Gluten-Free Flour Mixes

Posted on April 18, 2012 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Gluten-Free Chocolate Melting Cake

I don’t normally re-blog things other people write. In fact this is the first time I have ever done that, but this is just really good information. The blog it came from, called gluten free mommy, doesn’t seem to have had a new post in several years. So it might just be time to share this valuable information I found while searching for a good gluten free cake flour for the gluten free chocolate melting cake.

Gluten Free Grains 101: The Best Flour Blend

caketorte Gluten Free Grains 101: The Best Flour Blend

GLUTEN FREE FLOUR 101

Gluten Free Mommy Blog Readers’ Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a 1:1 flour substitution for wheat flour?

No. Gluten free flours work best in baking (most of the time) when they are used in combination with each other. However, there are some exceptions- recipes that call for a small amount of flour (like Orange Almond brownies) may work well with a 1:1 brown rice flour substitution. Another example where you wouldn’t need a gluten-free flour mix combination would be when thickening a sauce like my Green Bean Casserole recipe– sweet rice flour would be a fine 1:1 substitution in that instance.

When going gluten-free, how did you pick which flours to buy first?

Unfortunately, there is not a one-size fits all solution! You need to decide what is important to you when you start experimenting with flour mixes.

Typical considerations:

glycemic index- this would be a good thing for everyone to consider but especially diabetic celiacs or those trying to lose weight.

additional allergies- if you have to adhere to a casein-free or nut-free diet, you would obviously need to take this in consideration when picking a mix.

taste- not everyone likes the same things! For example, whole grain teff flour tastes great to me in a lot of cakes, but some of my readers prefer not to use teff because they personally don’t like the taste it imparts on some baked goods.

whole grain- getting enough whole grains is on everyone’s mind these days. I try to utilize whole grain flours in my gluten-free baking mix to make sure my family is getting the daily whole grains they need.

performance- this simply means how well your mix performs. Is the cake moist? How is the texture? Does it taste good? Some people make sure to use all whole grains in their flour mix- I will occasionally compromise this (for example: in the case of tapioca flour) if I feel the overall recipe will be better for it. In my opinion, a cupcake is not supposed to be completely good for you.

digestion- some people do not tolerate certain flours well. I don’t use bean flours at all. Enough said there!

cost- some flours are more expensive than others

availability- with online stores this is becoming less of an issue, but I like to have some local sources to buy gluten-free flour as well

Should you just buy a store-bought pre-made mix or make your own?

Pre-made mixes work well for a lot of people. Pamela’s Baking Mix can be a great all-purpose gluten-free flour, but there are drawbacks. It can be expensive and I find that my own homemade mixes perform better than Pamela’s- for example, my pumpkin pancake experiment. Another popular mix is Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten Free Mix, but the bean flour keeps me far away from that gluten-free flour mix.

Where do you store your flours?

flour Gluten Free Grains 101: The Best Flour Blend I keep my gluten-free flours in the refrigerator in canisters for a longer shelf life (whole grain flours do get rancid because they haven’t been over-processed and stripped of their nutrition like regular all-purpose flour) and because it is more convenient for me. Some people do fine with their pantry because they use the flours so quickly and they may have limited refrigerator space. I use labeled canisters because my fridge looks neater and it is easier to prevent messy flour spills. I know some people who handle it beautifully, but I could never get the hang of it and I ended up with a wad of 12 different zip lock bags in the fridge. If you pre-make your flour-mix all you need is one zip lock bag or one canister, but since I am always experimenting or using different flours I have one canister of pre-made mix and keep the flours in separate canisters also.

Where do you buy your flours?

I typically buy my flours from Whole Foods or Amazon. I have heard it is cheaper to buy some of the rice flours from a local Asian grocery store, but I have not researched this locally. Call it laziness! Since Amazon sells some of my “must-have” gluten-free flours (and I am a total cookbook addict), I am going to try Amazon Prime to make faster shipping more affordable. Even though some of the gluten-free products are not eligible because they are sold through third-parties, I think it will be worth it for me since we tend to order a lot of gluten-free flour from the Bob’s Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills brand that are eligible and other odds and ends throughout the year. I love the convenience of online shopping, especially now that I have two little ones under two.

How do you measure gluten-free flour?

scale Gluten Free Grains 101: The Best Flour Blend This may sound like a silly question because it is essentially the same as measuring regular all-purpose wheat flour. However, when making two batches of banana bread I looked down and saw that I had done a bad job measuring my flours. It was visibly obvious! I went out and bought a Salter scale to measure my flours by weight! This has helped me be more consistent with my measuring- especially with tapioca flour and potato starch! It is important to measure well, so you end up with just the right amount of flour and a good finished product. Update: For the denser flours, I do use different weight measurements. I am coming up with a chart for this and it will be available soon.

Is it important to sift gluten-free flour?

I always sift my gluten-free flour to make sure I do not end up with pockets of one type of flour or pockets of xanthan gum or baking powder. I bought a sifter for this purpose, but you can use a whisk too!

Do you have a gluten-free baking mix?

I am not using a baking mix right now because I am in experimentation mode. However, I love equal parts sorghum flour, tapioca flour, and brown rice flour for cakes, muffins, and quick breads. I made my No Frills Chocolate Cake with that combination. I also like teff flour thrown in that mix- my Chocolate Pumpkin Cake is an example. I am using more sweet rice flour now and I am experimenting with millet flour.

How long can I store my gluten-free flour?

Most gluten-free flours, such as brown rice flour, will keep in the refrigerator for four or five months. Gluten-free flour can be kept in the freezer for up to a year. Before you buy a large amount of flour, make sure to consider if you will use it in this time frame.

Is there a “magic blend” of gluten-free flours that will work for all recipes?

Unfortunately, no! For optimal results, I think it is best for your muffin, cake, or brownie gluten-free baking mix to look very different from the one you use for pizza or bread! That is why I keep a lot of my flours separate so that I can mix them around as needed for recipes. On this blog, I spell out exactly which flours I use in each recipe so that you will know. It is hard with so many choices out there, but I have come to think of my flours as a collection! tee hee.

Which flours do you always have on hand?

Sorghum flour, Tapioca flour, Brown Rice Flour, Cornstarch, Teff, Cornmeal, and Sweet Rice Flour. Yikes!

