Our First Cruise: Dec 20 - 27, 2009
(Western Carribean: Jamaica-Cayman Island-Mexico)
Finally, we took our first cruise with Carnival! After several weeks of researching, we decided to go with Carnival (Conquest) because of budget and embarkation port (Galveston, TX). This was our 10 year anniversary celebration trip.
I am a worrier. I am scared of water. I never thought I would cruise. It took me several years before deciding to go but it was worth it. There were 11 people in our group - 4 state rooms on the same floor/area. The big group with my family and friends helped me relax and not be too scared. Although, the trip was not perfect (because of weather) but we had a wonderful time!
Day 1: Well..we started with a hectic day. We were supposed to be on the ship around noon. However, the ship arrived to Galveston port late because of the strong wind. We had to wait for several hours and didn't have lunch until we went in the cruise around 2:30 pm. Everyone was so hungry and tired. After we ate, went to our room and unpacked, we felt better and were ready for the fun. We walked around to explore the ship. It was so huge!
Day 2 and 3: Fun days at sea. My boys had so much fun with golfing, playing shuffle board and swimming even though it was so windy. All adults were checking out activities on the cruise, relaxing outside, listening to musics and of course taking a lot of pictures.
Day 4: We arrived in Jamaica. We were excited because it was our first destination. We had to divide into 2 groups as we have 4 seniors and 2 kids.
The first group wanted to do something adventurous. The member of this group was Nui and her husband P'Roy, Durf, my 8 year old son, Sean and yes! myself. The excursion we chose was Bobsled on the mountain and River Fall.
After 0ne hour and a half on the bus, we were at Mystic Mountain Rain Forest. We took a lift 15 minutes up to the top of the mountain. The forest was so green. The ocean view from the top of the mountain was really nice. What a beautiful scene!
I was nervous a little bit as I had to control the bobsled. Sean's bobsled had to connect with mine because he is too young to ride by himself. We did a good job riding it and all of us had fun. Sean said he wish he could do it again. On the way down, it was raining. We got soak!
After the bobsled ride, the bus took us to the Dunns River Fall. I had no idea what we had to do. I thought we would just play in the water. They told us that we couldn't bring any personal items because we will be completely wet. They were right!
We climbed up on the rocks to the top of the river fall. It was scary because of the strong water coming down. I almost gave up several times because I was afraid to fall and concerned about Sean. I knew he was scared but he hung in there together. Our group was great. We helped each other and most of us made it. A few people decided to leave when they saw the exit sign. Thanks to the special shoes that we rented, otherwise, we would slip and couldn't make it up there. We only had one picture that was taken by the tour guide. See this link for more pictures of the river fall.
The second group had to do something easy. P'Fung went along with our 4 years old, Luke, my mom, 2 relatives and P'Roy's mom. They did the city tour (Montego Bay). They also had a great time. Luke made new friends, Mr Bob and Mrs Cindy. We met them again several times in dining room.
Things that may be helpful for first time cruisers:
Other trips:
- Canada (Calgary, Banff, Jasper and Yoho)
- Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Monica and Venice Beach
- Transit Tour in Hong Kong
- Salzburg, Vienna and Prague
- Southern Laos
- Japan (Tokyo-Hakone-Kawagoe)
- Washington State
- Universal Studios, FL
- NOLA and Bahamas
- Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon and Antalop Canyon
- Paris, France
- Montserrat and Barcelona, Spain
- Dubai
- Laos (Vang Vieng and Vientien)
- Disney World, FL
- Skiing Red River, NM
- Niagara Falls, Toronto, San Francisco and Los Angeles
- Western Caribbean Cruise (Jamaica, Cayman Island and mexico)
- Camping Guadalupe River, TX
(Western Carribean: Jamaica-Cayman Island-Mexico)
Finally, we took our first cruise with Carnival! After several weeks of researching, we decided to go with Carnival (Conquest) because of budget and embarkation port (Galveston, TX). This was our 10 year anniversary celebration trip.
I am a worrier. I am scared of water. I never thought I would cruise. It took me several years before deciding to go but it was worth it. There were 11 people in our group - 4 state rooms on the same floor/area. The big group with my family and friends helped me relax and not be too scared. Although, the trip was not perfect (because of weather) but we had a wonderful time!
Day 1: Well..we started with a hectic day. We were supposed to be on the ship around noon. However, the ship arrived to Galveston port late because of the strong wind. We had to wait for several hours and didn't have lunch until we went in the cruise around 2:30 pm. Everyone was so hungry and tired. After we ate, went to our room and unpacked, we felt better and were ready for the fun. We walked around to explore the ship. It was so huge!
