Cruising the Carnival Conquest March 2006:

Wow, did we have fun! This adventure was on the "Carnival Conquest" out of Galveston - 7 days of fun in the sun! I think this is the largest ship we've ever been on. It was fantastic.

Here's how the trip went:

Left Galveston approx. 5pm Sunday 3/5/06. We had booked 2 balcony rooms, since there was no price difference for putting the kids in the same room with us, so Hello! 2 rooms = 2 bathrooms & no smelly boys' shoes. Yay!
I was worried Big Time about Shaun & the balcony situation, so we threatened his life before the ship left port and told him how many thousands of sharks are in the ocean just waiting for a tasty little morsel like him to drop off the ship & right into their mouths. It worked....no problems. We figured out the 2nd day to ask the steward to unlock the divider between the 2 balconies, so we could enjoy one extra-large balcony. It was great.
Also, our rooms were just one door down from the bridge, so we got to watch the Captain & crew operating the controls, taking photos, etc....That was pretty cool.
A flock of pelicans followed us out to sea. Beautiful.

Monday & Tuesday: Two fun-filled days around the pools on board. We've got awesome tans. The boys spent most of their time on the 3-story waterslide!

They were social butterflies, meeting and greeting their friends. We constantly had to take Shaun to the kids' play area, because he had so many buddies there & loved it so much. Ryan's getting a little old for that, I guess. He wanted to spend most of his time with us (so much for romance) or at the video arcade.
Did you know there are literally "flying fish"??? I had no idea. The first day out, Mike saw what he thought was a bird skimming the surface of the water, but there were no birds out there in the middle of the Gulf. Then it dove back into the water after flying approximately 150 feet! It was the coolest thing - they jump out, fly about 100 feet or so, and then dive back in. Ya learn something new every day.
The food at the sit-down restaurants was delicious every night! Why people bother eating at ship buffets is beyond me. Are they too lazy to put on clothes and have a real meal? I don't get it. The food at this buffet wasn't even worth the wait in line or the calories! People turn into absolute zombies in line, picking out one leaf of lettuce at a time like it's rocket science - It's buffet food for Pete's sake!! While they were eating under-seasoned slop, we were feasting on Lobster, Fillet Mignon, Grilled Salmon, Shrimp, etc....as much as you want!


The only bad thing about this ship compared to others was the lack of hand sanitizer. On Norwegain ships you can't walk into a restaurant without them squirting hand sanitizer at you, but not on Carnival. That's probably why 3 out of 4 of us were suffering from "intestinal distress". Although, that's one way not to gain weight on a cruise. Eat all you want and then it goes right through you. (I know....TMI.)

Arrived in Montego Bay Jamaica Wednesday 3/8/06. We've learned from experience not to book excursions through the ship. They're expensive, crowded, and they always exaggerate how exciting it'll be. So we decided to go it on our own this time.
I had read about Doctor's Cave Beach and Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, so that's where we went. We spent the day at the beach playing in the gorgeous water. Mike & I tried the local beer, Red Stripe Lite, which was excellent.



Then we walked a block down the road to Margaritaville. It was a neat place, with a 3-story waterslide into the ocean and water trampolines. I had to swim the boys out to the trampolines, and they had a good time. The "Perfect Margaritas" were anything but. Very disappointing, but overall a fun place.

Montego Bay is a very poor city, and there are a lot of beggars on the street, and people trying to sell you something. Just say "No, thank you" and keep moving, and stay in the touristy areas. One guy even reached in to our cab to try to grab something, but I had my back to him & all our bags under my legs. Good thing. Shut the windows and keep moving. We had an excellent time though - never felt like we were in danger. And Jamaican men love me apparently. :) Check out the picture of the sunset over Montego Bay.


Arrived in Georgetown Grand Cayman Thursday 3/9/06. I had pre-booked on-line with Moby Dick Tours to go to Stingray City. What an experience! I can't wait to do it again! The tour guides were a lot of fun and took great care of us. Our tour was much smaller than the ships' excursions that were out there at the same time. We did some snorkeling first, since the sandbar was so crowded when we arrived. The coral reef was beautiful, but the current was strong, making it difficult to snorkel. I've got to give Ryan "props" for trying, though. He lasted longer than he did in Belize! Our guide used squid to bait a small nurse shark out from under some coral so I could get a picture. I never thought I'd be excited to see a shark while snorkeling, but it seemed harmless enough, and I didn't hear the theme music from "Jaws" playing in the background, so I felt OK about it. I also saw a moray eel but wasn't fast enough to get a picture. Too cool. Then we got to spend about 45 minutes playing with the stingrays at the sandbar. What a trip! I never knew they could be that friendly and affectionate. They were so cuddly and beautiful. Mike & Ryan fed them, but I was a little too nervous. Shaun swam around and giggled as he watched them swim all around him. I loved petting them while our guides held them. Those guys are out there all day every day, so they know these special creatures by name.... Spots, Stubby, Frisbee, Tripod, Pizza Slice.... They were amazing. They actually curl their front up and wait for a kiss! I didn't do it, but others did & were promised 7 years of good luck. I can't wait to go back to Grand Cayman. It was so much fun. We saw several hotels on 7 Mile Beach we'd love to check out. Georgetown was beautiful, clean, and safe. There are many high-end stores for the rich & the super-rich. Our guide told us people like Oprah, The Donald, Madonna, the Queen, and Bill Gates all have homes there at various hotels we saw. Must be nice..... Anyhoo.....we're definitely going back one of these days.

Arrived in Cozumel Friday 3/10/06. Unfortunately, it's still in very bad shape following Hurricane Wilma, which hit them in October 2005. None of the places we'd hoped to see were in existence....Chankanaab Park is gone, literally & won't be back for 10 months according to our cab driver. Nachi Cocom beach, etc...washed away. We were able to go to Paradise Beach, which is right next door to San Francisco Beach. They're both in good shape, just smaller than they were before. We still had tons of fun. We met up with a couple from the Nassau Bay area, so the kids had a great time playing together. The water was beautiful, and the beach was FREE - even the umbrellas & chairs! How cool is that? They only charge you the $8 each if you plan on using the trampolines, rock climbing, and kayaks, which we didn't. Mike & I enjoyed a bucket of Sol beer, which was tasty - much like Corona. We headed into town later and did a bit of shopping. "You've got to haggle". (Monty Python knew what they were talking about!) Another great day. Hopefully they won't get hit again this coming hurricane season.


Saturday 3/11/06 was our last day at sea. We spent it around the pool. Another perfect day of fun and sun. We really lucked out this cruise and had perfect weather and calm seas the whole time. At times we would sit on our balcony & swear we were on a lake, the water was so still.

Arrived in Galveston Sunday morning 3/12/06. Boo Hoo! Disembarking wasn't as bad as it was 3 years ago. They've made some improvements and are still expanding the port terminal. From the time they called our floor to the time we got in our car was 1 hour 15 minutes. Not too shabby.

I am Sooooooo counting the days until our next vacation. That's how I live my life - from trip to trip. I can't help it - it's in my blood. So, when are we going to Disney World????????