Product Review: Quick Spit and Scrub Lens Defogger and Cleaner

Posted on February 3, 2014 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Quickspit and scrub

I love to snorkel, as anyone who reads my blog regularly probably knows from all the snorkel excursions I write about. After using dry snorkels once when snorkeling in the crater at Diamondhead in Hawaii we got spoiled on them. The dry snorkel does not let water in if you dive under or when the waves are high. With an open tube snorkel you have to blow the water out of the tube. On our next snorkel trip after Hawaii we went to the Great Barrier Reef, where the crew on the snorkel boat we went on pretty much looked at us like we were delusional when we asked if they had any dry snorkels. They did not seem to think such a thing existed. Other than the one time in Hawaii, nowhere we have snorkeled had the dry snorkels so eventually we bought our own snorkel gear.

My daughter’s husband Aaron snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef

Often the snorkel masks seem to have issues with fogging. Some places have something to spray them with prior to entering the water, others just go with the spit on it or dip it in the ocean first theory. Most of the photos taken on my trusty lumix underwater camera have been done blind – that is I could not see the screen so just aimed the camera in the general direction of whatever I wanted to shoot and took lots of pictures in hopes some turned out.

dry snorkel

My own mask seemed worse than the borrowed ones. The thing is, they come with some sort of protective coating that has to be removed, only we never seemed to have the right product to get the job done. The defoggers never seemed to help much either. Due to the coating perhaps or we just had the wrong kind. That all changed after trying scrub mask and slate cleaner and quick spit antifog from jawsproducts.com,which I got for my husband as a stocking stuffer one Christmas. (This is not a paid review, nor did they send me this product free or even have a clue that I’m writing this blog. I just like the product.)

how to keep your snorkel mask clear underwater

snorkel mask stays clear in the water with quick spit and scrub

We set out for our excursion having just thrown the bottles in with our snorkel gear, not bothering to read the instructions. Had we bothered we’d have known both products said to rinse them off. Not really having that option out on the snorkel boat, we just squirted the scrub on our masks, used our fingers to rub it around as the bottle suggests, then in lieu of rinsing we wiped the lenses of our masks with one of those special lens cloths that don’t leave scratches. The quick spit also mentioned rinsing in fresh water after spraying it on, but not having any available we just wiped that with the lens cloth as well, completely disregarding the part where it says to use as directed. Before getting in the water we did dip our masks in the sea so they did get a bit of a salt water rinse before use.

We had a two snorkel outing, the sort that goes to a reef and then a wreck. Not only did the lens stay perfectly clear through the first stop, it also stayed perfectly clear through the second stop that day and on another outing later in the trip without any further application, though we did clean them properly and rinse with fresh water after the second and final use for that trip.

snorkeling with the underwater camera – this photo was taken before we had the Quick spit, the mask is not nearly as clear as in the previous picture

In addition to not having to spend any snorkel time clearing fog off my mask, I found that I also could now see the screen on my underwater camera under the water as well as above. Imagine that, actually seeing what I want to take photos of! Seeing them doesn’t stop the fish from swimming out of the frame before clicking the button so it still takes a few shots to get a useable one, but it’s nice to at least know where to aim it.

Quick spit antifog and scrub mask and slate cleaner – don’t go snorkeling without them!

Note: The Quick spit says it works on glass or plastic, but the scrub says not to use it on plastic lenses.

Posted in Product Reviews | Tagged defogger, lens cleaner, photos, product review, quick spit, scrub, snorkel mask, travel | 6 Comments

How to Fold a Towel Anteater

Posted on January 27, 2014 by LBcruiseshipblogger

anteater towel animal

Most of the towel animals on this blog came from animals the stateroom stewards fold on cruise ships. Like the crab and this anteater is my own creation, although the crab I made intentionally after the underside of a towel frog reminded me of a crab and the anteater came about quite by accident. On our cruise on the Carnival Breeze, our stateroom steward was just learning how to make towel animals so I made one for him each afternoon to find when he came to do the evening cleaning and he made one for us each evening. One day I tried to make something new I hadn’t done before – the Macaw out of Carnival’s Towel Creations book (which you can buy onboard Carnival ships). It didn’t turn out quite right and the anteater was born.

Anteater I made on Carnival Breeze

Supplies Needed To Make a Towel Anteater

1. One Bath Towel

2. Two Hand Towels

3. Eyes (googly eyes or bits of paper or cloth.)

4. Pipecleaner tongue

How To Fold a Towel Anteater Body

Start with the standard towel animal body the same as the majority of other towel animals. Lay the bath towel out flat and roll both ends fairly tightly to the center. Fold rolled towel in half, rolled side out. Pull the tips out of each rolled end. Hold all 4 ends and pull until rolls pull into legs and your rolled towel becomes a body.

how to make a standard towel animal body

roll both ends of towel to the middle from short sides

fold towel in half, rolled sides out and pull tips of towel out of each roll

hold the tips of all four rolls and pull tight

rolls pulled tight into legs

How To Fold a Towel Anteater Tail

Hang the center of one hand towel on a wall hook or tuck it under your chin. Roll both sides to the center at an angle as tightly as you can. Tuck tail between rolls of body with rolled sides up on both towels.

hang center of hand towel on wall hook

roll both sides tightly to center

tuck tail between rolls on body rolled site up

How to Fold a Towel Anteater Head

Fold one third of the towel down on the short side. Fold the other end just over the edge of the first fold. Fold the top corners down like a triangle. Lay the pipecleaner tongue between the triangles, sticking out at the end. Roll tightly from both sides. Tuck wide end between body rolls, rolled side up on the opposite side from the tail.

fold down a third of a hand towel

fold up the opposite end just over the end of the first fold

fold the corners down like a triangle

put a pipe cleaner between the folds of the triangle

roll both sides tightly to the middle

Finishing the Towel Anteater

Fold the legs together and roll anteater over. Pose as desired, adjusting towels as needed. Decorate with google eyes or use bits of felt, cloth, or paper for eyes.

fold the legs together

roll the anteater over

Finished anteater

Now if I could just get this anteater to go outside and eat some ants!

