Prince Edward Island

Posted on May 20, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Veendam at Prince Edward Island

We stepped off the Holland America Veendam into a fierce wind on Prince Edward Island. A short walk across the dock brought us to the shops at the pier. Security guards herded passengers away from the inviting doors under fancy dormers on the end of the building facing the ship and off to an otherwise unnoticed side door, reserving the prominent doors for exiting the building. The building resembled a long hallway. Booths containing all manner of products for sale lined the edges. A wide walkway ran the length of the building down the middle. A section of chairs and tables sat near the end where people could use the port’s free, but very slow wifi. Every port this trip had free wifi, something obviously appreciated by passengers and crew alike considering the number of people using it.

Historic Homes

Though often it can feel windy right next to the ship when it’s not anywhere else, at this port the wind continued to rage on as we left the building. With the weather too cold to make walking around town pleasant, we were happy to find several vans waiting to take people for independent tours. Rather than a set tour at a set price as we often find on Caribbean islands, these tours were by the hour and tailored to suit the desires of the passengers in the van. These are independent drivers who have to buy permits to come into the secure area by the ship.

Saint Peter’s Anglican Church

Though the tours are by the hour our driver, George Larter, quoted 2 – 2 1/2 hours as the time it would take to go to the places we wanted to see and did not charge extra for taking additional time to include other places he thought we would find interesting. Since Canadians aren’t known for tipping he was probably happy that not only did we include one, but since some people paid in American dollars he got extra that way as well.

Province House

Prince Edward Island is one of Canada’s Maritime Provinces. It is located in the Gulf of St. Lawerence north of Nova Scotia. It is considered the birthplace of Canada due to the Charlottetown conference of 1864 where the founding fathers of the country met at Province House there prior to Canada becoming its own country several years later.

PEI’s red soil shows on this beachside cliff

Passing freshly plowed fields we saw the island’s trademark red soil. Much of Canada’s potato crop comes from PEI. Red sandstone bricks still show in some of the area’s early buildings.

Saint Dunstan’s Cathedral

Historic buildings in Charlottetown include several churches. The very impressive Saint Dunstan’s Basilica is open to the public to come inside and take a look at its beautiful stained glass windows and intricate architectural details. To be a basilica rather than a cathedral or church a building has to meet strict requirements which include things like arches and certain building materials and construction details.

Governor’s Mansion

Down by the water large historic homes remain from the days when English lords lived there, each running their section of the island from the town. The governor’s mansion is usually open to the public, but as they had a changing of government the day we visited it was not.

Beaconsfield Historic House

For a small fee people can visit Beaconsfield Historic House and see a part of history.

Harness Racers are Standardbred Horses

PEI has a very popular harness racing track. Our driver referred to it as the “Kentucky of Canada.” They hold a very prestigious race there called the Gold Cup & Saucer. At $75,000 the purse is not high for horse racing, but people come from all over to try and win it for the title.

Old Homestead

York Road out into the area of the country originally settled by Scotts is the oldest known road on PEI. It’s a regular paved road now, but originally was paved with the red clay native to the island. Our guide made a stop at a place with an old homestead and a church. The small white church is the oldest one on the island. The old farmer’s bank there is the precursor to credit unions, having never got enough money to be officially a bank, but lending to farmers so they could grow their crops.

Oldest Church on the Island

PEI still has French settlements where descendants of the early French settlers live. After the British won against the French all the French settlers were deported from PEI, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Some went back to France, some to New Orleans, and many died. Some came back to what are the French settlements today. Rustico is the largest French settlement on the island. They and some of the other early settlers lived where they could both farm and fish and even now many of the farmers seasonally fish for lobsters or blue muscles. Blue mussels are farmed on the island, with the majority of those used commercially coming from mussel farms at Oyster Bay.

Dalvay-By-The-Sea

The British royals maintain a presence on the island. They have a series of parks Queen Victoria set the land aside for. Prince Charles and Camilla visited recently. On their honeymoon Prince William and Kate spent a night at the Dalvay inn. William learned new helicopter maneuvers from the Canadian military which he could teach when he returned home. He and Kate had dragon boat races across the lake there with locals islanders who had won a lottery to get included. Our driver said he didn’t win a chance to attend the event, but those who got to watch or participate enjoyed it. He also said that Princess Charlotte is named after Charlottetown. The national park at Dalvay has woodsy trails and beaches.

Green Gables House from Anne of Green Gables

Lucy Maud Mountgomery is the island’s most famous author. Her 1908 tale Anne of Green Gables remains popular. Japanese schools still use her books so PEI is quite popular with Japanese tourists. Though the author never lived in the Green Gable house it belonged to relatives and inspired her story. Many of the places mentioned in the books are real such as the haunted woods and lover’s lane. The house is in the National Park.

