

Posted in Breeze, Caribbean, Carnival, Ports of Call, Shore Excursions | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Sailing Past Easter Island

Posted on October 14, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

One of the most isolated places in the world, Easter Island sits alone in the Pacific Ocean. It takes about 5 days on a cruise ship or over 5 hours on a plane to get to Easter Island from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Arcadia, P&O, Pacific Ocean & Islands | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Train, Boat, and Bus Excursion in Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Posted on October 7, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Our 17-day Panama Canal cruise on Celebrity Infinity made a port stop at Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Costa Rica lies in Central America between Nicaragua and Panama. The rather long cruise ship dock at Puntarenas crosses a long beach with dark … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrity, Infinity, Ports of Call, Shore Excursions, South and Central America | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Splendor Behind the Fun Tour

Posted on September 30, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

On the last sea day, Carnival offered a Behind The Fun tour on the Splendor. This tour (which you can book like a shore excursion) takes a few lucky guests into areas normally reserved for crew only. We started our … Continue reading →

Posted in Carnival, Shipboard Life, Splendor | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments