Well lets see we started out with St. Lucia, then Hawaii, then back to St. Lucia, then to Vegas and now we have a final decision.  Yes we finally made a final decision after changing our minds way too many times.  We are off to the caribbean on a Cruise.

Today we departed from DCA (Reagan National Airport) at 5:30am after not going to bed last night.  We arrived into Atlanta around 8am and grabbed a bite to eat and then boarded our flight to Ft. Lauderdale.  We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale around 10am.  We headed to baggage claim to get our luggage. 

After retrieving our luggage from baggage claim we headed to the desk to check in with Carnival.  Upon our arrival at their little desk there in baggage claim they advised us to sit tight until they could get the bus out to us to take us to the Port in Miami.  Finally around 11am our bus came to take us to Miami.  We all loaded up on the greyhound bus and sat back and relaxed for the 45 minute ride.

We arrived in Miami and headed inside the port to go through security and check in.  So upon our arrival to check in we were advised that we had been moved.  We were still going to be on the same deck (Upper Deck) but in a different cabin. The Carnival lady advised us she thought there was a possibility that we had been upgraded.  No big deal other than our luggage may be delivered late due to the move.  So then we got our paper work and cabin keys and then headed for the ship.

One last stop to get our picture taken and then head on board.  Upon our arrival at our cabin we discovered we had been upgraded.  We had been upgraded to a jaccuzzi suite cabin.  Not only had we got a jacuzzi tub but we also got a balcony.  Very nice.  So we checked out our cabin and then decided to go scope out the luggage in the halls and see if we could track down our luggage.  Well this little investigation turned up my luggage first, so then we returned to the cabin so I could unpack my luggage.  After unpacking we hung out in the cabin for a little while longer.

Then a little later we decided to take one last look around before heading to the upper decks and checking out the rest of the ship.  Well we lucked out and found Harv's luggage.  So back to the cabin so he could unpack.  So now we are both unpacked and we decided that we had a few hours left before the emergency drill.  So we headed up to the upper decks.  We decided to see if we could get Harv a tux since he had not reserved one prior to the cruise.  So I called the ladies that took care of the guys at After Hours and got his measurements and then we headed for the tux shop on board to rent one.  She was able to set him up with everything he needed.

We found one of the pool decks where we decided to grab one of their specialty drinks they were selling.  While we were at it we decided to get the beverage card that gave us unlimited fountain drinks for the entire cruise.  We figuered as much soda Harv drinks and Lemonaid etc that we drink it was worth it.

Then it was time for the emergency drill.  We headed back to our cabin to pick up our life jackets and headed up to the Dynasty Lounge where we were told to meet.  Once we all filed into the Lounge they went through all the details with us and showed us the proper way to put on our life jackets.  Well all in all the drill only took about 1/2 an hour.

So after dropping our life jackets back at our room we decided to go scope out some food since the last time we had ate anything was back in Atlanta.  We found a little grill / buffet on the pool deck where we had gotten our drinks.  So we grabbed a small bite to eat.  The food was pretty good.

Finally a little before 5:30pm we shoved off from the dock and headed out to sea.  So I took this opportunity to hang out on our deck and film the departure with our camera we had bought.  After filming the departure we both decided we were exhausted and laid down and fell asleep for a while.  We woke up a bit later and went to find food again, we figured we would go grab dinner in the dining room.  During dinner we were surprised to find out that one of the other couples at our table was from our area as well (MD).  After eating dinner we decided to check out some more of the ship.  We decided to hit the casino where Harv hit a straight for a bonus payout of $25 and a flush for $50 on Let It Ride.  We gambled a little longer then decided we were both tired.  Finally about midnight or so we called it a night and headed off to bed. 

DAY AT SEA

We took advantage of the day at sea and slept in a bit.  When we finally got up we decided to hang out in the cabin a little and enjoy the beautiful views of the open sea out on our balcony.

We finally made our way out and went looking for food.  We decided to have lunch in the dining room.  During lunch we discovered that the other couple was from New York and the young lady and her friend were from Tampa Bay.

While eating lunch the guys enjoyed the conversation over football, No surprise right.  After lunch we decided to go check out the rest of the ship since we only walked around a little bit last night.  During our journey around the ship we found the very front of the ship and took some pictures and then found a few of the other swimming pools they have on the ship.  All in all we had fun and found a bunch of interesting spots.

