Technology sucks…

I’m sure that you’ve noticed that I’ve been MIA for a bit and I apologize.  However, in my defense I have to tell you that I’ve been engaged in a to-the-death cage match with technology that has prevented me from blogging.

Now, understand, please, that I’m a computer guy.  I had my first computer in 1984 and it was a computer not some silly little Radio Shack thing or something with data stored on a cassette tape player.  It looked a great deal like a very modern desktop machine, perhaps a tad larger but quite handsome nonetheless.  It had a real hard drive, a floppy drive ( I know a number of you folks have no clue what a floppy drive is…) and even sported a color monitor.  Out the door price… a tick over $5000.  People came to visit specifically to drool over the beast.  I have to say that it was my pride and joy.  I recall the glee I felt listening to the squeals and beeps as the modem (another thing many of you have no clue about…) went about it’s job of trying to connect to a remote computer… not the internet… another computer.

One of the most challenging things I did back then was to send an image.  Sending someone a picture of something was much like inventing television.  It didn’t work well at all and when it did the result sucked.

Here we are… over 25 years later and I am being thwarted by the same problems.  Gone are the modems with their squeals and beeps.  Gone are the CRT color monitors replaced by flat screen LCD panels and gone are the massive financial investments necessary to own a computer.  However, getting an image from A to B still remains problematic.

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I rely heavily on pictures to convey experiences, thoughts and moods.  I love being able to do this.  In fact, I find it so necessary that I pay a service to host my pictures.  I know that there are sites out there that will host images and even videos for free but my needs are a bit greater than most so I elect to pay a yearly fee to have pictures available on demand for all of you wonderful folks to view. 

You might wonder where this is all leading… well… it’s leading here.  This blog thingy is wonderful.  It lets me play like I’m a writer and lets you read my miserable musings as I play like I’m a writer.  However, this blog thingy has limits.  Normally, I don’t mind limits.  Everything has limits.  I walk fifteen feet and I find the limit of my office.  I take 4768 pictures and 4769 will not be added to the memory card in my camera.  I drive my Bonneville at 130 mph and I find the limit of my driver’s license.  I try to post a picture that’s more than 430 pixels wide and I find the limits of my blog.

430… seems like a strange number, doesn’t it?  Why not 400?  Why not 500?    Where in the world did 430 pixels come from and, for that matter, why is it measured in pixels?  Why not feet, inches, kilometers or centimeters or even perhaps fish?  Pixels?  Who out there has a pixel ruler?  If you have one may I borrow it?  Do digital guys measure important parts and pieces in pixels?  I don’t know the answer to any of these questions and I’m not sure I want to know the answers.

So, what does all this have to do with me not blogging recently?  Simple.  It’s all about size… size matters.  The pictures I take are big… not necessarily good but they’re big.  They’re so big that in order to get them uploaded to the aforementioned hosting site I need to resize them.  I get out the magic dust that Irfan provides me and reduce them by a huge percentage.  Then, summoning all of my tech savy, I sent them across the internet to appear magically at the far end in my photo albums.  TAAAADAAAA! 

OK, so, my pictures are now over there and I want them here.  I want my pictures to meet that magical 430 pixel number so resizing is once again in order.  The website that I pay hard cash to has a thingy that lets one resize pictures online and save the resized copy.  This is cool.  At least it would be cool if it worked.  It says it works.  It dutifully reports to me that my pictures have been resized and saved as I commanded.  It affords one a feeling of power akin to what a Harry Potteresque wizard must feel… a feeling of power until the whole thing goes awry.

Weilding my wizard wand I command my resized picture to appear here following a paragraph or two of drivel.  POOF!  There it is!  At least there is the left 1/15 of the image.  You, my friends, get to see a wall or perhaps some random individual wandering past a random location while all of the good stuff exists only in the ether off to the right where no one can see. 

I suspect this is how the Klingon Cloaking shield works… the ship is really there… it’s just so far off to the right that it’s not visible. 

Foo. 

I want to finish adding my review of the Dream… I really do but it relies so heavily on pictures that to post it without them would be like replacing your Avatar 3D glasses with a blindfold.