Inside the Green Gables House

People can walk through the house and grounds for a nominal fee. The book is available to read free on line. A series of books brings Anne into adulthood, motherhood, and even includes one about a daughter. Though Anne and her family are fictional characters they seemed real in the author’s mind and represented what daily life was like for real people living there in that era. The author suffered from mental illness which may have provided her creativity, but eventually led to her suicide.

Cove Head Lighthouse

Cove Head Lighthouse sits alone on a beach and is the most photographed lighthouse on the island. We saw lobster fishing boats in the bay near the lighthouse. Our guide said the lobster fishery is regulated with a short season that starts May 1 and ends the first of July when lobsters start breeding and molt their shells so they can grow new bigger shells to grow into.

Another Side of Anne of Green Gable’s House

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2016

Posted in Canada, Holland America, Ports of Call, Veendam | Tagged Anne of Green Gables, Green Gables House, Holland America, island tour, photos, Prince Edward Island, Royals, travel | 13 Comments

Carnival Live Concert Series – Heart in Cozumel

Posted on May 13, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Breeze in Cozumel

Carnival has a fairly new addition to their onboard entertainment – the Carnival Live Concert Series. Not every ship or every cruise has a concert, but every now and then several ships will get a band. The band stays at a port and comes onboard a ship just for the concert. They perform again on a couple more ships that come to the same port in the next couple days.

In case anyone didn’t know there was a concert this sailing

Some time after booking our cruise on the Breeze we got a notice that a Heart concert had been added to the ship’s port stop in Cozumel. At just $40, the onboard concert cost considerably less than a land-based show. They also had a VIP ticket for $100 which included seats at the front of the theater and a chance to meet the band, but we just went with the $40 ticket. Heart was one of my favorite bands growing up and John liked them too so we were glad they were the band added to our itinerary.

waiting for the concert to start

Having the concert meant the Breeze stayed in Cozumel longer than normal, an opportunity probably much appreciated by passengers not going to the concert as they could spend more time out and about in port. The concert also brought first time passengers on board who probably wouldn’t have taken the cruise if they hadn’t come to see the concert. A great way to introduce new people to cruising who otherwise may never have tried it. Some probably return to cruise again without a concert next time around.

Heart in Concert

We docked at 10am with the concert at 8:30pm, all aboard at 11pm and departure at midnight. The concert ran until 10pm, giving the band plenty of time to gather their things and leave the ship before the ship left port. The timing also meant even people attending the concert had more time to spend on shore than in the average port and still get back in time for the concert.

The screen behind the band changed for every song

After the theater opened and all the people came in we looked around and noticed the demographic seemed a bit more Holland America than Carnival. Most concertgoers were old enough to have grown up with Heart, while much of the general ship population was not.

in case anybody in the audience doesn’t know what band this is….

The crowd who knew all the rap songs mentioned at the other night’s comedy show, and who and sang along with the comedian during his performance was noticeably absent from the Heart concert. They probably had about as much of an idea who Heart is as we did about the rap tunes. While all the people in the theater really enjoyed the concert, it had lots of seats left open that might have filled more easily with a younger band more popular in Miami where the ship sailed from.

at the end of the show everybody stood up

The Breeze uses a movie screen for the sets in a lot of their production shows, which came in handy as an enhancement for the concert. Each song had different colored lights shining down from above the stage and patterns in those colors dancing on the screen. I thought they could have turned the volume down a bit, which might have improved the quality of the sound, but otherwise it was a good concert. Heart sang some of their old favorites, some newer songs, and a few covers from other bands.

Typical rules don’t apply to me person – standing through the whole show and recording it

Photography was actually allowed without flash, but though video was forbidden people all over the theater had their phones and tablets held up high blocking other people’s view while they recorded entire songs, and some the entire concert.

a few people seemed to think the concert was just for them and nobody else mattered

A group of about 5 or 6 people up near the front seemed to think spending more of the concert standing up blocking the view of everyone behind than they did sitting down was the way to go. Even after the crew asked them to sit down (which brought a round of applause from the people behind them) they didn’t stay in their seats more than a minute or two before one of them gave the crew a rude gesture and they all stood back up again.

Ann and Nancy Wilson on screen – and on stage

Other bands appear from time to time on other cruises so if you watch for it you just might be able to catch a band you like on a cruise someday – especially if you have a fondness for older bands.

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2016

Posted in Breeze, Caribbean, Carnival, Shipboard Life | Tagged band, Carnival, concert, cruise, entertainment, fun, Heart, photos, travel | 3 Comments

Sitting Towel Dog

Posted on May 8, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Sitting Towel Dog

HOW TO FOLD A SITTING TOWEL DOG

How to Fold a Sitting Towel Dog with Bagus of MSC Divina

SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR MAKING A TOWEL DOG

1 Bath Towel

1 Hand Towel

Eyes – googly or felt or paper

Pompom nose

Washcloth (optional)

How to Fold a Towel Dog Body

Lay bath towel flat folded in half across the short side. Roll each side to the center from the long sides.