For instructions on how to fold many more towel animals please visit My Cruise Stories towel animal page.

copyright 2014 My Cruise Stories

Posted in Towel Animals | Tagged animal towel folding, crafts, how to fold a towel animal, how to make towel animals, photos, step by step towel animal folding instructions, towel animal, towel anteater, towel art, towel origami | 10 Comments

Cruise Ship Cabins on the MSC Divina

Posted on January 20, 2014 by LBcruiseshipblogger

MSC cruise line's only ship cruising full time in the Caribbean

MSC Divina

Like all cruise ships, the MSC Divina has a range of staterooms for passengers to choose from. Prices vary from the lowest category inside cabins to the highest category of Yacht Club suites. Also like most ships not all cabins within the same category are created equally, so it pays to know what you will get for your money before you book if booking into a specific cabin rather than a category guarantee. Sizes of the cabins vary within a given category and here and there some rooms have oversized balconies so it really helps to check out the deck plans before choosing your cruise ship cabin. Bring the family and save money sailing with MSC where kids under 18 can sail for free or at a reduced fare. Or take a longer vacation and get a 10% discount when booking two back to back cruises of 7 to 11 nights each.

Disabled accissible rooms on the Divina have the most space

Disabled Accessible Deluxe Yacht Club Suite

Disabled accessible cabins are the top of the size range for any given category, allowing for wider doorways and more maneuvering space for wheelchairs. As with other cruise ships, the same room on a higher floor is often listed as a higher category. Closer to the middle of the ship also tends to raise a room’s category rank, though on the Divina the highest ranked balcony cabins are at the bow end of decks 12 and 13.

Inside Room

Inside rooms cost the least, therefore allowing passengers to spend less on their vacation or have more money available for things like shore excursions. On the Divina, inside stateroom sizes vary from 12 to 29 sq.m (139 – 258 square feet.) Passengers per cabin varies from two to four depending on whether a given room has a sofa bed or bunks that descend from the ceiling to accommodate more than the standard two guests.

Oceanview cabin with porthole window and drop down bunks

Oceanview rooms cost more than inside and less than balcony cabins. The cost is closer to inside than to balcony, so oceanview rooms are a nice way to save on the vacation dollars while still having a room with a view. The Divina has some really nice oceanview rooms, but check the location carefully before booking one because some of the rooms on deck 8 in the area just behind the atrium where there are also inside cabins are smaller than the very nice rooms on deck 5. The oceanview cabins on deck 5 and the larger ones on deck 8 have pull-down bunks in the ceiling and could sleep 4 people quite comfortably with plenty of floor space for a family since the bunks don’t take up any extra space on the ground. Oceanview cabin sizes range from 12 to 29 sq.m (129 – 312 square feet.)

Balcony Cabin

Divina standard balcony

Balcony cabins offer passengers some private outdoor space of their own. Some are standard size compared to the balcony cabins on some of the other ships I’ve sailed on while others are larger, but the Divina has tiny balcony cabins too.

not all cruise ship cabins are created equal

check the deck plans before choosing your cruise ship cabin

Watch out for the staterooms in the same area behind the atrium with small oceanview and inside rooms though because the Divina has some particularly small balcony cabins in that section on every deck from 9 up. If you can get the room cheap because of the small size it’s fine, but try to avoid booking a tiny room for the same price you could get a larger one elsewhere on the ship.

Cabin 9145 has a double balcony and inside seems almost like a two-room suite

The Divina has some particularly nice balcony cabins ranked the same as those around them. We had cabin #9145, which sits with the long side to the outside of the ship rather than the short side like most cabins. This cabin had a double sized balcony, and inside the room was more like two rooms than one. There are only 4 cabins like it on the entire ship. Look near corners where the ship has contours to find other cabins with larger than normal balconies.

Sleep two extra people in this 4-person balcony room with double couch bed on the MSC Divina

Balcony cabin with double couch bed

standard shower with doors inward to make more bathroom space

Balcony cabins sleep from 2 to 4 passengers and range in size from 17 sq.m to 42 sq.m (183 – 451 square feet.) A unique feature of this ship (also offered on the MSC Preziosa) is the Superfamily cabin, which sleeps up to 6 people. This is comprised of two connecting 3-person balcony cabins and is priced for the cabin rather than the amount of passengers using it.

The space-saving bathrooms in the regular rooms have showers in which the doors can open in or out and when not in use can stay inward to give the rest of the room more space. When in use, the showers do not offer a lot of area for large people to move about.

Auria Suite

MSC Divina Deluxe Yacht Club suite disabled accessible bathroom

disabled accessible suite has a larger shower than regular rooms

suite bathroom with tub

Passengers who like nicer rooms and are willing to pay the price can book suites. For those who just want a nicer room, the Divina offers the Auria suites. Suites on the Divina have walk-in closets and except for disabled accessible suites they have bathtubs. All of the Auria suites are at the bow of the ship on decks 9, 10, and 11. Some have balconies and others picture windows. They range in size from 21 to 47 sq.m (226 – 505 square feet.)

Balcony on Yacht Club suite at the bow

Guests of the Divina who want the privileges of an exclusive club can book MSC Yacht Club suites. These suites come with a lot more than just a nice room. Priority check-in, concierge, and butler service are just the start of it. MSC Yacht club suite keys open the door to a whole private area.

exclusive area of cruise ship reserved for suite guests

Swarovski crystal staircase in the MSC Yacht Club private area

pay enough for your cruise and the price includes the drinks

Drinks are on the house at the MSC Yacht Club bar

The MSC Yacht Club area includes a golden Swarovski crystal staircase, a private bar where drinks don’t cost extra, indoor and outdoor buffet areas, an exclusive dining room with great views overlooking the infinity pool at the stern of the ship, and a private outdoor deck with pool, hot tub, and views over the bow.

Le Muse, the MSC Yacht Club private dining room

cruise ship private area exclusive hot tubs for suite guests only

Hot tubs in the Yacht Club pool area

The Yacht Club lounge sports the best views at the front of the ship. The indoor space in the Yacht Club private area even includes a posh library with lots of books and places to sit and read them.

MSC Yacht Club Library

Deluxe Yacht Club Suite

All the perks are mainly what Yacht Club deluxe suite guests pay for since these suites run from 26 to 39 sq.m (280 – 420 square feet) with the only large ones in the row across the bow on deck 16.