I have to say that tech support at said web site is working on it… so they claim.  I’m hoping that the fix is coming (so is Christmas and my next cruise…) and that I’ll be able to complete the rest of my review before we sail on the Carnival Ecstasy. 

Keeping me from being able to add pictures is like handcuffing an Italian and asking him to talk.  It just doesn’t work out right.  I can say that.  I’m Italian.

So, in the meantime, I’ll try to add some musings handcuffed though I am.  I also promise that I’ll be taking hundreds of pictures on the Ecstasy and I promise that I’ll get them added here even if I have to do it with tape and glue.

Technology.  Foo. 

Ciao

Mach

Never ending winter…

I almost hate to write this as so many northern parts of the Country have SO long to go before winter releases its icy grip on their lives but I’m going to write it anyway. 

Here goes.

I hate winter.  Now, realize that I used to LOVE winter.  I loved the snow, the more the better.  Deep white powder… a thing of beauty and a joy to cleave  with my trusty skis… brought joy to my heart.  I loved to see the huge flakes drifting out of the sky, softening the earth turning, hard edges into gentle curves. 

Standing in foot deep snow watching the flakes glisten and bounce light like diamonds made my heart soar. 

HOWEVER… I now live in Texas… have for well over 30 years.  Winter in Texas is irritating.  It’s spotty and annoying and it’s not even a proper winter.  There’s no snow to speak of.  The last time it snowed any amount at all here was 1985.  Winter is gray skies, rain, drizzle, mud and sullen faces.  Foo.  No glory in that. 

This morning the day has started out with rain, gray (currently black…) skies and, certainly, mud.  My glistening black car will turn gray or brown during my 20 minute drive to the office.  The entire day will do nothing to stir my soul, at least the weather won’t.  No sunshine, no blue skies, no fun.  Foo.

As I mentioned, winter here is spotty.  The weather has been like this for three days now.  Ugly, uncomfortable, uninspiring and now cold.  The weather started looking like winter a remarkably long time ago, about two months ago, I believe.  Considering that winter in Texas is normally about two weeks this year, I have determined, sucks. 

Bottom line, I need a cruise. 

A glimmer of hope glows dimly in my soul with a cruise a scant three weeks away.  The date isn’t close enough to be giddy about but it’s close enough to make me hate the weather we have now.  Of course, I know that there are benefits to our current conditions.  We need the precipitation.  All of our drinking water come from an aquifer, a huge cave in the ground that fills with water when it rains.  We need the cold to kill off the hundreds of billions of insects that would otherwise dot the front end of my car and windshield come spring.

Despite that, I still find it all very depressing.  The current temperature is 42 degrees down from 53 degrees when I woke up.  This is not a good sign.  The wind is blowing 30 knots and we have an actual wind chill.  I don’t want to even think about what that turns out to be.  Winter is no friend of mine.  Every bone I’ve broken (quite a few…) and every surgery I’ve ever had (quite a few…) are driven to remind me of their existance in conditions like this.

The folks just a few hundred miles to the north have it much worse.  Really, I find it difficult to feel more sorry for them than I do for myself because I’m not there.  Pretty selfish, huh? 

Now, some of those folks a few hundred miles north are experiencing real winter… snow… ice… schools closed… all those things that most folks associate with winter.  A fortunate few will be joining us on the Ecstasy soon.

I expect that glimmer of hope I mentioned a bit ago glows even brighter in their souls than it does mine.  After all, their winter REALLY sucks.  Three weeks or thereabouts… the website tells me 22 days… until we escape winter for the glory of the Caribbean.  How cool is that?

For most of the US it’s the dead of winter which begs the question… why aren’t you booked on a cruise?  Any cruise will do… three day… four day… seven day or twelve day… it makes no difference.  Waking up the first day at sea to warm, salty breezes fixes any number of ills.  Digging your toes into white sand while sipping something tropical lifts the spirits beyond imagination. 

It makes no difference which cruise line, they all sail the same water, you breath in the same air and make the same ports.  The Caribbean is no more blue on Celebrity than it is on Carnival or Royal.  The air is no more fresh on Cunard than it is on NCL.  Find a cruise line that fits you and get on board. 