Fold bath towel in half across the short side. Lay flat and roll each side to the center from the edges of the long sides.

rolled towel with end that had the first fold in it tucked under

Keeping the rolled side facing up, fold about 1/3 of the front edge (the folded one) under.

set the front legs in between the back legs

Position the towel with the shorter rolls to the outside and the longer rolls coming over the top through the center. You may need to unroll the section underneath a bit to get the back legs to the outsides of the front legs.

How to fold a Towel Dog Head

fold hand towel in half across the short side then tuck the edge of the folded end under the towel

Fold the hand towel in half across the short side. Tuck under about an inch or so of the folded edge.

fold the other end over the top so it reaches all the way to the folded edge

Fold both ends of the unfolded edge over the top so it reaches the edge.

step by step towel animal folding directions

it is just the two layers from the unfolded end making the triangle

Put a finger in the center of the folded edge of the long side and bring the unfolded corners of one edge to the middle so it sits like a triangle. Move only the top 2 layers of towel with unfolded edges, leaving the part where the end is folded under where it is.

the top layers of both sides form triangles over the lower layers

Repeat with the other side.

roll each side of the head to the center from the short ends

Roll one side, then the other to the center, keeping the rolls as tight as you can.

Not everyone can pull these heads as tight as the stateroom stewards. That’s what rubber bands are for. Tuck the rubber band under the fold so it doesn’t show.

If you can’t get the rolls tight enough for the head to stay together on its own, put a rubber band under the first inch or so fold.

Pull both flaps to tighten the head. Then pull just the back ones into ears and tuck the front ones under the fold. Shape the ears and nose as desired before placing head on body.

Pull the top bits on both sides to tighten up the rolls. Leave the back flap of each side for an ear and pull the front one tight and tuck it underneath the initial inch or so fold. Shape the ears and nose as desired. Set the head on the body and decorate with eyes and nose.

Optional Washcloth Tail

fold washcloth diagonally in half for tail

To add a tail to your dog, fold a washcloth in half diagonally.

roll the washcloth all the way around into a cone shape from the mid point of the fold

Roll all the way around starting from the center and one edge.

tuck the finished tail between the towel rolls at the back end of the dog

Tuck tail in between leg rolls at the back of the dog.

Finished towel dog with tail

For a laying down towel dog click here.

Laying down towel dog

For more towel animal folding instructions, visit My Cruise Stories Towel Animal Page.

Posted in Towel Animals | Tagged cruise ship towel animals, photo, sitting towel dog, towel animal folding instructions, towel dog, video | 3 Comments

Porthole Cabins

Posted on May 6, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Miami Through the Ecstasy’s Porthole

Porthole cabins are one of the best bargains on Carnival ships because they book as inside cabins, yet you have a view. Some other cruiselines book their porthole cabins as oceanview so they are not as good of a deal there.

Portholes closed for stormy weather

We choose cabin R4 on the Ecstasy because the deck plan showed it as larger than the average oceanview cabin. The portholes are not just a small round window in this room, but genuine functional portholes that have covers which they close in stormy weather. They were closed from the previous cruise when we first arrived, but with hurricane danger over by the time our cruise started the steward opened them for us.

Stateroom Steward Opens the Portholes

The portholes are kind of like a pair of eyes looking through binoculars. The ship wall is quite thick so it is a long way from the window to the outside edge of the vessel. The window area is big enough a child could sleep there if it had a mattress.

Portholes open upward over big ledge on the Ecstasy

My Australian grandkids would have loved it as a play area. They played on the windowsill of an oceanview cabin and that was not nearly as big as the space in front of the portholes. The area could also work as a place to store things or a cozy nook to sit in if you added pillows.

Ecstasy Cabin R4 Has Lots of Open Space

This cabin had more floorspace than any cabin we’ve had previously, but that was probably partly due to the fact that it just had one small chair and no couch or table as well as to being a bigger room. It had plenty of room to add couch or another chair and a table and still have more floorspace than the average cruise ship cabin.

Portholes on the Breeze Open To The Side And Are Secured With Hooks

I loved having the portholes. It’s not as good of a view as a window, but you can still see out. Plus they make for a real authentic on a ship feeling. After the Ecstasy I thought about trying to book a porthole on every cruise. On ships like the Ecstasy that have a lot of porthole cabins they are easy to get, but the newer ships have very few and they book quickly so getting one there is not as likely.

Porthole Cabin on the Breeze is Spacious

We also had a porthole cabin on the Breeze, several cabins back from the most forward one rather than just one back as on the Ecstasy. The ship wall with the portholes in it was not as thick on this one and the shelf not nearly as wide, though still at least double the width of the windowsill to an oceanview cabin. These portholes closed from the sides rather than from the top. The covers are not as heavy as the ones on the Ecstasy, but were still fully functional portholes and not just round windows. This room was also large, but contained a full size couch and a table so it had less open floorspace.

