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COZUMEL

November 20, 2011

Ahhh, the Prime Steakhouse. How do you want your meat cooked? The chefs are exact.

You say rare, and they do it rare.

The atmosphere is quite intimate, but the lighting is not photogenic.

I started with ahi tartare, then Lamb Chops, and THEN chocolate.

A morning pull of the drapes and we are in Cozumel.

Seven ships are in port today, and those only the ones I can see.

Figure from 15 to 20 thousand passengers hitting the shops. For most wants, the pier stores will provide. If you go into town, the merchants will be more persuasive and may get on your nerves. Most tourists think with the amount of people buying, negotiating will be a wasted effort. Not so. Remember, at the moment you are the customer; the merchant wants an on the spot sale like now. Bargain!

I have no idea how many VW taxis are in Cozumel, there must be hundreds, but this is must more fun.

On Magic, inspection is an every day duty.

By the way, talking about inspection this ship got 100% perfect before we sailed.

Not all left the ship for town. The splash area still dumped water on one and all.

There is a lookout stationed at the bottom of the slides. He radios when the slider splashes down to let the top sentry know the next can get in the tube.

Deck service is prompt

and the Carnival marketing team has come up with a unique drink container.

Some caught up on the news and weather on the big screen which features movies at night.

One thing I’ve noticed is a number of people paste or hang things on their cabin door. It’s kind of fun to see what’s along the hall,

never the less, I wonder if it’s not so much a want for decoration, but a way of locating where they live.

I’ve tried hard to find something to whine about on Magic. It’s the sovereign duty of a travel writer to tell about the bad as well as the good. I finally did.

At the beginning of each cruise, Carnival provides tooth paste, body wash, deodorant, etc. all are samples of retail products. On Magic there are about 8 or 9 different items. Included is a small plastic envelope of Q-tips; not a retail sample. They are not full size and “Q” is probably too far along in the alphabet to properly describe them.

When they were used up, I asked my room steward Ovi for a replacement envelope.

“I can’t give them to you. You have to buy them at the store.”

OK, I tried that and couldn’t find any Q-Tips.

As we docked in Cozumel, I asked Ovi again, making it clear, that I really wanted them and he should get them for me.

“You get them first day and no more.” Ovi emphasized.

I went off a bit and doubted that Carnival was so frugal that they couldn’t part with another envelope of 6 mini-tips.

Ovi, scowling, pulled out his phone.

“I’ll have to make a call.”

When I returned to my cleaned cabin there was a tray of goods,

but no Q-tips.

Oh no, here I had been overly stern with Ovi, and it was a miscommunication. I found him, apologized profusely, and explained to him what I meant. I gestured showing cotton at two ends connected by a skinny thingy.

“Yes”, Ovi said, “Q-tips. They won’t let me have any.”

OK, I mean, with the amount Carnival buys, those must cost a few pennies. But factor this in. A Margarita on the rocks costs $10.06. But, of course, that includes salt.

Finally I got a chance to get to the Punchliner comedy club. It was the early show, open to all, including children. Out came John Wesley Austin and blew me away.

Charming, funny, kids and parents and me laughing. Except for the woman next to me. Not even a smile. She probably thought it was supposed to be the art auction.

The Carnival Magic is an amazing ship. Next is the Destiny, amazing plus. When you compare cruise prices, and what you get for your money, there is an easy choice. Carnival Magic.

Tomorrow we dock in Galveston. At 7 AM the ship starts to empty. By 10 AM all will be heading home, except for one. He’s gong to keep cruising, no matter how long it takes, until he hits the Jackpot.

Posted in Carnival, Galveston, Mexico | Leave a Comment »

Going All The Way

October 22, 2011

On November 13th I’ll be reporting from Carnival Magic.

First a Gala Dinner to welcome Magic to Galveston, then 6 days to Mexico.

Late January it will be a second look at Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam.

Fast forward to April, and it’s through the Canal from Hollywood to New York on Crystal’s newly refurbished Serenity.

BUT FIRST

My new book; an inside look at two world cruises. The good, the bad, and the, well, strange. Available at all eBook sites

I took my first cruise from Los Angeles, through the Panama Canal, and around the Caribbean. The cruise ship was a small Greek ship called the Jason, but I must tell you, cruising then was entirely different than today. The cruise staff did most of the entertaining, most of the bands on ships had an accordion player, and customer service was a bit lax.