Day 2 and 3: Fun days at sea. My boys had so much fun with golfing, playing shuffle board and swimming even though it was so windy. All adults were checking out activities on the cruise, relaxing outside, listening to musics and of course taking a lot of pictures.
Day 4: We arrived in Jamaica. We were excited because it was our first destination. We had to divide into 2 groups as we have 4 seniors and 2 kids.
The first group wanted to do something adventurous. The member of this group was Nui and her husband P'Roy, Durf, my 8 year old son, Sean and yes! myself. The excursion we chose was Bobsled on the mountain and River Fall.
After 0ne hour and a half on the bus, we were at Mystic Mountain Rain Forest. We took a lift 15 minutes up to the top of the mountain. The forest was so green. The ocean view from the top of the mountain was really nice. What a beautiful scene!
I was nervous a little bit as I had to control the bobsled. Sean's bobsled had to connect with mine because he is too young to ride by himself. We did a good job riding it and all of us had fun. Sean said he wish he could do it again. On the way down, it was raining. We got soak!
After the bobsled ride, the bus took us to the Dunns River Fall. I had no idea what we had to do. I thought we would just play in the water. They told us that we couldn't bring any personal items because we will be completely wet. They were right!
We climbed up on the rocks to the top of the river fall. It was scary because of the strong water coming down. I almost gave up several times because I was afraid to fall and concerned about Sean. I knew he was scared but he hung in there together. Our group was great. We helped each other and most of us made it. A few people decided to leave when they saw the exit sign. Thanks to the special shoes that we rented, otherwise, we would slip and couldn't make it up there. We only had one picture that was taken by the tour guide. See this link for more pictures of the river fall.
The second group had to do something easy. P'Fung went along with our 4 years old, Luke, my mom, 2 relatives and P'Roy's mom. They did the city tour (Montego Bay). They also had a great time. Luke made new friends, Mr Bob and Mrs Cindy. We met them again several times in dining room.
Day 5: Pretty island surrounded by crystal clear water..Cayman Island.
We had to divide into 2 groups again. This time I was with seniors and kids so P'Fung could join Durf, Nui and P'Roy. Submarine was our pick. We took a boat out from the shore so we could transfer to the submarine out there. My mom was so happy when she saw the submarine slowly emerged from the water. After all tourists from the previous trip came out, it was our turn to climb down the ladder (around 10 steps) one by one. Each seat has a round glass window to see underwater inhabitants. The submarine went down about 100 feet deep. We were under water around 30-40 minutes. This was an incredible experience for all seniors and my kids. I know when they go back home, they will have something special to talk about.
We had to divide into 2 groups again. This time I was with seniors and kids so P'Fung could join Durf, Nui and P'Roy. Submarine was our pick. We took a boat out from the shore so we could transfer to the submarine out there. My mom was so happy when she saw the submarine slowly emerged from the water. After all tourists from the previous trip came out, it was our turn to climb down the ladder (around 10 steps) one by one. Each seat has a round glass window to see underwater inhabitants. The submarine went down about 100 feet deep. We were under water around 30-40 minutes. This was an incredible experience for all seniors and my kids. I know when they go back home, they will have something special to talk about.
Nui, P'Roy, Durf and P'Fung did "Stringray & snorkeling" excursion. They enjoyed it although at the end P'Fung was sick and threw up - Yuk!
P'Fung, Sean and I planned to do Sea Trek in the afternoon. Since P'Fung had sea sick, Durf decided to go with us. This was my best excursion! Really. We went under water around 30 feet by the ladder. They put the special helmet that had a wire connected to the oxygen tank on a boat so we could breath. I was nervous when I first went in the water. But after my feet touched the bottom of the sea, I was fine. Sean also had fear at first but he was ok when we were down there. It was so pretty. We saw a lot of colorful fish and coral. We could even touch the fish. It's such a nice experience as I never thought I would be able to go under water before (I don't swim). Sean and I promised that we will do this again with his dad and Luke when he gets older. Unfortunately, I didn't prepare an underwater camera with me but if you are interested to see pictures, see this link.
Day 6: Wow, it was so fast. This was the last excursion day in Cozumel, Mexico. We chose the beach tour so all of us could go together. This tour included unlimited drinks. It was not a big deal for me as I don't drink but I think the happiest person was Durf :)
Sean and Luke played in the swimming pool. Adults relaxed and enjoyed the beach. The sunset in Cozumel is so pretty and romantic. I love it!