Breeze Porthole Cabin 1219

Whether due to calmer seas or the design of the ship I couldn’t say, but we did not feel or hear the sea much on the Ecstasy, but on the Breeze we could often both hear and feel the waves. The Breeze sometimes pounded the waves with both the sound and feel of hitting logs. On a day when the waves were especially big they sometimes sent splashes high enough we could see nothing but the white of spray passing by the porthole while on decks higher up in the same waves we didn’t really notice the sea at all.

The ledge on the Breeze held two weeks of towel animals

When the ship rocks side to side rather then hitting the waves head on it is the opposite. Then you feel the motion more the higher up you go as there is more ship above the water to exaggerate the motion. Up there though you don’t really hear anything unless the walls creak. Even though we had a bouncy night or two sailing through rough seas on the Breeze I would still book a porthole cabin again in the future if I got the chance because a rough night or two are worth having some sort of view and a bigger room at inside room prices.

I would not recommend these rooms to anyone who needs quiet to sleep and can’t function if they don’t get a good night’s sleep every night because good weather and calm seas are never guaranteed on any cruise. If you either sleep through anything or don’t sleep that well anyway so are not bothered by the possibility of a restless night then porthole rooms are a great deal when you can get them.

For more blogs about cabins on a variety of ships see My Cruise Stories Ships and Cabins page.

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2016

Posted in Breeze, Carnival, Ecstasy | Tagged best deal, budget, cabin, Carnival, cheap cruising, cruise ship, good price, photos, porthole, porthole cabin, stateroom | 6 Comments

Cruising to Cabo

Posted on May 5, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Infinity in Cabo San Lucas

When cruising into Cabo San Lucas, Mexico with no plans it’s pretty easy to find something to do right at the port. Commonly called Cabo, Cabo San Lucas sits at the southern tip of Baja California, which is separated from mainland Mexico by the Sea of Cortez (AKA the Gulf of California). Both Baja and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula on the Caribbean side depend on tourism for their economy and are much safer to visit than mainland Mexico.

Sea Lions On The Rocks

Celebrity Infinity sailed through calm waters past the already anchored Grand Princess at sunny Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, anchoring between the other cruise ship and the tender dock. Tenders from shore made the short journey to the ship while crew offloaded the lifeboats also used for tendering. Cruise ships use these smaller boats to ferry passengers to shore when there is not a pier where the ship can dock.

fish under a glass bottomed boat

Anyone who did not book an excursion through the ship would have no trouble finding something to do in Cabo. As soon as you get to shore people with little signs offer sightseeing tours in glass bottom boats as well as watertaxis to local beaches and snorkeling excursions or fishing trips. In the right season whale watching is also an option. Other activities include parasailing and jet ski rentals.

Lover’s Beach

Where the tenders come in there is lots of local shopping. Small independent stores and booths within the larger mall carry jewelry, clothes, hats, and other souvenirs. The area has numerous places to eat or drink. Some cafés offer free wi-fi, although they do expect you to buy something if you are going to sit in their café using their wi-fi.

John in the Glass Bottom Boat

For $10 each we got a private glass bottom boat tour. By private I mean just the two of us and the boat driver. Some boats load up a bunch of people and go out for a set tour, but if you get the private one they will take you wherever you want to go.

Neptune’s Finger

We went out to see Cabo’s famous arch and other the other rock formations leading out to Land’s end where no more rocks protrude from the sea. Our skipper said one rather tall thin rock was called Neptune’s Finger.

Boats drop off passengers in the snorkel area

One area in the rocks had people all around on the rocks and in the water. Our guide said that was where people go to snorkel. In that general area we saw quite a few fish through the glass bottom of the boat. Out by the arch boats dropped passengers off at Lover’s Beach. We saw quite a few sea lions, pelicans, and cormorants as well as fish.

Pelicans On The Rocks

We went over to the ocean side of the rocks. Waves were a lot higher on that side and we didn’t see anyone swimming from the beach there.

Circling the Infinity

Before going back to the dock we went out and circled around Infinity to take photos.

Cabo’s Famous Arch at Land’s End

After our tour we looked through the marketplace where locals sell things like jewelry, hats, clothes and metal art from individual stalls. There is also a public restroom there. Afterword we had time for something to drink and some nachos, and wi-fi at one of the internet cafes.

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2016

Posted in Celebrity, Infinity, Mexico, Port Cities, Ports of Call | Tagged Cabo, Cabo San Lucas, glass bottom boat, Land's End, Mexico, things to do in port | 4 Comments

Cruise Ship Cabins on P&O Arcadia

Posted on April 29, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

P&O Cruise Line

P&O Arcadia

For those of you who have never heard of P&O, it is a British cruise line. The name P&O comes from the line’s origins as the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company which began as a shipping company. It is the world’s oldest cruise line having started running passenger ships in the 1840’s. It has a sister company, P&O Australia. P&O bought Princess in the 1970’s and merged with Carnival in 2003. Carnival Cruise Line is one of many besides P&O and Princess owned by Carnival Corporation. Each cruise line operates independently.