There are some things that are true beyond a shadow of a doubt…  winter is depressing and a cruise isn’t.   It’s that simple.

I’ll see you on board.

Ciao

Mach

The No Plan Plan…

Planning… it frees the mind and soul.  Planning takes us to exotic ports of call on ships of white clad with smiles and laughter.  Planning is an essential part of cruising.

Who doesn’t love to plan?  Visiting web sites… asking questions (hopefully on Cruise Critic… )… taking notes… considering finances and schedules brings the cruise alive perhaps even more so than making the final payment does. 

Cruisers are notorious planners.  Before my first cruise, back in the dark ages when the face of the internet was CompuServe and Cruise Critic didn’t exist, the only way to plan was to visit a travel agent, beg a few dog-eared brochures and stare longingly at pictures of blue water and white sand.  The word of the travel agent had to be trusted for accuracy.  I remember vividly the phrase ‘You’ll LOVE this ship.’  Well, that ship that I ended up not loving nearly put me off cruising forever.  God bless the internet and Cruise Critic.  Now, planning has taken on a different hue completely.  Information is available for virtually (no pun intended…) anything cruise related. 

Consider that Cruise Critic currently has over 550,000 members a very large percentage of whom are active.  Consider that Cruise Critic has a forum for every cruise line in the world and some that aren’t even cruise lines… the forum for non-traditional cruising… cargo ships and the like. 

There’s also forums for nearly every port of call in the world.  Just think about that… where are you going?  Egypt?  Got a forum for there.  Thinking about a voyage that has a stop in Gdansk?  Got a forum for there.  Wondering what the party scene is like at the southern most city in the world?  There’s a forum for Ushusia.  How cool is that?

Of course, Cruise Critic isn’t the only source of information.  Each and every cruise line has their own sites and they’re getting better by the day.  Many have user-centric forums where cruisers can chat and exchange information.  Every site has deck plans and tons of pictures to ply the mind like good wine. 

Pretty much every port, even more, every resort and every tour operator has a web site.  Wanna find a great personalized tour in Jamaica?  Oooo… look… it’s Marva Shaw at knowjamiaca.com!  Wanna float through a cave in Belize?  Cave-tubing.com is there to answer every question and even book your tour.  Wanna get up close and personal with an airliner?  No problem, mon… there’s a website that tells you everything you need to know about Maho Beach in St Maarten.

Planning takes time… generally more time than the voyage.  We plan months in advance, sometimes years in advance.  We bookmark websites in our favorites and return to them two, three or four times a week just in case something might have changed.

Planning is tempered by change.  Mentally, the plan is perfect.  The PLAN: We’re going to be in port at 8 AM; debark by 8:30; in a cab and on the beach by 9 with a frosty, exotic concoction in hand.  The REALITY:  You stand on the deck of the ship miles from shore listening to the criuse director explain that the government of the island has been overthrown by the military and they’re  eating tourists.

Reality is far from perfect.  Weather pays no heed to your plans, for that matter, neither do the so-called governments of many of the locations we visit.  Take Roatan, for example.  Gorgeous island with a brand new port built by Carnival; Mahogany Beach.  Awesome… simply awesome.  However, let some low-level bureaucrat get his boxers in a wad over his brother-in-law getting fired from a convenience store and there are protests and strikes.  This is just how things are in the Banana Republics we all love.

I mentioned weather…  My favorite time of year to cruise is at the peak of hurricane season… late September.  Now, I have never missed a port of call due to a hurricane or had a cruise canceled because of one but I’ve come close.  Just a few weeks before a sailing on the Carnival Conquest a hurricane named ‘Ike’ elected to visit south Texas.  That reminds me… how the heck did hurricanes get to be named after men?  Odd…  Anyway, Ike took a heavy toll on Galveston and put the kibosh on my plans.  We ended up sailing from Bayport, near Houston in the muddiest water I have ever seen.

