Cruise to the East Caribbean

TheMercenary • Jun 20, 2008 6:46 pm
We are off for the next 7 days starting in the am. I will be around tonight. So long Cellar. It has been good.
HungLikeJesus • Jun 20, 2008 6:57 pm
Take lots of underwear pictures.
TheMercenary • Jun 20, 2008 7:00 pm
We plan on it. We have it packed.
BigV • Jun 20, 2008 7:03 pm
Bon Voyage!
lookout123 • Jun 20, 2008 8:13 pm
enjoy the midnight pizza kitchen for me. it may not be the absolute best pizza, but it's great for the price.
TheMercenary • Jun 20, 2008 9:20 pm
Dammit, I edited the title, Eastern, somehow it did not take. Ugggg.

Anyway, thanks fella's.

I have heard that about the pizza. And apparently there is some desert thingy that everyone raves about.
lookout123 • Jun 21, 2008 12:55 am
desert thingy
You saw Gilligan's Isle right?
xoxoxoBruce • Jun 21, 2008 4:20 am
Mary Ann!:D
Undertoad • Jun 21, 2008 9:54 am
fixed the title
TheMercenary • Jun 29, 2008 10:00 am
Undertoad;464166 wrote:
fixed the title


Thanks UT. Home again.

I am going to type out a Cruise Critic summary of the trip and I will post a copy to this thread.

We have over 2g of pics and video. I will put them up on my Picasa site and give you all a link. It will take a little while.
Cloud • Jun 29, 2008 10:06 am
ooh, you're back, yay! at least tell us if you had a good time.
Cicero • Jun 29, 2008 10:42 am
I'm glad you guys celebrated my birthday for me, in a fashion I would have. Thank you for your contribution.

(I am twitching with jealousy)
;)
skysidhe • Jun 29, 2008 2:15 pm
TheMercenary;465654 wrote:
Thanks UT. Home again.

I am going to type out a Cruise Critic summary of the trip and I will post a copy to this thread.

We have over 2g of pics and video. I will put them up on my Picasa site and give you all a link. It will take a little while.


looking foward to that!
TheMercenary • Jun 30, 2008 2:08 pm
Cloud;465655 wrote:
ooh, you're back, yay! at least tell us if you had a good time.


Overall we had a good time. One thing we learned was that a cruise is a business and not so much about the destination. The destinations they offer are teasers to get you on the boat. It is more about the boat and for every hour you are off the boat the cruise line is losing money. The tours were whurl-wind and two short, although the last one in St. Martain was the best as we had bagged on anything organized and did things on our own just traveling and ending up at Orient Beach. The first tour was snorking with sting-rays in the Bahamas, very cool, but a bit packaged. It consumed our first stop along with the lines getting on and off the boat. Oh, and the very cool underwater camera never worked, could not get it to functing correctly. On the way home we figured out that we failed to put the batteries in it befor shleping on the tour. The second tour was St. Thomas, pretty much a waste of time, that is one pour country. Not as poor as some other places I have visited while on active duty, but poor never the less. More later.
lookout123 • Jun 30, 2008 2:10 pm
now that you have been on a cruise and have the experience i would suggest not taking any tour packages. go on your own and you'll have more fun. we saw a lot more of france and italy than we would have if we'd taken their tours.
TheMercenary • Jun 30, 2008 2:15 pm
Yea, we sort of figured that out the hard way. Live and learn.

And next time there will be no teens going, no exception. We took our 21, 18, and 16 year olds. Screw that. Miserable ungrateful bastereds(etts) can stay home.
jester • Jun 30, 2008 3:28 pm
I second L123 on the shore excursions. Just got back from Grand Cayman (Hell Rock, Sea Turtle Farm & Swimming w/Stingrays on a Sandbar) & Cozumel (Ruins of Tulum), our 2nd time, different excursion) and should have done our own thing. Their rushed and while some of the things they offer are interesting, it’s hard to take in everything at a “glance". This was actually our 3rd Cruise, our 17 yr old went and had a blast, but they offered a “Teen Club” and he didn’t get in bed until after 2 am, almost every night.
xoxoxoBruce • Jul 1, 2008 12:15 am
TheMercenary;465981 wrote:

And next time there will be no teens going, no exception. We took our 21, 18, and 16 year olds. Screw that. Miserable ungrateful bastereds(etts) can stay home.


You took freshnesschronic with you? :eek:
TheMercenary • Jul 1, 2008 8:55 am
:D
TheMercenary • Jul 2, 2008 7:37 am
Ok folks, our trip pics are up. Here is the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/AnesMerc/CruiseCarnivalGloryEasternCaribbeanJune2008

Let me know what you think.
Cloud • Jul 2, 2008 9:56 am
what do I think?