P&O Arcadia Cruise Ship Cabins

Arcadia has the usual array of cabins from money-saving interior to luxurious suites. It also has something I’ve never seen on any of the lines I’ve sailed previously. Each cabin has a teapot and a little wooden box full of tea, coffee, biscuits (cookies) and little sealed packets of milk because that is what the British use instead of cream. Each room also had a little dish of hard candies on boarding day, but they did not refill that daily as they did the tea service. The bathtub had a body wash dispenser and we found containers of shampoo, conditioner, moisturizing lotion and soap on the bathroom counter.

tea tray in the cabin

With just two people our balcony room seemed quite spacious with a small couch and table between the bed and sliding door. The mini-bar (which is nice as a refrigerator even if you never buy whatever is in it) held 2 complimentary bottles of water. Additional bottles of water would have a charge. The max capacity for our room was just 2 passengers. It had a painting hanging on the wall above the couch. Some cabins have a couch that folds out into a bed. A couple we met on board said their room, which had the fold-down couch, had cupboards over the bed instead of a painting. That extra storage space would come in handy when a third person stayed in the room. With a third person it could seem a bit crowded at night when the couch folds out into the third bed, but in the daytime it folds back up into a couch and you get your floorspace back.

interior cabin D165

Interior cabins can run a bit on the small side, but they make an economical way to take a cruise and the ship has plenty of public spaces both inside and out where people can go so hanging around in the cabin is not necessary if people don’t want to. This ship has more outside cabins than inside. Some people like inside cabins because they can have darkness for a nap at any time of the day.

bringing distant scenery to a balcony near you

binoculars from the cabin

All of the cabins have some amenities for passenger use like bathrobes, hairdryers, and a pair of binoculars. There are not a lot of ocean view cabins on the Arcadia, but it does have some. Those behind the lifeboats have an obstructed view, but a lower price than those with a full view. They are an excellent compromise between saving money and having space since these cabins run larger than inside cabins and have some natural light. Ocean view cabins on the lower deck have a full view window and a cost saving over balcony cabins.

Balcony Cabin D166

Balcony cabins are fairly standard on the Arcadia, being the type of cabin most plentiful in supply. If you study the deck plans while booking you can find some cabins that are bigger than most other cabins in the same category, or that have bigger balconies. If you can find one of those available when you do your booking you get a bit more space for your money. There are a variety of categories within the balcony cabins, as with any cabin type. Often the difference is just in the location on the ship. Higher decks and cabins near the center of each deck often cost more so you can have just as nice a room and save money by going with the lower category. The most money saving of all is to pick a category guarantee when offered, where you just are guaranteed a balcony cabin, but not a specific one. You get your cabin number shortly before sailing and often will have a room a category or two above the minimum you paid for.

Mini-Suite Room B80

Arcadia has suites too, both large suites and mini suites. Even the mini suite had a bigger tea box than the ordinary rooms, though only the bigger suite had a selection of flavored teas. That’s not a problem though because anyone can go up to the Lido deck and make their own selections of tea flavors to bring down and add to those in their room.

Rio de Janeiro Suite

The larger suites are each named after a place and come with butler service. They had coffee makers, but just instant coffee in the tea box selection. They could probably get better coffee from their butler, who will also do their packing and unpacking if they wish him to. The bigger suites had a pressing machine for wrinkle free clothes. Suite guests are given a tour of their room upon arrival which includes instructions on how to use all the extras in the room.

door to accessible cabin at the end of the hallway is much larger than regular door on the side

Arcadia has some wheelchair accessible cabins. These have larger doors than the regular cabins, space for wheelchairs to maneuver, and accessible showers. Suites also have larger than normal doors.

Arcadia launderette

Arcadia has launderettes on 3 decks. It’s free to use the washers and dryers as well as the iron. For those who prefer not to join the queue waiting for a machine, the crew can do passenger’s laundry for a fee. They do not have laundry soap vending machines in the launderettes, but anyone who did not bring their own detergent can buy some at the ship’s shops.

Balcony on the Rio de Janeiro Suite

Finding your way around the ship is aided by each of the three stairways having a different carpet color and a different sort of artwork hanging on the wall between each level. There’s also deck plans and ship diagrams at each elevator bay so you can see at a glance what floor you need to go to and where things are on the deck you are on. The deck numbers on those signs are too small for anyone without eagle eyes to see from the stairs, but you can tell at a glance if you are on the right deck for your cabin if you remember what the picture in the elevator bay for that deck looks like.

Cabins on other cruise ships: Breeze, Breeze odd cabins, Divina, Ecstasy, Infinity, Legend, Liberty, Pearl, Ruby Princess, Splendor, Veendam, Westerdam, Wilderness Adventurer

For a complete list of blogs about cruise ship cabins visit My Cruise Stories Ships and Cabins page.