My cabin had a bunk on each wall with safety straps to keep you in bed in case of rough weather. The portholes had wooden covers that could be screwed on to keep that rough water out of the cabin. When I complained about the air conditioning in my cabin not working, the ship sent an engineer to check it out. A sturdy Greek woman with a hint of mustache appeared in full uniform. She had no command of English, and Greek was, well, Greek to me. Fortunately, we didn’t need much communication to get the job done. I held my hand to the vent and said, “Is warm!” She put her hand to the vent and said, “Is cold!” And that was that. As Aristotle once said, “It is the nature of desire not to be satisfied, and most men live only for the gratification of it.” Whatever.

As the Jason exited the canal into the Caribbean, we were pounded by some very rough seas, and she bounced around enough so that those straps and porthole covers came into play. I sat in the center of the ship on the Promenade deck, and, as advised, kept my eyes on the horizon. I wasn’t sick, but neither was I feeling well, and worse, I was hungry. They told us to eat dry chicken sandwiches which for some reason might stay in place after swallowed. On the Jason, everything was ordered from a desk just inside and off the main deck. I went up to the crewman on desk duty and asked for a dry chicken sandwich. He looked at me, said, “Please wait a moment.” He then opened a drawer, and from a height of about three feet, put most, if not all, of his stomach in the drawer. I passed on the sandwich.

That experience aside, a big attraction of cruising is the food. And there is lots, and lots of good food. With all that largess waiting, a good many passengers are wary of eating too much and gaining weight. I sat with one woman who looked at the menu and asked me what “grouper” was. I told her it was a whitefish that sometimes got as big as three hundred pounds. “Oh,” she said, “I’m really not that hungry.” Another tablemate ate a huge plate of pasta. After she finished, she was upset with the waiter. “I told him,” she said, “to give me a small portion.” “Well”, I countered, “there was a small portion in there.”

Today’s cruise guest has access to food 24 hours a day. Room service is always prompt, and the air conditioner will be adjusted to your liking. Nevertheless, no matter how luxurious the ships, most people who cruise share one single desire. One day, they want to cruise around the world!

I have been twice blessed in that regard, and what you are about to read is a diary of both of those blessings. Some of what I wrote will be a bit dated. For instance, all cruise ships now have access to the Internet operating 24 hours a day. Today’s passengers don’t have to seek out an Internet café at every port, and on a world cruise there are a lot of ports. But, you know, I think they’re missing something; that chance to interact with the locals and other travelers.

So hop aboard, have some laughs, and watch out for that reef off Egypt

Posted in Alaska, Azamara Cruises, Baja California, Bermuda, Cabo San Lucas, Caribbean, Carnival, Cruising in General, Cunard, Fiji, French Polynesia, Galveston, Mazatlan, New Zealand, Panama Canal, Tahiti, Uncategorized, World Cruises | Leave a Comment »

Galveston Tomorrow

February 13, 2008

It’s my last day for this cruise, and though sunny it is cool. We have a nippy wind and the waves are kicking up. The basketball court is just about empty.

I haven’t heard the weather forecast, but barf bags are hung next to all the elevators. If I see someone grab one, I take the stairs.

Gambling is going strong.

I wonder if the Rolls in the Rolls Royce Bar works as a motivator.

No matter, on Ecstasy, gamblers look as if they’re having fun as opposed to some of the more serious ships I’ve sailed.

Tonight will be my last chance to dance with the waiters.

On this entire ship, there are not enough drinks with umbrellas to get that done. It may seem silly to me, but not to about 50% of the diners.

So tomorrow around 9 AM it will be goodbye to Ecstasy.

It’s been a great trip and the 4 and 5 days out of Galveston at Carnival prices are a huge draw.

A reminder if you take this cruise and are looking for the air conditioning control it’s above you. The cabins have no thermostatically controlled air conditioning. Instead, there’s a vent in the ceiling with a slide that can be turned from full on to off. The heat is mostly controlled by which side of the ship is in the sun. Much more modern is the flat panel TV with a bunch of channels including ABC, CBS, NBC and the local Fox station. They all seem to come out of Denver. Three movies are complementary, all fairly new, including one for kids. CNN is the fundamental news offering. Is there nothing happening in the world besides primaries? Ah well, only nine more months to go.