After checking out the ship we decided to go and check out the casino.  Harv hit some of the video poker machines, not really the best pay tables but it was better than nothing.  Eventually Harv decided to hit some of the table games.  No major wins but more of an up and down day between the machines and the tables.

After gambling and wandering around the ship eventually we decided to head back to the room to change for the Formal Captains Party.  When we walked in we happen to see one of the other couples from our dinner table so we asked if we could sit with them.  We had a little bite to eat and a drink as they introduced the ships Captain and staff.  After the party we decided to head back to the casino since dinner wasn't for another few hors.

Finally at 8:30p we headed to dinner.  Plenty of pictures taken at dinner of everyone all dressed up in their dresses and the guys in their tuxes.  Dinner was great as always and plenty of conversation to go around amongst our table mates. 

After dinner we decided to take part in the different locations they were taking pictures on board.  We were lucky enough to get some really nice shots taken but we still needed to find out how we get our hands on all the pictures taken of us while on board.

After getting our pictures taken in several different locations we headed for the casino again and gambled a little more.  Finally Harv decided he wanted a cigar and we had found the cigar bar earlier in the day so we headed there.  The cigar bar was nice aside from the horrible Karoke in the lounge behind us.  Unfortunatly they felt the need to keep leaving the door open as well as the sound wasn't all that protected from us anyway.  I kept telling Harv they need to sound proof that room so we don't need to be subjected to the awefull noise coming from the room.

Finally Harv finished his cigar and we headed for the cabin.  We got changed and decided to lounge around on the deck for a little bit since we know we have to get up early tomorrow morning.  We got a notice in our cabin notifying us the shore excursion we signed up for had been cancelled for the time slot we wanted and we had been put in the earlier time which meant we had to be up and down to the lounge to meet up with everyone else by 7:15am.

So off to bed we went. 

Grand Cayman:

 5:30Am Wake Up call, Oh yuck.  Up and at em.  I decided to jump in the shower real quick and get ready since our breakfast would be in our room by 6:15am.  Once I got out of the shower breakfast had arrived.  I ate breakfast fairly quickly and finished getting dressed while Harv took his shower.

7AM we decide that we should head down to the Dynasty Lounge where we were told we need to meet for our Shore Excursion.  Upon our arrival the Carnival employees came up to us and checked our tickets and took us down to the 3rd floor where we would take the boat out to the dock to meet our tour.  So we jumped on the little boat to take us in to the pier.  Upon our arrival we were directed to the location where we needed to meet our guide for the day.

Finally everyone arrived and our tour guide loaded us up in the bus to take us out to the boat to take us to see the The Turtle Farm, the Rum Factory  and Stingray city.  Upon our arrival at the Turtle Farm we were amazed to see these massive turtles in the water just crawling all over each other even with all the room they had they still chose to be on top of one another.  Then the guide took us over to the large tanks they had full of little ones, snapping turtles and larger ones that we could handle.

It was amazing to lift these turtles up and handle them.  So much for we were not going to get wet (ha ha).  We had a great time being able to not only handle the little ones but even the big ones, that is if you could actually life them out of the water.  We took several pictures with the turtles and then checked out the gift shop.  Nothing jumped out at us so we decided not to pick anything up.  Then we headed back to the van where we were then taken to the Rum Shop.  When we arrived to our surprise they had at least a dozen different flavors of Rum cake, I had always just seen the regular (standard) rum cake.

We tried the various kinds and checked out the shop for a little bit and tried to dry off from our little adventure with the Turtles.  Then we loaded back up into the van and headed out for the dock where we would meet our boat to take us out to Stingray City.  The drive out to the dock took about 30-40 minutes.  Upon our arrival we all got out of the van and headed for the boat.  They loaded us up and we pushed off for Stingray City.  The boat ride took about another 30 minutes or so.  On the way the guide explained to us that we would be getting in the water, getting some pictures taken, and feeding the stingray. 

Well upon our arrival at Stingray City we arrived to several other boats already there, so the guide parked away from the others so we would not get mixed up or in their way.  We unloaded from the boat and got in the water.  To our surprise the water was quite warm for the early hour that we were out there. Then our guide went and found a large stingray and started to show us how to handle the stingray and how to pet it. 