GLUTEN FREE FLOURS

Sorghum Flour: Some people describe the taste as nutty, others describe it as bland or tasteless. I think it adds a great texture to baked goods, along with valuable protein. It is a very popular flour in the gluten free community and one that I use frequently. Authentic Foods Sorghum Flour at Amazon
White Rice Flour/Brown Rice Flour–: These are interchangeable in recipes. The brown rice flour is whole grain and is therefore better for you. If you are concerned about the food budget, buy white rice flour. It is cheaper to buy white rice flour at ethnic grocery stores than your health food store. Rice Flour is great for making a roux and as part of a gluten-free all-purpose baking mix. In recipes that call for a small amount of flour, I normally just throw in rice flour. Brown Rice Flour at Amazon

Sweet Rice Flour-: this is my preferred flour for making a roux. It is an excellent addition to any baking mix and wonderful in pizza and breads. I have started using this flour a lot recently. The almond torte (pic above) was made with a little bit of sweet rice flour. A must-have!Authentic Foods Sweet Rice Flour at Amazon
Tapioca Starch/Flour-: A great binder in baked goods when used in combination with other flours. It is also a great thickener for sauces. The great thing about tapioca flour is that it will thicken at a low temperature. It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for two years, but I go through a box in about three weeks! Tapioca Flour at Amazon

Potato Starch-: Not to be confused with potato flour, potato starch is a wonderful thickener and can tolerate higher temperatures than cornstarch. It adds moisture to baked goods. A lot of mainstream flourless chocolate cakes recipes contain potato starch.
Authentic Foods Potato Starch at Amazon
Arrowroot Starch-: This is generally considered the most neutral tasting thickener, but it is definitely the priciest! Use arrowroot for acidic sauces. I rarely use this one. I used it at Thanksgiving this year to thicken our gravy, but I may go another route next year. I know a lot of you use it on an occasional basis, so I thought I would mention it here.
Authentic Foods Arrowroot Flour at Amazon
Teff flour-: This whole grain flour has a mild, nutty, and almost sweet flavor. It imparts a moistness in gluten-free baking. Whole Grain Teff Flour at Amazon
Buckwheat Flour –: I stock this flour just so that I can make homemade buckwheat pancakes and waffles occasionally. It is also good as part of a flour combination in muffins and quick breads see my; Buckwheat Sweet Potato Bread recipe.
Organic Buckwheat Flour at Amazon
Quinoa flour-: I like baking with this flour because it gives baked goods a nuttier taste. Quinoa flour is wonderfully healthy; it contains a complete protein. I think quinoa flour also lends more moisture to gluten-free baked goods.
Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flour at Amazon
Certified oat flour-: This flour can be used in baked goods. Make sure you buy oat flour that has been certified gluten-free. I rarely buy this flour because I only tolerate oats on an occasional use basis. Lara’s Oat Flour at glutenfree.com
Coconut flour-: This flour adds moisture to baked goods. It is a great addition to chocolate desserts! Bob’s Red Mill Organic Coconut Flour at Amazon
Almond Meal-: This meal/flour adds moisture and protein to baked goods. I use it in baked goods all the time. The cake above was made with almond meal, sweet rice flour, and brown rice flour. It is also great for making pie crusts or cheesecake crusts!
Bob’s Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour at Amazon
Hazelnut Meal-: This meal/flour also adds protein and moisture to baked goods. I make a hazelnut cheesecake and use hazelnut meal for my cookie crust. I buy it for specialty desserts only. Bob’s Red Mill All-Natural Hazelnut Meal/Flour at Amazon

****This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I hope it gets you on your way to your own personal practically perfect gluten free flour blend!****

MORE GLUTEN FREE BAKING NECESSITIES

Xanthan Gum–: This works wonders for gluten-free baked goods. It is expensive, but you only use a little at a time. I only use about a teaspoon for quick bread! It is a great binder. I keep this in a canister. If it spills, do not get it wet because it becomes very sticky and hard to remove. To remove xanthan gum once it has hardened, I use a spatula.
Bob’s Red Mill Xanthan Gum at Amazon
Baking Soda-: I like Bob’s Red Mill Baking Soda.
Baking Powder-: Make sure it is aluminum-free and gluten-free. Featherweight Baking Powder is gluten-free and also corn-free. Make sure your baking powder is less than six months old.; Go check out more gluten free flour mixes at Gluten Free Cooking School.

Posted in Randoms, recipes | Tagged baking, best gluten-free flour, flour, gluten free, gluten free flour mix | 4 Comments

How to Fold a Cruise Ship Hanging Towel Monkey

Posted on April 14, 2012 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Towel Monkey Hanging Around Carnival Liberty’s Alchemy Bar

The hanging towel monkey is one of the all-time favorites of cruise ship passengers. Most towel monkeys hang around cruise ship staterooms. Ours took a tour of the ship on the Carnival Liberty, and with these directions it’s almost like the little rascal climbed into the suitcase and came home with us.

towel origami, how to make a towel monkey

Robomonkey

After watching Astika, our Carnival stateroom steward, fold a hanging towel monkey John decided to try folding a monkey of his own. He thought it looked great. I thought it looked like a towel robot monkey. I referred to it as Robomonkey for the rest of the cruise.

Start the monkey with the standard body, same as the rabbit, frog, gorilla, or crab.

Lay a large bath towel out flat. Roll each end to the middle from the short sides. Start by folding over just a small bit of towel at the beginning of the roll and make the rolls not too tight, yet not loose either.

pull the tips out of each roll

Fold the rolled towel in half with the rolls to the outside.

pull ends of rolls tightly into body with 4 legs

Pull the tips out of the end of each roll. Hold the two tip ends of one roll in one hand and the other roll in the other and let your two hands have a tug-o-war while they pull the ends of the rolls until the layers pull tight and it turns into the body of your four-legged creature of choice. For more details and photos for folding animal bodies, Click onto the links for the rabbit or gorilla. Both of those blogs have more detailed information on folding the standard animal body.

step 2 fold over one side of triangle

instructions for making a hanging towel monkey

step 1 fold the washcloth in half corner to corner like a triangle

On the ship, Astika hung the monkey into the metal framework bordering the cabin ceiling. Obviously people don’t have this at home. We tied the tips of the monkey’s arms together with a small rope and took it all over the ship hanging it in different places for photos and that worked great. You can tie its arms together, or use clothespins and hang it on a clothes hanger. Hang the body up as desired.

step 4 flip over so folded part is underneath

step 3 fold over other side

Use a washcloth to make the head. Lay the washcloth flat and then fold it in half into a triangle.

Fold one of the short sides of the triangle up toward the peak, but not quite all the way to the end. Repeat with the other side.

Flip it over so the folds you just made are on the underside, with the tips of the two folds you just made pointing toward you, although you can’t see them since they are on the bottom. It now somewhat resembles a square.

step 6 fold in half

step 5 fold up the bottom of the square so it becomes a triangle again

Fold up the corner closest to you, the one with your previous folds underneath so the folded tips are now on top. Again not quite in half, the corner tip of this fold does not quite meet the far corner.

Fold in half, with the part on top to the inside of the fold. The open edges of all the folded bits point downward on the inside of the folded head so that the narrower portion becomes the top of the head and the wider portion the bottom.

finished monkey

point all the open edges downward so widest part becomes bottom of head

Turn head around and pinch or pull things a bit to bring face to the desired shape.

