Here's a note from Ellen about our Honeymoon Cruise so far!
Hi Everyone!
Sorry I didn't have time to talk to y'all before we left. The flight was uneventful...very late (10pm-6am) and that was my 3rd night in a row of not getting much sleep, so that was a little rough. On the flight over we watched Freedom Writers...a very good movie as far as movies the airlines show. When we arrived, a Carnival crew member was waiting for us at the baggage claim. Boy, was I ecstatic about that! We thought we'd have to wait at the airport from 6 am until 12. She knew who we were and corralled us with another newly wed couple going on the cruise 🙂
I slept in the car on the way to the dock, it took about an hour. And all of that was just driving through the city. New York drivers are just as bad as California drivers. Our driver drove over a cement curb to avoid traffic! Glad I wasn't awake for it all.
We got to the dock much earlier than we expected; around 10 o'clock. This turned out to be very, very nice. We checked in and were on the boat, eating lunch by 1. Meanwhile, people were waiting in line to check in until 4. This was great because we got to SLEEP for a few hours before we were rudely awakened for the lifeboat drill. It wasn't enough sleep, but at least we were a little pepped for dinner and sparkling conversation with another couple.
I know when Dan and Wes cruised, they sat at a huge table with lots of people. But we got a very intimate table that seats 4. The other couple is originally from New York, so I got a chance to talk to them about things to do in NY after we get back. The man works for a Christian company that sells "Biblical" health products. He gave us a sample of their hit product, but I haven't tried it yet. It is some sort of pomegranate vitamin supplement drink. The company can be found at symmetrydirect.com if you are interested. They are a young engaged couple, so it's fun for us and we seem to have a few things in common 🙂
After dinner, WE GOT TO SLEEP!! After a full 7 hours of sleep, we woke up at 4:30 am to a WARM thunder/lightening storm. We climbed out on our balcony to take in the beauty. The time between the thunder/ lightening was quite a while, so we knew it wasn't close. But it was neat to see lightening touch down over the water. After that, we went back to sleep until 10:30am and we needed it.
We got to book our shore excursions yesterday. It looks like we are taking a walking tour of old San Juan, PR. We'll proably hit the beach and shops while we are there. At Tortola, we are taking a Hike, Kayak and Snorkel tour. Apparently we take a hike in a wildlife area, kayak to a private beach and snorkel. At St. Thomas we will do a SCUBA wreck dive of an 1800's mail ship. And also, we will do the gondola skyride. It's touristy, but it sounds like a pretty view; Cathy cued me in on that one.
Last night was the formal dinner and Captain's cocktail party (free drinks). Dan and I danced for the first time as a married couple up on stage 🙂 We got lots of beautiful pictures of us all spiffed up for the night. To check out our pictures of the cruise (which we will update periodically) go to the honeymoon gallery at Flickr. The photographers are all over you like a dog after a three legged cat. You couldn't walk 10 feet without the paparazzi wanting to take your picture.
Oh, I forgot to mention the food is excellent...I have no words to describe it. I will deal with losing weight later!
Today we have a another full day at sea, and then we hit Puerto Rico in the afternoon tomorrow! Today we hit the gym, went to a margarita and chips party, Dan taught me how to play roulette, got connected to the internet, enjoyed our chocolate dipped strawberries and relaxed a little. I can't wait to get off the boat and see the sights tomorrow.
After we get back to New york, we are hoping that Mark, Terri and Becca (best man + family) can join us in seeing the sights. The ship had "Night at the Museum" playing on TV. I had wanted to see the movie before going to the Museum of Natural History in NY myself. So that was kind of fun it worked out that way 🙂 There is about 50 million things I'd like to see in NY, but we don't have that much time! The only scheduled event we have in NY was a tour of the Statue of Liberty, Hudson bay and Ellis Island. Other than that, we'll see what comes our way!
Um, that is the skinny on things so far... we are just out in the middle of nowhere, sailing along. I hope everyone is well and the sun is shining on your end 🙂
Love,
Ellen