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

This morning we woke up as the ship finished docking in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.  It was quite overcast and looked like it was going to rain.  After getting ready and grabbing something to eat we headed down to the dock to meet our shore excursion.

Once they gathered everyone up on the dock for the trip they put us in a van and we headed out to Dunn's River Falls. The drive was nice and we had a chance to sit back and relax and get ready for the day ahead of us.

We finally arrived at Dunn's River Falls and unloaded from the van.  They then went through the usual advisory's and what to expect.  Then Harv went and got a pair of water shoes and we found a locker to put all our stuff in so we would not have to hold onto it all day.  Then they lead us down to the water and put us in the human chain (holding on one another's hands to stabilize one another as wel headed up the falls).

Periodically they would stop for picture opportunities. If you check out our honeymooon pictures you will see some of the pictures taken while we were climbing up.  To our amazement when we got in the water it was very warm, we expected it to be cold for that time of the morning also due to the weather conditions we thought it would be cold.  So we started up and initially it was no problem just a few dips here and there.

Then about the 1/2 way point was when I started to wonder what I was thinking.  Between the sun burn I had gotten yesterday and being pulled and pulling on others it was not helping and then seeing the incline ahead of us.  I stopped and decided not to give it a second thought, I told myself, no problem I can do this.  So we started up the 2nd half as some of the others bailed out with the prospect of a deep climb ahead.  So we got back in line and grabbed onto one another and headed up.  The rest of the climb went a bit easier than I expected except for the few places I slipped. Along the way one of our guides was having fun splashing people with the water when they least expected it, so we decided (a few of us anyway) to get even with him.  When he least expected it we started splashing him and getting him soaked (his upper half).  We all got a kick out of this.

Once we made it to the top I had to stop and look back at what we had just accomplished, amazing we did it, 1,000 feet from bottom to top,  The only down fall was once I got out of the water and sat down I realized how much pain I was in between my knees and I twisted my ankle some where along the way, I guess the cool water kept me from feeling either. 

Then Harv and I ventured out of the water and up the steps back to the locker.  After retrieving our stuff from our locker we headed out to find the desk to pick up our DVD.  They recorded our climb us the falls.  We decided to go ahead and buy the DVD to give to our Videographer when we get home for him to include in the Wedding video. 

The only downfall to this was having to go through the massive maze of shops and vendors who all want you to buy stuff from them.  During this entire time all I wanted to do was get our DVD and get back to the next location on our site seeing for the day.  Well after we got snagged by one vendor where we bought two little wooden statues, we finally found the tent where we needed to get our video.  We picked up our video and headed for the exit to find the bus.

We finally met up with the van and headed over to the dolphin encounter visit.  Upon our arrival at the Dolphin Encounter we found the show location and sat down.  This gave me the perfect opportunity to get off my leg and just relax.  We happened to show up just in time to watch those that paid the extra do the swim with the dolphins.  It was pretty cool to watch them interact with the dolphins in the water.  After they did the swim with the dolphins then they did the show.  We sat and watched the show.  Once the show was over then we decided to get up and headed over and check out the rest of the park where they had Iquana's and other creatures. Unfortunatly due to time we never saw the shark show that they had.

Finally we decided it was time to head back to the ship so we headed up the hill and found the van.  This unfortunatly required us to walk up about 10 flights of steps, not an easy task after that climb we did earlier.  Finally the van arrived and took us back to the dock.  We then did the long walk back to the ship from the pier.  We were so happy to finally get back to our room and lay down and relax.  We were both very tired from the long day.  So we decided to change and sit on our balcony and watch as the last of the people boarded the ship and we pulled out of Ocho Rios.

After departing from Ocho Rios we decided to take a nap before dinner since we were both exhausted from the day.  When we awoke from our nap we showered and headed for dinner.  Upon our arrival in dinning room and at our table we chatted with our table mates about their day and what they did.  We all shared our adventures of the day and talked about what we liked from our day. So once we finished dinner we said good night to our table mates and headed out.