Thanks for reading this blog. I’m heading home.

Ta Da

Posted in Carnival, Cruising in General, Galveston | 4 Comments »

Progreso

February 13, 2008

Last night I stopped by to see the production show that had been canceled the night before. First, congratulations to Carnival Ecstasy for using a live band, and for having the singers really singing, not backed up by a chorus of recorded voices.

The dancers, about twelve women and four men, were energetic, and performed athletic choreography. That being said, the show was a mishmash of melody, movement and chunks of story. I am not a devotee of musicals, except for Chorus Line, and the older musicals that had a story line. I walked out of Cats, and left last night’s show as well. So a lot of it is me, but the result of a passenger survey, came up with “It was OK.”

This morning, we arrived in Progreso, known for having the longest pier in the world.

Welcomed by dancers,

we boarded a van and headed to Dzibilchaltun. On the way we stopped in town to be welcomed by the Secretaria De Turismo Del Estado De Yucatan, Mayra Hernandez Perez-Casas. It felt strange to be with a group of travel writers being photographed by newspaper reporters.

From there to the Mayan ruins. Dzibilchaltun is small compare to Tumul, and tiny compared to Chichen Itza. There was not a lot to see; a carving in a grave,

the Mayan water source,

and an Iguana.

I asked if there was an area where the human sacrifices were performed. “Not here,” our guide said. “It was those Mayans who went from Mexico City to Chichen Itza that did that.” The city guys are always causing trouble.

Next a drive through Merida, and then on to lunch at Hacienda Teya,

about half way back to the ship. They served us big plates with appetizers, then more big plates of appetizers, then lime soup, then big plates of different foods. Finally desert, and we waddled back to the van, having eaten at the best Mexican restaurant I’ve come across.

Given the choice of what to do I’d pick Progresso. It’s an amiable beach town, with some nice hotels and a great beach.

Get a massage, and then walk across the street for some good local food.

Chichen Itza is about two hours away and worth your time. Merida is called the White City. Some say it’s because of the white buildings, but few of them are actually white. Others say it is how clean the city is kept. That’s closer to the truth. Merida is also one of the safest cities in Mexico. There are some remarkable murals in the Governor’s Palace. One shows the Mayan belief that man came from corn.

Do fat men come from popped corn? (I’m sorry.) But unless you are an architectural enthusiast,

Merida is not worth the drive.

X-Treme Country is the production tonight. I won’t attend. With all the Texans in the audience, I’m afraid if I walked out on that one, I’d be shot. So I’ll play it safe and get a taste of country in one of the bars.

The ship’s photographers do an outstanding job, and I have never seen so many people buying photos. There are formal poses, poses at a piano, and funky poses. Some take a little while to get comfortable.

Last day, tomorrow.

Posted in Carnival, Cruising in General, Galveston, Mexico | Leave a Comment »

Galveston, Then Ecstasy (the boat)

February 10, 2008

The Great Storm video is shown at Pier 21. It is a compilation of photos from the storm and its aftermath, along with the words of survivors. Although it was there to see, it was not easy to comprehend the massive destruction and death that storm left behind. The militia was brought in to help keep order, and found part of their job was to force men to load bodies onto carts to be hauled away. Remember there were 6000 dead. One man was quoted as saying, “Please don’t make me do this.”

Some homes were untouched as the debris of others being swept across the island formed a blockade to the rushing water.

Other homes closer to the shoreline, if built well enough, were damaged but many have been restored. The Moody Mansion built in 1895 was hit hard; two feet of water flooding the first floor.

It is now restored and operates as a museum with daily tours. As the horror fades, tourism develops around the site of disaster.

Colonel Moody was an astute entrepreneur; his drive and vision literally made Galveston happen. The Colonel gathered a large amount money over the years, possibly not all due to cotton.

Looking huge next to the 1877 Tall Ship Elissa, Ecstasy was waiting.