Weather can force changes to plans in many ways.  Now, allow me to digress for a bit to discuss waves.  Waves are generally a function of wind… yep… wind.  When wind travels a distance over water, called ‘fetch’, waves are produced.  Some waves are big, some not so big.  The not-so-big waves are either not noticeable on a modern cruise ship or are little more than amusing.  The Big Waves can move even the largest ships about like a cork.  So, even when things seem calm on the ship the waves can cause you to miss a port.  As an example, Grand Cayman.  Grand Cayman has a remarkable reef that the local government is quite protective of.  For that reason, there is no pier and if you want to visit Georgetown you must do so via tender… a smallish vessel that transfers you from ship to shore.  On occasions the seas will simply be too rough to safely allow passengers to board the tenders.   There goes your afternoon swim with the stingrays and your visit to Hell.  Instead of luxuriating on Seven Mile Beach you get to hang out on the Lido Deck and gaze at Seven Mile Beach.  Foo.  Nothing can be done about it.  It’s luck of the draw and just one of those things that keeps cruising, and planning, interesting.

I mentioned on a blog several months ago that I will be sailing on the newly refurbished Carnival Ecstasy in February.  Stitch and I will be joined by some absolutely wonderful folks, many of whom we have had the honor to sail with in the past and count as friends.  There’s Dread Pirate and his Princess; Star453 and Virginia; Texgen and Walter; Teri1 and her son and a roll call full of great folks who we have yet to meet.  

Just like every other cruise there has been discussion about what we’re going to do in port.  We make port in two of my favorites… Progreso and Cozumel.   Planning for Cozumel alone and take several years.  There are so many beaches, so many tours, so much excitement available that piecing it all together would frustrate the most avid puzzle builder.  Mr. Sancho’s; Paradise Beach; Playa Mia; Nachi Cocum; Playa Uvas; Carlos n’ Charlie’s; Chankanaab; Palancar and the list goes on… and on… and on. 

What’s a cruiser to do?  So many places, so little time. 

I came up with a plan… of sorts.  I call it the ‘No Plan Plan.’  Yep… no plan.  We’re gonna get off the ship and  go where our noses and our toeses lead us.  I suspect my nose will lead me to someplace with margaritas and good food.  I suspect my toes will lead me to white sand.

On the No Plan Plan the only constraint is time.  When do we have to be back on the ship?  Once that’s established all the rest is gravy… or perhaps guacamole in this case.

Really, I can’t see a down side to the No Plan Plan.  I’m sure we’ll hit some of our favorite watering holes and shopping spots.  I’m just as sure that we’ll laugh, hug, relish the sun and the distance from home.  Even more, when good friends get together who needs a plan anyway?

Ciao

Mach

A Dream to nowhere… pt 9

In addition to Hailee we had two of the staff of Cruise Critic at our Meet & Mingle. Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor, and Melissa Paloti, managing editor, were there chatting, interviewing and enjoying the gathering.

The folks at Carnival offered to take a group photo of us so Eli, one of the folks from the entertainment staff, organized a parade of Cruise Critic members to the Atrium where we essentially took over for the photo shoot. Great fun!!

A few stuck around to have a cocktail at the Lobby Bar but most went on their way knowing that the boat drill would be coming up soon.

We returned to our cabin to take care of a few things first. I wandered out to the balcony and because our cabin is at eye level with the waiting area in the cruise terminal we could see folks, quite a few folks, still milling about. It was already past 4 PM and our scheduled sail away was 5 PM. A glance at the Deck 0 boarding area showed passengers still filing onto the ship. We speculated about reasons and the only thing I could come up with was flight delays as the weather had gotten worse throughout the afternoon. I still don’t know the real reason for all the delays. I talked with a friend a Carnival and he responded with an official position. He said that because the normal boarding procedures could not be used and the requirement to go through Deck 0 boarding was delayed. This is from his email:

The embarkation challenges for the Carnival Dream in New York were due to the fact that we were not able to use our normal passenger gangway and board through Deck 3 into the ship’s lobby. The delays were not at security screening nor the check-in stations but rather at the entrance to the vessel itself. Based on the configuration of the terminal and ship, it was necessary to board through a crew area on Deck 0 where there are a limited number of elevators which caused significant backups.