Sophia Loren Royal Suite

The Executive and Family suites at 45 to 53 sq.m (484 – 570 square feet) and Royal Suites at 52 sq.m (560 square feet) have considerably more space than regular rooms in addition to the yacht club perks.

Accommodations on other ships: Arcadia, Breeze, Breeze odd rooms, Ecstasy, Infinity, Legend, Liberty, Pearl, Ruby Princess, Splendor, Veendam, Westerdam, Wilderness Adventurer

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

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2014

Posted in Divina, MSC, Shipboard Life | Tagged Accomodations, cruise, cruise ship cabins, Divina, MSC, photos, Staterooms, Suites, travel | 20 Comments

Fortress Of The Bear

Posted on January 13, 2014 by LBcruiseshipblogger

this bear had a great time playing with a bal hanging on a rope over a pond

bear playing with ball

When searching online for things to do when the Holland America Westerdam stopped in Sitka on our family cruise, I came across a place called Fortress of the Bear.

Westerdam in Sitka

One of the Sitka locals had turned abandoned clarifier tanks (which are 3/4 acre each) into habitats for orphaned bears that otherwise would have died. Not only did this sound like an interesting place to see, but also a place to safely get plenty of close-up photos of bears.

Grizzly Bear

Sitka also has a raptor center. It’s closer to town than the bears and within walking distance for a lot of people, but too long of a walk for some folks. During my pre-trip online research I read many comments other people had made on various websites. Some said the Fortress of the Bear had a shuttle from the cruise ship dock that would also let people off at the Raptor Center, others said they no longer had a shuttle at all. We never could get a definite answer about that before the cruise or find anyone on the ship who knew anything about the shuttle either. The ship had excursions to both the Raptor Center and the Fortress of the Bear, but we wanted to go on our own. Some online comments mentioned taxis would be available, but since we did not see any we were quite happy to find the shuttle.

bear at the Fortress of the Bear in Sitka. Alaska

Bears have lots of room to move about freely

As we disembarked the tender, we saw a number of people with signs for various activities. We headed straight to the one for Fortress of the Bear. Though we could have gotten off the boat around 8am, we waited until closer to 9:00, having been advised that like most things in Sitka, the Fortress of the Bear did not open until 9am. As it turned out, they did open at 8am when ships came in early, and we could have taken an earlier shuttle with almost nobody else on it. Our shuttle was not very crowded either. The big crowd started with the next one. The person with the sign said that whether or not their shuttles would stop at the Raptor Center depended on the driver, but our driver said they all stopped there.

Is this bear praying?

We encountered road construction along the way, which meant the shuttles did not always keep to their scheduled times as they sometimes had to sit awhile and wait before passing through the construction area. While we waited to go we saw eagles flying around nearby.

Bear Habitat

Once at the Fortress our bus left when we got off. My parents and sister had come with me there, but the rest of the relatives we cruised to Alaska with did different things in that port. We had about an hour to spend at the fortress before the next bus would come by. The owner took everyone up to a viewing platform where he told us about the bears in the tanks on either side while we all watched them play. One tank held two brothers who enjoyed playing with a ball hanging over the water. They jumped up to swat the ball making great splashes in their pool.

eagles get free handouts at Fortress of the Bear

Eagles perch in trees hoping to steal food from the bears

Many eagles perched in nearby trees waiting for a chance to steal food meant for the bears. When the opportunity arose the eagles took flight, sometimes rewarded for their effort with food snatched from the bear’s enclosure.

the only girl among the bears at Fortress of the Bear at the time of our visit

sister bear rolls over on her back and enjoys a snack

The other tank held two brothers and a sister, each of whom knew a different trick, which they quite happily performed for food. These bears are never allowed to be released into the wild due to Alaska’s laws. Sometimes hungry bears visit the towns in search of food. If the mothers get shot, the cubs used to have a death sentence too. Now they can go to the Fortress of the Bear to grow up in as natural a setting as possible for them. Zoos or wildlife parks sometimes take the bears in. Bears raised there are accustomed to human contact and adapt fairly easily to their new life in a zoo. Bears who go straight from the wild to zoos arrive traumatized and sometimes never fully adjust.

bear showing off for people

The tanks enclose as natural of a habitat as they could provide. The bears have water to swim in and caves within log piles. They had standing trees initially, but the bears pulled trees up and knocked them down until they had none left. The enclosure wall appears to have an opening that probably goes into some sort of shelter. They are given an ever-changing variety of different toys to play with and also seemed to enjoy swimming.

bear on a stump near cave

The Fortress just had brown bears (grizzlies) when we visited, but sometimes they have black bear cubs as well. It also had some pens with an assortment of birds including ducks and turkeys. They had restrooms and a small gift shop near the entrance where the busses come and go.

turkey

“hello out there”

If you plan to go to Sitka, Fortress of the Bear is definitely worth a visit. It’s fun, interesting, and educational. You also are guaranteed to see some active bears who have a tendency to do really cute things.

“Who has bear treats?”

In addition to saving the lives of bears, the Fortress of the Bear also serves as a recycling and composting facility, utilizing outdated produce, dairy, and bakery products from local markets as food for the bears and then composting bear’s waste, saving the city and private businesses many dollars in waste disposal.

sign on the railing

copyright My Cruise Stories 2014

Posted in Alaska, Holland America, Port Cities, Shore Excursions, Westerdam | Tagged Alaska, bears, cruise, Fortress of the Bear, Holland America, photos, Sitka, travel, Westerdam | 17 Comments

Carnival Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse

Posted on January 6, 2014 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Carnival Breeze

Cruise ships all tend to have a premium eatery where passengers can have a special meal for a fee. On Carnival it’s their steakhouse, Fahrenheit 555. While aboard the Breeze, Chef Joaquim treated us to a private cooking demonstration in their steakhouse.

Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse

The steakhouse is a smaller and fancier eatery than the main dining rooms. Guests make reservations in advance for one of the limited number of tables. On the Breeze the steakhouse seating area has a view into the galley so guests can watch as the chef prepares their meal right before their eyes.

