Our second cruise was just as amazing as the first – if not more so. My parents joined Curtis, my brother Matt and his wife Chelsea and me on their maiden voyage. It was vacation time! And we had quite the journey to make too.
We hit the road on Friday, January 27 ate at Agave Mexican Restaurant in Columbia, MO. Enchiladas Mexico and very strong Margarita on the rocks made for a tasty meal.
On Saturday, we headed out bright and early towards my brother’s home in Kentucky. We were blessed with having Mexican food again and it didn’t disappoint either. El Toribio in Owensboro, KY had some delicious enchiladas.
After a short drive, Sunday evening was spent in Nashville. For Curtis, my parents and me, this was our virgin trip and boy, did we have fun. We watched a live band at The Stage, had supper at Rock Bottom Brewery, enjoyed the atmosphere at Honky Tonk Central and sang with the rest of the bar at Swingin’ Doors Saloon.
I’d say we would have stayed in Nashville all week if we didn’t have flight to Miami to catch.
When we finally made it to the Carnival Sensation on Monday, January 30, we were starving after a long day of travel, so we went straight to the Carnival Deli to scarf down a delicious sandwich. Personally, I love the Reubens they make…not the same from a German restaurant, but still amazing!
Tuesday was a Day at Sea while we made our way to our first destination of Grand Turk, but that didn’t mean we didn’t have fun. It was fancy night…woo woo! We enjoyed dinner in the Ecstasy Dining Room after taking some lovely Carnival Pixel pictures. We also enjoyed some comedy shows. If you ever get the chance to go on a cruise make sure to take in all the entertainment you can.
We were ready for the beach on Wednesday. After enjoying breakfast at the Lido Restaurant, we debarked at Grand Turk. Walking the long dock let us really take in the gorgeous beach. We ate a tasty lunch of Volcano Nachos and Tropical Fruit Mango Margaritas at…where else! Margaritaville! The nachos were HUGE and the margarita was STRONG!
After a few hours of shopping and wandering the beach, we practically ran back to the ship as a storm rolled in. While waiting in line we got downpoured on (and a good laugh!). While everyone else went to bed early that night, Dad and I enjoyed Hasbro the Gameshow. Once again, another piece of Carnival entertainment you should definitely partake in.
Thursday, February 2 was going to be epic. Not only were we docking at Half Moon Cay, Carnival’s own private island (AKA Little San Salvador), but it was Matt’s 30th birthday.
We had to dock away from the island so we took a double-decker boat inland and had a blast hanging out on the beach all day. We swam, we drank, some of us played beach games, we enjoyed a complimentary island lunch of jerk chicken, German potato salad and brownies. There were chickens roaming the beach, so I hope they weren’t offended by the food. HA!
After coming back on board, we decided tonight was a night for Matt so he got to pick the entertainment. We went to a trivia game – Celebrity Mash Up – exactly like it sounds, people. They mash the faces of celebrities together and you have to guess who they are. Well, with our powers combined, we finally won a trivia contest. And two…yes, two SHIPS ON A STICK! FINALLY! Hell, you would have thought we had won the Super Bowl, we were so excited. Now, my parents had no clue what was going on, but they and the folks around us didn’t know the trouble we’d been through trying to win one on our previous cruise. But there was always that guy…you know “that guy” who always wins everything at every trivia function. Not this time. No, sir. We won.
Next was the Marriage Game Show, which Chelsea tried to get Matt and her on, but they definitely didn’t want to compete as bad as the other 4 couples who made it up there. Let’s just say there was some PDA from the audience I could have done without. But it was nice to see our parents cracking up.
The final event of the night was Quest (or the adult scavenger hunt) and guess who won!? That’s right…us! We were unstoppable! Two times in a row! Woo woo! We kicked ass! I will not tell you all the crazy things we had to do, but let’s just say it was worth it. While we weren’t blessed with another Ship on a Stick, we did receive three bottles of champagne (one of which we shared with the pervy old dude, who became a part of our team). By the way, I think my parents may be scarred for life.
Our final full day was at Nassau. This was one of the ports we visited the last time but we finally got to snorkel. We took a catamaran out to Eileen’s Island and got to swim with the fishes for about an hour. It was truly one of the coolest things I have ever gotten to do, although I will say I was hesitant at first to jump in the deeper ocean water. It was beautiful with all sorts of colorful fish swimming below. There was even a stingray! We almost lost my stepmom – she got a little carried away following some fish – but we all made it back to the catamaran to enjoy some rum punch and learn about the celebrities who own houses nearby. Christina Aguilera. Chuck Norris. Michael Jordan.
Lunch was at Lukka Kairi where we enjoyed some fantastic burgers and tropical drinks. We visited with the cruise director – Mat – and then shopped in the Straw Market and nearby vendors where we got some amazing wood carvings and paintings.
On Saturday, February 4, we ported back in Miami, and soon made our way back to Kentucky. After spending some family time (like we needed any more) we hit the road the next day. Our journey was over…but never forgotten.