We are currently examining the situation to determine what modifications can be made to alleviate the situation for the Carnival Dream’s final voyage from New York next week. Once the ship arrives in Port Canaveral, we will be able to use our normal gangways and do not anticipate any issues with the boarding process.

 

So, embark was slow and sail away was delayed. We wandered the ship and I took pictures here and there, marveled at many of the tiny details that Joe Farcus had added to the ship and many of the elements that he had carried over from the Carnival Splendor. Many of the colors and accents borrowed made the experience more comfortable, more familiar. On the passenger decks panels in the hallways have whimsical art applied very much like the wall art on the Splendor…

There were great new additions that took a bit of searching to find. If you like to do scrapbooking and want pictures printed right now you have an option!

This station allows you to make cards, album pages, booklets and more!

Eventually, the call came for the boat drill. For the fist time on the Dream the new boat drill was used. I’ve read others say that there was a great deal of confusion. We saw some of that as well. Our muster station was C4 which turned out to be in the Chambers Conference Room. The marking to the location was poor and several of the staff members I talked to had no clue where that was. We actually got flat wrong directions at one point. I knew we were in the Chambers, I just wanted directions and the answers I received were confusing, indeed.

Once in place the boat drill was quite painless. No life jacket, no standing about for 30 minutes just a quick safety briefing and a video, perhaps 12 minutes or so once everyone was in place.

With the briefing over we decided to head up to the Lido Deck for a snack before dinner. We popped out on the Panorama Deck to find that we were underway!

The above photo was shot at a very unique camera setting that reduces the size of the image and concentrates the available light so it’s reduced here, as well.

As we left port there was an air of excitement spreading throughout the public decks. Sadly, once clear of the wall of buildings that were shielding us the wind made itself obvious. The forecasts were for 35 gusting to 40 and I can guarantee that they were all of that.

I grabbed a few pictures of the skyline as we made our way out of the harbor area…

It certainly was an impressive sight.

We slid back inside as the wind was beginning to howl and the temperatures were just barely above 40. The wind chill was amazing and we were both in need of some warm air and a bite to eat.

We finally made it to the Deli to grab a sandwich. We both got the Combo which was corned beef and pastrami on rye. The meat was shaved very thin making it amazingly tender. It was warm, very good and filling enough to hold us ’til dinner.

We were both anxious to sail past the Statue of Liberty so I would occasionally get up and run out onto the aft end of the Lido Deck to look for her. When she finally came into view she was well off the starboard side of the ship. The wind was ripping making standing difficult, let alone taking pictures but I was able to get a few pictures that were fair, at best.

A Dream to nowhere… pt 8

We hung clothes, drawered those things that needed to be drawered and readied ourselves for the Meet & Mingle. Having not had the opportunity to visit the Caliente previously we headed out 30 minutes early.

I have to say, the Caliente is cool… very cool. Stitch allows that it harkens back to the days of disco. This ain’t no disco place I ever saw!! Look at this!!!

That, boys and girls, is in the Caliente!!! In fact, there’s a BUNCH of ‘em!!!

The venue is remarkably cool and I was so grateful to get this place for our M&M.

Our Meet & Mingle was scheduled for 2:30 to 3:30 PM to allow us to meet before the boat drill, which was scheduled for 3:30… or so…

As 2:30 approached folks began arriving. Lots of smiles were exchanged as we had all met on the roll call but most of us never in person.

The list of folks who attended is long, indeed, and we ended up with about 120 folks there. That’s one heck of a Meet & Mingle!!

 

We were thrilled to have Hailee Steberger, the Godchild of the Carnival Dream Waterpark, and her parents join us!

A Dream to nowhere… pt 7

Of course, the real story of the new Cove balcony is outside, not inside so let’s take a look.

The Cove is very much like the ‘hull’ or ‘in-hull’ balcony cabins on Cunard’s QM2. They’re very popular for Transatlantic crossings and I believe they’ll be wildly popular on the Dream, as well.