The menu has other items in addition to steak. For us they prepared a very tasty pan-seared sea bass.

a lot of ingredients go into the sea bass recipe on the Breeze

ingredients ready to go

At the start of the demonstration, little containers of a variety of ingredients sat on the counter in individual dishes, ready to use at the appropriate time in the cooking process. The chef explained each step as he cooked, finishing with a nicely plated meal.

Chef Joaquim mixes up a frothy sauce

ready to eat

If you would like to have this tasty recipe, or to see the chef in action, watch the video.

Posted in Breeze, Carnival, Cruise Food | Tagged Breeze, Carnival, cooking, Farenheit 555 Steakhouse, food, photos, recipe, travel, video | 3 Comments

Best Blogs of 2013

Posted on January 1, 2014 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful 2013 and that 2014 has even better things in store for everyone.

Reflecting back on the past year, I’m picking my favorite post from each month to highlight in this blog.

January

New Years Day 2012, I had not planned to post anything. While reading other people’s blogs I noticed that most had some sort of blog reflecting their favorite blogs of the past year. As the day went on and I read more I decided I had really missed the boat on that one, and that I should write something for New Years Day too. My New Year’s post of last year was the first blog I wrote and published all in one go. Most I write several weeks to several months in advance. Some I write offline while on a cruise, then put together with photos as an actual blog before publication. Somehow though I thought the impromptu blog turned out quite well and liked that I could highlight a variety of adventures all in one blog.

Mayan ruins at Tulum – one of the excursions highlighted in the Best Shore Excursions post

It is now February 2013, and in my usual plan-ahead style I’m choosing my best of January blog, for which I have chosen the 2012 New Year’s Day post, titled Best Shore Excursions. I enjoyed every adventure highlighted in that blog.

January was a pretty prolific month for me, I also published a couple blogs about Carnival Breeze – Hasbro The Game Show and Red Frog Pub, one from Norwegian Pearl called Bowling On A Cruise Ship, and several blogs from other categories –How to Make a Towel Bear, The Grilled Cheese Pizza Sandwich, and The Land Yacht.

February

In spite of the fact that we were working on moving to a new town several hours away, I still managed to post my weekly blogs in February. It’s hard to pick a favorite since they all remind me of two wonderful cruises, but I have to go with Cruise Ship Decor on the Norwegian Pearl. The outside of the Pearl graces the banner of my blog, and the inside is just as lovely so it’s nice to highlight it. I had so many pictures for that blog I put most of them in a slideshow.

Outside lights on the Pearl that look like pearls – photo from slideshow on decor blog

Other blogs published in February include Palma de Mallorca, Spain, A Tragic Week for the Cruise Ship Industry (the second post I wrote and published all in one go), Teppanyaki Restaurant on the Norwegian Pearl, and Carnival Breeze Galley Tour.

March

Choosing my favorite blog for March came down to a toss-up between How To Fold a Towel Penguin and Beggars of Spain. Towel animals are a huge part of My Cruise Stories blog. Not only is the penguin the cutest one so far (in my opinion anyway,) it is also the first one where I had to do my own video of folding the animal rather than using one of a cruise ship stateroom steward folding it. Because the photos in that blog aren’t my best, and the fact that I’m not used to being on camera really shows in the video (particularly when I said flippers instead of wings) I went with the Beggars of Spain for the best of March title instead. It is the first one that is about the people we encountered in an area, and we encountered some very interesting people in Spain. Unemployment is high there and they have to do something to make a living, and some of them come up with some quite creative ways. Some of the comments did say these people are actually called Buskers rather than Beggars.

People in Barcelona sculpt intricate sand castles and leave collecting tins near the boardwalk

March postings included blogs about Norwegian’s private island, Great Stirrup Cay and the damage it sustained during Hurricane Sandy. Easter fell in March in 2012, so that month also included a recipe for Easter Egg Candy Cookies.

April

April blogs posed a tough choice. Do I pick the Chocoholic Buffet on the Pearl or The Rain in Spain in Malaga? Much as I love chocolate buffets, I had to go with Malaga because that one was such a fun blog to write. People really seemed to enjoy reading it. I think my personality shines through in that blog more than in most due to the entertainment we found there in ordinary things like stoplights and crosswalk signs.

the little guy on the stoplight runs when the time gets short

May

May brought another hard decision. Towel animals are an ongoing main feature of my blog and I haven’t highlighted one yet in this blog. Should I pick the one about How to Fold a Towel Pigeon? Or go with Norwegian Pearl Behind the Scenes Tour? We always enjoy behind the scenes tours on cruises and this one was particularly comprehensive so I decided to pick it. There’s still half a year left to pick a towel animal.

galley crew having fun on the Norwegian Pearl behind the scenes tour

June

We had so much fun at Mystic Mountain in Ocho Rios Jamaica, how could I not pick that for my favorite blog in June?

Butterfly in the Hummingbird Garden at Mystic Mountain

July

One blog I posted in July got such a big response from readers, and more views than my average blog so I have to let the readers decide this month and go with Miracle Chocolate Cake. What’s the miracle? A cake with no flour, no sugar and no milk or butter that tastes great and is not diet food!

great tasting gluten free, lactose free, sugar free cake that's not diet food

No Flour, No Sugar, No Milk, and IT”S NOT DIET

Other great blogs in July that never got a chance for the top spot include The Family Cruise, Food on the Norwegian Pearl, and a Tour of Grand Canary Island – which got reposted in Bucket List Living Magazine!

AUGUST

I tried for years to convince my parents to take a cruise with us, so when they finally scheduled a cruise on the Westerdam with other relatives I had to tag along. My mother chose a shore excursion to Glacier Gardens, and much of the family joined in. This is the sort of excursion I probably otherwise would have overlooked when making plans, but it was inexpensive and most of the family took it. The dogsledding I wanted to do was outrageously priced so I went too. I was quite glad I did as Glacier Gardens is quite unique and definitely worth seeing.

Upside Down Flower Towers at Glacier Gardens

Other August blogs included Mendenhall Glacier from the Westerdam cruise, Grand Cayman from the Pearl, Bars on Carnival Breeze, and How to Fold a Better Towel Seal.