We decided to go back to the cabin where Harv could pick up a cigar and we headed over to casino where we did a little gambling.  We once again saw the two ladies and their husbands from Virginia again.  So I asked them as usual how they were doing, were they winning or losing all their money.  They gave me the usual, up and down.  They were really funny, every night we could guarantee seeing them int he casino while their husbands either stood behind them and watched or wandered around the ship.  Now isn't normally the other way around, the men are gambling and the women either watch or wander around, I thought this was quite funny. 

A little later we decided to leave the casino and head for the the cigar bar.  While there as usual the loud annoying Karoke bar was going.  We sat and relaxed on the couch together and just enjoyed the time to wind down.  Once the Karoke ended it was always a lot quiter and we could just sit back and relax.  Once Harv finished his daily cigar (at leat daily this week), we headed for the cabin, we were both exhausted still and decided to make it an early night.  So once we finally made it back to the cabin we both crashed.

Day At Sea:

 Today we took the opportunity to sleep in.  After the past two days we both needed it.  We eventually got up and made it to lunch. 

After lunch we headed back to the room to relax since I was hurting and we were both exhausted and just wanted a day of relaxation. We decided while we were in the cabin to pack our bags and get everything together for the tomorrow morning. After packing up our bags we decided to veg out and see what was on TV.

We got to see Davinci Code, RV (I didn't see this one since by that time I was sleeping), and a few other movies.  We finally decided to head out of our cabin for dinner.  We saw our usual dinner mates and took pictures and shared email addresses with one another to keep in touch with one another after we returned home.   I was happy with the group that we had to share our table with for meals.  Everyone was very friendly and was enjoyable to share meals with.

After dinner we headed back to the cabin so Harvey could pick up a cigar to do our usual ritual.  We departed from our cabin and headed for the casino.  As usual we ran into our acquaintances from Charlottesville, VA.  Two ladies we met early on in the cruise that were quite funny and loved to gamble.

Miami

Final day of our cruise.  We got up early to finish packing and get ready to disembark.  However when we got up turns out that we had a late arrival into Miami.

When our deck was called for disembarkation we headed off the ship through customs and security.  To our amazement this really didn't take that long.  It was a fairly easy procedure, we made sure all our paper work was filled out and we had our ID's out and put our luggage through the security scan and went through the line for customs.

We got through customs and security we boarded the bus for the airport where we needed to pick up a cab to take us to Ft. Lauderdale.  We slept on the bus back to the airport since we had gotten up quite early and the bus ride took a while.

Once we made it back to Ft. Lauderdale airport we looked for the cab pick up. We found the cabs and had them take us to our hotel. Upon arrival at the hotel we discovered we coudn't check in yet. Too early. So we gave our bags to the bell man and decided since the beach was right across the street we would go over there. It was beautiful. When we got over to the beach it was still over cast and cool. So we walked up the beach for a little bit and just enjoyed the view. Then we found a picnic table and decided to sit down and just enjoy the beach from the picnic table.

So after hanging out on the beach for a while we finally decided to head inside and see if we could check in. We were lucky. We were able to. Once we checked in we went up to the room and decided to relax for a little bit. We decided to lay down and take it easy.

So after relaxing and vegging out we decided to go wander around and check things out around the hotel. We found what I call the restaurant/club district. The first restaurant we went to was closing so we couldn't eat there so we wandered down a little further and found another restaurant to eat at. So we had dinner and enjoyed ourselves. Then after dinner we continued to wander around and just site see. Eventually we headed back to the hotel and relaxed at the hotel some more and then headed to bed since we were up so early in the morning.

Ft. Lauderdale to Home

Today we got up fairly early. We headed down for the breakfast buffet. The food was great. We had waffles and all sorts of great food.

Once we finished breakfast we headed back up to the room and got ready and packed up. Once we packed up we headed down to the front desk and checked out. We left our bags with the bell man and decided to go wander around some more.

Eventually we decided to go get lunch. We decided on the restaurant we had found the night before that was closing when we walked up to it. We sat and enjoyed lunch. After lunch we decided to head back to the hotel to get our stuff.

After getting our luggage, the hotel was nice enough to let us use the computer to print out our tickets so we wouldn't need to do it at the airport. After printing out our boarding passes we got a cab and headed to the airport.

Upon arrival at the airport we got through security easily and to our gate where we waited paitently for our flight. Our flight was uneventfull and we got home and relaxed and got unpacked.

Our honeymoon went too fast.