Sean and Luke played in the swimming pool. Adults relaxed and enjoyed the beach. The sunset in Cozumel is so pretty and romantic. I love it!
Day 7: The last day for the trip..we had fun on the cruise. We dropped Sean and Luke at Camp Carnival to check out some kids activities. P'Fung and I walked around the cruise and enjoyed time together without the kids for a while. The others just hung out, laid down, had snacks and had good time chatting.
My first cruise was really nice. I am so thankful that I had a chance to spend time with family (especially my mom) and friends. I wasn't too scared as I thought I would.
It was a wonderful vacation for me. I could relax, have no cell phone, no computer, no need to cook and clean for a week. The most important thing was I didn't have to worry too much (except excursion decision). I loved all excursions I did especially "Sea Trek". Although we couldn't follow our first plan, it turned out great. I would do it again hopefully soon.
Thanks Durf for taking good care of my mom and relatives. Thanks Nui's family that came with us and had good time together.
Activities on the cruise:
- Eat!!! Foods were good. My favorite was Mongolian section. You picked what you wanted (veggies, meat, noodle and sauce) and they cooked it fresh. Only thing I didn't like was "waiting". The line was too long. One day, Sean had to wait for almost 30 minutes.
- There were 2 nights we had to dress up. Everyone looks great! The performance by the crew in dining was fun.
- We wacthed shows every night (except the first night). Their shows were excellent.
- Bingo Game - I just played it for fun on the last day because it was "buy one get one free". I almost won (missed only 1 number).
- Camp carnival was good but my kids didn't enjoy much. They love outdoor activities better.
- Outdoor games/activities - my kids enjoyed the most.
- Musics indoor/outdoor - I liked to stay outdoor. The songs made me want to dance :)
Things that may be helpful for first time cruisers:
- Bring your own water bottles if you can, they charged for it (in the room).
- If you have more than 1 family in your group, it would be good to have walkie talkie.
- Do research on excursions before the trip. You don't need to book it in advance. However, do not wait until the last minute on the cruise because it can be full. It happened to us. Also, make sure you have enough information about your excursion so you are prepared. I debated if we should buy excursion with the cruise or independent companies. If you buy directly with a tour company, make sure you have plenty of time to return to the ship. Since this is our first time, we decided to buy excursions with the cruise although it may be more expensive than a tour company. We glad we did because we were late on the way back in Jamaica and they waited for us. The traffic was terrible.
- Prepare a lot of small bills like $1 and $5. Even though they charged tips thru credit card but you may need it for tipping drivers, tour guide and small souvenirs.
- Don't forget the underwater camera :)
- Weather: Since this was in December, the first 2 days on the cuise was so windy and cool. We planned to swim and played in the pool but we couldn't do it (except my kids - they didn't care about the weather). There was a running track on the top deck. I wanted to run but it was too windy.
In Jamaica, it was raining in the area we went but it was ok because we would wet at the river fall anyway. The weather in Cayman Island was good. In Mexico, they had to cancel all marine activities because of the weather. I am not sure why because it was fine for me. Fortunately, we already did marine activites in Cayman Island and we still enjoyed the beach in Conzumel, Mexico. - Immigration process especially the last day we returned. It took us almost 2 hours to come out. It was too long. Expect the delay.
- Swimming Pools in our cruise. They had several pools but they were smaller than what we expected.
- Although the room was small, they always kept it cleaned (twice a day). I liked the towel animal they fold and put it on our bed every day. It is cute!
- All night shows and outdoor musics.
- All Excursions I did and beautiful oceans.
- All workers were nice and worked hard. We met several Thai workers and enjoyed talking with them.
Other trips:
- Canada (Calgary, Banff, Jasper and Yoho)
- Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Monica and Venice Beach
- Transit Tour in Hong Kong
- Salzburg, Vienna and Prague
- Southern Laos
- Japan (Tokyo-Hakone-Kawagoe)
- Washington State
- Universal Studios, FL
- NOLA and Bahamas
- Las Vegas, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon and Antalop Canyon
- Paris, France
- Montserrat and Barcelona, Spain
- Dubai
- Laos (Vang Vieng and Vientien)
- Disney World, FL
- Skiing Red River, NM
- Niagara Falls, Toronto, San Francisco and Los Angeles
- Western Caribbean Cruise (Jamaica, Cayman Island and mexico)
- Camping Guadalupe River, TX
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