September

Gluten free cooking has become a part of my life due to having two sisters on gluten free diets. Cruising to Alaska on the Westerdam with one of them gave me great insight into the ins and outs of Gluten Free Cruising. This blog is so packed with helpful hints for anyone cruising on a specialty diet, how could it not be my top choice for the month?

gluten free treats at afternoon tea on Holland America Westerdam

Other interesting blogs from September include Snorkeling on Palancar Reef, Full Speed Ahead on Mount Roberts Tram, and Five Days at Sea

October

Spaghetti Carbonara at Cucina del Capitano on Carnival Breeze

October it seems was pretty much all about food. I had Miracle Spice Cupcakes as my Halloween Blog, and also Holland America’s Pinnacle Grill and Food on the Carnival Breeze. The only non-food blog that month was Playa Mia Beach Park. Actually we did eat lunch there so even that blog had food mentioned. Tough choice here, do I go with Pinnacle Grill where I had a wonderful dinner with relatives on a very enjoyable family cruise, or Food on the Breeze? The deciding factor on this one is the fact that the Food on the Breeze blog contains the recipe for the Spaghetti Carbonara served at their Italian restaurant, Cucina del Capitano. That spaghetti was not only one of the best cruise ship meals I’ve ever had, but one of the best meals anywhere. I tried the recipe at home and liked it there too so the recipe became the deciding factor and the best blog of October goes to Food on the Carnival Breeze Cruise Ship.

November

After our first visit to Saint Martin when we knew nothing about it, we couldn’t wait to get back and see Maho Beach, which we hadn’t known existed prior to our first stop there. We waited so long to see this very unique place how could it not be my favorite blog in November?

People visit Maho Beach to photo low-flying airplanes directly overhead on their way to Princess Juliana airport directly across the street

Though my other November blogs never stood a chance of getting picked for the favorite, that doesn’t mean they weren’t worth reading. Thanksgiving brought two holiday blogs with a recipe for gluten free pumpkin muffins and a towel animal I’ve had many google hits from people looking for with how to make a towel turkey. Other November blogs: Holland America’s Greenhouse Spa and Norwegian Pearl at the Dock.

December

Christmastime brought two Christmas blogs this year. a recipe for delicious Dark Chocolate Amaretto Truffles, and How to Fold a Towel Reindeer. Since the reindeer is my own creation and also one of my best ever towel animals I’ve chosen that for December’s best blog, though the truffles are definitely worth making.

My Cruise Stories very own Towel Reindeer

Other December blogs include an interview with John Heald on Things to Do and Best Kept Secrets on Carnival Breeze, How to Find Cheap Cruises, Cruising Glacier Bay, and MSC Divina.

The highlight of the year in 2013 for my blog is the towel animal page, which makes it easy to find instructions on how to fold any towel animal published on this blog at a glance.

Posted in Breeze, Pearl, Randoms, Uncategorized, Westerdam | Tagged best of, blogging, blogs, Breeze, cruise, highlights, New Year's Day, Pearl, photos, towel reindeer, travel, Westerdam | 4 Comments

MSC Divina

Posted on December 29, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

MSC Divina

MSC Cruise line, based in Italy, has one ship in the USA. The Divina homeports in Miami and sails the sky-blue waters of the Caribbean year-round. Launched in 2012, the Divina has 1751 cabins and holds up to 4345 guests. At 333.30 meters (1093.5 feet) long with a beam of 37.92 meters (124.41 feet), height of 66.80 meters (219.16 feet) and total surface area of 450,000 cubic meters, (588,577.77 cubic yards) the Divina is quite a large ship. It weighs 139,400 tons and travels at a max speed of 22.99 knots. It has 5 diesel generators, two propellers and stabilizers. Rooms include 392 inside, 122 ocean view, 1097 balcony, 28 Aurea suites and 69 MSC Yacht Club suites. It has a deck 13, but no deck 17 because in Italy it is 17 rather than 13 that they view as bad luck. (The top passenger deck is labeled as deck 18.)

Atrium stairs studded with Swarovski crystals

The Divina is elegantly decorated without being overly ornate or tacky. The Swarovski Crystal staircase in the atrium highlights the elegance of this diva among ships, inspired by Sophia Loren. There’s quite a collection of statues about the ship (not necessarily to my taste, but a lot of art isn’t.) Mirrors, lights, sparkles, and silver colored detailing highlight many areas and there’s pictures of movie stars of the 1950’s in or from Italy scattered about the ship.

statues of odd shaped women reading fill one alcove on the MSC Divina

statue on the Divina

Every ship and cruiseline has their differences. Compared to other ships we’ve sailed on we have noticed a number of differences about the Divina. While most cruise lines sailing in the USA are based there, MSC is based in Italy and relatively new to the US market. They are working on making their ship more friendly to the north American market, with improvements in each cruise over the previous one.

MSC is very family friendly. In addition to having kid-friendly spaces and programs for different ages, children under 18 sail free or at reduced fares. They also pay only half the daily service charge, so only port taxes are full price for kids.

flower made from paper towels and a straw

One night our waiter made us a paper towel flower

In Europe passengers and crew don’t interact much, where north American passengers prefer a friendly crew. Saying hello to passengers passing by in the hallways is all new to this European-trained crew, but most are doing a good job and some go above and beyond the call of duty to give passengers a great cruise.

towel duck

Towel animals are hit and miss on this ship as some people get them and others don’t depending on whether or not their particular stateroom steward knows how to make them. I missed the bathrobes that normally hang in the room for passenger use, but another passenger said they do have them available on request. They did bring some right up with a call to housekeeping. The sample size bathroom products were absent, but instead the bathroom had dispensers with soap, shampoo, and body wash.

One formal night we had awesome Baked Alaska

The dessert selections seem more limited on the regular dinner menu than on some ships, but the buffet always had a varied selection and they came up with some really special things on a couple of the theme or formal nights. The menus are in quite a few different languages, making life on board easier for people from a variety of countries. They catered to the varied languages of their passengers in other ways as well. Some of the onboard presentations were available in different locations done in different languages. The daily programs left in each passenger’s cabin would be in the language of their choice and give a schedule of the day’s events taking place for people who spoke in that language. Daily activities included things like dance lessons and jewelry making as well as lectures, trivia and other games. In addition to the main cruise director they also have an international cruise director for the non-English speaking crowd.