The most obvious difference is what keeps you from falling into the sea. In an Cove it’s hull plating, in a standard balcony it’s Plexiglas. The best view of the hull plating is from the outside.

The traditional balcony separator is replaced on one side by the weather door. After sailing on the Dream last November I have to wonder how bad the weather must be for them to be closed!!! The weather door is a very heavy affair with a thick rubber gasket designed to completely seal the normal cabin door from the pounding waves might give it.

The door is quite heavy and hung on hinges that are quite impressive, indeed.

The hull plating from the bottom of the opening up is angled inward to provide clearance for the life boats that are mounted above on deck 4, the Atlantic Deck.

The life boats aren’t obtrusive at all. They don’t sway about or even ever get into your line of sight especially is you’re sitting on the chairs.

A Dream to nowhere… pt 6

Having committed the nearly unforgivable sin of not yet having acquired a DOD we set off to fix that issue. We went to the Ocean Plaza and picked up a couple of DODs and, man, were they good!!!

 There was so much FUN in those Fun Ship Specials that I was thinkin’ about staying right there for the remainder of the cruise!! Stitch can build a mean Fun Ship Special but these were the feline’s posterior!!

Immediately next to the Plaza Bar is the Margarita Bar. We only saw it in operation on embarkation but it looked great.

 

In the pictures above you can see small iridescent tiles, perhaps a half an inch on a side, being used extensively. This same design accent is found throughout the ship and is just one aspect that unifies the public spaces.

I was fascinated by the use of Caribbean Blue as a central color ship wide. In the image below you can see the beautiful way the same color is used to illuminate and highlight the tops of the columns at the Lanai.

Fed and watered it was now nearing 1 PM so it must be time to get to the cabin and drop off our bags. Also, the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle was scheduled for 2:30 PM in the disco, the Caliente.

The fire doors were still closed but a push on the handle and a nudge with the shoulder convinced them to open. Our cabin was just a bit aft of midships, very conveniently located to both the midships and aft banks of elevators.

As y’all might have guessed, I glory in details and there were a number of new details to entertain myself with. As an example the closet door closest to the cabin door is recessed. Odd, eh? Well, it was odd until I opened the cabin door fully and there was no bang. The door opened to its stop with the handle nicely clear of the recessed door. Cool.

The bathroom has a few new features that put a smile on my face. There’s a new shower head, adjustable for a massage spy, fine, coarse, etc.

For anyone who has ever been sitting on the toilet and leaned back only to have their bottom nearly sucked into oblivion the flush button is now an innie rather than an outtie making the inadvertent flush a thing of the past.

A word of caution for those with less than ample derrierers… the toilet seat is a tad skimpy. You may feel like there’s not quite enough there when you first sit down. In fact, it looks more like a rim than a seat!!!

The rest of the cabin was pretty much what you’re used to, the same colors, the same bed, the same sofa. In our case, it was convertible to a bunk but we never bothered to look at it.

Two small throw pillows on the bed were a nice added touch.

A Dream to nowhere… pt 5

The Dream sat there by now completely devoid of passengers and the passengers sat there completely devoid of excitement. They were so devoid, in fact, that many elected to amuse themselves by being as rude as they possibly could.

People bumped into me without saying a word, they stood directly in front of me while I was composing a shot and they actually took our chairs with our bags parked directly in front of them. I’ve seen folks who were anxious forget their manners a bit but these folks weren’t anxious in the least. They appeared bothered to be there and complained about pretty much everything.

One of the shore side staff came up to me to let me know that we would begin embark at about 11:45. Good news now that we had stood drooling over the ship for the last hour and a half.

At the appointed time they began calling zones. The people rose and vanished into the far end of the terminal. Three zones worth plus those needing assistance were swept up and out the door.

Being a curious kind of guy I was able to see where they had gone to by standing on one of those heat thingies that buildings in the north must have to keep the occupants from turning into ice cubes. At pier level there was a long tent like structure that ended about 50 to 75 feet from the gangways that had been deployed from the ship. People would pop out of the tent, scurry across the open rainy area and clamber up the ramp into the ship. Deck 0. They were boarding at deck 0.