Insert the head into the pocket of space between the folds of towel that extend from the arms to the legs on the top of the hanging body.

Nestle the head tightly into the hollow between the arms.

shape head as desired

Make any more adjustments desired to the face shape, body position, or to close any gaps between the longer folds of towel over the middle of the body.

insert head between the long folds

Decorate as desired with eyes or other embellishments. Eyes can be made from bits of paper or felt or use googly eyes if you have them. Paper or felt will stick to the towel, but googly eyes need tape. Double stick works best.

Next up in the towel animal folding series: Snakes. Though not actually part of the series from Carnival, I’ve had requests for a one-towel animal so the next towel blog up is snakes.

Towel Snake

Other towel folding blogs: towel seal, towel cake, more towel animals.

Posted in Towel Animals | Tagged art, crafts, cruise, entertainment, fun, photos, towel animals, towel folding, video | 10 Comments

Half Moon Cay Revisited

Posted on April 7, 2012 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Carnival Liberty at Half Moon Cay

I really hoped Half Moon Cay would redeem itself on this year’s visit. On last year’s Holland America Westerdam cruise we sailed in under sunny skies on a bright blue sea. This year the Carnival Liberty arrived in the dark blue waters of heavy winds and stormy seas. After nearly canceling the tenders, they finally ran when switched to the opposite side of the boat. Loading people on took a bit of effort with the tender bobbing wildly up and down and thumping loudly into the side of the boat. The crew had some painting to do at the next port where the tenders rubbed black tire marks on and paint off. Crews from cruise ships are often spotted painting anchor chain rub lines, tender scrapes, or anything else that mars the pristine appearance of their ship whenever it docks.

Horses Not Swimming at Half Moon Cay

Last year we tried the horseback by land and sea excursion, disappointed when the horses didn’t actually swim. Then we rented snorkel gear, only to get herded to shore by a life guard just as we got out far enough to spot a stingray. Parasailing saved our day though as the wonderful boat crew gave us an excellent ride, catering to all our wishes in search of interesting photos. I had an extra-long ride as John took photos that appeared as if I would land on the ship or skim the water. Sometimes I even remembered to put the camera down and actually look around to enjoy the view. This time the parasail boats stayed tied firmly to the dock. With winds at 30 knots, nobody could go up safely.

Holland America Westerdam at Half Moon cay

Parasailing over the Westerdam

We tried to wait long enough for the crowed to thin before catching a tender to shore, but with the slow-moving process that did not happen. Waiting in the lounge with the rest of the people with tender stickers displaying numbers indicating when their turn to go to shore would come according to the time they had arrived, we thought it might be nice if they had provided some sort of entertainment. A family-friendly comedian perhaps, or some sort of cruise trivia similar to what movie theaters do with movie trivia on the screen to entertain the early arrivers before the movie starts. Most of the passengers seemed to manage to entertain themselves though, even the kids sat quietly other than the noise from their handheld video games.

tender at Half Moon Cay

Finally our number got called and we headed down to the door where they let people board the smaller boat. On the way into the dock at Half Moon Cay, the tender crunched into the rock wall lining the narrow channel to the tender pier. Apparently unharmed, it continued on its way after the crew pushed it off the wall. It docked in a different spot this year. Last year we got off from the side of the tender. Now they built a new dock where they could just open up the front of the boat and let the crowd pour out. This definitely speeds up the process of getting people on and off the tender on the shore end of things. There’s nothing anyone could do about the weather slowing things down on the ship.

Carnival Cruise port stop, Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

dessert table at Half Moon Cay Barbecue

We checked the large map posted on a sign at the entrance to the island to make sure we remembered where to find the snorkel area we had discovered on a paper map after returning to the Westerdam last year. Then we followed the path to the island barbeque. Last year we had a busy schedule and never took the time to eat. This time we wanted to give the very popular lunch a try. The menu included garden burgers, along with hot dogs, hamburgers, jerked chicken and an assortment of side dishes, fresh fruit, and desserts. The garden burgers tasted quite good. We had enough lunch to not want dinner later that night on the ship.

Pirate Ship Bar at Half Moon Cay

After lunch we investigated the pirate ship bar, which had been under construction last year. We found lots of places to take pictures, mostly of the Liberty. As we exited through the door on the beach side, the same crew member who announces the comedy show started getting a hairy man contest going. Several contestants came right away, whether of their own accord or talked into it by their companions. It looked like the crowd had a good time with that, but we did not stay to watch. Instead we set off down the beach toward the snorkel area, armed with our own snorkel gear we bought online prior to this trip. It’s getting quite a bit of use. I just need to get some of that mask defogger they had on the snorkel boat at Grand Cayman.

Inside the Pirate Ship Bar

The map showed the snorkel area just past the Private Oasis Cabana. We dropped our bags on a beach chair and entered the water near the kid’s playground. We swam out to the area where we saw other people snorkeling. It looks like someone has added some structure to the bottom there in hopes of creating fish habitat or some sort of artificial reef. Several piles of branches and some suspiciously manmade looking rocks with lots of nooks and crannies for fish to hide seemed to do the job quite nicely as we saw several schools of pretty good sized fish.

Shooting the ship (with my camera) from Pirate Ship Bar

Overall, we had more fun at Half Moon Cay this year. Better yet we did not spend any money there. Considering we had now entered the second half of a back-to-back cruise, we felt a bit tapped out on funds for shore excursions on this round. A lot of people opt just to lie on the beach. A pretty good option for people who like that sort of thing considering the white sand, blue water, and abundant supply of beach chairs lining a long stretch of beach in neat tidy rows. Some passengers enjoy lying on the beach at every port stop, but we normally prefer to do something.

Beach at Half Moon Cay

Temperatures at Half Moon Cay range from 68 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. The language (as in all of the Bahamas) is English and because a cruise line owns this island, the ship’s sign & sail card works as currency for any purchases made in its shopping area.

Other shore excursions offered at Half Moon Cay include private cabana rentals, glass bottomed boat rides or offshore snorkeling, biking or guided walking tours around the island, fishing, stingray adventure, kayaking, an eco lagoon tour, or riding a personal watercraft.

waterslide on Lido Deck of Carnival Liberty

We came back to the ship in wet swimsuits, so we decided to take a trip or two down the waterslide. Then we went to sit in the adults-only hot tub on the serenity deck (a popular choice with our shipmates as well.) We loved the Serenity deck. Great view from the hot tub there.

Serenity Deck Hot Tub

That night the ship rocked us to sleep as we left the Bahamas, making our way toward St. Thomas. We woke up the next morning to blue skies and far less motion from the ship. Usually these large boats don’t rock too much, but we have seen it before occasionally when the seas get rough. It’s pretty funny watching other passengers stagger down the halls like a bunch of drunks, even if you are doing it yourself. Rough seas really show off the talent of the performers in the stage show when none of them fall as the stage bobs up and down throughout their act.