Divina stern view

The ship seems quite stable as we mainly just felt a bit of sliding side to side in high winds and rough waters rather than pitching and rolling. There were a couple times it rocked a bit, but nothing major. The walls in our cabin made some creaky noises when underway though. Sometimes the pool water would slosh around, which made a great time to jump in and enjoy the wave-pool type effects.

Unlike most ships sailing the Caribbean that do the same itinerary over and over, or rotate between two or three itineraries, the Divina often has different destinations and lengths of journeys. Many passengers take advantage of this with back-to-back cruises. A variety of groups sometimes lease the ship, adjusting the schedule from the standard 7 days, so on the next cruise the ship adjusts to return to its Saturday start schedule, which creates the variety in cruises offered.

Kid’s Buffet

In the buffet there’s a station just for kids serving kid-friendly hot food, a nice touch I’ve not seen on other ships. We always found a table open at the buffet without any difficulty, often at the stern surrounded in a lovely wall of windows where passengers can sit and watch the wake. Their drink dispensers offered orange, pineapple, grapefruit and cranberry juice at breakfast and iced tea, lemonade, and flavored waters the rest of the day.

The MSC USA website could use some improvement in both speed and content. It also needs to be more user-friendly. We could not find any information on the dress codes until after we came onboard, when it is too late to pack the appropriate clothing, so I’ve included it here. The book in the cabin states the dining room dress code as follows:

MSC Divina Dining Room Dress Code

Breakfast and lunch – casual wear allowed

Dinner has 3 categories, and the daily program placed in staterooms each evening for the following day will state which category applies.

Formal: tux, dinner jacket or lounge suit for men, evening or cocktail dress for women

Informal: jacket and tie for men, cocktail dress for ladies (no jeans)

Casual: open neck shirt without jacket or keeping with the theme of the evening if indicated for men, skirts, dresses, slacks and sweaters or blouses for women

It does say no jeans, but I wore jeans and sandals to dinner several times and they didn’t kick me out. I don’t own a cocktail dress or evening gown and my husband doesn’t own a tux. On any cruise ship for the ladies on formal nights if you wear something sparkly it’s all good. Most all the ladies wear sparkly clothes on formal nights – dresses, skirts or pant suits.

most passengers wore the colors of the Italian flag on Italian night

Diners having fun on Italian night

They had two theme nights on our cruise, Italian night where people were asked to wear anything green, white, or red, and white night where passengers were requested to dress in white. Of course not knowing about these in advance, not everyone had packed the appropriate colors, but more wore them than not. Everyone on this ship had either early or late seating for dinner. It did not offer the option of coming to the main dining room anytime during the dinner hours, though the buffet was open for anyone who wished to dine at a different time.

The smoking policy differed a bit from other ships we’ve been on. We were quite happy about no smoking on stateroom balconies, but perplexed by the public smoking area right next to the children’s pool. They have a cigar lounge where people can smoke behind closed doors where it isn’t so likely to bother others. The casino is a bit confusing as it says it is 100% smoke free, yet management can designate a particular slot machine or table as a smoking area for a particular passenger if they should so choose. (Probably for a high roller whose money they want to stay in the casino, but how is that 100% smoke free?) I only saw anyone smoke in there once so it was much better than other ships where casino patrons smoke freely.

Posted in Divina, MSC | Tagged cruise, Divina, MSC, MSC dress code, photos, ship stats, travel | 28 Comments

How to Fold a Towel Reindeer

Posted on December 25, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

How to Make a Towel Reindeer

Towel Reindeer

Supplies Needed to Make a Towel Reindeer

1. One bath towel

2. One hand towel

3. One washcloth

4. Five pipe cleaners (AKA chenille stems)

5. Two eyes – Use google eyes or make eyes out of felt or paper

6. One big red pom-pom

7. Christmas garland (for harness)

How to Fold a Towel Reindeer Body

The reindeer takes the standard towel animal body.

roll short sides of bath towel to the middle

Lay the bath towel out flat. Roll each end of the short sides to the middle.

Fold rolled towel in half, rolled sides out

Fold the rolled bath towel in half with the rolled part to the outside.

pull the tip of the towel out from the center of each rolled end

Pull the tips out of the end of each roll.

grasp both tips of one roll in one hand and both tips of other roll in other hand

Grasp the two tips of one roll in one hand and the other roll in the other hand. Pull all of them at once stretching the towel tight until all the inner rolls pull out and the rolled bath towel becomes a 4-legged body.

finished towel animal body

How to Fold a Towel Reindeer Tail

Use a washcloth to make the towel reindeer tail.

fold washcloth in half

Lay the washcloth out flat. Fold in half diagonally forming a large triangle.

fold in half diagonally again

Fold in half diagonally again forming a small triangle.

fold each half of the triangle to the center

Fold each half of the triangle to the center from the peak at the skinniest tip end to the base of the triangle at the widest end so it becomes the shape of a deer tail.

insert tail between rolls on underside of main body

With the rolled side facing up on both the main body and the tail, insert the tail between the rolls on one end of the body.

sit the tail end down and stand up front legs

Bring the legs on one side of the body over to the other side so the body folds in half with the tail sticking out the center of one end and roll the body over with the rolled side underneath. Sit the tail end down and stand up the legs at the front end.

tie Christmas garland around the body and across the front

Tie a harness of Christmas garland around the center and across the front of the reindeer’s body.

How to Make Pipe Cleaner Reindeer Antlers

Each antler takes two shiny gold Christmas pipe cleaners (chenille stems).

wrap one pipe cleaner around the other

For each antler, bend one end of a pipe cleaner as the forward bit of the antler and the rest upward for the main tall part of the antler. Take a second pipe cleaner and wrap it around the first at the bottom of the tall part with enough sticking up to make a small antler point at the joint.

using pipe cleaners to decorate towel animals

finished reindeer antler

Wrap the second pipe cleaner around the first partway up and then bend the rest outward for a taller antler point.