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2016

Posted in Arcadia, P&O, Shipboard Life | Tagged Arcadia, British ship, cruise ship accommodations, cruise ship cabins, P&O, photos, Staterooms | 2 Comments

Why Can’t Cruise Ships Wait for Passengers Past All Aboard Time In Port?

Posted on April 28, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Cruise Ships in Ports

Why Cruise Ships Don’t Wait for Late Passengers

Today’s local news had a story about some parents who got left behind at a port stop in the Bahamas while their kids, who they left on board, departed with the ship. These particular kids had an uncle on board, yet the news anchor made a big deal about how cruise ships should be prevented from leaving if it meant separating parents from their kids. It’s pretty obvious that news anchor has never taken a cruise.

Cruise ships have a schedule to adhere to. Their time in port is scheduled around both the itinerary of that particular ship and the use of the port facilities by other ships. Besides that ship having a schedule to keep, the dock space may be needed for another ship. If ships were not allowed to leave people behind they would never make it to the next port on time because irresponsible passengers would delay them at every port. All the ones who don’t think the rules apply to them would come back whenever they felt like it regardless of when the ship was scheduled to depart.

The large cruise ships all have childcare facilities. Parents are allowed to leave their children there and go onshore without them. It is then the parent’s responsibility to return to the ship before the scheduled all-aboard time so that they are there when the ship is ready to leave. If they are not back it is their problem. The ship would have to put the children ashore rather than waiting for the parents to return if they were not allowed to split the family. Since this family had an uncle on board who could care for the children in the parent’s absence that would only have added to their expenses. Ships have internet so it’s not like the parents couldn’t contact the uncle for updates on the children’s welfare.

The all-aboard time is published in the ship’s daily newsletter, which passengers receive in their cabin the night before. Some ships also post it at the gangway. If ship’s time differs from shore time it is the passenger’s responsibility to return by ship’s time.

Any passenger who wants to insure they will not get left behind can book a shore excursion through the ship. Ships have to wait for their own excursions, so even if those are late the passengers will still find a ship at the dock when they return. Venturing out on your own means you are responsible for yourself and if you don’t return on time you are out of luck. That includes excursions booked through outside providers not associated with the ship.

What Happens to Passengers Left Behind By Cruise Ships

People who find themselves in the unfortunate situation of getting left behind at a port stop are not entirely on their own. The same cruise ship newsletter that gives the all-aboard time also has emergency port information, often a phone number to call. Some cruise lines have cruise ship agents at their often-visited ports. If a passenger has not made it back to the ship security will look in their cabin safe for their passports, and if found these will be taken off the ship. The cruise agent will meet the passengers on the dock with their passports in hand and help them make arrangements to catch up to the ship at the next port. They can help arrange for hotels as well if needed. Of course this is all done at the passenger’s expense. It’s a good idea to take the emergency phone number with you when leaving the ship, or take a photo of it so you have the info in your phone or camera should it ever be needed.

If the cruise line does not have an agent at the port passengers can still get assistance by calling the emergency number. If the cruise line has asked passengers to take their passports with them when they leave the ship they probably do not have an agent at that port or any means of getting the passports to anyone who left it on board. Without a passport people won’t likely be able to fly to the next port or anywhere else and would have to get there by land or sea. Occasionally people can take a taxi to the next port, but more often it is another island rather than down the coast of the same land mass.

Passengers are not always required to cruise with passports, but if they ever get left behind in port or have a medical emergency in the family they will wish they had one if they don’t.

People get left behind fairly often, so if you cruise and you don’t want to experience getting left behind firsthand either take the ship’s excursions or always make sure you know if there is a difference between ship and shore time and stay on ship time. Also allow extra time to return to the ship from wherever you go in case of traffic jams, transportation issues, rounding up family members who wandered off, or anything else that could delay your return. If you cut your return time to the last minute, an extra minute taken here and there on the way back could mean the difference between being the pier runner who gets to the gangway in time and the one who watches the ship sail away without them.

If you plan to drink during the port stop drink responsibly. Cozumel is one of the ports where people get left behind most often and one of the most common reasons is they drank to much and were passed out in a bar somewhere when the ship left or got too drunk to pay attention to the time.

Posted in Randoms, Uncategorized | Tagged cruise, cruise passengers left at port, left behind, left behind on a cruise, travel, why cruise ships don't wait for passengers | 3 Comments

Cozumel Atlantis Submarine

Posted on April 22, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Splendor next to the Ecstasy in Cozumel

A lot of ports have excursions offered on semi-subs, but not many offer the rare opportunity to dive to the depths on a real genuine submarine.