Boarding was smooth and luggage arrived quickly. I was exhausted and crashed. Since my luggage was delivered, I neglected to put the “privacy’ sign outside the cabin door. Later when I surfaced, I saw a large basket of fruit next to the bed. I never heard the knock, or the door open and close. Maybe it was the lady from Galvez’s 521.

We were invited to a before dinner cocktail party for the press and were all impressed by the Captain, officers, even the Chef, as they individually came to us for a brief chat.

This ship, although almost 17 years old, has some of the best ratings in the Carnival brand. The cabins are sparse

and don’t encourage lounging around the room which is great psychology on the part of Carnival. Everybody gets out and about; the bars are buzzing, the slots clicking away (well, most of them)

and smiles are everywhere. Texas is on vacation.

One pool functions a kid’s pool,

although courageous adults are welcome. The Jacuzzi’s seat six; after four days on board, five. Be ready to meet new knees while the muscles relax.

The Captain says that the crew likes the Texans, which is a good thing as the ship will be in Galveston for awhile. Many passengers are doing their first cruise, and haven’t yet figured out how it all works. In the Lido dining room, the buffet bar is “U” shaped with each leg of the “U” serving the same food. Both serve the same food, and the idea is to start at either end and finish in the center.

“Hey, it keeps on going” flashes in some minds and so they do too. They never seem to get that they are going the wrong way on a one way street.

This morning I had grits for breakfast. At the center point was a choice of wrapped butter, or butter in a small bowl. I immediately grabbed the fresh butter in the bowl and mixed it with the grits. Doing so, I discovered a new dish; cream cheese and grits.

Formal tonight, and the Captain’s table.

Posted in Carnival, Cruising in General, Galveston, Mexico | Leave a Comment »

Galveston 2

February 8, 2008

I’ve never seen so many miles of empty beach except along the coast of Baja.

Maybe it’s empty because it’s a climb to get back to the road.

I’m sure when the season starts, things will get busier. Spring Break brings thousands of kids here. Most go to the public beach at the end of town where you can drive on the sand and alcohol is permitted. As you leave that beach there is a sign that says, “Drive Safely”. Just underneath that sign is another that says, in bigger letters, “DRIVE SAFELY”. Now I figure if you’re drunk the size of the letters won’t make any difference. It should say “DDRRIIVVEE SSAAFFEELLYY”. That way the driver’s blurred vision could decode the message.

Galveston used to pretty wide open with the Balinese Room at the end of a long pier, the liquor and gambling place to be. Bob Hope, Tony Bennett, and Sinatra performed there, among others. Every night the slots and tables were busy. But, why that long hall to get to the happenings?

Here’s the way it worked. When the troopers made a raid, the doorman would push a buzzer letting them in and notifying the band that visitors were on their way. The band would burst into “The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You”. When the music played, the slots disappeared into the walls, the tables became dining tables and all was cool. And that is the answer to the long hall. The troopers had to run down the hall and never made it it to the main room in time.

I’m sure The Balinese Room looked better back then.

I can’t imagine Sinatra in the place as it now stands. By the way, it’s for sale.

I am with a press group and we had a busy day. We were only in one place, but it’s a big place. It’s called the Moody Gardens and has three pyramids.

One housing an aquarium,

another a rain forest,

and the third, a 4D Imax experience featuring dinosaurs. I asked what the fourth dimension was, and apparently it’s smell. “How do dinosaurs smell?” I asked. “Rotten”, our guide sniffed.

a trainer opened a door to the penguin place, and the first penguin that felt like taking a walk could come with her .

On the second floor is an exhibition of the sinking of the Titanic.

As you can see, I can’t show you anything, but this is more impressive than the one in Ireland at the site of the doomed ship’s departure.

There also is a huge water park, and a 5 diamond hotel. Great place for kids. Imagine being able to go back to school and being able to tell everyone how dinosaurs smell.

My favorite spot was the flight museum.

You can actually get flights in a B-25 ($375), a B-17 ($425) and my favorite, an open cockpit Stearman ($225).

And there, under it all, was a Ford from 1941

As I remember, automobiles were not manufactured until after the war. The “A” on the windshield rationed the monthly amount of gas one could buy. Now the letters are replaced by the $ sign. Check it out at www.LSFM.org.