 

Boarding stopped. I was told they were dealing with a ‘technical issue.’ Odd that there would be a technical issue that would delay boarding. We speculated that it might be the machine that eats your Sail and Sign card and goes ding but that wasn’t it, not it at all.

We all knew that the weather was less than optimum. A weather forecaster on the Newark TV station described it as ‘yucky’, a highly technical term that means strong winds, rain and high swells. The crew were attempting locate somewhere, some large cove where we might simply anchor in calmer conditions in order to make the short voyage more enjoyable. The idea of remaining in port was even broached but another ship was scheduled to arrive the next day so that idea got shot down fast. As far as I have been able to determine, those were the technical issues that the crew had to deal with.

With a decision made boarding recommenced and we were on the ship at 12:15. Everyone was queued up for the elevators up to the Lobby Deck or straight to the Lido Deck.

I opted for the Lobby Deck as I needed to drop a note off at the Purser’s Desk and, more than anything, get a first glimpse of the Atrium.

The space is grand yet muted with none of the Las Vegas neon that marks so many Carnival ships. Some have called it ‘dark.’ To me it evokes a sense of elegance, calm and confidence.

This ship is a departure for Joe Farcus. For the first time there is no central theme and I can understand why. The spaces on the ship lend themselves to entertainment more than mood. The ship is more open, more airy than vessels of the past. You’ll see just how well executed this has been in the Ocean Plaza and the Lanai.

We were famished having not eaten the previous evening or this morning so we headed to the Lido Deck, deck 10 on this vessel, to feed our grumbly tummies. A decision was made and we went aft to the Tandoor. Stitch has never had Indian food and she was delighted with what she selected. The highlight of her plate was the Tandoor Fish. It was firm, spicy, and dense. Along with the fish she had added meat Samosas and a wonderful fruit and vegetable dish with red and green peppers, pineapple, pear and a variety of other items in a delicious curry. I elected to have my favorites on the menu; Beef Rongangosh, Tandoor Chicken and Saffron Pilaf. Everything was better than expected with wonderful levels of spice and served hot.

 

A Dream to nowhere… pt 4

We had arrived at the port early, a bit earlier than we intended but that was OK. I felt pretty sure that since the previous night was just a sleep over for travel agents that we would be able to board the ship fairly quickly. Well, Murphy, it seems, was still having fun with me.

It was about 9:30 and we were told that check in didn’t begin until about 10:30, have a seat ‘over there’ and they would let us know when we needed to go through security.

The Dream was like a magnet. We stood at the windows and gloried in the size and the newness of the vessel. Did I mention that she’s large? She’s so large, it seems, that she’s too big for New York City.

The passenger gangways that we’re all so familiar with aren’t usable with Dream Class ships sailing out of New York. The ship can’t be positioned far enough forward or the gangway be positioned high enough to mate to the ship.

She doesn't fit!

In the image above you can see that the gangway positions at deck 2, the deck that hosts the Cove Balcony cabins, not deck 3, the Lobby Deck, where passengers would normally enter.

I pointed that out to Stitch and we both found it odd, to say the least.

At just about 10:30 the assembled cruisers were allowed to proceed to check in. A quick x ray of our luggage and down the long hall we went. As we walked one of the shore side agents told us to ’sit anywhere.’ There were a few sections reserved for this boarding number or that so we parked ourselves on the Dream side of the terminal about half way down. Good spot.

NYC cruise terminal at Pier 88

The way the hull openings for the Cove mimics the cabin window brought a smile to my face.

Cove Balcony cabins

At the end of the hall was something quite unexpected… a ‘model’ of the Dream made out of cans of tuna. The model represents a partnership among several groups, including Carnival, to help provide food for the needy this holiday season.

Food drive

A tuna Dream

Trying to make the time pass waiting to get on board has never been my strong suite. I wandered the hall looking for anything to keep my short attention span occupied (ooooo… shiny). Opposite us and at the aft end of the Intrepid sat a Concord, the world’s only supersonic airliner. Retired many years now she still looks like Mach 2 sitting on the ground or, in this case, a pier.