Posted in Caribbean, Carnival, Liberty, Ports of Call | Tagged Bahamas, beach, Caribbean, cruise, cruise food, island, photos, snorkel, travel | 8 Comments

Spaces and Places Around The Ship on Carnival Liberty

Posted on March 31, 2012 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Carnival Liberty

Carnival Liberty’s 2.0 upgrades brought a lot of great new spaces and entertainment options to the ship. In addition, it had some pretty nice places already. I covered the 2.0 upgrades in a previous blog, this one is about other great things the ship has to offer.

Movie screen on the Lido Deck

Dive In Movies

A movie screen looms large above Guy’s Burger Joint, Blue Iguana and the Red Frog. Each night after dark different movies play under the stars at the Seaside Theater. The chairs around the pool area are arranged in different levels just like a regular movie theater so everyone can see. They also double as chairs to sit and sun in, or a place to set things while in the pool, hot tub, or on the waterslide during the day.

food from Mongolian Wok on Lido Deck

Mongolian Wok

The Lido deck includes a variety of different little mini-restaurants serving different types of food. One is a Mongolian Wok station where you load up a bowl of your choices of veggies and noodles, then the cook grills while you watch, adding your choice of meat and sauce. None of the Lido restaurants cost extra, not even the new places like Guy’s Burger Joint or the Blue Iguana Cantina (not to be confused with the Blue Iguana bar, because drinks do cost extra.)

Sushi Bar

Sushi Bar

Each evening the Sushi bar on deck 5 opens up for a few hours. Chris, Liza and John like sushi, but passed it by most of the cruise assuming it cost extra. It didn’t, which they found out in time to give it a try. They had a limited selection, but one really can’t complain when it’s free.

Waterslide

Water Slide

The Liberty has a slide that would be pretty good even on dry land. Considering it is on a ship with limited space, they did a really good job making a fun salt-water slide. We all liked it well enough to go right back up for another turn several times. After sliding we made use of the nice hot tub underneath the slide. On the way up we also discovered a ping pong table.

Piano Bar

Piano Bar

The piano bar included a whole piano-themed room with a real piano in the center. Different colored lights brighten up the surroundings when the piano man entertains passengers late into the evening.

Looking down the Atrium

Atrium

Carnival Liberty has a gorgeous atrium with glass elevators. Sometimes they have performances or games in the lobby at the bottom. Once we saw two young kids (probably about 7-9) dancing beautifully there. They drew a crowd of onlookers on every level. There’s a bar at the lobby there, and just around the corner guest services and the shore excursion desk, where we booked our excellent wreck and reef snorkel adventure over the sunken USS Kittiwake in Grand Cayman.

John tries out the mini-golf course

Mini Golf

Up on top of the ship, all around Carnival’s signature funnel sits a variety of holes making up a mini golf course. Passengers can check out golf balls and clubs free at the towel hut near the midship pool.

Theater

More

Like most cruise ships, the Liberty has an assortment of hot tubs and pools, plenty of different bars, spa, casino, 24 hour food and a couple theaters. The big theater hosts the nightly production shows, the smaller one things like comedy shows and art auctions. Like most cruise ships, the Liberty also has Carnival’s usual kid’s programs with Camp Carnival, Circle C and Club O2.

fitness center

Work Out at Sea

And to work off all that delicious cruise food, there’s a gym, sport court, and track.

spa treatment room

Spa

In the spa you can get a variety of treatments including massages and acupuncture. Or visit the hair styling salon. Of course, everything at the spa costs extra except the introductory tour on the first day and the short trial massage they give to entice people to take the tour in hopes they sign up for something.

waiters singing in Golden Olympian dining room

Dining Rooms

Carnival Liberty has two main dining rooms, the Golden Olympian and Silver Olympian. We had the your time dining, which was in the Golden Olympian lower level. People who prefer the traditional early or late seating where they have the same table with the same people at the same time each night can choose that option, but we like the freedom the your time dining offered.

Sometimes the wait staff sang or danced to entertain diners and one night a strolling magician performed tricks tableside. We had great multi-course meals nightly, and tried Carnival’s tasty signature dessert, the chocolate melting cake. We also made a couple visits to the Silver Olympian where they served breakfast, lunch, and on Sea Days, afternoon tea. Afternoon tea must be the best kept secret on Carnival because the time we went not very many people showed up, and they served the some of the best goodies we had during the whole cruise.

We did not try the steakhouse, or the chef’s table tour and dining experience, both of which cost extra so, I don’t have anything to say about them other than that they exist.

Posted in Carnival, Liberty, Shipboard Life | Tagged Carnival, Carnival Liberty, cruise, cruise ship, Liberty, photos, travel | 4 Comments

Back to Back Cruises

Posted on March 24, 2012 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Sunrise at the Port of Miami

Early in the morning on the last day of the western Caribbean cruise the Carnival Liberty glided slowly down the narrow channel into the Port of Miami under the rising sun. Chris and Liza’s cruise had come to an end, but John and I had another week to go.

Chris and Liza had a fairly late flight, so they stayed on the boat as long as they could. They had looked into the luggage service the ship offered where they would deliver bags to the airport so people with later flights could venture out on their own unencumbered. They decided that the cost of the luggage service, plus a cab somewhere, plus the cost of doing something and another cab to the airport was more than they wanted to spend so they ended up just hanging out at the airport for the day.

It’s too bad we didn’t look into the shore excursions offered for Miami. Book one of those and it takes care of delivering luggage, rides to the tour and to the airport, and something to do besides. For less than it would have cost them to do something on their own. In some cases they could have got the whole tour for about what the luggage service would have cost them. Just goes to show it pays to investigate all options in advance.

Miami

Miami has a lot to do for anyone who cares to stay long enough to experience it. Besides the famous South Beach, Art Deco District, restaurants and shopping, Miami has numerous tourist attractions including air boat rides, seaquarium, zoo and other animal exhibits, parks and beaches, museums, and mansion or estate tours. Miami includes a variety of different neighborhoods such as Little Havana and Little Haiti. The temperature in Miami averages in the 80’s year round.

We took a one-week cruise last year and totally did not want to get off the boat when it ended so this year we wanted to take a longer one. We also wanted to cruise with Chris and Liza, who could just do one week. So we tried the back-to-back Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises on the Carnival Liberty.

All the people leaving the ship had to vacate their rooms by 8:30am. Some left earlier, getting off the boat as soon as they could to catch early flights. We had the same room for the next week, so Chris and Liza moved any luggage they hadn’t left out for the crew to remove the night before to our room as they were in no hurry to leave. This gave us a bit of time to prowl the halls looking for open doors so I could take pictures of a variety of rooms for a blog about choosing a cabin.

taking photos in the bathroom of the megasuite

I envisioned having lots of time on the ship with almost no passengers on it, but it did not turn out that way. The people that stayed for the next cruise had to meet in the atrium lobby to go through customs as a group. We said good-bye to Chris and Liza and they left the ship while we settled in on a couch to wait with the other back-to-backers. Meanwhile a few passengers who couldn’t be bothered to get off the boat on schedule delayed our passage as we sat in the lobby for about half an hour past the time they planned to take us through customs while the crew made announcements calling their names over the loudspeakers and searched the ship for them until the last pair finally left. By then new passengers had already started making their way through customs, as well as folks coming aboard just for a few hours for a wedding to take place before the ship set sail.