Also check out www.Galveston.com . Scroll towards the bottom of the page and you’ll see webcams. Take a look at who’s on the beach, which cruise ships are in port, and who’s doing what in the Galvez Hotel lobby.

Dinner was at Sky Steak and Sushi.

Great sushi rolls and the hottest wasabi I’ve ever had to extinguish.

The group then went across the street to a performance in The Grand Old Opera House built in 1894. I’d like to see the theater, but “Menopause, The Musical” may not be my thing, as they say. I heard it really doesn’t get started until after intermission. (And if you get that obscure reference, I salute you.)

I opted for Jazz here at the hotel. These guys have been around a long time. The trio was piano, electric bass plus a guy who banged a tambourine on his knee, and played the tenor sax — ..badly. When he hit the right notes, which was seldom, he was way out of tune. I guess the difference was, I wear hearing aids and so could pick up the nuances. If he wore hearing aids he’d stick to the tambourine.

Tomorrow we’ll see some of the historical homes, view the great storm video, and then board Ecstasy.

Posted in Caribbean, Carnival, Cruising in General, Galveston, Mexico | Leave a Comment »

Galveston, Texas

February 7, 2008

I’m going to be in Galveston for three days before boarding the Carnival Ecstasy, now sailing 4 and 5 day voyages year round.

The big problem with Galveston is that it’s 71 miles from the Houston airport. The good news is there is little traffic on the freeways. I was picked up by a limo so long that I almost had to use email to talk to the driver. When I got to the Hotel Galvez, I took three photos of the car and driver. None of them showed up on my flash card. I truly think my camera was just embarrassed by it all. Later, the Senior Concierge, Jackie, told me that the limo was the talk of the lobby, and everyone wanted to know who was stepping out of it. Well, be that as it may, when I got to the desk, I had to show photo ID. The size of the car will only get you so far.

This town is full of history. Jean Lafitte came across this perfect spot for spoils about 190 years ago, and named it Campeche. The little village contained huts for the pirates, a slave market, boarding houses for visiting buyers, saloons, pool halls, gambling houses and Lafitte’s own house, the “Maison Rouge”; the ruins of which still exist. At one point, Campeche was home to about 1,000 people.

With its access to ships, and since Congress had not approved chartered banks, financial transactions were handled by mercantile firms. The Strand, named after a street in London was filled with wholesalers, cotton agents, paint, drug, grocery, hardware, dry goods stores and insurance companies. The Strand became known as the “Wall Street of the Southwest”.

Galveston‘s prosperity suddenly came to a halt on September 8, 1900; the problem was a lot of street and not enough wall. The deadliest natural disaster in United States history hit Galveston Island. A storm with winds exceeding 120 miles per hour plus a tidal surge devastated the island and killed more than 6,000 people. At the time of the 1900 Storm, Galveston had a population of 37,000 and was the fourth largest and the most sophisticated city in Texas. One-third of the city, more than 3,600 buildings, was completely destroyed, Too numerous for conventional burials the dead were weighted and buried at sea; later they washed ashore. From that point, they were burned in funeral pyres all over the city. The dead were uncovered at a rate of 70 per day for at least a month after the storm.

Enough being too much, in 1902 Galveston built a 17 foot high, 10 mile long seawall. The wall was built in sections over the years; meanwhile the city was raised 17 feet and sloped downward at a pitch of one foot for every 1,500 feet to the bay.

Today, the Strand is one of the largest and best-preserved concentrations of Victorian, iron-front commercial architecture in the country.

It’s a shopper’s paradise with more than 100 shops, including coffee houses,

chocolate vendors,

and a store that sells something or other.

Mostly other.

This being off season, all the stores are having sales with 70% off the rule of thumb. The Strand and the streets around are almost empty.

Hotel Galvez was built in 1911 and by 1918 it was thriving.

They were averaging 400 guests a day. No wonder, rooms went for $2.00. There is one room, 501 that is not always available. It is the favorite room of a female who checked out, before she checked in; as a ghost. Whenever she’s in residence, the door locks itself and the hotel cannot get it open until she leaves. Hey, I just report what I’m told. A contributor to Tripadvisor.com said that she felt a hand on her shoulder when she was taking a shower. Should that happen to me, I’m making sure there’s no extra fee added to my bill.