When choosing something to do on the Carnival Splendor’s stop in Cozumel – which has a lot of excellent shore excursions available to chose from – I noticed one that said it was a submarine. We met some friends on a cruise with a different cruise line who had found an excursion that said it dove to depths of 100 feet, but was also listed as a semi-sub. Whether intentionally misleading or poorly worded meaning views to depths of 100 feet they never knew, but they felt quite disappointed when it did not dive at all. We recently took a semi-sub tour at Grand Turk and enjoyed it quite a lot, but we also knew it was a semi-sub and did not expect it to dive since a semi-sub is actually a boat with an underwater viewing chamber rather than a real submarine.

construction at the dock

Nowhere in the title or description of this excursion did the word semi appear so we booked it hoping to get a real submarine, but always a bit doubtful because of what happened to our friends. The day finally came when our ship docked at Carnival’s private pier in Cozumel. We noticed construction on one side of the pier. Carnival was expanding their dock to hold more than two ships at the same time.

At the meeting point for excursions the person holding the sign for Atlantis Submarine said yes, it truly is a real submarine. Once they gathered all the people up who had booked the excursion they led everyone to the dock where excursion boats, tenders, and the ferry to the mainland go. There we boarded a tender that took us out to the waiting submarine at Chankanaab reef. On the way there one of the guides said Chankanaab means “little ocean in the land” in Mayan. Nearby Chankanaab park has a salt water lagoon with underground access to the sea so though it looks like a lake it is actually salt water.

Atlantis Submarine

The tender tied up to the sub, which had another boat tied to its other side. They said the other boat tows the sub out to the reef each morning and back to the dock at night when it finishes working for the day. A support boat stays with the sub whenever it submerges. So far they have never had any problems or needed to use any of the rescue gear they showed us on the way there. They had two different kinds of life jackets. One for the tender and the other for the sub and a gas mask in case of any sort of issues with the air inside the sub while submerged.

down the hatch – the way in and out of the sub

Our group had just enough people to fill half of the sub, so they had everyone sit on the same side so that they would not have to go by everything twice to show it to each side. This gave us time to see more places than they normally go.

inside the submarine

The interior looked similar to the semi-sub with a long bench down the center and porthole windows down both sides, though the bench seat had sort of portioned areas and no cushion and the windows were smaller. Once everyone got settled they closed the hatch and untied the submarine from the support vessel. Through the windows we could see the boat’s hull and propellers. A red LED display on the wall showed the submarine’s depth. Bubbles floated past the windows as it descended. The water around Cozumel is so clear sometimes even from the surface you can see all the way to the bottom.

what to see at the bottom of the sea

At around 50-60 feet down the sub started sailing around near the reef. Several types of coral, lots of fish, and a variety of sea sponges dominated the view. Now and then some people saw a conch or a lobster. The sub did not shine lights on anything. With the clear blue water and the white sand reflecting light from above the water never got dark even at the bottom. Most colors disappear once you get deep and mostly things looked blue, but even snorkeling in much shallower water the Caribbean coral does not have the sort of colors found on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

the digital depth display

The sub continued down deeper following the bottom of the sea as it approached a drop-off at the island’s end. It went to a depth of 129 feet, staying near the bottom of the reef. The sea dropped to a depth of about 2000 feet beyond the reef, far deeper than the sub could go. They said its max depth with passengers was 150 feet and without them it could do a bit over 200. There is no other submarine like it in Mexico, though Atlantis has another at Grand Cayman.

boat and divers under the sea

Since it took less time to travel the usual route while only needing to let one side of the sub view things they went to a sunken ship where the sub doesn’t normally go. It was once a minesweeper for the US navy, then given to Mexico where their military used it for a time before sinking it to form an artificial reef. Bubbles rose from the wreck due to scuba divers inside. We saw some other divers near the wreck, who probably got quite a surprise to see a submarine go by.

under the boat

When our time under the sea ran out the submarine resurfaced and tied back up to the boats. Once the hatch opened everyone got back on the tender and returned to the dock. So now we know, Atlantis submarines really are actual submarines that dive down to 100 feet or more below the surface.

Funnel Envy?

Back on the dock we saw another Carnival ship approaching. Eventually it got close enough to see the name painted on the side, Ecstasy. A smaller ship than the Splendor, but with a much taller funnel so though the top deck was significantly lower than Splendor’s, the funnel stood nearly as high. It was a slow day for Cozumel though as both the other piers where ships from other cruise lines go stood empty.

underwater view through submarine porthole

We love Cozumel. There is so much to do there. We do something different every time we go. Here’s some other excursions we’ve done in Cozumel: Tulum Mayan Ruins, Cave Snorkel, Palancar Reef Snorkel and Playa Mia. If you’d like to know more about the island in general, here’s a blog about Cozumel.