Pilot boat escorts the Liberty out of Miami

Other than the slight delay caused by the passengers who wouldn’t leave the ship, the process went smoothly. Ship’s crew handed out new sail and sign cards (which serve as room key, boarding pass and credit card for onboard shopping) while we waited in the lobby. Once the other passengers finally left, a Carnival crew escort took us as a group to the customs line. Customs cleared several lines for us and took care of our group nearly right away. We did not have to wait for the people already in line to go through. Then we all returned to the ship appreciating our speedy passage through customs.

Although the rooms were closed to passengers just coming aboard until all rooms got cleaned, we had access to ours as it did not need changing over for new passengers. The public areas of the ship filled quickly as more and more people came on board who would not have access to their rooms until shortly after the official boarding time. Many gathered on the Lido Deck to enjoy the welcome aboard lunch served there.

We also had to go down to guest services and scan the credit card for our sail & sign account again, as they did not carry it over from one cruise to the next. And, of course, had to go through the mandatory life boat safety drill again before the ship left port. Every cruise I have ever taken has done the safety drill before leaving the dock, a very good thing in light of what happened on the Costa Concordia where they did not.

Booking one longer cruise rather than two short ones would remove these minor inconveniences, but also would remove the option for family or friends to travel on only part of the trip.

When the second week ended, we still wished we could stay on the ship longer, and decided that no matter how long a cruise lasts, it is never long enough.

Posted in Caribbean, Carnival, Liberty, Port Cities, Shipboard Life | Tagged Carnival, cruise, Liberty, Miami, photo, port, sunrise, travel, vacation | 5 Comments

How to Make a Towel Cake

Posted on March 23, 2012 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Towel Cake

Many cruise ship passengers look forward to returning to their cabin each night to find a new towel animal. I’ve been posting blogs about how to fold towel animals for awhile. Something that keeps reoccurring in my google hits is “towel cake.” I finally got curious as to just what is towel cake?

I posted the question on my facebook page. One of my towel animal fans responded with the answer that people fold towels into cake shapes for giving them as gifts at wedding or baby showers. I think the towel cake would make a great gift for a housewarming party too. My daughter posted a link with some great pictures of bridal shower towel cakes, and instructions on how to fold them on her blog. Unfortunately neither her blog nor the site that link went to still exist.

The cakes looked a lot easier than the towel animals, and I’m pretty good at folding them, so I thought I’d give it a try. Not having any sort of occasion to make a gift of towels to anyone for, I thought I’d just make a birthday towel cake instead since it is my husband’s birthday. A no-calorie cake that won’t make anybody fat! Of course it’s not exactly edible either.

step 1 – lay towel out flat

To make the towel cake you need two bath towels, two hand towels, and two washcloths. I added my own touch to the top layer of mine, folding a third washcloth of a different color into a candle in the center.

step 2 – fold towel in half lengthwise

Each layer is made the same way, just with a different size of towel/washcloth than the other layers. Fold each towel/washcloth in half the long way and then fold in half the long way again.

towel art, the art of folding towel cakes

step 3 – fold towel in half lengthwise again

Pick a size to start with. Roll one of your quartered towels until the whole thing is resembles a roll of toilet paper.

step 4 – roll the folded towel

Add the other one of the same size and roll it around the first towel. To avoid the possibility of a lumpy spot, you could line up the edge of the end of the first towel roll with the starting edge of the next one and roll from there rather than setting the first roll randomly upon the next towel.

step 5 – roll the second towel around the first rolled towel

Tie a ribbon around it to hold it together. Repeat for each of the other layers, both towels/washcloths of the same size rolled together into one layer.

gift for bridal shower, baby shower or housewarming party

step 6 – tie a ribbon around rolled towels

step 7 – repeat with next layer

regular towel cake, ready to decorate

Stack it up like a layer cake with the bath towels on the bottom, hand towels in the middle, and wash cloths on the top.

For my wash cloth layer, first I folded a different colored washcloth in half, and then rolled that one so it stands taller than the others which are folded into quarters. Then I rolled the first washcloth around the “candle” and the second washcloth around the first one same as in the other layers. I made a flame cut from yellow paper to poke into the center of the candle.

folding washcloth candle for towel birthday cake

for the candle just fold a different colored washcloth in half once

Decorate the towel cake appropriately for the occasion. Bridal shower towel cakes often have plastic flowers, lace, or strings of beads on them. A baby shower cake could be made from either baby towels or diapers. Decorate with pink or blue ribbon if the sex of the baby is known and adorn with things like booties, rattles, and other small baby items.

roll the other washcloths around the candle washcloth

towel candle on towel cake

fishing jig decorations

My husband loves to go fishing, so I made his a bit fishy. It has a string of beads with plastic fish interspersed between them on the bottom layer. (Just that layer because I only had one.) It needed some more decorations, so I added some Deep Stinger fishing jigs, and some little Point Wilson Darts. He loved it. He walked in the door, saw the towel cake, and said “That’s awesome.” Upon closer inspection, he added, “Why does it have jigs on it?” He thought for a minute, then added “Oh, is it my birthday cake?”

fish bead decorations

That just goes to show all it needs is the right decorations and no explanation needed.

Posted in Randoms, Towel Animals | Tagged baby shower, bridal shower, crafts, entertainment, life, party, photos, shower gifts, towel cake, towel folding | 3 Comments

Towel Art – How to Make a Towel Gorilla

Posted on March 17, 2012 by LBcruiseshipblogger

towel gorilla

Cruise passengers everywhere enjoy their nightly towel animal. Many wish to unfold the mystery of how to fold these delightful creations. With the help of a very cooperative Carnival stateroom steward, we discovered the secret on our last cruise.

