Caribbean Cruise 2005

Cruisin' - Carnival Triumph, Feb. 2005 (pictures below)

Cozumel, Grand Cayman & Jamaica are now only quaint memories. It was a very nice trip. The stops were very enjoyable & relaxing, just as a vacation should be. The ship, Carnival Triumph, however, will not come recommended from me.

Yeah, yeah, it's a nice big ship. It has a huge water slide. Typical pools. 24 hour pizza & ice cream. A casino. But, I always end up saying this : you get what you pay for. Now understand this; we don't "cruise" because of the food. We cruise for 3 reasons : Convenience, destinations, & cost. See, there I go again - you get what you pay for.

But back to the food (my 1st disappointment). "How bad was it?" ...it was so bad we canceled our Dinning Room tip, and that takes some effort on Carnival. My 2nd was with our cabin steward (however I did not cancel his tip). Maybe we're just spoiled. The last thing I will/must say (3rd issue) is that the staff on this ship is unfriendly. Maybe they're unhappy. Except in the casino - always the most friendly dealers & bar service anywhere. Hmmm, would it be because they work so hard for tips?

Even with the minor frustrations, the cruise was still very enjoyable. The Island stops were awesome! The people of Cozumel were the friendliest of the 3 stops. The beaches were super. We've never had time to visit here before - it had always been "off on an excursion then down to Carlos 'n Charlie's". We went on a snorkeling tour with Eagle Ray Divers, booked on my own via the internet. Not recommended. See my review. Then we hopped in a cab and went to a couple beaches - San Francisco & Palm Beach. Wonderful places. Incredible service, outstanding drink prices, and very nice beaches. Certainly recommended. Then we hit downtown : Hard Rock, shopping, & Carlos 'n Charlie's of course. It was a very good day. I'll grade Cozumel with an A+.

Our next stop was Grand Cayman. Wow, what a hurricane it must have been. It would take an act of Biblical proportions to ruin this destination. And this hurricane was almost that. It may take years to repair all the devastation & remove the debris. Even the landscape of the beach was effected. We found a great bar/restaurant which overlooks the peer for the Cruise ship shuttles. Grand Cayman too, was a very relaxing enjoyable stop. We missed Rum Point but found 1 of our favorite beach bars still intact. Hard Rock was fun, as always. And my sweetie found some treasure to buy. Lucky us ;) Grand Cayman is still an A.

Then there was Jamaica. Need some smoke? A cab? Bracelet? Chair? Wife? ....just kidding. And it wasn't bad at all. They are just trying to sell. And they are very friendly and do a good job. Hell, I bought some things - it was fun. The people are very friendly & Margaritaville was incredible. We walked off the ship and strolled over to the beach. It's very nice and clean. After laying around in the sun for a couple hours, we went to the .... I think Island Market or Island Village ...either way Buffet's Margaritaville was in it. Loads of fellow ship passengers & fun. A must see. There is even a casino on the main street in Ocho Rio - no dealers, all automated which was pretty neat. But, no, we didn't play, only looked. Jamaica is also an A.

Recommended : Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Ocho Rio Margaritaville.

Not : Carnival Triumph, Eagle Ray Divers, & renting a car at a stop when you only have 8 hours to visit! (I didn't talk about that did I....)

For those of you that are thinking of, contemplating, or actually planning a cruise of your own. I have found a couple of good sites. Here's one to check the current ocean wave conditions.

http://www.oceanweather.com/data/ - is a neat site, it shows the direction & height of the "waves" for all seas & oceans. It also offers the current water temp. It could prove to be very informative for an upcoming cruise.

http://www.cruise2.com/MeetingHall.html - is a good site for meeting some passengers before your cruise. Maybe. Anyway, I think it's a good idea.