Posted in Caribbean, Carnival, Mexico, Ports of Call, Shore Excursions, Splendor | Tagged Cozumel, cruise, diver, fish, fun, photos, submarine, travel, underwater | 8 Comments

Cruise Ship Decor on the Carnival Legend

Posted on April 15, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Legend in Sydney

Surprisingly enough, the theme for the decor on the Carnival Legend is…..Legends. While it’s not completely obvious, the stuff legends are made of does pop up all over the ship. The Legend spends part of the year sailing for Carnival Australia out of Sydney and the other part sailing to Alaska for Carnival in America, with ocean crossings and stops in Hawaii between the two.

the atrium at ground level

looking down at the atrium

Colossus stands guard high above the atrium

The atrium is the center showpiece of many cruise ships, including the Legend. You have to go up high though to find the giant painting of Colossus at the top of the Colossus Atrium. In between the glass elevators on the opposite wall of the atrium from the painting there are openings where people can look down to the atrium floor or up to Colossus on the wall.

genie by a stateroom door

The hallways to the staterooms are all lined with a variety of pictures from all sorts of legends. There you find everything from dragons to unicorns to genies. Each picture is monochrome, but different decks have different colors.

flying carpet

The firebird lounge, which hosted activities including the comedy shows, had brightly colored Arabian Nights type scenes on the walls and phoenixes on the lights.

Medusa with her hair of snakes

Medusa is all over Medusa’s Lair, a nightclub used for other functions in the daytime.

tile floor

Some of the decor on the Legend wasn’t obviously about legends. It had a lot of intricate tile work on floors and stairways around the ship.

pool at night

At night the pool had everchanging light colors.

inside the chapel

The chapel had some lovely stained glass windows.

public seating area

Hallways through the public decks of the ship often had seating by the windows.

the enchanted forest

The enchanted forest is a sort of secret area that most passengers probably never find. It loops around behind the stage at the bow and has rows of little tables with chairs next to portholes. Stairways from the enchanted forest access Circle C, Camp Carnival, and the arcade. Most people probably go straight to Camp Carnival on deck 5 and never see these hallways.

stairway art – Trojan horse

The ship had three stairways. All of them had large vases (behind glass) in the corners. Two had paintings in the center and one had pictures made of metal.

every corner of every stairway had a different vase

elevator art

The Legend had some elevator art that seems a bit inappropriate for a family-friendly ship, but not so entertaining as the art in one of the elevators on the Splendor. Considering it had the same decorator as the Splendor (Joe Farkus) it is not too surprising. (The Splendor was originally destined for European line Costa and had quite a bit of nudity in the decor including naked toilet man in one elevator.)

light from firebird lounge

Cruise ships often have fancy lighting fixtures. The Legend had these stacked lights painted with phoenixes in the firebird lounge.

Posted in Carnival, Legend, Shipboard Life | Tagged Carnival, cruise, cruise ship, cruise ship decor, Legend, photos | 10 Comments

Sydney, Nova Scotia

Posted on April 8, 2016 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Veendam in Sydney

Sydney seems to be a popular thing to name a city. There’s Sydney, Australia of course, and on the west coast of Canada, Sidney B.C. on Vancouver Island. Maybe Canada has a thing for Sydney on islands because they also have Sydney, Nova Scotia on Cape Breton Island in the Maritime provinces on the east coast. Perhaps the different spelling in BC is to make sure the mail goes to the right coast.

Sydney has a lot of interesting buildings

Our early season cruise on Holland America Veendam brought us to Sydney before the town seemed quite ready for the tourist season. The greater percentage of the area’s tourist attractions hadn’t opened yet, or could be seen by appointment only. We didn’t book a shore excursion, which would have been the only way in to see some things. Instead we opted to just get off the ship and see what we could find.

giant fiddle in scaffolding

A giant fiddle, the main attraction at the port, sat right next to the ship covered in scaffolding.

giant fiddle almost scaffolding-free

When we finished walking around town and returned to the ship we noticed a crew starting to remove the scaffolding. They had it fairly close to all the way off when our ship left port, but not quite.

St Patrick’s church museum

We looked at some old churches in the town. A tour group happened to come in one of them. When they all sat down to listen to their guide, we sat too. It would seem rather odd to be the only ones wandering about while someone was speaking.

inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral

We learned that the former church which is now a museum was built from bricks taken from a French fort after the French lost their territory in Canada to the British. The original congregation eventually outgrew the church and built a bigger one.

Sacred Heart – where the congregation moved to

We didn’t find a whole lot in town and wandered down to the boardwalk. Sydney has a nice boardwalk along the water’s edge with some great vantage points for ship and fiddle photos, or in our case ship and scaffolding around the fiddle photos. I have no idea if the scaffolding was there to protect the fiddle from winter storms or if it needed some work done.

Sydney’s boardwalk

Sydney has a lot of historic buildings and museums. Excursions from the ship venture farther out into parks and natural areas of the island or to historic places like an old fort or a mining museum that includes a tour through an actual former coal mine.

Posted in Canada, Holland America, Port Cities, Ports of Call, Veendam | Tagged Canada, fiddle, giant fiddle, history, Holland America, Nova Scotia, photos, Sydney, Veendam | 7 Comments

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