To make a towel gorilla, start with the standard towel animal body, same as the rabbit or frog. Lay out a large bath towel and roll both ends in to the center. Start each end by folding over just a little bit and don’t roll too tightly.

roll each half to the middle

Fold rolled towel in half, rolls to the outside. Pull the tips out of the end of each roll. Holding both tips of the same roll in one hand, and the other roll in the other hand, pull rolls tightly into two sets of two legs on animal body.

fold rolled towel in half, rolled part to the outside

pull the tips out of the end of each towel roll

take both ends of the same roll in the same hand

finished body

For the head, use a small bath towel or large hand towel. Fold 1/3 of towel crosswise.

fold up 1/3 of the towel

Fold the part you’ve just folded over the remaining third.

fold the folded part over again

Fold first one corner down onto itself in a triangle, and then the other so the whole thing becomes one big triangle.

fold corner down like a triangle

fold other corner down, making large triangle

Fold the long side at the bottom up as if making a paper hat. It sort of resembles a sailboat at this point if you have a good imagination.

fold back long side of triangle

Fold the whole thing in half down the middle, with all previous folds on the outside.

fold triangle in half

Push a nose out the center of what were the two triangles, and shape as desired.

pushe nose out from center of folded triangle, shape into head

Place head between the two sets of legs and pull body into sitting position while bringing legs toward each other as well as toward you, same as with the frog.

put the head into the center of the body

fold legs toward center while pulling gorilla up to sitting possition

Position gorilla legs as desired and decorate with sunglasses.

green gorilla head made from hand towel, pink from small bath towel

Gorilla Head with Open Mouth

If you would like your gorilla to have an open mouth you just need to watch the position of the earlier folds in the head towel as you put in the later ones.

before folding the triangle parts make sure the loose end is underneath the towel on the side where the point will be

After the initial three folds, set the towel down with the part that has an open edge underneath and the part where both ends have folds on top. Make the folds for the triangle from the side with the open edge so that the open edge is at the point of the triangle and coming down the edges where the triangles meet.

how to make a towel gorilla head with open mouth

fold over the towel across the long edge

Fold the long edge over the top of the towel.

fold both sides together with everything that was on top staying on the outside

Fold the towel in half keeping the top part as the outside. Hold the neck bits that hand down with one hand to keep the head together while pulling down the lower edge that did not have a fold at the start to make the gorilla’s mouth open.

set the head on the body tucking it between the arms and decorate

Tuck the head between the arms of the body to keep it together and decorate as desired. I put googly eyes and a tongue on this one.

The gorilla is the fourth of a series on folding individual towel animals. For more towel animal instructions, check out the seal, rabbit, frog, pig, crab, or snake. It may not be an animal, but for more towel folding ideas, how about the easier to fold and sometimes useful towel cake? To see all the towel folding instructions visit My Cruise Stories Towel Animal Page.

towel gorilla with chocolate covered strawberries

towel gorilla decorated with eyes instead of sunglasss

For lots of towel animal photos, visit my facebook albums, Fun With Towel Animals or Towel Animals Tour Carnival Liberty.

Next up in this series, the ever-popular hanging towel monkey.

Hanging Towel Monkey

Posted in Towel Animals | Tagged crafts, cruise ship towel animals, photos, towel art, towel folding, towel gorilla, video | 8 Comments

Gluten Free Chocolate Melting Cake

Posted on March 10, 2012 by LBcruiseshipblogger

gluten free version of Carnival Cruise's Chocolate Melting Cake

Gluten Free Chocolate Melting Cake

I found a winner! Ever since I published the recipe for Carnival Cruise’s Chocolate Melting Cake, I’ve been getting google hits for gluten free Chocolate Melting Cake, which I did not have a recipe for. Probably because I have gluten free recipes for Coconut Lime Muffins, Brownies, and rollable pie crust. The Pavlova too, while not specifically a gluten free recipe, just happens to not have gluten in it.

I like to give people what they want when I can, so I started working on a recipe for a gluten free melting cake. Unlike the pie crust, which had all sorts of issues to work out, the cake baked up fine no matter what flour I used. The problems were all in the taste, the texture, or both. Since there’s really no point to making dessert if people don’t enjoy eating it, I needed to find flour that gave it the right taste and texture.

flours used to make the gluten free cake flour mix

Not having a whole lot of luck finding the right flour on my own, I tried a google search for the best gluten free cake flour and came up with a great blog on flours by gluten free mommy. I tried her cake flour recipe of equal parts tapioca, sorghum, and brown rice flour. This time the cakes turned out quite tasty, and with a good texture too.

top of Gluten Free Chocolate Melting Cake dusted with powdered sugar like Carnival’s

Gluten Free Chocolate Melting Cake

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate (4 squares)

melty chocolate yumminess oozing out the middle

7 Tablespoons butter

3 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup gluten free cake flour, made from equal parts tapioca flour, brown rice flour, and sorghum flour

Melt chocolate and butter in top of double boiler. While that melts, whisk 2 of the eggs with the sugar. Mix in flour and then whisk in the last egg. Meanwhile stir the melting chocolate and butter frequently. When fully melted, remove from heat. Stir a few spoonfuls of the chocolate into the egg mixture, stirring quickly to ensure that the chocolate does not cook the eggs. Whisk fast while slowly pouring the rest of the chocolate into the egg mixture. Divide dough evenly into 4 ramekins or small pyrex bowls.

cake is done when the doughy spot on top is the size you want the gooey center

Bake at 390 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 15-20 minutes. The cake is done when the darker doughy looking spot in the center is about the size you want the gooey part in the middle to be. I baked the ones in the photos 17 minutes, but they had been refrigerated for a couple hours. If you bake them right after making the dough they don’t take quite as long. They will keep in the refrigerator unbaked for a couple days so you can make them ahead and pop them in the oven when you want to eat them. I baked two the first night, and the other two the next day. Since they were in the refrigerator longer, I expected them to take at least as long, but for some reason they didn’t need quite as much time. (Possibly because of not opening the oven to check on the dark spot as often.)

Carnival serves their chocolate melting cakes with a dusting of powdered sugar on top and vanilla ice cream on the side. You can serve these Carnival’s way if desired, but they are good enough even people not on a gluten free diet enjoy eating them plain. Other options include serving the cake with the ice cream on top, smothered in hot fudge, or topping the cake with whipped cream instead of ice cream.

Most cruise lines can accommodate gluten free or other restricted diets. The key is in advance notice. Requirements vary between cruise lines, so check with the one you plan to sail on to find out how long before the cruise you need to let them know you are cruising gluten free. They may not have the food you need on board without advance notice. Some ships also ask that you meet with the Maitre’D shortly after boarding to make arrangements for special menus.

This doesn’t have anything to do with my recipe, but I just thought I’d share a link to a website called celiac.com. It has all sorts of information about gluten intolerance and gluten free recipes and things that people on gluten free diets might be interested in.

Posted in Cruise Food, recipes | Tagged baking, cake, chocolate, food, gluten free, photos, recipe | 6 Comments

USS Kittiwake Wreck and Reef Snorkel

Posted on March 3, 2012 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Liberty and tender seen from snorkel boat

Grand Cayman Island has much more to offer besides a place where people hide their money in offshore bank accounts. It’s a great vacation spot, and a port stop for cruise ships. We had not made any plans for that port, but the night before our stop there Chris, Liza, and I decided to book a snorkel excursion rather than take our chances with what we might randomly find if we just got off the boat with no plans.