British Airways Concord

A Dream to nowhere… pt 3

We were on the ground in Newark and that, by itself, was a boost.

As we rode the shuttle to the Holiday Inn at the airport we caught our first glimpse of the Carnival Dream. The typical rows of brilliant cabin lights were orange in the distance but it was a sight that any experienced Carnival cruiser would recognize in a moment.

That couple of second glimpse buoyed our spirits and smiles broke out on our faces.

Although the Holiday Inn is only about a mile from the airport our driver apparently had a unique sense of direction as it took nearly 20 minutes to get there. We saw the hotel go by not twice, not three times but four times before we finally pulled up in front.

We were the only people on the shuttle who spoke English so the ride was fairly quiet with the exception of our muted conversation and some Garth Brooks tunes.

Our room was large enough and nicely kept. The air conditioner/heater was great. It was loud enough to drown out the sound of the jets taking off from the airport as they flew nearly directly overhead.
 

 

Holiday Inn Newark International Airport

For $59 a night and free shuttle to and from the airport I’m not gonna complain. OK… that’s not quite accurate. I am gonna complain.

There’s a bar on premises just as most hotels have. It was obvious that this one was the primary source of revenue for the hotel. After all, how much money can they make at $59 a night? We went down to the bar and ordered a few drinks. After three a piece we were ready to do something else so I asked for the tab. $60. $10/drink and mine were all draught beers. Wow… And folks complain about the price of drinks on board!! When I got back to my room I was lookin’ for a balcony, chocolates on my pillow and a towel animal or two.

A word of advice… never, I repeat NEVER order wine from room service at a Holiday Inn. The following charges brought a bottle of cab to our room in a blistering 45 minutes:

wine: $24
delivery charge: $1.99
tax: unknown
involuntary gratuity of 18%: the rest

Grand Total: $32.64 and at that price they threw in the screw cap. How generous.

Regardless it had been a very long day. We were both tired and excited about the prospect of getting to the ship in the morning so we called it a night at about 11:45.

We woke at about 5 AM to give Stitch some time to do all that girls stuff while I sat gazing at the webcams on the Dream and answered email. We packed, headed down to the lobby to catch the airport shuttle that runs ‘24 hours a day’ except it seems on Friday when there’s a cruise ship in port.

We needed to be back at Terminal C by about 8:15 as the AirLink shuttle to the pier was scheduled to arrive at 8:30. We stood by the Holiday Inn van in the 41 degree temperatures awaiting the arrival of an apparently mythical driver for about 30 mintues. At 8:05 a second van shows up, rapidly fills with passengers, none of whom can speak English, and bags and off we go. By last night’s performance we were in deep trouble.

Five minutes later we pulled up in front of Terminal C. The driver from the previous evening really didn’t have any sense of direction.

After a few fairly sad attempts at communicating with the Airport Information folks, none of whom spoke English, we went with my first instinct and rode the escalator to a lower level in the building. The first person I asked where I might need to go for the AirLink Shuttle replied ‘Right here’ The sigh of relief that left me must have sounded like the Hindenburg venting gas just before the explosion.

The shuttle shows up, we get on and there’s one other passenger. We are off. In one hour and twenty minutes we have deposited the other passenger and are nearing the port.

The Carnival Dream looms large, very large, before us. Hugs and smiles break out as the gettin’ to the ship ordeal comes to an end. 

A Dream bow on...

Your Carnival Dream

A short ride in an elevator puts us on level 2 of the building. The amazingly wide door slid open to deposit us in the terminal with the Dream visible in the windows to the right. To the left is the USS Intrepid with an array of aircraft on her deck. 

 

 

It was nearly impossible to hide the smiles and laughter that seeped out all over the place as we plastered our noses against the glass soaking in every detail we could manage from our vantage point.

The Cove Balcony cabins, which were pretty much at eye level, brought a jaw drop and a squeal of excitement from Stitch. 

   

That's our cabin... right there!!

I pointed out the location of our cabin. That simple act elicited an ‘I can see my cabin from here’ dance from Stitch and a huge smile from me.