I'll gone for a week and a half starting Friday. While my 81 year old father and 80 year old mother can still travel we (me, sister, brother, parents) going on a Caribbean cruise. Today wouldn't be a good day but it looks like the tropical storm they're having no is going to break up by the weekend. We're going to New Orleans. Montego Bay, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands and Cozumel, Mexico. For me and my sister first time in New Orleans. For me and my brother first cruise. My first time out of the country.

My phone will be in airplane made as soon as we arrive at the Denver airport (its cheaper to drive to Colorado then fly out of Nebraska)

Good luck and have fun Guybrush!

Have a great time! I got married in Cozumel (first marriage), I love that island!

Ana

I hope you have a wonderful time! And I hope you will tell us about it after you return.

Enjoy!

Have a wonderful trip and great adventure Guybrush! Look forward to hearing all about your trip when you get back!

How Great, GuybrushThreepwood !!!!

I hope you all have a wonderful time

I can't believe I've been back home for a week seems like I just got off the ship yesterday.

First couple of days this room was swaying but I've finally got my land legs back.

Jamaica was my favorite because the excursion we went took us away from the tourist Jamaica and let us see a bit of the real Jamaica. Americans should thank God for how blessed we are. Though I think the Jamicans have the right idea when it comes to buiding a house. They don't take out a mortgage. If all they can afford is a bed room and a bathroom, that's what they build. Then when they have saved the money to add a kitchen they do that. So most homes look like they're coming down when actually they're still being built up. Our driver has my admiration for being able to drive on those skinny, twisty, hilly roads. I'd have been scared to death. The bus tour guide was funny. We were taken through several small "communities" on the way to the plantation we were touring. Seemed like most families had a goat or three. My sister took a picture of a Jamaican cow which my brother thought was crazy, a woman from Nebraska wanting a picture of a cow. I said "its a Jamaican cow" we don't see those every day. The dogs walking around were clearly not beloved pets, tehy were skin and bones. Probably considred vermin.

The plantation tour was interesting, learned about natural medicines. The Jamaicans prefer their bananas green (full of iron). yellow ones full of potassium. Everone go to pick their own banana of the bunch. We sampled pineabble joice mixed with brown sugar. The juice made from the leaves not the fruit. They don't waste any part of it. The tour guide said you can actully grown your on pineapple in pot if you plant the leaves. We also sampled several variates of pineapple. Pineapple supposed to be good for keeping you young. If you get sea sick you just need to snap a bay leave to release the sent than sniff it. The jerk chicken lunch was good but when they say the BBQ sauce is spice they are not kidding. I bought a jar of Jamaican honey.

I didn't see it but they say on Facebook two teenagers got left in Jamaica to face charges for attempting to smuggle marijuana on the ship. Its not actually legal in Jamaica. Somone must managed to sneak some onboard because I've heard the 2nd level of the ship reaked of it. I wouldn't recognize it.


On Grand Cayman we just took taxi to Royal Palms hotel at 7 Mile Beach $5 a person plus tip, then $2 to enter the hotel's portion of the beach which ibcludes axxess to showers and restooms and a bar that serves sandwhiches as well as drinks, $12 to rent a chair (they come along and collect), $15 to rent the umbrella. The taxi back dropped us two blocks from the port right in front of shops. My sister figures they're paid to do that by the shopkeepers. Didn't buy anything.


In Cozumel, Mexico, went snorkeling and theyn the boat took us to a private beech. They're margarit was horrible. Cheap tequila and 7UP not lime juice. They sold hamburgers which were okay but I wish it had been tacos and burritos.

My 81 year old father didn't snorkel and he thinks he done cruising. My 80 year old mother didn't snorkel but isn't sure if she's done cruising or not. My brother thanks us for taking him on the cruise but he doesn't need to do it again. I'm planning a cruise by myself for 2020. My sister is trying to get some cousins to do a cruise probably in 2019.

Mom, Dad and I go going on bus trip to Branson see the Christmas shows first week in November. We all got our absentee ballots. I plan to turn it tomorrow. First time I wont be in the state on election day.


Oh my favorite thing to do on the ship was listen to "2 Country 4 Nashville" sing real country music, none of this bad pop music thats palmed off as country these days. They made me love them for life when I request one Marty Robbins song and they did three. I got a hug when I bought their CD. Guess that doesn't happen much even though the room were they played was always packed, mostly with the same people. They clearly have their fans. And they know their regulars by name. Which they did mine once I made the request.

It sounds like you enjoyed yourself Guybrush so that's good! I went to Jamaica many, many years ago. Those bus drivers were crazy. My friend had his foot run over by one of them. I remember lots of goats, not the dogs, but mostly we were in tourist sections.

Glad you had a good time Guybrush, my husband and I enjoy cruising, ones where you visit a place go to bed and wake up in a new place are the ones we like the best, not so fond of days and days at sea.

Your comment on marijuana "I've heard the 2nd level of the ship reaked of it. I wouldn't recognize it.", hit a sore spot for me,
we moved to a wonderful place here in Canada with fresh air (after city smog) it WAS wonderful. Now our neighbour is smoking the awful smelling stuff and we have to rush around shutting windows every evening. I wish I did not know what it smelt like!!!

Where are you planning to cruise to in 2020?

Welcome home, Guybrush. Glad you had fun!

Right now it looks like cruises Carnival has planned for 2020 are to Catalina Island and Ensenada from LA. My problem is I reside in Nebraska and flying to LA (or any other port city) costs more than some of the cruises. Carvinal seesm to be lower priced cruise line and they're in the process of moving ships around so they don't have all their 2020 or 2021 cruises planned out yet. The ship I was on the Dream is for example moving from New Orleans to Galveston in 2019. My travel agent says they're going to have a new ship in 2020 she thinks is going to cover the Bahamas.