Liza and I at the welcome sign by the tender pier

Liza wanted to book a stingray adventure, but the more affordable one was scheduled right in the middle of the day where there would be no time before or after to look around town. Grand Cayman is a tender port so you have to allow time for catching tenders rather than just walking off the ship down a dock. We chose a two stop wreck and reef snorkel with an early start time. I said we could just book it through the TV, but Chris wanted to go down to the Carnival Liberty’s shore excursion desk so we could ask some questions.

We did ask if there was a place to snorkel from shore that we could walk to from the tender pier, but they did not think so. They also said the excursion we wanted to book got cancelled because not enough people booked it. A similar excursion with just a slightly later starting time had space available. It cost the same, lasted half an hour longer, and also had a wreck and a reef so we booked that one instead.

We gathered in the specified lounge at the appropriate time with all the other folks with shore excursion tickets. In Belize excursions on boats had picked passengers up right off the ship, but that is the only port where they do because the ship anchors quite a distance from shore there. At Grand Cayman we took the tender to the nearby shore and found someone holding the sign for our tour to lead us to the boat docked at the next pier. The tender pier was pretty much just a central restroom with an overhanging roof to make a sheltered gathering area for the tours, and a Welcome to Grand Cayman sign.

catamaran for reef & snorkel cruise ship shore excursions, Grand Caymam

snorkel boat in Grand Cayman

The boat, aptly named Reef & Snorkel, was a catamaran with a flat deck filled with benches and no bathroom. They did have a jug of water and one of lemonade available for thirsty passengers though. On the way to the wreck, they told us how she came to sink there. The guy at the shore excursion desk also mentioned this having been an intentionally sunk ship rather than an accidental wreck.

USS Kittiwake under the sea

The USS Kittiwake served for 50 years as a submarine support and rescue vessel. During her years of service she had some interesting times including the rescue of a stranded battleship. Divers from the Kittiwake recovered the black box from the space shuttle Challenger following its tragic accident. After sitting for sometime in the ghost fleet of decommissioned ships, the Cayman government requested to purchase her for the purpose of sinking the ship for reef building and tourism. It took 7 years for the governments to complete the sale, as the US does not normally sell their old military ships to foreign countries. The Kittiwake is the first, and so far only one. The name Kittiwake comes from a type of seagull.

USS Kittiwake, sunken ship

Sinking the ship involved anchoring it with 7 anchors and then filling the ship with water until it lost buoyancy and went under. It landed right side up in the sand. Hurricane Rina moved it about 30 feet deeper than its original location, but most of the anchors held and it remained right side up, though listing slightly to one side. Having been sunk less than a year ago, at this time it just had algae growing on it, and lots of fish swimming about. Sometimes people see stingrays there, but we did not. Over the years more sea life will grow on it until coral and things cover the ship and it becomes a reef. At this time we could read the name of the ship on the deck at the bow.

USS Kittiwake, wrecks to reefs Grand Cayman

fish swimming over the Kittiwake

On the way to the wreck site, the boat crew handed out snorkel gear. We declined, having brought our own. They also handed out snorkel vests. Chris and I would have preferred to decline those as well, but they said Carnival required everyone to wear them whether they put air in them or not. Chris and I had no air in ours. Liza, not having much experience snorkeling, filled hers way too full.

USS Kittiwake has lots of structure where marine life will grow

The warm salt water has natural buoyancy, and floating face down in any water also provides buoyancy (which is why face float is often the first thing learned in beginner’s swimming lessons.) I always find it takes much more effort to dive under the water while snorkeling than it does to stay floating on the top, even without any sort of vest or wet suit providing extra buoyancy. The bright yellow color of these vests also probably helps the boat crew keep track of passengers in the water.

Liza snorkeling next to the snorkel boat

Chris and I swam the length of the wreck and back several times, armed with our underwater cameras. Liza had a rough time with all that air in her vest, and also did not have her mask tight enough so got some water in her nose. She gave up before the whistle blew to call everyone in, along with some other inexperienced snorkelers.

snorkeling at the Kittiwake, Grand Cayman

Chris diving down toward the USS Kittiwake

Meanwhile Chris and I swam off to the side of the wreck a bit and found the trench where it sat before the hurricane blew it to its current location. We found the anchor chain that broke during the storm. I had not snorkeled over a wreck before, so this was pretty interesting to see. Chris said he’d love to come back every 5 years or so to watch the sea life grow and transform the wreck into a reef.

The Kittiwake has lots of interesting structures on it

The ship made itself a sand bank as it slid in the hurricane, so if another storm should come it would be more securely grounded now. Before Rina it sat in water shallow enough for snorkelers to stand on the deck with their heads out of water, but it lies too deep for that now.

After about 40 minutes snorkeling over the wreck, the crew blew the whistle to signal everyone still in the water to return to the ship. Once aboard, we headed for the reef. They said since the water was somewhat choppy, they sheltered behind the Liberty rather than going to their normal reef.

coral reef at Grand Cayman

The cruise ships anchor up just beyond where the reef ends and the bottom drops off from rather shallow to very deep. Our boat stopped about halfway between the ship and shore. We saw on the shore directly in front of us a dive shop which most likely had shore snorkeling, within walking distance of the tender pier. Nobody was in the water, just some sort of large inflatable raft thing that appeared anchored there so I don’t know for sure if they had shore snorkeling, but likely. The water might have been too choppy for it that day though.

photo of Carnival Liberty taken while snorkeling

Even in the shelter of the ship the somewhat choppy water scared off some of the beginners, but once in the water you really don’t notice the waves. I felt the current more. The boat stops so that the current comes toward the stern where we got on and off. That way everyone can always get back. It took some effort to get very far away, then just relaxing and floating I found myself back to the boat in next to no time.

My snorkel had a wave guard, which helped keep that choppy water from splashing into the tube, but it still filled with water when I did any diving under. I have since bought a dry snorkel for my next cruise. I don’t much like blowing the water out of the tube after diving under, and the dry snorkel will solve that problem as none gets in.

brightly colored fish

Chris thought that particular reef must have had some damage several years back as it had no large coral, everything looked young. It had many brightly colored fish. Lots of small ones and some up to about a foot and a half long. Down in the depths of a deep dark crevasse in the coral, I saw something that looked about 6 feet long. A big grouper perhaps. It was too far down and too dark to take a picture.

fish on the reef

Chris and I always love snorkeling, and even though Liza spent less time in the water she enjoyed it enough to want to go again. On this excursion we used the towels we had packed in our beach bags both for drying after getting out of the water and for wrapping around ourselves on the journey to the second site. The cruise ships provide nice big beach towels, so no need to bring them from home. Sunscreen is also a necessity, whether put on in advance or on the boat on the way to the first snorkel site. I burn easily, so added a bit more sunblock in between sites as well. We must have used enough because none of us got sunburned. Another useful item for this excursion would be several kleen-x packed in a ziplock bag.

young coral near Georgetown, Grand Cayman

coral at the reef near shore

More Blogs about Grand Cayman

Grand Cayman

Island Tour

Snorkeling with Tarpon

Turtle Farm

Posted in Caribbean, Carnival, Liberty, Shore Excursions | Tagged Caribbean, coral, Grand Cayman, photos, shipwreck, shore excursion, snorkel, sunken ship, travel, underwater photos, USS Kittiwake | 3 Comments

Grand Cayman

Posted on February 25, 2012 by LBcruiseshipblogger

Carnival Liberty anchored near George Town, Grand Cayman

Most people associate the Cayman Islands with banking, and a place people keep anonymous offshore accounts. Legislation passed in 1966 to encourage the banking industry allowed the banks to flourish, giving a boost to their economy. The Caymans, which includes Cayman Brac and Little Cayman as well as Grand Cayman, have so much more to offer besides 550 major international banks and 325 insurance companies.