How to Fold a Towel Reindeer Head

Use a hand towel to make the reindeer’s head.

fold towel from short side, not quite to the end

Fold the towel from the short end, not quite in half. Leave a couple inches of single layered towel hanging beyond the edge.

fold over again from folded end

Fold towel over again, to the end of the doubled part, still leaving the single layer hanging off one end.

fold down corners on folded end

Fold corners down from the folded edge nearly to the end of the folded part.

roll sides to the middle

Roll each side to the middle. Keep it straight at the start of the roll so none of the folded part gets into the single edge.

if desired taper nose end after passing corner folds

Once the roll reaches the end of the folded-down corner you can angle it a bit with the skinner end of the angle at the folded edge and the wider end where the single layer hangs over.

twist ends of pipe cleaner together on rolled side of head

When both sides are tightly rolled to the middle, wrap a chenille stem around the towel, closer the end with the single layered edge. Twist the ends of the pipe cleaner together on the rolled side.

pipe cleaner wrapped around reindeer head

The pipe cleaner will sit flat on the flat side of the reindeer head.

fold the single layer down over the pipe cleaner

On the flat side, fold the single layer down over the pipe cleaner. Shape the ears as desired.

Finishing the Towel Reindeer

Tuck the antlers into the fold at the base of the ears. Pinch a bit of the forward antler just in front of where the other pipe cleaner is wrapped so there is something to tuck into the fold. Position the antler as desired.

decorated reindeer head

Use double stick tape to add eyes and red pom-pom nose.

Set head on top of front end of reindeer and it’s done!

impress your Christmas guests with this towel reindeer

Finished Towel Reindeer

For more towel animals see My Cruise Stories Towel Animal Page.

Towel Santa Claus

Click here for How a Fold a Towel Santa Claus

Posted in Towel Animals | Tagged Christmas, crafts, photos, towel animal, towel animal folding instructions, towel art, towel folding, towel origami, towel reindeer | 5 Comments

Dark Chocolate Amaretto Truffles

Posted on December 21, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Dark Chocolate Amaretto Truffles

I can’t deny that I’m a chocoholic, particularly if it’s dark chocolate. Truffles are a favorite too. I discovered amaretto quite by accident years ago with a free taste of amaretto fudge at a county fair. Since then I’ve had the opportunity to try other amaretto chocolate delights and liked every one of them. So combining dark chocolate, truffles, and amaretto all into one treat seemed like the perfect way to try making something with amaretto. First, of course, I had to actually find the amaretto. Not being a drinker, I’ve never actually shopped for liquor before. Just one of the several stores I checked had amaretto in their liquor section, and that store had only one choice in a rather large bottle.

Amaretto

I looked over other people’s recipes as a guide, but since I rarely ever follow recipes exactly, why start now? There wouldn’t be much point to publishing a recipe if someone else already had the exact same one. I took ideas from several, changed things around a bit, added my own touches, and came up with a rather tasty treat.

truffle toppings – for better coating chop the nuts smaller and use finely shredded coconut – I just had flaked and it is really too big

Pick chocolate that you like for both the dark and bittersweet chocolates because the truffles will only be as good as the chocolate that goes into them. If you are not a dark chocolate fan try semi-sweet chocolate in the filling and milk chocolate for the shell, or milk chocolate in the filling and white chocolate for the shell. (I have only tried the dark so can’t say how the others would turn out.)

unfinished truffles rolled into balls

Dark Chocolate Amaretto Truffles

8 oz bittersweet chocolate

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon milk

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons amaretto

4 – 6 oz dark chocolate

finely chopped nuts, finely shredded coconut, and/or candy sprinkles

Break bittersweet chocolate into bits in heat-proof bowl. Mix sour cream, butter, and milk in a small (preferably non-stick) saucepan. Cook over relatively low heat until butter melts, then turn up a bit higher until mixture begins to boil. Stir frequently. Pour boiling cream mixture over chocolate and stir. As chocolate begins to melt, add amaretto and stir until smooth.

Put in refrigerator and chill for about 50 minutes to 2 hours or until chocolate sets enough to handle, but does not harden to the point where it will crumble when shaped. Line a pan with wax or parchment paper. Stir chocolate and roll into balls. The size is up to you, but keep in mind the candies are quite rich so try not to make them too big. Somewhere between 1/2 inch to and 1 1/2 inches diameter should work fine. Place balls on paper-lined pan and put back in the refrigerator. Chill at least 1 hour.

Line another pan with wax or parchment paper. Melt dark chocolate in small double boiler. If you have made very small truffles you may need extra dark chocolate as you will have more surface area to coat. Remove top of double boiler from over the hot water when chocolate melts.

Roll truffles around in the melted chocolate until coated. You can do one or several at a time, whatever works best for you. Once coated put them back in the pan they came from briefly. Before the chocolate sets, pick truffle back up and dip top into finely chopped nuts, finely shredded coconut, or candy sprinkles. Place finished chocolate on clean paper in new pan. If rolling balls one at a time, the chocolate is cooled to about the right temperature for dipping after rolling 2 or 3 more, so coat several and then dip them into the topping before moving on to the next few because if you try to coat them all before dipping any the chocolate will get too hard for the coating to stick.

Refrigerate at least an hour before serving, and store in the refrigerator when done.

Yield: about 15 – 25 truffles depending on size

These truffles are also delicious with a white chocolate coconut filling.

16 this batch, but they’re big

If you want quick and easy truffles, try these.

Posted in recipes | Tagged amaretto, candy, chocolate, cooking, dessert, food, photos, recipe, truffles | 11 Comments

Cruising Glacier Bay

Posted on December 16, 2013 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Holland America Westerdam Cruises Glacier Bay

The Holland America Westerdam spent one day of our Alaskan cruise cruising around Glacier Bay. The daily schedule included what time the ship would pass each glacier. Up in the Crows Nest they had a ranger giving a talk about the things the ship cruised past. At one point they said there was a bear on shore. Without the spotting scope, or perhaps some good binoculars, it just looked like a little brown speck. Throughout the day they had a variety of programs presented by the rangers or local Huna Tlingit people.

Westerdam Bow

The big bow area on deck 4, normally for crew only, opened to passengers along with a couple smaller bows on decks above. They had hot split pea soup available at about 10am, but not later when we went looking for it after it had started to rain and the crowds left.