--oooh, you had a balcony! Can you sit out there nekkid?
--Funship Freddie is Freaky!
--stingray mutilation, boo!
--cool pic of you!
--luverly family! lucky family!
--Nassau looks interesting. Did you say it was?
--pics of the ship are pretty boring, though
--that first towel animal looks lame! (later ones are better)
--dancing, yay!
--I'll skip the submarine ride, thanks, and I think I'm too fat for the parasailing. :(
--ah, the rite of passage . . . (first drink)
--I think the colonial architecture in the area is interesting
--like the market shot . . . but were they selling ANTS?
--look! it's a Corona commercial!
--you really got a kick outta those penis cacti, didn't you?
--"sexy fruits"? penis cacti? you sure you were on the right beach?
--what did you do to get your ass kicked by Security? Harass the nice ass in the thong? :)
--the gym looks pretty deserted. Funny, in the ads they're always full of happy running people

--I still want to go on one!
HungLikeJesus • Jul 2, 2008 9:59 am
That underwater camera didn't work out?
Sundae • Jul 2, 2008 11:19 am
Great pics Merc - very envious
None of food though, please remember that next time you travel

I'm surprised you haven't seen a Ka before?! They're a popular car over here.
lookout123 • Jul 2, 2008 11:51 am
Lil Lookout LOVED Funship Freddie. I think he was 3, maybe 4 the first time he saw him. He didn't want to see us the rest of the cruise, just wanted to chill with Fred.
jinx • Jul 2, 2008 12:06 pm
Nice pics Merc. Everything looked really cool except for the parts where you're trapped on a ship with others. Did you enjoy it more or less than you thought you would?
Shawnee123 • Jul 2, 2008 12:38 pm
Great pics! Looks like fun!

I must wonder, though, in the "topless deck" pic what is all that, um, hair in the forefront?

(I bet kids do love Funship Freddie, but I gotta say, he reminds me of Front Row Joe who I would kick in the teeth were he real.) :lol:
lookout123 • Jul 2, 2008 12:41 pm
his attempt to avoid being thrown off the topless deck by a pissy boyfriend.
TheMercenary • Jul 2, 2008 9:51 pm
lookout123;466414 wrote:
his attempt to avoid being thrown off the topless deck by a pissy boyfriend.


Something like that. That girl was smoking hot. But probably the same age as my oldest girl, so not so hot.
TheMercenary • Jul 2, 2008 9:59 pm
Cloud;466355 wrote:
what do I think?

--oooh, you had a balcony! Can you sit out there nekkid? Yes, and we did.
--Funship Freddie is Freaky!Not different from some lame ass baseball mascot, but the kids loved him.
--stingray mutilation, boo!Point taken, but it was still fun and we got to hand feed them.
--cool pic of you!Thanks.
--luverly family! lucky family!Yea, but they were in a prissy mode and the smile was forced at the pic with the pink shutters. We were having family stress. Most of the trip was good.
--Nassau looks interesting. Did you say it was?Not really, I thought it was the dirtiest and a bit poor. Not a bad thing, just the way it was.
--pics of the ship are pretty boring, thoughYea, but for people who want to see what it really looks like I think they help.
--that first towel animal looks lame! (later ones are better)Agreed.
--dancing, yay!
--I'll skip the submarine ride, thanks, and I think I'm too fat for the parasailing. :(
--ah, the rite of passage . . . (first drink)Yea, he was excited and mom put him up to it for the pics.
--I think the colonial architecture in the area is interestingI agree, I love architecture.
--like the market shot . . . but were they selling ANTS?Never saw any.
--look! it's a Corona commercial!{smile}
--you really got a kick outta those penis cacti, didn't you?Novelty for sure.
--"sexy fruits"? penis cacti? you sure you were on the right beach?Yes it was the right beach, momma was toppless in front of those pics.
--what did you do to get your ass kicked by Security? Harass the nice ass in the thong? :)
--the gym looks pretty deserted. Funny, in the ads they're always full of happy running peopleMid day pic. The place was packed at 7 am each am, I was in there at no later than 0630. It was hard to run on the treadmill as the boat rocked and by day 4 had to just give up running on them as it was to much stress on my knee.

--I still want to go on one!

Thanks for the comments.
TheMercenary • Jul 2, 2008 10:02 pm
jinx;466404 wrote:
Nice pics Merc. Everything looked really cool except for the parts where you're trapped on a ship with others. Did you enjoy it more or less than you thought you would?

Still sort of mixed on the experience. It grows on you as the days go by. Overall it was a good experience. Not sure if I will go again. If I do it will be without the whiney teens.
TheMercenary • Jul 2, 2008 10:05 pm
Shawnee123;466411 wrote:
I must wonder, though, in the "topless deck" pic what is all that, um, hair in the forefront?


Shot over the wifes naked breasts.