Georgetown Grand Caymen from balcony of Carnival Liberty

moon over George Town

Like just about anywhere else in the Caribbean, the Caymans make a great place for a vacation. Grand Cayman lies 480 miles due south of Miami. Average temperatures range from 77-79 degrees. Water temperatures range from 78 degrees in a colder winter to 86 degrees in a hot summer. The island has sunny days year round, and the months with the least rain are December through April. The islanders speak English as their main language.

John found some interesting things wandering about George Town

Scuba diving and shopping are the most popular tourist activities, followed by snorkeling, fishing, and glass bottom boat or submarine tours. Cruise ships stop at Grand Cayman, anchored near George Town within sight of shore and just a short tender ride to the pier. The first cruise ship, Atlantis, stopped in 1937, bringing the beginnings of tourism to the islands.

Floating Schoolbus

Once on shore, tourists with no specific goal in mind have a multitude of shops to browse through. Nearby Seven Mile Beach, or one of the other many beaches on Grand Cayman beckon to others as a place to spend the day in sun, sand, and warm water. Grand Cayman has other attractions such as historical sites, parks including one with botanical gardens, and of course diving and snorkeling. Reefs, stingrays, and shipwrecks including the recently sunk Kittiwake offer a variety of different excursions. Some visitors go to the very small town of Hell, many to send a postcard or just to say they’ve been there. Others do their own taxi tour of the island, some even stopping to swim with dolphins.

USS Kittiwake

The deepest place in the Caribbean, called Cayman Trough or Cayman Trench surrounds the Cayman Islands and also hosts the worlds deepest undersea volcanoes. The steep walls are covered in healthy coral near the top of the trench. Wall dives are an option from all three islands, though probably not all in one day as 75 miles separates Grand Cayman from the other two.

Like many other islands in the Caribbean, Columbus discovered the Caymans by accident. Blown off-course in 1503, he spotted Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which he called Las Tortugas or The Turtles. The name did not stick long, with Camanas or Caymans in use by 1530. Reports from old sailing ships indicate that the Cayman Islands were once home to crocodiles as well as the similar reptile known as caymans. Though caymans are edible, when stopping for food the sailors tended to take turtles instead. This practice depleted the wild turtle population leading to the establishment of turtle farms, which became tourist attractions.

Not all ships sailed safely past. The Cayman Islands are home to many shipwrecks. In 1794 ten out of 58 off-course ships wrecked at once off the east end of Grand Cayman, known as the wreck of the 10 sail. The first ship ran aground on the reef and tried to signal the others away, but nine more ran aground before they realized they were signaling to stay away, not to follow. Islanders rescued the stranded mariners.

modern day pirate ship takes tourists for a ride

Many ships from the Caymans traded goods with Jamaica, which governed the islands for a time when both countries were under British rule. Early goods included cotton, turtle, sarsaparilla and wood. Jamaica has since gained independence, but the Caymans retained their ties with Britain.

While much of the Caribbean had indigenous populations before the arrival of Columbus, the Caymans did not. The first recorded settlements did not occur until the mid 1600’s. The Caymans saw their share of pirates, including Blackbeard. A large percentage of the island’s early population were slaves until 1834 when they became free. Most earned their living from the sea, whether through harvesting local marine life such as turtles, or hiring out as sailors on foreign ships. The islands now have a healthy economy mainly through tourism and financial services.

Visitors arriving on cruise ships will find shore excursions offering a variety of snorkel options, scuba diving, or semi-submersible submarine tours if they want to see life underneath the sea. Other options include dolphin or stingray encounters or a visit to a turtle farm. Some may choose a getaway to 7-mile beach, kayaking, parasailing, or a pirate boat ride. Grand Cayman has land tours as well including jeep rides or bus tours to shopping, historical places, a car museum or the tiny town of Hell, most likely named for nearby rock formations.

things John saw walking through Georgetown

Peace Memorial, Georgetown, Grand Cayman

Those who choose to just get off the boat and explore on their own will find the tender pier located amidst the shopping district. Plenty of the usual tourist shops filled with jewelry and other trinkets abound. Interesting architecture and local markets are within walking distance, and cabs take passengers to places that aren’t. Chris, Liza, and I had a great time on the Kittiwake snorkel, while John walked about town with his camera. We saw a place offering shore snorkeling nearby where our tender docked.

Fish at local market, Georgetown Grand Cayman

George Town has more than one tender pier. We came in on the Carnival Liberty, and anchored up next to the Norwegian Pearl. Different tenders came to each ship, and docked at different tender piers on shore. So you would not always be close to the same things depending on where your tender docks.

I was happy to see the Norwegian Pearl, and take a few photos. I’ve never sailed on the Pearl (though I’d like to someday.) That is the ship in the header of my blog and in the profile picture on MyCruiseStories facebook page.

Norwegian Pearl in Grand Cayman

I took my original photo of the Pearl on a chance encounter in Ketchikan Alaska. The Pearl happened to be in port when we sailed in on Safari Quest of American Safari cruises. We had come from Juneau by way of isolated coves, iceberg encounters, and boardwalk trails through remote forests while testing the itinerary for their sister line, InnerSea Discoveries, which launched the next summer.

More blogs about Grand Cayman: USS Kittiwake Wreck and Reef Snorkel, Snorkeling with Tarpon, Island Tour, Turtle Farm

Posted in Caribbean, Carnival, Liberty, Ports of Call | Tagged beach, Caribbean, cruise, George Town, Grand Cayman, Hell, island, Kittiwake, travel | 11 Comments

Cruise Stories

Gluten-Free Flour Mixes

Gluten Free Grains 101: The Best Flour Blend

How to Fold a Cruise Ship Hanging Towel Monkey

Half Moon Cay Revisited

Spaces and Places Around The Ship on Carnival Liberty

Back to Back Cruises

How to Make a Towel Cake

Towel Art – How to Make a Towel Gorilla

Gorilla Head with Open Mouth

Gluten Free Chocolate Melting Cake

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