Westerdam Crew Bar

I found an open door from the bow into a bar we never knew existed. When I tried to take a step inside to see if that was where the soup was they said it was a crew bar, we weren’t allowed to go inside, and they were done serving soup.

Cruising past a glacier

Most of the glaciers on our itinerary the ship just cruised past. One had a small ship near it, probably on a shore excursion from Juneau. Wandering about the ship, we found my parents at the ranger talk in the Crow’s Nest. We started to join them, but then the ship arrived at Margerie Glacier and Grand Pacific Glacier. The ship stopped. We went outside to try and get photos, but could not find any open space that was not behind glass.

glacier watching from our balcony on the Westerdam

It parked with one half the ship facing the glacier for half an hour then did a 180 so the other side got a view. Since it initially parked with our room’s side facing the glacier we quickly left the crowded public area to get photos from our room where we knew balcony space awaited.

Margerie Glacier

Margerie glacier glistened in all her icy glory, mostly white with some layers of sediment making patterns in the ice. Every now and then we heard loud cracking sounds, sometimes followed shortly after by a bergy bit calving off.

Margerie Glacier up close

Uncooperativly, it never calved when I had the video camera on and mine just has a very short battery life so I couldn’t just leave it on the whole time to cut out the boring parts later.

Grand Pacific Glacier has reduced to a dirty black bit

Grand Pacific Glacier – the little dirty black bit on the right

We largely ignored Grand Pacific Glacier, which looked more like a dirty little black corner of Margerie Glacier than it did like a whole separate glacier. It wasn’t until later we found out that dirty little bit of glacier dug the entire bay. For a time in the 1990’s Grand Pacific joined with Margerie Glacier, but has since retreated to the point they no longer connect. Early explorers to the area missed Glacier Bay entirely as Grand Pacific Glacier at that time blocked the mouth of the bay. Within about a 100 year span Pacific Glacier rapidly advanced through a valley where natives once lived, carving the bay behind it, then retreated rapidly and still continues to retreat as well as the ice thinning. At one point this was the fastest retreating glacier ever recorded, and as it continues to retreat and thin it will cease to be a tidewater glacier and eventually disappear altogether.

When early explorers went by they just saw the one glacier as it had advanced to the point of blocking the mouth of what would become Glacier Bay upon its just as rapid retreat. Before long Grand Pacific Glacier will disappear entirely.

Kittiwakes on a bergy bit

Sometimes people see seals and other wildlife while cruising Glacier Bay, but other than the brown speck of a bear we just saw birds, including kittiwakes. You can tell them from other similar looking seagulls because of the black markings on the underside of their wings. I had not heard of them before snorkeling over the USS Kittiwake off the shore of Grand Cayman, but since that trip kittiwakes are special to me.

Glacier through Westerdam viewport

Not all ships that cruise through Alaska get as close to glaciers as the Westerdam did. We quite enjoyed our chance to stop and take all the close-up photos we wanted. It definitely paid off having the balcony room where we could have the space we needed and no crowds.

leaving the glaciers behind in the Westerdam’s wake

Posted in Alaska, Holland America, Shipboard Life, Westerdam | Tagged Alaska, cruise, Glacier Bay, Grand Pacific Glacier, Margerie Glacier, photos | 6 Comments

Supplies Needed To Make a Towel Anteater

1. One Bath Towel

2. Two Hand Towels

3. Eyes (googly eyes or bits of paper or cloth.)

4. Pipecleaner tongue

How To Fold a Towel Anteater Body

How To Fold a Towel Anteater Tail

How to Fold a Towel Anteater Head

Finishing the Towel Anteater

copyright 2014 My Cruise Stories

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2014

copyright My Cruise Stories 2014

January

February

Other blogs published in February include Palma de Mallorca, Spain, A Tragic Week for the Cruise Ship Industry (the second post I wrote and published all in one go), Teppanyaki Restaurant on the Norwegian Pearl, and Carnival Breeze Galley Tour.

March

March postings included blogs about Norwegian’s private island, Great Stirrup Cay and the damage it sustained during Hurricane Sandy. Easter fell in March in 2012, so that month also included a recipe for Easter Egg Candy Cookies.

April

Other posts in April included a Bridge tour and Interview with the Captain on Carnival Breeze, and Bars on the Norwegian Pearl.

May

Other blogs posted in May included an Interview with Head Cruise Director John Heald about the Best Places on Carnival Breeze, and Carnival Breeze Comedy Brunch.

June

Other posts in June included Accomodations on Holland America Westerdam, You Can Do Your Own Laundry on a Cruise, Dunn’s River Falls, and Carnival Breeze Waterworks.

July

Other great blogs in July that never got a chance for the top spot include The Family Cruise, Food on the Norwegian Pearl, and a Tour of Grand Canary Island – which got reposted in Bucket List Living Magazine!

AUGUST

Other August blogs included Mendenhall Glacier from the Westerdam cruise, Grand Cayman from the Pearl, Bars on Carnival Breeze, and How to Fold a Better Towel Seal.

September

Other interesting blogs from September include Snorkeling on Palancar Reef, Full Speed Ahead on Mount Roberts Tram, and Five Days at Sea

October

November

December

Other December blogs include an interview with John Heald on Things to Do and Best Kept Secrets on Carnival Breeze, How to Find Cheap Cruises, Cruising Glacier Bay, and MSC Divina.

MSC Divina Dining Room Dress Code

Breakfast and lunch – casual wear allowed

Dinner has 3 categories, and the daily program placed in staterooms each evening for the following day will state which category applies.

Formal: tux, dinner jacket or lounge suit for men, evening or cocktail dress for women

Informal: jacket and tie for men, cocktail dress for ladies (no jeans)

Casual: open neck shirt without jacket or keeping with the theme of the evening if indicated for men, skirts, dresses, slacks and sweaters or blouses for women

How to Make a Towel Reindeer

Supplies Needed to Make a Towel Reindeer

How to Fold a Towel Reindeer Body

How to Fold a Towel Reindeer Tail

How to Make Pipe Cleaner Reindeer Antlers

How to Fold a Towel Reindeer Head

Finishing the Towel Reindeer

Copyright 2013 My Cruise Stories

Dark Chocolate Amaretto Truffles

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2013

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2013

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